Stand Hiestand, Ståle Pallesen, Ståle Pallesen
et al.
IntroductionNurse fatigue may cause medical errors, absence and turnover. Prior research has largely emphasized modifiable factors like work schedules. This focus may overlook non‑modifiable individual factors that also meaningfully contribute to fatigue risk. This study therefore aimed to investigate the relationship between potentially non-modifiable factors and excessive fatigue in nurses.MethodsThis longitudinal cohort study investigated adverse childhood experiences and personality traits in relation to excessive fatigue in nurses. Adverse childhood experiences were assessed with four questions previously used in the Norwegian context. Personality traits included the Big Five traits (Mini-IPIP), morningness-eveningness (Horne and Östberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire reduced scale), circadian type (flexibility and languidity, Circadian Type Inventory), and workaholism (Bergen Work Addiction Scale). Questionnaire data was collected at various time points from an ongoing cohort study known as the Survey of Shift work, Sleep, and Health (REK VEST, no. 088.88). Fatigue was assessed using the Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire and excessive fatigue was considered as scores of ≥4. The study sample included 741 non-pregnant Norwegian nurses. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate associations between adverse childhood experiences, personality traits, and excessive fatigue.ResultsNurses who lacked a trusted adult in childhood (adjusted odds ratios (aOR) = 4.68, 95% CI = 1.97–11.11), reported bad memories (aOR = 4.94, CI = 2.70–9.03), or perceived their childhood as difficult (aOR = 4.53, CI = 2.40–8.57) had >4x the odds of excessive fatigue. High neuroticism (aOR = 2.37, CI = 1.56–3.59), low conscientiousness (aOR = 2.02, CI = 1.30–3.12), and high languidity (aOR = 5.01 CI = 2.98–8.39) increased odds of excessive fatigue. Morning types had lower (aOR = 0.65 CI = 0.45–0.93), while evening types had higher odds (aOR = 1.55 CI = 1.02–2.34) of excessive fatigue compared to intermediate types. Lastly, workaholism increased odds of excessive fatigue (aOR = 2.70 CI = 1.21–6.04).DiscussionIn past literature, nurse fatigue has been studied in the context of pain, (shift)work, mental-health and other modifiable factors. This study indicates factors that are less modifiable and potentially difficult to address within the working environment, including adverse childhood experiences and personality traits, may nonetheless play important roles in excessive fatigue in nurses.
Josep Garcia-Blandon, José María Argilés-Bosch, Diego Ravenda
Norway provides the case study for examining the impact of board gender quotas on firm performance. The debate that ultimately led to the introduction of the quota was heated and polarised, with opponents of the quota arguing that the inability of the firm's owners to select the best candidates for the board (regardless of gender) would result in poorly managed firms. Although several articles have empirically examined the impact of the Norwegian gender quota on performance, the available evidence is inconclusive. These articles use return on assets and/or Tobin's Q as indicators of performance. The present study contributes to the literature by providing a new and complementary approach to this research topic. To this end, we examine the impact of board gender quotas on analysts' perceptions of performance, as measured by investment recommendations. The research design adopts a difference-in-differences methodology coupled with fixed effects panel data estimation. The results document that recommendations on Norwegian stocks did not change significantly after the introduction of the quota. This result is robust to a variety of sensitivity analyses and controls.
Urban population growth is intensifying pressure on mobility systems, with road transportation contributing to environmental and sustainability challenges. Policymakers must navigate complex uncertainties in addressing rising mobility demand while pursuing sustainability goals. Advanced technologies offer promise, but their real-world effectiveness in urban contexts remains underexplored. This meta-review comprised three complementary studies: a broad analysis of sustainable mobility with Norwegian case studies, and systematic literature reviews on digital twins and Big Data/AI applications in urban mobility, covering the period of 2019–2024. Using structured criteria, we synthesised findings from 72 relevant articles to identify major trends, limitations, and opportunities. The findings show that mobility policies often prioritise technocentric solutions that unintentionally hinder sustainability goals. Digital twins show potential for traffic simulation, urban planning, and public engagement, while machine learning techniques support traffic forecasting and multimodal integration. However, persistent challenges include data interoperability, model validation, and insufficient stakeholder engagement. We identify a hierarchy of mobility modes where public transit and active mobility outperform private vehicles in sustainability and user satisfaction. Integrating electrification and automation and sharing models with data-informed governance can enhance urban liveability. We propose actionable pathways leveraging Big Data and AI, outlining the roles of various stakeholders in advancing sustainable urban mobility futures.
Geography. Anthropology. Recreation, Social Sciences
Yohann Jacob Sandvik, Cecilia Marie Futsæther, Kristian Hovde Liland
et al.
This literature review assesses the efficacy of image-processing techniques and machine-learning models in computer vision for wood log grading and scaling. Four searches were conducted in four scientific databases, yielding a total of 1288 results, which were narrowed down to 33 relevant studies. The studies were categorized according to their goals, including log end grading, log side grading, individual log scaling, log pile scaling, and log segmentation. The studies were compared based on the input used, choice of model, model performance, and level of autonomy. This review found a preference for images over point cloud representations for logs and an increase in camera use over laser scanners. It identified three primary model types: classical image-processing algorithms, deep learning models, and other machine learning models. However, comparing performance across studies proved challenging due to varying goals and metrics. Deep learning models showed better performance in the log pile scaling and log segmentation goal categories. Cameras were found to have become more popular over time compared to laser scanners, possibly due to stereovision cameras taking over for laser scanners for sampling point cloud datasets. Classical image-processing algorithms were consistently used, deep learning models gained prominence in 2018, and other machine learning models were used in studies published between 2010 and 2018.
Jie Wang, Yanxian Li, Alexander Jaramillo-Torres
et al.
Abstract Background The importance of the gut microbiota for physiological processes in mammals is well established, but the knowledge of their functional roles in fish is still limited. The aims of this study were to investigate associations between variation in taxonomical composition of the gut microbiota and gut health status in Atlantic salmon and to explore possible modulatory effects of dietary prebiotics in one net-pen farm in open water. The fish with initial mean body weight of around 240 g were fed diets based on the same basal composition, either without (Ref diet) or with (Test diet) yeast cell wall based-prebiotics, during the marine production phase from December to September the following year. Sampling was conducted at three sampling time points: January, April, and September, with average water temperature of 3.9 ℃, 3.4 ℃ and 9.6 ℃, respectively. Results As the fish progressed towards September, growth, brush border membrane enzyme activities, and the expression in the gut of most of the observed genes involved in immune (e.g., il8, cd4a, myd88, il1b, gilt, tgfb, cd8b and cd3), barrier (e.g., zo1, occludin, ecad, claudin25b and claudin15), and metabolism increased significantly. Lipid accumulation in pyloric enterocytes decreased remarkably, suggesting improvement of gut health condition. The growth of the fish did not differ between dietary treatments. Further, dietary prebiotics affected the gut health only marginally regardless of duration of administration. Regarding gut microbiota composition, a decrease in alpha diversity (Observed species, Pielou and Shannon) over time was observed, which was significantly associated with an increase in the relative abundance of genus Mycoplasma and decrease in 32 different taxa in genus level including lactic acid bacteria (LAB), such as Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, and Lactococcus. This indicates that developmental stage of Atlantic salmon is a determinant for microbial composition. Multivariate association analysis revealed that the relative abundance of Mycoplasma was positively correlated with gut barrier gene expression, negatively correlated with plasma glucose levels, and that its relative abundance slightly increased by exposure to prebiotics. Furthermore, certain LAB (e.g., Leuconostoc), belonging to the core microbiota, showed a negative development with time, and significant associations with plasma nutrients levels (e.g., triglyceride and cholesterol) and gene expression related to gut immune and barrier function. Conclusions As Atlantic salmon grew older under large-scale, commercial farm settings, the Mycoplasma became more prominent with a concomitant decline in LAB. Mycoplasma abundance correlated positively with time and gut barrier genes, while LAB abundance negatively correlated to time. Dietary prebiotics affected gut health status only marginally.
Emilie Willoch Olstad, Emilie Willoch Olstad, Hedvig Marie Egeland Nordeng
et al.
Pharmacoepigenetic studies are important to understand the mechanisms through which medications influence the developing fetus. For instance, we and others have reported associations between prenatal paracetamol exposure and offspring DNA methylation (DNAm). Additionally, folic acid (FA) intake during pregnancy has been associated with DNAm in genes linked to developmental abnormalities. In this study, we aimed to: (i) expand on our previous findings showing differential DNAm associated with long-term prenatal paracetamol exposure in offspring with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and (ii) examine if there is an interaction effect of FA and paracetamol on DNAm in children with ADHD. We used data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN). We did not identify any impact of paracetamol or any interaction effect of paracetamol and FA on cord blood DNAm in children with ADHD. Our results contribute to the growing literature on prenatal pharmacoepigenetics, but should be replicated in other cohorts. Replication of pharmacoepigenetic studies is essential to ensure robust findings and to increase the clinical relevance of such studies.
Magnus Borre Bragdo, Ligia Tuszyńska, Ilona Żeber-Dzikowska
This article was inspired by the cooperation between two university teams implementing a Polish-Norwegian project Green Schoolbag for the Earth Climate. The project was aimed at preparing early school pedagogy teachers and students for the implementation of education for sustainable development (SD). A study trip to Norway and sharing experience gave rise to studying Norwegian curricula and educational literature. The study findings revealed that local educational philosophies and SD in the four Scandinavian countries differ in social, cultural and educational terms. The article presents the historical background to introducing SD into social and cultural habits in each of the countries and, consequently, lifestyles typical of the inhabitants of these countries. Four types of lifestyles are compared: Finish sisu, Norwegian friluftsliv, Danish hygge and Swedish lagom. The analysis proved that Scandinavian countries have similar climate and values as regards their attitudes to nature. However, differences in local philosophies are visible and their inhabitants present specific lifestyles, different behaviours and social and cultural principles behind their attitudes to the SD concept. The conclusion of the article puts an open question about Polish people’s local philosophy, lifestyle and SD education.
Published in 2021 with a trilingual title, the collective volume 30 Years of Norwegian Language and Literature in Romania at Babeș-Bolyai University serves as a celebration of three decades of Norwegian studies at BBU’s Faculty of Letters. It incorporates official anniversary greetings from several Norwegian and Romanian institutions, personal messages from collaborators and alumni, as well as academic papers on a variety of topics revolving around Scandinavian linguistic and literary studies.
Michelle Khan, Jan-Erik Gjertsen, Anne Marie Fenstad
et al.
Abstract Background Cementing technique in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) may influence implant survival. There is limited knowledge about the results with clinically used techniques. The aim of this study was to investigate cementing techniques for TKA in Norwegian hospitals, to compare widely used techniques to recommendations from the literature, and to investigate variation within hospitals. Methods A questionnaire requesting information about cementing techniques were distributed to all Norwegian orthopedic surgeons performing TKAs regularly in 2020. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. Results We acquired 121 responses out of 257 surgeons. They were from 45 out of 56 hospitals, and at least half of the TKA surgeons from 20 hospitals, constituting 79 surgeons. All responders used pulsatile lavage. Cement application to both the tibial plateau and stem (full cementation) was practiced by 61%. Application of cement to both implant and bone was done by 70% of surgeons. Techniques to improve cement penetration were used by 86%. Only 35% of surgeons aimed to get a cement mantle thickness between 3–5 mm. Flexing the knee joint to remove excess cement was done by 82%. We found that in 55% of 20 hospitals the surgeons did not agree on the use of common guidelines in their ward. Conclusions The majority of the responders used recommended techniques from the literature when cementing TKA. At more than half of the eligible hospitals, surgeons disagreed about their hospitals’ use of common guidelines. Focusing on developing evidence-based guidelines would be beneficial for TKA-quality.
There is a growing interest in the role art museums might play in enriching the lives of persons with dementia. The literature has started incorporating the views of persons with dementia in the knowledge production, but in-depth explorations of their art experiences are still rare in the literature. This article adds to the research with a case study of a man with Alzheimer’s who regularly takes part in dementia-friendly guided tours at his local art museum. The article examines through a narrative analysis the role his visits to the art museum might play in the way he navigates life with Alzheimer’s. The authors argue that the art experiences are important cultural resources in the man’s effort to ‘hold his own’ faced with Alzheimer’s. The study is bound to a Norwegian context, but the art programme has similarities with related programmes at art museums in other countries.
Trond Myklebust, Karoline Motland, Alexander Garnås
et al.
Readiness for change is seen as an important factor in organisational change processes, but it is unclear how organisational climate might affect readiness for change. Addressing this important gap, the purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between human relations climate, a dimension of the Quinn and Rohrbaugh’s competing values framework of organizational climate, and readiness for change. More specifically the aim was to investigate the mediating role of perceived organisational support. Employees in the Norwegian Police Service (N = 901) answered a survey measuring organisational culture. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. Following a two-step analytical approach, the measurement models were first evaluated and then the relationships between constructs were examined. Evaluations of the original measurement models showed non-satisfactory fit, however after modifications, the measurement models were found to have satisfactory fit. In the second step, both the original and the modified measurement models were applied to the examination of three competing models: a partially mediated model, a fully mediated model, and a non-mediated model. Evaluation of the models showed fully mediated models (original and modified) to have the best fit to data, suggesting that the relationship between human relations organisational climate and employees’ readiness for change is mediated by perceived organisational support. The finding adds theoretically to literature on organisational climate, highlighting the role of perceived organisational support. From an applied perspective actions fostering human relations climate to strengthen perceived organisational support are recommended.
International research carried out by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), through the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), has shown that the Finnish school system is the most successful in Europe and has been ranked among the best in the world since 2000. A review of the academic literature, websites, interviews and documentaries suggests that the key to success of the Finnish educational system lies in the lack of negative school evaluation, in encouraging students to make the most of the improvements they have achieved, rather than in the use of standardized evaluation. Moreover, students spend much time outdoors engaging in practical activities, the burden of study is balanced with their personal arrangements, and there is little homework. Though these features are all common to both the Finnish and Norwegian school systems, the educational performance of Norwegian students is not as good. This article suggests, taking into account the analyses of Finnish and Norwegian teachers and pedagogues, that the determinant element of the Finnish educational system’s success is special education, i.e. the timely use of school support for students in need. According to data released by the national statistical offices in Finland, 31% of pupils in compulsory education receive school support to the extent deemed necessary, while in Norway only 8% do. This is little known and little debated although, in our opinion, it seems to be central to a real understanding of the Finnish model. We will try to describe and motivate the choices of these two countries, which for a large number of features, are suitable for comparison, in terms of school policies.
In this essay I take a closer look at the Norwegian concept of stemning, and how this concept has been applied to Hamsun’s early work. I look at both the semantics and the history of the concept, and at Hamsun’s own use of it. The main insight of this investigation is that stemning is a concept that is not limited to subjective or objective experience, but must be understood outside of the object/subject dichotomy. These insights are then used in an analysis of Hamsun’s short story, ”Onde dage”, where I show that Hamsun is not trying to capture a subjective experience, but a common human reality.
In Hamsun’s novel Pan, Lieutenant Glahn holds an essentialist notion of masculinity that is somewhat outdated in the context of emerging Norwegian modernity. His acts of violence, which are performative of his male pride, not only bring harm to others, but also become destructive to himself. The masculinity crisis enacted in Pan is put into the context of the social, historical, and cultural changes related to gender and modernity that occurred during the end of the 19th century in Norway and beyond.
BackgroundHeracleum persicum was introduced to Norway as an ornamental in the 1830′s. Towards the end of the 19th century, it started spreading outside gardens, later to become a frequent sight in the major towns and settlements of North Norway – and a veritable pest plant. During the last 100 years or so, a substantial ethnobotanical tradition related to the species has evolved, demonstrating that folk knowledge is not only forgotten and lost, but also charting new terrain.MethodsThis survey is based on data extracted from all relevant publications, including botanical literature, travel accounts, newspaper notes, etc., as far as they have come to my attention. In addition, information on vernacular names and various uses of the H. persicum in Norway has been extracted from my own, substantial archive of interviews, questionnaires, and correspondence related to the ethnobotany of Norway.ResultsWhere extant, H. persicum tends to be known to everyone, even by city dwellers who otherwise generally neglect plants. People tend to love or hate it, and in Tromsø, the largest town of northern Norway, the species has become more or less emblematic of the city. Both here and in other areas of northern Norway, it is referred to by a variety of vernacular names, partly borrowed from other species, partly derived from the Latin genus name, and partly coined for this species only. In the latter group, tromsøpalme (‘the palm of Tromsø’) has proved by far the most popular invention. It was seemingly first used (and coined) by German soldiers during the World War II occupation of Norway, but now largely replaces other vernacular names. The plant is still popular with children, who frequently play in and with it, whereas adults have been more prone to speculate on its origins – and how to get rid of it. Salt is the most popular “herbicide” for this purpose.ConclusionsOver the years, H. persicum has accumulated at least twenty different vernacular names in Norway, and a variety of other traditions. By necessity, all these traditions are less than 180 years old, showing that even modern and urban societies may produce a substantial body of plant lore, which certainly merits ethnobotanical attention.
The essay reflects on political pressures exerted by and on scientists and technologists acting as advisors on political and economic matters of the high north.It uses two case studies to do this. One consists in the group of scientists from several nations who engaged as advisors to their foreign offices in the process leading up tothe ratification of the Spitsbergen/Svalbard treaty in 1920. The focus is on the discourse regarding hunting, mining and nature protections on these islands. The second case is the way technologists and geological scientists were engaged in the industrialisation of the USSR. These contexts of course differ in scale and in many other ways but are similar in certain respects. The discussion is centred on the problems of technocracy which is commented based on the Frankfurt school's elaborations on the open society and differing interpretations of technological determinism. This is related further to contemporary contentions over the balance between scientific based environmental stewardship and technological management in northern raw material extraction.