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Barents Spektakel: "setter Sør-Varanger på kartet"
Get PDFI denne masteroppgaven har jeg undersøkt forholdet mellom festivalen Barents Spektakel og stedet Sør-Varanger. Barents Spektakel arrangeres årlig i Sør-Varanger, av Pikene på broen. De beskriver den som «en møteplass for alle med interesse for kunst, kultur og aktuelle problemstillinger knyttet til nordområdene» (Pikene på broen, 2025). Problemstillingen for oppgaven lyder som følger: Hva er relasjonen mellom festivalen Barents Spektakel og stedet Sør-Varanger, og hvordan har denne relasjonen betydning for lokalbefolkningens stedstilknytning? Jeg har konkretisert problemstillingen med følgende forskningsspørsmål: 1) Hvordan er festivalen med å skape stedet, i lys av folks opplevelser og følelser for stedet, identitet og bilder av stedet? 2) Hvilken betydning har stedets historie og geopolitiske beliggenhet for festivalen? 3) Hvordan har Russlands invasjon av Ukraina hatt betydning for festivalen og menneskene i lokalbefolkningen?
For å besvare problemstillingen og forskningsspørsmål har jeg brukt kvalitativ metode, hvor jeg har gjennomført syv individuelle intervjuer, i tillegg til et feltarbeid under Barents Spektakel 2025. Intervjuene ble gjennomført med tre av festivalens bidragsytere, altså personer som på ulik måte har en rolle i planlegging og/eller gjennomføring av festivalen, og fire festivaldeltakere, som deltok under årets festival. For å analysere empirien gjorde jeg en tematisk analyse. De teoretiske perspektivene jeg har benyttet meg av er perspektiver på stedsbegrepet, hvor en relasjonell forståelse av sted står som sentral, teori om identitet, stedsidentitet og stedstilknytning, samt begreper fra Goffmans samhandlingsteori og sosialkonstruktivisme.
Empirien og analysen indikerer en kompleks og gjensidig konstituerende relasjon mellom stedet, festivalen og folkene. Det er en rekke ulike aspekter som utgjør relasjonen mellom Barents Spektakel og Sør-Varanger, hvor det sentrale er folkene som tilegner dette forholdet mening. Eksempler som kan trekkes fram er geopolitisk beliggenhet, historie, sosiale interaksjoner og relasjoner, følelser, og symbolsk og fysisk grensedragning, for å nevne noen. Både den sosiale interaksjonen på festivalen, muligheten til å delta i stedsdebatten, at stedet blir «satt på kartet», og at folk føler stolthet over den er noen aspekter som kan ha betydning for lokalbefolkningens stedstilknytning
Artificial Intelligence to Improve Clinical Coding Practice in Scandinavia: Crossover Randomized Controlled Trial
Get PDFBackground: Clinical coding is critical for hospital reimbursement, quality assessment, and health care planning. In Scandinavia, however, coding is often done by junior doctors or medical secretaries, leading to high rates of coding errors. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools, particularly semiautomatic computer-assisted coding tools, have the potential to reduce the excessive burden of administrative and clinical documentation. To date, much of what we know regarding these tools comes from lab-based evaluations, which often fail to account for real-world complexity and variability in clinical text.
Objective: This study aims to investigate whether an AI tool developed by by Norwegian Centre for E-health Research at the University Hospital of North Norway, Easy-ICD (International Classification of Diseases), can enhance clinical coding practices by reducing coding time and improving data quality in a realistic setting. We specifically examined whether improvements differ between long and short clinical notes, defined by word count.
Methods: An AI tool, Easy-ICD, was developed to assist clinical coders and was tested for improving both accuracy and time in a 1:1 crossover randomized controlled trial conducted in Sweden and Norway. Participants were randomly assigned to 2 groups (Sequence AB or BA), and crossed over between coding longer texts (Period 1; mean 307, SD 90; words) versus shorter texts (Period 2; mean 166, SD 55; words), while using our tool versus not using our tool. This was a purely web-based trial, where participants were recruited through email. Coding time and accuracy were logged and analyzed using Mann-Whitney U tests for each of the 2 periods independently, due to differing text lengths in each period.
Results:: The trial had 17 participants enrolled, but only data from 15 participants (300 coded notes) were analyzed, excluding 2 incomplete records. Based on the Mann-Whitney U test, the median coding time difference for longer clinical text sequences was 123 seconds (P
Conclusions: This study demonstrates the potential of AI to transform common tasks in clinical workflows, with ostensible positive impacts on work efficiencies for clinical coding tasks with more demanding longer text sequences. Further studies within hospital workflows are required before these presumed impacts can be more clearly understood
EXPLORING THE LIVELIHOOD COPING MECHANISMS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS UNDER A PROTRACTED DISPLACEMENT IN KUJE IDP CAMP FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY (FCT), NIGERIA.
Get PDFABSTRACT
This thesis is relevant research that explored the livelihood coping mechanisms of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria, a country that has witnessed prolonged displacements due to insurgency, conflict, kidnapping for ransom, banditry, and other factors was chosen for this research. Using a qualitative research approach of Sustainable Livelihood framework, the study explores the various coping mechanisms that IDPs living in the Kuje Camp located in peri-urban area in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria, use to sustain their livelihoods. Primary data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and focus group discussions with thirty IDP households, revealing the complex nature of their coping mechanisms. The findings also highlight the significant role of community support and external assistance from NGOs and government agencies. The research emphasizes the strategies adopted by IDPs for their day-to-day survival, as well as identifying the challenges they face. The study also revealed that some national and international NGOs, in addition to the Nigerian government agencies, were helping or had helped the IDPs to support themselves in making a living. These assistance programs were mostly focused on the following: financial and vocational training, free medical care, mental health and psychosocial support, self-awareness, and good personal hygiene. But even with the given supports and assistance, the research indicates that these IDPs circumstances and conditions are still not good, despite their resilience to make a living for themselves and that of their families in the new environment they found themselves. This study contributes to a better understanding of the socio-economic dynamics of IDPs in Nigeria. It offers recommendations for improving the livelihood of IDPs and enhancing humanitarian interventions. By shedding light on the experiences of IDPs, the research aims to contribute to raising awareness of the complexities surrounding internal displacement in Nigeria and the Northen region of Nigeria in particular.
KEYWORDS: Nigeria, IDPs, Livelihood, displacement, mechanisms, household, humanitarianism.ABSTRACT
This thesis is relevant research that explored the livelihood coping mechanisms of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria, a country that has witnessed prolonged displacements due to insurgency, conflict, kidnapping for ransom, banditry, and other factors was chosen for this research. Using a qualitative research approach of Sustainable Livelihood framework, the study explores the various coping mechanisms that IDPs living in the Kuje Camp located in peri-urban area in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria, use to sustain their livelihoods. Primary data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and focus group discussions with thirty IDP households, revealing the complex nature of their coping mechanisms. The findings also highlight the significant role of community support and external assistance from NGOs and government agencies. The research emphasizes the strategies adopted by IDPs for their day-to-day survival, as well as identifying the challenges they face. The study also revealed that some national and international NGOs, in addition to the Nigerian government agencies, were helping or had helped the IDPs to support themselves in making a living. These assistance programs were mostly focused on the following: financial and vocational training, free medical care, mental health and psychosocial support, self-awareness, and good personal hygiene. But even with the given supports and assistance, the research indicates that these IDPs circumstances and conditions are still not good, despite their resilience to make a living for themselves and that of their families in the new environment they found themselves. This study contributes to a better understanding of the socio-economic dynamics of IDPs in Nigeria. It offers recommendations for improving the livelihood of IDPs and enhancing humanitarian interventions. By shedding light on the experiences of IDPs, the research aims to contribute to raising awareness of the complexities surrounding internal displacement in Nigeria and the Northen region of Nigeria in particular.
KEYWORDS: Nigeria, IDPs, Livelihood, displacement, mechanisms, household, humanitarianism
Overwintering Calanus finmarchicus in Ullsfjord
Get PDFCalanus finmarchicus is a key species in the North Atlantic ecosystems that serves as an important link between primary producers and higher trophic levels, including commercially important fish. C. finmarchicus spends the unproductive time of the year overwintering in deep water layers. While it typically overwinters in deep oceanic basins, overwintering populations with high abundances have also been observed in North Norwegian fjords, possibly providing an earlier food source for local fish larvae. However, the spatial distribution and overwintering success of these C. finmarchicus populations, especially in shallower fjords, remain largely unknown. The aim of this study was to detect and describe the changes in abundance, vertical distribution and origin, of the overwintering C. finmarchicus population in Ullsfjord over the unproductive season. Monthly to bimonthly sampling was conducted from October 2024 to April 2025 in one station in Ullsfjord. Data on the zooplankton and environment was gathered using WP2 nets, the Laser Optical Plankton Counter (LOPC), CTD and water samples. This study established that a large overwintering C. finmarchicus population (average winter abundances between 173 ind m-3 (LOPC) and 417 ind m-3 (net samples)) was present throughout winter in the deeper layers (>100 m) of Ullsfjord, in Norwegian Coastal Water, and dominated the local zooplankton community at depth. The C. finmarchicus overwintering population suffered high mortality over winter (>99%), likely primarily due to high predation pressure in the fjord. The overwintering population was dominated by CV stage copepods that started moulting into adults in January and ascended to surface in April, possibly reproducing locally and providing a food source for local fish larvae. Based on δ13C and δ15N stable isotope values, the C. finmarchicus overwintering population in Ullsfjord originated from the same area and did not feed during overwintering
The effects of Vitamin/mineral complex on a cellular level
No full textBackground: Titanium preparation (TP) is a dietary supplement prescribed to a group of patients with ulcerative colitis in Denmark. Several patients have reported improvement, raising questions about its effectiveness and mechanism of action.
Introduction: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affecting the colon to varying degrees. While the prevalence of the disease has stabilized in high income countries, it is rising significantly in low-income regions. There is no definitive medical cure, so treatment aims to induce and maintain remission while avoiding surgical intervention. The effectiveness of the treatment varies greatly between individuals, consequently leading to a large portion of patients turning to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Among these, dietary supplements are the most commonly used form of oral CAM.
Methods: The cytotoxic effects of TP and its impact on cell viability on normal and cancer cells were assessed using MTS assay. Live Cell Imaging analysis was conducted on normal cells to investigate the effects of TP on proliferation after at least 64 hours. Additionally, the anti-inflammatory properties of the dietary supplement were investigated by treating stimulated macrophages with TP, measuring nitric oxide (NO) production.
Results: The MTS assay indicated that TP does not exhibit cytotoxic effects on normal cells from experiments conducted in this thesis. However, Live Cell Imaging revealed a concentration-dependent inhibition in cell proliferation in TP-treated normal cells. In stimulated macrophages, the highest TP concentration resulted in the lowest NO production compared to ascorbic acid and dexamethasone treatments.
Conclusion: The titanium preparation does not appear to exhibit cytotoxic effects at the tested concentrations on a cancer cell line and a healthy human cell line from the conducted assays. It seems to inhibit the proliferation of the normal cells compared to controls. Additionally, preliminary assays suggests that TP may have anti-inflammatory effects on stimulated macrophages, but further testing is needed to confirm the reliability of these finding. Overall, the limitations surrounding the limited knowledge about the TP must be emphasized, as they significantly impact the interpretation of the results
The association between self-reported nutritional intake and depressive symptoms explored in a general population health survey: The Tromsø Study: Tromsø7
Get PDFBackground:
Depression is a world health problem and therefore a subject of scientific interest. It not only affects individuals deeply but also places significant burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Research has suggested a possible link between nutrition and depressive symptoms, with certain nutrients receiving special attention in this context.
Material and method:
This is a cross-sectional study using data from The Tromsø Study: Tromsø7, a general population health study. A total of 21083 participants participated in the study whereas 21069 agreed to medical research. To measure depressive symptoms five questions from the HSCL-10 were included as part of this study. Nutritional intake was already calculated based on an extensive food frequency questionnaire filled out by participants. SPSS statistics was used for analyses exploring the association between depressive symptoms and nutritional intake. Linear regression analyses were run adjusted for and unadjusted for total energy intake. The data received was stored according to guidelines given by UiT.
Results:
Unadjusted for total energy intake HSCLdep showed positive associations with all nutritional variables. After adjusting for total energy intake HSCLdep showed positive associations with zinc (β = 0.047, p<0.001), as well as iron (β = 0.030, p<0.001) and fat (β = 0.021, p<0.001). Negative associations were seen between HSCLdep and phosphorus (β = -0.013, p<0.001), as well as carbohydrate (β = -0.014, p<0.001).
Conclusion:
This cross-sectional study using data from The Tromsø Study: Tromsø7 found that depressive symptoms were positively associated with energy, fat, iron and zinc, and inversely associated with carbohydrate and phosphorus intake. More women and younger individuals scored above the HSCL cut-off. Some findings contrast with previous studies, maybe because of the healthy population sample and the fact that we examined a range of depressive symptoms rather than the clinical diagnosis of depression. This study offers insight into nutrition and mental health, but further longitudinal and intervention studies are needed.Background:
Depression is a world health problem and therefore a subject of scientific interest. It not only affects individuals deeply but also places significant burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Research has suggested a possible link between nutrition and depressive symptoms, with certain nutrients receiving special attention in this context.
Material and method:
This is a cross-sectional study using data from The Tromsø Study: Tromsø7, a general population health study. A total of 21083 participants participated in the study whereas 21069 agreed to medical research. To measure depressive symptoms five questions from the HSCL-10 were included as part of this study. Nutritional intake was already calculated based on an extensive food frequency questionnaire filled out by participants. SPSS statistics was used for analyses exploring the association between depressive symptoms and nutritional intake. Linear regression analyses were run adjusted for and unadjusted for total energy intake. The data received was stored according to guidelines given by UiT.
Results:
Unadjusted for total energy intake HSCLdep showed positive associations with all nutritional variables. After adjusting for total energy intake HSCLdep showed positive associations with zinc (β = 0.047, p<0.001), as well as iron (β = 0.030, p<0.001) and fat (β = 0.021, p<0.001). Negative associations were seen between HSCLdep and phosphorus (β = -0.013, p<0.001), as well as carbohydrate (β = -0.014, p<0.001).
Conclusion:
This cross-sectional study using data from The Tromsø Study: Tromsø7 found that depressive symptoms were positively associated with energy, fat, iron and zinc, and inversely associated with carbohydrate and phosphorus intake. More women and younger individuals scored above the HSCL cut-off. Some findings contrast with previous studies, maybe because of the healthy population sample and the fact that we examined a range of depressive symptoms rather than the clinical diagnosis of depression. This study offers insight into nutrition and mental health, but further longitudinal and intervention studies are needed
Drivers of coastal ecosystem structure: Using fishing mortality, primary production and temperature to predict biomass distributions of ecosystems along the Norwegian Coast
No full textFull text not availableCoastal ecosystems constitute productive marine areas that provide valuable ecosystem services such as harvestable fish stocks and critical habitats for spawning. With increasing impacts of human activities and climate change on coastal ecosystems, more knowledge about what shapes their structure is needed to manage them sustainably. Ecosystem modeling in Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) has been widely used to investigate how factors such as fishery, environmental drivers, and bioenergetics of ecosystem groups, can affect marine ecosystems. Other studies have utilized the space-for-time and time-for-space substitution approaches in ecological research to obtain knowledge about specific ecosystems based on similar ecosystems in other places. In this study, a new approach combined ecosystem modeling and time-for-space substitution with the goal of predicting the structure of adjacent ecosystems. Potential drivers of coastal ecosystem structure were studied by applying ordination analyses on relative biomass distributions of fish and invertebrates from existing Ecopath models in the Northeast Atlantic. Based on an environmental stair-step approach, a modified EwE model for the North Sea was used to predict biomasses of groups along the Norwegian Coast, where fishing mortality, primary production and temperature were used as drivers in Ecosim simulations, and temperature-dependent curves scaled the consumption rates for ecosystem groups. In the multivariate analysis, temperature constituted a key driver of ecosystem structure in the Northeast Atlantic, and fishing mortality of large cod and primary production also seemed to contribute. Northern Ecopath models were associated with cold-adapted groups including cod, haddock and capelin, whereas southern Ecopath models were associated with warm-adapted pelagic fish groups like mackerel. Furthermore, flatfish and sandeels were characteristic for the North Sea Ecopath model. With representative input data for fishery and environmental drivers, the modified North Sea EwE model could to some extent predict biomasses of groups along the Norwegian Coast, in various areas with lower temperature, lower primary production, and different fishing mortalities for functional groups. Predicted biomasses for selected functional groups showed variable correspondence to observed biomass patterns based on bottom trawl survey data from two time periods. In the latter time period from 2000 to 2024, predicted biomasses corresponded more closely to the observed biomasses, with along-coast biomass patterns that were realistic for warm-adapted groups and some cold-adapted groups. These findings demonstrate that re-use of data can give further knowledge about ecosystems and enable transferability of ecosystem models
Hyperspectral Imaging as a Tool for Characterization of Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.)
Get PDFPlants growing at high latitudes are subjected to environmental conditions with significantly different light and temperature regimes compared to lower latitudes, which can influence local adaptations related to the plant’s secondary metabolite profile. Several studies have demonstrated the potential of utilizing hyperspectral imaging in plant phenotyping. This thesis provides insight into how plant leaf spectral features are influenced by desiccation, and how these changes may reflect group-specific signatures related to underlying shifts in the composition of secondary metabolites. In this thesis, hyperspectral imaging using visible and near-infrared (VNIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) sensors was applied to fresh and dry leaves of two different species – Vaccinium Myrtillus L. and Cornus Suecica L. – and two ecotypes of V. myrtillus growing in different locations –Norway (69°N) and Germany (50°N) – imaged in a dry state. In addition, chemical analysis (LC-qTOF-MS) of plant metabolites was applied to the two distinct ecotypes to investigate the relationship between the spectral (400-1700 nm) and chemical features of the leaves using predictive models. Principal component analysis (PCA) on reflectance and chemical data showed separation between fresh and dry leaves in both species, in addition ecotypes when using spectral data only. Interestingly, desiccation can increase within-group variability of dry leaves, possibly due to unmasking of other latent features caused by the removal of water. Desiccation had notable effects on the separability of the species and ecotypes, although in different spectral regions. Multiple classes of compounds differed in abundance among the two ecotypes, two of which – among flavonoids and sesquiterpenoids – were chosen as targets for Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR2) analysis. PLSR models had poor to moderate performance in predicting the abundance of the class compounds in both regions (Global Q2 = 0.69 and 0.73, Global R2 = 0.71 and 0.75, for VNIR and SWIR respectively). The target class compounds exhibit a strong positive correlation with other class compounds, and the prediction performance of the PLSR models may therefore be based on the presence of other more spectrally dominant compounds. The results from this study demonstrate the viability of using dry leaf reflectance to distinguish between species and ecotypes, as well as to predict the abundance of specific class compounds
Growing season extension and delayed senescence: phenological responses to altered snow regimes and nutrient enrichment in High Arctic tundra species
Get PDFArctic ecosystems are experiencing rapid changes in climate conditions, with a shift in snow regimes and nutrient availability, likely to impact plant phenology and productivity. This study investigates how increased snow depth and nutrient enrichment influence the timing of phenological phases and length of the growing season in tundra vegetation in Adventdalen, Svalbard. A factorial field experiment was established using snow fences to manipulate snow depth and fertilizer addition to simulate increased nutrient input. To assess treatment effect, phenological development was tracked in five plant species: Dryas octopetala, Salix polaris, Luzula confusa, Bistorta vivipara, and an overall “Grass” group was observed. Phenological development was monitored throughout the 2024 growing season using visual greenness estimates, NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) measurements, and soil moisture observations across three treatments: Nutrient, Water, and Snow Fence, compared to an untreated Control.
Results showed that snow accumulation and nutrient addition had a distinct effect on plant phenology. The strongest treatment responses were observed during the senescence phase, where both Snow Fence and Nutrient treatments exhibited delayed autumn senescence and extended growing season compared to the Control. This suggests that many Arctic tundra species may prolong their active growth period when exposed to later melt-out or increased nutrient availability. In contrast, green-up was delayed by accumulated snow depth, while nutrient addition had little effect early in the season. Species differed in the magnitude and direction of their responses, with some, particularly graminoids, showing a greater phenological flexibility than others. NDVI measurements supported these findings by reflecting a prolonged season in the Snow Fence and Nutrient Treatment.
These findings demonstrate that snow and nutrient manipulations have distinct phase-specific effects on plant phenology and that species display a clear difference in their capacity to respond. This variability may lead to a shift in community composition and ecosystem function under further climate scenarios in the Arctic
Managing Sámi culture-based tourist experiences in northern Fennoscandia: A case study about working in Indigenous tourism
Get PDFThis exploratory research aims to understand what is needed to bring Sámi culture-based tourist experiences in northern Fennoscandia to a success, seen from a managerial point of view. It does so by identifying the different internal and external experience components that require management by the experience hosts to ensure goal attainment, how these components interact, as well as the context in which experience delivery takes place. This question is answered by ways of a case study, taking a predictor-criterion approach to the research.
The research identifies three main goals hosts have in providing their experiences, which serve the overarching goal of attaining agentic representation of Sámi culture in the Indigenous tourism sector of northern Fennoscandia. These goals are knowledge dissemination about Sámi culture, experience memory building, and allyship building. Management takes place at an in vivo experience level, focused on shaping and regulating its human-to-human elements before and during the provision. It further takes place on a broader scale when it comes to cooperating with other actors in the (Indigenous) tourism sector and positioning the work vis-à-vis communal and national contexts.
Representation is found to be local and sectoral in nature. It firstly results from the act and outcomes of providing experiences by an individual host or actor. Secondly, it results from the accumulated effects of individual actors and their behavior, in terms of placemaking and marketing while reinforcing imaginaries and signifiers. Agentic representation is argued to enable change in portraying Indigenous culture towards more inclusive forms on a sectoral level. This inclusiveness speaks to aspirations to become more diverse and multi-dimensional in signifier-low forms of representation. Representation is agentic when it happens in line with ethical tourism, against the backdrop of a host, connect, share framework, and as such denotes Indigenous cultural self-determination. Concurrently, however, relying on an imaginary heavy depiction of culture – as the act and outcome of individual and collective representation – can not only harm how Sámi people are perceived by guests and the public but also bar the development towards inclusive representation.
Key words: Sámi tourism, Indigenous tourism, management, predictor-criterion variable approac