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CRYOPRESERVATION OF SPOTTED WOLFFISH (Anarhichas minor) SPERM EFFECTS OF EXTENDER SUPPLEMENTED WITH ASCORBIC ACID AND SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE ON SPERM QUALITY
Get PDFThe spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor) holds considerable promise for cold-water aquaculture due to its high fillet yield, docile behaviour, and resistance to disease. However, reproductive constraints—including limited sperm motility, low ejaculate volume, and narrow spawning windows—impede large-scale hatchery production. Cryopreservation offers a strategic solution for overcoming these limitations by enabling long-term storage and asynchronous fertilisation. This study investigated whether supplementation with two antioxidants—ascorbic acid (a non-enzymatic antioxidant) and superoxide dismutase (an enzymatic antioxidant)—could mitigate oxidative damage incurred during cryopreservation, thereby improving post-thaw sperm quality.
Spotted wolffish sperm were cryopreserved in a modified Scophthalmus maximus extender using three concentrations of each antioxidant: 0.5 mmol (low), 1.0 mmol (medium), and 1.5 mmol (high) for ascorbic acid, and 250 U/mL, 500 U/mL, and 750 U/mL for superoxide dismutase. Fresh and cryopreserved control groups (without antioxidants) were included for comparison. Freezing was performed using 0.5 mL straws exposed to nitrogen vapour, then submerged in liquid nitrogen. Thawing was standardised at 4°C for 1.5 minutes. Sperm quality assessments included total motility and kinematic parameters via Computer-Assisted Sperm Analysis (CASA), membrane viability using flow cytometry (SYBR-14/PI staining), and DNA fragmentation via the Halo Assay.
The results indicated that antioxidant efficacy was concentration-dependent and varied between parameters. Ascorbic acid at 1.0 mmol yielded the most consistent improvements, significantly enhancing total motility (p = 0.0148), curvilinear velocity (VCL; p = 0.0143), and straight-line velocity (VSL; p = 0.0097), while also reducing DNA fragmentation (p = 0.036). Viability, as measured by live cell percentage, was significantly higher in the low-dose ascorbic acid group (p = 0.0009), with moderate improvements observed in the medium-dose group. In contrast, superoxide dismutase at 500 U/mL showed non-significant yet numerically favourable effects on motility and viability, although no concentrations of SOD produced statistically significant enhancements across evaluated parameters. High-dose treatments of both antioxidants either plateaued or induced marginal declines in quality, suggesting a narrow optimal range for antioxidant efficacy.
Sperm concentration post-thaw did not differ significantly between treatments and was primarily influenced by individual variation rather than antioxidant supplementation. Linearity of sperm movement also remained unaffected by any antioxidant treatment (p < 0.05). The overall findings point to a beneficial role of moderate antioxidant dosing, particularly with ascorbic acid, in preserving functional sperm attributes post-thaw.
From an applied perspective, these results carry important implications for aquaculture development and broodstock management. Improved cryopreservation protocols will support selective breeding, enhance hatchery scalability by decoupling gamete collection from spawning seasonality, and facilitate the commercialization of spotted wolffish—a species with substantial export and nutritional value. Furthermore, robust cryobanking methods contribute to ex-situ conservation and genetic resource management by safeguarding male genetic diversity.
This work highlights the critical role of redox homeostasis in sperm cryopreservation and demonstrates the utility of integrating CASA, flow cytometry, and chromatin integrity assays to evaluate post-thaw functionality. Future research should build upon these findings by exploring synergistic antioxidant combinations, validating fertilization outcomes in vitro and in vivo, and examining epigenetic impacts on offspring. Ultimately, the adoption of refined, species-specific cryopreservation strategies will strengthen cold-water aquaculture and bring under-utilized species like the spotted wolffish into mainstream production and international markets.The spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor) holds considerable promise for cold-water aquaculture due to its high fillet yield, docile behaviour, and resistance to disease. However, reproductive constraints—including limited sperm motility, low ejaculate volume, and narrow spawning windows—impede large-scale hatchery production. Cryopreservation offers a strategic solution for overcoming these limitations by enabling long-term storage and asynchronous fertilisation. This study investigated whether supplementation with two antioxidants—ascorbic acid (a non-enzymatic antioxidant) and superoxide dismutase (an enzymatic antioxidant)—could mitigate oxidative damage incurred during cryopreservation, thereby improving post-thaw sperm quality.
Spotted wolffish sperm were cryopreserved in a modified Scophthalmus maximus extender using three concentrations of each antioxidant: 0.5 mmol (low), 1.0 mmol (medium), and 1.5 mmol (high) for ascorbic acid, and 250 U/mL, 500 U/mL, and 750 U/mL for superoxide dismutase. Fresh and cryopreserved control groups (without antioxidants) were included for comparison. Freezing was performed using 0.5 mL straws exposed to nitrogen vapour, then submerged in liquid nitrogen. Thawing was standardised at 4°C for 1.5 minutes. Sperm quality assessments included total motility and kinematic parameters via Computer-Assisted Sperm Analysis (CASA), membrane viability using flow cytometry (SYBR-14/PI staining), and DNA fragmentation via the Halo Assay.
The results indicated that antioxidant efficacy was concentration-dependent and varied between parameters. Ascorbic acid at 1.0 mmol yielded the most consistent improvements, significantly enhancing total motility (p = 0.0148), curvilinear velocity (VCL; p = 0.0143), and straight-line velocity (VSL; p = 0.0097), while also reducing DNA fragmentation (p = 0.036). Viability, as measured by live cell percentage, was significantly higher in the low-dose ascorbic acid group (p = 0.0009), with moderate improvements observed in the medium-dose group. In contrast, superoxide dismutase at 500 U/mL showed non-significant yet numerically favourable effects on motility and viability, although no concentrations of SOD produced statistically significant enhancements across evaluated parameters. High-dose treatments of both antioxidants either plateaued or induced marginal declines in quality, suggesting a narrow optimal range for antioxidant efficacy.
Sperm concentration post-thaw did not differ significantly between treatments and was primarily influenced by individual variation rather than antioxidant supplementation. Linearity of sperm movement also remained unaffected by any antioxidant treatment (p < 0.05). The overall findings point to a beneficial role of moderate antioxidant dosing, particularly with ascorbic acid, in preserving functional sperm attributes post-thaw.
From an applied perspective, these results carry important implications for aquaculture development and broodstock management. Improved cryopreservation protocols will support selective breeding, enhance hatchery scalability by decoupling gamete collection from spawning seasonality, and facilitate the commercialization of spotted wolffish—a species with substantial export and nutritional value. Furthermore, robust cryobanking methods contribute to ex-situ conservation and genetic resource management by safeguarding male genetic diversity.
This work highlights the critical role of redox homeostasis in sperm cryopreservation and demonstrates the utility of integrating CASA, flow cytometry, and chromatin integrity assays to evaluate post-thaw functionality. Future research should build upon these findings by exploring synergistic antioxidant combinations, validating fertilization outcomes in vitro and in vivo, and examining epigenetic impacts on offspring. Ultimately, the adoption of refined, species-specific cryopreservation strategies will strengthen cold-water aquaculture and bring under-utilized species like the spotted wolffish into mainstream production and international markets
Jobbengasjement hos forsvarsansatte: Skaper militær personellkategori variasjon i opplevelsen av jobbengasjement hos forsvarsansatte i Brigade Nord?
Get PDFMålet med denne masteroppgaven har vært å undersøke hvorvidt det finnes forskjeller i opplevelse av jobbengasjement hos forsvarsansatte, basert på militær personellkategori; herunder om man er ansatt som offiser eller spesialist. Inspirasjonen til oppgaven er hentet fra Forsvarets medarbeiderundersøkelse (FMU) som ble gjennomført i 2023, der rapporten avdekket at 14 % av respondentene følte seg utbrent. Oppgaven tar utgangspunkt i positiv psykologi og forsker på motpolen til utbrenthet, nemlig fenomenet jobbengasjement, i en militær kontekst. Målet er å identifisere hva som skaper jobbengasjement hos forsvarsansatte, samt å identifisere mulige forskjeller mellom de to personellkategoriene. Dette kan bidra til å utarbeide ideer til konkrete tiltak for å øke jobbengasjement i fremtiden. Oppgaven undersøker forsvarsansatte fra to utvalgte bataljoner i Brigade Nord, og problemstillingen lyder som følger: Skaper militær personellkategori variasjon i opplevelsen av jobbengasjement hos forsvarsansatte i Brigade Nord?
For å finne ut av dette ble det i denne oppgaven gjennomført en kvantitativ undersøkelse, der primærdata ble samlet inn gjennom en digital spørreundersøkelse. Studien anvender anerkjente teorier innenfor feltet og det teoretiske rammeverket tar utgangspunkt i Bakker og Demerouti’s JD-R modell (2007), og Ryan og Deci’s selvbestemmelsesteori (2017). Hovedfokuset i oppgaven retter seg mot sammenhengen mellom opplevelsen av jobbressursene; autonomi, sosial støtte og lærings- og utviklingsmuligheter og jobbengasjement. Funnene viser at det ikke er noen forskjell mellom offiserer og spesialisters opplevelse av jobbengasjement. Det er samsvar mellom funnene og den anvendte teorien når det gjelder sammenhengen mellom jobbressurser og jobbengasjement, mens andre funn ikke samsvarer. Eksempelvis viser autonomi seg i denne undersøkelsen å ikke ha en signifikant positiv effekt på jobbengasjement, til tross for at det blir fremhevet i forskningslitteratur som en viktig jobbressurs og ett av tre grunnleggende psykologisk behov (Bakker & Demerouti, 2008; Ryan & Deci, 2017). Funnene viser også at hverken offiserer eller spesialister skårer signifikant høyere enn hverandre på opplevelse av jobbressurser, til tross for at de har distinkt forskjellige arbeidsoppgaver, roller og ansvar.
Nøkkelord: Jobbengasjement, jobbressurser, positiv psykologi, selvbestemmelsesteori, militær personellkategor
The Bottleneck Hypothesis in L2 English Acquisition by L1 Bangla Speakers
Get PDFWhile acquiring a second language, the most demanding linguistic properties are functional morphologies rather than core syntax, according to the Bottleneck Hypotheses (Slabakova, 2008, 2013). In this thesis, I did an experimental study on the Bangladeshi L2 English speakers, speaking L1 Bangla. Bangla verbs are rich in inflections and the verb conjugation is a bit complex in that verbs have to agree with their subjects in person and formality level, but not number (David 2015:205). Therefore, Bangladeshi L2 English speakers find English Subject-Verb agreement troublesome. In the case of the WO, English typically observes SVO whereas Bangla primarily follows SOV. Having said that Bangla verbs somewhat enjoy free movement and depending on the positions of the verb, meaning can get changed. The reason behind choosing SV agreement and Word Order is the mismatch of these two properties between Bangla and English. To conduct the experimental study, I employed the acceptability Judgment Task and the results of the acceptability judgement task showcase that in ungrammatical items the acquisition difficulty in SV agreement compared to word order is glaring, especially in high proficiency groups, lending support to the Bottleneck Hypothesis
Når fravær blir hverdagen: Lederblikk på sykefravær i sykehjem - En kvantitativ studie av førstelinjeledere i kommunale sykehjem
Get PDFSykefraværet i Norge ligger høyt sammenlignet med våre naboland. Det har i mange år vært stort fokus på dette i samfunnet, og i den siste tiden har sykelønnsordningen vært i søkelyset. Helse- og sosialtjenester i kommuneforvaltningen ligger høyest av alle næringer, 10,7 % i fjerde kvartal 2024. Det er stor enighet om at sykefraværet må reduseres, men det er mange meninger om hva som må til.
Dette er en tverrsnittstudie med mål om å få et blikk på hva ledere på sykehjem tenker om sykefraværet. Problemstillingen er; Hva tenker ledere på sykehjem om sykefraværet på deres arbeidsplass? For å kunne besvare problemstillingen, ble følgende forskningsspørsmål formulert:
1) Hvordan vurderer lederne subjektivt hvor stor betydning ulike årsaker har for sykefraværet på egen arbeidsplass?
2) I hvilken grad vurderer lederne sin evne til å påvirke sykefraværet på egen arbeidsplass?
3) Hvordan henger ledernes tro på i hvilken grad de selv kan påvirke sykefraværet sammen med deres mestringstro og ansiennitet som ledere?
Oppgaven innledes med teori om sykefravær, hvor fokuset er på arbeidsrelaterte plager og risikofaktorer for medarbeidere på sykehjem, og teori om ledelse knyttet opp mot sykefravær. Videre har jeg benyttet meg av teorien mestringstro (Self-Efficacy) av Albert Bandura. Syv hypoteser ble formulert og primærdata ble innhentet via en digital spørreundersøkelse. Hypotesene ble testet, og funnene i undersøkelsen viser at førstelinjeledere på sykehjem vurderer at muskel- og skjelettplager, forhold i privatlivet og psykiske plager er de tre årsakene som har størst betydning for sykefraværet på deres arbeidsplass, og ugyldig fravær har minst betydning. Førstelinjelederne har moderat tro på sin evne til å påvirke sykefraværet og de scorer moderat til høyt på mestringstro. Det er en statistisk signifikant forskjell på menn og kvinners mestringstro og på deres tro på sin evne til å påvirke sykefraværet. Ansiennitet som leder har ingen korrelasjon med ledernes tro på sin evne til å påvirke sykefraværet.
Nøkkelord: sykefravær, ledelse, lederadferd, mestringstro, Self-EfficacySickness absence in Norway is high compared to our neighboring countries. There has been a great deal of focus on this in society for many years, and recently the sick pay scheme has been in the spotlight. Health and social services in municipal administration are the highest of all industries, 10.7% in the fourth quarter of 2024. There is broad agreement that sick leave must be reduced, but there are many opinions about what is needed.
This is a cross-sectional study with the goal of getting a look at what managers in nursing homes think about sick leave. The question is; What do managers in nursing homes think about sick leave in their workplace? In order to answer the question, the following research questions were formulated:
1) How do managers subjectively assess the importance of different reasons for sick leave in their own workplace?
2) To what extent do managers assess their ability to influence sick leave in their own workplace?
3) How are managers' beliefs about the extent to which they can influence sick leave related to their coping beliefs and seniority as managers?
The paper begins with a theory of sick leave, where the focus is on work-related ailments and risk factors for employees in nursing homes, and a theory of leadership linked to sick leave. Furthermore, I have used the theory of self-efficacy by Albert Bandura. Seven hypotheses were formulated and primary data were obtained via a digital questionnaire. The hypotheses were tested, and the findings in the study show that first-line managers in nursing homes consider that musculoskeletal disorders, private life issues and psychological disorders are the three reasons that have the greatest impact on sick leave in their workplace, and that invalid absence is the least important. First-line managers have moderate belief in their ability to influence sick leave and they score moderately to high on coping beliefs. There is a statistically significant difference between men and women's self-efficacy beliefs and their beliefs in their ability to influence sick leave. Seniority as a manager has no correlation with managers' beliefs in their ability to influence sick leave.
Keywords: sick leave, leadership, leadership behavior, self-efficacy beliefs, Self-Efficac
Varetektsfengsling av barn
Get PDFStraffeprosessloven § 184 (2) annet punktum og Barnekonvensjonen art. 37 bokstav b stiller krav til en skjerpet nødvendighetsvurdering ved varetektsfengsling av barn, og fremhever behovet for en vurdering og anvendelse av alternative tiltak. I norsk rett har det vært uttrykt en bekymring for mangel av vurdering og anvendelse av alternative tiltak.
Masteravhandlingen skal undersøke hvordan Norge vurderer alternative tiltak til varetektsfengsling av barn, og i hvilken grad disse vurderingene samsvarer med overordnede nasjonale og internasjonale skranker. Avhandlingen tar særlig for seg de rettslige kravene vurderingen av alternative tiltak og hvorvidt praksis er i tråd med Barnekonvensjonen
Vern av arbeidstakers rettsstilling på hjemmekontor
No full textFull text not availableI etterkant av koronapandemien økte bruken av arbeid utført i arbeidstakers hjem, herunder hjemmekontor. I dag er hjemmekontor en vanlig del av arbeidshverdagen for mange i Norge. For arbeidstakere har det gitt en økt fleksibilitet i hverdagen som i mindre grad er stresspreget, særlig for arbeidstakere med barn. Det har også ført til mer produktivitet i arbeidet. Arbeid utført i arbeidstakers hjem har dog ikke utelukkende positive konsekvenser for arbeidstaker. Hjemmekontor utfordrer blant annet arbeidsmiljølovens skille mellom arbeidstid og arbeidsfri, som igjen kan få negative konsekvenser for arbeidstakers psykiske og fysiske helse. I tråd med arbeidslivets utvikling og de problemstillinger som følger med, er det nødvendig med en klarlegging av dagens regelverk. Oppgaven gjør rede for og vurderer de arbeidsrettslige vernereglene som kommer til anvendelse når arbeidet utføres på hjemmekontor, samt reglene om yrkesskadedekning på hjemmekontor
Utprøving av oppfinnelser og nyhetskravet i patentretten
Get PDFi avhandlingen drøftes problemstillinger knyttet til utprøving av oppfinnelser, og kravet om patentrettslig nyhet
Er den norske exit-skatten i strid med EØS-avtalen?
Get PDFAvhandlingen tar stilling til hvorvidt de norske reglene om utflyttingsskatt, etter endringslov 20. desember 2024 nr. 86, er i strid med EØS-avtalen. Helt konkret besvarer avhandlingen på spørsmålene om utflyttingsskatten forfølger legitime formål og om den er forholdsmessige, i lys av rettspraksis fra EU- og EFTA-domstolen.The thesis considers whether the Norwegian rules on expatriation tax, pursuant to the Amendment Act of 20 December 2024 No. 86, are in conflict with the EEA agreement. Specifically the thesis considers whether the expatriation tax pursues legitimate purposes and whether it is proportionate, in light of the case law of the EU and EFTA courts
Price transmission and asymmetry in a changing seafood supply chain
Get PDFThis study investigates price transmission and asymmetry in the cod value chain between the export market of Norway and the retail market of Portugal. Using monthly data from January 2011 to December 2022, it analyzes the value chains of salted dried cod, salted wet cod, and the relationship between the export price of salted wet cod and the retail price of salted dried cod using a non-linear ARDL model. The findings reveal that price transmission occurs across all investigated value chains, though the timing and extent of adjustments vary. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the export market plays a leading role along the value chains. Notably, no evidence of price asymmetry is observed in any of the product chains, indicating efficient price transmission mechanisms
Storylines from Newcomers’ Perspectives: The Complexities of Learning Mathematics in a Norwegian Introductory Class
Get PDFThis paper investigates storylines from newcomers’ perspectives on their experiences of learning mathematics in an introductory mathematics classroom setting in
Norway. We engaged in participatory research at a school over time. The data in this article
come from observations and conversational interviews. Positioning theory guided our
analysis in identifying storylines and related positionings. Our analysis provided us with
the following four storylines: (1) newcomers find mathematics easy because they are also
learning a new language; (2) newcomers experience tensions when learning mathematics
in a new language; (3) newcomers find math teachers extra kind and find that they extend
their help to them more than usual; (4) newcomers seek alternative resources for learning
advanced mathematics. The identified storylines serve as a valuable resource to understand
the newcomers’ wishes and desires for their mathematics education in a context of not yet
knowing the language of instruction and educational culture. We recommend listening to
newcomers’ perspectives of their experiences and recognizing the strengths they bring to
the classroom to understand how they navigate their situation while learning mathematics
in multilingual mathematics learning settings