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Norwegian general practitioners’ perceptions of their depression care – a national survey
Get PDFBackground The General Practitioner (GP) is often the first professional contact for patients with depression. Depression care constitutes a substantial part of GPs’ workload. Objective To assess how GPs experience their patients’ expectations and their own provision of depression care; further, how their depression care was associated with doctor- and practice-characteristics. Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire study about depression care in general practice among the GPs in the Norwegian Physician Survey of 2021. Results Of the 221 responding GPs, 50% were female and 70% agreed to have constant time pressure due to workload. The GPs believed that patients with depression were interested in their professional assessment (87.2%) and saw them as providers of talking therapy (76,9%). Still, 77,8% of the GPs thought the patients expected a referral. Talking therapy was commonly provided (79.6%) along with consultations of more than 30 min (80.4%). The youngest age group and GPs with shorter patient lists spent more time. Most GPs (92.3%) considered their help to be of great benefit for depressed patients. However, one-fourth of the GPs did not feel competent in providing talking therapy, less frequently reported by the GPs aged 40–54 years. Conclusions Talking therapy is commonly provided by GPs. However, there is a need to investigate what GP talking therapy implies, and to strengthen GP skills in this regard. Overall, the GPs experience their depression care to be useful for their patients, and do not de-prioritize this although they experience workload pressure.publishedVersio
Changes in primary care visits for respiratory illness during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multinational study by the International Consortium of Primary Care Big Data Researchers (INTRePID)
Get PDFObjectives: The majority of patients with respiratory illness are seen in primary care settings. Given COVID-19 is predominantly a respiratory illness, the INTernational ConsoRtium of Primary Care BIg Data Researchers (INTRePID), assessed the pandemic impact on primary care visits for respiratory illnesses. Design: Definitions for respiratory illness types were agreed on collectively. Monthly visit counts with diagnosis were shared centrally for analysis. Setting: Primary care settings in Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Norway, Peru, Singapore, Sweden and the United States. Participants: Over 38 million patients seen in primary care settings in INTRePID countries before and during the pandemic, from January 1st, 2018, to December 31st, 2021. Main outcome measures: Relative change in the monthly mean number of visits before and after the onset of the pandemic for acute infectious respiratory disease visits including influenza, upper and lower respiratory tract infections and chronic respiratory disease visits including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory allergies, and other respiratory diseases. Results: INTRePID countries reported a marked decrease in the average monthly visits for respiratory illness. Changes in visits varied from −10.9% [95% confidence interval (CI): −33.1 to +11.3%] in Norway to −79.9% (95% CI: −86.4% to −73.4%) in China for acute infectious respiratory disease visits and − 2.1% (95% CI: −12.1 to +7.8%) in Peru to −59.9% (95% CI: −68.6% to −51.3%) in China for chronic respiratory illness visits. While seasonal variation in allergic respiratory illness continued during the pandemic, there was essentially no spike in influenza illness during the first 2 years of the pandemic. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on primary care visits for respiratory presentations. Primary care continued to provide services for respiratory illness, although there was a decrease in infectious illness during the COVID pandemic. Understanding the role of primary care may provide valuable information for COVID-19 recovery efforts and planning for future global emergencies.publishedVersio
Brukartilfredsheit i norske barnehagar: Eit spørsmål om offentleg, kommersielt eller ideelt eigarskap?
Get PDFDenne artikkelen studerer kvalitetsskilnadar – målt som brukartilfredsheit – mellom norske barnehagar med ideelt, kommersielt og kommunalt eigarskap. Barnehagesektoren er prega av både utstrekt bruk og eit sterkt innslag av private aktørar. Spesielt innslaget av kommersielle tenestetilbydarar er politisk konfliktfylt. Lite forsking er gjort på kvalitetsskilnadar i barnehagar med ulike eigarar, men det som er gjort, indikerer at barnehagar med ideelle eigarar skårar best. Eit rikt datasett som dekkjer åra 2016 til 2021 gjer at me kan nytta ulike empiriske strategiar for å undersøke desse skilnadane. Me kan både kontrollera for relevante trekk ved tenesta og utnytta at enkelte barnehagar skiftar mellom dei tre eigarformene. Resultata våre syner at ideelle barnehagar har dei mest fornøgde foreldra; dette er stabilt over fleire år også når analysen inkluderer relevante kontrollvariablar. Når me samanliknar tilfredsheita i barnehagar som skiftar eigar (t.d. frå kommersiell til kommunal), med elles like barnehagar (t.d. kommersielle barnehagar som ikkje skiftar eigar), finn me ingen sterke effektar av eigarskap.publishedVersio
The global genetic diversity of planktonic foraminifera reveals the structure of cryptic speciation in plankton
Get PDFThe nature and extent of diversity in the plankton has fascinated scientists for over a century. Initially, the discovery of many new species in the remarkably uniform and unstructured pelagic environment appeared to challenge the concept of ecological niches. Later, it became obvious that only a fraction of plankton diversity had been formally described, because plankton assemblages are dominated by understudied eukaryotic lineages with small size that lack clearly distinguishable morphological features. The high diversity of the plankton has been confirmed by comprehensive metabarcoding surveys, but interpretation of the underlying molecular taxonomies is hindered by insufficient integration of genetic diversity with morphological taxonomy and ecological observations. Here we use planktonic foraminifera as a study model and reveal the full extent of their genetic diversity and investigate geographical and ecological patterns in their distribution. To this end, we assembled a global data set of ~7600 ribosomal DNA sequences obtained from morphologically characterised individual foraminifera, established a robust molecular taxonomic framework for the observed diversity, and used it to query a global metabarcoding data set covering ~1700 samples with ~2.48 billion reads. This allowed us to extract and assign 1 million reads, enabling characterisation of the structure of the genetic diversity of the group across ~1100 oceanic stations worldwide. Our sampling revealed the existence of, at most, 94 distinct molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) at a level of divergence indicative of biological species. The genetic diversity only doubles the number of formally described species identified by morphological features. Furthermore, we observed that the allocation of genetic diversity to morphospecies is uneven. Only 16 morphospecies disguise evolutionarily significant genetic diversity, and the proportion of morphospecies that show genetic diversity increases poleward. Finally, we observe that MOTUs have a narrower geographic distribution than morphospecies and that in some cases the MOTUs belonging to the same morphospecies (cryptic species) have different environmental preferences. Overall, our analysis reveals that even in the light of global genetic sampling, planktonic foraminifera diversity is modest and finite. However, the extent and structure of the cryptic diversity reveals that genetic diversification is decoupled from morphological diversification, hinting at different mechanisms acting at different levels of divergence.publishedVersio
A Model-Data Comparison of the Hydrological Response to Miocene Warmth: Leveraging the MioMIP1 Opportunistic Multi-Model Ensemble
Get PDFThe Miocene (23.03–5.33 Ma) is recognized as a period with close to modern-day paleogeography, yet a much warmer climate. With large uncertainties in future hydroclimate projections, Miocene conditions illustrate a potential future analog for the Earth system. A recent opportunistic Miocene Model Intercomparison Project 1 (MioMIP1) focused on synthesizing published Miocene climate simulations and comparing them with available temperature reconstructions. Here, we build on this effort by analyzing the hydrological cycle response to Miocene forcings across early-to-middle (E2MMIO; 20.03–11.6 Ma) and middle-to-late Miocene (M2LMIO; 11.5–5.33 Ma) simulations with CO2 concentrations ranging from 200 to 850 ppm and providing a model-data comparison against available precipitation reconstructions. We find global precipitation increases by ∼2.1 and 2.3% per degree of warming for E2MMIO and M2LMIO simulations, respectively. Models generally agree on a wetter than modern-day tropics; mid and high-latitude, however, do not agree on the sign of subtropical precipitation changes with warming. Global monsoon analysis suggests most monsoon regions, except the North American Monsoon, experience higher precipitation rates under warmer conditions. Model-data comparison shows that mean annual precipitation is underestimated by the models regardless of CO2 concentration, particularly in the mid- to high-latitudes. This suggests that the models may not be (a) resolving key processes driving the hydrological cycle response to Miocene boundary conditions and/or (b) other boundary conditions or processes not considered here are critical to reproducing Miocene hydroclimate. This study highlights the challenges in modeling and reconstructing the Miocene hydrological cycle and serves as a baseline for future coordinated MioMIP efforts.publishedVersio
InSAR Svalbard – User requirements, technical considerations, and product development plan
Get PDFThe InSAR Svalbard development project (2023–2025) is a partnership between the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU) and NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS, with funding from the Norwegian Space Agency (Post 74, contract number: 74CO2301). The project aims to start the development of a Ground Motion Service (GMS) in Svalbard, providing spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) ground displacement maps and time series tailored to Arctic conditions. This report presents the findings from the project's first year, including the outcomes of a user workshop and a user survey conducted in 2023. The study's main goal was to identify the user requirements for an InSAR Svalbard GMS, and to highlight past InSAR research and known for processing limitations. The report also presents a product development plan that considers both user needs and technical considerations.publishedVersio
Bubbling trouble: Effects of supersaturated water on benthic macroinvertebrates
Get PDFThe saturation of total dissolved gases (TDG) in water remains around 100%. Certain circumstances can lead to TDG values exceeding 100%, resulting in TDG supersaturation (TDGS). TDGS above about 110% can be toxic to animals that rely on water for gas exchange. However, saturation beyond 200% can occur in freshwater downstream of dams and hydroelectric power plants. Despite its impact, TDGS is often overlooked as a hazard to aquatic life, particularly for benthic macroinvertebrates. This study aimed to examine the effects of TDGS on nine species of benthic macroinvertebrates. We used replicated tank studies to manipulate TDGS levels from 100% to 120% and investigated the overall survival and species-specific effects on survival and buoyancy. We also present a summary on the effects of TDGS on invertebrate species previously tested. The results indicate that seven of nine species exhibited increased buoyancy when exposed to TDGS, causing them to float on the water surface. Additionally, a Cox Proportional Hazards model revealed a significant effect of TDGS on the survival of the macroinvertebrates. The sensitivity towards TDGS varied greatly among species of benthic macroinvertebrates, and significant species-specific effects were only observed for Isoperla grammatica, Baetis rhodani and Asellus aquaticus. Among these, the two latter species showed clear dose-related effects caused by TDGS, enabling the assessment of LT50 (time required to kill half of the tested population). B. rhodani was most sensitive with a LT50 of 3.7 days at 119% TDGS. Both species had visible air bubbles under the exoskeleton. Our findings highlight that direct and indirect effects on benthic macroinvertebrates can occur even at low to moderate levels of gas supersaturation, likely causing reduced density, decreased species diversity and altered species composition. The emerging evidence strongly supports the implementation of regulations on TDGS in freshwaters.publishedVersio
Short-term effectiveness of music therapy songwriting for mental health outcomes of at-risk parents in the NICU: a study protocol of an international multicenter mixed-methods trial
Get PDFBackground: Preterm birth contributes to adverse mental health outcomes of parents dealing with a premature neonate. The main objec-tive of this study is to determine whether music therapy (MT) songwriting during the infants’ stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is superior to standard care in reducing the risk of postpartum depression in high-risk parents of preterm children throughout the hospital treatment. The secondary objectives include assessment of effectiveness of MT in other aspects of mental health (anxiety level, perceived stress, mental wellbeing, coping, resilience). Furthermore, this trial will evaluate the medical and social factors that may be associated with the effects of MT songwriting. Participants and procedure: The study design is a sequential mixed method study with a dominant status QUAN to qual. The quantitative trial was designed as a parallel, multicenter, pragmatic, randomized controlled trial. The qualitative study is a descriptive phenomeno-logical study that seeks to understand the lived experiences of participants exposed to songwriting. Participants are parents of premature infants hospitalized in NICU (106 families) in 5 hospitals, in Colombia and Poland. Intervention: 3 MT song-writing sessions per week across 3 weeks. Primary outcome: the risk of postnatal depression; secondary outcomes: anxiety level, mental wellbeing, resilience, stress, coping. Results: The results will be analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Conclusions: This study will provide a report on the effectiveness of MT songwriting on mental health in at-risk parents of preterm infants.publishedVersio
Highly stratified mid-Pliocene Southern Ocean in PlioMIP2
Get PDFDuring the mid-Pliocene warm period (mPWP; 3.264–3.025 Ma), atmospheric CO2 concentrations were approximately 400 ppm, and the Antarctic Ice Sheet was substantially reduced compared to today. Antarctica is surrounded by the Southern Ocean, which plays a crucial role in the global oceanic circulation and climate regulation. Using results from the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP2), we investigate Southern Ocean conditions during the mPWP with respect to the pre-industrial period. We find that the mean sea surface temperature (SST) warming in the Southern Ocean is 2.8 °C, while global mean SST warming is 2.4 °C. The enhanced warming is strongly tied to a dramatic decrease in sea ice cover over the mPWP Southern Ocean. We also see a freshening of the ocean (sub)surface, driven by an increase in precipitation over the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. The warmer and fresher surface leads to a highly stratified Southern Ocean that can be related to weakening of the deep abyssal overturning circulation. Sensitivity simulations show that the decrease in sea ice cover and enhanced warming is largely a consequence of the reduction in the Antarctic Ice Sheet. In addition, the mPWP geographic boundary conditions are responsible for approximately half of the increase in mPWP SST warming, sea ice loss, precipitation, and stratification increase over the Southern Ocean. From these results, we conclude that a strongly reduced Antarctic Ice Sheet during the mPWP has a substantial influence on the state of the Southern Ocean and exacerbates the changes that are induced by a higher CO2 concentration alone. This is relevant for the long-term future of the Southern Ocean, as we expect melting of the western Antarctic Ice Sheet in the future, an effect that is not currently taken into account in future projections by Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) ensembles.publishedVersio
Pathogens from salmon aquaculture in relation to conservation of wild Pacific salmon in Canada
Get PDFThe spread of pathogens from farmed salmon is a conservation concern for wild Pacific salmon in British Columbia (BC), Canada. Three pathogens are prevalent in farmed Atlantic salmon in BC, spill over to wild Pacific salmon, and are linked to negative impacts on wild salmon: Piscine orthoreovirus, Tenacibaculum spp., and sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis). Molecular screening of infectious agents in farmed and wild salmon and environmental DNA highlights a further 4 agents that are likely elevated near salmon farms and 37 that co-occur in wild and farmed salmon. Pathogens likely affect wild salmon indirectly by mediating migration, competition, and predation. Current net-pen aquaculture practices pose these risks to numerous populations of all species of wild salmon in BC, most of which are not covered in Government of Canada science and advisory reports. Climate change, pathogen evolution, and changes to disease management and aquaculture regulations will influence future risks.publishedVersio