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Fidelity measurements in home-based intervention studies for children who stutter
Full text linkBackground: Fidelity of Implementation (FOI) refers to the degree to which an
intervention is delivered as intended or prescribed. Measuring and tracking FOI in
intervention studies is an essential part of ensuring understanding of intervention
effectiveness evaluations. Researchers are increasingly utilizing FOI to attain a more
holistic comprehension of intervention delivery, aiming to assess whether
implementation aligns with intended protocols and correlate this with intervention
outcomes.
Aims: The overall aim of this thesis was to examine how implementation fidelity
influences the effectiveness of an intervention. More specifically, the aims were to: 1)
Gain a comprehensive understanding of the reporting of fidelity measurements in
previous stuttering intervention research for children who stutter (CWS) where a
component of the intervention was implemented in a home environment and to identify
gaps in knowledge related to FOI measurements and reporting (Paper I & II, Study I). 2)
Examine the effectiveness of a pilot home-based intervention for CWS (stuttering
intervention for older children [STOC]) where detailed measurements of
implementation fidelity used in the research design (Paper III, Study II). 3) Assess
whether high levels of fidelity could be achieved in an intervention study where FOI was
incorporated into the design and tightly controlled for during the study (Paper IV, Study
III). 4) Determine the relationship between measured FOI and performance on outcome
measures for an intervention for school-aged CWS (Paper IV, Study III).
Methods: The research was based on a range of methodologies where different
methods were applied to answer different research questions. To address Aim 1, a
systematic literature search and literature review of published, peer-reviewed papers
published between 1981 until 2021 was completed. Thirty-six eligible papers were
included and the presence of four key fidelity components in these papers were
analysed: dosage, adherence, quality, and responsiveness (Paper II). To address Aim 2,
a single case experimental design with multiple baselines was used. STOC intervention
consisted of a home-based intervention program combining time-out training with a
performance-contingent maintenance schedule strategy. This study was a pilot of the
effect of the STOC intervention and involved seven male children aged 9 – 13 who
stuttered with children’s stuttering monitored for between 18 to 30 months, depending
on the child. Routine monthly speech samples (n=653) and recordings of each
intervention session (n=1551) were collected (Paper III) to determine the effect of the
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intervention on children’s speech production. To address Aims 3 and 4, the intervention
sessions (n=1551) from Paper III were evaluated based on the four FOI components:
dosage, adherence, quality, and responsiveness. FOI was assessed across these
dimensions for both parent- and child-managed STOC sessions, each component having
specific definitions and methodologies employed for assessment (Paper IV).
Results: Within the literature review, no study reported on all four FOI components in
both clinical and home settings, and five studies did not report on any FOI component
in either setting. The reported number of FOI components ranged from 0 to 4 in clinical
settings (M=1.5) and from 0 to 4 in home settings (M=1.0). Dosage was the most
frequently reported FOI component (27 studies, 75.0%), while responsiveness was the
least frequently reported (16 studies, 44.4%). Despite a slight trend towards increased
reporting in recent years, the overall number of FOI components reported did not show
a significant increase over time (Paper II). The STOC intervention pilot study
demonstrated promising results for all participants, showing reductions in both the
frequency and severity of stuttering, along with increases in speech quantity and
naturalness. The four participants who completed the intervention reported significant
improvements in both their fluency of speech and their quality of life (Paper III).
Increased dosage was associated with reduced stuttering, increased speech output,
enhanced naturalness, and reduced severity, particularly for sessions managed by the
children. Greater adherence was linked to reduced stuttering, more natural speech, and
lower severity ratings. However, higher quality and responsiveness were associated with
increased speech output but did not correspond to reduced stuttering, enhanced
naturalness, or decreased severity (Paper IV). Scores for all four FOI components were
higher among participants who completed STOC compared to those who did not,
regardless of whether sessions were managed by parents or children (Paper IV).
Conclusions: The poor reporting of FOI in intervention research for CWS poses a
significant methodological challenge, hindering the ability of clinicians and researchers
to interpret study findings accurately. The STOC pilot study revealed improvements in
fluency and quality of life for the participants who completed the intervention.
Participants who adhered more closely to STOC showed better outcomes; experiencing
reduced stuttering. Discrepancies in FOI were apparent when comparing participants
who completed the intervention with those who did not. A comprehensive examination
of FOI may offer fresh insights into the variability in intervention response in future
studies of stuttering interventions. Further research is warranted to delve deeper into
the specifics of the STOC protocol. Exploring implementation fidelity could shed light on
a significant factor contributing to the variability in intervention outcomes, making it
imperative for intervention studies to prioritize thorough measurement and reporting
of FOI to advance evidence-based practice
The invisible world between us. Touch and self-affection in the philosophy of Luce Irigaray
Full text linkIn this dissertation and through the phenomenology of the body, I explore the nature of touch, affect and implicit meaning in the formation of meaning in Luce Irigaray’s philosophy linked to her concept of sexual difference, embodiment and action in perception. I argue that interaction and inter-affection brings forth the knowable world whereby we shape ourselves and the world.
In chapter one, I begin by exploring touch as a haptic engagement, as a sense of touch that precedes perception and is thus irreducible to our sensory perception such as tactile touch and vision. I then unfold how Irigaray rejects Merleau-Ponty’s notion of touch based on his idea of the two touching hands as he misses the alterity of the other and the way we transcend each other in a vital process of inter-affectivity. Touch does not obey subject-object logic but rather belongs to the unpredictability of the affective responding being in the invisible space between us — with its source in the material maternal touch.
Then in chapter two, I explore how sexual difference is intrinsically linked to touch and affect, having transcendental, spiritual and ethical implications and qualities based on our essential desire to connect in relation to difference or to the irreducible other so as to be whole. A pivotal concern in my dissertation is the interval, our place of relationships, and our possible creation of lateral intersubjectivity without subjugation and outside the master narrative of the one, the neuter.
In chapter three I continue to investigate how the concept of self-affection is linked to sexual difference as the political power of transformation and change to overcome dualisms in Western culture such as the binary between subject and object, body and mind, nature and culture, and traditional gender binaries that uphold the hegemony of the one. The real problem does not concern the longstanding debating discourses between essentialism and constructionism, but how we can enter into a culture of being two that is of a sexual nature.
Finally, in chapter four, based on the phenomenology of the fluid and the in-between, I explore our relation to time. I unfold how the temporal affective/affected body precedes subjectivity and other categories and how this temporality allows the transcendence from immanence towards a novel state of being that goes against metaphysical binaries. By relating to the discontinuous time of affect, it is possible to disrupt the idea of the self-producing subject and the linear time of the same and redeem the past towards a cultivation of sexual difference and a more creative future.Í þessari ritgerð og í ljósi fyrirbærafræði líkamans tekst ég á við eðli snertingar, eðli
sjálfshrifa og hins undirskilda í myndun merkingar eins og hún birtist í heimspeki
Luce Irigaray, en viðfangsefnið tengist kynjamismun, líkamleika og gerandavirkni.
Ég færi rök fyrir því hvernig stöðug víxlverkun okkar við heiminn leiðir af sér hinn
þekkingarbæra heim sem felur í sér að við mótum heiminn og okkur sjálf.
Í fyrsta kafla greini ég snertingu sem skynhrif sem er alltaf víðfeðmnari og
flóknari en skilningarvit okkar og því ekki unnt að smætta snertinguna og samlaga
hana skynfærum okkar eins og snertiskyni og sjónskyni. Þá geri ég grein fyrir því
hvernig Irigaray hafnar kenningu Merleau-Pontys um snertingu sem grundvallast á
hugmynd hans um tvær hendur sem snerta hvor aðra, en hugmyndin nær ekki utan
um annarleika hins og hvernig við yfirstígum hvert annað og þróumst í líflegu ferli
sjálfshrifa. Snertingin hlýðir ekki lögmáli sjálfveru og viðfangs og tilheyrir frekar
ófyrirsjáanlegri skynfinningu viðbragðsvera, sem er í senn forhugtakanleg og
gagnverkandi og á sér stað í hinu ósýnilega rými á milli okkar — sem á jafnframt upphaf sitt í móðurlegri snertingu.
Í öðrum kafla kanna ég tengsl kynjamismunar, snertingar og skynhrifa sem
gefa kost á hreyfingu handanverunnar og leiða jafnframt af sér vitsmunalega og
siðferðilega verðleika grundvallaða á eðlislægri þrá mannsins til að tengjast
mismuninum eða hinum „óþættanlega hinum“ til að verða heil. Þungamiðja ritgerðar
minnar er millibilið, staður tengsla okkar sem fela í sér endalausa möguleika á
láréttum samveruleika án stigveldis og undirokunar — utan rökfræði einsleikans sem
birtist sem hlutlægni í tungumálinu. Í þriðja kafla rýni ég áfram í tengsl sjálfshrifa og kynjamismunar sem
pólítísks afls umbreytinga og sköpunar sem miðar að því að yfirstíga skautun
vestrænnar menningar eins og hún birtist í tvíhyggjupörun sjálfsveru og viðfangs,
líkama og hugar, náttúru og menningar sem og hefðbundna tvíhyggju kyngervis sem
viðheldur lögmáli yfirráða hins eina sanna. Hið raunverulega vandamál varðar ekki
hina langvinna deilu milli eðlishyggju og mótunarhyggju heldur hvernig við getum
skapað láréttan samveruleika tveggja sjálfsvera grundvallaða á kynjamismuni.
Í fjórða kafla og í ljósi fyrirbærafræði millirýmisins og hins fljótandi, skoða
ég tengsl okkar við tímann og beini sjónum að því hvernig skynhrifin fara á undan
sjálfsveruleika og hugtökum. Þá er hugað að því hvernig tími líkamsvitundar gerir handanverunni kleift að yfirstíga íveru/staðveru sína sem gengur í berhögg við
frumspekilega tvíhyggju. Með því að aftengjast línulegum tíma einsleika og hverfa
til skynhrifa er unnt að hrekja hugmyndina um hinn sjálfskapaða einstakling og
endurheimta fortíðina í átt að viðurkenningu mismunar og sköpun framtíðar.The Icelandic Research Fund, grant no. 185049-05, Eimskip University Fund
The interplay between excitonic and magnetic dynamics in 2D chromium trihalides
Full text linkThe present thesis is devoted to a theoretical analysis of optical excitonic response
and magnetic lattice dynamics in two-dimensional materials, in particular monolayers of CrI3 . Combining the results of DFT and Bethe-Salpeter simulations describing
excitons with Landau-Lifshits equation describing the dynamics of lattice spin, we construct a microscopic theory of complex magneto-excitonic response and in particular
the effect of resonant optical magnetization switching. In addition, our investigation
focuses on achieving tunable control over the life time and size of magnetic topological
defects such as Néel-type skyrmion. Which is important for advancing information
storage and processing applications. We also demonstrate that the possibility of the
formation of magnetic skyrmions, together with large excitonic Zeeman splitting leads
to giant scattering asymmetry, which is the necessary prerequisite for the excitonic
anomalous Hall effect. This will make it possible to simulate various phenomena associated with coupled exciton-skyrmion dynamics.Þessi ritgerð er tileinkuð fræðilegri greiningu á ljósfræðilegri örvunarviðbrögðum og
segulmögnuðum grindardýnamík í tvívíðum efnum, sérstaklega einlögum af CrI3. Með
því að sameina niðurstöður frá DFT og Bethe-Salpeter hermunum, sem lýsa örvunum,
við Landau-Lifshitz jöfnu sem lýsir dýnamík snúnings í grindinni, byggjum við upp
örsmáa kenningu um flókna segul-örvunarsvörun og sérstaklega áhrif ómskiptandi
ljóssegulmögnunar. Að auki beinist rannsókn okkar að því að ná stillanlegri stjórn
á líftíma og stærð segulmögnuðra topologískra galla eins og skyrmiona af Néel-gerð.
Þetta er mikilvægt til að þróa forrit fyrir upplýsingageymslu og -vinnslu. Við sýnum
einnig fram á að möguleikinn á myndun segulskyrmiona ásamt stórri örvunarlegri
Zeeman-skiptingu leiðir til gríðarlegrar ósamhverfu í dreifingu, sem er nauðsynleg forsenda fyrir örvunarlega óvenjulega Hall-áhrifinu. Þetta mun gera mögulegt að herma
ýmis fyrirbæri sem tengjast samtvinnaðri örvunar-skyrmion-dýnamíkIcelandic research fund (Rannis
Parents with intellectual disabilities negotiating systemic challenges through a rights based approach
Full text linkParents with intellectual disabilities continue to be viewed through the lens of the
eugenic ideologies of the past which pathologize, stigmatize and marginalize them.
Despite research showing that support plays a crucial role in their lives and if
appropriate, most of them can successfully parent their children, they continue to face
multiple barriers, one being inappropriate support resulting in high rates of child
removal.
This dissertation aims to critically explore if, and how, parents with intellectual
disabilities in Iceland are supported to raise and take care of their children in light of
the developing disability and human rights environment in Iceland. Furthermore, the
purpose is to identify barriers advocates and supporters encounter when claiming
justice and fair treatment regarding parents with intellectual disabilities, in particular
those involved in the child protection system. Finally, its goal is to amplify the voice of
parents with intellectual disabilities to inform other parents and those involved in their
lives.
The research is grounded in disability studies framework in the context of an evolving
human rights environment in Iceland, particularly emphasized through the Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. As disability studies are critical in nature,
focus is on oppressive and problematic processes within the institutions and systems
that claim to provide parents with intellectual disabilities support in relation to
parenting. The research is furthermore informed by the tenants of critical social theory
which shifts the focus from individuals to societal factors and examines sociocultural
and historical transformations. Finally, the concept of Institutional Justice Capital is
introduced to the analytical framework, centering on the resources essential for
navigating the systems that come into play when families are involved with the child
protection.
To address the questions at the heart of this research, qualitative methodology was
adopted in order to enable deep understanding of the subject and as the best method
to relay the narratives of the research participants. For that purpose, grounded theory
was chosen as the main method for analysis of the data which also influenced methods
for collecting data. With the goal of constructing a holistic picture of support for
parents with intellectual disabilities, different types of data from various sources were
drawn upon, including interviews, which were the main source of data, analysis of
extant documents and observations. Interviews were conducted with various stake
holders, which included a couple with intellectual disabilities and some of their closest
family members; personnel who support parents with intellectual disabilities working
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under child protection, the municipal social services, and health care; and rights
protection officers for disabled people. Altogether 32 interviews with 24 participants
were carried out.
The findings of the research highlight how recent, positive human rights developments
are not effective enough in removing societal and systemic barriers when it comes to
parents with intellectual disabilities. That illuminates the need for comprehensive policy
and increased awareness and knowledge within the systems these parents are involved
with. A shift towards a collaborative, rights-based approach is emphasised to ensure
equitable, consistent, and appropriate support for parents with intellectual disabilities.
Additionally, strong government-led initiatives and the importance of multifaceted
support systems, including formal services, family support, advocacy, and rights
protection, is recommended for providing good support.Viðhorf til seinfærra foreldra litast enn í dag af hugmyndum fortíðar um mannbætur
sem sjúkdómsvæða, stimpla og jaðarsetja þá. Þrátt fyrir að rannsóknir sýni að seinfærir
foreldrar geti alið upp og hugsað um börn sín, fái þeir til þess viðeigandi stuðning,
standa þeir enn frammi fyrir ýmsum hindrunum, þar á meðal óviðeigandi stuðningi sem
stuðlar að háu hlutfalli þeirra sem missa forsjá barna sinna.
Tilgangur þessarar doktorsritgerðar er að kanna á gagnrýninn hátt hvort og hvernig
seinfærum foreldrum á Íslandi er veittur stuðningur til að hugsa um börn sín í ljósi
þeirrar þróunar sem hefur átt sér stað varðandi réttindi fatlaðs fólks og mannréttindi.
Henni er einnig ætlað að greina þær hindranir sem talsmenn og stuðningsfólk
seinfærra foreldra mæta er þeir krefjast réttlátrar og sanngjarnar málsmeðferðar,
sérstaklega þeirra sem tengjast barnaverndarkerfinu. Að lokum er markmið
ritgerðarinnar að koma rödd seinfærra foreldra á framfæri til hagsbóta fyrir aðra
foreldra og þá sem koma að þeirra málum.
Rannsóknin sem var framkvæmd byggir á fötlunarfræðum og mannréttindasjónarhorni,
sem einkum er undirstrikað í samningi Sameinuðu þjóðanna um réttindi fatlaðs fólks.
Þar sem fötlunarfræði er í eðli sínu gagnrýnin er sjónum beint að kúgandi og
„gölluðum” ferlum innan þeirra stofnana og kerfa sem gefa sig út fyrir að veita
seinfærum foreldrum stuðning við uppeldi barna sinna. Bæði sjónarhorn leggja áherslu
á að viðhorf, gildi og stofnanir taki breytingum svo fatlað fólk geti tekið fullan þátt í
samfélaginu. Rannsóknin sækir einnig innblástur í gagnrýnar félagskenningar sem beina
sjónum frá einstaklingum yfir á samfélagslega þætti með því að skoða
félagsmenningarlegar og sögulegar umbreytingar. Að lokum er hugtakið
stofnanabundinn réttlætisauður (institutional justice capital) notað til að skilja þau
úrræði sem nauðsynleg eru til að rata um kerfið, einkum í tengslum við barnavernd.
Til að svara þeim spurningum sem liggja til grundvallar rannsókninni var eigindleg
aðferðafræði valin til að ná fram sem dýpstum skilningi á viðfangsefninu og til að segja
sögu þátttakenda. Í þeim tilgangi var grunduð kenning talin henta best sem
meginaðferð við greiningu gagna en hún hafði að auki áhrif á aðferðir við gagnaöflun.
Til að draga upp heildræna mynd af stuðningi við seinfæra foreldra var notast við
mismunandi tegundir gagna sem komu úr ýmsum áttum, þar á meðal viðtöl,
fyrirliggjandi skrifleg gögn og athuganir. Viðtöl voru tekin við ýmsa hagsmunaaðila,
m.a. seinfær hjón og nokkra af nánustu aðstandendum þeirra; starfsfólk sem veitir
stuðning til seinfærra foreldra og starfar á vegum barnaverndar, félagsþjónustu
sveitarfélaga og heilsugæslu; og réttindagæslumenn fatlaðs fólks. Alls voru tekin 32
viðtöl við 24 þátttakendur.
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Niðurstöður rannsóknarinnar varpa ljósi á hvernig sú þróun sem hefur átt sér stað á
undanförnum áratugum á vettvangi mannréttinda er ekki fullnægjandi til þess að ryðja
úr vegi samfélagslegum og kerfislægum hindrunum þegar kemur að seinfærum
foreldrum. Það gefur til kynna þörf fyrir heildstæða stefnu og aukna vitund og þekkingu
innan þeirra kerfa sem þessir foreldrar eiga hlut að. Lögð er áhersla á nálgun sem
byggir á samvinnu og réttindamiðaðri nálgun til að tryggja réttláta meðferð og
samræmdan og viðeigandi stuðning við seinfæra foreldra. Auk þess er mælt með að
stjórnvöld standi að öflugu framtaki í málaflokknum til að bregðast við áðurnefndum
hindrunum og að áhersla verði lögð á mikilvægi fjölþætts stuðnings, þar með talið
formlegrar þjónustu, fjölskyldustuðnings, og réttindagæslu.
Lykilorð:
Seinfærir foreldrar, stuðningur, barnavernd, réttindi fatlaðs fólks, Íslan
“People normally don’t want to hear what I have to say” Patchwork ethnography on children’s rights and experiences in Iceland and beyond during the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textThis doctoral research examines children’s rights during the COVID-19 pandemic through an interdisciplinary lens that combines medical anthropology and social paediatrics, as well as insights from childhood studies and anthropology of children. By drawing on medical anthropology’s focus on lived experiences and cultural contexts, alongside social paediatrics’ holistic approach to child health, rights and wellbeing, the dissertation analyses how children’s rights were safeguarded and represented in global research and policy frameworks. Through this dual theoretical approach, the research further explores how children in Iceland actively navigated and interpreted public health interventions within their specific cultural context, revealing how children’s understanding was influenced by the complex interplay between global policies and local implementation.
First, the dissertation analyses systemic gaps in children’s representation within international pandemic responses. It then examines how these global policy approaches manifested in Iceland, investigating how children in the country actively navigated the resulting social changes and public health interventions. By analysing the narratives of resilience and agency, the study highlights gaps in the protection and realisation of children’s rights as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), offering insights into how global frameworks translate into local lived realities.
The research methodology employs patchwork ethnography, enabling flexible and diverse methods of data collection. Consequently, the study comprises four papers, each utilising a distinct approach: The first paper maps children’s status and visibility in international research. The second paper synthesises and analyses responses from international children’s rights experts regarding the status and visibility of children’s rights in global emergency governmental measures, concerning the UNCRC. The third paper rests on open data collection by the Ombudsman for Children in Iceland, where children 6–16 years were invited to share their pandemic experiences in various ways. The fourth paper draws mainly on participant observation and interviews with young people aged 12–18 years.
The research findings draw on rights-based insights and inductive analysis, building on collaborative work with two key groups: children protected under the UNCRC treaty and an international network of peer researchers and child-rights advocates. This integration of diverse perspectives reveals that despite being marginalised in public health policymaking, children demonstrated remarkable agency, resilience, and creativity. Applying Spray’s framework, the latter two papers based on data from Iceland examine different dimensions of children's agency during the pandemic: Paper III analyses children’s creative expressions and understanding of collective responsibility, while Paper IV explores how adolescents navigated social relationships through trust, creativity, and digital engagement. Their attitudes towards governmental measures were critical, demonstrating both resistance and compliance while showing conscious decision-making.
The dissertation advocates for increased involvement of children and young people in decision-making processes affecting their rights, with particular reference to the UNCRC. Furthermore, it calls for a child-centred approach in public health policymaking, recognising children and adolescents as active agents who should be supported and empowered.Doktorsrannsóknin skoðar réttindi barna á tímum COVID-19 heimsfaraldursins með
þverfaglegri nálgun heilsumannfræði og félagslækninga barna (enska: social paediatrics) en
er samtímis undir áhrifum barnafræða (enska: childhood studies) og mannfræði barna. Með
rætur í heilsumannfræði, sem leggur áherslu á reynslu og menningarlega umgjörð hennar,
ásamt heildrænni nálgun félagslækninga barna á heilsu, réttindi og vellíðan þeirra, greinir
rannsóknin hvernig réttindi barna voru virt í alþjóðlegum rannsóknum og stefnumótun í
heimsfaraldrinum. Á grunni þessara kenningarlegu nálgana skoðar rannsóknin jafnframt
hvernig börn á Íslandi tókust á við og skildu sóttvarnaraðgerðir stjórnvalda í sínu nánasta
umhverfi og hvernig sá skilningur mótaðist af samtvinnun hnattrænnar og staðbundinnar
stefnumótunar.
Rannsóknin greinir kerfislægan skort á sýnileika barna í alþjóðlegum rannsóknum og
sóttvarnaraðgerðum. Því næst skoðar hún birtingarmyndir þess á Íslandi með því að greina
hvernig börn tókust á við samfélagslegar breytingar í kjölfar faraldursins og
sóttvarnaraðgerðir stjórnvalda. Greining frásagna af félagslegri seiglu og gerendahæfni leiðir
í ljós glufur í vernd barna og að þau í reynd njóti þeirra réttinda sem þeir ber samkvæmt
Barnasáttmála Sameinuðu þjóðanna. Rannsóknin gefur því innsýn í birtingarmyndir á
framkvæmd hnattrænna aðgerða í nærumhverfi íslenskra barna.
Aðferðafræði rannsóknarinnar byggir á samsettri etnógrafískri nálgun (enska: patchwork
ethnography) sem felur í sér sveigjanlega og fjölbreytta gagnaöflun. Rannsóknin
samanstendur af fjórum tímaritsgreinum sem hver um sig beitir tiltekinni nálgun á
viðfangsefnið: Fyrsta greinin kortleggur stöðu og sýnileika barna í alþjóðlegum
rannsóknum. Önnur greinin tekur saman og greinir svör alþjóðlegra sérfræðinga í
réttindum barna um stöðu barna í heimsfaraldrinum og hvort réttindi barna voru höfð til
hliðsjónar í neyðaraðgerðum stjórnvalda víða um heim. Þriðja greinin er unnin í samstarfi
við Umboðsmann barna sem bauð 6–16 ára börnum að deila reynslu sinni af
heimsfaraldrinum á margvíslegan hátt. Fjórða greinin byggir á viðtölum og
þátttökurannsókn á Íslandi með ungmennum á aldrinum 12–18 ára.
Niðurstöður rannsóknarinnar byggja á réttindamiðaðri nálgun og aðleiddri röksemdarfærslu
á grunni vinnu með tveimur lykilhópum, það er börnum sem njóta verndar Barnasáttmála
Sameinuðu þjóðanna og alþjóðlegum hópi samrannsakenda og fræðimanna í
réttindamiðaðri nálgun í vinnu með börnum. Þessi samtvinnun fjölbreyttra sjónarhorna
leiðir í ljós að þrátt fyrir jaðarsetningu barna í stefnumótun lýðheilsumála sýndu þau
umtalsverða gerendahæfni, seiglu og sköpunarkraft til að fást við faraldurinn og þær
ii
aðgerðir sem settar voru á til að vinna gegn útbreiðslu hans. Með beitingu kenningar Spray
um stöðu barna við mótun lýðheilsustefnu, draga seinni greinarnar tvær, sem byggja á
gögnum frá Íslandi, fram mismunandi birtingarmyndir á gerendahæfni barna í faraldrinum.
Sú fyrri greinir myndræna tjáningu og skilning barna á samfélagslegri ábyrgð en sú seinni
rýnir í hvernig unglingar tókust á við félagleg tengsl gegnum traust, sköpunargleði og
tengslamyndun á rafrænum miðlum. Viðhorf barna í garð aðgerða stjórnvalda var
gagnrýnið og viðbrögð þeirra einkenndust ýmist af andófi eða fylgni við tilmæli stjórnvalda
og byggðust á yfirvegaðri ákvarðanatöku.
Ritgerðin leggur til aukna aðkomu barna og unglinga að ákvarðanatöku sem snertir réttindi
þeirra, með sérstakri hliðsjón af Barnasáttmálanum. Jafnframt er hvatt til barnamiðaðrar
nálgunar í stefnumótun lýðheilsumála þar sem börn og unglingar eru viðurkennd sem virkir
gerendur sem ber að styðja og efla.Rannsóknarsjóður Ísland
Design and evaluation of data analysis and augmentation approaches for functional-structural plant models
No full textAnalyzing plant data for precision and robust agriculture is a key component of adapting
to climate change. Plant data is multi-modal, experiments are directly restricted by
plant growth, and the data analysis is often supported by image capturing. Particularly
in the case of functional-structural plant models, the understanding of experimental
data, the primary indicators for plant development and health, is crucial to calibrating
robust and representative models of the real world. However, experimental data is also
limited in its scope, which makes it more crucial that the data analysis pipeline is not
only robust against noise but also yields as much value to researchers as possible. The
focus of this thesis is the embedding of plant models into a virtual environment in
such a way that it is informed by experimental data and compatible with both a more
precise extraction pipeline and a more scalable data generation pipeline. Synthetic
data generation is a key aspect of this thesis, as it is one of the promising ways to
combat data scarcity for biological data analysis. This thesis contributes to the field
by establishing a data generation framework that is compatible with modern highperformance computing systems and is based on a realtime communication standard.
The virtual world embedding of the plant models also yields the possibility of measuring
in-place, allowing the coupling of plant models to visualization to exhibit true digital
twin behavior. Within the virtual embedding, data extraction is also more precise,
allowing users to directly interact with challenging data sets to increase the precision
and robustness compared to traditional methods. The output of this PhD thesis is a
distributed synthetic data-based training framework called Synavis, full realistic virtual
scenes that contain functional information and are computed scalably, and a data analysis
pipeline called VRoot that directly assists researchers in their data analysis whenever
automated approaches need human intervention.Lykilþáttur í aðlögun að loftslagsbreytingum, er að geta greint plöntugögn, sem fengin
eru úr landbúnaði, nákvæmlega og áreiðanlega. Plöntugögn eru fjölhátta, tilraunir eru
takmarkaðar af plöntuvexti og gagnagreining er oft studd af myndatöku. Sérstaklega
í tilfelli virknibyggðra plöntulíkana er skilningur á tilraunagögnum, sem eru helstu
vísbendingum um þróun og heilsufar planta, afar mikilvægur til að fínstilla áreiðanleg
og raunhæf líkön af raunveruleikanum. Hins vegar eru tilraunagögn takmörkuð að
umfangi og gæðum, sem gerir það enn mikilvægara að gagnaúrvinnsla sé ónæm fyrir
gagnasuði og sé eins gagnleg vísindamönnum og hægt er. Áhersla þessarar ritgerðar er
á innfellingu plöntulíkana í sýndarveruleika þannig að hann fái upplýsingar um tilraunagögn og sé samhæfður við nákvæmari útdráttarleið og stigfrjálsa gagnaúrvinnslukeðju.
Myndun gervigagna er lykilatriði í þessari ritgerð, þar sem hún er ein af efnilegustu aðferðunum til að bæta upp skort á líffræðilegum gögnum. Þessi ritgerð leggur af mörkum
til fræðasviðsins með því að þróa gagnasköpunarkerfi sem er samhæft við nútímalegar
ofurtölvur og byggir á rauntíma samskiptastaðli. Innfelling plöntulíkana í sýndarveruleika opnar einnig möguleikann á mælingum á staðnum, sem gerir kleift að tengja
plöntulíkön við sjónræna framsetningu og skapa raunverulega stafræna tvíburahegðun.
Innan sýndarveruleikans verður gagnaútdráttur einnig nákvæmari, sem gerir notendum
kleift að hafa bein samskipti við krefjandi gagnasöfn og auka þannig nákvæmni og
áreiðanleika samanborið við hefðbundnar aðferðir. Afurð þessarar doktorsritgerðar
er dreifður þjálfunarrammi fyrir gervigögn, kallaður Synavis, fullkomlega raunsæjar
sýndarveruleikasenur sem innihalda virkniupplýsingar og eru reiknaðar á stigfrjálsan
hátt, og gagnaúrvinnslukeðja nefnd VRoot, sem leyfir vísindamönnum að grípa inn í
sjálfvirka gagnaúrvinnslu þegar að þörf er
Áhrif jarðvegshlýnunar á vaxtarferla í náttúrulegum graslendum
No full textHigh-latitude plant growth processes involve a range of physiological and biochemical mechanisms that allow plants to progress during relatively short growing seasons from unmature to fully developed organisms capable of reproducing. During the past decades, terrestrial ecosystems have experienced a lot of alterations from climate change, and high latitude ecosystems are affected at a faster pace compared to other terrestrial ecosystems. Therefore, it is important to study how further warming is likely to affect high-latitude plant communities, including Iceland. There are now 18 whole-soil warming experiments ongoing worldwide to increase our understanding of how plant and soil communities are likely to respond to further climate warming, and the ForHot research site is one of them. It utilises warm bedrocks below the soil profiles of known age to study the impacts of soil warming. The ForHot contains six ecosystem-level field experiments that involve different amounts of soil warming, duration of warming and N-availability in different vegetation communities. Whereof I used two grassland experiments. That is, the medium-term warming (MTW) site that has been warm since 2008 and the long-term warming (LTW) site with the same type of grassland, but where the warming has been ongoing for >60 years. To understand how subarctic grassland growth processes respond to soil warming, I looked at the first step in the plant growth processes, that is, the responses in the photosynthetic system. Secondly, I studied the duration of vegetation activity (phenology) throughout the growing season with both traditional and remote-sensing methods. Lastly, I investigated how soil warming and interannual variation affected the aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP). The main outcomes were that even if the photosynthetic capacity remained unaltered per unit leaf area under warmer conditions, the amount of community leaf area over each m2 of surface (NDVI) increased and the duration of growth lengthened with warming. Which likely resulted together in more seasonal carbon uptake and the observed increases in ANPP under warming in both grasslands. Nevertheless, the increasing ANPP was associated with a “down-regulation” at the higher warming levels, which was possibly linked to N losses from the warmed soils. Duration of warming was generally not found to be important in plant aboveground responses.Vaxtarferlar norðlægra plantna eru samspil lífeðlisfræðilegra og lífefnafræðilegra ferla sem
tryggja að hæfilegur þroski og vöxtur náist innan fremur stuttra vaxtartímabila þannig að þær verði fullþroska með getu til að fjölga sér.
Á síðustu áratugum hefur veðurfar breyst, einkum á norðurslóðum, sem er farið að valda örari breytingum á gróðurfari þar en víðast annars staðar. Vegna þessa er mikilvægt að rannsaka hvernig frekari hlýnun hefur áhrif á gróður norðurslóða, þ.m.t. á Íslandi.
Það eru 18 rannsóknir í gangi í heiminum þar sem allur jarðvegsprófíllinn er hitaður til að líkja eftir framtíðar hlýnun og áhrifum hennar á gróður og jarðveg. ForHot verkefnið á Íslandi er eitt þeirra. Það nýtir einstakar aðstæður á Íslandi þar sem jarðskjálftavirkni hefur valdið því að berggrunnur hitnar á ákveðnum svæðum og hitar jarðveginn sem á honum hvílir. Í ForHot eru alls sex vistkerfistilraunir sem skoða áhrif mismikillar hlýnunar, lengd hlýnunar eða N-ákomu í mismunandi gróðurlendum. Í mínu verkefni nýtti ég tvær af þessum tilraunum sem eru í náttúrulegum graslendum, MTW tilraunina sem inniheldur reiti með þar sem hlýnunin hófst árið 2008 og LTW tilraunina með sambærilegum reitum en þar sem hlýnunin hefur staðið yfir í >60 ár. Til að skilja betur hvernig frekari jarðvegshlýnun hefur áhrif gróður og hvort lengd hlýnunarinnar skiptir máli, þá rannsökuðum við fyrst hvernig áhrifin hafa verið á fyrsta skrefið í vaxtarferli plantna, ljóstillífunargetu. Því næst rannsökuðum við hvort bæði vaxtarferill og æxlunarferill platna breyttist við hlýnunina, bæði með hefðbundnum aðferðum og fjarkönnun Að lokum rannsökuðum við hvernig jarðvegshlýnun hefur breytt ofanjarðar framleiðni (ANPP) í graslendunum og hversu mikill árabreytileiki er í ANPP þeirra. Helstu niðurstöður voru þær að þrátt fyrir að ljóstillífunargeta gróðurs ykist ekki per laufflatarmál, þá gerði lengri vaxtartími með ljóstillífun og meira laufflatarmál á hvern m2 (aukið NDVI) það að verkum að ANPP jókst marktækt við hlýnun í báðum graslendunum. Hins vegar minnkað hlutfallsleg aukning í ANPP með aukinni langtíma hlýnun sem sennilega tengdist tapi á köfnunarefni út úr vistkerfinu í hlýnandi jarðvegi. Hversu langt var liðið frá því að hlýnun hófst, áratugur eða >6 áratugir, hafði ekki mikil áhrif á grósku ofanjarðar í graslendunum
The genomic basis of adaptive differentiation between closely related morphs of Arctic charr
Full text linkExploring the genetic basis of ecological diversification is crucial to understand how diversity is generated and maintained. The overall aim of this thesis is to disentangle the genetic basis behind the ecological differentiation of the Arctic charr in lake Thingvallavatn (Iceland), where this species has diverged genetically and phenotypically into four morphs along the benthic-limnetic ecological axis. Here I focused on studying the genetic underpinnings behind the phenotypic traits involved in this well-characterised case of ecological differentiation: (1) the morphology associated with benthic and limnetic ecologies and (2) the discrete size differentiation. To tackle this, a variety of methodological approaches was used: 1) geometric morphometrics to characterise morphological differentiation across morphs, 2) QTL mapping to map those traits onto the genome, and 3) population genomic approaches to look at the genetic underpinnings behind discrete body size differentiation across morphs. For the geometric morphometrics and the QTL mapping parts of the study, laboratory reared families from the lake were established and for the population genomics part fish were collected from the lake. Throughout this thesis I provide evidence for a genetic basis behind body size and shape in the Thingvallavatn system. QTL mapping revealed that the relative size of the head, maxilla shape and peduncle depth were attributed to single QTL with moderate to high effects, likely complemented with other QTL of small effects. Additionally, genome scans unveiled highly differentiated genomic regions shared between the small and large morph pairs, including a region containing the glypican-6 gene, which is highly conserved in vertebrate evolution, playing a role in cell proliferation and growth. This work significantly contributes to our understanding of ecological diversification and opens avenues for further research in salmonid and other freshwater systems
Bætt nýting, varðveisla og gæði brúnþörunga
No full textDespite the significant increase in seaweed production in the last decades, seaweed remains a fairly underutilised resource in Europe. However, the interest in seaweed has been growing in Europe, with predictions indicating that seaweed production could potentially expand from the already harvested 300 thousand tons to 8 million tons in 2030. With the increased production of seaweed biomass, it is crucial to fully utilise the biomass, prioritise the stabilisation of the biomass, and use good manufacturing practices to ensure the quality and safety of the product. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to explore and enhance the studied seaweed value chains, focusing on full utilisation during seaweed meal processing, preservation of cultivated brown seaweed biomass, and assessment of the use of multispectral imaging (MSI) as a quality control technology within the seaweed industry.
Alternative processing was suggested to utilise Ascophyllum nodosum biomass to its full potential, where seasonal variation of the raw material and industrial-scale processing methods were evaluated. The process included water extraction with micro-cutting, and separating the liquid and solid phases before drying the seaweed meal. Two methods were assessed to separate the liquid and solid phases, or decanter and screw press. In addition, centrifugation and drying of the liquid phase were evaluated. The results indicate that the suggested alternative processing of seaweed meal from A. nodosum is feasible between July and October but less suitable when the seaweed is in its fertile period from May to June, especially if the liquid is intended for antioxidant purposes. Furthermore, the results suggest that the solids obtained from the alternative processing could still be used as a raw material in alginate production, as the alginate content remains in the solid stream during the liquid extraction process. Evaluation of separation technologies on an industrial scale for the alternative processing showed that a decanter is more suitable as the main separation method than using a screw press. Additionally, the obtained liquid could be dried with spray-drying technologies without affecting the bioactive properties of the extract. Therefore, it was concluded that the alternative process with a decanter as the main separation step and subsequent spray drying of the liquid stream could be a feasible option to add value to the biomass alongside the algal meal intended for alginate production.
Seaweed is a perishable material in its fresh state and deteriorates only a few days post-harvest if not preserved. In the present study, an assessment of acid preservation as a stabilisation method for cultivated Alaria esculenta and Saccharina latissima was performed. The results showed that lactic and citric acid are both suitable to preserve the cultivated seaweed biomass for at least 32 weeks. Minimal changes were observed in the proximate composition, pH and colour during storage, and microbial counts were relatively stable throughout the storage period. The method might, however, not be suitable for preserving phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties (assessed by DPPH), as a decrease in these parameters was observed with acid treatment in the A. esculenta samples. Based on sensorial results, the biomass had strong salt and acid flavour, which could affect the uses of the acid-preserved biomass in food products. Therefore, it was concluded that the method is applicable to stabilise the cultivated biomass as an ingredient in food and feed applications but might not be as suitable to preserve the antioxidant properties of the biomass.
Quality assessment within the seaweed industry is mainly based on chemical analysis and visual inspection of the employees. Alternative methods such as MSI could provide the seaweed industry with easy-to-use, fast and non-destructive quality assessment of their products. A. esculenta and S. latissima samples were analyzed and imaged, and predictive partial least square regression (PLSR) models were constructed from the spectral data and traditional analytical results. The results showed that the MSI technology effectively predicted proximate composition, pH and total phenolic content in the seaweed samples. In addition, other constructed models showed promising results, such as models made for iodine content and antioxidant properties (ORAC and DPPH). Based on the obtained results, it was concluded that MSI is a promising technology to predict multiple parameters in seaweed biomass, but a larger sample size is required to strengthen the models further.
The results of the present study show opportunities to increase the value of the harvested biomass by changing the production processes. Furthermore, the results suggest that acid preservation could be a valuable preservation method for cultivated seaweed biomass and that multispectral imaging techniques could be used as a quality control tool within the seaweed industry.Þrátt fyrir gífurlega aukningu í stórþörungaframleiðslu á síðustu áratugum eru
þeir enn frekar vannýtt auðlind í Evrópu. Hins vegar hefur áhugi á
stórþöþörungum aukist verulega í Evrópu undanfarin ár, og spáð hefur verið
fyrir því að framleiðslan gæti aukist frá þeim 300 þúsund tonnum sem framleidd
eru í dag yfir í 8 milljónir tonna árið 2030. Með aukinni framleiðslu stórþörunga
er mikilvægt að fullnýta, varðveita og meðhöndla lífmassann á viðeigandi hátt
til að hámarka gæði afurðarinnar. Því var markmið rannsókarinnar að kanna
og bæta virðiskeðju valinna brúnþörunga, með áherslu á fullnýtingu hráefnis í
mjölsvinnslu, varðveislu og geymsluþol á ræktuðum brúnþörungum, og meta
nýtingu fjöllitrófsmyndgreiningartækni til að meta gæði stórþörunga innan
iðnaðarins.
Til að auka nýtingu klóþangs (e. Ascophyllum nodosum) voru lagðar til
breytingar á mjölsvinnslu (e. alternative processing) og þær metnar. Þar var
lögð áhersla á að kanna árstíðabundinn breytileika hráefnis, og uppskölun á
breyttum framleiðsluháttum á iðnaðarskala. Breytta vinnslan byggir á
vatnsútdrætti lífvirkra efna úr lífmassanum eftir fínhökkun (e. microcutting) og
aðskilnaði á vökva-, og þurrefnisfasa (e. liquid and solid phase) áður en
þangmjölið er þurrkað. Metnar voru tvær mismunandi aðskilnaðaraðferðir á
vökva-, og þurrefnafasa, eða fleytibúnaður (e. decanter) og skrúfupressa.
Ásamt því var nýting diskaskilvindu og þurrkun á vökvanum metin.
Niðurstöðurnar benda til þess að breytta vinnslan sé hagkvæmust frá júlí til
október en henti verr í júní þegar þörungurinn er í blóma (á frjósemistímabili
sínu), þá sérstaklega ef áætlað er að nýta vökvann vegna andoxunarvirkni
hans. Ennfremur benda niðurstöðurnar til þess að þurrefnafasinn sem fæst úr
breyttu vinnslunni gæti nýst áfram til framleiðslu á alginötum, þar sem alginatið
helst í þurrefnafasanum eftir vökvaaðskilnaðinn. Við mat á aðskilnaðartækni á
iðnaðarskala kom í ljós að fleytibúnaður gaf betri aðskilnað á vökva- og
þurrefnafösunum en skúfupressan. Auk þess má þurrka vökvafasann með
úðaþurrkara án þess að hitunin í þurrkuninni hafi teljandi áhrif á
lífvirknieiginleika vökvans. Út frá niðurstöðunum var því ályktað að aðskilnaður
með fleytingu ásamt úðaþurrkun á vökvafasanum gæti verið hagkvæmur
kostur til að auka verðmæti lífmassans sem áætlaður er í alginatframleiðslu.
Ferskir stórþörungar brotna niður og skemmast aðeins nokkrum dögum eftir
uppskeru ef þeir eru ekki varðveittir með réttum hætti. Í þessari rannsókn var
iv
kannað hvort hægt væri að nýta sýrumeðhöndlun sem varðveisluaðferð fyrir
ræktaðan marinkjarna (Alaria esculenta) og beltisþara (Saccharina latissima).
Niðurstöðurnar sýndu að bæði mjólkursýra og sítrónusýra væru hentugar
sýrur til að varðveita ræktaða lífmassann í að minnsta kosti 32 vikur. Lítill
munur var á efnasamsetningu, sýrustigi og lit í gegnum geymslutímann og
örverufjöldi var tiltöllulega stöðugur í gegnum geymsluna. Niðurstöður gefa þó
til kynna að aðferðin sé ekki jafn hentug til að verðveita fjölfenól og
andoxunareiginleika lífmassans (metið með DPPH), þar sem lækkun á þessum
þáttum varð vegna sýringar á beltisþara. Ásamt því sýndu niðurstöður
skynmats að sterkt salt-, og sýrubragð gæti haft áhrif á notkun sýrðu
brúnþörunganna í matvæli. Út frá niðurstöðunum var því ályktað að
sýrumeðhöndlun sé vel nothæf til að varðveita beltisþara og marinkjarna sem
hráefni í matvæli eða fóðurgerð en væri ekki eins hentug til að varðveita
andoxunareiginleika þeirra.
Í dag er gæðamat stórþörunga í iðnaðinum að mestu leyti byggt á
efnagreiningum og sjónrænu mati starfsmanna. Aðrar aðferðir gætu auðveldað
gæðamat afurða, eins og fjöllitrófsmyndgreiningartækni (MSI), sem er auðveld
í notkun, eyðileggur ekki sýnið og gefur hraðar niðurstöður. Sýni af beltisþara
og marinkjarna voru mynduð og efnagreind, og spálíkön byggð með línulegri
aðhvarfsgreiningu (e. partial least square regression, PLSR) úr
litrófsgögnunum miðað við niðurstöðunum úr hefðbundnu efnagreiningum.
Niðurstöðurnar sýndu að líkönin gátu spáð áreiðanlega fyrir um
grunnefnasamsetningu, sýrustig og fjölfenólinnihald í þangsýnunum. Þar, til
viðbótar reyndust önnur líkön ásættanleg til greininga svo sem líkön fyrir
joðinnihald og andoxunareiginleika (ORAC og DPPH). Út frá niðurstöðunum
var ályktað að MSI gæti vel nýst til að spá fyrir um ýmsa gæðaþætti í
stórþörungum, en að aukinn sýnafjöldi sé nauðsynlegur til að styrkja líkönin.
Niðurstöður núverandi rannsóknar sýna tækifæri í því að auka verðmæti
stórþörunga með bættum framleiðsluferlum. Ennfremur benda niðurstöðurnar
til þess að sýring gæti hentað vel sem varðveiðsluaðferð fyrir ræktaða
brúnþörunga og að MSI gæti verið notuð til gæðamats á stórþörungum innan iðnaðarins.The project was funded by two larger projects, a project called “Valuable compounds from side streams within algal meal production” funded by Matvælasjóður (project number ANR20090766), and the “QualiSea” project funded by the BlueBio Cofund and the Icelandic Technology Development fund (Tækniþróunarsjóður, grant number 2014154-0613)
Skynskipti með fjölþættri athygli: grunnrannsóknir og hagnýting
No full textPerception of the world around us can never be limited to only one stream. The perception of the world is multimodal. Understanding how humans perceive and integrate information from multiple sensory modalities is essential for developing effective sensory substitution devices (SSDs). This thesis explores the complex interplay of sensory modalities and attention in perception and how it relates to the design of SSDs. The research investigates tactile perception and its implications for SSDs, highlighting the importance of understanding tactile illusions and anisotropies. In paper I the intensity order illusion (IOI) was studied. This illusion can be described as the mislocalization of the second stimuli following the first one. If the second stimulus on the lower back has higher intensity than the first stimulus then participants tend to perceive it as an upward movement. This also works vice versa. Two experiments were conducted to understand what causes the IOI and to find out whether it works in horizontal deimension or only in vertical dimension. The findings from Paper I reveal insights into the IOI and the role of amplitude for the IOI. Additionally, the study validates the effectiveness of Lofelt 5 actuators for tactile stimulation, crucial for SSD development involving tactile stimulation.
Examining multimodal attention, Papers II and III delve into the effects of synchrony and cross-modal cueing on foraging performance. In Paper II the focus was on studying the influence of visual and auditory synchrony on foraging. Three experiments were run to study the the influence of synchrony. The results show that when targets move in visual synchrony, this guides attention during multiple target visual search. These results can possibly be explained by the grouping of the targets. There was no evidence that participans have any search benefit from non-spatial sound even when the task was more complicated (Experiment 3). Paper III was made as an extension of the second paper. The main goal was to understand whether cues from different modalities can improve visual search. Three cues from different modalities (visual, haptic and sound) were compared to the condition where no cues were presented. The results clearly showed that cross-modal cueing (haptic cue and sound cue) is more effective compared to uni-modal cueing (visual cue). These findings can benefit in developing SSD and provide some insights about how information should be conveyed using SSD’s.
Overall, the research underscores the importance of considering multimodal integration and attentional mechanisms in the development of SSDs, but also more generlly, for understanding perception. By leveraging insights from tactile perception and multimodal attention, future SSD designs can optimize sensory feedback delivery, enhancing usability and effectiveness for users with sensory impairments.The thesis work was funded by the Technology Development Fund (project no. 1910271) and the Icelandic Research Fund (project no. 207045-052)