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Effects of fish density on group and individual fish behaviour during forced swimming of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) within an experimental push cage.
Get PDFMasteroppgave i biologiBIO399MAMN-HAVSJMAMN-BI
Does executive autonomy reduce second-order election effects?
Get PDFThe second-order election (SOE) model expects voters to punish parties innational government and reward opposition, small and new parties becausethere is ‘less at stake’ in an SOE. One key assumption that is rarely studied iswhether SOE-effects depend on the extent to which voters can impact theselection of the executive in an SOE. This article argues that executiveautonomy – i.e. the extent to which executives are independent fromthe parliament regarding their formation, termination and execution of theircompetences – increases the impact of authority. Executive autonomyreduces SOE-effects when authority is high but increases SOE-effects whenauthority is low. An empirical analysis of 41,603 vote share swings for 4733parties competing in 2665 elections held in 282 regions in 14 Europeancountries between 1945 and 2019 confirms the hypotheses. These resultshave important implications for electoral democracy and party competitionat the regional, national and European level.publishedVersio
Acoustic tags versus camera—a case study on feeding behaviour of European seabass in sea cages
Get PDFIntoduction: With the expansion of the aquaculture industry, the need arises for scalable, reliable, and robust methods to assess fish behaviour in sea cages to guide operational management, which includes feeding optimisation and welfare assessments. Fish cage monitoring utilising either acoustic transmitters or underwater cameras is well-studied. However, the relationship between those two different measurement types seems to have not been explored, nor have they been evaluated together in one experimental site.
Methods: In our 1-month study, we compared the activity of 14 sentinel fish and the artificial intelligence (AI)-inferred speed of individuals from the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) sea cage population in three feeding trials. Comparisons include a maximum activity comparison using persistent peaks, fish behavioural pattern establishment and retention, and periodical behavioural patterns.
Results: Our results demonstrate that under certain circumstances, both technologies are interchangeable from the perspective of persistent peaks and periodicity, but complementary when it comes to behaviour analysis such as food anticipatory behaviour (FAB).
Discussion: We anticipate that our findings will stimulate advances where multiple sensor types are in use to achieve a more holistic understanding of fish behaviour in the aquaculture sector using underwater technologies.publishedVersio
Risk Factors, Morbidity, and Mortality in Association With Preserved Ratio Impaired Spirometry and Restrictive Spirometric Pattern: Clinical Relevance of Preserved Ratio Impaired Spirometry and Restrictive Spirometric Pattern
No full textBackground
Preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) and restrictive spirometric pattern (RSP) are often considered interchangeable in identifying restrictive impairment in spirometry.
Research Question
Do PRISm and RSP have different individual associations with risk factors, morbidity, and mortality?
Study Design and Methods
In a cross-sectional and longitudinal study, including 26,091 Norwegian general population men (30 to 46 years of age), we explored the association of PRISm and RSP with smoking habits, BMI, education, respiratory symptoms, self-reported cardiopulmonary disease, and mortality after 26 years of follow-up. PRISm was defined as FEV1/FVC ≥ lower limit of normal (LLN) and FEV1 < LLN, and RSP was defined as FEV1/FVC ≥ LLN and FVC < LLN. We compared the associations of PRISm and RSP to airflow obstruction and normal spirometry, both as mutually (PRISm alone, RSP alone) and nonmutually exclusive (PRISm, RSP) categories, adjusting for age, BMI, smoking, and education. We also conducted sensitivity analyses using Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease criteria to define spirometric abnormalities.
Results
The prevalence of the mutually exclusive spirometric patterns was as follows: normal 82.4%, obstruction 11.0%, PRISm alone 1.4%, RSP alone 1.7%, and PRISm + RSP 3.5%. PRISm alone patients frequently had obesity (11.2%) and had active or previous tobacco use, commonly reporting cough, phlegm, wheeze, asthma, and bronchitis. RSP alone patients had both obesity (14.6%) and underweight (2.9%), with increased breathlessness, but similar smoking habits to patients with normal spirometry. The prevalence of heart disease was 4.6% in PRISm alone, 2.7% in RSP alone, and 1.6% in obstruction. With normal spirometry as a reference, RSP alone had increased all-cause (hazard ratio [HR], 1.57; 95% CI, 1.21-2.04), cardiovascular (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 0.88-2.48), diabetes (HR, 6.43; 95% CI, 1.88-21.97), and cancer (excluding lung) mortality (HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 0.95-2.42). PRISm alone had increased respiratory disease mortality (HR, 4.00; 95% CI, 1.22-13.16). Patients with PRISm + RSP had intermediate characteristics and the worst prognosis. Findings were overall confirmed with nonmutually exclusive categories and Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease criteria.
Interpretation
Our findings indicate that PRISm and RSP are spirometric patterns with distinct risk factors, morbidity, and mortality, which should be differentiated in future studies.publishedVersio
Debunking war information disorder: A case study in assessing the use of multimedia verification tools
Get PDFThis paper investigates the use of multimedia verification, in particular, computational tools and Open-source Intelligence (OSINT) methods, for verifying online multimedia content in the context of the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Our study examines the workflows and tools used by several fact-checkers and journalists working at Faktisk, a Norwegian fact-checking organization. Our study showcases the effectiveness of diverse resources, including AI tools, geolocation tools, internet archives, and social media monitoring platforms, in enabling journalists and fact-checkers to efficiently process and corroborate evidence, ensuring the dissemination of accurate information. This research provides an in-depth analysis of the role of computational tools and OSINT methods for multimedia verification. It also underscores the potentials of currently available technology, and highlights its limitations while providing guidance for future development of digital multimedia verification tools and frameworks.publishedVersio
Spinal Manipulation for cervicogenic headache. Does treatment frequency have an effect on outcome measures; pain intensity and pain frequency? A systematic review
Get PDFMasteroppgave i manuellterapiMANT395MAMD-MAN
Sequence of formation and inheritance of meristic variation in the post-cranial axial skeleton of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)
Get PDFAtlantic salmon is an important aquaculture species that has fascinated naturalists for centuries, resulting in its biology being widely characterized. Certain details about the early development and the inheritance of meristic variation in the post-cranial axial skeleton are, however, largely unexplored. The present study gives a detailed description of the sequence of formation of the post-cranial axial skeleton based on whole-mount staining and used radiology to investigate the inheritance of meristic variation in isogenic hybrid all-male families of Atlantic salmon (~4 kg). Eight different families were created by crossing two homozygous double haploid XX females (dam A, B) with four different double haploid homozygous YY super males (sires a to d). In the caudal fin complex, the first bone to form is hypural 1 and its associated lepidotrichia followed by a bidirectional formation of new bones. In the dorsal and anal fins, development starts in the cranial part, and new bones form bidirectionally towards the head and tail fin. The neural and haemal arches start to form at segment 43, and further development is bidirectional. The first parapophysis form in the caudal part of the abdomen followed by a unidirectional completion cranially. The first ribs form at segment 3 and new ribs develop unidirectional caudally. Chordacentra formation starts at segment 24 followed by formation of chordacentrum number 58 (caudal-most vertebra). New chordacentrae form bidirectionally from segment 24 in parallel with the formation of chordacentrum number 57. The first epineuralia form at segment 1 followed by a unidirectional completion caudally until segment 30. The first supraneuralia to develop is number 10 closely followed by number 1, then new supraneurals form bidirectionally from number 10. Analysis of the inheritance on the post-cranial axial skeletal bones showed a strong maternal effect on total vertebrae centra and tail fin lepidotrichia counts. For these skeletal counts, dam A produced offspring with modes of 58 and 45 respectively, while dam B produced offspring with modes of 59 and 42. The higher number of total vertebrae centra produced by dam B was associated with additional abdominal and/or transitional vertebrae. The completion of formation in different post-cranial axial skeletal parts are either bi- or unidirectional, and the initiation of formation is site specific for each skeletal part with some inter-part similarities. Further, the present results may suggest that there has been a maternally driven selection for more abdominal vertebrae associated with a higher number of total vertebrae, and more tail fin lepidotrichia associated with a lower number of total vertebrae. These changing meristic counts may impact on important fitness-related traits, such as fecundity and swimming ability, making the present findings relevant for both ecological and aquaculture sciences.publishedVersio
Maximizing yields of furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in side streams from steam explosion of lignocellulosic residues
Get PDFThe demand for renewable energy and chemicals from biomass resources has led to the development of methods for biorefining lignocellulosic materials into pellets and value-added chemicals. This has, in turn, driven a search for alternative raw materials to use as feedstock in such biorefineries. This study proposes the inclusion of low-grade lignocellulosic residues from agriculture and forestry, such as straw and woody biomass with a high bark content, in the feedstock mix for steam explosion (STEX) based biorefineries. It focuses on exploring how the use of low-grade residues affects the yield of value-added chemicals that arise as side streams during the steam explosion of lignocellulosic biomass and if acetic acid impregnation of the biomass prior to STEX pretreatment will further improve yields of valuable side stream chemicals. The raw materials were impregnated with water/acetic acid before being subjected to STEX pretreatment, using high temperatures (190 °C–223 °C), and a reaction time of 8 min before pressure release. Value-added chemicals were identified in two separate aqueous side streams. In the condensed process effluents, the most abundant compounds were acetic acid (1.2 g*kg−1 dry input biomass) and furfural (1.4 g*kg−1 dry input biomass), and the highest yields were found in the samples from mixed spruce and branches and tops (BRAT) at high temperatures. Filtrate samples produced from washing the steam-exploded biomass contained acetic acid (53.6 g*kg−1 dry input biomass), furfural (4.1–7.9 g*kg−1 dry input biomass) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) (9.0 g*kg−1 dry input biomass) as the most abundant compounds and highest yields of target compounds were found in samples of spruce alone and of spruce mixed with BRAT. All compounds in the side streams were identified and quantified using quantitative 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (qNMR). This study demonstrates that high yields of valuable chemicals are present in the aqueous side streams of pellet production using alternative feedstocks such as forestry and agricultural residues.publishedVersio
Affect and Coping Strategies in Crisis Situations: A Comparative Study of Nurses in Norway and South Africa
No full textDenne studien hadde som mål å undersøke sykepleieres affekt og mestringsstrategier i krisesituasjoner, med særlig fokus på kulturforskjeller. Følelser spiller en sentral rolle i hvordan individer opplever miljøer med høyt stressnivå, mens mestringsstrategier reflekterer hvordan slike krav håndteres. Forståelse av disse prosessene kan bidra til bedre støtte for helsepersonell. Hovedproblemstillingen var: “Finnes det forskjeller i affekt og mestringsstrategier mellom sørafrikanske og norske sykepleiere i krisesituasjoner?”. I tillegg undersøkte studien relasjonen mellom affekt og mestringsstil. Deltakerne (N=94) var autoriserte sykepleiere i Norge og Sør-Afrika. Toveis ANOVA ble brukt for å teste gruppeforskjeller, og Pearsons produkt-moment-korrelasjoner ble gjennomført for å utforske sammenhenger mellom affekt og mestring. Hypotesene var at sørafrikanske sykepleiere ville rapportere høyere negativ affekt og mer emosjonsfokusert mestring, mens norske sykepleiere ville rapportere høyere positiv affekt og større bruk av problemfokusert mestring. Disse hypotesene ble ikke støttet. Det ble ikke funnet noen signifikante forskjeller i affekt mellom landene. I begge grupper rapporterte sykepleierne høyere positiv enn negativ affekt, og viste en generell preferanse for engagement coping og problemfokuserte mestringsstrategier. Selv om mønstrene for affekt og mestring i stor grad var like, antyder norske sykepleieres hyppigere bruk av problemfokusert disengagement kulturelle nyanser i hvordan krisesituasjoner håndteres. Korrelasjonsanalyser viste en positiv sammenheng mellom positiv affekt og engagement coping. Funnene indikerer at profesjonelle rollekrav og krisekonteksten kan påvirke affektive og atferdsmessige responser sterkere enn nasjonal eller kulturell bakgrunn.This study aimed to investigate nurses’ affect and coping strategies in crisis situations, with a particular focus on cross-cultural variation. Emotions play a central role in how individuals experience high-stress environments, while coping strategies reflect how such demands are managed. Understanding these processes may help improve support for healthcare professionals. The main research question was: Do South African and Norwegian nurses differ in affect and coping strategies in crisis situations? In addition, the study examined the relationship between affect and coping style. The participants (N=94) were registered nurses in Norway and South Africa. Two-way ANOVA was used to test for group differences, and Pearson’s Product Moment correlations were conducted to explore associations between affect and coping. It was hypothesized that South African nurses would report higher negative affect and more emotion-focused coping, while Norwegian nurses would report higher positive affect and greater use of problem-focused coping. These hypotheses were not supported. No significant differences in affect were found between countries. In both groups, nurses reported higher positive than negative affect, and showed a general preference for engagement coping and problem-focused strategies. Although emotional and coping patterns were similar, Norwegian nurses’ greater use of problem-focused disengagement suggests cultural nuances in crisis management. Correlational analyses revealed a positive association between positive affect and engagement coping. The findings indicate that professional role demands, and the crisis context may influence affective and behavioral responses more strongly than national or cultural background.Masteroppgave i psykologiMAPSYK360INTL-HFMAPS-PSYKINTL-MEDINTL-PSYKINTL-SVINTL-JUSINTL-KMDINTL-M
Mapping of Functional Metabolic Phenotypes in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
No full textBackground
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive hematologic malignancy with a poor prognosis, particularly in older patients. AML is highly heterogeneous, influenced by various chromosomal, genetic, and epigenetic alterations.
Methods
This study investigated the metabolic profiles of primary AML cells from 46 patients, focusing on mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis. We hypothesized that the metabolic profiles would reflect distinct disease characteristics. Using Seahorse technology, we measured the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) for mitochondrial respiration and the extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) for glycolysis.
Results
Our results showed significant variability in metabolic activity, with some samples relying more on glycolysis than mitochondrial respiration. Mature AML cells (FAB M4/M5, CD34 negative) exhibited increased rates of both mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis, indicating distinct metabolic adaptations. Higher glycolytic activity was observed in patients with adverse cytogenetic abnormalities. However, no clear associations were found between metabolic profiles and mutations in FLT3 or NPM1.
Conclusion
These findings highlight the role of metabolic variability in AML and suggest that targeting specific metabolic pathways could offer therapeutic opportunities, particularly for subgroups like FAB M4/M5 with unique metabolic features. Further studies are needed to refine these therapeutic strategies for clinical application.publishedVersio