19 research outputs found
Feeding our Past, Nourishing our Future: a Decolonizing Podcast
No full textFeeding Our Past, Nourishing Our Future is a 10-part podcast series about food, land, identity, and indigenous people. Several conversations focused on loss and the sadness that comes from being disconnected from one’s culture. Yet, just as many focused on the joy that comes with discovering a new part of your history through food and the rediscovery of different food practices. Over two months, we reached out to scholars in environmental studies and local farmers. While the focus of our project was indigenous peoples, overall we wanted to highlight the relationship people of color have with food and identity. Through our conversations, we discovered the various meetings that a simple concept, such as food, can have for different people. Specifically, how food can act as a form of healing for Native peoples that have experienced historical traumas. For other conversations, we discussed how food can be used by diasporic communities to reclaim and reconnect their personal histories and cultures. The themes covered in this podcast include the importance of maintaining autonomy over the foods one consumes, developing a greater sense of community and solidarity through reclaiming your personal history, and the tie between Indigeneity and sustainability
Coordination of collective action in the agro-food sector
No full textCollaboration between stakeholders in the agro-food sector is nowadays a common phenomenon. Despite the huge diversity observed, this paper argues that collective action always results in the establishment of a collective organization (whether formally organized or not), which is characterized by the presence of a coordination centre. This organism represents all partners united in the collective and performs tasks by order of the individual members and the group. From a theoretical point of view, all collective organizations qualify as hybrid organizations, which can be studied through the lens of Transaction Costs Economics. Hybrids governance structures are a large set of arrangements that are situated between markets and hierarchies. When organizing transactions, hybrids do not purely rely on the price mechanism or authority, but rather on an interplay of four coordination mechanisms. These coordination mechanisms are the central element of this paper and we hypothesize that their degree of formalization is positively correlated with the complexity of the tasks faced by the coordination centre. To test this hypothesis, a survey was designed and information was gathered on some general and organizational characteristics of 65 collective initiatives in the Flemish agro-food sector. Information on the coordination mechanism could thereby be directly gathered, but the complexity of the tasks was approximated by the collective organization’s objectives, the characteristics of the specifications in force and the entry rules for members. The analysis proves that there is indeed a positive relationship between the degree of formalization of the coordination mechanisms on the hand and the complexity of coordination centre’s tasks. Information devices occurs in combination with informal cooperation in small groups, contracts are adopted by groups of 5 to 14 members to realize medium complex objectives and formal coordination (extern regulation and new governance bodies) is finally linked to quality differentiation, which requires considerable efforts in the definition and enforcement of product and/or process specifications.Collective action, coordination mechanisms, hybrid governance structures, Agribusiness,
Use of a Perianal Swab Compared With a Stool Sample to Detect Symptomatic Clostridium difficile Infection
No full textOBJECTIVE To evaluate the use of a perianal swab to detect CDI. METHODS A perianal swab was collected from each inpatient with a positive stool sample for C. difficile (by polymerase chain reaction [PCR] test) and was tested for C. difficile by PCR and by culture. The variables evaluated included demographics, CDI severity, bathing before perianal swab collection, hours between stool sample and perianal swab, cycle threshold (Ct) to PCR positivity, and doses of CDI treatment before stool sample and before perianal swab. RESULTS Of 83 perianal swabs, 59 (71.1%) tested positive for C. difficile by PCR when perianal swabs were collected an average of 21 hours after the stool sample. Compared with the respective stool sample, the perianal sample was less likely to grow C. difficile (P=.005) and had a higher PCR Ct (
Social support and religion. Protective factors of symptoms of depression throughout the complex Haitian migration trajectories in Santiago (Chile) and Tijuana (Mexico)
No full textAs complex migration trajectories become increasingly more common, understanding potential protective factors of symptoms of depression is critical. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to understand how social support and religion may be associated with better outcomes for migrants’ mental health among Haitian migrants at different points in their intricate migration trajectories. Through a quantitative cross-sectional study using a non-probabilistic sampling, we surveyed 405 Haitian migrants in Santiago, Chile (n=207), and Tijuana, Mexico (n=198). Bivariate analyses revealed that participants in Chile had a longer time post-migration (4.6 years) than those in Mexico (3.7 months) (Chi-square
How did the community surrounding the Horn’s oldest monastery survive the Tigray War? Dabba Selama revisited
No full textEDITOR's NOTE: The people of Tigray owe their survival to no-one but themselves. This remarkable report is by a multi-author team from the universities of Mekelle and Ghent. It focuses on the small village of Dabba Selama and tells this story. As Tigray emerges from its imposed isolation and silence, this is one tale among many. In this case it’s a story that shows the formidable resilience and survival skills of rural people, skills of enduring exceptional hardship that have lain unutilized for a generation, but have again been drawn upon. Dabba Selama is reputedly the hardest-to-access monastery in the world, carved into a clifftop. It and the adjoining small village count themselves lucky to have escaped the most vicious ravages of the war, because by good fortune, they were not massacred by federal, Eritrean or Amhara forces, and they were lucky to be well-endowed with productive soils and good rainfall. But even these conditions—the best-case scenario in Tigray today—they suffered terribly from the hardships of a protracted siege. The social fabric was stretched to breaking point, but didn’t break. The scars of the war can be observed on the landscape. Cut off from towns and external supplies, without government services, the impressive gains in environmental preservation and forestry of the previous thirty years have been lost. People have turned back to ecologically-destructive practices such as charcoal burning for fuel. The report draws upon detailed interviews conducted by Tigrayan field researchers who have worked in the community for years, and thereby gained the confidence of the people. Over that same extended period, their partners in Mekelle and Ghent have worked with them and gained the mutual trust so essential for this kind of field research. The collaboration included conceptualizing and designing the research, GIS mapping, drawing on the project’s extensive archives of data and photography, and interviewing. The team included Jan Nyssen, Hailemariam Meaza, Sofie Annys, Emnet Negash, Biadgilgn Demissie, Zbelo Tesfamariam, and Tesfaalem Ghebreyohannes. The report shows how information can be gathered and analyzed from the most difficult and hard-to-access parts of Tigray. It poses the question, why the United Nations and international humanitarian donors have not been doing this in partnership with local researchers. Read the full report: https://sites.tufts.edu/reinventingpeace/2023/03/16/survival-in-the-remotest-mountains-of-tigray/ When the people of Tigray stood at the abyss of war and atrocity in 2020 at the hands of leaders in Addis Ababa and Asmara, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front failed to provide leadership to prevent the foreseeable calamity. One of the villagers is quoted, “We were led by ourselves during the war.” As some kind of peace returns, the people who led themselves through the valley of death deserve our respect and support. --> https://sites.tufts.edu/reinventingpeace/2023/03/16/survival-in-the-remotest-mountains-of-tigray
Studentaktive Læringsformer for å Fremme Dyplæring i Høyspenningsteknikk
No full textThe Nordic Journal of STEM Education licenses all content of the journal under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) licence. This means, among other things, that anyone is free to copy and distribute the content, as long as they give proper credit to the author(s) and the journal. For further information, see Creative Commons website for human readable or lawyer readable versions.Denne studien baserer seg på perspektiver rundt dyplæring. Det søkes å vise hvordan mer tudentaktive læringsformer kan skape mere robuste læringspraksiser som igjen muliggjør dyplæring. Studien søker å vise at en slik studentaktiv intensivering kan være en måte å gjøre undervisningen mer samstemt på. I studien har vi gjort tiltak for å gjøre undervisningen i emnet høyspenningsteknikk mer samstemt ved å inkludere nye, studentaktive læringsformer.Uttalelser fra studentene tyder på at varierte læringsformer var motiverende og at denne studentaktive læringsformen pekte i retning av dypere læring. Dette kunne imidlertid ikke dokumenteres på eksamensresultatene, noe som kan tyde på at neste skritt er å jobbe med vurderingsformen, slik at emnet blir ytterligere samstemt, og studentene i enda større grad blir
oppmuntret til å velge dyplæringsstrategier.publishedVersio
Thermal insulating concrete: a state of the art review
No full textPurpose: The purpose is to research the following topic: “Thermal insulating concrete; a state of the art review.” The topic is rather composed and complicated. Concrete is the most commonly used construction material worldwide and concrete have a lot of advantages in the building construction industry. The physical strength is very good, but the thermal conductivity has traditionally been relatively high, and that result in huge CO2 emissions. Method: The only method for this study has been a literature study. There has recently been conducted numerous studies on this subject, and the biggest challenge has been to find the best and most relevant studies. The topic is rather composed and complicated and the topic has only been loosely reviewed by the author earlier. The author is only on bachelor level and most of the literature available and which has been reviewed is written on doctorate level. Consequently, the learning curve have been tremendous. The intention was to start out with a wide range of search words, and brows the abstracts to get a fast overview. Unfortunately, I learned a little late that I probably should have concentrated on the latest articles earlier. Fortunately, the English language which is my second language, had been practiced extensively earlier. Result and conclusion: There has been a huge development in the area in the last decade. R & D has introduced new additives in the building industry. Within some of these fields, a lot of basic research is still being performed. There seems to be an enormous worldwide commitment on energy savings and sustainability. All results are summarized in Appendix 1. Apparently, development is greatest within aerogel, while improvement is more modest in concrete mixtures.Hensikt: Hensikten er å undersøke følgende tema: "Termisk isolerende betong; en gjennomgang av de siste innen feltet." Emnet er ganske sammensatt og komplisert. Betong er det mest brukte byggematerialet over hele verden, og betong har mange fordeler innen byggebransjen. Den fysiske styrken er veldig god, men termisk ledningsevne har tradisjonelt vært relativt høy, og det resulterer i store CO2-utslipp. Metode: Den eneste metoden for denne studien har vært en litteraturstudie. Det har nylig vært utført en rekke studier om dette emnet, og den største utfordringen har vært å finne de beste og mest relevante studiene. Emnet er ganske sammensatt og komplisert, og emnet har bare blitt løst gjennomgått av forfatteren tidligere. Forfatteren er kun på bachelorgrad, og det meste av litteraturen er tilgjengelig, og som har blitt gjennomgått, er skrevet på doktorgradsnivå. Følgelig har læringskurven vært enorm. Hensikten var å starte med et bredt spekter av søkeord, og så og se på abstraktene for å få et raskt overblikk. Dessverre erfarte jeg litt sent at jeg sannsynligvis burde ha konsentrert seg om de siste artiklene tidligere. Oppgaven er skrevet på engelsk som ikke er morsmålet mitt, hadde blitt praktisert mye tidligere. Resulat og konklusion: Det har vært en stor utvikling i området i det siste tiåret. FoU har innført nye tilsetningsstoffer i byggebransjen. Innenfor noen av disse feltene utføres en del grunnforskning fortsatt. Det ser ut til å være en enorm verdensomspennende satsing på energibesparelser og bærekraft. Dessverre ser det fremdeles ut til at kombinasjonen av betong og isolasjonsmaterialene fortsatt fungerer bedre adskilt enn sammenblandet. Det er fortsatt en del som mangler på at man kan benytte løsningene for selvbærende isolerende yttervegger
Remote sensing reveals how armed conflict regressed woody vegetation cover and ecosystem restoration efforts in Tigray (Ethiopia)
No full textIn recent years, armed conflicts are globally on the rise, causing drastic human and environmental harm. The Tigray war in Ethiopia is one of the recent violent conflicts that has abruptly reversed decades of ecosystem restoration efforts. This paper analyzes changes in woody vegetation cover during the period of armed conflict (2020–2022) using remote sensing techniques, supplemented by field testimony and secondary data. Extent of woody vegetation cover was analyzed using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) thresholding method from Sentinel 2 images in Google Earth Engine, and scale of de-electrification was qualitatively analyzed from Black Marble HD nighttime lights dataset, acquired from NASA's Black Marble team. The magnitude, direction as well as the mechanisms of change in woody vegetation cover varied across the region and over time. Tigray's woody vegetation cover fluctuated within 20% of the landmass. Mainly scattered to mountainous areas, the dry Afromontane forest cover declined from about 17% in 2020 to 15% in 2021, and 12% in 2022. About 17% of the overall decline was observed between 500 m and 2000 m elevation, where there is higher anthropogenic pressure. Land restoration practices meant to avert land degradation and desertification were interrupted and the area turned warfare ground. In many areas, forests were burned, the trees cut and the area became barren. The suspension of public services such as electricity for household or industrial use created heavy reliance on firewood and charcoal, further threatening to compound weather and climate. The magnitude of disturbance in a region that is already at a very high risk of desertification requires urgent national and international attention. Continued ecosystem disturbance could eventually make the domain part of a wider desert connecting the Sahel to the Afar Triangle, a scenario which may render the area uninhabitable
Betydning av K'0 på styrkeparametere ved treaksialforsøk
No full textBlokkprøver fra Høgskoledalen ved NTNU Gløshaugen ble studert ved hjelp av laboratorieundersøkelser for å undersøke innflytelsen av hviletrykkskoeffisienten på styrkeparametere i forbindelse med treaksialforsøk. Jordprøvene ble utført ifra meget sensitiv leire og kvikkleire. Hovedhensikten med denne masteroppgaven er å gi en oversikt over vanlig norsk praksis og undersøk konsekvensene av feilvalg av hviletrykkskoeffisient ved treaksialforsøk. Derfor har forfatter valgt å se på hvordan oppførselen til jorda endrer seg dersom prosedyren er lik, men med hviletrykkskoeffisient som en varierende parameter.
Generelt varierer forsøksprosedyrer for treaksialtester og spesifikt i konsolideringsfasen. I denne masteroppgaven er hviletrykkoeffisienten sammenlignet ved hjelp av resultater fra skjærfasen og prøveforstyrrelser. Forsøkene i studien ble utført i såkalte paralleller. Det ble utført identiske prøver fra samme dybde, i samme blokk med ulik hviletrykkskoeffisient mens middelspenningen ble holdt lik in situ middelspenning. Mesteparten av laboratoriearbeidet ble utført av Multiconsult samt forfatter og medstudent, Synnøve Bergsli. Indekstesing, kornfordeling, syv treaksialforsøk og syv ødometerforsøk ble utført i løpet av våren 2020.
Testprogrammet utført av Multiconsult ble nøye planlagt for å tjene flere formål, eksempelvis beregning av skråningsstabilitet i forbindelse med prosjektering av campus-utbygging og også for å gi grunnlag for denne oppgaven.
Området, Høgskoledalen, ble nøye studert gjennom høsten 2019 gjennom emnet Geoteknikk felt og laboratorieundersøkelser og inkluderte en total sondering, to dreietrykksonderinger, tre trykksonderinger, to piezometere og åpning samt indekstesting, ødometertesting og treaksialtesting av 13 54mm sylinderprøver fra dybde 2 til 24 meter. Forfatter deltok i dette emnet og ble da kjent med grunnforholdene i området.
Litteraturstudiet viser en stor variasjon av metoder brukt for å etablere hviletrykkskoeffisienten. Hviletrykkskoeffisienten er en viktig parameter for å estimere horisontalspenning. Studien har vist at formelen for hviletrykkoeffisienten til L’Heureux er anvendelig og praktisk for data fra Høgskoledalen og generelt for overkonsoliderte kohesjonsjordarter.
Denne studien har vist at dersom man holder middelspenningen konstant, så er hviletrykkskoeffisienten isolert sett ikke er en avgjørende faktor for styrkeparametere.
For å etablere en mer generell konklusjon som kan anvendes bredere, er det anbefalt å utføre ytterligere parallelltester der en tar én «fasit»-test med realistisk hviletrykkskoeffisient og én test der hviletrykkskoeffisienten blir satt ulikt in situ. Hensikten med dette er å undersøke konsekvensene for styrkeparameterne dersom horisontalspenning avviker, mens vertikalspenning er korrekt.Undisturbed (soil) block samples from Høgskoledalen in Trondheim, near NTNU Gløshaugen campus, were analyzed in laboratories to examine how the coefficient of earth pressure at rest influence the soil strength parameters in triaxial tests. The soil specimens used in this experiment were sensitive clay and quick clay. The main purpose of this master thesis is to give an overview of Norwegian practice and to study the consequences of selecting an inaccurate (incorrect) earth coefficient at rest during triaxial tests. Therefore, the author has chosen to investigate what happens if the procedure is the same, varying the earth coefficient at rest parameter.
In general, triaxial test procedures applied in the industry and specifically in the consolidation phase vary significantly. In this study, the earth pressure coefficient at rest was compared using results from the shearing phase and sample disturbance. The testing was carried out using so-called parallels where identical tests with the same depth and from the same block were tested side by side with different earth coefficients at rest. The total mean stress was kept realistic for all tests. Most of the laboratory work was carried out at Multiconsult geotechnical laboratory, partially performed by the author and a fellow student. The tests included index testing and grain size distribution and oedometer tests in addition to five triaxial tests.
The test program performed by Multiconsult was carefully designed to serve multiple purposes, for example, slope stability calculations in Høgskoledalen and also give the basis of this thesis.
The area, Høgskoledalen was examined extensively during autumn 2019 throughout the course Geotechnics Field and Laboratory Investigations, with one total sounding, two rotary pressure soundings, three cone penetration tests, two piezometers, and opening and index testing, oedometer testing and triaxial testing of 13 54mm cylinders from depths from 2 to 24m. The author participated in this course and considers the area to be well known to whom.
The literary review shows that there are a range of methods used in practice to establish the coefficient of earth pressure at rest. This coefficient is an important parameter used to calculate the effective horizontal stress. This study has shown that L’Heureux’s formula is reasonably robust and applicable for data in Høgskoledalen and in general for overconsolidated cohesive materials.
This study has shown that if the real mean stress is held constant, the coefficient of earth pressure at rest will not be a governing factor for the strength parameters
To validate above conclusion for more general applications, it is recommended to carry out more parallel tests. These tests should typically include at least one set of tests with a realistic coefficient of earth pressure at rest and one test where the coefficient of earth pressure at rest is set purposely different from in situ. The intent is to study the consequences for the strength parameters if the horizontal stress deviates while the vertical stress is kept fixed
Hvordan jobber leder i Quality Hotels Nord-Jæren med Employee Retention
No full textFormålet med dette studie var å se på hvordan ledere innen F&B-avdelinger ved utvalgte Quality-hoteller i Norge jobber med å bevare sine ansatte. Problemstillingen det ble jobbet etter var som følger: «Hvordan jobber Quality Hotels Nord-Jæren med å beholde sine restaurantansatte».
Studiet har tatt utgangspunkt i ledernes egne erfaringer, det har ikke blitt foretatt noen undersøkelser under dette studie om hvordan de ansatte opplever ledernes jobb med emnet. Herzbergs Motivvasjonsteori har lagt det teoretiske grunnlaget for denne oppgaven, uten at målet med oppgaven har vært å bekrefte eller avkrefte teorien.
Det ble benyttet en kvalitativ metodisk tilnærming, der det ble foretatt intervju av totalt 3 ledere innenfor de aktuelle avdelingene. Utvalget hadde en god spredning i form av alder på intervjuobjektene, det var også en kjønnsbalanse man må se seg fornøyd med ut ifra antall ledere som ble intervjuet. Intervjuguiden som ble benyttet tok utgangspunkt i problemstillingen, og det ble benyttet oppfølgingsspørsmål der forfatteren følte det nødvendig. Intervjuene ble analysert gjennom å foreta en deduktiv tematisk innholdsanalyse, før forfatteren sammenlignet sine resultater opp mot tidligere forskning på temaet.
Resultatene viser at de aktuelle lederne jobber godt og strategisk med ansattbevaring. De lederne som ble intervjuet sa alle at dette var et fokusområde for de som ledere. Hvor mye fokus de la på det ble ikke videre undersøkt. Tiltak som å undersøke hvordan hjemmesituasjonen til de ansatte, hvordan de ansattes mentale helse er og en tilpassing av blant annet timeplanen var tiltak som ble nevnt av alle tre intervjuede.The purpose of this study was to examine how leaders in the F&B departments of selected Quality hotels in Norway work to retain their employees. The research question was as follows: "How does Quality Hotels Nord-Jæren work to retain its restaurant employees?" The study is based on the leaders' own experiences, and no surveys were conducted during the study on how the employees perceive the leaders' work on the subject. Herzberg's Motivation Theory provided the theoretical basis for this task, although the aim of the task was not to confirm or refute the theory.
A qualitative methodological approach was used, where a total of 3 leaders within the relevant departments were interviewed. The sample had good distribution in terms of age of the interviewees, and there was also a gender balance that the author felt satisfied with given the number of leaders interviewed. The interview guide used was based on the research question, and follow-up questions were used where the author felt it necessary. The interviews were analyzed by conducting a deductive thematic content analysis, before the author compared the results to previous research on the topic.
The results show that the relevant leaders work well and strategically with employee retention. All interviewed leaders said that this was a focus area for them as leaders. The extent to which they focused on it was not further investigated. Measures such as investigating the home situation of employees, the mental health of employees, and an adjustment of the schedule were mentioned by all three interviewees
