| Abstract: | In a group of 46,000 North-American Adventist women aged 40 and above, we investigated the relationships between body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) at age 20 and the proportion of women who reported at least one miscarriage, periods with irregular menstruation or failing to become pregnant even if trying for more than one straight year. Approximately 31, 14 and 17 %, respectively, reported the three different problems related to reproduction. Positive age- and marital status adjusted relationships were found between BMI at age 20 and periods with irregular menstruation or failing to become pregnant even if trying for more than 1 year, but not with the risk of miscarriages. Women with BMI C 32.5 kg/m2 when aged 20 had approximately 2.0 (95 % CI: 1.6, 2.4) and 1.5 (95 % CI: 1.3, 1.9) higher odds for irregular periods or failing to get pregnant, respectively, than women with BMI in the 20–24.9 kg/m2 bracket.These relationships were consistently found in a number of strata of the population, including the large proportion of the women who never had smoked or never used alcohol.Underweight (BMI\18.5 kg/m2) when aged 20 marginally (approximately 15 %) increased the risk of failing to get pregnant within a year. Thus, obesity at age 20 increases the risk of reporting some specific reproductive problems, but not the risk of miscarriages. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/4859 |
| Abstract: | Objective: Weight reduction improves several obesity-related health conditions. We aimed to compare the effect of bariatric surgery and comprehensive lifestyle intervention on type 2 diabetes and obesityrelated cardiovascular risk factors. Design: One-year controlled clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00273104). Methods: Morbidly obese subjects (19–66 years, mean (S.D.) body mass index 45.1 kg/m2 (5.6), 103 women) were treated with either Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (nZ80) or intensive lifestyle intervention at a rehabilitation centre (nZ66). The dropout rate within both groups was 5%. Results: Among the 76 completers in the surgery group and the 63 completers in the lifestyle group, mean (S.D.) 1-year weight loss was 30% (8) and 8% (9) respectively. Beneficial effects on glucose metabolism, blood pressure, lipids and low-grade inflammation were observed in both groups. Remission rates of type 2 diabetes and hypertension were significantly higher in the surgery group than the lifestyle intervention group; 70 vs 33%, PZ0.027, and 49 vs 23%, PZ0.016. The improvements in glycaemic control and blood pressure were mediated by weight reduction. The surgery group experienced a significantly greater reduction in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, albuminuria and electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy than the lifestyle group. Gastrointestinal symptoms and symptomatic postprandial hypoglycaemia developed more frequently after gastric bypass surgery than after lifestyle intervention. There were no deaths. Conclusions: Type 2 diabetes and obesity-related cardiovascular risk factors were improved after both treatment strategies. However, the improvements were greatest in those patients treated with gastric bypass surgery. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/4129 |
| Abstract: | This research investigates object-sharing in Serial Verb Constructions in Kusaal, a Gur language spoken in Ghana. In an attempt to investigate whether the object in object sharing SVCs in the said language can be said to be symmetrically shared as in the case of Dagaare, (Hiraiwa and Bodomo 2008), it is observed that the object in object sharing SVCs interacts with Predicate Cleft Constructions in a way similar to what happens in Dagaare. Data from this language reveals several patterns of predicate cleft constructions alongside object pied-piping. All the patterns observed are again realised to be consistent with what happens in Dagaare. As a result, it is argued that the object in object sharing SVCs in Kusaal is symmetrically shared. Building on the works of Citko (2005), and Hiraiwa and Bodomo (2008), symmetric sharing in Kusaal is argued to be an instance of Parallel Merge. This, as indicated by Hiraiwa and Bodomo, “provides support to Baker’s (1989) insight of Double-Headedness and against Collins’ (1997) VP-shell structure with a pro”. Instances of object sharing as symmetric sharing are quite rare in languages. Kusaal is therefore argued to provide further evidence to the observation of Hiraiwa and Bodomo (2008) with data from Dagaare “for a permissible structure of object sharing SVCs and the availability of symmetric structure in UG” Hiraiwa and Bodomo (2008). |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/3539 |
| Abstract: | I denne hovedfagsavhandlinga undersøkes avbildningsmekanismer mellom ANSAware applikasjoner og en føderativ omgivelse. Dette gjøres innefor rammen av ODS-gruppas arbeid med samvirkende informasjonssystemer. For å få kunnskap om problemområdet og om hvordan avbildning effektivt kan utføres, utvikles et rammeverk for modellering, design og implementasjon av avbildningsmekanismer. Vi fokuserer spesielt på hvordan man i føderasjonen kan gi inntrykk av ANSAware objekter som persistente. Vi baserer oss på en persistensmodell som innebærer at vi stiller ulike krav til objekt-identitet. Vi trenger bare permanent identitet for noen få objekter. For disse er det behov for mekanismer for transparent forvaltning (aktivisering/passivisering). Vi undersøker to logiske komponenter som samarbeider om avbildning: Objekt-adapter som har ansvaret for forvaltning og objekt-identitet og språkbindinger som representerer programmeringsgrensesnitt for den aktuelle klient-omgivelse og realiserer aksess-transparens ved hjelp av stubs. Vi innfører begrepet proxy-objekt som representerer identifikasjon av objekter i objekt-adapter og presenterer en konseptuell modell for interaksjon med klient. Et gjenbrukbart objekt-orientert rammeverk er realisert. Dette representerer design og delvis implementasjon av objekt-adapter. Denne påbygges med applikasjonsspesifikk software for å bli komplett. En notasjon for definisjon av forvaltning av permanente objekter blir utviklet. Egenskaper ved språkbindinger blir undersøkt. Her gjøres et skille mellom direkte binding hvor klient er i samme prosess og binding via eksplisistt grensesnitt (kanonisk språk). Ei språkbinding til C++ er realisert, og det er skissert et rammeverk for binding til FRIL som er et funksjonelt og objektorientert språk for integrasjon og samvirke mellom ulike informasjonssystemer. |
| Description: | Dette er en hovedoppgave |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/1248 |
| Abstract: | Dutkamus giehtadallá objevta sajev ja struktuvrav julevsáme indikatijva gárgadisájn. Julevsámegielan le muhtem mærráj friddja báhkogárges ja danen de le tjanádum iehpevissesvuohta objevta vuodosadjáj. Dát dutkamus tjuottjot julevsámebáhkogárges le rievddamin SOV vuodobáhkogárggás SVO vuodobáhkogárggáj. Duodden de dutkamus guoradallá objevtaj struktuvrav Minimalisssta prográmmajn vuodon. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/3649 |
| Abstract: | The thesis describes observations of strongly enhanced incoherent scatter plasma lines in the auroral ionosphere which were made with the EISCAT UHF radar in 1985. The linear theory of plasma instabilities is reviewed, and several possible explanations are discussed. The observations were found to be of insufficient resolution to unambiguously resolve which one would be the correct explanation. Finally, a new radar experiment design capable of making observations with higher resolution was realised and is presented in some detail. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/239 |
| Abstract: | We report important results of the first campaign specially designed to observe the formation and the initial convection of polar cap patches. The principal instrumentation used in the experiments comprised the EISCAT, the Sondrestrom, and the Super DARN network of radars. The experiment was conducted on February 18, 1996 and was complemented with additional sensors such as the Greenland chain of magnetometers and the WIND and IMP-8 satellites. Two different types of events were seen on this day, and in both events the Sondrestrom radar registered the formation and evolution of large-scale density structures. The first event consisted of the passage of traveling convection vortices (TCV). The other event occurred in association with the development of large plasma jets (LPJ) embedded in the sunward convection part of the dusk cell. TCVs were measured, principally, with the magnetometers located in Greenland, but were also confirmed by the line-of-sight velocities from the Sondrestrom and SuperDARN radars. We found that when the magnetic perturbations associated with the TCVs were larger than 100 nT, then a section of the high-latitude plasma density was eroded by a factor of 2. We suggest that the number density reduction was caused by an enhancement in the O+ recombination due to an elevated Ti, which was produced by the much higher frictional heating inside the vortex. The large plasma jets had a considerable (>1000 km) longitudinal extension and were 200-300 km in width. They were seen principally with the Sondrestrom, and SuperDARN radars. Enhanced ion temperature (Ti) was also observed by the Sondrestrom and EISCAT radars. These channels of high Ti were exactly collocated with the LPJs and some of them with regions of eroded plasma number density. We suggest that the LPJs bring less dense plasma from later local times. However, the recent time history of the plasma flow is important to define the depth of the density depletion. Systematic changes in the latitudinal location and in the intensity of the LPJs were observed in the 2 min time resolution data of the SuperDARN radars. The effect of the abrupt changes in the LPJs location is to create regions containing dayside plasma almost detached from the rest of the oval density. One of these density features was seen by the Sondrestrom radar at 1542 UT. The data presented here suggest that two plasma structuring mechanisms (TCVs and LPJs) can act tens of minutes apart to produce higher levels of density structures in the near noon F-region ionosphere. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/609 |
| Abstract: | Two Doppler imaging systems (DIS) or wide-field imaging Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPI), have recently been commissioned, one at the Auroral Station, Adventdalen, Longyearbyen, Svalbard, and the second at the IRF, Kiruna, Sweden. These instruments can provide wide-field (600 * 800 km) images of neutral wind flows in the upper thermosphere, by measuring the Doppler shift of the atomic oxygen forbidden near 630 nm, which is emitted from an altitude of approximately 240 km. From the instrument in Svalbard, at mid-winter, it is possible to observe the dayside polar cusp and the polar cap throughout the entire day, whereas from Kiruna, the night-time auroral oval is observable during the hours of darkness. Measurements of thermospheric dynamics from the DIS can be used in conjunction with observations of ionospheric plasma flows and thermal plasma densities by the EISCAT-Svalbard radar (ESR) and by EISCAT, along with other complementary observations by co-located instruments such as the auroral large-scale imaging system (ALIS). Such combined data sets will allow a wide range of scientific studies to be performed concerning the dynamical response of the thermosphere and ionosphere, and the important energetic and momentum exchange processes resulting from their complex interactions. These processes are particularly important in the immediate vicinity of the polar cusp and within the auroral oval. Early results from Svalbard in late 1995 will be discussed. The DIS in Kiruna observed two interesting geomagnetic disturbances in early 1997, the minor geomagnetic storm of 10, 11 January, and the disturbed period from 7–10 February. During these events, the thermospheric wind response showed some interesting departures from the average behaviour, which we attribute to the result of strong and variable Lorenz forcing (ion drag) and Joule and particle heating during these geomagnetic disturbances. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/567 |
| Abstract: | Background: In this study, we wanted to investigate the relationship between background variables, communication skills, and the bio-psychosocial content of a medical consultation in a general practice setting with a standardized patient. Methods: Final-year medical school students (N = 111) carried out a consultation with an actor playing the role of a patient with a specific somatic complaint, psychosocial stressors, and concerns about cancer. Based on videotapes, communication skills and consultation content were scored separately. Results: The mean level of overall communication skills had a significant impact upon the counts of the patient's psychosocial, concerns of cancer, and the information and planning parts of the consultation content being addressed. Gender and age had no influence upon the relationship between communication skills and consultation content. Conclusions: Communication skills seem to be important for the final-year students' competence in addressing sensitive psychosocial issues and concerns as well as planning and informing with a patient being representative for a fairly complex case in general practice. This result should be considered when designing communication skills training as part of the curriculum plans in medical schools. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/1244 |
| Abstract: | Litteraturstudium som tar for seg tvangslidelse (OCD) hos barn og unge, og behandling av lidelsen ved hjelp av kognitiv terapi. OCD er karakterisert av plagsomme tvangstanker og/eller tvangshandlinger. Det kliniske bildet varierer mye fra pasient til pasient og hos samme pasient over tid. Rundt 2 prosent av barn og voksne har sykdommen. Mange får sykdommen i barne- eller ungdomsårene. For de som er rammet gir sykdommen ofte store problemer, både på skolen, på fritiden og i samvær med andre mennesker. Mange som lider av OCD har i tilegg til sykdommen også andre komorbide lidelser som angst, depresjon eller atferdsproblemer. Flere studier har vist at kognitiv adferdsterapi kan være effektiv i behandlingen av OCD både hos barn og voksne. Ikke alle pasienter er like gode kandidater for en slik behandling, men gjennom å tilrettelegge behandlingen slik at den passer til den enkelte pasients utviklingsnivå, kan man oppnå et godt og langvarig resultat hos mange barn og ungdommer. Fortsatt er mye uklart når det gjelder behandling av barn og unge med OCD. Foreløpig er det ikke forsket særlig mye på hvor godt effekten av de ulike behandlingene holder seg over tid. Man vet heller ikke mye om mulige behandlingsalternativer for pasienter som responderer dårlig på både kognitiv terapi og SSRI. I en pågående studie kalt NordLOTS håper forskerne å finne svar på dette. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/3757 |
| Abstract: | Although some attempts are being made to increase children's participation in Norwegian child protection cases, much needs to be done in order to comply with the participation principle in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This paper reports on a study of factors that are likely to predict if social workers will attempt to give children an effective voice in decision making processes. 53 child protection case managers and 33 social work students participated in a questionnaire survey in which they were asked to agree or disagree with 20 statements about child participation. Statistical factor analysis was used in order to identify underlying factors in the dataset. The results suggest three main reasons for children not being allowed to participate: communication difficulties (communication factor); because child participation was not deemed necessary (participation advocacy factor); or that participation was considered inappropriate because it might be harmful (protectionism factor). This research suggests that, if we are to improve participation within the child protection system, formal regulations and guidelines need to be accompanied by a greater attention to development of social work skills in working with children through participatory processes |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/4226 |
| Abstract: | The high-resolution 3D seismic survey EL0001 allowed to document the subsurface fluid migration system and fluid accumulations within Veslemøy High, SW Barents Sea. Fluids migrate both through Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments, but also through younger glacial sediments. Veslemøy High is a structurally isolated high at the Cretaceous and Tertiary levels bounded by N-S trending west-dipping normal faults. Cretaceous to Miocene sediments that consists of deep marine shales dominate in the older part and Plio-Pleistocene successions deposited by glaciomarine processes dominate in the upper part. Fluid accumulations are identified in L. Paleocene to E. Eocene sediments, and in Pliocene to Pleistocene sediments of glacial origin. An extensive high-seismic amplitude anomaly of 790 km2 appears to occur in a fan system within the eastern section of the 3D survey extending into Tromsø Basin. High and negative seismic amplitudes indicate appreciable gas accumulations within the fan. On the seafloor the existence of pockmarks suggest that pockmark formation most likely occurred after the ice-sheet retreat and thus between 15 ka and 12.5-11.5 ka. Pockmarks may represent fluid flow events from violent eruptions associated with deglaciation processes. Some evidence exists that gas may have been generated in deeper basins. Fluids migrated into Veslemøy High primarily along Plio-Pleistocene strata from Sørvestsnaget Basin in the west and along Creataceous-Paleogene strata from Tromsø Basin in the east. As the fluids reach the apex of Veslemøy High vertical migration through giant chimneys and along normal faults dominate. It is important to note that there is no geophysical evidence for fluid migration from Cretaceous sediments that lie directly below the high. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/1910 |
| Abstract: | In low-income countries, the use of some organochlorine pesticides is still common in order to increase food production. Monitoring the chemical exposure is an important step in risk-reducing strategies. This is the first study to report concentrations of organochlorines in breast milk of women from Bangladesh where farming is the main income source. Organochlorines such as p,p′-DDT, o,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDD (i.e., ∑DDT), HCB, α-, β- and γ-HCH, trans-chlordane, cis-chlordane, oxy-chlordane, trans-nonachlor, cis-nonachlor, mirex and polychlorinated biphenyls (CB 28, 52, 99, 101, 105, 114, 118, 123, 128, 138, 141, 149, 153, 156, 157, 163, 167, 170, 180, 183, 187, 189, 194) were analyzed in breast milk collected in 2002 from 72 first-time mothers (median age 20 years) living in the rural area Matlab, Bangladesh. While the concentrations of PCBs and many of the pesticides were low, the concentrations of p,p′-DDT and its metabolite p,p′-DDE were high (median 349 and 1645 ng g−1 lipid, respectively) in comparison to other countries. The median value of ∑DDT was 2123 ng g−1 lipid. The estimated daily exposure to p,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDE and ∑DDTs was 10, 30 and 42 μg kg−1 body weight, respectively, in 3 months old infants. The p,p′-DDE/p,p′-DDT ratio ranged from 1 to 23, where 58% of the mothers had a ratio below 5 indicating recent or ongoing DDT exposure. This study reports infant exposure and maternal body burden of organochlorines through breast milk. Although the findings give no reason to limit breast-feeding, it is essential to identify the main exposure sources and find means to decrease the exposure. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/4977 |
| Abstract: | Sett hen til de store forskjellene i omdømme mellom Arbeidstilsynet og Forsvaret, tyder mine funn på at det er sannsynlig at arbeidet med omdømmebygging i den enkelte etat har påvirket plasseringen på MMI-skalaen. Jeg finner det sannsynlig at forskjellene kan forklares ut fra at virksomhetene internt har arbeidet ulikt med merkevarebygging og korporativ kommunikasjon. Vi kan se på identiteten som svaret på hvem organisasjonen er; det er de sentrale, varige og distinkte egenskapene. Identiteten sier noe om hva en står for og symboliserer. Oppgavens analytisk poeng blir således at omdømmeteoriens fokus på kommunikasjon og merkevareteoriens fokus på å avklare betingelser for økt merkeverdi vil kunne finne en fellesnevner i arbeidet med å klargjøre og viderebringe virksomhetens sjølforståelse. De teoretiske tradisjonene nærmer seg hverandre i sin klargjøring av behovet for å kommunisere ut etatens identitet. Et stort antall metoder for å kommunisere ut virksomhetens identitet er blitt beskskrevet i denne oppgaven, og disse metodene er hentet både fra merkevareteorien og teorien om korporativ kommunikasjon. Sett i lys av dette framstår Arbeidstilsynet som en organisasjon med en tydelig kommunisert sjølforståelse. Kun en organisatorisk enhet har formelt ansvar for den korporative kommunikasjonen, og det synes klart at etaten har en helhetlig merkevarestrategi på organisasjonsnivå. Gjennom en periode med omorganisering har en klart å kommunisere tydelig om eget oppdrag og egne mål. Forsvaret har de siste årene i stor grad profesjonalisert sitt arbeid med kommunikasjon. Et stort antall ansatte arbeider med kommunikasjon på heltid. Fokus er rettet mot enhetlige grafiske profiler og en har etablert et magasin med sterkere ledelsesbasert forankring enn tidligere. Likevel forverrer resultatene seg fra 05 til 06, og dette kan skyldes en sjølforståelse som går ut på tilhørighet til forsvarsgrener og ikke til Forsvaret som helhet. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/1333 |
| Abstract: | An economical development of any State depends strongly on natural resources at its disposal. The oil and natural gas resources, being relatively cheap and widely used energy source, play very important role in it. While those resources that are at the undisputed disposal of states are not a subject of a big concern, these of transboundary nature present one of the most controversial and less developed issues. The land frontiers is clearly established almost everywhere, but the continental shelf delimitation has less than a hundred years history and, therefore attracts much more attention. In its judgment in the North Sea Continental Shelf cases the International Court of Justice expressed main problem arising in case of transboundary resources, the same deposit lying on both sides of the line dividing a continental shelf between States. The problem is that given the fact that it is possible to exploit such deposit from either side, it can lead to prejudicial or wasteful exploitation by one or the other of the interested States. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/3894 |
| Abstract: | The aim of this thesis is to analyze what drives Arctic oil and gas activity, and the political effects of the oil and gas industry in the high north. Based on existing political economy theories, four different articles explore these questions by using different methodological approaches. The main findings are that while the potential for a large increase in Arctic oil and gas output is significant, only certain Arctic provinces may become more attractive. An Arctic oil and gas bonanza is unlikely. Further, the Arctic energy resources are to a large extent embedded in the Russian-European energy relationship, which is best characterized by interdependence. Natural gas can be used as a political instrument under specific conditions, but future developments may increase diversification of natural gas and decrease the potential of using natural gas for political purposes. |
| Description: | Papers 1, 2 and 3 of this thesis are not available in Munin: 1. Øistein Harsem, Arne Eide and Knut Heen: 'Factors influencing future oil and gas prospects in the Arctic', Energy Policy (2011), vol. 39(12):8037–8045. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2011.09.058 2. Øistein Harsem, Knut Heen, Joao Rodrigues and Terje Vassdal: 'Oil exploration and sea ice projections in the Arctic' (manuscript). 3. Dag Harald Claes and Øistein Harsem: 'The interdependence of European-Russian energy relations' (manuscript). |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/5161 |
| Abstract: | The thesis is a case study about the Goliat oil development off the coast of Finnmark, in the North of Norway. The Arctic is opening up for oil and gas development, however, demands from the public and from international actors that the oil companies operate in a sustainable and responsible manner have led the oil companies to use principles of corporate social responsibility in their operations. These CSR initiatives opens up for the local actors to have influence over the development process. In this case study, the oil company, Eni Norge has started dialogues with the local municipalities and the Sami Parliament. The thesis investigates and compares these dialogues to find differences in how these local actors related to the development process. For the Sami Parliament—which through ILO Convention 169 and their status as an indigenous peoples have a right to be consulted in oil and gas development by the Norwegian State—the dialogue with Eni Norge opens another possibility to influence the process. The new possibilities for dialogue may become another alternative for influencing the development process or a complimentary processes to the consultations the Sami Parliament have with the state. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/4064 |
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