| Abstract: | BACKGROUND: Dyslipidaemia is more frequent in solid organ transplant recipients than in the general population. In order to reduce the overall cardiovascular risk in transplant patients lipid-lowering drugs, especially statins, have become widely used. However, the use of statins in transplant recipients taking cyclosporine A (CsA) results in significantly increased risk for statin induced side-effects such as myopathy and also rhabdomyolysis. Statin plasma concentrations are also increased several-fold and may be responsible for this increased risk. The other calcineurin inhibitor, tacrolimus (Tac), does not present such an effect on statin plasma concentrations during ordinary clinical use. AIM AND METHOD: The present study elucidated the in vitro cellular aspects and the mechanism of the pharmacokinetic interaction between atorvastatin (HMg-CoA reductase inhibitor) and the two calcineurin inhibitors, CsA and Tac. The inhibitory effect of CsA and Tac on cellular uptake of atorvastatin via the organic anion transporter polypeptide 1B1 (OATP1B1) was investigated in an in vitro over expression whole cell model. RESULTS: Atorvastatin was shown to be transported via the OATP1B1 transporter since cellular uptake was higher in OATP1B1 transfected HEK293 cells compared to mock cells. Inhibition of cellular uptake of atorvastatin was observed with CsA in OATP1B1 transfected cells. No clear inhibition of cellular uptake of atorvastatin was however observed for Tac in the OATP1B1 model, at least not in the lower concentration range investigated. CONCLUSION: The present in vitro study indicates that the cellular uptake of atorvastatin is mediated by OATP1B1 transporters and that CsA inhibits this drug transport. Tac on the other hand did not interfere with cellular uptake of atorvastatin, at least not in the concentration range investigated in this thesis. The observed interaction between atorvastatin and CsA is in line with findings in previous clinical studies, however further investigations is necessary in order to further characterize these findings. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/1597 |
| Abstract: | The years from 1906 to 1915 were a pioneer period in Sami fiction literature. In this period Sami authors published in their own language the first poem, the first tale, the first novel and the first collections of poetry. Isak Saba's poem Sámi Soga Lávlla from 1906 marks the start of this period. The poem was first published in Sagai Muittalægje, a Sami newspaper edited by Anders Larsen, as a part of Saba's election campaign to the Norwegian parliament. Saba was elected in 1906 and then again three years later by an alliance of the Sami movement and the socialists in East- Finnmark. In 1911, after more than seven years, Sagai Muittalægje was shut down due to economic problems. The year after Anders Larsen published Bæivve-Alggo which is the first novel in the Sami language. In their fiction writing both Saba and Larsen, who were teachers, stressed the Sami's right to learn to read and write their own language and to develop their own culture and against the existing policy of norwegianisation. But not all of the sami's supported their aims. Matti Aikio, a sami author who wrote in Norwegian and who got his breakthrough among the Norwegians readers in 1906 with his novel I dyreskind, was most of his life in opposition to Saba and Larsen. How did their attitude towards Sami language and culture find expression in their fiction writings and what can explain the difference between these Sami authors? |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/4440 |
| Description: | Dette er ei hovudfagsoppgåve |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/4163 |
| Abstract: | Hensikten med denne oppgaven er å få økt kunnskap om bruk av oksytocin som ristillende medikament. Derfor ønsket vi å undersøke hvor ofte oksytocin benyttes som ristillende medikament, og på hvilken indikasjon, samt om det er noen endring i bruk i forhold til en tilsvarende studie utført av E. Blix ved Hammerfest sykehus i perioden 1996-2000. Materiale og metode: Oppgaven ble begrenset til alle fødende ved Hammerfest sykehus i en 1 års periode, fra 1.mars 2009 til 1.mars 2010 (n= 449). Flerlingfødsler, setefødsel, intrauterin fosterdød, induksjon av fødsel og keisersnitt før fødselens start ekskluderes (n= 145). Dette etterlot 304 fødsler for analyse. Funn: Stimulering med oksytocin ble utført i 40,8 % (n=124) av fødslene. Oksytocin ble gitt til 54,0 % av førstegangsfødende og 23,3 % av flergangsfødende. Indikasjoner for stimulering med amniotomi, oksytocin eller oksytocin og amniotomi var 9 % primær risvekkelse, 53,5 % sekundær risvekkelse, 0,5 % annet. For 38 % av de som fikk ristimulerende tiltak var det ikke oppgitt indikasjon. Konklusjon: Det er ikke signifikant økning i bruken av oksytocin som ristimulerende medikament (p=0,4489 for førstegangsfødende, og p=0,5134 for flergangsfødende) Det har ikke skjedd noen endring i bruk av oksytocin ved Hammerfest siden E. Blix sin studie i 1996-2000. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/3573 |
| Abstract: | The small master thesis is dedicated to the problem of coastal states’ jurisdiction over their marine biological resources, the challenge of ratio between states’ sovereignty and international obligations on conservation management and human rights (collective indigenous peoples’ rights to fishery) and a sustainable use of marine living resources. The basic reason for the conservation policy is the environmental destruction. The aim of this thesis is threefold. Firstly, it analyzes and discusses in what manner international law limits state sovereignty with respect to nature conservation and fishery in the territorial waters. Secondly, it analyses state obligations due to international standards vis-à-vis indigenous peoples’ fishing rights. This includes both rights to fish and procedural aspects related to the management of fisheries and traditional knowledge. Thirdly, the thesis illustrates how these recognized international obligations have been interpreted by domestic law by briefly describe relevant aspects of Russian law. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/3895 |
| Abstract: | This article describes an architecture that allows a replicated service to survive crashes without breaking its TCP connections. Our approach does not require modifications to the TCP protocol, to the operating system on the server, or to any of the software running on the clients. Furthermore, it runs on commodity hardware. We compare two implementations of this architecture – one based on primary/backup replication and another based on message logging – focusing on scalability, failover time, and application transparency. We evaluate three types of services: a file server, a web server, and a multimedia streaming server. Our experiments suggest that the approach incurs low overhead on throughput, scales well as the number of clients increases, and allows recovery of the service in near-optimal time. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/388 |
| Abstract: | Events injected by publishers into a publish/subscribe system may reach users through a variety of devices: a stationary desktop, a laptop, a mobile phone, etc. We argue that the "last hop" -- from the network to the output device -- has unique properties, owing to the mobile nature of these devices, and as such demands special consideration. In particular, user's preferences and location may limit what should be forwarded to a device. Furthermore, technological constraints, such as network bandwidth availability and battery power, suggest that the decision when to forward messages is also important for optimizing user's experience. We describe a new publish/subscribe system with volume-limiting mechanisms and explain how user preferences, context, and device constraints can be accommodated in such a system. Notably, based on results of simulations, we propose a simple algorithm for low-cost "prefetching" of notifications to mobile devices in cases when network bandwidth is insufficient. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/380 |
| Abstract: | The main purpose of this paper is to illuminate two types of unwanted traffic in a publish/subscribe system -- malicious (spam, DoS attacks) and vain (unused events) -- and suggest a general mechanism for minimizing their effects. We do this by augmenting the classic publish/subscribe interface with volume-limiting parameters -- a combination of attributes assigned to events by publishers and thresholds specified by subscribers -- and consider the implications of this interface on the unwanted traffic and on the routing infrastructure. Notably, we observe that this mechanism can minimize unwanted traffic without total access control if the routing substrate supports two properties: flow control and routing integrity. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/386 |
| Abstract: | The aim of the PhD study was to use planktic foraminifera to elucidate paleoceanographic variability and the preservation state of calcium carbonate in the eastern Fram Strait throughout the last 30,000 years. Sediment cores were studied using a multiproxy approach which included analyzing planktic and benthic foraminiferal fauna distribution patterns, measurements of stable isotopes (δ18O, δ13C), grain size analysis, IRD counts, and chemical analysis of bulk sediment. In addition, mean shell weight records combined with fragmentation indices were applied. Three time periods representing important oceanographic changes in the Fram Strait were investigated with a high temporal resolution. The results show that the Atlantic water inflow governed the oceanographic development and had an important influence on the preservation state of calcium carbonate in the Fram Strait. The best preserved planktic foraminifera assemblages during the last 30,000 years were found during the Last Glaciation Maximum. Some minor dissolution events occurred during the Last Glacial Maximum as response to seasonally changing physical oceanographic parameters, sea ice formation, increased surface productivity, and melt water pulses. During the deglaciation and the Holocene, the preservation state of carbonates generally deteriorated. This trend was interrupted at 10,800-8000 BP, where the preservation of planktic foraminifera markedly improved. Changes in preservation are related to the extent and influence of the Arctic water and the marginal ice zone (MIZ) and its associated high organic productivity in the surface waters. During the last century, the preservation of small subpolar species improved. This coincided with distinctly increased sedimentation rates in the eastern and central Fram Strait. This study of planktic foraminifera preservation has shown that carbonate dissolution is a common phenomenon in the Fram Strait and should be considered in paleoreconstructions based on planktic foraminifera fauna. |
| Description: | The papers of this thesis are not available in Munin: 1. Zamelczyk, K., Rasmussen, T.L, Husum, K., Haflidason, H., de Vernal, A., Ravna, E.K., Hald, M. and Hillaire-Marcel, C.: 'Between two oceanic fronts : Paleoceanographic changes and calcium carbonate dissolution in the central Fram Strait during the last 20,000 years' (manuscript in revision for Quaternary Research). 2. Zamelczyk, K., Rasmussen, T.L., Husum, K. and Hald, M.: 'Marine calcium carbonate preservation vs. climate change over the last two millennia in the Fram Strait : implications for planktic foraminiferal paleostudies' (manuscript submitted to Marine Micropaleontology). 3. Zamelczyk, K., Husum, K., Rasmussen, T.L., Godtliebsen, F. and Hald, H.: 'Surface water conditions and calcium carbonate preservation in the Fram Strait during the late Weichselian 29,000-16,000 years BP', (manuscript to be submitted to Paleooceangraphy). 4. Spielhagen, R. F.,Werner, K., Aagaard-Sørensen, S., Zamelczyk, K., Kandiano,E., Budeus, G., Husum, K., Marchitto, T., and Hald, M.: 'Enhanced modern heat transfer to the Arctic by warm Atlantic Water', Science (2011), vol. 331 no. 6016:450-453. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1197397 5. Werner, K., Spielhagen, R.F., Bauch, D., Hass, H.Ch., Kandiano, E. and Zamelczyk, K.: 'Atlantic Water advection to the eastern Fram Strait- Multiproxy evidence for late Holocene variability', Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (2011), vol. 308 no. 3-4:264-276. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.05.030 |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/4148 |
| Abstract: | Today there is much debate about why telemedicine has stalled. Teleradiology is the only widespread telemedicine application. Other telemedicine applications appear to be promising candidates for widespread use, but they remain in the early adoption stage. The objective of this debate paper is to achieve a better understanding of the adoption of telemedicine, to assist those trying to move applications from pilot stage to routine delivery. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/4427 |
| Abstract: | This thesis focuses on the interaction of so-called indigenous and Euro-American healing traditions in one of the most formal institutional settings: the hospital. The setting for this study is the Canadian Prairie provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta, and the main indigenous population are Plains First Nations. In the study I wish to discover if indigenous healing practices are able to adapt to a setting that is so central to the definition of settler states. I do so within a broader perspective that sets healing within a study of the decolonization process. The main argument is that part of the road to healing lies through the official institutions of the Canadian medical system and that it involves decolonization process for both the indigenous and the dominant society. The thesis asks why are hospitals settings being chosen today as the places to establish indigenous healing services and practices? To answer this question the thesis employs qualitative interview data and a reading of the literature. One of the key answers is that the hospital context permits the community of biomedical practitioners and the indigenous healers to interact. On the one hand, this interaction is seen as an important step for the revalorization and formal recognition of indigenous knowledge, and as determinant for the preservation and survival of it. On the other hand the field research shows that aboriginal patients feel extremely vulnerable when hospitalized and that the integration of indigenous healing within hospitals would improve the quality health care. Despite these strong answers, the project remains explorative. The conclusions show that there is no simple answer for how these two traditions can come together. One of the main reasons is that this process of implementation is at the very beginning. It shows as well that not all healers think that this is a good idea, and are worried about the expropriation and integrity of the knowledge. Some questions remain inconclusive and further research will be necessary in order to give further answers |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/5098 |
| Abstract: | The theme for the master thesis is simulation of homogeneous, isotropic turbulence. I have shown that the energy of the velocity field is decaying in time, but the comparison to the reference solution is however invalid, due to the fact that the reference solution may have scalings that are not obvious to the observer, and that my own simulation results seemed to behave quite strange, with a sudden fall of energy in the first time-steps, which I have no explanation for why happened. The thesis consists of a rather large theory section and a smaller discussion in the end. Chapters 3 and 4 are mainly introductory and addressing the theme and job description. They also serve as mild introductions to tuirbulence theory as well as mathematical, numerical subjects. Overall, the reader is assumed not to be very familiar with mathematical terms, applied mathematics and physics, so many terms are explained. The provided theory is designed to teach a reader totally unfamiliar with science some things, but not all. The author has not forgot about the experienced reader who may be an expert in the field, and the level of the thesis should be high enough for that person also to maintain interest while reading. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/1642 |
| Abstract: | Human Rights organizations have a history in fighting against violations and issues that are affecting the individuals, groups and nations worldwide, however, constant challenges faced by such organizations proved to delay effective advancement in access to human rights. The research aims at tackling the challenges from the standpoint of a necessary change in the organizational perception of campaigning systems to improve performance and achieve significant outcomes. The research proposes the inclusion of new technological trends of engagement that proved effective and resourceful in other sectors. The motivations underlying the behavior of human beings are influenced by the tendency to satisfy psychological needs, such as self-achievement, meaning, recognition, status and altruism. The research will discuss the psychological motivations behind people’s engagement in online activities and extend them to explain why gamification and crowdsourcing harnessed success and why such methods would be significant adaptations for campaigning in human rights. Case study methodology was adopted for this research to examine campaigns of human rights organizations that used gamification and crowdsourcing techniques, where data pertaining to the cases have been collected from the concerned websites and other reliable social media and networking online resources. The findings revealed a positive impact from applying gamification and crowdsourcing in the two selected cases, translated in the raised funds, awareness levels, contribution, participation and interaction. The outcome of this research will help identify what the expectations of people are when they logon into their social profiles and will consequently; assist human rights organizations in selecting the components of their campaigns and various engagement elements according to the interests of the targeted users of social platforms. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/5112 |
| Abstract: | The AIDS epidemic has been recognized as the most pressing national health problem in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Zenebe argues that HIV/AIDS prevention programs in Ethiopia are not producing expected results because they are not based on understanding the distinctive characteristics of the people’s sexual cultures shaped by relations of power, by history, and by differentiated traditions within the particular society. The focus of the thesis is on how dominant medical discourses about prevention and treatment of the HIV/AIDS pandemic intersect with ideas emerging from local traditions, religious norms, as well as notions of sexuality and gender. The study shows that the dominant ‘scientific’ construction of the HIV/AIDS problem is often met with resistance by the women and men that are the target groups for the disease prevention programs. The thesis concludes that HIV/AIDS prevention programs in Ethiopia need to give attention to the phenomenon of sexuality, and the way it is shaped and constrained by factors including the complex and unequal relationships between men and women, rich and poor, and between North and South. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/356 |
| Abstract: | Fisheries in Bohai Sea occur in an ecosystem, with different provinces conducting fishing activities on different species using different gears. Coordination of government actions continues to be a problem, as there exists many contradictions between different sectoral planning approaches. With the absence of a holistic institutional framework of management mechanism, coastal and marine resources are being destroyed. It has been found out in the study that fisheries resources in Bohai Sea, especially traditional high-valued species such as small yellow croaker, hair tail and Chinese prawn, have been over fished, and they have been replaced by some lowvalued species, mostly primarily smaller pelagic species, such as Japanese anchovy, half-fin anchovy etc. The effects on trophic level changes have been caused by mainly due to impacts from human activities and the variation in natural environmental problem like pollution. The CPUE declined from 2.39 tons/ kilowatt in 1950s to 0.91 tons / kilowatt in 1990s. The Bohai Sea being an important spawning, nursery and feeding ground for many migratory species from the Yellow Sea and at the same time supporting an important penaeid shrimp fishery it deemed important to carry out this work. The paper is divided into six sections. The first section is a brief introduction of the physical and biological characteristics of the region. Following is the description of methodology used in this paper. The data used in this study are listed in third section. The next section describes the major fisheries and specie shifts in dominance, and examines of the causes of resource variability are given in section five. Suggestions for restoring the resources of this ecosystem are offered in the final section. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/340 |
| Abstract: | This thesis is dedicated to a better understanding of Mongolian pastoralism transformation in the contemporary Inner Mongolia context. Such a comprehension requires both the knowledge of common resource management and a historical analytical approach. A multidisciplinary approach based on institutional theory is proposed, primarily because the research rationale on reflection of fieldwork information raises the hypothesis that outside forces are the main cause of Mongolian pastoralism transformation; also because the long-standing controversy over common resource management needs a comprehensive approach instead. Moreover, a historical dimension can be very well integrated in the institutional change theory. Hence, the transformation of Mongolian pastoralism is an imposed institutional change process in which external institutions constantly pushes internal institutions out of functions. The thesis is thus structured: From the presentation of internal institutions of traditional Mongolian pastoralism, to the explanation of external institution transformations, and to the observation of internal institutions adapting to the changing institutional environment. The discussion concentrates on the present change of Mongolian pastoralism under the Household Production Responsibility System and other related management policies. The appropriation of the present external management system is questioned through a cost-benefit evaluation, in which the vulnerabilities both of Mongolian pastoralism and the pastoralists are exposed. Therefore, the socio-economic, environmental and cultural predicaments faced by these people can actually be interpreted as the phenomena or outcome of institution maladjustments or institutional defects. New forms of cooperative usage of rangeland, as an expression of micro-level motive for “appropriate” institutional arrangement in sustaining pastoral practices, are finally discussed to suggest the transformation prospect. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/513 |
| Abstract: | Language, as a very important medium in social activities, is always been paying a great attention by human beings. While “language is for most ethnic groups one of the most important cultural core values.” “Lack of linguistic rights often prevents a group from achieving educational, economic and political equality with other groups” (Skutnabb-Kangas & Philiopson 1995:7) Linguistic right has been widely considered as one of the most significant human rights for human society. As a basic human right, it is also considered as the one of the most important identities for every ethnicity, nation and person in human society. As a major ethnicity in China, Tibetan and its culture have been regarded as one of the most prosperous civilisations through the whole Asian historical time. Its traditional culture and linguistic system closely related with the Tibetan society and the neighbouring ethnicities in China as well. Moreover, Tibetan language has also been the foundation of Tibetan religion, politics and economic development nowadays. It is worthwhile taking efforts to research and study. The fieldwork has processed in both Lhasa city in Tibet Autonomous Region and Lanzhou city in Gansu Province. In particular, the thesis discusses the current situation of linguistic rights in different social domains in different cities with different characteristics in multi-ethnic regions in western China. The conclusion demonstrates the respect for the linguistic rights of Tibetan people is the basic method of protecting Tibetan language and culture; it is also the foundation for respecting linguistic human rights. The violation of linguistic rights of Tibetan people still exists The analysis suggests paying more attention and giving a higher level of priority could be the most efficient ways of developing Tibetan culture and also the key methods for the protection of Tibetan linguistic human rights. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/2675 |
| Abstract: | In the past ten years, China has developed to be one of the most important countries of fishery production field. Annually Chinese fishery products is increasing . In 2009 the total fishery production is 50.4 million tones.(China statistical reports,2009) As the same rate as the increase economy, the sharply development of fishery production is also remarkable. But there are serious problems behind the promising surface. The conflicts between the economic development and ecological and environmental declaration are becoming prominent. The most serious situation is in Yangtze River basin. According to a Chinese governmental report, the total annul aquatic production in Yangtze River is about 20% of total national fishery production. But from the latest 20 years, the fishery biomass situation is continue damaging. How to fix Yangtze River ecosystem is the top priority in fishery management. And how to deal with the fishery of Yangtze River is also the main problem of Chinese freshwater industry. Chinese government has authorized many measures and policies in the last 10 years, but the situation became even worse during this period. Because of the historical and political reasons. Chinese academic levels in fishery economics and management is limited, and the fisheries research is not given enough priority. There is hardly any effective research on Yangtze River fishery resources today. At a global level , a new term is becoming quite popular, within the field of fishery management namely ecosystem-based fishery management. Many foreign countries has implemented this theory into practice and also FAO support this theory as the most important management theory in fishery in the future.(FAO, 2005) The same as many other new theories, there are so many disputes and controversies on this theory. Problems often pointed at are shortage of data and poor knowledge, the theory is still not fully developed. Based on the investigation of the formal management failure in China. We figure out that may be the ecosystem-based fishery management can save the environment and fishery resources in Yangtze River. We are going to analysis the main principles, goals and policies for the fishery management, which is the original in Yangtze River academic research. Good theory needs to be tested by facts. Based on the theory of EBFM in Yangtze River, we chose a small island in Yangtze River to implement the theory . According to the local conditions and new development perspective, we chose Jiangxin island of Nanjing as a research field. We gave management advices for this island and hope it can be a good example that balance the environment profit and economic benefit. This paper will be a operation advices give to the development company of Jiangxin island for the implementation of ecosystem based fishery management on that island. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10037/2567 |
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