Munin

Religion som samisk identitetsmarkør. Fire studier av film

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Christensen, Cato
Avhandlingen drøfter betydningen av religion i konstruksjonen av samisk identitet. Det empiriske utgangspunktet er film, og særlig de samiske spillefilmene Veiviseren (1987, Nils Gaup) og Kautokeino-opprøret (2008, Nils Gaup). Et overordnet argument er at disse filmene har bidratt til å fremme religion som samisk identitetsmarkør, og da en bestemt type religion med koblinger til fortidens samiske religiøsitet, så vel som til senmoderne urfolksdiskurser. Avhandlingen følger opp et økende fokus mot filmproduksjon som et viktig medium for selvrepresentasjon og artikulasjon av kulturell identitet blant mange urfolksgrupperinger, verden over. Drøfting av forholdet mellom film, religion og identitet i en samisk kontekst er dessuten et forsøk på å empirisk utdype en tendens som påpekes av flere forskere, nemlig at samtidens urfolksbevegelser, både på internasjonale og nasjonalt lokale arenaer, har fått en fremtredende religiøs dimensjon. Avhandlingens analyser tar utgangspunkt i sosialkonstruktivistiske tilnærminger til både «religion» og «samisk identitet». Et særlig poeng er å belyse hvordan religion og religiøse diskurser utfoldes og formidles utenfor tradisjonelle religiøse institusjoner og grupper, og hvordan religion i samtiden kan ta form av en symbolsk ressurs som lar seg mobilisere strategisk for formål som i tradisjonell begrepsmessig forstand ikke kan karakteriseres som «religiøse». Avhandlingen er artikkelbasert. Tematikken drøftes gjennom fire supplerende artikler.
Papers 2 and 3 of this thesis are not available in Munin:
2. Christensen, Cato og Kraft, Siv Ellen: 'Religion i Kautokeino-opprøret: en analyse av samisk urfolksspiritualitet', Nytt Norsk Tidsskrift (2011), vol.1:18-27. Available at http://www.idunn.no/ts/nnt/2011/01/art06
3. Christensen, Cato: 'Reclaiming the past: on the history-making significance of the Sámi film The Kautokeino Rebellion', Acta Borealia (2012), vol.29(1):56-76. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08003831.2012.678720

"Making Sense of the Aurora: A Research Project"

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Friedman, Robert Marc
The article provides an introduction to a on-going research project based at University of Tromsø that seeks to analyze the history of efforts to make sense of the aurora borealis from the early 1700s through to the Cold War. Following brilliant displays of the northern lights in the early eighteenth century, natural philosophers strove to explain this phenomenon that evoked widespread fear and superstition. It was not until well into the twentieth century that consensual explanation emerged for this, one of the great enigmas in the history of science. From the start, the quest to explain the aurora borealis became enmeshed with patriotic science and nationalist sentiments. The history of efforts to understand the nature and cause of the aurora poses a number of thematic problems. Being a fleeting and at times rapidly changing phenomenon, only occasionally seen south of far-northern latitudes, the aurora needed to be constituted as an object able to be brought into the domain of rational science. Observational accounts of the aurora came most often from by personsliving or travelling in the far north or in the Arctic, but these persons were generally not trained scientists: Whose witnessing counted and how was authority negotiated among professional scientists and amateurs?

Adaptive radiation of the European whitefish Coregonus lavaretus (L.) in the Pasvik watercourse: the genetic description of a new morph

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Couton, Marjorie
Sympatric occurring fish morphs in postglacial lakes usually exhibit differences in morphology and physiology driven by adaptations to differential trophic niches. The European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus (L.)) is a highly variable fish species, with more than 200 intraspecific forms described in Europe. The morphs usually differ in their number of gill-rakers, therefore this trait has been traditionally used for whitefish classification. According to this taxonomy, three different morphs can be distinguished in northern Fennoscandia: the large sparsely rakered (LSR), the densely rakered (DR), and the small sparsely rakerd (SSR) morphs. They all exhibit differences in morphology, diet, habitat, and physiology. Recently, a new morph has been discovered in several lakes of the Pasvik watercourse which displays densely rakered gills and an external morphology similar to the LSR whitefish, and was called large densely rakered (LDR). In this study, genetic data from 18 microsatellites markers were used to evaluate the genetic differentiation and the possible origin of this new morph in three Finnish lakes of the Pasvik watercourse. The LDR morph in each lake was found to be genetically different from the three other morphs. Several possible origins were suggested, but the sympatric speciation from either the LSR or the DR morphs was the hypothesis that gained the most support from the results. Moreover, the three different LDR populations were found to have a common origin, suggesting that the divergence occurred only once after the last ice retreat and the same population divided into three when the different lakes were formed.

Populasjonsstruktur, kjønnsmodning og variasjon i fekunditet hos kongekrabbe (Paralithodes camtschaticus) i Porsangerfjorden, Finnmark : et litteratur- og feltbasert studium

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Lindberg, Ken Ståle J.
Russiske forskere introduserte kongekrabben, Paralithodes camtschaticus, til Barentshavet på 1960 og 1970-tallet for å gi lokale fiskere en ny art å høste av. Det var antatt at spredning til norske farvann var lite sannsynlig. Artens etablering ble en suksess sett fra russisk side. Kongekrabben har nå spredt seg over hele kysten av Finnmark fylke, og Porsangerfjorden er den siste av fjordene som arten hittil har kolonisert. På norsk side har krabbens invasjon skapt store utfordringer, som har bidratt til at det i dag er etablert et todelt fangstregime. Dette regimet fungerer slik at vest for 26°Ø er det fri fangst og et ønske om å begrense mer spredning, mens øst for denne grensen er fangsten regulert av kvoter og er blitt en ressurs for fiskerinæringen. Porsangerfjorden ligger i grenseområdet for dette todelte fangstregimet, men innenfor det kvoteregulerte området. For å kunne forvalte kongekrabben bærekraftig må man ha kunnskap om bestandssammensetning, kjønnsmodning, fekunditet og rekruttering, og det er disse temaene jeg skal belyse i denne avhandlingen. Innsamlingen av data ble foretatt i mai og oktober 2011, hvor til sammen 4 105 krabber ble målt og veid. I tillegg ble det tatt 160 eggprøver som ble videre behandlet på laboratoriet ved Universitetet i Tromsø. Jeg har sett på størrelsessammensetningen og kjønnsfordeling, størrelse ved kjønnsmodning, individuell eggvekt, fekunditet og eggtap hos kongekrabber i Porsangerfjorden. Størrelse ved kjønnsmodning er bestemt ved bruk av to metoder: 1. OL50, som er et estimat på hvilken ryggskjoldlengde (RL) 50 % av hunnkrabbene er eggbærende, og 2. Knekkpunktanalyse som estimerer hvor krabbene kjønnsmodnes, basert på at ulike kroppsdeler har ulik veksthastighet før og etter kjønnsmodning. Dataene viser at det er en overvekt av hunner i Porsangerfjorden, at det er en god rekruttering av mange små (< 100 mm RL) krabber og at det er få store krabber (> 130 mm RL). Krabbene kjønnsmodnes ved en relativ høy RL sammenlignet med andre områder, knekkpunkthann= 115.5 mm RL, knekkpunkthunn= 110.5 mm RL og OL50 = 111.3 mm RL. Den gjennomsnittlige individuelle tørre eggvekten var 0.228 mg per egg og viser ikke tendens til å endre seg vesentlig ved forskjellige RL eller ved ulike tidspunkt på året det måles. Det medfører at man kan lage fekunditetsestimat for et system som Porsangerfjorden ved hjelp av relativt få eggprøver. Fekunditeten var høyere enn i de nærliggende fjordene, og var estimert til 170 000 egg for en standardisert hunn på 125 mm RL. I området mellom 120 – 126 mm RL investerer kongekrabben mest i eggproduksjon i Porsangerfjorden 2011. Det ble ikke funnet statistisk bevist at kongekrabben i Porsangerfjorden 2011 hadde et eggtap, men av målinger så vises en tendens til at så kan være tilfelle da beregnet tap lå på omtrent 10 – 12 % av totalt antall egg hos en hunn på 125 mm RL.

Seawater consumption in dehydrated hooded seals (Cystophora cristata)

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Verlo, Are
Studies based on satellite-tracking show that hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) spend many months out in the open sea each year. When the seals are out in the open sea they have no access to fresh water. Experimental studies have showed that hooded seals drink seawater and that they have the capacity to produce urine with Na+ and cl- concentrations equal to or higher than that of seawater. They may also produce urine with an osmolality twice that of seawater. This indicates that the hooded seal may use seawater to restore water balance and maintain homeostasis. The purpose of this study is to quantify the amount of seawater drunk as a result of a controlled experimental dehydration and to monitor the endocrine response to dehydration and seawater drinking. Following 24 hrs of fasting five subadult hooded seal males were dehydrated using the diuretic mannitol. They were then given al lib access to seawater for 48 hrs. For the duration of the experiment total body water and the turnover rates of water was estimated by tritiated water injections and subsequently isotope dilution. Plasma parameters such as Na+, Cl- were monitored and all seals maintained relatively stable plasma concentrations of the electrolytes for the duration of the entire experiment, while urinary excretion of Na+ and cl- increased after ad lib access to seawater. Plasma osmolality and hematocrit values indicated seawater intake. The amount of seawater drunk by the seals were calculated as the difference between total influx and water influx from respiration and endogenous reserves. The hooded seals drank on average 1900 ml of seawater each day. The role of the hormones ,ADH and aldoesterone ,in the osmoregualtion of hooded seals still remain somewhat unclear.

Cyclophosphamide effect on immunoglobulins levels in AAV patients treated with long-term pre-emptive rituximab maintenance.

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Besada, Emilio; Koldingsnes, Wenche; Nossent, Johannes C

An assessment of decision-making by surgeons in management of colorectal cancer. International controversies and national practice.

Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Augestad, Knut Magne
Papers 1,2 and 3 of this thesis are not available in Munin:
1. Augestad KM, Lindsetmo RO, Stulberg JJ, Reynolds H, Senagore AJ, Champagne B, Heriot AG, Leblanc F and Delaney CP.: 'International preoperative rectal cancer management: staging, neoadjuvant treatment, and impact of multidisciplinary teams', World Journal of Surgery (2010), vol. 34:2689-2700. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00268-010-0738-3
2. Augestad KM, Lindsetmo RO, Stulberg JJ, Reynolds H, Senagore AJ, Champagne B, Heriot AG, Leblanc F and Delaney CP.: 'International trends in surgical treatment of rectal cancer', American Journal of Surgery (2011), vol. 201:353–358. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amjsurg.2010.08.030
3. Augestad KM, Lindsetmo RO, Stulberg J, Reynolds H, Champagne B, Senagore AJ and Delaney CP.: 'System-based factors influencing intraoperative decision-making in rectal cancer by surgeons. An international assessment', Colorectal Disease (2012), vol. 14(10):e679-88. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1463-1318.2012.03093.x

Population dynamics, diet and trophic positioning of three small demersal fish species within Porsangerfjord, Norway

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Källgren, Emma Katarina
In today’s society, one often stumbles over the quote “you are what you eat”. Diet is closely related to fish size and physical conditions, so in order to understand the food web one must first understand the population dynamics of the fish. Three demersal species in the northern hemisphere are; Artediellus atlanticus, Myoxocephalus scorpius and Leptagonus decagonus. The study was undertaken in 2009-2011, within the inner basin of Porsangerfjord (70oN 25oE) through the project ‘Ecological Processes and Impacts Governing the Resilience and Alternations in the Porsangerfjord and Hardangerfjord’. The study objectives were to provide basic information about these species population dynamics and feeding ecology. The length distribution varied between both sex and species, whereas the age structure was the same. The growth were different for L. decagonus but not for A. atlanticus and M. scorpius. The dominant prey found in A. atlanticus was Polychaeta, whereas M. scorpius fed on fish, and L. decagonus had fed on Copepoda. Correlations were found within the species diets, but not between any of these species. The stable isotope analysis showed that L. decagonus had a pelagic related diet whereas the A. atlanticus had a benthic related diet and M. scorpius demonstrated a mixed benthic-pelagic diet signature. The study found that the three species had different diets but similar trophic positions. Thus, indicating that they had individual food chains within the food web of inner Porsangerfjord.

Effects of various early life history temperature regimes on development and metamorphosis of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) larvae

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Bashan, Tolga
The growth and important structures development in different temperature regime histories were studied during mid-metamorphosis stage of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) larvae. In order to see the growth and the organ development differentiation due to different temperatures at a given stage, we exposed the larvae into 4 different temperature regimes; L-L (low temperature at incubation, low temperature after hatching), L-H (low temperature at incubation, high temperature after hatching), H-L (high temperature at incubation, low temperature after hatching) and H-H (high temperature at incubation, high temperature after hatching) (low 4±0.2°C and high 9±0.2°C). The sampling was done according to the expected stage at a given sampling stage. Samples were fixed and studied under light microscope. Standard length and myotome height were measured for growth, swim bladder size, alimentary tract and fin differentiation were studied for organ development. The L-H group fish showed the best growth but had the highest variation in myotome heights. There was a lot of variation in organ developments at the given stages among the temperature groups, yet the groups with high temperatures after hatching period showed better organ development, postulating that besides the age is the key factor for fish to reach a given stage, also temperature is an extrinsic factor in organ development.

The dually targeted transcription factor TF1 and its role in the expression of plastid- and nuclear-encoded photosynthesis genes

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Olsen, Stian
In plant cells, the distribution of genes on three spatially separated subgenomes calls for the necessity of maintaining a coordinated regulation of gene expression between these DNA-containing compartments. Especially, the translocation of nuclear-encoded gene products to plastids and mitochondria, which is crucial for the development and metabolic operation of these semi-autonomous organelles, requires continuous intercompartmental communication. This correspondence is provided by anterograde and retrograde pathways, involving nucleus-to-plastid and plastid-to-nucleus signalling, respectively. Because of their ability to target more than one DNA-containing compartment, dually targeted transcription factors have been suggested as possible participators in coordination of gene expression between subgenomes. In this study, the effect of the plastid- and nucleus-targeted AP2/EREBP transcription factor TF1 on the expression of plastid- and nuclear-encoded photosynthesis genes was investigated using run-on transcription assays and RT-qPCR, respectively. The comparison of transcription rates between a TF1 knock-down mutant (∆TF1) and wild type (WT) Arabidopsis thaliana at different points in the 24 hours day/night cycle revealed that expression of the TF1 gene is required for light-promoted transcription of the plastid-encoded photosynthesis genes psaA, psaB, psbA and rbcL. In contrast, the light-induced increase in transcription of the nuclear photosynthesis genes RBCS1A and PSBO2 was not dependent on TF1. This observation would suggest a dual role for TF1 in the light-regulated transcription of plastid-encoded photosynthesis genes and in the retrograde pathway maintaining coordinated transcription of these genes with the corresponding nuclear genes. Yeast one-hybrid assays identified two DNA sequence-motifs which were specifically bound by TF1, namely the DRE motif (TACCGACAT) and the inverted and mutated GCC box (GGAGGAT). The discovery of these DNA-motifs in the promoter regions of the TF1-regulated genes psbA and psaA/B indicated that TF1 might directly target these genes. Ultimately, the data obtained in this study, together with previously obtained information regarding this dually targeted transcription factor, lead to the proposal of a tentative model for the functional role of TF1 in the light-mediated coordination of gene expression in plastids and the nucleus, which will serve as a basis for further experiments.