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"Initial schooling" (begynneropplæring) is a concept frequently used in political and professional contexts in Norway. Previous research has described it as an unclear concept with a lack of a common understanding of its contents. This paper explores the meaning of initial schooling in educational policy documents. The analysis of 7 White papers identified four discourses of initial schooling: transition discourse, resource discourse, assessment discourse, and competence discourse. The discourses represent different dimensions of initial schooling and show that it is a multifaceted concept in which new content has been added over time. The discourses indicate possible implications for the school's practice, hence what may be desirable to emphasize in initial schooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International student mobility is a priority for higher education in Norway. Government documents set out several visions concerning the outcomes of international student exchanges. One of the goals is that international student mobility should contribute to increasing the quality of education. However, at present, there is little research on the outcomes of a short stay abroad for students in professional education. In this paper, we investigate how kindergarten teacher students’ experiences during their stay abroad can contribute to their professional development. The study has an exploratory design and uses interpretative phenomenological analysis. The empirical material consists of individual semi-structured interviews with seven students who have been on a short stay abroad. The findings indicated that the students’ experiences led to personal and professional development. A contradictory result was that the students who noted that the preschools they visited had an instructional pedagogy also expressed a critical view of the Norwegian kindergarten tradition, stating that it gives little attention to learning and educational structure. The findings also showed that during international student exchanges, ethnocentric attitudes can both decrease and be reproduced. All the students reported that the stay and the educational content were only vaguely connected, and they were unclear about how their stay abroad contributed to their professional development. Based on these results, we discuss how international exchanges can affect students’ professional development and the content and quality of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, it is an increasing prevalence of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, effective treatment is essential for the prognosis. Type of intervention offered in Norway is dependent of a range of variables beyond the fact that the treatment has obtained the status as empirical supported, for example professionals’ preferences. This review discusses and shed light on two different perspectives: Cognitive- and developmental perspective and behavior analytic approach. The perspectives are discussed and compared with the focus on interventions that are offered children with autism spectrum disorders to establish language skills and, specifically, how new object-word relations emerge––without explicit teaching. Further, the paper will discuss, and compare these two approaches with the respect to differences and empirical support. The overall goal of an intervention, is independent responding and that children with autism spectrum disorder are learning novel responses, without the need for explicit treatment. Therefore, further research should include research questions that aim to strengthen incidental learning of language, until these children becomes able to learn from theirs’s social environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been a long journey from typewriters, calculators, punch cards and graphs drawn on grid paper to secure data centers, cloud-based systems, machine learning, synthetic datasets and federated analysis. The goal of this article is to provide some insight to data management through the 70-year history of the Cancer Registry of Norway. We look into technology for data management and sharing of data, coding, classifications and standards, the Cancer Registry sources of information, and laws, regulations and privacy issues. The main focus of the article is data management related to our core data and variables, the so-called "main database" or "incidence database". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Janus is a population-based prospective cancer biobank established in 1973. The biobank consists of residual blood serum samples from more than 300 000 men and women, who participated in different health surveys in Norway or as Red Cross blood donors during the period 1972-2004. It was established on the initiative of Professor of Pathology, Olav Torgersen (1907-78), referring to the longstanding maxim that 'prevention is better than cure'. The purpose of the biobank was to build up a resource for studies of cancer aetiology and early detection of cancer, by measuring biochemical and immunological changes several years before the patient's diagnosis. The Janus cohort, with comprehensive registry-based follow-up, enables longitudinal assessment of the preclinical stage in cancer patients or the latent period before the tumour has been established, and is ideal for the search of novel biomarkers of cancer. The Cancer Registry of Norway took over the cohort in 2004. In 2019 the biobank was moved into new semi-automated storage facilities and all samples were barcoded. The biobank is annually linked to the Cancer Registry for updates on new cancer cases and by the end of 2020 the number of incident cancer cases in Janus was 107 366. A continuous work in Janus has been on quality assurance of the biospecimens by investigating sample quality parameters like the effect of different pre-processing of the samples as well as storage time and temperature. We have investigated the stability of various hormones, proteins, metabolites, electrolytes and RNAs. This work has contributed to important knowledge in establishing Good Biobank Practice in Norway. In recent years we have also shown that the trace amounts of DNA in Janus is of sufficient quality for genotyping and methylation studies. Today Janus is used in a large number of national and international studies and is an active part in several international cancer consortia. The scientific output from the biobank contains a substantial proportion of high impact papers that have contributed to increased knowledge on cancer biomarkers for use in cancer control. Many of the projects have focused on investigating the association between infections and cancer, environmental exposures and cancer and early detection biomarkers. In recent years we have identified RNAs as early detection and potentially screening biomarkers of cancer. We have developed and optimized an RNA sequencing method for samples with low input RNA and produced RNA profiles of pre-clinical samples from 1631 cancer patients and 673 cancer-free controls. The sequencing data is combined with detailed cancer information from the Cancer Registry of Norway and information on environmental exposures from health surveys, in advanced biocomputational analysis. Results published on the healthy control group shows that RNA expression levels are significantly affected by age and smoking. For lung cancer the results showed dynamic changes in differentially expressed circulating RNAs specific to histology and stage. In the future we aim to utilize Janus in omics analyses and produce large scale datasets that can be shared and used in many research projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the research on Norwegian as a second language through an analysis of its role in digital interaction in the family context. Second language learners' ideas of language needs and wishes change with the use of new information and communication technology (Darvin&Norton 2015;Douglas FirGroup, 2016). Through digital interaction, migrants may stay in closer touchwith family and friends in the country of origin, and they can also build networks in the country of residence and develop their language competence. How does this influence on the use of Norwegian in migrant families in Norway? In the analysis of interview data, interactional and observational data, the following questions are discussed:How is digital communication used to develop Norwegian language competence in the family?What are the relations between the family members' perspectives on identity and their use of Norwegian? The aim is to understand what digital use of Norwegian can tell us about Norwegian as a second language in family communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1898 a total of 17 rock-art sites comprising 125 determinate images have been recorded from the Mabuyag Islands (Pulu and Mabuyag) by several groups of researchers, including anthropologist A.C. Haddon, and more recently, archaeologists working in collaboration with the Goemulgal Kod. This paper provides an overview of the sites and motifs recorded and examines their role in understanding aspects of Goemulgaw social expression. Using a combination of formal and informed methods, this paper reveals how specific motifs display links to Islander mythology and ceremonial activity, while also acting as markers of interregional interaction across Torres Strait, southwestern Papua New Guinea, and Cape York. This analysis also reveals that much like rock-art from Western and Central Torres Strait, motifs from the Mabuyag Islands cross from fixed to portable mediums - an important observation used to better understand the nature of the Torres Strait graphic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cochrane systematic reviews are often perceived as inaccessible. One of the main activities of the Norwegian branch of the Cochrane Collaboration is to develop ways to present the results of Cochrane reviews so that they are easier to use. In this paper we describe four main principles that underlie this work, and several of the document formats we have helped produce. Our overarching principles: 1) Information should be understandable for people who do not have expert knowledge about research methodology. When it comes to understanding the results of systematic reviews, we have experienced that the biggest difference is between researchers and non-researchers and to a lesser extent between health personnel, patients and policy makers. 2) Information should be presented in a neutral form. 3) Information should be developed using a user-oriented approach. This involves us collecting responses from the end users in our developmental work and making the necessary adjustments in several phases. 4) The information structure should follow the "1:3:25 principle" where the information is structured in several layers, with increasing level of detail. In this paper, we describe several of the document formats that we have helped develop, including Summary of Findings tables, where we present the results of Cochrane reviews in tables; a plain language summary format where the results are presented as text-based summaries written for a broad user group; SUPPORT summaries written for policy makers; and DECIDE Frameworks, where the results are presented together with other information that may be relevant in a decision making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep problems are common among the elderly, and poor sleep affects health and quality of life. In this paper we will cover the characteristics of sleep in elderly patients. Sleep disorders are divided into six subgroups: insomnia, circadian rhythm sleep disorders, sleep related breathing disorders, sleep related movement disorders, hypersomnias, and parasomnias. The main focus of this paper will be on insomnia, but also the other sleep disorders will be described. Several of the sleep disorders are more common among older than younger people. Furthermore, many somatic and psychiatric disorders are associated with sleep problems, with depression being the most common comorbid disorder. A thorough patient history will uncover most of the sleep disorders, and the use of sleep diaries gives important additional information. The treatments of choice vary from non-pharmacological to pharmacological approaches, depending on the diagnosis. Chronic use of hypnotics is discouraged due to risk of tolerance and unfavourable side effects. It is vital to do a proper assessment before treatment is commenced, and appropriate treatment may have large effects -- also among elderly patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconnaissance of Mabuyag in 1984 and 1985 revealed a wide variety of archaeological features including extensive midden deposits at the former village site of Goemu. Accounts of our investigations were given previously in several reports and a doctoral thesis on the ethnoarchaeology of the island, but not formally published. In this paper our research, which predated recent landscape changes and has historical value, is documented. The archaeological features observed during the reconnaissance, most of which were associated with former settlement areas, are first described. A detailed account is given of the survey and excavations undertaken at Goemu in 1985. Survey of the c. 2 ha site revealed many surface deposits of midden material consisting of bone (mainly dugong and some turtle), shell and stones. The deposits comprised a large rectangular 'platform', six linear 'ridges', 95 round and ovoid mounds, and surface scatters of material. The main midden feature selected for excavation was the large platform and two adjacent ridges. A nearby mound was also partly excavated and 16 test pits were dug at intervals across the site. The results of the identification and quantitative analysis of samples of the excavated remains are described and evaluated. Interpretation of their socioeconomic significance, informed by ethnohistorical evidence, leads to the conclusion that some of the midden features had ceremonial significance and that turtle and dugong ceremonies were performed at Goemu. Some reference is made to more recent research by others that support our interpretation of the site, but no attempt is made to relate our results comprehensively to research carried out at Goemu since 1985. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper surveys changes in administration, education, health and demography on Mabuyag within their socio-political context. Traditional clan governance was adopted (with modifications) by the colonial administration, when in the late 1870s it appointed a head man (mamoose) to ensure social order and administer justice, assisted by local police and courts; he was replaced in 1906 by an elected local council. These administrative arrangements were unique to Torres Strait in nineteenth century Indigenous Australia and encouraged by the London Missionary Society, which began schooling on Mabuyag in 1873. A government school was opened in 1900, a post-primary Training College for teachers and clerks in 1934. Improved health and sanitation measures and immunity from introduced diseases brought population stability and from the 1930s a slow increase. However, Mabuyag, like other islands, lost population in the postwar outflow to mainland Australia, not recovering until the mid-1990s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an account of the wreck of the French merchant vessel, the Pauline-et-Victoire (Captain Jean-Baptiste Desparmet), on Kuyku Pad in September 1858. Desparmet has left one of the few European records about Mabuyag and the Goemulgal prior to 1871. He was an accidental visitor to Mabuyag because he chose not to exit Torres Strait through the more usual southern route. Sailing from Poruma, he stood off Passage Island, intending to sail via Bligh Channel. Unable to take this route he located what he believed to be a navigable channel between Mabuyag and Kuyku Pad. The Pauline-et-Victoire struck Kuyku Pad on 27 September 1858. After much effort the vessel was refloated, but was driven back onto the reef by wind and currents. On 28 September the Goemulgal attacked the vessel. Unable to withstand a second attack, the crew abandoned ship and set out for Koepang in Dutch-administered Timor - a distance of 2,778 km. Desparmet's account of Mabuyag and the Goemulgal is brief. Beyond his comments on Mabuyag, Desparmet provides useful information on the diversity of shipping traversing Torres Strait and illustrates the difficulties that masters of small vessels, sailing alone, encountered in navigating waters where little was known about the changing winds, currents and reefs and with few navigational aids. He avoided contact as far as possible with Torres Strait Islanders. Accounts of his voyage and wreck of the Pauline-et-Victoire have been on the public record since 1859, but they remain relatively unknown. They are illustrative of resources in languages other than English documenting Torres Strait that await researchers' attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Goemulgaw oral history and ethnography Dabangay is an important village, central for activities and ceremonies relating to the dugong and the setting for the 'Coming of the Light' (Christian missionisation) to Mabuyag. Recent archaeological excavations identify the long-term significance of Dabangay, with two discrete periods of human activity. Phase 1 (7,000-5,200 cal BP) is associated with recurring/permanent occupation involving marinebased subsistence. Phase 2 (300 cal BP-present) is a period of increased site use including an escalation of marine subsistence activities. This paper presents a settlement chronology for Dabangay and reevaluates the archaeology of secular and ceremonial middens in Goemulgaw villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rev. B.T. Butcher of the London Missionary Society (LMS) spent a year on Mabuyag (1905-1906). This paper reproduces extracts from his diary during this period, when the island served as headquarters of the LMS mission to Torres Strait, together with explanatory notes and annotations from Butcher's personal and professional correspondence and other relevant sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human primary teeth can give important information about trace element exposure prenatally and in early childhood -- the period of tooth formation and the most vulnerable period in life. Trace elements from the environment and from nutrition are built into the tooth tissues during the period of tooth formation. As tooth tissues develop incrementally, according to a known pattern, and are very stable, teeth may function as recorders or biomarkers of different exposures during the period of tooth formation. In this paper the use of primary teeth as biomarkers of exposure is presented with a special focus on the use within epidemiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The number of overdose deaths among heroin users in Norway is high. Treatment with the opioid antidote naloxone is available only through trained health care staff. Naloxone can also be administered as nasal spray by non-health care staff. Increasing naloxone availability may reduce both the number of overdose deaths, the risk of needlestick injuries and the transmission of blood-borne viruses such as Hepatitis C and HIV. This paper reviews the use of nasal naloxone for the treatment of opioid overdose. Material and method: We have conducted a scoping search for relevant literature on the effects of naloxone nasal spray in the electronic databases Medline, Embase and The Cochrane Library. The reports that were judged relevant based on our expertise and on predefined criteria were included in the review. No restrictions were made regarding study design or methodological quality. Conclusions are based on data from the included studies. Results: Four of the nine studies included had control groups, but only two were randomised. No study was conducted in Norway. Nasal naloxone appeared to quickly result in clinical improvement when treating overdoses that are presumably caused by opioids. Comparing injectable naloxone (as the usual route of administration) with nasal administration, the results indicate almost equally fast respiratory normalization with nasal spray. Use of naloxone nasal spray can reduce the need to inject naloxone and therefore reduces the risk of needlestick injuries among health care staff. Training of non-health care laypersons in the use of naloxone nasal spray has the potential to increase naloxone availability and knowledge about overdose events. Conclusion: We did not find enough evidence to unequivocally support the effectiveness of naloxone nasal spray. Despite the scarce evidence, naloxone nasal spray appears promising in the treatment of overdoses and it should therefore be compared with standard care in a randomised controlled trial in Norway. Training in administration for heroin users and staff at low threshold facilities should be evaluated as better availability of naloxone nasal spray can potentially reduce overdose deaths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the risk of being involved in road traffic accidents as drivers among persons using prescribed medicines by utilizing data from population-based registries. The aim of the present paper was to focus on the methodology used in the study. Methods: All Norwegians aged 18-69 in April 2004 to September 2006 (3.1 million), were included in the study. Information on prescriptions, road accidents and emigrations/deaths was obtained from three different population-based registries. A total of 22,000 accidents were observed. The incidence of accidents in exposed and unexposed person-time was compared, by the standardized incidence ratio (SIR). Results: The risk of being involved in an accident was increased in persons exposed for prescribed medicines. The risk was markedly increased in persons exposed for natural opium alkaloids, benzodiazepine tranquillizers, benzodiazepine hypnotics and carisoprodol. A marginal increase or unchanged SIRs were found for NSAIDs, selective beta-2-adrenoreceptor agonists (anti-asthmatics), calcium receptor antagonists and penicillin. Conclusions: We have tested a method using different reference groups and different exposure periods to explore the association between drug use and involvement in traffic accidents. Using these methods, we have shown that exposure for prescribed opiates, benzodiazepines and carisoprodol increased the risk of being involved in an accident as driver. The findings confirm results from other studies. Further steps should be taken to reduce car driving under the influence of these drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]