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Abstract Online students are becoming an increasingly big part of the student population in higher education. Interaction and collaboration is beneficial for academic performance and well-being, but can be challenging to facilitate in the online context. Through individual in-depth interviews, we have investigated online students’ experiences of academic and social community, as well as the role study flexibility can play in their participation in such communities. The thematic analysis resulted in four themes. Theme 1, Expectations of being self-sufficient, shows that many participants made good use of the flexibility of the studies by being organised and independent. However, the expectation of independence became a potential barrier to participation. Theme 2, Collaboration if valuable and flexible, describes how most participants desired increased collaboration with their peers, given that it was flexible and of academic value. Theme 3, Study groups as important but fragile communities, illustrates study groups as the participants’ primary learning communities, but finds that maintaining them over time could be challenging. Theme 4, Digital distance, depicts many participants’ challenges with connecting digitally with others. We discuss these findings in the light of self-determination theory, showing how flexibility can become both a facilitator and a barrier for basic need satisfaction in online education, and that participation and collaboration seemed to be more closely connected to the need for competence than for relatedness. The main implication of the study is that online studies should strive to create a need-supportive environment that facilitates academic community while acknowledging many online students’ necessity for flexibility.

Samfunnsstraff er en viktig arena for forebygging av gjentakelse av kriminalitet hos unge domfelte i Norge. Gjennom kvalitative, semistrukturerte intervjuer med seks unge domfelte belyser vi hvordan de opplevde å gjennomføre samfunnsstraff. I vår tematiske analyse av intervjuene kom vi frem til tre temaer. I det første temaet, Samfunnsstraff som en «reality check», viser vi hvordan samfunnsstraffen fikk intervjudeltakerne til å bli mer bevisste på sitt ansvar for å unngå kriminalitet i fremtiden. I det andre temaet, Betydningen av å bli møtt med likeverd og respekt, ser vi hvordan deltakerne fortalte om en tillitsfull relasjon med sin kontaktperson hos Friomsorgen. De vektla i tillegg viktigheten av å bli møtt med likeverd og gjensidig respekt fra offentlige instanser for å ha tillit til systemet. I det siste temaet, Tiltakenes potensial for mening og selvrefleksjon, viser vi hvordan deltakerne opplevde selve innholdet i straffen. Spesielt ble kurs og tiltak rettet mot selvrefleksjon og arbeid med mennesker beskrevet som meningsfulle. Vi drøfter disse funnene i lys av det samfunnspsykologiske rammeverket mattering: viktigheten av å bety noe. Våre funn viser hvordan samfunnsstraffen kunne være en kontekst som la til rette for at unge domfelte kunne oppleve de to komponentene av mattering: å bli verdsatt og å bidra med verdi. Vi argumenterer for at en slik tilnærming kan bidra positivt i arbeid med unge domfelte, og drøfter funnene i lys av tidligere forskning på unge menneskers prosesser med å avstå fra kriminalitet.

The feed legislation allows the use of fish protein hydrolysates in feed for the same species in which it came from, since enzymatic hydrolysis degrades the proteins and eliminates potential prions, which have caused disease in mammals, but not in fish. In this trial, we investigated the effects of partially replacing dietary fishmeal (FM) with salmon protein hydrolysate (FPH) on the intestinal gene expression and microbiota. Atlantic salmon post smolts were either fed a control diet containing 30% fishmeal (FM), a 20% FM diet with 9% salmon hydrolysate (FPH-09) or a 10% FM diet with 18% salmon hydrolysate (FPH-18), until doubling of weight. Gene expression analysis by RNA sequencing of pyloric caeca (PC), midgut (MG) and hindgut (HG) revealed a downregulation of immunological genes involved in inflammation in the intestine of FPH-18 fed salmon compared to salmon fed the FM control. The gene expression of paralogous peptide transporters (PepT) was analyzed by real time quantitative PCR in PC, anterior midgut (AMG), posterior midgut (PMG) and HG of salmon fed all the three diets. The PepT1b paralog had highest relative expression levels in PC and AMG, suggesting that PepT1b is most important for peptide uptake in the anterior intestine. PepT1a was also mainly expressed in the PC and AMG, but at lower levels than PepT1b and PepT2b in the AMG. The PepT2b paralog had high levels of expression in AMG, PMG and HG indicating that it contributed significantly to peptide uptake in the posterior part of the gastrointestinal tract. The gut microbiota in the mucosa and digesta of the MG and HG, were dominated by the phyla Cyanobacteria and Proteobacteria, but also Firmicutes were present. The only dietary effect on the microbiota was the higher prevalence of the phyla Spirochaetes in the mucosa of FPH-18 fed salmon compared to the FM fed salmon. In conclusion, replacing FM with salmon hydrolysate reduced the expression of inflammatory markers in the Atlantic salmon intestine suggesting improved health benefits. The reduced inflammation may be related to the reduced FM content, potentially bioactive peptides in the hydrolysate and/or the altered gut microbial composition.

I lys av klimaendringer og tap av natur, blir det å jobbe målrettet med bærekraftig utvikling og utforsking av naturen stadig viktigere for barnehagefeltet. For barnehagelærerutdanningen blir det da nødvending å utvikle undervisning som fremmer både kunnskaper, holdninger og refleksjoner knyttet til natur og bærekraftig utvikling. I denne artikkelen vil vi ta for oss et verktøy for å måle naturtilknytning: nature relatedness scale. Vi ønsker å undersøke og diskutere hvordan påstander fra verktøyet kan fremme refleksjon rundt praksiser, holdninger og kunnskaper relatert til bærekraftig utvikling i barnehagen. Vi har brukt påstandene fra skalaen til å utvikle et påstandsspill som har blitt testet ut av studenter fra arbeidsplassbasert barnehagelærerutdanning. Empirien i studien består av observasjon og dokumentasjon av studentenes dialoger under gjennomføring av spillet, og vi har spurt studentene om hvordan de opplever relevansen av dette for barnehagelæreryrket. Gjennom diskusjonen mellom studentene i påstandsspillet kom barnehageperspektivet fram under de fleste påstandene. Studentene rapporterte at de ble mer bevisste på sine holdninger og handlinger rundt arbeid med bærekraftig utvikling i barnehagen, og vi mener dette derfor kan være et nyttig verktøy i utdanning for bærekraftig utvikling. ENGLISH ABSTRACT Statement game as a tool in education for sustainable development in early childhood teacher education Considering climate change and loss of nature, working with sustainable development and exploration of nature becomes ever more important in the field of early childhood education. It is therefore necessary to develop teaching practices that highlight both knowledge, attitudes, and reflections related to nature and sustainable development in early childhood teacher education. In this paper, we will explore how statements from a scale called “nature relatedness scale” can stimulate reflections on practices, attitudes and knowledge related to sustainable development in early childhood education. We have used the statements to develop a statement game and tested the game with students in work-based early childhood teacher education. We observed and documented students’ dialogues during the statement game and asked them if they found this relevant for their profession. During the discussions of most of the statements, early childhood perspectives emerged. The students stated that the discussions raised their awareness of working with sustainable development in early childhood education, and we therefore find that this can be a useful tool in education for sustainable development.

Seismic geomorphology and stratigraphic analysis can reveal how source-to-sink systems dynamically respond to climatic and tectonic forcing. This study uses seismic reflection data from the Norwegian Sea to investigate the stratigraphic response to a short-lived (0.2 Myr) period of climate change during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), superimposed on a long-lived (∼8 Myr) period of hinterland uplift. The data show that long-term uplift resulted in ∼300 m of relative sea-level fall, forced regression and formation of incised valleys during the latest Paleocene-earliest Eocene. The short-lived PETM climate perturbation at ∼56 Ma changed the transport dynamics of the system, allowing sediment to be bypassed to wide channel complexes on the basin floor, feeding a large mud-rich basin-floor fan more than 50 km into the basin. Our analysis also suggest that sediment supply was up to four times higher during the PETM compared to earlier and later periods. Maximum regression at ∼55.5 Ma resulted in the formation of a subaerial unconformity. The style of subaerial incision was dictated by shelf accommodation and proximity to the area of direct sediment input. Out-of-grade shelves and slopes sourced by littoral drift were prone to incision, but direct-fed and graded shelves and slopes were not. Despite maximum regression, sediments were not transported significantly beyond the toe-of-slope aprons, suggesting that rapid climate change was more efficient in bypassing sediment to the deep-water than low stands of sea level. As long-term accommodation increased after the PETM, deltas were still able to reach shelf edge, but periods of maximum regression were not associated with deep incisions along the outer shelf and only smaller canyons and gullies formed. The shelf-slope wedge was finally transgressed at ∼51 Ma. The age of deep valley incisions overlaps with the time of subaerial erosion in the East Shetland and Faroe-Shetland basins, suggesting a common mechanism for North Atlantic uplift around 55–56 Ma. Other seismic stratigraphic surfaces do not seem to be regionally time-equivalent, highlighting the importance of local controls on internal architecture of shelf-slope wedges. This study demonstrates the high-resolution stratigraphic response to long- and short-term external forcing together with intrinsic processes and can help identify similar relationships in other areas.

Abstract Background In cases of prosthetic joint infections, culture of sonication fluid can supplement culture of harvested tissue samples for correct microbial diagnosis. However, discrepant results regarding the increased sensitivity of sonication have been reported in several studies. To what degree bacteria embedded in biofilm are dislodged during the sonication process has to our knowledge not been fully elucidated. In the present in vitro study, we have evaluated the effect of sonication as a method to dislodge biofilm by quantitative microscopy. Methods We used a standard biofilm method to cover small steel plates with biofilm forming Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 35984 and carried out the sonication procedure according to clinical practice. By comparing area covered with biofilm before and after sonication with epifluorescence microscopy, the effect of sonication on biofilm removal was quantified. Two series of experiments were made, one with 24-h biofilm formation and another with 72-h biofilm formation. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to confirm whether bacteria were present after sonication. In addition, quantitative bacteriology of sonication fluid was performed. Results Epifluorescence microscopy enabled visualization of biofilm before and after sonication. CLSM and SEM confirmed coccoid cells on the surface after sonication. Biofilm was dislodged in a highly variable manner. Conclusion There is an unexpected high variation seen in the ability of sonication to dislodge biofilm-embedded S. epidermidis in this in vitro model.

Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing threat to global health and challenges the way we treat infections. Peptides containing the PCNA interacting motif APIM (APIM-peptides) were recently shown to bind to the bacterial PCNA homolog, the beta (β)-clamp, and to have both antibacterial and anti-mutagenic activities. In this study we explore the antibacterial effects of these peptides on Staphylococcus epidermidis, a bacterial species commonly found in prosthetic joint infections (PJI). Drug-resistant bacterial isolates from PJIs often lead to difficult-to-treat chronic infections. We show that APIM-peptides have a rapid bactericidal effect which when used at sublethal levels also increase the efficacy of gentamicin. In addition, APIM-peptides reduce development and eliminate already existing S. epidermidis biofilm. To study the potential use of APIM-peptides to prevent PJI, we used an in vivo bone graft model in rats where APIM-peptide, gentamicin, or a combination of the two was added to cement. The bone grafts containing cement with the combination was more effective than cement containing only gentamicin, which is the current standard of care. In summary, these results suggest that APIM-peptides can be a promising new drug candidate for anti-infective implant materials to use in the fight against resistant bacteria and chronic PJI.

The large brown seaweeds (kelps) are potential sources of protein for animal feed. They have lower protein contents than most red and green algae, but due to potential for large-scale production, they may represent a significant future protein source. The impact of pH, temperature and polysaccharide-degrading enzymes on the solubility and extraction yields of protein from wet Saccharina latissima biomass was investigated. The protein solubility increased with increasing pH and reached maximum of 23% at pH 11, determined as total amino acids (TAA). The enzyme treatments increased the release of soluble compounds by 30–35%. The highest protein yield obtained was 19%, using a ratio of water to wet seaweed of 1:1 for extraction. Even if the yields can be increased by increasing the water amounts used for extraction, the majority of the protein would remain in the insoluble residue after separation. The strategy for production of a larger quantity of protein-enriched biomass was therefore to maintain the insoluble fraction as the product. A pilot scale production was carried out, also including the red algae Palmaria palmata. In total 750 kg S. latissima and 195 kg P. palmata were processed. The protein content in the product increased from 10 to 20% of dry weight (dw) for S. latissima and from 12 to 28% for P. palmata , with yields of 79 and 69%, respectively. The ash content was reduced from 44 to 26% and from 12 to 5% of dw, respectively, for the two species. The main protein loss was free amino acids, which constituted approximately 10% of TAA in the feedstocks. Less essential than non-essential amino acids were lost, thus, the essential amino acids were enriched in the product. • The maximum solubility of protein from Saccharina latissima was 24%. • Enzymes decreased the water binding capacity and increased the extraction yields. • Process was scaled-up, maintaining the insoluble fraction as the product. • The protein content increased from 10% in the biomass to 20% after processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Munch Museum owns more than 140 sketches created by Edvard Munch in connection with the painted canvas decorations for the Festival Hall (Aula) of the University of Oslo. Extensive conservation has been conducted, particularly in connection with the exhibition of more than 60 of the sketches at the Munch Museum. The largest of the exhibited ones measure up to 5 × 11.5 m. Munch painted and stored many of them outdoors and 31 of them have been stored on rolls since Munch’s lifetime. Analyses reveal that Munch used at least six different paint media for these sketches. Comparing this analysis with visual examination of the sketches, it was not possible to determine a connection between the binding medium used and the matte appearance and porous condition of the paints. The conservation of the sketches largely concentrated on the consolidation of extensive areas of porous and flaking paint. Some sketches also had large amounts of efflorescent salts which were treated. Various consolidants and application methods known to have been used on matte paint were tested on both naturally and artificially aged mock-ups. On the basis of the test results from the mock-ups and some from the original paint, two different consolidants and three different application methods were chosen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) is a poorly defined heterogenous condition less well suited for the conventional randomized and placebo controlled parallel type trials. We have designed a multi cross-over model (MCO-model) with the facility of providing information about drug responses in individual patients. A pilot study suggested that the model may identify individual cimetidine responders among patients with dyspepsia. Preliminary findings from an ongoing study in patients with NUD supports the existence of a subgroup of cimetidine responders characterized by gastroesophageal reflux symptoms and possibly an increased basal acid secretion.