Showing papers by "University of Bergen published in 1984"

The Rationality of Caring

Abstract: In order to find better models for caregiving work, an analysis of the concept of caring is developed in this article. The focus is on caring for dependents and it is argued that this kind of caring, typically a responsibility for women, is based on a specific kind of rationality. 'Rationality of caring' is different from scientific rationality which is aimed at controlling the environment. It also transcends the categories of rationality and instrumentality as opposed to emotions and expressiveness. It is suggested that the search for new models of organizing the public care system must pay attention to the specific qualities inherent in caregiving work.

Preliminary results from sediment cores from lake Bosumtwi, Ghana

Abstract: , Results are presented from the analysis of three sediment cores from Lake Bosumtwi, Ghana, using mineralogy, sedimentology, palynology and grass cuticle content The longest core is 169 m long and spans approximately the last 27 500 years of the lake's history Apart from minerals ofxlastic origin, the sediments contain a variety of endogenetic and diagenetic minerals, particularly carbonates, with phosphates and zeolites also prominent in some sections Mineral content and sedimentology are used to reconstruct the history of the lake The oldest part of the sequence, from c27 500 to 24 500 BP, is poorly understood, but seems to contain evidenc,e of both high and low water levels Between 23 O00 and 19 500 BP the lake water was relatively dilute, but became more saline and alkaline between 19 O00 and 16 O00 BP when the lake level must have been low Regressions of the lake are registered just before 13 500 BP, at c3 750 BP and after 2 O00 BP Maximum lake level seems to have occurred between 9 O00 and 4 O00 BP, when the lake waters were dilute Grass pollen dominates the pollen assemblage before c9 O00 BP indicating the existence of grassland around Bosumtwi A dramatic rise in the abundance of arboreal pollen suggests that forest rapidly replaced grassland after 9 O00 BP Patches of montane-like forest within the grassland are suggested by the 1 Geologisk Institutt, Avd A, Universitet i Bergen, All~gt41,5014 Bergen, Norway 2 Department of Zoology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27706, USA 3 Department of Biology, Louisburg College, Louisburg, North Carolina 27549, USA 4 ORSTOM, Laboratoire de Palynologie du CNRS, Universitd des Sciences et Tcch5 Depurtment of Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Cali6 Centre deu Faibles Radiouctivites, Labo Mixtc CNRSCEA, Cif sur Yvette 91190, nique du Languedoc, Montpellier 34060, Frunce fornia 93106, USA , Figure 1 Map of southern Ghana, showing Lake Bosumtwi and position of major vegetation zones WE Wet Evergreen; UE Upland Evergreen; MS Moist Semi-deciduous; DS = Dry Semi-deciduous; SM Southern Marginal (after Hall & Swaine 1976) presence of Olea hochstetteri pollen in late Pleistocene-early Holocene sections of the cores Grass cuticle fragments are prominent in sediments deposited before c 9 O00 BP, confirming the pollen evidence that grassland formerly existed around the Bosumtwi crater Of particular interest is the occurrence of pooid grass cuticle in the Pleistocene-early Holocene sediments Pooid grasses, and the pollen of Ohochstetteri, imply palaeotemperatures several degrees centigrade lower than today's in southern Ghana -

Enhancement of long-chain acyl-CoA hydrolase activity in peroxisomes and mitochondria of rat liver by peroxisomal proliferators.

Abstract: The present study has confirmed previous findings of long-chain acyl-CoA hydrolase activities in the mitochondrial and microsomal fractions of the normal rat liver. In addition, experimental evidence is presented in support of a peroxisomal localization of long-chain acyl-CoA hydrolase activity. (a) Analytical differential centrifugation of homogenates from normal rat liver revealed that this activity (using palmitoyl-CoA as the substrate) was also present in a population of particles with an average sedimentation coefficient of 6740 S, characteristic of peroxisomal marker enzymes. (b) The subcellular distribution of the hydrolase activity was greatly affected by administration of the peroxisomal proliferators clofibrate and tiadenol. The specific activity was enhanced in the mitochondrial fraction and in a population of particles with an average sedimentation coefficient of 4400 S, characteristic of peroxisomal marker enzymes. Three populations of particles containing lysosomal marker enzymes were found by analytical differential centrifugation, both in normal and clofibrate-treated rats. Our data do not support the proposal that palmitoyl-CoA hydrolase and acid phosphatase belong to the same subcellular particles. In livers from rats treated with peroxisomal proliferators, the specific activity of palmitoyl-CoA hydrolase was also enhanced in the particle-free supernatant. Evidence is presented that this activity at least in part, is related to the peroxisomal proliferation.

Order determination of multivariate autoregressive time series with unit roots

Abstract: . This paper deals with order determination of multivariate time series where roots of the characteristic equation are allowed to be equal to one. For estimation of parameters in such processes, least squares were used. For a familiar class of order determination criteria it is shown that results on weak consistency valid in the stationary case can be generalized to processes with unit roots in the characteristic equation. Then a discussion of the possibility of underestimating the order for finite samples is given for a particular model, and it is indicated that nonstationarity of this type decreases the probability of underestimating the order. Finally some Monte Carlo simulation results are given to supplement the theoretical results.

Slumps and their deposits in fan delta front and slope

Abstract: A sedimentation model of subaqueous fan deltas dominated by conglomeratic mass flow has been developed from side-scan sonar images of some modern arctic deltas and some fossil examples from southeast Spain. These modern and ancient examples show slide scars in the delta-front sediments and downgoing troughs on the delta slope. The troughs are separated by erosion remnants and (partly) filled with slumped material from the slide scars, from which bed sequences of ancient fan deltas were studied in detail. Some of the relatively small slump deposits (ca. 50,000 m3) show an increase from massive toward stratified bedding away from the slide scar. With respect to the relationship of massive and stratified sediments, a new process called gravity-winnowing has been inferred from experiments and field studies. In this case the stratification occurs by repeated slumping by means of small grain flows and turbulent flows from the just-deposited and unstable head of the debris.

Cognition and event-related potentials. II. The orienting reflex and P300.

Abstract: This panel was expected to review the literature pertaining to the effects of novelty and surprise on E R P components, particularly the P300, and the literature on the orienting reflex (OR). This paper records the correspondence between members of the panel before the conference. I t consists of an edited version of the material that was circulated to the conference participants before the meeting. No major reconciliation of views resulted from the conference discussion, nor could one be expected, given the rather different perspectives adopted by the panelists. The issues presented raise questions that need to be considered by psychophysiologists. This paper, therefore,

Aller⊘d-Younger Dryas Climatic Inferences from Cirque Glaciers and Vegetational Development in the Nordfjord Area, Western Norway

Abstract: Seventeen cirque basins containing Younger Dryas moraines were investigated at Stad and Vags⊘y, western Norway. Lithostratigraphic studies, 14C datings, and pollen analysis of lake sediments just o...

Sedimentation and benthic mineralization of organic detritus in a Norwegian fjord

Abstract: The supply of particulate material to the sea-bed as well as the oxygen consumption and the redox potential of the sea-bed were measured during a one-year period (1979/1980) at 60 and 90 m depth in the inner part of a west Norwegian fjord, Fanafjorden. At both sites, uniform sedimentation rates of total particulate material (825 and 885 g m-2 yr-1, respectively) and particulate inorganic material (576 and 616 g m-2 yr-1, respectively) were found. The sedimentation rates of particulate organic carbon (96 and 107 g m-2 yr-1, respectively) and particulate organic nitrogen (10 and 12 g m-2 yr-1, respectively) were low in winter, higher in summer and autumn, with maxima in May/June, reflecting similar maxima in the phytoplankton biomass in the area, with 6 to 8 wk delay. The oxygen consumption of the sea-floor was lowest in winter/spring and highest in summer. Thirtytwo and 38 g C m-2 yr-1 (respiration quotient=0.85) were metabolized by the sediment at 60 and 90 m, respectively. The simultaneous measurements of sedimentation rates and sediment oxygen uptake throughout a whole year demonstrated that the benthic mineralization is governed by the sedimentation over a longer time-scale, but that seasonal imbalances do occur. A box-model of the flux of particulate organic carbon to the sediment surface is presented, and includes the relevant processes and some quantitative estimates.

Mesopelagic fish, a large potential resource in the Arabian Sea

Abstract: The mesopelagic fish fauna in the Arabian Sea was studied on cruises with R/V ‘DR. FRIDTJOF MANSEN’ conducted during the period 1975–1983. Abundances were estimated using 38kHz echosounders and electronic integrators. The echorecordings were also used to study behaviour. Samples of the fish were collected using commercial sized pelagic trawls. During daytime the mesopelagic fish were found in a layer between 250–350m depth. In areas with high concentrations of Benthosema pterotum an additional very dense layer was usually bound at depths between 150–200m. During night-time, most of the fish are found in the upper 100m, but usually some remain at deep waters (200–350m). The total abundance of mesopelagic fish in the Northern and Western Arabian Sea is estimated to be about 100.10−1 tonnes. In the Gulf of Oman which was surveyed eight times, the estimated biomass ranged between 6–20.106 tonnes. Using a trawl with an opening of about 750m2 the mean catch rate in the shallowest daytime layer was about 5 tonnes.h−1. The highest catch rate obtained was about 100 tonnes.h−1 The catch rates from the deeper layers were low. The most abundant fish, B. pterotum , has a fast growth rate and reaches a length of 4cm in about 6 months. At this stage they spawn and most fish probably die after spawning.

Cenozoic evolution of the continental margin off Norway and western Svalbard

Abstract: Following the Mesozoic phases of crustal extension the region between Norway and Greenland became relatively quiet, with regional subsidence dominating in a large basinal area which extended into the North Sea and the Barents Sea. At about Palaeocene/Eocene time the mid-Atlantic rift progressed northward and sea-floor spreading started along the newly formed plate boundary. The initiation of Cenozoic rifting and the subsequent drifting phase has fundamentally defined the structural and depositional framework of the present day margin off Norway and western Svalbard. Particularly important observations are: the existence of marginal highs apparently associated with one or several episodes of volcanic activity; the remarkably different amounts of marginal subsidence, with respect to both region and time; the effects of the mid-Oligocene change in relative plate motion on the margin structures; the two-stage evolution of the Greenland Sea with its associated shear movements.

Clearance rates of bacteria-sized particles by freshwater ciliates, measured with monodisperse fluorescent latex beads.

Abstract: Monodisperse fluorescent latex particles with diameters of 0.57 and 1.04 μm have been used to measure the clearance rates of bacteria-sized particles by two ciliates from a Norwegian lake. The clearance rates by Epistylis rotans on these particles were in the range 0.23 to 1.26 μl ind-1h-1, and by Strombidium sp. 0.26 to 0.90 μl ind-1 h-1. The clearance rates varied with food level and temperature. Possibilities and limitations of the suggested method are discussed.

Influence of pH on porphyrin production in Propionibacterium acnes.

Abstract: Propionibacterium acnes was grown on Eagle's medium for 4–15 days at pH 5.3–7.2 The porphyrin production was measured both by direct fluorometry and by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The greatest concentration of porphyrins was produced at pH 6.1. Protoporphyrin was the dominant porphyrin species present in the bacteria in all samples. The relative amount of coproporphyrin was greatest at pH 6.7 after 4 days of incubation. In human skin there are local variations in the pH; therefore our findings may be of importance for porphyrin production in acne.

Solubilization of alcohols and alkanes in aqueous solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate

Abstract: The distribution coefficient of some alcohols and alkanes between water and micelles at 298.15 K have been calculated from solubility measurements in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate (NaDDS) with and without added salt. The total solubilities of alcohols and alkanes in aqueous solutions of NaDDS increase with the solubility in the aqueous medium. Simultaneously the distribution coefficients decrease. Addition of salt leads to a decrease in the total solubilities and a corresponding increase in the distribution coefficients. The results suggest that the solubility of the alcohol or alkane in the aqueous phase as well as the micellar aggregation number play a significant part in the solubilization process. The localization of the solubilizate in the micelles have been briefly discussed, and it is suggested that the alcohols are solubilized both at the micellar surface and in the micellar interior.

The influence of some anamnestic, demographic, and clinical variables on patient acceptance of new complete dentures

Abstract: Information obtained by the dentist during a conventional anamnesis and clinical investigation has been claimed to be important in predicting how new complete dentures will be accepted by the patie...

Phagocyte C3-mediated attachment and internalization: flow cytometric studies using a fluorescence quenching technique.

Abstract: The dynamics of phagocyte C3-mediated attachment and internalization of fluorescein-isothiocyanate (FITC)-labelled zymosan particles was studied by a flow cytometric (FCM) fluorescence quenching technique, using trypan blue as quenching agent. Trypan blue effectively quenched the fluorescence of extracellular, i.e. free and phagocyte-attached, zymosan particles, but did not influence on the fluorescence of particles internalized by phagocytes. During phagocytosis, an average of 2 C3-coated zymosan particles were simultaneously attached to the phagocyte surface, and the number of attached particles could not be increased by increasing the zymosan to leukocyte ratio, the concentration of C3, the incubation time, or by inhibiting internalization by Cytochalasin B. Phagocyte C3-mediated internalization of zymosan particles was dependent on the concentration of complement, and in the presence of sufficient amounts of C3, internalization continued until saturation was reached at 11 particles per phagocyte.

Serum Urate as a Predictor of Fetal Outcome in Severe Pre-Eclampsia

Abstract: Maternal serum urate levels were studied in 50 normal pregnancies and 72 cases of severe pre-eclampsia. Markedly elevated levels of serum urate were found in severe pre-eclampsia, compared with normal pregnancy. In severe pre-eclampsia significantly higher levels were found prior to parturition in cases of growth retardation and perinatal distress, compared with patients whose newborns were of normal size and condition. Particularly high serum urate levels were found early in the third trimester in cases of perinatal death. A slight but significant correlation was found between the weight centile of the newborn and the last maternal urate level before parturition. A rapidly rising urate level reliably predicted perinatal distress. The last maternal serum urate before parturition was correlated with the hemoglobin and erythrocyte volume fraction values in the same blood sample.

Pathogenicity of Anaerobic Gram-Negative Rods: Possible Mechanisms

Abstract: The literature dealing with the pathogenicity of anaerobic gram-negative rods in humans is reviewed. Knowledge concerning definite pathogenic mechanisms is, at best, cursory. There is evidence that encapsulation plays a role in the pathogenicity of Bacteroides fragilis and some of the black-pigmented Bacteroides. A range of enzymes, among them collagenase and IgA protease, are produced by several Bacteroides species. Supernatants of Fusobacterium necrophorum cultures may be leukotoxic. The cell wall lipopolysaccharides of Fusobacterium species are powerful endotoxins. Synergism between anaerobic gram-negative rods and other bacterial species has been demonstrated in experimental animals. Anaerobic gram-negative rods are the anaerobic bacteria most commonly encountered in clinical infection. The list of pathogenic organisms includes Bacteroides fragilis and a few other species of the B. fragilis group (Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides distasonis, and Bacteroides uniformis); it also includes the black-pigmented Bacteroides (i.e., Bacteroides asaccharolyticus, Bacteroides melaninogenicus and Bacteroides gingivalis) and, more infrequently, Bacteroides bivius, Bacteroides disiens, Bacteroides ureolyticus, and organisms of the Bacteroides oralis/Bacteroides ruminicola group. Other Bacteroides species are occasionally isolated from clinical specimens [1]. Fusobacterium nucleatum is the most commonly encountered Fusobacterium species. Fusobacterium necrophorum is isolated only occasionally from clinical specimens, and other Fusobacterium species, even more rarely [2]. Anaerobic infections involving Bacteroides and Fusobacterium species are all endogenous. Members of the B. fragilis group, especially B. fragilis, are the anaerobic organisms most frequently encountered in clinical infections originating from the lower gastrointestinal tract. The other Bacteroides species are commonly found in orofacial infections and in infections of the respiratory and genital tracts. F nucleatum is a somewhat-lesscommon isolate in orofacial infections and abscesses of the liver and brain. The black-pigmented Bacteroides and F nucleatum may participate in the initiation and maintenance of inflammatory periodontal disease. Spiral-formed anaerobic gram-negative bacilli may play a role in the pathogenesis of nonspecific vaginitis [3, 4]. Selenomonas sputigena may be involved in the development of ulcerative gingivitis [5]. This review is a summary of the pertinent literature dealing with the pathogenicity of anaerobic gram-negative rods in humans, with special attention given to adhesion, encapsulation, production of lipopolysaccharides and soluble products that may act as virulence factors, and synergism. The interaction of anaerobic gram-negative rods with the immune system will not be discussed in this review.

Pharmacology of Combined α-β-Blockade II

Abstract: The cardinal haemodynamic disturbance in established hypertension is an increased total peripheral resistance and a subnormal blood flow, particularly during exercise. The spontaneously occurring changes in central haemodynamics have been followed in young males with essential hypertension over a 17-year period: a gradual increase in total peripheral resistance and blood pressure, and a gradual fall in cardiac output and stroke volume, have been demonstrated. Labetalol is a unique antihypertensive agent which induces both α- and β-blockade. Numerous studies have shown that when labetalol is given intravenously to patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension, blood pressure falls within a few minutes — partly due to reduction in cardiac output and heart rate and partly due to reduction in total peripheral resistance. In most series the average reduction in blood pressure was 17 to 22%, the reduction in total peripheral resistance 11 to 14%, and the reduction in cardiac output 2 to 10%. Thus, the reduction in cardiac output with labetalol is less than that seen after single-dose injection of β-blockers without intrinsic sympathomimetic activity. After intravenous injection, the blood pressure-lowering effect is most marked in the upright position and during muscular exercise when cardiac output is usually significantly reduced. Labetalol reduces blood pressure in severe hypertension. Intravenous doses of 0.2 to 0.8 mg/kg bodyweight reduce blood pressure by approximately 20%. This hypotensive effect is partly due to a reduction in total peripheral resistance and partly due to a fall in cardiac index. When the reduction in blood pressure is gradual and moderate (< 20%), it is mainly produced by a reduction in total peripheral resistance. During long term use labetalol induces haemodynamic changes rather similar to those seen after bolus injection. However, during prolonged use there is a tendency to normalisation in cardiac output and stroke volume; the sustained decrease in blood pressure is mainly due to a reduction in total peripheral resistance. In a recent 6-year follow-up study where 15 patients were studied before treatment and after 1 and 6 years on long term labetalol treatment, a tendency to normalisation of central haemodynamics was found. Over the years total peripheral resistance was gradually reduced by 15 to 20% at rest as well as during exercise. Stroke volume gradually increased and after 6 years of treatment was approximately 10% higher than the pretreatment value. This compensated for the reduced heart rate and no significant reduction in cardiac output was seen either during exercise or at rest. Studies of the regional circulation have shown that labetalol reduces renal vascular resistance and forearm resistance. Coronary blood flow is slightly decreased but the reduction is less than that seen after conventional β-blockers. The effect on the pulmonary circulation is modest, and a significant reduction in pulmonary resistance is usually not seen. The responses to short and long term administration of labetalol differ from the responses to β-blockers, α-blockers and calcium antagonists. The long term responses resemble the effects of prolonged administration of prizidilol, a combined β-blocker and vasodilator. Prizidilol has been withdrawn from clinical trials and although several new compounds have been developed, labetalol is the only drug generally available for the treatment of hypertension which has both β-blocking and vasodilating or α-blocking properties. The haemodynamic effects of labetalol are well documented and would seem to make labetalol a particularly useful antihypertensive drug.

Phenoxyethanol as a nontoxic substitute for formaldehyde in long-term preservation of human anatomical specimens for dissection and demonstration purposes

Abstract: Formaldehyde has recently been declared a potential carcinogen. Occupational health authorities throughout the world are therefore likely to put stricter regulations to its use also within anatomical disciplines. We have been able to reduce the atmospheric concentration of formaldehyde in our dissection rooms to below the detection limit of a conventional Drager tube multigas analyzer (i.e., below 0.5 ppm or 0.6 mg formaldehyde/m3 air), by extracting previously formaldehyde-fixed material for more than 3 months in 1% phenoxyethanol in tap water. In this fluid our material has remained soft and flexible with a consistency and color retention suitable for dissection and demonstration purposes for up to 10 years. Fungal attacks are rare and we have been unable to raise bacteria from such specimens. Even the microscopical structure of most tissues remains satisfactory after 5 years in 1% phenoxyethanol. The unpleasant and irritating smell traditionally felt in dissection rooms is almost absent in our facilities, but some of our students still mention slight odor, headache, drowsiness, and mild eye, nose, and throat irritation during their dissection practice periods.

Rhodospirillum salinarum sp. nov., a halophilic photosynthetic bacterium isolated from a Portuguese saltern

Abstract: A new species of halophilic photosynthetic bacteria, Rhodospirillum salinarum, has been isolated and described. Its natural habitat are the terminal crystallization ponds of solar salt production plants. R. salinarum grows optimally at 42°C in the presence of 6–18% NaCl (w/v). Growth requirements are complex, yeast extract and peptone being required both for aerobic heterotrophic and for anaerobic phototrophic growth. Increasing concentrations of NaCl in the growth media did not give rise to any corresponding increase in intracellular concentrations of K+, Na+, polyalcohols or amino acids. Malate dehydrogenase from R. salinarum is not halophilic, being inhibited even at low concentrations of Na+ or K+. The GC mol % of DNA from R. salinarum is markedly higher than that for DNA from R. salexigens, the only previously described halophilic species of the genus Rhodospirillum.

Basic techniques involved in helminth preservation

Abstract: Living helminths must be washed to rid them of mucus by shaking them in physiological saline or a NaHCO3-solution. Helminths that are 'relaxed' in fresh or distilled water tend to change shape. This is purposely done to cestodes and acanthocephalans, but should be avoided for trematodes as dimensions are greatly influenced. Nematodes can be briefly digested in buffered pronase (pH 7.2) in order to clean them (Berland, 1983), but platyhelminths will not survive this treatment. Although one sometimes has to collect from frozen or pickled hosts, the specimens so recovered are always inferior to those that have been collected fresh.

Psychological stress-factors and concentrations of immunoglobulins and complement components in humans.

Abstract: Relationships between two types of occupational stress, one chronic and one acute, and plasma immunoglobulin and complement components were measured. The first group comprised female primary school teachers (N=40) subjected to long-lasting work stress. The second group comprised male merchant navy students (N=38) subjected to a series of short-lasting fear-inducing 20 meter drops in a life boat specially built for rescue operations from oil platforms. Significant correlations were found between personality factors, immunoglobulins and complement components in the teacher group, but not amongst the merchant navy students. For the teachers, personality traits correlated negatively with concentrations of IgA and IgG. IgM concentrations correlated with the more immediate work-related problems reported by the teachers. In a multiple regression analysis, psychological factors explained between 32% (IgM) and 15% (IgG) of the interindividual variance, when sex, age and job seniority and employment factors were controlled for. Psychological factors may therefore, at least on longlasting occupational stress groups, correlate with immune processes. The data support the concept of the importance for psychological factors in immunological function.

Primary repair in posterior cruciate ligament injuries.

Abstract: A retrospective study of 32 consecutive patients with acute injury of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) treated by primary repair is presented. Only six patients had isolated injuries of the PCL, five of these as avulsion of a bone fragment from the tibia. The remaining 26 patients sustained combined ligament injuries, including 18 total ACL tears. All ruptured ligaments were repaired.At follow-up after 4 (1–7) years, function in 26 patients was excellent-good and in six fair-poor.Moderate or severe posterior instability was found in seven patients by clinical examination but their function was as good as in those with stable knees. Inferior functional results, however, were more often related to rotatory instability. Primary repair of PCL-injuries, including all associated ligament injuries, is recommended.