Human rights in the face of disaster - to what extent do member states have a positive obligation under the European Convention on Human Rights with regard to natural disasters?

This thesis will look at how the European Convention on Human and the European Court of Human Rights address natural disasters within member states. On several occasions, the Court has had to consider the human rights implications caused by natural disasters, and the trend does not seem to decrease. This thesis will examine how natural disasters can infringe upon the fundamental rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights and how the European Court of Human Rights tends to handle such occurrences. It will also look at how Norway has implemented Environmental Impact Assessment legislation and if this legislation contains the tools needed to fulfil the positive obligation set out in the Convention.MasteroppgaveJUS399MAJUR-2MAJU

Towards an Ethical Metaverse: A Systematic Literature Review on Privacy Challenges

Along with the increasing interest in the metaverse as a new space for social interaction, privacy challenges that arise from new forms of data collection and usage have received notable research interest. Still, researchers and practitioners lack a structured overview of these privacy challenges as a foundation to explore measures that allow for safe and protected interaction in an ethical metaverse. To bridge this gap, we conducted a systematic literature review. We find that interaction in the metaverse carries the risk of revealing more sensitive personal data than in the traditional Internet. Moreover, we identify metaverse privacy challenges on different stakeholder levels, which often mirror those from the traditional Internet. Nevertheless, the metaverse also introduces novel facets to existing challenges due to its unique characteristics. These facets are discussed across six essential dimensions of privacy. Based on our findings, we provide recommendations for building a safe and secure metaverse environment

Untersuchungen zur Vaskularisation und Antiangiogenesetherapie beim metastasierten malignen Melanom

Bisher haben klinische Studien mit Angiogense-Inhibitoren keinen entscheidenden Vorteil für Patienten mit metastasiertem malignen Melanom erbringen können. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, mit Hilfe grundlegender Analysen das therapeutische Potential dieser neuen Therapieform zu hinterfragen und nach möglichen Ursachen für die fehlende Wirksamkeit zu suchen. Hierzu wurde der Fokus erstmals auf die Metastasen des malignen Melanoms gerichtet. Dank spezifischer Antikörper konnte die Bedeutung der Angiogenese und Lymphangiogenese für kutane Melanomfiliae immunhistochemisch untersucht und mit anderen Gewebeentitäten verglichen werden. Die computerassistierte Auswertung offenbarte für Melanommetastasen ebenso wie für primäre maligne Melanome eine gegenüber gesunder Haut signifikant gesteigerte Gefäßneubildung und bescheinigt Angiogenesehemmern damit einen hohen potentiellen Nutzen. Weshalb Patienten im fortgeschrittenen Melanomstadium bisher jedoch nicht von dieser Therapieform profitieren, wurde möglicherweise durch die in dieser Arbeit dargestellte Auswertung einer Phase-II-Studie mit dem Angiogenese-Inhibitor PTK/ZK beantwortet. Hierbei wiesen beide monotherapierten Patienten im Melanomstadium IV aus Studienarm A nach 57 Behandlungstagen eine Zunahme der VEGF-A, VEGF-C und VEGF-D Plasmakonzentration auf. Unter Kombination mit dem Chemotherapeutikum Dacarbazin in Studienarm B konnte dies nur bei einem von drei Patienten beobachtet werden. Dazu waren das mittlere, progressionsfreie Überleben in Studienarm A erniedrigt und die Gefäßdichte nach 57 Behandlungstagen sogar erhöht. Dies deutet auf einen womöglich durch Hypoxie getriggerten Escapemechanismus durch vermehrte Sekretion proangiogenetischer Wachs¬tums-faktoren hin, welcher unter Chemotherapie negativ beeinflusst wird. In der vorliegenden Arbeit konnte somit gezeigt werden, dass Angiogenese-Inhibitoren eine klare Berechtigung in der Entwicklung neuer Behandlungsmethoden bei metastasierten malignen Melanomen besitzen. Die Entfaltung ihres Potentials wird jedoch von einem komplexen Zusammenspiel unterschiedlicher Faktoren beeinflusst, welches noch genauer verstanden werden muss. Die Zukunft einer wirksamen Antiangiogenesetherapie ist aus den Erkenntnissen dieser Arbeit zu möglichen Restistenzmechanismen vermutlich in einer Kombination mit effektiven Chemotherapeutika zu sehen

Designing Gamification for Sustainable Employee Behavior: Insights on Employee Motivations, Design Features and Gamification Elements

Encouraging sustainable employee behavior is critical for companies in the face of increasing societal pressure towards sustainability. While gamification has been shown to influence employee behavior effectively, current attempts to design gamification for sustainability in the workplace largely neglect the importance of understanding personal factors and contextual characteristics. This work explores employees' motivations for sustainable behavior and expectations for design features through in-depth interviews with 27 employees from different SMEs. Our results show that many employees tend to be egoistically motivated, suggesting the design of appropriate narratives and individualistic-oriented design features. Employees expected utilitarian, hedonistic, and social design features that primarily serve to support them in achieving personal sustainability goals while highlighting that gamification at work should also integrate seamlessly with existing work routines. We contribute to gamification design research by discussing the particularities of the workplace sustainability context and shedding new light on involving users in gamification design

Anmeldelse: Tøj og tekstil i Danmarks oldtid

Anmeldelse af Tøj og tekstil i Danmarks oldtid af Ulla Mannering Review of Tøj og tekstil i Danmarks oldtid by Ulla Mannerin

How to increase sustainable engagement in the workplace through green IS: the role of instructional and motivational design features

Research on green IS has emphasized the value of both instructional and motivational elements in supporting sustainable behavior at work. However, there is still a lack of understanding of these different feature types\u27 individual roles and relevance in inducing sustainable employee behavior. Our study addresses this gap and investigates the use and effects of different instructional and motivational elements in a green IS through a field study with 92 employees in five companies. Our findings based on the analysis of behavioral data shows that instructional elements are more relevant in inducing sustainable behavior, but motivational elements can amplify the positive influence of instructional elements, in particular for long-term user engagement. We contribute to theory and practice by revealing the role of instructional and motivational elements in the successful design of green IS for sustainable employee behavior

Behavior Change Support Systems for Self-Treating Procrastination: Systematic Search in App Stores and Analysis of Motivational Design Archetypes

Background: The phenomenon of procrastination refers to an individual’s conscious decision to postpone the completion of tasks despite being aware of its adverse consequences in the future. Extant research in this field shows that procrastination is associated with increased levels of anxiety and stress and the likelihood of developing depression and calls for the development of suitable interventions that support individuals in making lasting positive changes to their procrastination behaviors. In parallel, practice has produced a plethora of behavior change support systems (BCSSs) that aim to provide a low-threshold, accessible alternative to in-person therapeutic approaches. Most of these BCSSs can be considered motivational BCSSs that combine functional, utilitarian components with hedonic and eudaimonic design elements to empower self-treatment. Although early studies have suggested the potential benefits of such BCSSs, research on understanding their specific design characteristics and support of individuals in self-treating procrastination is still in its infancy. Objective: In response to this gap between practice and research, we aimed to analyze and systemize the multitude of practical design efforts in motivational BCSSs for the self-treatment of procrastination and identify the main design archetypes that have emerged. Methods: We conducted a 3-step research approach. First, we identified 127 behavior change support apps for procrastination through a systematic screening process in the German and US Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Second, we systematically coded the identified apps in terms of the behavior change techniques targeted by their functional design and hedonic or eudaimonic design elements. Third, we conducted a 2-step cluster analysis to identify archetypes of motivational design in behavior change support apps to combat procrastination. Results: A variety of motivational designs have been developed and implemented in practice, and our analysis identified five main archetypes: (1) structured progress monitor, (2) self-improvement guide, (3) productivity adventure, (4) emotional wellness coach, and (5) social focus companion. The identified archetypes target different psychological determinants of procrastination and successfully use a variety of hedonic and eudaimonic design elements that extend beyond the current state of research. Conclusions: The results of our study provide a foundation for future research endeavors that aim to examine the comparative effects of motivational design archetypes and develop more effective interventions tailored to individual needs. For practitioners, the findings reveal the contemporary design space of motivational BCSSs to support the self-treatment of procrastination and may serve as blueprints that can guide the design of future systems. For individuals seeking support and health professionals treating procrastination, our study systemizes the landscape of apps, thereby facilitating the selection of one that best aligns with the patient’s individual needs

Leading in the digital age: A systematic review on leader traits in the context of e-leadership

Due to the rapid changes in work environments caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, leadership has shifted from face-to-face to virtual contexts. Accordingly, the new challenges require specific e-leader traits. To summarize the divergent scholarly discussion, we conducted a systematic review and identified distal (i.e., personality, cognitive abilities, motives and attitudes, and core beliefs) and proximal (i.e., skills) attributes of e-leaders. Our results show that some traditional leader traits such as technological, communication, motivational, and organizational skills are also important for e-leadership. However, certain traits become increasingly important in virtual contexts: e-leaders need adaptability and risk- taking to deal with constant change, and higher cultural, social, and emotional intelligence to foster collaboration in diversified teams. In addition, digital technologies require particular change management, coaching, and trust-building skills. Our findings contribute to the current discussion on e-leadership and help practitioners train their leaders towards the identified e-leader profile

Gutters tanker og følelser om egen kropp og utseende – en kvalitativ studie

Bakgrunn: Ungdom opplever betydelig oppmerksomhet på kropp og utseende. De beskriver et press om å ha en kropp som samsvarer med samfunnsidealer. Det er avgjørende for helsefremmende og forebyggende tiltak at vi forstår hvilket forhold unge mennesker har til kropp og utseende. Tidligere forskning har i stor grad fokusert på jenter i denne sammenhengen. Hensikt: Studiens hensikt var å utforske gutters tanker og følelser om egen kropp og eget utseende. Metode: Vi benyttet kvalitativ, deskriptiv metode. Vi gjennomførte ni semistrukturerte, individuelle intervjuer med gutter i alderen 16–19 år i en storby i Norge. Dataene ble analysert ved hjelp av stegvis induktiv-deduktiv metode, som genererte sju kodegrupper, som igjen ble redusert til tre konsepter. Resultat: I analysen identifiserte vi tre konsepter som beskrev guttenes tanker og følelser: 1) «Egen kropp og idealkroppen», 2) «Idealkroppens betydning» og 3) «Kroppspress eller motivasjon». Deltakerne var generelt fornøyd med kroppen sin. Gutter med mer fremskreden pubertetsutvikling uttrykte at de var mer tilfreds med kroppen enn de i et tidligere stadium av puberteten. Idealkroppen var for guttene en positiv identitetsmarkør. De fleste deltakerne så på kroppspress som negativt, men et fåtall erfarte kroppspress som en motiverende drivkraft for trening. Konklusjon: En kropp i tråd med samfunnets idealer er positivt assosiert og av betydning for sosial anerkjennelse, tilhørighet og respekt. Opplevelser av kroppspress var en felles erfaring hos deltakerne. Studien viser at sen pubertetsdebut kan gjøre unge mennesker mer sårbare og utsatt for kroppsmisnøye. Dette understreker behovet for målrettet, forebyggende arbeid med søkelys på identitet og egenverd i en prepubertal fase.publishedVersio