Visualization of Actual and Expected Trajectories for Stroke Patients

As people consult the health care sector, the amount of data registered in their health records increase. The interest for insight into the medical journals is increasing. It can be strenuous for the patients to understand their own journals, and a support system is needed to make the data more manageable to grasp. Previously, the focus has been on developing systems for the clinicians and help them make clinical decisions. This master thesis focuses on the patients, providing a helpful tool to better understand their own health situation. The focus was on patients who received treatment for after having suffered a stroke. It was attempted to find the best method for visualizing the patient's health records. Possible solutions for the visualization were revealed by conducting a literature review and a workshop, and usability testing. The result was a timeline containing 1) the individual patient's health records, 2) the stroke guidelines, and 3) the typical contacts based on a group of similar patients. The stroke guidelines were incorporated into the visualization in order to give a comparable element to the patient's stroke treatment. Patients who are still receiving treatment for their stroke may draw benefits from the guidelines by seeing what will be the next stages in the treatment. Additionally, similar stroke patients were grouped together in order to find similarities in their treatments. The similarities were used to visualize the visits which were most probable of occurring in a stroke treatment. In conclusion, the project provides useful methods for handling large amounts of medical data and visualizing the data to the users

ADS-B - Reception, Processing and Display

Electronic Chart Centre (ECC) er et selskap som driver med utvikling og vedlikehold av digitale kartløsninger i samarbeid med blant annet Kartverket. Selskapet ønsker å vise mer informasjon i kartapplikasjonene sine, som blant annet skal bli brukt av Luftambulansetjenesten HF. I denne forbindelse lyste de ut en oppgave for å se på muligheten til å integrere fly data inn i nye digitale løsninger. Oppgaven bestod av å utvikle et programmeringsgrensesnitt som kan returnere en liste over nåværende fly i luften, samt historiske data for et flys siste posisjoner. I tillegg ønsket ECC at det ble utviklet en nettside som kunne bruke dette grensesnittet til å vise fly på et interaktivt kart, for å demonstrere hva grensesnittet kunne brukes til. Denne rapporten beskriver prosessen med å utvikle en løsning som oppfyller alle kravene satt av oppdragsgiveren. Gruppens tanker og vurderinger underveis presenteres også for å gi leseren et helhetlig bilde av prosjektet, samt for å inspirere til videre utvikling og forbedring av løsningen.Electronic Chart Centre (ECC) is a company involved in the development and maintenance of digital map solutions in collaboration with organizations such as Norwegian Mapping Authority (Kartverket). The company aims to enhance its map applications with additional information, particularly for use by the Norwegian Air Ambulance Service (Luftambulansetjenesten HF). In this context, they announced a project to explore the possibility of integrating flight data into new digital solutions. The task involved developing an API that can return a list of current air traffic, as well as historical data for a flight’s recent positions. Additionally, ECC requested a website that could use this API to display aircraft on an interactive map, demonstrating the potential uses of the interface. This report describes the process of developing a solution that meets all the requirements set by the client. The group's reflections and considerations throughout the project are also presented to provide the reader with a comprehensive view of the project, as well as to inspire further development and improvement of the solution

Plasticity in response to feed availability - does feeding regime influence the relative growth performance of domesticated, wild and hybrid Atlantic salmon Salmo salar parr?

Growth of farmed, wild and F1 hybrid Atlantic salmon parr, Salmo salar, was investigated under three contrasting feeding regimes in order to understand how varying levels of food availability affects relative growth. Treatments consisted of standard hatchery feeding (ad libitum), access to feed for 4h every day, and access to feed for 24h on three alternate days weekly. Mortality was low in all treatments, and food availability had no effect on survival of all groups. The offspring of farmed S. salar significantly outgrew the wild S. salar, while hybrids displayed intermediate growth. Furthermore, the relative growth differences between the farmed and wild S. salar did not change across feeding treatments, indicating a similar plasticity in response to feed availability. Although undertaken in a hatchery setting, these results suggest that food availability may not be the sole driver behind the observed reduced growth differences found between farmed and wild fishes under natural conditions

Robotics as aid within welfare

This diploma assignment is in collaboration with Mektron and deals primarily with welfare technology with robot as aid. My contact person in Mektron, Egil Utheim has for several years been working on the development of a robot shower. This is intended as an aid for the disabled and for persons in rehabilitation. Egil wants to help elderly and other disabled people to more easily handle personal hygiene on their own. His goal is to get more disabled to master the most intimate part of the shower sequence on its own with the help of a robotic arm. In addition to improve dignity, another gain is that the person stays active and self-functioning over a longer period.submittedVersio

Domestication leads to increased predation susceptibilit

Domestication involves adapting animals to the human-controlled environment. Genetic changes occurring during the domestication process may manifest themselves in phenotypes that render domesticated animals maladaptive for life in the wild. Domesticated Atlantic salmon frequently interbreed with wild conspecifics, and their offspring display reduced survival in the wild. However, the mechanism(s) contributing to their lower survival in the wild remains a subject of conjecture. Here, we document higher susceptibility to predation by brown trout in fast-growing domesticated salmon, as compared to their slow-growing wild conspecifics, demonstrating that directional selection for increased growth comes at a cost of decreased survival when under the risk of predation, as predicted by the growth/predation risk trade-off. Despite earlier documentation of altered risk-taking behavior, this study demonstrates for the first time that domestication of Atlantic salmon has lead to increased predation susceptibility, and that this consitutes a mechanism underpinning the observed survial differences in the wild.publishedVersio

Comparing methods and indices for biodiversity and status assessment in a hydropower-regulated river

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to achieve good status of aquatic habitats. Classification of ecological status and identifying the stressors impacting aquatic habitats is essential for achieving this aim. Here, we evaluate different methods and indices for assessing ecological status in a hydropower-regulated river in central Norway using kick-sampling and macroinvertebrate identification through morphology and DNA as well as using environmental DNA. In Norway, the ASPT index (Average Score Per Taxon) is commonly used to evaluate ecological condition in general, although the index only provides evidence for organic pollution. We observed lower than expected diversity in the regulated river, but this was not reflected in the ASPT index, which showed “Good” to “High” status for all samples and methods. An alternative index, the IBIBI (Intercalibrated Benthic Invertebrate Biodiversity Index), returned “Bad” to “Moderate” status using the same data. The DNA-based identification methods returned in general higher species richness and somewhat higher index values than morphological species identification did. Our study exemplifies the importance of including relevant biological quality indices in WFD compliant assessments, and we advocate inclusion of a pressure-independent index like IBIBI in Norwegian river management and DNA-based identification methods for future river management in general. eDNA · DNA metabarcoding · Benthic macroinvertebrates · River management · Community compositionpublishedVersio

Exploring sensitivities to hydropeaking in Atlantic salmon parr using individual-based modelling

Hydropeaking (the release of water pulses at hydropower plants) results in temporaryreductions in river channel water-covered area downstream, which may cause fishmortality through stranding. We used a mechanistic modelling approach to examinehow both the form of the hydropeaking cycle and the characteristics of the affectedfish control how hydropeaking may cause stranding mortality of fish. We modelledthe response of Atlantic parr to hydropeaking in a regulated watercourse in centralNorway (the River Nidelva) using an individual-based population model designedexplicitly to examine fish behaviour and stranding mortality during hydropeaking. Aresponse to hydropeaking, involving migration from the riverbanks towards the mid-channel on down-ramping and a return to the riverbanks on up-ramping, was basedon individuals being parameterized to migrate to habitat properties that spatiallychanged throughout the hydropeaking cycle. We found that stranding mortality wasstrongly dependent on both the form of the hydropeaking cycle and on the fishresponse. Total stranding mortality was more dependent on the down-ramping speedthan the duration of the minimum flow period. Total stranding mortality was greatestwhen there was a low movement speed, leading to individuals being stranded, com-bined with a high probability of dying per unit of time when stranded. Given the sen-sitivity of mortality to the fish response and the lack of detailed field studiesquantifying this, we conclude that this area requires further controlled studies forparameterizing models used to predict effects of hydropeaking on fish. Simulation-based modelling, where there is a 100% control of and knowledge of fish characteris-tics, where a range of deterministic functions can be evaluated and in whichboundary conditions can be easily controlled, may be a useful research tool to com-plement empirical studies. Atlantic salmon juveniles, fish mortality, fish movement, hydropeaking, individual-basedmodellingpublishedVersio

Evaluating environmental impacts of micro, mini and small hydropower plants in Norway

Small-scale hydropower plants with an installed capacity <10 MW are an important part of Norway’s local and regional development. Small-scale facilities have been viewed as a relatively environmentally friendly form of energy production because they are assumed to have limited negative environmental impact. However, the plants potentially have environmental impacts related to land use changes from infrastructure installation and also instream effects such as barriers to fish migration or disturbed flow conditions within bypasses. We used a remote sensing and GIS approach to examine the relative environmental impacts of three different size classes of Norwegian small-scale plants – categorized as micro (<0.1 MW), mini (0.1–1 MW) and small (1–10 MW). We evaluated 148 small-scale hydropower projects in Trøndelag, central Norway, focusing on their footprint and potential environmental impacts. Our analysis showed a slight preference for siting in forested habitat and, in particular, forested gorges associated with high biodiversity. However, most hydropower plants were not sited in forested gorges, or in areas with high predicted intensities of threatened terrestrial species. Similarly, there was little overlap with known migratory paths of Atlantic salmon and sea trout, or with archived occurrence records of instream fishes: salmon, trout or European eel. A low degree of overlap was attributed to the limited number of projects compared to the extensive distribution of these fish populations. The footprint areas of the projects were small (<4 ha) but increased with the size of the hydropower plants. Individual micro plants likely had low impact within their footprint because they required the least infrastructure for installation, and lacked dams which may act as barriers to fish movements. However, small plants were more land-use efficient. Our findings suggest that all size classes of small-scale hydropower plant have a role in balancing Norway’s goals of minimizing environmental impacts of energy production while contributing to local and regional development. Efficiency of land use Forested gorges Land use change Migratory fish Threatened terrestrial speciesacceptedVersio

Dynamisk minstevannføring i et miljødesignperspektiv: Kobling av hydrologiske og biologiske faktorer

Laksen er tilpasset et liv i rennende vann og til et sesongmønster avhengig av hvilken elv og bestand den kommer fra. Regulerte elver har et vannføringsmønster som kan avvike fra det naturlige og i mange tilfeller er det fraført vann fra regulerte elver slik at det i perioder er svært lav vannføring. Det finnes fremdeles relativt lite kunnskap om hvordan lavvannsepisoder påvirker laksebestanden og hvor lenge slike episoder må vare for å ha en effekt. I dette prosjektet ønsket vi å undersøke den koblingen mellom biologi og hydrologi med bruk av datasett fra Surna (regulert) og Nausta (uregulert). Det ble valg ut biologiske parametere som var forventet å påvirke rekrutteringen, og dermed hvordan laksebestander utvikler seg over tid. Disse parametrene var eggdeponering, tetthet og bestandens kortsiktige vekstrate. Analysene av rekruttering mellom egg og årsyngel og årsyngel og ettårig laks over tid ble basert på data fra på ungfisktettheter. Det ble også valgt ut spesifikke perioder i laksens livssyklus som kunne være spesielt sårbare for lavvannshendelser. Disse periodene var gytetiden, klekking og swim-up perioden, i tillegg til vinter og sommer perioden. Hydrologiske parametere ble beregnet for begge vassdragene på ulik måte. Hydrologiske parametere i Nausta er basert på direkte målinger i uregulert felt og i Surna er det beregnet ut fra vannføring i den uregulerte elvestrekningen oppstrøms utløpet til Trollheimen kraftverk. I tillegg til standard hydrologiske parametere fra IHA, ble det også beregnet totalt antall dager og totalt antall kontinuerlige dager (CUT) under terskelverdier for begge vassdragene. Analysene av data fra Nausta og Surna ble gjort ved å teste hvordan et utvalg relevante hydrologiske parametere påvirket utviklingen i tetthet i kohorter mellom år, eller bestandens kortsiktige vekstrate. I Nausta ble flere hydrologiske parametere testet. Resultatene fra én analyse med CUT-variabelen tyder på at rekruttering av laks påvirkes av samspillet mellom antall dager under ukemedian lavvannføring på vinteren og tettheten av årsyngel foregående år. Denne var den eneste av variablene som slo ut som signifikant av samtlige hydrologiske parameterne som ble testet i Nausta. For Surna ble sammenhengen mellom CUT og totalt antall dager under terskelverdi testet, uten at det ble funnet noen signifikant effekt på rekrutteringen. Den hydrologiske CUT-parameteren virker å være av biologisk betydning på vinteren og bør testes ut på flere datasett. En utfordring med våre tidsserieanalyser var at lavvannshendelser forekom relativt sjeldent, og at det derfor ble relativt få datapunkter med svært lave vannføringer og lang varighet, sammenlignet med mindre ekstreme eller kortvarige hendelser. Andre elver som har mer variasjon eller hyppigere frekvens av lavvannsepisoder vil muligens mer entydige sammenhenger.Salmon are adapted to life in running water and to a seasonal pattern depending on the river and population they originate from. Regulated rivers have a flow pattern that may deviate from the natural one, and in many cases, water has been diverted from regulated rivers, leading to very low flow during certain periods. There is still relatively little knowledge about how low-flow episodes affect salmon populations and how long such episodes must last to have an effect. In this project, we aimed to investigate the fundamental link between biology and hydrology using datasets from Surna (regulated) and Nausta (unregulated). Biological parameters expected to influence recruitment, and thus how salmon populations develop over time, were selected. These included egg deposition, density, and population growth rate. Analyses of population development over time were based on data from juvenile fish densities and population growth rates. Specific periods in the salmon’s life cycle that could be particularly vulnerable to low-flow events were also selected. These periods were spawning time, hatching, and the swim-up phase, as well as winter and summer periods. Hydrological parameters were calculated for both watercourses in different ways. Hydrological parameters in Nausta were based on direct measurements in the unregulated area, while in Surna, they were calculated based on water flow in the unregulated river section upstream of the Trollheim power plant outlet. In addition to standard hydrological parameters from the IHA (Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration), the total number of days and the total number of continuous days (CUT) below threshold values were calculated for both watercourses. Analyses of data from Nausta and Surna were conducted to test how a selection of relevant hydrological parameters influenced the development of cohort densities between years or the short-term growth rate of the population. In the unregulated Nausta River, several hydrological parameters were tested, and the so-called CUT parameter (continuous days under threshold) showed a significant negative effect on the relationship between fry and one-year-old salmon the following year when there were many days below the threshold value. This was the only parameter among all tested hydrological variables that showed a significant result. For Surna, the same parameters were tested, but no significant effect on the population was found. The hydrological CUT parameter appears to be of biological importance in winter and should be tested on additional datasets. A challenge with our time series analyses was that low-flow events occurred relatively rarely, resulting in relatively few data points with extremely low flow and long duration compared to less extreme or shorter events. Other rivers with more variation or a higher frequency of low-flow episodes may potentially yield more consistent results.publishedVersio