Scientific Publications

Superjatkumovalonlähteet tuottavat laserin kaltaista valoa, jolla kuitenkin on laaja aallonpituusspektri. Tällaiset valonlähteet ovat erittäin hyödyllisiä normaalien laajakaistaisten lamppujen tilalla monissa optiikan sovellutuksissa. Laajakaistaisten valonlähteiden hyödyntäminen vaatii kuitenkin myös keinoja erottaa spektristä haluttu aallonpituuskaista käsittelyä varten. Tämän työn tarkoituksena on esitellä muutamia spektrisen erottelun menetelmiä, joita voidaan käyttää superjatkumosovellutuksissa. Työhön sisältyy myös yksinkertainen kokeellinen osuus. Ensimmäiseksi työssä käsitellään superjatkumovalonlähteiden teoriaa. Superjatkumoiden luominen perustuu epälineaarisiin ilmiöihin valon ja aineen vuorovaikutuksessa. Luomiseen käytetyt laserpulssit voidaan jaotella kestoltaan femtosekunnin kokoluokkaan tai tätä pidempiin pulsseihin. Alkuperäisen laserpulssin pituus vaikuttaa luodun superjatkumon ominaisuuksiin. Esimerkiksi pitkillä pulsseilla luod...

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Cruiseturisme bidrar til betydelig forurensning nasjonalt og globalt. Denne forskningen fokuserer på cruiseturismens påvirkning på klimaet i Flåm og Aurlandsfjorden. Vår masteroppgave tar sikte på å undersøke følgende problemstilling “Hvordan kan cruiseturismen i Flåm redusere miljøpåvirkningen og CO2- utslippene i en verdensarvfjord innen 2026?”. Oppgaven bruker rammeverket for ansvarlig innovasjon som et teoretisk grunnlag, og strukturerer forskningsarbeidet rundt denne modellen. Teorikapittelet gjennomgår relevant forskning på cruisenæringen, særlig med fokus på Flåm og Aurlandsfjorden, samt teorier om bærekraft, forretningsutvikling og innovasjon. Basert på disse teoriene utvikles et eget rammeverk for ansvarlig innovasjon, som anvendes for å besvare forskningsspørsmålene i diskusjonskapittelet. Datainnsamlingen inkluderer både primær- og sekundærdata. Primærdata består av kvalitative tekstdata samlet gjennom tidligere forskning og empiriske tekster....

The rare-element pegmatites of the Superior Province host critical metals (Li, Cs, Rb, Ta) essential for developing sustainable technologies. In the Separation Lake greenstone belt, Li-bearing pegmatites have been interpreted to have intruded in one event at ca. 2640 Ma and been pervasively overprinted by a ductile shear fabric, which recrystallized the ore. However, recent investigations suggested that these rocks intruded over a ca. 55 Ma period (ca. 2655 to 2601 Ma) and that the fabrics in the mineralized dykes are related to magmatic process during emplacement and crystallization, rather than recrystallization. In the current study, a variety of analytical methods such as electron backscattered diffraction, in situ U-Pb geochronology and micro-XRF scans are used to correlate the mechanisms and timing of pegmatite emplacement with the deformational history of the greenstone belt. New data show that S-type granitic magmatism in the greenstone belt had commenced by ca. 2690 Ma and tha...

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Discrete dissolved neodymium isotopes and rare earth element (REE) concentrations from the GEOTRACES process cruise GPpr05 (KM1107) around Oahu, Hawaii, and Hawaii Ocean Time-series station ALOHA (central North Pacific)....

The Zrt/Irt-like protein (ZIP) family consists of ubiquitously expressed divalent metal transporters critically involved in maintaining systemic and cellular homeostasis of zinc, iron, and manganese. As a highly diverse family, ZIPs exhibit very different substrate preference, but the molecular mechanism underlying the variations in substrate specificity has not been clarified. The ultimate goal of my research is to elucidate the mechanism of how ZIPs distinguish chemically similar d-block divalent metals. Here, I present an engineering method for human ZIP8, where four differentially conserved residues were rationally mutated into their counterparts in human ZIP4, creating a zinc-preferring quadruple variant (Q180H/E343H/C310A/N357H), which exhibited largely reduced transport activities towards Cd2+, Fe2+, and Mn2+ whereas increased activity toward Zn2+, “turning” human ZIP8 into a human ZIP4-like transporter. Current progress is related to a conditional selectivity filter identif...

The development of tandem mass spectrometers equipped with collision cells has enabled online interference removal for ICP-MS, with special attention paid to beta decay systems used for geochronology (e.g., Rb-Sr, Lu-Hf). The addition of pre-cell mass filters and collision cells for multicollector mass spectrometry has recently been utilized to constrain single laser spot Rb-Sr isochron dates in biotite with unprecedented precision [1]. This technique opens up avenues for campaign-style Rb-Sr geochronology, and adds a powerful new tool for constraining the cooling history of rocks in many tectonic settings over a broad range of spatial and temporal scales. Static multicollection from 85Rb to mass-shifted 88Sr19F utilizing the Thermo Scientific™ Neoma™ MC-ICP-MS/MS coupled to an ESL™ imageGEO™193 excimer laser-ablation system enables the recovery of significant age information from individual integrations within single laser spot analyses. These data reveal single spot isochrons...

Reliable measurement of zinc (Zn) isotopic composition in biological tissues is crucial for understanding zinc metabolism and its role in health. Zinc isotopic ratios, particularly δ66Zn, provide insights into zinc uptake, distribution, and excretion within the body. The primary aim of this study is to develop and refine advanced analytical methods to accurately measure Zn isotopic composition in biological samples, specifically liver and kidney tissues. This study addresses the challenges posed by the inherently narrow range of natural mass-dependent fractionation in zinc, typically confined to ±1‰. Using multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) and the double-spike method, the analytical method achieves precision up to 0.1‰. The method ensures low blank levels (below 5 ng) and a high yield recovery rate (95%) during processing. Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) such as Bovine Liver (NIST1577c); Human Hair (GBW07601, USGS42, USGS43); Whole Bloo...

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Mass spectrometry is increasingly used for contributing to half-life determination through atom counting. Tandem inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS) has demonstrated improved online interference removal for multiple radionuclides, but has not been applied to half-life measurements. This paper details the first known investigation of ICP-MS/MS for half-life measurement, focusing on 238U. The optimal setup, combined with Defined Solid Angle (DSA) measurement, calculated a half-life of 4.444 (55) × 109 a, in agreement with the current value of 4.468 (5) × 109 a. Further improvements in the instrument setup are recommended....

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Speleothems are sensitive paleoclimate archives and have been established as those during the past decades. They have the potential to continuously record valuable information about the past climate and can be precisely dated using U-series disequilibrium methods. The calculation of independent age-depth models and the analyses of various climate proxies, such as δ18O and δ13C, trace elements or fluid inclusions, allow to constrain high-resolution multi-proxy paleoclimate records. Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) events are centennial- to millennial-scale climate oscillations during Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3, ca. 60 - 30 ka BP). While first discovered in Greenland ice cores evidence of these climate events has been observed on a global scale. DO events are characterised by a rapid warming followed by a gradual cooling, while MIS 3 in general is considered a rather cold period. Therefore, the fact that MIS 3 speleothem records from Central Europe are very limited has been attributed to too...

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Digitalisaatio ja tekoälyn hyödyntäminen muuttavat terveydenhuollon toimintatapoja tarjoten uusia mahdollisuuksia sekä ammattilaisille että potilaille. Tämän opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena on tunnistaa MIGO-tekoälykameraratkaisun hyödynnettävyyttä neurologisten tehohoitopotilaiden tarkkailussa suomalaisessa tehohoitoympäristössä sekä erityisesti kartoittaa haasteita, joita MIGO-tekoälykameraratkaisulla voidaan ratkoa. Opinnäytetyö toteutettiin Siemens Healthineersin toimeksiannosta. Opinnäytetyön teoreettisina lähtökohtina perehdyttiin neurologisen tehohoitopotilaan hoitoon. Aineistonkeruumenetelmänä sovellettiin fokusryhmähaastattelua haastatellen hoitajia, jotka työskentelivät neurologisten tehohoitopotilaiden hoitoon ja valvontaan liittyvissä työtehtävissä. Fokusryhmähaastattelu valikoitui menetelmäksi, sillä analyysin mahdollistamiseksi työssä tuli saavuttaa ymmärrys näiden asiantuntijoiden näkemyksistä kyseisessä asiassa. Fokusryhmähaastatt...

In the evolving landscape of education, digital tools have become integral to teaching methodologies, particularly in the context of the Norwegian education system's recent reforms. This thesis investigates how primary school teachers in Southern Norway use and reflect on digital tools in their English language instruction, offering an analysis of the pedagogical implications of technology use in classrooms. Employing a mixed-method approach, this study conducted observations and semi-structured interviews with four teachers from two schoolsin Agder County, focusing on classes from sixth to eight grade. The research reveals that digital tools are predominantly used to enhance engagement, facilitate access to resources, and support collaborative and individual learning processes. Teachers strategically employed devices such as tablets and software like Google Docs, PowerPoint, and educational platforms like Quizlet to cater to diverse learning needs and enrich the instructional environm...

Accessory minerals, such as zircon, apatite, and sulfides, can be used to decipher distinct events that can occur over protracted magmatic histories. Although studies of accessory minerals are now well established, there are caveats to their use, such as the loss of their petrogenetic context. This study examines the textural characteristics of zircon, crust and mantle contributions to granitic melts, the chemistry of sulfides, and the petrogenetic context of apatite in the Colorado Mineral Belt to provide a transcrustal story told by accessory minerals. The Colorado Mineral Belt is chosen due to the presence of syn- and post-subduction granitoids that are abundant in accessory minerals, and in close spatial and temporal proximity. Granite isotope chemistries from the Colorado Mineral Belt are sourced primarily from crustal assimilation. εHf values range from -5 to -12 (55 to 80% crustal contribution) in syn-subduction magmas, and from εHf -6 to -10 (55 to 70% crustal contribution) i...

The aim of the final year project was to improve data transfer between water supply network information systems and inspection related software and ensure that all new and essential information about the network and network condition is available more easily and that the information is up to date. The ultimate aim was a more proactive, more flawless, more cost-effective information retrieval in accordance with modern security requirements. The project examined the requirements for data transfer, compared the existing options and drafted an implementation solution corresponding to the requirements. The result of the project was a national, system independent definition and recommendation for a two-way uniform procedure to transfer data between water supply network information systems and inspection software. The project also resulted in a generic data model for data transfer covering the feature classes and attributes that should be included in the transfer. The information produced in ...

This work examines the effectiveness of using interactive learning tools in educating students with special educational needs (SEN). The master thesis aims to improve the efficiency of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) tools in SEN education by developing and evaluating a specifically designed learning environment for these students. The literature analysis revealed that ICT tools can enhance learning outcomes for SEN students. A survey indicated that educators understand the potential of ICT, but a lack of resources and teacher motivation hinder their full utilization. The created learning environment caters to SEN students and facilitates their learning process. An experiment demonstrated that students using this environment achieved better results than those who did not. In light of the research in the research findings, recommendations are provided to promote ICT use in special education, offer support and training for teachers, and create and adapt the learning enviro...

The aquaculture industry in Norway is expected to grow with potential impact on the environment. The common seafood delicacy Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) was studied to see how the vicinity to aquaculture might affect the trace element concentration. A total of 79 nephrops have been caught in four different locations in Romsdalsfjorden, Norway. Two locations (A and B) were in increasing distance from a fish farm, one location was considered a control group (C) several km from any fish farms, and the last location (D) was near, but upstream fish farms with potential effect. Hepatopancreas and muscle tissue have been analysed for the non-essential trace elements Cd, Hg, Pb, and As, in addition to the essential elements Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn and Se. The main objective of this study was to investigate the element composition of trace elements in this benthic invertebrate species in the vicinity of the fish farms. The trace elements were also investigated regarding distribution of concentr...

The western margin of North America was shaped by the Cordilleran orogen. In the mid-Cretaceous, northeast-directed convergence resulted in compression-related structures that span the Cordillera, including the Selwyn thrust and fold belt in central Yukon. Bordering the Keno Hill area are two northwest-southeast extending thrust faults of the Selwyn thrust and fold belt. These faults are the Robert Service Thrust (RST), to the south, and the underlying Tombstone Thrust (TT), to the north. Previous detailed studies of the Keno Hill area have focussed on the late, brittle structures that host vein mineralization, leaving the structural evolution of the early, ductile structures largely unresolved. To investigate the geological evolution of the early structures, this study incorporates 1:25000 scale structural field mapping, microstructural analysis, and geochronology, including: c-axis crystallographic preferred orientation investigations, grain size piezometry, crystallographic vorticit...

This study aims to provide a quantitative chemical characterization of the Endeavour non-buoyant plume and examine the processes that impact trace metal transport from vent sites to the ocean interior. The chemistry of the Endeavour non-buoyant plume was analyzed using filtered and unfiltered seawater samples collected at 5 stations, starting on-axis at the Main Endeavour Vent field and extending ~45 km southwest of the axial valley. The spatial distribution of these trace metals is likely controlled by a number of processes, including metal sulfide precipitation, oxidation, sedimentation, and plume mixing. Iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) are limiting or co-limiting nutrients for primary productivity, nitrogen fixation and other biogeochemically important processes in the ocean. The transport of metals associated with hydrothermal plumes and the processes that impact their fate are poorly understood. High concentrations of dFe (24-68 nmol kg-1) and dMn (46-98 nmol kg-1), relative to ambie...

Emeralds - the green colored variety of beryl - occur as gem-quality specimens in over fifty deposits globally. While digital traceability methods for emerald have limitations, sample-based approaches offer robust alternatives, particularly for determining the geographic origin of emerald. Three factors make emerald suitable for provenance studies and hence for developing models for origin determination. First, the diverse elemental chemistry of emerald at minor (...

Elemental imaging in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is usually performed by placing laser shots adjacent to each other on the sample surface without spatial overlap. Seeing that signal intensity is directly related to the amount of ablated material, this restricts either spatial resolution (for a given excitation efficiency) or sensitivity (when reducing the laser spot size). The experimental applicability of a concept involving the spatial overlapping of shots on the sample surface is investigated and compared to the conventional approach. By systematic choice of spacing between laser shots, spatial resolution can be improved to the single digit micrometer range for a given laser spot size. Signal intensity is found to be linearly dependent on the area ablated per shot, facilitating larger signal-to-background ratios with increased spot sizes. Owing to this, the presented approach is also employed to enhance signal intensity, while preserving spatial resolution. The applicabilit...

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the kidney malignancy with the highest incidence and mortality rates. Despite the high patient burden, there are no biomarkers for rapid diagnosis and public health surveillance. Urine would be an ideal source of ccRCC biomarkers due to the low invasiveness, easy accessibility, and the kidney’s intrinsic role in filtering urine. In the present work, by combining proteomics, lipidomics and metabolomics, we detected urogenital metabolic dysregulation in ccRCC patients with increased lipid metabolism, altered mitochondrial respiration signatures and increased urinary lipid content. Importantly, we identify three early-stage diagnostic biomarkers for ccRCC in urine samples: Serum amyloid A1 (SAA1), Haptoglobin (HP) and Lipocalin 15 (LCN15). We further implemented a parallel reaction monitoring mass spectrometry protocol for rapid and sensitive detection of SAA1, HP and LCN15 and combined all three proteins into a diagnostic UrineScore. In our di...

Cadmium (Cd) is a major environmental pollutant with high toxicity potential. Even though a reduction of growth, including the primary root, is a clear consequence of Cd exposure, a profound understanding of the impact of Cd on the root apical meristem (RAM) and the elongation/differentiation zone (EDZ) is still lacking.In this study,Arabidopsis thalianaroots were subjected to Cd and divided into root tips (RT) and remaining roots (RR) to separately assess the effect of Cd using transcriptomics, ionomics and metabolomics.Elemental profiling revealed lower Cd accumulation in RT and differences in mineral contents between RT and RR. Transcriptomic analysis demonstrated distinct gene expression patterns in RT and RR, with Cd having less impact in RT. Functional enrichment analysis revealed genes associated with iron and sulfur homeostasis as well as the response to light in both RR and RT. RT-specific responses to Cd included several genes regulated by the transcription factor ELONGATED H...

Objective Jiaodong area is the largest gold ore concentration area in China and the most important copper−molybdenum polymetallic ore deposit area in Shandong Province. Strengthening the study of petrography, petrogeochemistry and chronology of Mesozoic granites is conducive to further promoting the prospecting of gold and polymetallic deposits in this area. Methods Taking the medium−fine grained monzogranite and granite porphyry as the main research object, this study primarily carried onlaser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA−ICP−MS) U−Pb chronology on the zircon, whole−rock geochemistry,whole−rock Sr−Nd−Pb and zircon Hf isotopic study, aiming to confirm the timing and discuss the petrogenesis and tectonic settings of the Sanheshan pluton in Southwest Jiaodong. Results The results of LA−ICP−MS zircon U−Pb show that the medium−fine grained monzogranite was formed in (115.42 ± 0.27) Ma and the granite porphyry was formed in (115.21±0....

We demonstrate for the first time that the broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate is a stable transformation product during manganese-driven oxidation of diethylenetriamine penta(methylenephosphonate) (DTPMP), a complexing agent widely used in household and industry applications. Glyphosate formation was observed at circumneutral pH (i) in the presence of MnO2 (with and without dissolved O2) as well as (ii) in the presence of Mn2+ and O2. Maximum glyphosate yields varied with reaction conditions and ranged from 0.06 to 0.16 mol-%. Given the ubiquitous presence of manganese in the environment and wastewater treatment systems, Mn-driven transformation of DTPMP likely contributes to glyphosate formation under environmentally relevant conditions. Our results support recent reports of municipal wastewater as a previously neglected source of glyphosate in European surface waters with aminopolyphosphonates as suspected precursors. Therefore, the current approach to protecting water resources fro...

The research examines the key determinants of civil society robustness in Southeast Asia, addressing a significant gap in quantitative research within the region. Utilizing the beta regression model on data spanning from 1986 to 2023, the researcher explores the impact of participatory democracy, civil liberty, political stability, the rule of law, and neopatrimonialism on civil society’s robustness. Moderating effects of GDP per capita, control of corruption, freedom of expression, and digital freedom accessibility are also considered. Findings reveal that participatory democracy and civil liberties significantly enhance civil society’s robustness, whereas political instability tends to undermine it. Surprisingly, neopatrimonialism shows a positive influence, suggesting complex adaptive strategies by civil organizations. Along with the insignificant result of the rule of law, neopatrimonialism challenges conventional views, standing out among the variables analyzed. The research c...