Tag: Norway
Lead ammunition used by hunters has us all in its sights
For millions of people, game meat is their primary source of protein, but if the animal is shot using lead (Pb) ammunition, its meat can be toxic. The lead in the ammunition also finds its way into wildlife, ecosystems, and the global food chain, taking the poison far beyond the gun barrel. There are non-lead alternatives, but hunters are slow […]
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Novel immunoassays for detection of faecal calprotectin and neutrophil extracellular traps in the gut
Faecal calprotectin (CP) is a valuable biomarker for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Nevertheless, commercial assays do not display comparable clinical sensitivities and specificities. Dr Magne Fagerhol at the Oslo University Hospital, Norway, explored the structure of faecal CP to understand the sources of variation and developed new monoclonal antibody mixtures and immunoassay procedures that improved the sensitivity. Moreover, Fagerhol demonstrated […]
Listening across the oceans: Distributed acoustic sensing
Fibre optic cables have become the backbone of digital communication across the oceans. These cables are not just useful for transmitting information from one location to another – they can also be used as an incredibly long sensor array in themselves. Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is a powerful way of measuring sound and vibrations in the sea floor. Dr Ole […]
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New, exotic materials: Getting oxygen into yttrium hydrides
The modern world is constantly hungry for new materials with properties optimised for their applications. Designing them is no trivial task and often relies on computational modelling to test whether new material structures are feasible. Dr Aleksandr Pishtshev and Evgenii Strugovshchikov from the University of Tartu, Estonia and Dr Smagul Karazhanov from the Institute for Energy Technology, Norway have been […]
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Statistics in the era of COVID-19: Measuring lockdowns with doubling time
The key to understanding SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) transmission is understanding the exponential growth of viral transmissions. The problem is that the concept of exponential growth is challenging for many to understand and interpret, including policymakers who need to make quick and informed decisions. Dr Biljana Stangeland, Executive Director/Chief Scientific Officer at Alv B, Norway, has been using doubling time – the […]
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Multi-fidelity shape optimisation of suspension bridge decks
Over the last century, technological advances have resulted in increased length of the main span of long-span suspension bridges, making them even more vulnerable to structural vibrations caused by environmental factors, particularly wind. Dr Ibuki Kusano from the University of Stavanger, Norway, and her collaborators are investigating the structural response of suspension bridges under wind loads. The research team has […]
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Biosimilars: An effective treatment at a lower cost
While most medications are both safe and effective, unfortunately many are also expensive. Biosimilars – new versions of a drug that are similar to the original in every meaningful way – offer a potentially less expensive alternative to costly original biological drugs. Professor Tore K. Kvien of the University of Oslo, Norway, and his colleagues have demonstrated that one biosimilar, […]
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A novel therapy could help patients with active Crohn’s disease
Professor Jørgen Jahnsen and PhD student Kristian Espeland of Akershus University Hospital and University of Oslo are responsible for a new clinical trial which aims to improve symptoms and control the inflammation of Crohn’s disease using Gliolan medication in combination with blue-light photopheresis. This approach will selectively cause the death of pro-inflammatory cells which contribute to the inflammatory bowel disease, […]
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