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Hypoglycaemia and its associations with diabetes and age-related factors in older home-dwelling people with diabetes
(2025-12) Fløde, Mari; Hermann, Monica; Igland, Jannicke; Hernar, Ingvild; Sigurðardóttir, Árún Kristín; Søfteland, Eirik; Åsberg, Anders; Jenssen, Trond Geir; Haugstvedt, Anne; Faculty of Nursing
Background: Studies have shown high rates of hypoglycaemia among home-dwelling older people receiving home care services. Hypoglycaemia can lead to severe consequences and in worst case, death. Therefore, knowledge about the factors associated with the occurrence of hypoglycaemia in this patient group is important. This study aimed to investigate the associations between hypoglycaemia and relevant diabetes and age-related factors among individuals with diabetes aged ≥ 65 years who received home care services. Methods: This prospective observational study included data from blinded continuous glucose monitoring to identify hypoglycaemia and glycaemic variability. Further, data from blood tests (HbA1c, serum creatinine), medication lists, and questionnaires on cognitive function, functional status with need of assistance, and nutritional status were collected. Data analysis was performed using Fisher’s exact tests and unadjusted logistic regression analyses. Results: In total, 56 individuals participated (52% men, median age 82 years). We identified a statistically significant association between hypoglycaemia and glycaemic variability (p < 0.001). All participants with a coefficient of variation (CV) ≥ 36% had undergone at least one hypoglycaemic event during the study period. Also, participants with CV ≥ 27% had higher risk of hypoglycaemia than those with CV < 27% (OR 5.3, 95% CI 1.6, 17.7). Among the 34 participants with HbA1c ≥ 53 mmol/mol, 32% experienced hypoglycaemia. In total, 93% were treated with medications that potentially interfered with the effect of their diabetes medications, and 64% were treated with medications that potentially affected their ability to detect symptoms of hypoglycaemia. The associations between hypoglycaemia and cognitive, functional, or nutritional status is uncertain due to limitations in sample size. Conclusions: This study highlights a significant association between glycaemic variability and hypoglycaemia among older home-dwelling adults with diabetes receiving home care services. The prevalence of drug-drug interactions raises concerns about diabetes treatment and emphasise the need for targeted interventions to improve safety and care for this vulnerable group of patients.
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Eyra - Speech Data Acquisition System for Many Languages
(2016) Petursson, Matthias; Klüpfel, Simon; Gudnason, Jon; Department of Engineering
Speech data acquisition is particularly important for under-resourced languages. The data gathering is the most labour-intensive part of developing speech technologies such as automatic speech recognizers and synthesizers. It is therefore important to facilitate this process with as much automation and labour-cutting tools as possible. This paper describes a new open-source system called Eyra which enables distributed speech data collecting through a variety of devices. It addresses internet connectivity issues by allowing the data collectors to run the back-end server off a local laptop, thereby facilitating automatic quality control and less labour-intensive data uploading and compiling. It can also be used in a crowd-sourcing set-up where volunteers can donate voice samples through a desktop web-browser interface. An initial test shows that the system works well in an offline mode using smart-phones for data collection.
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Development of a Vibrotactile Wearable for Real-Time Information Communication
(University of Iceland, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, 2026) Yeganeh, Nashmin; Prof. Dr. Rúnar Unnþórsson; Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science (UI); Iðnaðarverkfræði-, vélaverkfræði- og tölvunarfræðideild (HÍ); School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (UI); Verkfræði- og náttúruvísindasvið (HÍ)
In a digital environment saturated with information, there is an increasing need for new ways to deliver information quickly and reliably without relying on sight or hearing. This is especially critical when these senses are already overloaded or otherwise unavailable. Vibrotactile stimulation, where information is conveyed through vibrations on the skin, shows great promise as a way to utilize the body’s sense of touch. The effectiveness of such systems, however, depends entirely on how the vibrations are structured and calibrated, particularly on regions of the body where the skin is less sensitive. This thesis investigates how to design and fine-tune vibrotactile stimulation in wearable devices so that it communicates information reliably in real-time without causing cognitive fatigue. The forearm is well-suited for such equipment as it does not hinder hand movement and the device can remain nearly unobtrusive. However, the density of mechanoreceptors is lower and spatial perception is poorer there than, for example, in the fingertips, which imposes certain perceptual constraints. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically research how the location, frequency, and temporal patterns of vibration affect how we perceive the vibrations and interpret the messages encoded within them. A custom-built wearable device was designed using voice coil actuators integrated into a flexible textile substrate with 3D-printed enclosures. The device is capable of delivering dynamic, independent, and spatially distributed vibrations. The research employed psychophysical methods to explore and quantify three core dimensions: spatial resolution, frequency effects, and the temporal structure of stimuli. Thesis Objective 1 (TO1) This objective evaluated the minimum spacing required between actuators for users to distinguish between them. The results revealed that a 20 mm spacing yielded the highest accuracy (approximately 90–92%) on both the dorsal and ventral (upper and under) sides of the forearm. Thesis Objective 2 (TO2) This objective investigated how different frequencies (100–250 Hz) and anatomical placements (wrist, mid-forearm, elbow) affected perception. The study showed that frequency alone had little effect, whereas location was crucial; accuracy was higher in areas near landmarks or bone, such as the wrist and elbow. Thesis Objective 3 (TO3) This objective focused on how the timing of stimuli affects perception. Sequential stimulation, where vibration was delivered by one actuator at a time, was compared to simultaneous stimulation, where all relevant actuators were activated at once. The results confirmed that it is significantly easier to distinguish signals delivered sequentially (93.24% accuracy) than those delivered simultaneously (26.15%). Further investigation into inter-stimulus intervals (ISIs) revealed that accuracy is highest when intervals are between 100 and 500 milliseconds. Shorter patterns proved more effective than longer ones, and users remembered the beginning and end of the sequences best. Furthermore, performance improved with practice, demonstrating that users can learn to adapt to such systems over time. These investigations provide a foundation for the design of wearable tactile systems that work efficiently with human perception. The findings are applicable to the development of assistive technologies, sensory substitution devices, silent alerting systems, and even virtual or augmented reality (VR/AR) interfaces. By demonstrating that complex information can be reliably conveyed through structured vibrations on the forearm, this thesis confirms that touch is a viable communication channel in human-computer interaction when other modalities are overloaded.
Verk
Life in a cold-water environment: Allometric adaptations of cetaceans in Skjálfandi Bay, Iceland
(University of Iceland, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, 2026-08-28) Glarou, Maria; Marianne H. Rasmussen, Fredrik Christiansen, Takashi Iwata, Arnar Pálsson; Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences (UI); Líf- og umhverfisvísindadeild (HÍ); School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (UI); Verkfræði- og náttúruvísindasvið (HÍ)
Energy drives all biological processes and constrains how animals acquire, allocate, and expend resources to maintain fitness. This thesis investigates bioenergetic strategies in sympatric cetaceans inhabiting cold subarctic waters. Focusing on five different-sized species in Skjálfandi Bay, Iceland (harbour porpoises, white-beaked dolphins, minke whales, humpback whales, and blue whales), this study combines UAV photogrammetry and bioenergetic modelling to examine how body size influences heat loss (Article I), field metabolic rate (FMR; Article II), and energetic requirements (Article III) under shared environmental conditions. Heat loss scaled predictably with body size, with absolute heat loss increasing and volume-specific heat loss decreasing across species. Smaller cetaceans exhibited higher surface-area-to-volume ratios (SVR) and therefore higher relative heat loss, partly offset by increased blubber thickness and lower thermal conductivity. In contrast, larger species benefited from reduced SVR and lower relative heat loss. FMR also scaled with body size, with absolute FMR increasing and mass-specific FMR decreasing. Species with higher SVR exhibited higher mass-specific FMR, indicating a correlation between thermoregulatory costs and metabolic scaling. Cetacean FMR estimates were generally higher than predictions for similarly sized terrestrial mammals. Energetic requirements and prey consumption followed the same pattern, with larger species having higher absolute but lower mass-specific requirements. Smaller cetaceans required a greater proportion of their body mass in prey, whereas larger species dominated total prey removal at the population level. Overall, the findings of this thesis show that body size is a primary driver of bioenergetic strategies in cetaceans, shaping their life-history traits and ecological roles.
Verk
What Is This Skítur : Viking Authenticity in Ys X: Nordics as a Japanese Role-Playing Game
(2026) Panaro, Luca Arruns; Bjarnason, Nökkvi Jarl; Faculty of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies
This article explores how viking authenticity is filtered through the media ecology of Japan by employing Ys X: Nordics (Nihon Falcom 2023) as a case study. It examines how the game constructs and engages with historical imaginaries while simultaneously being shaped by conventions and sensibilities of Japanese game development and its broader media landscape. To address this, the discussion situates Ys X within the broader history of viking representation in video games, showing how the figure of the “digital viking” has been recontextualized to meet diverse cultural and commercial demands. Particular attention is then paid to how the national and production context of Ys X inform its representations, with the game blending viking motifs with the visual, narrative, and thematic conventions of anime, manga, and Japanese role-playing games. Through close analysis, the article identifies moments of what can be termed authentic recontextualization, while also being mindful of numerous decontextualized or ornamental uses of viking imagery, names, and mythological figures. These strategies produce a selectively authentic, viking-inflected world that resonates with audience expectations while eschewing historical authenticity. Moreover, the game’s tonal orientation diverges from the “gritty” medievalism common in contemporary Western media, favoring instead the colorful optimism and narrative ethos of mainstream manga and anime, with its emphasis on friendship, perseverance, and collective victory. Ultimately, the article argues that Ys X exemplifies how Japanese popular media reworks transnational historical motifs, embedding them within its own aesthetic and narrative logics. In doing so, it highlights the culturally contingent nature of authenticity in historical games, showing that viking imagery in Japanese contexts functions less as a claim to historical accuracy than as an adaptive, stylistic device within a global media landscape.

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