Opin vísindi
Opin vísindi er varðveislusafn vísindaefnis og doktorsritgerða í opnum aðgangi á vegum íslenskra háskóla og Landsbókasafns Íslands - Háskólabókasafns.
Opinn aðgangur að rannsóknaniðurstöðum er í samræmi við 10. gr. laga nr. 3/2003 um opinberan stuðning við vísindarannsóknir sem og kröfur innlendra og erlendra rannsóknasjóða. Markmiðið með opnum aðgangi er að niðurstöður rannsókna séu aðgengilegar sem flestum óhindrað og án endurgjalds á rafrænu formi. Vistun í varðveislusafninu er varanleg og ætlað að tryggja aðgang að vísindaefni íslenskra háskóla í opnum aðgangi um ókomna tíð. Varðveislusafnið Opin vísindi er tengt við rannsóknagáttina IRIS og rannsóknaniðurstöður í opnum aðgangi sem eru skráðar í IRIS eru um leið vistaðar og gerðar aðgengilegar til framtíðar í varðveislusafninu. Með því að safna þessu efni saman í eitt safn verður aðgangur að því einfaldur og þægilegur fyrir alla sem vilja kynna sér það og geta þannig notið þess öfluga vísindastarfs sem fram fer í háskólum landsins.
Varðveislusafnið er OpenAIRE / OpenAIREplus samhæft og samrýmist kröfum sem gerðar eru um birtingu rannsóknaniðurstaðna úr verkefnum sem styrkt eru úr evrópsku rannsóknaáætlununum FP7 og H2020.
Varðveislusafnið notar opna hugbúnaðinn DSpace.
Opinn aðgangur að rannsóknaniðurstöðum er í samræmi við 10. gr. laga nr. 3/2003 um opinberan stuðning við vísindarannsóknir sem og kröfur innlendra og erlendra rannsóknasjóða. Markmiðið með opnum aðgangi er að niðurstöður rannsókna séu aðgengilegar sem flestum óhindrað og án endurgjalds á rafrænu formi. Vistun í varðveislusafninu er varanleg og ætlað að tryggja aðgang að vísindaefni íslenskra háskóla í opnum aðgangi um ókomna tíð. Varðveislusafnið Opin vísindi er tengt við rannsóknagáttina IRIS og rannsóknaniðurstöður í opnum aðgangi sem eru skráðar í IRIS eru um leið vistaðar og gerðar aðgengilegar til framtíðar í varðveislusafninu. Með því að safna þessu efni saman í eitt safn verður aðgangur að því einfaldur og þægilegur fyrir alla sem vilja kynna sér það og geta þannig notið þess öfluga vísindastarfs sem fram fer í háskólum landsins.
Varðveislusafnið er OpenAIRE / OpenAIREplus samhæft og samrýmist kröfum sem gerðar eru um birtingu rannsóknaniðurstaðna úr verkefnum sem styrkt eru úr evrópsku rannsóknaáætlununum FP7 og H2020.
Varðveislusafnið notar opna hugbúnaðinn DSpace.
Flokkar í Opnum vísindum
Veldu flokk til að skoða.
- University of Iceland
- University of Akureyri
- Bifröst University
- Hólar University College
- IRIS
- Agricultural University of Iceland
- National and University Library of Iceland
- Iceland University of the Arts
Nýlega bætt við
Norna-Gests þáttr and Helga þáttr Þórissonar in Icelandic Manuscripts: A Literary Diptych Lost in Time
(2025) Consagra, Piergiorgio; Faculty of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies
Young disabled people at times of transitioning: Possibilities and challenges ‘I don’t care what they think—I’m happy with who I am’
(University of Iceland, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology and Folkloristics, 2025-12-08) Ingimarsdóttir, Anna Sigrun; Snæfríður Þóra Egilson; Félagsfræði-, mannfræði- og þjóðfræðideild (HÍ); Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology and Folkloristics (UI); Félagsvísindasvið (HÍ); School of Social Sciences (UI)
Transitioning into adulthood presents challenges for all youth, but particularly so for young disabled people, whose lives are shaped by normative expectations around age and ability. This doctoral research explores young disabled people’s reflections and lived experiences regarding the possibilities and challenges they faced before, during, and beyond their transitions into adulthood. It investigates how deeply embedded societal assumptions about disability and youth shape their pathways, opportunities, and self-image during these critical life stages. This study comprises four articles. The first one explores how disabled children and youth understand their possibilities for participation and wellness at home, in school, and in their communities, and how socio-material conditions intersect to shape their situations. The second article highlights the views of young people currently navigating transitioning to adulthood well as those reflecting on their experiences retrospectively. It provides a broad view of the transitioning process by capturing both individual and shared experiences. The third article offers insights into young disabled people’s partying experiences, to understand what partying meant for them and how they navigated party spaces. The fourth article draws on the larger LIFE-DCY project and provides a reflexive account of its methodological, conceptual, and ethical considerations and synthesizes of key findings. The study was conducted within the framework of the LIFE-DCY project, funded by the Icelandic Centre for Research (174299-051), and employed a qualitative, multi-method research design. It included in-depth case studies with disabled children aged 11–15 and key figures in their lives, as well as focus groups with young disabled people aged 18–35. The research was informed by constructivist grounded theory and emphasized the co-construction of meaning between the researcher and the participants. Inspired by critical disability studies and youth studies, the research drew on the concepts of ableism and adultism to illuminate how normative structures and beliefs systematically constrained the young people’s experiences. In keeping with the principles of critical disability studies, the research was committed to centering on the voices and experiences of the young people, who were seen not only as participants but as experts with vital insights into their lives. The young disabled people actively sought to engage in transitional milestones and peer activities, which they saw as essential during their transition to adulthood. However, participation often involved navigating a range of barriers—such as inaccessible built environments, pervasive stereotypes, low expectations, and inadequate support. The findings showcase the widespread impact of ableist and adultist attitudes that shaped interactions in schools, services, and public life, often in ways that reduced opportunities for participation, belonging, and recognition. Whether, and to what extent, the young people were able to participate alongside their peers depended on socio-material arrangements such as access, the availability of appropriate support and how well they assimilated the taken-for-granted norms. While many sought to meet these norms to attain a valued adult life, they also pushed back against the ableist ideals underpinning them. The analysis yielded three key insights. First, the young disabled people had to navigate complex barriers - including inaccessible systems, low expectations, and limited opportunities to participate in meaningful settings. These challenges disrupted their transition to adulthood and hindered their efforts to move forward. Second, they were caught in a double-bind of ableism and adultism as they were simultaneously held back and held to impossible standards—expected to ‘act their age’ while being denied the support and freedoms typically associated with that age. Third, structural gaps and poorly aligned services compounded the young people´s marginalization, making it difficult for them to participate meaningfully in society on their own terms. These structural failures often had significant consequences for their sense of self, social inclusion, wellness, and their experience of emerging adulthood. The study highlights how dominant narratives about transition and adulthood draw upon rigid, linear, and able-bodied timelines that fail to account for the diversity of young people’s lives. Inaccessible environments, fragmented services, and normative assumptions create barriers that undermine young disabled people’s efforts to be seen, heard, and supported on their terms. Ultimately, this dissertation study contributes to ongoing discussions and debates in disability and youth research, advocating for a reimagining of transition frameworks, calling for more inclusive, flexible, and justiceoriented approaches that recognize the structural, cultural, and relational dimensions of growing up disabled. The findings highlight how ableist assumptions, often reinforced by inaccessible environments and a lack of awareness about their needs continue to shape how YDP are seen and treated in ways that undermine their emerging sense of self. Notions regarding transitioning and emerging adulthood are rigid and ingrained with unfair and often unrealistic markers that may fit some but not all.
"Sumir eru vaknaðir af svefni": "Þýskir" hugmyndastraumar og íslensk söguskoðun frá um 1750 til um 1850
(University of Iceland, School of Humanities, Faculty of Philosophy, History and Archaeology, 2025-11-26) Einarsson, Einar; Guðmundur Hálfdanarson; Deild heimspeki, sagnfræði og fornleifafræði (HÍ); Faculty of Philosophy, History and Archaeology (UI); Hugvísindasvið (HÍ); School of Humanities (UI)
Það hefur lengi verið vitað að sú menningarleg þjóðernisstefna sem átti uppruna sinn í Þýskalandi á síðari hluta átjándu aldar og við upphaf þeirrar nítjándu hafði talsverð áhrif á orðræðu og söguskoðun forvígismanna íslensku sjálfstæðisbaráttunnar á sama hátt og raunin var annars staðar á Norðurlöndunum. Það hefur lítt verið rannsakað með hvaða hætti og í gegnum hvaða leiðir þessar hugmyndir ruddu sér braut inn í orðræðu Íslendinga og hvernig þær smám saman höfðu áhrif á túlkun og viðhorf Íslendinga til fortíðarinnar. Markmið þessarar ritgerðar er að gera tilraun til þess að varpa ljósi á það hvernig og af hverju söguskoðun Íslendinga ummyndaðist á afar stuttu tímabili, frá því að vera frekar dæmigerð söguskoðun upplýsingarinnar (í sinni þýsku gerð) yfir í það að verða söguskoðun menningarlegrar þjóðernisstefnu, en jafnframt að setja það ferli í samhengi við þróun yfir lengri tíma. Í ritgerðinni er einnig lagt mat á það hvernig þessi áhrif bárust til Íslendinga og hvernig þau birtust í tjáningu þeirra, hvort sem um ræðir skáldskap eða pólitísk skrif, í bundnu máli og óbundnu. Það getur varla talist einkennilegt eða óvenjulegt að megináhrifin á þessa þróun skuli hafi borist frá Þýskalandi. Þaðan höfðu hugmynda- og menningarstraumar streymt til Ísland og annarra Norðurlanda öldum saman. Oft bárust þessi áhrif til Íslendinga í gegnum Danmörku en stundum var einnig um bein áhrif að ræða. Í Þýskalandi var tekið við áhrifum sunnar úr álfunni, yfirleitt frá Ítalíu og Frakklandi, sem síðan voru aðlöguð þýskum aðstæðum og bárust loks til Norðurlandanna. Í því samhengi mætti nefna upplýsinguna, sem tók talsverðum breytingum í Þýskalandi, eða öllu heldur mætti segja að þar hafi eingöngu verið tekið við sumum þáttum upplýsingarinnar, öðrum alls ekki. Hugmyndir um móðurmálsrækt og málhreinsun, sem höfðu borist frá Ítalíu til Frakklands og þaðan til Þýskalands urðu til þess að þar þróuðust hugmyndir um samlífi tungumáls og þjóðar, um upprunalegt ómengað tungumál sem tengdist tilvist þjóðarinnar órofa böndum. Þessar hugmyndir bárust til Íslands með upplýsingunni og mynduðu ákveðinn grunn sem síðar yrði byggt á. Eftir frönsku byltinguna og styrjaldirnar sem af henni hlutust, auk tilkomu rómantíkur og hughyggju varð til í Þýskalandi sú gerð menningarlegrar þjóðernisstefnu sem barst til Norðurlanda. Þróunina frá orðræðu upplýsingarinnar til menningarlegrar þjóðernisstefnu má glöggt greina í skrifum Íslendinga, frá Eggerti Ólafssyni, í gegnum Baldvin Einarsson og Fjölnismenn, til Jóns Sigurðssonar. Það sem hafði verið hefðbundin söguskoðun Íslendinga frá því á sautjándu öld ummyndaðist í flestum grundvallaratriðum á aðeins nokkurra áratuga skeiði og varð að sögu-skoðun menningarlegrar þjóðernisstefnu — söguskoðun sjálfstæðisbaráttunnar — sem var ráðandi viðhorf á Íslandi langt fram eftir tuttugustu öld.
Large-scale Proteomics for Disease Prediction, Health Evaluation, and Personalized Medicine
(University of Iceland, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2025-12) Eiríksdóttir, Þjóðbjörg; Magnús Örn Úlfarsson; Rafmagns- og tölvuverkfræðideild (HÍ); Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering (UI); Verkfræði- og náttúruvísindasvið (HÍ); School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (UI)
Biomarkers derived from plasma proteomics enable personalized medicine by guiding prevention and treatment, selecting clinical trial participants, and evaluating therapeutic response. Plasma protein levels are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, and they reflect current health, whereas genotypes are stable. Therefore, proteins are an important source of biomarkers of current health, which can be used to monitor disease progression and regression. With advances in high-throughput technologies, such as the Olink and SomaScan platforms, it is now possible to measure thousands of proteins in blood across tens of thousands of individuals.Here, large-scale proteomics data are integrated with machine learning to develop protein-based biomarkers that capture individual variation in health and disease risk. Using large plasma proteomics datasets of ∼5,000 (SomaScan) or ∼3,000 (Olink) plasma protein levels we identified protein-disease associations and derived protein risk scores (ProtRSs) for more than a hundred diseases. For many diseases, considerable improvement was observed, while for others, the ProtRSs improved baseline prediction negligibly. To disentangle genetic and environmental contributions, we analysed genotype-adjusted plasma protein levels. Generally, this adjustment strengthened the association with disease phenotypes, suggesting that changes in plasma protein levels are usually the consequences of disease rather than the cause.ProtRSs for death, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events, and coronary artery disease (CAD) were developed further, and robustly tested against established baselines. Non-linear models and feature selection models were tested, but Lasso penalized linear models were generally found to be among the best performing models. The mortality risk score outperformed predictors based on conventional mortality risk factors and correlated with measures of frailty in an independent dataset. In ASCVD and CAD prediction, ProtRSs significantly improved established models, albeit modestly, in independent datasets. For CAD prediction, a polygenic risk score (PRS) for CAD also improved upon established risk models, with the best performance achieved when protein and PRSs were combined, while a metabolite risk score did not add further benefit.In addition, we used plasma protein levels to determine organ age, i.e., the biological age of organs, and compared these with chronological age to calculate organ age gaps. Positive organ age gaps were associated with multiple diseases, and negative age gaps with good health, though the organ-specificity varied across organs. We further separated organ-specific ageing from ageing shared across all organs, generating organ-specific age gaps that showed higher organ specificity and a shared age gap that was a stronger predictor of mortality than any individual organ age gap. This organ age approach could potentially help with understanding age and disease-related changes in organs, but it currently has limitations that make direct assumptions about changes with age difficult.On the whole, this work gives insight into the uses and limitations of plasma proteomics for clinical applications and medical research in general.
More than the shoulder? Kinematics of the jump throw and factors influencing shoulder problems in handball
(University of Iceland, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, 2025-11-21) Árnason, Kári; Kristín Briem, Atli Ágústsson; Læknadeild (HÍ); Faculty of Medicine (UI); Heilbrigðisvísindasvið (HÍ); School of Health Sciences (UI)
Aims: Shoulder problems are common in handball and known risk factors include decreased shoulder rotational strength, limited shoulder rotational mobility, and sudden increases in training and competition load. The throwing motion is a large movement, and previous research has linked proximal segments´ force production to throwing velocity. Nevertheless, the influence of lower body strength and trunk rotation power (TRP) on shoulder problems in handball players has not been investigated prospectively. Similarly, the association between internal shoulder load (subjective perception of load) vs. external shoulder load (e.g. number of throws in a match) measurements and shoulder problems among handball players is unknown. Despite the jump throw being the most common throwing technique in handball, very few motion analyses of it have been conducted. Moreover, the extent to which proximal segments’ kinematics influence more distal segments, such as the shoulder, is unknown, as are possible kinematic differences between different positions. The aims of this thesis were to examine the association between pre-season strength and power in the lower body and trunk, and shoulder problems among handball players, to perform a 3D motion analysis of the jump throw and, to investigate whether internal or external shoulder load measurements were more consistently associated with shoulder problems. Increased knowledge of this topic might influence injury prevention via better load management, either by ensuring adequate pre-season strength and power or by regulating training/competition shoulder load.Methods: This thesis is based on results from three research papers. Paper I included 42 male handball players. Pre-season measurements of peak lower body strength, peak trunk rotation power (TRP), and peak external and internal rotation strength in the throwing shoulder were conducted before the 2022–2023 season. Participants were followed throughout a whole regular season (31 weeks), where they answered a weekly questionnaire specially designed to document the prevalence and severity of overuse problems, and an additional question regarding participation-related shoulder load (PSL – subjective experience of shoulder load (internal load)) during the previous week. Paper II involved 31 female handball players. The same pre-season protocol as used in paper I was conducted before the 2023–2024 season and participants answered the same questionnaire throughout the season (29 weeks). Performance data, including the total number of shots per player in all league matches were collected from HBstatz (official statistical provider for the Icelandic Handball Federation) and defined as external shoulder load. For paper I and II, the association between pre-season strength and power and the prevalence and severity of shoulder problems was assessed with the Spearman´s rho correlation coefficient. The influence of pre-season strength and power on the association between internal and external shoulder load, and the severity of shoulder problems was examined with a mixed model ANOVA. Paper III involved a 3D motion analysis of 41 male top-division players performing a jump throw, conducted before the 2022–2023 season. The correlation between proximal and distal segments´ kinematics was assessed and differences in jump throw kinematics between playing positions were analysed with an independent t-test. The explanatory strength of proximal segments´ kinematics on the variance in shoulder internal rotation (IR) angular velocity was assessed by using a stepwise regression model. Results: The results from paper I (male players) showed a negative correlation between pre-season ER strength and the prevalence of shoulder problems (rs=-0.34, p=0.029). A main effect was observed showing a positive relationship between PSL and the severity of shoulder problems (p<0.001). A significant interaction was observed between PSL and pre-season TRP in terms of their influence on the severity of shoulder problems, as males with pre-season TRP one standard deviation (SD) below the group´s mean had a stronger association between the severity score and PSL. The findings from paper II (female players) showed a positive correlation between peak lower body strength (rs=0.40, p=0.03) and peak ER shoulder strength (rs=0.38, p=0.04), and the prevalence of substantial shoulder problems. A main effect was again observed for PSL, with higher PSL associated with higher severity score (p<0.001). However, a negative association was found between the external shoulder load and the severity of shoulder problems (p=0.04). A significant interaction was observed between PSL and peak lower body strength, TRP, and ER shoulder strength in terms of their influence on the severity of shoulder problems. Female players with pre-season strength and power one SD above the group´s mean showed a stronger association between the severity score and PSL. Paper III showed that hip and pelvis kinematics explained 44% of the variance in shoulder IR angular velocity. Significant differences were found between positions with center/back players displaying higher angular velocities in all measured segments, except trunk rotation, and greater range of motion excursion in the hips, pelvis, and trunk compared to wing/pivot players. Conclusions: The findings suggest that low pre-season TRP in male players may make the throwing shoulder more vulnerable for an increase in load. Pre-season training should therefore emphasize TRP training for male players. However, the results highlight the complex interaction between multiple risk factors for shoulder problems in female players and suggest that PSL (internal load) is more consistently associated with shoulder problems in handball, compared to external load. The results also underscore the role of proximal segments´ kinematics in terms of an efficient jump throw performance, and that different on-field demands likely influence kinematic differences between central/back vs wing/pivot players. It is therefore important to tailor strength training accordingly to each player’s on-field demands.