Pådriverne bak diversitet og utbredelse av villbier i en artsfattig region

Bee diversity is declining globally. On a European scale, roughly 10% of the species are considered threatened, but the number may be even higher. The threatened status of bees depends on both the taxonomic and spatial scale. For instance, a relatively high proportion of species within the cold adapted Bombus are expected to decline due to global warning. Moreover, numbers may differ among regions and about 25% of the bee species in Norway are considered threatened. Halting or reversing this decline requires that we understand the main drivers of bee diversity within regions. Species-poor regions where the autecology of species are relatively well known may provide valuable model systems for studying the processes behind community assembly. Indeed, due to the low numbers of species and steep environmental gradients one may expect a relatively rapid species turnover over short geographic distances in Norway. The aim of this thesis was to identify important drivers of bee diversity in Norway. Bee-flower networks from different regions of the world were used to test for the influence of global scaled processes on community assembly (Paper I). We tested if the phylogenetic turnover among Bee-flower networks (i.e. bee communities) increased with geographic distances, thus indicating an influence of speciation and migration, and with dissimilarities in climatic conditions, thus indicating global ecological filtering. We also tested if the niche overlap, in terms of visitations to plant species, was determined by the bee phylogeny, thus indicating within community ecological filtering. We used bee communities sampled in power line clearings surrounded by boreal forests as model systems for studying the influence of dispersal limitation, ecological filtering and ecological drift on the distribution of species within the metacommunity (Papers II-V). We established an experiment within this system to test how, and under which conditions, different management practices could improve power line clearings for wild bees (Paper IV)

Living on the edge the value of field edges as resource patches for solitary bees (Hymenoptera: Apiformes)

Current patterns of anthropogenic land-use are reducing the diversity of pollinators through habitat destruction, degradation and landscape simplification. This may adversely affect both wild and domesticated flowering plants through pollen limitation. These concerns are supported in the parallel declines in solitary bees and wild plants observed in Europe. Solitary bees vary in their requirements to nesting, mating and forage sites. In addition, bee assemblages fluctuate over years. Successful management of remnant habitat patches therefore requires both the consideration of autecological traits and temporal patterns in bee diversity. In this study I sampled bees to evaluate the potential value of field edges in the Norwegian agricultural matrix. I found that bee species were not randomly distributed in the landscape. Furthermore, the solitary bee assemblages were relatively stable between years but could be grouped by monthly affiliations. I isolated two groups of bee assemblages, one consisting of spring active bees and one of summer active bees. Furthermore I found group-specific responses to habitat conditions. The species richness and abundance of the spring-active group was negatively related to the proportion of agricultural land around the field edge, whereas the summer-active group preferred sunexposed field edges with short vegetation and a high floral richness. The group-specific responses reflect seasonal changes in the predominant bee species phenology. The spring group was mainly composed of Andrena species which burrow nests in the ground and find forage in spring blossoming trees such as Salix caprea Linnaeus. which are common in non-agricultural landscape types. In contrast, the summer group was more diverse in phenology and occurred at a time when the floral resources were more diverse. These results suggest that field edges can provide an important asset in the conservation of solitary bees. The success of such management does however call for more research on the temporal variation in the autecology of bees

Dependencies between Work Activities, Technical Artifacts, Space, and Work Organisation: Flexibility issues

In order to better understand the role of a computer application in organizational setting, we propose a conceptual framework. The framework focuses on four different aspects of an organization—work activities, technical artifacts, space, and work organization— while at the same time addressing the dependencies between these elements. An additional concern is not only to uncover the dependencies of one element on another, but also to understand how the flexibility of one element affects the other elements. The applicability of the framework is demonstrated by analysing a specific organization, the radiology department at a hospi

Living on the edge the value of field edges as resource patches for solitary bees (Hymenoptera: Apiformes)

Current patterns of anthropogenic land-use are reducing the diversity of pollinators through habitat destruction, degradation and landscape simplification. This may adversely affect both wild and domesticated flowering plants through pollen limitation. These concerns are supported in the parallel declines in solitary bees and wild plants observed in Europe. Solitary bees vary in their requirements to nesting, mating and forage sites. In addition, bee assemblages fluctuate over years. Successful management of remnant habitat patches therefore requires both the consideration of autecological traits and temporal patterns in bee diversity. In this study I sampled bees to evaluate the potential value of field edges in the Norwegian agricultural matrix. I found that bee species were not randomly distributed in the landscape. Furthermore, the solitary bee assemblages were relatively stable between years but could be grouped by monthly affiliations. I isolated two groups of bee assemblages, one consisting of spring active bees and one of summer active bees. Furthermore I found group-specific responses to habitat conditions. The species richness and abundance of the spring-active group was negatively related to the proportion of agricultural land around the field edge, whereas the summer-active group preferred sunexposed field edges with short vegetation and a high floral richness. The group-specific responses reflect seasonal changes in the predominant bee species phenology. The spring group was mainly composed of Andrena species which burrow nests in the ground and find forage in spring blossoming trees such as Salix caprea Linnaeus. which are common in non-agricultural landscape types. In contrast, the summer group was more diverse in phenology and occurred at a time when the floral resources were more diverse. These results suggest that field edges can provide an important asset in the conservation of solitary bees. The success of such management does however call for more research on the temporal variation in the autecology of bees

Copenhagen study of overweight patients with coronary artery disease undergoing low energy diet or interval training: the randomized CUT-IT trial protocol

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is accountable for more than 7 million deaths each year according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In a European population 80% of patients diagnosed with CAD are overweight and 31% are obese. Physical inactivity and overweight are major risk factors in CAD, thus central strategies in secondary prevention are increased physical activity and weight loss. METHODS/DESIGN: In a randomized controlled trial 70 participants with stable CAD, age 45–75, body mass index 28–40 kg/m(2) and no diabetes are randomized (1:1) to 12 weeks of intensive exercise or weight loss both succeeded by a 40-week follow-up. The exercise protocol consist of supervised aerobic interval training (AIT) at 85-90% of VO(2)peak 3 times weekly for 12 weeks followed by supervised AIT twice weekly for 40 weeks. In the weight loss arm dieticians instruct the participants in a low energy diet (800–1000 kcal/day) for 12 weeks, followed by 40 weeks of weight maintenance combined with supervised AIT twice weekly. The primary endpoint of the study is change in coronary flow reserve after the first 12 weeks’ intervention. Secondary endpoints include cardiovascular, metabolic, inflammatory and anthropometric measures. DISCUSSION: The study will compare the short and long-term effects of a protocol consisting of AIT alone or a rapid weight loss followed by AIT. Additionally, it will provide new insight in mechanisms behind the benefits of exercise and weight loss. We wish to contribute to the creation of effective secondary prevention and sustainable rehabilitation strategies in the large population of overweight and obese patients diagnosed with CAD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT0172456

Evaluating competition for forage plants between honey bees and wild bees in Denmark

A recurrent concern in nature conservation is the potential competition for forage plants between wild bees and managed honey bees. Specifically, that the highly sophisticated system of recruitment and large perennial colonies of honey bees quickly exhaust forage resources leading to the local extirpation of wild bees. However, different species of bees show different preferences for forage plants. We here summarize known forage plants for honey bees and wild bee species at national scale in Denmark. Our focus is on floral resources shared by honey bees and wild bees, with an emphasis on both threatened wild bee species and foraging specialist species. Across all 292 known bee species from Denmark, a total of 410 plant genera were recorded as forage plants. These included 294 plant genera visited by honey bees and 292 plant genera visited by different species of wild bees. Honey bees and wild bees share 176 plant genera in Denmark. Comparing the pairwise niche overlap for individual bee species, no significant relationship was found between their overlap and forage specialization or conservation status. Network analysis of the bee-plant interactions placed honey bees aside from most other bee species, specifically the module containing the honey bee had fewer links to any other modules, while the remaining modules were more highly inter-connected. Despite the lack of predictive relationship from the pairwise niche overlap, data for individual species could be summarized. Consequently, we have identified a set of operational parameters that, based on a high foraging overlap (>70%) and unfavorable conservation status (Vulnerable+Endangered+Critically Endangered), can guide both conservation actions and land management decisions in proximity to known or suspected populations of these species

Drivers of the diversity and distribution of wild bees in a species poor region

Bee diversity is declining globally. On a European scale, roughly 10% of the species are considered threatened, but the number may be even higher. The threatened status of bees depends on both the taxonomic and spatial scale. For instance, a relatively high proportion of species within the cold adapted Bombus are expected to decline due to global warning. Moreover, numbers may differ among regions and about 25% of the bee species in Norway are considered threatened. Halting or reversing this decline requires that we understand the main drivers of bee diversity within regions. Species-poor regions where the autecology of species are relatively well known may provide valuable model systems for studying the processes behind community assembly. Indeed, due to the low numbers of species and steep environmental gradients one may expect a relatively rapid species turnover over short geographic distances in Norway. The aim of this thesis was to identify important drivers of bee diversity in Norway. Bee-flower networks from different regions of the world were used to test for the influence of global scaled processes on community assembly (Paper I). We tested if the phylogenetic turnover among Bee-flower networks (i.e. bee communities) increased with geographic distances, thus indicating an influence of speciation and migration, and with dissimilarities in climatic conditions, thus indicating global ecological filtering. We also tested if the niche overlap, in terms of visitations to plant species, was determined by the bee phylogeny, thus indicating within community ecological filtering. We used bee communities sampled in power line clearings surrounded by boreal forests as model systems for studying the influence of dispersal limitation, ecological filtering and ecological drift on the distribution of species within the metacommunity (Papers II-V). We established an experiment within this system to test how, and under which conditions, different management practices could improve power line clearings for wild bees (Paper IV)

Virtual Prototyping: Evaluating the Digital Twin Based Virtual Factory for New Product Introduction

Shortening lifecycles and increasing complexity make product and production lifecycle processes more challenging than ever for manufacturing enterprises. Virtual Prototyping (VP) technologies promise a viable solution to handle such challenges in reducing time and physical builds as well as increasing quality. In previous studies, the Digital Twin (DT) based Virtual Factory (VF) concept showed significant potential to handle co-evolution by integrating 3D factory and product models with immersive and interactive 3D Virtual Reality (VR) simulation technology as well as real-time bidirectional data synchronisation between virtual and physical production systems. In this article, we present an extension to the paper “Demonstrating and Evaluating the Digital Twin Based Virtual Factory for Virtual Prototyping” presented at CARV2021. The study presents an evaluation by industry experts of the DT based VF concept for VP in the context of New Product Introduction (NPI) processes. The concept is demonstrated in two cases: wind turbine blade manufacturing and nacelle assembly operations at Vestas Wind Systems A/S. The study shows that the VF provides an immersive virtual environment, which allows the users to reduce the time needed for prototyping. The industry experts propose several business cases for the introduced solution and find that the phases that would have the most gain are the later ones (production) where the product design is more mature