Estimating yearly numbers of animals, and enteric methane emissions, for pigs. Methodologies for the Norwegian national inventory of GHG emissions

Commissioned by the Norwegian Environment Agency, this report presents methodologies for estimating annual numbers of animals and enteric methane emissions for pigs. The methodologies are designed for the Norwegian national inventory of GHG emissions (NIR) and are dynamic, reflecting the effects of progress in genetics and management of the pork production. The data sources for the proposed methodologies are the register for deliveries of carcasses to Norwegian slaughterhouses available from Statistics Norway, and the Norwegian litter recording system (Ingris) of the Norwegian meat and poultry research centre (Animalia).publishedVersio

Using ‘concept cartoons’ in combination with a digital student-response system to support learning in Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry in nursing education: A teaching strategy to promote student-active learning

Bakgrunn: Gode kunnskaper i anatomi, fysiologi og biokjemi (AFB) er nødvendig for at sykepleierstudenter skal kunne utvikle et klinisk blikk. Resultater fra nasjonal eksamen i AFB viser at mange sykepleierstudenter strever med dette emnet. Studentaktive læringsformer i undervisningen kan bidra til økt kognitivt engasjement hos studentene. Bruk av concept cartoons (CC) sammen med digitalt student-respons-system (SRS) kan anvendes som undervisningsstrategi for å fremme studentaktivitet i store studentgrupper. CC består av illustrasjoner som presenterer både vitenskapelig aksepterte påstander og feilforestillinger om sentrale begreper og prosesser i AFB. Hensikt: Hensikten med denne studien var å beskrive hvordan CC i kombinasjon med digital SRS kan benyttes som en studentaktiv læringsform i ulike undervisningsformer for å støtte sykepleierstudenters læring i AFB. Metode: Studien har et kvasieksperimentelt deskriptivt kvantitativt design. CC ble anvendt sammen med SRS i digital undervisning ved sykepleierutdanningen ved tre universiteter/høgskoler høsten 2020 (n = 92–671). Anvendelsen av CC fulgte tenk–par–del-modellen, og studentene stemte på samme CC tre ganger i samme undervisningsøkt. Data ble analysert ved bruk av frekvensanalyser, Cochrans Q og Chi-square test. Resultat: Det var en økning i prosentandelen studenter som valgte det beste svaralternativet mellom de tre avstemningene. For de fleste CC var det en særlig økning i prosentandelen beste svar ved andre avstemning, etter at svaralternativene hadde blitt diskutert med medstudenter. Konklusjon: CC kan støtte læringen av sentrale begreper og fysiologiske prosesser. Undervisningsstrategien med CC i kombinasjon med digital SRS kan egne seg til å fremme studentaktiv læring, særlig i forelesning.Background:Sufficient knowledge in anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry (AFB) is necessary for nursing stu-dents to develop a clinical gaze. Results from the national examination show that many students struggle with thissubject. Student-active learning can contribute to increased cognitive engagement among students. In this context,the use of concept cartoons (CC) together with a digital student-response system (SRS) can be appropriate. CC con-sists of illustrations presenting both scientifically accepted claims and misconceptions about concepts and pro-cesses in AFB.Aim:The study aimed to describe how CC, in combination with digital SRS, can be used as a student-active learn-ing strategy in various forms of teaching, to support nursing students’learning in AFB.Methods:The study has a quasi-experimental descriptive quantitative design. CC was used together with SRS indigital lectures in nursing education at three universities/colleges in autumn 2020, n=92–671. The application follo-wed the Think-Pair-Share model, and the students voted on the same CC three times during the lesson. Frequencyanalyses, Cochran’s Q and Chi-square test were applied for data analyses.Results:There was an increase in the proportion of students who chose the best response option between the threepolls. For most CCs, there was a particular increase in the proportion of best responses at the second poll, after theresponse options had been discussed with fellow students.Conclusion:CC might support the learning of concepts and physiological processes. The teaching strategy withCC in combination with digital SRS can be suitable for promoting student-active learning, especially in lecturespublishedVersio

Handlingsrommet etter påvisning av skrantesyke (Chronic Wasting Disease, CWD) på Hardangervidda – grunnlag for fremtidige forvaltningsstrategier. Vitenskapelig uttalelse fra Vitenskapskomiteen for Mat og Miljø (VKM).

publishedVersionpublishedVersio

Forslag til forvaltningsrelevante marine naturenheter

Regjeringen ønsker å prioritere kartlegging av naturtyper som enten er truet, viktige for mange arter, dekker sentrale økosystemfunksjoner, eller er spesielt dårlig kartlagt. En marin faggruppe ble nedsatt for å operasjonalisere kriteriene og bruke disse til å velge ut forvaltningsrelevant marin natur ved bruk av NiN-systemet.publishedVersio

SWOT-analyse av det norske landbaserte matproduksjonssystemets bidrag til matsikkerhet

Det norske landbasert matsystemet kan defineres som et system bestående av produksjon, foredling, transport og konsumpsjon av jordbruksprodukt. I denne rapporten presenteres resultatene av en SWOT-analyse med hensyn til norsk matsikkerhet av produksjonsdelen av matsystemet. Formålet med SWOT-analysen var å 1) avdekke de viktigste komponenter for å sikre bærekraft for norsk selvforsyning og hvilke trekk i matsystemet som kan svekke denne bærekraften, og 2) drøfte effekten av forventet politikkutvikling på disse komponentene, og klargjøre hvordan dette påvirkere selvforsyningen, dvs. evaluere selvforsyningens robusthet.SWOT-analyse av det norske landbaserte matproduksjonssystemets bidrag til matsikkerhetpublishedVersio

Genome-wide linkage analysis of inguinal hernia in pigs using affected sib pairs

BACKGROUND: Inguinal and scrotal hernias are of great concern to pig producers, and lead to poor animal welfare and severe economic loss. Selection against these conditions is highly preferable, but at this time no gene, Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL), or mode of inheritance has been identified in pigs or in any other species. Therefore, a complete genome scan was performed in order to identify genomic regions affecting inguinal and scrotal hernias in pigs. Records from seedstock breeding farms were collected. No clinical examinations were executed on the pigs and there was therefore no distinction between inguinal and scrotal hernias. The genome scan utilised affected sib pairs (ASP), and the data was analysed using both an ASP test based on Non-parametric Linkage (NPL) analysis, and a Transmission Disequilibrium Test (TDT). RESULTS: Significant QTLs (p < 0.01) were detected on 8 out of 19 porcine chromosomes. The most promising QTLs, however, were detected in SSC1, SSC2, SSC5, SSC6, SSC15, SSC17 and SSCX; all of these regions showed either statistical significance with both statistical methods, or convincing significance with one of the methods. Haplotypes from these suggestive QTL regions were constructed and analysed with TDT. Of these, six different haplotypes were found to be differently transmitted (p < 0.01) to healthy and affected pigs. The most interesting result was one haplotype on SSC5 that was found to be transmitted to hernia pigs with four times higher frequency than to healthy pigs (p < 0.00005). CONCLUSION: For the first time in any species, a genome scan has revealed suggestive QTLs for inguinal and scrotal hernias. While this study permitted the detection of chromosomal regions only, it is interesting to note that several promising candidate genes, including INSL3, MIS, and CGRP, are located within the highly significant QTL regions. Further studies are required in order to narrow down the suggestive QTL regions, investigate the candidate genes, and to confirm the suggestive QTLs in other populations. The haplotype associated with inguinal and scrotal hernias may help in achieving selection against the disorder

Genome-Wide Profile of Pleural Mesothelioma versus Parietal and Visceral Pleura: The Emerging Gene Portrait of the Mesothelioma Phenotype

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is considered an almost incurable tumour with increasing incidence worldwide. It usually develops in the parietal pleura, from mesothelial lining or submesothelial cells, subsequently invading the visceral pleura. Chromosomal and genomic aberrations of mesothelioma are diverse and heterogenous. Genome-wide profiling of mesothelioma versus parietal and visceral normal pleural tissue could thus reveal novel genes and pathways explaining its aggressive phenotype.Well-characterised tissue from five mesothelioma patients and normal parietal and visceral pleural samples from six non-cancer patients were profiled by Affymetrix oligoarray of 38 500 genes. The lists of differentially expressed genes tested for overrepresentation in KEGG PATHWAYS (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) and GO (gene ontology) terms revealed large differences of expression between visceral and parietal pleura, and both tissues differed from mesothelioma. Cell growth and intrinsic resistance in tumour versus parietal pleura was reflected in highly overexpressed cell cycle, mitosis, replication, DNA repair and anti-apoptosis genes. Several genes of the “salvage pathway” that recycle nucleobases were overexpressed, among them TYMS, encoding thymidylate synthase, the main target of the antifolate drug pemetrexed that is active in mesothelioma. Circadian rhythm genes were expressed in favour of tumour growth. The local invasive, non-metastatic phenotype of mesothelioma, could partly be due to overexpression of the known metastasis suppressors NME1 and NME2. Down-regulation of several tumour suppressor genes could contribute to mesothelioma progression. Genes involved in cell communication were down-regulated, indicating that mesothelioma may shield itself from the immune system. Similarly, in non-cancer parietal versus visceral pleura signal transduction, soluble transporter and adhesion genes were down-regulated. This could represent a genetical platform of the parietal pleura propensity to develop mesothelioma.Genome-wide microarray approach using complex human tissue samples revealed novel expression patterns, reflecting some important features of mesothelioma biology that should be further explored

A Multisite Preregistered Paradigmatic Test of the Ego-Depletion Effect

We conducted a preregistered multilaboratory project (k = 36; N = 3,531) to assess the size and robustness of ego-depletion effects using a novel replication method, termed the paradigmatic replication approach. Each laboratory implemented one of two procedures that was intended to manipulate self-control and tested performance on a subsequent measure of self-control. Confirmatory tests found a nonsignificant result (d = 0.06). Confirmatory Bayesian meta-analyses using an informed-prior hypothesis (δ = 0.30, SD = 0.15) found that the data were 4 times more likely under the null than the alternative hypothesis. Hence, preregistered analyses did not find evidence for a depletion effect. Exploratory analyses on the full sample (i.e., ignoring exclusion criteria) found a statistically significant effect (d = 0.08); Bayesian analyses showed that the data were about equally likely under the null and informed-prior hypotheses. Exploratory moderator tests suggested that the depletion effect was larger for participants who reported more fatigue but was not moderated by trait self-control, willpower beliefs, or action orientation.</p

A study of CP violation in B-+/- -&gt; DK +/- and B-+/- -&gt; D pi(+/-) decays with D -&gt; (KSK +/-)-K-0 pi(-/+) final states

A first study of CP violation in the decay modes $B^\pm\to [K^0_{\rm S} K^\pm \pi^\mp]_D h^\pm$ and $B^\pm\to [K^0_{\rm S} K^\mp \pi^\pm]_D h^\pm$, where $h$ labels a $K$ or $\pi$ meson and $D$ labels a $D^0$ or $\overline{D}^0$ meson, is performed. The analysis uses the LHCb data set collected in $pp$ collisions, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb$^{-1}$. The analysis is sensitive to the CP-violating CKM phase $\gamma$ through seven observables: one charge asymmetry in each of the four modes and three ratios of the charge-integrated yields. The results are consistent with measurements of $\gamma$ using other decay modes