Calculating External Costs of Transportation in Norway

Transport activities are known to have substantial negative external effects. One of the reasons for trying to value these effects is that the cost to society of using a specific transport mode should be reflected in the price that is paid by the transport user and thus form the basis for a transport tax policy. Previous calculations of marginal external costs of transport at the Institute of Transport Economics (TØI) as well as the methods employed are in many cases outdated and need revision. Therefore it has been decided to update the methods as well as the estimates. External effects included in this analysis are: a) emissions to air, b) noise, c) traffic accidents, d) wear of infrastructure and e) congestion. External costs are seen as related to transport volume, intensity of the effect, degree of harm of the effect and unit cost of harm. The assumptions of these relations will be discussed. One problem with the shape of the cost function is whether the effect (e.g. noise) can be said to be proportional to the transport volume. In estimating the unit costs mainly willingness-to-pay (WTP) methods will be applied. The marginal external costs of each mode or vehicle type is compared to what is actually paid at the margin by these modes in taxes and charges that are related to transport volume. Small vans and passenger cars internalise approximately their external cost in the form of traffic charges. Airplanes pay a lot more than their external cost because they cover the total cost of the CAA (Central Aviation Administration). Buses, passenger trains and cargo vessels pay a very small part of external costs in the form of traffic related charges

Norway and the early cold war: Conditional atlantic cooperation

In the period from the independence from Sweden in 1905 and until the Second World War, Norway wanted to be a neutral country. After the war it joined NATO, together with Denmark and Iceland. Why did Norway do this, and why with important reservations? Knut Einar Eriksen and Helge Pharo discuss the reasons behind this decision

Regional aviation and the PSO system : Level of Service and social efficiency

The variation in Level of Service (LOS) and the objective of the Public Service Obligation (PSO) system raises the need for a method for determining the LOS based on social efficiency measures. Such a method is developed for assessing PSO and LOS in Norway. This paper presents and discusses this method, which may be relevant for other countries that employs similar supporting systems for air transport. A stepwise procedure is suggested for assessing PSO routes: Firstly, a framework for deciding upon LOS for air transport under PSO is presented. Secondly, we present a way of doing rough calculations of socio-economic profitability of PSO routes compared with best alternative transport. Finally, a model is presented which refines these calculations. One finding from the model simulations is that loosening the LOS restrictions on this type of regional aviation may lead to increased ticket prices and a reduced LOS. PSO restrictions may lead to a situation close to social optimum if wisely chosen. The most important step in future research is probably to test and refine the numerical model. Keywords: public service obligation, Level of Service, socio-economic analysis, air transportpublishedVersio

Numerical approach to frictional fingers

Experiments on confined multiphase flow systems, involving air and a dense suspension, have revealed a diverse set of flow morphologies. As the air displaces the suspension, the beads that make up the suspension can accumulate along the interface. The dynamics can generate “frictional fingers” of air coated by densely packed grains. We present here a simplified model for the dynamics together with a new numerical strategy for simulating the frictional finger behavior. We further make theoretical predictions for the characteristic width associated with the frictional fingers, based on the yield stress criterion, and compare these to experimental results. The agreement between theory and experiments validates our model and allows us to estimate the unknown parameter in the yield stress criterion, which we use in the simulations

The Indigenous Voice in Majority Media. South Saami Representations in Norwegian Regional Press 1880-1990

This chapter presents a survey of how South Saami people and Saami matters are represented in Mid-Norwegian regional newspapers from around 1880 to 1990. Papers published in Steinkjer, the regional capital of Nord-Trøndelag County, constitute the bulk of the material. To what extent and how are Saami matters represented in the newspapers? How do the papers represent South Saami identity? How and why do these representations change and to what extent and how are South Saami voices represented? The predominant topics are Reindeer herding, Saami politics, Education and language, History and culture. The period of my study coincides with the culmination and, from around 1970, the gradual elimination of the Norwegian assimilation policy towards the Saami population. Social Darwinist or racial biological views are practically non-existent in my material, although quite common in late 19th and early 20th century topographical literature about the Saami. There are examples of stereotyping and othering, mostly before the 1960s, but in general, the regional newspapers of my study take a respectful interest in Saami matters, although Saami matters do not make up a substantial part of the newspaper content until the 1970s.publishedVersio

Pattern formation of frictional fingers in a gravitational potential

Aligned finger structures, with a characteristic width, emerge during the slow drainage of a liquid-granular mixture in a tilted Hele-Shaw cell. A transition from vertical to horizontal alignment of the finger structures is observed as the tilting angle and the granular density are varied. An analytical model is presented, demonstrating that the alignment properties are the result of the competition between fluctuating granular stresses and the hydrostatic pressure. The dynamics is reproduced in simulations. We also show how the system explains patterns observed in nature, created during the early stages of a dike formation

Er det forskjell på bakterieforekomsten på mynter og sedler?

Mynter og sedler nyttes daglig, og kan i løpet av dagen bli berørt av flere ulike mennesker. Dermed vil mynter og sedler kunne ta til seg en rekke bakterier. Mastercard har utført en test av bakterie-forskjell på valuta i forskjellige land [1], og testen vekket vår interesse for å undersøke ulikheter i bakterieforekomsten ved norske mynter og sedler. Vi valgte å teste kronestykker og 50-krone sedler ettersom de er mye i omløp som vekslepenger. Pengene vi testet kom fra elevaksjonen og var tilfeldig samlet inn fra ulike kilder. Vi kan konkludere med at det er mer bakterier på sedler enn på myter, men tettheten av bakterier er derimot betydelig større på mynter

Daylength influences the response of three clover species (Trifolium spp.) to short-term ozone stress

-Long photoperiods characteristic of summers at high latitudes can increase ozone-induced foliar injury in subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) This study compared the effects of long photoperiods on ozone injury in red and white clover cultivars adapted to shorter or longer daylengths of southern or northern Fennoscandia. Plants were exposed to 70 ppb ozone for six hours during the daytime for three consecutive days. Simultaneously, the daylength in the growth rooms was altered to long-day (10 h light; 14 h dim light) and short-day (10 h light; 14 h darkness) conditions. Thermal imaging showed that ozone disrupted leaf temperature and stomatal function, particularly in sensitive species, in which leaf temperature deviations persisted for several days after ozone exposure. Longday conditions increased visible foliar injury (30%–70%), characterized by chlorotic and necrotic areas, relative to short day conditions in all species and cultivars independently of the photoperiod in the region they were adapted to

IQ as a moderator of outcome in severity of children's mental health status after treatment in outpatient clinics

Psychotherapy is an effective treatment for mental health disorders, but even with the most efficacious treatment, many patients do not experience improvement. Moderator analysis can identify the conditions under which treatment is effective or whether there are factors that can attenuate the effects of treatment. In this study, linear mixed model analysis was used to examine whether the Full Scale IQ (FSIQ), Performance IQ (PIQ) and Verbal IQ (VIQ) on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third Edition, moderated outcomes in general functioning and symptom load. A total of 132 patients treated at three outpatient child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) were assessed at three different time points. The Children’s Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) and the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) were used to measure the severity of impairments in general functioning and symptom load. IQ was assessed at the start of treatment. Moderator analysis revealed that the FSIQ × time interaction predicted changes in CGAS scores (p < .01), and that the PIQ × time interaction predicted changes in HoNOSCA scores (p < .05). The slopes and intercepts in HoNOSCA scores covaried negatively and significantly (p < .05). The same pattern was not detected for the CGAS scores (p = .08). FISQ and PIQ moderated change in general functioning and symptom load, respectively. This implies that patients with higher IQ scores had a steeper improvement slope than those with lower scores. The patients with the highest initial symptom loads showed the greatest improvement, this pattern was not found in the improvement of general functioning

Tørke og effekter på vannkvalitet og biota i lite påvirkede vassdrag i Norge

Prosjektleder Jan-Erik ThraneI denne rapporten har vi har vi brukt overvåkingsdata fra lite påvirkede vassdrag for å studere effekter av tørke på vannkvalitet og biota. Vi sammenliknet vannkjemiske og biologiske data fra tørkesommeren 2018 (som våre analyser bekrefter at var historisk tørr og varm) med resultater fra de samme elvene i det mer «normale» året 2020. Resultatene viste få klare effekter på vannkjemi, med unntak av tydelig lavere DOC og fargetall under tørken. Stofftransporten var svært lav under tørken pga. liten vanntransport, med potensielle effekter på nedstrøms innsjøer og kystvann. For bunndyr fant vi ingen effekter på indekser som responderer på vanntemperatur, vannføring eller oksygeninnhold. Dette skyldes nok at prøvene tas i strykpartier, der forholdene er gode selv under ekstrem tørke. Faktorer som redusert vanndekt areal og høy vanntemperatur forventes allikevel å påvirke bunndyr, men ble ikke fanget opp med standard prøvetakingsmetodikk. Tørkesommeren 2018 hadde begrenset påvirkning på bestandene av ung laksefisk. Nasjonalt var det få trender fra 2017 til 2019 (altså før og etter tørkesommeren) eller i sammenlikningen av 2018 og 2020, men i Midt-Norge var det en nedgang i tetthet og gjennomsnittsstørrelse fra 2017 til 2019.MiljødirektoratetpublishedVersio