Close-Kin Mark-Recapture Models

Close-Kin Mark-Recapture (CKMR) is a recent extension of the ordinary mark–recapture methods used to estimate animal abundance and other population parameters. Where ordinary mark–recapture only consider the subsequent identification of the same animal a recapture, CKMR expands this by also viewing the genetic identification of a relatives as a recapture. One of the challenges of CKMR models compared to ordinary mark–recapture is that the recapture probabilities are tightly coupled to the life histories of the animals in questions. This thesis contains three different contributions to the CKMR literature. Firstly I develop a CKMR estimator for age structured populations, presented in Ruzzante (2019). Secondly, I develop theoretical background for half sibling CKMR analysis, and apply kin analysis to data from the River Etne. Thirdly, it expands on the results from Skaug (2017) and derives several new results for the case where age of both parent and offspring is unknown. The first part contains the method development of a parent–offspring CKMR model for brook trout populations, electrofished yearly in the period 2013-2018. I here develop a moment estimator for population size for an age structured model, related to the Lincoln–Petersen estimator. The estimator is applied under two different population assumptions, stable age structure, and variable recruitment and representative sampling. Special focus is on the small population situation, where large sample approximations used in previous CKMR studies cannot be assumed. A small sample bias correction for the estimator is developed and validated using parametric bootstrap simulations. Using the perspective that the parent marks the offspring instead of the commonly used offspring marks juvenile, a simple and general form of the estimator is derived. Viewing offspring as the marked part of the population also leads to an expression for the variance of the expected number of parent–offspring pairs in a sample, which is found to be less than the Poisson variance unless fecundity is very overdispersed. The second part contains theoretical background and model development for half sibling CKMR analysis, to examine the conditions under which same cohort siblings are suitable for CKMR analysis. A half sibling kinship analysis of single year data set of Atlantic salmon from the River Etne 2013 is performed to check if it is suitable for CKMR. In the third part, the probability that an individual has a living parent in an age structured population is discussed in detail. For the case where age information for both parent and offspring is unavailable, I derive two useful expressions for the probability of a living parent when mortality is constant, or constant after onset of maturity. With the additional assumption of constant population size, this probability is shown to be 1/2, similar to what is previously proved for constant fecundity.Masteroppgave i statistikkSTAT399MAMN-STA

Biopower and biodata : exploring the security implications for women in a post Roe v. Wade era in the USA

This thesis aims to map out how abortion as a case in the USA can present a good opportunity to study biodata security in the jurisdictional environment of the country after the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Some research questions have been set up to guide this analysis into the subject of security, the digital arena, and biopower of the state. The digital arena is a vital part of the analysis and presents some difficulties as well as some opportunities for international relations theorizing. The main sample of choice has been Texas because of the conservative abortion politics of the state. Despite the focus on women’s security and the intersectional feminist lens that has been used for this project, it is important to note that the security threat that distribution of data and surveillance proposes to the individual, is a threat to all individuals and not just women. This is an argument for the transferability of the case presented in this thesis. The conclusion this thesis presents is that the lack of jurisdictional protection of data privacy laws has the biggest impact on groups in society that already are marginalized and come from lower socioeconomical backgrounds. I therefore argue that data privacy laws need to be improved to protect the safety of vulnerable groups in the society that are less represented in democratic organs.M-I

Geometry of embedded CR manifolds

Revised version: some spelling errors corrected.The reader is introduced to the geometry of CR manifolds, which are real submanifolds of complex space with a complex structure on a subbundle of its tangent bundle. Explicit formulas for the geometrical aspects of CR(1,1) manifolds are given, including formulas for the Reeb vector field, the Tanaka-Webster connection and the pseudo-holomorphic sectional curvature.Masteroppgave i matematikkMAT399MAMN-MA

A bakestones journey to Borgund. An archaeological study of Borgund’s role in the trade of bakestones in Western Norway between the 11th and 16th century

This thesis studies bakestones found in the Medieval town of Borgund, and the town’s position in the commerce network of bakestones in Western Norway. Borgund lies on the sailing route between Trondheim and Bergen, located between some known quarry areas of bakestones in Western Norway. The aim has been to find whether Borgund’s trade was directed south towards Bergen and the quarries of Ølve/Hatlestrand or north towards Trondheim and the quarries of Øye, if there were any temporal changes and if Borgund functioned as a transit port for further distribution of bakestones to nearby areas. Visual archaeological analysis was conducted to find trends in the archaeological material related to the bakestone’s use. A visual geological analysis was conducted to distinguish geological groups and quarry groups among the material. Some of the bakestones were also analysed geochemically using pXRF to see if they matched the visual geological analysis. It was found that most of the bakestones at Borgund were unused, meaning Borgund functioned as a consumer, not as a transit port for further distribution to nearby areas. More than 60% of the bakestones consisted of fine-grained chlorite schist, a quality only found in Ølve/Hatlestrand, meaning the trade of bakestone was mainly directed south to Bergen and Ølve/Hatlestrand. The remaining bakestones could not be provenaced or consisted of medium-grained or coarse-grained chlorite schist. Both materials may occur in Ølve/Hatlestrand and Øye. However, since the traces of bakestone extraction at Øye indicate small-scale production and both the materials clustered with the fine-grained chlorite schist in the geochemical analysis, they are likely from Ølve/Hatlestrand as well.Arkeologi mastergradsoppgaveARK350MAHF-AR

Co-immunoprecipitation with the multi-peptide bacteriocin GarKS immunity protein

Garvicin KS (GarKS) is a bacteriocin recently discovered in Lactococcus garvieae belonging to a novel group of multi-peptide bacteriocins, whose receptor and mode of action is unknown. In this thesis heterologous expression of the immunity gene in Lactococcus lactis and Staphylococcus aureus was shown to provide immunity to GarKS in both species. In addition, the garvicin KS immunity protein (GakI) was shown to confer immunity also to aureocin A70 in L. lactis. Variants of GakI fused with a FLAG-tag did not change the normal function of this immunity protein. The thesis further describes the successful optimization for co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) of GakI. A washing buffer using the combination of the detergent IGEPAL CA-630 at 1% and 0.575 M NaCl was developed. Using this buffer the immunity protein was shown to co-precipitate with three proteins at approximately 25, 27 and 52 kDa. Immunoprecipitate was analyzed by mass spectrometry but the three aforementioned proteins remains to be identified. Genomic analysis of GarKS mutants was performed and revealed mutations in ythA and cesR, both likely involved in a general stress response against agents that perturb the cytoplasmic membrane. Further, proteomic analysis identified a high abundance of proteins involved in this response; YthC, YneH and FtsH in cells producing GakI and exposed to GarKS. Together they provide valuable insights into two little-understood general stress response systems in lactococci.Garvicin KS (GarKS) er et bakteriosin nylig oppdaget i Lactococcus garvieae som tilhører en særegen gruppe av fler-peptid bakteriosiner med en reseptor og virkemåte som er ukjent. Heterologt uttrykt immunitetsgen i Lactococcus lactis og Staphylococcus aureus ble vist å gi immunitet i begge arter med en økning i minimum inhiberingskonsentrasjon på henholdsvis 130 og 14-ganger . Garvicin KS immunitetsproteinet (GakI) ga også immunitet mot aureocin A70 i L. lactis med en 97-gangers økning eller mer. GakI med fusjonert FLAG-tag hadde liknende aktivitet. I denne oppgaven fremstilles en optimaliert protokoll for ko-immunoutfelling av GakI. En vanskeprotokoll basert på en kombinasjon av det overflateaktive stoffet IGEPAL CA-630 på 1% og 0.575 M NaCl ble utviklet. Ved bruk av denne kombinasjonen ble tre proteiner ko-immunoutfelt med GakI med estimerte masser på 25, 27 og 52 kDa. Analyse ved hjelp av massespektrometri ble utført på immunoutfellingsprøvene, men proteinene lot seg ikke identifisere. Helgenomanalyse av mutanter for GarKS ble utført og viste mutasjoner i ythA og cesR, som begge høyst sannsynlig er en del av et generelt stress respons system mot stoffer som forstyrrer cellemembranen. Videre proteomanalyse av kulturer som produserer GakI utsatt for GarKS viste en høy mengde YthC, YneH og FtsH, som alle er en del av denne responsen. Sammen gir dataene en innsikt i to stress respons systemer i laktokokker som er lite forstått.submittedVersionM-BIOTE

Inclusive Peer Learning Pedagogy with Augemented Reality– iPEAR

The paper aims to show a pedagogical design focusing on peer learning and augmented reality to improve students\u27 engagement, motivation, and empowerment. During the pandemic, strong research evidence suggested that collaborative and inclusive approaches such as peer learning simultaneously enhance mental health, student satisfaction and learning outcomes. Augmented reality unveils the positive effects of visual learning, which could be used creatively to stimulate interest, creativity, and participation. Thus, the pedagogy is philosophically framed within social learning and self-efficacy theories. Inclusion is defined as the social value of sharing information, devices and ideas and as instructional design that respects the learners\u27 needs and preferences. The research findings led to the four pillars of the theoretical model. The pillars are AR tools, Peer-to-Peer task design, visuals, and peer feedback culture. The generic pedagogical framework was examined from 2021 to 2022 as part of the intellectual outputs of a European Erasmus project in a higher education project called i-pear.eu, creating a compendium of good praxis

Teaching health in physical education: An action research project

In the Norwegian curriculum for physical education (PE), health is one of several topics students should learn about. However, the way in which many educators conceptualize health can impact both what students learn and how health is taught in PE. According to Mong and Standal (2019), differences in terms of the conceptualizations of health can also lead to differences in teachers’ didactical approaches. This article is based on an action research project in which the overall goal was to investigate how didactic work can contribute to developing the teaching of health in PE. The project included an action research phase and qualitative interviews. The project, conducted in Norway, lasted almost one school year and was divided into two units. One teacher and 48 students aged 14–15 years participated in the action research project, which included eight lessons. We conducted qualitative interviews with the teacher and six students after the completion of the action research phase. In our analysis, we identified three topics addressed by both the students and the teacher, namely ‘the use of logbooks as a method for reflection’, ‘awareness of health as a knowledge object’ and ‘developing confidence in how to teach health’. Through the use of a didactic approach to health, both the students and teacher developed new reflections on and awareness of health. The findings indicate that it was professional development which subsequently impacted didactic decisions, dialogues about how health was taught and the teacher’s confidence in teaching health.publishedVersio

‘Feeling better’: embodied self-knowledge as an aspect of movement capability

The literature on movement capability critiques the traditional content of physical education (i.e. the what of physical education) and the subject’s reliance on teacher-led methods (i.e. the how of physical education). By re-focusing the content as well as the teaching methods of physical education, the literature on movement capabilities as providing a more student-centered approach to a form of physical education, which is less focused on developing skills and techniques in sporting activities. One important aspect of movement capability is to develop the students’ bodily awareness of their own way of moving. However, our contention is that the focus on students’ bodily awareness this is done in the service of improving specific movements. Purpose In this paper, we want to explore how embodied self-knowledge itself can be considered a movement capability. More specifically, the question guiding this article is: What is there to learn about oneself as a mover in physical education, when one moves without aiming to perfect a specific movement? Method The paper draws on analyses from an auto-ethnographic study performed by one of the authors [Bratten, J. H. (2017). Aktiviteter med lav puls og liten kraft i kroppsøvingsog breddeidrettsfaget. [Activities with low pulse and little excertion]. Master thesis. Oslo Metropolitan University. Oslo, Norway.]. More specifically, she was investigating her role as a teacher in a specific course unit that she had developed, called ‘Activities with low pulse and little exertion.’ This content, consisting of lessons given over a period of 5–8 weeks, is based on traditionally eastern forms of activity like yoga and Qi-gong, where the aim is to move through certain poses with attention directed inwardly and towards breathing. These analyses are combined with theoretical resources from somaesthetics [Shusterman, 2008 Body Consciousness. A Philosophy of Mindfulness and Somaesthetics. Cambrigde: Cambridge University Press; 2012 Thinking Through the Body: Essays in Somaesthetics. Cambridge University Press] in order to elucidate how the course unit can be understood to work with the students’ embodied self-knowledge. Results By employing Shusterman’s fine-grained descriptions of somesthetical movement practices, we are able to highlight that knowing oneself in movement is a valuable end in itself, not only a means to accomplishing specific movements. Our contribution then has been to give an example of how movement capabilities can be conceived of, when movement is understood as a process that can help students to feel better without the need to perform.publishedVersio

Exploring how gender stereotypes affect women’s opportunities in attaining leadership positions

In Norway, 84.5% of Managing Director positions are held by men, while women hold only 14.5% (CORE, 2022). Gender stereotypes contribute to the hiring bias favoring male applicants for leadership roles (Brescoll, 2016; Fischbach et al., 2015; Heilman, 2001). With this backdrop in mind, this thesis aims to address the research question “How do gender stereotypes affect females´ opportunities to attain leadership roles?”; and to shed light on the imbalance in gender representation in Norwegian leadership roles. The research emphasizes the benefits of a gender-diverse leadership team in terms of innovation and financial performance. The literature findings confirmed the consequences women experience for either confirming or disconfirming gender stereotypes. The study follows an interpretivism research paradigm and employs a correlational research design with mixed-methods. Through theory triangulation and thematic analysis, the research examines four main themes related to gender stereotypes: personality traits/backlash effects, “lack of fit”, “glass ceiling”, and emotionality. An online survey, employing a 7-point Likert scale, gathered data, and a frequency analysis was conducted to measure the occurrence of each item. The quantitative findings revealed that gender stereotypes indeed act as barriers for women in attaining leadership roles. Women are perceived to lack the personality traits associated with successful leaders, experience a “lack of fit”, face family responsibilities as barriers, and are considered more emotional in decision-making, which hinders their advancement to higher leadership positions. Thus, the recommendations suggested for business practitioners to consider are implementation of management training to strengthen knowledge and commitment to gender-diversity; recruitment transparency measures; training programs promoting equal opportunities for women; educational measures to better understand the benefits of emotionality in decision-making

Establishing reward systems for excellence in teaching – the experience of academics pioneering a reward system

Higher education institutions are struggling to elevate the value and status of academic teaching. In this endeavour, rewards for excellence in teaching are becoming a common measure. This study reports on the experience of the first academic teachers who were given the status as rewarded teachers in new reward systems. We explore rewarded teachers’ potential to influence teaching and learning culture through a socio-cultural perspective, where influence is assumed to materialise through teachers’ networks and cultural change is linked to a widening of significant networks. Interviews with 13 rewarded teachers from three universities were analysed using thematic analysis. We find that rewarded teachers maintain their positions in existing networks and gain visibility and influence in wider networks. This widening of their teaching and learning network is a first step, that over time can become a wider significant network potentially important in influencing culture. We suggest that a productive measure to support rewarded teachers is to provide support for expanding their significant networks further, bridging the boundaries between teaching cultures. This study adds to our knowledge about how reward impacts networks, and the potential role rewarded teachers play in cultural change, a perspective that is underexplored in research on reward systems.publishedVersio