Kaolin as a possible treatment against lepidopteran larvae and mites in organic fruit production

Few control methods are available in Norwegian organic fruit production that can prevent damage by early and late larvae. Also phytophagous mites are difficult to control without harming the beneficial mites. Proc-essed kaolin function by coating trees and thus creating a physical barrier to infestation, impeding move-ment, feeding and egg-laying. Kaolin may reduce feeding and movement of over-wintering tortricide larvae and other larvae that hatch early in spring and have a repellent effect against egg-laying tortricide females in summer. Kaolin may also have a control effect against mites as it clings to the body and reduce feeding. Tri-als with kaolin were conducted in 2003, 2004 and 2005 in plum and apple orchards. Results show that kaolin reduces the population of rust mite, however it also affected the number of beneficial mites. The effect against early and late larvae was more variable. Treatments with kaolin resulted in a small reduction in early larvae and damage in some fields and years, however no clear effect against late larvae was found. The ef-fect of kaolin will be discussed in relation to population size and number of treatments

Herkogamy, a Principal Functional Trait of Plant Reproductive Biology

Premise of research. Phenotypic traits that consistently mediate species' responses to environmental variation (functional traits) provide a promising approach toward generalizing ecological and evolutionary patterns and thereby gaining insights into the processes generating them. In the plant functional ecology literature, most trait-based studies have focused on traits mediating either resource competition or responses to variation in the abiotic environment, while traits mediating reproductive interactions have often been neglected. Methodology. Here, I discuss the value of herkogamy, the spatial separation of male and female functions in flowers, as a functional trait in plant reproductive biology and review the evidence relevant to the hypothesis that taxa exhibiting greater herkogamy have historically experienced more reliable pollination and more outcrossed mating systems. Pivotal results. A large body of work in the field of plant reproductive biology has identified a set of nearly ubiquitous correlations between average herkogamy and features of plant mating systems, notably, autofertility (seed set in the absence of pollinators) and outcrossing rate. Herkogamy often varies extensively among populations and species, and the adaptive interpretation is that herkogamy exhibits local adaptation to the reliability of the pollination environment. Conclusions. These results underline the value of herkogamy as a functional trait representing variation in mating histories. Many important insights are likely to emerge from studies leveraging herkogamy as an easily measured proxy of plant mating systems, as already demonstrated in comparative studies and studies of reproductive interactions. Greater consideration of herkogamy and other reproductive-function traits in studies of species coexistence may provide a more complete understanding of community assembly processes.Peer reviewe

Writing Instruction and Genre Pedagogy in the EFL classroom : A mixed-methods study of secondary school teachers’ awareness and use of Genre Pedagogy in their writing instruction

This thesis examines how educators teach writing and their awareness and perception of Genre Pedagogy (GP) in Norwegian secondary schools. Writing is an essential skill for effective communication, highlighted as one of the basic skills in the English subject curriculum (Ministry of Education and Research, 2019). Teachers must prepare pupils to communicate through text for different purposes, contexts, and audiences. Previous research has shown that a more extensive focus needs to be placed on writing instruction (Horverak, 2016a; Drew, 2019; Lund, 2014). The present study examines writing instruction in light of a genre-based perspective on writing pedagogy. Genre Pedagogy is a teaching method based on Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, and Bernstein’s ideas of learning. In the GP approach, the teaching and learning cycle (TLC) has been developed to aid teachers in developing pupils’ reading and writing abilities. The first objective of this study was to explore how teachers conducted writing instruction in secondary schools in the English foreign language (EFL) classroom. The second aim was to explore teachers’ familiarity, perception and use of Genre Pedagogy as an approach to writing instruction. A mixed-methods approach was applied to reach these goals, consisting of a survey with 69 participants and seven semi-structured individual interviews. The study’s findings showed that teachers supported the writing process by providing writing frames, feedback, and pre-writing activities such as discussing content and genre and reading model texts. The findings also indicated that many teachers’ writing instruction aligned with key components of a GP approach, although the term might not be widely familiar. Motivation emerged as a crucial factor in developing writing skills and calls for more attention. Thus, the present thesis contributes to research on writing instruction in the EFL classroom in secondary schools in Norway. Keywords: Writing instruction, L2 English writing, Genre Pedagogy, secondary school educatio

The charcoal record of small spruce (Picea abies) -swamps in Southeastern Norway : a study of local fire history and fine scale spatial variation

The local fire history of a Norway spruce (Picea abies) forest with a high present-day biodiversity has been investigated to explore the spatiotemporal fire dynamics of a delimited part of Trillemarka Nature Reserve in southeastern Norway. The fire history of the nearby pine forest has previously been studied in detail revealing numerous fires the last 600 years. This study investigated if the adjacent spruce forest has burnt after spruce established and became abundant in the area, and if this changed the local fire regime. In addition, the fine scale spatial variation of the charcoal records was analyzed. Visible charcoal bands with macroscopic charcoal particles (>0,5 mm) were extracted from peat sequences from 12 closed-canopy spruce-swamps and three open Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) dominated mires. Six peat sequences were extracted at each site, plus an additional sequence at eight sites for pollen analysis and 14C dating. In total, 249 charcoal bands with macroscopic charcoal were identified illuminating the local fire history covering the last 3000 years in most sites. All sites contained charcoal, but the number of bands and amount of charcoal particles varied greatly between and within sites. Overall, 24 % of the sequences did not contain any macroscopic charcoal, which demonstrates the extensive fine scale spatial variation of charcoal in the peat. The average number of charcoal bands per sequence was 2,2 SD 2,2 and the average number of macroscopic charcoal particles per sequence was 231 SD 210. The amount of charcoal particles increased with the length of the sequence and were mostly found in the lower end of the sequences. Based on pollen analysis it was concluded that spruce established around 900-1100 AD, and 66 % of the spruce dominated sites contained charcoal bands after spruce establishment, which gave an average of 2,2 local fire events in each site. Thus, most of the spruce dominated sites have burnt at some point, although with major spatial variation. In one part of the spruce forest, fire activity seemingly ceased after spruce establishment, whereas the fire frequency increased or remained stable in other parts. The high fire frequency in some sites the last millennia could possibly be attributed to anthropogenic activities. More charcoal bands were found in the spruce dominated sites than the pine dominated sites during the same period, suggesting higher probability of detecting local fires events in the peat of the small spruce-swamp hollows than the pine-mires.M-N

Are electricity prices in the Nordic and central region of Europe influenced by fossil fuels? An emperical analysis of electricity, fossil fuels and EU-ETS price relationships during the period 2007-2015

Vi studerer prissammenhenger mellom kull, gass, CO2 kvoter og elpriser i Norden og Sentral-Europa gjennom perioden 2007-2015. Fossile brensler utgjør en betydelig større andel av den totale kraftproduksjonen i det sentral-europeiske markedet sammenliknet med det nordiske. Hensikten med oppgaven er derfor å avdekke om prisendringer på kull, gass og CO2 kvoter har noen påvirkning på systemprisen på Nord Pool og EPEX. Vi innleder analysen med å studere korrelasjoner mellom prisendringer i råvarene. Videre ser vi på lead-lag relasjoner, med den hensikt å undersøke hvorvidt prisendringer i råvarene påvirker elprisene på et senere tidspunkt. Vi beregner clean dark og spark spread for å kunne identifisere perioder der det er rimelig å anta at kull og gasskraftverkene er operative. Avslutningsvis vurderer vi om det eksisterer et langsiktig likevekts forhold mellom systemprisene og råvarene, som vil muliggjøre modellering av den kortsiktige dynamikken i markedene. Vi finner statistiske bevis på at det eksisterer kointegrerte forhold mellom systemprisen og råvarene i begge markedene. Ved en større prisendring i kull og gass, justerer systemprisen på EPEX seg raskere mot likevektsnivået sammenliknet med Nord Pool. Vi observerer at nivået på de variable produksjonskostnadene i kullkraftverkene er en signifikant driver for systemprisen i perioder med høy etterspørsel på Nord Pool og EPEX. Tilsvarende signifikante parameter estimater observeres for de variable produksjonskostnadene i gasskraftverkene innad EPEX systemet. Det vil følgelig være kraftverk med høyest variabel produksjonskostnad som vil være prissettende i perioder med høy etterspørsel. Resultatene gir videre en indikasjon på at ending i kull og gasspriser gir større utslag i det sentral-europeiske markedet sammenliknet med det nordiske.We are studying the price relationships between coal, gas, CO2 quotas and electricity prices in Nordic countries and Central Europe in the time period 2007-­‐2015. Fossil fuels make up a more considerable share of energy production in the European market compared to Nordic countries. The purpose of this paper is hence to uncover if the price fluctuations of coal, gas, and CO2 quotas have any effect on the electricity price on Nord Pool and EPEX. We will begin the analysis by studying correlations between changes in the electricity price and the cost of raw materials. Then, we will address lead-­‐lag relations in order to investigate whether price fluctuations related to raw materials have an effect on electricity prices at a later time. From this, we can calculate clean dark and spark spread which enables us to identify periods of time where it is reasonable to assume that coal and gas production is in operation. Finally, we will examine whether there is a long-­‐term, reciprocal equilibrium between system costs and the raw materials, which will establish a means of modelling short-­‐term dynamics in the markets. There is statistical evidence that there is co-­‐integrated relationships between the electricity price and the price of raw materials in both markets. In the case of a major price fluctuation in oil and gas, the electricity price on EPEX will adjust more quickly towards equilibrium compared with Nord Pool. Further analysis shows that the level of variability of production costs in coal-­‐fired power stations is a significant factor to the electricity price in times of high demand for both Nord Pool and EPEX. Similar significant parameter estimates can also be observed in the varying production costs of gas within the EPEX system. Therefore, it is the power plants with the highest marginal production cost which set the prices in times of high demand. The results will be an indication that fluctuations in the coal and gas price will have a more significant effect on Central-­‐European markets in relation to the Nordic market.M-Ø

Using hierarchical joint models to study reproductive interactions in plant communities

1. Pollinator-mediated reproductive interactions among co-flowering plant species are prime examples of how species interactions may affect fitness and community assembly. Despite considerable interest in these issues, statistical methods for assessing signal of reproductive interactions in observational data on co-flowering species are currently lacking. 2. We propose a flexible method for quantifying potential reproductive interactions among co-flowering plant species using the hierarchical latent-variable joint models implemented in the Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities (HMSC) framework. The method accommodates any measure of reproductive success, including pollinator visitation, stigma pollen loads, and seed set. We demonstrate the method by analysing a dataset on bumblebee visitation to a set of co-flowering plant species in a species-rich meadow in Norway, and provide R tutorials for this and additional data types. 3. The example analysis revealed both positive and negative effects of heterospecific flower abundances on visitation to co-flowering species, which we interpret as potential reproductive interactions. 4. Synthesis. Hierarchical joint models provide a flexible approach to analysing patterns of covariation in the reproductive success of co-flowering species, thus identifying potential species interactions. Important strengths include explicit consideration of community-level effects and the assessment of residual fitness correlations after controlling for covariates such as flower abundances and phenotypic traits, yielding more complete insights into pollinator-mediated reproductive interactions.Peer reviewe

Impact of Variable Renewables Through Market Coupling on Day-Ahead Prices in NO2 : A panel quantile approach

This thesis investigates the impact of European variable renewables on the distribution of electricity prices in Norway through market coupling. When examining the effect from variable renewables we assess day-ahead prices in the Norwegian bidding zone NO2 and variable renewable generation in Germany, Great Britain, Denmark, and the Netherlands. We exploit hourly data from October 2021 throughout 2022 and employ a panel quantile regression. A quantile approach enables us to estimate the variable renewables effect on various price quantiles while the panel structure allows us to control for market dynamics through hourly-specific effects. In the model, we also control for various other factors known to impact electricity prices. The variable of particular interest is the penetration of variable renewables, constructed by dividing the variable renewable generation by the total generation in each respective country. The results imply that an increasing penetration of variable renewables in all countries have a negative effect on day-ahead prices in NO2, suggesting that the merit-order effect occurs through market coupling. An increasing penetration of wind and PV generation in interconnected countries decreases domestic electricity prices. The result implies that the impact from variable renewables is strongest in the right-tail of the price distribution, indicating stronger impact during peak demand. Nonetheless, the result signals signs of transmission congestion which diminish the price contagion from the variable renewable penetration in the interconnected country, obstructing the merit-order effect originally seen through market coupling. The model is unable to capture this effect given a confidence of 95 percent. Hence, we cannot adequately conclude that this result is due to congestion.nhhma

Nærvær og fravær av dansk kongemakt i Norge i vikingtiden

Denne masteroppgaven undersøker hvordan dansk kongemakt i Norge fungerte i sen vikingtid, nærmere bestemt perioden fra ca. 930-1066. I oppgaven analyserer og drøfter jeg hvordan maktoppbygging foregikk under et sterkt og svakt Danmark. Fokuset er på politisk kultur og sosiale bånd hvor jeg foretar en aktørstudie. I den første delen ser jeg nærmere på hvordan den danske kongen bygde sosiale nettverk til norske konger og ladejarlene i perioden fra ca. 930-1035. Underveis diskuteres motiver for denne maktoppbyggingen og hvordan aktørene handlet når de hadde dansk støtte i ryggen. Hovedhypotesen er at avstand forklarer hvordan dansk kongemakt fungerte over tid. Aktørene i Norge var ute etter å styrke sin makt samtidig som den danske kongen ønsket stabilitet og maktbalanse. Deretter foretas det en analyse av hva slags virkninger nordsjøimperiets oppløsning fikk for maktforholdene i Norge. Her diskuterer jeg hvor omfattende konsolideringen var rundt de norske kongene i perioden fra ca.1035-66 og hvordan spillet endret seg som en følge av et svekket Danmark. Hypotesen her er at vi kan snakke om et sterkere forhold til enkeltindivider, men ikke aristokratiet som en helhetlig gruppe. Til slutt drøfter jeg hvordan den danske kongen reagerte på et økt press fra norske konger ved å spille på lag med norske høvdinger

Statlige sykehus; Kan styrings-effektiviteten bedres?

Dette notatet tar kort for seg hvilke faser regionaliseringen av spesialisthelsetjenesten har vært i gjennom de siste 30 årene og hvilke erfaringer som ble høstet i forbindelse med gjennomføringen av det lovpålagte regionale helsesamarbeidet i 1999-2001. Til sist berører notatet enkelte styringsmessige sider ved den nye modellen med statlig eierskap og foretaksorganisering og hva som kan være mulige fallgruver for modellen. Notatet bygger på en evaluering av det regionale helsesamarbeidet som Norsk institutt for by- og regionforskning (NIBR), Rogalandsforskning (RF) og Nordlandsforskning (NF) har utført på oppdrag fra det daværende Sosial- og helsedepartementet. I den forbindelse er det laget tre arbeidsnotater, samt en sluttrapport som oppsummerer resultatene fra de tre notatene. Som følge av reformen med statlig eierskap og foretaksorganisering som trådte i kraft 1.1.2002, er evalueringen av det regionale helsesamarbeidet omformulert og tilpasset den nye styringsstrukturen. Den omdefinerte evalueringen er treårig og skal være avsluttet i 2004. Evalueringsprosjektet skal, i likhet med evalueringen av det regionale helsesamarbeidet, ha fokus på styringseffektiviteten i styringsmodellen. I notatet er det kort redegjort for noen av de spørsmål som evalueringen vil søke å besvare. Vi gjør oppmerksom på at foreliggende notat ikke dekker alle resultatene fra evalueringen av det lovpålagte regionale helsesamarbeidet. For ytterligere utdyping vises det til referanser oppgitt i notatet.Regionalt helsesamarbeid; spesialisthelsetjenesten; statlig eierskap

Control methods against bugs (Hemiptera; Heteroptera) in organic apple and pear production

True bugs (Hemiptera; Heteroptera) are important pests in fruit production in Norway. In organic fruit pro-duction they may damage up to 40% of the crop. Several of the Heteropteran species attacking apple and pear are polyphagous, with many other hostplants than pome fruit. In organic production few control meth-ods are available against bugs. In this study we have tried a cultural control method (mowing of ground-cover) as well as spray applications of various biological insecticides against bugs. Spray application of azadirachtin (NeemAzal), rape oil and garlic extract (Ecoguard) were tested. Results indicate that the effect of mowing groundcover inside the orchard is variable and small. Applying NeemAzal reduced the number of bugs and damage. Oil and Ecoguard showed little effect in this study, however further testing is needed. Results from the first two years of the study will be discussed in relation to both cultural and direct control methods against bugs