Norwegian Material Research Articles

Inspiration to act or just another scary vision?

Images are powerful communicators. They evoke feelings, raise awareness of important issues and sometimes spur people to act. A critical societal issue that may benefit from all these kinds of engagement is climate change. This paper presents a study of images accompanying news items on the current state of our climate as expressed in the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report. The items were culled from five Norwegian and five UK news sources, and the images were analysed in terms of topic and news value. Unsurprisingly, climate impact topics were common in both countries, with bush and forest fires dominating. Thus, the traditional news values of Negativity and Impact were the most important ones drawn on. More surprisingly, the Norwegian material comprised a high number of images of politicians, representing the news value of Eliteness. This topic was absent in the UK material. Pictures that may point to climate solutions, e.g. new energy sources or lifestyle matters, were only sparsely represented. Thus, the images may ensure people’s engagement with climate change through disaster scenarios, but few seem to have the potential to motivate action.

Grain yield and adaptation of spring wheat to Norwegian growing conditions is driven by allele frequency changes at key adaptive loci discovered by genome-wide association mapping

Key messageAdaptation to the Norwegian environment is associated with polymorphisms in the Vrn-A1 locus. Historical selection for grain yield in Nordic wheat is associated with TaGS5-3A and TaCol-5 loci.Grain yields in Norwegian spring wheat increased by 18 kg ha−1 per year between 1972 and 2019 due to introduction of new varieties. These gains were associated with increments in the number of grains per spike and extended length of the vegetative period. However, little is known about the genetic background of this progress. To fill this gap, we conducted genome-wide association study on a panel consisting of both adapted (historical and current varieties and lines in the Nordics) and important not adapted accessions used as parents in the Norwegian wheat breeding program. The study concerned grain yield, plant height, and heading and maturity dates, and detected 12 associated loci, later validated using independent sets of recent breeding lines. Adaptation to the Norwegian cropping conditions was found to be associated with the Vrn-A1 locus, and a previously undescribed locus on chromosome 1B associated with heading date. Two loci associated with grain yield, corresponding to the TaGS5-3A and TaCol-5 loci, indicated historical selection pressure for high grain yield. A locus on chromosome 2A explained the tallness of the oldest accessions. We investigated the origins of the beneficial alleles associated with the wheat breeding progress in the Norwegian material, tracing them back to crosses with Swedish, German, or CIMMYT lines. This study contributes to the understanding of wheat adaptation to the Norwegian growing conditions, sheds light on the genetic basis of historical wheat improvement and aids future breeding efforts by discovering loci associated with important agronomic traits in wheat.

PrEP, Pharmakon, and Ambivalence in the Era of Nordic HIV Prevention

Using Derrida's notion of pharmakon (again from Plato), I want to bring attention to how we can utilize the notion of pharmakon as an analytical device for thinking about the entanglements between pharmaceuticals, and historical HIV narratives, and the contemporary landscape of HIV in the Nordic region. Pharmakon can denote both cure and poison. However, it can also refer to a meaning associated with scapegoating. This article will argue that the introduction of PrEP in Norway (and elsewhere) has set in motion discourses wherein PrEP can be perceived as a form of pharmakon based on the different actors framing the discourse. On the one hand, some have come to see PrEP as a pharmaceutical, which can usher in a new form of freedom that alleviates fears of HIV as well as opens up new intimacies. This is the curative side of PrEP. On the other hand, others have raised fears of the possible rise in other STIs due to PrEP usage, as well as the alleged 'abandonment of condom culture. This can be perceived as the poison side of PrEP. Finally, others have pointed to the moral and fiscal responsibilities associated with PrEP usage and the perceived loss of 'responsible gay sexuality. With the rise of the phrase 'Truvada whore', this can be seen as the scapegoating side of PrEP as pharmakon wherein PrEP users are scapegoated for their use of PrEP, and thus blamed for increases in STIs and lack of funds for other medical services provided by the welfare state such as migraine medicines in the Norwegian discourse. The article will utilize Norwegian material from public debates around PrEP as well as supplement these with discourses from Sweden and Denmark to make a disciplinary conjecture regarding the status of PrEP when seen through the concept of pharmakon.

Entoloma species of subgenus Cyanula (Tricholomatinae, Basidiomycota) in Norway, with emphasis on habitat preferences and distribution

This is the third paper with results from the Norwegian Entoloma project 2015-2017. An overview is given of the species of Entolomasubgenus Cyanula in Norway. Cyanula includes, among other elements, many grassland fungi. This paper is part of a larger studyconcerning the European species of the subgenus Cyanula, including a multigene phylogeny that will be published in due course.Furthermore, a monograph with updated taxonomic revision is recently issued. This paper focuses mainly on the species recorded from Norway with help of ITS DNA barcoding, with reference to recent collections also from Northern Sweden, with extensive notes of their habitat requirements and distribution. Altogether 53 Cyanula species are presented here, with an updated circumscription and naming. More than half of these are reported new to Norway since the start of the Norwegian Entoloma project. Of these, 18 have been described as new during the last three years, largely based on Norwegian material. Four of these are known exclusively from Scandinavia.

Gilduin Davy, La Saga des diseurs de loi: Esquisse juridique de l’Islande médiévale, Paris: Classiques Garnier, 2021, 454 pp.

Abstract This thorough study is both long overdue and comes from an unexpected quarter. Davy is professor of the history of law at l’Université Paris-Nanterre. The lawman (lgmaðr) of his title and other legal advisors are well known to readers of the sagas of Icelanders but, as is the case of the master litigator Njáll Þorgeirsson, “Burnt Njall,” it is more as active players in court cases generated by feud than as more elevated and distant patrons of the law as institution. The best-known feature of the office of law speaker, as he is also known, was to have memorized the entire law code, at the pre-literate stage of this society, and to proclaim one third of it each year at the island-wide assembly over which he presided. This is the first modern study of the office of law man and its author is uniquely placed, by virtue of his familiarity with the Icelandic and Norwegian material, to trace its insufficiently studied development. Davy is also alert to the possible origins of law in what began in historical time with the settlement, and social and legal organization of an unpopulated North Atlantic island. As is to be expected, the laws of Norway, where a majority of the settlers originated, would have offered a ready model and there does seem to have been a transfer en bloc of Norwegian jurisprudence. But many of the settler generation would have had experience of raiding, trading, and residence in the British Isles, particularly Ireland, which had its own large body of jurisprudence, possibly dating from the seventh century. Davy’s project is even more ambitious in that he seeks to discover the very foundations of law, its mythical and legendary origins, and conceptual underpinning.

Gilduin Davy, La Saga des diseurs de loi: Esquisse juridique de l’Islande médiévale, Paris: Classiques Garnier, 2021, 00, 000 pp.

Abstract This thorough study is both long overdue and comes from an unexpected quarter. Davy is professor of history of law at l’Université Paris-Nanterre. The lawman (lgmaðr) of his title and other legal advisors are well known to readers of the sagas of Icelanders but, as is the case of the master litigator Njáll Þorgeirsson, “Burnt Njall,” it is more as active players in court cases generated by feud than as more elevated and distant patrons of the law as institution. The best-known feature of the office of law speaker, as he is also known, was to have memorized the entire law code, at the pre-literate stage of this society, and to proclaim one third of it each year at the island-wide assembly over which he presided. This is the first modern study of the office of law man and its author is uniquely placed, by virtue of his familiarity with the Icelandic and Norwegian material, to trace its insufficiently studied development. Davy is also alert to the possible origins of law in what began in historical time with the settlement, and social and legal organization of an unpopulated North Atlantic island. As is to be expected, the laws of Norway, where a majority of the settlers originated, would have offered a ready model and there does seem to have been a transfer en bloc of Norwegian jurisprudence. But many of the settler generation would have had experience of raiding, trading, and residence in the British Isles, particularly Ireland, which had its own large body of jurisprudence, possibly dating from the seventh century. Davy’s project is even more ambitious in that he seeks to discover the very foundations of law, its mythical and legendary origins, and conceptual underpinning.

«ПАРТИЗАНСКИЙ РЕКВИЕМ» ХЕННИНГА СОММЕРРО: СПОСОБЫ И РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ ИНТЕРПРЕТАЦИИ ХУДОЖЕСТВЕННЫХ ТЕКСТОВ В КОНТЕКСТЕ ДРАМАТУРГИИ СОЧИНЕНИЯ

The article undertakes a study of performing interpretations of the work by H. Sommerro (2000), which is being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. The main material are recordings of readings by S. Hoff (2000) and B. Andersen (2019). The study is based on comparative and linguistic methods, interdisciplinary approaches, and special methods of musical analysis. Among the principal conclusions that are new in character are the following: the structure of the composition is defined by the tasks of conveying the multiple meanings of Norwegian literary material through the unequal inclusion in the Requiem numbers, its different correlation with the Latin text, emotional deepening and enrichment by the orchestra, choir and singers; the emphasis is on the idea of sacrifice, which turns the "Offertorium" into one of the most dramatically intense numbers. The study of the logic of accents, pauses, and speech melody shows that the readers are very similar in the meaningful interpretation of texts, but intonationally the actor from 2000 creates three different artistic images, bringing Norwegian poetry and prose to the fore, while the performer from 2019 tends to a narratively restrained manner in all cases, which equalizes Catholic and secular texts in meaning. Sommerro's Requiem demonstrates a distinct movement towards new ways of actualizing traditional musical forms.

Two French or Flemish Manuscripts and their Scandinavian Fate

The Nordic countries suffered great losses in their holdings of medieval manuscripts after the Reformation in the sixteenth century. Some were reused for other purposes; thousands of manuscripts were dissembled and reused in the bindings of the account books of the royal administrations of Denmark and Sweden, which has resulted in large fragment collections reflecting the medieval book holdings of the different countries. Two manuscripts, probably with a French or Flemish origin, are among those reused as binding material by Danish officials. Fragments from these two manuscripts have been found in archives both in Norway and Denmark, in a process of reconstruction which has been ongoing for a century. These two fragmentary manuscripts are important witnesses to the relationship between Norwegian and Danish fragment material, as well as to the international contacts of Denmark in the Middle Ages.

A palaeodietary investigation of a multi-period churchyard in Stavanger, Norway, using stable isotope analysis (C, N, H, S) on bone collagen

Stable isotopes (C, N, H and S) chemically record information in bone about numerous aspects of past human lives, such as diet, residence and migration. Although widely applied, few stable isotope studies have been carried out for palaeodietary research using Norwegian material, and none from the southwest coast. The first animal and human stable isotope values from the Norwegian Stavanger region are presented in this study, revealing changes in dietary habits through a period of cultural, religious and economic changes in Norway, from the 9th century AD to the post-reformation period (17th century/early 18th century AD). 14C-datings of some skeletons that gave ages between AD 800–1150 (calibrated, 2 sigma) raise questions about their origin and the expansion of Christianity. The stable isotope results indicate a high protein diet with a substantial amount of marine input. Across the centuries, changing dietary patterns emerge that are probably related to changes in Christian rituals and people's lifestyle. The intensification of fishing activities that characterises medieval Europe is also visible in the isotopic record of Stavanger. The multi-proxy approach in this study proved useful as the addition of hydrogen stable isotopic data allows for improved interpretation of the palaeodiet, whereas sulphur stable isotope data needs further exploration in order to indicate possible migration.

Teori og praksis i blomstermaler I.L. Jensens tegneundervisning

Through close analysis of an unpublished body of drawings and teaching material kept at the Norwegian manor of Rosendal, close to Bergen, as well as material from the Royal Library in Copenhagen and the Danish Art Library, it is possible to reconstruct step-by-step the process by which Danish flower painter Johan Lauritz Jensen (1800–1856) taught drawing to his many pupils during the first half of the nineteenth century. This allows us to conclude that Jensen closely followed academic tradition as he had learned it at the Royal Academy of Art in his youth, where instruction followed very precise stipulations, proceeding from the simple to the more complex, with the aim to produce idealised images closely based on tightly controlled reference material such as prints and drawings. The underlying philosophy at the time was that the purpose of art was to capture the ideal beyond the temporal world. In the case of flower painting, this was best achieved by working systematically to construct arrangements that would be entirely implausible in reality. The Norwegian material furthermore includes a number of prints and drawings by I.L. Jensen that must have been acquired by the daughters of the estate while they were studying in Copenhagen in the years 1831–35. The evidence provided by this material makes it clear that they were taught not by Jensen, as has previously been assumed, but rather by the contemporary flower painter Christine Løvmand (1803–1872).

A Tale of Two Transcriptions. Machine-Assisted Transcription of Historical Sources


 
 
 This article explains how two projects implement semi-automated transcription routines: for census sheets in Norway and marriage protocols from Barcelona. The Spanish system was created to transcribe the marriage license books from 1451 to 1905 for the Barcelona area; one of the world’s longest series of preserved vital records. Thus, in the Project “Five Centuries of Marriages” (5CofM) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona’s Center for Demographic Studies, the Barcelona Historical Marriage Database has been built. More than 600,000 records were transcribed by 150 transcribers working online. The Norwegian material is cross-sectional as it is the 1891 census, recorded on one sheet per person. This format and the underlining of keywords for several variables made it more feasible to semi-automate data entry than when many persons are listed on the same page. While Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for printed text is scientifically mature, computer vision research is now focused on more difficult problems such as handwriting recognition. In the marriage project, document analysis methods have been proposed to automatically recognize the marriage licenses. Fully automatic recognition is still a challenge, but some promising results have been obtained. In Spain, Norway and elsewhere the source material is available as scanned pictures on the Internet, opening up the possibility for further international cooperation concerning automating the transcription of historic source materials. Like what is being done in projects to digitize printed materials, the optimal solution is likely to be a combination of manual transcription and machine-assisted recognition also for hand-written sources.
 
 

Isolation and characterization of ten microsatellite loci for the wood-living and threatened beetle Cucujus cinnaberinus (Coleoptera: Cucujidae)

Cucujus cinnaberinus is an obligate saproxylic beetle distributed in Europe and considered as near threatened in its entire range (IUCN red list). Ten polymorphic microsatellites were characterized among 26 and 45 individual samples obtained from dead trees in the Czech Republic and Norway respectively. All loci were polymorphic in both samples with number of alleles per locus ranged from two to eleven in the Norwegian sample and from two to six in the Czech sample. The genetic difference between the Czech and the Norwegian material were highly significant (P < 0.0001). For several trees the sampled genotypes gave evidence that more than two parents were responsible for the breeding. These microsatellite loci should prove useful in the study of population structure including mate and dispersal patterns for this species.

Distribution of marine, benthic, shell bearing gastropods along the Norwegian coast

Based on literature data and my extensive material from along the coast, the distribution of shell bearing marine, benthic gastropods known from Norwegian waters, is outlined. The geographic area covered goes down to c. 1200 m on the continental slope, and extends from the Swedish borderin the south to the Russian border in the north-east. On the slope the distribution is restricted to an area east of 0°, and south of 72° N. Neither the North Sea nor the western ‘slope’ of the Norwegian Trench are included. Systematics and nomenclature follow Clemam (Check List of European Marine Mollusca) closely. The emphasis is on the distribution of each species within the designated area, but taxonomic and nomenclaturial problems are discussed wherever considered relevant. Altogether 365 species level taxa are included, of which 326 are considered as definitely belonging to the Norwegian fauna. The rest are recorded as doubtful, either because only empty shells have been found, or their confirmed distribution falls outside the limits here defined. Of the ‘species’ included, I consider at least 18 to be undescribed, while another 16 were described from Norwegian material after Høisæter (1986) was published. The northern distributional limit is extended for 47 species, while 11 species have received a new southern limit. Sixty six species have a generic name diferent from the one used in Høisæter (1986), while 35 species have another specific name. All changes are listed in the main part of the article, and references are given to the sources for the changes. Four faunal components are recognized: a slope component, species mainly found in negative temperatures on the continental slope, between 500 and 1200 m; an Arctic component, species in Norway almost exclusively found in East Finnmark; a group of species in Norway found only or mainly on the Skagerrak coast or in Oslofjorden; and finally the main group found along most of the coast.

The PTPN22 promoter polymorphism –1123G&gt;C association cannot be distinguished from the 1858C&gt;T association in a Norwegian rheumatoid arthritis material

The protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor 22 (PTPN22) gene has, during the last 2 years, been recognized as a susceptibility gene for numerous autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and type 1 diabetes. An association between the exonic 1858C>T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and RA has repeatedly been replicated in several Caucasian populations. The SNP is not associated with autoimmune diseases in Asian populations, as the 1858T allele is almost absent. Recently, a promoter polymorphism -1123G>C was proposed to be associated with acute-onset type 1 diabetes in Japanese and Korean populations. Furthermore, in Caucasian populations, the presence of additional PTPN22 risk variants has been suggested, indicating that the 1858C>T risk variant cannot explain the entire disease association observed in the region. In this study, we wanted to jointly address and integrate these separate findings to further elucidate the association between the PTPN22 gene and RA in a Norwegian material of 861 RA patients and 559 healthy controls. Our results revealed that the strength of the association with the PTPN22 promoter polymorphism, -1123G>C, is analogous to that observed for 1858C>T. As the -1123G>C variant is also polymorphic in Asian populations, our data underpin the need to further explore the association between this variant and autoimmune diseases in different populations.

Characterization of resistance genes against scald (Rhynchosporium secalis (Oudem.) J.J. Davis) in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) lines from central Norway, by means of genetic markers and pathotype tests

Rhynchosporium secalis is a serious pathogen of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in central Norway. A breeding effort was initiated in 1977 to introduce resistance from different sources into adapted genotypes, and the first cultivar from the program was recently released. However, little is known about the resistance genes introgressed in this cultivar or in advanced breeding lines. An effort was made to address this issue through a set of isolates and available molecular markers. Fourteen breeding lines and their resistance donors were investigated by evaluating their reactions to 11 R. secalis isolates. Bulked segregant analysis was used to identify molecular markers linked to resistance genes in 12 of the breeding lines. The isolates were found to be of less discriminating value than the markers. Useful information has been obtained as to the nature of several of the resistance genes introgressed. Eight of the 12 breeding lines contained introgressed genes that were located at the `complex Rh' locus on chromosome 3H and hence may not easily be pyramided into the same genotype. Previous information about the nature of the resistance in `Jet' is questioned. Neither of the resistance genes Rh or Rh2 seems to have been incorporated into Norwegian breeding material.

Craniofacial morphology in 6-year-old Icelandic children.

The purpose of the study was to describe the craniofacial characteristics of 6-year-old Icelandic children, make a normative standard for children with an Angle Class I molar relationship, and compare them to those with an Angle Class II molar relationship. The material consisted of the radiographs of 363 children, 184 (50.7 per cent) boys and 179 (49.3 per cent) girls with a mean age of 6 years 7 months (range: 5 years 7 months-7 years 8 months). Twenty-two reference points were digitized and processed by standard methods with the Dentofacial Planner computer software program. The 33 variables calculated included both angular and linear. Two sample t-tests were used to study the differences between different groups. Only minimal differences could be noted between sexes in sagittal and vertical angular measurements. Linear measurements, on the other hand, were usually larger for the boys. When compared with Norwegian material of the same age group, similar trends were observed between sexes in both studies, but the Icelandic children showed slightly more mandibular prognathism and a lower mandibular plane angle. When compared with children with an Angle Class I molar relationship, children with an Angle Class II molar relationship did not have a different maxillary prognathism nor a different mandibular length. Cranial base dimensions were all significantly greater and the cranial base flexure was also significantly more obtuse in the distal group.

Curriculum Reform, with Particular Reference to Primary Literacy, in Contemporary English and Norwegian Official Documents1

This paper explores similarities and differences in recent curriculum reform in England and Norway, focusing particularly on literacy. The main database consists of the official curriculum policy texts produced in both countries. Literacy is the major focus of the paper and a critical account is offered of current literacy policy in both countries by comparing the perspectives, values, and assumptions built into official texts. The paper begins by explaining and comparing the format of the reformed curricula in England and Norway, and by pointing to the impetus for change in both cases. It then goes on to analyse the various conceptions of literacy underpinning official literacy curriculum with reference to functional literacy, cultural literacy and critical literacy. It demonstrates how curriculum policy, and, more specifically, literacy policy is used as a vehicle for social control and reproduction and it concludes that differences in the nature of official policy in both countries can be explained with reference to the origin and impetus for change in the first place, and the extent to which the voice of the education establishment was heeded or silenced. 1This research project was supported by a grant from the British Council and the Research Council of Norway. The assistance of Helen Bowman in locating some Norwegian material is also acknowledged.

Bucaniidae (Gastropoda) from the Upper Ordovician of Norway

Fourteen species of bellerophontoid gastropods of the Family Bucaniidae are described from the Upper Ordovician succession of the Oslo Region, Norway. Bucania sp. is compared with several species of Bucania that stand out morphologically by having a median dorsal carina, moderate to wide umbilici and an ornamentation consisting of crenulated growth lines. Salpingostoma carnatum sp. nov. from the Kalvsjoen Formation in Hadeland illustrates the problems of generic delimitation within the Bucaniidae by showing morphological characters similar to both Bucania and Salpingostoma. Megalomphala crassiuscula Koken, 1897 is figured for the first time, but the species may eventually prove to be conspecific with M. contorta (d'Eichwald, 1856). Based on new material, the poorly known species Phragmolites pinguis (Koken in Koken & Perner, 1925) is transferred to Megalomphala. Norwegian material of Tetranota conspicua (d'Eichwald, 1840) is conspecific with the Estonian form sensu lato, though the original Estonian conce...

Individuation, ego development and the quality of conflict negotiation in the family of adolescent girls.

Individuation, ego development and family negotiation of conflict were studied in 27 Norwegian families with an adolescent daughter, 16-19 years, drawn from a larger sample to represent a rectangular distribution of ego development. Individuality and Connectedness (individuation) as conceptualized and scored by Condon et al. (1984) was modified and adapted to a Norwegian material. Four factors were extracted, one related to individuality (self-assertion and separateness) and two to connectedness (clarification and acceptance). Ego development, measured by the Washington University Sentence Completion Test (Loevinger & Wessler, 1970) was related to connectedness between mother and daughter and between father and daughter, but not to individuality. Maturity of conflict negotiation was positively related to connectedness between mother and daughter and negatively to individuality between father and daughter. It was argued that for women, individuality may not be a singular goal in ego development or in individuation and that self-other differentiation of identity and interests may develop within a close relationship and not only through separation.

Variable egg development of Dinocras spp. (Plecoptera, Perlidae) and the stonefly seed bank theory

1. Temperature dependence of egg development of Dinocras cephalotes (Curtis) (three German and one Norwegian population) and Slovenian D. megacephala (Klapálek) was studied under a constant 14 : 10 light : dark photoperiod and constant temperature ranges of 4–24 °C and 4–18 °C, respectively. D. cephalotes was also incubated under seasonal field conditions; natural daylength and fluctuating temperatures had no modifying effect.2. Both species have very similar lower threshold temperatures (4 and 3.5 °C, respectively), thermal demand for development (c. 600 degree days) and high dependence of mean incubation period on temperature (exponents of regressions near 1.5). Present data on D. cephalotes agree with the literature on British and Norwegian material of the same species.3. Development occurs only at cue temperatures above the lower threshold. Cue temperatures range from 6 °C (some D. megacephala) to 14 °C (some D. cephalotes) and vary strongly within and between egg masses of D. cephalotes. Variation is not random, but seems to be genetically determined.4. The variable temperature response renders study of effects of particular experimental regimes, and comparisons between local populations, difficult.5. A latitudinal gradient in cue temperatures for development from 6 °C at c. 46 °N to 12 or even 14 °C at c. 61 °N seems to reflect reduced diversity at high latitudes.6. Average success of spontaneous hatching exceeded 90% between 12 and 20 °C, but declined towards higher and lower temperatures.7. Unhatched eggs were not dead but in parapause; development at other, higher or lower, temperatures was induced. Spontaneous plus induced hatching success approached 90%. Developing eggs rarely died; most dead eggs were apparently unfertilized.8. Dormant plecopteran eggs are proposed to form a seed bank in stream bed sediments. Highly successful development after up to 220 days of dormancy was ascertained in Dinocras, and survival for up to 3 years is reported for other Perloidea.9. Only systellognathan egg morphology provides options for long dormancy; the other plecopteran superfamilies, notably Nemouroidea, follow different strategies.