Sites In Norway Research Articles

Could Have Gone Wrong: Effects of Abrupt Changes in Migratory Behaviour on Harvest in a Waterbird Population.

To sustainably exploit a population, it is crucial to understand and reduce uncertainties about population processes and effects of harvest. In migratory species, management is challenged by geographically separated changing environmental conditions, which may cause unexpected changes in species distribution and harvest. We describe the development in the harvest of Svalbard-breeding pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) in relation to the observed trajectory and migratory behaviour of the population. In autumn, geese migrate via stopover sites in Norway and Denmark (where they are hunted) to wintering grounds in the Netherlands and Belgium (where they are protected). In Denmark and Norway harvesting increased stepwise during the 2000s. The increase in the population size only partly explained the change. The change corresponded to a simultaneous stepwise increase in numbers of geese staging in Denmark throughout autumn and winter; geese also moved further inland to feed which collectively increased their exposure to hunting. In Norway the increase in harvest reflected greater utilisation of lowland farmland areas by geese, increasing their hunting exposure. The study demonstrates how changes in migratory behaviour can abruptly affect exposure to hunting, which showed a functional response to increased temporal and spatial availability of geese. The harvest has now reached a level likely to cause a population decline. It highlights the need for flexible, internationally coordinated hunting regulations and reliable up-to-date population estimates and hunting bag statistics, which are rare in European management of migratory waterbirds. Without such information decisions are left with judgments based on population estimates, which often have time lags of several years between recording and reporting, hampering possibilities for the timely adjustment of management actions.

Pre-sorting of Norway spruce structural timber using acoustic measurements combined with site-, tree- and log characteristics

This study assesses whether acoustic velocity alone or in combination with information about the timber obtained in the forest or on the log-yard can be used for pre-sorting of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst) structural timber. The study is based on 1235 boards from 205 trees sampled from 14 sites in Norway. In addition to various site-, tree- and log variables, acoustic velocity was obtained by Fibre-gen tools, the ST300 on standing trees and the HM200 on logs. Both ST300 and HM200 explained parts of the variability of the indicating property measured by Dynagrade strength grading machine, but the accuracy was better for HM200 than for ST300. The model with ST300 was substantially improved by introducing forest data, i.e., height to diameter ratio, age and relative longitudinal position in the tree while the improvement by combining HM200 with log data, i.e., log tapering, was minor. Grade yield after pre-sorting based on the developed models was simulated, and the results showed a possibility of increasing the C30 yield. The results show that acoustic velocity could be used either as an inventory tool, to give information about the available material from a site, or as a pre-sorting tool before sawing the logs to certain products.

A new Scandinavian reference 10Be production rate

An important constraint on the reliability of cosmogenic nuclide exposure dating is the rigorous determination of production rates. We present a new dataset for 10Be production rate calibration from Mount Billingen, southern Sweden, the site of the final drainage of the Baltic Ice Lake, an event dated to 11,620 ± 100 cal yr BP. Five samples of flood-scoured bedrock surfaces (58.5°N, 13.7°E, 105–120 m a.s.l.) unambiguously connected to the drainage event yield a reference 10Be production rate of 4.19 ± 0.20 atoms g−1 yr−1 for the CRONUS-Earth online calculator Lm scaling and 4.02 ± 0.18 atoms g−1 yr−1 for the nuclide specific LSDn scaling. We also recalibrate the reference 10Be production rates for four sites in Norway and combine three of these with the Billingen results to derive a tightly clustered Scandinavian reference 10Be production rate of 4.13 ± 0.11 atoms g−1 yr−1 for the CRONUS Lm scaling and 3.95 ± 0.10 atoms g−1 yr−1 for the LSDn scaling scheme.

Selling a house and the decision to use a real estate broker in Norway

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine the widespread of property sellers choosing to sell by themselves or through an estate agent, what characterises them and the reason for their choice. In addition the paper contains comparisons of the gap between sales price and asking price between the sales methods and satisfaction with the sales process. This study is the first study of these phenomena carried out in Norway.Design/methodology/approach– The data used for this study was obtained from a national survey including 1,649 house sellers. A logistic regression analysis is used to analyse the impact of household’s characteristics on the sales method.Findings– The main findings of this study are that 83 per cent of the house sellers used an estate agent through the whole sales process and differences in the choices are related to urbanisation, age and education. The most important reason for preferring a real estate broker is that doing the sale on your own is considered too much work. Conversely, the most important reason for doing the sale on your own is that estate agents are too expensive. Those selling without an estate agent were more satisfied and the gap between sales price and asking price was smaller than for those selling through a real estate broker.Originality/value– Issues concerning competition within the market for estate agents should be central topics for property management. Property sellers selling their property by themselves are an important contribution to increase the competition in the market for estate agents. This issue has not been on the agenda in Norway, or in Europe, in the same way as in the USA. This is probably due to the complexity in the legislation and strict laws within property sales in Central and Southern Europe. However, in Norway, UK and in the Nordic countries, the legal system is not complicated. It is rather the lockout of private individuals from the housing web sites and the fact that the property sellers are not familiar with this kind of transaction that has prevented property sellers to sell their house by themselves. Today Norway is one of few countries with a booming housing market, which also has increased the commission for estate agents. From 2010 private individuals got access to advertise their house on the housing web sites in Norway. These have influenced the focus on alternative sales methods.

Exposure and posttraumatic stress symptoms among first responders working in proximity to the terror sites in Norway on July 22, 2011 - a cross-sectional study.

BackgroundNorway experienced two terror attacks on July 22, 2011. A car bomb exploded in the Oslo government district killing eight people. Shortly after, 69 adolescents gathered at a political youth camp were shot and killed at Utøya Island. First responders were exposed to multiple risk factors for the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS).MethodsThis cross-sectional study investigated the degree of perceived peritraumatic strain among police officers, fire-fighters, and ambulance personnel, as well as the prevalence and predictors of PTSS. A questionnaire was completed by 89 ambulance personnel, 73 fire-fighters, and 76 police officers working close to the terror sites, 8–11 months after the event. PTSS were assessed using the PTSD Check List (PCL-S).ResultsMerging all groups, 68% reported to have witnessed injured/dead people, but only 5.7% reported this as very/extremely strainful. The PCL-S scores were low and not significantly different among the three professions (Median = 19-20, range 17-64). The prevalence of possible PTSD (cut-off > 50) was 1.3 %, and 2 % had scores indicating sub-threshold PTSD. Dissociation predicted higher PTSS-level in all groups (β 1.6-5.1), witnessing injured/dead among ambulance personnel (β 2.5) and feeling overwhelmed among police officers (β 1.2).ConclusionFirst responders were exposed to deaths, injuries, and destruction, but few reported this as highly stressful. The prevalence of possible PTSD was low in all occupational groups, and symptoms of dissociation were found to be the most important predictor.

Fungicide strategies for the control of turfgrass winter diseases

It is a goal of the turf industry to reduce fungicide use, maximize fungicide efficacy, and minimize the risk of fungicide resistance. Based on these integrated pest management principles and current fungicide labels, our objective was to elucidate the optimal use of propiconazole (Banner Maxx, 156 g a.i. L–1), azoxystrobin + propiconazole (Headway, 62.5 + 104 g a.i. L–1), and fludioxonil (Medallion TL, 104 g a.i. L–1) for the control of the winter-active pathogens Micordochium nivale and Typhula incarnata. Five experiments were conducted on greens and fairways at four sites in Norway and Sweden during the winter seasons of 2011–2012 and 2012–2013. Iprodione (Chipco Green, 250 g a.i. L–1), which was used in Scandinavia until 2009 and is still a widely used fungicide internationally, was included in two experiments. One application of propiconazole (468 g a.i. ha–1) or azoxystrobin + propiconazole (187.5 + 312 g a.i. ha–1) in October controlled 80% of the microdochium patch, and the control of both microdochium patch and typhula blight usually exceeded 90% if the first application of one of these fungicides was followed by at least one application of fludioxonil (375 g a.i. ha–1) before snow cover. After an initial application of propiconazole or azoxystrobin + propiconazole in October, two applications of fludioxonil in late autumn were more efficient in improving visual turf quality in spring than one application of fludioxonil in autumn plus one application of propiconazole just after snow melt in spring. Fludioxonil gave the same level of control of microdochium patch as iprodione despite a much lower use of the active fungicide ingredient. In conclusion, one application of propiconazole or azoxystrobin + propiconazole while the turf is still growing, followed by one applications of fludioxonil after growth cessation, will usually provide adequate control of the winter diseases in turfgrass.

Safety effects of section control - An empirical Bayes evaluation

The safety effects of section control were investigated at 14 sites in Norway. A before–after study was conducted with the empirical Bayes method in order to control for regression to the mean (RTM). Effects of trend, volumes, speed limit changes and speed cameras at some of the sites in the before period are controlled for as well. For injury crashes a non-significant reduction by 12% was found. The number of killed or severely injured was found to be significantly reduced by 49% at the section control sites. The results indicate that the crash reductions in tunnels (most of which are undersea tunnels with section control on steep downhill segments) are at least of the same magnitude as on open roads. The results are consistent with findings from speed measurements, although the crash reductions are larger than one would expect as a result from the speed reductions. Downstream of the section control sites (up to 3km in each direction) injury crashes were found to be significantly reduced by 46%. The number of KSI downstream of the section control sites is too small for drawing any conclusions. It is concluded that section control is effective in reducing both speed and crashes, especially serious crashes, and that spillover effects (crash reductions at non-enforcement sites) are more likely to occur than crash migration. The size of the effects that were found should be interpreted with caution because of the relatively short after periods for some of the sites and the sensitivity of the results to the outcomes of individual crashes.

Using simulated escape events to assess the annual numbers and destinies of escaped farmed Atlantic salmon of different life stages from farm sites in Norway

Abstract To improve assessments of the environmental risks of aquaculture, a series of simulated escapes of farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) from seawater netpens were performed. Individually tagged post-smolts and adult Atlantic salmon were released from various locations at different times of the year. Post-smolts that escaped during their first summer were capable of rapid migration towards the open sea. A small fraction returned to spawn and were recaptured after 1–3 years at sea (0.4%, range 0.0–1.1%). A total of 13% of the post-smolts that escaped during autumn were reported in nearby fisheries during subsequent months, partly because they had grown large enough to be caught in the gillnets used, but more importantly because migratory behaviour diminished towards the end of the year. The mean recapture rate of adult salmon was high after releases in fjords (7–33%), lower after coastal releases (4–7%), and zero on the outer coast. Most of these recaptures were immature fish recaptured in sea relatively close to the release site during their first months post-release. Recaptures of adult escapees after 1–2 years in the wild were very rare (0.09%), probably because of their low survival. A Monte-Carlo method was developed to estimate the annual numbers of escapees from Norwegian fish farms based on reported catches of escaped farmed salmon in the sea and in rivers and the recapture probabilities reported here. The model provides a tool to estimate numbers of escapees independently from the reported numbers. Importantly, our analysis suggests that the total numbers of post-smolt and adult escapees have been two- to fourfold as high as the numbers reported to the authorities by fish farmers, depending on whether the incomplete sea fishery statistics are compensated for.

Fog chemistry at three sites in Norway

Fog composition was investigated at three sites in Norway, one in suburban Oslo and two coastal sites in the area of the Mongstad refinery. Overall fog frequency during the study periods was low. Fog pH was around 5 with slightly lower values at Hakadal, the suburban site, compared to the coastal sites, which were slightly above 5. Major ions at the coastal sites were sodium and chloride consistent with the marine environment. The ion chemistry at the suburban site was dominated by ammonium, sulfate and nitrate, consistent with fogs in anthropogenically impacted environments. Overall concentrations of major ions were very low, orders of magnitude lower than those in polluted urban fogs. Organic matter concentrations were also low (<3mgC/L) consistent with limited anthropogenic impact and little biogenic activity in the winter months. Selected amine concentrations were determined and ranged from nanomolar concentrations for ethylamines to several hundred nanomolar concentrations for dimethylamine, the most abundant amine investigated. While N-nitrosodimehylamine was detected in fog, the concentrations were very low in the fogs.

Decadal variability of clouds, solar radiation and temperature at a high-latitude coastal site in Norway

The observed variability of shortwave (SW) irradiance, clouds and temperature and the potential connections between them is studied for the subarctic site Bergen (60.4°N, 5.3°E), located on the Norwegian west coast. Focusing on the quality and spatial representativity of the data, we compare observations from independent instruments and neighbouring measurement sites. The observations indicate that the decrease of sunshine duration and SW irradiance during the 1970s and 80s in Bergen is associated with the increasing frequency of clouds, in particular clouds of low base heights. We argue that the observed cloud changes are indicative of increased frequencies of storms in northern Europe. The annual mean observational time series show an increase in SW irradiance since 1990, which is not accompanied by a cloud cover (NN) decrease. This implies the influence of factors other than clouds, for example, decreasing aerosol emissions. Calculations of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) based on irradiance observations for hours when the sun is unobscured by clouds confirm a decreasing aerosol load after 1990, from 0.15 to 0.10 AOD which corresponds to 2–6 Wm−2 of brightening. At the same time, a seasonal analysis reveals opposite changes in SW irradiance and NN during the months of strongest changes – March, April and August – also during the recent period of increasing SW irradiance. We conclude that the seasonally decreasing NN also contributes to the recent changes in SW irradiance. Finally, we address the relationship between temperature, SW irradiance and clouds. In winter (December–February), the surface air temperature in Bergen is statistically linked to the warming influence of clouds. In all other seasons, the North Atlantic sea surface temperature variability has a more dominant influence on the air temperature in Bergen compared to local cloud and SW irradiance variability.

Application of Vertically-Integrated Models with Subscale Vertical Dynamics to Field Sites for CO2 Sequestration

Abstract To address the engineering questions on security issues of geological carbon sequestration (GCS), a broad range of computational models with different levels of complexity have been developed - from multiphase multicomponent fully coupled three-dimensional models to simplified analytical solutions. Within this wide range of models, a family of so-called vertical equilibrium (VE) models has been developed. These models assume that CO2 and brine have segregated due to buoyancy and reached a hydrostatic pressure distribution in the vertical direction. Such VE models are computationally efficient due to the dimensional reduction in the vertical, and accurate as long as the VE assumption is satisfied. However, a study comparing results from a VE model to results from a full three- dimensional model found that there are realistic conditions for which the VE assumption is not justified, especially for geological formations that have low vertical permeability, on the order of 10 milliDarcy or lower [1] . In an attempt to overcome the VE limitation of the vertically-integrated models, a new type of vertically-integrated model which relaxes the VE assumption while still using a vertically-integrated framework has been developed [2] . The new vertically-integrated model is cast into a multiscale framework, where the coarse scale is the horizontal domain and the fine scale is the vertical domain corresponding to the thickness of a geologic formation. This type of model maintains much of the computational advantages of the VE models, while allowing a much wider range of problem to be modelled. In this paper, we extend the model in [2] to include horizontally layered geologic heterogeneities and develop a new dynamic reconstruction model, which we refer to as a “multi-layer dynamic reconstruction” model. The model in [2] is called “single-layer dynamic reconstruction” model to distinguish the modelling approaches. We apply both dynamic reconstruction models to field injection sites, including a hypothetical injection scenario into the Mount Simon formation in the Illinois Basin, USA and the well-known industrial-scale injection into the Utsira formation at the Sleipner site in Norway. The modelling results show that the multi-layer dynamic reconstruction model is capable of dealing with horizontally layered heterogeneities and gives results that agree reasonably well with results from the full multi-dimensional model, although in geologic layers with high permeability the reconstruction algorithm is not able to fully capture the horizontal driving forces due to buoyancy. This could be important over long time scales for highly permeable geologic layers. The single- layer dynamic reconstruction model was shown be to the right model choice for homogeneous formations with relatively low permeability where it takes a long time for CO2 and brine to reach vertical equilibrium [2] . In this study, we found that for homogeneous formations with high permeability and steep capillary pressure curves, the single-layer dynamic reconstruction model gives results that are analogous to vertical equilibrium models, with the fast segregation dynamics requiring small time steps in the dynamic reconstruction algorithm. As such vertical equilibrium models are the appropriate choice for systems with high permeability, although we also note that the behaviour of the brine relative permeability curve at low brine saturations is an additional important consideration and must be included in the overall analysis.

Strength and deformation properties of Norwegian clays from laboratory tests on high-quality block samples

It has for a long time been a challenge for the geotechnical profession to determine the true behaviour of clays based on soil sampling and laboratory testing. The main difficulty has been to retrieve sufficiently undisturbed samples that maintain the clay structure and correctly depict the in situ stress–strain and strength behaviour of the clay under any kind of imposed drained or undrained loading conditions. The extent and impact of the disturbance caused by sampling depends on a number of factors, such as the specific sampling equipment and sampling procedures that are used, index properties of the clay (sensitivity and plasticity index in particular), and sampling depth. Experience with laboratory tests on conventional piston samples shows that sample disturbance commonly affects the test results. In the mid 1970s, the University of Sherbrooke developed a special block sampler that was shown to give samples of very high quality. Between 1982 and 2010, the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) has used the Sherbrooke block sampler at 22 different sites in Norway and one site in the UK. Two to five block samples were collected at each site, on which oedometer, undrained triaxial, and direct simple shear (DSS) tests were carried out in the laboratory. Essentially all samples tested showed far superior quality as compared to conventional piston samples. It was therefore considered to be valuable to summarize test results obtained on such high-quality samples, as presented herein. Deformation and strength parameters from individual tests are summarized and compared against index data for the different clays tested. This has resulted in a series of correlation diagrams. The index parameters found of most relevance to use as correlation parameters are the natural water content and clay sensitivity. The latter is expressed in two categories: medium to low sensitivity (St&lt; 15) and high sensitivity (St&gt; 15). The overconsolidation ratio is another key parameter. The correlation diagrams presented include the following: (i) pre-consolidation pressure, compressibility, permeability, and permeability change index as derived from oedometer tests; (ii) normalized peak and post-peak shear strength, peak effective friction angle, stiffness, and strain at failure from undrained triaxial and DSS tests. When design analyses are to be based on the results of tests on high-quality block samples, as compared to conventional piston samples of poorer quality, it is important to ensure that the end result complies with past semi-empirical experiences.

Stakeholder involvement in adaptive goose management; case studies and experiences from Norway

Two Svalbard-breeding goose populations, the pink-footed goose Anser brachyrhynchus and the barnacle goose Branta leucopsis, have, over the last decades, increased in numbers and expanded in distribution. At spring-staging sites in Norway, conflicts with agriculture are significant as the geese feed on cultivated fields, with negative consequences for the farmers. In the present paper we give an overview of relevant stakeholders in these goose-agriculture conflicts and share some of our experiences when involving stakeholders and users in a dynamic and adaptive process. The paper demonstrates how researchers can engage in the management process at different levels, in order to facilitate a process towards an adaptive co-management in an environment of conflicting interests. The framework described may be used for threatened bird species and situations where there are conflicts between wildlife stakeholders such as management agencies, conservation interests, hunting and agriculture.

A 10Be production‐rate calibration for the Arctic

ABSTRACTWe present a Baffin Bay 10Be production‐rate calibration derived from glacial deposits in western Greenland and Baffin Island, and test our results against published 10Be calibration datasets to develop an Arctic 10Be production rate. Our calibration comprises: (i) 10Be measurements from moraine boulders linked to a 14C‐dated moraine at Jakobshavn Isfjord in western Greenland, (ii) an independent and previously published 10Be production rate at Jakobshavn Isfjord and (iii) re‐measured 10Be concentrations from a Baffin Island calibration site that is included in the north‐eastern North America dataset. Combined, we calculate a sea‐level/high‐latitude 10Be production rate for the Baffin Bay region of 3.96 ± 0.07 atoms g−1 a−1 (Lal/Stone scaling model). After testing the Baffin Bay rate against calibration sites in Norway and north‐eastern North America, we calculate a more conservative Arctic production rate of 3.96 ± 0.15 atoms g−1 a−1. The Baffin Bay and Arctic 10Be production rates are indistinguishable from the north‐eastern North America 10Be production rate (3.91 ± 0.19 atoms g−1 a−1) and yield overall uncertainties of &lt;2–3.7% (1σ). These production rates reduce systematic uncertainties in 10Be‐based chronologies of ice‐margin change and allow 10Be‐based chronologies to be more confidently compared with high‐resolution climate records, such as those from Greenland ice cores.

The Edmonton Classification System for Cancer Pain: Comparison of Pain Classification Features and Pain Intensity Across Diverse Palliative Care Settings in Eight Countries

Standardized approaches for assessing and classifying cancer pain are required to improve treatment of patients with complex pain profiles. The Edmonton Classification System for Cancer Pain (ECS-CP) offers a starting point for the evolution of a standardized international classification system for cancer pain and was introduced into multisite research initiatives of the European Palliative Care Research Collaborative (EPCRC). The primary purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of the five ECS-CP pain classification features: pain mechanism, incident pain, psychological distress, addictive behavior, and cognition--in a diverse international sample of patients with advanced cancer. A total of 1070 adult patients with advanced cancer were recruited from 17 sites in Norway, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, and Australia; 1051 of 1070 patients were evaluable. A clinician completed the ECS-CP for each enrolled patient. Additional information, including pain intensity, were also collected through patient self-reports, using touch-sensitive computers. Of 1051 evaluable patients, 670 (64%) were assessed by a clinician as having cancer pain: nociceptive pain (n=534; 79.7%); neuropathic pain (n=113; 16.9%); incident pain (n=408; 60.9%); psychological distress (n=212; 31.6%); addictive behavior (n=30; 4.5%); normal cognition (n=616; 91.9%). The prevalence of ECS-CP features and pain intensity scores (11-item scale; 0=none, 10=worst; rated as now) varied substantially across sites and locations of care. The ECS-CP is a clinically relevant systematic framework, which is able to detect differences in salient pain classification features across diverse settings and countries. Further validation studies need to be conducted in varied advanced cancer and palliative care settings to advance the development of the ECS-CP toward an internationally recognized pain classification system.

Reduced dairy grassland yields in Central Norway after a single springtime grazing event by pink‐footed geese

AbstractPopulations of migratory geese overwintering in Europe have risen rapidly during recent decades, leading to increased pressure on available forage resources and more grazing on agricultural lands. Farmers throughout Europe have complained of yield losses due to goose grazing. In spring, the Svalbard‐breeding population of pink‐footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) migrates through specific staging sites in Norway, where the geese graze on dairy grasslands and other types of agricultural lands in the early growing season. Despite this, little is known of the impacts of goose grazing on hay biomass and quality in Norway. An experiment using exclosures to prevent goose grazing, and plots that were open for grazing, was established in Central Norway to test the effects of variable grazing intensity on dairy grassland yields. A single spring‐grazing event had severe negative impact at the site with the highest grazing intensity, leading to a 25% reduction in forage yield (milk feed units per hectare) as compared to ungrazed areas. The impacts on the sites with lower grazing intensity were more subtle. The overall reduction (across all sites) of biomass yield was 26%. Forage quality, in terms of milk feed units per kg, was not much affected. Grazing increased the proportion and diversity of weeds, as evidenced by a 49% increase of the Shannon biodiversity index, and there was a 1·3% decrease in the proportion of herbage biomass of sown species. Hence, we have confirmed farmer reports on yield losses, gaining an increased understanding of the overall farmer costs associated with goose grazing in this northern latitude region.

Lichen community change over a 15-year time period: effects of climate and pollution

AbstractOver the last decades, levels of sulphur deposition from air pollution have been substantially reduced in Norway, whereas levels of nitrogen deposition have been stable or somewhat increased. In parallel, a clear trend of increasing annual temperatures, as well as precipitation, is evident. Human impact on natural ecosystems is predicted to reduce biodiversity at regional scales through facilitating a few generalist species at the expense of species with narrow habitat requirements. In this study, we investigate changes in community composition and the abundance of dominant lichen species on birch in subalpine forests over a 15-year period. The study is based on repeated measurements in five monitoring sites in Norway, representing regional gradients in temperature and precipitation as well as in deposition of nitrogen and sulphur compounds. Two dominant species are studied in particular; the generalist Hypogymnia physodes and the subalpine birch specialist Melanelia olivacea. The largest change in species composition was found in the site with the biggest reduction in sulphur deposition during the 15-year period, whereas the site with low precipitation and low pollution loads had small changes in species composition. The abundance of the generalist H. physodes increased in all sites and the specialist M. olivacea decreased in abundance, especially in sites with both high precipitation and heavy nitrogen deposition. Our study thus suggests that a warmer, humid climate is beneficial for the generalist H. physodes.

Proportion cured models applied to 23 cancer sites in Norway

Statistical cure is reached when a group of patients has the same mortality as cancer-free individuals. Cure models predict the cured proportion and the median survival of fatal cases. Cure models have seldom been applied and tested systematically across all major cancer sites. Incidence and follow-up data on 23 cancer sites recorded at the Cancer Registry of Norway 1963-2007 were obtained. Mixture cure models were fitted to obtain trends and up-to-date estimates (based on period approach) assuming cured and uncured groups exist. The model converged for cancers of the mouth and pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, lung and trachea, ovary, kidney, bladder, CNS, non-Hodgkin lymphoma (only for males) and leukemia. The proportion of cured patients increased 1963-2002 for both sexes, with the largest changes (in percent) seen for leukemia (46.4 and 46.7) and CNS (35.9, 42.0), males given first. Median survival time for the uncured cases increased for colon and rectal cancer, and there was a three- fold increase in median survival time for patients with fatal ovarian cancers. Cancers of bladder and CNS had the highest up-to-date proportion cured (in percent), 67.4 and 64.0, respectively, pancreas and liver were amongst the lowest (5.7 and 9.9, respectively). Cure models are useful when monitoring progress in cancer care, but must be applied and interpreted with caution. The absolute estimates of the cure proportion are speculative and should not be calculated where cure is not medically anticipated.

Relationship between electrical resistivity and basic geotechnical parameters for marine clays

Recently, considerable efforts have been made in the attempt to map quick clay areas using electrical resistivity measurements. However there is a lack of understanding regarding which soil parameters control the measured resistivity values. To address this issue, inverted resistivity values from 15 marine clay sites in Norway have been compared with basic geotechnical index properties. It was found that the resistivity value is strongly controlled by the salt content of the pore fluid. Resistivity decreases rapidly with increasing salt content. There is also a relatively clear trend of decreasing resistivity with increasing clay content and plasticity index. Resistivity values become very low (≈5 Ω·m) for high clay content (&gt;50%), medium- to high-plasticity (Ip ≈ 20%) materials with salt content values greater than about 8 g/L (or corresponding remoulded shear strength values greater than 4 kPa). For the range of values studied, there is poor correlation between resistivity and bulk density and between resistivity and water content. The data studied suggest that the range of resistivity values corresponding to quick clay is 10 to 100 Ω·m, which is consistent with other published limits. A comparison is made between two-dimensional electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and resistivity cone penetration test (RCPTU) data for two of the sites and the two sets of data show similar trends and values irrespective of scale effect.

Forest regrowth and cultural heritage sites in Norway and along the Norwegian St Olav pilgrim routes

Pilgrims travel along the main reopened St Olav pilgrim routes in Norway and visit a variety of cultural heritage types. These routes are part of a value creation programme, in which the management authorities try to increase the numbers of pilgrims. At the same time, forest regrowth is reported to reduce the landscape experience of pilgrims and to biophysically change the cultural heritage sites. However, no studies have been reported on the spatial encroachments of forests along the pilgrim routes. The purpose of this study is to analyse where forest regrowth along the main reopened pilgrim routes in Norway will appear, given the present climatic conditions, and to assess the spatial overlap of future forest regrowth with cultural heritage sites. A potential forest model and a cultural heritage sites database were combined with several baseline geographical data layers and spatially joined in geographical information systems. The results show that most of the future forest regrowth will appear in mountainous parts of the pilgrim routes, whereas many hunting sites, tradition sites and other cultural heritage sites will be overgrown by young forests. Therefore, management efforts to keep the main pilgrim routes open need to be strengthened and directed towards future risks.