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This paper investigates the feedback and assessment routines that are being established in the subject of pedagogy in the new model of Kindergarten Teacher Education (Barnehagelaererutdanning--BLU) in Norway. This scope is chosen due to the particular role of the subject of pedagogy in strengthening the understanding of the practice field, and in ensuring a coherent, professionally oriented perspective. The data comprise group interviews with three pedagogy teachers, two pedagogues from in-service kindergartens and one interview with one student. The gathered data were analysed according to guidelines for qualitative content analysis, and interpreted in the light of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). Results show that pedagogues both at BLU and in-service kindergartens experience many challenges connected to formative assessment and feedback practice: (a) a tacit, private and low-priority assessment culture; (b) current practice characterized by summative assessment methods; and (c) minimal collaboration between involved participants. In conclusion, the paper suggests the following improvements in the area of feedback and assessment in the new BLU: (a) establishing a closer and more reciprocal collaboration between all participants; (b) encouraging a shared understanding of central goals and methods in formative assessment; and (c) increasing the status of assessment work and ensuring time resources to involved teachers.

The discourse surrounding unaccompanied teenagers' migration seems to favor a willing-participant model in their journey to asylum. When such a discourse is prominent, other restrictive measures are taken, such as invoking temporary, limited permits to control the migration of children without an adult. Further, policy frameworks are not consistent; they change depending on the government in power and its political-ideological leanings. As such, this paper aims to uncover the representation of unaccompanied teenagers within the changing political ideology and discourse that emerge in four Norwegian whitepapers between 2004 and 2016. Inclusion, education, and immigration policies are critically analyzed to identify how they discursively represent unaccompanied teenagers seeking asylum. I argue that these papers' changing ideological representations of unaccompanied teenagers reveal the essentialization of collective identities that have shifted during the period identified.

National Day, or Constitution Day, in Norway, May 17, is often referred to as Children's Day. On this day, thousands of young Norwegian students march in parades and participate in celebrations in schoolyards and similar meeting places. Some students are selected to give speeches, performed in front of family members, neighbors, classmates, and most often teachers and the school principal. We analyzed 30 speech manuscripts, 12 from 2011 and 18 from 2012, and examined how the Constitution is expressed by a selection of topoi. The present study is the first one to examine how students engage in the constitution by giving speeches. Thus, our paper provides new insights into contemporary conceptions about the Constitution, as well as how students act in terms of school, society, and democracy.

User participation has become one of the most important concepts in the social care sector in many European countries, but the literature has mostly paid attention to disabled people or those with mental health problems. This article compares the user participation policies directed at social care for older people in Norway and England. Using a discourse analytical approach, a selection primarily of White papers from the 1960s until today are analysed. The analysis draws on the literature's discourse discussion, including a democratic/rights based discourse (full citizenship), a consumer discourse (consumers' rights to choose welfare services), a co-production discourse (users and state/local authorities partnerships), and nuances of these discourses. The analysis shows that, while both countries start with variations of a democratic discourse, Norway develops a temporary and weak consumer discourse in a middle phase, then moves to co-production in current times. England, on the other hand, develops a comprehensive consumer discourse but also a surprisingly strong co-production discourse – the idea of a 'Big Society' – in early and current times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decomposition of water by electricity, and the voltaic pile as a means of generating electricity, have both held an iconic status in the history of science as well as in the history of science teaching. These experiments featured in chemistry and physics textbooks, as well as in classroom teaching, throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This paper deals with our experiences in restaging the decomposition of water as part of a history of science course at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. For the experiment we used an apparatus from our historical teaching collection and built a replica of a voltaic pile. We also traced the uses and meanings of decomposition of water within science and science teaching in schools and higher education in local institutions. Building the pile, and carrying out the experiments, held a few surprises that we did not anticipate through our study of written sources. The exercise gave us valuable insight into the nature of the devices and the experiment, and our students appreciated an experience of a different kind in a history of science course. (Contains 2 figures and 8 footnotes.)

The dimension of language policing that is the focus in this article refers to the management of micro-level language use by a macro-level institution, in this context the Norwegian Language Council, co-constructed with media actors. An important aspect of language policing is the official definition of terms, carried out by bodies like the Norwegian Language Council. This paper explores citizenship categorization from a contemporary and historical perspective, mainly focusing on a heated debate which took place in Norwegian media on how the criteria of national identity and identity categories could be changed from the normative term "ethnically Norwegian" to a more inclusive lexis that could include all citizens regardless of their ethnicity or language.

The professionalization of modern nursing education from 1850 and forward is closely linked to values and virtues underpinned by Christian ideals, sex‐based stereotypes and class. Development in the late 19th century of modern hospital medicine, combined with a scientific understanding of antisepsis and asepsis, hygiene, contagion prevention and germ theory, were highly influential insights to the dominant position of modern medicine in health care. This development constituted a key premise for what nurses, by virtue of being women, and combined with their education, could offer in terms of medical assistance. It enabled them to challenge the prevailing sex‐based stereotypes‐ and class‐based hierarchies, allowing modern nursing to retain aspects of both traditional Christian and womanly values, while at the same time adhering to the medical science paradigm. In this paper, we argue that modern nursing education developed in a context characterized by traditional female and religious values, while at the same time being increasingly dominated by the influence of scientific and medical progress. This conflict between traditional and modern values caused dilemmas and tensions as the nursing profession developed. We argue further that similar dilemmas and tensions continue to pervade contemporary nursing and nursing education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on research initiatives discussing radiology published in 1923. He introduces the articles in the current issue including the roentgen diagnosis of ulcus duodeni by Professor Ake Olof Akerlund, and a case study by Norwegian radiologist Peder Johan Fredrik Amundsen. He also narrates significant information about Akerlund and Amundsen focusing on their interests, accomplishments, and recognition.

The article features the authors of "classic" research papers collective in the archives of "Acta Radiologica." They are Severin Heyerdahl who started his own radiological institute in Norway in 1896 and one of the founders of "Acta Radiologica" in 1921, and Thorvald Eiken who was the chief of the Radiological Department of Professor Roving's Private Clinic in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The treaty of 9 February 1920 granted Norway full sovereignty over the 'Archipelago of Spitsbergen', by which name this Arctic territory was known at the time. Assuming sovereignty five years later, Norway altered the official name to 'Svalbard'. To what extent was the name-change a token of national interests or even blatant nationalism? This paper outlines the origin and usage of the place-names Spitsbergen and Svalbard in light of the area's mapping and nomenclature and with an emphasis on national bias. It briefly discusses the different practices and principles of geographical naming. This paper proposes that the change in official nomenclature from Spitsbergen to Svalbard in 1924-1925, though partly due to justifiable practical considerations, was primarily a political act to construct national bonds with the newly won territory. Although perceived as part of a 'Norwegianization' process in the northern regions, the name-change itself was not intended to provoke foreign reactions, but rather to satisfy a domestic audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of physiotherapy can be seen as a history of boundary conflict, as the profession sought to first establish, then maintain, its distinctive professional identity. Traditional approaches to the sociology of the professions support this, seeing professionalization as an ongoing process of enclosure, encroachment, and conflict. Recent work, however, has emphasized the fluidity and collaborative nature of professionalization projects, and placed more emphasis on inter-professional negotiations and disciplinary coexistence. In this paper, we draw on this work to analyze the harmonization of the independent Mensendieck System of medical gymnastics in Norway, and the emerging state-sponsored physiotherapy system. Our contention is that over the course of the middle decades of the 20th century, advocates of the Mensendieck System and providers of orthodox, biomedically informed physiotherapy, came together and found a way to work collaboratively in a shared space without compromising their distinctive professional identities. We argue that this approach both points to ways we might revisit traditional conflict-based analyses of the history of physiotherapy, while also suggesting new ways of imagining how the profession might change in the years to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Norway, home-based care forms part of the universal welfare model in that services are offered to and used by all groups of citizens. An infrastructure of in-home services has evolved within a multi-level government characterised by a combination of local autonomy and strong integration between central and local levels. In the mid-1980s and early 1990s, home care was typically organised in teams characterised by collegiality and flexible organisation. Over the past two decades, this framework has been challenged by new modes of governance introduced under the banner of transparency and accountability. This paper focuses on how this new trend in governance has been justified and put into practice. Against the backdrop of the institutional history of home care, the paper demonstrates how accountability arrangements became entangled with ongoing effort of local authorities to control costs. Drawing on existing case studies conducted at different points in time, the paper reveals how these arrangements have reshaped home care organisations in a way that also contributes to splitting up and curtailing responsibilities. It is argued that steps taken to make home care services more transparent and reliable have made them less sensitive to the particular needs of individual service recipients. Although no firm conclusion can be drawn from a limited number of case studies, the paper concludes by arguing that accountability arrangements in home care have enhanced the predictability and reliability of service delivery. However, as off-loading responsibilities may be disempowering for those who do not have additional coping resources, institutional changes may also serve to undermine the enabling role of home care services. These findings suggest a need to address the dilemma inherent in the rationing of home care services and to rethink how a contextual and situated approach to care can be better balanced against the requirement of due process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shipping industry has been called 'the first globalised industry'. In this paper we analyse how domestic regulations have shaped the adaptations of ship owners in Norway, one of the leading providers of international shipping services for more than 150 years. The paper deals with the interaction between the international and domestic aspects of the shipping industry, with particular emphasis on demand (the market for shipping services), labour and capital. In particular, we discuss the relationship between international developments and the Norwegian regulatory regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the national reputation programmes of Denmark and Norway in the period 2005–2010. The first section demonstrates how national reputation management emerged as a part of the globalization discourse and illustrates its hybrid character. The paper then gives a short overview of the two approaches, nation branding and public diplomacy. In the next section, national reputation management efforts in Denmark and Norway are compared according to three variables: how they were launched in response to globalization, the role of consultants, and the countries’ different institutional settings. The article concludes with a discussion of how the elements of national reputation management interact in the initiatives of the two countries and how this relates to the general change in the relationship between nation-states on the global scene. The paper concludes that Norway and Denmark represent two different variations of a new, hybrid national reputation management. In the Norwegian case, the political and cultural spheres infiltrated the commercial sphere, while in Denmark, the commercial sphere infiltrated the cultural and political spheres [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the author examines the role Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771–1824) played in encouraging literacy in Norwegian peasant society in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, an aspect of his ministry rarely discussed. This poorly educated son of a peasant broke the unwritten rule of never publishing texts for a large readership without the necessary educational skills. Thus he opened up a new literate space where the common person could express him-or herself on paper. Hauge printed around 40 different texts, 14 of them books, in a language the peasants could understand. This inspired his followers not only to read, but also to write, mainly letters to Hauge and to Haugeans in other parts of Norway. Some even became authors. Women played a central role in this wave of literacy spreading throughout the country. Based on Hauge’s original texts, the author presents some crucial aspects of his mentality and shows how his ministry served as a catalyst to the growth of literacy among peasants during the period. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this article the author discusses a paper by archaeologist Håkon Glørstad on the important role of boats, specifically log boats, in the colonization of Norway. He suggests that other factors have contributed to the colonization of Norway, including knowledge of tides, weather and potentially hazardous marine conditions. He also examines the notion that archaeology has an inferior position compared to sociology and anthropology.

In this article the author discusses a paper by archaeologist Håkon Glørstad on the important role of boats, specifically log boats, in the colonization of Norway following the retreat of the Weichselian glacier. She suggests that a more advanced boat-building technology existed during the Mesolithic period which was used in plank-built boats. She also cites the need to consider the role of population density in the colonization process.

The eighteenth century saw a development of a stratified system of institutions for the poor in different social classes in Norwegian cities. This paper analyses its foundation through a cooperation of private donations and city authorities' management and it argues that donations to private almshouses aimed at safeguarding the social position of special groups in the city, while the city's poorhouse was responsible for the paupers from the lower classes. While charity to please God and secure a place in the afterlife was an old motive, the wish to protect the social group, relatives or personal servants is a striking phenomenon at the end of the eighteenth century. Citizens with burgher rights by virtue of their craft or commerce defended their position against non-skilled workers. Private gifts to supplement the public poorhouses helped securing this aim. The paper shows that donations to institutions in Trondheim fall into a general picture of social stratification, not only in society at large, but among the poorer parts of the population as well. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The author comments on a paper by archaeologist Håkon Glørstad on the important role of boats, specifically log boats, in the colonization of Norway. He criticizes the failure of Glørstad to tackle the fact that boats were more than a floating device between destinations. He also compares the functions and features of log and skin boats.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus upon some important prerequisites for a qualitative good life for people who are users of signalling devices, prerequisites that at the same time represent barriers for communication, mobility and partaking in ordinary activities. It is also to discuss usability and user satisfaction from a new angle by combining disability studies with STS-perspectives (Science, Technology and Society) in order to grasp the connection between disability as a social phenomenon and technology as a social actor. The paper discusses reasons for abandonment of AT-devices (assistive technology-devices) and the shaping of action by technologies. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach is used by the way of semi-structured interviews with users and public and private service providers in the Norwegian hearing aid market. A bottom-up strategy is used for data collection. First, users of signaling devices were interviewed about their experiences on how to get and use devices. Then service providers were interviewed about important issues that users raised. A keyword analysis was used in order to highlight barriers for use in daily life. Users were recruited through their interest organization and at an AT exhibition. All the interviews were conducted at cafeterias or at work places. Findings – The article points at lack of information at companies' websites, professional power, the construction of "end user", routines of everyday life, as well as the matching of devices to age, gender and lifestyle along with attitudes of family, friends and neighbours as important barriers. The article shows how cultural norms and values about gender and disability are inscribed into the technologies. The end product, the polar bear, the watch or the wireless alert system, can be described as a "script" that is supposed to help the individual to perform actions, but as shown – can also limit actions or relations. Research limitations/implications – The design of AT-devices as pointed at in this article not only deals with utility and functionality, but also with usability and human communication. More research on usability is needed, as well as on the user-expert relationship and how devices function in society as identity markers. In sum, more research on AT is needed in order to develop more knowledge on how to reduce individual risks and societal costs related to abandonment or non-use. Practical implications – Although changes are taking place in AT services today, the article shows that issues of usability such as the aesthetical side of design, identity and user satisfaction are important but neglected issues by service providers and producers. Social implications – Despite the ongoing, but slow process from a patient-oriented system to a more user- or customer-oriented AT system still represents a challenge for services as well as for the welfare state. Originality/value – The article combines STS-perspectives, disability studies perspectives and Silverstone's integrative framework on how to get and integrate mainstream ICT-objects in private households, in order to discuss reasons for abandonment of AT-devices for people who are hard of hearing. The approach highlights what is special with the integration of AT devices into private homes, as compared to mainstream ICT-objects, and important reasons for abandonment are discussed that emphasize professional power, aesthetics, identity, as well as attitudes of others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses media history as an academic discipline, and how it may be linked to the study of media systems. Firstly, it starts with a discussion of the value of the concept of the 'media system'. The paper then looks at how historical studies of media systems have developed. There follows a discussion of methodology, using chronology and periodization as important analytical tools. This is illustrated by a discussion of how Norwegian media history from the end of the seventeenth century to the present has been analysed using the concept of the 'media system', thereby dividing that history into seven broad periods. Using the 'media system' approach has facilitated the development of an analysis of the complex interchanges between different media over a 300-year period. The paper concludes by arguing that analysing national media histories in such a way should be a central task for media historians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on studies concerning sacroiliac joint movements and pelvic joint fusion outcomes. Topics discussed include the accuracy of radiostereometrics in analyzing sacroiliac joint movement, the outcomes for patients with severe pelvic girdle pain (PGP) who underwent pelvic joint fusion and the possible causes of PGP. Also discussed are the tests to diagnose PGP and the biomechanical considerations for sacroiliac joint movement.

The paper analyses Norwegian nineteenth-century patentees. A special focus is on the affiliation or relationship of patentees to the manufacturing industries, business and the wider economy. A central question is whether the inventors were what might be called ‘amateurs’ working independently or ‘professionals’ working closer to firms or institutions. The main finding is that even the individual patentees, who comprised the majority of all patentees, had strong associations with industry, and the distinction between ‘professionals’ and ‘amateurs’ is not very useful. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 1266, Norway and Scotland entered into an agreement aimed at pacifying a long tradition of competition over control of the islands and waterways along Scotland’s seaboards. This paper examines how the two kingdoms developed diplomatic strategies aimed at regulating social, economic and political developments along their common maritime frontier, and seeks to show how effective diplomacy was in ensuring long-term peace and stability in the region throughout the Late Middle Ages. It focuses on three issues which were addressed more explicitly in Norwegian–Scottish accords: first, the question of dominion over the islands around Scotland’s seaboards; second, the question of mobility to and from those islands; and third, the question of how to protect and limit the threat of piracy in and around those islands. Although largely unprecedented in a Northern European context, this case reveals emerging concepts and strategies of maritime sovereignty in the Late Middle Ages. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article examines the political processes associated with the funding and organisation of Norway's Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway, from the 1950s to the 1970s. Attempts to transform and develop Haukeland Hospital were complex and ‘the Haukeland issue’, as it became known in Norway, involved multiple agencies and a wide range of often conflicting interests. Participants included the City of Bergen, the University of Bergen, Hordaland County Council, central state health authorities, politicians, medical professionals and the media. This paper analyses these events in terms of the broader political struggles related to the development of hospital systems in the post-war period, focusing particularly on the ‘centre–periphery’ relationships within Norway's health care system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Studia Historyczne is the property of Polska Akademia Nauk, Warszawska Drudkarnia Naukowa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The author comments on a paper by archaeologist Håkon Glørstad on the important role of boats, specifically log boats, in the colonization of Norway. He argues against the use of recent umiak-equipped Inuit and upper Palaeolithic cultures with no surviving coastlines as a reference for the colonization of Norway. He also discusses boatbuilding technology and kinship and demography during the Mesolithic period.

The authors comment on a paper by archaeologist Håkon Glørstad on the important role of boats, specifically log boats, in the colonization of Norway. They compare the similarities between the climate, physical features, and general coastal environment of western Scotland and south-west Norway. They argue that the exploitation of coastal resources does not require boats per se.

Based on a theoretical approach of diaspora theory and the use of ethnographical comparative analysis, it is argued that the early settlement of South Norway probably brought about diasporic conditions. Archaeological and natural science records are applied to discuss the migrations of mobile hunter-gatherers with a shamanistic reindeer culture from the Continent, after deglaciation of the Weichselian ice cap. This paper discusses the diasporic people's identity, their survival as a group, their adaptation to the new environment and the development of an independent reindeer culture characterized by relics and meeting places, after the break in the regular contact between people in the area of origin and South Norway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Maritime History is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

On 6 July 1331, two procurators arrived in Bergen claiming that Cormac son of Cormac had been elected bishop of Sodor by the clergy of Skye and the canons of Snizort. Their arrival is recorded in a letter sent by Eiliv, archbishop of Nidaros, to two canons of the church of Bergen ordering that there be an examination of the election in the cathedral of Bergen on 12 July 1331. Cormac's election was contentious for three main reasons: firstly, there was already a new bishop of Sodor; secondly the right to elect a bishop of Sodor seems to have lain with the clergy of Man; and thirdly the king of Scots had the right to present the candidate to the archbishop of Nidaros. This paper examines the identities and careers of both Cormac and his successful rival, Thomas de Rossy, and the potential reasons for Cormac's claim and its ultimate failure. Therefore, this study reveals some of the underlying geopolitical realities of the diocese of Sodor in the mid-fourteenth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of simulated pollen counts from the central Scandes Mountains in Sweden which are used to examine the application of a pollen-based modelling approach to treeline fluctuations. Treelines are considered sensitive indicators of climate variability, and greater consideration of the palynological signal of treeline fluctuations is important in critical and rigorous use of pollen analysis to reconstruct variations in treelines. The approach presented here is to construct GIS-based models of the landscape (based on topographic and land cover attributes) onto which placement of different vegetation communities can represent changes in treelines in space (by adjusting the altitudinal positioning of treelines) and time (by using five time slices through the Holocene). The application of the POLLSCAPE model of pollen dispersal and deposition is then applied to generate simulated pollen counts for a large number (121) of sites placed across an altitudinal range in the simulated landscape. Comparison of simulated data to empirical pollen data from the region validates the approach through reasonable matching of the main trends in the pollen data sets. The success of the modelling approach is that it has helped to refine the process by which variations in fossil pollen assemblages are constructed, and also provides a tool by which the optimum sampling locations can be determined for treeline-focused work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the various ways that patents and standards framed a challenger's opportunities. It recounts the history of the Bull punched card system, both in Norway in the 1920s and France in the 1930s, as it developed and became a challenger to IBM's monopoly. Bull faced the first mover's patents and standards differently. Standards paved the way for the challenger's actions, while patents hampered certain facilities for their duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores environmental variations in time and space, adaptive strategies and possible cultural responses to climatic changes as manifested through archaeological data in terms of lithic tool technology, site density and settlement patterns. The objective is investigated by two case studies from Mesolithic Norway. The first case deals with the earliest settlement phase of Norway (c. 11,500–10,000 cal. BP), which climatically encompasses gradual changes from cold, arctic conditions, to a milder sub-arctic climate, as well as the rapid Preboreal Oscillation (PBO) cold event. The second case explores the 8200 cal. BP cold event and its effect on culture and settlement in Southeast Norway. The studies suggest that the coastal settlement, in terms of site density, was not affected by either the PBO or the 8200 cal. BP event. Changes in site location patterns seem to have occurred gradually and on a long-term scale. Shifts in lithic technology are detected within the Mesolithic periods, but a correlation between abrupt climatic alterations and cultural changes are yet to be proved. We argue, therefore, that in these northern, coastal environments, declining temperatures may have had less impact than on the Continental Plains, and may in fact have improved the living conditions for a range of marine species. Also, the Mesolithic populations seemed to have employed a generalized lithic toolkit and a flexible mobility system – adaptive strategies that was able to withstand environmental variations in time and space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents, for the first time, municipality- and occupation-level estimates of income inequality between individuals in a European country in the nineteenth century, using a combination of several detailed data sets for Norway in the late 1860s. Urban incomes were on average 4.5 times as high as rural incomes, and the average city Gini coefficient was twice the average rural municipality Gini. All high- or medium-income occupation groups exhibited substantial within-occupation income inequality. Across municipalities, income inequality is higher in high-income municipalities, and lower in muncipalities with high levels of fisheries and pastoral agriculture. While manufacturing activity is positively correlated with income inequality, the association is not apparent when other economic factors such as the mode of food production is accounted for. The income Gini for Norway as a whole is found to have been 0.546, slightly higher than estimates for the UK and US in the same period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• History of accident prediction models in Norway is described. • Coefficients estimated for key variables are compared. • Traffic volume has been by far the most important explanatory variable. • The distribution of accidents between road sections is becoming more random. This paper compares the results found in successive accident prediction models developed at the national level for Norway. Over time, the models have become more comprehensive in terms of the roads and the variables included in them. It is found that traffic volume has consistently had the strongest association with the number of accidents. It explains nearly all the systematic variation in the number of accidents. The second most important variable has consistently been the speed limit of 50 km/h, which indicates an urban area (the default speed limit in urban areas in Norway is 50 km/h). This variable has become less important over time. Motorways (freeways) have consistently had a lower accident rate than other roads. The mean number of accidents per road section declined considerably from 1986 to 89 to 2010–15. Systematic variation in the number of accidents between road sections was greatly reduced. At present, the variation in the annual number of accidents between road sections is mostly random. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author comments on a paper by archaeologist Håkon Glørstad on the important role of boats, specifically log boats, in the colonization of Norway. He applauds the willingness of Glørstad to tackle an intricate issue and deconstruct established archaeological agreements in Norway. He also emphasizes the importance of analyzing the situation during the colonizing phase.

This article recounts the life and career of Eric Welsh. A remarkable figure within MI6, Welsh started life as a scientist for a maritime paint company in Norway, but with war in 1939 his contacts and knowledge of the region brought him into direct contact with British intelligence. He rapidly became head of the Norwegian Section of MI6 and through the attacks on the heavy water plant in Vemork assumed responsibility for wartime and post-war atomic intelligence. His personality and dedication saw him rise to the pinnacle, but the flaws associated with these traits also led to his downfall and untimely death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the turn of the twentieth century, Norway, like many other countries, experienced a decrease in mortality and a substantial increase in the number of health personnel. In order to assess how these changes were connected, we investigate the relationship between health personnel and mortality using data at the medical district level ( N = 106 ) covering a period of 34 years. We find a large and robust effect of midwives on reduced maternal mortality in rural areas, but no effect in urban areas. No clear effect is found for other types of health personnel or on infant mortality. The results demonstrate the important role played by public health investments during the period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The island province of Orkney played a crucial role in Norway's overseas expansion during the Early- and High-Middle Ages. Located just offshore from mainland Scotland, it provided a resort for westward-sailing fleets as well as a convenient springboard for military forays into Britain and down the Irish Sea. The establishment of a Norwegian-Scottish peace and the demarcation of fixed political boundaries in 1266 led to a revision of Orkney's role in the Norwegian realm. From that point until the its pledging to the Scottish Crown in 1468, Norway depended on Orkney as a hub for diplomacy and foreign relations. This paper looks at how Orkney figured in Norwegian royal strategies in the west and presents key examples which show its transition from a tool of war to a forum for peace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We exploit two Norwegian parental leave reforms to investigate their effects on adolescents' household work. The main reform increased the parental leave time by 7 weeks, 4 of which were reserved for the father, while the second reform raised only the general parental leave time by 3 weeks. We find a robust and substantial effect of the main reform implying that adolescent girls born immediately after the reform are less likely to do household work. By analyzing the two parental leave reforms together, we show that the father quota drives the results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Atlantic cod is a historically abundant species in the North Atlantic region and has contributed to the prosperity of many nations. But a decline in stocks in the last century has prompted to initiate commercial farming of cod in captive conditions. Several approaches have been employed ranging from stock enhancement, capture‐based aquaculture and intensive cod farming. However, except for the enhancement efforts which were carried out for almost a century, efforts on other methods were intermittent coinciding with lower quotas. Intensive farming was attempted in Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Iceland and Faroe Islands in the 2000s. But it was carried out hastily to cash in the demand for cod in the market even though there were many biological knowledge gaps that are required for a successful aquaculture venture. The reasons for the failure of commercial farming in Norway during the 2000s were not only because of limited knowledge of the biology of cod but also the economic meltdown in Europe in 2008. Cod farming came to a halt; however, the Norwegian National Cod Breeding Program (NCBP) initiated in 2003 continued to operate and produced a fifth generation of a domesticated cod in 2019. Efforts to fill the gaps and the selective breeding for better growth and disease resistance within NCBP have improved the quality of the juveniles produced. We will discuss the past efforts and reasons for failure in farming of cod, how the current situation looks and the future direction in terms of cod biology, political atmosphere and market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's response to comments on his article on the important role of boats, specifically log boats, in the colonization of Norway. He argues that his article was aimed at creating a renewed debate on the difficult questions about history and initial colonization of a new area and landscape. He claims that almost all mesolithic axes are found along the coast or the major waterways and that they were used in boat production.

Copyright of Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Philologia is the property of Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)