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Molecular Evaluation of the Effects of FLC Homologs and Coordinating Regulators on the Flowering Responses to Vernalization in Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) Genotypes
Full text linkThe flowering loci of cabbage must be understood to boost their productivity. In this study, to clarify the flowering mechanisms of cabbage, we examined the three flowering repressors BoFLC1, 2 and 3, and the flowering regulators BoGI, BoCOOLAIR, and BoVIN3 of early (CAB1), middle (CAB3), and late (CAB5) flowering cabbage genotypes. Analysis of allele-specifically amplified genomic DNA and various sequence alignments demonstrated that maximal insertions and deletions influenced cabbage flowering behavior, notably in CAB3 and CAB5. Phylogenetic studies showed that BoFLC1, 2, and 3 in the CAB1, 3, and 5 genotypes had the highest homologies to other Brassica species, with CAB3 and 5 the most similar. Although CAB3 and CAB5 have comparable genetic patterns, flowering repressors and flowering regulators were investigated individually with and without vernalization to determine their minor flowering differences. The expression investigation revealed that vernalized CAB5 downregulated all BoFLC genes compared to CAB3 and, in contrast, CAB3 exhibited upregulated BoCOOLAIR. We hypothesized that the CAB3 BoFLC locus’ additional insertions may have led to BoCOOLAIR overexpression and BoFLC downregulation. This study sheds light on cabbage genotypes—particularly those of CAB1 and CAB5—and suggests that structural variations in BoFLC2 and 3 bind flowering regulators, such as COOLAIR, which may affect cabbage flowering time.publishedVersio
Surface charge change in carbonates during low-salinity imbibition
Full text linkOptimizing the injection water salinity could present a cost-effective strategy for improving oil recovery. Although the literature generally acknowledges that low-salinity improves oil recovery in laboratory-scale experiments, the physical mechanisms behind it are controversial. While most experimental low-salinity studies focus on brine composition, this study investigated the influence of carbonate rock material on surface charge change, wettability alteration, and spontaneous imbibition behavior. Zeta potential measurements showed that each tested carbonate rock material exhibits characteristic surface charge responses when exposed to Formation-water, Seawater, and Diluted-seawater. Moreover, the surface charge change sensitivity to calcium, magnesium, and sulfate ions varied for the tested carbonate materials. Spontaneous imbibition tests led to high oil recovery and, thus, wettability alteration towards water-wet conditions if the carbonate-imbibing brine system’s surface charge decreased compared to the initial zeta potential of the carbonate Formation-water system. In the numerical part of the presented study, we find that it is essential to account for the location of the shear plane and thus distinguish between the numerically computed surface charge and experimentally determined zeta potential. The resulting model numerically reproduced the experimentally measured calcium, magnesium, and sulfate ion impacts on zeta potential. The spontaneous imbibition tests were history-matched by linking surface charge change to capillary pressure alteration. As the numerical simulation of the laboratory-scale spontaneous imbibition tests is governed by molecular diffusion (with a time scale of weeks), we conclude that molecular diffusion-driven field scale wettability alteration requires several hundred years.publishedVersio
Reisevaneendringer i byområder
Full text linkDenne rapporten er en del av et større samarbeidsprosjekt som sammenligner tiltaksutforming, utvikling av reisevaner og mulige årsaksforklaringer for endring og stabilitet i reisevaner i byområdene Bergen, Trondheim og Nord-Jæren. Rapporten oppsummer den langsiktige utviklingen av reisevanene i de tre byområdene i perioden 2013-2022 og analyser årsaker til endringene. De nasjonale reisevaneundersøkelsene viser at en lavere andel av gjennomførte turer foregår som bilfører i 2022 sammenlignet med 2013/14 blant bosatte i byområdene Bergen, Trondheim og på Nord-Jæren. Utviklingen er motsatt blant bosatte i omegnskommunene. Analysene viser at tiltakene gjennomført i byvekstavtalen (bompenger, parkeringspolitikk, bedring av kollektivtilbud) i størst grad har redusert bilbruk blant bosatte i sentrale strøk, mens de har gitt lavere effekt i bykommunene utenfor sentrum, og nesten ikke påvirket reisemiddelfordelingen blant bosatte i omegnskommunene. I stedet har økt bompengebelastning, kombinert med først fritak og deretter med sterkt rabatterte takster for elbil, akselerert overgangen fra fossilbil til elbil, der dette i størst grad har skjedd blant bosatte utenfor sentrum, inklusiv omegnskommunene.Reisevaneendringer i byområderpublishedVersio
Combined physical and biogeochemical assessment of mesoscale eddy parameterisations in ocean models: Eddy-induced advection at eddy-permitting resolutions
Full text linkOcean general circulation models at the eddy-permitting regime are known to under-resolve the mesoscale eddy activity and associated eddy-mean interaction. Under-resolving the mesoscale eddy field has consequences for the resulting mean state, affecting the modelled ocean circulation and biogeochemical responses, and impacting the quality of climate projections. There is an ongoing debate on whether and how a parameterisation should be utilised in the eddy-permitting regime. Focusing on the Gent–McWilliams (GM) based parameterisations, it is known that, on the one hand, not utilising a parameterisation leads to insufficient eddy feedback and results in biases. On the other hand, utilising a parameterisation leads to double-counting of the eddy feedback, and introduces other biases. A recently proposed approach, known as splitting, modifies the way GM-based schemes are applied in eddy-permitting regimes, and has been demonstrated to be effective in an idealised Southern Ocean channel model. In this work, we evaluate whether the splitting approach can lead to improvements in the physical and biogeochemical responses in an idealised double gyre model. Compared with a high resolution mesoscale eddy resolving model truth, the use of the GM-based GEOMETRIC parameterisation together with splitting in the eddy-permitting regime leads to broad improvements in the control pre-industrial scenario and an idealised climate change scenario, over models with and models without the GM-based GEOMETRIC parameterisation active. While there are still some deficiencies, particularly in the subtropical region where the transport is too weak and may need momentum re-injection to reduce the biases, the present work provides further evidence in support of using the splitting procedure together with a GM-based parameterisation in ocean general circulation models at eddy-permitting resolutions.publishedVersio
Vågan kommune – plan for forvaltningsrevisjon og eierskapskontroll 2024–2027 Beslutningsgrunnlag
Full text linkDenne rapporten utgjør beslutningsgrunnlag for Vågan kommunes plan for forvaltningsrevisjon og eierskap for perioden 2024–2027. Rapporten er basert på en overordnet analyse av kommunens virksomhet og eierskap i selskaper. Analysen er gjennomført ved hjelp av en triangulering av ulike metoder og kilder, inkludert kvantitative registerdata (fra SSBs KOSTRA database), og kvalitativ dokumentanalyse. Beslutningsgrunnlaget munner ut i en prioritert liste over anbefalte forvaltningsrevisjoner og eierskapskontroller i kommende periode.Vågan kommune – plan for forvaltningsrevisjon og eierskapskontroll 2024–2027 BeslutningsgrunnlagpublishedVersionpublishedVersio
Sensitivity of Rainfall Extremes to Unprecedented Indian Ocean Dipole Events
Full text linkStrong positive Indian Ocean Dipole (pIOD) events like those in 1997 and 2019 caused significant flooding in East Africa. While future projections indicate an increase in pIOD events, limited historical data hinders a comprehensive understanding of these extremes, particularly for unprecedented events. To overcome this we utilize a large ensemble of seasonal reforecast simulations, which show that regional rainfall continues to increase with pIOD magnitude, with no apparent limit. In particular we find that extreme rain days are highly sensitive to the pIOD index and their seasonal frequency increases super-linearly with higher pIOD magnitudes. It is vital that socio-economic systems and infrastructure are able to handle not only the increasing frequency of events like 1997 and 2019 but also unprecedented seasons of extreme rainfall driven by as-yet-unseen pIOD events. Future studies should prioritize understanding the hydrological implications and population exposure to these unprecedented extremes in East Africa.publishedVersio
Layering and institutional change: framework plan revision in Norwegian early childhood education and care
Full text linkCentral among a range of reforms and policy measures aimed at enhancing the quality and social cohesion of Norwegian early childhood education and care (ECEC) services is the 2017 Framework Plan for Kindergartens. In this article, we investigate the policy formation process and how framework plan reform has been carried out by public and private stakeholders at different levels. The reform is explored as institutional layering, referring to theoretical contributions that stress the role of incremental development and gradual institutional change. We ask: What are the policies added, and to what extent do added policies instigate institutional change? This article relies on qualitative document analyses, semistructured interviews, and quantitative survey data. We find high legitimacy for the framework plan in the ECEC sector, and informants broadly regard it as a continuation of earlier versions of the plan. Our analysis further shows that the implementation of the 2017 framework plan reform cannot be viewed in isolation, as it interacts with other reforms, trends, and instruments in the sector. We argue that blending reform design features with existing values and practices adds layers to Norwegian ECEC, instigating change. The analysis points to the need for further research on how national educational reforms are implemented in complex settings and to investigate the relationships between policy design and measures and between policy outcomes and ambitions. The relationships between different measures can be unclear to local implementers. Thus, we stress the importance of considering how reform outcomes depend on intertwined reforms and varying local conditions regarding capacity, norms, and values.publishedVersio
Development of a digital droplet PCR approach for the quantification of soil micro-organisms involved in atmospheric CO2 fixation
Full text linkCarbon-fixing micro-organisms (CFMs) play a pivotal role in soil carbon cycling, contributing to carbon uptake and sequestration through various metabolic pathways. Despite their importance, accurately quantifying the absolute abundance of these micro-organisms in soils has been challenging. This study used a digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) approach to measure the abundance of key and emerging CFMs pathways in fen and bog soils at different depths, ranging from 0 to 15 cm. We targeted total prokaryotes, oxygenic phototrophs, aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria and chemoautotrophs, optimizing the conditions to achieve absolute quantification of these genes. Our results revealed that oxygenic phototrophs were the most abundant CFMs, making up 15% of the total prokaryotic abundance. They were followed by chemoautotrophs at 10% and aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria at 9%. We observed higher gene concentrations in fen than in bog. There were also variations in depth, which differed between fen and bog for all genes. Our findings underscore the abundance of oxygenic phototrophs and chemoautotrophs in peatlands, challenging previous estimates that relied solely on oxygenic phototrophs for microbial carbon dioxide fixation assessments. Incorporating absolute gene quantification is essential for a comprehensive understanding of microbial contributions to soil processes. This approach sheds light on the complex mechanisms of soil functioning in peatlands.Development of a digital droplet PCR approach for the quantification of soil micro-organisms involved in atmospheric CO2 fixationpublishedVersio
LLM-Augmented Agent-Based Modelling for Social Simulations: Challenges and Opportunities
Full text linkAs large language models (LLMs) continue to make significant strides, their better integration into agent-based simulations offers a transformational potential for understanding complex social systems. However, such integration is not trivial and poses numerous challenges. Based on this observation, in this paper, we explore architectures and methods to systematically develop LLM-augmented social simulations and discuss potential research directions in this field. We conclude that integrating LLMs with agent-based simulations offers a powerful toolset for researchers and scientists, allowing for more nuanced, realistic, and comprehensive models of complex systems and human behaviours.LLM-Augmented Agent-Based Modelling for Social Simulations: Challenges and OpportunitiespublishedVersio