Does Norwegian aid promote good governance in recipient countries? : an empirical analysis, 1985-2013

Denne masteroppgaven ser på effekten norsk bistand har på korrupsjonsbekjempelse i utviklingsland. Økonomer har tidligere vært mest opptatt av bistandseffektivitet, mens statsvitere på sin side har vært mest opptatt av hvilke bakenforliggende faktorer som påvirker bistandsallokering. Det blir i denne oppgaven forsøkt å knytte de to sammen. I første rekke ser oppgaven på hvilke trekk ved mottagerland som påvirker norsk bistandsallokering, og i neste rekke blir effektiviteten av bistandsmidlene på korrupsjonsbekjempelse undersøkt. Oppgaven tester dette for to typer norsk bistand: Totale bistandsmidler og bistandsmidler som er øremerket til å bekjempe korrupsjon og fremme demokrati. Resultatene antyder at total norsk bilateral bistand i større grad går til land som er mindre korrupte, og at bistanden har en positiv effekt på korrupsjonsnivå. Bistandsmidlene som skal gå med til å bekjempe korrupsjon, har ingen signifikante effekter på korrupsjonsnivå å vise til

En observasjonsstudie av visuell eksploderende søksatferd hos målvakter i Eliteserien

Masteroppgave - Norges idrettshøgskole, 2020Studien undersøkte persepsjon gjennom visuell eksplorerende søksatferd hos målvakter i kampsituasjoner i Eliteserien. Studien baserte seg på den økologiske tilnærmingen til persepsjon som teoretisk rammeverk. I studien ble målvakter i Eliteserien observert (n = 16, m = 26.5 år, min – maks = 18 – 37, SD = 4.80). Det ble observert 16 kamper hvor bortelagets målvakt ble observert. Hensikten med studien var å undersøke målvaktens visuelle eksplorerende søksatferd og undersøke påvirkningen på prestasjon. Det har tidligere ikke vært forskning på målvakters søksatferd i kamp, og målet med studien er å gi innledende data på hva som kjennetegner målvakters visuelle eksplorerende søksatferd i offensive og defensive situasjoner. Studien er en observasjonsstudie hvor målvakter ble filmet underveis i kampspill, der frekvensen av hoderotasjoner var målemiddel for målvaktens evne til å orientere og innhente informasjon. 923 spillsituasjoner ble identifisert i analysen. Målvakten hadde en gjennomsnittlig søksfrekvens på .23 søk pr. sekund, men det ble funnet signifikante forskjeller mellom søksfrekvenser mellom målvaktene, hvor målvakten med flest søk hadde .55 søk pr. sekund sammenlignet med målvakten med færrest søk som hadde .16 søk pr. sekund. Studien fant signifikante forskjeller mellom målvakters søksfrekvens i hovedspill- og underspillsituasjoner. Det ble funnet en signifikant forskjell mellom antall søk og antall søk i ulike søksretninger «frem», «side» og «bak» i de ulike undersituasjonene. Målvakten hadde færre søk ved åpne undersituasjoner som skuddstopper (m = .26) og romkontroll (m = .20), sammenlignet med innleggssituasjoner ( m = .28) og offensiv distribusjon (m = .29). Det ble funnet signifikant forskjell mellom tidspunkt for siste søk, søksretning for siste søk og timing for siste søk ved de ulike undersituasjonene. Det ble funnet en signifikant forskjell mellom grupper med lav, medium og høy søksfrekvens for offensiv romutnyttelse og pasningssikkerhet, hvor målvakter med høyere søksfrekvens hadde høyere treffsikkerhet og hadde flere korte pasninger i framrom 1 og 2, sammenlignet med mellomrom og bakrom.Institutt for fysisk prestasjonsevne / Department of Physical Performanc

A Double Blind Study Comparing Virucare and Inter-feron as Treatment for Hepatitis CVirus and its Complications

Objective: To present the results of a comparative double blind study between Virucare and Interferon to evaluate their efficacy, safety and tolerability in treating Hepatitis C Virus and its complications Keywords: Hepatitis C, polymerase chain reaction, interferon. Egypt. J. Hum. Genet Vol. 9 (1) 2008: pp. 71-8

Using Activity Measures and GPS Data from a Virtual Fencing System to Assess Habitat Preference and Habitat Utilisation Patterns in Cattle

There has been an increased focus on new technologies to monitor habitat use and behaviour of cattle, to develop a more sustainable livestock grazing system, without compromising animal welfare. The currently most used method for monitoring cattle behaviour is tri-axial accelerometer data from systems such as virtual fencing technology or bespoke monitoring technology. This method requires high frequency data, and as such, quickly drains contemporary systems of power making it unsuitable for long-term monitoring. In this paper, we explore the possibility of determining habitat preference and habitat utilisation patterns in cattle, using low frequency activity and location data. We do this by (1) calculating habitat selection ratios, (2) determining daily activity patterns and based on those, (3) inferring grazing and resting sites in a group of cattle wearing virtual fencing collars in a coastal setting with grey, wooded and decalcified dunes, humid dune slacks and salt meadows. We found that GPS data, and a measure of activity, combined with accurate mapping of habitats can be an effective tool in assessing habitat preference. The animals preferred salt meadows over the other habitats, with wooded dunes and humid dune slacks being the least preferred. We were able to identify daily patterns in activity. By comparing general trends in activity levels to existing literature, it was possible to somewhat infer resting and grazing behaviour in the different habitats. According to our inference of behaviour the herd predominantly used the salt meadows for resting and ruminating. The approach used in this study allowed us to use GPS location data for measuring the activity and combine it with accurate habitat mapping in a cheap and effective way, which can be an important tool for guiding management decisions

Using Activity Measures and GNSS Data from a Virtual Fencing System to Assess Habitat Preference and Habitat Utilisation Patterns in Cattle

There has been an increased focus on new technologies to monitor habitat use and behaviour of cattle to develop a more sustainable livestock grazing system without compromising animal welfare. One of the currently used methods for monitoring cattle behaviour is tri-axial accelerometer data from systems such as virtual fencing technology or bespoke monitoring technology. Collection and transmission of high-frequency accelerometer and GNSS data is a major energy cost, and quickly drains the battery in contemporary virtual fencing systems, making it unsuitable for long-term monitoring. In this paper, we explore the possibility of determining habitat preference and habitat utilisation patterns in cattle using low-frequency activity and location data. We achieve this by (1) calculating habitat selection ratios, (2) determining daily activity patterns, and (3) based on those, inferring grazing and resting sites in a group of cattle wearing virtual fencing collars in a coastal setting with grey, wooded, and decalcified dunes, humid dune slacks, and salt meadows. We found that GNSS data, and a measure of activity, combined with accurate mapping of habitats can be an effective tool in assessing habitat preference. The animals preferred salt meadows over the other habitats, with wooded dunes and humid dune slacks being the least preferred. We were able to identify daily patterns in activity. By comparing general trends in activity levels to the existing literature, and using a Gaussian mixture model, it was possible to infer resting and grazing behaviour in the different habitats. According to our inference of behaviour the herd predominantly used the salt meadows for resting and ruminating. The approach used in this study allowed us to use GNSS location data and activity data and combine it with accurate habitat mapping to assess habitat preference and habitat utilisation patterns, which can be an important tool for guiding management decisions.</p

Is Virtual Fencing an Effective Way of Enclosing Cattle? Personality, Herd Behaviour and Welfare

In modern nature conservation and rewilding there is a need for controlling the movements of large grazers in extensively managed areas. The inflexibility of physical fencing can be a limitation in nature management, and the physical boundaries created by physical fencing can have detrimental effects on wildlife. Virtual fencing systems provide boundaries without physical structures. These systems utilise collars with GPS technology to track animals and deliver auditory or electric cues to encourage the animals to stay within the predefined boundaries. This study aims to assess the use of virtual fencing (Nofence&copy;) to keep twelve Angus cows (Bos taurus) within a virtual enclosure without compromising their welfare. As such, the study examines inter-individual differences between the cows as well as their herd behaviour, when reacting and learning to respond appropriately to virtual fencing. Moreover, the activity of the cows was used as an indicator of welfare. The virtual fencing was successful in keeping the herd within the designated area. Moreover, the cattle learned to avoid the virtual border and respond to auditory cues, where the cows received significantly more auditory warning and electric impulses per week throughout the first 14 days than the remaining 125 days (p &lt; 0.001). The cows were found to express both inter-individual differences (p &lt; 0.001) and herd behaviour. The cattle did not express any significant changes in their activity upon receiving an electrical impulse from the collar. Thus, indicating that there were little to no acute welfare implications associated with the use of virtual fencing in this study. This study clearly supports the potential for virtual fencing as a viable alternative to physical electric fencing. However, it also shows that both individual differences in personality and herd structure should be considered when selecting individuals for virtual fencing

Effects of Social Facilitation and Introduction Methods of Cattle on Virtual Fence Adaptation

The agricultural industry relies on physical fences to manage livestock. However, physical fences present some practical, financial, and ecological problems, that partly may be solved by virtual fencing. However, it is necessary for the livestock to be adapted to virtual fencing. This study aims to identify if adaptation to virtual fence can be improved through social facilitation between experienced cattle and the remaining herd. Moreover, which of the two different learning processes, a gradual or instant introduction to virtual fence is the most effective in associating warnings with impulses. Three pastures containing Angus (Bos taurus) will be used to examine these investigations; A, B and C. All investigations are conducted on the Danish Island of Fanø. Three methods of learning process were used, one gradual and two instant introductions to the virtual fence. The investigations had varying amounts of experienced cattle. Impulses and warnings were recorded during a learning period and the following observation period. To quantify if the cattle adapt to the warnings, impulses per warning are used. There was no evidence of improvement with the presence of experienced cattle for any pastures, indicating no social facilitation. Gradual introduction was found to be more beneficial than instant introduction. More standardized tests are necessary to discover the full effect of experienced cattle