Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2024
Abstract
It is widely acknowledged that welfare states are important determinants of health in Europe through their mediation of the extent, and impact, of socio-economic positions on health. Arguably, immunisation from market dependencies in healthcare has been associated with core public values of the traditional welfare state and has thus been perceived important for achieving public goods such as social cohesion, equity, and people’s well-being. In recent years, we have seen a change in change in welfare states, where policies aimed at decommodifying the citizens by sheltering them from market dependency, have been supplemented and even replaced by the reverse trend of healthcare recommodification, where the role of markets has been strengthened and access to services through citizenship has been reduced. There is consequently a need for studies that investigate the specific welfare regime features that best contribute to the protection and promotion of the well-being of its citizens. Concentrating on the healthcare part of the welfare state, we analyse differences of subjective perceptions of well-being (self-rated health and happiness) between European countries, by examining how such perceptions are associated with selected indicators related to expenditure, financing, provision, institutional features, primary care orientation, and health decommodification. The paper utilises ten rounds of the European Social Survey (ESS), spanning 20 years and including more than 130,000 individuals from 21 countries. Using multilevel modelling and controlling for individual-level demographic and socio-economic variables, the results suggest that several of the system characteristics are relevant for subjective perceptions of well-being. Public healthcare coverage shows the strongest positive association, while indicators of public–private mix in financing and private provision of healthcare showed less significant results.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
«Norwegian Agriculture – Status and Trends 2024» provides a brief overview of major aspects of agriculture in Norway and summarizes some of the information that is annually published within the sector.
Authors
Sarah MuiruriAbstract
Entomophagy, the consumption of insects, may reduce the negative health and environmental impacts of meat. As one of the novel protein alternatives expected to replace conventional meat consumption, its success will depend on consumer acceptance. To investigate the consumer acceptance of entomophagy, three rounds of a Norwegian survey with 8633 useable responses conducted in 2019/2020, 2021/2022, and 2023/2024 were used. Generalized structural equation modelling was used to test the developed hypotheses. The direct effects of trust, food choice motives, and OCEAN personality traits were investigated. The mediating effects of food safety concerns on the relationship between trust and willingness to try (WTT) food made from insects were also investigated. Social trust and trust in food authorities were positively associated with WTT. No association was found for trust in retailers. Negative associations were found between the effects of social trust and trust in food authorities on food safety concerns, and food safety concern was also a significant mediator. Respondents who emphasized environmental friendliness, health, and novelty were more willing to try, and those who emphasized natural ingredients and familiarity were less willing. Openness was positively associated with WTT, while conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness had a negative association. Gender, education, age and urban living were also found as significant moderators in some paths. The findings of the study imply the need to foster trust among consumers and to emphasize the environmental and health benefits of entomophagy while focusing on increasing consumer familiarity and use of natural ingredients. Personality-focused marketing strategies may also be implored to target consumers high in openness and low in conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness.
Abstract
Cultured meat (CM) is likely to reduce environmental footprints and health problems and improve animal welfare, but its success in the market will rely on consumer acceptance. A survey was used to investigate consumer acceptance of CM in Norway. The survey was conducted pre the COVID-19 pandemic and during the pandemic with a total of 4,683 usable responses. A partial proportional odds model was estimated, and identical coefficients were not rejected for the two periods. Social trust, trust in food authorities, and support to green parties were positively associated with the willingness to try CM but there was no association with trust in food retailers. Respondents who emphasized natural components and food safety were less willing, and respondents who emphasized health, novelty, environment, and price were more willing. Young, male, highly educated, urban, non-religious, non-vegetarian supporters of green parties were also more willing to try CM, and marketing activities should target these groups.
Authors
Mekjell MelandAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Background The order Lepidoptera has an abundance of species, including both agriculturally beneficial and detrimental insects. Molecular data has been used to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of major subdivisions in Lepidoptera, which has enhanced our understanding of the evolutionary relationships at the family and superfamily levels. However, the phylogenetic placement of many superfamilies and/or families in this order is still unknown. In this study, we determine the systematic status of the family Argyresthiidae within Lepidoptera and explore its phylogenetic affinities and implications for the evolution of the order. We describe the first mitochondrial (mt) genome from a member of Argyresthiidae, the apple fruit moth Argyresthia conjugella. The insect is an important pest on apples in Fennoscandia, as it switches hosts when the main host fails to produce crops. Results The mt genome of A. conjugella contains 16,044 bp and encodes all 37 genes commonly found in insect mt genomes, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNAs, 22 transfer RNAs, and a large control region (1101 bp). The nucleotide composition was extremely AT-rich (82%). All detected PCGs (13) began with an ATN codon and terminated with a TAA stop codon, except the start codon in cox1 is ATT. All 22 tRNAs had cloverleaf secondary structures, except trnS1, where one of the dihydrouridine (DHU) arms is missing, reflecting potential differences in gene expression. When compared to the mt genomes of 507 other Lepidoptera representing 18 superfamilies and 42 families, phylogenomic analyses found that A. conjugella had the closest relationship with the Plutellidae family (Yponomeutoidea-super family). We also detected a sister relationship between Yponomeutoidea and the superfamily Tineidae. Conclusions Our results underline the potential importance of mt genomes in comparative genomic analyses of Lepidoptera species and provide valuable evolutionary insight across the tree of Lepidoptera species. Keywords Argyresthia conjugella, Illumina HiSeq, Lepidoptera, Mitochondrial genome, Yponomeutoidea
Authors
Isabell EischeidAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Isabell EischeidAbstract
No abstract has been registered