Northern European Countries Research Articles

Communicating upcycled foods: Frugality framing supports acceptance of sustainable product innovations

Future sustainable food systems should more efficiently use natural resources and reduce food waste. Upcycled food – foods elevated in value through ingredients otherwise wasted or previously thought inedible – constitutes a new approach contributing to this much needed transition. Successful market launches of such foods requires favourable consumer perception of these products, knowing the factors determining acceptance, and an adequate communicational framing of the new concept. However, consumer perception of upcycled food is yet under-researched, in particular across food categories and countries, and the concept of frugality has not been explored in this context. In a consumer survey assessing the factors of influence on attitude towards upcycled food and with a sample across five Northern and Southern European countries, we show that stressing the aspect of traditional frugality and to appeal to frugal orientation appears a favourable communication frame for upcycled food. Product categories that match with the region are perceived as more favourable. Environmental concern determines attitude while food neophobia acts as a barrier. Our results lead us to recommend that marketing for upcycled food should focus on the environmentally concerned consumer segment and use a framing that communicates the frugality benefit and frugal resource use. Findings further provide insights into the psychology of consumer acceptance and attitudes. These can be used in communicating the nature of upcycled foods to the public and to food consumers.

Geographic Variability of Biologically Active Compounds, Antioxidant Activity and Physico-Chemical Properties in Wild Bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.).

The aim of this study was to characterize the variation in biologically active compounds, antioxidant activity and physico-chemical properties in naturally grown bilberries gathered from different sites in Northern Europe. The variability in the biologically active compounds, antioxidant capacity and physico-chemical properties, as well as the development of tools for the authenticity and quality control of wild bilberries (V. myrtillus L.) in different geographical locations was evaluated. The berries of bilberries were handpicked during the summers of 2019 and 2020 during the time periods when they are typically harvested for commercial purposes in Northern Europe (Norway (NOR), Finland (FIN), Latvia (LVA) and Lithuania (LTU)). Berries from locations in NOR were distinguished by their higher mean TPC (791 mg/100 g FW, average), whereas the mean TPC of samples from the most southern country, LTU, was the lowest (587 mg/100 g FW). The TPC of bilberries ranged from 452 to 902 mg/100 g FW. The TAC values of investigated bilberry samples varied from 233 to 476 mg/100 g FW. A high positive correlation was found between TPC and antioxidant activity of the bilberry samples (R = 0.88 and 0.91 (FRAP and ABTS assays, respectively)), whereas the correlation between TAC and antioxidant activity was lower (R = 0.65 and 0.60). There were variations in the TPC and TAC values of investigated berries, suggesting that genotype also affects the TPC and TAC in berries. In 2020, the pH values and TSS contents of berries were significantly lower than in 2019. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive reported evaluation of the biologically active compounds in wild bilberries from different Northern European countries using one laboratory-validated method.

Medical error in treatment of Amanita phalloides poisoning in pre-hospital care

BackgroundGeopolitical and climate changes form the background of the current migration crisis. It has many faces. One of them are the tragic cases of poisoning of refugees due to eating wild forest mushrooms for socioeconomic reasons in the Western and Northern European countries. The most serious food poisonings in Europe, but not only, are caused by lamellar mushrooms, the most dangerous being Amanita phalloides. Its poisonous properties can be attributed to α-amanitin, an RNA polymerase II inhibitor. Unfortunately, as it is characterized by a delayed onset of symptoms, A. phalloides poisoning has a high risk of complications.Case presentationOur article presents a case of A. phalloides poisoning in a 28-year-old man, in which the responding medical emergency unit made errors in diagnosis and treatment. Since the correct diagnosis was made too late, the typical treatment of A. phalloides poisoning was ineffective. The patient suffered a life-threatening liver failure and needed liver transplant from a deceased donor.ConclusionsMushroom poisoning is a particularly important problem not only in countries with a mushroom picking tradition, but also—due to the inflow of refugees—in countries where mushroom poisoning was very rare until recently. In such cases it is crucial to quickly implement the correct procedure, as this can prevent the need for liver transplant or even death. This is a particularly important consideration for the first medical professionals to contact the patient, especially in cases where the patient reports mushrooms consumption and presents alarming symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract. Such situations cannot be underestimated and ignored.

Assessment of weed invasion at bait sites in a Central European lower montane zone

The effects of wild game feeding on the local environment have been widely investigated in northern European countries but have received little consideration in Central Europe. Bait sites, that is, places where food is set out to entice wild boar for hunting are becoming ever more widespread, and they are having an increasing impact on surrounding vegetation. The aim of the present study was to assess the extent of weed invasion at different bait types. 3 bait sites located in forests, 3 baits in clearings and 3 baits on unpaved forest roads in the Central European lower montane zone, in Hungary. The field work was conducted in May and August. Four transects were laid out (at right angles to each other) from the centre of each bait, and consisted of 22 one meter square quadrats, in which vegetation survey were conducted. The application of multivariate statistical methods (PCA) and UPGMA analysis to the data collected revealed substantial differences between the bait types. The baits in the forest were the least degraded, with a sparse understory cover in both surveys. Road baits displayed a notable difference, as they varied depending on canopy closure, accessibility and exposure. Sites in clearings proved to be the most infected. Furthermore, there was a significant difference between the vegetation of the periods examined, arable weeds dominated in August. A stress gradient was detected along the transects, with the proportion of weeds decreasing from the centre, while the natural components of the vegetation increased. The effect was more noticeable in clearings, probably due to their greater openness. Invasion is typically limited to the immediate environment of the bait sites, but valuable patches of habitat can also be destroyed, and bait sites may serve as bridgeheads for biological invasions.

A bibliometric analysis of the internationalisation of political science in Europe

Based on data on 67,000 articles published in 100 high-impact journals in the twenty years between 2000 and 2019, I analyse the scientific contribution of European political science scholarly communities in the global context. The scholars contributing to the global scientific production are largely concentrated in a few countries, with the US and UK alone accounting for more than half of the articles published in high-impact journals. However, the tendency is towards increasing diversity in the geographic basis of the international scientific production; and European countries are central to this change. Contributing to international collaborative publications has been a key engine of the increased scientific production of scholars based in Europe. This was a generalised global tendency, and a spectacular one for certain national scholarly communities. The network analysis of international collaborations points to the consolidation of three clusters within a growing and increasingly dense network. The US, followed by the UK, are central to a global cluster of collaborations. European countries are primarily clustered in two groups: a larger and growing cluster; and a smaller but even more integrated, highly productive and connected cluster of scholars based in seven northern European countries. All bibliometric indicators consistently point to a generalised growth in the output and internationalisation of the scientific contribution provided by the European political science community.

EUROLD: preliminary results of the ecological study on suicide and its associated socioeconomic variables in people over 85 in Europe.

The present study aims to compare the suicide rates in people over 85 years of age in relation to overall suicide rates in different European countries. In addition, the study aims to perform a preliminary analysis of which socioeconomic factors could explain higher suicide rates in this age group in Europe. An analysis of the Eurostat database has been made. In this pilot phase, certain socioeconomic variables representative of people over 85 years of age were chosen based on criteria of suitability, according to the bibliography available for other regions and availability of the information provided. The conditional suicide rate in this age group with respect to the overall suicide rate in each country has been calculated. Furthermore, Spearman correlations between the suicide rates in this age group and the chosen socioeconomic factors were performed. Conditional suicide rates in people over 85 years of age show a marked difference between southern and northern European countries. In the correlational analysis, suicide in this age group was associated with different economic ratios, the old-age dependency ratio, and the self-perceived health ratio. After performing a multivariate regression, the model that best explained the differences between the European countries included the variables "old-age dependency ratio" and "economic impossibility to buy new clothes ratio." Different socioeconomic factors, specifically poverty and economic inequality, added to the old-age dependency ratio, could explain huge differences between the suicide rates in people over 85 years of age in the different European countries.

Hemoglobinopathy prevention in primary care: a reflection of underdetection and difficulties with accessibility of medical care, a quantitative study

As in most Northern European countries, the prevalence of hemoglobinopathies in The Netherlands is increasing due to migration. Although hemoglobinopathies are severe chronic diseases with few treatment options, timely detection of carriers allows at-risk couples to make informed reproductive choices such as pre-implantation diagnosis, prenatal diagnosis or termination of affected pregnancies. Using a quantitative design, we evaluated the prevalence of hemoglobinopathies in The Hague region, The Netherlands. Patient and carrier registries from hospital, laboratory and general practitioners allowed this quantitative analysis. The highest prevalence of hemoglobinopathies was seen in immigrant neighborhoods, and a large gap was noted between estimated carrier prevalence and the actual registration of carriers in electronic patient records. Carrier prevalence was estimated to be 13,704; however, the ELAN database contains only 1542 cases with ICPC codes for sickle cell disease or thalassemia. Although more research is needed to define the requirements of the healthcare system to address this challenge, this study clearly shows the gap between estimated carrier prevalence and registration and thereby the pressing need for action.

Short- and long-term consequences of collaboration between Northern European Red dairy and dual-purpose cattle.

In Northern European countries, a great variety of Red cattle populations exists which can be broadly categorized in two groups: specialized dairy and dual-purpose breeds. Collaboration between these breeds (i.e. the exchange of sires across breeds) can be beneficial but is limited so far. The aim of this study was to demonstrate and evaluate consequences of collaboration between Red breeds using stochastic simulations. Two breeding lines (dairy type and dual purpose) were simulated. As a special aspect of this study, differences in genetic levels of breeding traits (milk production, beef production, mastitis resistance, fertility, feed efficiency) have been taken into account. Various scenarios were investigated where across-breed selection was either restricted or allowed and with different correlations between breeding goals in the two lines. The results of this study were influenced by the different genetic levels in breeding traits only in the first years of simulation. In the long run, the breed differences did not affect the degree of collaboration between lines. When the correlation between breeding goals was close to unity, the selection of external bulls was highly beneficial in terms of genetic gain and total monetary gain. Additionally, the lowest rate of inbreeding was found in that case. With decreasing correlations between environments, degree of cooperation between lines rapidly terminated and lines operated individually. In last years of simulation, cooperation was only found when the correlation between breeding goals was close to unity. From a long-term perspective, the exchange of breeding sires across lines also caused negative effects. In the dual-purpose line, deterioration of genetic gain in mastitis resistance and fertility was observed. Additionally, breeding lines genetically converged, which decreased genetic diversity. Collectively, short-term benefits and long-term negative effects have to be reconciled if collaboration between Red breeds in Northern Europe is to be pursued.

The Effect of COVID-Related EU State Aid on the Level Playing Field for Airlines

State aid for airlines around the world has been a common practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the air transport was one of the sectors most heavily affected. This study analyzes 27 cases of state aid to EU airlines between 1 March 2020 and 30 September 2021 with a total amount of €31 billion. The information was obtained from the area of competition of the European Commission (EC), which is the entity responsible for final approval. Results indicate that the largest EU economies (Germany and France), as well as some Northern European countries, are supporting national airlines more extensively. Airlines with a weaker financial performance before the pandemic were more likely to receive state aid. Government involvement in the airline industry during the recent health crisis will have an important influence on the level playing field (LPF) for airlines. It is still unclear how this will evolve in the future, but it seems that some airlines now resemble the public flag companies of the past.

Foreword

Making Archaeology Public. A View from the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe and Beyond
 The concept of Public Archaeology has profoundly changed since Mc Grimsey’s first formulation in the early 1970s, as it developed a solid conceptual and practical framework along the years that makes it now an independent branch of archaeology. However, in English-speaking and Northern European countries, the perception of archaeology as a common good was widely spread even before the actual formalization of Public Archaeology as a specific curriculum offered by several universities. Not surprisingly, such an earlier interest led to the development of a markedly North Europe-centric perspective on the topic, which keeps steering much of the current reflection on Public Archaeology despite the emergence of multiple and alternative standpoints on the matter, further deepening the great divide between the archaeologies of Northern and Southern European countries.

The prevalence of loneliness across 113 countries: systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectivesTo identify data availability, gaps, and patterns for population level prevalence of loneliness globally, to summarise prevalence estimates within World Health Organization regions when feasible through meta-analysis, and to examine...

Oriental Irritants and Occidental Aspirants: Immigrant Portrayals in Hearst Magazines, 1905–1945

William Randolph Hearst became editor and proprietor of the San Francisco Examiner in 1887, and by 1935, he had assembled a media empire consisting of nearly 30 major newspapers, 13 magazines, 8 radio stations, 3 news wires, and 2 motion picture companies. Most scholarship about Hearst has focused on his newspapers; less studied have been the magazines he acquired early in the 20th century. This monograph examines immigrant representations in Hearst magazines published between 1905 and 1945, focusing on how magazine fiction, nonfiction, and “fact-fiction” articles presented immigrants and immigration as social and political issues. Like Hearst himself, the publications favored immigrants from Germany and the Scandinavian countries of northern Europe and tended to disfavor those from China and Japan and, to a lesser extent, Mexico. According to the magazines, immigrants from the Far East and Mexico were “undesirables” who threatened society by, allegedly, importing, selling, and using hazardous drugs. Newspaper advertisements, news articles, and editorials extended these portrayals to wider audiences. Hearst also applied cross-media promotion to motion pictures, with writers converting fiction from his magazines into screenplays for Cosmopolitan Productions and MGM. The monograph contains examples of how magazine content and iconic covers have informed contemporary films and television series. In recent years, stylized representations have glamorized lifestyles but have also perpetuated cultural stereotypes that may contribute to anti-immigrant attitudes.

ROLE OF TOUCHLESS ECONOMY TECHNOLOGIES IN TOURISM DEVELOPMENT OF EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES IN COVID-19 PERIOD

The article examines the features of touchless economy technologies in tourism sphere in European Union countries in conditions of COVID-19 pandemic. The main definitions of the concept of "touchless economy" are considered. It has been found that a touchless economy is an economic activity that remains possible without close physical interaction between people. The current state of the European tourism market is analyzed and the negative consequences of COVID-19 on its development are assessed. The decrease of tourists number in the European Union countries, as well as the contribution of tourism to the GDP of the world leading countries on tourism market have been studied. It was found that the market for short-term accommodation suffered unevenly in Europe: countries such as Spain (-58.1%) and Italy (-60.2%) suffered more than France (-25.0%) or Germany (-20.6%). Research of 10 largest travel and tourism markets showed that Germany dropped one place from third position in the rankings, following a 46.9 % drop in the sector’s contribution towards GDP. Meanwhile, Italy rose one place from sixth to fifth, despite experiencing a 51% fall in GDP contribution. Notably, France, one of the key destinations globally in terms of international visitor arrivals, rose one position from seventh to sixth, despite its contribution to GDP falling by almost half (48.8%). The customer expectations to increase touchless interaction with enterprises in the period of COVID-19 in European countries are considered. It has been found that even after the pandemic, customers in Europe will still use touchless technologies such as face recognition, contactless interfaces, mobile applications and etc. Research of the spread of digital technologies in tourism across Europe has found that countries of Northern Europe have shown a greater spread of digital technologies than the countries of Eastern and Southern Europe. The main technologies of touchless economy in tourism are singled out and analyzed, such as: mobile applications for online check-in at hotels and airports, online delivery and QR-menus in restaurants, artificial intelligence of digital identity management, etc. The advantages of using the touchless economy technologies in the activities of tourism enterprises in the COVID-19 pandemic conditions are substantiated.

Young people's alcohol use is still strongly related to social inclusion.

When debating the decline in youth drinking in light of the normalisation thesis, it is important to take into account that alcohol use still forms a widespread social practice, which enables processes of both inclusion into and exclusion from mainstream youth settings in alcohol cultures defined by intoxication and heavy drinking. Caluzzi and colleagues [1] raise and explore an important question in relation to young people's alcohol use, which has been in decline since the early 2000s: are we seeing a denormalisation of drinking and a normalisation of non-drinking? Applying the concept of normalisation, the authors argue that recent studies showing declines in youth drinking demonstrate that both of these processes are currently taking place in many western countries, with the most significant changes occurring in northern European and English-speaking countries. This commentary takes young Danes' drinking culture as a point of departure. Despite a recent decline in alcohol consumption, Danish youth remain among the heaviest drinkers in the world: close to 75% of 15- to 16-year-olds reported alcohol use within the past month, and almost 60% engaged in heavy episodic drinking within the last month [2]. Moreover, for young Danes, drinking is typically associated with sociality, fun and pleasure [2]. We wish to contribute to the highly relevant debate raised by Caluzzi and colleagues by suggesting that to fully understand a possible denormalisation of drinking; the discussion should not be restricted to studies that focus on abstinence and “declining adolescent drinking” [1]. We also need to consider studies that focus on the centrality of drinking practices in the formation of sociality among young people. Doing so will arguably clarify that, despite patterns of decline, alcohol use continues to form both a ‘social imperative’ [3-5] and a widespread ‘social technology’ [6] for many young people. Recent studies of young Danes' alcohol culture suggest that alcohol use is still key for inclusion into ‘mainstream’ youth contexts [7-10]. For example, drinking still defines how young people build and maintain relationships with friends [6-8], perform gender and other identities [8-10], participate in the educational system [11] as well as in the local community [12], and transition from childhood into adolescence and further into adulthood [13-15]. In addition, studies suggest that non-drinking may increase the risk of social exclusion [3-5]. For instance, a recent study of young Danish Muslim women shows how being part of a (mainstream) youth culture of intoxication as a non- or light-drinker without experiencing negative social consequences still requires careful navigation in relation to partying and alcohol use. Moreover, the study shows that ethno-national identification (and exclusion) and ‘skillful’ drinking are closely related. Other recent studies have explored young drinkers' ‘situational abstinence’ [5, 16] in heavy drinking contexts and have shown that being able to switch between drinking and abstinence depends on situational and contextual factors. Drinking forms a collective practice motivated by various kinds of intimacy enabled by ‘drinking on the same level’ as friends [5]. ‘Drinking on the same level’ can, therefore, be seen as a positive act of friendship, and the collective buzz of drinking enables “a shared social feeling” [17]. Although it is possible to accomplish situational abstinence in a heavy-drinking alcohol culture, it needs to be explained and negotiated in the group in a timely manner in order for (situational) non- or light-drinkers to secure legitimate participation in the context of the party and among co-partying friends. Interestingly, this resonates with insights from qualitative studies on alcohol prevention suggesting that interventions are best focused on the social dynamics involved in young people's drinking instead of strictly on the quantity of alcohol consumed and the long-term health consequences of high levels of consumption [7]. Taken together, we suggest that statistics showing a decline in young people's drinking should be seen in the light of the social aspects that are still involved in young people's alcohol use, including alcohol-related norms, identifications and practices of inclusion and exclusion. Hence, in addition to the question raised by Caluzzi and colleagues [1], a related question could be asked: Despite declines in young people's drinking, why is drinking alcohol together still pivotal in the formation of sociality and identity among young people? Maria D. Herold: Conceptualization (equal); writing – original draft (lead); writing – review and editing (equal). Torsten Kolind: Conceptualization (equal); writing – review and editing (equal). T.K. is editor-in-chief of the journal Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy.

Between fearful homebodies and carefree travel lovers: identifying tourist segments during the Covid-19 pandemic in Finland, Germany, and Norway

ABSTRACT While an increase in risk sensitivity for travel in times of crisis has been widely studied, attention to changes in the perception of travel motives as a possible counterpart have fallen short. Hence, the research submitted here explores the interplay of negative and positive psychological reactions towards travel during the Covid-19 pandemic, taking three Northern European countries as an example. Data was collected via online consumer panels in Finland, Germany, and Norway (n = 4,649) during the first lockdown in May 2020. We identify tourist segments based on their perceptions of travel risk and the importance of travel for their own well-being. K-means cluster analysis reveals five different pandemic-related clusters that exemplify individual travel plans for the near future, their personal affectedness and sociodemographic aspects, such as nationalities. Results show that a high level of perceived importance of travel for well-being can offset a simultaneous high perception of travel risk: ‘Fearful travel lovers’ make travel plans despite the pandemic. Moreover, we find significant differences regarding the size of the five segments in the three countries. Findings provide important strategic implications for tourism managers seeking how to address relevant tourist groups in times of pandemics.

Understanding the Antecedents of Entrepreneurship and Renewable Energies to Promote the Development of Community Renewable Energy in Rural Areas

Sustainable rural development (SRD) is an essential component of sustainable development on a global scale. Community Renewable Energy (CRE) has been advocated as a step forward in the progress towards SRD. While Northern European countries are experiencing a high development of CRE, Southern European countries lag behind. Considering entrepreneurship and renewable energy technologies (RET) as two fundamental components of CRE, through a systematic literature review this study identifies the antecedents or conditioning factors of entrepreneurship and RET exploitation in rural areas of developed countries, understanding that these same antecedents condition the development of CRE in these countries. The identified factors are organized around five capital spheres: economic, human, social, physical and natural. Given that these five spheres are not watertight compartments, but rather that their limits are diffuse and there are multiple interactions between them, we try to highlight their interrelationships through System Thinking based on the design of causal loop diagrams. The results can help policy makers and CRE projects’ promoters in the design of effective policies and strategies to foster the development of CRE in rural areas of developed countries.

Internal Migration, Living Close to Family, and Individual Labour Market Outcomes in Spain

Migration is often viewed as a way to enhance occupational careers. However, particularly in Mediterranean countries, labour market outcomes may also depend on local family resources. We investigate how men’s and women’s labour market outcomes differ between (1) those who migrated and those who did not; and (2) those who live close to family and those who live farther away. Our main contributions are the investigation of the association between migration and labour market outcomes in a different context than the more commonly studied Northern and Western European countries and the United States, and of the role of living close to family in labour market outcomes. We used a sample of labour market participants from the “Attitudes and Expectations About Mobility” survey, conducted in Spain in 2019. Our results show that the likelihood of being a professional is greater for women who migrated than for those who did not, and that the likelihood of being unemployed or in a temporary job is lower for women who live close to family than for those who do not, but neither association was found for men. The finding for living close to family is in line with the notion that nearby family may protect women in particular from precarious labour market positions. The finding for migration differs from previous findings for Northern and Western Europe and the United States, which indicate that migration is beneficial to men in particular. This difference might be specific to a low-migration context, but data limitations prevent firm conclusions.

Classifying European cigarette consumption trajectories from 1970 to 2015

ObjectivesTo systematically code and classify longitudinal cigarette consumption trajectories in European countries since 1970.DesignBlinded duplicate qualitative coding of periods of year-over-year relative increase, plateau, and decrease of national per capita...

Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus in wild hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) and first report of mecC-MRSA in Hungary

In 2011 mecC, a new mecA gene homologue, was described in a bovine isolate in the UK. Since then, mecC-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (mecC-MRSA) has also been found in wild animals. An especially high prevalence of mecC-MRSA has been reported among hedgehogs in Sweden (64%) and Denmark (61%). Based on these findings we aimed to survey the hedgehog population for mecC-MRSA in Hungary.Altogether 200 hedgehogs were screened for Staphylococcus aureus using a culture-based method. The antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates to nine drugs was determined, their genetic relatedness was established by PFGE and spa-typing, and virulence genes were identified by PCR. Whole genome sequencing was performed for the single mecC-MRSA isolate found.Of the 200 animals, 13 were carriers of S. aureus (6.5%). Among these, one isolate was mecA positive and one was mecC positive. The isolates were susceptible to non-beta-lactam antibiotics. Toxin genes were not found, but the majority carried genes responsible for adhesion and biofilm production. The mecC-MRSA isolate was a single-locus variant of ST130, had a new spa type (t19701) and belonged to SCCmec type XI. It carried a recently described, novel exfoliative toxin (etE).This is the first report of mecC-MRSA in Hungary and the first survey of staphylococcus carriage among wild animals in the country. The mecC prevalence was much lower than in Northern European countries and rather similar to other countries in our region. MecC-MRSA could potentially emerge as a novel human pathogen, especially where close contact occurs between humans and animals.

Peculiarities of legal regulation of biomedical technologies in the countries of Northern Europe

Peculiarities of legal regulation of biomedical technologies in the countries of Northern Europe