Norwegian Regions Research Articles

Industrial Innovation Collaboration in a Capital Region Context

This paper investigates the relationship between capital region location and the firm level decision to engage in innovation collaboration. Controlling for the impact of differences in the distribution of sectors, firm sizes, and other background variables, we find capital region location to be associated with a slightly lower propensity to engage in innovation collaboration within own region and a distinctively lower propensity to engage in domestic collaboration as a whole. By contrast, we find no substantial differences between firms in the capital and other Norwegian regions with respect to foreign innovation collaboration or with respect to innovation activity in general. This means that firms in the capital exchange knowledge among each other by other means than collaboration and draw comparatively less of their innovation input from the collaboration networks which define the national innovation system as a whole. Implications for regional innovation policy are discussed and important issues for future research identified.

Balancing efficiency, effectiveness and democracy in organizing inter-municipal partnerships


 
 
 The balancing of efficiency, effectiveness and democratic control is an ever-recurring problem when designing governance structures more or less disconnected from the formal democratic institutions. As far as the relationship between these considerations is concerned, much of the theoretical as well as the practical discourse revolve around the issue of whether synergy emerges or whether there is just a matter of trade-off. By applying primarily empirical observations from local-to-local cooperation in some Norwegian regions the article attempts to investigate how the relationship turns out. The article argues that at least three models are available, one balanced and two imbalanced variants. The notion of synergy highlights a model in which input- processes of democratic participation and output-processes of performance reinforce each other. The others, on the contrary, are imbalanced, implying either a democratic deficit or a deliberative surplus. By comparing the models to experiences from local-to-local cooperation a pattern of divergent features emerges. Nevertheless, a trade-off where the regard for local democracy and autonomy seems to dominate at the sacrifice of performing efficiently and effectively, thus the article is rather pessimistic as to what may be gained by pursuing the intermunicipal cooperative strategy further.
 
 

Antioxidant and other quality properties of reindeer muscle from two different Norwegian regions

The effects of origin, gender, age, and muscle type on chemical composition, colour, antioxidant status and sensory profile of reindeer muscles Longissimus dorsi (LD) and Semimembranosus (SM) from two production regions were investigated. For some variables, the comparison between reindeer and beef muscles was also included. Muscles from North Norway (NN) were darker and contained more myoglobin and moisture, and less protein and fat than muscles from Mid Norway (MN). Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) was significantly higher in these muscles while the levels of antioxidant enzymes were significantly lower in contrast to MN muscles. Relative to male reindeer, muscles from females contained significantly more total phenols and showed higher antiradical power (ARP). Carcass weight and the sensory attributes colour, sharp and bitter flavour had higher scores for older animals. Considerable differences between LD and SM were revealed in sensory assessment. In comparison to beef reindeer meat was darker, had more myoglobin, total phenols, antioxidant enzymes, and higher ARP and ORAC values.

The Importance of Lateral Boundaries, Surface Forcing and Choice of Domain Size for Dynamical Downscaling of Global Climate Simulations

Dynamical downscaling by atmospheric Regional Climate Models (RCMs) forced with low-resolution data should produce climate details and add quality and value to the low-resolution data. The aim of this study was to explore the importance of (i) the oceanic surface forcing (sea-surface temperature (SST) and sea-ice), (ii) the lateral boundary condition data, and (iii) the size of the integration domain with respect to improved quality and value in dynamically downscaled data. Experiments addressing the three aspects were performed and the results were investigated for mean sea level pressure (mslp), 2 m air temperature (T2m) and daily precipitation. Although changes in SST gave a clear response locally, changes in the lateral boundary data and the size of the integration domain turned out to be more important with our geographical scope being Norway. The T2m turned out less sensitive to the changes in lateral forcing and the size of the integration domain than mslp and precipitation. The sensitivity for all three variables differed between Norwegian regions; northern parts of Norway were the most sensitive. Even though the sensitivities found in this study might be different in other regions and for other RCMs, these results call for careful consideration when choosing integration domain and driving lateral boundary data when performing dynamical downscaling.

Changes in mental health services and suicide mortality in Norway: an ecological study

BackgroundMental disorders are strongly associated with excess suicide risk, and successful treatment might prevent suicide. Since 1990, and particularly after 1998, there has been a substantial increase in mental health service resources in Norway. This study aimed to investigate whether these changes have had an impact on suicide mortality.MethodsWe used Poisson regression analyses to assess the effect of changes in five mental health services variables on suicide mortality in five Norwegian health regions during the period 1990-2006. These variables included: number of man-labour years by all personnel, number of discharges, number of outpatient consultations, number of inpatient days, and number of hospital beds. Adjustments were made for sales of alcohol, sales of antidepressants, education, and unemployment.ResultsIn the period 1990-2006, we observed a total of 9480 suicides and the total suicide rate declined by 26%. None of the mental health services variables were significantly associated with female or male suicide mortality in the adjusted analyses (p > 0.05). Sales of antidepressants (adjusted Incidence Rate Ratio = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.97-1.00) and sales of alcohol (adjusted IRR = 1.41; 95% CI = 1.18-1.72) were significantly associated with female suicide mortality; education (adjusted IRR = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.79-0.94) and unemployment (adjusted IRR = 0.91; 95% CI = 0.85-0.97) were significantly associated with male suicide mortality.ConclusionsThe adjusted analyses in the present study indicate that increased resources in Norwegian mental health services in the period 1990-2006 were statistically unrelated to suicide mortality.

The economic burden of TNFα inhibitors and other biologic treatments in Norway

Objective:Costly biologic therapies have improved function and quality of life for patients suffering from rheumatic and inflammatory bowel diseases. In this survey, we aimed to document and analyze the costs.Methods:In 2008, the total costs of tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors and other biologic agents in Norway were registered prospectively. In addition to costs, the pattern of use in the four Norwegian health regions was analyzed. The expenses were calculated in Norwegian krone and converted into Euros.Results:The pattern of use was similar in all four regions, indicating that national guidelines are followed. Whereas the cost was similar in the southeast, western, and central regions, the expenses per thousand inhabitants were 1.56 times higher in the northern region. This indicates that patients in the northern region experienced a lower threshold for access to these drugs. The gap in costs between trusts within northern Norway was about to be closed. The Departments of Rheumatology and Gastroenterology had the highest consumption rates.Conclusion:The total cost of biologic agents was significant. Northern Norway had among the highest consumption rates worldwide. This can partly be explained. Further exploration calls for a national registry for the use of these drugs.

Does the socioeconomic context explain both mortality and income inequality? Prospective register-based study of Norwegian regions

BackgroundStudies from various countries have observed worse population health in geographical areas with more income inequality. The psychosocial interpretation of this association is that large income disparities are harmful to health because they generate relative deprivation and undermine social cohesion. An alternative explanation contends that the association between income inequality and ill health arises because the underlying social and economic structures will influence both the level of illness and disease and the size of income differences. This paper examines whether the observed association between mortality and income inequality in Norwegian regions can be accounted for by the socioeconomic characteristics of the regions.MethodsNorwegian register data covering the entire population were utilised. An extensive set of contextual and individual predictors were included in multilevel Poisson regression analyses of mortality 1994-2003 among 1.6 millions individuals born 1929-63, distributed across 35 residential regions.ResultsMean income, composition of economic branches, and percentage highly educated in the regions were clearly connected to the level of income inequality. These social and economic characteristics of the regions were also markedly related to regional mortality levels, after adjustment for population composition, i.e., the individual-level variables. Moreover, regional mortality was significantly higher in regions with larger income disparities. The regions' social and economic structure did not, however, account for the association between regional income inequality and mortality. A distinct independent effect of income inequality on mortality remained after adjustment for regional-level social and economic characteristics.ConclusionsThe results indicate that the broader socioeconomic context in Norwegian regions has a substantial impact both on mortality and on the level of income disparities. However, the results also suggest, in a way compatible with the psychosocial interpretation, that on top of the general socioeconomic influences, a higher level of income inequality adds independently to higher mortality levels.Previous publicationThis article is a reworked version of the study 'Er inntektsforskjeller dødelige?' [Are income inequalities lethal?] which was published in Norwegian in Tidsskrift for velferdsforskning [Journal for welfare research], Vol. 13 (4), 2010.

Rock slope instabilities in Sogn and Fjordane County, Norway: a detailed structural and geomorphological analysis

Abstract More than 250 rock slope failures have occurred in Sogn and Fjordane County in historical times. So far, 28 sites are known where open cracks indicate that rock slope failures may occur in the future. Detailed structural and geomorphological analyses of these sites have been conducted, and form the basis for an evaluation and comparison of the unstable rock slopes. Four of these sites are described in detail herein. The main characteristics for rock slope instabilities in Sogn and Fjordane are: (1) a preferred location within relatively weak rock units, such as phyllites and weathered mafic gneisses; and (2) the development of most instabilities at convex slope breaks, which are evident as knick-points in the slope profile. Sogn and Fjordane is compared with other Norwegian regions, particularly Møre and Romsdal County, with respect to the spatial distribution of past and current rock slope instabilities. Sogn and Fjordane shows the greatest number of historical slope failures, whereas in Møre and Romsdal a larger amount of potential instabilities is observed. We propose that the larger amount of unstable rock slopes in Møre and Romsdal may be controlled by a locally high gradient of ongoing post-glacial uplift and a higher rate of neotectonic activity.

Market penetration analysis of hydrogen vehicles in Norwegian passenger transport towards 2050

The Norwegian energy system is characterized by high dependency on electricity, mainly hydro power. If the national targets to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases should be met, a substantial reduction of CO 2 emissions has to be obtained from the transport sector. This paper presents the results of the analyses of three Norwegian regions with the energy system model MARKAL during the period 2005–2050. The MARKAL models were used in connection with an infrastructure model H2INVEST. The analyses show that a transition to a hydrogen fuelled transportation sector could be feasible in the long run, and indicate that with substantial hydrogen distribution efforts, fuel cell cars can become competitive compared to other technologies both in urban (2025) and rural areas (2030). In addition, the result shows the importance of the availability of local energy resources for hydrogen production, like the advantages of location close to chemical industry or surplus of renewable electricity.

CONE AND SEED INSECTS IN NORWAY SPRUCE [PICEA ABIES (L) KARST.

UDK 582.475:595.7(481)
 581.47/.48:632.7
 Frequency of gall and spruce insects (Picea abies (L) Karst.) from three Norwegian regions were analyzed during the period from 1968 to 2006, from the x-ray photos of samples of seeds and files of control of gall samples. Higher temperatures, especially during the last 20 years, have most probably contributed to more frequent years of good production of spruce seeds. The paper has indicated the following gall and spruces insects: Cydia strobilella (L.), Plemeliella abietina (Seitn.), Megastigmus strobilobius (Ratz.) Kaltenbachiola strobi (Winn.), Strobilomyia anthraciana (Czerny.), Dioryctria abietella (Den. et Schiff.), Eupithecia abietaria (Ratz.), and E. analoga (Zett.). The pathogen fungi were observed as well: Pucciniastrum areolatum ((Fr.) G.H. Otth.) and Chrysomyxa pirolata (Wint.).

Mesoscale physical processes and zooplankton transport-retention in the northern Norwegian shelf region

Abstract Northern Norwegian shelf regions are highly productive, supporting fisheries rich in commercially important species such as cod, herring and capelin. It has been long recognized that the mesoscale jets, meanders and eddies associated with interactions between the North Atlantic Current, Norwegian Coastal Current and regional bottom topographic features such as troughs, banks and shelfbreaks play important roles in transporting and retaining zooplankton. To investigate zooplankton distributions and their correspondence with the physical fields, three large-scale surveys with mesoscale resolutions on physical and biological fields were conducted in northern Norwegian shelf regions between latitudes 68°15′N and 70°15′N in springs of 2000–2002. Survey results provide insights into the relationships between zooplankton distributions and the physical features such as fronts, the Norwegian Coastal Current and eddies related to topographic features. The physical and biological data are integrated and analyzed focusing on water types, estimation of geostrophic currents from direct current measurements, along-shelf transport of zooplankton, and retention of zooplankton by the mesoscale meander–eddy over a typical bank area on the shelf. The estimated mean transport in the upper 100 m on the shelf in the survey region is approximately 6.4×103 tonnes wet weight day−1 northward. High zooplankton abundances were found over both Malangsgrunnen and Sveinsgrunnen banks. The specific accumulation rate from northward–southward transport in the upper 100 m over Malangsgrunnen was approximately 0.08 day−1, while variable currents with an offshore gradient of zooplankton abundance over Sveinsgrunnen implies an offshore dispersion of coastal-originated zooplankton cohort.

Teleconsultation – collaborative work and opportunities for learning across organizational boundaries

Over a period of five months we observed teleconsultations between general practitioners (GPs) in community care and specialists in hospitals in two Norwegian health regions (A and B). In total, 47 teleconsultations between GPs and specialists were recorded. In region A, teleconsultations were organized when needed to discuss specific medical problems. In region B, teleconsultations took place during the specialists' daily morning meeting. The teleconsultations lasted for 5-40 min. There were three categories of talk. In the first two there was information exchange for patient updates and practical organization of the service. The third category, consultation, was the communicative process in which the GP and the specialist engaged in collaborative work, primarily discussing medical problems related to decision-making in patient care. Regular use of teleconsultation opens access to different repertoires of knowledge and experience, and brings knowledge to the point of patient care and medical decision-making.

The Course of Psychiatric and Behavioral Symptoms and the Use of Psychotropic Medication in Patients With Dementia in Norwegian Nursing Homes—A 12-Month Follow-Up Study

This study investigates the natural course of neuropsychiatric symptoms and the concomitant use of psychotropic medication among a large and representative sample of nursing-home patients with dementia. The authors performed two data collections with structured interviews in a 1-year follow-up cohort-study including 26 nursing homes in four counties in two Norwegian health regions. The main outcome measures were baseline and follow-up frequencies, persistence and incidence of neuropsychiatric symptoms, and the change in neuropsychiatric symptoms with regard to the use of psychotropic medication. At baseline a representative sample of 1,163 nursing-home patients participated, of whom 933 had dementia. At the follow-up interview after 1 year, 633 of the patients who had dementia at baseline were assessed. Clinically significant neuropsychiatric symptoms were exhibited by 84% of patients with dementia at the baseline or follow-up interviews. Overall persistence of symptoms was 79%. Individual symptoms, such as depression (58%), delusions (56%), and agitation/aggression (47%) had resolved at a high rate. Persistent use of antidepressants (79%), antipsychotics (75%), or any psychotropic drug (88%) was common. There were no differences between users and nonusers of antipsychotics or antidepressants regarding the course of psychosis, agitation, or depression over the 1-year observation period. Neuropsychiatric symptoms are ubiquitous in nursing home patients with dementia. Overall the symptoms are chronically present, whereas individual symptoms often show an intermittent course. Long-term use of psychotropic medication is extensive. Uncertainty about treatment effects emphasizes the need for further treatment trials.

Disability pension for psychiatric disorders: Regional differences in Norway 1988–2000

The aim of this study was to describe regional differences in the incidence of disability pensions (DPs) with psychiatric diagnoses, and to determine whether these differences were related to age and/or gender. We compared the incidence rates of new DPs including all diagnoses, with DP with psychiatric diagnoses in Norwegian regions from 1988 to 2000. The population at risk was all individuals aged 16–67 in each year. Individuals already on DP were excluded. Cases were collected from the Norwegian National Insurance Administration. The results showed that the incidence rate ratio (IRR; Norway reference) for DP with psychiatric diagnoses was most elevated for men 1.41 (95% CI 1.27–1.58) and women 1.48 (95% CI 1.34–1.64) living in the most rural region. Men in the urban area had a higher IRR, 1.33 (95% CI 1.26–1.40), than urban women, 1.02 (95% CI 0.96–1.07). The incidence more than doubled in the youngest age group (16–29 years) and decreased in the oldest age group (60–67 years) between 1988 and 2000. The findings conclude that individuals living in semi-rural regions of Norway are more likely to receive a DP with a psychiatric diagnosis than those living in urban areas. Large gender differences were found in the urban area. Further research is needed to investigate the impact of the psychiatric healthcare system and access to rehabilitation on psychiatric disability.

The dynamics of regional specialization and cluster formation: dividing trajectories of maritime industries in two Norwegian regions

The theoretical starting point of this paper is the academic debate on regional specialization, agglomeration and industrial clusters. The paper offers further insights into the industrial dynamics within regional contexts by combining two approaches: (1) an historical study of industrial agency focusing on entrepreneurship, diversification and specialization; (2) a study of the relations within contemporary industrial systems important for industrial upgrading. Methodical triangulation has provided longitudinal studies. Particular attention is paid to path dependence as well as entrepreneurial capacity in order to explain why the industrial trajectories of matching regions divide. As the paper discusses continuity and change, a more dynamic perspective on path dependency is introduced. The past is not just regarded as a constraint, but as heritage as well. The dynamics leading to cluster formation and upgrading as well as industrial fragmentation are investigated in detail. The developments of shipyards and related maritime industries of the two Norwegian regions compared are characterized by static continuity and dynamic continuity, respectively.

A methodology for integrated economic and environmental analysis of pollution from agriculture

This paper presents a methodology for analyzing the effect of policies focused at reducing pollution from agriculture. Such a methodology must take into account that agricultural pollution is an effect of a large set of interacting processes, covers many different substances, and may vary substantially due to shifts in natural and economic conditions. Thus, the methodology must both cover the specificities of the different processes/disciplines involved and foster integration across these in a consistent way. The basic challenge is to cover the non-linear fine-scale variations at different levels of land-based production systems. Our methodology is founded on the idea of partitioning. It implies structuring and simplifying existing variation in space and time into partitions that are considered homogeneous. These partitions are organized in a hierarchy, and the different processes involved are modeled at the relevant level. We have concluded that analyses with fairly high level of resolution are preferable. This way it is also possible to combine a systems perspective with disciplinary integrity. A modeling structure – ECECMOD (2.0) – based on the developed principles is documented. The paper also shows the ability of this structure to simulate choice of farming practices and emissions that are well in accordance with observations from four Norwegian regions with very different agricultural and natural conditions.

Wild reindeer: impacts of progressive infrastructure development on distribution and range use

We investigated the distribution of wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) from aerial surveys in 1986–1998 in 622 contiguous 4-km2 grid squares in relation to density of power lines, roads and ski trails in the Nordfjella region, south-central Norway. Density of reindeer was significantly lower in developed quadrats compared to undeveloped quadrats and decreased with increasing density of development. No reindeer were observed in areas exceeding 1.3 km/km2 of linear structures and only 1.1% of the reindeer were observed in areas exceeding 0.8 km/km2 of linear structures, an area constituting 17% of the study area. The results imply that development, and also the degree of development, affect the availability of range for wild reindeer. Furthermore, the results suggest that reindeer may abandon areas once disturbance exceeds a critical level. We conclude that there is a need for cumulative impact assessments of the overall development in Norwegian mountain regions, to preserve the last remaining wild reindeer populations in Europe.

Crustal stress and tectonics in Norwegian regions determined from earthquake focal mechanisms

Abstract A database of 109 earthquake focal mechanisms for Scandinavia and Svalbard has been compiled, comprising 29 new solutions. Stress directions extracted from these earthquake focal mechanisms have been calculated for southeastern and southwestern Norway, the Norwegian Sea and the Barents-Finnmark region. The principal horizontal stress is c. N45°W, and indicates a clockwise rotation as one moves from south to north, in accordance with stress trajectories that can be expected from ridge push. The data indicate that in southern Norway normal faulting regimes are more dominant in onshore regions, whereas thrust faulting dominates the offshore seismic activity. Offshore mid-Norway a preference for normal faulting is also found, whereas the shallow earthquakes in Finnmark, northern Norway, are all reverse. Focal depth distributions were studied in the northern North Sea region, revealing substantial differences with depths in the range 5–30 km.

Survival in 86 patients, aged 15-60, with primary acute myelogenous leukemia, treated with a common program in the Norwegian health regions I, III, IV and V in the period 1990-1995.

Eighty-six patients between 15 and 60 yr with primary acute myelogenous leukemia in health regions I, III, IV and V in Norway were treated according to a common protocol from 21 January 1990 until 1 September 1995 (until 1 January 1993 for health region IV). Seventy-one percent of the patients reached complete remission (CR) and went on to receive consolidation treatment. In addition to chemotherapy, 18 patients under the age of 52, i.e. 28% of all patients in this age group, received allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. A follow-up analysis was performed by 1 September 1996. The median overall survival was 15 months, estimated 3-yr survival 30% and estimated survival at 5 yr was 26%. The median duration of 1st CR was 19 months, and the leukemia-free survival at 3 yr was 29%. At follow-up 26/86 patients were alive, 18 in 1st CR (4 after BMT) and 8 in 2nd CR (5 after BMT in 2nd, 1 after BMT in early 1st relapse). These results are comparable to many previously published studies, but may be inferior to the results obtained with more intensive consolidation treatment, including high dose Ara C.

Estimating Regional Precipitation Trends Comparison of two Methods

Two different methods were applied to estimate long-term precipitation trends representative for regions in Norway. A new method, comparative trend analysis (CTA), was applied on 142 homogeneous precipitation series of 70-100 years. In this way 12 precipitation trend regions were identified. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied on a subset of 30 series during the period 1896-1994 The results from both analyses were used to estimate precipitation trend series at several locations. The estimates based upon the PCA were of same quality as the estimates based upon the CTA. However, by CTA it is possible to visualize the trend in a distinct region by using just one trend curve, while trend curves based on PCA are composed of contributions from 5 principal components. The resulting trend curves document that the annual precipitation level has increased by 8-14% throughout this century in most Norwegian regions. The increase occurred not simultaneously all over the country. The regional differences in precipitation trends and variability are probably connected to variations in the atmospheric circulation patterns.