Scandinavian Region Research Articles

The origin of the isolated population of the Faroe Islands investigated using Y chromosomal markers.

Historical, archaeological and linguistic sources suggest that the ancestors of the present day population in the Faroe Islands may have their origin in several different regions surrounding the North Atlantic Ocean. In this study we use binary and microsatellite markers of the Y chromosome to analyse genetic diversity in the Faroese population and to compare this with the distribution of genotypes in the putative ancestral populations. Using a combination of genetic distance measures, assignment and phylogenetic analyses, we find a high degree of similarity between the Faroese Y chromosomes and the Norwegian, Swedish and Icelandic Y chromosomes but also some similarity with the Scottish and Irish Y chromosomes. Diversity measures and estimates of effective population sizes also suggest that the original gene pool of the settlers have been influenced by random genetic drift, thus complicating direct comparisons with other populations. No extensive immigration from Iceland to the Faroe Islands can be documented in the historical record. We therefore hypothesise that the high degree of Y chromosome similarity between the two populations arose because they were colonised at approximately the same time by males originating from the same regions of Scandinavia and, to a lesser extent, from the British Isles.

A 10 year cloud climatology over Scandinavia derived from NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer imagery

AbstractResults from a satellite‐based method to compile regional cloud climatologies covering the Scandinavian region are presented. Systematic processing of multispectral image data from the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instrument has been utilized to provide monthly cloud climatologies covering the period 1991–2000. Considerable local‐scale variation of cloud amounts was found in the region. The inland Baltic Sea and adjacent land areas exhibited a large‐amplitude annual cycle in cloudiness (high cloud amounts in winter, low cloud amounts in summer) whereas a weak‐amplitude reversed annual cycle (high cloud amounts with a weak maximum in summer) was found for the Scandinavian mountain range. As a contrast, conditions over the Norwegian Sea showed high and almost unchanged cloud amounts during the course of the year. Some interesting exceptions to these patterns were also seen locally. The quality of the satellite‐derived cloud climatology was examined through comparisons with climatologies derived from surface cloud observations, from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) and from the European Centre for Medium‐range Weather Forecasts ERA‐40 data set. In general, cloud amount deviations from surface observations were smaller than 10% except for some individual winter months, when the separability between clouds and snow‐covered cold land surfaces is often poor. The ISCCP data set showed a weaker annual cycle in cloudiness, generally caused by higher summer‐time cloud amounts in the region. Very good agreement was found with the ERA‐40 data set, especially for the summer season. However, ERA‐40 showed higher cloud amounts than SCANDIA and ISCCP during the winter season. The derived cloud climatology is affected by errors due to temporal AVHRR sensor degradation, but they appear to be small for this particular study. The data set is proposed as a valuable data set for validation of cloud description in numerical weather prediction and regional climate simulation models. Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society

North Atlantic Oscillation; a Climatic Indicator to Predict Hydropower Availability in Scandinavia

Climate variability and climate change are of great concern to economists and energy producers as well as environmentalists as both affect the precipitation and temperature in many regions of the world. Among those affected by climate variability is the Scandinavian Peninsula. Particularly, its winter precipitation and temperature are affected by the variations of the so-called North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The objective of this paper is to analyze the spatial distribution of the influence of NAO over Scandinavia. This analysis is a first step to establishing a predictive model, driven by a climatic indicator such as NAO, for the available water resources of different regions in Scandinavia. Such a tool would be valuable for predicting potential of hydropower production one or more seasons in advance.

Do neighboring lakes share common taxa of bacterioplankton? Comparison of 16S rDNA fingerprints and sequences from three geographic regions.

Bacterioplankton community composition was studied in 12 lakes in three different geographic regions in Scandinavia using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and sequencing of 16S rDNA. Area-specific abundant taxa were found in the lakes in two of the regions. In the region of Uppland the lakes had an alpha-proteobacterium, belonging to the subgroup Alpha V in common. The Alpha V bacteria appeared to be favored by neutral or higher pH values. The lakes in Lappland were found to harbor Actinobacteria, which appeared to be favored in bog lakes. No abundant taxon was found to be in common for the lakes in Svalbard, the third region studied.

'Neutral on our Side': Us Policy towards Sweden during the Eisenhower Administration

This article examines the Eisenhower administration's policy vis-à-vis a militarily nonaligned Sweden. Based on previously unused US sources, this article argues that Washington wholly accepted Swedish armed neutrality and regarded it as the policy that best served US aims. It helped to keep Scandinavia an area of low level superpower tension, which enabled the two countries to partake in 'under-the-table' military cooperation. Moreover, since Swedish guns were only pointing in an eastward direction, it was in the US interest to ensure that Sweden was as militarily strong as possible. This was to be achieved by pursing an arms-friendly policy. As a result of this twin-track approach, Washington ensured that Sweden remained the West's neutral first line of defence in the Scandinavian region.

Climate monitoring using GPS

We present results on long-term trends of integrated precipitable water vapor (IPWV) over the Scandinavian region based on data from the Swedish permanent Global Positioning System (GPS) network, obtained during the period August 1993 to the end of 2000. We assess the magnitude of the effects on the estimated IPWV caused by antenna radome changes by comparisons with other independent techniques, such as microwave radiometry and radiosondes. The agreement between the techniques is at 1 mm level for the IPWV content and at 0.1 mm/yr for the estimated linear trend. Using the IPWV differences between the techniques, we assess the effects of radome changes to be in the interval 0–1.8 mm depending on the type of radome used. The estimated trends of IPWV over Scandinavia show a general increase of 0.1–0.2 mm/yr, and are more pronounced in the south–west region. We also estimate trends based on summer and winter periods. We find them to be larger for the winter periods compared to the summer in the southern parts and the opposite in the northern regions of Scandinavia.

Variation in morphological characters and habitat requirements in Carex capitata and Carex arctogena (Cyperaceae) in Norway and Sweden

Norwegian and Swedish populations of Carex capitata s. lat. were studied for variation in morphological characters. Canonical variates analysis (CVA) arranges populations in two discrete groups, corresponding to C. capitata s. str. and C. arctogena, respectively. In principal components analysis (PCA) of the total material a small overlap could be seen. However, separate PCA: s for the two regions in Scandinavia where the two taxa are sympatric show perfect separation. Student's t‐test revealed significant differences in all morphological characters studied. Studies of companion plants, analysed with detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), indicate that the taxa have rather similar habitat demands in Oppland, Central Norway, although C. capitata s. str. seems to prefer wetter, and C. arctogena drier sites, respectively. Since the two taxa are distinct in morphology, they are best treated as separate species. The name Carex capitata is lectotypified.

The year’s publications: a review with listing for 2000

This review deals with just one part of the Survey’s total publication production for the year 2000, namely, that covering geoscientific topics about Greenland, the surrounding oceans and neighbouring lands, i.e. Canada, Svalbard and Iceland. Publications about Denmark, the Faeroe Islands, and other regions of Scandinavia, as well as elsewhere in the world where the Survey has been active, are listed on the Survey’s website (www.geus.dk).

Morphological variation in Scandinavian populations of the diploid–tetraploid species pair Anthericum ramosum and Anthericum liliago (Anthericaceae)

Both members of the diploid–tetraploid species pair Anthericum ramosum L. and Anthericum liliago L. occur as geographically disjunct isolates on the margins of their northern range in Scandinavia. Variation in floral morphology was studied in 33 populations of A. ramosum from four geographic regions and 25 populations of A. liliago from seven regions in Scandinavia. Tepal shape was characterized with the help of moment invariants, and intra- and inter-specific variation in style and filament length was investigated. There were significant between-region and between-population differences in tepal shape and style and filament length within both species. However, despite the geographic disjunction of both species' distributions, there was considerable overlap in tepal shape between populations from the different regions. The hierarchical partitioning of tepal shape diversity was similar in the two species. Most of the total diversity was explained by regional and interpopulation components of diversity (48% and 35%, respectively, in A. ramosum and 61% and 22%, respectively, in A. liliago). The two species were clearly discriminated on the basis of tepal shape and style and outer filament lengths. A southern Swedish population, containing triploid hybrids between A. ramosum and A. liliago, was indistinguishable from other Scandinavian populations of A. liliago on the basis of tepal shape. However, a (allegedly hybrid) Danish population of A. liliago was intermediate between the two species in tepal shape.Key words: polyploidy, geographic variation, tepal shape, hybridization, moment invariants.

Morphological variation in Scandinavian populations of the diploid–tetraploid species pair <i>Anthericum ramosum</i> and <i>Anthericum liliago</i> (Anthericaceae)

Both members of the diploid-tetraploid species pair Anthericum ramosumL. and Anthericum liliago L. occur as geographically disjunct isolates on the margins of their northern range in Scandinavia. Variation in floral morphol - ogy was studied in 33 populations of A. ramosum from four geographic regions and 25 populations of A. liliago from seven regions in Scandinavia. Tepal shape was characterized with the help of moment invariants, and intra- and inter- specific variation in style and filament length was investigated. There were significant between-region and between- population differences in tepal shape and style and filament length within both species. However, despite the geo - graphic disjunction of both species' distributions, there was considerable overlap in tepal shape between populations from the different regions. The hierarchical partitioning of tepal shape diversity was similar in the two species. Most of the total diversity was explained by regional and interpopulation components of diversity (48% and 35%, respectively, in A. ramosum and 61% and 22%, respectively, in A. liliago). The two species were clearly discriminated on the basis of tepal shape and style and outer filament lengths. A southern Swedish population, containing triploid hybrids between A. ramosum and A. liliago, was indistinguishable from other Scandinavian populations of A. liliago on the basis of tepal shape. However, a (allegedly hybrid) Danish population of A. liliago was intermediate between the two species in tepal shape.

Epidemiology of Major Respiratory Pathogens

A vast literature attests to the fact that Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis represent the prevailing bacterial pathogens of community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections. Their specific incidence as causative agents of the more common syndromes is known to vary even profoundly, depending on geographic area, and the same holds true for their rates of resistance to antimicrobial drugs. Europe does not escape the threat posed by the present pandemic spread of penicillin resistance in S. pneumoniae although, as expected, some countries like Spain and France are highly affected and others including Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the Scandinavian region, are relatively spared. In several sites multiple resistance has been described in S. pneumoniae with the most affected drugs being penicillin, the macrolides, co-trimoxazole and tetracycline. In H. influenzae synthesis of β-lactamases is the main resistance trait expressed. Lack of susceptibility to β-lactams dictated by a different mechanism remains extremely rare. Large variations in the incidence of this character are apparent when considering European countries. France and Spain are again widely affected while Germany, the Netherlands and Italy display rates of β-lactamase-positive H. influenzae of about 16%. M. catarrhalis must be considered generally resistant to non-protected aminopenicillins since over 90% of these organisms produce β-lactamases.

Reply to comment by W. Fjeldskaar ‘What about the asthenosphere viscosity? Sea-level change, glacial rebound and mantle viscosity for northern Europe’

viscosity profiles that best match the observational database. include a low-viscosity channel in the upper mantle (Fjeldskaar Neither point to a well-developed low-viscosity channel in the 2000). In our paper we clearly noted that we examined only a upper mantle, and the second model compares well with the part of the possible earth-model space and that we restricted results from the sea-level analysis only. ourselves to a three-mantle-layer model comprising a lithoThe second reason for not pursuing the more detailed sphere, an upper mantle extending from the base of the solutions for the Scandinavian region is that a major limitation lithosphere down to the 670 km seismic discontinuity, and a in the modelling is the inadequate knowledge of the temporal lower mantle. A broad range of parameters defining these three and spatial distribution of the ice cover over the region, and, layers was explored and no a priori values were attached to based on tests with different ice models, we concluded that this any one layer. This is important in that considerable trade-off was more important than differences in predictions between between parameters can result. We were careful to note that the threeand five-layer mantle models: unless some modification analysis yielded only first-order results and that the resulting of the ice sheet was permitted in the inversion, this would earth-model parameters are effective values that, while they result in a very considerable dependence of earth-model results appear to give an adequate description of the rebound evidence on the adopted ice model (for example, compare Figs 16(a) (the relative sea-level change and shoreline migration), may and (b) and Fig. 33(b) in LSJ). We concluded that further not be a true reflection of the actual physical layering within the improvements in the knowledge of the spatial and temporal Earth. We also noted that further work is required to examine distribution of the ice are required before it becomes worthwhile whether a higher degree of mantle layering is appropriate to explore the earth structure in greater detail. Subsequent (e.g. p. 135). inversions in LSJ therefore placed greater emphasis on the ice The reason we did not conduct a more exhaustive search of model than on the detailed earth structure, although care was the model space was two-fold. The first was that our earlier taken at all times to ensure that an adequate separation of the experience with the British rebound modelling (Lambeck et al. earthand ice-model parameters occurred. 1996) led to the conclusion that five-layer mantle models, Three inversions of independent sea-level data for ice-sheet including the low-viscosity asthenosphere option, yielded only parameters and (three-layered) mantle parameters led to a marginal improvement in the overall comparison of preconsistent conclusions about likely ice thicknesses during Latedictions of sea-level change with observations. Fig. 1 illustrates glacial times. These data sets are the Lateand postglacial the two sets of effective earth-model parameters that were geological evidence for sea-level change across the region found to be optimal for the threeand five-layer models. The (LSJ), the tide-gauge data for the region (Lambeck et al. five-layer model is physically more intuitive but, in the British 1998b), and the timing and elevation data of various Baltic lake Isles case, it does not lead to a significant improvement in the stages (Lambeck 1999). In all cases, thick, quasi-parabolic ice ability to predict Lateand postglacial sea levels and shoreline models, in which ice thickness increases rapidly with distance locations compared to the three-layer model. In this particular from the ice margin, yield predictions that are inconsistent case the observational database has only limited resolving with the sea-level and shoreline observations for the southern power for isolating the higher-resolution structure in the mantle, and southeastern Scandinavia and Baltic regions (see also and for ‘all predictive purposes of sea-level change and shoreTushingham & Peltier 1991 and Lambeck et al. 1990). With line evolution, three-layer or five-layer models are essentially the exception of some of the Norwegian coastal zones, the

The End of the Press Subsidies ‘Experiment’ in Sweden?

Debates about media ownership concentration have continued in Australia over the past half-century, and particularly in the last decade since Murdoch's News Ltd took over the Herald and Weekly Times group of newspapers in 1986–87. At the time, and at the subsequent 1991 Lee print media inquiry, the press subsidies system operating in Sweden received some attention from researchers and policy-makers alike as a possible solution to further increases in media ownership concentration in Australia. In light of recent inquiries into media ownership in Australia, particularly the Productivity Commission, it is now timely to consider Sweden's approach to media policy in the late 1990s. In particular, this paper will focus on the 1999 report by the Media Concentration Group in Sweden, which examined issues such as the future of print and broadcast legislation, and the impact of convergence on media policy. As Sweden — and indeed the Scandinavian region — has long held one of the most diverse media ownership environments in the Western world, their future policy directions may provide some options for Australian media policy researchers and policy-makers.

Metabolic Evaluation and Medical Management of Upper Urinary Tract Stone Disease: Guidelines from the Scandinavian Cooperative Group for Urinary Stones

A set of simple guidelines for metabolic evaluation and medical/dietary management of patients with urolithiasis is presented. The evaluation scheme is based on the documented risk factors in the Nordic area and the results of controlled clinical trials, and takes its basis in the severity of the stone disease in the individual stone patient. The initial evaluation in all patients aims at diagnosing conditions with a definitive metabolic, infectious or anatomical/functional cause of stone formation (MIAF urolithiasis). Patients with MIAF urolithiasis are treated according to the nature of the underlying disease. Having excluded/diagnosed MIAF urolithiasis, patients with idiopathic calcium nephrolithiasis remain, and in this group, which comprises approximately 85% of the total stone population in the Scandinavian region, only those with a complicated stone disease are subjected to additional evaluation, which aims at identifying underlying pathophysiological derangements for which medical therapy has been proven to be effective in controlled clinical trials.

Epidemiology of resistance to antimicrobial drugs in the major respiratory pathogens circulating in Europe.

There is an overwhelming consensus on the fact that Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis represent the prevailing bacterial pathogens of community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections. Their specific incidence as causative agents of the more common syndromes is known to vary even profoundly depending on geographic location, and the same holds true for the rates of resistance to antimicrobial drugs. Europe does not escape the threat posed by the present pandemic spread of penicillin resistance in S. pneumoniae although, as expected, countries like Spain and France are greatly affected, while others including Germany, Italy, The Netherlands and the Scandinavian region are comparatively spared. In several sites multiple resistance has been described in S. pneumoniae and the most affected drugs include penicillin, the macrolides, co-trimoxazole and tetracycline. In H. influenzae synthesis of beta-lactamases the main trait of resistance is expressed. Lack of susceptibility to beta-lactams dictated by a different mechanism remains extremely rare. Considerable variations in the incidence of this characteristic are apparent when European countries are considered. France and Spain are again widely affected, while Germany, The Netherlands and Italy display rates of beta-lactamase-positive H. influenzae of about 10%. M. catarrhalis must be considered generally resistant to non-protected aminopenicillins since over 90% of these organisms produce beta-lactamases.

Variations in the diagnostic process among urologists in one region recorded using an interactive computer program.

To analyse how male cases suffering from lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are handled within a well-defined health-care region in Scandinavia, an interactive computer program containing 20 cases suffering from LUTS due to BPH was used for recording the diagnostic process and the treatment decisions; 37 out of a total of 50 urologists practicing within a small health region participated. The diagnostic process varied considerably due to a varying choice of diagnostic tests and the large differences in interpreting the qualities described by the tests. The probability that a patient would be offered a treatment within the region was analysed. For many patients the probability that a treatment was chosen was in the vicinity of 50%. No treatment probability was correlated to the symptom score of the patients. While the probability that a transurethral prostatic resection would be offered to the patients within the region was correlated significantly to urodynamic variables, residual urine and to cystoscopy findings, the probability that transurethral microwave or finasteride therapy would be offered was not correlated to any of the described qualities. The costs of the diagnostic process in all the patients incurred by each of the urologists varied by up to 500%. It was estimated that approximately 40% of the costs involved diagnostic tests that did not influence the decision to offer or not to offer treatment. In conclusion, the enormous variations in the handling of the cases recorded in the study stress the need that a management formula should be used in the handling of patients with LUTS.

Scandinavian University Press's Role as a Publisher in the Digital Future

Summary The level of activity among libraries and publishers in Scandinavia with regard to electronic journals is relatively low. However, the interest in and discussions of this subject are widespread and it is on almost everybody's agenda. Some electronic journals are considered, including the Nordic Journal of Philosophical Logicand several pilot projects are also presented and discussed. There are considerably more initiatives in the international arena, and one important conclusion is that the development of electronic versions of scientific journals makes the world “smaller,” that is, it is less difficult for the regional publisher to reach the international community of scientists. Many of the challenges that publishers face in the world of e-journals are considered, including copyright, fair use, one-stop-shopping, access control, printing, pricing and licensing. The traditional system of scholarly communication has emerged over a period of hundreds of years and is now well-established regionally as well as internationally. This article attempts to identify whether there are specific characteristics with regard to new ways of disseminating scientific results in the Scandinavian region, and looks into practical experiences from the development of electronic journals.

Childhood asthma in four regions in Scandinavia: risk factors and avoidance effects.

The high and increasing prevalence of childhood asthma is a major public health issue. Various risk factors have been proposed in local studies with different designs. We have made a questionnaire study of the prevalence of childhood asthma, potential risk factors and their relations in four regions in Scandinavia (Umeå and Malmö in Sweden, Kuopio in eastern Finland and Oslo, Norway). One urban and one less urbanized area were selected in each region, and a study group of 15962 children aged 6-12 years was recruited. The prevalence of symptoms suggestive of asthma varied considerably between different areas (dry cough 8-19%, asthma attacks 4-8%, physician-diagnosed asthma 4-9%), as did the potential risk factors. Urban residency was generally not a risk factor. However, dry cough was common in the most traffic polluted area. Exposure to some of the risk factors. such as smoking indoors and moisture stains or moulds at home during the first 2 years of life, resulted in an increased risk. However, current exposure was associated with odds ratios less than one. Our findings were probably due to a combination of early impact and later avoidance of these risk factors. The effects of some risk factors were found to differ significantly between regions. No overall pattern between air pollution and asthma was seen, but air pollution differed less than expected between the areas.

Fine Mapping of the Gene for Carbohydrate-Deficient Glycoprotein Syndrome, Type I (CDG1): Linkage Disequilibrium and Founder Effect in Scandinavian Families

Carbohydrate-deficient glycoprotein syndrome type I (CDG I) is characterized clinically by severe nervous system involvement and biochemically by defects in the carbohydrate residues in a number of serum glycoproteins. The CDG1 gene was recently localized by us to a 13-cM interval in chromosome region 16p13. In this study 44 CDG I families from nine countries were analyzed with available markers in a region ranging from marker D16S495 to D16S497, and haplotype and linkage disequilibrium analyses were performed. One specific haplotype was found to be markedly overrepresented in CDG I patients from a geographically distinct region in Scandinavia, strongly indicating that CDG I families in this region share the same ancestral CDG1 mutation. Furthermore, analysis of the extent of the common haplotype in these families indicates that the CDG1 gene is located in the region defined by markers D16S513–AFMa284wd5–D16S768–D16S406–D16S502. The critical CDG1 region, in strong linkage disequilibrium with markers AFMa284wd5, D16S768, and D16S406, thus constitutes less than 1 Mb of DNA and less than 1 cM in the very distal part of the CDG1 region defined by us previously.

Prevalence of Crohn's disease and simultaneous occurrence of extraintestinal complications and cancer. An epidemiologic study in adults.

Very dissimilar prevalence figures for Crohn's disease (CD) have been reported from different regions of Scandinavia. There are few reports on the occurrence of liver, joint, skin, and eye disease and gastrointestinal cancer in CD. All patients > or = 16 years old with CD living in a well-defined catchment area on 1 March 1990 were identified from the previous 10 years' registers of inpatients and outpatients. The records were screened for evidence of extraintestinal complications and fistulas. The prevalence of CD was 94/10(5) (95% confidence interval, 84-104) inhabitants > or = 16 years old. Signs of liver disease were encountered in 1 of 10 patients, and other extraintestinal complications and intestinal cancer occurred in 1-3%. The true prevalence of primary sclerosing cholangitis could not be assessed. The prevalence of CD was midway between recent figures from Orebro and Copenhagen. Fistulas and pathologic liver laboratory test results were more prevalent when CD involved both the large and small bowel.