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Context is considered to greatly impact student engagement. However, little is known about the association between students' situational engagement in a particular lesson and their overall engagement with school and learning over time. The current study aims to validate the InSitu measure of situational engagement in a Norwegian context and to explore the relation between situational and overall engagement to add empirical evidence about the association between them. The sample consisted of 419 students (grades 8-10, ages 13-16), who reported their situational engagement through a web-based questionnaire at the end of six separate lessons. In addition, they answered a questionnaire concerning their overall engagement twice. The results supported the current factor structure of the InSitu instrument in a Norwegian lower secondary school context. The results showed substantial variation in student engagement between lessons. Structural equation modelling indicated significant associations between situational engagement and overall engagement.

Teacher-student interactions are considered to influence student engagement. As such, building on the teaching through interaction framework, this study presents an investigation of specific features of teacher-student interactions (regard for adolescent perspectives, productivity, and instructional learning formats) and their association with student engagement in a particular lesson. The sample consisted of 404 8th-10th grade students from 18 classrooms. The data comprised 87 videorecorded lessons, divided into 216 observation cycles, coded using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System -- Secondary observational instrument. Additionally, the students' self-reports of their situational engagement were collected using the web-based In Situations (InSitu) instrument at the end of six separate lessons. The data were analysed with cross-classified multilevel structural equation modelling, with engagement ratings cross-classified by students and lessons. In line with the study hypothesis, the results revealed positive associations between situational engagement and the two dimensions of regard for adolescent perspectives and instructional learning formats, yet there were unexpected negative associations with productivity.

During the first year of lower secondary school, the student's academic efficacy beliefs (AEB) could be challenged. Social and emotional competencies (SECs) could support AEB. The primary aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate links between intra-individual changes in the SECs relationship skills, and emotional regulation with AEB among a sample of 1142 students in the first year of lower secondary school. Intra-individual changes in perceived emotional support from teachers and collaboration with peers were included as intermediate variables. A latent change score approach with structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied. A strong positive direct link between changes in emotional regulation and AEB was found, whereas results yielded a more modest link between changes in relationship skills and AEB. Parts of the associations were indirect via emotional support from teachers and collaborative peer relations. Finally, these relations and AEB showed average negative changes during the first year of lower secondary school.

Dropout from upper secondary education is a persistent educational problem, particularly among first-generation immigrant youth. This study examined factors associated with intentions to dropout to gain further insight into the process of leaving upper secondary education. The analyses of 1299 Norwegian first-year upper secondary school students' (88% native Norwegians, 12% first-generation immigrants) self-reported intentions to quit school, loneliness, and peer victimization in school showed that first-generation immigrants experienced higher levels of loneliness than native Norwegians. In contrast, there were no differences in the levels of peer victimization and intentions to quit between native Norwegians and first-generation immigrants. However, loneliness showed a significantly stronger association with intentions to quit among first-generation immigrants. The results underscore the importance of tackling first-generation immigrants' loneliness in school to reduce their intentions to quit upper secondary education and thus potentially improve conditions for school completion.

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate how perceived social-emotional competencies (SECs), relationship skills, emotional regulation, and the ability to structure schoolwork at school and at home were associated with academic efficacy belief (AEB) and emotional distress among 1142 Norwegian eighth-grade students. The students answered an Internet-based questionnaire during school hours. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the paths of associations. In the structural model, AEB was treated as an intermediate variable predicted by the other SECs and as a predictor of emotional distress. Perceived relationship skills, emotional regulation, and the ability to structure schoolwork showed moderate to strong associations with AEB. AEB showed a strong association with emotional distress, whereas relationship skills and emotional regulation showed a moderately strong association with emotional distress. The results suggest that all SECs play a role in AEB, whereas high AEB, good perceived ability for emotional regulation, and relationship skills are linked to less emotional distress. Good perceived relationship skills, emotional regulation, and structuring of schoolwork were more strongly related to less emotional distress among females. Moreover, emotional regulation and structuring of schoolwork were more strongly associated with AEB for females. These findings may indicate that these SECs may be more essential to emotional well-being among female adolescent students.

There is sparse research on whether different dimensions of perceived support from teachers relate differentially to engagement among male and female students. Accordingly, the current study examined gender differences in links between perceived support from teachers (emotional support, structuring of learning activities, learning process support) and student engagement (behavioral engagement, emotional engagement). In line with hypotheses, females reported higher levels of behavioral engagement than males. Interestingly, though, the association between structuring of learning activities and engagement was stronger for males, whereas the association between learning process support and emotional engagement was stronger for females. These findings suggest different ways by which teachers can facilitate student engagement among males (provision of structure) and females (support for deeper understanding of subject material).

Classroom observations and teacher reports were used to investigate patterns of instructional support quality and the association with job satisfaction and collegial collaboration. Eighty-one Norwegian lower secondary schoolteachers participated in the study. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified five profiles: confident (n = 21), low-quality (n = 21), less confident (n = 18), high-quality (n = 9), and low analysis and inquiry (AI) and instructional dialogue (ID; n = 12). The results indicated that the low-quality profile teachers were less satisfied with their job compared with the high-quality and low AI and ID profile teachers. By gaining more knowledge about patterns of instructional support quality and the associations with teachers' job satisfaction and collegial collaboration, actions to support teachers' professional development can be tailored to individual teachers' needs.

Aims: We estimated the prevalence of substance use disorders (SUDs) in the Norwegian, Danish and Swedish prison populations and compared the prevalence of SUDs in the national prison populations with country‐specific general population prevalence rates. Design: A multi‐national cohort study using data from the National Prison Registries linked to the National Patient Registries in Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Setting and participants: We used data from the PriSUD‐Nordic study, including national prison populations aged 19 years and older in Norway (2010–19), Denmark (2010–18) and Sweden (2010–13). A total of 119 507 Individuals (108 971 men and 10 536 women) contributing to 191 549 incarcerations were included in the study (Norway: 45432 men; 5429 women, Denmark: 42 162 men; 3370 women, Sweden: 21 377 men; 1737 women). Measurement: We calculated a study prevalence and prevalence at entry to prison for all types of SUDs before imprisonment each consecutive year of observation in each prison population. We also extracted country‐specific 1‐year prevalence rates from the Global Burden of Diseases database to calculate comparative national prevalence ratios. Findings The study prevalence of any SUD was approximately 40% [Norway: 44.0%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 43.6–44.5%; Denmark: 39.9%, CI = 39.5–40.4%; Sweden: 39.1%, CI = 38.4–39.7%] in all three countries. Women had a significantly higher study prevalence of any SUD compared with men (Norway: 55.8 versus 42.6%, P < 0.001; Denmark 43.1 versus 39.7%, P = 0.004; Sweden: 51.7 versus 38.0%, P < 0.001). Prevalence estimates were higher for SUDs among people in prison than in the general population. We observed an increasing proportion of people with SUDs entering prison in Norway (P = 0.003), while the proportion was more stable in Denmark and Sweden. Conclusions: Substance use disorders (SUDs) appear to be highly prevalent among the Scandinavian prison populations compared with the general population, especially among women. In Norway, there was a relative increase in SUDs from 2010 to 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context is considered to greatly impact student engagement. However, little is known about the association between students' situational engagement in a particular lesson and their overall engagement with school and learning over time. The current study aims to validate the InSitu measure of situational engagement in a Norwegian context and to explore the relation between situational and overall engagement to add empirical evidence about the association between them. The sample consisted of 419 students (grades 8-10, ages 13-16), who reported their situational engagement through a web-based questionnaire at the end of six separate lessons. In addition, they answered a questionnaire concerning their overall engagement twice. The results supported the current factor structure of the InSitu instrument in a Norwegian lower secondary school context. The results showed substantial variation in student engagement between lessons. Structural equation modelling indicated significant associations between situational engagement and overall engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental health disorders are common among people in prison, but their prevalence in the Scandinavian prison population remain unclear. In this multinational register study, we examined the prevalence of mental health disorders and the comorbidity of substance use disorders (SUDs) with other mental health disorders in this population. Further, we investigated how the prevalence of mental disorders at prison entry had changed in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden over the study period. Methods: The three study cohorts included all individuals, aged 19 or older, whom had been imprisoned in Norway (2010–2019), Denmark (2011–2018), and Sweden (2010–2013). Mental disorders were defined as ICD-10 diagnoses (F-codes) registered in the national patient registers. The study prevalence was estimated based on recorded diagnoses during the entire study follow-up period in each respective country. The one-year prevalence of mental disorders was estimated for each calendar year for individuals entering prison during that year. Results: The Scandinavian prison cohorts included 119 507 individuals released 191 549 times during the study period. Across all three countries a high proportion of both women (61.3%-74.4%) and men (49.6%-57.9%) had at least one mental health disorder during the observation period. The most prevalent disorders were SUDs (39.1%-44.0%), depressive disorder (8.1%-17.5%), and stress related disorder (8.8%-17.1%). Women (31.8%-41.1%) had higher levels of mental health and substance use comorbidities compared to men (20.8%-27.6%). The one-year prevalence of any mental health disorder increased over time with a 33% relative increase in Norway, 8% in Denmark, and 10% in Sweden. The proportion of individuals entering prison with a comorbid SUD and other mental disorder had also increased. Conclusions: While the incarceration rate has been decreasing during the past decade in the Scandinavian countries, an increasing proportion of people entering prison have a diagnosed mental health disorder. Our results suggest that prisons should provide adequate treatment and scale up services to accommodate the increasing proportion of people with complex health needs among incarcerated people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with severe or long-term mental illness (SMI) have poorer oral health than the general population has, but little is known about how, to what extent, and in what ways oral health problems affect daily functioning, quality of life and well-being among people in this patient group. The present study investigated oral health and oral health-related quality of life for persons with SMI in Norway. The longitudinal clinical study targeted SMI patients with their age- and gender-matched control patients at a public dental clinic in Norway. SMI patients were recruited from an ambulatory team within community mental health services. Clinical examinations followed the WHO criteria. We used a validated Oral Impact on Daily Performance (OIDP) instrument to assess oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). The prevalence of oral impact (OIDP > 0) was 77% among SMI patients and 22% among the controls. More than 60% of the SMI patients reported difficulties showing their teeth without embarrassment, compared to 5.5% of the controls. The results suggest that shame is a key factor inhibiting patients faced with the need for dental treatment. Collaboration between dental and mental health professionals is therefore essential for this patient group to enjoy dignified oral health and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cervical, liver and stomach cancers are the most common infection-associated malignancies and the leading cause of morbidity in non-Western regions. We compared the incidence and mortality of these cancers between non-Western immigrant and non-immigrant Nordic female populations. We also analysed the effect of age at immigration, duration of residence and education on cancer burden. Study population consisted of women residents in Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway in 1973–2020. Non-Western women contributed 3.1% of the total 260 million person-years at risk. All women were followed from their 20th birthday, or from the date of immigration if after, until the date of their first primary cancer diagnosis, death, emigration, or the end of the country-specific study period. All data were adjusted for 10-year age groups and calendar periods, and immigrant data was further broken down by region of birth, age at immigration and education level. Country-specific estimates were produced by multivariable Poisson regression and pooled in Finland with a random effects model. Altogether, there were 60 982 cases of cervical, liver and stomach cancer in the study population, causing 36 582 deaths. The immigrant women had significantly higher liver (rate ratio [RR] 1.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–3.06) and stomach cancer incidence (RR 1.68, CI 1.29–2.18), and stomach cancer mortality (RR 1.49, CI 1.17–1.92) than non-immigrant women. In the immigrant population, high education was related to lower incidence and mortality of studied cancers. The rate ratio of cervical cancer decreased with duration of residence and increased with rising age at immigration. Due to the increased incidence and mortality of infection-related cancers and changes in cancer patterns by age at immigration and duration of residence, attention should be paid to targeted health care services for immigrants. Special efforts should be given to women who have spent their youth in high-risk areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent overview of cancer survival trends 1990–2016 in the Nordic countries reported continued improvements in age-standardized breast cancer survival among women. The aim was to estimate age-specific survival trends over calendar time, including life-years lost, to evaluate if improvements have benefited patients across all ages in the Nordic countries. Data on breast cancers diagnosed 1990–2016 in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden were obtained from the NORDCAN database. Age-standardized and age-specific relative survival (RS) was estimated using flexible parametric models, as was reference-adjusted crude probabilities of death and life-years lost. Age-standardized period estimates of 5-year RS in women diagnosed with breast cancer ranged from 87% to 90% and 10-year RS from 74% to 85%. Ten-year RS increased with 15–18 percentage points from 1990 to 2016, except in Sweden (+9 percentage points) which had the highest survival in 1990. The largest improvements were observed in Denmark, where a previous survival disadvantage diminished. Most recent 5-year crude probabilities of cancer death ranged from 9% (Finland, Sweden) to 12% (Denmark, Iceland), and life-years lost from 3.3 years (Finland) to 4.6 years (Denmark). Although survival improvements were consistent across different ages, women aged ≥70 years had the lowest RS in all countries. Period estimates of 5-year RS were 94–95% in age 55 years and 84–89% in age 75 years, while 10-year RS were 88–91% in age 55 years and 69–84% in age 75 years. Women aged 40 years lost on average 11.0–13.8 years, while women lost 3.8–6.0 years if aged 55 and 1.9–3.5 years if aged 75 years. Survival for Nordic women with breast cancer improved from 1990 to 2016 in all age groups, albeit with larger country variation among older women where survival was also lower. Women over 70 years of age have not had the same survival improvement as women of younger age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Persons who struggle with severe or long‐term mental illness (SMI) have a higher prevalence of oral health problems than the general population. Obtaining and continuing dental treatment is challenging for this patient group for many reasons, and many drop out of active treatment. Our study aimed to explore perceived barriers to obtaining optimal dental health care for patients with SMI. Further, we sought to identify possible ways to facilitate for providing true access to dental services for this population. Methods: The study utilised a flexible qualitative design with data collected during ordinary clinical practice in a public dental clinic in Norway. We conducted semi‐structured face‐to‐face interviews with 51 persons with SMI twice: an initial interview before dental treatment and a final one after dental treatment. We applied the thematic analysis method. Results: Thematic analysis revealed two key themes in the participants' experiences of access to dental health services: practical conditions and relationship with the dentist. Patients reported barriers and facilitators for access to care as factors associated with patients (patient factors), with the dentist (dentist factors) and with healthcare services (system factors). Conclusions: Our study indicates that persons with SMI appreciate oral health and want to obtain needed oral care and dental treatment, but they encounter barriers on several fronts. The participants offered suggestions for how to facilitate attendance and adherence. Our findings suggest that dental healthcare services require reorganisation to meet the needs of patients with SMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a novel method for deconvolving incoherent scatter radar data to recover accurate reconstructions of backscattered powers. The problem is modelled as a hierarchical noise-perturbed deconvolution problem, where the lower hierarchy consists of an adaptive length-scale function that allows for a non-stationary prior and as such enables adaptive recovery of smooth and narrow layers in the profiles. The estimation is done in a Bayesian statistical inversion framework as a two-step procedure, where hyperparameters are first estimated by optimisation and followed by an analytical closed-form solution of the deconvolved signal. The proposed optimisation based method is compared to a fully probabilistic approach using Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques enabling additional uncertainty quantification. In this paper we examine the potential of the hierarchical deconvolution approach using two different prior models for the length-scale function. We apply the developed methodology to compute the backscattered powers of measured Polar Mesospheric Winter Echoes, as well as Summer Echoes, from the EISCAT VHF radar in Tromsø, Norway. Computational accuracy and performance are tested using a simulated signal corresponding to a typical background ionosphere and a sporadic E layer with known ground-truth. The results suggest that the proposed hierarchical deconvolution approach can recover accurate and clean reconstructions of profiles, and the potential to be successfully applied to similar problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess knowledge, beliefs and attitudes related to treatment of MAR patients among dentists and dental hygienists. Secondly, to investigate to what extent dental health care professionals' attitudes associate with their treatment experience and beliefs regarding MAR patients. We conducted a cross-sectional study, involving a census of dental hygienists and dentists in the public dental health care services in Hordaland and Rogaland counties in Norway. Data were collected by electronically administered questionnaires. The response rate was 187/344, 54% (26% dental hygienists and 74% dentists). A majority of both professional groups did not find it difficult to understand information on oral health and drug use. Although they confirmed familiarity with guidelines on good dental practice, they had received little information about oral health aspects of substance use. Both groups had slightly negative attitudes towards treatment of MAR patients. Beliefs that completion of treatment is often unsuccessful and that information on drug use and oral health is difficult to interpret associated with negative attitudes towards treatment. The findings suggest that promotion of information to dental care personnel to extend their knowledge and improve their skills regarding oral health aspects of substance use might contribute to positive attitudes and improved utilisation of the free dental care offered to MAR patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differences in cancer survival between the Nordic countries have previously been reported. The aim of this study was to examine whether these differences in outcome remain, based on updated information from five national cancer registers. The data used for the analysis was from the NORDCAN database focusing on nine common cancers diagnosed 1990–2016 in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden with maximum follow-up through 2017. Relative survival (RS) was estimated at 1 and 5 years using flexible parametric RS models, and percentage point differences between the earliest and latest years available were calculated. A consistent improvement in both 1- and 5-year RS was found for most studied sites across all countries. Previously observed differences between the countries have been attenuated. The improvements were particularly pronounced in Denmark that now has cancer survival similar to the other Nordic countries. The reasons for the observed improvements in cancer survival are likely multifactorial, including earlier diagnosis, improved treatment options, implementation of national cancer plans, uniform national cancer care guidelines and standardized patient pathways. The previous survival disadvantage in Denmark is no longer present for most sites. Continuous monitoring of cancer survival is of importance to assess the impact of changes in policies and the effectiveness of health care systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Nordic Cancer Registries are among the oldest population-based registries in the world, with more than 60 years of complete coverage of what is now a combined population of 26 million. However, despite being the source of a substantial number of studies, there is no published paper comparing the different registries. Therefore, we did a systematic review to identify similarities and dissimilarities of the Nordic Cancer Registries, which could possibly explain some of the differences in cancer incidence rates across these countries. Methods: We describe and compare here the core characteristics of each of the Nordic Cancer Registries: (i) data sources; (ii) registered disease entities and deviations from IARC multiple cancer coding rules; (iii) variables and related coding systems. Major changes over time are described and discussed. Results: All Nordic Cancer Registries represent a high quality standard in terms of completeness and accuracy of the registered data. Conclusions: Even though the information in the Nordic Cancer Registries in general can be considered more similar than any other collection of data from five different countries, there are numerous differences in registration routines, classification systems and inclusion of some tumors. These differences are important to be aware of when comparing time trends in the Nordic countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS) is a common disease that links testicular germ cell cancer, cryptorchidism and some cases of hypospadias and male infertility with impaired development of the testis. The incidence of these disorders has increased over the last few decades, and testicular cancer now affects 1% of the Danish and Norwegian male population. Methods To identify genetic variants that span the four TDS phenotypes, the authors performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using Affymetrix Human SNP Array 6.0 to screen 488 patients with symptoms of TDS and 439 selected controls with excellent reproductive health. Furthermore, they developed a novel integrative method that combines GWAS data with other TDSrelevant data types and identified additional TDS markers. The most significant findings were replicated in an independent cohort of 671 Nordic men. Results Markers located in the region of TGFBR3 and BMP7 showed association with all TDS phenotypes in both the discovery and replication cohorts. An immunohistochemistry investigation confirmed the presence of transforming growth factor β receptor type III (TGFBR3) in peritubular and Leydig cells, in both fetal and adult testis. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the KITLG gene showed significant associations, but only with testicular cancer. Conclusions The association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the TGFBR3 and BMP7 genes, which belong to the transforming growth factor β signalling pathway, suggests a role for this pathway in the pathogenesis of TDS. Integrating data from multiple layers can highlight findings in GWAS that are biologically relevant despite having border significance at currently accepted statistical levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistical source attribution approaches of food-related zoonoses can generally be based on reported diagnosed human cases and surveillance results from different food sources or reservoirs of bacteria. The attribution model, or probabilistic classifier, can thus be based on the (sub)typing information enabling comparison between human infections and samples derived from source surveillance. Having time series of both data allows analyzing temporal patterns over time providing a repeated natural experiment. A Bayesian approach combining both sources of information over a long time series is presented in the case of Campylobacter in Finland and Norway. The full model is transparently presented and derived from the Bayes theorem. Previous statistical source attribution approaches are here advanced (1) by explicit modeling of the cases not associated with any of the sources under surveillance over time, (2) by modeling uncertain prevalence in a food source by bacteria type over time, and (3) by implementing formal model fit assessment using posterior predictive discrepancy functions. Large proportion of all campylobacteriosis can be attributed to broiler, but considerable uncertainty remains over time. The source attribution is inherently incomplete if only the sources under surveillance are included in the model. All statistical source attribution approaches should include a model fit assessment for judgment of model performance with respect to relevant quantities of interest. It is especially relevant when the model aims at a synthesis of several incomplete information sources under significant uncertainty of explanatory variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scand J Caring Sci; 2011; 25; 311-316 In the Nordic countries, discussion on redistribution of clinical tasks between dentists and dental hygienists continues intensely. The aim of this study was to analyse Nordic dental hygienists' willingness to perform new treatment measures as well as their perceived barriers and facilitators to carrying out such measures. A questionnaire survey was conducted among a representative sample of dental hygienists in Finland and Norway (n = 1733). The questionnaires enquired whether the dental hygienists were willing to provide 25 given treatment measures beyond those involved in their current practice. The chi-square test and linear regression served for the statistical analyses. The dental hygienists worked predominantly (62%) in the public sector in both countries. A majority (67%) of the dental hygienists agreed that they fully used their professional skills in their current clinical work. In addition to their daily activities, high percentages of the dental hygienists reported a willingness to carry out 'more often than now' procedures related to orthodontics (59%), local anaesthesia (59%), clinical photographing (58%), glass-ionomer fillings (57%), composite fillings (51%), and tooth bleaching (47%). The most frequently reported barrier was the dental hygienists' perceived competency (39%). Additionally, the dental hygienists identified the homogeneity of their current patient group (32%) and the traditional manner of delegating tasks in their workplaces (31%) as barriers to carrying out up to date clinical treatment measures. The dental hygienists' working community had a significant effect on their willingness to carry out new treatment measures (p < 0.05). Our study indicates that dental hygienists desire to perform more clinical treatment measures than their current daily activities entail, but their self-perceived competency was insufficient to carry out such measures. Consequently, changes in dental hygienists' training programmes to provide hygienists with sufficient skills and confidence to perform up to date clinical treatments are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The divergent glacial histories of southern and northern Europe affect present-day species diversity at coarsegrained scales in these two regions, but do these effects also penetrate to the more fine-grained scales of local communities? Methodology/Principal Findings: We carried out a cross-scale analysis to address this question for vascular plants in two mountain regions, the Alps in southern Europe and the Scandes in northern Europe, using environmentally paired vegetation plots in the two regions (n = 403 in each region) to quantify four diversity components: (i) total number of species occurring in a region (total γ-diversity), (ii) number of species that could occur in a target plot after environmental filtering (habitat-specific γ-diversity), (iii) pair-wise species compositional turnover between plots (plot-to-plot b-diversity) and (iv) number of species present per plot (plot a-diversity). We found strong region effects on total γ-diversity, habitatspecific γ-diversity and plot-to-plot b-diversity, with a greater diversity in the Alps even towards distances smaller than 50 m between plots. In contrast, there was a slightly greater plot a-diversity in the Scandes, but with a tendency towards contrasting region effects on high and low soil-acidity plots. Conclusions/Significance: We conclude that there are strong regional differences between coarse-grained (landscape- to regional-scale) diversity components of the flora in the Alps and the Scandes mountain ranges, but that these differences do not necessarily penetrate to the finest-grained (plot-scale) diversity component, at least not on acidic soils. Our findings are consistent with the contrasting regional Quaternary histories, but we also consider alternative explanatory models. Notably, ecological sorting and habitat connectivity may play a role in the unexpected limited or reversed region effect on plot adiversity, and may also affect the larger-scale diversity components. For instance, plot connectivity and/or selection for high dispersal ability may increase plot a-diversity and compensate for low total γ-diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim was to compare the working profiles of Finnish and Norwegian dental hygienists in public and private practice. To this end, we compared the procedures performed, the type of patients and the time devoted to different tasks. Subjects and methods: A questionnaire survey was originally conducted among a representative sample of dental hygienists in Finland ( n = 595) and all authorized dental hygienists in Norway ( n = 1 138) in 2004. The questionnaires collected data on the dental hygienists’ age, gender, year of graduation, working experience, work sector (private or public), working time spent on different activities and patient groups. The questionnaire also assessed how frequently the dental hygienists performed 25 different treatment measures. Results: The Norwegian dental hygienists spent 45.4% of their clinical time on check-ups, whereas the Finns spent 49.9% of their time scaling. Dental hygienists in Finland and Norway working in the public sector spent 42.9% and 74.6% of their working time dealing with children and youth respectively. Conclusions: The working profiles of dental hygienists in Finland and Norway were quite similar, although differences in distribution by activities, type of patients and treatment measures do exist. The main activity of the dental hygienists was clinical work. The most commonly practised clinical activity among Finnish dental hygienists was scaling, and among Norwegians, check-ups. Public dental hygienists in both countries dealt mainly with children and youths. Oral hygiene instruction was the most commonly reported treatment measure among both Finns and Norwegians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent mitigation strategies have varied across the Nordic countries. In a joint Nordic population-based effort, we compared patterns of new cancer cases and notifications between the Nordic countries during 2020. We used pathology notifications to cancer registries in Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden to determine monthly numbers of pathology notifications of malignant and in situ tumours from January to December 2020 compared to 2019 (2017-2019 for Iceland and the Faroe Islands). We compared new cancer cases per month based on unique individuals with pathology notifications. In April and May 2020, the numbers of new malignant cases declined in all Nordic countries, except the Faroe Islands, compared to previous year(s). The largest reduction was observed in Sweden (May: -31.2%, 95% CI -33.9, -28.3), followed by significant declines in Finland, Denmark and Norway, and a nonsignificant decline in Iceland. In Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland the reporting rates during the second half of 2020 rose to almost the same level as in 2019. However, in Sweden and Finland, the increase did not compensate for the spring decline (annual reduction -6.2% and -3.6%, respectively). Overall, similar patterns were observed for in situ tumours. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a decline in rates of new cancer cases in Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway, with the most pronounced reduction in Sweden. Possible explanations include the severity of the pandemic, temporary halting of screening activities and changes in healthcare seeking behaviour., (© 2022 The Authors. International Journal of Cancer published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of UICC.)