Sprog i fokus: Færøsk

Talt færøsk sprog opfattes tit af udenforstående som islandsk sprog. Og de, der haropholdt sig i Island eller kan sproget dér, forsøger tit at tale islandsk på Færøerne.Det færøske skriftsprog minder meget om islandsk, så hvis man taler tydeligtislandsk, kan det være en hjælp. Situationen er dog den, at de østnordiske sprogforstås fuldt ud på Færøerne, både i skrift og tale, medens det kniber med at forståislandsk. Artiklen er en kort præsentation af det færøske sprogs struktur, ordbøjningog nogle eksempler på orddannelse og forskellige lag og strukturer i ordforrådet

A benefit-cost analysis framework for prioritization of control programs for well-established invasive alien species

nvasive alien species (IAS) are identified as a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services. While early detection and control programs to avoid establishments of new alien species can be very cost-effective, control costs for well-established species can be enormous. Many of these well-established species constitute severe or high ecological impact and are thus likely to be included in control programs. However, due to limited funds, we need to prioritize which species to control according to the gains in ecological status and human well-being compared to the costs. Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) provides such a tool but has been hampered by the difficulties in assessing the overall social benefits on the same monetary scale as the control costs. In order to overcome this obstacle, we combine a non-monetary benefit assessment tool with the ecosystem service framework to create a benefit assessment in line with the welfare economic underpinnings of BCA. Our simplified BCA prioritization tool enables us to conduct rapid and cheap appraisals of large numbers of invasive species that the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre has found to cause negative ecological impacts. We demonstrate this application on 30 well-established invasive alien vascular plant species in Norway. Social benefits are calculated and aggregated on a benefit point scale for six impact categories: four types of ecosystem services (supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural), human health and infrastructure impacts. Total benefit points are then compared to the total control costs of programs aiming at eradicating individual IAS across Norway or in selected vulnerable ecosystems. Although there are uncertainties with regards to IAS population size, benefits assessment and control program effectiveness and costs; our simplified BCA tool identified six species associated with robust low cost-benefit ratios in terms of control costs (in million USD) per benefit point. As a large share of public funds for eradication of IAS is currently spent on control programs for other plant species, we recommend that the environmental authorities at all levels use our BCA prioritization tool to increase the social benefits of their limited IAS control budgets. In order to maximize the net social benefits of IAS control programs, environmental valuation studies of their ecosystem service benefits are needed.publishedVersio

Estimating the future burden of hip fractures in Norway. A NOREPOS study.

Background: The incidence rate of hip fractures seems to be declining in many western countries. However, due to the ageing of the population, the number of fractures may still be on the rise. No papers so far have quantified the future burden of hip fractures in terms of both health loss (as measured in disability adjusted life years DALY) and costs. The purpose of this paper is to assess the future health and economic burden of hip fractures. Methods: We collected population projections from Statistics Norway up until the year 2040. The medium projection was used for the base case analysis. Fracture rates for 2008 were estimated based on information from the Norwegian Epidemiologic Osteoporosis Studies (NOREPOS) hip fracture database (NORHip), which includes information about all hip fractures in Norway. Future fracture rate was assumed to decline by 0.7% per year in the base case. We used the same assumptions as the global burden of disease project on years of remaining life and disability weights. Cost of hip fracture was based on the published literature. In sensitivity analyses, we assessed the impact of changing underlying assumptions on demographic change, development in hip fracture rate, assumed life expectancy and choice of disability weights. Results: Assuming a medium population growth and a continued decline in fracture rate, our estimates indicate that health lost to hip fractures will approximately double, from 32,850 DALYs in 2020 to 60,555 in 2040. Over the same period, costs are estimated to increase by 65%. Sensitivity analyses indicate that estimates are highly sensitive to assumptions on both population growth, fracture rate development, disability weights and assumed life expectancy. Conclusion: The burden of hip fractures in terms of DALYs lost and cost incurred is likely to increase even if the fracture rate continues to decline.publishedVersio

Økonomiske aspekter ved gjennomføring av vanndirektivet - eksempler fra Sørum kommune

På bakgrunn av kravene til økonomiske analyser i EUs vanndirektiv, har Sweco i samarbeid med NIVA i juni 2011 levert en utredning til Direktoratet for naturforvaltning (DN), Klima- og forurensningsdirektoratet (KLIF), Norges vassdrags- og energidirektorat (NVE) og Vegdirektoratet om de “Økonomiske aspektene ved gjennomføring av vanndirektivet.” Som et ledd i arbeidet med Hovedplan for avløp og vannmiljø tok Sørum kommune initiativ til å bli eksempel - kommune for den overnevnte nasjonale utredningen. Utkast til hovedplan beskriver at Sørum kommune de nærmeste årene skal bruke flere hundre millioner kroner på kommunale avløpstiltak. Hver for seg er dette mange gode og viktige tiltak, men summen av kostnadene gjør det nødvendig med en klarere prioritering, der enkelte tiltak må utsettes. Man ønsker nå også å se tiltakene i forhold til vanndirektivet og dets krav om å prioritere tiltakene etter kostnadseffektivitet på tvers av sektorer, samt vurdering av tiltak med hensyn til uforholdsmessige kostnader. Denne rapporten gir eksempler fra Sørum kommune på bruk av økonomiske analyser for prioritering av tiltak i henhold til vannforskriften. Rapporten kommer også med anbefalinger for det videre vannmiljøarbeidet i kommunen.Sørum Kommunalteknikk K

Effect of in-hospital comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in older people with hip fracture : the protocol of the Trondheim Hip Fracture Trial

Background: Hip fractures in older people are associated with high morbidity, mortality, disability and reduction in quality of life. Traditionally people with hip fracture are cared for in orthopaedic departments without additional geriatric assessment. However, studies of postoperative rehabilitation indicate improved efficiency of multidisciplinary geriatric rehabilitation as compared to traditional care. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to investigate whether an additional comprehensive geriatric assessment of hip fracture patients in a special orthogeriatric unit during the acute in-hospital phase may improve outcomes as compared to treatment as usual in an orthopaedic unit. Methods/design: The intervention of interest, a comprehensive geriatric assessment is compared with traditional care in an orthopaedic ward. The study includes 401 home-dwelling older persons >70 years of age, previously able to walk 10 meters and now treated for hip fracture at St. Olav Hospital, Trondheim, Norway. The participants are enrolled and randomised during the stay in the Emergency Department. Primary outcome measure is mobility measured by the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) at 4 months after surgery. Secondary outcomes measured at 1, 4 and 12 months postoperatively are place of residence, activities of daily living, balance and gait, falls and fear of falling, quality of life and depressive symptoms, as well as use of health care resources and survival. Discussion: We believe that the design of the study, the randomisation procedure and outcome measurements will be of sufficient strength and quality to evaluate the impact of comprehensive geriatric assessment on mobility and other relevant outcomes in hip fracture patients

Organisk avfall og slam anvendt i jordbruket, Egenskaper, kvalitet og potensial – holdninger blant bønder

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Opplegg for evaluering av "Bekjempelse av fremmede skadelige organismer – tiltaksplan 2020–2025"

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The economic costs, management and regulation of biological invasions in the Nordic countries

A collective understanding of economic impacts and in particular of monetary costs of biological invasions is lacking for the Nordic region. This paper synthesizes findings from the literature on costs of invasions in the Nordic countries together with expert elicitation. The analysis of cost data has been made possible through the InvaCost database, a globally open repository of monetary costs that allows for the use of temporal, spatial, and taxonomic descriptors facilitating a better understanding of how costs are distributed. The total reported costs of invasive species across the Nordic countries were estimated at $8.35 billion (in 2017 US$ values) with damage costs significantly outweighing management costs. Norway incurred the highest costs ($3.23 billion), followed by Denmark ($2.20 billion), Sweden ($1.45 billion), Finland ($1.11 billion) and Iceland ($25.45 million). Costs from invasions in the Nordics appear to be largely underestimated. We conclude by highlighting such knowledge gaps, including gaps in policies and regulation stemming from expert judgment as well as avenues for an improved understanding of invasion costs and needs for future research