VISÖ - Visualization of Infrastructure and Sustainable development in Öresund

Sustainable growth is a shared goal and challenge for policy-makers at local, regional, national as well as European levels of government. However, due to the complexity and interplay of the driving forces it is often difficult for decision-makers to predict the lasting effects of large infrastructure investments and other significant changes to the land use structure and transport system. In cross-border regions, the difficulties facing decision-makers are even more demanding due to shortage of joint planning tools and institutions. Substantial research literature confirms the hypothesis that analysis aimed at decision-support in general has limited impact on actual decision-making. One reason might be that effects and results often are evaluated based on complex system analyses and mathematically derived formulas which are often only understood by experts. This, combined with the lack of coordinated facts, maps and tools on which alternative development scenarios are formulated and long term planning decisions are ultimately based, constitutes a considerable difficulty for decision-makers at all levels, whether politicians or civil servants. Project VISÖ - Visualization of Infrastructure and Sustainable development in Öresund is a joint Swedish and Danish research collaboration to develop a coordinated planning tool and methodology – from which alternative development scenarios and strategic infrastructure choices and their effects can be better understood, communicated and visualized in pedagogic illustrations and purposeful dialogues in a cross- border region context. The new platform will ultimate enable planning authorities, politicians and affected communities to better understand and shape decisions regarding the development within a cross-border region in a positive, smarter and greener direction. Project VISÖ is financially supported by EU Interreg IVA. Partners are the Swedish Transport Administration, the Danish Road Directorate, Region Hovedstaden, Region Själland and Region Skåne

European Echinococcosis Registry: Human Alveolar Echinococcosis, Europe, 1982–2000

Surveillance for alveolar echinococcosis in central Europe was initiated in 1998. On a voluntary basis, 559 patients were reported to the registry. Most cases originated from rural communities in regions from eastern France to western Austria; single cases were reported far away from the disease-“endemic” zone throughout central Europe. Of 210 patients, 61.4% were involved in vocational or part-time farming, gardening, forestry, or hunting. Patients were diagnosed at a mean age of 52.5 years; 78% had symptoms. Alveolar echinococcosis primarily manifested as a liver disease. Of the 559 patients, 190 (34%) were already affected by spread of the parasitic larval tissue. Of 408 (73%) patients alive in 2000, 4.9% were cured. The increasing prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in foxes in rural and urban areas of central Europe and the occurrence of cases outside the alveolar echinococcosis–endemic regions suggest that this disease deserves increased attention

Utomhusmiljön på förskolan : ur ett lärandeperspektiv

Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur pedagoger i förskolan beskriver att de använder utomhusmiljön som lärandemiljö. Vår studie utgår från en kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer. Vi har intervjuat sex förskollärare från olika förskolor. Resultatet visar att pedagogerna använder utomhusmiljön för att stimulera och utmana barns lärande till exempel ett konkret och upplevelsebaserat lärande om matematik, naturvetenskap, ett praktiskt lärande om odling, bygg och konstruktion men också för att barn ska få språklig stimulans och utvecklas motoriskt. Pedagogerna ser utomhusmiljön som en möjlighet att erbjuda barn variation i sitt lärande men också som ett sätt att organisera verksamheten. Pedagogerna agerar förebilder, ledare, medupptäckare eller observatörer beroende på situation och sammanhang