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Kristine M Jensen de López, Heidi Thirup Møller Department of Communication and Psychology, Center for Developmental & Applied Psychological Science, Aalborg University, Aalborg, DenmarkCorrespondence: Kristine M Jensen de López, Email kristine@ikp.aau.dkAim: This study aims to identify and describe prevalence rates for ASD in the Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden), as well as the Nordic countries (Finland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland).Methods: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA (2009) guidelines and based on the two databases: APA PsycINFO and MEDLINE (PubMed).Results: A total of 13 studies were included in the analyses. It was not possible to identify ASD prevalence studies for Greenland. However, for the remaining countries descriptive increases in ASD prevalence figures were observed. Increases were evident both in relation to age and birth cohort. Studies varied regarding which age group and cohort prevalence figures were reported. The most reported age group was the 7– 12-year-olds. In this group, recent prevalence figures for Denmark ranged from 0.26% to 1.47%, in Norway 0.6%, in Sweden 0.23– 0.68%, in Finland 0.22– 0.86%, and in Iceland 2.40– 3.13%. Iceland stood out in terms of higher prevalence figures compared to the other Scandinavian and Nordic countries. Two studies from the Faroe Islands reported ASD prevalence rates between 0.50% and 0.94% for 7– 24-year-olds. These studies were based on nationwide figures, but not from national or official registers.Discussion and conclusion: This study documented increasing prevalence of ASD in Scandinavian and Nordic countries. Several explanations of aspects that may contribute to the increases were discussed, eg, heightened awareness of ASD and earlier diagnosis. The importance of considering differences in data sources was discussed, with an emphasis on the importance of using national registries when available as this source is the most reliable and valid. The absence of prevalence figures for Greenland may be attributed to structural as well as cultural aspects, eg, two parallel systems assessing ASD, cultural taboos as well as lack of awareness of ASD. Suggestions or how to gain knowledge on ASD prevalence in Greenland is presented.Keywords: autism spectrum disorder, prevalence, Scandinavia, Nordic

On a global scale, the annual excretion of sulphur (S) from domestic animals is estimated to be approximately 8 million tonnes, equivalent to about 13% of the world's sulphur production or 80% of the world's consumption for manufactured mineral fertilisers. Despite this significant potential source of fertiliser sulphur, its effective utilisation remains a challenge. Animal manure exhibits considerable variability in composition, influenced by factors such as animal species, feed composition, production systems, storage conditions, and time. During anaerobic storage, sulphur-containing organic compounds are broken down into sulphide through a series of intermediate sulphur compounds, which are volatile and odorous, and especially methanethiols, which cause increased risk of odour development. Slurries exhibit varying levels of plant-available sulphur, and total sulphur content has limitations in predicting fertiliser value. The lower efficiency of sulphur in animal slurry is primarily attributed to its presence in organic forms inaccessible to plants. Therefore, the addition of S fertiliser is generally recommended with adjustments made for the residual effect of previous years' sulphur applications. The acidification of slurry with sulphuric acid offers advantages, reducing ammonia emissions and enhancing both the nitrogen (N) and S fertilisation values, but a balance between S application through slurry and crop requirements must be established as applications often surpass crop demands. Also, acidification of slurry with sulphuric acid may potentially produce more odour from S compounds than untreated slurry. Anaerobic digestion provides benefits by substituting fossil fuel by biogas. However, anaerobic digestion does not contribute to S supply of the crop due to gaseous loss of S during anaerobic digestion and inorganic S immobilisation in the soil upon application. Sulphur from biogas filters can be used as a targeted fertiliser or returned to the digestate in a storage tank. Sulphur fertiliser replacement value of cattle manure and digested cattle manure increases when sulphur filter materials are added. Storage of filter materials in digested manure reduces the risk of S volatilisation compared to untreated manure, and sulphur filter materials are a valuable source of plant-available sulphur. Microaeration, defined as the dosing of small quantities of air or oxygen to a digester, is a promising treatment technology to facilitate anaerobic digestion and to convert sulphide to sulphate or elemental sulphur. Preliminary investigations indicate that the microaeration process is a very efficient way of avoiding hydrogen sulphide in the gas and thereby keeping sulphur in the digestate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]