| 15491. |
- Marklund, Per-Olov, 1960-
(author)
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Environmental Regulation and Firm Efficiency : Studying the Porter Hypothesis using a Directional Output Distance Function
- 2003
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The purpose of this paper is to suggest a procedure to empirically test the Porter hypothesis. This hypothesis argues that environmental regulation not only increases environmental quality, but also brings the polluting producers information that makes them more resource efficient, as well as able to develop new technologies. Specifically, the hypothesis tested is whether there is a positive significant correlation between producers’ technical output efficiency and environmental regulation. Efficiency is first estimated using a methodology where the production technology is represented by a directional output distance function, which credits a simultaneous expansion of market goods and contraction of emissions. Then, by regressing the obtained efficiency scores on an index that approximates environmental regulatory intensity, the Porter hypothesis is explicitly tested. The test procedure is applied on 12 Swedish pulp plants during 1983-1990. The result shows no support for the Porter hypothesis.
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| 15492. |
- Marklund, Per-Olov, 1960-
(author)
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Essays on Productive Efficiency, Shadow Prices, and Human Capital
- 2004
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis consists of five papers, four of them basically concerning environmental issues, while the fifth paper addresses the issue of measuring output from the educational sector. The first paper starts from the fact that industrial activity causes environmental damage. Therefore, public authorities are called upon to regulate the behavior of producers by, e.g., legislating maximally allowed emission levels, which give rise to abatement costs. In this paper, marginal abatement costs (MACs) are estimated and a procedure to empirically analyze why MACs may vary between producers is suggested. The main focus is on whether the MACs in the Swedish pulp industry reveal that differences between counties in, e.g., economical characteristics, were influential when the authority, during 1983-1990, restricted 12 geographically scattered plants regarding emissions. The result indicates that county differences were influential. The second paper analyses and suggests a procedure for testing the Porter hypothesis. Part of this hypothesis is based on the argument that increased environmental stringency not only brings a cleaner environment, but also makes the polluting producers aware of the opportunity of using resources more efficiently. The particular test suggested considers whether there is a positive correlation between producers’ technical output efficiency and environmental stringency, approximated by a regulatory intensity index. It is empirically applied on 12 Swedish pulp plants during 1983-1990. No support for the Porter hypothesis is found in this particular case. The third paper deals with the climate policy issue. Under the Kyoto Protocol, the European Union agreed to reduce its emission of greenhouse gases by 8 percent in comparison with the level in 1990. The Burden-Sharing Agreement (BSA) further redistributes the 8 percent reduction target among the member states. This paper evaluates the BSA both from an economical and a political perspective, i.e., whether cost-efficiency and equity, respectively, were considered when the BSA was settled. The empirical result indicates that both efficiency and equity were considered as important to the BSA. The fourth paper evaluates the Swedish Producer Responsibility Ordinance (PRO), fully implemented in 1994, which states that sorted out, domestically collected waste paper, must be recycled by the paper industry and, therefore, cannot be incinerated by the heating industry in purpose of recovering energy. The result indicates that this policy has contributed to inefficient waste paper allocation among some of the paper producers. The result further indicates that the priority made by the PRO, i.e., that waste paper recycling is preferable to incineration, should be reconsidered. The fifth paper relates the empirical attempts of measuring output from the educational sector to theoretical results about the welfare significance of a comprehensive Net National Product (NNP) measure. It is shown that economic theory provides a more focused way of interpreting such output estimates. The paper also contains estimates of the output from the Swedish educational sector. Among the results, it is shown that the private gross output value produced by higher education is approximately 2 percent of GDP. Furthermore, the private rate of return on investments in higher education in Sweden is calculated to 8.6 percent.
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| 15493. |
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| 15494. |
- Marklund, Petter, 1968-
(author)
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Shared component processes in working memory and long-term memory : Insights from functional brain imaging
- 2004
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Marklund, P. (2004). Shared component processes in working memory and long-term memory: Insights from functional brain imaging. Department of Psychology, Umeå University, S-901 87 Umeå SwedenRecent findings from functional neuroimaging studies have shown pronounced similarities in the functional brain activity patterns associated with tests of various cognitive functions. This thesis investigates shared component processes in working memory and declarative long-term memory. Study 1 showed a common pattern of increased activity in four anatomically distinct regions in prefrontal cortex during three tests each of working memory, episodic memory, and semantic memory. Such similarities may reflect shared demands on working-memory processes across all tests or increased demands on attentional mechanisms. Study 2 was designed to dissociate these possibilities by measuring sustained and transient brain activity during tests of working memory, long-term memory and sustained attention. The results provided support for the notion that one basis for overlapping activations is increased attentional demands, but some activity seems to reflect cognitive control related to mnemonic processes. Taken together, the results indicate that it is critical for taxonomies of cognitive functions to consider similarities in underlying cognitive and associated neurobiological component processes.
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| 15495. |
- Marklund, Sarah, MSc, 1986-
(author)
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COPD management : exploring conditions for, and experiences of, evidence-based care and eHealth
- 2023
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and premature death worldwide. It is a systemic disease that affects the whole person, although dyspnea is the mostprominent symptom. COPD is expected to increase in prevalence during the coming 40 years due to an increase in relevant risk behaviors, and today over 230 million people suffer from COPD worldwide. A common extra pulmonary manifestation of the disease is quadriceps dysfunction, where muscle strength, power, and/or endurance properties are reducedand affect everyday function. However, reference values and valid reference equations are needed to evaluate and offer appropriate treatment for quadriceps dysfunction. Moreover, a crucial part of COPD management is pulmonary rehabilitation, e.g., where disease management and strategies are conveyed and put into practice. However, due to knowledge gaps within health care, we need to develop new ways of informing and supporting people with COPD. One way is through eHealth, although these sources must be evaluated so that they constructively contribute to health care.Aim: The overall aim of this thesis is to explore the conditions for, and perspectives on, evidence-based care and eHealth in COPD management. This aim is twofold. The first is to explore the experiences, interactions, and context of using eHealth tools in managing COPD in primary carefrom the perspective of people with COPD and health care professionals (HCPs). The second is to develop reference values and equations for quadriceps function.Method: This dissertation contains three papers (Papers I, II, and III) based on individual interviews analyzed with qualitative research methods in which an eHealth tool, the COPD Web, is evaluated. Lastly, it contains one paper(Paper IV) based on an international multicenter data collection analyzed with quantitative research methods.Results: Paper I: The findings indicate that the level of motivation, comfortability with IT tools, and health literacy seem to affect the usage of an eHealth tool over time. Some level of use and the passage of time appears to be needed to perceive gained benefits from the eHealth tool. In short, this suggests that eHealth tools such as the COPD Web can be suitable for supporting COPD-specific self-management skills. Paper II: The findings indicated that using the COPD Web provided knowledge support for HCPs and improved the quality of care for people with COPD. However, it seems some barriers need to be addressed to successfully implement the eHealth tool in daily practice. Paper III: Findings lead to the theme “Perceiving enough control to enable action”, which suggests that having or perceiving a certain amount of control is essential to maintain or increase the level of physical activity when one has COPD and uses an eHealth tool. Paper IV: The findings indicate that for people without COPD, age, sex, height, and BMI explained 50 – 70 % of the variance of quadriceps strength, endurance, and power. Our findings also suggested moderate construct validity of the reference equations in people with COPD.Conclusion: To conclude, the web-based eHealth tool, the COPD Web, seems to support and help when self-managing COPD and treating people with COPD. There are still barriers for people with COPD to use a web-based eHealth tool, and we probably ought to screen people with COPD for health literacy before discussing and deciding on PR strategies with them. There are still barriers to implementing new tools in the health care setting, which should need time, support, and education to circumvent. Findings regarding the developed reference values and equations for quadriceps strength, power, and endurance will make further tailoring of the treatment regime for the individual possible. As such, this, too, should assist in improving disease management, although the construct validity of the equations was moderate.
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| 15496. |
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| 15497. |
- Marklund, Susanna, 1960-, et al.
(author)
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Risk factors associated with incidence and persistence of temporomandibular disorders
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Aims: The aim of this study was to analyze whether gender, reported bruxism, and variations in dental occlusion predicted incidence and persistence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) during a 2 year period. Methods: The study population comprised 280 dental students at Umeå University, Sweden. The study design was that of a case-control study within a 2-year prospective cohort. The investigation comprised a questionnaire and a clinical examination at enrolment, and at 12 and 24 months. Cases (incidence) and controls (no incidence) were identified among those without signs and symptoms of TMD at start. Cases with persistent TMD were those with such signs and symptoms at all three examinations. Clinical registrations of baseline variables were used as independent variables. Odds ratio estimates and 95% confidence intervals of the relative risks of being a case or control in relation to baseline registrations were calculated using logistic regression analyses. Results: The analyses revealed that reported bruxism and crossbite, respectively, increased the risk of incidence and duration of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) signs or symptoms. Female gender was related to an increased risk to develop and maintain myofascial pain. Signs of mandibular instability increased the risk of long-standing signs and/or symptoms of TMD. Conclusion: This 2-year prospective observational study indicated that reported bruxism and variations in dental occlusion were linked to incidence and persistence of TMJ signs and symptoms to a higher extent than to myofascial pain.
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| 15498. |
- Marklund, Susanna, 1960-
(author)
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Temporomandibular disorders : incidence, course, and risk factors
- 2009
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) embrace pain and dysfunction in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and jaw muscles. TMD is a prevalent condition in the population and constitutes a significant health problem. Knowledge of factors influencing the onset and course of TMD is important in preventive care and development of treatment strategies as well as in clinical decision making. The aim of this thesis was to gain knowledge of whether variations in dental occlusion, bruxism, spinal pain and gender predicted the development and course of TMD. The study population comprised 371 undergraduate dental students. A questionnaire was used to obtain case histories. Clinical examination included the function of the TMJ, jaw muscles, maximal jaw mobility, the morphological occlusion, and contact patterns in centric and eccentric positions. The examinations were performed at start, and after 12 and 24 months. In total, 280 subjects were examined at all three occasions. The incidence of TMJ pain and dysfunction was high among both males and females. The course composed onset, recovery and maintenance resulting in a fluctuating pattern. Females were more likely to have persistent TMJ pain and dysfunction than males. The incidence and persistence of jaw muscle signs and symptoms was high and significantly more common in females. A similar fluctuating pattern as for TMJ pain and dysfunction was found. Crossbite predicted onset and persistence of TMJ pain and dysfunction; mandibular instability in centric positions predicted persistent TMJ pain and dysfunction, as well as persistent jaw muscle signs or symptoms. Reported bruxism increased the risk for TMJ pain and dysfunction but did not significantly affect the course of jaw muscle signs and symptoms. Spinal pain at baseline predicted the onset of jaw pain, headaches, and TMD pain. Signs of TMD at baseline predicted the onset of non-pain symptoms of TMD, jaw pain, headaches, and spinal pain. In conclusion, the results in this thesis show high incidence rates for TMD, headaches, and spinal pain among dental students. Crossbite, mandibular instability, reported bruxism, as well as female gender were identified as contributing risk factors. Spinal pain and TMD mutually predicted each other, indicating common pathophysiological mechanisms and individual vulnerability. The findings support a multidisciplinary approach, and it is recommended that the status and function of the jaw system be considered in patients with spinal pain.
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| 15499. |
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| 15500. |
- Marks, L Denton, et al.
(author)
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Different objectives, different models : the challenge of integrating EU and CEE higher education
- 2005
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In: Transformations in Business & Economics. - Kaunas : Vilnius university. - 1648-4460. ; 4:1, s. 19-36
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Can the academic communities of the EU and the CEEC work together with mutual benefit, despite or because of their different experiences over the last half century? This paper addresses that question through an examination of the compatibility between higher education policies such as the Bologna Declaration with their different academic environments. It develops a framework that identifies dimensions of integration and then compares the circumstances and prospects of the two communities. After discussing convergences and divergences, it focuses upon two issues - the gap in resources and the divergence in academic norms - and the prospects for resolving them.
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