| 1. |
- Adhena, Mulata Hayelom, et al.
(författare)
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Genetic diversity and maternal origins of indigenous sheep populations in north Ethiopia
- 2024
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Ingår i: Small Ruminant Research. - 0921-4488. ; 239
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study investigated maternal origin and haplotype variants in four sheep populations in the northern Ethiopian Tigray and Afar regions: Abergelle, Elle, Begait, and Tigray Highland. The research involved amplifying a 1088-bp mtDNA control region and sequencing 24 samples and examined haplotype diversity and maternal origins. The maternal origins were determined by using 517 bp of the mtDNA d-loop region, which was matched to globally defined reference sequences. The AMOVA analysis reveals 29.78 % variation in four populations with 13 mutational sites dividing haplogroups A and B. The presence of diverse maternal origins in those indigenous sheep populations is very crucial for future conservation and breeding efforts. To properly grasp their genetic potential, it will therefore be necessary to decipher the entire genome landscape of the indigenous sheep resources in Tigray regional state, the north Ethiopia.
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| 2. |
- Bäckström, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Visuomotor integration in the development of action planning in children with autismspectrum disorder over the ages of 7-to 9-years-old
- 2024
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Ingår i: Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0012-1622 .- 1469-8749. ; 66:S2, s. 68-68
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently display atypical motor functioning. This longitudinal study investigated atypical visuomotor integration in the development of action planning as one possible source.Participants and Methods: Fourteen children with ASD and 17 typically developing (TD) controls participated three times over the ages 7 (T1) to 9 (T3) years. 3D kinematic registrations were made during performance of a manual sequential peg-rotation task with either visible or occluded goal-display condition before onset. Time, condition, and group differences were analyzed on onset-latency, part peak velocity in reach-to-grasp (PPV-RtG), remaining angle of peg-rotation at goal (p-RA), and fitting-duration.Results: Time-point generated significant (p < 0.05) main effects for all variables. Stratifying by condition revealed shorter latency (both groups), higher PPV-RtG (visual-condition TD-group), lower p-RA (visual-condition TD-group; occluded-condition ASD-group), and shorter fitting-duration (visual-condition TD-group; occluded-condition both groups) with increasing age. Group generated significant main effects for fitting-duration. Stratifying by condition revealed longer fitting-durations (both conditions), and increased p-RA (occluded-condition at T1; visible-condition at T3) in the ASD-group. Condition generated significant main effects for all variables except fitting-duration. Stratifying by group revealed shorter latency (both groups), higher PPV-RtG (TD-group at T3), and reduced p-RA (TD-group at T3) in the visual-condition.Conclusions: The results show different sensory-motor integration in the children with ASD, characterized by not benefitting from pre-existing visual information in action planning in accordance with their TD peers, particularly evident at 9 years. Our findings, based on longitudinal data, support suggestions that visuomotor integration underpinning action planning may operate differently in ASD.
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| 3. |
- Domellöf, Erik, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Brain activations during execution and observation of visually guided sequential manual movements in autism and in typical development: A study protocol
- 2024
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 19:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Motor issues are frequently observed accompanying core deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Impaired motor behavior has also been linked to cognitive and social abnormalities, and problems with predictive ability have been suggested to play an important, possibly shared, part across all these domains. Brain imaging of sensory-motor behavior is a promising method for characterizing the neurobiological foundation for this proposed key trait. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) developmental study, involving children/youth with ASD, typically developing (TD) children/youth, and neurotypical adults, will investigate brain activations during execution and observation of a visually guided, goal-directed sequential (two-step) manual task. Neural processing related to both execution and observation of the task, as well as activation patterns during the preparation stage before execution/observation will be investigated. Main regions of interest include frontoparietal and occipitotemporal cortical areas, the human mirror neuron system (MNS), and the cerebellum.
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| 4. |
- Granholm Valmari, Elin, 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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Defining the complexities of an occupational pattern—A concept analysis and theoretical validation
- 2024
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1103-8128 .- 1651-2014. ; 31:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The concept of an occupational pattern in occupational therapy and occupational science has evolved with varying definitions, ranging from activity patterns to patterns of daily occupation.AimsThis study aimed to explore the concept of occupational pattern, develop an updated definition of the concept, and theoretically validate the concept’s definition.Method: Walker and Avant’s concept analysis method was used, where both theoretical frameworks and peer-reviewed scientific literature were searched and synthesized to clarify and define the concept. Furthermore, seven occupational therapists theoretically validated the concept.Findings: The analysis included forty-nine references from various research contexts and theoretical perspectives. The synthesis yielded a conceptualization of the concept of occupational pattern, outlining it into three overarching categories: ‘content in an individual’s occupational pattern’, ‘designing an occupational pattern’, and ‘balancing the occupational pattern’.Implications: An updated operational definition of the multifaceted concept of an occupational pattern now exists, with practical implications for enhancing the education of occupational therapy students and guiding the utilization of the concept. Moreover, it holds significance for instrument development and outcome measurement in research; especially in lifestyle intervention studies within the field of occupational therapy.
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| 5. |
- Harish, Ajith, et al.
(författare)
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Genetic diversity and recent ancestry based on whole-genome sequencing of endangered Swedish cattle breeds
- 2024
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Ingår i: BMC Genomics. - 1471-2164. ; 25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several indigenous cattle breeds in Sweden are endangered. Conservation of their genetic diversity and genomic characterization is a priority.Whole-genome sequences (WGS) with a mean coverage of 25X, ranging from 14 to 41X were obtained for 30 individuals of the breeds Fjallko, Fjallnara, Bohuskulla, Rodkulla, Ringamala, and Vaneko. WGS-based genotyping revealed 22,548,028 variants in total, comprising 18,876,115 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 3,671,913 indels. Out of these, 1,154,779 SNPs and 304,467 indels were novel. Population stratification based on roughly 19 million SNPs showed two major groups of the breeds that correspond to northern and southern breeds. Overall, a higher genetic diversity was observed in the southern breeds compared to the northern breeds. While the population stratification was consistent with previous genome-wide SNP array-based analyses, the genealogy of the individuals inferred from WGS based estimates turned out to be more complex than expected from previous SNP-array based estimates. Polymorphisms and their predicted phenotypic consequences were associated with differences in the coat color phenotypes between the northern and southern breeds. Notably, these high-consequence polymorphisms were not represented in SNP arrays, which are used routinely for genotyping of cattle breeds.This study is the first WGS-based population genetic analysis of Swedish native cattle breeds. The genetic diversity of native breeds was found to be high. High-consequence polymorphisms were linked with desirable phenotypes using whole-genome genotyping, which highlights the pressing need for intensifying WGS-based characterization of the native breeds.
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| 6. |
- Häggström, Margaretha, 1962, et al.
(författare)
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Imagine alternative futures for a sustainable world
- 2024
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Ingår i: British Educational Research Association Conference, Manchester 8-12 september, 2024.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Storytelling serves as a method to animate occurrences and a tool for comprehending our world. Stories foster imagination, a quality gaining heightened attention as humanity grapples with significant challenges like migration and climate change, as asserted by von Wright (2021). The ability to imagine is crucial to the development of futures literacy (Miller, 2015). Presently, we all live in the narratives of the Anthropocene (Steffen, Crutzen & McNeill, 2007) and confront the challenge of coexisting on an increasingly crowded planet, including consequences of global warming, pandemics, and threats to democracies. The Anthropocene has so far been narrated as a story of crisis, marked by a sense of urgency (e.g., Steffen et al., 2007; Head, 2016). These narratives reach adolescents and children. How can education, despite the threats we face, help create a narrative of hope? To respond to the call from researchers advocating for a change in our way of living (Head, 2016; Diaz et al., 2019), and the request from educational researchers to embrace a more optimistic approach to environmental education (O’Brien, 2012; Wals, 2015, Lövbrand et al., 2015; Jickling, Blenkinsop, & Timmerman, 2018), Backatorp School in Sweden decided to integrate sustainability issues progressively. To prepare the teachers, we (Häggström and Johansson) held a workshop to make the teachers imagine alternative futures for a sustainable world. The workshop was a way to integrate Thinking Skills Strategies (TSS) (Leat, 1998; Fisher et al., 2001; Ehlers et al., 2008). In short, TSS is a pedagogical method that aims at enhancing students' critical thinking abilities, creative and visual learning, and learning through discussions. Aims The aim of this workshop is to further develop the Thinking Skills Strategy method, which we call "Imagine alternative futures for a sustainable world," by implementing parts of a teaching and learning tool developed by Backatorp School. This tool is based on GreenComp and the 17 Goals for sustainable development. This is part of an educational project, which is a prolonging of an ERASMUS+ project that ended in the autumn of 2023. Theoretical framework The workshop is based on theories of envisionment (Langer, 1995, 2011), futures literacy (Miller, 2015; Häggström & Schmidt, 2021), and theories of utopian methods (Levitas, 2013). Langer describes five stances through which a reader relates to the content of a story, which are 1) Being out and stepping into an envisionment, 2) Being in and moving through envisionment, 3) Stepping out and rethinking what you know, 4) Stepping out and objectifying the experience, and 5) Leaving an envisionment or going beyond. These stances help students to be part of a narrative and to distance themselves from the narratives when needed. Levitas emphasizes the role of the ability to imagine alternative perspectives within the context of crisis and to recognize transformative opportunities to act on. Futures Literacy, too, puts emphasis on the ability to imagine. Diaz, S., Settele, J., Brondízio, E. S., Ngo, H. T., Agard, J., Arneth, A, et al (2019). Pervasive human-driven decline of life on Earth points to the need for transformative change. Science, 366(6471), 1-12. Ehlers, N., Havekes, H., & Nolet, R. (Eds.), (2008). Living and Learning in Border Regions. Volkshochschule Aachen. Fisher, P., Wilkinson, I., & Leat, D. (2001. Thinking Through History. Chris Kington Publishing. Head, L. (2016). Hope and Grief in the Anthropocene. Re-conceptualising human–nature relations. Routledge. Häggström, M., & Schmidt, C. (2021). Futures literacy – To belong, participate and act! An Educational perspective. Futures, 132, 1-11. Jickling, B., Blenkinsop, S., Timmerman, N. & De Danann Sitka-Sage, M. (eds) (2018). Wild Pedagogies Touchstones for Re-Negotiating Education and the Environment in the Anthropocene. Palgrave MacMillan. Langer, J. (2011). Envisioning knowledge. Building Literacy in the Academic Disciplines. Teachers College Press, Columbia University. Leat, D. (1998). Thinking Through Geography. Chris Kington Publishing. Levitas, R. (2013). Utopia as Method: The Imaginary Reconstitution of Society. Palgrave Macmillan. Miller, R., & Sandford, R. (2018). Futures literacy: The capacity to diversify conscious human anticipation. In R. Poli (Ed.), Handbook of anticipation. Theoretical and applied aspects of the use of future in decision making.1–20. Springer Steffen, W., Crutzen, P. & McNeill, J. R. (2007). The Anthropocene: are humans now overwhelming the great forces of nature? AMBIO, 36(8), 614–621 Von Wright, M. (2021). Imagination and Education. Wals, A.E. (2015). Beyond Unreasonable Doubt. Education and Learning for Socio-Ecological Sustainability in the Anthropocene. Wageningen University.
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| 7. |
- Johansson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Long-term soil organic carbon changes after cropland conversion to grazed grassland in Southern Sweden
- 2024
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Ingår i: Soil use and management. - 0266-0032 .- 1475-2743. ; 40:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is growing awareness of the potential value of agricultural land for climate change mitigation. In Sweden, cropland areas have decreased by approximately 30% over recent decades, creating opportunities for these former croplands to be managed for climate change mitigation by increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. One potential land-use change is conversion of cropland to grazed grasslands, but the long-term effect of such change in management is not well understood and likely varies with soil type and site-specific conditions. Through sampling of mineral and peatland soils within a 75-year chronosequence of land converted from crop production to grazed grassland, we assessed how time since conversion, catenary position, and soil depth affected SOC storage. The SOC stocks calculated at an equivalent soil or ash mass increased through time since conversion in mineral soils at all topographic positions, at a rate of ~0.65% year−1. Soils at low topographic positions gained the most carbon. Peat SOC stock gains after conversion were large, but only marginally significant and only when calculated at an equivalent ash mass. We conclude that the conversion of mineral soil to grazed grassland promotes SOC accumulation at our sites, but climate change mitigation potential would need to be evaluated through a full greenhouse gas balance.
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| 8. |
- Landtblom, Anna Ravn, et al.
(författare)
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Childbirth rates in women with myeloproliferative neoplasms
- 2024
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Ingår i: Leukemia. - : SPRINGERNATURE. - 0887-6924 .- 1476-5551.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are associated with inferior pregnancy outcome, however, little is known about fertility and childbearing potential in women with MPN. In this study we aimed to describe reproductive patterns, as well as to quantify risk of miscarriage and stillbirth. Women aged 15-44 years with an MPN diagnosis 1973-2018, were identified in Swedish health care registers, and age-matched 1:4 to population controls. We identified 1141 women with MPN and 4564 controls. Women with MPN had a lower rate of childbirth (hazard ratio [HR] with 95% confidence interval was 0.78 (0.68-0.90)). Subgroup analysis showed that the rate was not significantly reduced in essential thrombocythemia, HR 1.02 (0.86-1.22) while the HR was 0.50 (0.33-0.76) in PV and 0.45 (0.28-0.74) in PMF. The risk of miscarriage was not significantly increased before MPN diagnosis, the HR during follow-up after diagnosis was 1.25 (0.89-1.76). Women with MPN were more likely to have had a previous stillbirth. Women with MPN had fewer children at diagnosis, and fewer children in total. In conclusion, the childbirth rate was lower among women with MPN than controls, but not among women with essential thrombocythemia.
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| 9. |
- Larsson, Martin N. A., et al.
(författare)
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Ancient Sheep Genomes Reveal Four Millennia of North European Short-Tailed Sheep in the Baltic Sea Region
- 2024
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Ingår i: Genome Biology and Evolution. - : Oxford University Press. - 1759-6653. ; 16:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sheep are among the earliest domesticated livestock species, with a wide variety of breeds present today. However, it remains unclear how far back this diversity goes, with formal documentation only dating back a few centuries. North European short-tailed (NEST) breeds are often assumed to be among the oldest domestic sheep populations, even thought to represent relicts of the earliest sheep expansions during the Neolithic period reaching Scandinavia <6,000 years ago. This study sequenced the genomes (up to 11.6X) of five sheep remains from the Baltic islands of Gotland and Åland, dating from the Late Neolithic (∼4,100 cal BP) to historical times (∼1,600 CE). Our findings indicate that these ancient sheep largely possessed the genetic characteristics of modern NEST breeds, suggesting a substantial degree of long-term continuity of this sheep type in the Baltic Sea region. Despite the wide temporal spread, population genetic analyses show high levels of affinity between the ancient genomes and they also exhibit relatively high genetic diversity when compared to modern NEST breeds, implying a loss of diversity in most breeds during the last centuries associated with breed formation and recent bottlenecks. Our results shed light on the development of breeds in Northern Europe specifically as well as the development of genetic diversity in sheep breeds, and their expansion from the domestication center in general.
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| 10. |
- Lennborn, Ulrica, et al.
(författare)
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Recommended dosages of analgesic and sedative drugs in intensive care result in a low incidence of potentially toxic blood concentrations
- 2024
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Ingår i: Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences. - : Upsala Medical Society. - 0300-9734 .- 2000-1967. ; 129
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Standard dosages of analgesic and sedative drugs are given to intensive care patients. The resulting range of blood concentrations and corresponding clinical responses need to be better examined. The purpose of this study was to describe daily dosages, measured blood concentrations, and clinical responses in critically ill patients. The purpose was also to contribute to establishing whole blood concentration reference values of the drugs investigated.Methods: A descriptive study of prospectively collected data from 302 admissions to a general intensive care unit (ICU) at a university hospital. Ten drugs (clonidine, fentanyl, morphine, dexmedetomidine, ketamine, ketobemidone, midazolam, paracetamol, propofol, and thiopental) were investigated, and daily dosages recorded. Blood samples were collected twice daily, and drug concentrations were measured. Clinical responses were registered using Richmond agitation-sedation scale (RASS) and Numeric rating scale (NRS).Results: Drug dosages were within recommended dose ranges. Blood concentrations for all 10 drugs showed a wide variation within the cohort, but only 3% were above therapeutic interval where clonidine (57 of 122) and midazolam (38 of 122) dominated. RASS and NRS were not correlated to drug concentrations.Conclusion: Using recommended dose intervals for analgesic and sedative drugs in the ICU setting combined with regular monitoring of clinical responses such as RASS and NRS leads to 97% of concentrations being below the upper limit in the therapeutic interval. This study contributes to whole blood drug concentration reference values regarding these 10 drugs.
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