| 1. |
- Argento, Daniela, et al.
(författare)
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Governance and Control of Externalized Water Service Management: Comparing solutions adopted in Italy and Sweden
- 2011
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Ingår i: Corporate Ownership & Control. - : Virtus Interpress. - 1727-9232. ; 8:3, s. 188-195
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract in UndeterminedIn this paper teh challenges imposed on corporate governance of water services in Italy and Sweden are analyzed and compared. From the comparative analysis we notice that with externalization of services more stakeholders become involved in the provision of services. These stakeholders have common as well as divergent interests and the challenge thus become to find an alignment of interest among stakeholders in order to secure a sustainable provision of the services. The comparative analyzis indicate that such alignment is especially difficult when stakeholders have heterogeneous background (public and private sector).
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| 2. |
- Argento, Daniela, et al.
(författare)
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The ‘externalisation’ of local public service delivery : experience in Italy and Sweden
- 2010
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Ingår i: International Journal of Public Policy. - Olney : InderScience Publishers. - 1740-0600 .- 1740-0619. ; 5:1, s. 41-56
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent years, the local government sector in European countries has undergone important changes involving, among other things, the externalisation of local public service provision through various forms of corporatisation, public-public collaboration, public-private partnerships and contracting out. An important consequence of these institutional changes has been the recasting of local governance systems through the need for increased cooperation between public and private actors. This article addresses these matters with comparative reference to the experience in Italy and Sweden. In doing so, it considers local governments in their constitutional and legal contexts, leading to more detailed discussions of their externalisation initiatives and resultant organisational forms and governance arrangements. Issues of ownership have been important concerning the significance of 'community' and 'place' in the management of public affairs. © 2010 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
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| 3. |
- Bengtsson, Mariette, et al.
(författare)
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A holistic approch for planning care of patients with irritable bowel syndrome
- 2010
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Ingår i: Gastroenterology Nursing. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 1042-895X .- 1538-9766. ; 33:2, s. 98-108
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aims of this study were to determine whether a registered nurse can collect information and plan a holistic and individual strategy for the treatment of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and whether this approach can reduce these patients' health aspects. The referrals of 50 Swedish-speaking female patients aged between 18 and 65 years with the preliminary diagnosis of IBS were collected and scrutinized by a gastroenterologist at a university hospital. Of these, 41 patients agreed to participate but 2 did not show up. The 39 patients were randomized into one of two groups: (1) the intervention group (n = 19) where the subjects were interviewed on the basis of the theory of culture care by a nurse before visiting a gastroenterologist and (2) the control group (n = 20) where the subjects first met a gastroenterologist. After the medical examination, 19 subjects were found to have diseases other than IBS. The interview gave a holistic view of the subjects' problems, which could be of use when planning further care. Because subjects sometimes did not receive an accurate diagnosis by their primary care physician, however, the clinic nurse could not give these subjects IBS-specific information because the subjects' diagnosis had not been established. The initial medical assessments based on the primary care doctors' care of many subjects with IBS symptoms were a noted weak point.
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| 4. |
- Berglund, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Osteoporosis and peridontitis in older subjects participating in the Swedish National Survey on Aging and Care (SNAC-Blekinge)
- 2011
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Ingår i: Acta Odontologica Scandinavica. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0001-6357 .- 1502-3850. ; 69:4, s. 201-207
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract Objective. We assessed the relationships between (I) ultrasonography calcaneus T-scores (PIXI) and mandibular cortex characteristics on oral panoramic radiographs in older subjects; and (II) osteoporosis and periodontitis. Material and methods. We examined 778 subjects (53% women) aged 59-96 years. Periodontitis was defined by alveolar bone loss assessed from panoramic radiographs. Results. PIXI calcaneus T-values ≤-2.5 (osteoporosis) were found in 16.3% of women and in 8.1% of men. PIXI calcaneus T-values <-1.6 (osteoporosis, adjusted) were found in 34.2% of women and in 21.4% of men. The age of the subjects and PIXI T-values were significantly correlated in women (Pearson's r = 0.37, P < 0.001) and men (Pearson's r = 0.19, P < 0.001). Periodontitis was found in 18.7% of subjects defined by alveolar bone level ≥5 mm. Subjects with osteoporosis defined by adjusted PIXI T-values had fewer remaining teeth [mean difference 4.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.1 to -6.5, P < 0.001]. The crude odds ratio (OR) of an association between the panoramic assessment of mandibular cortex erosions as a sign of osteoporosis and the adjusted T-value (T-value cut-off <-1.6) was 4.8 (95% CI 3.1-7.2, P < 0.001; Pearson χ(2) = 60.1, P < 0.001). A significant OR between osteoporosis and periodontitis was only found in women for the T-value cut-off ≤-2.5 (crude OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.3, P < 0.03). Conclusions. An association between osteoporosis and periodontitis was only confirmed in women. The likelihood that the mandibular cortex index agrees with adjusted PIXI T-values is significant.
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| 5. |
- Björklund, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
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In-group ratings are affected by who asks and how: interactive effects of experimenter group-membership and response format.
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Social Psychology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0022-4545 .- 1940-1183. ; 151:5, s. 625-634
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In three experiments, participants rated how well a number of adjectives described their in-group (e.g. kind-hearted, helpful, intelligent, efficient, etc.). In Experiment 1, females were found to rate their ingroup (females) more favorably when reporting verbally to female (rather than male) experimenters. This finding was further explored in two subsequent experiments where response format (written vs. verbal) was also manipulated. Both experiments revealed an interaction such that ethnic Swedes rated their in-group (Swedes) the most favorably when reporting verbally to an in-group experimenter and the least favorably when reporting verbally to a Middle Eastern experimenter. Results are discussed in relation to correction and contextual activation of social norms.
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| 6. |
- Callaghan, Terry, et al.
(författare)
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Multi-Decadal Changes in Tundra Environments and Ecosystems : Synthesis of the International Polar Year-Back to the Future Project (IPY-BTF)
- 2011
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Ingår i: Ambio. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-7447 .- 1654-7209. ; 40:6, s. 705-716
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Understanding the responses of tundra systemsto global change has global implications. Most tundraregions lack sustained environmental monitoring and oneof the only ways to document multi-decadal change is toresample historic research sites. The International PolarYear (IPY) provided a unique opportunity for such researchthrough the Back to the Future (BTF) project (IPY project#512). This article synthesizes the results from 13 paperswithin this Ambio Special Issue. Abiotic changes includeglacial recession in the Altai Mountains, Russia; increasedsnow depth and hardness, permafrost warming, andincreased growing season length in sub-arctic Sweden;drying of ponds in Greenland; increased nutrient availabilityin Alaskan tundra ponds, and warming at mostlocations studied. Biotic changes ranged from relativelyminor plant community change at two sites in Greenland tomoderate change in the Yukon, and to dramatic increasesin shrub and tree density on Herschel Island, and in subarcticSweden. The population of geese tripled at one sitein northeast Greenland where biomass in non-grazed plotsdoubled. A model parameterized using results from a BTFstudy forecasts substantial declines in all snowbeds andincreases in shrub tundra on Niwot Ridge, Colorado overthe next century. In general, results support and provideimproved capacities for validating experimental manipulation,remote sensing, and modeling studies.
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| 7. |
- Elgström, Ole, et al.
(författare)
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Curriculum debate and policy change
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Curriculum Studies. - : Taylor and Francis Ltd.. - 0022-0272 .- 1366-5839. ; 43:6, s. 717-738
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article investigates the underlying themes and principles that inform curriculum debate and how they are articulated in current school policy discussions. This topic is approached with the help of a case study covering the debate on which subjects should be mandatory for students at the upper secondary school curriculum in Sweden. The focus is on the arguments for and against the inclusion of History among these core subjects. The aim is to order and structure this debate and to link the arguments found to basic underlying principles. Why was History considered important or unimportant? What arguments are found about the best way to teach History? This study employs a 4-fold distinction which distinguishes between perennialism, essentialism, progressivism, and reconstructivism as four schools of thought, each outlining its own particular view on what kind of knowledge is important and how such knowledge should be taught. One major finding is that two of the schools-progressivism and essentialism-completely dominate the debates under study. There existed a major fault line between those who emphasized the instrumental value of History as a tool for fostering good citizens, and those who considered History part of essential general knowledge about society.
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| 8. |
- Elgström, Ole, et al.
(författare)
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How history became a core subject in Swedish upper secondary schools
- 2010
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research. - : Routledge. - 0031-3831 .- 1470-1170. ; 54:6, s. 565-580
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 2004, history was introduced by a Parliamentary decision as a new core subject in the Swedish upper secondary school system. This event constituted a major break—history now became a compulsory subject for all upper secondary school students after having been subject to a continually diminishing number of teaching hours ever since 1945. This surprising change forms the puzzle that this article seeks to address. Based on interviews and documentary analysis, we map and interpret the decision‐making processes that ended with the Parliamentary decision to make history a new core subject. We add to existing insights about curriculum change by interpreting the process in terms of negotiation, persuasion, and framing and by linking actor strategies to structural—ideational and material—changes that created a window of opportunity for policy entrepreneurs.
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| 9. |
- Gunnarsson, Gunnar, et al.
(författare)
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Body mass changes in a biparental incubator: the Redshank Tringa totanus
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Ornithology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2193-7206 .- 2193-7192. ; 151:1, s. 179-184
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Incubation is a period of high energetic costs and accordingly body mass losses are often detected. Why birds lose body mass during incubation is not well understood; suggestions are that it is either a consequence of energetic constraints or adaptations to an optimal mass trajectory. We studied body mass changes through the incubation period in the Common Redshank Tringa totanus, a biparental incubator, on southern Gotland in the Baltic Sea. In contrast to what has been found in other biparental incubators, body mass of both sexes decreased linearly through the incubation period. The estimated mean body mass loss was 6.7 g (SE 1.7), corresponding to ca. 5% of initial body mass at incubation start. Hatching success in males was not related to body mass and size. In contrast, reproductive success, measured as successful production of fledged juveniles, in males was negatively related to body mass during incubation and positively related to body size. This finding supports the theory that body mass loss might follow an optimal mass trajectory, possibly to increase agility through the chick-rearing stage. However, energy constraints causing body mass loss cannot be ruled out; in fact, it is not unlikely that body mass may change due to a combination of both adaptation and stress.
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| 10. |
- Hagell, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Measurement Properties of the SF-12 Health Survey in Parkinson's Disease
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Parkinson's Disease. - : IOS Press. - 1877-718X .- 1877-7171. ; 1:2, s. 185-196
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) is an abbreviated version of the SF-36, one of the most widely used patient-reported health outcome rating scales. Similar to the SF-36, it yields summary scores of physical and mental health (PCS and MCS, respectively). However, SF-36 derived PCS and MCS scores have not been found valid in neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Here we used modern psychometric methodology (Rasch analysis) to test the SF-12 in PD, and explored the appropriateness of a total SF-12 score representing overall health. SF-12 data from 150 non-demented people with PD (56% men; mean age/PD-duration, 70/5 years) were analyzed regarding Rasch model fit for the PCS, MCS, as well as for the full SF-12. Data showed some signs of misfit to the Rasch model for all three scales (overall item-trait interaction, P >= 0.003; reliability, >= 0.85). For example, all scales exhibited signs of dependency between item responses, and the PCS measured with relatively low precision. Model fit (but not measurement precision) was improved following deletion of one PCS and one MCS item (overall item-trait interaction, P >= 0.387; reliability, >= 0.82). These observations suggest that the SF-12 can be used as a coarse health survey tool in PD and that a total SF-12 may be useful as a measure of overall health. However, its appropriateness as an outcome measure can be questioned and it is somewhat unclear exactly what the derived scores represent. As such, the SF-12 should probably be considered an assessment tool (or index) rather than a measurement instrument.
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