| 1. |
- Bentham, James, et al.
(författare)
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A century of trends in adult human height
- 2016
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Ingår i: eLIFE. - : eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. - 2050-084X. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5–22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3– 19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8– 144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries.
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| 2. |
- Zhou, Bin, et al.
(författare)
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Worldwide trends in diabetes since 1980: A pooled analysis of 751 population-based studies with 4.4 million participants
- 2016
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Ingår i: The Lancet. - : Elsevier B.V.. - 0140-6736 .- 1474-547X. ; 387:10027, s. 1513-1530
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: One of the global targets for non-communicable diseases is to halt, by 2025, the rise in the age standardised adult prevalence of diabetes at its 2010 levels. We aimed to estimate worldwide trends in diabetes, how likely it is for countries to achieve the global target, and how changes in prevalence, together with population growth and ageing, are aff ecting the number of adults with diabetes.Methods: We pooled data from population-based studies that had collected data on diabetes through measurement of its biomarkers. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in diabetes prevalence-defined as fasting plasma glucose of 7.0 mmol/L or higher, or history of diagnosis with diabetes, or use of insulin or oral hypoglycaemic drugs-in 200 countries and territories in 21 regions, by sex and from 1980 to 2014. We also calculated the posterior probability of meeting the global diabetes target if post-2000 trends continue.Findings: We used data from 751 studies including 4372000 adults from 146 of the 200 countries we make estimates for. Global age-standardised diabetes prevalence increased from 4.3% (95% credible interval 2.4-17.0) in 1980 to 9.0% (7.2-11.1) in 2014 in men, and from 5.0% (2.9-7.9) to 7.9% (6.4-9.7) in women. The number of adults with diabetes in the world increased from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014 (28.5% due to the rise in prevalence, 39.7% due to population growth and ageing, and 31.8% due to interaction of these two factors). Age-standardised adult diabetes prevalence in 2014 was lowest in northwestern Europe, and highest in Polynesia and Micronesia, at nearly 25%, followed by Melanesia and the Middle East and north Africa. Between 1980 and 2014 there was little change in age-standardised diabetes prevalence in adult women in continental western Europe, although crude prevalence rose because of ageing of the population. By contrast, age-standardised adult prevalence rose by 15 percentage points in men and women in Polynesia and Micronesia. In 2014, American Samoa had the highest national prevalence of diabetes (>30% in both sexes), with age-standardised adult prevalence also higher than 25% in some other islands in Polynesia and Micronesia. If post-2000 trends continue, the probability of meeting the global target of halting the rise in the prevalence of diabetes by 2025 at the 2010 level worldwide is lower than 1% for men and is 1% for women. Only nine countries for men and 29 countries for women, mostly in western Europe, have a 50% or higher probability of meeting the global target.Interpretation: Since 1980, age-standardised diabetes prevalence in adults has increased, or at best remained unchanged, in every country. Together with population growth and ageing, this rise has led to a near quadrupling of the number of adults with diabetes worldwide. The burden of diabetes, both in terms of prevalence and number of adults aff ected, has increased faster in low-income and middle-income countries than in high-income countries.
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| 3. |
- Carlsson, Daniel O., et al.
(författare)
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Cooxidant-free TEMPO-mediated oxidation of highly crystalline nanocellulose in water
- 2014
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Ingår i: RSC Advances. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2046-2069. ; 4:94, s. 52289-52298
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Selective oxidation of C6 hydroxyls to carboxyls through 2,2,6,6,-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-mediated oxidation, where the oxidizing species (TEMPO+) is generated by cooxidants, such as NaBrO, NaClO or NaClO2, has become a popular way to modify the surfaces of nanocellulose fibrils in aqueous solutions. Employing highly crystalline nanocellulose from Cladophora sp. algae we demonstrate that the same degree of oxidation (D.O.) can be achieved within approximately the same time by replacing the cooxidants with electrogeneration of TEMPO+ in a bulk electrolysis setup. The D.O. is controlled by the oxidation time and the maximum D.O. achieved (D.O. 9.8%, 0.60 mmol g-1 of carboxylic acids and 0 mmol g-1 aldehydes) corresponds to complete oxidation of the surface-confined C6. This shows that TEMPO+ is not sterically hindered from completely oxidizing the fibril surface of Cladophora nanocellulose, in contrast to earlier hypotheses that were based on results with wood-derived nanocellulose. The oxidation does not significantly affect the morphology, the specific surface area (>115 m2 g-1) or the pore characteristics of the water-insoluble fibrous particles that were obtained after drying, but depolymerization corresponding to ∼20% was observed. For extensive oxidation times, the product recovery of water-insoluble fibrils decreased significantly while significant amounts of charge passed through the system. This could indicate that the oxidation proceeds beyond the fibril surface, in contrast to the current view that TEMPO-mediated oxidation is confined only to the surface.
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| 4. |
- Carlsson, Daniel O., et al.
(författare)
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Tailoring porosities and electrochemical properties of composites composed of microfibrillated cellulose and polypyrrole
- 2014
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Ingår i: RSC Advances. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2046-2069. ; 4:17, s. 8489-8497
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Composites of polypyrrole and nanocellulose (PPy/nanocellulose) have a high potential as electrodes in energy-storage devices and as membranes for electrochemically controlled ion-exchange systems. In the present work, it is demonstrated that such composites with 42-72% porosity can be produced by using microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) prepared through enzymatic pretreatment or carboxymethylation, or by using different amounts of MFC in the composite synthesis. Together with previous work, this shows that the porosity of PPy/nanocellulose composites can be tailored from 30 to 98% with increments of similar to 10%. Employing the full porosity range of the composites, it is demonstrated that the electrochemical oxidation rate of the materials depends on their porosity due to limitations in the counter ion diffusion process. By tailoring the porosities of PPy/nanocellulose composites, the electrochemical properties can consequently be controlled. The latter provides new possibilities for the manufacturing of electrochemically controlled ion-extraction and energy storage devices with optimized volumetric energy and power densities.
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| 5. |
- Fredriksson, Maria
(författare)
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From Customer Satisfaction to Citizen Interaction : a cooperation model for community development based on Total Quality Management
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Current problems with unemployment and the consequences of cut-down in the public sector need appropriate solutions, where private citizens perhaps take on more active roles than today, individually or in groups. The aim with this doctoral thesis is to contribute to one such solution, which is a cooperation model for societal development in local communities, based on Total Quality Management (TQM) and on the participation of many residents. The model is gradually developed with the help of collected experiences and opinions from three stakeholder groups in two different Swedish communities, as well as from general theories and literature. These groups are the quality-project initiators, the community residents and the local politicians. The disposition of the thesis is accordingly. The thesis contains two case studies. The first one concerns the use of TQM as a support of societal development in a local community. The improvement work is conducted within a non-profit organisation built on voluntary engagement. These experiences have then been compared, in the second case study, to the ones in another community where TQM is not used, but where the ambitions are the same. Here the framework for the improvement work is both a non-profit organisation and a for-profit one. The analyses indicate that TQM can be used with success within societal development, even if some of its tools or methodologies are interpreted in new ways, or not used at all. As TQM should be applied with regard to the type of organisation and its purpose, a certain flexibility is both expected and helpful. As far as management is concerned, the leadership needs to be “softer” and more diplomatic when managing unpaid volunteers, as compared to the situation in a commercial enterprise. Another observation is that the societal work is best conducted within groups, defined by situations or activities in life or in the society. An active resident can join a group according to interest. This is a modified version of the “quality circles” inherent to TQM. In a separate, and more theoretical study, the issue of adopting TQM to new sectors in society is discussed. In both the studied societies, there are difficulties to get residents involved or active, which puts into question the mandate with a large community project that aims at improving the quality of life for all residents. There are also difficulties with finding and renewing the leadership, and with communication with, above all, local politicians. Nevertheless, these politicians are in general positive to private initiatives like the ones in the two communities, and consider such projects very important for the future development of rural areas. They think that the experienced weaknesses can be reduced if the improvement work is distinctly defined and organised, if information and communication improve, and if the active residents become more educated about the procedures and limitations of the political governing of the communities. These and other observations of the two communities lead to a model where a cooperation between societal stakeholders develop in three phases; the start-up, the establishment and the continuation of the work. Each phase is discussed separately, and advice is given how to avoid, or meet, various problems that are likely to appear along the way.
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| 6. |
- Jonasson, Stina B., et al.
(författare)
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Experiences of fear of falling in persons with Parkinson's disease - A qualitative study
- 2018
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Ingår i: BMC Geriatrics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2318. ; 18:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Fear of falling is common among persons with Parkinson's disease and is negatively associated with quality of life. However a lack of in-depth understanding of fear of falling as a phenomenon persists. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of fear of falling in persons with Parkinson's disease. Methods: Individual interviews were performed with twelve persons with Parkinson's disease (median age 70 years, median Parkinson duration 9 years, 50% women). The interviews were semi-structured and followed a study-specific interview guide. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Fear of falling was experienced as a disturbing factor in everyday life. It generated a feeling of vulnerability and made daily activities and everyday environments seem potentially hazardous. Persons also missed performing previous activities. The fear of falling was a varying experience, fueled by an awareness of falls and near falls, Parkinson-related symptoms and disabilities, and by others in their environment. The persons adopted different strategies to handle their fear of falling. Activities were adapted, avoided, performed with help, or carried out despite their fear of falling. Conclusions: The experiences of fear of falling were complex, multifaceted and varied over time and in relation to different activities and environments. This indicates that interventions targeting fear of falling need to be individually tailored for persons with Parkinson's disease and should focus on several aspects, such as Parkinson-related symptoms and disabilities, activities and environmental factors. This study provides new information that increases the understanding of fear of falling, which has implications for researchers as well as clinicians working with persons with Parkinson's disease and fear of falling.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Sandström, Camilla, et al.
(författare)
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Understanding consistencies and gaps between desired forest futures : An analysis of visions from stakeholder groups in Sweden
- 2016
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Ingår i: Ambio. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-7447 .- 1654-7209. ; 45, s. S100-S108
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Conflicting perspectives on forests has for a long time challenged forest policy development in Sweden. Disagreements about forest futures create intractable deadlocks when stakeholders talk past each other. The purpose of this study is to move beyond this situation through the application of participatory backcasting. By comparing visions of the future forest among stakeholder groups, we highlight contemporary trajectories and identify changes that were conceived as desirable. We worked with four groups: the Biomass and Bioenergy group, the Conservation group, the Sami Livelihood group and the Recreation and Rural Development group; in total representatives from 40 organizations participated in workshops articulating the groups' visions. Our results show well-known tensions such as intrinsic versus instrumental values but also new ones concerning forests' social values. Identified synergies include prioritization of rural development, new valued-added forest products and diversified forest management. The results may feed directly into forest policy processes facilitating the process and break current deadlocks.
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