| 1. |
- Granvik, Christoffer, et al.
(författare)
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Olfactory dysfunction as an early predictor for post-COVID condition at 1-year follow-up
- 2024
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Ingår i: Brain and Behavior. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2162-3279. ; 14:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Olfactory dysfunction together with neurological and cognitive symptoms are common after COVID-19. We aimed to study whether performance on olfactory and neuropsychological tests following infection predict post-COVID condition (PCC), persisting symptoms, and reduced health-related quality of life.Methods: Both hospitalized (N = 10) and non-hospitalized individuals (N = 56) were enrolled in this prospective cohort study. Participants were evaluated 1–3 months after infection with an olfactory threshold test and neuropsychological tests, which was used as predictors of PCC. A questionnaire outlining persisting symptoms and the validated instrument EuroQol five-dimension five-level for health-related quality of life assessment were used as outcome data 1 year after infection (N = 59). Principal component analysis was used to identify relevant predictors for PCC at 1 year.Results: Objectively assessed olfactory dysfunction at 1–3 months post infection, but not subjective olfactory symptoms, predicted post-COVID condition with reduced health-related quality of life (PCC+) at 1 year. The PCC+ group scored more often below the cut off for mild cognitive impairment on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (61.5% vs. 21.7%) and higher on the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20, compared to the group without PCC+.Conclusion: Our results indicate that objectively assessed, olfactory dysfunction is a predictor for PCC+. These findings underscore the importance of objective olfactory testing. We propose that olfactory screening in the early post-acute phase of COVID-19 infection might identify individuals that are at higher risk of developing long-term health sequalae.
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| 2. |
- Andersson, Camilla, 1979-
(författare)
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Air Pollution Dependency on Climate Variability and Source Region : Past, Current and Future Air Pollution Scenarios over Europe
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The main objectives of this thesis were to investigate the dependency of European air pollution on climate variability and emission source region. Calculations with a chemistry transport model (CTM) were conducted to investigate the influence of climate variability. The CTM was forced by both simulated past (a re-analysis spanning 1958-2001) and future (a climate simulation spanning 1961-2100) meteorology keeping anthropogenic emissions constant. To investigate the influence of emission source region emissions were varied in western, eastern and northern Europe in seven-year (1997-2003) simulations. The main conclusions in this thesis are § There is variability in air pollution due to climate variability on time scales from year to year to decades and long-term trends. Hence, what is measured now will not be valid in a decade, or even next year. § Interannual variability in air pollution due to climate variability is greater than interannual variability in anthropogenic emissions. § The extreme conditions in 2003, resulting in elevated surface O3 concentrations, could be an indication on what we can expect in the future. § The trend in surface O3 over the past due to climate change is similar to the projected trend due to future climate change: increasing in south-western and central Europe and decreasing in north-eastern Europe. § Changes in isoprene emissions and dry deposition dependency on soil moisture are of importance for changes in surface O3 in central and southern Europe. It is vital to include these processes, especially the latter in climate change effect studies of surface O3. § This work indicates that it is of greater importance for health benefits of the European population to reduce primary PM emissions than precursors of secondary inorganic aerosol under the assumption of higher relative risk for primary PM. This is especially the case in western Europe.
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| 3. |
- Andersson, Camilla, 1979-
(författare)
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Can a social safety net affect farmers crop portfolios? A study of the productive safety net programme in Ethiopia.
- 2010
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this paper, we examine whether a minimum level of ensured consumption from a social safety net has the potential of breaking the vicious circle of risk avoidance and low return in African agriculture. We study how the implementation of a social safety net programme in Ethiopia has affected the value, risk and composition of farmers’ crop portfolios. The effects of programme participation on the value and risk of the crop portfolio are examined in a Just-Pope production function, and the effects of programme participation on composition of the crop portfolio are tested in a set of acreage response models. The empirical analysis is based on unique household panel data that allow us to control for unobserved heterogeneity. No significant effect on the value and risk of the crop portfolio could be found. However, the programme seems to have brought about some changes in the land allocated to different crops. The greatest effect is towards increased cultivation of perennials, which are high-value, high-risk crops in this part of Ethiopia.
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| 4. |
- Andersson, Camilla, 1979-
(författare)
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Changing the risk at the margin : Smallholder farming and public policy in developing countries
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis consists of a summary and four self-contained papers. Paper [I] examines whether the implementation of a social safety net programme in Ethiopia has affected the value, risk and composition of farmers‟ crop portfolios. The empirical analysis suggests that the value and risk of the crop portfolio have not been altered due to the programme. However, the programme seems to have brought about some changes in the land allocated to different crops. Paper [II] studies how a social safety net affects farmers‟ (dis)investments in productive assets. More specifically, it studies how the Productive Safety Net Programme in Ethiopia has changed livestock and tree holdings. The results indicate no significant effect on livestock holdings, but a significant increase in tree holdings. Paper [III] investigates if there is a problem of adverse selection in formal microlending in rural Bangladesh. The results indicate that farmers who only borrow formally have a shadow price of capital that is substantially higher than the average informal interest rate. This suggests that farmers that only borrow formally are perceived as poor credit risks by informal lenders. Paper [IV] explores the economic incentives surrounding the cultivation of opium poppy in Afghanistan. Specifically, it examines the impact of eradication policies when opium is used as a means of obtaining credit, and when the crops are produced in sharecropping arrangements. The results indicate that both these features are likely to affect the outcome of eradication policies.
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| 5. |
- Andersson, Camilla, 1979-
(författare)
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Counterproductive counternarcotic strategies? A study of the effects of opium eradication in the presence of imperfect capital markets and sharecropping arrangements.
- 2010
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this paper, we model the economic incentives surrounding opium crop production at farm level in Afghanistan. Specifically, we examine the impact of eradication policies when opium is used as a means of obtaining credit, and when the crops are produced in sharecropping arrangements. The theoretical analysis suggests that when perfect credit markets are available, an increased risk of having the opium poppy eradicated will lead to less land being allocated to opium poppy. Thus, with perfect credit markets, the eradication policy is likely to have the intended effect of lowering opium crop production. However, when opium is sold on futures markets as a means of obtaining credit, the effects of opium eradication are no longer clear-cut: in some cases the outcome may actually increase the land allocated to opium poppy. Finally, the results indicate that when opium is produced in sharecropping arrangements, increased risk of opium eradication will unambiguously make the tenants worse off, while landlords may actually benefit.
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| 6. |
- Andersson, Camilla, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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European ozone in a future climate : The importance of changes in dry deposition and isoprene emissions
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 115, s. D02303-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- [1] Using a regional chemistry transport model (CTM) driven with meteorological data from a regional climate model (A2 emission scenario) we have investigated important processes for determining surface ozone concentration across Europe in a future climate. Anthropogenic ozone precursor emissions were kept constant (year 2000) to isolate the effect of climate change from 1961-1990 to 2021-2050 and 2071-2100. Biogenic isoprene emissions were calculated on-line. The results point to substantial increase in daily mean and daily maximum surface ozone over central and southern Europe. The importance of changes in natural isoprene emissions and dry deposition were investigated especially.[2] The isoprene emissions increased by a factor of about 1.8 from the current to the second future period. However, a sensitivity study using a sophisticated rescaling of isoprene emissions shows that the large increase in isoprene emission is of moderate importance in southern Europe for the strong increase in surface ozone (it can explain up to 30% of the change in central, southern and western Europe).[3] The soil-moisture dependent ozone dry deposition formulation and changes in snow cover, affecting the dry deposition, are more important processes: soil moisture dependence explains up to 80% of the change in Spain. Therefore it is vital to include soil moisture dependence in a model study of this type. Isoprene emissions are of less importance (0-30% in central and southern Europe), but not dismissible and should definitely be emitted on-line in climate-ozone projection studies.
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| 7. |
- Andersson, Camilla, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Formal microlending and adverse (or non-existent) selection a case study of shrimp farmers in Bangladesh
- 2011
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Ingår i: Applied Economics. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 0003-6846 .- 1466-4283. ; 43:28, s. 4203-4213
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Microcredit schemes have become a popular means of improving smallholders' access to credit and making long term investment possible. However, it remains to be explored whether the current microcredit schemes are more successful than earlier formal small scale lending in identifying successful borrowers. We studied shrimp farming in a rural region in Bangladesh where formal microlending is well established, but where more expensive informal microlending coexists with the formal schemes. Farmers - both those who exclusively use formal loans and those who also use informal loans - remain credit-constrained; both types overutilize labour in order to reduce the need for working capital. However, the credit constraint is actually milder for the informal borrowers: the implicit shadow price of working capital is substantially higher in the group that only takes formal loans than in the group that also uses informal loans. These results suggest that informal lenders - with their closer ties to the individual farmers - remain more successful in identifying those smallholder farmers that are most likely to use the borrowed funds successfully. Informal lenders have an information advantage that formal microlenders lack: the latter need to find routes to access this information in order for formal microcredit schemes to succeed.
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| 8. |
- Andersson, Camilla, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Impacts of the Productive Safety Net Program in Ethiopia on livestock and tree holdings of rural households
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Development Economics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0304-3878 .- 1872-6089. ; 94:1, s. 119-126
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We evaluated the impacts of the Ethiopian Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) on rural households' holdings of livestock and forest assets/trees. We found no indication that participation in PSNP induces households to disinvest in livestock or trees. In fact, households that participated in the program increased the number of trees planted, but there was no increase in their livestock holdings. We found no strong evidence that the PSNP protects livestock in times of shock. Shocks appear to lead households to disinvest in livestock, but not in trees. Our results suggest that there is increased forestry activity as a result of PSNP, and that improved credit access encourages households to increase their livestock holdings.
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| 9. |
- Andersson, Camilla, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Inter-annual variations of ozone and nitrogen dioxide over Europe during 1958-2003 simulated with a regional CTM
- 2007
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Ingår i: Water, Air and Soil Pollution. - Netherlands : Springer. - 0049-6979 .- 1573-2932 .- 1567-7230 .- 1573-2940. ; 7, s. 15-23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract Inter-annual variability of surface ozone(O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) over Europe hasbeen studied over the period 1958-2003 using athree-dimensional Chemistry-Transport Model coupledto meteorological data from the ERA40 data setproduced at the European Centre of Medium-rangeWeather Forecasts (ECMWF). Emissions and boundaryconditions were kept at present levels throughoutthe simulation period. It was found that the annualmean NO2 concentration varies between ±50% andthe summer mean O3 concentration varies between-10 and +20 percent (%) compared to the 46-yearaverage over the model domain. There is alsovariation in ozone and NO2 over longer time scales.The last 22 years display high concentrations ofozone in central and south-western Europe and lowconcentrations in north-eastern Europe. The first22 years display very high concentrations of NO2over the North Sea. There is indication of trends inozone and nitrogen dioxide but this has to beinvestigated further. Such information is one factorthat should be taken into account when consideringfuture control strategies.
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| 10. |
- Andersson, Camilla, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Interannual variation and trends in air pollution over Europe due to climate variability during 1958–2001 simulated with a regional CTM coupled to the ERA40 reanalysis
- 2007
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Ingår i: Tellus. Series B, Chemical and physical meteorology. - Stockholm : Tellus. - 0280-6509 .- 1600-0889. ; 59, s. 77-98
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A three-dimensional Chemistry Transport Model was used to study the meteorologically induced interannual variability and trends in deposition of sulphur and nitrogen as well as concentrations of surface ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM) and its constituents over Europe during 1958–2001. The model was coupled to the meteorological reanalysis ERA40, produced at the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts. Emissions and boundary conditions of chemical compounds and PM were kept constant at present levels. The average European interannual variation, due to meteorological variability, ranges from 3% for O3, 5%for NO2, 9% for PM, 6–9% for dry deposition, to about 20% for wet deposition of sulphur and nitrogen. For the period 1979–2001 the trend in ozone, due to climate variability is increasing in central and southwestern Europe and decreasing in northeastern Europe, the trend in NO2 is approximately opposite. The trend in PM is positive in eastern Europe. There are negative trends in wet deposition in southwestern and central Europe and positive trends in dry deposition overall. A bias in ERA40 precipitation could be partly responsible for the trends. The variation and trends need to be considered when interpreting measurements and designing measurement campaigns.
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