| 1. |
- Alvariza, A., et al.
(författare)
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Increasing preparedness for caregiving and death in family caregivers of patients with severe illness who are cared for at home - study protocol for a web-based intervention
- 2020
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Ingår i: BMC Palliative Care. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1472-684X. ; 19:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Family caregivers of patients with severe illness and in need for a palliative care approach, face numerous challenges and report having insufficient preparedness for the caregiver role as well as a need for information and psychosocial support. Preparing to care for a severely ill family members also means becoming aware of death. Feelings of being prepared are associated with positive aspects and regarded protective against negative health consequences. Methods The study adheres to the SPIRIT-guidelines (Supplementary 1), uses a pre-post design and include a web-based intervention. Inclusion criteria are; being a family caregiver of a patient with severe illness and in need of a palliative care approach. The intervention which aims to increase preparedness for caregiving and death is grounded in theory, research and clinical experience. The topics cover: medical issues, symptoms and symptom relief; communication within the couple, how to spend the time before death, being a caregiver, planning for the moment of death and; considerations of the future. The intervention is presented through videos and informative texts. The website also holds an online peer-support discussion forum. Study aims are to: evaluate feasibility in terms of framework, content, usage and partners' experiences; explore how the use of the website, influences family caregivers' preparedness for caregiving and death; explore how the use of the website influences family caregivers' knowledge about medical issues, their communication with the patient and their considerations of the future; and to investigate how the family caregivers' preparedness for caregiving and death influences their physical and psychological health and quality of life 1 year after the patient's death. Data will be collected through qualitative interviews and a study-specific questionnaire at four time-points. Discussion This project will provide information about whether support via a website has the potential to increase preparedness for caregiving and death and thereby decrease negative health consequences for family caregivers of patients affected by severe illness. It will provide new knowledge about intervention development, delivery, and evaluation in a palliative care context. Identification of factors before death and their association with family caregivers' preparedness and long-term health may change future clinical work.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Bivall Persson, Petter, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Improved Feature Detection over Large Force Ranges Using History Dependent Transfer Functions
- 2009
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Ingår i: Third Joint Eurohaptics Conference and Symposium on Haptic Interfaces for Virtual Environments and Teleoperator Systems, WorldHaptics 2009. - : IEEE. - 9781424438587 ; , s. 476-481
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper we present a history dependent transfer function (HDTF) as a possible approach to enable improved haptic feature detection in high dynamic range (HDR) volume data. The HDTF is a multi-dimensional transfer function that uses the recent force history as a selection criterion to switch between transfer functions, thereby adapting to the explored force range. The HDTF has been evaluated using artificial test data and in a realistic application example, with the HDTF applied to haptic protein-ligand docking. Biochemistry experts performed docking tests, and expressed that the HDTF delivers the expected feedback across a large force magnitude range, conveying both weak attractive and strong repulsive protein-ligand interaction forces. Feature detection tests have been performed with positive results, indicating that the HDTF improves the ability of feature detection in HDR volume data as compared to a static transfer function covering the same range.
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| 4. |
- Bohlin, Gustav, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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A conceptual characterization of online videos explaining natural selection
- 2017
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Ingår i: Science & Education. - : Springer Netherlands. - 0926-7220 .- 1573-1901. ; 26:7-9, s. 975-999
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Educational videos on the Internet comprise a vast and highly diverse source of information. Online search engines facilitate access to numerous videos claiming to explain natural selection, but little is known about the degree to which the video content match key evolutionary content identified as important in evolution education research. In this study, we therefore analyzed the content of 60 videos accessed through the Internet, using a criteria catalog with 38 operationalized variables derived from research literature. The variables were sorted into four categories: (a) key concepts (e.g. limited resources and inherited variation), (b) threshold concepts (abstract concepts with a transforming and integrative function), (c) misconceptions (e.g. that evolution is driven by need), and (d) organismal context (e.g. animal or plant). The results indicate that some concepts are frequently communicated, and certain taxa are commonly used to illustrate concepts, while others are seldom included. In addition, evolutionary phenomena at small temporal and spatial scales, such as subcellular processes, are rarely covered. Rather, the focus is on population-level events over time scales spanning years or longer. This is consistent with an observed lack of explanations regarding how randomly occurring mutations provide the basis for variation (and thus natural selection). The findings imply, among other things, that some components of natural selection warrant far more attention in biology teaching and science education research.
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| 5. |
- Bohlin, Gustav, 1981-
(författare)
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Evolving germs – Antibiotic resistance and natural selection in education and public communication
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Bacterial resistance to antibiotics threatens modern healthcare on a global scale. Several actors in society, including the general public, must become more involved if this development is to be countered. The conveyance of relevant information provided through education and media reports is therefore of high concern. Antibiotic resistance evolves through the mechanisms of natural selection; in this way, a sound understanding of these mechanisms underlies explanations of causes and the development of effective risk-reduction measures. In addition to natural selection functioning as an explanatory framework to antibiotic resistance, bacterial resistance as a context seems to possess a number of qualities that make it suitable for teaching natural selection – a subject that has been proven notoriously hard to teach and learn. A recently suggested approach for learning natural selection involves so-called threshold concepts, which encompass abstract and integrative ideas. The threshold concepts associated with natural selection include, among others, the notions of randomness as well as vast spatial and temporal scales. Illustrating complex relationships between concepts on different levels of organization is one, of several, areas where visualizations are efficient. Given the often-imperceptible nature of threshold concepts as well as the fact that natural selection processes occur on different organizational levels, visual accounts of natural selection have many potential benefits for learning.Against this background, the present dissertation explores information conveyed to the public regarding antibiotic resistance and natural selection, as well as investigates how these topics are presented together, by scrutinizing media including news reports, websites, educational textbooks and online videos. The principal method employed in the media studies was content analysis, which was complemented with various other analytical procedures. Moreover, a classroom study was performed, in which novice pupils worked with a series of animations explaining the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Data from individual written assignments, group questions and video-recorded discussions were collected and analyzed to empirically explore the potential of antibiotic resistance as a context for learning about evolution through natural selection.Among the findings are that certain information, that is crucial for the public to know, about antibiotic resistance was conveyed to a low extent through wide-reaching news reporting. Moreover, explanations based on natural selection were rarely included in accounts of antibiotic resistance in any of the examined media. Thus, it is highly likely that a large proportion of the population is never exposed to explanations for resistance development during education or through newspapers. Furthermore, the few examples that were encountered in newspapers or textbooks were hardly ever visualized, but presented only in textual form. With regard to videos purporting to explain natural selection, it was found that a majority lacked accounts of central key concepts. Additionally, explanations of how variation originates on the DNA-level were especially scarce. These and other findings coming from the content analyses are discussed through the lens of scientific literacy and could be used to inform and strengthen teaching and scientific curricula with regards to both antibiotic resistance and evolution. Furthermore, several factors of interest for using antibiotic resistance in the teaching of evolution were identified from the classroom study. These involve, among others, how learners’ perception of threshold concepts such as randomness and levels of organization in space and time are affected by the bacterial context
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| 6. |
- Bohlin, Gustav, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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Evolving germs – Introducing novice pupils to the evolution of bacterial resistance to antibiotics
- 2017
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- There is a dual relationship between antibiotic resistance and biological evolution. Antibiotic resistance is typically used as a motivation for why we need an efficient evolution education given that evolutionary reasoning improves our understanding of causes and suggested countermeasures. On the other hand, antibiotic resistance has also been suggested as a useful context in which evolution can be taught, based primarily but not solely on the quick generation times of bacteria. In the present study, we explore the potential benefits with using antibiotic resistance as an example when introducing evolution to novice pupils (aged 13-14). We created a series of animations that pupils interacted with in groups of 3-5 (total n=32). Data was collected on both individual (pre-posttest) and group (collaborative group questions) level. In addition, the exercise was video-taped and the full transcripts were analyzed inductively. The results show that a majority of the pupils succeeded in applying basic evolutionary reasoning to make predictions on antibiotic resistance during and after the exercise, suggesting that this may be a successful approach. Cautions to be aware of include pupils’ use of teleological and antropomorphic reasoning, especially in discussions on submicroscopical phenomena such as genetic processes. Implications for teaching include both lessons from the design of animations as well as the identification of common misunderstandings. The analysis also identifies and points toward several possible future research endeavours.
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| 7. |
- Bohlin, Gustav, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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Insights from introducing natural selection to novices using animations of antibiotic resistance
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Biological Education. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0021-9266 .- 2157-6009. ; 52:3, s. 314-330
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Antibiotic resistance is typically used to justify education about evolution, as evolutionary reasoning improves our understanding of causes of resistance and possible countermeasures. It has also been promoted as a useful context for teaching natural selection, because its potency as a selection factor, in combination with the very short generation times of bacteria, allows observation of rapid selection. It is also amenable to animations, which have potential for promoting conceptual inferences. Thus, we have explored the potential benefits of introducing antibiotic resistance as a first example of natural selection, in animations, to novice pupils (aged 13–14 years). We created a series of animations that pupils interacted with in groups of 3–5 (total n = 32). Data were collected at individual (pre-/post- test) and group (collaborative group questions) levels. In addition, the exercise was video-recorded and the full transcripts were analysed inductively. The results show that most of the pupils successfully applied basic evolutionary reasoning to predict antibiotic resistance development in tasks during and after the exercise, suggesting that this may be an effective approach. Pedagogical contributions include the identification of certain characteristics of the bacterial context for evolution teaching, including common misunderstandings, and factors to consider when designing animations.
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| 8. |
- Brandhorst, Heide, 1962-, et al.
(författare)
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A new oxygen carrier for improved long-term storage of human pancreata before islet isolation
- 2010
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Ingår i: Transplantation. - 0041-1337 .- 1534-6080. ; 89:2, s. 155-60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Pancreas oxygenation during cold storage has been established in islet isolation and transplantation to prevent ischemic tissue damage using perfluorodecalin (PFD) as hyperoxygen carrier. However, studies in humans and pigs provided conflicting results about the efficiency of PFD for pancreas oxygenation. The aim of this study was to compare PFD with a newly developed oxygen carrier composed of perfluorohexyloctane and polydimethylsiloxane 5 (F6H8S5) for long-term storage of human pancreata.METHODS: After 24-hr storage in preoxygenated PFD or F6H8S5, pancreata were processed using Liberase HI for pancreas dissociation and a Ficoll gradient for islet purification. Islet quality assessment was performed measuring glucose-stimulated insulin release, viability, islet ATP content, and posttransplant function in diabetic nude mice.RESULTS: Compared with PFD, F6H8S5 significantly increased the intrapancreatic partial oxygen pressure and islet ATP content. This corresponded to an increase of islet yield, recovery after culture, glucose stimulation index, viability, and improved graft function in diabetic nude mice.CONCLUSIONS: The present findings indicate clearly that F6H8S5 improves isolation outcome after prolonged ischemia compared with PFD. This observation seems to be related to the significant lipophilicity and almost pancreas-specific density of F6H8S5. Moreover, these characteristics facilitate pancreas shipment without using custom-made transport vessels as required for PFD.
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| 9. |
- Brandhorst, Heide, et al.
(författare)
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Large-Scale Comparison of Liberase HI and Collagenase NB1 Utilized for Human Islet Isolation
- 2010
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Ingår i: Cell Transplantation. - 0963-6897 .- 1555-3892. ; 19:1, s. 3-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For more than a decade Liberase HI was commonly used as the standard enzyme blend for clinical human islet isolation until enforced replacement by collagenase NB1 (NB1). This change resulted initially in a reduction in islet isolation outcome and transplant activities worldwide. This retrospective study was initiated to compare the efficiency of NB1 premium grade with Liberase in 197 human islet isolations. All pancreata were processed between January 2006 and June 2008 utilizing the same procedures for isolation and quality assessment except the administration of preselected lots of either Liberase (n = 101) or NB1 (n = 96). Utilizing Liberase significantly more digested tissue and purified islet yield was produced compared to NB1. In contrast, the use of NB1 was associated with significantly higher purity and glucose stimulation index during dynamic perifusion. The expression of proinflammatory markers was almost identical except tissue factor expression that was higher after utilization of Liberase. No difference was found in the percentage of pancreata fulfilling the criteria for clinical islet transplantation. The results suggest that Liberase is more efficient for pancreas dissociation than collagenase NB1 but seems to be more harmful to exocrine cells and islet tissue.
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