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| 2. |
- Ballesteros, S., et al.
(författare)
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The Role of a New ICT Home Environment in Healthy Ageing
- 2012
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The goal of this longitudinal study was to prevent and/or delay cognitive decline, and help maintain the independence and wellbeing of elders by using a web-based social network platform, enhanced with devices to detect users´ states and collect activity data. The idea is that an active lifestyle rich in social interactions, active engagement and mental training with videogames may mitigate age-related decline and reduce healthcare costs. The innovative applications and the videogame training approach developed in the study could have wide application for a large number of European older adults living alone. The effectiveness of the ICT solution is being assessed throughout the project with user and control groups in Spain, Sweden and Greece. User interviews, extensive psychological testing and on-going cognitive and fMRI experiments are being conducted.. The results have shown so far that the users improved in cognitive performance compared to controls on the MMSE. Well-being assessed with the SPF-IL Scale also showed an improvement in the Status dimension of the users. This dimension assesses the feeling of being independent, self-realization and achievement. Exploring new ways to maintain the cognitive and functional state of older users is today a critical issue, for individuals, for families, and for whole societies. The study has shown the positive potential of new interactive technologies to maintain mental health and independent living in the elderly. Computer technology and cognitive training can increase social integration and provide mental stimulation for older adults living alone.
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| 3. |
- Castro, Laia, et al.
(författare)
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Navigating High-Choice European Political Information Environments: A Comparative Analysis of News User Profiles and Political Knowledge
- 2022
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Ingår i: The International Journal of Press/Politics. - : SAGE Publications. - 1940-1612 .- 1940-1620. ; 27:4, s. 827-859
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The transition from low- to high-choice media environments has had far-reaching implications for citizens’ media use and its relationship with political knowledge. However, there is still a lack of comparative research on how citizens combine the usage of different media and how that is related to political knowledge. To fill this void, we use a unique cross-national survey about the online and offline media use habits of more than 28,000 individuals in 17 European countries. Our aim is to (i) pro- file different types of news consumers and (ii) understand how each user profile is linked to political knowledge acquisition. Our results show that five user profiles – news minimalists, social media news users, traditionalists, online news seekers, and hyper news consumers – can be identified, although the prevalence of these profiles varies across countries. Findings further show that both traditional and online-based news diets are correlated with higher political knowledge. However, online-based news use is more widespread in Southern Europe, where it is associated with lower levels of political knowledge than in Northern Europe. By focusing on news audiences, this study provides a comprehensive and fine-grained analysis of how contemporary European political information environments perform and contribute to an informed citizenry.
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| 4. |
- Erbas, Bircan, et al.
(författare)
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Critical age windows in the impact of lifetime smoking exposure on respiratory symptoms and disease among ever smokers
- 2018
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Ingår i: Environmental Research. - : ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE. - 0013-9351 .- 1096-0953. ; 164, s. 241-247
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Despite extensive knowledge of smoking effects on respiratory disease, there is no study including all age windows of exposure among ever smokers. The objective of this study was to assess the effects from smoking exposure in utero, early childhood, adolescence and adulthood on respiratory health outcomes in adult male and female ever smokers. Methods: Respiratory health outcomes were assessed in 10,610 participants of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) I who reported a history of ever smoking by questionnaire. The associations of maternal smoking in utero, maternal smoking during childhood, age of smoking debut and pack-years of smoking with respiratory symptoms, obstructive diseases and bronchial hyperreactivity were analysed using generalized linear regression, non-linearity between age of smoking debut and outcomes were assessed by Generalized additive mixed models. Results: Respiratory symptoms and asthma were more frequent in adults if their mother smoked during pregnancy, and, in men, also if mother smoked in childhood. Wheeze and >= 3 respiratory symptoms declined with later smoking debut among women [<= 10 years: OR = 3.51, 95% CI 1.26, 9.73; 11-12 years: 1.57[1.01-2.44]; 13-15 years: 1.11[0.94-1.32] and <= 10 years: 3.74[1.56-8.83]; 11-12 years: 1.76[1.19-2.56]; 13-15 years: 1.12[0.94-1.35], respectively]. Effects of increasing number of packyears were pronounced in women (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): OR/10 packyears women: 1.33 [1.18, 1.50], men: 1.14 [1.04, 1.26] P-interaction = 0.01). Conclusions: Among ever smokers, smoking exposure in each stage of the lifespan show persistent harmful effects for adult respiratory health, while women appeared to be more vulnerable to an early age of smoking debut and amount of smoking in adulthood.
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| 5. |
- Gils, Charlotte, et al.
(författare)
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NT-proBNP on Cobas h 232 in point-of-care testing: Performance in the primary health care versus in the hospital laboratory
- 2015
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Clinical & Laboratory Investigation. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1502-7686 .- 0036-5513. ; 75:7, s. 602-609
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. NT-proBNP may be useful for ruling out heart failure in primary health care. In this study we examined the analytical quality of NT-proBNP in primary health care on the Cobas h 232 point-of-care instrument compared with measurements performed in a hospital laboratory. Materials and methods. Blood samples requested for NT-proBNP were collected in primary health care (n = 95) and in a hospital laboratory (n = 107). NT-proBNP was measured on-site on Cobas h 232 instruments both in primary health care centres and at the hospital laboratory and all samples were also analyzed with a comparison method at the hospital. Precision, trueness, accuracy, and lot-variation were determined at different concentration levels and evaluated according to acceptance criteria. Furthermore user-friendliness was assessed by questionnaires. Results. For Cobas h 232 repeatability CV was 8.5-10.7% in the hospital setting and 5.3-10.0% in the primary health care and within the analytical quality specifications, but higher than with the comparison method (<4%). NT-proBNP results obtained in primary health care were significantly higher than by the hospital comparison method (bias ranged from 14.3-23.7%), whereas there was no significant bias when Cobas h 232 was used in the hospital setting (bias ranged from 4.9 to 7.0%). User-friendliness of Cobas h 232 was overall acceptable. Conclusion. Cobas h 232 point-of-care instrument for measurement of NT-proBNP performed satisfactorily with regard to precision, user-friendliness, and lot-variation. A decrease in NT-proBNP levels observed in samples transported to a central laboratory needs further attention and investigation.
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| 6. |
- Matthes, Jörg, et al.
(författare)
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Perceived prevalence of misinformation fuels worries about COVID-19: a cross-country, multi- method investigation
- 2023
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Ingår i: Information, Communication and Society. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1369-118X .- 1468-4462. ; 26:16, s. 3135-3158
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Data suggests that the majority of citizens in various countries came across ‘fake news’ during the COVID-19 pandemic. We test the relationship between perceived prevalence of misinformation and people’s worries about COVID-19. In Study 1, analyses of a survey across 17 countries indicate a positive association: perceptions of high prevalence of misinformation are correlated with high worries about COVID-19. However, the relationship is weaker in countries with higher levels of case-fatality ratios, and independent from the actual amount of misinformation per country. Study 2 replicates the relationship using experimental data. Furthermore, Study 2 demonstrates the underlying mechanism, that is, perceived prevalence of misinformation fosters the belief that COVID-19 is spiralling out of control, which in turn, increases worries. Our findings suggest that perceived prevalence of misinformation can have significant psychological effects, even though audience members reject the information as being false.
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| 7. |
- Rendtorff, Nanna D., et al.
(författare)
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Identification of p.A684V missense mutation in the WFS1 gene as a frequent cause of autosomal dominant optic atrophy and hearing impairment
- 2011
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Ingår i: American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part A. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1552-4825 .- 1552-4833. ; 155A:6, s. 1298-1313
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optic atrophy (OA) and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) are key abnormalities in several syndromes, including the recessively inherited Wolfram syndrome, caused by mutations in WFS1. In contrast, the association of autosomal dominant OA and SNHL without other phenotypic abnormalities is rare, and almost exclusively attributed to mutations in the Optic Atrophy-1 gene (OPA1), most commonly the p.R445H mutation. We present eight probands and their families from the US, Sweden, and UK with OA and SNHL, whom we analyzed for mutations in OPA1 and WFS1. Among these families, we found three heterozygous missense mutations in WFS1 segregating with OA and SNHL: p.A684V (six families), and two novel mutations, p.G780S and p.D797Y, all involving evolutionarily conserved amino acids and absent from 298 control chromosomes. Importantly, none of these families harbored the OPA1 p.R445H mutation. No mitochondrial DNA deletions were detected in muscle from one p.A684V patient analyzed. Finally, wolframin p.A684V mutant ectopically expressed in HEK cells showed reduced protein levels compared to wild-type wolframin, strongly indicating that the mutation is disease-causing. Our data support OA and SNHL as a phenotype caused by dominant mutations in WFS1 in these additional eight families. Importantly, our data provide the first evidence that a single, recurrent mutation in WFS1, p.A684V, may be a common cause of ADOA and SNHL, similar to the role played by the p.R445H mutation in OPA1. Our findings suggest that patients who are heterozygous for WFS1 missense mutations should be carefully clinically examined for OA and other manifestations of Wolfram syndrome.
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| 8. |
- Zilinsky, Jan, et al.
(författare)
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Justifying an Invasion: When Is Disinformation Successful?
- 2024
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Ingår i: Political Communication. - 1058-4609 .- 1091-7675.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Conventional wisdom suggests that social media, especially when used by authoritarian powers with nefarious aims, leaves citizens of democratic countries vulnerable to psychological influence campaigns. But such concerns overlook predispositions among recipients of false claims to reject (or to endorse) conspiratorial narratives. Analyzing responses from a survey fielded in 19 countries, we find that it is a preexisting conspiracy outlook at the individual level, more so than media diets, which consistently predicts rating Russia’s pretenses for the invasion as more accurate. In all countries, individuals who view the world in general with a conspiratorial mindset are more likely to believe war-related disinformation. Receiving news via YouTube, Facebook, or TikTok is also associated with greater belief in Russian narratives justifying the invasion in several countries, but these relationships are weaker compared to those observed for conspiracy thinking. Without downplaying a potential positive role for media interventions, the findings highlight the importance of a deeper understanding of the underlying causes of conspiratorial thinking.
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| 9. |
- Zoizner, Alon, et al.
(författare)
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The Effects of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Selective Exposure: Evidence from 17 Countries
- 2022
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Ingår i: Political Communication. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1058-4609 .- 1091-7675. ; 39:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A widely believed claim is that citizens tend to selectively expose themselves to like-minded information. However, when individuals find the information useful, they are more likely to consume cross- cutting sources. While crises such as terror attacks and pandemics can enhance the utility of cross-cutting information, empirical evidence on the role of real-world external threats in selective exposure is scarce. This paper examines the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study to test the extent to which citizens were exposed to information from cross- cutting sources on traditional and social media after the outbreak. Utilizing a two-wave panel survey among 14,218 participants across 17 countries – conducted before and after the initial outbreak – we show that citizens concerned about COVID-19 were more exposed to cross-cutting information on traditional and social media. The positive relationship with cross-cutting exposure to traditional news was stron- ger in countries where governments adopted less stringent policy responses, and in countries with greater pandemic severity and weaker democratic institutions. Our comparative approach thus sheds light on the social and political contexts in which cross-cutting exposure can occur.
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