| 1. |
- Butler, Simon, et al.
(författare)
-
An Exploration of Openness in Hardware and Software Through Implementation of a RISC-V Based Desktop Computer
- 2022
-
Ingår i: OpenSym '22. - New York, NY, USA : Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). - 9781450398459 - 9781450398466
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Open hardware and open source software platforms bring benefits to both implementers and users in the form of system adaptability and maintainability, and through the avoidance of lock-in, for example. Development of the \riscv\ Instruction Set Architecture and processors during the last ten years has made the implementation of a desktop computer using open hardware, including open processors, and open source software an approaching possibility. We use the SiFive Unmatched development board and Ubuntu Linux, and the recorded experiences of system builders using the Unmatched board to explore the extent to which it is possible to create an open desktop computer. The work identifies current limitations to implementing an open computer system, which lie mainly at the interface between the operating system and hardware components. Potential solutions to the challenges uncovered are proposed, including greater consideration of openness during the early stages of product design. A further contribution is made by an account of the synergies arising from open collaboration in a private-collective innovation process.
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| 2. |
- Gamalielsson, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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On engagement with ICT standards and their implementations in open source software projects : the case of WebRTC
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Proceedings 26th EURAS Annual Standardisation Conference. - Aachen : Verlag Mainz. - 9783958864467 ; , s. 143-162
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Real-time communication (RTC) technologies for the web provide opportunities for individuals and organisations to work and collaborate remotely, and the need for such technologies has recently increased. Use of RTC technologies and tools for the web involves a number of challenges concerning data privacy and lock-in effects, such as dependency to specific suppliers and proprietary technologies. Use of open standards for RTC and open source software (OSS) implementing such standards can create conditions for avoiding issues related to data privacy and lock-in, and thereby provides opportunities for long-term sustainable solutions. The paper characterises how engagement with standardisation of WebRTC in the context of IETF and W3C is related to engagement with the WebRTC OSS project.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Lundell, Björn, et al.
(författare)
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Enabling OSS usage through procurement projects : How can lock-in effects be avoided?
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Open Source Systems. - Cham : Springer. - 9783030752507 - 9783030752538 - 9783030752514 ; , s. 16-27
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Formulation of mandatory requirements in procurement projects has significant influence on opportunities for development and deployment of Open Source Software (OSS). The paper contributes insights on a widespread practice amongst public procurement projects which causes problematic lock-in effects and thereby inhibits opportunities for use of OSS solutions. Through a systematic investigation of 30 randomly selected procurement projects in the software domain the paper highlights illustrative examples of mandatory requirements which cause lock-in and presents five recommendations for how requirements instead should be formulated in order to avoid causing lock-in. Findings show significant lock-in caused by current procurement practices with a stark preference for proprietary software and SaaS solutions amongst procuring organisations.
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| 5. |
- Lundell, Björn, et al.
(författare)
-
Half a step behind – bulk disclosure of confidential data in third-party GenAI solutions under the Swedish Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Digital Government: Research and Practice. - : ACM Digital Library. - 2691-199X .- 2639-0175.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Technological progress poses unique challenges for the public sector. New technology should be adopted, but it must always be done within the framework of good administration. It follows laws governing public administration must be continuously adapted. Sweden recently amended its secrecy legislation to facilitate the use of third-party cloud solutions by public authorities. When the amendment was enacted, most public sector organisations had already been using external cloud solutions for a long time. Today, there is as much pressure on authorities to implement AI technology as there ever was to move administration into the cloud. This paper uses traditional legal methodology to investigate if the Swedish secrecy legislation adequately enables the use of cloud-based GenAI solutions. Findings indicate that the recent amendment is likely insufficient and that there are significant practical hurdles for the application of the law, particularly with services from global cloud providers. The paper contributes to the understanding of Swedish law, and of the difficulties that can occur anywhere when policy makers and legislators do not move in tandem.
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| 6. |
- Robles, Gregorio, et al.
(författare)
-
On the Industrial Leadership and Involvement in the LwM2M IoT Ecosystem
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Proceedings 2024 ACM/IEEE 6th International Workshop on Software Engineering Research & Practices for the Internet of Things SERP4IoT 2024. - : Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). - 9798400705786 ; , s. 44-51
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The importance of standards, and especially ICT standards, in the IoT domain is widely recognised. Implementations of standard specifications provided as Open Source Software (OSS) promote interoperability and longevity of systems and create conditions for avoiding lock-in, and industrial involvement is important since it can affect community dynamics and will to contribute. The overarching goal of this study is to characterize the industrial leadership and involvement in the LwM2M (Lightweight machine to machine) ecosystem. Specifically, the main focus of the study is on involvement with OSS projects implementing LwM2M elements by individuals who cooperate in projects that implement or use the LwM2M standard in their projects. This can be done by analyzing the commits to the git repository, the bugs issued and commented in the bug-tracking system and the pull requests performed in the project. Techniques will be applied to merge authors using different identities (i.e., different e-mail addresses). By means of identifying the affiliation of those individuals we plan to analyze the involvement of companies in those projects, and thus how they are present in an IoT standard, in this case LwM2M.
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| 7. |
- Alalam, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
-
A High-Throughput Method for Screening for Genes Controlling Bacterial Conjugation of Antibiotic Resistance.
- 2020
-
Ingår i: mSystems. - 2379-5077. ; 5:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The rapid horizontal transmission of antibiotic resistance genes on conjugative plasmids between bacterial host cells is a major cause of the accelerating antibiotic resistance crisis. There are currently no experimental platforms for fast and cost-efficient screening of genetic effects on antibiotic resistance transmission by conjugation, which prevents understanding and targeting conjugation. We introduce a novel experimental framework to screen for conjugation-based horizontal transmission of antibiotic resistance between >60,000 pairs of cell populations in parallel. Plasmid-carrying donor strains are constructed in high-throughput. We then mix the resistance plasmid-carrying donors with recipients in a design where only transconjugants can reproduce, measure growth in dense intervals, and extract transmission times as the growth lag. As proof-of-principle, we exhaustively explore chromosomal genes controlling F-plasmid donation within Escherichia coli populations, by screening the Keio deletion collection in high replication. We recover all seven known chromosomal gene mutants affecting conjugation as donors and identify many novel mutants, all of which diminish antibiotic resistance transmission. We validate nine of the novel genes' effects in liquid mating assays and complement one of the novel genes' effect on conjugation (rseA). The new framework holds great potential for exhaustive disclosing of candidate targets for helper drugs that delay resistance development in patients and societies and improve the longevity of current and future antibiotics. Further, the platform can easily be adapted to explore interspecies conjugation, plasmid-borne factors, and experimental evolution and be used for rapid construction of strains.IMPORTANCE The rapid transmission of antibiotic resistance genes on conjugative plasmids between bacterial host cells is a major cause of the accelerating antibiotic resistance crisis. There are currently no experimental platforms for fast and cost-efficient screening of genetic effects on antibiotic resistance transmission by conjugation, which prevents understanding and targeting conjugation. We introduce a novel experimental framework to screen for conjugation-based horizontal transmission of antibiotic resistance between >60,000 pairs of cell populations in parallel. As proof-of-principle, we exhaustively explore chromosomal genes controlling F-plasmid donation within E. coli populations. We recover all previously known and many novel chromosomal gene mutants that affect conjugation efficiency. The new framework holds great potential for rapid screening of compounds that decrease transmission. Further, the platform can easily be adapted to explore interspecies conjugation, plasmid-borne factors, and experimental evolution and be used for rapid construction of strains.
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| 8. |
- Butler, Simon, et al.
(författare)
-
An Investigation of Work Practices Used by Companies Making Contributions to Established OSS Projects
- 2018
-
Ingår i: ICSE-SEIP '18 Proceedings of the 40th International Conference on Software Engineering: Software Engineering in Practice. - New York : Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). - 9781450356596 ; , s. 201-210
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Professionals contribute to open source software (OSS) projects aspart of their employment. Previous research has addressed motivationsof individuals and the ways they engage with OSS projects.However, there is a lack of research which examines and explainswork practices used by companies in their engagement with projects.Work practices used by companies to contribute to five establishedOSS projects are investigated through examination of the actions ofemployees in public communication channels and draw on our experienceswhen analysing engagement with the same projects. Wefind that companies utilise work practices for contributing whichare congruent with the circumstances and their capabilities thatsupport their short and long term needs. We find that companiescontribute to OSS projects in different ways, such as employing coreproject developers, making donations, and joining project steeringcommittees in order to advance strategic interests.
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| 9. |
- Butler, Simon, et al.
(författare)
-
Considerations and challenges for the adoption of open source components in software-intensive businesses
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Journal of Systems and Software. - : Elsevier. - 0164-1212 .- 1873-1228. ; 186
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Component-Based Software Development is a conventional way of working for software-intensive businesses and OpenSource Software (OSS) components are frequently considered by businesses for adoption and inclusion in softwareproducts. Previous research has found a variety of practices used to support the adoption of OSS components, in-cluding formally specified processes and less formal, developer-led approaches, and that the practices used continue todevelop. Evolutionary pressures identified include the proliferation of available OSS components and increases in thepace of software development as businesses move towards continuous integration and delivery. We investigate workpractices used in six software-intensive businesses in the primary and secondary software sectors to understand currentapproaches to OSS component adoption and the challenges businesses face establishing effective work practices to eval-uate OSS components. We find businesses have established processes for evaluating OSS components and communitiesthat support more complex and nuanced considerations of the cost and risks of component adoption alongside matterssuch as licence compliance and functional requirements. We also found that the increasing pace and volume of softwaredevelopment within some businesses provides pressure to continue to evolve software evaluation processes.
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| 10. |
- Butler, Simon, et al.
(författare)
-
Maintaining interoperability in open source software : A case study of the Apache PDFBox project
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Journal of Systems and Software. - : Elsevier. - 0164-1212 .- 1873-1228. ; 159
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Software interoperability is commonly achieved through the implementation of standards for communication protocols or data representation formats. Standards documents are often complex, difficult to interpret, and may contain errors and inconsistencies, which can lead to differing interpretations and implementations that inhibit interoperability. Through a case study of two years of activity in the Apache PDFBox project we examine day-to-day decisions made concerning implementation of the PDF specifications and standards in a community open source software (OSS) project. Thematic analysis is used to identify semantic themes describing the context of observed decisions concerning interoperability. Fundamental decision types are identified including emulation of the behaviour of dominant implementations and the extent to which to implement the PDF standards. Many factors influencing the decisions are related to the sustainability of the project itself, while other influences result from decisions made by external actors, including the developers of dependencies of PDFBox. This article contributes a fine grained perspective of decision-making about software interoperability by contributors to a community OSS project. The study identifies how decisions made support the continuing technical relevance of the software, and factors that motivate and constrain project activity.
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| 11. |
- Butler, Simon, et al.
(författare)
-
On business adoption and use of reproducible builds for open and closed source software
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Software quality journal. - : Springer Nature Switzerland AG. - 0963-9314 .- 1573-1367. ; 31:3, s. 687-719
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reproducible builds (R-Bs) are software engineering practices that reliably create bit-for-bit identical binary executable files from specified source code. R-Bs are applied in someopen source software (OSS) projects and distributions to allow verification that the distrib-uted binary has been built from the released source code. The use of R-Bs has been advo-cated in software maintenance and R-Bs are applied in the development of some OSS secu-rity applications. Nonetheless, industry application of R-Bs appears limited, and we seekto understand whether awareness is low or if significant technical and business reasonsprevent wider adoption. Through interviews with software practitioners and business man-agers, this study explores the utility of applying R-Bs in businesses in the primary and sec-ondary software sectors and the business and technical reasons supporting their adoption.We find businesses use R-Bs in the safety-critical and security domains, and R-Bs are valu-able for traceability and support collaborative software development. We also found thatR-Bs are valued as engineering processes and are seen as a badge of software quality, butwithout a tangible value proposition. There are good engineering reasons to use R-Bs inindustrial software development, and the principle of establishing correspondence betweensource code and binary offers opportunities for the development of further applications.
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| 12. |
- Butler, Simon, et al.
(författare)
-
On Company Contributions to Community Open Source Software Projects
- 2021
-
Ingår i: IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 0098-5589 .- 1939-3520. ; 47:7, s. 1381-1401
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The majority of contributions to community open source software (OSS) projects are made by practitioners acting on behalf of companies and other organisations. Previous research has addressed the motivations of both individuals and companies to engage with OSS projects. However, limited research has been undertaken that examines and explains the practical mechanisms or work practices used by companies and their developers to pursue their commercial and technical objectives when engaging with OSS projects. This research investigates the variety of work practices used in public communication channels by company contributors to engage with and contribute to eight community OSS projects. Through interviews with contributors to the eight projects we draw on their experiences and insights to explore the motivations to use particular methods of contribution. We find that companies utilise work practices for contributing to community projects which are congruent with the circumstances and their capabilities that support their short- and long-term needs. We also find that companies contribute to community OSS projects in ways that may not always be apparent from public sources, such as employing core project developers, making donations, and joining project steering committees in order to advance strategic interests. The factors influencing contributor work practices can be complex and are often dynamic arising from considerations such as company and project structure, as well as technical concerns and commercial strategies. The business context in which software created by the OSS project is deployed is also found to influence contributor work practices.
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| 13. |
- Gamalielsson, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
-
On availability of Open Source Software reference implementations for standards issued by different standards setting organisations
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Joint Proceedings EURAS & SIIT 2023. - Aachen : Verlag Mainz. - 9783958864917 - 3958864910 ; , s. 97-116
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Software reference implementations of ICT standards have an important role for verifying that a standard is implementable, supporting interoperability testing among other implementations, and providing feedback to the standard development process. Providing reference implementations and widely used implementations of a standard as Open Source Software also promotes wide deployment in software systems, avoidance of different lock-in effects, interoperability, and longevity of systems and associated digital assets. In this paper results are reported on the availability of reference implementations and widely deployed implementations provided as Open Source Software for standards issued by different standards setting organisations. Specifically, findings draw from observations and analyses related to software implementations for identified standards issued by ETSI, IEC, IEEE, IETF, ISO, ITU-T, OASIS, and W3C.
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| 14. |
- Gamalielsson, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
-
Open Source Software reference implementations for standards issued by different standards setting organisations : availability, perceptions and practices
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Journal of Standardisation. - : TU Delft Open. - 2772-9249. ; 3:2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Software reference implementations of ICT standards have an important role for verifying that a standard is implementable, supporting interoperability testing among other implementations, and providing feedback to the standard development process. Providing reference implementations and widely used implementations of a standard as Open Source Software promotes wide deployment in software systems, interoperability, longevity of systems and associated digital assets, and avoidance of different lock-in effects. In this paper results are reported on the availability of, and perceptions and practices concerning, reference implementations and widely deployed implementations provided as Open Source Software for standards issued by different standards setting organisations. Specifically, findings draw from observations and analyses related to software implementations for identified standards and policy statements, issued by ETSI, IEC, IEEE, IETF, ISO, ITU-T, OASIS, and W3C.
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| 15. |
- Gamalielsson, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
-
Towards open government through open source software for web analytics : The case of Matomo
- 2021
-
Ingår i: eJournal of eDemocracy & Open Government. - Krems : Department for E-Governance and Administration, Danube University Krems. - 2075-9517. ; 13:2, s. 133-153
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Web analytics technologies provide opportunities for organisations to obtain information about users visiting their websites in order to understand and optimise web usage. Use of such technologies often leads to issues related to data privacy and potential lock-in to specific suppliers and proprietary technologies. Use of open source software (OSS) for web analytics can create conditions for avoiding issues related to data privacy and lock-in, and thereby provides opportunities for a long-term sustainable solution for organisations both in the public and private sectors. This paper characterises use of and engagement with OSS projects for web analytics. Specifically, we contribute a characterisation of use of OSS licensed web analytics technologies in Swedish government authorities, and a characterisation of organisational engagement with the Matomo OSS project for web analytics.
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| 16. |
- Hammar, Linus, 1979, et al.
(författare)
-
Cumulative impact assessment for ecosystem-based marine spatial planning
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 734
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Claims for ocean space are growing while marine ecosystems suffer from centuries of insufficient care. Human pressures from runoff, atmospheric emissions, marine pollution, fishing, shipping, military operations and other activities wear on habitats and populations. Ecosystem-based marine spatial planning (MSP) has emerged worldwide as a strategic instrument for handling conflicting spatial claims among competing sectors and the environment. The twofold objective of both boosting the blue economy and protecting the environment is challenging in practice and marine planners need decision support. Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) was originally developed to provide an overview of the human imprint on the world's ocean ecosystems. We have now added a scenario component to the CIA model and used it within Swedish ecosystem-based MSP. This has allowed us to project environmental impacts for different planning alternatives throughout the planning process, strengthening the integration of environmental considerations into strategic decision-making. Every MSP decision may entail a local shift of environmental impact, causing positive or negative consequences for ecosystem components. The results from Swedish MSP in the North Sea and Baltic Sea illustrate that MSP certainly has the potential to lower net cumulative environmental impact, both locally and across sea basins, as long as environmental values are rated high and prevailing pressures derive from activities that are part of MSP. By synthesizing innumerous data into comprehensible decision support that informs marine planners of the likely environmental consequences of different options, CIA enables ecosystem-based MSP in practice.
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| 17. |
- Lundell, Björn, et al.
(författare)
-
Addressing Lock-in, Interoperability, and Long-Term Maintenance Challenges Through Open Source : How Can Companies Strategically Use Open Source?
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Open Source Systems. - Cham : Springer. - 9783319577340 - 9783319577357 ; , s. 80-88
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This industry paper reports on how strategic use of open source in company contexts can provide effective support for addressing the fundamental challenges of lock-in, interoperability, and longevity of software and associated digital assets. The fundamental challenges and an overview of an ongoing collaborative research project are presented. Through a conceptual model for open source usage in company contexts we characterise how companies engage with open source and elaborate on how the fundamental challenges can be effectively addressed through open source usage in company contexts.
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| 18. |
- Lundell, Björn, et al.
(författare)
-
Effective Strategies for Using Open Source Software and Open Standards in Organizational Contexts : Experiences From the Primary and Secondary Software Sectors
- 2022
-
Ingår i: IEEE Software. - : IEEE. - 0740-7459 .- 1937-4194. ; 39:1, s. 84-92
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Open source software (OSS) and open standards have become increasingly important for addressing challenges related to lock-in, interoperability and long-term maintenance of systems and associated digital assets. OSS projects operate under different conditions and many projects and organisations consider successful governance and strategic involvement with projects to constitute major challenges. Today, many companies seek to establish work practices which facilitate strategic engagement with OSS projects. Based on findings from collaborative research which draws from rich insights and extensive experiences from practice, the paper presents seven actionable strategies for organisations that seek to leverage long-term involvement with OSS projects.
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| 19. |
- Nordblom, Jonathan, et al.
(författare)
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FGF1 containing biodegradable device with peripheral nerve grafts induces corticospinal tract regeneration and motor evoked potentials after spinal cord resection
- 2012
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Ingår i: Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience. - 0922-6028 .- 1878-3627. ; 30:2, s. 91-102
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Repairing the spinal cord with peripheral nerve grafts (PNG) and adjuvant acidic fibroblast growth factor (FGF1) has previously resulted in partial functional recovery. To aid microsurgical placement of PNGs, a graft holder device was previously developed by our group. In hope for a translational development we now investigate a new biodegradable graft holder device containing PNGs with or without FGF1.Methods: Rats were subjected to a T11 spinal cord resection with subsequent repair using twelve white-to-grey matter oriented PNGs prepositioned in a biodegradable device with or without slow release of FGF1. Animals were evaluated with BBB-score, electrophysiology and immunohistochemistry including anterograde BDA tracing.Results: Motor evoked potentials (MEP) in the lower limb reappeared at 20 weeks after grafting. MEP responses were further improved in the group treated with adjuvant FGF1. Reappearance of MEPs was paralleled by NF-positive fibers and anterogradely traced corticospinal fibers distal to the injury. BBB-scores improved in repaired animals.Conclusions: The results continue to support that the combination of PNGs and FGF1 may be a regeneration strategy to reinnervate the caudal spinal cord. The new device induced robust MEPs augmented by FGF1, and may be considered for translational research.
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| 20. |
- Ryden, Mikael, et al.
(författare)
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Transplanted Bone Marrow-Derived Cells Contribute to Human Adipogenesis
- 2015
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Ingår i: Cell Metabolism. - : Elsevier BV. - 1550-4131 .- 1932-7420. ; 22:3, s. 408-417
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Because human white adipocytes display a high turnover throughout adulthood, a continuous supply of precursor cells is required to maintain adipogenesis. Bone marrow (BM)-derived progenitor cells may contribute to mammalian adipogenesis; however, results in animal models are conflicting. Here we demonstrate in 65 subjects who underwent allogeneic BM or peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation that, over the entire lifespan, BM/PBSC-derived progenitor cells contribute similar to 10% to the subcutaneous adipocyte population. While this is independent of gender, age, and different transplantation-related parameters, body fat mass exerts a strong influence, with up to 2.5-fold increased donor cell contribution in obese individuals. Exome and whole-genome sequencing of single adipocytes suggests that BM/PBSC-derived progenitors contribute to adipose tissue via both differentiation and cell fusion. Thus, at least in the setting of transplantation, BM serves as a reservoir for adipocyte progenitors, particularly in obese subjects.
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
- Westin, Jonas, 1980-
(författare)
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Efficiency and acceptability of pricing policies and transport investments in distorted economies
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis contains five papers studying the economic efficiency and political acceptability of road pricing policies and transport investments in distorted economies. Interactions between the transport market and other distorted markets, such as the labor market, can have a large impact on the welfare effect of a road pricing policy or a transport investment. Many road pricing studies therefore try to incorporate effects from other distorted markets in the analysis. Paper I analyzes how the economic efficiency of a road toll in a distorted economy depends on assumptions about the initial tax system. In the road pricing literature, the welfare effect of a road toll is often found to depend on revenue use. Using a simple general equilibrium model paper I shows that the relative efficiency of marginal revenue recycling policies depends more on assumptions regarding inefficiencies in the initial tax system than on the road toll per se. Paper II studies the effect on welfare, equity and labor supply from a road toll in a commuting population with heterogeneous value of time and endogenous labor supply. When explicitly taking into account that commuters have different value of time, the road toll can increase total labor supply even when the revenues are not recycled back to the commuters. The analysis stresses the importance of recognizing traveler heterogeneity when analyzing congestion pricing. Road pricing policies are often characterized by conflicting interests between different stakeholders and different geographical areas. Papers III and IV study the economic efficiency and political acceptability of pricing and investment policies in different institutional and geographical settings. The main contribution of the papers is to explain how political constraints can lead to inefficient tolling strategies. The papers contribute to the existing literature on political acceptability of road pricing by analyzing the conflict and potential trade-off between political acceptability and economic efficiency. A difficulty when assessing the welfare effect of a future transport policy is also that many factors and parameters needed for the analysis are uncertain. Paper V studies the climate benefit of an investment in high speed rail by calculating the magnitude of annual traffic emission reduction required to compensate for the annualized embedded emissions from the construction of the line. The paper finds that to be able to balance the annualized emissions from the construction, traffic volumes of more than 10 million annual one-way trips are usually required, and most of the traffic diverted from other transport modes must come from aviation.
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| 23. |
- Abugabbara, Marwan, et al.
(författare)
-
How to develop fifth-generation district heating and cooling in Sweden? : Application review and best practices proposed by middle agents
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Energy Reports. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 2352-4847. ; 9, s. 4971-4983
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sweden has an ambitious plan to fully decarbonise district heating by 2030 and to contribute with negative emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050. The vagaries of the energy market associated with climate, political, and social changes entail cross-sectoral integration that can fulfill these national targets. Fifth-generation district heating and cooling (5GDHC) is a relatively new concept of district energy systems that features a simultaneous supply of heating and cooling using power-to-heat technologies. This paper presents best practices for developing 5GDHC systems in Sweden to reach a consensus view on these systems among all stakeholders. A mixed-method combining best practice and roadmapping workshops has been used to disseminate mixed knowledge and experience from middle agents representing industry professionals and practitioners. Four successful implementations of 5GDHC systems are demonstrated and the important learned lessons are shared. The best practices are outlined for system planning, system modeling and simulation, prevailing business models for energy communities, and system monitoring. A roadmap from the middle agents’ point of view is composed and can be utilised to establish industry standards and common regulatory frameworks. © 2023 The Author(s)
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| 24. |
- Afram, Gabriel, et al.
(författare)
-
Higher response rates in patients with severe chronic skin graft-versus-host disease treated with extracorporeal photopheresis
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Central European Journal of Immunology. - : TERMEDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE LTD. - 1426-3912 .- 1644-4124. ; 44:1, s. 84-91
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Different forms of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The prognosis for steroid-refractory chronic GVHD (cGVHD) remains poor. Our aim was to evaluate extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) treatment in cGVHD patients with different organ involvement to detect subgroups of patients with the best response.Material and methods: Thirty-four patients who underwent HSCT and developed moderate (n = 7) or severe (n = 27) steroid-refractory or steroid-dependent cGVHD treated with ECP were included in the analysis. A matched cGVHD control patient group untreated with ECP was collected for comparison.Results: Compared to the control group and the stable/progressive disease (SD/PD) patients, individuals with complete/partial remission have higher overall survival and lower transplant-related mortality. Furthermore, patients with complete and partial remission (CR/PR) had significantly higher levels of albumin and platelets after ECP treatment compared to patients with stable or progressive cGVHD (SD/PD). Corticosteroid treatment and other immunosuppressive agents could successfully be tapered in the CR/PR group compared to the SD/PD patients. In this study patients with skin cGVHD are those with the highest rate of CR/PR after ECP treatment.Conclusions: Our results suggest that ECP treatment is safe and effective for patients with predominantly skin, oral and liver cGVHD.
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| 25. |
- Agrell, Per J., et al.
(författare)
-
Impacts on efficiency of merging the Swedish district courts
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Annals of Operations Research. - : Springer. - 0254-5330 .- 1572-9338. ; 288:2, s. 653-679
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Judicial courts form a stringent example of public services using partially sticky inputs and outputs with heterogeneous quality. Notwithstanding, governments internationally are striving to improve the efficiency of and diminish the budget spent on court systems. Frontier methods such as data envelopment analysis are sometimes used in investigations of structural changes in the form of mergers. This essay reviews the methods used to evaluate the ex post efficiency of horizontal mergers. Identification of impacts is difficult. Therefore, three analytical frameworks are applied: (1) a technical efficiency comparison over time, (2) a metafrontier approach among mergers and non-mergers, and (3) a conditional difference-in-differences approach where non-merged twins of the actual mergers are identified by matching. In addition, both time heterogeneity and sources of efficiency change are examined ex post. The method is applied to evaluate the impact on efficiency of merging the Swedish district courts from 95 to 48 between 2000 and 2009. Whereas the stated ambition for the mergers was to improve efficiency, no structured ex post analysis has been done. Swedish courts are shown to improve efficiency from merging. In addition to the particular application, this work may inform a more general discussion on public service efficiency measurement under structural changes, and their limits and potential.
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| 26. |
- Alalam, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
-
Conjugation factors controlling F-plasmid antibiotic resistance transmission
- 2018
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Ingår i: BioRxiv. - : Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The rapid horizontal transmission of many antibiotic resistance genes between bacterial host cells on conjugative plasmids is a major cause of the accelerating antibiotic resistance crisis. Preventing understanding and targeting conjugation, there currently are no experimental platforms for fast and cost-efficient screening of genetic effects on antibiotic resistance transmission by conjugation. We introduce a novel experimental framework to screen for conjugation based horizontal transmission of antibiotic resistance between >60,000 pairs of cell populations in parallel. Plasmid-carrying donor strains are constructed in high throughput. We then mix the resistance plasmid carrying donors with recipients in a design where only transconjugants can reproduce, measure growth in dense intervals and extract transmission times as the growth lag. As proof-of-principle, we exhaustively explored chromosomal genes controlling F plasmid donation within E. coli populations, by screening the Keio deletion collection at high replication. We recover all six known chromosomal gene mutants affecting conjugation and identify >50 novel factors, all of which diminish antibiotic resistance transmission. We verify 10 of the novel genes' effects in a liquid mating assay. The new framework holds great potential for exhaustive disclosing of candidate targets for helper drugs that delay resistance development in patients and societies and improves the longevity of current and future antibiotics.
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| 27. |
- Algers, Staffan, et al.
(författare)
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Is it time to use activity-based urban transport models? A discussion of planning needs and modelling possibilities
- 2005
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Ingår i: The annals of regional science. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0570-1864 .- 1432-0592. ; 39:4, s. 767-789
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For some decades now, transport researchers have put considerable efforts into developing what is called activity-based approaches for modelling urban travel demand. The basic idea is that travel demand is derived from people's desires to take part in different activities. In particular, the interrelationships among different activities with respect to temporal and spatial constraints are in focus. It means that such models treat the activities and the travelling of the households with respect to where and when the activities can be carried out and how they may be scheduled, given characteristics of the households and potential opportunities, the transport networks and various institutional constraints. We discuss what demands we see on future travel demand models, with a focus on urban analysis. This discussion is somewhat biased towards what role activity-based models could play in meeting these demands. We then review in some detail three prominent and distinctly different representatives of operational activity-based models to give an indication of what new modelling possibilities they offer. Theoretical appeal, empirical validity, usefulness for planning, need for data and easiness of implementation are discussed. In the final section we draw some conclusions about the prospects of these models and of their descendants.
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| 28. |
- Alvehus, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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Adipose tissue IL-8 is increased in normal weight women after menopause and reduced after gastric bypass surgery in obese women
- 2012
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Ingår i: Clinical Endocrinology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0300-0664 .- 1365-2265. ; 77:5, s. 684-690
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: The menopausal transition is characterized by increased body fat accumulation, including redistribution from peripheral to central fat depots. This distribution is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease which are linked to low-grade inflammation. We determined whether postmenopausal women have higher levels of inflammatory markers, compared to premenopausal women. We also wanted to determine if these markers are reduced by stable weight loss in obese women. Design and methods: Anthropometric data, blood samples, and subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsies were collected from normal weight premenopausal and postmenopausal women and obese women before and 2 years after gastric bypass surgery. Serum protein levels and adipose tissue gene expression of inflammatory markers were investigated. Results: IL-8 expression in adipose tissue and circulating levels were higher in postmenopausal versus premenopausal women. IL-8 expression was associated with waist circumference, independent of menopausal status. IL-6 expression and serum levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 were higher in postmenopausal versus premenopausal women. Two years after gastric bypass surgery, adipose expression of IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α, and MCP-1 decreased significantly. Serum insulin levels were associated with inflammation-related gene expression before gastric bypass surgery, but these associations disappeared after surgery. Conclusion: Postmenopausal women have an increased inflammatory response in the subcutaneous fat and circulation. Inflammatory markers in adipose tissue decreased significantly after surgery-induced weight loss. This effect may be beneficial for metabolic control and reduced cardiovascular risk after weight loss. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
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| 29. |
- Andersson, Therése, 1978-
(författare)
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Estrogen and Glucocorticoid Metabolism
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among women in Sweden. The risk of CVD increases rapidly after the menopause. A major contributing factor may be the redistribution of adipose tissue, from the peripheral to central depots, associated with menopause. This change in body composition is commonly attributed to declining estrogen levels but may also be affected by tissue-specific alterations in exposure to other steroid hormones, notably glucocorticoids – mainly cortisol in humans. Indeed, adipose tissue-specific overexpression of the glucocorticoid-activating enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11βHSD1) induces central obesity, insulin resistance and hypertension in mice. Interestingly, estrogen may regulate this enzyme. The aim of this thesis was to investigate putative links between estrogen and glucocorticoid activation by 11βHSD1. Materials and Methods: 11βHSD1 expression and/or activity in adipose tissue and liver, and adipose estrogen receptor α and β (ERα and ERβ) gene expression, were investigated in lean pre- and postmenopausal women and ovariectomized rodents with and without estrogen supplementation. In lean women measures of 11βHSD1 were correlated to risk markers for CVD. The association between adipose 11βHSD1 and ER mRNA expression was investigated in both lean women and rats and in an additional cohort of obese premenopausal women. In vitro experiments with adipocyte cell lines were used to explore possible pathways for estrogen regulation of 11βHSD1. Results: Subcutaneous adipose tissue transcript levels and hepatic activity of 11βHSD1 were higher in postmenopausal vs. premenopausal women. In rodents, estrogen treatment to ovariectomized rats decreased visceral adipose tissue 11βHSD1, resulting in a shift towards higher subcutaneous (vs. visceral) 11βHSD1 mRNA expression/activity. Increased adipose and hepatic 11βHSD1 were associated with increased blood pressure and a disadvantageous blood lipid profile in humans. We found significant positive associations between 11βHSD1 and ERβ transcript levels in adipose tissue. The in vitro experiments showed upregulation of 11βHSD1 mRNA expression and activity with estrogen or ERβ-agonist treatment at low (corresponding to physiological) concentrations. Conclusions: Our studies show for the first time increased local tissue glucocorticoid activation with menopause/age in women. This may contribute to an increased risk of CVD. Estrogen treatment in rodents induces a shift in 11βHSD1 activity towards the subcutaneous adipose tissue depots, which may direct fat accumulation to this metabolically “safer” depot. The in vitro studies suggest that low-dose estrogen treatment upregulates 11βHSD1 via ERβ. In summary, estrogen - glucocorticoid metabolism interactions may be key in the development of menopause-related metabolic dysfunction and in part mediate the beneficial effects of postmenopausal estrogen treatment on body fat distribution.
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| 30. |
- Andersson, Therése, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Tissue-specific increases in 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 in normal weight postmenopausal women
- 2009
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Ingår i: PloS one. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 4:12, s. e8475-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With age and menopause there is a shift in adipose distribution from gluteo-femoral to abdominal depots in women. Associated with this redistribution of fat are increased risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Glucocorticoids influence body composition, and 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11betaHSD1) which converts inert cortisone to active cortisol is a putative key mediator of metabolic complications in obesity. Increased 11betaHSD1 in adipose tissue may contribute to postmenopausal central obesity. We hypothesized that tissue-specific 11betaHSD1 gene expression and activity are up-regulated in the older, postmenopausal women compared to young, premenopausal women. Twenty-three pre- and 23 postmenopausal, healthy, normal weight women were recruited. The participants underwent a urine collection, a subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsy and the hepatic 11betaHSD1 activity was estimated by the serum cortisol response after an oral dose of cortisone. Urinary (5alpha-tetrahydrocortisol+5beta-tetrahydrocortisol)/tetrahydrocortisone ratios were higher in postmenopausal women versus premenopausal women in luteal phase (P<0.05), indicating an increased whole-body 11betaHSD1 activity. Postmenopausal women had higher 11betaHSD1 gene expression in subcutaneous fat (P<0.05). Hepatic first pass conversion of oral cortisone to cortisol was also increased in postmenopausal women versus premenopausal women in follicular phase of the menstrual cycle (P<0.01, at 30 min post cortisone ingestion), suggesting higher hepatic 11betaHSD1 activity. In conclusion, our results indicate that postmenopausal normal weight women have increased 11betaHSD1 activity in adipose tissue and liver. This may contribute to metabolic dysfunctions with menopause and ageing in women.
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
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| 33. |
- Arruda, Lucas C. M., et al.
(författare)
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A novel CD34-specific T-cell engager efficiently depletes acute myeloid leukemia and leukemic stem cells in vitro and in vivo
- 2022
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Ingår i: Haematologica. - : Ferrata Storti Foundation (Haematologica). - 0390-6078 .- 1592-8721. ; 107:8, s. 1786-1795
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Less than a third of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are cured by chemotherapy and/or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, highlighting the need to develop more efficient drugs. The low efficacy of standard treatments is associated with inadequate depletion of CD34(+) blasts and leukemic stem cells, the latter a drug-resistant subpopulation of leukemia cells characterized by the CD34(+)CD38(-) phenotype. To target these drug-resistant primitive leukemic cells better, we have designed a CD34/CD3 bi-specific T-cell engager (BTE) and characterized its anti-leukemia potential in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo. Our results show that this CD34-specific BTE induces CD34-dependent T-cell activation and subsequent leukemia cell killing in a dose-dependent manner, further corroborated by enhanced T-cell-mediated killing at the singlecell level. Additionally, the BTE triggered efficient T-cell-mediated depletion of CD34(+) hematopoietic stem cells from peripheral blood stem cell grafts and CD34(+) blasts from AML patients. Using a humanized AML xenograft model, we confirmed that the CD34-specific BTE had in vivo efficacy by depleting CD34(+) blasts and leukemic stem cells without side effects. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the CD34-specific BTE has robust antitumor effects, supporting development of a novel treatment modality with the aim of improving outcomes of patients with AML and myelodysplastic syndromes.
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| 34. |
- Belgrano, Valerio, et al.
(författare)
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BRAF status as a predictive factor for response in isolated limb perfusion.
- 2019
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Ingår i: International journal of hyperthermia : the official journal of European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology, North American Hyperthermia Group. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1464-5157. ; 36:1, s. 511-15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Isolated limb perfusion (ILP) is a treatment option for unresectable in-transit melanoma metastases of the extremities. Approximately two-thirds of the patients have a complete response, and known predictive factors mainly regard tumor burden. In an attempt to identify subgroups with higher response rates, we retrospectively analyzed the predictive value of the BRAF V600E/K mutation for response at our institution.Between January 2012 and December 2017, 98 consecutive patients underwent first-time ILP with melphalan for melanoma in-transit metastases and were included in the study. Data was retrieved from our prospectively kept database. Tumor burden was assessed preoperatively as number of lesions and largest tumor diameter. BRAF status was determined according to clinical routine. Response rates were classified according to WHO criteria.Of the 98 patients included in the analysis, 32 patients had a BRAF V600E/K mutation (33%) and 66 patients were BRAF wild type (wt). There was no difference in age, sex or tumor burden between the groups. Comparing response between BRAF V600E/K mutation and BRAF wt, the overall response rate was 69% vs. 77% (p=.36) and the complete response rate was 47% vs. 52% (p=.67). There was no difference in survival, with a median survival of 47 months.In this consecutive series of patients, BRAF V600E/K mutation was not found to be a significant factor for response or survival following ILP.
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| 35. |
- Belgrano, Valerio, et al.
(författare)
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Response and Toxicity of Repeated Isolated Limb Perfusion (re-ILP) for Patients With In-Transit Metastases of Malignant Melanoma.
- 2019
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Ingår i: Annals of surgical oncology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1534-4681 .- 1068-9265. ; 26:4, s. 1055-1062
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Isolated limb perfusion (ILP) is a safe and well-established treatment for in-transit metastases of melanoma. In case of relapse or disease progression, ILP can be repeated (re-ILP). This study aimed retrospectively to analyze a large consecutive series of re-ILP and compare clinical outcomes with first-time ILP.Between 2001 and 2015, 290 consecutive patients underwent 380 ILPs. Of these, 90 were re-ILPs including 68second ILPs, 16 third ILPs, 4 fourth ILPs, and two fifth ILPs. The study evaluated response (using World Health Organization [WHO] criteria), local toxicity (using the Wieberdink scale), and complications (using Clavien-Dindo).The results were compared between the first ILP, the second ILP, and the third to fifth ILP. The overall response rate was respectively 83%, 80% and 68%, with a complete response (CR) rate of 60%, 41%, and 59%. In the re-ILP group, the patients with a CR after the first ILP had a 65% CR rate after the second ILP compared with 8% for the patients without a CR (p=0.001). The risk for local toxicity or complications was not increased after re-ILP. The median overall survival periods were respectively 34, 41, and 93months (p=0.02).As a therapeutic option, ILP can be repeated safely for in-transit metastases of melanoma, achieving similar high response rates without increasing complications or toxicity. Re-ILP is mainly indicated for patients who already had a CR after the first ILP, whereas other treatment options should be considered for primary non-responders.
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| 36. |
- Berg, Ulrika, et al.
(författare)
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Lack of sex differences in the IGF-IGFBP response to ultra endurance exercise.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. - : Wiley. - 0905-7188 .- 1600-0838. ; 18:6, s. 706-714
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-IGF binding proteins (BP) and the pituitary-gonadal axes were investigated during ultra endurance exercise in 16 endurance-trained athletes (seven women). Median duration of the race was 6.3 days. Although food and drink were ad libitum, energy balance was negative. Blood samples were drawn before (PRE), at the end of (END) and 24 h after (POST24h) the race. Serum concentrations of total IGF-I (t-IGF-I) and free IGF-I (f-IGF-I) decreased by 33 (SD 38)% and 54 (19)%, respectively. The decrease in t-IGF-I appeared to be associated to the total energy deficit during the race. At END, the IGFBP-3 fragmentation and IGFBP-1 were increased but these changes did not predict changes in f-IGF-I. An increase in POST24h IGFBP-2 levels in women was the only sex difference. Testosterone was decreased by 67 (12)% in the men and estradiol became undetectable in the women without any detectable increase in LH and/or FSH. In conclusion ultra endurance exercise results in similar IGF-IGFBP responses in men and women reflecting a catabolic state. IGFBP-2 was the only exception, with increased levels in women after exercise. A concomitant decrease in gonadal hormones was not related to endocrine changes in the IGF-IGFBP axis but may be related to local changes in IGF-I expression.
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| 37. |
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| 38. |
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| 39. |
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| 40. |
- Bergkvist, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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General health, symptom occurrence, and self-efficacy in adult survivors after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation : a cross-sectional comparison between hospital care and home care
- 2015
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Ingår i: Supportive Care in Cancer. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0941-4355 .- 1433-7339. ; 23:5, s. 1273-83
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE: Earlier studies have shown that home care during the neutropenic phase after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is medically safe, with positive outcomes. However, there have been few results on long-term outcomes after home care. The aims of this study were to compare general health, symptom occurrence, and self-efficacy in adult survivors who received either home care or hospital care during the early neutropenic phase after allo-HSCT and to investigate whether demographic or medical variables were associated with general health or symptom occurrence in this patient population.METHODS: In a cross-sectional survey, 117 patients (hospital care: n = 78; home care: n = 39) rated their general health (SF-36), symptom occurrence (SFID-SCT, HADS), and self-efficacy (GSE) at a median of 5 (1-11) years post-HSCT.RESULTS: No differences were found regarding general health, symptom occurrence, or self-efficacy between groups. The majority of patients in both hospital care (77 %) and home care (78 %) rated their general health as "good" with a median of 14 (0-36) current symptoms. Symptoms of fatigue and sexual problems were among the most common. Poor general health was associated with acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), low self-efficacy, and cord blood stem cells. A high symptom occurrence was associated with female gender, acute GVHD, and low self-efficacy.CONCLUSIONS: No long-term differences in general health and symptom occurrence were observed between home care and hospital care. Thus, home care is an alternative treatment method for patients who for various reasons prefer this treatment option. We therefore encourage other centers to offer home care to patients.
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| 41. |
- Bergkvist, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Hospital care or home care after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation : patients' experiences of care and support
- 2013
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Ingår i: European Journal of Oncology Nursing. - : Elsevier BV. - 1462-3889 .- 1532-2122. ; 48, s. S468-S468
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE:Treatment at home during the pancytopenic phase after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been an option for patients at our center since 1998. Earlier studies have shown that home care is safe and has medical advantages. In this study, we present patients' experiences of care and support while being treated in hospital or at home during the acute post-transplantation phase.METHOD:Patients (n = 41, 22 in hospital care and 19 in home care) answered the SAUC questionnaire at discharge (when home, or from hospital). Both statistical analysis and deductive content analysis were used.RESULTS:The patients were highly satisfied with the care and support during the acute post-transplantation phase. Patients in home care were found to be more satisfied with care in general than patients in hospital care. The importance of safety, empathy, and encouragement from healthcare staff were expressed regardless of where care was given. Patients also felt that receipt of continuous, updated information during treatment was important and they had a strong belief in HSCT but were uncertain of the future regarding recovery.CONCLUSIONS:The main findings of this study were that in comparison to hospital care, home care does not appear to have a significant negative effect on patients' experiences of care and support during the acute post-transplantation phase. In addition patients in home care felt safe, seen as a person and encouragement seem to empower the patients at home. Thus, this study may encourage other transplantation centers to provide home care if the patients want it.
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| 42. |
- Bergkvist, Karin
(författare)
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Life situation in patients and their family members after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation : aspects of health and support in different care settings
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is mainly an intensive treatment option for hematology malignancies. During the past decades, improved care and treatment have been systematically developed. One example is the possibility for patients to choose to be at home rather than in the hospital during the early neutropenic phase after HSCT. Recent studies have shown positive medical advantages with home care. The overall aim of this thesis was to describe patients and family members’ life situation after HSCT, as well their experiences from two different care setting: the patient’s home or the hospital. Data from patient-reported experiences were used in studies I and II and patient reported- outcomes in study III. In study IV data from family members experiences were used. Data from 173 (study I n=41; study II n= 15; study III n= 117) patients and 14 family members (study IV) were included in the thesis.In study I patients in both the hospital care group and the home care group expressed high satisfaction with the care and support during the acute post- transplantation phase.In study II four categories were identified from the interviews with patients To be in a safe place, To have a supportive network, My way of taking control, and My uncertain way back to normal.In study III, a cross-sectional survey was conducted and the majority of patients in both hospital care (77%) and home care (78%) rated their general health as ‘good’. A median of 14 symptoms were reported by patients in both hospital (0- 36) and home care (1-29). There were no significant differences regarding general health, symptom occurrence or self-efficacy between patients in hospital and those in home care.In study IV interviews with family members generated a main category, Being me and being us in an uncertain time was identified and five generic categories To receive the information I need, To meet a caring organization, To be in different care settings, To be a family member, and To have a caring relationship.In summary, numerous factors (the care routines, information, the competence and support from the health care team) related to the care were shown to influence the feeling of being safe regardless of care setting. Both patients and family members express the uncertainty associated with the HSCT. Different strategies (to have faith, being positive, hope and live in the present) were used to balancing the uncertainty. The majority of patients in both hospital care and home care rated their general health as ‘good’. A high symptom occurrence was reported in both groups in median five years post HSCT.
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| 43. |
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| 44. |
- Berglund, Sofia, et al.
(författare)
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Granulocyte transfusions could benefit patients with severe oral mucositis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
- 2019
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Ingår i: Vox Sanguinis. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0042-9007 .- 1423-0410. ; 114:7, s. 769-777
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and objectives Mucositis is a common complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and is caused by a combination of conditioning-induced mucosal damage and severe neutropenia. The symptoms include oral and abdominal pain, inability to swallow food and fluids, and severe diarrhoea. Severe mucositis is associated with increased risk of Graft-versus-Host disease and infection. Granulocyte transfusions (GCX) could be a treatment option, and our objective was to study its feasibility and potential benefits. Material and methods This retrospective, single-centre study included 30 patients receiving GCX because of severe oral mucositis after HSCT during 2005-2017. Clinical outcome, response to GCX, change in opiate administration and adverse events were studied. Results Twenty-seven patients received GCX from donors pre-treated with steroids and G-CSF, and three from donors pre-treated with steroids only. Overall response was 83% (24/29 evaluable patients). Fifteen patients reached a complete response. In 14 of 24 responders, a reduction of the administration of opiate pain relief was seen. In eight patients this reduction was >= 50% of the dose. Adverse events (AEs) were reported in 14 cases, and were mild to moderate, and well manageable with symptomatic treatment. No life-threatening or fatal AEs were recorded. Conclusions These results indicate that GCX could be a safe and effective treatment for oral mucositis after HSCT with the potential to reduce the necessity of opiate analgesic treatment in this disorder. No severe AEs were seen in this study, but the risk for severe pulmonary AEs after GCX needs to be considered.
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| 45. |
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| 46. |
- Berlin, Gösta, 1944-, et al.
(författare)
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Granulocyttransfusion bör övervägas vid neutropeni och allvarlig infektion [Granulocyte transfusion – when and how should it be used?]
- 2018
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Ingår i: Läkartidningen. - Stockholm, Sweden : Läkartidningen Förlag. - 0023-7205 .- 1652-7518. ; 115
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- There are no randomized controlled trials proving the clinical benefit of granulocyte transfusions. However, clinical experience and a number of case studies suggest that granulocyte transfusions may be life-saving in certain situations. In our opinion granulocyte transfusions should be considered for patients with profound neutropenia and severe, life-threatening infection not responding to antibiotic or antifungal therapy. Since the clinical effect seems to be dose-dependent, the granulocyte concentrate should contain a large number of cells, which usually means that the donor should be mobilized with steroids and G-CSF. Regular blood donors as well as relatives to the patient can be used for granulocyte donations with apheresis technique after information of the process. Granulocyte transfusion should be given daily as long as the indication remains. The clinical efficacy of the transfusions should be evaluated daily.
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| 47. |
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| 48. |
- Bernhardsson, Christian, et al.
(författare)
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Assessment of effective dose to an individual carrying materials useful for radiation dosimetry by optically stimulated luminescence
- 2015
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Ingår i: Medical Physics in the Baltic States : Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Medical Physics - Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Medical Physics. - 1822-5721. ; , s. 48-51
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) from ordinary household salt has proven high potential for very low dose retrospective dosimetry. In the present paper other common place materials are considered and their dosimetric OSL-properties compared with household salt. The potential for assessment of the effective dose to an individual carrying such materials is investigated.
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| 49. |
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| 50. |
- Borgenvik, Marcus, et al.
(författare)
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Alterations in amino acid concentrations in the plasma and muscle in human subjects during 24 h of simulated adventure racing
- 2012
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Ingår i: European Journal of Applied Physiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1439-6319 .- 1439-6327. ; 112, s. 3679-3688
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This investigation was designed to evaluate changes in plasma and muscle levels of free amino acids during an ultra-endurance exercise and following recovery. Nine male ultra-endurance trained athletes participated in a 24-h standardized endurance trial with controlled energy intake. The participants performed 12 sessions of running, kayaking and cycling (4 x each discipline). Blood samples were collected before, during and after exercise, as well as after 28 h of recovery. Muscle biopsies were taken 1 week before the test and after exercise, as well as after 28 h of recovery. During the 24-h exercise, plasma levels of branched-chain (BCAA), essential amino acids (EAA) and glutamine fell 13%, 14% and 19% (P<0.05) respectively, whereas their concentrations in muscle were unaltered. Simultaneously, tyrosine and phenylalanine levels rose 38% and 50% (P<0.05) in the plasma and 66% and 46% (P<0.05) in muscle, respectively. After the 24-h exercise, plasma levels of BCAA were positively correlated with muscle levels of glycogen (r2=0.73, P<0.05), as was the combined concentrations of muscle tyrosine and phenylalanine with plasma creatine kinase (r2=0.55, P<0.05). Following 28-h of recovery, plasma and muscle levels of amino acids had either returned to their initial levels or were elevated. In conclusion, ultra-endurance exercise caused significant changes elevations in plasma and muscle levels of tyrosine and phenylalanine, which suggest an increase in net muscle protein breakdown during exercise. There was a reduction in plasma concentrations of EAA and glutamine during exercise, whereas no changes were detected in their muscle concentration after exercise.
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