| 1. |
- Hibar, D. P., et al.
(författare)
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Cortical abnormalities in bipolar disorder: An MRI analysis of 6503 individuals from the ENIGMA Bipolar Disorder Working Group
- 2018
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Ingår i: Molecular Psychiatry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1359-4184 .- 1476-5578. ; 23:4, s. 932-942
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite decades of research, the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD) is still not well understood. Structural brain differences have been associated with BD, but results from neuroimaging studies have been inconsistent. To address this, we performed the largest study to date of cortical gray matter thickness and surface area measures from brain magnetic resonance imaging scans of 6503 individuals including 1837 unrelated adults with BD and 2582 unrelated healthy controls for group differences while also examining the effects of commonly prescribed medications, age of illness onset, history of psychosis, mood state, age and sex differences on cortical regions. In BD, cortical gray matter was thinner in frontal, temporal and parietal regions of both brain hemispheres. BD had the strongest effects on left pars opercularis (Cohen's d='0.293; P=1.71 × 10 '21), left fusiform gyrus (d='0.288; P=8.25 × 10 '21) and left rostral middle frontal cortex (d='0.276; P=2.99 × 10 '19). Longer duration of illness (after accounting for age at the time of scanning) was associated with reduced cortical thickness in frontal, medial parietal and occipital regions. We found that several commonly prescribed medications, including lithium, antiepileptic and antipsychotic treatment showed significant associations with cortical thickness and surface area, even after accounting for patients who received multiple medications. We found evidence of reduced cortical surface area associated with a history of psychosis but no associations with mood state at the time of scanning. Our analysis revealed previously undetected associations and provides an extensive analysis of potential confounding variables in neuroimaging studies of BD. © 2018 Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Hibar, D. P., et al.
(författare)
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Subcortical volumetric abnormalities in bipolar disorder
- 2016
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Ingår i: Molecular Psychiatry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1359-4184 .- 1476-5578. ; 21:12, s. 1710-1716
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Considerable uncertainty exists about the defining brain changes associated with bipolar disorder (BD). Understanding and quantifying the sources of uncertainty can help generate novel clinical hypotheses about etiology and assist in the development of biomarkers for indexing disease progression and prognosis. Here we were interested in quantifying case-control differences in intracranial volume (ICV) and each of eight subcortical brain measures: nucleus accumbens, amygdala, caudate, hippocampus, globus pallidus, putamen, thalamus, lateral ventricles. In a large study of 1710 BD patients and 2594 healthy controls, we found consistent volumetric reductions in BD patients for mean hippocampus (Cohen's d=-0.232; P=3.50 × 10 -7) and thalamus (d=-0.148; P=4.27 × 10 -3) and enlarged lateral ventricles (d=-0.260; P=3.93 × 10 -5) in patients. No significant effect of age at illness onset was detected. Stratifying patients based on clinical subtype (BD type I or type II) revealed that BDI patients had significantly larger lateral ventricles and smaller hippocampus and amygdala than controls. However, when comparing BDI and BDII patients directly, we did not detect any significant differences in brain volume. This likely represents similar etiology between BD subtype classifications. Exploratory analyses revealed significantly larger thalamic volumes in patients taking lithium compared with patients not taking lithium. We detected no significant differences between BDII patients and controls in the largest such comparison to date. Findings in this study should be interpreted with caution and with careful consideration of the limitations inherent to meta-analyzed neuroimaging comparisons. © 2016 Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Boy, M., et al.
(författare)
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Interactions between the atmosphere, cryosphere, and ecosystems at northern high latitudes
- 2019
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Ingår i: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 19:3, s. 2015-2061
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Nordic Centre of Excellence CRAICC (Cryosphere-Atmosphere Interactions in a Changing Arctic Climate), funded by NordForsk in the years 2011-2016, is the largest joint Nordic research and innovation initiative to date, aiming to strengthen research and innovation regarding climate change issues in the Nordic region. CRAICC gathered more than 100 scientists from all Nordic countries in a virtual centre with the objectives of identifying and quantifying the major processes controlling Arctic warming and related feedback mechanisms, outlining strategies to mitigate Arctic warming, and developing Nordic Earth system modelling with a focus on short-lived climate forcers (SLCFs), including natural and anthropogenic aerosols. The outcome of CRAICC is reflected in more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific publications, most of which are in the CRAICC special issue of the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. This paper presents an overview of the main scientific topics investigated in the centre and provides the reader with a state-of-the-art comprehensive summary of what has been achieved in CRAICC with links to the particular publications for further detail. Faced with a vast amount of scientific discovery, we do not claim to completely summarize the results from CRAICC within this paper, but rather concentrate here on the main results which are related to feedback loops in climate change-cryosphere interactions that affect Arctic amplification.
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| 6. |
- Hallqvist, Andreas, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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Dose escalation to 84 Gy with concurrent chemotherapy in stage III NSCLC appears excessively toxic: Results from a prematurely terminated randomized phase II trial
- 2018
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Ingår i: Lung Cancer. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5002 .- 1872-8332. ; 122, s. 180-186
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the mainstay treatment for NSCLC stage III disease. To investigate whether radiation dose escalation based on individual normal tissue constraints can improve outcome, the Swedish lung cancer study group launched this randomized phase II trial. Materials and Methods: NSCLC patients with stage III disease, good performance status (0-1) and adequate lung function (FEV1 > 1.0 L and CO diffusion capacity > 40%) received three cycles of cisplatin (75 mg/m(2) day 1) and vinorelbine (25 mg/m(2) day 1 and 8) every third week. Radiotherapy started concurrently with the second cycle, with either 2 Gy daily, 5 days a week, to 68 Gy (A) or escalated therapy (B) based on constraints to the spinal cord, esophagus and lungs up to 84 Gy by adding an extra fraction of 2 Gy per week. Results: A pre-planned safety analysis revealed excessive toxicity and decreased survival in the escalated arm, and the study was stopped. Thirty-six patients were included during 2011-2013 (56% male, 78% with adenocarcinoma, 64% with PS 0 and 53% with stage IIIB). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 11 and 17 months in arm B compared to the encouraging results of 28 and 45 months in the standard arm. The 1- and 3-year survival rates were 56% and 33% (B) and 72% and 56% (A), respectively. There were seven toxicity-related deaths due to esophageal perforations and pneumonitis: five in the escalated group and two with standard treatment. Conclusion: Dose-escalated concurrent chemoradiotherapy to 84 Gy to primary tumor and nodal disease is hazardous, with a high risk of excessive toxicity, whereas modern standard dose chemoradiotherapy with proper staging given in the control arm shows a promising outcome with a median survival of 45 months and a 3-year survival of 56% (NCT01664663).
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| 7. |
- Nyman, J., et al.
(författare)
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Dose Escalated Chemo-RT to 84 Gy in Stage III NSCLC Appears Excessively Toxic : Results from a Randomized Phase II Trial
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Thoracic Oncology. - : Elsevier. - 1556-0864 .- 1556-1380. ; 13:10, s. S373-S373
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the mainstay treatment for NSCLC stage III disease, however, with a rather high probability of locoregional and metastatic recurrence further treatment optimization is warranted. Based on previous one-armed trials with dose escalated radiotherapy, showing feasibility, the Swedish Lung Cancer Study Group aimed to investigate whether dose escalation based on individual normal tissue constraints could improve outcome in this randomized phase II trial.Method: NSCLC patients with stage III disease, good performance status (0-1), adequate lung function (FEV1 > 1.0 L and CO diff. > 40%) received three cycles of cisplatin (75 mg/m2 day 1) and vinorelbine (25 mg/m2 day 1 and 8) every third week. The radiotherapy started concurrently with the second cycle, with either 2 Gy daily, 5 days a week, to a total dose of 68 Gy (standard arm A) or escalated therapy (B) based on constraints to the spinal cord, esophagus and lungs up to 84 Gy by adding an extra fraction of 2 Gy per week while keeping the total treatment time constant at seven weeks with the same dose to involved nodes and primary tumor.Result: A pre-planned safety analysis revealed excessive toxicity and decreased survival in the escalated arm, and the study was stopped. Thirty-six patients were included during 2011-2013 (56% male, 78% with adenocarcinoma, 64% with PS 0 and 53% with stage IIIB). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 11 and 17 months in the dose escalated group compared to 28 and 45 months in the standard group. The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 56%, 33% and 17% in the escalated arm and 72%, 61% and 34% in the standard arm. There were four toxicity-related deaths due to esophageal perforations (one in arm A and three in arm B) and three deaths due to pneumonitis (one in arm A and two in arm B).Conclusion: Dose-escalated concurrent chemoradiotherapy to 84 Gy to primary tumor and nodal disease is hazardous, with a high risk of excessive toxicity, whereas modern standard dose chemoradiotherapy with proper staging given in the control arm shows a promising outcome with a median survival of 45 months and a 5-year survival of 34%. A possible step forward will be to improve systemic therapy, but future approaches with escalated radiotherapy may include boost techniques to remaining PET positive areas or different escalation schedules to the primary tumor and mediastinal nodes.
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| 8. |
- Sellgren, C. M., et al.
(författare)
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A genome-wide association study of kynurenic acid in cerebrospinal fluid: implications for psychosis and cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder
- 2016
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Ingår i: Molecular Psychiatry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1359-4184 .- 1476-5578. ; 21:10, s. 1342-1350
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Elevated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of the glia-derived N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor antagonist kynurenic acid (KYNA) have consistently been implicated in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Here, we conducted a genome-wide association study based on CSF KYNA in bipolar disorder and found support for an association with a common variant within 1p21.3. After replication in an independent cohort, we linked this genetic variant-associated with reduced SNX7 expression-to positive psychotic symptoms and executive function deficits in bipolar disorder. A series of post-mortem brain tissue and in vitro experiments suggested SNX7 downregulation to result in a caspase-8-driven activation of interleukin-1 beta and a subsequent induction of the brain kynurenine pathway. The current study demonstrates the potential of using biomarkers in genetic studies of psychiatric disorders, and may help to identify novel drug targets in bipolar disorder.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
- Zamora, Juan Carlos, et al.
(författare)
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Considerations and consequences of allowing DNA sequence data as types of fungal taxa
- 2018
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Ingår i: IMA Fungus. - : INT MYCOLOGICAL ASSOC. - 2210-6340 .- 2210-6359. ; 9:1, s. 167-185
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nomenclatural type definitions are one of the most important concepts in biological nomenclature. Being physical objects that can be re-studied by other researchers, types permanently link taxonomy (an artificial agreement to classify biological diversity) with nomenclature (an artificial agreement to name biological diversity). Two proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), allowing DNA sequences alone (of any region and extent) to serve as types of taxon names for voucherless fungi (mainly putative taxa from environmental DNA sequences), have been submitted to be voted on at the 11th International Mycological Congress (Puerto Rico, July 2018). We consider various genetic processes affecting the distribution of alleles among taxa and find that alleles may not consistently and uniquely represent the species within which they are contained. Should the proposals be accepted, the meaning of nomenclatural types would change in a fundamental way from physical objects as sources of data to the data themselves. Such changes are conducive to irreproducible science, the potential typification on artefactual data, and massive creation of names with low information content, ultimately causing nomenclatural instability and unnecessary work for future researchers that would stall future explorations of fungal diversity. We conclude that the acceptance of DNA sequences alone as types of names of taxa, under the terms used in the current proposals, is unnecessary and would not solve the problem of naming putative taxa known only from DNA sequences in a scientifically defensible way. As an alternative, we highlight the use of formulas for naming putative taxa (candidate taxa) that do not require any modification of the ICN.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Fjalldal, S., et al.
(författare)
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Detailed assessment of hypothalamic damage in craniopharyngioma patients with obesity
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Obesity. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0307-0565 .- 1476-5497. ; 43:3, s. 533-544
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background/objectives: Hypothalamic obesity (HO) occurs in 50% of patients with the pituitary tumor craniopharyngioma (CP). Attempts have been made to predict the risk of HO based on hypothalamic (HT) damage on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but none have included volumetry. We performed qualitative and quantitative volumetric analyses of HT damage. The results were explored in relation to feeding related peptides and body fat. Subjects/methods: A cross-sectional study of childhood onset CPs involving 3 Tesla MRI, was performed at median 22 years after first operation; 41 CPs, median age 35 (range: 17–56), of whom 23 had HT damage, were compared to 32 controls. After exclusions, 35 patients and 31 controls remained in the MRI study. Main outcome measures were the relation of metabolic parameters to HT volume and qualitative analyses of HT damage. Results: Metabolic parameters scored persistently very high in vascular risk particularly among HT damaged patients. Patients had smaller HT volumes compared to controls 769 (35–1168) mm3 vs. 879 (775–1086) mm3; P < 0.001. HT volume correlated negatively with fat mass and leptin among CP patients (rs = −0.67; P <.001; rs = −0.53; P = 0.001), and explained 39% of the variation in fat mass. For every 100 mm3 increase in HT volume fat mass decreased by 2.7 kg (95% CI: 1.5–3.9; P < 0.001). Qualitative assessments revealed HT damage in three out of six patients with normal volumetry, but HT damage according to operation records. Conclusions: A decrease in HT volume was associated with an increase in fat mass and leptin. We present a method with a high inter-rater reliability (0.94) that can be applied by nonradiologists for the assessment of HT damage. The method may be valuable in the risk assessment of diseases involving the HT.
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| 15. |
- Fjalldal, S., et al.
(författare)
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Microstructural white matter alterations and hippocampal volumes are associated with cognitive deficits in craniopharyngioma
- 2018
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Ingår i: European Journal of Endocrinology. - : BIOSCIENTIFICA LTD. - 0804-4643 .- 1479-683X. ; 178:6, s. 577-587
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: Patients with craniopharyngioma (CP) and hypothalamic lesions (HL) have cognitive deficits. Which neural pathways are affected is unknown. Objective: To determine whether there is a relationship between microstructural white matter (WM) alterations detected with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and cognition in adults with childhood-onset CP. Design: A cross-sectional study with a median follow-up time of 22 (6-49) years after operation. Setting: The South Medical Region of Sweden (2.5 million inhabitants). Participants: Included were 41 patients (24 women, amp;gt;= 17 years) surgically treated for childhood-onset CP between 1958-2010 and 32 controls with similar age and gender distributions. HI was found in 23 patients. Main outcome measures: Subjects performed cognitive tests and magnetic resonance imaging, and images were analyzed using DTI of uncinate fasciculus, fornix, cingulum, hippocampus and hypothalamus as well as hippocampal volumetry. Results: Right uncinate fasciculus was significantly altered (P amp;lt;= 0.01) Microstructural WM alterations in left ventral cingulum were significantly associated with worse performance in visual episodic memory, explaining approximately 50% of the variation. Alterations in dorsal cingulum were associated with worse performance in immediate, delayed recall and recognition, explaining 26-38% of the variation, and with visuospatial ability and executive function, explaining 19-29%. Patients who had smaller hippocampal volume had worse general knowledge (P = 0.028), and microstructural WM alterations in hippocampus were associated with a decline in general knowledge and episodic visual memory. Conclusions: A structure to function relationship is suggested between microstructural WM alterations in cingulum and in hippocampus with cognitive deficits in CP.
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| 16. |
- Jendle, Johan, 1963-, et al.
(författare)
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Switching to insulin degludec is a cost-saving therapy for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in the Swedish setting based on real world data
- 2019
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Ingår i: Value in Health. - : Elsevier. - 1098-3015 .- 1524-4733. ; 22:Suppl. 3, s. 575-576
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objectives: The Europe-based, prospective, observational ReFLeCT study recently showed that switching to the ultralong-acting basal insulin analogue degludec (IDeg) was associated with improved glycemic control and reductions in hypoglycemic events versus previous basal insulin therapies in patients with type 1 (T1D) or type 2 diabetes (T2D). The present analysis aimed to assess the impact of thesefindings on long-term cost-effectiveness outcomes in the Swedish setting.Methods: Cost-effectiveness was evaluated separately in patients with T1D and T2D over a 50-year time horizon using the IQVIA CORE Diabetes Model (version 9.0). Patients were assumed to receive IDeg or continue previous insulin therapy (with or without bolus insulin) for 5 years, before all patients intensified to insulin degludec plus bolus insulin for the remainder of their lifetimes. Baseline cohort characteristics were sourced from ReFLeCT where possible. Treatment effects on initiation of IDeg were based on data from ReFLeCT. Costs were estimated from a Swedish societal perspective and expressed in 2018 Swedish krona (SEK).Results: IDeg was associated with improvements in quality-adjusted life expectancy of 0.14 and 0.07 quality-adjusted life years versus continuation of previous insulin therapy in patients with T1D and T2D, respectively, resulting from improved glycemic control and fewer hypoglycemic events. Combined direct and indirect costs were estimated to be SEK 137,020 and SEK 2,009 lower for insulin degludec versus previous insulin therapy in patients with T1D and T2D, respectively, with higher treatment costs offset by cos tsavings from avoidance of diabetes-related complications. IDeg was therefore considered dominant versus continuation of previous insulin therapies for the treatment of both T1D and T2D.Conclusions: Based on real-world evidence, IDeg represents an effective and cost-saving treatment option versus other basal insulin therapies for patients with T1D and T2D in Sweden.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Zare, Z., et al.
(författare)
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Psychometric Properties of a New Instrument for Assessing Irrational Thoughts in Burn Victims (Scale of Irrational Thoughts After Burn Injuries)
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association.. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1559-047X .- 1559-0488. ; 38:5, s. E834-E841
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a scale for assessing irrational thoughts among burned patients. The present study was mixed (qualitative-methodologic) which was performed in several stages such as investigating similar or related scales, interviewing with patients and psychologists. Content validity was calculated by modified KAPPA basis on relevance and clarity. The reliability of the scale was measured using internal consistency and the test-retest method. To determine the construct validity, exploratory factor analysis approach using maximum likelihood extraction with varimax rotation was conducted. A total of 329 burned patients were recruited from Tehran, Tabriz, and Kermanshah provinces of Iran. Modified kappa scores were 0.80 and 0.91 for relevance and clarity of the items included in scale. The Cronbach alpha for overall scale, subscale 1, and subscale 2 were 0.89, 0.88, and 0.8, respectively. Test-retest reliability was also acceptable (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.80). The best solution from the maximum likelihood analysis of the 39 items of the scale revealed two factors corresponding to the two subscales with 14 items that subscale 1 (self-acceptance) consisted of 10 statements accounting for 60% of the variance (eigenvalue = 5.04) and subscale 2 (distastefulness and pity) consisted of four statements accounting for 40% of the variance (eigenvalue = 1.53). The scale reflects acceptable levels of validity and reliability in assessing the irrational thoughts among Iranian patients. Moreover, the testing populations of both patients with burned faces and patients with other burned body parts indicates that the scale may also be applicable for patients' burn disfigurements on any part of their bodies.
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| 19. |
- Acosta Navarro, Juan C., et al.
(författare)
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Future response of temperature and precipitation to reduced aerosol emissions as compared with increased greenhouse gas concentrations
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Climate. - 0894-8755 .- 1520-0442. ; 30:3, s. 939-954
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Experiments with a climate model (NorESM1) were performed to isolate the effects of aerosol particles and greenhouse gases on surface temperature and precipitation in simulations of future climate. The simulations show that by 2025-2049, a reduction of aerosol emissions from fossil fuels following a maximum technically feasible reduction (MFR) scenario could lead to a global and Arctic warming of 0.26 K and 0.84 K, respectively; as compared with a simulation with fixed aerosol emissions at the level of 2005. If fossil fuel emissions of aerosols follow a current legislation emissions (CLE) scenario, the NorESM1 model simulations yield a non-significant change in global and Arctic average surface temperature as compared with aerosol emissions fixed at year 2005. The corresponding greenhouse gas effect following the RCP4.5 emission scenario leads to a global and Arctic warming of 0.35 K and 0.94 K, respectively.The model yields a marked annual average northward shift in the inter-tropical convergence zone with decreasing aerosol emissions and subsequent warming of the northern hemisphere. The shift is most pronounced in the MFR scenario but also visible in the CLE scenario. The modeled temperature response to a change in greenhouse gas concentrations is relatively symmetric between the hemispheres and there is no marked shift in the annual average position of the inter-tropical convergence zone. The strong reduction in aerosol emissions in MFR also leads to a net southward cross-hemispheric energy transport anomaly both in the atmosphere and ocean, and enhanced monsoon circulation in Southeast and East Asia causing an increase in precipitation over a large part of this region.
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| 20. |
- Arvidsdotter, Tina, et al.
(författare)
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Understanding persons with psychological distress in primary health care
- 2016
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Ingår i: Scandinavian journal of caring sciences. - : Wiley. - 0283-9318 .- 1471-6712. ; 30:4, s. 687-694
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this study was to gain more knowledge and a deeper understanding of experiences of persons living with psychological distress who seek help in primary care. Psychological distress is a state of emotional suffering associated with stressors and demands that are difficult to cope with in daily life. The lack of effective care for and difficulty in identifying psychological distress is frustrating for patients and health professionals alike. The aim was therefore to gain more knowledge about the experience of living with psychological distress. Twelve persons (nine women and three men) aged 23-51 years were interviewed. Analyses were based on a phenomenological hermeneutic method and indicated that psychological distress may be seen as an imbalance (incongruence) between the self and the ideal self, which slowly breaks down a person's self-esteem. This imbalance was described in three dimensions: Struggling to cope with everyday life, Feeling inferior to others and Losing one's grip on life. It seems to be associated with a gradual depletion of existential capacities and lead to dissatisfaction, suffering, poor self-esteem and lack of control. As psychological distress may be a forerunner to mental, physical and emotional exhaustion, there is a need to initiate preventive or early interventions to avoid mental, physical and emotional chaos in such patients. Patients' with psychological distress need to be involved in a person-centred salutogenic dialogue with health professionals to become aware of and strengthen their own capacities to regain health and well-being.
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| 21. |
- Chiacchio, Marc, et al.
(författare)
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On the links between meteorological variables, aerosols, and tropical cyclone frequency in individual ocean basins
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 122:2, s. 802-822
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A generalized linear model based on Poisson regression has been used to assess the impact of environmental variables modulating tropical cyclone frequency in six main cyclone development areas: the East Pacific, West Pacific, North Atlantic, North Indian, South Indian, and South Pacific. The analysis covers the period 1980-2009 and focuses on widely used meteorological parameters including wind shear, sea surface temperature, and relative humidity from different reanalyses as well as aerosol optical depth for different compounds simulated by the Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport model. Circulation indices are also included. Cyclone frequency is obtained from the International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. A strong link is found between cyclone frequency and the relative sea surface temperature, Atlantic Meridional Mode, and wind shear with significant explained log likelihoods in the North Atlantic of 37%, 27%, and 28%, respectively. A significant impact of black carbon and organic aerosols on cyclone frequency is found over the North Indian Ocean, with explained log likelihoods of 27%. A weaker but still significant impact is found for observed dust aerosols in the North Atlantic with an explained log likelihood of 11%. Changes in lower stratospheric temperatures explain 28% of the log likelihood in the North Atlantic. Lower stratospheric temperatures from a subset of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 models properly simulate the warming and subsequent cooling of the lower stratosphere that follows a volcanic eruption but underestimates the cooling by about 0.5 degrees C.
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| 22. |
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Democratic Innovations in Central and Eastern Europe
- 2019
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Samlingsverk (redaktörskap) (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The book covers direct democracy (referendums in particular), deliberative democracy practices and e-participation – forms which are salient in practice because they match the political realities of our time. Expert contributors show how the recent actions of ordinary citizens in several Central and Eastern European countries have challenged the contemporary political order, and grassroots movements and diverse forms of mobilization have challenged the notion of weak civil societies in the East. The empirical evidence presented attempts to deepen citizen involvement in political contexts sometimes quite different from the democratic political systems in the Western world. Using lessons from a still largely underexplored part of Europe, the book both complements and revises theoretical approaches, or complements empirical results in existing studies on democratic innovations.
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
- Ekman, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Developing smart commercial real estate : Technology-based self-service (TBSS) in commercial real estate facilities
- 2016
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Ingår i: IEEE 2nd International Smart Cities Conference. - 9781509018451
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Real estate companies are central actors in the development of a smart city. However, most industry participants are conservative and prefer to utilize established, often unintegrated, technologies rather than deploy newer technologies that would help achieve the goals of the smart city. To evaluate the potential of smart commercial real-estate (CRE) we studied a Swedish commercial real estate firm that has developed and deployed a technology-based self-service (TBSS) to help tenants reduce energy consumption. The study was grounded in the theoretical service-dominant (S-D) logic lexicon and our results suggest that for commercial real estate firms to successfully implement TBSS they need to enhance their competence in three areas: management of information technology, withinorganization and business-to-business networking skills. Further, these areas are inter-related and successful deployment of TBSS requires improvement in all three areas.
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| 25. |
- Ekman, Peter, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Technology-Based Self-Service (TBSS) Innovations in B2B Settings : An Abstract
- 2018
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Ingår i: Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science. - Cham : Springer Nature. ; , s. 215-216
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Contemporary services innovations regularly come embedded in both information technology (IT) and organizational arrangements. (Ostrom et al., 2015, page 127) capture this current trend: “The context in which service is delivered and experienced has, in many respects, fundamentally changed. Advances in technology, especially information technology, are leading to a proliferation of revolutionary services and changing how customers serve themselves before, during, and after purchase.” Research that especially focuses on the integration of technology in the service system has been labeled self-service technology (SST) and technology-based self-service (TBSS). Breidback et al. (2012) did further add that most services will be a mix of technology and human-based interaction, what they label “technology-enabled value co-creation.” Following this research stream, less high-tech and service-oriented companies will meet challenges when introducing innovative services given that these services both require technical know-how and a market-oriented mindset. By acknowledging the socio-technical and social-material aspects of current service innovation, it is possible to unbundle activities from the physical restraints and open up innovation opportunities, facilitating a more customized rebundling of the service innovation to facilitate enhanced customer value. The vast majority of TBSS studies have focused on consumer markets which partly can be explained by the fact that business-to-business (B2B) companies have been late adopters. The main reason can be that B2B markets to a higher degree are few-to-few rather than many-to-many markets, the substantial cost of partner specific investments, as well as the overall complex linkages and process in B2B relationships. While prior studies have seen TBSS as an addition in firms’ value proposition portfolio, this study puts an emphasis on considering the TBSS as an innovation in a conservative B2B market context. It adopts a service-dominant (S-D) logic perspective on innovation and puts forth the research questions: (a) What capabilities do firms need when developing TBSS innovations and (b) what sort of institutional work they engage in. The study is carried out as an explorative and longitudinal field study of Humlegården Fastigheter AB (a real estate firm that only have commercial tenants and that introduced a TBSS in 2012) and its suppliers and customers. Humlegården Fastigheter AB is a “Prime Mover” as they developed a TBSS in the real estate and facility industry where new services are rare. The results show how such firms will need to acquire and develop several capacities when striving for new value propositions. The study offers an emergent theory on how a TBSS innovation engages actors in the service ecosystem and pinpoints the forms of institutional work a focal actor needs to carry out to change the service ecosystem’s actors’ cognitive framework, current norms, as well as comply with regulations.
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