| 1. |
- Andersson, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus : A prospective, population-based study
- 2019
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library Science. - 1932-6203. ; 14:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) causing gait impairment, dementia and urinary incontinence among the elderly, is probably under-diagnosed and under-treated. Despite being known since the 1960s, there is still a lack of prospective, population-based studies on the prevalence of iNPH. Such studies are warranted to minimize selection bias and estimate the true prevalence of the disease.Methods: The prevalence of iNPH was determined in a randomly selected sample of residents, aged 65 years and older, in the Swedish county of Jämtland. Out of 1,000 individuals invited to participate, 673 (67.3%) completed a questionnaire with seven questions on iNPH symptoms. A subgroup, with and without self-reported symptoms, participated in clinical and radiological evaluations and were diagnosed according to international guidelines. Measurement of cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure was not performed as it was considered too invasive.Results: Those who reported at least two symptoms in the questionnaire (n = 117) and 51 randomly selected individuals with 0–1 symptom participated in further examinations. Out of them, 25 individuals received the diagnosis probable iNPH according to American-European guidelines (except for the criterion of CSF opening pressure) corresponding to a prevalence of 3.7%. The prevalence of iNPH was four times higher among those aged 80 years and older (8.9%) than among those aged 65–79 years (2.1%) (p <0.001). The difference in prevalence between men (4.6%) and women (2.9%) was not significant (p = 0.24). When iNPH was diagnosed according to the Japanese guidelines the prevalence was 1.5%Conclusions: In this prospective, population-based study the prevalence of iNPH was 3.7% among individuals 65 years and older, and more common in the higher age group, 80 years and above. INPH should be increasingly recognized since it is a fairly common condition and an important cause of gait impairment and dementia among the elderly that can be effectively treated by shunt surgery.
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| 2. |
- Björklund, Cecilia, et al.
(författare)
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Temporal Patterns of Daily Occupations Related to Older Adults' Health in Northern Sweden
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational Science. - Melbourne : Informa UK Limited. - 1442-7591 .- 2158-1576. ; 22:2, s. 127-145
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to identify characteristics of temporal patterns of daily occupations that could be related to high and low subjective health among older adults in Northern Sweden. A cross-sectional design imprinted by time-geographic methodology was used and participants 70 years and older were purposively selected and divided into groups of high and low health using the SoC-29 and SF-36 questionnaires. Daily occupations data were registered and analysed using VISUAL Time-PAcTS and related to health conditions using SPSS. The results showed that the participants in the high- and low-health groups showed similar patterns of participation in occupations during the 24-hour sequences describing their daily routines. Some differences in patterns of frequency and duration of occupations were shown between health groups during the 24-hour sequences as well as within six intervals. The low-health group showed higher frequencies and longer durations for “care for oneself” and “reflection and recreation” occupations and lower for “house-keeping” and “procure and prepare food” occupations compared to the high-health groups. There were few significant differences between the high- and low-health groups' mean durations for occupations. The results of this study could contribute to the support and assistance of occupations of older adults in society.
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| 3. |
- Edberg, Anna-Karin, et al.
(författare)
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The shift from a medical to a nursing orientation : a comparison of Swedish nursing students' expectations when entering the nursing degree programme in 2003 and 2013
- 2015
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Ingår i: Nurse Education Today. - : Churchill Livingstone. - 0260-6917 .- 1532-2793. ; 35:9, s. e78-e83
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The focus of education in nursing has changed over time with a decreased focus on biomedicine and an increased focus on nursing science. It is therefore important to investigate whether these changes are also reflected in the students' conceptions and expectations of the programme over time.OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to describe and compare two cohorts of students entering the nursing programme with 10year in between (2003 and 2013), regarding their demographic background, reasons for wanting to become a registered nurse, expectations of the programme and perceptions of the nursing profession.DESIGN AND SETTING: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional cohort study carried out at a university in southern Sweden.PARTICIPANTS: In all, 177 nursing students participated in the study, 89 from the 2003 cohort and 88 from the 2013 cohort.METHODS: Data were collected at the start of the programme using a questionnaire consisting of predefined and open-ended questions. The responses were statistically analysed and compared.RESULTS: The students' reasons for wanting to become a registered nurse remained stable over the 10-year period. The main reason stated by the students in both cohort was humanitarian, i. e wanting to help others. The students' expectations regarding both the programme and the nursing profession had, however, changed significantly from a biomedical to a nursing orientation in the 10-year perspective.CONCLUSIONS: The change in the students' preconceptions of the nursing education towards increasing importance of nursing science indicates the beginning of a paradigm shift.
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| 4. |
- Edberg, Anna-Karin, et al.
(författare)
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The shift from a medical to a nursing orientation : a comparison of Swedish nursing students' expectations when entering the nursing degree programme in 2003 and 2013
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Nurse Education Today. - : Churchill Livingstone. - 0260-6917 .- 1532-2793. ; 35:9, s. e78-e83
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The focus of education in nursing has changed over time with a decreased focus on biomedicine and an increased focus on nursing science. It is therefore important to investigate whether these changes are also reflected in the students' conceptions and expectations of the programme over time. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to describe and compare two cohorts of students entering the nursing programme with 10year in between (2003 and 2013), regarding their demographic background, reasons for wanting to become a registered nurse, expectations of the programme and perceptions of the nursing profession. DESIGN AND SETTING: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional cohort study carried out at a university in southern Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: In all, 177 nursing students participated in the study, 89 from the 2003 cohort and 88 from the 2013 cohort. METHODS: Data were collected at the start of the programme using a questionnaire consisting of predefined and open-ended questions. The responses were statistically analysed and compared. RESULTS: The students' reasons for wanting to become a registered nurse remained stable over the 10-year period. The main reason stated by the students in both cohort was humanitarian, i. e wanting to help others. The students' expectations regarding both the programme and the nursing profession had, however, changed significantly from a biomedical to a nursing orientation in the 10-year perspective. CONCLUSIONS: The change in the students' preconceptions of the nursing education towards increasing importance of nursing science indicates the beginning of a paradigm shift.
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| 5. |
- Franck, Olof, 1958, et al.
(författare)
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What may be learnt in ethics? Varieties of conceptions of ethical competence to be taught in compulsory school
- 2015
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Ingår i: The 5th NoFa-Conference (Nordisk Fagdidaktisk konferens), Helsinki, Finland, 27-29 May.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of the paper is to present the framework of this newly started project and report some initial findings. Questions about a compulsory school teaching ethics has regained urgency in Sweden since national tests are given in ethics. Every fourth child in grade six and nine are evaluated every year as having/not having approved knowledge of ethics, and one can ask if it is reasonable to be forced to undertake a test assessing your skills in ethics and risk being evaluated as not passing. This raises the question of what constitutes relevant knowledge in this field, a question which to a large extent has been absent in research. The purpose of the project is to identify and elucidate varieties of conceptions of ethical competence and critically analyse and discuss them, in relation to each other and in relation to ethical theory, as potential educational content in compulsory school.
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| 6. |
- Gawel, Danuta, et al.
(författare)
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A validated single-cell-based strategy to identify diagnostic and therapeutic targets in complex diseases
- 2019
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Ingår i: Genome Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1756-994X. ; 11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Genomic medicine has paved the way for identifying biomarkers and therapeutically actionable targets for complex diseases, but is complicated by the involvement of thousands of variably expressed genes across multiple cell types. Single-cell RNA-sequencing study (scRNA-seq) allows the characterization of such complex changes in whole organs. Methods: The study is based on applying network tools to organize and analyze scRNA-seq data from a mouse model of arthritis and human rheumatoid arthritis, in order to find diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Diagnostic validation studies were performed using expression profiling data and potential protein biomarkers from prospective clinical studies of 13 diseases. A candidate drug was examined by a treatment study of a mouse model of arthritis, using phenotypic, immunohistochemical, and cellular analyses as read-outs. Results: We performed the first systematic analysis of pathways, potential biomarkers, and drug targets in scRNA-seq data from a complex disease, starting with inflamed joints and lymph nodes from a mouse model of arthritis. We found the involvement of hundreds of pathways, biomarkers, and drug targets that differed greatly between cell types. Analyses of scRNA-seq and GWAS data from human rheumatoid arthritis (RA) supported a similar dispersion of pathogenic mechanisms in different cell types. Thus, systems-level approaches to prioritize biomarkers and drugs are needed. Here, we present a prioritization strategy that is based on constructing network models of disease-associated cell types and interactions using scRNA-seq data from our mouse model of arthritis, as well as human RA, which we term multicellular disease models (MCDMs). We find that the network centrality of MCDM cell types correlates with the enrichment of genes harboring genetic variants associated with RA and thus could potentially be used to prioritize cell types and genes for diagnostics and therapeutics. We validated this hypothesis in a large-scale study of patients with 13 different autoimmune, allergic, infectious, malignant, endocrine, metabolic, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as a therapeutic study of the mouse arthritis model. Conclusions: Overall, our results support that our strategy has the potential to help prioritize diagnostic and therapeutic targets in human disease.
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| 7. |
- Hedlund, Britta, et al.
(författare)
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GIFTER & MILJÖ 2017 : Kemikalier i vardagenOm påverkan på yttermiljö och människor
- 2017
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- vi exponeras för ett stort antal kemikalier i vår vardag och många av dessa sprids vidare till den yttre miljön. Därför har vi valt ”Kemikalier i vardagen” som tema för Gifter och Miljö 2017. Rapporten innehåller ett urval av aktuella resultat från miljöövervakningen av miljögifter – analyser av tidstrender och studier som återspeglar hur läget ser ut idag.fortfarande saknas mycket kunskap om vilka egenskaper hos kemikalier och föroreningar som påverkar människors hälsa och miljön. Därför är riskerna svåra att bedöma och begränsa, men vissa ämnen har välkända negativa effekter på både vår hälsa och miljön. Många kemiska ämnen ingår i till exempel bilar, kläder, plastartiklar och byggnadsmateriel. Hur många okända kemikalier som kommer in i Sverige via importerade varor är okänt och ytterligare ämnen bildas oavsiktligt i industriella processer.naturvårdsverket ansvarar i samarbete med Havs- och vattenmyndigheten församordningen av miljöövervakningen i Sverige och driver det nationella miljöövervakningsprogrammet, som består av tio olika programområden. Naturvårdsverket har ansvar för all övervakning av miljöfarliga ämnen i miljön, inklusive i vatten. I slutet av rapporten beskrivs vilken typ av övervakning som görs inom olika programområden.miljöövervakningen av miljögifter kan svara på vad vi hittar i miljö och människa, hur exponeringen sker och hur utsläppsminskande åtgärder givit effekt. Många kemiska ämnen omfattas. De har olika egenskaper och har släppts ut i miljön under olika lång tid. Gemensamt för alla övervakade ämnen är att de har kunnat misstänkas ha negativa effekter på miljö och människa.
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| 8. |
- Hugosson, Jonas, 1955, et al.
(författare)
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A 16-yr Follow-up of the European Randomized study of Screening for Prostate Cancer
- 2019
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Ingår i: European Urology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0302-2838. ; 76:1, s. 43-51
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The European Randomized study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) has previously demonstrated that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening decreases prostate cancer (PCa) mortality. Objective: To determine whether PSA screening decreases PCa mortality for up to 16 yr and to assess results following adjustment for nonparticipation and the number of screening rounds attended. Design, setting, and participants: This multicentre population-based randomised screening trial was conducted in eight European countries. Report includes 182 160 men, followed up until 2014 (maximum of 16 yr), with a predefined core age group of 162 389 men (55-69 yr), selected from population registry. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: The outcome was PCa mortality, also assessed with adjustment for nonparticipation and the number of screening rounds attended. Results and limitations: The rate ratio of PCa mortality was 0.80 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72-0.89, p < 0.001) at 16 yr. The difference in absolute PCa mortality increased from 0.14% at 13 yr to 0.18% at 16 yr. The number of men needed to be invited for screening to prevent one PCa death was 570 at 16 yr compared with 742 at 13 yr. The number needed to diagnose was reduced to 18 from 26 at 13 yr. Men with PCa detected during the first round had a higher prevalence of PSA >20 ng/ml (9.9% compared with 4.1% in the second round, p < 0.001) and higher PCa mortality (hazard ratio = 1.86, p < 0.001) than those detected subsequently. Conclusions: Findings corroborate earlier results that PSA screening significantly reduces PCa mortality, showing larger absolute benefit with longer follow-up and a reduction in excess incidence. Repeated screening may be important to reduce PCa mortality on a population level. Patient summary: In this report, we looked at the outcomes from prostate cancer in a large European population. We found that repeated screening reduces the risk of dying from prostate cancer. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of European Association of Urology.
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| 9. |
- Håkansson, Stellan, et al.
(författare)
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Reduced incidence of neonatal early-onset group B streptococcal infection after promulgation of guidelines for risk-based intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis in Sweden : analysis of a national population-based cohort
- 2017
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Ingår i: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. - : WILEY. - 0001-6349 .- 1600-0412. ; 96:12, s. 1475-1483
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- IntroductionThis study aimed to investigate the incidence of neonatal early-onset group B streptococcal (GBS) infection in Sweden after promulgation of guidelines (2008) for risk factor-based intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis, and evaluate the presence of risk factors and obstetric management in mothers. Material and methodsNational registers were searched for infants with early-onset GBS infection during 2006-2011. Medical records of cases and case mothers were abstracted. Verified cases of sepsis/meningitis and cases with clinical sepsis/pneumonia were documented, as well as risk factors in case mothers and timeliness of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis administration. ResultsThere were 227 cases with verified infection, with an incidence of 0.34 of live births during the whole period. There was a significant decrease after promulgation of guidelines, from 0.40 to 0.30 parts per thousand [odds ratio (OR) 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57-0.99]. A significant decrease in the number of cases with clinical GBS sepsis/pneumonia was also observed. In parturients with one or more risk factors, the incidence of any GBS infection was reduced by approximately 50% (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.35-0.64), although there were many cases where the opportunity for timely administration of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis was missed. In infants of mothers without risk factor(s) there was no reduction in early-onset GBS morbidity. The mortality in verified cases was 4.8% (95% CI 2.1-7.6). ConclusionsThe introduction of national guidelines for risk-based intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis coincided with a significant 50% risk reduction of neonatal early-onset GBS infection in infants of parturients presenting with one or more risk factors. A stricter adherence to guidelines could probably have reduced the infant morbidity further.
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| 10. |
- Jonsson, Stefan, et al.
(författare)
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Identification of sequence variants influencing immunoglobulin levels
- 2017
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Ingår i: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1546-1718 .- 1061-4036. ; 49:8, s. 1182-1191
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Immunoglobulins are the effector molecules of the adaptive humoral immune system. In a genome-wide association study of 19,219 individuals, we found 38 new variants and replicated 5 known variants associating with IgA, IgG or IgM levels or with composite immunoglobulin traits, accounted for by 32 loci. Variants at these loci also affect the risk of autoimmune diseases and blood malignancies and influence blood cell development. Notable associations include a rare variant at RUNX3 decreasing IgA levels by shifting isoform proportions (rs188468174[C>T]: P = 8.3 × 10(-55), β = -0.90 s.d.), a rare in-frame deletion in FCGR2B abolishing IgG binding to the encoded receptor (p.Asn106del: P = 4.2 × 10(-8), β = 1.03 s.d.), four IGH locus variants influencing class switching, and ten new associations with the HLA region. Our results provide new insight into the regulation of humoral immunity.
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| 11. |
- Julin, Bettina, et al.
(författare)
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Association between sociodemographic determinants and health outcomes in individuals with type 2 diabetes in Sweden
- 2018
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Ingår i: Diabetes/Metabolism Research Reviews. - : Wiley. - 1520-7552 .- 1520-7560. ; 34:4, s. -9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Concurrent multifactorial treatment is needed to reduce consequent risks of diabetes, yet most studies investigating the relationship between sociodemographic factors and health outcomes have focused on only one risk factor at a time. Swedish health care is mainly tax-funded, thus providing an environment that should facilitate equal health outcomes in patients, independent of background, socioeconomic status or health profile. This study aimed at investigating the association between several sociodemographic factors and diabetes-related health outcomes represented by HbA1c , systolic blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, predicted 5-year risk of cardiovascular disease as well as statin use.METHODS: This large retrospective registry-study was based on patient-level data from individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus during 2010-2011 (n = 416,228) in any of seven Swedish regions (~65% of the Swedish population). Health equity in diabetes care was analyzed through multivariate regression analyses on intermediary outcomes (HbA1c , systolic blood pressure, LDL), predicted 5-year risk of cardiovascular disease and process (i.e. statin use) after one-year follow-up, adjusting for several sociodemographic factors.RESULTS: We observed differences in intermediary risk measures, predicted 5-year risk of cardiovascular disease as well as process dependent on place of birth, sex, age, education and social setting, despite Sweden's articulated vision of equal health care.CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes patients' health was associated with sociodemographic prerequisites. In addition to demographics (age, sex) and disease history; educational level, marital status and region of birth are important factors to consider when benchmarking health outcomes, e.g. average HbA1c level, between organizational units or between different administrative regions.
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| 12. |
- Kockum, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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The idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus Radscale : a radiological scale for structured evaluation
- 2018
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Neurology. - : Wiley. - 1351-5101 .- 1468-1331. ; 25:3, s. 569-576
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Despite the important role of imaging in diagnosing idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH), a structured overall assessment of radiological signs is still lacking. The purpose of this study was to construct a radiological scale, composed of morphological signs of iNPH, and compare it with clinical symptoms.METHODS: In this prospective, population based study of iNPH, 168 individuals (93 females, 75 males), mean age 75 years (range 66-92 years), underwent a computed tomography (CT) of the brain and a neurological examination with assessment of clinical symptoms according to Hellström's iNPH scale. Two radiologists, blinded to clinical data, independently evaluated and measured eight radiological parameters i.e. Evans' index, callosal angle, size of temporal horns, narrow high convexity sulci, dilated Sylvian fissures, focally dilated sulci, periventricular hypodensities and bulging of the lateral ventricular roof.RESULTS: In a linear regression model, all parameters except ventricular roof bulging were significantly associated with clinical iNPH symptoms. The seven remaining parameters were summarized into a total iNPH Radscale score ranging from 0 to 12. There was a significant correlation (r = 0.55, P < 0.001) between the total score of the iNPH Radscale and clinical symptoms. The interrater agreement for the included radiological parameters was high (ICC = 0.74-0.97).CONCLUSION: The iNPH Radscale may become a valuable diagnostic screening tool, allowing a structured radiological assessment. A high iNPH Radscale score together with clinical symptoms, should raise suspicion of iNPH motivating further evaluation for shunt-surgery.
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| 13. |
- Lilja, Annika, 1963, et al.
(författare)
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Ethical competence – a comparison between the Swedish and the Icelandic curricula and some teachers’ views
- 2018
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Ingår i: Education 3-13. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0300-4279 .- 1475-7575. ; 46:5, s. 506-516
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this article is to highlight some conceptions of ethical competence identified in interviews with teachers in religious education in Sweden, and within analyses of policy documents in a Swedish and an Icelandic educational context. As a starting point we take seven interviewed teachers’ comments about what they view as important ethical competences for their pupils to have. A comparative analysis of Swedish and Icelandic policy documents with regard to the conceptual understandings of ethical competence is made, as well as a comparison between the policy documents and teachers’ comments. The Icelandic curriculum is chosen because it differs from the Swedish one in a sense relevant to an analysis of the teacher interviews. The analyses imply a tension between theoretical and analytical conceptions of ethical competence and an action competence. Finally, some possible threads to consider in developing a broadened and deepened understanding of ethical competence are outlined.
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| 14. |
- Lilja Andersson, Petra, et al.
(författare)
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Ethical aspects of a predictive test for Huntington’s Disease : a long term perspective
- 2016
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Ingår i: Nursing Ethics. - 0969-7330 .- 1477-0989. ; 23:5, s. 565-575
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: A predictive genetic test for Huntington’s disease can be used before any symptoms are apparent, but there is only sparse knowledge about the long-term consequences of a positive test result. Such knowledge is important in order to gain a deeper understanding of families’ experiences.Objectives: The aim of the study was to describe a young couple’s long-term experiences and the consequences of a predictive test for Huntington’s disease.Research design: A descriptive case study design was used with a longitudinal narrative life history approach.Participants and research context: The study was based on 18 interviews with a young couple, covering a period of 2.5 years; starting 6 months after the disclosure of the test results showing the woman to be a carrier of the gene causing Huntington’s disease.Ethical considerations: Even though the study was extremely sensitive, where potential harm constantly had to be balanced against the benefits, the couple had a strong wish to contribute to increased knowledge about people in their situation. The study was approved by the ethics committee.Findings: The results show that the long-term consequences were devastating for the family. This 3-year period was characterized by anxiety, repeated suicide attempts, financial difficulties and eventually divorce.Discussion: By offering a predictive test, the healthcare system has an ethical and moral responsibility. Once the test result is disclosed, the individual and the family cannot live without the knowledge it brings. Support is needed in a long-term perspective and should involve counselling concerning the families’ everyday life involving important decision-making, reorientation towards a new outlook of the future and the meaning of life.Conclusion: As health professionals, our ethical and moral responsibility thus embraces not only the phase in direct connection to the actual genetic test but also a commitment to provide support to help the family deal with the long-term consequences of the test.
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| 15. |
- Lilja Andersson, Petra, et al.
(författare)
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Ethical aspects of a predictive test for Huntington's Disease: A long term perspective.
- 2016
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Ingår i: Nursing Ethics. - : SAGE Publications. - 1477-0989 .- 0969-7330. ; , s. 565-575
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A predictive genetic test for Huntington's disease can be used before any symptoms are apparent, but there is only sparse knowledge about the long-term consequences of a positive test result. Such knowledge is important in order to gain a deeper understanding of families' experiences.
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| 16. |
- Lilja, Johan, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Why Action Research and Quality Management is such a Nice Match : And How to Make them Dance without Falling
- 2018
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 21st QMOD conference.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose For anyone digging into the concepts, it becomes obvious that action research and quality management are a really nice match. They share many of their conceptual roots, intentions, core principles/dimensions and processes. Current best practice of quality management can even be understood as doing and strengthening action research processes, in terms of the Plan-do-study-act cycle (PDSA), in organizations. However, the choice, design and application of action research within quality management research is surprisingly seldom discussed or shared. The purpose of this paper is hence to elaborate on how action research and quality management are closely interrelated and how action research can be used more frequently and successfully in quality management research. In addition, the paper hopes to contribute to revitalizing what could be considered the most fundamental practice of quality management: the PDSA cycle. Method The paper is based on a conceptual discussion combined with illustrative experiences and learnings from several research projects that have applied action research to develop the field of Quality Management. The projects and examples illustrate and share both experiences of dancing at its best and a few uncomfortable falls. Findings The paper identifies several critical factors to consider when designing and applying action research within quality management research. Practical Implications As action research is defined by its double aim, developing both scientific knowledge and practice, the ability to successfully design and apply action research in quality management research has large practical implications. One obvious risk if this dance fails is that academic researchers draw back from practice and their ambitions of developing and contributing to practice in their research. The findings of the paper are hoped to increase the number of successful future applications of action research within quality management. Originality The study provide insights in an area sparsely discussed in previous academic work.
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| 17. |
- Lilja, Tobias, et al.
(författare)
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Species identification of Swedish mosquitoes through DNA metabarcoding
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association. ; 35, s. 1-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- DNA-barcoding utilises a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene to identify most animal species. Using next generation sequencing (NGS), this method can be further developed into metabarcoding processes that allow the simultaneous identification of several species from a mixed sample. We created a database of COI sequences of 27 mosquito species collected in Sweden, and combined our data with 27 additional sequences from GenBank to cover the taxa recently documented in Sweden and to include possible invasive taxa. Comparisons show that COI metabarcoding reliably identifies 41 of 54 species and the remainder to species group. Using three independent primer pairs along the COI gene, we further developed this barcoding approach to simultaneously identify Swedish mosquitoes in communities using NGS and quantify relative abundance of each mosquito species in the sample, using bioinformatics methods. We tested the accuracy of the metabarcoding method using communities assembled from morphologically identified mosquitoes, revealing 80% positive identification rate and the estimates of population structure which reflects the input sample. We conclude that metabarcoding is useful as a high throughput identification technique and for the quantification of species.
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| 18. |
- Linderoth, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Högfluorerade ämnen (PFAS) och bekämpningsmedel : En sammantagen bild av förekomsten i miljön Redovisning av ett regeringsuppdrag
- 2016
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Här redovisas resultaten från den screening av förekomsten av högfluorerade ämnen (PFAS) och växtskyddsmedel i yt- och grundvatten som Naturvårdsverket genomförde på uppdrag av regeringen under 2015-2016.Screeningen genomfördes dels genom nya mätningar av PFAS och växtskyddsmedel, dels genom att sammanställa resultaten från äldre mätningar. Resultaten visar att PFAS finns i halter som kan utgöra en risk för människors hälsa och miljö i anslutning till bekräftade punktkällor, främst brandövningsplatser. Halterna av växtskyddsmedel i miljön bedöms i dagsläget inte utgöra en ökande risk för hälsa eller miljö.Över 2 000 kända eller potentiella lokala källor till PFAS har identifierats. Användning av brandsläckningsskum är den största direkta punktkällan medan avloppsreningsverk och avfallshantering sannolikt är betydande sekundära punktkällor. PFAS är fortfarande dåligt undersökt i ett antal allmänna vattentäkter och enskilda brunnar i närheten av många möjliga utsläppskällor. För att begränsa utsläpp och spridning avser Naturvårdsverket bland annat att förstärka tillsynsvägledningen kring PFAS och andra farliga ämnen i miljön.När det gäller växtskyddsmedel överensstämmer resultatet väl med tidigare uppmätta halter – ett fåtal ämnen förekommer mest frekvent i halter över rikt- eller gränsvärden.Det är angeläget att framtaget dataunderlag används vidare på lokal, regional och nationell nivå för att begränsa riskerna med PFAS och växtskyddsmedel.
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| 19. |
- Osbeck, Christina, 1969, et al.
(författare)
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Abilities, knowledge requirements and national tests in RE : the Swedish case as an example in the outcome-focused school and society of today
- 2018
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Ingår i: Zeitschrift für Pädagogik und Theologie. - : Walter de Gruyter. - 2366-7796 .- 1437-7160. ; 70:4, s. 397-408
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this article is to present the system that governs Swedish RE in terms of curricular requirements, national tests and their outcomes, and discuss this in light of the current critical debate on an outcome-focused school, as well as the debate on the need for ‘powerful knowledge’. The debate on educational achievements and measurements can be seen from different angles. On the one hand, there are reasons to take the criticisms seriously, for instance concerning how such a focus tends to instrumentalise and superficialise knowledge and education. On the other hand, from a societal perspective, one has to ensure that all students, through their education, have opportunities to develop powerful knowledge that helps to explain the world so that school can contribute to social justice. Against such a background, the Swedish system is described as a rather strongly steering system that regulates schools through curricula but also monitors them through national tests. Through a brief presentation of empirical findings from the EthiCo project, it is shown how this system in practice limits the students’ chances of acquiring a multidimensional ethical competence and instead highlights a one-dimensional argumentative competence. Such a teaching runs the risk of reducing rather than widening students’ ethical competence.
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| 20. |
- Osbeck, Christina, 1969, et al.
(författare)
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Possible competences to be aimed at in ethics education : ethical competences highlighted in educational research journals
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Beliefs and Values. - : Routledge. - 1361-7672 .- 1469-9362. ; 39:2, s. 195-208
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this article is to present varieties of ethical competence that are highlighted in ethics and moral education research articles, and to discuss them in the light of competences stressed in the Swedish curriculum, understood as an example of ethics education in compulsory school. The material consists of 1,940 educational research articles published between 2000 and 2015, and the method of analysis is inductive, focusing on ethical competence. One finding is the similarity between the study’s tentative formulation of identified ethical competences in four categories, and Rest’s understanding of acting morally, captured in the four components: sensitivity, judgement, motivation and implementation. Based on the analysis of the articles, broader understandings of these focuses are developed, and later discussed in relation to Swedish ethics education, characterised as both a conservative and liberal values education. The analyses and comparison show the importance of the components of moral sensitivity and moral implementation and their relative absence in the Swedish curriculum, but also how moral judgement must include a competence to evaluate moral motivations, where empirically testable reasons are also central. Moreover, the risk of neglecting contextual, situational and knowledge-related aspects of ethical competence is highlighted.
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| 21. |
- Osbeck, Christina, 1969, et al.
(författare)
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The EthiCo project
- 2017
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Ingår i: What may be learnt in ethics? Present and future conceptions of ethical competence.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 22. |
- Osbeck, Christina, 1969, et al.
(författare)
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Varieties of Conceptions of Ethical Competence Displayed in Pupils’ Responses to National Tests in Ethics
- 2016
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Ingår i: ECER Dublin 2016-08-23 - 2016-08-26, Symposium: Varieties of Conceptions of Ethical Competence Displayed in Pupils’ Responses to National Tests in Ethics.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of the symposium is to present findings from the EthiCo project: “What may be learnt in ethics? Varieties of conceptions of ethical competence to be taught in compulsory school”. The focus of this symposium is varieties of conceptions of ethical competence displayed in pupils’ responses to national tests in ethics. In Sweden, ethics is a part of the subject religious education (RE). The discussion about compulsory schools teaching ethics has regained urgency in Sweden since national tests are given in ethics. Every fourth pupil in grade nine is evaluated every year as having/not having an acceptable knowledge of ethics. It may be questioned whether it is reasonable to be forced to undertake a test assessing your skills in ethics and risk being evaluated as not passing. Additionally, the testing stresses the question of what constitutes relevant knowledge in this field, a question which to a large extent has been absent in research. The purpose of the EthiCo project is to identify and elucidate varieties of conceptions of ethical competence and critically analyse and discuss them, in relation to each other and to ethical theory, as potential educational content in compulsory school. Attention is paid to perspectives from different curricular levels, such as the experiential level (pupils’ perspectives; tests and interviews), the instructional level (interviewed teachers), and the institutional level (samples of supranational policies and national curricula) (e.g. Goodlad & Su, 1992; Bråten, 2009). The four ethical theorists, chosen to shed light upon the conceptions gained through the empirical analyses, are Martha Nussbaum, Knud Ejler Løgstrup, Seyla Benhabib and Peter Singer, representing various ethical traditions. In this symposium, pupils’ responses to four out of seven tasks in the 2013 National Test have been analysed in the light of the ideas of one of the theorists above. Three of the analysed tasks are designed for 12-year-old pupils and one for 15-year-old pupils. The four tasks concern victimization, the use of ethical concepts, the solving of an ethical dilemma and the death penalty. Concerning the pupils’ responses to ethics tasks, the overarching research questions are 1) What conceptions of ethical competence do the answers express? 2) Do they express other conceptions of ethical competence than the ones in the assessment instructions and curriculum? In a previously conducted analysis of 15-year-old pupils’ responses to another task in the test, about forgiveness, an ethical competence tentatively labelled “ethical insight” or “existential understanding” was identified, in addition to the ones mentioned in the Swedish curriculum (Osbeck, in press). In the curriculum, normative, analytical and verbal (conceptual as well as argumentative) competences can be identified (Sporre, in press). Crucial questions concern both qualities in responses of the pupils for which they are not given credit, since the competence seems to be absent from the assessment instructions, and qualities that are not acknowledged since the stated competences are not sufficiently specific. In the latter cases, previous analyses point towards the normative competences as a difficult area because it is unclear whether there are requirements of content-specific kinds in the curriculum while, for example, teachers give altruistic values priority over egocentric values (Osbeck, Franck, Lilja & Lindskog, 2015). In the symposium, the analyses of the four papers differ slightly in relation to each other, but since these kinds of analyses are rare, the approach is deliberately explorative. The fruitfulness of the different kinds of analyses will be discussed in the symposium. In terms of visualised conceptions of ethical competences, an important discussion can be pursued in relation to analyses of curricula in other countries. Particular attention will be paid to perspectives from Iceland, Namibia and South Africa.
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| 23. |
- Osbeck, Christina, 1969, et al.
(författare)
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What may be learnt in ethics? Varieties of conceptions of ethical competence to be taught in compulsory school
- 2016
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Ingår i: The 44th NERA Conference, 9-11 Mars, Helsinki..
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of the symposium is to present some initial findings from this project on ethics education in Sweden. Questions about a compulsory school teaching ethics has regained urgency in Sweden since national tests are given in ethics. Every fourth pupil in grade nine is evaluated every year as having/not having approved knowledge of ethics, and one can ask if it is reasonable to be forced to undertake a test assessing your skills in ethics and risk being evaluated as not passing. This testing raises the question of what constitutes relevant knowledge in this field, a question which to a large extent has been absent in research. The purpose of the project is to identify and elucidate varieties of conceptions of ethical competence and critically analyse and discuss them, in relation to each other and in relation to ethical theory, as potential educational content in compulsory school. In this symposium findings from tests, policy documents, teacher interviews and pupils’ texts are presented.
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| 24. |
- Semb, Gunvor, et al.
(författare)
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A Scandcleft randomised trials of primary surgery for unilateral cleft lip and palate: 1. Planning and management.
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery. - : Taylor & Francis. - 2000-656X .- 2000-6764. ; 51:1, s. 2-13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Longstanding uncertainty surrounds the selection of surgical protocols for the closure of unilateral cleft lip and palate, and randomised trials have only rarely been performed. This paper is an introduction to three randomised trials of primary surgery for children born with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). It presents the protocol developed for the trials in CONSORT format, and describes the management structure that was developed to achieve the long-term engagement and commitment required to complete the project.METHOD: Ten established national or regional cleft centres participated. Lip and soft palate closure at 3-4 months, and hard palate closure at 12 months served as a common method in each trial. Trial 1 compared this with hard palate closure at 36 months. Trial 2 compared it with lip closure at 3-4 months and hard and soft palate closure at 12 months. Trial 3 compared it with lip and hard palate closure at 3-4 months and soft palate closure at 12 months. The primary outcomes were speech and dentofacial development, with a series of perioperative and longer-term secondary outcomes.RESULTS: Recruitment of 448 infants took place over a 9-year period, with 99.8% subsequent retention at 5 years.CONCLUSION: The series of reports that follow this introductory paper include comparisons at age 5 of surgical outcomes, speech outcomes, measures of dentofacial development and appearance, and parental satisfaction. The outcomes recorded and the numbers analysed for each outcome and time point are described in the series.TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN29932826.
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| 25. |
- Svärd, Marie, et al.
(författare)
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Havet 2015/2016 : Om miljötillståndet i svenska havsområden
- 2016
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Rapporten Havet erbjuder en regelbunden uppdatering av tillstandet ivara svenska havsomraden. Utgangspunkten ar den nationella marinamiljoovervakningen, som presenteras i kapitlet Fakta om nationell marinmiljoovervakning.Rapporten inleds med en sammanfattande beskrivning av de olikahavsomradenas aktuella tillstand samt statusen i relation till miljomalen.Tillstandsbeskrivningen baseras till storsta del pa resultaten fran dennationella miljoovervakningen, men aven andra kallor anvands. Dessafinns med som referenser. I ar redovisas ocksa en studie over de mojligheteroch utmaningar som finns med att gora en samlad analys av baderegional och nationell miljodata.I kapitlet ”Perspektiv pa havsmiljon” ges en fordjupad bild av nagramarina miljoproblem i en serie artiklar. I rapporten finns aven tva syntesartiklar(markta med forstoringsglas som mots i ett kors), dar variablerfran olika delar i den nationella miljoovervakningen har analyserats tillsammans.Synteserna ger en fordjupad forstaelse for hur olika faktoreroch ekologiska processer samverkar.Huvuddelen av Havet bestar av amneskapitel med arets tillstandsbedomning(grona sidor markta med forstoringsglas) och fordjupandeartikeltexter. For att hjalpa lasaren inleds tillstandsbedomningarna meden kort text som beskriver varfor denna variabel anvands inom miljoovervakningen(bla ruta), samt en sammanfattning av arets miljotillstand(lite ljusare gron). Figurerna visar, om inget annat anges, medelvardenmed 95-procentigt konfidensintervall samt statistiskt sakerstallda trendlinjer.I vissa figurer har vardena ocksa relaterats till vattendirektivetsstatusklasser, dar fargerna representerar de olika tillstandsklasserna.
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