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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Åstrand, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Prostate cancer detection with a tactile resonance sensor : measurement considerations and clinical setup
- 2017
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Ingår i: Sensors. - Switzerland : MDPI AG. - 1424-8220. ; 17:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tumors in the human prostate are usually stiffer compared to surrounding non-malignant glandular tissue, and tactile resonance sensors measuring stiffness can be used to detect prostate cancer. To explore this further, we used a tactile resonance sensor system combined with a rotatable sample holder where whole surgically removed prostates could be attached to detect tumors on, and beneath, the surface ex vivo. Model studies on tissue phantoms made of silicone and porcine tissue were performed. Finally, two resected human prostate glands were studied. Embedded stiff silicone inclusions placed 4 mm under the surface could be detected in both the silicone and biological tissue models, with a sensor indentation of 0.6 mm. Areas with different amounts of prostate cancer (PCa) could be distinguished from normal tissue (p < 0.05), when the tumor was located in the anterior part, whereas small tumors located in the dorsal aspect were undetected. The study indicates that PCa may be detected in a whole resected prostate with an uneven surface and through its capsule. This is promising for the development of a clinically useful instrument to detect prostate cancer during surgery.
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| 4. |
- Åstrand, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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The first study on whole human prostate ex vivo using a tactile resonance sensor for cancer detection
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common form of cancer among males in Europe and the USA. A prostatectomy i.e. the removal of the prostate is the most common form of curative treatment. Prostate cancer can be suspected by a blood test for a prostate specific antigen (PSA) and a digital rectal examination (DRE) where a physician palpates the prostate through the rectum and where stiff nodules on the prostate is an indication for PCa. The final diagnosis of PCa is made by microscopic evaluation of ultrasound-guided biopsies taken from suspicious parts of the gland. After a prostatectomy the entire prostate is histopathologically analysed. One area of interest is the superficial part of the prostate gland as tumour growth on the surface suggests that the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Tactile resonance sensors can be used to detect areas of different stiffness in soft tissue through a stiffness parameter. It is suggested that tactile resonance sensors can be used to detect prostate cancer since tumours in the human prostate usually is stiffer compared to surrounding healthy glandular tissue. The aim of the study was to detect tumours on, and beneath the surface, of whole human prostate glands ex vivo using a tactile resonance sensor system (TRSS). Model studies on spherical shaped tissue phantoms made of silicone and porcine tissue were performed to evaluate the ability of the TRSS to detect stiffer volumes at a distance beneath the surface. Finally two resected human prostate glands ex vivo from patients undergoing surgery for prostate cancer were studied. From the results it was concluded that the clamping force from the rotatable sample holder did not affect the magnitude of the stiffness parameter for the silicone samples. For the porcine muscle samples, the stiffness parameter showed to be affected by clamping forces larger than about 800 mN. The embedded stiff silicone nodules placed about 4 mm under the surface could be detected in both the silicone and biological tissue models with a sensor indentation distance of 0.6 mm. The measurements on resected whole human prostates showed that areas with elevated stiffness parameter values correlated (p < 0.05) with areas where cancer tumours were detected using histolopathological evaluation of the prostate. The tumours were significantly stiffer than the healthy tissue in the dorsal region. This is promising for the development of a clinically useful instrument to detect superficial prostate cancer.
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| 5. |
- Abebe, Admas Alemu, et al.
(författare)
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Genomic selection in plant breeding: key factors shaping two decades of progress
- 2024
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Ingår i: Molecular Plant. - 1674-2052 .- 1752-9867. ; 17, s. 552-578
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genomic selection, the application of genomic prediction (GP) models to select candidate individuals, has significantly advanced in the past two decades, effectively accelerating genetic gains in plant breeding. This article provides a holistic overview of key factors that have influenced GP in plant breeding during this period. We delved into the pivotal roles of training population size and genetic diversity, and their relationship with the breeding population, in determining GP accuracy. Special emphasis was placed on optimizing training population size. We explored its benefits and the associated diminishing returns beyond an optimum size. This was done while considering the balance between resource allocation and maximizing prediction accuracy through current optimization algorithms. The density and distribution of single-nucleotide polymorphisms, level of linkage disequilibrium, genetic complexity, trait heritability, statistical machine-learning methods, and non-additive effects are the other vital factors. Using wheat, maize, and potato as examples, we summarize the effect of these factors on the accuracy of GP for various traits. The search for high accuracy in GP—theoretically reaching one when using the Pearson’s correlation as a metric—is an active research area as yet far from optimal for various traits. We hypothesize that with ultra-high sizes of genotypic and phenotypic datasets, effective training population optimization methods and support from other omics approaches (transcriptomics, metabolomics and proteomics) coupled with deep-learning algorithms could overcome the boundaries of current limitations to achieve the highest possible prediction accuracy, making genomic selection an effective tool in plant breeding.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Ballo, Ahmed, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Bone response to physical-vapour-deposited titanium dioxide coatings on titanium implants
- 2013
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Ingår i: Clinical Oral Implants Research. - : Wiley. - 0905-7161 .- 1600-0501. ; 24:9, s. 1009-1017
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between coating thickness and the crystal structure of physical-vapour-deposited (PVD) titanium dioxide coatings, and to evaluate their in vivo biocompatibility. Materials and methods: The PVD TiO 2 coatings of different thickness were deposited on machined titanium grade 2 screw-shaped implants. Non-coated titanium implants were used as controls. Coating properties such as thickness, crystal structure, coating morphology and roughness were characterized. Forty-eight implants were placed randomly into both tibias of 16 rats. The animals were euthanized 7 and 28 days postsurgery and block biopsies were prepared for histology, histomorphometry and SEM analysis. Results: The thicknesses of the PVDTiO 2 coatings were 120 and 1430 nm respectively. Histologically, new bone formed on all implant surfaces. The mean percentage of newly formed bone in contact with the implant (BIC) was significantly higher at early healing time (7 days) for the 120 nm thick PVD coating (39 ± 14%) than for both the 1430 nm thick PVD coating (22 ± 10%) (P = 0.043) and the machined surface (22 ± 9%) (P = 0.028). This difference was no longer evident after 28 days (P = 0.867). Conclusion: Bone formation and bone-to-implant contact are achieved to the same degree for TiO 2 surface modifications prepared by a PVD process as clinically used, machined titanium. Furthermore, a relatively thinner PVD coating promotes a higher degree of bone apposition shortly after implantation, thereby providing rationales for exploring the potential clinical use of these modifications.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Bejhed, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Numerical modeling and verification of gas flow through a network of crossed narrow v-grooves
- 2006
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Ingår i: Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering. - : IOP Publishing. - 0960-1317 .- 1361-6439. ; 16:10, s. 2006-2013
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The gas flow through a network of crossing thin micro-machined channels has been successfully modeled and simulated. The crossings are formed by two sets of v-grooves that intersect as two silicon wafers are bonded together. The gas is distributed from inlets via a manifold of channels to the narrow v-grooves. The narrow v-grooves could work as a particle filter. The fluidic model is derived from the Navier–Stokes equation and assumes laminar isothermal flow and incorporates small Knudsen number corrections and Poiseuille number calculations. The simulations use the finite element method. Several elements of the full crossing network model are treated separately before lumping them together: the straight v-grooves, a single crossing in an infinite set and a set of exactly four crossings along the flow path. The introduction of a crossing effectively corresponds to a virtual reduction of the length of the flow path, thereby defining a new effective length. The first and last crossings of each flow path together contribute to a pressure drop equal to that from three ordinary crossings. The derived full network model has been compared to previous experimental results on several differently shaped crossed v-groove networks. Within the experimental errors, the model corresponds to the mass flow and pressure drop measurements. The main error source is the uncertainty in v-groove width which has a profound impact on the fluidic behavior.
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| 11. |
- Berg, Daniel, 1971, et al.
(författare)
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Framework 2 - recording
- 2023
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Ingår i: EAR, 30th of nov 2023.
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Konstnärligt arbete (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- With their new album duo Åstrand/Berg present cross-over-songs from jazz standards to folk songs with an open form for vibraphone and marimba. Both Anders and Daniel are virtuoso classical musicians with a great passion for improvisation. FRAMEWORK, their first album, was released in 2014, which received an enormous response in the classical percussion world, and several of the album's tracks are today standard repertoire for vibraphone and marimba - like Blue Memories, Mallet Dance, Duo Arpeggio and Moonlight.
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| 12. |
- Berg, Daniel, 1971, et al.
(författare)
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Framework [ljudupptagning]
- 2014
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- CD-skiva med Anders Åstrand, vibrafon och Daniel Berg, marimba
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| 13. |
- Castor, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Distinct patterns of hematopoietic stem cell involvement in acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- 2005
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Ingår i: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 11:6, s. 630-637
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The cellular targets of primary mutations and malignant transformation remain elusive in most cancers. Here, we show that clinically and genetically different subtypes of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) originate and transform at distinct stages of hematopoietic development. Primary ETV6-RUNX1 (also known as TEL-AML1) fusions and subsequent leukemic transformations were targeted to committed B-cell progenitors. Major breakpoint BCR-ABL1 fusions (encoding P210 BCR-ABL1) originated in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), whereas minor BCR-ABL1 fusions (encoding P190 BCR-ABL1) had a B-cell progenitor origin, suggesting that P190 and P210 BCR-ABL1 ALLs represent largely distinct tumor biological and clinical entities. The transformed leukemia-initiating stem cells in both P190 and P210 BCR-ABL1 ALLs had, as in ETV6-RUNX1 ALLs, a committed B progenitor phenotype. In all patients, normal and leukemic repopulating stem cells could successfully be separated prospectively, and notably, the size of the normal HSC compartment in ETV6-RUNX1 and P190 BCR-ABL1 ALLs was found to be unaffected by the expansive leukemic stem cell population.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
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| 16. |
- Fick, Jerker, et al.
(författare)
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Ozonolysis of monoterpenes in mechanical ventilation systems
- 2005
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Ingår i: ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT. - : Elsevier BV. - 1352-2310. ; 39:34, s. 6315-25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this investigation the ozonolysis of of three monoterpenes (alpha-pinene, Delta(3)-carene and limonene) was studied was studied in authentic mechanical ventilation systems, that included either a cross flow or a rotary heat exchanger. The effects of varying three experimental parameters were investigated: the level of ozone (25 and 75 ppb), the reaction time (25 and 75s), and the surface area in the ventilation duct (14.8 and 29.5 m(2)). The initial concentration of each of the monoterpenes was 20 ppb in every experiment, and 1-16% of the alpha-pinene, < 0.5-13% of the Delta(3)-carene, and < 0.5-16% of the limonene reacted. The effects of humidity (g m(-3)) and temperature of the outdoor and supply air, and water losses in the ventilation duct, were also evaluated. Experiments were based on a chemometric statistical design. Comparison of the results to theoretically calculated values showed that theoretical calculations underestimated the amounts that reacted in the ventilation systems by factors of 2-13, depending on the monoterpene and experimental settings.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Gavali, Hamid, et al.
(författare)
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Outcome of Radical Surgical Treatment of Abdominal Aortic Graft and Endograft Infections Comparing Extra-anatomic Bypass with In Situ Reconstruction : A Nationwide Multicentre Study
- 2021
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Ingår i: European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. - : Saunders Elsevier. - 1078-5884 .- 1532-2165. ; 62:6, s. 918-926
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Abdominal aortic graft and endograft infection (AGI) is primarily treated by resection of the infected graft and restoration of distal perfusion through extra-anatomic bypass (EAB) or in situ reconstruction/repair (ISR). The aim of this study was to compare these surgical strategies in a nationwide multicentre retrospective cohort study.Methods: The Swedish Vascular Registry (Swedvasc) was used to identify surgically treated abdominal AGIs in Sweden between January 1995 and May 2017. The primary aim was to compare short and long term survival, as well as complications for EAB and ISR.Results: Some 126 radically surgically treated AGI patients were identified – 102 graft infections and 24 endograft infections – treated by EAB: 71 and ISR: 55 (23 neo-aorto-iliac systems, NAISs). No differences in early 30 day (EAB 81.7% vs. ISR 76.4%, p =.46), or long term five year survival (48.2% vs. 49.9%, p =.87) were identified. There was no survival difference comparing NAIS to other ISR strategies. The frequency of recurrent graft infection during follow up was similar: EAB 20.3% vs. ISR 17.0% (p =.56). Survival and re-infection rates of the new conduit did not differ between NAIS and other ISR strategies. Age ≥ 75 years (odds ratio [OR] 4.0, confidence interval [CI] 1.1 – 14.8), coronary artery disease (OR 4.2, CI 1.2 – 15.1) and post-operative circulatory complications (OR 5.2, CI 1.2 – 22.5) were associated with early death. Prolonged antimicrobial therapy (> 3 months) was associated with reduced long term mortality (HR 0.3, CI 0.1 – 0.9).Conclusion: In this nationwide multicentre study comparing outcomes of radically treated AGI, no differences in survival or re-infection rate could be identified comparing EAB and ISR.
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| 19. |
- Gavali, Hamid, et al.
(författare)
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Semi-Conservative Treatment Versus Radical Surgery in Abdominal Aortic Graft and Endograft Infections
- 2023
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Ingår i: European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. - : Elsevier. - 1078-5884 .- 1532-2165. ; 66:3, s. 397-406
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Abdominal aortic graft and endograft infections (AGIs) are rare complications following aortic surgery. Radical surgery (RS) with resection of the infected graft and reconstruction with extra-anatomical bypass or in situ reconstruction is the preferred therapy. For patients unfit for RS, a semi-conservative (SC), graft preserving strategy is possible. This paper aimed to compare survival and infection outcomes between RS and SC treatment for AGI in a nationwide cohort.Methods: Patients with abdominal AGI related surgery in Sweden between January 1995 and May 2017 were identified. The Management of Aortic Graft Infection Collaboration (MAGIC) criteria were used for the definition of AGI. Multivariable regression was performed to identify factors associated with mortality.Results: One hundred and sixty-nine patients with surgically treated abdominal AGI were identified, comprising 43 SC (14 endografts; 53% with a graft enteric fistula [GEF] in total) and 126 RS (26 endografts; 50% with a GEF in total). The SC cohort was older and had a higher frequency of cardiac comorbidities. There was a non-significant trend towards lower Kaplan -Meier estimated five year survival for SC vs. RS (30.2% vs. 48.4%; p = .066). A non-significant trend was identified towards worse Kaplan -Meier estimated five year survival for SC patients with a GEF vs. without a GEF (21.7% vs. 40.1%; p = .097). There were significantly more recurrent graft infections comparing SC with RS (45.4% vs. 19.3%; p < .001). In a Cox regression model adjusting for confounders, there was no difference in five year survival comparing SC vs. RS (HR 1.0, 95% CI 0.6 -1.5).Conclusion: In this national AGI cohort, there was no mortality difference comparing SC and RS for AGI when adjusting for comorbidities. Presence of GEF probably negatively impacts survival outcomes of SC patients. Rates of recurrent infection remain high for SC treated patients.
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| 20. |
- Gutiérrez Pérez, Cristina, 1972, et al.
(författare)
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High frequency of cognitive dysfunction before stroke in the elderly
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. - : Wiley. - 1099-1166 .- 0885-6230. ; 26:6, s. 622-629
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives We examined cognitive functions before and in acute phase of stroke studying frequency and profile of cognitive impairment and relationships between cognitive status.MethodsSeventy-four patients with early phase after stroke and 49 healthy controls were included and examined using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a battery of neuropsychological tests. Cognitive status before stroke-onset was investigated using Cognitive Impairment Questionnaire.ResultsCognitive impairments were present in 96% of patients after stroke onset using the battery of neuropsychological tests and in 39% of patients using the MMSE, but in only 9% of controls. Seventy-six percent exhibited reduced executive function and 75% reduced psychomotor tempo. Cognitive dysfunction was present in 52% before stroke onset without any impact on the frequency of impairment in the various cognitive areas in early phase after stroke.ConclusionsCognitive impairment is frequent before the onset of stroke among older people and may partially explain the very high frequency of cognitive impairment observed after stroke onset.
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- Lundahl, Christian, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Fel att låta 24 timmar avgöra elevers betyg
- 2017
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Ingår i: Aftonbladet. - Stockholm : Aftonbladet Hierta AB. - 1103-9000.
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 24. |
- Nair, Gireesh, et al.
(författare)
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Building professionals' views on energy efficiency compliance requirements
- 2017
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Ingår i: 11th Nordic Symposium on Building Physics, NSB 2017. - : Elsevier. ; , s. 988-993
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In Sweden, the national building code (BBR) stipulates the specific energy use as an indicator to verify whether a newbuilding is complying with its design-phase energy performance values. However, previous studies have shown that there may belarge differences between the calculated specific energy and the actual monitored energy use. The differences are attributed tovarious reasons including the actual energy behaviour of the occupants as compared to the standard values used in thesimulations. This may lead to disputes between the client and the contractor on the responsibility of meeting the energyrequirements.In this study an adapted version of Delphi methodology was used to understand the building professionals’ view on variousindicators used to verify building energy performance. The study showed that professionals are concerned with the use of specificenergy as an indicator in the building procurement process as they do not have control over the occupants’ energy behaviour.Majority of the professionals expressed a large confidence in the average U-value of the building, component U-values and thespecific heat loss figure by the Swedish center for zero-energy buildings as indicators of building energy performance.
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| 25. |
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| 26. |
- Nydahl, Helena, et al.
(författare)
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Building Refurbishment from a Life Cycle Perspective - An Environmental Return on Investment Approach
- 2018
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Ingår i: Cold Climate HVAC 2018. - Cham : Springer. - 9783030006617 - 9783030006624 ; , s. 253-263
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study applies an environmental return on investment approach to evaluate building refurbishment from a life cycle perspective. The used methodology focuses on the changes introduced by refurbishment, i.e. added embodied environmental impact and changed operational environmental impact, from a life cycle perspective with the technical service life of the refurbishment measure as a time limit. The methodology is applied to a case study in Umeå, located 455 km south of the Arctic Circle, with a unique set of data on reduction in operational energy. The result show the environmental impact, energy (Joule) and GWP (CO2-eq), in terms of environmental return on investment of the case study refurbishment measures. The case study shows that the methodology is a useable approach to compare refurbishment measures from a life cycle perspective. It is possible to use the methodology as a tool at an early stage in planning of sustainable building refurbishment from a life cycle perspective. For a widespread use of a tool based on an environmental return on investment approach, further research on guidelines for sustainable environmental return on investment values is required.
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| 27. |
- Nydahl, Helena, 1990-
(författare)
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Communication of life cycle assessment results : life cycle key performance indicators
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The global warming that we are on track for will result in a severe loss of natural capital leading to significant losses in economic capital when urban infrastructure is destroyed, agricultural productivity declines and poverty spread among other disasters. Climate change due to emissions does not only affect the polluter, the hazardous effects becomes evident on a global level. An essential tool to enable decision‑making with concern to the welfare of the global commons is life cycle assessment (LCA). LCA compile and evaluate the inputs, outputs, and potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle. The reviewed literature frames a gap regarding interpretation of LCA-results and inquire for guidelines that address a wide range of stakeholders to enable informed decision-making with regard to the welfare of the global commons. Some studies even argue that an apparent weakness of LCA-result communication is the understanding of what the results mean for the economic key performance indicators (KPIs) of the stakeholder. Thus, this thesis aims to contribute to the development of guidelines for interpretation of LCA-results by introducing an approach for communicating LCA-results that is compatible with the economically driven nature of stakeholders. The specific research questions (RQ) of this thesis are: (RQ1) How can well-established economic KPIs be utilised to quantify environmental impact? and (RQ2) How does incorporation of monetary valuation of environmental impacts and related environmental aspects affect the LCA-result and communication of results?These research questions have led to life cycle key performance indicators (LC‑KPIs) that quantify life cycle economic and environmental impacts in a way that take after the traditional economic KPIs of the stakeholders, which is outlined as essential to improve the understanding of LCA-results. The LC‑KPIs utilize the traditional economic KPIs of return on investment (ROI) and annual yield (AY). Additionally, to manage the large amount of non-commensurate units of holistic life cycle sustainability assessment, monetary valuation has been applied. Hence, contributing to the research area of monetary valuation in LCA by introducing and testing new approaches.The introduced LC-KPIs have been specified for building LCA and exemplified by applying them to a number of Swedish case buildings. The result show that the climate-economic assessment of building refurbishment differs compared to the traditional economic assessment when monetary valuation is utilized in LCA with the LC-KPI of ROIEconomy+. However, in the comparative assessment of building refurbishment and new construction, the LCA‑result does not change compared to the traditional economic assessment when monetary valuation is utilized in LCA with the LC-KPI of ELCCA. This is explained by the high costs associated with the investment and energy use of buildings and may not be the case if products with lower investment and energy use costs and high life cycle greenhouse-gas emissions would be studied. Still, if a purely environmental assessment of a product is wished for, the LC-KPI should only include monetary valuation of environmental impact factors and exclude traditional economic performance. Thus, the case study result defines further scope for research on the subject of monetary valuation in LCA and inquire for a wider spectrum of LC-KPIs that utilizes monetary valuation.The introduced approach of this thesis contribute to the development of guidelines for interpretation of LCA-results. Nevertheless, there are still challenges that needs to be addressed in the development of robust LCA-result interpretation. Still, the LC‑KPIs used in this thesis address the “cognitive logics” of a wide range of stakeholders and provide an approach for communication of LCA-results which improve the understanding of LCA-results.
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| 28. |
- Nydahl, Helena, 1990-, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental Performance Measures to Assess Building Refurbishment from a Life Cycle Perspective
- 2019
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Ingår i: Energies. - : MDPI. - 1996-1073. ; 12:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Energy efficiency investments in existing buildings are an effective way of reducing the environmental impact of the building stock. Even though policies in the European Union and elsewhere promote a unilateral focus on operational energy reduction, scientific studies highlight the importance of applying a life cycle perspective to energy refurbishment. However, life cycle assessment is often perceived as being complicated and the results difficult to interpret by the construction sector. There is also a lack of guidelines regarding the sustainable ratio between the embodied and accumulated operational impact. The scope of this study is to introduce a life cycle assessment method for building refurbishment that utilizes familiar economic performance tools, namely return on investment and annual yield. The aim is to use the introduced method to analyze a case building with a sustainability profile. The building was refurbished in order to reduce its operational energy use. The introduced method is compatible with a theory of minimum sustainable environmental performance that may be developed through backcasting from defined energy and GHG emissions objectives. The proposed approach will hopefully allow development of sustainable refurbishment objectives that can support the choice of refurbishment investments.
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| 29. |
- Nydahl, Helena, 1990-, et al.
(författare)
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Extended building life cycle cost assessment with the inclusion of monetary evaluation of climate risk and opportunities
- 2022
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Ingår i: Sustainable cities and society. - : Elsevier. - 2210-6707. ; 76
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The buildings and construction sector account for a significant part of the total energy use and related greenhouse gas emissions. However, climate change mitigation often becomes secondary or completely disregarded in building design assessment as the primary concern of building owners are economic tenability. Therefore, this study introduces an Extended Life Cycle Cost Assessment that include monetary evaluation of climate risk and opportunities in terms of Social Cost of Carbon (SCC). SCC could function as a tax to promote climate change mitigation within e.g. the construction industry. The purpose is to provide a more holistic assessment approach that is easy to relate to if economic tenability is of primary concern in decision making, which can be used to assess building design. Return on invested greenhouse gas emissions is used as an additional or standalone indicator for climate change mitigation. The introduced approach is exemplified by a case study where renovation and new construction are compared with keeping buildings in its original design. The case study show that with or without a flat greenhouse gas tax, renovation is the most climate and cost efficient alternative.
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| 30. |
- Nydahl, Helena, 1990-, et al.
(författare)
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Including future climate induced cost when assessing building refurbishment performance
- 2019
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Ingår i: Energy and Buildings. - : Elsevier. - 0378-7788 .- 1872-6178. ; 203
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Improving energy efficiency in the existing buildings stock is essential to limit climate change and the economic assessment of measures are traditionally only based on the reduction of energy costs: However, future financial benefits of limiting climate change are rarely included in the evaluation of refurbishment investments. Although, the costs associated with global warming are expected to be extensive. This study introduces a method for the financial evaluation of energy efficiency investments that merge the reduction of life cycle energy costs with the reduction of future climate induced costs. A case study is used to exemplify the method. The case study shows that when reduced future costs due to mitigated life cycle greenhouse gas emissions are included in the analysis, the ranking between different measures can change and traditionally non-profitable measures may become financially sound investments. The introduced Economy+ indicator is shown to be an accessible performance measure to assess building refurbishment and may also be used in the design stage of new construction. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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| 31. |
- Persson, Anders, 1974-
(författare)
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Lärartillvaro och historieundervisning : innebörder av ett nytt uppdrag i de mätbara resultatens tid
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Swedish compulsory school has recently been subjected to a number of political reforms. Between 2011 and 2014, for example, earlier grades, more national tests and a new curriculum plan (Lgr 11) were to be implemented. This thesis aims to examine those changes as they were experienced by teachers who teach history in Swedish upper primary schools. The theoretical framework is in-spired by existential philosophy, primarily as formulated in the works of Martin Heidegger and Hanna Arendt. In this way, the study highlights the teachers’ lived experience by making use of the concepts yearning, appearance, acting and mood.The study comprises of 36 interviews with 26 informants. The interviews were carried out and transcribed during 2014. The questions focus on both the existential being of the teachers’ lives as well as the ideological function of the history subject. This highly renders in the issue of how lived experiences of a specific school reform corresponded to the teachers’ own perception of a mean-ingful history education. Both the yearnings that were expressed by the participants and their de-scriptions of what they have experienced, have been related to the overall educational ideological functions stated by Gert Biesta (socialisation, subjectification and qualification) and Jonas Aspelin (existentialisation).Although the teachers’ narratives were greatly varied in some aspects, their interpretations of the new assignment seemed to be quite homogenous. Most of the teachers portrayed a situation characterised by performativity. Measurable knowledge and more frequent documentation seemed to be prioritised. Some of them stressed that they experienced less autonomy. In terms of history, the new curriculum was associated with more content knowledge, cognitive skills and procedural abilities. From the teachers’ perspective, pure qualification, rather than subjectification and social-isation, characterised the new curriculum.Still, the teachers’ feelings towards the curricular changes showed a great deal of divergence. Some of them embraced most of the new aspects. They claimed that clearly formulated require-ments in the history curricula provided them with security. They declared that their history teaching to some extent became more professional. In line with such beliefs, some teachers asserted that the strengthened focus on analytical skills improved their teaching. Particularly those who ex-pressed that they preferred such analytic procedural approaches described their experience in terms of confirmation and approval. Others appeared to struggle with the changes. While a few teachers even tried to resist the curricular changes, some found themselves forced to endure what appeared to be a totally new situation. They expressed disbelief, frustration and pain. Notably it was those most devoted to the existentialisational function of history teaching that usually seemed to express such alienation. As argued, they appeared to long for a lost possibility to engage their pupils, to bring history alive and to make meaning of the past.
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| 32. |
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| 34. |
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| 35. |
- Stening, Kent, 1968-, et al.
(författare)
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Hormonal replacement therapy does not affect self-estimated pain or experimental pain responses in post-menopausal women suffering from fibromyalgia: a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial
- 2011
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Ingår i: Rheumatology. - London : Oxford univesity press. - 1462-0324 .- 1462-0332. ; 50:3, s. 544-551
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives. FM is a condition that preferentially affects women. Sex hormones, and in particular oestrogens, have been shown to affect pain processing and pain sensitivity, and oestrogen deficit has been considered a potentially promoting factor for FM. However, the effects of oestrogen treatment in patients suffering from FM have not been studied. Here, we examined the effect of transdermal oestrogen substitution treatment on experimental as well as self-estimated pain in women suffering from FM.Methods. Twenty-nine post-menopausal women were randomized to either 8 weeks of treatment with transdermal 17β-oestradiol (50 µg/day) or placebo according to a double-blind protocol. A self-estimation of pain, a set of quantitative sensory tests measuring thresholds to temperature, thermal pain, cold pain and pressure pain, and a cold pressor test were performed on three occasions: before treatment, after 8 weeks of treatment and 20 weeks after cessation of treatment.Results. Hormonal replacement treatment significantly increased serum oestradiol levels as expected (P < 0.01). However, no differences in self-estimated pain were seen between treatment and placebo groups, nor were there any differences between the two groups regarding the results of the quantitative sensory tests or the cold pressor test at any of the examined time points.Conclusion. Eight weeks of transdermal oestradiol treatment does not influence perceived pain, pain thresholds or pain tolerance as compared with placebo treatment in post-menopausal women suffering from FM.
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| 36. |
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| 37. |
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| 38. |
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| 39. |
- Åstrand, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Contact angle and indentation velocity dependency for a resonance sensor : Evaluation on soft tissue silicone models
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Medical Engineering & Technology. - : Informa Healthcare. - 0309-1902 .- 1464-522X. ; 37:3, s. 185-196
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human tissue stiffness can vary due to different tissue conditions such as cancer tumours. Earlier studies show that stiffness may be detected with a resonance sensor that measures frequency shift and contact force at application. Through the frequency shift and the contact force, a tissue stiffness parameter can be derived. This study evaluated how the probe application angle and indentation velocity affected the results and determined the maximum parameter errors. The evaluation was made on flat silicone discs with specified hardness. The frequency shift, the force and the stiffness parameter all varied with contact angle and indentation velocity. A contact angle of ≤10° was acceptable for reliable measurements. A low indentation velocity was recommended. The maximum errors for the system were <1.1% of the measured values. It was concluded that contact angle and indentation velocity have to be considered in the clinical setting. The angular dependency is especially important in clinical use for studying stiffness of human soft tissue, e.g. in prostate cancer diagnosis.
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| 40. |
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| 41. |
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| 42. |
- Åstrand, Anders P.
(författare)
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A flexible resonance sensor system for detection of cancer tissue : evaluation on silicon
- 2012
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The most common form of cancer among men in Europe and the US is prostate cancer. When a radical prostatectomy has been found necessary, it is of interest to examine the prostate, as tumour tissue on the capsule might indicate that the cancer has metastased. This is commonly done by a microscope-based morphometric investigation. Tumour tissue is normally stiffer than healthy tissue. Sensors based on piezoelectric resonance technology have been introduced into the medical field during the last decade. By studying the change in resonance frequency when a sensor comes into contact with a material, conclusions can be drawn about the material.A new and flexible measurement system using a piezoelectric resonance sensor has been evaluated. Three translation stages, two for horizontal movements and one for vertical movement, with stepper motors are controlled from a PC. A piezoelectric resonance element and a force sensor are integrated into a sensor head that is mounted on the vertical translation stage. The piezoelectric element is connected to a feed-back circuit and resonating at its resonance frequency until it comes into contact with a material, when a frequency shift can be observed. The force sensor is used to measure the applied force between the sensor and the material. These two parameters are combined into a third, called the stiffness parameter, which is important for stiffness evaluation. For measurements on objects with different geometries, the vertical translation stage can be aimed at a platform for flat objects or a fixture for spherical objects. The vertical translation stage is mounted on a manual rotational stage with which the contact angle between the sensor and the measured surface can be adjusted. The contact angles covered are between 0° and 35° from a line perpendicular to the surface of the measured object. The measured objects used were made from silicones of different stiffness and in the shape of flat discs and spheres. The indentation velocity of the sensor can be set at 1 mm/s to 5 mm/s. In the three papers that are the base for this licentiate thesis, we have investigated the dependence of the frequency shift, the applied force and the stiffness parameter on the contact angle, and the indentation velocity at different impression depths. The maximum error for the measurement system has also been determined.The results of the measurements indicate that great care must be taken when aiming the sensor against the surface of the point where the measurements are to be performed. Deviations in contact angle of more than iv±10° from a line perpendicular to the surface will result in an underestimation of the frequency shift, meaning that the tissue will be regarded as stiffer than it really is. This result is important as the flat silicone models have a very even surface, which makes a controlled contact angle possible. Biological tissue can have a rough and uneven surface, which can lead to unintentional deviations in the contact angle. The magnitude of the stiffness parameter is favoured by a high indentation velocity compared to a low.The evaluation of this measurement system has shown that it is possible to distinguish between soft and stiff silicone models, which have been used in this initial phase of the study. A new feature in this measurement system is the fixture that makes measurements on spherical objects possible and the possibility to vary the angle of contact. This is promising for future studies and measurements on whole prostate in vitro. A future application for this measurement system is to aid surgeons performing radical prostatectomy in the search for tumour tissue on the capsule of the prostate, as the presence of tumour tissue can indicate that the cancer has spread to the surrounding tissue.
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| 43. |
- Åstrand, Anders P., et al.
(författare)
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A flexible sensor system using resonance technology for soft tissue stiffness measurements : evaluation on silicone
- 2011
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Ingår i: 15th Nordic Baltic Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics. - Berlin : Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology/Springer Verlag. - 9783642216824 ; , s. 21-24
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- One of the most common forms of cancer among men in Europe and the United States is prostate cancer. The cancerous tissue is less soft, and has different biomechanical properties compared to healthy tissue. It has been shown that tactile sensors can be used to distinguish this difference. If a piezoelectric sensor is set to oscillate at its resonance frequency through a feed back circuit, a frequency shift is observed when the sensor comes in contact with a surface. This shift can be correlated to the stiffness of the tissue. A flexible instrument has been developed, with which it is possible to scan both flat and spherical bodies and where the sensor can be tilted to have different contact angles. Measurements performed in this study on flat silicone discs of different stiffness showed a relationship between both the frequency shift and the impression depth for the different silicone discs, when a constant force was applied. The results are promising for future studies on silicone with different geometries and finally on prostate tissue to complete the evaluation.
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| 44. |
- Åstrand, Anders P., et al.
(författare)
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A flexible sensor system using resonance technology for soft tissue stiffness measurements : evaluation on silicone
- 2011
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Ingår i: 15TH NORDIC-BALTIC CONFERENCE ON BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING AND MEDICAL PHYSICS (NBC 2011). - Aalborg : Springer. - 9783642216824 ; , s. 21-24
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- One of the most common forms of cancer amongmen in Europe and the United States is prostate cancer. Thecancerous tissue is less soft, and has different biomechanicalproperties compared to healthy tissue. It has been shown thattactile sensors can be used to distinguish this difference. If apiezoelectric sensor is set to oscillate at its resonance frequencythrough a feed back circuit, a frequency shift is observed whenthe sensor comes in contact with a surface. This shift can becorrelated to the stiffness of the tissue. A flexible instrumenthas been developed, with which it is possible to scan both flatand spherical bodies and where the sensor can be tilted to havedifferent contact angles. Measurements performed in thisstudy on flat silicone discs of different stiffness showed arelationship between both the frequency shift and theimpression depth for the different silicone discs, when aconstant force was applied. The results are promising forfuture studies on silicone with different geometries and finallyon prostate tissue to complete the evaluation.
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| 45. |
- Åstrand, Anders P, 1961-
(författare)
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A Tactile Resonance Sensor System for Detection of Prostate Cancer ex vivo : Design and Evaluation on Tissue Models and Human Prostate
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background The most common form of cancer among males in Europe and the USA is prostate cancer, PCa. Surgical removal of the prostate is the most common form of curative treatment. PCa can be suspected by a blood test for a specific prostate antigen, a PSA-test, and a digital rectal examination, DRE where the physician palpates the prostate through the rectum. Stiff nodules that can be detected during the DRE, and elevated levels of PSA are indications for PCa, and a reason for further examination. Biopsies are taken from the prostate by guidance of a transrectal ultrasound. Superficial cancer tumours can indicate that the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Tactile resonance sensors can be used to detect areas of different stiffness in soft tissue. Healthy prostate tissue is usually of different stiffness compared to tissue with PCa.AimThe general aim of this doctoral thesis was to design and evaluate a flexible tactile resonance sensor system (TRSS) for detection of cancer in soft human tissue, specifically prostate cancer. The ability to detect cancer tumours located under the surface was evaluated through measurements on tissue phantoms such as silicone and biological tissues. Finally measurements on resected whole prostate glands were made for the detection of cancer tumours.Methods The sensor principle was based on an oscillating piezoelectric element that was indented into the soft tissue. The measured parameters were the change in resonance frequency, Δf, and the contact force F during indentation. From these, a specific stiffness parameter was obtained. The overall accuracy of the TRSS was obtained and the performance of the TRSS was also evaluated on tissue models made of silicone, biological tissue and resected whole human prostates in order to detect presence of PCa. Prostate glands are generally spherical and a special rotatable sample holder was included in the TRSS. Spherically shaped objects and uneven surfaces call for special attention to the contact angle between the sensor-tip and the measured surface, which has been evaluated. The indentation velocity and the depth sensitivity of the sensor were evaluated as well as the effect on the measurements caused by the force with which spherical samples were held in place in the sample holder. Measurements were made on silicone models and biological tissue of chicken and pork muscles, with embedded stiff silicone nodules, both on flat and spherical shaped samples. Finally, measurements were made on two excised whole human prostates.ResultsA contact angle deviating ≤ 10° from the perpendicular of the surface of the measured object was acceptable for reliable measurements of the stiffness parameter. The sensor could detect stiff nodules ≤ 4 mm under the surface with a small indentation depth of 0.4 to 0.8 mm.Measurements on the surface of resected human prostate glands showed that the TRSS could detect stiff areas (p < 0.05), which were confirmed by histopathological evaluation to be cancer tumours on, and under the surface.Conclusions A flexible resonance sensor system was designed and evaluated on soft tissue models as well as resected whole prostate glands. Evaluations on the tissue models showed that the TRSS can detect stiffer volumes hidden below the surface on both flat and spherical samples. The measurements on resected human prostate glands showed that PCa could be detected both on and under the surface of the gland. Thus the TRSS provides a promising instrument aimed for stiffness measurements of soft human tissue that could contribute to a future quantitative palpation method with the purpose of diagnosing cancer.
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| 46. |
- Åstrand, Anders P, et al.
(författare)
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Detection of stiff nodules embedded in soft tissue phantoms, mimicking cancer tumours, using a tactile resonance sensor
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Biomedical Science and Engineering. - : Scientific Research Publishing, Inc.. - 1937-6871 .- 1937-688X. ; 7, s. 181-193
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundProstate cancer (PCa) is the most common form of cancer among males in Europe and in the USA and the most common curative treatment is removal of the prostate, i.e. prostatectomy. After the removal, the prostate is histopathologically analysed. One area of interest is to examine the capsule of the prostate, as tumours on and near the surface can indicate that the PCa has spread to other parts of the body. There are no current methods to examine the surface of the prostate at the time of surgery. Tactile resonance sensors can be used for detecting areas of different stiffness in soft tissue. Human prostate tissue affected by cancer is usually stiffer than healthy tissue, and for this purpose a tactile resonance sensor was developed. The aim of this study was to investigate the depth at which embedded stiffer volumes could be detected, using soft tissue phantoms.MethodsWith the tactile resonance sensor used in this study, the shift of the resonance frequency and the force at contact with tissue can be measured, and combined into a tissue stiffness parameter. The detection sensitivity of the sensor at impression depths, 0.4 and 0.8 mm, was measured for detection of an inserted nodules of stiff silicone in softer silicone and in chicken muscle tissue, mimicking prostate tissue with cancer tumours.ResultsMeasurements on the silicone samples detected the hidden stiffer object at a depth of 1-4 mm with a difference in the stiffness parameter of 80 – 900 mN/kHz (p < 0.028, n = 48). At the depth 5-6 mm the difference was smaller but still significant < 30 mN/kHz (p < 0.05, n = 24). For the measurements on chicken muscle, the detectable depth was 4 mm (p < 0.05, n = 24).ConclusionThis model study suggests that, with only a small impression depth of ≤ 1 mm, the resonance sensor system described here can detect stiffness variations located at least 4 mm in silicone and chicken muscle, mimicking tumours in prostate tissue.
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| 47. |
- Åstrand, Anders P., et al.
(författare)
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Initial measurements on whole human prostate ex vivo with a tactile resonance sensor in order to detect prostate cancer
- 2015
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Ingår i: 16th Nordic-Baltic Conference on Biomedical Engineering. - Cham : Springer. - 9783319129662 - 9783319129679 ; , s. 120-123
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common form of cancer among the male population in Europe and the USA. PCa can be suspected by a blood test for a specific prostate antigen, a PSA-test, followed by a digital rectal examination (DRE). The objective with the DRE is to investigate the presence of stiff nodules on the prostate. Stiff nodules can indicate PCa and biopsies are taken from the suspicious parts of the prostate using guidance of a transrectal ultrasound. Microscopic evaluation of the biopsies is used for final diagnosis. Superficial tumor growth on, and beneath the surface of the gland is of special interest as it suggests that the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.Tactile resonance sensors can be used to distinguish between areas of different stiffness in soft tissue. The aim was to detect tumors on, and beneath the surface of a whole human prostate ex vivo.A tactile resonance sensor system (TRSS) based on a piezoelectric resonance sensor and a force sensor has been used to detect areas with increased stiffness in soft tissue. The TRSS has a rotatable sample holder for measurements on spherical shaped samples. Stiffness measurements were made on samples of porcine muscle tissue with embedded stiff silicone nodules placed under the surface. Further measurements were made on a resected whole human prostate with PCa.The results showed that through the measured stiffness parameter, the stiff silicone nodules placed down to 4 mm under the surface could be detected. The measurements on the prostate showed that elevated values of the stiffness parameter correlated (p < 0.05) with areas in the anterior of the prostate where cancer tumors were detected by histopathological evaluation. The tumors were significantly stiffer than the healthy tissue in the dorsal region.The results are promising for further development of a clinically useful instrument to detect superficial PCa.
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| 48. |
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| 49. |
- Åstrand, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Stiffness measurements on spherical surfaces of prostate models using a resonance sensor
- 2013
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Ingår i: World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering May 26-31, 2012, Beijing, China. - Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer Berlin/Heidelberg. - 9783642293047 - 9783642293054 ; , s. 1401-1404
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Prostate cancer is one of the most common formsof cancer among men in Europe and the United States.Piezoelectric resonance sensors can be used in medicalresearch for measurements of stiffness of human tissue.Cancer tissue is usually stiffer and has different biomechanicalproperties compared to healthy tissue. The frequency shiftobserved when a piezoelectric resonance sensor comes intocontact with a tissue surface has been suggested to correlatewith the stiffness variations, e.g. due to cancer. An instrumenthas been developed, with which it is possible to scan flat andspherical objects and where the sensor can be tilted fordifferent contact angles. Measurements performed in thisstudy on spherical tissue models made of silicone, showed theimportance of keeping the contact angle perpendicular to thesurface of the sphere. The results are promising for futurestudies on prostate tissue to complete the evaluation of theinstrument.
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| 50. |
- Åstrand, Bengt, et al.
(författare)
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Assessment of ePrescription quality : an observational study at three mail-order pharmacies
- 2009
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Ingår i: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1472-6947. ; 9:1, s. Article number: 8-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The introduction of electronic transfer of prescriptions (ETP) or ePrescriptions in ambulatory health care has been suggested to have a positive impact on the prescribing and dispensing processes. Thereby, implying that ePrescribing can improve safety, quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. In December 2007, 68% of all new prescriptions were transferred electronically in Sweden. The aim of the present study was to assess the quality of ePrescriptions by comparing the proportions of ePrescriptions and non-electronic prescriptions necessitating a clarification contact (correction, completion or change) with the prescriber at the time of dispensing.Methods: A direct observational study was performed at three Swedish mail-order pharmacies which were known to dispense a large proportion of ePrescriptions (38–75%). Data were gathered on all ePrescriptions dispensed at these pharmacies over a three week period in February 2006. All clarification contacts with prescribers were included in the study and were classified and assessed in comparison with all drug prescriptions dispensed at the same pharmacies over the specified period.Results: Of the 31225 prescriptions dispensed during the study period, clarification contacts were made for 2.0% (147/7532) of new ePrescriptions and 1.2% (79/6833) of new non-electronic prescriptions. This represented a relative risk (RR) of 1.7 (95% CI 1.3–2.2) for new ePrescriptions compared to new non-electronic prescriptions. The increased RR was mainly due to 'Dosage and directions for use', which had an RR of 7.6 (95% CI 2.8–20.4) when compared to other clarification contacts. In all, 89.5% of the suggested pharmacist interventions were accepted by the prescriber, 77.7% (192/247) as suggested and an additional 11.7% (29/247) after a modification during contact with the prescriber.Conclusion: The increased proportion of prescriptions necessitating a clarification contact for new ePrescriptions compared to new non-electronic prescriptions indicates the need for an increased focus on quality aspects in ePrescribing deployment. ETP technology should be developed towards a two-way communication between the prescriber and the pharmacist with automated checks of missing, inaccurate, or ambiguous information. This would enhance safety and quality for the patient and also improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness within the health care system.
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