| 1. |
- Antonsson, Ann-Beth, et al.
(författare)
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Arbetsmiljö-LCA - vidareutveckling av en kvantitativ metod
- 1999
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- IVL har tidigare utvecklat grunderna för en metod för att integrera arbetsmiljö i livscykelanalyser, LCA. Denna metod har nu vidareutvecklats och testats i en fallstudie. I fallstudien jämförs två alternativ, etanol resp. diesel som drivmedel för busskörning. Som underlag användes data från en LCA för den yttre miljön för dessa system. Den metod som använts bygger på att data samlas in för fyra effektkategorier, dödsfall, förlorade arbetsdagar beroende på arbetsskador, hörselskador samt allergier & eksem. Data för dessa effektkategorier har tagits fram ur ISA, Arbetarskyddsstyrelsens informationssystem för arbetsskador för olika SNI-koder, d v s olika branscher. Bidraget till arbetsskadorna har beräknats utgående från data om mängden i livscykeln och den totalt producerade mängden i SNI-koden. För att kontrollera om data för de olika delarna i livscykeln avviker från ett förväntat värde, baserat på medelvärdet för arbetsskador för de fyra effektkategorierna i Sverige, har en normalisering gjorts. Dessutom har en känslighetsanalys gjorts för att kontrollera hur känsligt resultatet i de fyra effektkategorierna är för osäkerheter i data. Slutsatserna av studien är att när det gäller totala mängden arbetsskador i livscykeln räknat på den funktionella enheten 107 km busskörning, går det inte att avgöra vilket alternativ som är bäst. Studerar man däremot delar av livscykeln är det möjligt att dra vissa slutsatser. Normaliseringen visar att det finns överrisker i effektkategorierna hörselskador och förlorade arbetsdagar, vad gäller insamling av avfall. Dessutom finns överrisker för allergier och eksem vad gäller deponering av avfall. En noggrannare analys krävs dock för att säkerställa att överrisken beror på just dessa arbeten och inte andra arbeten som också ingår i aktuell SNI-kod. Känslighetsanalysen visar att insamling och deponering av avfall ger de största bidragen till slutresultatet. Även om bidraget från andra delar av livscykeln och för någon effektkategori skulle vara en faktor 5 högre, påverkar det slutresultatet endast marginellt. Fallstudien visar att det är möjligt att göra en arbetsmiljö-LCA (WELCA) som harmonierar väl med traditionell LCA för den yttre miljön. Vidareutveckling har gjorts när det gäller normalisering. Normalisering har den stora fördelen att hjälpa till att identifiera de delar av livscykeln som innebär överrisker och även sortera ut de delar som ger ett stort bidrag p g a att de utgör en 'stor' del av LCAn även om arbetsskadorna per 1000 anställda är färre än det svenska medelvärdet. Även känslighetsanalys är en vidareutveckling av metoden och ger ett bra underlag för att kontrollera effekterna av osäkerheter i data
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| 2. |
- Antonsson, Ann-Beth, et al.
(författare)
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Internkontroll i små företag. Verklighet och visioner
- 1998
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Intervjuer har gjorts av företagsledare i trettio små företag (2-56 anställda) i olika branscher för att följa upp hur internkontrollen (IK) fungerar. Målet har varit att förstå småföretagens inställning till IK samt vad som fungerar/inte fungerar. Utgående från detta läggs grunden till ett mer småföretagsanpassat sätt att bedriva IK. Intervjuerna visar att 22 av företagen kände till IK mer eller mindre och endast tolv hade arbetat med IK. Inget företag hade en väl fungerande IK. Av de tolv företagen arbetade nio också med kvalitetssäkring. Fjorton av de företag som kände till IK, tyckte att IK var byråkratisk och inte passade småföretag. Dokumentationen var besvärlig. Arbetet med IK görs huvudsakligen av företagsledaren ensam. IK-föreskriften speglar en kultur som är en storföretagskultur. Det är ett viktigt skäl till att IK fungerar dåligt i småföretag. Dessutom har småföretagen svårt att tolka föreskriften. Man har också svårt att se nyttan med IK. För att få IK att fungera i småföretag föreslås en modell som innebär att småföretagen börjar bearbeta sina problem direkt, istället för att börja bygga ett ledningssystem. Mo-dellen består av tre delar. 1. Kartlägg arbetsmiljön med hjälp av checklista, enkät el dyl. 2. Håll årligen ett personalmöte och diskutera ett antal frågor som speglar kraven i IK-föreskriften, skriv minnesanteckningar. 3. Arbeta med arbetsmiljön som en del i det dagliga arbetet (vilket blir lättare och får en högre nivå när punkt 1 och 2 genomförts)
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| 3. |
- Antonsson, Hanna, 1979-
(författare)
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Chefers arbete i äldreomsorgen – att hantera den svårhanterliga omvärlden : Relationen mellan arbete och organisering
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- I avhandlingen beskrivs och analyseras chefers arbete genom att kombinera individuella perspektiv med organisatoriska och samhälleliga perspektiv vilket ger både teoretiska och praktiska implikationerReferensramen är uppbyggd av teorier kring chefers arbete och nyinstitutionell teori av Skandinaviskt slag.Flera metoder kombineras för att fånga komplexiteten i chefers arbete; skuggningar, intervjuer, observationer och dokumentstudier.Forskningsfrågorna besvaras genom att använda en kombination av teorier utvecklade för olika analysnivåer; individ, organisation och samhälle. De empiriska materialen används för att ge ett bidrag till vidare forskning om chefers arbete med en empirisk bas.Vikten av att relatera chefers arbete till den kontext som omger dem betonas. Chefers arbete i äldreomsorgen har specifika karaktäristika men också gemensamma drag med chefers arbete i andra sektorer och på andra organisatoriska nivåer. I det empiriska materialet har flera organisatoriska karaktäristika som påverkar chefers arbete identifierats. Beskrivningarna av chefers arbete bidrar också till en utveckling av en empirinära praxisteori för chefers arbete. Med hjälp av nyinstitutionell teori beskrivs hur chefer möter skilda förväntningar och krav och i organisationer, där dessa inte överensstämmer måste chefer hantera ett organisatoriskt hyckleri.
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| 4. |
- Antonsson, Malin, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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Disfluencies in spontaneous speech in persons with low-grade glioma before and after surgery
- 2024
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Ingår i: Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics. - 0269-9206. ; 38:4, s. 359-380, s. 1-22
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Impaired lexical retrieval is common in persons with low-grade glioma (LGG). Several studies have reported a discrepancy between subjective word-finding difficulties and results on formal tests. Analysis of spontaneous speech might be more sensitive to signs of word-finding difficulties, hence we aimed to explore disfluencies in a spontaneous-speech task performed by participants with presumed LGG before and after surgery. Further, we wanted to explore how the presence of disfluencies in spontaneous speech differed in the participants with and without objectively established lexical-retrieval impairment and with and without self-reported subjective experience of impaired language, speech and communication. Speech samples of 26 persons with presumed low-grade glioma were analysed with regard to disfluency features. The post-operative speech samples had a higher occurrence of fillers, implying more disfluent language production. The participants performed worse on two of the word fluency tests, and after surgery the number of participants who were assessed as having an impaired lexical retrieval had increased from 6 to 12. The number of participants who experienced a change in their language, speech or communication had increased from 9 to 12. Additional comparisons showed that those with impaired lexical retrieval had a higher proportion of false starts after surgery than those with normal lexical retrieval, and differences in articulation rate and speech rate, favouring those not having experienced any change in language, speech or communication. Taken together, the findings from this study strengthen the existing claim that temporal aspects of language and speech are important when assessing persons with gliomas.
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| 5. |
- Antonsson, Malin, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of expiratory muscle strength training on voice and speech: An exploratory study in persons with Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis
- 2023
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. - 1754-9507 .- 1754-9515.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: This study explored how respiration, voice, and speech were affected following expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) and maintenance training in persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD) or multiple sclerosis (MS). Method: Nine participants with PD and six with MS participated in a randomised study, where the effects of EMST, sham, and maintenance treatment were investigated. Outcome measures included maximum expiratory pressure (MEP); maximum phonation time (MPT); intelligibility; verbal diadochokinesis (DDK); speech rate; a self-report form on voice, speech, and communication; and open questions about how the participants experienced the intervention. Group comparisons were performed within and between groups. Result: The PD and the MS groups both improved significantly in MEP, and this improvement remained after 3 months of maintenance EMST. An improvement was also seen in DDK. Post-EMST, 33% of the PD group and 80% of the MS group reported a positive effect on communication. Conclusion: The results of this study support previous evidence that EMST has positive effects on expiratory pressure in persons with PD or MS, but its effect on voice and speech remains unclear. Since subjective reports of the intervention and effects on communication were predominantly positive, further research is needed on larger groups to explore appropriate outcome measures.
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| 6. |
- Antonsson, Malin, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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High-level language ability in healthy individuals and its relationship with verbal working memory
- 2016
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Ingår i: Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0269-9206 .- 1464-5076. ; 30:12, s. 944-958
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aims of the study were to investigate healthy subjects' performance on a clinical test of high-level language (HLL) and how it is related to demographic characteristics and verbal working memory (VWM). One hundred healthy subjects (20-79 years old) were assessed with the Swedish BeSS test (Laakso, Brunnegard, Hartelius, & Ahlsen, 2000) and two digit span tasks. Relationships between the demographic variables, VWM and BeSS were investigated both with bivariate correlations and multiple regression analysis. The results present the norms for BeSS. The correlations and multiple regression analysis show that demographic variables had limited influence on test performance. Measures of VWM were moderately related to total BeSS score and weakly to moderately correlated with five of the seven subtests. To conclude, education has an influence on the test as a whole but measures of VWM stood out as the most robust predictor of HLL.
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| 7. |
- Antonsson, Malin, 1986
(författare)
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Language ability in patients with low-grade glioma - detecting signs of subtle dysfunction
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Low-grade glioma (LGG) is a slow-growing brain tumour often situated in or near areas involved in language and/or cognitive functions. Consequently, there is a risk that patients develop language impairments due to tumour growth or surgical resection. Purposes: The main aim of this thesis was to investigate language ability in patients with LGG in relation to surgical treatment. Language ability was investigated using various sensitive methods such as a test of high-level language. To acquire norms for the test used to investigate high-level language, normative values were obtained in a methodological study (Study I). Methods: In Study I, 100 adults were assessed using a Swedish test of high-level language (BeSS) and a test of verbal working memory. Relationships between these tests and demographic variables were investigated. In Study II, the language ability of 23 newly diagnosed LGG patients was assessed and compared with that of a reference group. The patients were also asked about self-perceived changes in language. In Study III, the language ability of 32 LGG patients was assessed before surgery, early after surgery and at three-months follow-up. The patients’ language ability was compared across these assessment points and with a reference group. Finally, in Study IV, 20 LGG patients wrote a short narrative before and after surgery. The aim was to explore whether the lexical-retrieval difficulties previously seen in oral language could be seen in writing as well. Keystroke logging was used to explore writing fluency and word-level pauses. Here, too, comparisons were made between the assessment points and with a reference group. Results and conclusions: Study I showed that demographic variables had a limited impact on performance on the BeSS whereas verbal working memory influenced performance. Hence verbal working memory was found to influence performance on a test of high-level language. In Study II, the LGG group performed worse than the reference group on tests of lexical retrieval. However, the majority of the newly diagnosed patients with presumed LGG had normal or nearly normal language ability prior to surgery. Only a few patients reported a change in their language ability. In Study III, most patients with a tumour in the left hemisphere manifested language impairment shortly after surgery, but the majority of them had returned to their pre-operative level of performance three months after surgery. Language impairment in patients with a tumour in the right hemisphere was rare at all assessment points. In Study IV, LGG patients had a higher proportion of pauses within words before surgery than the reference group did. After surgery, the patients’ production rate decreased and the proportion of pauses before words increased. Measures of lexical retrieval showed moderate to strong relationships with writing fluency both before and after surgery. The higher frequency of word-level pauses could indicate a lexical deficit. Overall, lexical-retrieval deficits were the most common type of impairment found both before and after surgery in patients with presumed LGG.
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| 8. |
- Antonsson, Malin, 1986, et al.
(författare)
-
Narrative writing in patients with low-grade glioma - using keystroke logging to investigate differences in the writing process before and after tumour resection
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Meaningful outcomes Nordic Aphasia Conference. Copenhagen, 15 -17 June 2017.
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this study was to investigate the writing process, using a keystroke logging program, in narratives written by patients with LGG and to compare the patients’ writing processes and products three months after tumour resection with their pre-operative performance. Twenty consecutive patients scheduled for tumour resection at Sahlgrenska University Hospital wrote to a picture-elicited narrative before and at three months follow-up using the keystroke logging program, ScriptLog (Frid, J., Johansson, V., Johansson, R., Wengelin, Å., & Johansson, M., 2014). After surgery there was a significant decline in production rate, i.e. words produced per minute. An analysis of pause distribution in different micro contexts revealed a significant increase of pauses before initiating the typing of a word. The decline in production rate suggests an increase in cognitive effort in narrative writing for patients who have undergone surgical treatment for LGG. The analysis of pause distribution indicates lexical retrieval difficulties. Investigation of the writing process can give information about subtle changes in language and cognitive processing for patients undergoing tumour resection.
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| 9. |
- Antonsson, Malin, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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Post-surgical effects on language in patients with presumed low-grade glioma
- 2018
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Ingår i: Acta Neurologica Scandinavica. - : Hindawi Limited. - 0001-6314. ; 137:5, s. 469-480
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Low-grade glioma (LGG) is a slow-growing brain tumour often situated in or near areas involved in language and/or cognitive functions. Thus, language impairments due to tumour growth or surgical resection are obvious risks. We aimed to investigate language outcome following surgery in patients with presumed LGG, using a comprehensive and sensitive language assessment. Materials and methods: Thirty-two consecutive patients with presumed LGG were assessed preoperative, early post-operative, and 3 months post-operative using sensitive tests including lexical retrieval, language comprehension and high-level language. The patients’ preoperative language ability was compared with a reference group, but also with performance at post-operative controls. Further, the association between tumour location and language performance pre-and post-operatively was explored. Results: Before surgery, the patients with presumed LGG performed worse on tests of lexical retrieval when compared to a reference group (BNT: LGG-group median 52, Reference-group median 54, P = .002; Animals: LGG-group mean 21.0, Reference-group mean 25, P = 001; Verbs: LGG-group mean 17.3, Reference-group mean 21.4, P = .001). At early post-operative assessment, we observed a decline in all language tests, whereas at 3 months there was only a decline on a single test of lexical retrieval (Animals: preoperative. median 20, post-op median 14, P = .001). The highest proportion of language impairment was found in the group with a tumour in language-eloquent areas at all time-points. Conclusions: Although many patients with a tumour in the left hemisphere deteriorated in their language function directly after surgery, their prognosis for recovery was good.
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| 10. |
- Antonsson, Malin, 1986, et al.
(författare)
-
Pre-operative language ability in patients with presumed low-grade glioma
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Journal of Neuro-Oncology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0167-594X .- 1573-7373. ; 137:1, s. 93-102
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In patients with low-grade glioma (LGG), language deficits are usually only found and investigated after surgery. Deficits may be present before surgery but to date, studies have yielded varying results regarding the extent of this problem and in what language domains deficits may occur. This study therefore aims to explore the language ability of patients who have recently received a presumptive diagnosis of low-grade glioma, and also to see whether they reported any changes in their language ability before receiving treatment. Twenty-three patients were tested using a comprehensive test battery that consisted of standard aphasia tests and tests of lexical retrieval and high-level language functions. The patients were also asked whether they had noticed any change in their use of language or ability to communicate. The test scores were compared to a matched reference group and to clinical norms. The presumed LGG group performed significantly worse than the reference group on two tests of lexical retrieval. Since five patients after surgery were discovered to have a high-grade glioma, a separate analysis excluding them were performed. These analyses revealed comparable results; however one test of word fluency was no longer significant. Individually, the majority exhibited normal or nearly normal language ability and only a few reported subjective changes in language or ability to communicate. This study shows that patients who have been diagnosed with LGG generally show mild or no language deficits on either objective or subjective assessment.
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Antonsson, Malin, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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Using a Discourse Task to Explore Semantic Ability in Persons With Cognitive Impairment.
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in aging neuroscience. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1663-4365. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper uses a discourse task to explore aspects of semantic production in persons with various degree of cognitive impairment and healthy controls. The purpose of the study was to test if an in-depth semantic analysis of a cognitive-linguistic challenging discourse task could differentiate persons with a cognitive decline from those with a stable cognitive impairment. Both quantitative measures of semantic ability, using tests of oral lexical retrieval, and qualitative analysis of a narrative were used to detect semantic difficulties. Besides group comparisons a classification experiment was performed to investigate if the discourse features could be used to improve classification of the participants who had a stable cognitive impairment from those who had cognitively declined. In sum, both types of assessment methods captured difficulties between the groups, but tests of oral lexical retrieval most successfully differentiated between the cognitively stable and the cognitively declined group. Discourse features improved classification accuracy and the best combination of features discriminated between participants with a stable cognitive impairment and those who had cognitively declined with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.93.
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| 13. |
- Antonsson, Malin, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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Writing fluency in patients with low-grade glioma before and after surgery
- 2018
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Ingår i: International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders. - : Wiley. - 1368-2822 .- 1460-6984. ; 53:3, s. 592-604
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2018 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. Background: Low-grade glioma (LGG) is a type of brain tumour often situated in or near areas involved in language, sensory or motor functions. Depending on localization and tumour characteristics, language or cognitive impairments due to tumour growth and/or surgical resection are obvious risks. One task that may be at risk is writing, both because it requires intact language and memory function and because it is a very complex and cognitively demanding task. The most commonly reported language deficit in LGG patients is oral lexical-retrieval difficulties, and poor lexical retrieval would be expected to affect writing fluency. Aims: To explore whether writing fluency is affected in LGG patients before and after surgery and whether it is related to performance on tasks of oral lexical retrieval. Methods & Procedures: Twenty consecutive patients with presumed LGG wrote a narrative and performed a copy task before undergoing surgery and at 3-month follow-up using keystroke-logging software. The same tasks were performed by a reference group (N = 31). The patients were also tested using the Boston Naming Test (BNT) and word-fluency tests before and after surgery. Writing fluency was compared between the patients and the reference group, and between the patients before and after surgery. Relationships between performance on tests of oral lexical retrieval and writing fluency were investigated both before and after surgery. Outcome & Results: Different aspects of writing fluency were affected in the LGG patients both before and after surgery. However, when controlling for the effect of typing speed, the LGG group differed significantly from the reference group only in the proportion of pauses within words. After surgery, a significant decline was seen in production rate and typing speed in the narrative task, and a significant increase was seen in pauses before words. Strong positive relationships were found between oral lexical retrieval and writing fluency both before and after surgery. Conclusions & Implications: Although aspects of writing fluency were affected both before and after surgery, the results indicate that typing speed is an important factor behind the pre-surgery differences. However, the decline in overall productivity and the increase in pauses before words after surgery could be related to a lexical deficit. This is supported by the finding that oral lexical-retrieval scores were strongly correlated with writing fluency. However, further exploration is needed to identify the language and cognitive abilities affecting writing processes in LGG patients.
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| 14. |
- Berg, Staffan, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation in pig of an intestinal administration device for oral peptide delivery
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Controlled Release. - : Elsevier. - 0168-3659 .- 1873-4995. ; 353, s. 792-801
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The bioavailability of peptides co-delivered with permeation enhancers following oral administration remains low and highly variable. Two factors that may contribute to this are the dilution of the permeation enhancer in the intestinal fluid, as well as spreading of the released permeation enhancer and peptide in the lumen by intestinal motility. In this work we evaluated an Intestinal Administration Device (IAD) designed to reduce the luminal dilution of drug and permeation enhancer, and to minimize movement of the dosage form in the intestinal lumen. To achieve this, the IAD utilizes an expanding design that holds immediate release mini tablets and places these in contact with the intestinal epithelium, where unidirectional drug release can occur. The expanding conformation limits movement of the IAD in the intestinal tract, thereby enabling drug release at a single focal point in the intestine. A pig model was selected to study the ability of the IAD to promote intestinal absorption of the peptide MEDI7219 formulated together with the permeation enhancer sodium caprate. We compared the IAD to intestinally administered enteric coated capsules and an intestinally administered solution. The IAD restricted movement of the immediate release tablets in the small intestine and histological evaluation of the mucosa indicated that high concentrations of sodium caprate were achieved. Despite significant effect of the permeation enhancer on the integrity of the intestinal epithelium, the bioavailability of MEDI7219 was of the same order of magnitude as that achieved with the solution and enteric coated capsule formulations (2.5–3.8%). The variability in plasma concentrations of MEDI7219 were however lower when delivered using the IAD as compared to the solution and enteric coated capsule formulations. This suggests that dosage forms that can limit intestinal dilution and control the position of drug release can be a way to reduce the absorptive variability of peptides delivered with permeation enhancers but do not offer significant benefits in terms of increasing bioavailability.
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| 15. |
- Emeh, Prosper, et al.
(författare)
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Experiences and Translatability of In Vitro and In Vivo Models to Evaluate Caprate as a Permeation Enhancer
- 2024
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Ingår i: Molecular Pharmaceutics. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1543-8384 .- 1543-8392. ; 21:1, s. 313-324
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Transient permeation enhancers (PEs) have been widely used to improve the oral absorption of macromolecules. During pharmaceutical development, the correct selection of the macromolecule, PE, and the combination needs to be made to maximize oral bioavailability and ensure successful clinical development. Various in vitro and in vivo methods have been investigated to optimize this selection. In vitro methods are generally preferred by the pharmaceutical industry to reduce the use of animals according to the "replacement, reduction, and refinement" principle commonly termed "3Rs," and in vitro methods typically have a higher throughput. This paper compares two in vitro methods that are commonly used within the pharmaceutical industry, being Caco-2 and an Ussing chamber, to two in vivo models, being in situ intestinal instillation to rats and in vivo administration via an endoscope to pigs. All studies use solution formulation of sodium caprate, which has been widely used as a PE, and two macromolecules, being FITC-dextran 4000 Da and MEDI7219, a GLP-1 receptor agonist peptide. The paper shares our experiences of using these models and the challenges with the in vitro models in mimicking the processes occurring in vivo. The paper highlights the need to consider these differences when translating data generated using these in vitro models for evaluating macromolecules, PE, and combinations thereof for enabling oral delivery.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Forsgren, Emma, 1982, et al.
(författare)
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Training conversation partners of persons with communication disorders related to Parkinsons disease - a protocol and a pilot study
- 2013
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Ingår i: Logopedics, Phoniatrics, Vocology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1401-5439 .- 1651-2022. ; 38:2, s. 82-90
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper reports on the adaptation of a training programme for conversation partners of persons with Parkinson's disease, and a protocol for assessment of possible changes in conversational interaction as a result of intervention. We present data from an explorative multiple case study with three individuals with Parkinson's disease and their spouses. Repeated analysis of natural conversational interaction and measures of the participants’ perception of communication as well as measures of different cognitive abilities were obtained. The results show that the communication in all three dyads was affected by both speech and language problems and that the conversation training model and the assessment protocol may work well after minor adjustments. Influence of different aspects of cognition on communication is discussed.
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| 18. |
- Johansson-Malmeling, Charlotte, et al.
(författare)
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Using a digital spelling aid to improve writing in persons with post-stroke aphasia: An intervention study
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders. - : Wiley. - 1368-2822 .- 1460-6984. ; 57:2, s. 303-323
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Intervention studies aimed to improve the written production of single words by persons with aphasia have yielded promising results and there is growing interest in interventions targeting text writing. The development of technical writing aids offers opportunities for persons with aphasia, and studies have shown that using them can have a positive impact on written output. Aims: The aim was to investigate what impact training to use a computerised spell checker had on text writing in persons with aphasia. Methods & Procedures: The study had a multiple-baseline single-case experimental design replicated across six male Swedish participants with mild-to-moderate post-stroke aphasia. The participants received training twice a week during 8weeks, learning how to use the spell checker. At baseline and before every session, the participants wrote two texts which were logged in a keystroke-logging tool. Dependent variables were continuously measured in the texts, and the participants performed tests of language function and answered questionnaires on reading and writing habits and health-related quality of life before and after the intervention. The participants were also interviewed about how they had experienced the training. The results were evaluated on individual and group level. Results: The study showed that systematic individual training involving a spell checker was experienced as positive by the participants and that they all described their writing ability in more positive terms after the intervention. Evaluation showed statistically significant improvements on group level for the dependent variables of spelling accuracy, rated syntax, writing speed and proportion of unedited text during text writing when using the spell checker. The intervention also had a generalising effect on writing speed and editing during text writing without the spell checker and on spelling accuracy in a dictation test. The participants who had the greatest spelling problems were the ones who showed the most progress, but participants with only minor writing difficulties at baseline also improved. Conclusions & Implications: The study shows that a digital spelling aid constitutes effective support for people with aphasia and may also affect levels other than spelling. The training had a generalising positive effect on text writing and spelling in a test. Although writing difficulties is a persisting symptom in aphasia, it can be supported and improved through use of digital spelling aids. Hence, treatment of writing ability should always be included in the rehabilitation of people with aphasia. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject Use of a technical writing aid can have a positive impact on the written output of persons with aphasia. Using a digital spell checker may improve spelling as well as other levels of writing, but it has not been investigated using a keystroke-logging tool in combination with language-test scores and results from questionnaires. What this paper adds to existing knowledge Through analyses on both individual and group level, this study shows that a digital spelling aid constitutes effective support for people with aphasia and also affects levels other than spelling. The training had a generalising positive effect on text writing and spelling in a test. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Digital spelling support, which is a relatively simple and inexpensive technology, can support and improve text writing in persons with post-stroke aphasia.
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| 19. |
- Johansson, Sofie, 1969, et al.
(författare)
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Lexical diversity and mild cognitive impairment
- 2019
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference of Experimental Linguistics, 25-27 September 2019, Lisbon, Portugal / edited by Antonis Botinis. - Athens, Greece : ExLing Society. - 2529-1092. - 9786188458505
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper explores the role that various lexical-based measures play for differentiating between individuals with mild forms of cognitive impairment (MCI) and healthy controls (HC). Recent research underscores the importance of language and linguistic analysis as essential components that can contribute to a variety of sensitive cognitive measures for the identification of milder forms of cognitive impairment. Subtle language changes serve as a sign that an individual’s cognitive functions have been impacted, potentially leading to early diagnosis. Our research aims to identify linguistic biomarkers that could distinguish between individuals with MCI and HC and also be useful in predicting MCI.
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| 20. |
- Lundholm Fors, Kristina, 1977, et al.
(författare)
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Reading and mild cognitive impairment
- 2019
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference of Experimental Linguistics, 25-27 September 2019, Lisbon, Portugal / edited by Antonis Botinis. - : ExLing Society. - 2529-1092. - 9786188458505
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the present study, we investigated the discriminatory power of eye-tracking features in distinguishing between individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and healthy controls (HC). The eye movements of the study participants were recorded at two different time points, 18 months apart. Using a machine learning approach with leave-one-out cross-validation, we were able to discriminate between the groups with 73.6 AUC. However, somewhat surprisingly the classification was less successful using data from the second recording session, which might be attributed to the non-static nature of cognitive status. Still, the outcome suggests that eye-tracking measures can be exploited as useful markers of MCI.
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| 21. |
- Mirkoska, Vesna, et al.
(författare)
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Detection of subclinical motor speech deficits after presumed low-grade glioma surgery
- 2023
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Ingår i: Brain Sciences. - : MDPI. - 2076-3425. ; 13:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Motor speech performance was compared before and after surgical resection of presumed low-grade gliomas. This pre- and post-surgery study was conducted on 15 patients (mean age = 41) with low-grade glioma classified based on anatomic features. Repetitions of /pa/, /ta/, /ka/, and /pataka/ recorded before and 3 months after surgery were analyzed regarding rate and regularity. A significant reduction (6 to 5.6 syllables/s) pre- vs. post-surgery was found in the rate for /ka/, which is comparable to the approximate average decline over 10–15 years of natural aging reported previously. For all other syllable types, rates were within normal age-adjusted ranges in both preoperative and postoperative sessions. The decline in /ka/ rate might reflect a subtle reduction in motor speech production, but the effects were not severe. All but one patient continued to perform within normal ranges post-surgery; one performed two standard deviations below age-appropriate norms pre- and post-surgery in all syllable tasks. The patient experienced motor speech difficulties, which may be related to the tumor’s location in an area important for speech. Low-grade glioma may reduce maximum speech-motor performance in individual patients, but larger samples are needed to elucidate how often the effect occurs.
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| 22. |
- Nilsson, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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Beskrivning och utvärdering av projektet Blandat om Betong
- 1999
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- En metod har utvecklats att sammanställa och sprida för företag nyttig information om arbetsmiljö. Metoden har tillämpats på betongvaruindustrin där skriften Blandat om Betong spritts till de 150 företag som ingår i branschen. Företagen i branschen har kunnat beställa material som sam-manfattas i Blandat om Betong. För att upprätthålla kunskapen om Blandat om Betong, har nyhetsbrev skickats ut årligen. Informationsspridningen har resulterat i 40 olika förfrågningar, varav sex från per-soner som hört av sig två gånger. Totalt har alltså 34 olika personer hört av sig (ca 11% av dem som fått utskicken eller ca 23% av företagen). Uppskattningsvis är 2/3 av de som hört av sig produktionsansva-riga och 1/3 skyddsombud. Denna svarsfrekvens bör betraktas som god med tanke på att i stort sett den enda informationen om projektet varit skriftlig. Det är tydligt att svarsfrekvensen höjs markant när ett nyhetsbrev skickats ut. Nyhetsbreven fungerar som information och påminnelse och verkar vara mycket viktiga för att projektet ska bli framgångsrikt. Även samarbetet med Almega och Industrifacket är av stor vikt, eftersom dessa organisationer har hög trovärdighet inom målgruppen. Sammanfattningsvis kan de mål som sattes upp i början av projektet, att sprida redan framtagen infor-mation till företag inom betongvarubranschen, till stor del betraktas som uppfyllda. Den uppföljning som gjorts visar att företagen är positiva till den typ av information som Blandat om Betong utgör. I och med denna avrapportering är projektet om Blandat om Betong slut. Behovet av information om lösningar på arbetsmiljöproblem har dock inte upphört. Utvärderingen bekräftar dessutom det vi redan visste att ett projekt av den här typen behöver tid på sig för att få genomslagskraft.Samtal har förts med Arbetarskyddsnämnden (ASN) om att utnyttja deras hemsida för fortsatt arbete. Blandat om Betong och liknande sammanställningar för andra branscher skulle kunna läggas in och bli tillgängliga på ASNs hemsida
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| 23. |
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Proceedings of the LREC 2020. Workshop on: Resources and Processing of Linguistic, Para-linguistic and Extra-linguistic Data from People with Various Forms of Cognitive/Psychiatric/Developmental Impairments (RaPID-3), May 11-16, 2020, Marseille, France
- 2020
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Proceedings (redaktörskap) (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- RaPID-3 aims to be an interdisciplinary forum for researchers to share information, findings, methods, models and experience on the collection and processing of data produced by people with various forms of mental, cognitive, neuropsychiatric, or neurodegenerative impairments, such as aphasia, dementia, autism, bipolar disorder, Parkinson’s disease or schizophrenia. Particularly, the workshop’s focus is on creation, processing and application of data resources from individuals at various stages of these impairments and with varying degrees of severity. Creation of resources includes e.g. annotation, description, analysis and interpretation of linguistic, paralinguistic and extra-linguistic data (such as spontaneous spoken language, transcripts, eyetracking measurements, wearable and sensor data, etc). Processing is done to identify, extract, correlate, evaluate and disseminate various linguistic or multimodal phenotypes and measurements, which then can be applied to aid diagnosis, monitor the progression or predict individuals at risk. A central aim is to facilitate the study of the relationships among various levels of linguistic, paralinguistic and extra-linguistic observations (e.g., acoustic measures; phonological, syntactic and semantic features; eye tracking measurements; sensors, signs and multimodal signals). Submission of papers are invited in all of the aforementioned areas, particularly emphasizing multidisciplinary aspects of processing such data and the interplay between clinical/nursing/medical sciences, language technology, computational linguistics, natural language processing (NLP) and computer science. The workshop will act as a stimulus for the discussion of several ongoing research questions driving current and future research by bringing together researchers from various research communities.
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| 24. |
- Åke, Sabina, et al.
(författare)
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Experiences of language and communication after brain-tumour treatment: A long-term follow-up after glioma surgery.
- 2023
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Ingår i: Neuropsychological rehabilitation. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0960-2011 .- 1464-0694. ; 33:7, s. 1225-1261
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this study was to explore how persons having received various treatments for glioma, a type of brain tumour, experience their language, speech, and communication in everyday life. Twelve persons with low-grade glioma and one with high-grade glioma who had undergone tumour resection in 2014-2016 in different tumour locations were interviewed using a semi-structured protocol. The video-recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed using qualitative content analysis, which revealed three manifest categories, nine sub-categories and one latent theme. Participants experienced changed communication that affected word finding, motor speech and comprehension. They also expressed how communication required a greater effort; time and context were important factors and participants felt frustrated with their communication. Further, they were dealing with changes and used multiple strategies to manage communication. For most participants it did not affect their everyday life, but it was not like before. In addition, participants adapted their way of living to manage illness-related problems. Uncertainty was a latent theme which emanated from the participants' illness experience, reflecting how living with a slow-growing brain tumour affects life-decisions and views of perceived symptoms. Discussion of how results can be interpreted in relation to previous research and health care are included.
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