| 1. |
- Christiansen, Filip, et al.
(author)
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Physical activity through a classroom-based intervention : A pragmatic non-randomized trial among swedish adolescents in an upper secondary school
- 2021
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In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 18:21
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Schools are an important arena to curb the decline in physical activity (PA) in youth. School-based interventions with accelerometer-measured PA are warranted. This study aimed to increase accelerometer-measured PA in adolescents following a 12-month school-based intervention. Two school-classes of 16–18-year-old Swedish students were allocated to intervention group and control group. Accelerometer-measured PA was gathered at baseline, 6-and 12-month follow-up. Mixed-effects linear regression was used to investigate between-group and within-group differences in mean minutes per day (min/day) of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA), light PA (LPA) and sedentary time (ST). Fifty-seven students participated (intervention group = 31, control group = 26). At 12-month follow-up, the intervention group performed 5.9 (95% CI: −4.3, 16.2) min/day more in MVPA, 1.8 (95% CI: −17.9, 14.2) min/day less in LPA, and 4.1 (95% CI: −27.3, 19.2) min/day less in ST compared to the control group. Within the intervention group, there was no significant change in PA. Within the control group, LPA decreased (95% CI: −19.6, −0.2; p = 0.044) and ST increased (95% CI: 1.8, 30.8; p = 0.028). Although no between-group differences in PA were statistically significant, the within-group changes may suggest a preventive impact on the decline in PA during adolescence.
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| 2. |
- Dahl, Martin, 1984-, et al.
(author)
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A 2,000-Year Record of Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) : Colonization Shows Substantial Gains in Blue Carbon Storage and Nutrient Retention
- 2024
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In: Global Biogeochemical Cycles. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0886-6236 .- 1944-9224. ; 38:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Assessing historical environmental conditions linked to habitat colonization is important for understanding long-term resilience and improving conservation and restoration efforts. Such information is lacking for the seagrass Zostera marina, an important foundation species across cold-temperate coastal areas of the Northern Hemisphere. Here, we reconstructed environmental conditions during the last 14,000 years from sediment cores in two eelgrass (Z. marina) meadows along the Swedish west coast, with the main aims to identify the time frame of seagrass colonization and describe subsequent biogeochemical changes following establishment. Based on vegetation proxies (lipid biomarkers), eelgrass colonization occurred about 2,000 years ago after geomorphological changes that resulted in a shallow, sheltered environment favoring seagrass growth. Seagrass establishment led to up to 20- and 24-fold increases in sedimentary carbon and nitrogen accumulation rates, respectively. This demonstrates the capacity of seagrasses as efficient ecosystem engineers and their role in global change mitigation and adaptation through CO2 removal, and nutrient and sediment retention. By combining regional climate projections and landscape models, we assessed potential climate change effects on seagrass growth, productivity and distribution until 2100. These predictions showed that seagrass meadows are mostly at risk from increased sedimentation and hydrodynamic changes, while the impact from sea level rise alone might be of less importance in the studied area. This study showcases the positive feedback between seagrass colonization and environmental conditions, which holds promise for successful conservation and restoration efforts aimed at supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the provision of several other crucial ecosystem services. © 2024. The Authors.
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| 3. |
- Ghafouri, Bijar, et al.
(author)
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Swedish Chronic Pain Biobank : protocol for a multicentre registry and biomarker project
- 2022
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In: BMJ Open. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2044-6055. ; 12:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- INTRODUCTION: About 20% of the adult population have chronic pain, often associated with psychological distress, sick leave and poor health. There are large variations in the clinical picture. A biopsychosocial approach is used in investigation and treatment. The concept of personalised medicine, that is, optimising medication types and dosages for individual patients based on biomarkers and other patient-related factors, has received increasing attention in different diseases but used less in chronic pain. This cooperative project from all Swedish University Hospitals will investigate whether there are changes in inflammation and metabolism patterns in saliva and blood in chronic pain patients and whether the changes correlate with clinical characteristics and rehabilitation outcomes.METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Patients at multidisciplinary pain centres at University Hospitals in Sweden who have chosen to participate in the Swedish Quality Registry for Pain Rehabilitation and healthy sex-matched and age-matched individuals will be included in the study. Saliva and blood samples will be collected in addition to questionnaire data obtained from the register. From the samples, proteins, lipids, metabolites and micro-RNA will be analysed in relation to, for example, diagnosis, pain characteristics, psychological distress, body weight, pharmacological treatment and clinical rehabilitation results using advanced multivariate data analysis and bioinformatics.ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study is approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (Dnr 2021-04929) and will be conducted in accordance with the declaration of Helsinki.The results will be published in open access scientific journals and in popular scientific relevant journals such as those from patient organisations. Data will be also presented in scientific meetings, meeting with healthcare organisations and disseminated in different lecturers at the clinics and universities.
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| 4. |
- Hage, Camilla, et al.
(author)
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Metabolomic Profile in HFpEF vs HFrEF Patients
- 2020
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In: Journal of Cardiac Failure. - : Elsevier BV. - 1071-9164 .- 1532-8414. ; 26:12, s. 1050-1059
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) are associated with metabolic derangements, which may have different pathophysiological implications.Methods and Results: In new-onset HFpEF (EF of >= 50%, n = 46) and HFrEF (EF of <40%, n = 75) patients, 109 endogenous plasma metabolites including amino acids, phospholipids and acylcarnitines were assessed using targeted metabolomics. Differentially altered metabolites and associations with clinical characteristics were explored. Patients with HFpEF were older, more often female with hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and diabetes compared with patients with HFrEF. Patients with HFpEF displayed higher levels of hydroxyproline and symmetric dimethyl arginine, alanine, cystine, and kynurenine reflecting fibrosis, inflammation and oxidative stress. Serine, cGMP, cAMP, L-carnitine, lysophophatidylcholine (18:2), lactate, and arginine were lower compared with patients with HFrEF. In patients with HFpEF with diabetes, kynurenine was higher (P = .014) and arginine lower (P = .014) vs patients with no diabetes, but did not differ with diabetes status in HFrEF. Decreasing kynurenine was associated with higher eGFR only in HFpEF (P-interaction = .020).Conclusions: Patients with new-onset HFpEF compared with patients with new-onset HFrEF display a different metabolic profile associated with comorbidities, such as diabetes and kidney dysfunction. HFpEF is associated with indices of increased inflammation and oxidative stress, impaired lipid metabolism, increased collagen synthesis, and downregulated nitric oxide signaling. Together, these findings suggest a more predominant systemic microvascular endothelial dysfunction and inflammation linked to increased fibrosis in HFpEF compared with HFrEF.
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| 5. |
- Löfgren, Hans O., Lektor, 1961-, et al.
(author)
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Does cal .22 Improve Marksmanship for Police Students in Sweden?
- 2022
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In: Nordic Journal of Studies in Policing. - : Universitetsforlaget. - 2703-7045. ; 9:1, s. 1-13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Firearm training could focus on more practical shooting and tactical training if students pass the examination at an earlier stage during their basic training. The aim of this study is to investigate whether minimizing the recoil, andtherefore the startle reaction, and/or psychological factors could increase the shooting scores. This study employs a quasi-experimental design involving two groups of police students: 28 in the control group and 27 in the interventiongroup. The intervention group received an adjusted version of the Sig Sauer handgun that was changed to fire .22long rifle caliber ammunition. Although the study group had the best results (86%) over the past fifteen semesters,there was no difference in the shooting performance between the control and the intervention groups, i.e., minimizing recoil in the beginning of the training did not increase the shooting scores. The results of this study indicate that female students with high cognitive anxiety have lower shooting scores than male students with less cognitive anxiety.These findings are discussed with special regard to equalizing any gender differences in firearm training.
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| 6. |
- Löfgren, Hans O., 1961-, et al.
(author)
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Kaliber .22 : en systematisk studie kring faktorer som kan påverka polisstudentens skjutresultat
- 2021
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Enheten för polisutbildning vid Umeå universitet har under 2019 genomfört en studie i samband med vapenutbildning på grundnivå. Bakgrunden till denna studie var att vapenlärarna vid enheten uppmärksammade att många studenter hade problem med avfyrningstekniken. Problemet kan bero på att när avfyrningen med tjänstevapnet (kaliber 9 x 19 mm) sker kan både rekylen och ljudet upplevas som olustig. Detta kan leda till att skytten försöker kontrollera sin reaktion av ljudet från avfyrningsexplosionen genom att själv bestämma när avfyrningen ska ske, dvs rycker av skottet, och påverkar vapnets rörelse i samband med avfyrning. Resultatet blir att skytten inte uppnår önskade träffresultat även om förhållandena mellan korn-sikte-mål är idealiska ögonblicket innan avfyringen. En hypotes är att studenten/skytten kan koncentrera sig bättre på ett korrekt utförande i samband med avfyrning av vapnet om de börjar sin träning med en mindre kaliber (kaliber .22 LR), som ger mindre rekyl och ljud än det ordinarie tjänstevapnet. Fokus kan då i högre utsträckning läggas på avfyrningstekniken istället för att fånga upp rekylen och uthärda ljudet. Syftet med studien är att undersöka om träning med en mindre kaliber, och därmed hantering av startle reaction-reflexen, förbättrar resultatet på kompetensprovet samt att undersöka vilka andra bakomliggande faktorer som kan påverka skjutresultatet. Studien använder en kvasiexperimentell design som involverar två grupper polisstudenter: 28 i kontroll- och 27 i interventionsgruppen och undersöker faktorer som kan påverka skyttet. Interventionsgruppen fick en justerad version av Sig Sauer-pistolen som konverterats med en växelsats till att skjuta ammunition med kaliber .22 LR, medan kontroll-gruppen genomförde skjututbildningen utan justeringar i ammunition. Intervjuer genomfördes för att undersöka vilka tankar studenterna har kring kompetensprovet i relation till de kvantitativa faktorerna. I den totala gruppen (dvs alla deltagare i studien) var 86 % godkända i kompetensprovet vid första tillfället. Det bästa resultatet för skjutprovet under de senaste 15 terminerna. Resultaten av denna studie indikerar dock att kvinnliga studenter med hög kognitiv oro har lägre skyttepoäng än manliga studenter med mindre kognitiv oro. Denna pilotstudie är ett första steg att undersöka området och kommer att ligga till grund för ytterligare studier i området.
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| 7. |
- Silva, Teresa C., 1969-, et al.
(author)
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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on police officers' mental health : preliminary results of a Portuguese sample
- 2021
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In: European Law Enforcement Research Bulletin. - : European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL). ; , s. 111-119
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study had a twofold objective. First, we aimed to measure the levels of stress symptoms and burnout on the police officers who volunteered for the study. Second, we proposed to examine the effect of COVID-19 exposure and exposure to traumatic experiences in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic on the officers’ mental health.The National Directorate of the Policia de Segurança Pública (Portuguese Public Security Police) approved this study and was responsible for distributing information about the study and the link to an online questionnaire among their officers. As expected, the levels of burnout, psychological distress, and posttraumatic stress (PTS) were higher than similar professional populations in non-pandemic conditions. Officers with fewer than 11 years of work experience showed fewer symptoms of PTS compared to those with longer work experience, but at the same time, they reported higher levels of burnout. Women revealed higher scores of burnout-disengagement, but no other differences compared to their male colleagues. Officers who were married or living in a partner relationship obtained lower levels of posttraumatic stress than officers who reported being single, divorced, or widowed. The responsibility of caring for an elderly relative increased psychological distress and PTS levels. In general, exposure to COVID-19 or being at risk of infection had less impact on the officers’ mental health than exposure to traumatic experiences.In conclusion, as expected, the pandemic is having a stressful effect on police officers, but it is not homogeneous among different groups. Implications for intervention policies are discussed.
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| 8. |
- Sjödén, Björn, 1977-, et al.
(author)
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Concept-Based Modeling as a Method Combining Digital and Analogue Means for Problem-Solving
- 2023
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In: Design, Learning, and Innovation. - Cham : Springer. - 9783031313912 - 9783031313929 ; , s. 22-37
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper we present Concept-Based Modeling (CBM), an innovative pedagogical method for problem-solving in engineering education, which combines analogue and digital tools. We outline the scientific rationale for CBM and discuss how it compares to traditional teaching with respect to optimizing the pedagogical value of both analogue and digital means. CBM is based on conceptual modeling of quantities derived directly from first principles and streamlined for the use of computer algebra systems (CAS). The method was evaluated in a pilot survey in a statics course for engineering students in their freshman year at Halmstad University. We conclude that CBM improves students’ problem-solving skills by the reciprocal action between conceptual understanding and modeling of a problem. Student evaluations suggest that CBM enables students to handle more realistic problems and that CAS as a professional tool prepares them for their future working life. Future studies will address CBM for more advanced courses, as the students’ knowledge develops over time. © 2022 The Authors.
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