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Promoting healthy lifestyle behaviours in the preschool setting: perceptions and needs of teachers and principals
No full textBackgroundPreschools are important environments in shaping young children's lifestyle behaviours, including movement (physical activity, screen time, and sleep) and eating behaviours. Few studies have investigated how teachers and principals can be supported in promoting healthy lifestyle behaviours in the preschool setting and whether a digital support tool could be a way forward. This study aimed to explore preschool teachers' and principals' perceptions, needs, and prerequisites for promoting healthy lifestyle behaviours, as well as their preferences for a potential digital support.MethodsIn 2024, ten teachers and five principals from five regions across Sweden were recruited through purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews were conducted through video calls. Analysis was guided by the research aims and conducted using inductive content analysis.ResultsTeachers as well as the preschool environment were highlighted as crucial for promoting physical activity in children. Teacher involvement was found to be central for motivating children to be physically active, especially children who do not spontaneously engage in physical activity. Communication between preschools and parents was also considered important for promoting healthy lifestyle behaviours. Furthermore, participants emphasized the value of face-to-face support such as lectures or workshops, potentially complemented by a digital tool, for increasing motivation and awareness among educators. Such combined support was highlighted as particularly useful for educators with low interest in physical activity. Finally, the sections on physical activity in the preschool curriculum were perceived as unclear and participants expressed a need for clearer guidance.ConclusionsFindings suggest that face-to-face support in combination with a digital tool can facilitate the promotion of physical activity and other healthy lifestyle behaviours in the preschool setting. Also, clear guidance within the curriculum and policies are warranted.Funding Agencies|Karolinska Institute</p
What do the Museum Educator and the Objects do with History? : History Teaching at four Museums of Cultural History 2015–2017
No full textÄmnesundervisning i ett klassrum beskrivs ofta i termer av en didaktisk triangel som innehåller relationerna mellan lärare, elev och innehåll. När ämnesundervisning äger rum i ett kulturhistoriskt museum tillkommer komponenten materialitet i form av föremål, scener och i princip också själva museirummet. De specifika förutsättningarna för historieundervisning i detta sammanhang kan visualiseras som en museididaktisk tetraeder, där museimaterial utgör det fjärde hörnet. I denna observationsstudie undersöks den historieundervisning som tio museipedagoger genomförde på fyra svenska kulturhistoriska museer 2015—2017. Syftet med studien är att bidra med ny kunskap om museet som undervisningsmiljö, om vilka de didaktiska villkoren är som formar museernas historieundervisning. Med stöd i teorier om autenticitet, historiebruk, historiekultur, intersektionalitet, narrativa förkortningar och selektiva traditioner analyseras hur materialiteten påverkar museipedagogens förhållande till ämnesinnehållet med fokus på historiska aktörer. Sammantaget pekar avhandlingens resultat på att materialiteten påverkar museipedagogens förhållande till ämnesinnehållet på två sätt: antingen kompletteras ett specifikt ämnesinnehåll med hjälp av lämpligt museimaterial (fokus på tetraederns innehåll), eller så möjliggör ett specifikt museimaterial ett ämnesinnehåll (fokus på tetraederns museimaterial). Museipedagogens urval och bruk av museimaterial och innehåll måste vidare förstås inom ramen för en specifik historiekultur som färgas av samtida normer och värderingar såväl som av museispecifika villkor såsom organisationsform, ämnesområde, utställningsdesign och museisamlingarnas karaktär. Resultaten visar att en rad olika materialtyper förekommer i museiundervisningen och ges delvis olika funktioner. Studien visar också att män och kvinnor från samhällets samtliga skikt inkluderas i museiundervisningen, men tenderar att behandlas på skilda sätt i de historiska skildringarna. Medan namngivna kvinnliga aktörer brukas för att synliggöra individen, används manliga aktörer snarare för att strukturera ett ämnesinnehåll eller symbolisera ett historiskt fenomen.Subject teaching in a classroom is often described in terms of a pedagogical triangle that contains the relationships between teacher, student, and content. When subject teaching takes place in a museum of cultural history, the component of materiality is added in the form of objects, scenes, and in principle also the museum room itself. In the dissertation, the specific conditions for history teaching in museums are visualised as a museum pedagogical tetrahedron, where museum material constitutes the fourth corner. The thesis is an observation study and investigates history teaching carried out by ten museum educators at four Swedish museums of cultural history during 2015—2017. The aim of the study is to develop new knowledge about the museum as a teaching environment, and the pedagogical conditions that shape the subject teaching. Drawing on theories of authenticity, historical culture, intersectionality, narrative abbreviations, selective traditions, and uses of history, the study analyses how materiality affects the museum educator's approach to the subject content with focus on historical actors. Overall, the results of the study indicate that materiality affects the museum educator's relationship to the subject content in two ways: either a specific subject content is supplemented with the help of appropriate museum material (focus on the tetrahedron’s subject content), or a specific museum material decides or enables a subject content (focus on the tetrahedron’s museum material). However, the museum educator's selection and use of materials and subject content must also be understood within the framework of a specific historical culture that is governed by contemporary norms and values as well as by museum-specific conditions such as organization, subject area, exhibition design, and the character of the museum collection. The findings show that a number of different material resources are used in history teaching at museums and that they are given partial different functions. Furthermore, the results show that both men and women of all social strata are represented. However, the findings indicate that female actors primarily are attributed an intrinsic value in the narratives, while the male actors tend to have a symbolic value
Electron CVD : From Instrumentation to Self-limiting Deposition
No full textMetallic thin films are vital in many diverse applications, where they e.g. form the electrically conducting channels in semiconductor devices, which often involve complex features. When the metallic thin films are to be deposited into complex features, such as deep holes, some form of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is the desired deposition approach. For CVD of metallic films, a reducing agent is typically required, supplying electrons to the metal center of the precursor, which is typically in a positive valence state. Depositing electronegative metals by CVD is fairly straightforward, since no powerful reducing agent is needed. On the other hand, for more electropositive metals, the task becomes challenging below ~ 200 °C since powerful reducing agents are required to overcome the thermodynamic barrier associated with the reduction of electropositive metals. An alternative to elevated temperatures and powerful molecular reducing agents is a technique referred to as electron chemical vapor deposition (e-CVD), which uses plasma electrons instead of a molecular reducing agent for the redox chemistry. However, only a phenomenological understanding of the process is available. This thesis aims to study the details of the e-CVD process to build a better understanding for the chemical and physical processes governing it. To start comprehending the surface chemistry, an electrically modified quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) probe was developed for the e-CVD process, a sensor capable of sensing very small mass differences. This gave us information concerning precursor adsorption, net mass gain, and the dynamics of the process. We noted that pulsed e-CVD yielded denser films than continuous e-CVD. To untangle the plasma characteristics of the e-CVD plasma discharge, an RF Sobolewski probe was employed in order to gain information of the electron temperature and electron density in the plasma along with the plasma- and plasma sheath potential. These results provide a more solid understanding of the boundaries for the plasma chemical reactions, which were later used to correlate various decomposition reactions of the precursor ferrocene. To compare metal-carbon (M–C) coordination and metal-nitrogen (M–N) coordination in the e-CVD process, a deposition study using Fe–C (ferrocene) and Fe–N (iron amidinate) were performed. The results show that it does appear to be certain differences when these types of precursors are used for iron deposition. Importantly, this thesis also shows that the carbon contamination can be mitigating when pulsing the process. Finally, deposition of copper containing films was studied, revealing self-limiting characteristics using the electrically modified QCM. The findings in this thesis gives knowledge of the plasma dynamics in the e-CVD process and for plasma CVD processes in general. In addition, this thesis contributes with instrumental efforts that can be employed in any e-CVD scheme to understand the deposition puzzle.Funding agency: The Swedish Research Council (VR) under Contracts 2019-05055 and 2023-0349</p
Longitudinal Profiles and Predictors of Physical Activity in Cancer Survivors Post-Exercise Intervention: A 5-Year Follow-Up of the Phys-Can RCT
No full textBackground: Regular physical activity improves health outcomes in cancer survivors; however, maintaining recommended levels of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) post-treatment is challenging, even for those participating in exercise intervention studies. Understanding long-term MVPA patterns and predictors can guide strategies to promote sustained physical activity in this population. We aimed to describe objectively measured MVPA-profiles over 5 years in cancer survivors who participated in a 6-month exercise intervention during cancer treatment, and to identify baseline predictors of profile belonging.Methods: Data were derived from the multicenter randomized controlled trial Phys-Can, including participants with breast, colorectal or prostate cancer. Objective measures of MVPA were conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and at 1-, 2-, and 5-year follow-ups. Longitudinal latent profile analysis was used to identify MVPA profiles, and multinomial logistic regression to examine potential baseline predictors of profile belonging.Results: Among 556 participants, 4 longitudinal MVPA profiles were identified: Low and stable (18.0%), Medium and stable (40.8%), High and decreasing (28.4%), and Very high and stable (12.8%). Compared to the Very high and stable MVPA profile, participants in the Low and stable MVPA profile were more likely to be women (OR = 20.64) or have higher BMI (OR = 1.41) or lower cardiorespiratory fitness (OR = 0.69) at baseline.Conclusion: Cancer survivors who are women or have a higher BMI and/or low cardiorespiratory fitness prior to cancer treatment are at greater risk of maintaining low MVPA levels over time. These groups may require targeted support to enhance and sustain physical activity during survivorship.Funding Agencies|Swedish Cancer Society [150841, 160483, 2018/533]; Swedish Research Council [KDB/9514]</p
Ultrasound for the Detection of Gallbladder Malignancy in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
No full textBackground and Aims: In primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), the risk for gallbladder malignancy is increased. Surveillance imaging is used for early diagnosis. The study aims to assess the reliability of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the detection of gallbladder polyps in people with PSC and to define a polyp size as a cut-off at which cholecystectomy is indicated due to the high probability of a malignant finding. Methods: In this retrospective European multicentre study, we included 51 people with PSC who had cholecystectomy for gallbladder polyps detected on imaging using ultrasound and/or MRI within 6 months prior to cholecystectomy and a histology report available. As a control group, we included 102 people with PSC with other indications for cholecystectomy. Malignancy was defined as high-grade dysplasia or carcinoma on histology. Results: Including all 153 patients, ultrasound was significantly more sensitive than MRI in detecting gallbladder polyps (p &lt; 0.001). MRI missed 3 of the 8 malignant polyps. Malignant polyps (n = 8, median size = 12.5 mm) were significantly larger than non-malignant polyps (n = 26, median size = 6 mm) on ultrasound (p &lt; 0.001). Ultrasound detected malignant polyps reliably (AUC = 0.91, p &lt; 0.001) with an optimal cut-off of 8 mm. This cut-off was defined in the Hamburg cohort and validated in a multicentre validation cohort with an AUC of 0.92 (p = 0.02). Conclusions: Ultrasound is more sensitive for the detection of gallbladder polyps than MRI in people with PSC. The best cut-off to differentiate between benign and malignant polyps was 8 mm. Ultrasound (gallbladder) and MRI (bile ducts) may thus be complementary methods for hepatobiliary malignancy surveillance in people with PSC.Funding Agencies|YAEL Foundation</p
About the preparations and transition from studies to work life for young adults with visual impairments
No full textThis study explores the transition from education to employment for young adults with visual impairments, highlighting the challenges and opportunities they face, as well as how their experiences of school and support services have influenced their journey. The study is based on qualitative interviews with nine participants aged 18 to 30, focusing on significant experiences during education, the transition process, and encounters with the labour market. The results show that experiences of support in school vary significantly, from helpful assistance from aides and special educators to a lack of continuity and understanding among school staff. This has impacted participants' independence and academic success. Career guidance is identified as a key factor, but many participants report insufficient support, leading to uncertainty about their future paths. The transition to working life is often marked by long delays and ineffective processes at the Swedish Public Employment Service, which negatively affects motivation. Participants also report facing prejudice and a lack of knowledge among employers about the capabilities of individuals with visual impairments, limiting their chances to show their skills. A success factor is the individual’s ability to articulate their needs and strengths, while also navigating employers’ lack of awareness. The study concludes that a successful transition requires a holistic approach combining individual effort, effective support systems, and structural changes in society. Given the lack of Swedish research in this field, this study provides valuable insights.Denna studie undersöker övergången från studier till arbetsliv för unga vuxna med synnedsättning. Fokus ligger på vilka hinder och möjligheter som dessa individer möter, samt hur tidigare erfarenheter av skolgång och stödinsatser påverkat deras väg mot arbetsmarknaden. Studien bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer med nio deltagare i åldern 18–30 år, där centrala teman rör skolgång, stöd i övergångsprocessen och mötet med arbetslivet. Resultaten visar att deltagarnas erfarenheter av stöd i skolan varierar kraftigt, från välfungerande insatser till bristande kunskap och kontinuitet hos personalen. Detta har haft stor betydelse för deras självständighet och studieresultat. Studie- och yrkesvägledning framstår som en nyckelfaktor, men många deltagare upplever att hjälpen varit otillräckligt, vilket skapat osäkerhet inför framtida val. Övergången till arbetslivet beskrivs som utmanande, där långa handläggningstider och bristande bemötande från Arbetsförmedlingen försämrat motivationen. Därtill vittnar deltagarna om fördomar och okunskap hos arbetsgivare, vilket begränsar deras möjligheter att få visa sina förmågor. En framgångsfaktor tycks vara individens förmåga att identifiera och kommunicera sina behov, samtidigt som det krävs förbättrad kunskap och anpassning hos arbetsgivare och myndigheter. Studien visar att en fungerande övergång kräver ett helhetsperspektiv där individens resurser samspelar med fungerande stödstrukturer och samhälleliga förändringar. Bristen på svensk forskning inom området gör denna studie särskilt angelägen
Metabolic disturbances related to inflammation in COPD
No full textBackground Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disorder with phenotypic heterogeneity, which includes nonreversible airflow limitation, chronic airway inflammation and systemic expression. COPD extends beyond the lungs to skeletal muscle, metabolism, and immune function. Oxidative stress and lysosomal impairment are among the key processes that may bridge local tissue damage with systemic effects. Despite several lines of investigations, the relationship between oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, muscle pathology and vitamin D deficiency to influence outcome in COPD remains to be fully addressed. Aims The general aim of this thesis was to study molecular, cellular and systemic processes in COPD with emphasis on oxidative stress, lysosomal stability, immune cell function, skeletal muscle changes and vitamin D status. Complementing mechanistic in vitro and ex vivo approaches with imaging and biomarker readouts; the thesis aimed to unravel disease progression pathways and unveil potential therapeutic targets. Methods and Results Paper I Study of type II alveolar-like epithelial cells exposed to oxidants. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced ferritin degradation and lysosomal iron release to induce epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Such effects were mitigated by antioxidants and lysosomal stabilizers, which provide support to the implication of the lysosomal–iron axis in airway remodeling. Paper II Study of alveolar macrophages in Broncho-Alveolar Lavage Fluid (BALF) from patients with inflammatory disorders demonstrating Chronic Airway Limitation (CAL) on dynamic spirometry and controls. The macrophages of the patients with CAL were more sensitive to oxidant-mediated lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) than controls. LMP was associated with the extent of airflow limitation, consistent with lysosomal fragility as a pathogenic determinant in COPD. Paper III Investigated skeletal muscles in COPD patients and controls by MRI together with 31P-MRS. Individuals with COPD demonstrated severe myosteatosis, dysfunctional oxidative capacity and reduced functional performance. Increased general systemic inflammation was associated with adverse muscle composition indicative of a lung-muscle inflammatory axis. In Paper IV We examined 111 patients with GOLD E COPD and found that those with serum 25- hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations <50 nmol/L were more symptomatic, had higher levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and experienced significantly more exacerbations than those who had a serum concentration ≥50 nmol/L. Decreased 25(OH)D was associated with worse symptoms, increased inflammation, and more frequent exacerbation, emphasizing the clinical significance of vitamin D deficiency in severe COPD. Conclusion This thesis shows that COPD involves a cascade from oxidative stress and lysosomal damage in epithelial cells and macrophages, to systemic inflammation, skeletal muscle dysfunction and susceptibility for exacerbations associated with vitamin D deficiency
Prevalence and discriminant validity of PTSD and CPTSD in a community sample of adolescents with refugee backgrounds residing in Sweden
No full textResearch on complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) among individuals with refugee backgrounds is limited, and its validity within this group remains underexplored. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and discriminant validity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and CPTSD, as well as the risk factors for CPTSD, in a community sample of adolescents with refugee backgrounds residing in Sweden. This study involved 296 adolescents. Probable diagnoses were evaluated according to DSM-5 and ICD-11 criteria. Latent class analysis was employed to examine the discriminant validity of PTSD and CPTSD, while logistic regression analysis was used to explore risk factors for CPTSD. The findings indicated that 24.1% had a probable diagnosis of PTSD according to the DSM-5. For ICD-11, the equivalent proportions were 7.1% for PTSD and 10.8% for CPTSD. Latent class analysis identified three distinct classes: Low symptoms (46.9%), PTSD (29.6%), and CPTSD (23.6%). Compared to the PTSD class, membership in the CPTSD class was predicted by exposure to more types of violence and child maltreatment. It was also associated with higher posttraumatic stress symptoms, worse general functioning, poorer mental well-being, increased suicidal thoughts, more treatment-seeking behavior, and greater comorbidity. This study found a high prevalence of PTSD and CPTSD among adolescents with refugee backgrounds living in Sweden. Distinct classes aligned with the ICD-11 formulation of PTSD and CPTSD were identified, with exposure to violence and child maltreatment emerging as key risk factors for CPTSD. Results underscore the importance of identifying and addressing posttraumatic stress in adolescents with refugee backgrounds. Future research should aim to further validate the CPTSD diagnosis in larger samples of adolescents with refugee backgrounds.Funding Agencies|Linkoping University; Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare [2019-12-01, 2022-01059]; Cocozza Foundation [LIU-2022-02135]</p
Facial cues of sickness reduce trustworthiness judgements, with stronger effects in women
No full textA behavioral defense against disease involves detecting sickness cues in others and responding adaptively, such as by avoiding social interactions. While studies have shown that humans can discriminate sickness cues above chance in faces after sickness induction, whether this discrimination affects approach-avoidance behaviors remains uncertain. Here, we investigated how facial sickness cues influence judgments of trustworthiness, serving as a proxy measure for social avoidance. In a prior study, facial photographs were taken of 21 individuals when sick (two hours after an endotoxin injection causing a transient systemic inflammation) and healthy (following placebo injection). In the current study, participants in two separate experiments viewed these paired facial photographs and were asked, in a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm, to identify which face appeared sick (n = 94) or more trustworthy (n = 82). Participants discriminated sick faces significantly above chance (73.1 %), with females (76.0 %) performing significantly better than males (69.3 %). Additionally, sick faces were perceived as significantly less trustworthy, being selected in only 34.9 % of trials. Notably, the higher the sickness discrimination accuracy for a particular face, the less likely that face was to be judged as trustworthy. Moreover, females (30.5 %) were significantly less likely than males (39.5 %) to judge sick faces as the more trustworthy looking. Individual differences in participants' disease vulnerability, disgust sensitivity, and frequency of sickness, as well as facial stimulus participants' inflammatory response intensity measured via interleukin-6 blood concentrations, body temperature, and sickness symptoms, did not predict sickness discrimination accuracy or trustworthiness judgments. Together, these findings suggest that visual sickness cues negatively affect trustworthiness judgments, potentially reflecting social avoidant behaviors towards individuals who appear sick. While judgments of facial trustworthiness may be considered a social inference about whether an individual is safe to approach, future research should also include manifest measures of approach-avoidance in response to sickness cues.Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council [2016-02742, 2020-02567, 2021-03184]</p
Microstructure and thermal stability of oxidized copper produced by electron beam powder bed fusion
No full textOxygen in copper can potentially minimize the grain width because of the high grain growth restriction factor, and hence can modify the overall microstructure. In this study, bulk copper samples were produced via electron beam powder bed fusion with the same process parameters using different powder types: one virgin powder type with low oxygen content and two furnace-treated powder types with progressively higher oxygen contents. The oxidized copper samples showed refined grain structures with cellular sub-grains that evolved with cuprous oxide nanoparticles at the sub-grain boundaries. However, despite a high grain growth restriction factor, oxide nanoparticles do not serve as active sites for heterogeneous nucleation because of the high lattice mismatch. The thermal stability of the oxide nanoparticles and cellular sub-grain structure was tested by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and annealing heat treatment (AHT). While AHT preserved the sub-grain structure, the TGA experiment led to a concomitant dissolution of the same followed by thermally activated agglomeration of the cuprous oxide nanoparticles. Nevertheless, even with high oxygen content, a good combination of microhardness and electrical conductivity was observed. This approach demonstrates the feasibility of using oxidized copper powder for certain applications instead of recycling due to the need for high-purity virgin powder.Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research [2021-00171, RIF21-0026]; Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova) [2016-05175]; AFM at Linkoping University [2009-00971]</p