Publikationer från Linköpings universitet
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REAGERA-dementia: study protocol for the validation of screening instruments to detect abuse of people with dementia
No full textBackgroundAbuse of older people is common and people living with dementia are at high risk of being subjected to abuse. This study protocol describes the development and procedure to test the validity of two new screening instruments to detect abuse of people with dementia: 1) The REAGERA-S20, intended to be answered by people with dementia themselves, including questions about their abusive experiences, and 2) The REAGERA - N, intended to be answered by the next of kin of people with dementia, including questions about their own exposure to abuse, their own perpetration as well as the witnessing of abusive acts. In addition, the Risk on Elder Abuse and Mistreatment Instrument (REAMI) is translated into Swedish within the project and will be validated. Finally, qualitative interviews are conducted to explore the experiences of abuse from the perspective of both the person with dementia and the next of kin.MethodPeople with mild to moderate dementia (n = 80) and their next of kin (n = 80) are recruited at health and social care facilities providing care to people with dementia. In cases of severe dementia, only next of kin is included. At the time of data collection, participants fill out the instruments and are thereafter interviewed, first separately and then jointly by researchers about their abusive experiences. The interviews are used as a gold standard for calculating the properties of the instruments, e.g., sensitivity and specificity, but will also be used for qualitative analysis concerning the experiences of abuse. Health and social care professionals that are well acquainted with the participants fill out the REAMI and results will be validated using the results of the interviews as the gold standard.DiscussionThis study protocol describes a research project that aims towards a comprehensive identification and understanding of abuse of people with dementia by including the perspective of both people with dementia themselves, their next of kin and professionals. If the instruments are found to be reliable they can be used to detect abuse in people with dementia. Also, the qualitative interviews with participants will enhance our understanding of abuse of people with dementia.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06659822. Retrospectively registered on October 25 2024.Funding Agencies|Linkping University [REAGERA-S20]</p
In Situ Observations Reveal Underestimated Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Wastewater Treatment with Anaerobic Digestion - Sludge Was a Major Source for Both CH4 and N2O
No full textWastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) receive large and increasing organic carbon and nitrogen flows through societies. Consequently, WWTPs emit greenhouse gases (GHGs), including methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). However, large uncertainties remain, as direct measurements of WWTP emissions have been challenging, and emission estimates frequently depend on uncertain emission factors and activity data. Using drone-based measurements, we here show that the combined CO2-equivalent emissions of CH4 and N2O from WWTPs with anaerobic digestion (AD) and sludge storage were 2.4-fold higher than IPCC-recommended emission-factor-based estimates. N2O emissions from sludge, presently assumed to be zero, were 9% of the CH4 emissions by weight and contributed to half of the total CO2-equivalent sludge emissions. Hence, with the necessary increase in AD in WWTPs to recover energy and reduce fossil fuel use, emission mitigation is needed, and adequate tools facilitating flux observations by WWTP managers are key for setting effective mitigation priorities.Funding Agencies|Horizon 2020 Framework Programme [725546]; European Research Council (ERC) [101015825]; European Union [VR 2022-03841]; Swedish Research Council VR [2018-01794, 2022-01582]; FORMAS [SVU 22-113]; Svenskt vatten Utveckling; Ragn-Sells</p
Readiness, riskiness and renewables: Country-level readiness and innovation in renewable energy under macroeconomic uncertainty
No full textReadiness, riskiness, and renewables appear to form a "tripartite symbiosis" in the clean energy realm. Previous research underscores the significance of readiness as a prerequisite for a nation's advancement toward sustainable energy, urging careful navigation of uncertainties within this framework. Our research expands upon existing literature by delving into how country-level readiness influences a country's innovation in renewable energy in the face of uncertainty. Employing panel fixed effect threshold regression with four distinct models, we analyze this dynamic across 65 countries, representing both advanced and emerging economies. The results validate the presence of an uncertainty threshold effect across all model regressions, confirming a non-linear relationship among uncertainty, country-level readiness, and renewable energy innovation. Overall country-level readiness, along with its components-economic and social readiness-individually fosters renewable energy innovation under low uncertainty. However, this positive influence weakens as uncertainty exceeds the threshold. Conversely, governance readiness exerts a negative impact on renewable energy innovation under low uncertainty, with its detrimental effects becoming more significant at higher levels of uncertainty. The lagged uncertainty has a significant negative association with renewable energy innovation. Policymakers and investors should prioritize developing country level readiness to successfully manage the potential negative influence of uncertainties on renewable energy innovation
A pilot randomized trial comparing face-to-face and internet-based unified transdiagnostic treatment for adolescents with anxiety and depressive disorders in Iran
No full textObjective The use of internet-based treatments has increased significantly in recent years. As remote technologies continue to evolve, psychotherapy research is progressively shifting toward these approaches. Anxiety and depressive disorders are highly prevalent in adolescents, imposing significant personal and societal costs. Identifying effective and scalable treatments for this age group is therefore essential. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of face-to-face and internet-based unified transdiagnostic treatment in reducing symptoms and improving functioning in adolescents with anxiety and depressive disorders.Methods A pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up assessments was conducted to compare the efficacy of face-to-face and internet-based treatments. Forty-nine adolescents (aged 13-18 years) from Tehran, Alborz, Gilan, and Kerman were randomly assigned to one of three groups: face-to-face treatment, internet-based treatment, or a control group. Assessments were conducted before treatment, after treatment, and at six months post-treatment. A Mixed-model Analysis of Variance was used for data analysis.Results Both face-to-face and internet-based transdiagnostic treatments demonstrated similar efficacy in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms, improving functioning, decreasing negative affect, and reducing avoidance in adolescents. However, neither treatment significantly improved positive affect or distress tolerance. Additionally, the effects in the internet-based group were maintained through the follow-up phase, while the face-to-face treatment group did not sustain these results by the six-month follow-up.Conclusion Based on the results of this study, internet-based transdiagnostic treatment is also a viable option for treating anxiety and depressive disorders. The large scale implementation of internet-based transdiagnostic psychotherapy could be an effective strategy to bridge the significant gap between adolescents' mental health needs and the availability of evidence-based treatments for anxiety and depression.Clinical trial registration https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/trial/62220, identifier IRCT20220226054129N1.Funding Agencies|University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences</p
“When I travel to Lithuania, I feel more and more Lithuanian” : Children's constructions of national identity, belonging and linguistic practices in a transnational context.
No full textThis qualitative study examines how children construct their national identity, belonging, and linguistic practices, while also addressing a notable research gap in the Lithuanian context from a Child Studies perspective. Eights second-generation Lithuanian diaspora children were interviewed online, from six different countries. This study reflects how transnational childhood experiences impact on children's constructions of identity, belonging, and linguistic practices, indicating that children actively construct hybrid identities through their agency in transnational contexts. The current study indicates how the language serves as a performative toll in negotiating evolving, context- dependent hybrid identities and belonging, which signifies the performative nature of hybrid identity.
The Effect of Scarcity and Information Avoidance on Debt Management Behavior
No full textWe explore how financial scarcity affects the strategy people choose to pay off their debts and the role of information avoidance in debt repayment. We conduct an online experiment in the United Kingdom (N = 1,000) in which people are endowed with multiple debts and given the task to pay off as many debts as possible during 15 rounds. We manipulate the level of financial scarcity by randomly assigning individuals to experience either a negative, a positive, or no financial shock during these 15 rounds. The results show that perceived financial scarcity is related to less optimal debt repayment. In conclusion, our findings suggest that perceived scarcity propels further scarcity due to poor debt management.Funding Agencies|Linkoping University SEED project 2020; Jan Wallander and Tom Hedelius Foundation; Thule Foundation for the research program on "Long-Term Savings"</p
Implementation of bistatic radar functionality in WRAP
No full textThis thesis explores the implementation of bistatic radar functionality in WRAP, one of the simulation solutions offered by Altair. WRAP offers support for radio and radar coverage planning over large regions, spectrum management, interference analysis, frequency administration and network monitoring. This project focuses on the implementation and evaluation of functionality for bistatic radar coverage, with and without transmission loss. The thesis represents an initial effort to integrate bistatic radar functionality into WRAP, laying the groundwork for the continued development of a key simulation tool in radar system research. Specifically, bistatic free space coverage and transmission loss coverage are calculated in the thesis. Transmission loss coverage is calculated for both different probability of detection and different radar cross section (RCS) values. It is shown that bistatic radar functionality can be implemented in C++ code, where radar coverage results are exported from and imported to WRAP. It is also shown that a bistatic radar can be preferred to a monostatic radar in some cases. Results are verified by comparing the results from the C++ code with monostatic results calculated in WRAP. The thesis is conducted in collaboration with Altair and Linköping University
Twisting like a cabbage worm: The politics of enacting sustainable futures through energy communities
No full textIn 2019, the European Union launched a set of eight legislative acts called the Clean Energy Package, which introduced energy communities as a formal actor in its regulatory framework. Often defined as the cooperative production and management of energy through civic engagement, high hopes have been pinned on energy communities to serve as instruments for realizing fundamental ideals of energy democracy. Although it has been recognized that energy communities are fraught enterprises that involve multiple actors and cut across geographic scales and vertical levels of policy and politics, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the processes through which they take shape. In this paper, we approach energy community initiatives as sociotechnical configurations, examining how actors, technologies, and institutions are assembled, drawn into relation, and held together in collective efforts to shape the future. Our locus is two energy communities under configuration in the Swedish energy landscape: one part of a climate-smart urban planning project in the city of Örebro, and one in the sparsely populated rural countryside on the island of Gotland. By treating the configuration of energy communities as place-based enactments of sustainable futures, we illustrate how the prospects of community energy are shaped in practice and illuminate the composition of power that permeates the politics of future-making.Funding agencies: Swedish Energy Agency for the project “Local solar energy communities: a way towards strengthened energy democracy?”, grant number 50969–1</p
A novel in-situ gas-phase alloying approach in wire arc additive manufacturing for controlling solidification mode and designing hybrid stainless steels
No full textThis study presents a thermodynamically guided in-situ gas-phase alloying approach in wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) to enhance duplex stainless steels by shifting the primary solidification mode from S-ferrite to gamma-austenite, producing a nitrogen-enriched alloy with a continuous austenitic matrix that combines duplex-grade strength with superior ductility. Thermodynamic calculations guided nitrogen adjustment in the shielding gas to control solidification and develop high-performance microstructures. Thermodynamic-kinetic modeling predicted nitrogen uptake from the arc plasma, enabling gas composition selection to promote a shift from S-ferrite to gamma-austenite as the primary solidification phase. Nitrogen content analysis and Scheil simulations confirmed a transition to austenite-first solidification at approximately 0.7 wt% nitrogen. Electron Backscatter Diffraction and optical microscopy revealed that nitrogen-enriched (HN) samples exhibited a continuous gamma-austenitic matrix with finely dispersed S-ferrite, whereas nitrogen-lean (LN) samples had a S-ferritic matrix with isolated gamma-austenite islands. HN samples showed greater grain orientation spread, indicating increased internal misorientation. Despite pronounced crystallographic texture, the HN samples demonstrated nearly isotropic tensile behavior along with enhanced yield strength, tensile strength, similar to 11 % higher hardness, and improved elongation. These findings demonstrate that melt chemistry control via gas-phase alloying enables phase-engineered microstructures with superior mechanical performance without modifying the filler wire
Prehospital respiratory interventions during six waves of COVID-19: results from Israel's Emergency Medical Services system
No full textBackground Despite COVID-19 having been the subject of extensive scientific research, there is a paucity of studies on the respiratory management needs of patients in the pre-hospital setting. This retrospective cohort study utilizes data from Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to investigate how prehospital respiratory management needs changed throughout the first six waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel. Methods All EMS responses due to respiratory complaints, from March 21, 2020, to July 31, 2022, were included. Odds ratios (ORs) for each wave were calculated for each intervention with the previous wave as reference. Wave 1 (W1) was compared to a pre-pandemic period. Results The study included 141,027 responses. The use of advanced airways decreased between the reference period and W1 (OR 0.56, p = <0.0001 [W1]), fluctuated during W2 and W3 (OR 1.54 p = <0.0001 [W2]; OR 0.85, p = 0.02 [W3]), remained steady during W4 and W5 (OR 1.09, p = 0.2611 [W4]; OR 1.12, p = 0.13 [W5]) and then increased in W6 (OR 1.18, p = 0.03 [W6]). The use of mask-based 90% FiO2 decreased from the pre-COVID-19 period to W1 (OR 0.61, p < 0.0001), increased during waves 2–3 (OR 1.24, p < 0.0001 [W2]; OR 1.11, p < 0.0001 [W3]), and plateaued throughout W5 and W6 (OR 0.99, p = 0.71 [W5]; OR 1.01, p = 0.8 [W6]). The use of nasal cannula increased throughout the six waves (OR 1.2 [W1]; OR 1.48 [W2]; 1.39 [W3]; OR 1.45 [W4]; 1.11 [W5]; 1.24 [W6], p < 0.05). The use of nebulized bronchodilators decreased from the pre-pandemic period to W1 (OR 0.41, p < 0.0001). From W3 to W6, the use increased significantly for each wave (OR 1.43 [W4]; OR 1.12 [W5]; 1.31 [W6], p < 0.05). Conclusions MDA advised staff not to perform endotracheal intubations during the pandemic due to concerns of transmission through aerosol. Similarly, the initial drops in high-concentration O2 and nebulized bronchodilators may be due to concerns with its aerosolizing potential. The gradual replacement of high-concentration prehospital oxygen by mask with nasal cannulas over the pandemic waves may be due to the decreased pathogenicity of the new strains and expanded vaccination coverage. The increased use of nebulized bronchodilators seen during the latter waves may be due to the re-emergence of non-covid pathogens with greater bronchoconstrictive effect as social restrictions were eased. Further, as vaccine coverage expanded among providers over time, these may have been more comfortable administering bronchodilators.Funding Agencies|Linkping University</p