Publikationer från Linköpings universitet
Not a member yet
58266 research outputs found
Sort by
CEO's Culture and Firms' Leverage Decisions
No full textDebt mitigates agency problems between managers and stockholders by reducing free cashflows; yet, why managers voluntarily adopt debt discipline remains unclear. This paper examines how chief executive officers' (CEOs') managerial traits, shaped by national culture, influence leverage decisions. Analysing 3338 CEOs from 41 nationalities in 2280 US firms in Bloomberg 3000 index (from 2007 to 2024), we find that cultural values impact CEOs' perceptions of debt's costs/benefits. High-mastery CEOs reduce debt regardless of current leverage, while highly embedded CEOs inadvertently pursue target capital structures. A non-US CEO sample shows that cultural values are portable. Our findings are robust to sensitivity and endogeneity tests.Funding Agencies|The authors received no specific funding for this work.</p
Community perceptions about factors influencing access to care after sexual violence in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo: a qualitative study
No full textBackgroundSexual violence is widespread in the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including in the North Kivu province. Moreover, in this region survivors of sexual violence often have limited access to care and encounter a variety of barriers when seeking care and support. The aim of this study was to explore community perceptions about access to care, barriers, enablers and possible actions to improve access to care for survivors of sexual violence in North Kivu. A deeper understanding of community perceptions about access to care can guide ongoing efforts to overcome barriers and increase access to care for survivors of sexual violence.MethodsThe study utilised a qualitative design, based on focus group discussions with male and female adult community members in the study area. Previous experience of sexual violence was not a requirement. The transcripts from the discussions were analysed using manifest and latent qualitative content analysis.ResultsA total of 18 focus group discussions were carried out. The analysis resulted in three main themes; Knowledge and misconceptions around medical consequences crucial for care seeking, Community and family attitudes playing a dual role in care seeking behaviours and Care seeking dependent on optimised healthcare facilities and sensitive staff.ConclusionsLack of correct knowledge, harmful attitudes from community and healthcare staff, and poorly adapted healthcare services constitute barriers to accessing care. Improved awareness raising around sexual violence is needed to address both lack of knowledge and misconceptions. Efforts should be made to build upon the community support models and actively work to improve community attitudes towards survivors of sexual violence. In addition, there is a need for better adapted healthcare services with improved proximity, access for different groups of survivors and respectful and well-trained healthcare staff.Funding Agencies|Lund University</p
Prevalence and common cardiovascular risk factors in aortic valve calcification in the middle-aged general population
No full textAims Aortic valve calcification (AVC) is an underlying pathophysiological mechanism for aortic stenosis that is common in the elderly, but less is known in younger individuals. The aim was to study the prevalence and associated characteristics of AVC in a middle-aged general population. Methods and results Data were obtained from the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS) comprising 30 154 individuals 50-64 years from the general population recruited in Sweden between 2013 and 2018. Aortic valve calcification was assessed visually on computed tomography (CT) and categorized as evident or not. Population attributable risk proportion (PARP) was calculated for six modifiable risk factors (smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, body mass index (BMI) &gt;= median, and kidney dysfunction [estimated glomerular filtration rate &lt; 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2)]). In total, 29 221 individuals with CT images available were included (mean age 57.5 years, 51% female) and AVC was present in 2053 (7%). The AVC prevalence increased with age (50-54 years: 3%; 55-59 years: 7%; 60-64 years: 11%). In analyses adjusted for age, sex, smoking, and study site, male sex (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.84-2.22), hyperlipidaemia (1.88 [1.68-2.11]), hypertension (1.73 [1.57-1.91]), diabetes (1.66 [1.39-1.97]), kidney dysfunction (1.54 [1.10-2.11]), smoking (1.36 [1.24-1.50]), age (increment by one year) (1.12 [1.11-1.13]), and BMI (increment by one unit) (1.04 [1.03-1.05]) were associated with AVC. The PARP of AVC associated with the six modifiable risk factors was 34.5% (95% CI 29.6-39.4). Conclusion In this large, contemporary middle-aged general population, AVC was prevalent in as many as 7% and six cardiovascular risk factors contributed to one-third of the prevalence of AVC.Funding Agencies|Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS) is the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation; Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation; Swedish Research Council; VINNOVA (Sweden's Innovation agency) the University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital; Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm County Council; Linkoeping University; University Hospital; Lund University; Skane University Hospital; Umea University; Uppsala University; University Hospital; Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation [20210578]; Stockholm County Council [FoUI-988371]; Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation [20220524]; Swedish Research Council [2022-01472]; Swedish Society for Medical Research (SSMF) [SG-23-0142-B]; Swedish Society of Medicine (SLS) [987010]; Karolinska Institutet [2-116/2023]</p
Introducing a severe impacts approach to guide adaptation to pluvial floods in residential and public buildings
No full textDamages to buildings from pluvial flooding pose key risks to cities, impacting both economy and health, and drawing increased policy attention. While Swedish buildings are known to be at risk, most research focuses on homeowners and flood exposure. Despite municipal property companies owning a quarter of all apartments in Sweden, less is known about their buildings' risk and adaptation actions. This study addresses this gap by investigating: What do property company staff view as severe pluvial flood impacts? Which building characteristics contribute to pluvial flood risk, particularly severe impacts? What adaptation actions can property companies implement to reduce severe flood impact risk? The study involves collaboration with four Swedish municipal property companies, mapping 2,358 buildings, inspecting 604 buildings, and conducting nine expert workshops. The study suggests a severe impacts approach to guide adaptation to pluvial floods, reducing impacts on: Human lives or health, Critical operations, Evacuation, Critical technical installations, and High-value loss and damage. The study identifies a set of scalable property-level adaptation actions to reduce severe impacts and a typology of adaptation actions, emphasizing property owner responsibility and ability to act. Implementing the severe impacts approach, the typology and scalable actions will increase property companies' capacity to adapt.Funding Agencies|Lansforsakringar [P.19/01]; Stiftelsen Lansforsakringsbolagens Forsknings-fond [P.19/01]</p
Comparison of non-invasive and fluorescein tear film break-up time in a 65-year-old Norwegian population: a cross-sectional study
No full textObjectives Measurement of tear film stability is central in dry eye disease (DED) diagnosis. In this study, we aimed to compare the performance of two methods of tear film stability measurement: non-invasive tear break-up time (NIBUT) and fluorescein tear film break-up time (FTBUT). Design Cross-sectional study. Setting and participants The study involved 132 subjects of 65-year-old inhabitants of the Oslo region who were not seeking ophthalmic care. Interventions The participants underwent a battery of DED tests, including NIBUT measured on Oculus Keratograph 5M and a traditional method using fluorescein drops (FTBUT). Oculus Keratograph 5M measures two types of NIBUT:; appearance time of the first dry spot (NIBUTFirst) and average NIBUTAvg. Results 74 participants (56%) were female and 58 were male (44%). Subjects presented with varying degrees of DED signs and symptoms. Mean values of NIBUTFirst and FTBUT from all the participants were significantly different (6.2 +/- 4.9 s vs 8.6 +/- 6.2 s, p&lt;0.0001). There was also a significant difference between NIBUTFirst and NIBUTAvg values (6.2 +/- 4.9 s vs 8.3 +/- 5.5 s, p&lt;0.0001). In contrast, no difference was observed between FTBUT and NIBUTAvg values (8.6 +/- 6.2 s vs 8.3 +/- 5.5 s, p=0.655). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to compare NIBUT and FTBUT in regards to other clinical tests (Ocular Surface Disease Index, ocular surface staining, blink interval, eye redness, corneal sensitivity, lid debris, Schirmer I test, tear osmolarity, meibum quality, meibum expressibility, lid hyperemia, tear meniscus height,. irregular lid margin, conjunctival hyperaemia, margin telangiectasia, lipid layer and meibomian gland drop-out). While FTBUT demonstrated results with area under the curve&gt;0.6, neither NIBUTFirst nor NIBUTAvg showed significant results. Conclusion NIBUTFirst was shorter than FTBUT. Low correlation between NIBUT and FTBUT indicates that these diagnostic tests are not interchangeable. Other DED tests had correlation, though low, while NIBUT did not demonstrate correlation
Microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy fabricated using powder bed fusion-laser beam additive manufacturing process: Effect of hot isostatic pressing
No full textPowder bed fusion laser beam (PBF-LB) is one of the most widespread and highly researched additive manufacturing (AM) methods, spanning multiple industries. Its feedstock material is metallic powder, where a conventional particle size range is 15-50 mu m. The present study focuses on Ti-6Al-4V powder with a wider particle size distribution (15-90 mu m). Two process themes are evaluated: one minimising porosity and one maximising build rate through a fast laser scanning speed. The effect of two hot isostatic pressing (HIP) heat treatments on mechanical properties, one below and one above the (3-transus, are compared to those of as-built and stress relieved material. Room temperature impact toughness and tensile testing are used to compare the materials by determining UTS and Yield strength, elongation and reduction of area for the different process conditions and post build heat treatments. The minimal porosity theme reaches properties comparable to conventional manufacturing processes at all heat treatment temperatures (i.e., UTS &gt;860 MPa, 0.2 % Yield &gt;795 MPa). The high productivity theme treated below (3-transus provides further improvement in overall reduction of area (&gt;45 %) and elongation (&gt;20 %) with respect to the minimal porosity theme, by showing a bi-modal microstructure that is the result of a recrystallisation process. This phenomenon is triggered by the closure of lack of fusion (LoF) defects via hot isostatic pressing, due to a higher dislocation density at the tip of these particular defects. Impact energy for this condition increases whilst hardness and texture become less pronounced. It is demonstrated that in those cases where a fast scanning speed creates LoF defects, those can assist in modifying microstructure during the consolidation process which has a positive effect on ductility.Funding Agencies|INP-ENSIACET</p
Risking delay: the storylines of (bioenergy with) carbon capture and storage in Swedish parliamentary discourse
No full textCarbon Capture and Storage (CCS), along with Bioenergy with Carbon Captureand Storage (BECCS), feature heavily in climate mitigation scenarios. Nevertheless,the technologies remain controversial within the broader mitigation discourse, inpart for their potential to excuse delay in more ambitious emissions reductions inthe short term. Sweden has included BECCS and CCS as proposed “supplementarymeasures” to enable the country to meet its ambitious target of achieving netnegative emissions by 2045. Hajer’s Argumentative Approach to Discourse Analysisis applied to Swedish parliamentary speeches, motions, and written questions andanswers, to uncover the storylines and attendant assumptions constituting Swedishpolicy deliberation regarding CCS and BECCS. This study finds that by problematizingclimate change as an issue of emissions, actors position CCS and BECCS within adominant neoliberal discourse and characterize them as tools to facilitate a greentransition centering on industrial and economic competitiveness. This discourselacks detail, and risks delay by oversimplifying the needs and requirements for CCSand BECCS deployment. Meanwhile, a CCS-critical discourse acknowledges theneed for negative emissions but challenges storylines portraying the technologyas inexpensive or easy to deploy rapidly. If pursued, this discourse could serveto sharpen the debate about the technologies and bring planning in line withaspirations, helping to avert risks of delay.Funding Agencies|Swedish Energy Agency [P2022-00172]Below Zero: Responsible and adaptive realization of sociotechnical bioenergy systems with carbon capture and storag
AI and Challenges to Personal Data and Data Protection in Research
No full textIntroduction by Elin Palm Contributions How can Swedish Universities get ready for Generative AI use in research? Emma Rörby and Karin Axelsson pp. 12-13 Ethical considerations for research on sensitive personal data Sara Belfrage pp. 15-28 Machine learning, genetic privacy and health research Kalle Grill pp. 31-36 AI and sensitive personal data in research Lars Lindblom pp. 37-46 Large Language Models (LLMs) and research ethics Davide Vega d’Aurelio pp. 49-54 Review:The chapters have been reviewed by the editors.</p
The weather forecast predicts high temperatures, is the preschool prepared? : A qualitative case study on the municipality of Linköping’s climate adaptation efforts for heat in preschool operations
No full textEtt framtida klimat kommer för Sverige innebära fler och längre perioder av värme, vilket särskilt drabbar yngre barn som är sårbarare mot värme. Eftersom yngre barn generellt tillbringar dygnets varmaste timmar på förskolan är det essentiellt att förskoleverksamheten är väl anpassad för att hantera ett varmare klimat. Denna kvalitativa fallstudie undersöker därmed hur Linköpings kommun strategiskt och praktiskt arbetar med klimatanpassning mot värme på förskolor samt vilka utmaningar som lyfts fram med klimatanpassningsarbetet. Empiriinsamlingen har skett genom intervjuer och dokumentanalys och satts i kontext av sårbarhetsbegeppet och kategorisering av klimatanpassningsåtgärder. Resultatet visar att det strategiska klimatanpassningsarbetet mot värme fortfarande är i utvecklingsstadiet men att klimatanpassningsarbetet i den praktiska verksamheten redan är etablerat, men i behov av utveckling. Utmaningarna som identifierats på både strategisk och praktisk nivå är finansiering, osäkerhet, rådighet och samverkan. Studien uppmärksammar behovet av vidare forskning kring framskridningen av kommunal klimatanpassning. Due to climate change, Sweden is expected to experience more frequent and prolonged periods of heat, disproportionately affecting children who are more vulnerable to heat. As young children typically spend the warmest hours of the day in preschool, it is essential that preschools are well adapted to manage a warmer climate. This qualitative case study investigates through interviews and document analysis, how Linköping municipality approaches climate adaptation to heat within preschools, both strategically and practically, and identifies challenges associated with the climate adaptation process. The empirical data was analyzed and contextualized using the concept of vulnerability and a categorization of adaptation measures. The results indicate that strategic climate adaptation efforts to address heat are still in a developmental phase, whereas adaptation measures at the operational level are established but require further development. The challenges identified are financing, uncertainty, authority and collaboration. The study highlights the need for further research on municipal climate adaptation.
HELicobacter Pylori screening to prevent gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with acute Myocardial Infarction (HELP-MI SWEDEHEART)- Design and rationale of a cluster randomized, crossover, registry-based clinical trial
No full textBackground The role of Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) screening and eradication on reducing upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) complications after acute myocardial infarction (MI) is uncertain. The HELicobacter pylori screening to prevent gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with acute MI (HELP-MI SWEDEHEART) trial aims to determine whether systematic H. pylori screening compared to usual care reduces UGIB, mortality, and cardiovascular outcomes after MI. Methods A cluster randomized, crossover, registry-based clinical trial using SWEDEHEART as trial platform for study population definition and source for data collection in combination with nationwide Swedish health data registries. Thirty-five Swedish hospitals, organized into 18 clusters based on percutaneous coronary intervention networks, were randomized to either routine H. pylori screening for adults with acute type-1 MI or usual care. After 1 year, a 2-month blanking period was followed by a crossover to the alternate allocation for 1 year. The trial enrolment was concluded after one additional year of registry-based follow-up. The primary endpoint is UGIB. Secondary endpoints include all-cause death, cardiovascular death, readmission for MI, stroke, or heart failure. Endpoints will be reported combined (Net Adverse Clinical Events; Major Adverse Cardiac or Cerebrovascular Events) and separately. The primary analysis will include all available follow-up time corresponding to a maximum follow-up time of 3 years and 2 months. Conclusion HELP-MI SWEDEHEART aims to determine the utility of routine H. pylori screening to reduce UGIB and improve cardiovascular outcomes after MI. By integrating national registry follow-up data with a pragmatic trial design, it has the potential to provide evidence for the effect of the implementation of routine H. pylori screening as part of acute MI care. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05024864. (Am HeartJ 2025;286:66-74.)Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council [2019-00414]; Swedish Heart Lung Foundation [2021-0273, 2021-0275, 2024-0419]; Region Stockholm [RS2021-0933, RS2020-0314, RS2022-0674]</p