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Postural balance and functional muscle strength in the hands and legs one year after hospitalisation due to COVID-19
No full textOBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate postural balance and functional muscle strength over 1 year following hospital discharge due to COVID-19 and identify possible differences depending on age, sex, and level of hospital care. DESIGN: A prospective longitudinal study. SUBJECTS: A total of 164 participants were included. METHODS: Postural balance, functional leg strength, and functional hand strength were evaluated. Change over time and differences between groups were investigated. RESULTS: At the 1-year follow-up postural balance was improved (p = 0.001), as well as strength in the hands (p = 0.001), and legs (p = 0.001). Participants treated at an intensive care unit (ICU) had impaired functional muscle strength in the hands but not in the legs 1 year after discharge. Functional muscle strength in dominant hand on discharge, age, and previous level of physical activity were associated with having more impaired functional muscle strength in the dominant hand 1 year after discharge. CONCLUSION: Functional muscle strength and postural balance after COVID-19 improved significantly from discharge to the 1-year follow-up although nearly half of the patients still had impaired functional muscle strength 1 year after COVID-19 hospitalization. TRIAL REGISTRATION: FoU i Sverige (Research & Development in Sweden, Registration number: 274476, registered 2020-05-28)
Talking About Language : Explicit Teaching of Grammar in a Swedish High School context: Teacher Perspectives
No full textHow and why grammar should be taught has been hotly debated in the field of foreign language teaching. It has been argued that the traditional approach puts too much emphasis on grammar, and especially explicit knowledge of grammar. According to some theories, explicit knowledge is unnecessary, since it doesn’t really correlate with practical ability. This has also led to criticism of explicit teaching of grammar, and it has been suggested that the best way of learning rules and structures of the goal language is implicitly, through extensive communication and input. As grammatical accuracy seems to affect the intelligibility of the language, it is still part of the curriculum, and thus something that needs to be taught. Considering this, and the many theories about teaching methods, the aim of this paper is to investigate what Swedish high school teachers think about the matter, and how they teach grammar, with particular focus and the extent and manner of explicit methods. The research method is qualitative, semi-structured interviews with four high school teachers. The empirical part is preceded by a review of theories and research studies regarding the theme. A clear picture of a strong belief in the importance of grammar and the necessity of explicit methods emerged in the interviews.This view also seems to have scientific support
Health education in Swedish schools - what's on offer?
No full textThe aim of this paper is to identify the dominant discourses of health and wellbeing that are offered in health education in Swedish schools. Issues of health and wellbeing are covered mainly in four school subjects in Sweden: physical education and health, home and consumer studies, biology, and social studies, and therefore, we interviewed teachers from those subjects to generate data. Six interrelated health discourses were identified from the data. All discourses were, however, also embedded within a health discourse with a comprehensive description of health as physical, psychological and social wellbeing. Results suggest that schools offer a Western and White discourse of health and that some content is overemphasised, and some is missing in relation to other non-dominant discourses of health and wellbeing
Democracy as a cause of semi-presidential regimes : On reverse causality between democracy and semi-presidential establishment
No full textThis article re-examines the relationship between democracy and semi-presidential regimes. While numerous scholars have traced the effects of semi-presidential regimes on democracy, few have addressed the risk of reverse causality, namely, that democracy influences the establishment of semi-presidential regimes. This article uses statistical analyses to test whether the level of democracy in a country affects its choice of semi-presidential regime subtype: a premier-presidential or a president-parliamentary. Including all semi-presidential regimes from 1919 until 2015 and controlling for other conditions such as colonial legacy, the level of development and regime diffusion, our results confirm the hypothesis. The higher the level of democracy - the higher the probability of a premier-presidential regime. Our results underline that democracy is a highly influential cause of the type of semi-presidential regime chosen, a conclusion that places a question mark on the self-evident use of the semi-presidential subtypes as an independent variable
Introducing the comparative semi-presidential database (CSPD)
No full textIn this article, we introduce a new dataset—the Comparative Semi-Presidential Database (CSPD)—covering classifications of semi-presidential regimes. In contrast to other databases, the CSPD offers several classifications based on different definitions of semi-presidential regimes along with subtypes of semi-presidential regimes. We use definitions developed by Elgie (in: Elgie (ed) Semi-presidentialism in Europe, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1999), Cheibub et al. (Public Choice 143:67–101, 2010), Shugart (French Politics 3(3):323–351, 2005) and Shugart and Carey (Presidents and assemblies: constitutional design and electoral dynamics, Cambridge University Press, New York, 1992). Additionally, we present a modified definition of semi-presidential regimes based on the conceptual discussion in the field. The database covers all independent states from 1900 to 2021. Using empirical analyses, we compare the classifications, the importance of conceptualisation and presenting our measurement for semi-presidential regimes
Highlighting parents' experiences of having a child with type 1 diabetes mellitus : A qualitative literature review
No full textBakgrund Diabetes mellitus typ 1 är en kronisk sjukdom som hos barn kräver ständig övervakning av blodsockret samt noggrann planering av aktiviteter, kost och ansvarsfördelning hos en förälder. Detta kan leda till stor stress, oro och ångest. Syfte Syftet med denna litteraturöversikt är att belysa föräldrars emotionella och praktiska upplevelser av att leva med ett barn som har diabetes mellitus typ 1. Metod Litteraturöversikten bygger på 14 vetenskapliga kvalitativa studier. Sökningarna genomfördes i databaserna CINAHL och PubMed, publicerade mellan 2014 och 2024 samt skrivna på engelska. Studierna analyserades med hjälp av innehållsanalys för att belysa centrala teman och mönster i föräldrarnas upplevelser. Resultat Resultatet visar tre huvudkategorier: att leva i ständig beredskap, hantering och anpassning, samt behov av stöd och sju underkategorier: känslomässig påverkan, rädsla för hypoglykemi, att navigera i ovisshet, hantering av vardagsrutiner och livsstil, familjedynamik, professionellt stöd och socialt och psykologiskt stöd. Slutsats Föräldrar till barn med diabetes mellitus typ 1 möter känslomässiga och praktiska utmaningar i sin vardag. Studien betonar hur viktigt det är att hälso- och sjukvården erbjuder emotionellt och psykologiskt stöd anpassat för att förstå varje familjs behov för att hjälpa föräldrarna att hantera sjukdomen.Background Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition in children that requires constant monitoring of blood sugar, along with careful planning of activities, diet, and sharing responsibilities within the family. This can create stress, worry, and anxiety for everyone involved. Aim To highlight parents' experiences of having a child with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Method The literature review is based on 14 scientific qualitative studies. The searches were conducted in the databases CINAHL and PubMed, focusing on studies published between 2014 and 2024 and written in English. The studies were analyzed using content analysis to highlight key themes and patterns in the parents' experiences. Results The results show three main categories: living in constant readiness, coping and adapting,and the need for support. These categories are divided into seven subcategories: emotional impact, fear of low blood sugar, dealing with uncertainty, managing daily routines and lifestyle, family dynamics, professional support, and social and psychological support. Conclusions Parents of children with diabetes mellitus type 1 face emotional and practical challenges in their everyday life. This study highlights the importance of healthcare in offering emotional and psychological support tailored to each family's needs, helping parents navigate their child’s illness
Pressure ulcer prevention in inpatient care : A literature review from the perspective of nurses
No full textBakgrund Trycksår är en vanlig vårdskada som medför förlängda vårdtider, lidande för patienter ochstora kostnader för samhället. I Sverige finns lättillgängliga och tydliga rutiner för hur preventivt trycksårsarbete kan bedrivas. Trots detta drabbas patienter inom slutenvården av trycksår. Sjuksköterskan har med sin kunskap och erfarenhet en avgörande roll för att det preventiva trycksårsarbetet ska lyckas. En av sjuksköterskans kärnkompetenser är personcentrerad vård vilket även är den teoretiska referensramen för den här litteraturöversikten. Syfte Syftet med denna litteraturstudie är att beskriva sjuksköterskans upplevelser av och attityder till att arbeta med trycksårsprevention inom slutenvården. Metod Studien genomfördes som en strukturerad litteraturstudie med inslag av den metodologi som används vid systematiska översikter. Studiens underlag består av 14 kvalitativa artiklar som hämtades från databaser CINAHL och PubMed. Resultat Resultatet mynnade ut i två huvudkategorier med tre subkategorier vardera. Subkategorierna visar de faktorer som påverkar sjuksköterskans upplevelser och attityder av preventivt trycksårsarbete. Faktorer så som arbetsbelastning, avsaknad av stöd och resurser, kunskap och utbildning, skuldkänslor samt teamarbete. Slutsats Det framkom att sjuksköterskan har för avsikt att ge god och personcentrerad omvårdnad inom slutenvården. Det sjuksköterskorna upplevde hindrade dem från att lyckas med detta var framför allt otillräckliga praktiska förutsättningar, vilka ledningen bär ansvar för. Background Pressure ulcers are a common medical injury that results in prolonged treatment times, suffering for patients and great costs for society. In Sweden, there are easily accessible and clear procedures for how preventive pressure ulcer work can be carried out. Despite this, patients in inpatient care suffer from pressure ulcers. The nurse, with her knowledge and experience, has a decisive role for the preventive pressure ulcer work to be successful. One of the nurse's core competencies is person-centered care, which is also the theoretical frame of reference for this literature review. Aim The aim of this literature study is to describe the nurse's experiences of and attitudes towards working with pressure ulcer prevention in inpatient care. Method The study was conducted as a structured literature review with elements of the methodology used in systematic reviews. The study is based on 14 qualitative articles retrieved from databases CINAHL and PubMed. Results The result led to two main categories with three subcategories each. The subcategories show the factors that influence the nurse's experiences and attitudes towards pressure ulcer prevention. Factors such as workload, lack of support and resources, knowledge and education, guilt and teamwork. Conclusions It emerged that nurses intend to provide good and person-centered care in inpatient care. What the nurses perceived as preventing them from succeeding in this was above all insufficient practical conditions, for which management is responsible
Handling changes on and changes of the market : market-political ambidexterity in the Swedish market for solar energy
No full textPurpose Firms regularly have to handle business-related market changes on the market, such as new market entrants, increased competition, changing prices and changing demand. However, firms active on a market subject to political interventions, resulting in changes of the market, also have to handle different support systems with subsidies, taxes, regulations, etc. As these interventions affect both firms and customers, it is important for firms to adapt to them, but if they continue to change, firms also need to adapt to changing conditions. The purpose of the paper is to study how firms handle continuous market changes and shifting governmental interventions through market-political ambidexterity. Design/methodology/approach Based on a qualitative approach, 13 in-depth interviews focusing on how firms handle market changes and political interventions over time were conducted during two time periods. The data was coded in several steps, using systematic combining. Findings The empirical results reveal that firm size is crucial in developing market-political ambidexterity; small firms lack the resources needed to handle all changes in an ambidextrous way. Changes on the market require firms to be active, whereas changes of the market, e.g. interventions, require internal stability in the firms. Changes on the market are easier to handle, wherefore there seems to be a need for firms to develop political exploration and exploitation activities related to market-political ambidexterity. Originality/value This study contributes to industrial marketing by increasing our understanding of how SMEs handle the simultaneous but sometimes contradicting demands from market changes and political interventions by developing market-political ambidexterity
Kvinnor och makt : En analys av historieböckers frågor och uppgifter från 1967 till idag
No full textThe purpose of the thesis is to examine how women are represented in questions in history textbooks and to evaluate the quality of the questions. Additionally, it aims to explore how women are portrayed in historical contexts and to highlight how such portrayals might influence students' understanding of history. The material includes six history textbooks from different time periods from 1967 to 2012. The method used is content analysis based on a modified version of the SOLO taxonomy, aimed to assess both the quality of the questions and their representation of gender roles. The textbooks were analyzed to see how the quality and complexity of the questions have changed over time, how gender representation is reflected in the questions, and how these can foster critical thinking and an awareness of history. The results show that the questions in these history textbooks reflect an imbalance in gender representation, with women only being mentioned in questions from 2008 onwards. Even though both women and men are included in questions from that point, many of the questions focus more on men's perspectives, while women's roles are not highlighted in a way that encourages deeper understanding. The study also shows that most questions focus on basic understanding, where students are expected to link facts without much analysis. Although fewer questions encourage deeper analysis, there is a noticeable shift over time towards more in-depth understanding. The conclusion is that there is uneven representation of women in the questions in history textbooks, which impacts how women are portrayed in history. To foster critical thinking and a deeper understanding of history, a more balanced and inclusive representation of women is necessary. This would provide students with a more accurate and well-rounded view of history, where women's roles are also highlighted
The Concept of Translanguaging in the Teaching Subject “Mother Tongue”
No full textZiel der Arbeit ist es, das Konzept von Translanguaging im Muttersprachenunterricht in Schweden zu beschreiben und aufzuzeigen, wie mit den Ideen und Gedanken dieses sprachwissenschaftlichen Ansatzes praktisch im Unterricht gearbeitet werden kann. Um verstehen zu können, wie Translanguaging funktioniert, ist es wichtig, andere Theorien von Mehrsprachigkeit zu verstehen, die dem sprachwissenschaftlichen Ansatz von Translanguaging zugrunde liegen. Ebenfalls beleuchtet die Arbeit, dass Translanguaging und Mehrsprachigkeit komplexe Phänomene darstellen und Herausforderungen sowohl an die tägliche Arbeit von Lehrer: innen im Unterricht als auch die Gesellschaft und Politikstellen.The purpose of the following degree project is to describe the concept of translanguaging concerning the teaching subject “mother tongue” and how to work with the ideas and thoughts about this theory in a teaching unit. To understand how the approach of translanguaging can integrate practically and thus help students in school improving their results it is necessary to know more about multilingualism and different models and theories which can be considered as the foundation of translanguaging. It also shows that translanguaging is neither an easy construction explaining in a simple way how multilingual speakers use all their languages nor an uncomplicated way for teachers in their daily way of teaching.