Kristiania Open Archive
Not a member yet
2056 research outputs found
Sort by
Comparative effectiveness of acupuncture in sham-controlled trials for knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and network meta-analysis
Full text linkObjectives: Although many trials have assessed the effect of acupuncture on knee osteoarthritis (KOA), its efficacy remains controversial. Sham acupuncture techniques are regarded as representative control interventions in acupuncture trials and sometimes incorporate the use of sham devices (base units) to support a non-penetrating needle. To achieve successful blinding, these trials also use acupuncture base units in the verum acupuncture group. Base units are not used in real-world clinical settings. We aimed to assess the effect sizes of verum and sham acupuncture for KOA in sham-controlled trials with or without base units.
Methods: A total of 10 electronic databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy of verum manual acupuncture and sham acupuncture for the treatment of KOA were searched for articles published before April 12, 2022. The primary outcome was pain intensity, and the secondary outcomes included physical function. The first assessment after the end of treatment was chosen for analysis. Effect sizes are reported as standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and publication bias was evaluated using a funnel plot and Egger’s test. The quality of evidence for estimates was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) approach.
Results: Fifteen RCTs were included. There was generally a low risk of bias except for the difficulty in blinding acupuncture therapists (performance bias). Compared to verum acupuncture in sham-controlled trials using base units, verum acupuncture in sham-controlled trials without base units was more effective for improving pain (SMD −0.56, 95% CI −1.09 to −0.03) and function (SMD −0.73, 95% CI −1.36 to −0.10) in KOA. The quality of evidence for network estimates was moderate to low due to the risk of bias and imprecision.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that verum acupuncture in different types of sham-controlled trials has different effect sizes for KOA. Because base units are not used in clinical settings, the results of verum acupuncture in sham-controlled trials with base units need to be interpreted carefully.publishedVersio
The limits of live fact-checking: Epistemological consequences of introducing a breaking news logic to political fact-checking
Full text linkThis article analyses the novel form of live political fact-checking, as performed by the Norwegian fact-checking organisation Faktisk.no during the Norwegian parliamentary election campaign in 2021. The aim of the study was to investigate the epistemological consequences of introducing a breaking news logic to political fact-checking. Through methods of participatory observation, interviews and textual analysis, the study finds that Faktisk.no used several strategies to bridge the ‘epistemic gap’ between the logics of breaking news and political fact-checking. Combined, these strategies pushed the live fact-checking towards a confirmative epistemology, implying that the live political fact-checking confirmed (1) knowledge already believed to be true and (2) hegemonic perspectives on what constitutes important and reliable information. The findings thereby point to a potential reorientation of political fact-checking from being a critical corrective of political elites to confirming the perspectives and knowledge base of the same elites.The limits of live fact-checking: Epistemological consequences of introducing a breaking news logic to political fact-checkingpublishedVersio
Global, regional, and national burden of other musculoskeletal disorders, 1990–2020, and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
Full text linkBackground
Musculoskeletal disorders include more than 150 different conditions affecting joints, muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, and the spine. To capture all health loss from death and disability due to musculoskeletal disorders, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) includes a residual musculoskeletal category for conditions other than osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, low back pain, and neck pain. This category is called other musculoskeletal disorders and includes, for example, systemic lupus erythematosus and spondylopathies. We provide updated estimates of the prevalence, mortality, and disability attributable to other musculoskeletal disorders and forecasted prevalence to 2050.
Methods
Prevalence of other musculoskeletal disorders was estimated in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020 using data from 68 sources across 23 countries from which subtraction of cases of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, low back pain, neck pain, and gout from the total number of cases of musculoskeletal disorders was possible. Data were analysed with Bayesian meta-regression models to estimate prevalence by year, age, sex, and location. Years lived with disability (YLDs) were estimated from prevalence and disability weights. Mortality attributed to other musculoskeletal disorders was estimated using vital registration data. Prevalence was forecast to 2050 by regressing prevalence estimates from 1990 to 2020 with Socio-demographic Index as a predictor, then multiplying by population forecasts.
Findings
Globally, 494 million (95% uncertainty interval 431–564) people had other musculoskeletal disorders in 2020, an increase of 123·4% (116·9–129·3) in total cases from 221 million (192–253) in 1990. Cases of other musculoskeletal disorders are projected to increase by 115% (107–124) from 2020 to 2050, to an estimated 1060 million (95% UI 964–1170) prevalent cases in 2050; most regions were projected to have at least a 50% increase in cases between 2020 and 2050. The global age-standardised prevalence of other musculoskeletal disorders was 47·4% (44·9–49·4) higher in females than in males and increased with age to a peak at 65–69 years in male and female sexes. In 2020, other musculoskeletal disorders was the sixth ranked cause of YLDs globally (42·7 million [29·4–60·0]) and was associated with 83 100 deaths (73 600–91 600).
Interpretation
Other musculoskeletal disorders were responsible for a large number of global YLDs in 2020. Until individual conditions and risk factors are more explicitly quantified, policy responses to this burden remain a challenge. Temporal trends and geographical differences in estimates of non-fatal disease burden should not be overinterpreted as they are based on sparse, low-quality data.publishedVersio
Estradiol driven change in hallucination proneness across the menstrual cycle as studied with a white noise paradigm
Full text linkThe estrogen hypothesis for schizophrenia suggests neuroprotective effects of estrogen for the development of the disorder and for symptom severity, including auditory hallucinations. Furthermore, estrogen has shown enhancing effects on cognitive control, a function that is also implicated in auditory hallucinations. Whether estrogen affects the tendency to hallucinate in healthy participants, and the potential mediating role of cognitive control, has not yet been studied. Therefore, the current study aimed to test these relationships by using a white noise paradigm in combination with a N-back working memory task in which cognitive load could be manipulated. The paradigm used simulates a hallucinatory state by induction of negative emotions and drainage of cognitive resources. The simultaneous exposure to white noise elicit experiences of hearing voices (false alarms). In a between-subject design, forty-two participants were tested during the menstrual cycle in either the early follicular phase (low estradiol) or late follicular phase (high estradiol). A 2(Cycle Phase) x2(N-back task) ANOVA showed a main-effect of cycle phase on number of experienced hallucinations in the white noise task, with a significantly higher number of reported hallucinations in the early follicular phase. Furthermore, estradiol was found to predict number of hallucinations. No interaction effect of cycle phase and available cognitive resources was found. The results suggest an estradiol-related change in hallucination proneness across the menstrual cycle, but the idea that cognitive functioning mediates this relationship was not supported. Overall, the study supports protective effects of estradiol on hallucination proneness in line with the estrogen-hypothesis of schizophrenia, and that such effects are not specific to the disease.publishedVersio
Introduksjon: Komparative perspektiver på entreprenørskap og sosial endring
Full text linkDette er introduksjonen til et spesialnummer om entreprenørskap. Det forteller hvordan entreprenørskapsbegrepet kom inn i antropologien på 1960-tallet og dets betydning for antropologiens kjernevirksomhet – å frembringe kunnskap om hvordan mennesker skaper mennesker og samfunn. Deretter følger en kritisk vurdering av fremveksten av en global entreprenørskapsdiskurs, fra proto-økonomenes spede forsøk på å modellere de økonomiske prosessene i landbruket til et verdensomspennende neoliberalt regime for økonomisk vekst. Deretter situerer vi entreprenørskap i både den norske og den internasjonale antropologien, gjennom drøfting av teori og empiri i tre verker fra ulike tidsepoker: Fredrik Barth (1963), Eldar Bråten (2013) og Richard Pfeilstetter (2022). Den siste delen introduserer de åtte artiklene som følger, og avsluttes med to innsikter om hva antropologiske studier av entreprenørskap bidrar med.publishedVersio
Distressing testing: A propensity score analysis of high-stakes exam failure and mental health
Full text linkThis study used rich individual-level registry data covering the entire Norwegian population to identify students aged 17–21 who either failed a high-stakes exit exam or who received the lowest passing grade from 2006 to 2018. Propensity score matching on high-quality observed characteristics was utilized to allow meaningful comparisons (N = 18,052, 64% boys). Results showed a 21% increase in odds of receiving a psychological diagnosis among students who failed the exam. Adolescents were at 57% reduced odds of graduating and 44% reduction in odds of enrolling in tertiary education 5 years following the exam. Results suggest that failing a high-stakes exam is associated with mental health issues and therefore may impact adolescents more broadly than captured in educational outcomes.publishedVersio
Shared pattern of impaired social communication and cognitive ability in the youth brain across diagnostic boundaries
Full text linkBackground
Abnormalities in brain structure are shared across diagnostic categories. Given the high rate of comorbidity, the interplay of relevant behavioural factors may also cross these classic boundaries.
Methods
We aimed to detect brain-based dimensions of behavioural factors using canonical correlation and independent component analysis in a clinical youth sample (n = 1732, 64 % male, age: 5–21 years).
Results
We identified two correlated patterns of brain structure and behavioural factors. The first mode reflected physical and cognitive maturation (r = 0.92, p = .005). The second mode reflected lower cognitive ability, poorer social skills, and psychological difficulties (r = 0.92, p = .006). Elevated scores on the second mode were a common feature across all diagnostic boundaries and linked to the number of comorbid diagnoses independently of age. Critically, this brain pattern predicted normative cognitive deviations in an independent population-based sample (n = 1253, 54 % female, age: 8–21 years), supporting the generalisability and external validity of the reported brain-behaviour relationships.
Conclusions
These results reveal dimensions of brain-behaviour associations across diagnostic boundaries, highlighting potent disorder-general patterns as the most prominent. In addition to providing biologically informed patterns of relevant behavioural factors for mental illness, this contributes to a growing body of evidence in favour of transdiagnostic approaches to prevention and intervention.publishedVersio
Towards Next-Generation Healthcare: Architectural Insights into an AI-Driven, Smartwatch-Compatible mHealth Application
Full text linkWith the rise of telemedicine and wearable technology, mHealth (mobile health) applications are becoming increasingly important in providing real-time, personalized healthcare solutions. However, integrating these technologies effectively to deliver high-quality care is a significant challenge. This paper proposes a novel system architecture for an AIassisted mHealth application that seamlessly integrates video conferencing platforms, smartwatch APIs, and AI algorithms. Our proposed architecture facilitates real-time health monitoring during video consultations by allowing healthcare providers to access patients' health data gathered from their wearable smartwatches. Furthermore, integrating AI algorithms provides personalized health recommendations based on patterns identified from the collected data. Additionally, this research delves deep into the implementation considerations and cloud architectural paradigms, underscoring the challenges and discrepancies between proposed designs and real-world application feasibility. The proposed architecture addresses the needs of modern healthcare services and offers the potential for further enhancements in the realm of AI-assisted telemedicine.publishedVersio
.NET/C# instrumentation for search-based software testing
Full text linkC# is one of the most widely used programming languages. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no work in the literature aimed at enabling search-based software testing techniques for applications running on the .NET platform, like the ones written in C#. In this paper, we propose a search-based approach and an open source tool to enable white-box testing for C# applications. The approach is integrated with a .NET bytecode instrumentation, in order to collect code coverage at runtime during the search. In addition, by taking advantage of Branch Distance, we define heuristics to better guide the search, e.g., how heuristically close it is to cover a branch in the source code. To empirically evaluate our technique, we integrated our tool into the EvoMaster test generation tool and conducted experiments on three .NET RESTful APIs as case studies. Results show that our technique significantly outperforms gray-box testing tools in terms of code coverage.publishedVersio
Bridging the Gap : Understanding the Adoption of Gamification for Technical Debt Management in Agile Software Development
Full text linkMost software companies have adopted agile methodologies for their software development projects. Due to its delivery-oriented nature, Agile Software Development (ASD) is more prone to Technical Debt (TD) than traditional project management methodologies, as developers tend to prioritise short-term gains over long-term code quality. This practice can lead to challenges in managing the TD incurred, ultimately affecting the long-term software quality. Therefore, TD prioritisation is essential when implementing new features in agile projects. Despite the importance of Technical Debt Management (TDM) in ASD, the area still lacks systematic processes. TD is associated with less progress and wasted time and software developers are assumed to spend approximately one day a week repaying TD. Prior research has attempted to implement game design elements into the software development process to develop high-quality codes. These studies indicates that Gamification can be useful as a motivational tool for developers to manage TD in ASD. This study utilises a complementary mixed-method approach, comprising a quantitative questionnaire and qualitative interviews to investigate what affects software companies' Behavioural Intention to adopt Gamification for TDM in ASD. The study develops five hypotheses based on a proposed UTAUT-TTF model and emphasises the significant effect of Social Influence and Task-Technology Fit in facilitating the adoption of Gamification. This study presents potential implementation challenges and factors affecting Norwegian software developers' adoption intention towards Gamification for managing TD in ASD. Qualitative interviews are conducted to understand the underlying reasons for the results obtained from the quantitative data analysis. The main finding implies that managers should be aware of software development teams and their unique preferences and approaches for ASD. Managers should consider the purpose, challenges, and potential when introducing game elements and features to the development process. Careful consideration is essential for the game elements to be effectively integrated into TDM in ASD and successfully adopted by team members