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Oral Health Related Factors Predicting Severe COVID-19 Disease in Elderly Swedes
Get PDFObjectives
To analyse different background factors that may serve as predictors for acquiring symptoms of severe COVID-19 disease.
Methods
A postal questionnaire was sent to the total population of individuals born between 1942 (80 years, n = 6299) and 1932 (90 years, n = 1904) living in the Örebro and Östergötland counties, Sweden, in 2017 and repeated in 2022. Tentative predictive factors for self-reported severe COVID-19 disease were based on the responses from the 2017 questionnaire related to general and oral health and prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results
Response rate to the main questionnaire in 2022 was 66% (5375/8203), and 577 reported having been sick with COVID-19 out of which 359 agreed to answer a separate questionnaire on COVID-19. This questionnaire was returned by 278/359 of the participants corresponding to a response rate of 77%. Information gleaned from the 2017 pre-COVID-19 survey revealed a relatively large number of associations between severity of subsequently self-reported COVID-19 disease and several diverse tentative related factors found in unadjusted regression analyses. Based on statistically significant correlations in the adjusted regression analysis, significant predictive factors (based on self-reports from 2017) for contracting severe COVID-19 were in decreasing order of odds ratios (OR): reported removable partial or complete denture usage (OR 6.2, CI 2.2–17.2); reported periodontal problems in the past year (OR 3.4, CI 1.1–10.4); and reported daytime dry mouth (OR 2.5, CI 1.2–5.2).
Conclusion
Removable dentures, periodontal problems and daytime dry mouth were predictors for developing symptoms of severe COVID-19 disease.publishedVersio
Patients with Opioid Use Disorder Choosing Treatment with Extended-Release Naltrexone: A 6-Month Naturalistic Study
No full textIntroduction: The treatment efficacy of extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) for opioid use disorder (OUD) has been demonstrated in several studies, but not in naturalistic settings where opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is freely accessible. This study aimed to examine the different treatment outcomes of XR-NTX in a setting where the participants freely chose XR-NTX as a treatment option instead of OAT. Methods: This was a 24-week open-label clinical prospective cohort study conducted in an outpatient setting at five hospitals in Norway. The study included 161 participants aged 18-65 years with OUD. Intramuscular injections of XR-NTX were administered every 4 weeks for 24 weeks. Measurements included retention in treatment, reasons for treatment discontinuation, days of use of opioids, other illicit substances and alcohol, level of heroin craving, treatment satisfaction, and adverse events (AEs). Results: Of 161 included participants, the mean age was 38 years, and 24% were women; 138 received at least one dpublishedVersio
Ecos de una crisis: Memorias colectivas del colapso económico de 1999 y su relación con las elecciones presidenciales de 2021 en Ecuador - Polarización, fuentes de información y las memorias en el largo plazo.
No full textThis thesis explores the collective memories of Ecuador’s economic crisis of 1999 and their relationship to the 2021 presidential elections, in which Guillermo Lasso defeated Andrés Arauz, the candidate of the Citizens’ Revolution. The 1999 crisis, often attributed to the neoliberal policies policies of the preceding decades, had devastating social consequences that continue to shape Ecuadorian society. The victory of Lasso in 2021 marks the clear return of neoliberalism to power after a decade of left wing governance under the Citizens’ Revolution. Using qualitative interviews, this study primarily explores how collective memories of the 1999 crisis were related to voting behavior in 2021, shedding light on the interplay between historical memory and contemporary political decisions.
To achieve this, the study investigates three sub-objectives: (1) the impact of polarization between supporters of the Citizen’s Revolution and its political bases, the correísmo, and its opponents on voting decisions, (2) the role of information sources, particularly the influence of social media on the reconstruction of collective memories, and (3) the way in which the informants perceive the long-term consequences of the crisis and its relevance to Ecuador’s current political context.
Findings reveal that the decade of correísmo has contributed to heightened levels of affective and perceived polarization. Informants largely rely on social media for news and express greater trust in it compared to traditional media. Also, many perceive dollarization as a safeguard against a similar crisis, diminishing the perceived relevance of lessons from that period in today’s context.
Although unanimously agreeing on the devastating social consequences of the 1999 crisis, informants remember its causes differently based on political affiliation. Lasso voters trace the origins of the crisis further back in time, while non-Lasso voters attribute it to the neoliberal governments of the 1990s. The crisis has contributed to diminished trust in institutions and lowered expectations of political leadership. Polarization, media consumption patterns, and opposition to correísmo were also critical factors influencing Lasso's victory, given that many voters express that they supported Lasso simply to prevent the return of correísmo to power.Mastergradsoppgave i spansk og latinamerikastudierSPLA350MAHF-SPLAMAHF-LÆF
On the use of feed-forward neural networks in the context of surrogate aeroelastic simulations
Get PDFFor a few decades now, the proliferation of digital computers has driven the development of increasingly complex models to study the physical phenomena that are part of our reality. Particularly, in the field of aeronautics and renewable energy (wind), correct aeroelastic modeling is crucial for many reasons: structural and aerodynamic optimization, determining operational envelopes, and avoiding destructive aeroelastic phenomena such as divergence or flutter, among others. Furthermore, the study of systems involving multiple fields of physics (aerodynamics, structural dynamics, control, etc.) is characterized by exhibiting highly nonlinear phenomena (limit cycle oscillations, bifurcations, chaos, etc.), which are very challenging to capture with linear approximations or simplified models. In this work, we present a comprehensive statistical analysis of the performance of shallow feed-forward neural networks (FNNs) to capture supercritical Hopf bifurcations when dealing with aeroelastic flutter. The FNNs are trained by considering data sets generated by using two different aeroelastic models of increasing complexity. For the structural model, we consider a two-degree-of-freedom model consisting of an airfoil oscillating in pitch and plunge. The aerodynamic forces are accounted for by using two different flow solvers: (1) a non-compressible two-dimensional linear (but ergodic) model based on Wagner’s theory (referred as Fung’s model), which results in analytical expressions for the lift and aerodynamic moment, and (2) a two-dimensional version of the well-known unsteady vortex-lattice method (UVLM). The assessment of the resulting FNN-based models is carried out through a Monte Carlo experiment over R replicates. As a measure of performance, we use the mean-squared error test associated with the estimators, here the system’s response and its consistent aerodynamic coefficients. We also discuss, in detail, the behavior of FNN-based surrogate aeroelastic frameworks when they are trained with data coming from Fung-based or UVLM-based aeroelastic simulations. Furthermore, we highlight a number of challenges faced by shallow FNNs, as well as some difficulties when integrated into surrogate aeroelastic environments. Finally, we provide explanations to questions raised throughout the article and conjecture some others without a definitive answer.publishedVersio
Between Fact and Fiction: Unreliable Narration, Intertextuality and the Impact of Sexual Violence in Lolita (1955) and My Dark Vanessa (2020)
No full textDenne masteroppgaven tar for seg romanene Lolita (1955) av Vladimir Nabokov og My Dark Vanessa (2020) av Kate Elizabeth Russell, som begge handler om grenseoverskridende forhold mellom eldre menn og unge jenter. Hensikten med oppgaven er å demonstrere og argumentere for hvordan litteratur som utforsker seksuell vold kan fungere til å utfordre og opplyse lesere om kompleksitetene i opplevelsen av å være offer for seksuell vold, spesielt i lys av en æra etter #Me Too bevegelsens fremvekst. Begge romanene bruker de litterære grepene upålitelig fortellerstemme og intertekstualitet. De upålitelige fortellerstemmene komplementerer hverandre ved å gi perspektivet til overgriperen i Lolita, som er bevisst upålitelig i sin beretning, og perspektivet til offeret i My Dark Vanessa, som ikke er bevisst på egen upålitelighet. I utforskningen av intertekstualitet ser jeg spesielt på markerte intertekstuelle referanser, og sentralt står My Dark Vanessas omfattende intertekstuelle forhold til Lolita. Jeg argumenterer for at disse grepene både kan gi leserne innsikt i disse komplekse grenseoverskridende forholdene og hvordan karakterene forstår og skaper mening i deres rolle i dem. I tillegg til hvordan disse litterære grepene også kan bidra til å overskygge og distrahere leserne fra alvorligheten i den seksuelle volden som skildres. Videre er hensikten å utforske hvilken effekt disse formene for upålitelig fortelling kan ha på leseren og deres opplevelse av sympati og forståelse for fortellerne.
Sentralt i oppgaven, demonstrerer jeg hvordan seksualiseringsprosesser, seksuell vold og dets konsekvenser skildret i bøkene, er i tråd med hva relevant samfunnsvitenskapelig forskning tilsier om hvordan disse prosessene utarter seg. I lys av #MeToo bevegelsen og dets påvirkning på samfunnet og kultur, antar jeg at lesere av disse romanene i større grad vil være oppmerksomme og hensynsfulle til de kvinnelige ofrenes perspektiver. Likevel, utforsker jeg også hvordan vedvarende og dominerende ideer og sosiale normer om begrepet ‘offer’ og ‘kredibilitet’ kan påvirke deres sympati og oppfatning av de kvinnelige karakterenes troverdighet.Engelsk mastergradsoppgaveENG350MAHF-ENGMAHF-LÆF
Opening the black box of student government in authoritarian contexts: institutional work and intra-organisational conflicts in the Students’ Guild at Makerere University, Uganda
No full textStudent governments are important actors in higher education governance and also in more general political processes, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most of the research on student governments has thus far focused on the relations with higher education authorities and political parties, often without investigating their internal dynamics, thus risking of conceiving them as more homogeneous than they are likely to be. Analysing the internal dynamics of student governments is necessary to understand why student leaders, on behalf of their representative organisations, act and position themselves the way they do externally. This case study of the Students’ Guild at Makerere University addresses this knowledge gap by uncovering and analysing internal conflicts of student governments, contributing with new empirical and theoretical insights on students’ institutional behaviour and institutional ambiguity, in the context of authoritarian African states. While internal conflict is expected in any student government, this is anticipated to be even more the case in a conflictual context where there are strong links between students and national authorities. The approach is, in theoretical terms, based on the institutional work perspective and relies on extensive fieldwork at Makerere University. I find that the student government is far more conflictual and heterogenous than previous literature suggests. Rather than comprising representatives who act unitarily, it is characterised by intra-organisational conflicts due to competing institutional work, which reflects representatives’ multiple, diverse and divergent interests and institutional goals.publishedVersio
Comparing CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knock-in efficiency between Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) and Zebrafish (Danio rerio)
No full textSummary CRISPR gene editing technology has revolutionized the field of molecular biology enabling precise editing in the genome of all living organisms. In any gene sequence CRISPR-Cas9 can induce precise double stranded breaks (DSB), allowing us to insert new sequences or impair existing ones in the gene. Salmon aquaculture is among the areas CRISPR can be utilized by targeting some of the environmental issues facing this industry. However, Atlantic salmon’s long generation time and limited egg availability is slowing some of this progress. Zebrafish on the other hand is known for its short generation time, year-round egg laying ability and is an established genetic model with a wide range of experimental tools. It might thus serve as a model for CRISPR technology development in salmon. To assess CRISPR-Cas9 potential to improve animal welfare in salmon and use zebrafish as a model for testing new associated technologies, three separate experiments where conducted. Initially, we attempted knockout (KO) of the thyrotropin gene (tshβb), which is associated with smoltification in Atlantic salmon. This KO was successful, albeit with fish displaying a low average rate of 7.8% (std = 3.56) mutation in the tshβb gene (std = 3.56). The low rate of KO is suspected to be caused by a non-optimal sgRNA, highlighting the need for better sgRNA predictive tools when designing them. Secondly, we attempted to create albino zebrafish and salmon through BASE editing, a new approach enabling precise single base pair (bp) substitution. However, BASE editing was not achieved in zebrafish or salmon. In addition, the lack of albino fish in the positive control groups makes it challenging to determine the cause of failure. Lastly, we performed CRISPR-Cas9-mediated homology directed repair (HDR) in zebrafish targeting the slc45a2 gene, comparing the rates and indel locations with results in Atlantic salmon. HDR rates in zebrafish (2.4-4.0%) were 2-3 times lower than what was observed in salmon. The locations of indels were however similarly dependent on template polarity, suggesting similar mechanisms in both species of repair by synthesis-dependent strand annealing (SDSA) as proposed by Straume et al., 2020. We speculate that the different temperatures are a potential factor explaining the lower HDR witnessed in zebrafish compared to salmon. We show zebrafish to be a viable model for various aspects of gene editing that have transferable value for salmon. Also, improving software prediction tools could help to overcome challenges of optimal sgRNA design. Lastly, we propose future studies on the effect of temperature on HDR in both zebrafish and salmon by rearing microinjected eggs at varying temperatures. This might shed light on the observed differences in HDR rates.Masteroppgave i biologiBIO399MAMN-HAVSJMAMN-BI
Literary practices, capital structures and political position-taking: The Norwegian writers during World War II
No full textAnalyses of writers’ political orientations have typically focused on individual authors’ works and trajectories. Inspired by Bourdieu's field theory and by Sapiro's works on the French literary field, this article demonstrates how the Norwegian writers’ position-takings during WW II were related to their locations in two other sets of structures: the structures in the Norwegian field of literary practices in the 1930s and '40s, and their locations in cultural, economic and social capital hierarchies. Based on data on 308 writers we ask: How did the writers and intellectuals respond to democratic backsliding, loss of cultural autonomy and authoritarianism on the rise? Three main literary oppositions were uncovered by way of MCA: Non-Fiction vs. Fiction, Traditional vs Modern literature and Popular vs. Other literature. These oppositions were structured along hierarchies of personal and inherited cultural capital, and of economic capital. The association between literary and political orientations was clear. Urban, modern-oriented writers with upper-class backgrounds had higher probabilities of partaking in resistance, while more marginal, tradition-oriented writers with a lower-class origin had higher probabilities of supporting the occupation; during WWII, the literary elite thus faced both an external shock and a challenge “from below”. Out of eight literary clusters, five were political: Academics, Modernists, Proletarians, National Romanticists and Vitalists. Nazi-sympathizing or collaborating writers were overrepresented in latter two. But a Class Specific MCA revealed internal divisions among the Nazi-sympathizing or collaborating writers that did not mirror those found in the global space; distinct hierarchies were at work. When analyzing how a given constellation of factors might produce different outcomes across a population, the integration of MCA and CSA therefore offers a promising approach.publishedVersio
Mapping the policy space of public consultations: evidence from the European Union
Get PDFPublic consultations strengthen the informational advantage and policy legitimacy of bureaucracies by allowing them to collect and aggregate information on stakeholder preferences. How well consultations perform this function depends on the dimensional structure and complexity of the policy spaces describing them. Building on the research on spatial models of politics, we derive a set of expectations about the dimensional structure and policy content of consultation policy spaces. We assess our argument empirically by analysing 42 consultations organised by the European Commission via online surveys across all policy areas. Using Specific Multiple Correspondence Analysis (SMCA) we find that more than 70% of the analysed consultations present low-dimensional policy spaces characterised by one or two main dimensions, although some also display a three-dimensional space. The substantive content of policy dimensions is consultation-specific and varies greatly across events. Most dimensions capture stakeholder alignments with respect to policy instruments, and only a few with respect to the orientation of the policy regime. The unveiled consultation policy spaces reflect a regulatory model of stakeholder engagement in policymaking. Our findings underscore the challenges and opportunities of information provision, preference aggregation and the identification of stable majority equilibria in the context of public consultations and bureaucratic policymaking.publishedVersio
Reference Ranges and Determinants of Thyroid Function and TSH Receptor Antibodies During Early Pregnancy in Nepal
Get PDFObjective: Different definitions of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy may lead to under or overtreatment. The aims of this study were to (1) define population-based pregnancy-specific reference ranges for thyroid dysfunction during early pregnancy in Nepal and assess the impact of antibody positivity, (2) quantify the diagnostic impact of population-based reference ranges compared with current practice and (3) assess the determinants of thyroid function and antibody positivity. Methods: A total of 800 healthy pregnant women aged 20-40 years in the Bhaktapur municipality were included. Population-based reference ranges for thyroid hormones levels were defined as 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles using competitive immunoluminometric assay design. Thyroid disease cases and those with recommended treatment indications were calculated using current non-pregnancy new reference ranges. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify the determinants of thyroid hormones and antibody levels. Results: Median gestational age was 11 weeks. The reference interval was 0.05-3.69 µLU/mL for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and 8.89-15.28 pg/mL for free tetraiodothyronine (fT4) after excluding thyroid peroxidase antibody-positive women. Compared with the current non-pregnancy reference ranges, the new calculations increased the number of women who required treatment from 5 to 12 (0.9% increase). We identified 19 women (2.4%) who were positive for TSH receptor antibody (TRAb). We could not identify the determinants of TRAb positivity, and TRAb positivity was not associated with TSH or fT4 levels. Conclusions: We found meaningful changes using population-based pregnancy-specific TSH and fT4 reference intervals and encourage further studies in other low- and middle-income settings. Our findings suggest that population screening for TRAb is not clinically meaningful. Trial registration: Clinical Trial Registration: U1111-1183-4093.publishedVersio