Publikationer från Umeå universitet
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Comparative study of machine learning and deep learning in predicting the shear strength of marine sand and polymer layer interfaces interface under marine temperature effects
No full textIn marine engineering, polymer layers are anti-seepage barrier materials. The mechanical interaction between marine sand and polymer layer significantly affects overall structural stability. In this study, direct shear tests at different temperatures in the marine environment are simulated to evaluate the shear behavior of marine sand and polymer layer interface, and a database is developed. Based on the experimental data, the study employs the Back propagation Neural Network (BPNN), Genetic Algorithm and Particle Swarm Optimization BPNN, and convolutional neural network (CNN) models, which are trained and tested. The findings show that the CNN algorithm significantly outperforms other models in terms of prediction accuracy and efficiency. Sensitivity analysis shows that temperature, shear displacement, normal stress, and particle size have influence on interfacial shear strength, and the impact of normal stress is the greatest. In addition, an empirical formulation is proposed to provide tools for those without machine learning. Based on the research results, the deep learning CNN model developed in the study can accurately predict the shear strength of the interface between marine sand and the polymer layer, which provides an effective tool for the design and optimization of marine engineering
Post-screening risk of tuberculosis progression : a three-year retrospective cohort study of asylum seekers in Sweden
No full textIntroduction: Strategies for tuberculosis (TB) elimination in low-incidence countries involve screening recent migrants from TB-endemic regions for TB infection (TBI) and providing TB preventive treatment (TPT) to individuals with an increased risk of reactivation. This study aimed to determine TB incidence and identify reactivation risk markers in a cohort of asylum seekers in Sweden after screening. Method: We conducted a registry-based retrospective cohort study with a three-year follow-up of asylum seekers receiving post-arrival Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) screening in three Swedish regions 2015–2019. Medical records, health-examination records, and the national TB disease registry were linked using identification numbers or probabilistic methods. The primary outcome was TB disease more than 90 days post-screening. Explanatory variables included age, sex, IGRA-result (positive/negative), TPT-initiation, and TB incidence in the country of origin. Poisson and Cox regression addressed incidence rates (IR), incidence rate ratios (IRR), and hazard ratios over a three-year follow-up. Results: The cohort included 21 739 individuals and 70 467 person-years. Incident TB disease was recorded in 41 cases (IR 58.2/100 000 person-years). The IR for those with a positive IGRA was 321.7/100 000 person-years (n = 34). The highest risk was in persons aged under 20 with no TPT (1 279.0/100 000 person-years). Positive IGRA result, age under 20 years, and origin from TB-endemic country predicted incident TB. Discussion: Risk markers for incident TB were similar to findings previously reported. However, the observed 0.3% annual reactivation risk found among all IGRA-positive individuals in this study was considerably lower compared to earlier findings
Using traits to integrate non-additive effects of species mixtures across ecosystem processes
No full textWhether and how biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning has long been hotly debated in ecological research and conservation. Important in this debate is how interactions between species in a community lead to non-additive effects (i.e. effects that deviate from predictions based on the effects of each single species) on ecosystem processes. Such non-additivity has been widely reported for individual processes, for example productivity, decomposition, fire, herbivory or pollination. However, species in a community are simultaneously involved in multiple ecosystem processes. We therefore propose a trait-based conceptual approach to connect non-additive effects based on species interactions across different specific ecosystem processes and illustrate its potential. The approach involves plotting the direction and strength of non-additivity due to species interaction effects for any given ecosystem process against the values of relevant predictive traits for all possible pairs of species considered in a community. Synthesis: We show how to compare the non-additivity patterns for different ecosystem processes using similar ‘currency’ and how to link these to the main effects of the same species on these ecosystem processes. This way the species' effects on higher-level ecosystem functioning (e.g. carbon cycling), in present and future environmental scenarios, can be better quantified. The conceptual framework requires empirical testing and incorporation of relevant environmental factors
Access to COVID-19 vaccines in Indonesia : A scoping review applying the Levesque framework
No full textIntroduction: Access to vaccines has been the most effective means of reducing COVID-19-related severity and mortality. This scoping review explored factors related to the accessibility of COVID-19 vaccines among the Indonesian population using Levesque's framework of access to healthcare. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across five databases using PRISMA guidelines for publications from 1 January 2019 until May 5, 2023. This yielded 89 studies that met the inclusion criteria and were analysed using NVivo-14. Results: More than half of the studies were published in 2022 (n=58), with most studies using data collected in 2021 (n=55); this body of literature therefore reflects the early days of the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccine availability. The majority of identified studies employed a quantitative approach (n=74) and utilised online survey methods (n=50). A focus on user factors predominated over those focused-on health system issues. Personal factors, particularly trust, beliefs, and perceptions, were found to significantly influence vaccine acceptance. The halal status of vaccines and information from social media were crucial in shaping perceptions. Age, gender, education level, marital status, and occupation influenced access, along with COVID-19 factors such as comorbidity and prior infection. Finance-related issues, such as direct, indirect, and opportunity costs, were less studied. Conclusion: Addressing user perceptions, leveraging social media, ensuring equitable access, and providing clear communication about vaccine halal status were crucial for improving COVID-19 vaccine access in Indonesia. Future research focusing on health system factors will provide a more comprehensive understanding of vaccine accessibility
Social values and sustainable development in business education
No full textBusiness education has been criticised for overlooking social values despite the critical role that social values play in promoting sustainable development (SD) and equipping future business leaders to tackle global challenges. Against this background, this paper examines the incorporation of social values and SD into business education. The study employs a mixed-methods approach including a bibliometric analysis of 637 publications and an analysis of 15 international case studies. The findings indicate significant progress in incorporating social values such as fairness, justice, accountability, and responsibility into business education. Nevertheless, there is still a significant amount of uncertainty regarding the integration of these values across institutions. The case studies, in particular, elucidate prevalent challenges, providing educators and policymakers with actionable insights. Ultimately, this study contributes to the development of business leaders who can promote positive social and environmental change by emphasizing the critical role of social values and SD in business education and providing evidence-based recommendations to improve their integration
Editorial: Advancements in translational models : bridging basic infection research and clinical applications
No full textTowards strengthening primary health care : Lessons from a government-civil society collaborative intervention in India
No full textIntroduction: The need to strengthen comprehensive primary health care towards ensuring “Health for All” is well established yet operationalizing this has remained a challenge globally as well as in India. Based on a qualitative study of a collaborative initiative between the government and a civil society organization, this article discusses what factors and processes explain successful implementation of primary health care in a remote rural area in central India. Methods: Data were drawn from in-depth interviews (n=27), observations of health facilities including outreach clinics as well as conversations with the staff during these visits (n=17 visits) and document analysis of Minutes of Meetings, Memorandum of Understanding, Project Reports and Government Circulars. Data were collected between December 2022- April 2023. Data were analyzed concurrently with data collection. Suitable themes and sub-themes were identified after juxtaposing different sources of data to construct a story of the initiative keeping a close eye and ear on the role of different actors, contexts, processes and their implications. Results: Our findings show how policy actors’ interpretation of the shared cause of the initiative, ‘experiencing’ contextual and feasible evidence, building and nurturing partnerships across different levels and actors were key to the implementation of this initiative. Additionally, values including equity, community participation, patient centered care and organizational culture were equally central to this effort. Conclusion: Our findings reiterate the central role of the philosophy and values of primary health care in its implementation. These also resonate with the theoretical literature that draws attention to the need to investigate complex intersections of power, actors’ interests, ideas, and contexts in the study of health system policy implementation
If wood could speak : Mapping and analyzing wooden artifacts from deposition to the magazine
No full textDenna masteruppsats handlar om artefakter av trä som Västerbottens museum och andra museum har valt att dokumentera och bevara. Genom att ställa upp och analysera all tillgängliga data som finns kring dessa artefakter, inklusive var, hur och när de har påträffats så kan vi kartlägga föremålets resa från deposition till sin plats i museets samlingar. Frågeställningarna inkluderar hur de har hamnat där de har återfunnits, hur de har bevarats under århundradena eller årtusendena och varför de har hittats, och varför man inte hittar lika många träartefakter idag som man gjorde för hundra år sedan.This master thesis is about artifacts made out of wood that Västerbottens museum and other museum have chosen to document and preserve. By gather and analyze all available data that exist around these artifacts, including where, how and when they have been found, we can map the artifacts’ journey from deposition to its place in the museum collections. The research questions include how the artifacts have ended up where they have resurfaced, how they have been preserved through the centuries or millennia and why they have been found, and why so few wooden artifacts are found today compared to a hundred years ago
“Social Services Take Children” – A qualitative Study on How Disinformation Shapes the Public Image of the Social Service
No full textSyftet med studien är att undersöka hur socialarbetare upplever att LVU-kampanjens desinformation påverkar tilliten till socialtjänsten, samt hur de arbetar för att bemöta oro och stärka förtroendet. Studien genomfördes med en kvalitativ metod bestående av semistrukturerade intervjuer med fyra socialarbetare från olika kommuner, kompletterad med en diskursanalys av två tidningsartiklar och ett Tiktok klipp om LVU-kampanjen. Det empiriska materialet analyserades genom tematisk analys och tolkades med stöd av maktteori, tillit- och legitimitetsteori, socialkonstruktivism, samt gräsrotsbyråkrati. Resultaten visar att desinformationskampanjer har bidragit till minskad tillit till socialtjänsten och att socialarbetarnas arbete i hög grad präglas av att bemöta oro samt arbeta aktivt för att återuppbygga förtroendet.
Who's Ready to Catch Greenwashing? : An Exploratory Study of the Impact of Work Experience, Education, and Firm Size on Auditors’ Preparedness to Detect Sustainability Fraud
No full textWith the implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the expectations placed on auditors to confirm the credibility of sustainability reports through sustainability audits and assurance, are fast increasing. This study therefore explores how auditors’ preparedness to detect fraud in sustainability reports is affected by the three factorseducation, work experience, and firm size. Using a qualitative explorative research design, data were collected by a survey of Swedish sustainability auditors as well as a more extensive document analysis of transparency reports from five Swedish audit firms, including both three out of the Big 4 and two medium sized firms. The collected data was analyzed by categorizing and examining it through the three identified factors, and by comparing the survey responses to the literature as well as the document analysis, in order to identify connections, patterns, and to draw conclusions. The findings reveal that all three factors play part in affecting auditor preparedness in sustainability fraud detection. Receiving and partaking in education and training regarding ESG- and fraud-related matters positively impacts the auditors’ preparedness. Gaining work experience was also found to positively impacts the preparedness, as it build professional judgement and methods for identifying red flags in reports. Additionally, firm size as a factor was also found to affect the auditors’ preparedness, as the scale of resources available impacts the offering of training to the auditor, the accessibility to specialists and guidelines, as well as the implementation of advanced technology and programs to assist in the assurance. The research done in this study contributes to the limited academic literature on sustainability fraud and ESG assurance in connection to the auditors’ preparedness, as well as connecting the subject to theories such as stakeholder and legitimacy theory. It offers practical insights for audit firms and regulators, as they adapt to the expectations of the CSRD directive, emphasizing the need for targeted ESG training, clearer frameworks, and firm-level commitment, to prepare the auditors for sustainability assurance.På grund av implementeringen av det nya direktivet CSRD, gällande granskning av hållbarhetsrapporter, ökar förväntningarna och pressen på revisorer att kunna bekräfta och försäkra dessa rapporter genom utförandet av hållbarhetsrevisioner. I och med detta undersöker denna studie därmed hur revisorers beredskap i upptäckandet av bedrägeri i hållsbarhetsrapporter, även kallat greenwashing, påverkas av faktorerna utbildning, arbetslivserfarenhet och företagsstorlek. Genom en kvalitativ explorativ forskningsmetod samlades data in genom både en enkätundersökning av svenska hållbarhetsrevisorer, samt en omfattande dokumentanalys av transparensrapporter från fem svenska revisionsföretag, vilken inkluderade både företag inom Big 4 och medelstora revisionsbyråer. Det insamlade materialet analyserades genom att kategorisera och analysera den genom de tre identifierade faktorerna, och genom att jämföra enkätsvaren med litteraturen och dokumentanalysen, för att identifiera samband, urskilja mönster och kunna dra slutsatsen. Resultaten från studien visar på att alla tre undersökta faktorer påverkar revisorernas beredskap i begrägeriupptäckt i granskningen av hållbarhetsrapporter. Utbildning och träning inom ESG- och bedrägeri-relaterade områden påverkar positivt revisorernas beredskap och förmåga. Även att utöka och att bygga arbetslivserfarenhet hade en positiv inverkan, eftersom det utvecklar det professionella omdömet, samt utvecklar metoder hos revisorerna för att identifiera varningssignaler i rapportgranskningen. Studien visar även på att företagsstorlek som en faktor påverkade beredskapen även den. Detta eftersom omfattningen av tillgängliga resurser påverkar möjligheten för företag att erbjuda utbildning till sina anställda revisorer, men även påverkar tillgången till specialister, investeringar, samt implementering av program och teknik som kan underlätta revisionen. Denna studie bidrar till att utöka den begränsade akademiska litteraturen som finns i ämnet hållbarhetsbedrägerier och ESG-försäkring kopplat till revisorernas beredskap. Studien kopplar även ämnet till teorierna intressent- och legitimitetsteorin, vilket skapar en ny vinkel. Studien medför praktiska insikter för revisionsbyråer i hur de arbetar mot att uppnå förväntningarna och kraven inom CSRD, samt betonar behovet av relevant och riktad utbildning inom ESG och hållbarhetsrapportsgranskning. Insikter till tillsynsmyndigheter medförs även i hur tydliga gällande ramverk och standarder är och huruvida de måste anpassas, eller om mer utbildning från myndigheternas håll måste erbjudas för att öka beredskapen hos revisorerna