Publikationer från Umeå universitet
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Barriers to AI adoption in the Nordic health sector
No full textThis brief summarises and compares the barriers faced by the Nordic states in adoption of AI intheir health sectors. It compiles data from the World Health Organization’s (2025) report Artificialintelligence is reshaping health systems: state of readiness across the WHO European Region.
Just agrifood transitions : a cross-country comparison of stakeholder perceptions between Finland and England
No full textSustainability transitions in agrifood systems imply significant changes in agriculture encompassing land use and farming practices as well as the goods produced. Transition processes are challenging and politically contested in many European countries with various climatic, market, and policy conditions. However, research has not yet examined how perceptions of justice in agricultural sustainability transitions differ or align between countries with relatively similar environmental farming conditions. We compare two countries, England and Finland, with similar challenges in climatic terms yet relatively different policy and market conditions. Using interview and focus group data, we examine how justice related issues are described and claimed by farmers and other stakeholders in the context of agrifood system sustainability transitions in these countries. Findings from both countries revealed more similarities than differences. The similarity of many concerns, especially among farmers, implies that just agrifood transitions would greatly benefit from increased cross-country exchange, learning, and knowledge exchange. We also uncovered relevant differences in, for example, problem diagnosis and proposed or claimed solutions. Our results show the value of cross-country comparisons and have implications for realizing just agrifood transitions more successfully by fostering cross-country learning, exchange, and collaboration
How accurate is Richardson's error estimate?
No full textWe consider the fundamental problem of estimating the difference between the exact value T and approximations that depend on a single real parameter h. It is well-known that if the error satisfies an asymptotic expansion, then we can use Richardson extrapolation to approximate . In this paper, our primary concern is the accuracy of Richardson’s error estimate , i.e., the size of the relative error . In practice, the computed value is different from the exact value . We show how to determine when the computational error is irrelevant and how to estimate the accuracy of Richardson’s error estimate interms of Richardson’s fraction . We establish monotone convergence theorems and derive upper and lowerbounds for in terms of and . We classify asymptotic error expansions according to their practicalvalue rather than the order of the primary error term. We present a sequence of numerical experiments that illustrate the theory. Weierstrass’s function is used to define a sequence of smooth problems for which it is impractical to apply Richardson’s techniques
Special diets without medical diagnosis in preschool : An interview study with mothers
No full textBakgrund Specialkost i förskola och skola blir allt vanligare. När ingen medicinsk orsak finns används numera termen anpassad måltid, tidigare kallad önskekost, med orsaker som etik, religion eller neuropsykiatrisk funktionsnedsättning (NPF). Att servera många olika maträtter blir resurskrävande och ökar risken för felhantering. Det kan därför vara av vikt att undersöka hur föräldrar resonerar kring önskemål om avvikande kost. Syfte Syftet var att undersöka föräldrars upplevelser av och resonemang kring att ha begärt önskekost till sitt barn i förskolan, samt att få en inblick i bakomliggande orsaker och kostmönster i hemmet. Metod Semistrukturerade intervjuer utfördes med tre mammor till barn i förskola/skola. Deltagarna rekryterades via Facebookgrupp samt via anslag i norrländsk kommun. Två intervjuades via telefon och en vid ett fysiskt möte. Intervjuerna spelades in, transkriberades och analyserades sedan med hjälp av kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat Alla studiens respondenter hade barn med NPF-diagnos med behov av anpassad kost/måltidssituation kopplat till fysiska symtom och selektivt ätande. Respondenterna beskrev variationer i bemötande, engagemang och kunskapsnivå inom vård och förskola/skola. Vissa fick tidigt stöd medan andra fick kämpa mer. God kommunikation och samarbete mellan föräldrar, pedagoger och kökspersonal framhölls som centralt. Slutsats Studien visade på variationer i bemötande, engagemang och beslutsprocess kring önskekost. God kommunikation och samarbete mellan föräldrar, pedagoger och kökspersonal ansågs viktigt. Resultaten pekar på behov av ökad kunskap och tydligare riktlinjer för att säkra jämlikhet. Framtida forskning kan med fördel undersöka långsiktiga effekter av anpassad kost för barn med NPF. En rekommendation är att förskolor och kommuner satsar på utbildning, tydliga rutiner och nära samarbete med föräldrar för att skapa en trygg måltidsmiljö för alla barn.Background Special diets in preschool and school settings are becoming increasingly common. When there is no medical cause, the term adapted meal is now used, previously referred to as önskekost with reasons including ethics, religion, or neurodevelopmental disorders. Providing multiple meal alternatives is resource intensive and increases the risk of mismanagement. It may therefore be of importance to gain insight into how parents reason about requesting non-standard diets. Purpose The purpose was to investigate parents' experiences of and reasoning behind requesting önskekost for their child in preschool, as well as to gain insight into underlying causes and dietary patterns at home. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three mothers of children in preschool/school. Respondents were recruited via a Facebook group and public notices in a municipality in northern Sweden. Two interviews were conducted by phone and one in person. All interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Result All respondents had children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) andin need an adapted meal due to physical symptoms and selective eating. The respondentsdescribed variations in the level of support, engagement and knowledge within healthcare andpreschool/school. Some received support early, while others had to struggle more. Goodcommunication and good collaboration between parents, teachers and kitchen staff wereemphasized as crucial. Conclusion The study showed variations in treatment and decision-making process regardingönskekost. Good communication and collaboration between parents, teachers and kitchenstaff was as considered important. The results indicate a need for increased knowledge andclearer guidelines to ensure equality. Future research may well investigate the long-termeffects of adapted meals for children with NDD. One recommendation is that preschools andmunicipalities engage in staff education, clear guidelines and close cooperation with parentsto create a safe and inclusive mealtime environment for all children
Three-year assessment of integrated vector management in Attica, Greece : results from surveillance and control activities
No full textThe West Nile virus vector Culex pipiens and invasive species Aedes albopictus are abundant in Attica, Greece, which deploys an integrated vector management program for targeted vector control. The objective of our study is to evaluate the effects of this program on mosquito vector populations. Using mosquito surveillance and intervention occurrence data, we assessed the effects of mosquito control interventions on vector populations using a two-stage interrupted time series (ITS) approach. First, we fitted ITS models to 16 weeks of data centered on the week of each unique species-specific intervention. Second, we pooled the estimated coefficients in a meta-regression model. Following vector control interventions at the targeted intervention sites, we observed an overall 34% reduction (RR 0.66; 95% CI 0.50-0.89) in Culex pipiens counts and a nonsignificant 5% increase (RR 1.05; 95% CI 0.81-1.35) in Aedes albopictus counts, compared to the pre-intervention period. These results support the implementation in reducing Culex pipiens populations in Attica as part of an integrated public health plan to mitigate West Nile virus risk. However, the limited impact on Ae. albopictus suggests the need for complementary strategies beyond conventional biocides. Overall, this study could serve a model for evaluating IVM programs in diverse settings
Large scale hydrogeochemical and isotopic observations in the Baltic Sea system
No full textWe report hydrogeochemical and isotopic observations across the Baltic Sea from two research expeditions: (1) a ~5000 km cruise-track onboard the R/V Skagerak in 2023 and (2) a land-based sampling for terrestrial endmembers in 2024. The ship-based observations include continuous monitoring of hydrographic parameters, pH, and 222Rn in surface water. In addition, we collected 542 discrete samples from the water column, vertical profiles (n = 69 stations), and meteorological data. Land observations include discrete samples from beach groundwater (n = 77), nearshore surface water (n = 47), and rivers close to the coastline (n = 46). Discrete samples were analyzed for short-lived radium isotopes, nutrients, dissolved organic and inorganic carbon, total dissolved nitrogen, total alkalinity, methane, and stable isotopes (δ18OH2O, δ2HH2O, δ13CDIC, δ13CCO2, δ13CCH4). Data products include seven open-access files. This dataset forms the deposit for upcoming original research publications. This dataset will also be valuable to researchers interested in the hydrogeochemistry of coastal seas, like the Baltic Sea, and more generally interested in submarine groundwater discharge and estuarine biogeochemistry.EcoChang
On the design of locking free ghost penalty stabilization and the relation to CutFEM with discrete extension
No full textIn this note, we introduce a novel stabilization mechanism for Cut Finite Element Methods (CutFEM), generalizing previous ghost penalty techniques in two key aspects: (1) the choice of stabilized quantities and (2) the selection of elements involved in stabilization. This approach notably allows for flexible and precise definitions of the stabilized quantities, including various functionals associated with the discrete solution, such as finite element degrees of freedom. We demonstrate that the kernel of our proposed ghost penalty operator defines a finite element space characterized by discrete extensions, closely related to those previously presented in Burman et al. (Numer Math 152(2):331–369, 2022)
Identification of protein biomarkers to differentiate between gram-negative and gram-positive infections in adults suspected of sepsis
No full textBackground: Sepsis is mostly caused by bacterial infections and requires a prompt diagnosis. There is a need for improved diagnostics by differentiating between gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial infections. Methods: The plasma levels of 285 unique proteins in patients with gram-negative infection (n = 154), gram-positive infection (n = 92), and in healthy controls (n = 35) were quantified using proximity extension assay. Three machine learning algorithms; random forest, recursive feature elimination, and adaptive least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) were employed to identify discriminative proteins, with their effectiveness assessed using accuracy metrics. The selected proteins were further evaluated for their ability to differentiate between gram-negative and gram-positive infections through logistic regression and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: We identified 55 discriminative proteins differentiating between gram-negative and gram-positive infections using the Lasso, the best performing algorithm. The discriminative proteins achieved AUROC values of 0.69 for gram-negative infections and 0.66 for gram-positive infections, both compared to the remaining groups, and 0.58 for differentiating between the two infection groups. Comparative statistical analysis revealed no significant differences in protein expression between gram-negative and gram-positive patients. Conclusions: We identified 55 proteins with some discriminative potential between gram-negative and gram-positive infections. However, the overall predictive performance was low and did not exceed that of established single biomarkers. These findings highlight the challenges of applying a multimarker approach in infection classification and emphasize the need for further studies using larger and more diverse cohorts, as well as broader analytical methods, to explore their potential clinical utility. Clinical trial: Not applicable
Schwinger pair production in spacetime fields : Moiré patterns, Aharonov-Bohm phases, and Sturm-Liouville eigenvalues
No full textWe use a worldline-instanton formalism to study the momentum spectrum of Schwinger pair production in spacetime fields with multiple stationary points. We show that the interference structure changes fundamentally when going from purely time-dependent to space-time-dependent fields. For example, it was known that two time-dependent pulses give interference if they are antiparallel, i.e., (Formula presented), but here we show that two spacetime pulses will typically give interference if they instead are parallel, i.e., (Formula presented). We take into account the fact that the momenta of the electron, pz, and of the positron, p0z, are independent for (Formula presented) [it would be (Formula presented)], and find a type of fields which give moiré patterns in the pz − p0z plane. Depending on the separation of the two pulses, we also find an Aharonov-Bohm phase. We also study complex momentum saddle points in order to obtain the integrated probability from the spectrum. Finally, we calculate an asymptotic expansion for the eigenvalues of the Sturm-Liouville equation that corresponds to the saddle-point approximation of the worldline path integral, use that expansion to compute the product of the eigenvalues, and compare this with the result obtained with the Gelfand-Yaglom method
Effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns on gross motor and fine motor neurodevelopment in toddlers
No full textAim: To investigate possible differences in neurodevelopment between lockdown-exposed and non-exposed 18-month-old toddlers in Sweden. Methods: Data were extracted from the prospective NorthPop Birth Cohort Study in Sweden. Neurodevelopment was assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire Third Edition (ASQ-3) and a clinical routine evaluation at the child health care centre for additional validation. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Results: More lockdown-exposed toddlers fell below the cut-off score on the ASQ-3 “Gross motor function” assessment at 18 months, compared to the pre-lockdown category (5.1% vs. 3.6%, adjusted p = 0.002). Conversely, fewer lockdown-exposed toddlers failed the fine motor task “Can draw scribble” versus the pre-lockdown category (1.4% vs. 2.4% adjusted p = 0.014). Conclusions: Toddlers who were lockdown-exposed had lower gross motor function but were more successful in the fine motor task at 18 months