Publikationer från Umeå universitet
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Multi-dimensional self-assessment matrix and scoring system for Positive Energy Districts
No full textIntroduction: A predominant portion of current Positive Energy District (PED) projects focuses on technical advancements, often neglecting non-technical aspects, which can hinder a just energy transition. This raises the question: How can PEDs be assessed to ensure a just, inclusive, and context-sensitive energy transition beyond technical solutions? Methods: This study develops a cohesive approach that embeds the multiscale, multisectoral, multi-component, and multi-actor nature of PED development. A multi-criteria PED Matrix was created and refined using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and expert feedback to evaluate and benchmark PEDs across eight dimensions: social, governance, technical, process, environmental, legal, financial, and managerial. Results: Five European pilot cases (in Austria, Sweden, and Türkiye) were assessed using the matrix, revealing context-specific strengths and capacity-building needs and enabling cross-case learning and comparison. Discussion and conclusion: The PED Matrix supports self-assessment and co-design processes, helping local stakeholders identify weaknesses, required competencies, and lessons from other PED-related cases, promoting inclusive and context-sensitive energy transitions
Trans and gender-diverse people’s experiences of primary care in Sweden : a qualitative study
No full textBackground: Trans and gender-diverse people experience a high burden of health issues and face barriers to accessing care. Primary care has a large responsibility in providing equitable access to care and thus improving the health of the population. We, therefore, explored trans and gender-diverse people’s experiences of primary care in Sweden. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 self-identified trans or gender-diverse persons living in Sweden, aged over 15, and with experience of primary care. Participants were recruited via trans organizations. The interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Five themes were identified: “Preparations and low expectations”, “Attempts at trans-competent care”, “When trans experiences are not present – from smooth to excluded”, “When being trans becomes a problem – from friction to overt violations”, and “Effects of healthcare encounters – from discomfort to shifted responsibility”. Conclusion: Findings show that participants’ experiences with primary care in Sweden were influenced by cisnormativity, leading to invisibility, exclusion, misgendering, and a lack of knowledge. Experiences of discomfort on the part of care providers, ridicule, disrespect, and denial of care imply the presence of transphobia. These barriers result in trans and gender-diverse people experiencing low levels of trust, having to navigate their care without support, and not having their healthcare needs met. There is an urgent need for increased trans competence and allyship with trans communities to ensure equitable access to healthcare. Training and further research should be developed in close consultation with trans organisations to address these disparities
The interplay between gender and personality in relationship outcomes : satisfaction across domains and partnership status
No full textThis study tested whether gender moderated links between extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness and relationship outcomes: satisfaction in friendship, family, romantic domains, and partnership status. Data from 3780 adults in Australia, Denmark, and Sweden were analyzed. The clearest moderation involved partnership status: extraversion related more strongly to men’s partnering, whereas neuroticism and agreeableness showed negative associations for men and neutral to positive associations for women. For ongoing relationships, neuroticism was more strongly linked to lower satisfaction among men; extraversion related more positively to men’s family satisfaction and agreeableness related more positively to women’s. Links between traits and friendship satisfaction showed minimal gender differences. Partnership-status moderations remained after controlling for age and income, while family-domain moderations attenuated. Patterns were largely consistent across countries
Cautious nonmonotonicity
No full textA key intuition in symbolic artificial intelligence is that an intelligent system should be non-monotonic, but cautiously so: previous conclusions should only be revised if a compelling reason for doing so exists. In this paper, I trace the evolution of this intuition, which emerged from Dov Gabbay’s seminal 1985 paper and gained additional prominence as cautious monotonicity in the 1990 KLM paper, as well as in an earlier paper by Makinson. I introduce the term cautious nonmonotonicity for the general idea of assuring that monotonicity is satisfied given some condition, thus highlighting that it is the violation, and not the satisfaction, of monotonicity that we need to be careful about. Also, I discuss why cautious nonmonotonicity still is an open problem in theory and practice, and present some results that highlight the intricacy of cautious nonmonotonicity in the simple case of abstract argumentation, where inferences are drawn from directed graphs without further structure.Special Issue to Celebrate Dov Gabbay's 80th Birthday. ISBN: 978-1-84890-492-7</p
Trait- versus state- grey matter volume alterations in premenstrual dysphoric disorder
No full textBackground: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is characterized by symptoms of irritability, affective lability, anxiety, and depression, which occur only in the luteal phase of ovulatory menstrual cycles. This offers an ideal model to assess the neural correlates of the on and off switch of mood symptoms. Recently, we highlighted differences in grey matter volume between individuals with PMDD and healthy controls during the luteal phase, depicting smaller volumes in those diagnosed with the condition. However, it is unknown whether such alterations represent state-like changes specific to the symptomatic phase, or trait-like characteristics. Methods: Here, 28 patients with PMDD and 26 controls underwent anatomical magnetic resonance imaging during the mid-follicular and the late-luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. For each time point, we assessed grey matter volumes over the whole brain using voxel-based morphometry. Results: We found no group-by-phase interaction effect on grey matter volumes, but a main effect of group across menstrual cycle phases, suggesting trait rather than state structural markers of PMDD. Patients displayed smaller volumes compared to controls, primarily in the cerebellum and cuneus, and at a trend-level in ventral occipito-temporal, parietal, paracentral and orbitofrontal areas, as well as the putamen (Cohen’s d range: 0.4–1.1). Conclusions: These findings suggest that the differences in grey matter volumes found in PMDD are stable across the menstrual cycle and could represent trait-like, vulnerability markers of PMDD
History of the taxonomy of Acinetobacter : the emergence of hospital-adapted species of global health concern
No full textThe genus Acinetobacter is widely distributed in nature. A key step in the evolutionary trajectory of Acinetobacter is the diversification of species that are well adapted to human-made environments, particularly hospitals, including those capable of causing infection outbreaks. The temporal dynamics, routes and mechanisms of such nosocomial adaptations remain to be elucidated. This review provides a comprehensive description of 162 Acinetobacter isolates collected between 1910 and 1970 under various taxonomic names, which may facilitate a more detailed exploration of the pathogenic and nosocomial shifts of Acinetobacter. Genomic analysis of these isolates can help reveal the earliest traits of antimicrobial resistance and detect initial genetic events, thereby allowing hypotheses on driving factors that may have preceded the extensive use of modern antimicrobials. Through comparison with contemporary isolates, the evolutionary events and ecological processes that have shaped the phylogeny of today's highly successful Acinetobacter strains can be mapped, and their arsenals of antimicrobial resistance determinants and virulence factors can be tracked chronologically
Transient study of an optimized waveguide sonic black hole with wave focusing properties
No full textSonic black holes (SBHs) are waveguides intended to slow down the wave propagation speed and focus the energy towards the end of the device. However, the extent to which these effects occur, as well as the degree of wave dispersion introduced, has not been systematically quantified. This article investigates these aspects through transient finite-element computations, analyzing the properties of a novel, numerically optimized SBH with enhanced wave-focusing capabilities. The investigation utilizes the lossless acoustic wave equation as well as a linearized compressible flow formulation to account for viscothermal losses. We analyze the wave focusing and filtering properties of the SBH by monitoring the pressure amplitude and the transmission and reflection coefficients. Moreover, we examine the effective wave propagation speed along the centerline of SBH and assess the similarity of pressure wave packets using cross-correlations. Our results reveal that the optimized SBH not only enhances wave focusing but also on average effectively slows down wave propagation, demonstrating the device's potential as a true sonic black hole. By investigating two crucial aspects - wave-slowing effect and signal dispersion - that were not previously explored, we provide a deeper understanding of the device's functionality and operational mechanisms, including how its design influences wave-focusing performance and local wave speed
Customer brand engagement as a driver of psychological benefits of post–purchase green consumption
No full textPurpose: Self-transcendence and self-enhancement motives often coexist in green consumer behavior. Customers may engage with green brands to reconcile possible tensions arising from these two conflicting motives. Using dual concern theory, we investigate how customers’ altruistic, biospheric and egoistic values drive desired self-identity and perceived life-meaning rewards, as mediated by their post-purchase green brand engagement (GBE). We also test whether perceived effort worthiness moderates these associations. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected via survey from 368 electric/hybrid vehicle owners and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings: Results reveal that customers’ altruistic and egoistic values impact desired self-identity and perceived life-meaning rewards through their engagement with green brands. While perceived effort worthiness had no bearing on desired self-identity, it was found to strengthen the indirect effects of altruistic and egoistic values on perceived life-meaning rewards through post-purchase customer engagement with green brands. Originality/value: We identify customer brand engagement following purchase as an instrumental mechanism for managing potential inner tensions created by dueling motives in green post-purchase customer reactions. Additionally, we respond to calls for engagement-based boundary conditions by highlighting the moderating role of perceived effort worthiness between customer engagement and perceived life-meaning rewards
The impact of defunctioning ileostomies on postoperative kidney function in rectal cancer surgery
No full textAim: To investigate short- and long-term kidney injury incidence in patients undergoing low anterior resection for rectal cancer, comparing those with and without a defunctioning ileostomy. Method: We identified all Swedish rectal cancer patients ≤80 years old, with ASA fitness grade ≤III and tumour height ≤12 cm from the anal verge, who underwent anterior resection between 2007 and 2021 using CRCBaSe, a nationwide registry linkage. Patients who received a defunctioning ileostomy during surgery were compared with those who did not. Outcomes included chronic kidney failure, chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, and dehydration. Cox proportional hazards models were fitted for each outcome, using overlap weights derived from propensity scores for receiving a defunctioning ileostomy. Stoma reversal impact and mediation by anastomotic leakage were also examined. Results: Among 5286 patients, 4623 (87%) received a defunctioning ileostomy and 663 (13%) did not. A defunctioning ileostomy was not significantly associated with chronic kidney failure (HR 1.68, 95% CI: 0.19–15.16) or chronic kidney disease (HR 1.65, 95% CI: 0.91–2.98) but increased risks of acute kidney injury (HR 3.01, 95% CI: 1.61–5.64) and dehydration (HR 4.02, 95% CI: 2.33–6.94). Risks declined after stoma reversal. Stomas reduced anastomotic leakage with negligible mediation effects on short-term kidney damage. Conclusion: A defunctioning ileostomy after low anterior resection increases the risks of acute kidney injury and dehydration but not chronic kidney failure or chronic kidney disease. These risks decrease following stoma reversal, highlighting the need for careful perioperative management