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Nurses' experiences of assessing frailty in adult patients in healthcare
No full textSkörhet hos vuxna patienter är ett diskuterat och mångfacetterat tillstånd som är kopplat till en ökad risk för ogynnsamma hälsokonsekvenser vid akuta sjukdomstillstånd, omfattande vårdbehov inom hälso- och sjukvården och en sämre livskvalitet för individen. Genom att identifiera och bedöma skörhet bidrar sjuksköterskor till att vården blir både säker och anpassad efter patientens vårdbehov. Denna litteraturstudie syftade till att beskriva och analysera sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av skörhetsbedömning hos vuxna patienter inom hälso- och sjukvården För att belysa sjuksköterskors erfarenheter genomfördes studien som en kvalitativ litteraturstudie med induktiv och manifest innehållsanalys, baserad på tolv (12) vetenskapliga artiklar. Analysen resulterade i tre (3) huvudkategorier; att bedömning av skörhet möjliggörs av tydliga förutsättningar men begränsas av tids- och informationsbrist, att bristande organisatorisk ledning försvårar bedömning av skörhet samt att kompetens och erfarenhet är viktigt för säker och personcentrerad bedömning av skörhet. Resultatet visar att arbetet med att identifiera skörhet kräver ett strukturerat arbetssätt för bedömning av skörhet, organisatoriskt stöd och relevant utbildning och kompetens hos sjuksköterskor. Verktyg för bedömning av skörhet upplevs som ett bra stöd inom omvårdnadsarbetet men användning begränsas av tidsbrist, hög arbetsbelastning och svårigheter vid implementering. Vidare framkommer att otydliga ansvarsområden, riktlinjer och relevant utbildning och samsyn gör att skörhetsbedömningar ofta prioriteras ned och sällan följs upp av sjuksköterskor. Möjligheten att genomföra strukturerade bedömningar av skörhet stärks av sjuksköterskors utbildning, erfarenhet och kontinuerlig kompetensutveckling.
Being a relative of a person with early-onset dementia : A literature review
No full textBakgrund: Tidigt debuterande demens avser demenssjukdom som debuterar före 65 års ålder och drabbar då personer som befinner sig mitt i arbets- och familjeliv. Detta medför särskilda utmaningar för närstående, som ofta får ta ett omfattande omsorgsansvar i en livsfas präglad avansvar, relationer och framtidsplaner. Närståendes upplevelser vid tidigt debuterande demens är mindre utforskade jämfört med demens hos äldre. Syfte: Att beskriva upplevelser av att vara närstående till en person med tidigt debuterande demens. Metod: En kvalitativ litteraturstudie med induktiv ansats genomfördes. Vetenskapliga artiklar söktes i databaserna PubMed,CINAHL och PsycINFO. Totalt 11 artiklar inkluderades och analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Resultatet visade att närståendes upplevelser präglades av psykisk och emotionell belastning, osäkerhet inför framtiden samt förändrade familjerelationer och omsorgsroller. Omsorgsansvaret påverkade vardagsliv, sociala relationer och upplevelsen av jämbördighet inom familjen. Slutsats: Närstående till personer med tidigt debuterande demens befinner sig i en särskilt utsatt situation där omsorgsansvar och rollförändringar påverkar både psykiskt välbefinnande och relationer. Resultaten visar behovet av att närstående uppmärksammas och ges anpassat stöd inom hälso- och sjukvården och socialtjänsten
Health Monitoring of Ground Support System Through Point Cloud Processing: Enhanced Deformation Analytics Phase
No full textIn underground mining, geostatic pressure results in drift surface deformation. To ensure the the stability and safety of the mining environment, a so-called ground support systems are commonly used. Today, there are various types of ground support systems, such as rockbolts, steel sets, mesh and shotcrete, cable bolts, ground anchors etc. Ground support systems based on rockbolts are used to provide the tensioning support to the compressive strength of the rocks. Surface deformation occurring in the drift brings changes in the rockbolt protruding the surface. Monitoring and predicting the health of the ground support would assist the decision process for rehabilitation of the ground support in the drift to maintain safe working conditions. In this paper, a methodology has been proposed aimed at the quantification of deformation of underground mining drifts through point cloud processing and other data sources to support health monitoring, development of decision support tools and integration with the mine Trigger, Action, Response Plans (TARPs). The proposed methodology processes point cloud data, collected in underground mining drifts in a campaign-based manner. PCD processing focuses on i) comparison of PCD quality, ii) computation of deformation while compensating for imperfect registration, iii) comparison of rockbolt regions using Wasserstein distance. The results were used to augment the PCD to create interactive visualizations on Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) systems for off-site or on-site inspections.Full text license: CC BY 4.0; Funder: Mining Innovation for Ground Support (MIGS)</p
The Effect of Preventive Training on ACL- Injuries in Girls and YoungFemale Soccer Players : A Systematic Literature Review
No full textBakgrund: ACL-skador är vanligt inom fotboll, där framför allt flickor/unga kvinnor är utsatta. För den typen av skador kommer en risk från biomekaniska faktorer. Förebyggande träning har en betydelse för att minska incidensen av ACL-skador. Däremot råder det osäkerhet kring vilken typ av träning som är effektivast för att förebygga skadan. Även effekten som förebyggande träning har på biomekaniska riskfatorer är oviss. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka effekten av förebyggande träning för att minska incidenen av ACL-skador hos flickor/unga kvinnor som spelar fotboll, samt undersöka effekten av förebyggande träning på biomekaniska riskfaktorer för ACL-skador. Metod: En systematisk litteraturstudie genomfördes, RCT-studier inkluderades. PICO-modellen tillämpades för att agränsa studiens syfte. Tre sökdatabaser valdes ut. PEDro-skalan tillämpades för kvalitetsgranskning av studierna. Resultat: Studier med god metodologisk kvalitet enligt PEDro-skalan påvisade att neuromuskulär träning har en effekt för att minska incidensen av ACL-skador, evidensen är av låg styrka. Utifrån andra studier som studerade biomekaniska riskfaktorer identifierades det att neuromuskulär träning kunde ha en viss effekt, evidensen anses vara av måttlig styrka. majoriteten av dessa studier uppnådde statusen god enligt PEDro-skalan. Slutsats: Neuromuskulär träning har en relativt god effekt för att minska incidensen av ACL-skador hos flickor och unga kvinnliga fotbollsspelare, samtidigt som det kan påverka biomekaniska riskfaktorer. Evidensen bedömdes som låg för effekten av neuromuskulär för minskad ACL-incidens och måttlig avseende effekten på biomekaniska riskfaktorer. Behovet av yttligare litteraturstudier kombinerat med högkvalitativa RCT-studier är väsentligt för framtida forskning. Background: ACL-injuries are common in soccer, where girls/young females are vulnerable. Were one of the risks are biomechanicals factors. Preventive training is a factor for minimizing the incidens of ACL-injuries. However there remains uncertainty regarding which type of training is most effective in preventing the injury and which effect preventive training has on biomechanical risk factors. Aim: This study investigated the effects of training that minimizes the incideces of ACL- injuries on girls/young females who play soccer and to examine the effects of prevention training on biomechanical risk factors for ACL-injuries. Method: A systematic literature review was conducted, RCT-studies were included. The PICO-model was applied to narrow down the study's purpose. Three search databases were used. The PEDro-scale was used to quality review the studies. GRADE-method were used for evidence assessement. Results: Studies with god methodlogical quality (PEDro-scale) suggest that neuromuscular training may have an effect on minimizing the incidence of ACL-injuries on girls/young female players, the evidence however is of low strength. The majority of the other studies had a good methodological quality (PEDro- scale). They concluded that neuromuscular training may have an effect on biomechanical risk factors, but the evidence is of moderate strength. Conclusion: Neuromuscular training has a relatively good effect on minimizing ACL-injuries and inpact biomechanical risk factors for girls/young female players. The studies connected to ACL-injuries incidence were assessed to have low quality evidence. The ones connected to the biomechanical risk factors were deemed to have moderate quality. More studies is essential for further research.
Naturbaserade interventioner för att främja hälsa hos personer med stressrelaterad ohälsa
No full textStress-related illness is increasing and is a common cause of sick leave in Sweden. Spending time in nature reduces stress and promotes health and well-being. Consequently, nature-based interventions (NBI) for people with stress-related illness have been developed, implemented and studied in southern Scandinavia. However, such interventions are uncommon in the Circumpolar North with a different climate which affect conditions for outdoor activities. The overall aim of this doctoral thesis was to explore NBIs to promote health in people with stress-related illness from the perspectives of previous research, people with stress-related illness, healthcare professionals and entrepreneurs offering NBIs with a specific focus on northern natural conditions. The thesis includes four studies. An integrative literature review (I) identified and summarised scientific studies of NBIs for people with stress-related illness. Studies using both qualitative and quantitative designs were included. Study II explored key stakeholders’ perceptions of the value of NBIs in promoting health in people with stress-related illness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with people with stress-related illness experience, healthcare professionals, and entrepreneurs offering NBI and data were analysed through qualitative content analysis. In study III people with stress-related illness experiences of participating in an NBI program in a northern natural setting were explored. A longitudinal case study design was used, and data were collected through repeated semi-structured interviews, diary entries and self-assessment questionnaires. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse interviews and reflections from diaries and data from self-assessing questionnaires were presented descriptively. Study IV explored people with stress-related illness experiences of nature prescription. Data were collected through interviews with open-ended questions and analysed with a phenomenological-hermeneutic method. Findings show that natural environments offer unique qualities for individualised, meaningful activities and interactions with others in a non-demanding atmosphere. In NBI people with stress-related illness find a source for recovery, joy, and well-being. Spending time in nature is perceived as calming and facilitates being in the present. NBIs improve health and strengthen self-efficacy and work ability. Time in nature provides new perspectives, supports existential reflections, and empowers people with stress-related illness to find opportunities for change to achieve balance in everyday life. NBIs can be helpful for people with stress-related illness to overcome barriers to going out in nature or to find their way back to nature. In conclusion, NBIs seem to be beneficial in promoting health in people with stress-related illness. Different stakeholders have similar perceptions of the value of NBIs, indicating that it could be a valuable complement to health care. NBIs in a northern natural setting seems to have similar health promoting qualities as those seen in studies of NBIs in other natural settings
Development of Thin Film Semitransparent Sb2S3 Solar Cells
No full textSolar photovoltaics (PV) is one of the most promising renewable sources of energy. Crystalline and multi-crystalline silicon solar cells hold most of the market share (up to 95%) of the photovoltaic industry. However, they require high-purity silicon and high production costs. Thin film technologies, including a-Si, Cu(In, Ga)(S, Se)2 (CIGS), and CdTe, have been thoroughly researched due to their minimal material consumption and scalability, yet they have struggled to achieve significant commercial success. These technologies face challenges such as low technological flexibility (e.g., use of flexible substrates), use of critical or toxic raw materials, and long-term stability. Furthermore, semitransparent photovoltaic technologies (STPVs) can harness previously unused spaces like windows and facades to produce on-site electricity. Buildings represent 40% of overall energy use and are responsible for 36% of total greenhouse gas emissions. STPVs will play a crucial role in meeting the energy requirements of a ‘zero-emission building’. The shortcomings of current PV technologies and the potential of STPVs incentivize the search for alternative PV technologies utilizing absorber materials that can effectively address these issues sustainably and at a reduced cost. Antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) is an emerging light absorber material with favorable properties, such as a high absorption coefficient, wide bandgap (1.7–1.8 eV), earth abundance, and nontoxic constituents. Its low melting point (~550 °C) allows for obtaining high-quality crystalline thin films at low temperatures. The Sb2S3 solar cells in this thesis use a conventional planar n-i-p heterojunction with a configuration: glass/bottom contact/electron transport layer (ETL)/Sb2S3/hole transport layer (HTL)/top contact. A commercial glass/fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate acts as the bottom contact. ETL and HTL help in the efficient and directional collection of electrons and holes. The top contact is a high-work function metal such as Au thin film (>60 nm for opaque devices). For semitransparent solar cells, the top electrode can be ultrathin Au (<15 nm) or indium tin oxide (ITO). N,N-di(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]-9,9′-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD), an organic material, has emerged as the predominant choice for HTLs; however, it is costly and requires additives that render it vulnerable to moisture and elevated temperatures. Therefore, finding suitable inorganic stable HTLs is of utmost importance. The first part of this thesis (papers I and II) utilizes copper thiocyanate (CuSCN), an inexpensive and easily processable inorganic material that is highly transparent, as the HTL to realize fully inorganic Sb2S3 solar cells. CuSCN was first evaluated in the solution-processed solar cells using Sb2S3 films deposited through chemical bath deposition (CBD) (paper I). The opaque and semitransparent planar solar cells using all-inorganic layers obtained power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 1.75% and 1.67%, respectively. Subsequently, a hydrothermal deposition technique was utilized to enhance the quality of the Sb2S3 thin films, resulting in all-inorganic hydrothermally deposited Sb2S3 solar cells (paper II). A direct comparison between solar cells using CuSCN as the HTL and those lacking an HTL underscored the importance of the HTL in these devices. The HTL-free solar cells achieve a modest PCE of 1.54%, which improves to 2.46% when CuSCN HTL is included. These findings were corroborated by a one-dimensional numerical simulation. A semitransparent device is fabricated with a PCE of 2.13% and an average visible transmittance (AVT) of 13.7%. Additionally, cadmium sulfide (CdS), derived from established CdTe PV technology, has solely served as the ETL for high-efficiency Sb2S3 solar cells. Nevertheless, cadmium's toxicity raises concerns that hinder the broader acceptance of these solar cells. Additionally, it possesses a low bandgap of 2.4 eV (with its characteristic yellow color), resulting in absorption-related current loss and diminished device transparency. Therefore, in the next section of the thesis (paper III), CdS was substituted with a wide bandgap, nontoxic TiO2 as the ETL. The PCE of the cadmium-free device using TiO2 was 5.1%, which was comparable to that of the CdS-based device (5.2%). However, the hydrothermal deposition of Sb2S3 on TiO2 results in non-uniform, island-like growth, which is unsuitable for semitransparent applications that require pinhole-free thin films of less than 100 nm. This island-like growth, caused by dewetting issues, is mitigated by applying an ultrathin ZnS layer (1–3 nm) on TiO2 using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) deposition method. By utilizing the resulting excellent film morphology of Sb2S3 on TiO2-ZnS ETL, semitransparent solar cells were fabricated with an ultrathin Au (<10 nm) electrode, achieving a PCE of 3.3% and an AVT of 11.2%. In the last part (paper IV), a highly scalable radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering deposition was developed to obtain high-quality, uniform, and impurity-free Sb2S3 films directly on TiO2. Unlike the island-type growth of Sb2S3 on TiO2 seen in solution-based depositions, sputtering with the binary target enables the formation of smooth and dense Sb2S3 films, even at thicknesses less than 100 nm. A thorough optimization of the post-deposition annealing parameters yielded a record PCE of 4.6%. Semitransparent solar cells with varying degrees of transparency were developed through precise thickness control via sputter deposition. The semitransparent solar cells utilizing ultrathin Au as the top contact achieved PCEs of 3.2% (AVT: 10%), 2.6% (AVT: 13.5%), and 2.0% (AVT: 16.5%) for Sb2S3 layers with thicknesses of 80 nm, 60 nm, and 40 nm, respectively. Next, ITO is employed instead of ultrathin Au as the top transparent electrode to enhance transparency (AVT: 14.9% for the 60 nm Sb2S3 layer). Finally, the highly transparent CuSCN replaces the low bandgap polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) as the HTL, further increasing the AVT to 20.5% for the same Sb2S3 thickness of 60 nm. This thesis highlights how the thin-film deposition conditions, the ETL/HTL interfaces, and the device structure significantly influence the AVT and PCE of Sb2S3 semitransparent solar cells. In conclusion, the results of this thesis will greatly contribute to future studies on high-performance semitransparent Sb2S3 solar cells
Advances in MoS2 composites for electrocatalytic energy conversion: Synthesis, applications, and future perspectives in hydrogen, oxygen, nitorgen, and CO2 reactions
No full textThe significant increase in energy demand and environmental challenges requires sustainable technologies to preserve the climate and minimize CO2 emissions. Electrocatalysis for energy conversion applications, such as hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR), and CO2 reduction reactions (CCR), are essential in renewable energy technologies. State-of-the-art catalysts are highly needed to enhance energy conversion efficiencies. Recently, Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) with its distinguished physiochemical properties has been verified as a potential energy conversion material for catalyzing electrochemical reactions, ensuring excellent performance.Aside from graphene, which is unsuitable in some fields due to its zero-energy bandgap, alternative 2D materials like MoS2 have been developed and investigated. MoS2 nanostructures, with a relatively brief history, are emerging as suitable candidates in several applications, especially in electrocatalysis. Enhancing charge transfer and combining MoS2 with other materials can improve energy and environmental application performance.The excellent electrocatalytic progress of MoS2-based composites has been reported alongside enhanced and tunable properties like rich active edges, high density of structural defects, excellent conductivity, well-defined size dispersion, good electrode contact, favorable exposed crystal facets, and maximized phases. These properties, critical in electrocatalysis, are reviewed herein.We describe different methodologies for preparing MoS2 composite materials, illustrating their advantages and limitations for catalysis applications. We discuss the figure of merit of MoS2 composite nanostructures in electrocatalysis and present the challenges and outlooks for this new material class based on recent developments and potential applications in energy and the environment, suggesting promising research directions for the future.Validerad;2025;Nivå 2;2025-11-25 (u4);Funder: Pakistan Science Foundation and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (PSF-NSFC/202307/427); UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre (UKCCSRC);Fulltext license: CC BY</p
EnergyFlow: Predictive trading platform for decentralized energy exchange
No full textThe integration of renewable energy sources (RES) into modern power grids has enabled decentralized energy generation at the community level, fostering peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading among prosumers and microgrids. Accurate forecasting of household energy consumption and photovoltaic (PV) generation is critical for optimizing energy flows, enhancing grid reliability, and enabling cost-effective trading decisions. This paper presents an intelligent energy trading platform that integrates machine learning-based forecasting, battery-aware decision-making, and blockchain-enabled transactions to facilitate secure and efficient local energy exchange. Using historical smart meter and weather data from London households, multiple forecasting models including GRU, LSTM, Random Forest, and XGBoost were trained and evaluated. The GRU model achieved superior performance in predicting energy consumption, while Random Forest produced the most accurate PV generation forecasts. These predictions were combined with household battery levels to dynamically determine next-day operational roles: Buyer, Seller, Store, or Use Battery. Unlike conventional fixed-threshold approaches, the framework supports user-defined variable battery thresholds, allowing personalized energy management strategies. The proposed decision-making model achieved an accuracy of 90.72 % for one random block, and extended simulations across 29 different random household blocks confirmed its robustness with an average accuracy of 88.69 % (95 % CI: 87.9–89.6 %). In the trading phase, households participate in a decentralized energy trading platform powered by blockchain and smart contracts. Based on the next-day forecasts, a linear programming-based optimization algorithm matches buyer requests and seller offers to minimize the total system cost while ensuring fairness and efficient energy allocation. To assess its performance, the proposed optimization approach was compared against a greedy matching algorithm where sequential matching is done without a cost optimization and a grid baseline scenario where no storage/sharing of energy takes place. The optimized matching consistently achieved substantially lower trading costs across all households demonstrating superior efficiency, fairness, and scalability compared to the benchmark methods. All transactions are executed securely and transparently on the blockchain through Ethereum-based smart contracts, which automate energy trading, pricing, and settlement. A user-friendly web interface was developed to allow participants to monitor and interact seamlessly with the platform. Overall, this battery-aware, community-driven trading framework showcases how intelligent energy forecasting, cost-optimized decision-making, and blockchain-enabled trading can collectively enhance energy autonomy, cost savings, and renewable energy utilization at both the household and community levels.Fulltext license: CC BY</p
In Vitro Effect-Based Analysis of Stormwater Pond Sediments: Linkage to the Organic Contaminant Profile
No full textThis study investigated the relationship between biological effects and contamination profiles in sediments from 17 stormwater sedimentation facilities across four Swedish municipalities. Sediment extracts were examined using a battery of in vitro bioassays targeting five modes of action: aryl hydrocarbon (AhR), estrogenic (ER), androgenic (AR), antiandrogenic (AntiAR) receptors, and oxidative stress (Nrf2) activities, along with cytotoxicity. Significant differences in biological activities across cities aligned with patterns in previously characterized profiles of 259 urban-sourced organic substances. Concentrations of bioactive substances correlated positively with biological activities; however, they explained only a limited fraction (typically <10%) of the observed effects, suggesting the influence of unmonitored substances. Among the examined substances, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and alkylphenols were the most prominent drivers of chemically explained biological activities across end points. A masking effect between AR and AntiAR was revealed, with negative correlations between AR responses and agonist concentrations indicating dominance of antiandrogenic activity. Cytotoxicity rankings across samples did not align with acute toxicity previously measured on the same sediments using Microtox. However, overall cytotoxicity correlated significantly with chemical contamination indicators. These findings highlight the relevance of effect-based tools in capturing mixture effects in stormwater sediments and support their integration alongside chemical analysis in sediment quality assessments.Full text license: CC BY 4.0;</p
Effect of the rail surface topography on wear and fatigue
No full textThis study is an investigation of the impact of grinding-generated surface roughness on the wear and fatigue life of rails. The grinding process, essential for rail maintenance, creates a rough surface that significantly influences wheel/rail contact conditions. Using a combined experimental and numerical approach, this work replicates and integrates grinding-generated roughness into an elastoplastic rolling contact model. To evaluate the effects of surface roughness on rail degradation, Archard's wear equation is applied for wear assessment, while fatigue is analysed using the Jiang-Sehitoglu fatigue parameter. The results show that rough surfaces induce localised high stresses and plastic strains, accelerating material degradation, particularly in early rolling cycles. In contrast, smoother surfaces exhibit more stable plastic strain evolution over fewer cycles. Additionally, the grinding-generated roughness significantly increases the damage accumulation, highlighting its role in reducing rail life. These findings emphasize the need to incorporate surface roughness into predictive maintenance models and optimise grinding practices to ensure rail longevity and operational reliability.Full text license: CC BY</p