Göteborgs universitets publikationer - e-publicering och e-arkiv
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Allergic Rhinitis in Childhood and Young Adulthood: Epidemiology, Prevalence and Risk Factors
Get PDFBackground and Aim: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common chronic condition among young people. This thesis examines the prevalence, risk, and protective factors of AR in 12-year-olds. It also compares questionnaire-derived AR data with Swedish national registers. It analyses AR trends, exploring AR risk factors in young adults. Finally, it examines the incidence and remission of AR from childhood into young adulthood and identifies associated risk factors.
Methods: Data for the first two papers were derived from a longitudinal cohort of children born in 2003 in Western Sweden. Parents completed questionnaires for their children from 6 months to 12 years (76% response rate at 12 years). Personal identification numbers linked 3,634 children to Swedish national registers. Paper III presents a cross-sectional analysis of 16- to 25-year-olds from the West Sweden Asthma Study; 2,143 participants in 2008 and 2,484 in 2016. Paper IV included children in grades 1-2 in Norrbotten, using a questionnaire and skin prick tests (SPTs) in 2006 (8-year-olds) and 2016-2017 (19-year-olds). In total, 2,250 participants (91% participation rate) completed the questionnaire; 1,338 underwent SPTs at 8 and 19 years of age.
Results: At age 12 years, 22% reported AR. Risk factors were parental AR, male sex, food allergy, and eczema at the first year of life, while living on a farm and early fish consumption at least once a month were protective factors. Concordance between questionnaires and registers on AR was weak due to insufficient registry data on over-the-counter medication and primary care. From 2008-2016, AR prevalence remained stable (22.5% to 24.4%, p=0.144). Growing up on a farm reduced AR risk in both 2008 and 2016. AR incidence from ages 8 to 19 years was 33.6% and the remission rate 40%. Sensitisation increased the risk of AR incidence and reduced the odds of remission.
Conclusion: AR affects >20% of children at the age of 12 years. Genetic predisposition and environmental exposures play an important role in AR development, with protective factors such as farm living and early fish consumption suggesting potential preventive strategies. Sensitisation significantly impacts AR, indicating the need for early identification of individuals at risk. Integrating reliable parental questionnaires and registry data provides invaluable tools for sustained AR research
THE SHORT-TERM IMPACT OF THE ECB'S PEPP ANNOUNCEMENT ON EURO AREA BOND YIELDS
Get PDFThis study examines the short-term effects of the European Central Bank’s Pandemic
Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP) announcement on 10-year government bond yields in
eleven euro area countries. Employing an event study methodology, it analyses bond yield
changes on March 19th, 2020, the first trading day after the late-evening announcement. The
findings reveal that the PEPP announcement significantly reduced bond yields, with peripheral
economies like Greece and Italy experiencing the most significant impacts, reflecting the
program’s effectiveness in stabilising vulnerable markets. Core countries, such as Germany and
the Netherlands, exhibited weaker responses, consistent with their lower pre-announcement
sovereign risk.
Control variables, including stock market indices, the USD/EUR exchange rate, and the
Citigroup Economic Surprise Index (CESI), were incorporated to isolate the PEPP’s effects.
While the exchange rate had a pronounced influence, economic surprises and stock market
indices played a minimal role. The results highlight the PEPP’s immediate success in mitigating
market instability and reducing borrowing costs for high-risk countries, underscoring the ECB’s
critical role in managing financial crises. This study contributes to understanding the
effectiveness of unconventional monetary policies in addressing market disruptions during the
COVID-19 pandemic
Genodermatoses: Epidemiology and application of advanced laser microscopy techniques
Get PDFGenodermatoses encompass a wide range of hereditary skin disorders that significantly affect the quality of life of patients and pose substantial challenges for research. Most genodermatoses are rare, and their incidence and prevalence often are only roughly estimated. This thesis comprises three registry-based retrospective cohort studies and an experimental prospective study. The primary aim was to ascertain the incidence and prevalence of genodermatoses in Sweden, along with their healthcare needs, and to provide a comprehensive overview of these conditions. The secondary aim was to investigate the cancer risk associated with specific genodermatoses, including, porokeratosis and Darier disease. The experimental section assessed the applicability of reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) and multiphoton microscopy (MPM) in diagnosing porokeratosis compared to traditional histopathology.
We described a local patient cohort by searching the local patient registry at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden. This included patients who visited the Department of Dermatology and Venereology during the period from 2016 to 2020. To gather nationwide data, we used the National Patient Registry, where we identified both inpatients and outpatients using ICD-10-SE codes between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2020. The same patient cohorts were used for Papers I, II,
and III.
A total of 73 genodermatoses were registered in Sweden, and the incidence and prevalence of these diseases were reported in Paper I. The results showed that porokeratosis and Darier disease were among the most common genodermatoses. We observed an association between keratinocyte cancer and melanoma among patients with porokeratosis, as discussed in Paper II, and Darier disease, as discussed in Paper III. A prospective descriptive study presented in Paper IV evaluated the potential of the laser microscopy techniques RCM and MPM as alternatives to histopathology, with the goal of identifying a rapid, noninvasive
diagnostic tool
SVENSK, EUROPEISK, ERITREANSK – ELLER ALLT PÅ EN GÅNG? En kvalitativ studie om hur andra generationens invandrare upplever europeisk och nationell identitet, med fokus på svensk-eritreaner
Get PDFThis bachelor’s thesis examines how second-generation Swedish-Eritreans experience and
negotiate their national and European identities. Focusing on the complex processes of
identity formation the study explores how young individuals with Eritrean backgrounds
navigate between their parents’ cultural heritage, the Swedish majority culture, and a broader
European context. Using semi-structured interviews with six Swedish-Eritrean youths aged
16–24, combined with thematic analysis, the research highlights the dynamic and
multifaceted nature of identity. The findings reveal that participants often feel caught between
multiple identities, facing challenges related to belonging and exclusion. While many identify
with Swedish society through cultural practices, they frequently encounter social and racial
boundaries that question their Swedish identity. Similarly, their relationship with European
identity is marked by ambivalence, shaped by both opportunities for transnational mobility
and experiences of exclusion. Ties to Eritrea further complicate their sense of belonging,
leading to hybrid identities that shift depending on social and cultural contexts. This study
contributes to the broader understanding of identity formation among second-generation
immigrants in Europe emphasizing the role of race, culture, and transnationalism in shaping
experiences of inclusion and exclusion
Hyperuniformity and Hyperfluctuations for Random Measures on Euclidean and Non-Euclidean spaces
Get PDFIn this thesis we study fluctuations of generic random point configurations in Euclidean
and symmetric curved geometries. Mathematically, such configurations are interpreted
as isometrically invariant point processes, and fluctuations are recorded by the variance
of the number of points in a centered ball, the number variance. Hyperuniformity and
hyperfluctuation of such configurations in the sense of Stillinger-Torquato is characterized
in terms of large-scale asymptotics of the number variance in relation to that of an ideal
gas, and equivalently by small-scale asymptotics of the Bartlett spectral measure in the
diffraction picture.
Appended to the Thesis are three papers:
In Paper I we provide lower asymptotic bounds for number variances of isometrically
invariant random measures in Euclidean and hyperbolic spaces, generalizing a result by
Beck. In particular, we find that geometric hyperuniformity fails for every isometrically
invariant random measure on hyperbolic space. In contrast to this, we define a notion of
spectral hyperuniformity which is satisfied by certain invariant random lattice configura-
tions.
In Paper II we establish similar lower asymptotic bounds for number variances of
automorphism invariant point processes in regular trees. The main result is that these
lower bounds are not uniform for the invariant random lattice configurations defined by
the fundamental groups of complete regular graphs and the Petersen graph. We also
provide a criterion for when these lower bounds are uniform in terms of certain rational
peaks appearing in the diffraction picture.
In Paper III we prove the existence and uniqueness of Bartlett spectral measures for
invariant random measures on a large class of non-compact commutative spaces, which
includes those in Papers I and II. For higher rank symmetric spaces governed by simple
Lie groups, we prove that there is a power strictly less than 2 of the volume of balls that
asymptotically bounds the number variance of any invariant random measure from above.
Moreover, we derive Bartlett spectral measures for invariant determinantal point processes
on commutative spaces and define a notion of heat kernel hyperuniformity on Euclidean
and hyperbolic spaces that is equivalent to spectral hyperuniformity
Antikvariska planeringsunderlag – den byggda miljöns form och uttryck
Get PDFUtgångspunkten för avhandlingen är behovet av antikvariska planeringsunderlag med operativ relevans inom fysisk planering och byggnadsvård med avseende på deras analytiska ändamålsenlighet vid såväl utvärderingen som modelleringen av förslag till ingrepp i den byggda miljön. I avhandlingen presenteras en uppsättning analytiska kategorier och undersökningsinstrument, vilka använts för kvalitativa och kvantitativa analyser av diskursutvecklingen inom svensk kulturminnes(miljö)vård från 1970-talet till senare hälften av 2010-talet. Härigenom har avhandlingen också tillfört en begreppsapparat med vilken man kan tala om och reflektera över den byggda miljön som ett rumsligt teckensystem, dels vid analysen och bestämningen av det antikvariska planeringsunderlagets begreppsverkan i ett fortsatt uttolkningsförfarande, dels vid modelleringen av såväl generella som riktade planeringsunderlag med god operativ potential.
Avhandlingens övergripande syfte är att lämna ett underbyggt bidrag till utvidgningen av antikvariens tolkningsrepertoar och beskrivningskapacitet vid framtagningen av planeringsunderlag med operativ ändamålsenlighet som bevarande- och påverkansinstrument. Denna underbyggnad har omfattat följande forskningsuppgifter:
- Begreppsläggning av den operativa (analytiska) potentialens grundkategorier, inskrivna i en planeringskontext som det integrerade tolknings- och beskrivningsproblemet.
- Empirisk granskning av antikvariska planeringsunderlag och officiella metodanvisningar för klarläggandet av kulturminnes(miljö)vårdens beskrivningsdiskurser över tid, syftande till att ge ett begreppshistoriskt bakgrundsperspektiv i arbetet med att utveckla de antikvariska planeringsunderlagens ändamålsenlighet. Det granskade materialet omfattar drygt tusen generella planeringsunderlag, tjugofem metodanvisningar och nästan etthundrafemtio artiklar och rapporter. I detta inbegrips också fördjupade textgranskningar med illustrativa exemplifieringar av underlag med god analytisk potential.
- Begreppslig prövning i vad mån värde- och upplevelsebegreppens karaktäristika och tillämpningar inom kulturmiljövårdsfältet kan stå hindrande i vägen för utvidgningen av antikvariens tolknings- och beskrivningsrepertoar.
- Vidare redogörs för tidigare forskning och teoribildning som på olika sätt angör miljö- och byggnadstolkningens problem, syftande till att bidra med olika infallsvinklar som kan underbygga ett bredare uppmärksamhetsfokus och en fördjupad tolkningshorisont. I detta inbegrips också fenomenologiskt orienterade teoribildningar, i syfte att visa på möjligheten att använda upplevelsen som ett kreativt verktyg i tolkningen och beskrivningen av den byggda miljön
Timber Framing Templates: Regarding tools for transferring
No full textUppsats för avläggande av filosofie kandidatexamen med huvudområdet kulturvård med inriktning mot bygghantverk, 2025The thesis has investigated the use of templates in timber framing, a field where there has previously been a lack of comprehensive and clear information. The main goal was to map and describe the various types of templates, their appearance, usage, and function, in order to make this traditional craft more accessible to both professional craftsmen and DIY enthusiasts. The project also aims to contribute to the preservation of traditional building crafts, in alignment with UNESCO's Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The methodology used in this study was a literature review, where relevant templates were gathered and analyzed. The templates were then categorized using a system developed by the author, which helped simplify the understanding of the templates functions and uses. In order to provide a clearer understanding of the templates, physical models and drawings were created to demonstrate how they can be used in the construction of basic timber framing components. These drawings were produced using a modeling program called Fusion 360. The results of the study revealed that there is a significant lack of consolidated information about templates in timber framing, and that the terminology used in the literature is inconsistent. Based on this, a classification system for templates was developed, which provided a more organized overview and allowed for a more straightforward comparison between the various templates. Examples of templates were presented in two main categories: form templates and measurement templates. These categories were considered the most representative of the templates found in the literature. In conclusion, the thesis contributed to creating a more structured understanding of the templates and their use within timber framing. By gathering and organizing information on templates, the thesis has helped make the craft more accessible to a broader audience while also aiding in the preservation of an important traditional technique
The Living Papyrus: Ritual, Cosmology and Immanent Divinity among the Sihanaka of Madagascar
Get PDFThis thesis in historical anthropology of religion examines ritual and cosmology among the Sihanaka of Madagascar. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in the rizicultural community of Anororo (2015–2022) and drawing on recent theoretical developments in the study of religion, it explores the immanentism of Sihanaka cosmology—how hasina, a divine power immanent to the cosmos, sustains life and underpins both social and agricultural prosperity.
At the apex of the Sihanaka ritual cycle stands Feraomby, a communal ritual in which the royal hasina of the immortal ruler Ndrianampanjaka is renewed, sustaining fertility and abundance. As this ritual illustrates, hasina is an invisible yet workable substance—fundamentally unknowable, yet accumulated, preserved, and transmitted through the gathering of potent plants, shrine reconstruction and water aspersion. Comparable to Polynesian mana and Indonesian semangat,hasina does not belong to a transcendent otherworld; it is an immanent divinity embedded in the cosmos, differentiating into divinities (zanahary) and mediated through ritual practice.
Offering the first comprehensive anthropological study of Sihanaka society in Western scholarship, this thesis addresses a significant gap in Malagasy studies. By tracing historical trajectories—from Austronesian antecedents to Indic, Islamic, and Christian influences, and the conquests and colonisation by Sakalava, Merina and the French—it reveals how Sihanaka traditions have continuously absorbed external elements while maintaining an immanentist framework. Engaging with the theory of immanentism and transcendentalism developed by Marshall Sahlins and Alan Strathern, it provides a rare ethnographic case of an enduring immanentist tradition that has persisted despite extensive exposure to transcendentalist influences
The brutal impact of nervousness
Get PDFI detta konstnärliga arbete undersöker jag nervositet i samband med min uppgift att vara
praktikant och understudy i musikalen Flowers for Mrs Harris på Wermland Opera. Med
bakgrund i två planerade inhopp försöker jag ta reda på om jag vid att skapa en strukturerad
plan baserad på strategier för att hantera stress kan minska min egen nervositet. Jag undersöker
också vad jag kan lära mig och hur jag kan utvecklas som artist vid att ge nervositeten mer
uppmärksamhet. Under min undersökning har jag upparbetat en djupare förståelse av
nervositetens brutala påverka
Natural disasters and cultural heritage: Assessing the effects of the 2023 flooding on the archaeology of central Thessaly, Greece
Get PDFIn September of 2023, storm Daniel caused catastrophic consequences for Libya, Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey by taking the lives of thousands of people and displacing tens of thousand more, destroying infrastructure and forms of income. There is an abundance of previous research for the impacts of natural disasters on archaeology but only with a focus on negative consequences. Case studies of active archaeological projects that have been affected by flooding are also lacking. Research so far as primarily focused on developing risk assessment in areas that are considered both susceptible to natural disasters. The goal of this essay is to study the negative impacts and assess the risks of an area, both pre- and post-flood, while also exploring for the first time positive outcomes of storms and precipitation-driven flooding on archaeology, through a case study of an ongoing archaeological project in Thessaly, Greece, that was affected by Daniel. Data was gathered through a field study in the region and, subsequent, spatial analysis of the topography and hydrology of the study area using QGIS. The impacts include damages on the site and storage room and new revelations such as cultural layers, fortification walls and other structures. Storms cause extensive destructive consequences on archaeology. New revelations can both open up new possibilities for research but also reverse previous work