Göteborgs universitets publikationer - e-publicering och e-arkiv
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Fathers' experiences of their role in breastfeeding
Get PDFBackground: The number of mothers who are exclusively breastfeeding their children are decreasing, although breastfeeding has been shown to provide the best nutrition for children under six months. Previous research has shown that fathers can play a crucial role in decisions on breastfeeding. If the father has a positive attitude towards breastfeeding, has participated in breastfeeding education and supports the mother, it positively influences breastfeeding. However, little is known about how fathers experience breastfeeding, and what it is like to support the breastfeeding mother.
Aim: The aim of this systematic literature review was to highlight fathers' experiences and perceptions of breastfeeding.
Method: A systematic literature review was conducted, using a qualitative method. Searches were conducted in the databases PubMed, Cinahl, Scopus and PsycINFO.
Results: The results are based on ten articles. Fathers' experiences of breastfeeding are presented in five categories. Being significant: Emotional and practical support to breastfeeding mothers, participation in the "breastfeeding team" and advocacy for breastfeeding. Natural but challenging: It is natural and good for the child. Emotional trials: Often jealousy and helplessness when breastfeeding does not work. Creating their own relationship with the child: Finding other ways than breastfeeding to build a relationship with the child. Excluded by healthcare: Lack of information and involvement in discussions about breastfeeding, varying support from healthcare staff.
Conclusion: The father's role in breastfeeding is significant. Including fathers in breastfeeding counselling and child healthcare is crucial for them to be able to support the mother and actively participate in the care of the child. When fathers receive relevant information and are invited to discussions, they feel more confident and involved.Bakgrund: Allt färre mödrar väljer att helamma sina barn trots att amning har visat sig vara den bästa födan för barn under sex månader. Tidigare forskning har visat att pappor kan spela en avgörande roll för huruvida kvinnan väljer att amma eller inte. Om pappan har en positiv inställning till amningen, har deltagit i amningsutbildningar och stöttar mamman påverkar det amningen i positiv riktning. Dock är det relativt outforskat hur pappor upplever amningen och hur det är att vara stöd till den ammande mamman.
Syfte: Syftet med denna systematiska litteraturöversikt var att belysa pappors upplevelser och erfarenheter av amning.
Metod: En systematisk litteraturöversikt med kvalitativ metod genomfördes. Sökningarna gjordes i databaserna PubMed, Cinahl, Scopus och PsycINFO.
Resultat: Resultatet baseras på tio artiklar. Pappornas upplevelser av amning presenteras i fem rubriker. Att vara betydelsefull: Emotionellt och praktiskt stöd till ammande mammor, deltar i "amningsteamet" och förespråkar amning. Naturligt men utmanande: Det är naturligt och bra för barnet. Känslomässiga prövningar: Ofta avundsjuka och hjälplöshet när amningen inte fungerar. Att skapa en egen relation till barnet: Hittar andra sätt än amning för att skapa en relation till barnet. Att uteslutas av hälso- och sjukvården: Bristande information och delaktighet i samtal om amning, varierande stöd från vårdpersonal.
Slutsats: Pappornas roll vid amning är betydelsefull. Att inkludera pappor i amningsrådgivningen och barnhälsovården är avgörande för att de ska kunna stötta mamman och delta aktivt i vården av barnet. När pappor får relevant information och blir inbjudna till samtal känner de sig säkrare och mer delaktiga
The Impact of Board Gender Diversity on Capital Structure and Risk-Taking: Evidence from Swedish Listed Companies
Get PDFMSc in FinanceUsing a panel of 3,468 Swedish listed firm–year observations
from 2010–2023, this thesis examines how board gender diversity
affects corporate risk-taking and policy decision making.
Employing OLS with industry and year fixed effects,
this study observes no significant correlation between female
board representation and leverage or earnings volatility, however,
there exists a robust negative relationship with capital
expenditures. This investment-based risk reduction is driven
by independent female directors; however, there is no evidence
of a critical mass threshold. Robustness and validity
checks, including instrumental variables, lagged regressors,
and propensity-score matching, confirm the findings of capital
expenditures. This study highlights the role of gender
diversity in moderating investment risk, forming governance
policy, and the broader literature on board composition
TALKING MINERALS, MAKING LAWS A comparative frame analysis of the legislative procedure of the Critical Raw Materials Act
Get PDFThe European Union is critically dependent on a secure supply of Critical Raw Materials (CRM) for the green and digital transition. In response, the EU adopted the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) in 2024 to reduce external dependencies and secure domestic supply. While previous research has examined the content and implications of the CRMA, less attention has been paid to how the EU’s legislative institutions framed CRMs during the legislative procedure. This thesis addresses that gap by conducting a comparative framing analysis of the three main legislative institutions, the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of the European Union, during the legislative procedure of the CRMA. The study applies Entman’s (1993) framing theory, focusing on three analytical frames: geopolitical, security, and environmental. The results show that all three frames were present across the institutions, though expressed in different ways. The European Commission framed CRMs with a technical focus on strategic autonomy, industrial resilience, and circularity. The European Parliament framed CRMs using stronger language in the geopolitical frame and placed particular emphasis on environmental and social safeguards in the environmental frame. The Council, by contrast, emphasised internal risks and long-term efficiency, adopting a more cautious tone, particularly within the security and environmental frames
A Fragile Hold on the Electron: Probing the Limits of Negative Ion Studies
Get PDFNegativa joner är unika kvantsystem vars struktur och dynamik i hög grad påverkas av elektronkorrelationseffekter. På grund av deras svagt bundna natur och avsaknaden av långräckviddiga Coulomb-potentialer saknar dessa system ofta optiskt tillåtna övergångar, vilket försvårar högupplösta spektroskopiska studier i jämförelse med neutrala atomer. Forskningen har därför traditionellt fokuserat på mätningar mellan bundna tillstånd och kontinuerliga tillstånd, i synnerhet bestämning av elektronaffinitet (EA) med metoder såsom laserfotodetachement-tröskelspektroskopi (LPTS). För joner där elektroner lossnar till ett p-vågskontinuum har EA-bestämningen dock varit begränsad, till följd av den långsamma fotodetachementprocessen precis ovanför tröskeln och de generellt små tvärsnitten.
I denna avhandling bemöts dessa utmaningar genom en vidareutveckling av en kombinerad metod baserad på LPTS och resonansjonisationsspektroskopi (RIS), vilket möjliggör tillståndsselektiva mätningar av partiella fotodetachementtvärsnitt. En ny detektionsstrategi har införts för att särskilja signal från bakgrund, vilket avsevärt förbättrar selektiviteten och den experimentella upplösningen. Den förbättrade LPTS-RIS-metoden demonstrerades genom förbättrade EA-mätningar av cesium (Cs) och rubidium (Rb), där noggrannheten överträffade tidigare resultat för p-vågströsklar och bekräftade metodens användbarhet för framtida studier av mer komplexa atomära system.
För att möjliggöra experiment med radioaktiva negativa joner krävs effektiva produktionstekniker. I detta arbete visas att laddningsutbytesreaktioner med uran kan användas för att framställa sådana joner. En kompletterande teoretisk studie undersökte elektroninfångning och energiförlustprocesser vid atom-jon-kollisioner och identifierade avgörande faktorer som påverkar banstrukturer. Genom att inkludera elektron-nukleär koppling i modellen uppnåddes en fördjupad förståelse, vilket är centralt för vidare modellutveckling av produktionsprocesser.
Ett av avhandlingens viktigaste resultat är introduktionen av en helt ny spektroskopisk metod för att studera tidigare otillgängliga förbjudna bundna-bundna övergångar i negativa joner. Genom att utnyttja möjligheterna hos en kryogen jonlagringsring har den första mätningen av isotopförskjutning (IS) för en elektriskt dipolförbjuden övergång genomförts, med tennanjonen Sn⁻ som testfall. Metodens känslighet för elektronkorrelationseffekter, särskilt via komponenten för specifik massförskjutning, understryker dess potential.
Arbetet visar att en kombinerad experimentell och teoretisk metodik kan övervinna centrala begränsningar inom spektroskopi av negativa joner och möjliggöra studier av system och övergångar som tidigare varit otillgängliga. Genom att tillämpa högprecisionstekniker på tunga och radioaktiva joner, utveckla robusta men enkla teoretiska modeller och utforska förbjudna övergångar, utvidgar denna avhandling forskningsfältets räckvidd och öppnar nya vägar inom atomär, nukleär och kvantmekanisk mångkroppsfysik
Myringoplasty. Studies on surgical and patient-related outcomes
Get PDFA tympanic membrane (TM) perforation can lead to hearing loss and recurrent ear infections. Myringoplasty, a surgical procedure aiming to heal the perforation, is performed on approximately 800 individuals annually in Sweden. This thesis aims to describe the outcomes of myringoplasty by analysing data from the sur-geries registered in the Swedish Quality Register for Ear Surgery and by a pro-spective survey assessing patients’ quality of life before and after the procedure. The increased knowledge can improve treatment protocols and patient infor-mation. Methods/results: Paper I, a retrospective cohort study of 3775 myrin-goplasties in the quality registry with a clinical follow-up, showed an overall healing rate of the TM in 88.5% for both children and adults. The fat graft tech-nique and revision surgeries had poorer healing rates, 83.2% and 84.4%, respec-tively. Patient-related outcome measures (PROMS) showed that 88% of the pa-tients were satisfied with the results of the surgery, but if a complication oc-curred, 26% were dissatisfied. Paper II, a retrospective cohort study of 2226 myringoplasties with healed tympanic membranes and documented audiograms in the registry showed that, postoperatively, there was an average hearing improve-ment of 8.8 dB, and the air-bone gap (ABG) was ≤ 20 dB in 89% of the ears. A hearing loss was also seen in 3% of the ears. Fat graft myringoplasty was associ-ated with lower odds of hearing improvement but had similar odds of hearing loss. Paper III, a retrospective cohort registry study, demonstrated that when patients reported the complications of tinnitus and taste disturbances, the fre-quency was tenfold higher than when surgeons reported. It showed a frequency of 12% for postoperative tinnitus and 11% for taste disturbances. Paper IV was a prospective study where patients completed HRQoL questionnaires before and after myringoplasty, with 72% reporting improved HRQoL postoperatively. Data from the quality registry concerning surgical outcomes revealed that HRQoL was primarily influenced by hearing outcomes. Conclusion: The large cohort, made possible by registry studies, far exceeded the numbers of surgeries or procedures in previous studies. This thesis shows that myringoplasty is a safe procedure, leading to TM healing and improved quality of life for most patients. However, tinnitus and taste disturbances were more common than earlier reported, and there is a risk of hearing loss, which should be communicated to patients
When death is inevitable – Parents’ experiences when a child dies in an intensive care unit
Get PDFBackground: When a child is dying, a complex situation arises for parents and nurses specialized in intensive care. When curative treatment transitions into end-of-life care, significant pressure is placed on both the staff and the parents. Care for dying children and their parents should be based on a family-centered care approach with a focus on the child’s rights. Previous research highlights knowledge gaps regarding nurses’ ability to handle the situation and interact with parental needs.
Aim: To enlighten parents’ experiences of the process when a child dies in an intensive care unit.
Method: A systematic review that included 14 scientific research articles with a qualitative approach.
Results: The result culminated in three main themes including subthemes. The first main theme is; The opportunity to be physically close to the child and includes the four subthemes: The need of physical proximity to the child, Involvement in care, The importance of the Parent-Healthcare provider relationship and The importance of the care environment. The second theme is; To be familiar with the care of the child and includes the two subthemes: The need for information and End of life decisions. The third and final theme is; When death occurs and includes the three subthemes: The time around death, The importance of creating memories and The time after.
Conclusion: The care environment and health care relationship create opportunities for physical proximity and involvement for parents, where the need for information plays a central role in family-centered care. This is especially important when making difficult decisions. When the direction of care changes, it is crucial that parents are informed about the purpose of the child’s care in order for it to remain family-centered.Bakgrund: När ett barn är döende skapas en komplex situation för föräldrar och specialistsjuksköterskor inom intensivvården. När kurativ behandling övergår till vård i livets slutskede sätts stor press på såväl personal som föräldrar. Vården kring döende barn och deras föräldrar bör utgå från ett familjecentrerat förhållningssätt med barnets rättigheter i fokus. Tidigare forskning belyser kunskapsluckor kring personalens förmåga att hantera situationen och bemöta barnens föräldrar.
Syfte: Att belysa föräldrars erfarenheter kring processen när ett barn dör på en intensivvårdsavdelning.
Metod: Systematisk litteraturöversikt som inkluderade 14 vetenskapliga artiklar med kvalitativ ansats.
Resultat: Resultatet mynnade ut i tre huvudteman med respektive subteman. Det första huvudtemat består av; Möjligheten att få vara nära sitt barn och innefattar de fyra subtemana Behovet av närhet till sitt barn, Delaktighet i omvårdnaden, Vårdrelationens betydelse samt Vårdmiljöns betydelse. Tema två; Att vara införstådd med sitt barns vård och innefattar de två subtemana Behovet av information samt Beslut att avbryta behandling. Det tredje och sista temat är; När döden inträffar och innefattar de tre subtemana Tiden kring dödsfallet, Vikten av att skapa minnen samt Tiden efter.
Slutsats: Vårdmiljön och vårdrelationen skapar förutsättningar för fysisk närhet och delaktighet för föräldrar, där behovet av information spelar en central roll i den familjecentrerade vården. Inte minst vid svåra beslut. När vården ändrar riktning är det av stor vikt att föräldrarna är införstådda kring syftet med barnets vård för att den ska fortsätta vara familjecentrerad
Old Practice or New Evidence – The Effects of Early Mobilization Following Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Get PDFBackground: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a severe and potentially life-threatening type of brain hemorrhage that requires intensive care. Traditionally, patients with SAH have been kept on bed rest due to the risk of complications, but there is limited evidence supporting this approach. Early mobilization is used in intensive care to reduce complications and improve recovery, but its effects on SAH patients have not been clearly established. Aim: The aim was to examine the effects of early mobilization in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage receiving intensive care. Method: A systematic literature review was conducted with a quantitative approach. Studies published between 2010 and 2025 were included, focusing on patient outcomes, systemic complications, and length of hospital stay following early mobilization. Results: The results were based on 15 studies, identifying three main categories: patient outcomes, systemic complications, and length of hospital stay. Functional outcomes showed improvements with early mobilization, with several studies reporting lower modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores and a higher proportion of patients achieving good recovery. Mortality did not differ significantly between groups. Systemic complications, including neurological, circulatory, and respiratory complications, showed mixed results. However, several studies indicated a reduced incidence of vasospasm, pneumonia, and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) with early mobilization. The length of stay in both intensive care and hospital was shorter with early mobilization. Conclusion: Early mobilization of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage in intensive care may have positive effects on patient outcomes, reduce the risk of certain complications, and shorten hospital stays. However, further randomized controlled trials are needed to establish safe and evidence-based guidelines for mobilizing this patient group.Bakgrund: Subaraknoidalblödning är en allvarlig och potentiellt livshotande hjärnblödning som kräver intensivvård. Traditionellt har dessa patienter hållits i sängläge på grund av risken för komplikationer, trots att det saknas evidens som stöder denna praxis. Tidig mobilisering används inom intensivvården för att minska komplikationer och förbättra återhämtning, men dess effekter på patienter med subaraknoidalblödning är inte tydligt kartlagda. Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka effekter av tidig mobilisering av patienter med subaraknoidalblödning som vårdas inom intensivvården. Metod: En systematisk litteraturöversikt med kvantitativ ansats genomfördes. Studier publicerade mellan åren 2010 och 2025 inkluderades, med fokus på patientutfall, systemiska komplikationer och vårdtid vid tidig mobilisering. Resultat: Resultaten baserades på 15 studier och identifierade tre huvudkategorier: patientutfall, systemiska komplikationer och vårdtid. Funktionellt utfall visade förbättringar vid tidig mobilisering, där flera studier rapporterade lägre modified Rankin Scale-poäng och högre andel patienter med god återhämtning. Mortalitet skilde sig inte signifikant mellan grupperna. Systemiska komplikationer, såsom neurologiska, cirkulatoriska och respiratoriska, visade varierande resultat, men flera studier pekade på en minskad förekomst av vasospasm, pneumoni och djup ven trombos (DVT) vid tidig mobilisering. Vårdtiden på både intensivvårdsavdelning och sjukhus var kortare vid tidig mobilisering. Slutsats: Tidig mobilisering av patienter med subaraknoidalblödning inom intensivvården kan ha positiva effekter på patientutfall, minska risken för vissa komplikationer och förkorta vårdtiden. Ytterligare randomiserade kontrollerade studier krävs för att fastställa säkra och evidensbaserade riktlinjer för mobilisering av denna patientgrupp
Governing Corporate Accountability: Extraterritoriality and the Effectiveness of NCP Mediation
Get PDFAs dominant actors in a globalised economy, multinational corporations can evade responsibility for labour
and human rights violations and other misconduct within their own operations, those of their clients, or
across supply chains. To address this challenge, OECD governments established the Guideline for
Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct, aiming to promote corporate responsibility
and mitigate adverse impacts. The OECD Guidelines’ enforcement mechanism is the non-judicial system
of National Contact Points (NCPs), which mediates disputes between corporations and affected parties.
Notably, NCPs can accept complaints concerning corporate conduct beyond their own jurisdiction, raising
questions about whether extraterritorial cases are resolved as effectively as domestic ones. This paper
examines the impact of extraterritoriality on NCP effectiveness, understood as the likelihood of mediation
reaching an agreement, using a mixed-method approach. A logistic regression analysis of 233 NCP cases
(2000–2022) finds that extraterritorial cases are less likely to result in an agreement. A comparative case
study further reveals that extraterritoriality may weaken NCP effectiveness both directly, through the
complexity of evidence—its availability and interpretability—and indirectly, via intercultural and language
challenges that affect trust between parties. These findings underscore the need to strengthen NCP capacity
to address the unique challenges of mediating transnational disputes
Evaluations of Monte Carlo and AI Techniques for SPECT Reconstruction
Get PDFMolecular radiotherapy is an effective treatment that uses radionuclides bound to molecules that selectively target specific tumor types. SPECT imaging in molecular radiotherapy enables dosimetry, allowing for the estimation of absorbed doses to tumors and normal tissues, which is crucial for optimizing and individualizing treatment. This thesis aims to enhance SPECT imaging and dosimetry in molecular radiotherapy, both in diagnostic imaging before treatment and in imaging after therapy, using Monte Carlo- and AI-based techniques.
Paper I evaluated the spatial resolution in 111In-octreotide SPECT imaging, demonstrating a significant improvement with Monte Carlo-based reconstruction compared to the standard method. Paper II assessed the detectability of simulated liver lesions in 111In-octreotide SPECT images. A visual assessment showed an increase in detection rate from 30.8% to 50.0% using MC-based reconstruction. However, ROC analysis did not show a statistically significant difference between the methods.
Papers III and IV evaluated a convolutional neural network designed to generate synthetic intermediate projections from sparsely acquired SPECT projections. The results demonstrated that acquisition times in 111In-octreotide and 177Lu-DOTATATE SPECT imaging can be substantially reduced, enabling coverage of all organs at risk while maintaining dosimetric accuracy.
For reliable tumor dosimetry, accurate tumor segmentation is essential. In Paper V, a threshold-based method was developed for segmenting liver lesions in SPECT images following molecular radiotherapy with 177Lu-DOTATATE. The method showed promising results for tumors of 4 ml and larger and with tumor-to-normal tissue concentration ratios of 8 or higher
Optical levitation and Mie Fano combs
Get PDFThe smallest component of light, the photon, carries a small amount of momentum. When matter refracts, reflects, or absorbs light, some of this momentum is transferred to it, meaning that light can push or even pull matter. This fact was used by Arthur Ashkin in his invention of optical levitation and optical tweezers, which merited him a Nobel prize in 2018. The range of applications of optical tweezers is huge, ranging from trapping cells and organelles to creating quantum-limited sensors.
This thesis expands the applications of optical levitation through 6 new experiments using a vertical, single-beam trap and a horizontal, 2-beam counter-propagating trap. With the vertical trap, I created a fully-manipulable damped driven harmonic oscillator and visualized the spherical aberration of a lens. I also re-created the 116-year-old Millikan experiment with a single oil droplet, where single electrons can be observed by eye and measured with a school ruler.
Then, with the counter-propagating trap, I studied the Mie scattering of evaporating water droplets, showing the existence of a comb structure made up of Fano resonances. I used this to propose a new pedagogical example to teach quantum mechanics, and to explore the effects of strong irradiative heating on evaporating droplets, where I find a turnover in the evaporation rate of droplets.
The wide range of topics covered in this thesis shows the huge versatility of optical levitation as a research tool. It also provides an intuitive understanding of the structure of the resonances in Mie scattering and showcases how this spectrum can be applied to other fields such as droplet evaporation and physics education research