Publikationer från Uppsala Universitet
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Uncomplicated Diverticulosis Is Not Associated With Abdominal Pain or Abnormal Bowel Habit : A Population-Based Swedish Cohort Study
No full textBackground Whether uncomplicated diverticulosis gives rise to symptoms is controversial. Diary-based studies of abdominal pain and stool habits in general populations are scarce, and we therefore investigated symptom patterns in diverticulosis from prospectively collected symptom diaries in a random sample of the general population who completed a research colonoscopy. Methods In the Swedish population-based colonoscopy (PopCol) study, 745 individuals from the general population underwent a colonoscopy of which 130 had diverticulosis, and none had diverticulitis. Seven-day symptom diaries were completed by 258 participants (age 54, women 64%) of which 50 had diverticulosis. The frequency and location of abdominal pain, bowel habit and other gastrointestinal symptoms were compared between individuals with and without diverticulosis using logistic regression. Key Results Diverticulosis was not associated with abdominal pain (OR 1.24, CI 0.61–2.55) or left lower quadrant (LLQ) abdominal pain (OR 1.59, CI 0.73–3.49). Pain duration and severity were not associated with diverticulosis. When individuals with diverticulosis had pain, it was more often in the LLQ (OR 2.45, CI 1.02–5.86) compared with those without diverticulosis. Diverticulosis was not linked to altered bowel habits. Irritable bowel syndrome prevalence was 16% in the diverticulosis group and 19% in the non-diverticulosis group. Conclusions and Inferences Participants with diverticulosis did not report more abdominal pain or more LLQ abdominal pain than participants without diverticulosis. Bowel habit was not abnormal in diverticulosis. Our results do not support that uncomplicated diverticulosis cause symptoms in individuals without a history of acute diverticulitis
Psychometric properties of the Adult Anxiety Scale in a Swedish community sample
No full textPurpose: Although anxiety disorders are common worldwide and often associated with significant impairment, many cases remain undetected and thus untreated. A lack of adequate screening partly explains this treatment gap, and easy-to-use screening instruments are needed to capture more than one type of anxiety disorder. The aim was to evaluate the psychometric properties of one such promising instrument: the Adult Anxiety Scale, AAS-15, intended to measure social anxiety disorder (social phobia), generalized anxiety disorder, and panic disorder. Materials and methods: The Swedish version of the AAS-15 was evaluated in a community sample (N = 1066, mean age 22.93 years, 64.4% women). Results: The psychometric properties were found to be good. Internal consistency ranged from very good to excellent, and a confirmatory factor analysis supported a three-factor model consistent with the three anxiety disorder dimensions that it purported to assess. Conclusion: This evaluation of the AAS-15 supports the view of the scale as a useful tool for assessing social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic disorder. With strong psychometric properties, quick and easy administration, and coverage of the most common types of anxiety disorders in adults, the AAS-15 is a valuable addition to standardized assessment and anxiety screening in a variety of healthcare settings
The home advantage and COVID-19 : the crowd support effect on the english football premier league and the championship
No full textIt is well known that there is an home advantage in football (American English: soccer) where the home team wins in about 45% of the games compared to the 27% of the away team. This has mainly been attributed to the support of the home audience and is commonly denoted the crowd support effect. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many football leagues to play the games without spectators thus making it possible to analyse the effect of crowd support in football. We analyse more than 18,000 games in the two top English football leagues during the period 2001-2020 for the Premier league and the Championship with an ordinal logistic model with explanatory variables (e.g., previous team performance, a time trend, league dummy) including a pandemic dummy. We discovered that the absence of spectators has no impact on the outcome probability in the Premier League. However, it significantly reduces the probability of the home team wins in the Championship
Politicised or Political : On Agonism and School as ‘Free Time’
No full textAt the centre of this paper is the distinction between a politicised school, and school as a political space. We take note of Papastephanou’s (2005) warning not to make education the passive receiver of political thought. Based on Masschelein and Simons (2013), we criticise the tendency to conceptualise democratic education, particularly agonistic democratic education, as the implementation of political theory in a school context. We draw on their idea of school as free time, to argue that democratic education should envision the classroom as political in itself, that is, as a place for negotiation and renewal, where the ends are not predetermined. When school becomes a place to implement political theory, when it is politicised, then it is stripped of its own political potency. In scholastic terms, it is tamed. In this paper, a fusion of Mouffean agonism with Masschelein and Simons’ conception of school, works to form an understanding of agonistic democratic education as a time and place for the formation of community and for the negotiation of identity, under protection from the non-accountability (Arendt 1961) that characterises scholastic practice
Mating system and the evolution of recombination rates in seed plants
No full textMeiotic recombination is a central mechanism underlying sexual reproduction among eukaryotes. In many species, the recombination rate is strongly constrained by chromosome size, as the number of crossovers per chromosome generally ranges between one and no more than a few (around three to five). Yet, recombination rates are variable and can evolve between species, in particular when they differ in their reproductive system. According to theory, indirect selection towards higher recombination rates is expected to be stronger in inbred populations, such as selfing species compared with randomly mating species. To test for the impact of the mating system on the evolution of recombination rates, we leveraged a dataset with genetic maps, genome sizes, chromosome numbers, and life history traits in 200 seed plant species. After controlling for the chromosome size effect, the phylogeny, and map quality, we found a joint positive effect of the mating system and longevity on recombination rates, with higher recombination rates in mixed-mating and selfing species. We also found that mixed-mating and selfing species had a significantly higher number of crossovers in larger chromosomes than outcrossing species, suggesting selection for relaxed crossover interference in these former species. Our results point to the mating system as an important factor potentially shaping the evolution of recombination despite mechanical constraints acting on the number of crossovers per chromosome
Onsite wastewater treatment by multi-module biochar filters (MmBF) : A technical assessment with institutional insights
No full textOnsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) are vital in rural and peri-urban areas, but conventional designs such as septic tanks with soil infiltration often provide insufficient treatment. This contributes to eutrophication, groundwater contamination, and the spread of emerging micropollutants. To address these challenges, this thesis investigates a biochar-based multi-module filter system (MmBF) and examines the institutional factors influencing the adoption of innovative OWTS technologies in Sweden. Each of the triplicate MmBFs configurations comprised six sequential modules with aerobic and anoxic conditions to promote organic matter oxidation, nitrification, denitrification, and faecal bacteria attenuation. The MmBFs achieved consistently high removal, with chemical oxygen demand reduced by about 95%, inorganic nitrogen by 71%, and Escherichia coli by 1.8–2.3 log10. Pharmaceutical active compounds were also effectively treated, with overall concentrations reduced by more than 99%, most within the first aerobic stage. Phosphate removal remained limited, indicating a need for design improvements. To improve nutrient removal, sawdust and Polonite® were amended at 10% and 30% in two of the MmBFs, each applied to separate modules. The 30% sawdust amendment enhanced nitrate reduction by up to 83% for a short term, while 30% Polonite® achieved short-term phosphate retention of 31 ± 19%. Both effects declined over time, suggesting the need for periodic media replacement. A qualitative study complemented the technical evaluation by examining the socio-institutional context of OWTS transitions. Interviews with municipal officers, regulators, developers, and knowledge intermediaries, analysed through a Multi-Level Perspective framework, showed that regulatory ambiguity, fragmented responsibilities, and risk-averse permitting hinder adoption. At the same time, enabling factors were identified, including reference demonstration units, stronger municipal engagement, and more accessible knowledge-sharing platforms. While developers and researchers drive technical innovation, municipalities and national authorities retain decisive roles in approval and diffusion. The thesis concludes that advancing decentralised wastewater treatment in Sweden requires both technical and institutional progress. For biochar-based systems, further work should address media replacement, installation design, and potential investigations for nutrient recovery, to support market-ready products. At the institutional level, municipalities and national authorities must collaborate with innovators to create transparent approval pathways and strengthen legitimacy for novel systems
Hydrodynamisk modellering av flödesbeteende ochmikroplasttransport i en urban dagvattendamm:En scenariobaserad studie av Kungsängsdammen, Uppsala
No full textThis study evaluates the hydrodynamic performance and pollutant retention behaviour of the Kungsängsdammen stormwater pond in Uppsala, Sweden, using scenario-based three-dimensional modelling with MIKE 3 FM. The modelling approach investigated how pond geometry, inflow rates, wind conditions, and microplastic settling properties affect residence time and pollutant transport within the pond. Scenarios included geometric modification, increased hydraulic loading, variable wind forcing, and simulations with settling and non-settling microplastic particles.Results showed that modifying the pond geometry by extending the central island significantly increased residence time and redirected flow paths, reducing short-circuiting. Conversely, increased inflow rates mimicking storm events and high wind speeds in both directions led to shorter residence times and more mixed flow conditions. Microplastic simulations revealed that non-settling particles passed through the pond largely unretained, while settleable particles accumulated near the inlet, confirming the role of particle-specific behaviour in pollutant retention.This research highlights the importance of hydraulic flow conditions in determining pollutant fate and emphasizes the value of hydrodynamic modelling for optimizing stormwater pond design. The findings contribute to the development of improved urban water quality management strategies and support the creation of treatment solutions tailored to emerging pollutants, such as microplastics
Phenomenology of boosted b-jets in di-Higgs processes at the LHC
No full textThe Higgs boson tri-linear coupling can be probed via Higgs pair production (di-Higgs). In the Standard Model (SM), the coupling value is fixed by the Higgs mass and the vacuum expectation value. This makes measurement of the tri-linear coupling important, as any deviation from the SM value hints at physics Beyond the Standard Model (BSM). Many BSM scenarios can affect the Higgs tri-linear coupling, among them various supersymmetric models. In the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), the addition of squarks leads to di-Higgs processes arising from squark loops. An extended Higgs sector also leads to the possibility of resonant di-Higgs production, but this mode is suppressed. In the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM), the Higgs sector is even more extended and resonant di-Higgs production is possible in addition to squark effects. The largest di-Higgs decay channel is hh → bbbb. In this project, various di-Higgs processes (both in the MSSM and in the NMSSM) that decay to this final state are simulated using MadGraph5, a Monte Carlo event generator. Parton shower and hadronization is then simulated using PYTHIA8, and a fast detector level output is simulated using Delphes. I investigate whether or not a different b-jet identification could enhance the new physics signal at selected benchmark points. Depending on the benchmark point, I use different jet algorithms and tailor the analysis by clustering either slimjets or fatjets. The bbbb QCD background is also simulated, and kinematic cuts are established that aim to decrease the background with minimal effect to the signal
Operando APXPS for direct probing of Li ion battery LCO electrode/electrolyte interface chemistry during lithiation/delithiation
No full textThe real-time interface chemistry between the lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) working electrode and the LiClO4/propylene carbonate (PC) electrolyte is investigated during lithiation/delithiation using dip-and-pull ambient pressure photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS). The APXPS results appear to exhibit the seldom discussed Co2+ state in the LCO structure, where the operando measurements indicate electron transfer among Co2+, Co3+, and Co4+ states. Specifically, the lithiation of LCO reduces the Co4+ state to both Co3+ and Co2+ states, where, as a function of voltage, reduction to the Co2+ state is initially more pronounced followed by Co3+ formation. In addition, a delay in surface delithiation is observed during the reverse potential steps. This is discussed in terms of overpotential at the interface measurement position as a consequence of the dip-and-pull setup for this experiment. Finally, the shifts in the apparent binding energies of the spectral features corresponding to the electrolyte and LCO at their interface show that the electrochemical potentials at delithiation voltage steps are different from the lithiation steps at the same applied voltages. This further explains the non-responsive delithiation. The BE shift observed from the LCO surface is argued to be dominantly due to the semi-conductive nature of the sample. Overall, this article shows the importance of operando APXPS for probing non-equilibrium states in battery electrodes for understanding electron transfer in the reactions
The most important affairs of the state are sacrifice and war : digital visualization of the scattered early Zhou epics in the Book of Songs
No full textThe aim of this article is to discuss the characteristics of the culture of the Zhou Dynasty of China and try to find out some similarities at the early development of human civilization. For the research purpose, the author selected five epic poems about the early Zhou ethnicity scattered in the Book of Songs: Shengmin, Gongliu, Mian, Huangyi, and Daming, and established digital maps of the early Zhou epic, including a family relationship map and a full events map with the help of natural language model that label people, places, actions, and related things in the epic poems, and made them into directed graph and relationship network through visual digital relationship networking tools. Through text mining and visualizing, the results show the unique culture of the Zhou ethnicity embedded in the early Zhou epics: the sacrifice culture and the war culture. Moreover, the project also analyzes the common features of the development of early human civilization in the Zhou epics with a broader perspective. The innovation of this article is that it is an initial attempt to text-mine the Upper Chinese text into an overall digital map. It also critically reflects on the misunderstanding of cultural identity of Zhou as an agrarian civilization that has arisen in close reading due to the 'subjective bias' of the writer of the epics