Publikationer från Uppsala Universitet
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Optimizing energy efficiency and productivity in industrial manufacturing : A simulation-based optimization approach with knowledge discovery
No full textRising energy costs, energy supply uncertainties, and the sustainability crisis have intensified the need for energy efficiency in industrial manufacturing. This adds complexity to balancing traditional production goals such as productivity, quality, and cost. While prior studies address energy-intensive processes or throughput bottlenecks, they often lack integrated decision-support for evaluating optimal trade-offs. To address this gap, this study proposes a novel simulation-based multi-objective optimization framework combined with a knowledge discovery module, demonstrated in an industrial case study. The framework systematically identifies energy and productivity losses, evaluates improvement strategies to determine optimal trade-off solutions, and extracts actionable rules to guide decision making. Case study results show a 23.9% reduction in specific energy consumption and a 27.9% increase in throughput, while emphasizing the need to balance inventory levels. The approach offers a robust, data-driven method for supporting energy-efficient manufacturing. Future research will explore integration with real-time monitoring and extension to additional objectives such as costs and emissions
“Den har ju förändrat mitt liv. Helt och hållet.”: Upplevelser av behandlingskontakt vid Mottagningen mot våld i närarelationer i Uppsala (MVU) bland (tidigare) våldsutsatta
No full textVåld i nära relationer (VNR) är ett komplext fenomen med djupgående konsekvenser för både individ och samhälle. Denna kvalitativa intervjustudie syftar till att undersöka hur (tidigare) våldsutsatta upplever en egen behandlingskontakt vid Mottagningen mot våld i nära relationer i Uppsala (MVU) som sker parallellt med våldsutövarens behandling, samt upplevelser av förändringar i självbild. Studien har en explorativ ansats och baseras på semistrukturerade intervjuer med 11 deltagare. Data analyserades med reflexiv tematisk analys (RTA), vilket resulterade i sju teman samt 22 underteman som belyser deltagarnas upplevda fördelaktiga och utmanande aspekter avbehandlingen samt dess påverkan på deras självbild. Resultaten visar att behandlingen generellt upplevdes utgöra ett betydelsefullt stöd för (tidigare) våldsutsatta. Möjligheten att prata om våldet samt terapeutens bemötande och kunskap om VNR framkom som avgörande för att våga öppna sig, få förståelse för erfarenheter av våld samt bearbeta känslor av skuld. Många av deltagarna upplevde att behandlingen bidrog till fördjupad förståelse av egna mönster, ökad gränssättning samt till stärkande av självbilden. Samtidigt identifierades utmaningar, såsom bristande uppföljning samt samordning gällande de parallella behandlingarna. Sammanfattningsvis antyder studien att parallella behandlingar vid förekomst av VNR kan utgöra viktigt stöd och upplevas stärkande av självbilden för våldsutsatta, både i en tidigare samt nuvarande våldsam relation. Studien understryker även vikten av att anpassa behandlingsinsatser förvåldsutsatta utefter behov och individ, samt att öka tillgängligheten av dessa, inte minst för marginaliserade grupper. Ytterligare forskning som undersöker parallella behandlingar vid förekomstav VNR krävs för att förbättra stöd och behandlingsinsatser för tidigare och nuvarande våldsutsatta
Från heliga skrifter till skolböcker : En analys av hur de abrahamitiska religionerna framställs i lågstadiets läroböcker
No full textThis study is based on Robert Jackson's interpretive approach, which emphasizes representation at three levels: religious tradition, group and individual. The purpose of the study was to examine how the Abrahamic religions are presented in the subject of religion in primary school in relation to the levels of religious tradition, group and individual and based on Sweden as a secular, multicultural society with a historical anchoring in Christian tradition. To answer the research questions, a combination of quantitative and qualitative content analysis was carried out. The quantitative analysis measured how much of the teaching materials were devoted to each religion, while the qualitative analysis examined how the religions were represented in text and images. The analysis focused on the extent to which the presentation is consistent with the curriculum guidelines and how the religions are depicted based on Jackson's three levels. The results show that the representation of the Abrahamic religions varies between the teaching materials examined. Quantitatively, Christianity received the most space in three out of four cases, while Islam was given the most space in one case. Judaism was generally given the least space but in some cases was close to Islam, which meant that the two together almost corresponded to the scope of Christianity. The qualitative analysis showed that the teaching materials largely followed the curriculum guidelines, but that some central aspects were missing. Based on Jackson's approach, the religious tradition level was the most common, while the group level was least represented. The individual level was more frequent than the group level, but only a few nuanced examples were identified. Finally, the study highlights the importance of critical thinking about textbooks and religious education in order to ensure a more nuanced and fair representation of religions in school. The study thus wants to contribute to increased insight into the extent to which textbooks relate to the curriculum guidelines and theoretical perspectives on representation.Denna studie utgår från Robert Jacksons tolkande ansats, som betonar representation på tre nivåer: religiös tradition, grupp och individ. Syftet med studien att undersöka hur de abrahamitiska religionerna presenteras i religionsämnet i lågstadiet i förhållande till nivåerna religiös tradition, grupp och individ och med utgångspunkt i Sverige som ett sekulärt, mångkulturellt samhälle med en historisk förankring i kristen tradition. För att besvara forskningsfrågorna genomfördes en kombination av kvantitativ och kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Den kvantitativa analysen mätte hur stor del av läromedlen som ägnades åt varje religion, medan den kvalitativa analysen granskade hur religionerna representerades i text och bild. Analysen fokuserade på i vilken utsträckning framställningen överensstämmer med läroplanernas riktlinjer samt hur religionerna skildras utifrån Jacksons tre nivåer. Resultaten visar att representationen av de abrahamitiska religionerna varierar mellan de granskade läromedlen. Kvantitativt fick kristendomen störst utrymme i tre av fyra fall, medan islam gavs mest utrymme i ett fall. Judendomen tilldelades generellt minst utrymme men låg i vissa fall nära islam, vilket gjorde att de två tillsammans nästan motsvarade kristendomens omfattning. Den kvalitativa analysen visade att läromedlen i stort sett följde läroplanernas riktlinjer, men att vissa centrala aspekter saknades. Utifrån Jacksons ansats var den religiösa traditionsnivån mest förekommande, medan gruppnivån representerades minst. Individnivån var mer frekvent än gruppnivån, men endast ett fåtal nyanserade exempel identifierades. Avslutningsvis belyser studien vikten av ett kritiskt tänkande till läroböcker och religionsundervisning för att säkerställa en mer nyanserad och rättvis representation av religioner i skolan. Studien vill därmed bidra till en ökad insikt i vilken utsträckning läroböcker förhåller sig till läroplanens riktlinjer och teoretiska perspektiv på representation
Investigating the Microbiome in Relation to Mental Distress Across Two Points During Pregnancy : Data From U.S. and Swedish Cohorts
No full textBACKGROUND: In this study, we aimed to characterize the gut microbiome and its potential functioning in 2 populations at 2 time points during pregnancy in relation to mental distress. METHODS: During the second and third trimester, individuals from the United States and Sweden completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and provided fecal samples for whole-genome metagenomics. A total of 832 and 161 samples were sequenced and analyzed from the Swedish cohort and the U.S. cohort, respectively. Multiple characterizations of the microbial community were analyzed in relation to distress measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Principal coordinate analysis and distance-based redundancy analysis assessed variation in functional gut-brain modules. For the U.S. cohort, the Trier Social Stress Test was administered 8 weeks postpartum while collecting salivary cortisol. RESULTS: Principal coordinate analysis identified 4 sample clusters based on the gut-brain modules distinguished by functions such as short-chain fatty acid synthesis and cortisol degradation. While with distance-based redundancy analysis, mental distress subtypes did not significantly contribute to variation in gut-brain modules (p = .085 for Sweden, p = .23 for the U.S.), a U.S. sample cluster distinguished by lower cortisol degradation from another cluster with higher gut microbial cortisol degradation abundance had significantly higher odds of being associated with depression (p = .024). The U.S. sample cluster with lower gut microbial cortisol degradation abundance also had significantly higher cortisol levels after a postpartum social stressor. CONCLUSIONS: Further studies are warranted to investigate the potential for the gut microbiome to serve as biomarkers of gut-brain axis health during pregnancy across disparate populations.Mary Kimmel and Bangzhuo Tong contributed equally to this article as joint first authors.</p
Novelty and impact : Using document similarity to study important inventions in historical Swedish patents, 1890–1929
No full textThe paper presents a method that studies similarity between patent documents to investigate what past inventions have been important. This question of assessing patent value is particularly challenging in historical contexts, where relevant metadata used for valuation such as patent citations are not available. The idea behind the method is that similarity between patent documents allows us to estimate the novelty of a patented invention (new technical vocabulary) and its impact for the subsequent inventions (vocabulary is repeated). Being both novel and impactful signals an important invention, a ”breakthrough” patent. We apply the method to analyse historical patent documents granted in Sweden between 1890 and 1929, that have been published in the Swedish Historical Patents database. The paper builds on previous work by Kelly et al. (2021), where they apply the method to study U.S. patent data. We improve the method in terms of data preparation and normalization, and use the method to examine technological advances at an aggregate level over time in Sweden. We conclude that the data preparation is an important step to be able to focus on the relevant vocabulary that regards the technological content of the patents. This measure of importance can be applied in the future to study, for example, the study of the backgrounds of the inventors with important patents
Renal-clearable and tumor-retained nanodots overcoming metabolic reprogramming to boost mitochondrial-targeted photodynamic therapy in triple-negative breast cancer
No full textBackground: Targeting tumor metabolism reprogramming has demonstrated a synergistic antitumor effect in photodynamic therapy of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, such a combination therapeutic regimen has encountered challenges, such as limited photosensitizer bioavailability and severe drug toxicity. Methods and results: Herein, ultrasmall metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) nanodots (MSPC) that encapsulate metabolism inhibitors and mitochondria-targeted photosensitizers are designed and fabricated for synergistic photodynamic therapy (PDT) of TNBC. The MSPC exhibits an acidic-sensitive drug release, leading to glutathione depletion and mitochondrial respiration suppression. Significantly, MSPC substantially reduces intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels by simultaneously disrupting oxidative phosphorylation and impeding aerobic glycolysis. Therefore, the glutathione depletion combined with metabolism inhibitor increases oxidative stress, which improves the efficacy of mitochondria-targeted PDT. Additionally, the increased retention of photosensitizers within tumors, facilitated by aggregation-enhanced retention (AER) effect, extends the time window for long-term fluorescence/photoacoustic imaging-guided PDT of TNBC. MSPC-sensitized PDT significantly suppresses tumor growth with a single-dose injection and repeatable PDT. Conclusions: In summary, these renal-clearable and aggregation-enhanced tumor-retained nanodots indicate the feasibility of overcoming resistance to reactive oxygen species induced by metabolic reprogramming, thus holding significant implications for boosting PDT of TNBC
Accounting for model parameter uncertainty provides more robust projections of dissolved organic carbon dynamics to aid drinking water management
No full textChanges in climate and human behaviour impact catchment hydrology and the export of nutrients including dissolved organic carbon (DOC), with consequences for drinking water supply. In this study, we projected future river discharge and DOC dynamics under three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (i.e., different futures of climatic conditions, socio-economic development and adaptation to climate change) and quantified change relative to a baseline for two contrasting catchments: one in Sweden and one in Ireland. For this, we used the Generalised Watershed Loading Functions Model (GWLF) with an integrated DOC module (GWLF-DOC) and drove it with data from an ensemble of global climate models, taking into account variability derived from multiple model parameter sets. We assessed the relative contribution of each of these two factors (climate input data and model parameterisation) to the total uncertainty in predictions. Projections for river discharge differed between the two sites in magnitude, variability and direction of change depending on the future scenario and time period. In contrast, DOC was always projected to show increases in concentration throughout the annual cycle and over time, with the highest levels by the end of the century, for scenarios with greater warming and low mitigation efforts. Future climate data provided the dominant source of uncertainty in all of our projections. However, the DOC model parameters, which respond to temperature and soil moisture conditions, became more influential in scenarios of higher climatic variability. Our approach highlights the benefits of incorporating often ignored parameter uncertainty in climate change impact assessments for both interpreting outputs and communicating results to water managers
Sex-Specific Methylomic and Transcriptomic Responses of the Avian Pineal Gland to Unpredictable Illumination Patterns
No full textIn the production environment of chickens, exposure to unpredictable light patterns is a common painless stressor, widely used to influence growth rate and egg production efficiency. The pineal gland, a key regulator of circadian rhythms through melatonin secretion, responds to environmental light cues, and its function is modulated by epigenetic mechanisms. In this study, we investigated how the pineal gland methylome and transcriptome (including micro-RNAs) interact to respond to a rearing exposure to unpredictable illumination patterns, with a particular focus on sex differences. We conducted an integrative multi-omic analysis—including methylomic (MeDIP-seq), transcriptomic (RNA-seq), and miRNA expression profiling—on the pineal gland of Hy-Line White chickens (n = 34, 18 females, 16 males) exposed to either a standard 12:12 light–dark cycle (control) or a randomized, unpredictable light schedule from Days 3 to 24 post-hatch. Our findings reveal that unpredictable light exposure alters the pineal gland methylome and transcriptome in a sex-specific manner. However, while transcriptomic differences between sexes increased due to the stress, methylomic differences decreased, particularly on the Z chromosome. These changes were driven by females (the heterogametic sex in birds), which became more male-like in their pineal methylome after exposure to the illumination stress, leading to reduced epigenetic sexual dimorphism while maintaining differences at the gene expression level. Further, we implemented a fixed sex effect model as a biological proof of concept, identifying a network of 12 key core genes interacting with 102 other genes, all linked to circadian regulation and stress adaptation. This network of genes comprises a core regulatory framework for circadian response. Additionally, tissue-specific expression analysis and cell-type specific expression analysis revealed enrichment in brain regions critical for circadian function, including neuronal populations involved in circadian regulation and the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid axis. Together, these findings provide strong evidence of sex-specific epigenetic transcriptomic responses of the pineal gland upon illumination stress and offer valuable insights into the interplay of different omic levels in relation to circadian response
Assessment of simulation training efficacy in improving microsurgical skills : a retrospective analysis
No full textBackground: Microsurgery demands an intensive period of skill acquisition due to its inherent complexity. The development and implementation of innovative training methods are essential for enhancing microsurgical outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a simulation training program on the clinical results of fingertip replantation surgeries. Materials and methods: A total of 276 replanted digits from 232 patients were included in this study, with a follow-up period of 6 months. Surgeons were identified and divided into trained and control groups, with the trained group receiving the rat tail training program. Primary outcomes included survival rates, replantation duration for each fingertip, degrees of flexion, Semmes–Weinstein monofilament test results, static two-point discrimination scores, Michigan Hand Questionnaire (MHQ) scores, and the incidence rates of complications such as arterial insufficiency and pulp atrophy. Results: Out of 1191 patients screened, 232 met the criteria for analysis. The average patient age was 41.3 years, predominantly male (87.1%). Trained microsurgeons performing Zone 1A replantation had higher success rates, shorter surgery durations, and fewer arterial complications compared to their untrained counterparts. For Zone 1B, they also showed improved operation times, decreased venous congestion and pulp atrophy, and better sensation outcomes. The results of trained group remained consistent across both single and multiple replantation, while the control group’s outcomes varied in multiple replantation with less favorable results. The trained group reported better scores on the MHQ at 6-month follow-ups, particularly regarding work performance, pain levels, aesthetics, and satisfaction. Conclusions: The simulation training program using a rat tail model has proven effective in enhancing the skills necessary for improved fingertip replantation. Participants in the program performed surgeries more efficiently and achieved better clinical outcomes. The structure of the training has demonstrated benefits, which may lead to improvements in various microsurgical procedures, positively impacting trainee surgeons, patient care, and the broader medical community
Finansialisering hos svenska företag - utvecklingen och sambandet med långsiktiga investeringar
No full textVärlden utgörs till stor del av företag. Företag har möjlighet att påverka samhället och världen vi lever i. En påverkan som sträcker sig långt bortom dess geografiska plats. Det betyder att många påverkas av hur det går för företaget, på gott och ont. Samhällen och världen får tillväxt om det går bra för företag, men recession om det går mindre bra. Finansialisering har blivit ett samlingsbegrepp för hur världsekonomin har förändrats från 1980-talet och framåt. Enligt den tidigare forskningen har det påverkat företag i deras handlingar. Företagen fokuserar på att skapa aktieägarvärde och färre resurser investeras i forskning och utveckling. Denna studie kommer undersöka utveckling av finansialisering i Sverige samt dess effekter på investeringar i forskning och utveckling. Underlaget för studien utgörs av datamaterial från svenska företag mellan åren 1998–2022. Det teoretiska ramverket utgörs delvis av shareholder-value teorin med nära koppling till finansialisering och delvis av stakeholder-teorin. Utifrån en kvantitativ metod operationaliserades finansialisering och en regressionsanalys med forskning och utveckling genomfördes. Resultaten överensstämmer inte med den tidigare forskningen på flera punkter. Utefter hur finansialisering operationaliserats visar resultaten på att svenska företag blir mindre finansialiserade. Samtidigt finns det ett positivt samband mellan finansialisering och investeringar i forskning och utveckling, vilket inte är i linje med vad tidigare studier visat. Slutsatsen är att de svenska företagen inte påverkas av finansialisering på det sätt som visat sig i tidigare forskning. Om världen går mot en ökad finansialisering, möter de svenska företagen det med mer investeringar i forskning och utveckling.