Publikationer från Uppsala Universitet
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The inflexible flexibility clause : An assessment of the requirement of legal basis, article 114 TFEU and article 352 TFEU
No full textTesting of a reusable chemical warming pad and an insulating jacket to manage hypothermia of preterm or low birthweight neonates
No full textHypothermia remains a leading contributing factor to neonatal mortality. This study reports testing of a thermoregulatory device-'Thermal Jacket' that includes a reusable chemical warming pad (CWP) and an insulating jacket designed for hypothermia management. The laboratory experiments were conducted in two distinct phases between February'21 and June'22. In phase 1, a ternary composite of Sodium-Acetate-Trihydrate, Glycerol, Paraffin, and water contained in a high-density polyethylene-pouch named 'CWP' was finalised, and an insulating jacket was designed for targeted heat retention. In phase 2, the device's efficacy was evaluated using a mannequin in a controlled setting. The sample size was 81 events. Welch's t-test, ANOVA, and GEE were used to assess any significant differences between successful and failed events. Among 81 events, approximately 93% events of CWP and 98% events of insulating jacket successfully maintained temperature within 36-38 degrees C for 120 minutes. Moreover, ambient temperature, reuse of CWPs, humidity did not have any significant effect on the success rate of the CWP and insulating jacket. Thermal Jacket had achieved and sustained the temperature range of 36-38 degrees C for 2 hours. While this study used mannequin, clinical trial with preterm or low birthweight neonates is imperative to assess its effectiveness for thermal care management
Små läsare och stora frågor : En intervju- och litteraturanalys av barnlitteratur i förskolan utifrån ett genusperspektiv
No full textI det här självständiga arbetet har vi bidragit med kunskap om hur pedagoger förhåller sig till val av barnlitteratur och metoder för att integrera ett genusperspektiv i högläsning och litteratursamtal. Det genomfördes sju stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer under två veckor med både förskollärare och barnskötare i tre olika svenska kommuner. Med teorin om didaktiska val som utgångspunkt analyserades intervjusvaren tematiskt. Detta resulterade i fem teman. De olika teman fokuserade på olika överväganden pedagoger gör vid valet av litteratur med fokus på genus, som att böckerna skulle anpassas efter barnens ålder och passa det aktuella projektet avdelningen arbetar med. Andra pedagoger hade ett specifikt mål med litteraturen och valde bok efter vad de ville uppnå med läsningen av normkritisk litteratur. Sedan undersöktes även hur pedagoger jobbar med denna litteratur ute i verksamheten. Här gavs många varierande svar mellan hur pedagogerna specifikt jobbar med barnen när hen läser boken där hen fokuserar på samtal och diskussioner om bokens innehåll, men även hur de jobbar allmänt med normkritisk litteratur på hela förskolan. Under intervjuerna gavs även förslag på böcker som pedagogerna skulle kunna jobba utifrån med fokus på genus. Dessa böcker har analyserats, tematiseras och kopplats till de svar som pedagogerna själva gav kring hur de jobbar med boken. Denna analys baserades på socialkonstruktivismens syn på genus och gav fyra teman som visar att pedagoger uppmärksammar olika egenskaper hos böcker som gör att de väljer att de läser dem för barnen. Vissa teman visades starkare som att pedagogerna ville ha mångfald och representation, medan vissa ville att barnen skulle känna igen sig i karaktärerna i böckerna. Resultatet kopplas sedan till tidigare forskning och relevant didaktisk teori. Slutligen diskuteras även studiens brister och förslag på vidare forskning.
Design and Optimization of Spoke Type Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines : A Rare-Earth Element Free Solution For Electromobility
No full textElectromobility solutions are central to the current decarbonization of transportation. So far, no other solution has contributed significantly to reducing carbon emissions other than adopting or using electric vehicles. However, a significant percentage of these new vehicles have been designed to use Rare-Earth Elements (REEs), mainly in Permanent Magnets (PMs) of their electric motor, but also in other components of their powertrain. Currently, REEs are classified by the European Union and other governing agencies as "critical raw materials" due to their fragile supply chain and their importance in strategic industries. Alternatives to REE-based PMs have been studied for some time now, but no alternative is widely used today in electromobility applications. This thesis explores the use of ferrites PMs in electric machines; in particular, it studies the design and optimization of Spoke Type Permanent Magnets Synchronous Machines (Spoke) using this type of PMs. Studying in detail the implications of designing a Spoke machine with such magnets is important since they aim to substitute PMs with substantially different characteristics. Ferrite PMs have a much smaller remanence, making their pairing with a Spoke topology advantageous since it allows for higher levels of magnetic flux density on the rotor. Also, ferrite PMs present a much more significant risk of demagnetization than the REE-based PMs. Thus, designing and optimizing electric machines with the former implies testing previous design paradigms and proposing new reflections on the design and optimization process. For that, this thesis includes the development of an empirical demagnetization model for ferrite PMs, explores optimization goals and constraints enabled through the use of meta-modeling techniques, and applies the conclusions of these optimization studies to design and experimentally verify a Spoke machine with ferrite PMs. The results of this thesis show that Spoke machines with ferrite PMs have the capability of achieving similar performance to the current electric machine solutions in electromobility applications. This is shown through the experimental results and the test of a Spoke machine prototype. The research also contributed to more detailed modeling of ferrite PMs, highlighting the current lack of detailed models for PM demagnetization on a macroscopic scale. The development of meta-models showed an acceleration in the optimization process and good agreement with both FEM results and experimental measurements. The results also highlight a new paradigm in the design of electric machines when using ferrite PMs; the demagnetization of ferrite PMs should not be explicitly minimized during the design process of these machines. Instead, the performance metrics after demagnetization should be maximized
Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 in patients with sepsis associate with comorbidities but neither with mortality nor with organ failure
No full textHigh levels of circulating angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) are associated with several chronic diseases and mortality risk. Less is known about the prognostic value of ACE2 in patients with sepsis. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the association between plasma ACE2 levels on admission to the ED and 28-day mortality, organ failure, and level of care in a prospectively recruited observational study sample. Six hundred patients with sepsis admitted to the emergency in Malmö 2013–2015 were included in the analysis. Uni- and multivariable binary logistic regression was conducted to investigate the association between ACE2 and 28-day mortality, organ failure, and level of care. Plasma ACE2 levels were increased in patients with male sex, high age, and comorbidities, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Plasma ACE2 levels associated with hospitalization and intermediate care unit stay in univariate but not multivariate analysis. Plasma ACE2 did neither associate with 28-day mortality, OR 1.19 (95% CI 0.86–1.65, p = 0.29), nor with organ failure, OR 1.08 (95% CI 0.73–1.56. p = 0.72). Future studies investigating the dynamics of circulating ACE2 levels in patients with sepsis longitudinally are warranted
Characterization of CLLBC scintillation detector response to γ-rays and neutrons
No full textThe dual-mode elpasolite scintillation material CLLBC (Cs2LiLaBr4.8Cl1.2:Ce) is capable of measuring both-rays and neutrons. The neutron detection capability spans from thermal energies up to about 10 MeV,making these detectors attractive options for studying prompt fission neutron spectra (PFNS). In this work, acomprehensive characterization of CLLBC detectors is performed. Three CLLBC detectors were characterized,in addition to three LaBr3:Ce and two LaBr3:Ce,Sr for comparison. For the best-performing CLLBC detector,the results indicate an energy resolution of 3.7% at = 662 keV and an intrinsic timing resolution of1.2 ns (FWHM) above = 1 MeV using 60Co. A -neutron separation figure-of-merit of 2.7 is obtainedby means of pulse-shape discrimination. Tagged neutron time-of-flight measurements were conducted usinga 241Am9Be neutron source, by coincident detection of the 4.44 MeV -ray and the neutron, to determinethe intrinsic neutron detection efficiency between 2–6 MeV. Neutron detection efficiencies of about 0.2% forthe 6Li(n,t)4He reaction and 1% for three types of (n,n′) reactions were obtained. Two of three investigatedCLLBC detectors exhibit an energy peak asymmetry, resulting in worse performance, indicating scintillatorquality issues and motivating further investigation. Future studies are anticipated using the 252Cf(sf) promptfission neutron spectrum to determine neutron efficiencies for a wider range of neutron energies. Althoughobserved in a previous study, neutron detection via 35Cl(n,p)35S was not identified in this work but is plannedto be determined using quasi-monoenergetic neutrons generated at the JRC MONNET facility
Inverse Uncertainty Quantification and Surrogate Models for Fuel Performance Modeling
No full textNuclear power is a key electricity source, with light water reactors being the most common type. Their fuel typically consists of uranium dioxide pellets stacked in zirconium alloy cladding tubes. The purpose of the fuel is to produce heat and act as a barrier against releasing radioactive material. During operation, heat and radiation cause thermomechanical changes that can lead to fuel failure if not controlled. Thus, the nuclear industry needs efficient fuel performance codes with well-quantified uncertainties to predict fuel rod behavior. This thesis focuses on improving inverse uncertainty quantification and surrogate modeling for efficient fuel performance predictions. Inverse uncertainty quantification is essential because fuel performance codes require calibrated model parameters to ensure that predictions match measurements. However, standard calibration methods often underestimate uncertainties due to unaccounted-for uncertainty sources, such as model inadequacy. Therefore, this thesis presents how unknown sources of uncertainty can be accounted for in calibration using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) by assuming a variability in the calibration parameters. Two methods are presented, and both are based on MCMC, requiring numerous samples to converge. Hence, Gaussian Process (GP) surrogate modeling is used in place of the code to provide the calibration methods with inexpensive estimates of code responses. The first method is derivative-based, relying on differentiated GPs. While it effectively calibrates cladding oxidation, it struggles with fission gas release. Consequently, a more accurate method based on MH-within-Gibbs sampling is presented that successfully calibrates fission gas release. The presented calibration methods use GP surrogate models to efficiently calibrate model parameters with inexpensive scalar estimates of code predictions. Beyond calibration, surrogate modeling is also essential when time-dependent predictions are needed for numerous fuel rod irradiations simultaneously. For example, if time-dependent predictions of fuel rod behavior are required in core optimization or core monitoring, calculation time can become a limiting factor. Therefore, this work also investigates neural network architectures for temporal data based on Temporal Convolutional Neural Networks (TCNs) and Fourier Neural Operators (FNOs) designed to model numerous fuel rods with varying irradiation histories. These networks accurately predict the behavior of thousands of fuel rods within seconds, significantly improving computational efficiency
Evaluation of drug delivery vehicles for improved transduction of oncolytic adenoviruses in solid tumor tissue
No full textBackground: Oncolytic viruses are promising tools for immune stimulatory gene therapy of cancer, but their clinical effect on solid tumors have so far been limited. Transduction of the target tumor cells is limited by both extracellular matrix that blocks viral spread within the solid tumor tissue and electrostatic forces that inhibit virus from binding its entry receptor on the cell surface. The enzymes hyaluronidase and collagenase and the polycations diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-dextran, branched Polyethylenimine (PEI) and protamine sulfate have previously shown potential to improve gene transfer in different forms of viral gene therapy, since they may help the virus to overcome these barriers. In this study, we compared the transduction-enhancing potential of these substances when used as vehicles for adenoviral transduction in solid tumor tissue. Methods: Subcutaneous tumors of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma were established in mice and treated with a mix of adenoviral vector Adf35(GFP-Luc) and either one of the selected vehicles. Transduction efficacy was determined by quantification of the viral transgene expression level using live imaging. Results: Addition of hyaluronidase tripled the transgene expression of Adf35(GFP-Luc) when compared to virus alone. No such positive effect was seen for the other tested vehicles. Conclusions: Out of the tested candidates, hyaluronidase showed the best potential to facilitate viral spread in tumor tissue and transduction of tumor cells. Therefore, hyaluronidase may be used as vehicle to improve clinical efficacy of oncolytic virotherapies
Practitioner perspectives of wellbeing in rapidly changing Australian coastal communities
No full textCoastal communities are situated in dynamic socio-ecological contexts at risk from the impacts of climate change and other hazards. Meaningful strategies to maintain and/or improve community wellbeing are more important than ever; and so too is understanding the impact of chosen strategies. Past research has highlighted divergence in the how problems impacting the coast are framed in policies that direct management action; hampering the ability to holistically improve wellbeing (across social, economic and environmental grounds). Yet calls to better understand whether perceptions of those responding to change also diverge, and implications for improving wellbeing in coastal areas, remain unanswered. To address this gap, we interviewed key stakeholders that respond to change (coastal managers) and seek to improve wellbeing (community service providers) in Australia's fastest growing coastal areas and used Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory to examine divergence and convergence in perceptions of needs attainment as indicative of progress towards improved wellbeing. All stakeholders identified inequity in the ability of community members to meet their needs, but the impact of coastal hazards on community needs were perceived differently. Coastal managers perceived greater impacts on higher order needs (self-esteem and self-actualisation) while community service providers perceived greater impacts on lower order needs (physiological). These differences shape the prioritisation of responses and highlight the need for improved multisectoral understanding and collaborative strategies to improve wellbeing in coastal areas
Rekryterares kompetensutveckling : En kvalitativ studie av rekryterares upplevelser av kompetensutveckling
No full textDagens krav på kompetensutveckling ökar i takt med det föränderliga samhället vilket leder till ökad efterfrågan på individuellt lärande för en ökad organisatorisk framgång. För att möta dessa krav behöver företag rekrytera rätt kompetens och skapa arbetsmiljöer som främjar kompetensutveckling och lärande. Syftet med denna studie är att studera hur rekryterare själva upplever sin egen kompetensutveckling på arbetsplatsen, genom en undersökning av vilka möjligheter som upplevs finnas men även hur arbetet stöds av organisationen och kollegor. Genom kvalitativa intervjuer med rekryterare framkom det via en tematisk analys olika typer av stöd och möjligheter för kompetensutveckling såsom interaktion med kollegor, arbetskultur och formella insatser. Samtidigt identifieras några hinder för kompetensutveckling som bland annat var upplevelsen av tidsbrist på arbetsplatsen. Resultaten visar att kompetensutvecklingen formas av både formella och informella processer och i diskussionen betonas vikten av kombinationen av dessa för att man ska uppleva utveckling, lärande och en vilja att stanna kvar på arbetsplatsen.