Publikationer från Uppsala Universitet
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Implementation of midwifery units in the Portuguese context : Barriers and facilitators
No full textBackground: In Portugal, childbirth predominantly occurs in Obstetric Units, even for low-risk pregnancies, often resulting in excessive medical interventions. Midwifery Units, successfully integrated into health systems comparable to the Portuguese National Health System may be a viable alternative. Aim: This study explores stakeholders' perceptions of the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of Midwifery Units in Portugal. Methods: A qualitative, descriptive-exploratory study was conducted using semi-structured interviews for data collection. Findings: Two overarching themes emerged: implementation readiness and implementation strategies. The first encompasses cultural, organizational, professional, and political dimensions. The second focuses on the professional positioning of midwifery in Portugal, its hierarchical relationship with other healthcare professions, and the structural characteristics of the health system. Discussion: The primary barriers to implementing Midwifery Units are deeply rooted in the prevailing physicianled maternity care model in Portugal. However, the current challenges within the National Health System, along with ongoing restructuring efforts, create an opportunity for change. Key facilitators include the aim of reducing unnecessary interventions, promoting humanized care, expanding women's autonomy in childbirth, and aligning practices with contemporary scientific evidence. Conclusion: The study highlights that while structural and cultural barriers persist, a convergence of social, professional, and institutional facilitators may offer a strategic window for integrating Continuity of Midwife Care in Portugal. Tailored implementation strategies, interprofessional collaboration, and policy advocacy are required to translate existing evidence into national practice
The CERN n_TOF NEAR station for astrophysics- and application-related neutron activation measurements
No full textA new experimental area, the NEAR station, has recently been built at the CERN n_TOF facility, at a short distance from the spallation target (3 m). The new area, characterized by a neutron beam of very high flux, has been designed with the purpose of performing activation measurements of interest for astrophysics and various applications. The beam is transported from the spallation target to the NEAR station through a hole in the shielding wall of the target, inside which a collimator is inserted. The new area is complemented with a γ-ray spectroscopy laboratory, the GEAR station, equipped with a high-efficiency HPGe detector, for the measurement of the activity resulting from irradiation of a sample in the NEAR station. The use of a moderator/filter assembly is envisaged, in order to produce a neutron beam with quasi-Maxwellian energy distribution, of different thermal energies, necessary for the determination of Maxwellian Averaged Cross Sections of astrophysical interest. A new fast-cycling activation technique is also being investigated for measurements of reactions leading to isotopes of very short half life
Re-Analysis of Pioneer Venus Data : Water, Iron Sulfate, and Sulfuric Acid are Major Components in Venus' Aerosols
No full textWe present a new and transformative composition for Venus' cloud aerosols using previously uncharacterized data acquired by the Pioneer Venus Large Probe, which descended through Venus' atmosphere in 1978. This aerosol composition was extracted by re-analyzing data acquired by the Large Probe Neutral Mass Spectrometer (LNMS) and re-evaluating results from the Large Probe Gas Chromatograph (LGC). In our approach, the altitude-based data from the LNMS and LGC were re-interpreted as the thermal and evolved gas analysis of aerosol composition. During the descent, the LNMS and LGC inadvertently collected cloud aerosols and subsequently measured the release of gases and compounds as the captured aerosols thermally decomposed across the hot sub-cloud atmosphere. Evolved compounds that were released into the LNMS included SO2, H2O, SO3, O2, and likely Fe2O3 and MgSO4. Evolved gases that were released into the LGC included SO2, H2O, and O2, which likely formed during the programmed LGC heating steps. These results are consistent with the thermal decomposition of aerosols containing comparable masses of ferric sulfate and sulfuric acid (∼20 wt%, each) and sufficiently high H2O abundances (∼60 wt%) to yield hydrated iron sulfates, hydrated magnesium sulfate, and other hydrates. We suggest that iron and magnesium could originate from cosmic sources. Our comparisons indicate that aerosol H2O was also measured by direct analyses on the Venera and Vega probes. Hence, this work reveals reservoirs of water and possible altered cosmic materials in the aerosols, which presents new considerations for cloud chemistry and cloud habitability models
"Inclusion has gone too far": How a slogan became policy in Swedish education
No full textSweden has often been raised as exemplary regarding inclusive education. This image has, however, been questioned as inclusion is not a prioritized concept in central Swedish education policy. Despite this, political moves questioning inclusive education have increased in the last few years, through political discourse and debate, governmental policy, and even financing. This article aims to map out these political shifts and illustrate their development through policy tools on different levels in the years 2018–2024. Using a broad definition of policy, the materials studied are a selection of debate articles from politicians, government reports (green papers), parliamentary motions (white papers), government agreements, and documents describing targeted funding for segregated environments. The results show how inclusion became negatively connoted through political discourse and the slogan ‘inclusion has gone too far’, established in public debate – primarily driven by one political party. The slogan subsequently became official government policy through political agreements, investigations, and funding. There are no signs of reversal regarding this new policy direction, meaning that Sweden is among the first countries to actually abandon inclusion as a political goal for education
Subjective social status among young working women in Sweden : how is it established and how does it affect health and well-being? A qualitative interview study
No full textBackground: Mental ill-health has increased among young people in Sweden in recent years, particularly among young women. One contributing factor could be a striving for high social status, communicated around the clock on social media platforms. The aim of the study was to explore how young working women in Sweden perceive social status and how it relates to their own health and well-being. Methods: The study sample included 15 women aged 25–35 years, recruited from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health, a cohort derived from a representative sample of the Swedish working population. Maximum variation purposeful sampling was employed to achieve rich information in the data. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: The analysis identified two main themes. The first theme, the qualities and processes of subjective social status, consisted of the subthemes material and personal resources and interpersonal and contextual interplay, and described aspects affecting social status, such as income, gender, and social life, as well as processes such as external influence and comparison. The second theme, the influence of subjective social status on health and well-being consisted of the subthemes being judged by oneself and others and strategies to reduce negative impact, and encompassed emotional responses to social status and approaches and attitudes to regulate its impact. Conclusions: The results indicate that subjective social status in young working women today is established through dynamic and interactive processes involving several important aspects beyond traditional socioeconomic measures. The findings regarding the impact of gender and foreign background on subjective social status suggest a need for continued efforts to strengthen equality and integration in Swedish society. The impact of processes around establishing and displaying subjective social status on well-being and health appears to vary, depending on each individual's approach and active management of, e.g., social media
An Investigation of Secure Memory Erasure in Cryptographic Libraries
No full textThis thesis investigates techniques for secure memory erasure in cryptographic libraries, with a focus on reliably removing sensitive data, such as cryptographic keys, passwords, and tokens, from memory after use. Compiler optimizations can counteract traditional memory clearing functions, which poses a security risk in critical applications. The study combines a literature review with a practical evaluation of well-known cryptographic libraries, including OpenSSL, Libsodium, mbedTLS, WolfSSL, LibreSSL, and BoringSSL. It examines how different zeroization strategies function under varying compiler optimization settings. Using both runtime memory inspection and analysis of generated assembly code, the study verifies that zeroization instructions are actually preserved. The results show that all libraries perform correct memory erasure under the tested optimization levels, as they use optimization-resistant techniques. However, certain performance differences were identified, with WolfSSL exhibiting significantly slower erasure in the tested setup. The study demonstrates that correct zeroization depends on having a secure implementation together with proper compiler settings. The thesis concludes with recommendations for how developers can write robust erasure routines that remain reliable even under aggressive optimization
A structure-preserving finite element framework for the Vlasov–Maxwell system
No full textWe present a stabilized, structure-preserving finite element framework for solving the Vlasov–Maxwell equations. The method uses a tensor product of continuous polynomial spaces for the spatial and velocity domains, respectively, to discretize the Vlasov equation, combined with curl- and divergence-conforming Nédélec and Raviart-Thomas elements for Maxwell’s equations on Cartesian grids. A novel, robust, consistent, and high-order accurate residual-based artificial viscosity method is introduced for stabilizing the Vlasov equations. The proposed method is tested on the 1D2V and 2D2V reduced Vlasov–Maxwell system, achieving optimal convergence orders for all polynomial spaces considered in this study. Several challenging benchmarks are solved to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method
Konstpedagogik i fyra samtida konstutställningar : En undersökning av pedagogisk potential i utställningsdesign
No full textThis thesis investigates the pedagogical potential within four contemporary art exhibitions spaces, all located in Skåne. It is focusing on how curational and design choices communicate learning possibilities, without complementary program activities. The case study examines Lunds konsthalls exhibition Nära det vilda hjärtat, Malmö Konsthalls Torrlägg Öresund, Moderna Museet Malmös Om det absurda drama som också är livet and Skissernas Museum with VRIDAVÄNDAVIRVLAVÄVA. The thesis research questions address how pedagogical intentions are articulated through exhibition design and text and what exhibitions on their own can convey in the meeting between contemporary art and the visitor. The methodology combines participant observation through the learning model V.A.K.T., analysis of exhibition texts based on Kris Wetterlund's framework, and interviews with institutional representatives (curators and educators). The final comparative analysis studied through frameworks of Lisa Nyberg, Maria Lind and Helene Illeris, and more, demonstrates a strong pedagogical awareness across all institutions, though articulated differently. The study revealed that while exhibitions can activate reflection and embodied experiences, particularly through spatial and textual strategies, they remain limited in providing broader accessibility without program activities. Ultimately, the results also prove the central but complex role of pedagogy in contemporary art exhibitions, in between institutional intention, artistic practice and visitor experience.
A clarion call to the addiction science community : It's time to resist the anti-scientific policies of the US Trump administration
No full textPrediction of patient-reported outcomes after proximal humerus fractures in elderly patients does not appear to be a credible option : a secondary analysis of two randomized controlled trials
No full textAIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate which patient- and fracture-related factors predict functional outcome at two years in patients aged 60 years or older with a proximal humerus fracture, and to assess the possible evidence in favour of treatment effect heterogeneity in these patients. METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of a prior randomized controlled trial. We included patients from a Nordic multicentre trial including two trial cohorts (two-part and multipart): 88 patients with a two-part fracture (nonoperative vs locking plate), and 160 patients with a multipart fracture (nonoperative vs locking plate vs hemiarthroplasty) recruited between February 2011 and December 2019. The outcomes were Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire score, Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS), and Constant-Murley score (CS) at two years. Ordinary least squares regression was used to estimate 24 months of functional outcomes. We used the methodology described in the Predictive Approaches to Treatment effect Heterogeneity (PATH) statement for the assessment of treatment effect heterogeneity. RESULTS: A total of 248 patients were included in the trials. Dizziness frequency was the most important predictor for DASH and OSS at 24 months. Dominance of the injured arm was the most important predictor for Constant score. R2, describing the variation explained by the baseline variables, showed moderate model fit for all outcomes, i.e. DASH (0.395), OSS (0.363), and CS (0.387). When operative treatments were compared with nonoperative treatments, the interactions between predicted outcome and treatment assignment were small and had high uncertainty, implying a lack of heterogeneous treatment effect. CONCLUSION: We found that dizziness at baseline is the strongest predictor for DASH and OSS at 24 months. Our results showed that patient selection, based on the covariates available to us, does not seem to be a credible possibility in older patients with proximal humerus fractures, and thus nonoperative treatment should remain the gold standard