Publikationer från Uppsala Universitet
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Under ice copepod fatty acid composition over a spatial and temporal gradient
No full textLittle is known about plankton dynamics in ice covered lakes. Animals at higher trophic levels such as zooplankton sustain themselves with phytoplankton and terrestrial organic matter. Alterations in ice phenology due to climate change Influence phytoplankton productivity. When phytoplankton as a resource becomes scarce due to low light irradiance in winter, grazing copepods must find other food sources to acquire the necessary fatty acids. Terrestrial organic material is low in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) compared to phytoplankton, and these LCPUFAs are paramount to copepod survival. However, changes in copepod fatty acid composition during ice cover and the cause of these changes are poorly understood. To get a better understanding on how copepod fatty acid composition develops during winter and early spring, we sampled copepod fatty acid composition and phytoplankton community composition during ice cover and a month after ice off in the littoral and pelagic zones of six lakes in Uppsala County across a DOC gradient. Here we show that 1) the copepod fatty acid composition changes significantly over time and between the littoral and pelagic zone, 2) composition of LCPUFAs significantly differs between zones, and 3) phytoplankton community composition is significantly different over time and between lakes. However, no phytoplanktonic taxonomic group had a significant effect on total copepod fatty acid composition, except for Chrysophytes and Euglenoides that significantly influenced the LCPUFA concentration in copepods. These results imply that copepods graze on particulate organic matter in addition to phytoplankton to account for low phytoplankton availability during periods of ice cover.
"I don't think I have been out of fight or flight. Ever." transgender people's experiences in inpatient psychiatric treatment
No full textBackground: Historically, marginalized groups have been deemed unwell and deserving of correction, resulting in disproportionate use of inpatient psychiatric institutionalization. Despite changes over the last hundred years, individuals from marginalized groups continue to experience poor treatment in inpatient psychiatric settings. Transgender people are marginalized in a society where it is assumed that all individuals exist solely as woman or man with predetermined roles influenced by innate biology based on their sex assigned at birth, i.e. gender essentialism. This contributes to mental health disparities (e.g., depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts), which may result in higher acuity symptoms, leading to overrepresentation in inpatient psychiatric settings. Yet, little is known about transgender people's experiences during inpatient psychiatric treatment. Objective: To describe the experiences of transgender people in inpatient psychiatric treatment. Design: A qualitative descriptive study. Setting: Interviews were held in person or over Zoom. Participants: Adults who self-identified as transgender and had been admitted to inpatient psychiatric treatment during the last five years were recruited to participate through community organizations, social media, and word of mouth. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted between March 2019 and June 2022. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Participants (N = 15) described experiences within inpatient psychiatric treatment. The first theme, gender essentialism causes stigmatizing experiences through structural and enacted power, was characterized by deliberate or accidental misgendering, gender treated as irrelevant to care, pathologized gender diversity, and withholding of gender-affirming needs. The second theme, psychological and emotional strain as the price paid for enforced gender essentialism, included examples of drained emotional resources, powerlessness, and worsening of gender dysphoria. Lastly, the theme actions in disruption of the structural gender essentialist power illustrated how the gender essentialist systems in place can be interrupted and resisted by transgender patients and healthcare professionals. Conclusions: Power structures are embedded in psychiatric hospital policies and practices, as well as the physical layout of the hospital, operating under the assumption that all patients are either man or woman based on their sex assigned at birth. Healthcare professionals may unintentionally or deliberately reinforce these structures, further marginalizing transgender patients. Healthcare professionals have the opportunity to disrupt these harmful systems by advocating for and implementing changes that challenge gender essentialism. Creating care environments that incorporate gender diversity allows transgender individuals to focus on their mental health and recovery, rather than expending emotional resources navigating a system that overlooks or invalidates their identities.<br /> Social media abstract: Inpatient psychiatric treatment reinforces gender essentialism, subjecting transgender patients to stigma and mistreatment. Participants described experiences of frequent misgendering, dismissal of gender-affirming needs, and emotional strain from navigating a system designed for non-transgender patients, leading to worse mental health symptoms, including gender dysphoria, and feelings of powerlessness. Healthcare professionals reinforce these harmful systems deliberately or unintentionally. However, instances of disruption by healthcare professionals and transgender participants were observed leading to the creation of affirming experiences despite the prevailing gender essentialism. Future opportunities to disrupt these structures include advocating for systemic change, engaging in patient-centered care, and developing inclusive policies. By creating inpatient psychiatric environments that accommodate gender diversity, healthcare providers could allow transgender patients to focus on their mental health and recovery, rather than combating stigma. Inclusive care can shift the focus from navigating systemic transphobia to healing
Higher Structure of Chiral Symmetry
No full textA recent development in our understanding of the theory of quantum fields is the fact that familiar gauge theories in spacetime dimensions greater than two can have non-invertible symmetries generated by topological defects. The hallmark of these non-invertible symmetries is that the fusion rule deviates from the usual group-like structure, and in particular the fusion coefficients take values in topological field theories (TFTs) rather than in mere numbers. In this paper we begin an exploration of the associativity structure of non-invertible symmetries in higher dimensions. The first layer of associativity is captured by F-symbols, which we find to assume values in TFTs that have one dimension lower than that of the defect. We undertake an explicit analysis of the F-symbols for the non-invertible chiral symmetry that is preserved by the massless QED and explore their physical implications. In particular, we show the F-symbol TFTs can be detected by probing the correlators of topological defects with 't Hooft lines. Furthermore, we derive the Ward-Takahashi identity that arises from the chiral symmetry on a large class of four-dimensional manifolds with non-trivial topologies directly from the topological data of the symmetry defects, without referring to a Lagrangian formulation of the theory
Generative AI in the Professional IT Landscape and its Implications for Higher Education
No full textIn the EDU-AI project (Adapting Computing Education for an AI-Driven Future: Empirical Insights and Guidelines for Integrating Generative AI into Curriculum and Practice), we investigate the application of generative AI by IT professionals, how students view this technology in higher education, as well as faculty adaptation and changing teaching strategies due to generative AI. This presentation will be based on a report from the EDU-AI project where we summarize ongoing research and discuss findings, related to higher education teaching and learning. These findings include adoption patterns with generative AI, generative AI advantages (such as increased productivity, enhanced learning, and innovative problem-solving), challenges with generative AI (such as ethical considerations, data biases, and potential misuse), and possible AI competence requirements in future labor market
Private Equity backade IPO:er mot Index : En kvantitativ analys av abnormal avkastning vid Private Equity backade börsintroduktioner i Skandinavien
No full textI den här uppsatsen undersöks avkastningen på börsintroduktioner genomförda av private equity bolag i Skandinavien mellan 2005-2020. Syftet med studien är att analysera huruvida private equity backade börsintroduktioner genererar en abnormal avkastning på kort och lång sikt jämfört med marknaden. Sammanlagt studerades 105 private equity backade börsnoteringar där 55 av dem noterades av venture capital bolag och 50 av dem noterades utav buyout bolag. Båda urvalsgrupperna jämfördes enskilt och tillsammans mot MSCI Nordic Index på kort och lång sikt och den abnormala avkastningen beräknades med hjälp av Cumulative Abnormal Return (CAR) och Buy-and-Hold Abnormal Return (BHAR). Studiens resultat analyserades med hjälp av t-test, inklusive ensidigt t-test, samt multipel regressionsanalys och statistisk signifikans bedömdes genom t-tester. Resultatet finner inga statistiskt signifikanta resultat på 5% signifikansnivå som styrker att private equity backade börsnoteringar genererar en abnormal avkastning gentemot marknaden. Däremot finner studien goda indikationer på att buyout backade börsintroduktioner överavkastar marknaden och venture capital backade IPO:er på kort sikt och att private equity backade börsintroduktier underavkastar marknaden på lång sikt
Signs of Hyperinflation and Ventilation Heterogeneity in Individuals With Severe Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency at the Age of 42
No full textBackground: Severe alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a known risk factor for early development of emphysema and COPD. By the Swedish national screening program within the years 1972- 74 a cohort of individuals with severe AATD (PiZZ) was identified and regularly followed up. The aim of this study was to investigate alveolar volume (V-A) and the ratio V-A/Total lung capacity (V-A/TLC) for the detection of signs of hyperinflation and ventilation heterogeneity in PiZZ individuals compared with an age-matched control group (phenotype PiMM), randomly selected from the population registry. Methods: All study participants underwent pulmonary function tests (PFT) including dynamic spirometry and total lung capacity (TLC), residual volume (RV), functional residual capacity (FRC) and alveolar volume (V-A). They answered a questionnaire on smoking habits and symptoms. Quality of life was assessed by answering the Saint George<acute accent>s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Results: Fifty-six PiZZ and 66 PiMM individuals participated in the study. The PiZZ individuals had a significantly lower V-A/TLC ratio (p=0.004) and significantly higher RV (p< 0.001) and RV/TLC ratio (p=0.001) than the PiMM individuals. The 13 PiZZ ever-smokers had a significantly higher TLC (p=0.025), RV (p=0.003) and FRC (p=0.003) and a significantly lower V-A/TLC ratio (p=0.006) than the 24 PiMM ever-smokers. No significant differences in RV, TLC, V-A, and V-A/TLC ratio were found between the never-smoking PiZZ and PiMM individuals. The ratio RV/TLC was significantly higher in the PiZZ never-smokers than in the PiMM never-smokers (p=0.026). Conclusion: At the age of 42 the PiZZ ever-smokers have signs of hyperinflation and ventilation heterogeneity
Cambrian carbonaceous protoconodonts and the early fossil record of the Chaetognatha
No full textFossil remains from the early Cambrian Period suggest an ancient origin for the phylum Chaetognatha. As macrofossils, Cambrian chaetognaths are restricted to just a few Konservat-Lagerst & auml;tten sites, yet the dispersed grasping spines characteristic of this clade are relatively common as phosphatized 'protoconodonts'. Here, an abundance of protoconodonts are described, but preserved in an entirely different manner, as 'small carbonaceous fossils' (SCFs) extracted from Cambrian Fortunian and Stage 4 mudrocks of Estonia and Sweden, respectively. Preservation among small carbonaceous fossils is substantial, representing an alternative but overlooked resource for tracing the origins of the chaetognath clade. Importantly, small carbonaceous fossils are abundant in normal marine siliciclastic deposits, in which conventionally studied phosphatic protoconodont fossils are scarce. Recent advances in constraining the phylogenetic position of chaetognaths suggest a relationship to the clade Gnathifera (gnathostomulids, micrognathozoans, rotifers). Newly emerging small carbonaceous fossil records, therefore, offer the chance to establish important calibration points for the divergence of deep bilaterian clades, including Protostomia, Lophotrochozoa and Gnathifera. Protoconodonts are especially valuable in this respect given their appearance close to, or prior to, the Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary. A first compilation of small carbonaceous fossil protoconodont records suggests chaetognath-like bilaterians had evolved by the latest Ediacaran (approximately 555-545 Ma), while the jaw complex possessed by the chaetognath crown-group emerged at least 520 Ma
A model-based evaluation of the pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PKPD) of avibactam in combination with ceftazidime
No full textBackground The emergence of β-lactamase-producing bacteria limits the effectiveness of β-lactam (BL) antibiotics, and the combination with a β-lactamase inhibitor (BLI) aims to counteract this resistance. However, existing guidelines primarily focus on optimizing the dosing of BLs and do not adequately address the interaction between BLs and BLIs, leading to uncertain pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) targets and potentially suboptimal dosing strategies. Objectives To investigate optimal PK/PD targets and dosing strategies for avibactam (BLI) combined with ceftazidime (BL) using mechanism-based PKPD models. Methods PK models for ceftazidime and avibactam were integrated with mechanism-based PKPD models for Gram-negative bacteria. Simulations explored dose regimens in mice and humans, evaluating PK/PD indices and computing the PTA for diverse dosing strategies and infusion modes. Results fAUC/MICCAZ/AVI was the most predictive index for avibactam against Enterobacteriaceae in both mice and humans, regardless of infusion mode. Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, fT > CT predicted efficacy in mice, while fAUC/MICCAZ/AVI and fCmax/MICCAZ/AVI were more predictive in humans, particularly for continuous infusion regimens. Higher PTAs were achieved with increased avibactam doses relative to ceftazidime, particularly with 1:1 and 2:1 ceftazidime:avibactam ratios. Continuous infusion improved PTA against P. aeruginosa but had limited impact on Enterobacteriaceae. Conclusion The PK/PD indices predictive of avibactam efficacy varied by species (mice and humans), bacterial strains, and mode of infusion. Dosing simulations suggest that increasing avibactam relative to ceftazidime and using continuous infusion regimens may enhance bacterial killing. These findings highlight the importance of refining dosing strategies for both components of the combination therapy
Effectiveness of a Health Literacy and Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) Improvement Program for People With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus : A Community-Based Quasiexperimental Study in Thailand
No full textBackground: This community-based randomised controlled study was aimed at evaluating a health literacy (HL) and diabetes self-management education (DSME) improvement program (HL-DSME program) among people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: The program conducted in Sakonnakhon Province in northeastern Thailand comprised 1 day of theory and a 4-week period of follow-up. There were 72 participants (36 participants for each intervention and control group) in the program. Independent t-tests, one-way analysis of variance and, paired-sample T-tests were used to predict HL and self-management scores. Results: The participants in the intervention group increased their total HL score and four dimensions of the HL score significantly in comparison to those in the control group. Total self-management score and the score related to the dimension of exercise behaviour among the participants in the intervention group improved significantly in comparison to those in the control group. Conclusion: The HL-DSME program could increase the total score of HL, scores of four dimensions of HL, the total score of self-management, and the score related to exercise behaviour. Healthcare providers who try to enhance diabetes patients' self-management practices should consider diabetes patients' HL and provide health education regularly. Diabetes management approach should be scalable, efficacious, sustainable, and affordable for patients. Trial Registration: Thai Registry of Clinical Trials: TCTR2024112000
Pharmacokinetics and Alterations in Glucose and Insulin Levels After a Single Dose of Canagliflozin in Healthy Icelandic Horses
No full textCanagliflozin (CFZ) is a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor that has shown promising results as a drug for the treatment of insulin dysregulation in horses. Even though CFZ is used clinically, no pharmacokinetic data has previously been published. In this study, the pharmacokinetics of CFZ after administration of a single oral dose of 1.8 mg/kg in eight healthy Icelandic horses was examined. Additionally, the effect of treatment on glucose and insulin levels in response to a graded glucose infusion was investigated. Plasma samples for CFZ quantification were taken at 0, 0.33, 0.66, 1, 1.33, 1.66, 2, 2.33, 2.66, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 8, 12, 24, 32, and 48 h post administration. CFZ was quantified using UHPLC coupled to tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). A non-compartmental analysis revealed key pharmacokinetic parameters, including a median Tmax of 7 h, a Cmax of 2350 ng/mL, and a t1/2Z of 28.5 h. CFZ treatment reduced glucose (AUCGLU, p = 0.001) and insulin (AUCINS, p = 0.04) response to a graded glucose infusion administered 5 h after treatment. This indicates a rapid onset of action following a single dose in healthy Icelandic horses. No obvious adverse effects related to the treatment were observed