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Astrobiology assesses the habitability of planetary bodies and the potential for extraterrestrial life. Analog environments on Earth serve as sites for studying extreme environments that resemble extraterrestrial conditions, aiding in validating life-detection methods, mission instrumentation, and biosignature preservation. These environments function as a source of model microorganisms and communities that define the habitability and biochemistry of such extraterrestrial environments. Well-known analog environments include the Atacama Desert (Chile) for space mission validation, the McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica) for Mars analog studies, and Rio Tinto (Spain) for extreme acidic environments. Although significant research has been conducted on these sites, various alternative environments may also offer valuable opportunities for astrobiological studies. Saudi Arabia encompasses a variety of pristine (or with minimal anthropic influence) extreme environments with conditions analogous to extraterrestrial settings (e.g., deserts and salt flats as analogs to Mars, and terrestrial and marine volcanic fields as analogs to icy moons), yet their potential remains largely unexplored. Recent studies have identified a volcanic crater with sodium phosphates and chlorates that mimics Enceladus’s ocean chemistry, and researchers have cultured Halalkalibacterium halodurans strains with adaptations to survive these conditions, offering valuable biological models. Additionally, complex metabolic landscapes with implications for icy moon habitability have been observed in Red Sea systems, which could be employed as valuable natural laboratories in astrobiological research. Furthermore, these findings underscore the potential of the Saudi Arabian extremophilic microbiome for space-related research. This review explores the microbial diversity of extreme environments in Saudi Arabia, emphasizing their potential as new terrestrial analogs to Mars and icy moons and the role of their microbiomes as terrestrial proxies for extraterrestrial life.

Aims: There is a strong achievement-gradient in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with a higher prevalence in children with low academic achievement. In Sweden, the prevalence of ADHD is also higher among native than immigrant children. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the change in diagnosed ADHD varies across different achievement levels, and whether this change in turn differs depending on students’ immigration status.

Methods: Register data on all students graduating from compulsory school in Sweden between 2001 and 2018 were used. ADHD was measured by diagnosis in specialised care recorded in the year of graduation, and academic achievement by students’ grade point average. Logistic regression models with ADHD as the outcome were used. Changes in the association between achievement and ADHD over time were tested by including interactions terms for achievement and year.

Results: There was a positive interaction between achievement and year in the pooled sample, meaning that ADHD increased relatively more among higher-achieving students and that the achievement-gradient in ADHD diminished over time. In stratified analyses, the greatest relative increase in ADHD was observed among higher-achieving native and second-generation immigrant students, and the smallest among low-achieving first-generation immigrants. The achievement-gradient was flatter, and diminished more, among immigrant students.

Conclusions: The reduced achievement-gradient in ADHD suggests that the absence of academic difficulties to a lesser degree disqualifies children from diagnosis. The limited increase among low-achieving first-generation immigrants may indicate persistent barriers to diagnosis and care in this group.

Hållbarhetsrapportering har under de senaste decennierna blivit ett centralt verktyg för företag att kommunicera sitt arbete med miljömässiga och sociala frågor. Samtidigt har fenomenet greenwashing uppmärksammats i forskningen, där företag riskerar att framställa sitt hållbarhetsarbete som mer positivt eller omfattande än vad som faktiskt är fallet. Mot denna bakgrund syftar denna studie till att analysera hur greenwashing respektive strategisk hållbarhetsintegration framträder i svenska storföretags hållbarhetsrapporter.

Studien utgår från legitimitetsteorin och intressentteorin, vilka belyser hur företag påverkas av samhällets förväntningar och olika intressenters krav. Studien bygger på en kvalitativ innehållsanalys av hållbarhetsrapporter från tre svenska storföretag, Volvokoncernen, Vattenfall och H&M-gruppen. Genom en kodningsprocess identifierades och kategoriserades formuleringar i rapporterna utifrån indikatorer för greenwashing och strategisk hållbarhetsintegration. Analysen resulterade i totalt 98 indikationer. Resultatet visar att strategisk hållbarhetsintegration utgör majoriteten av dessa, vilket indikerar att hållbarhetsfrågor i stor utsträckning integreras i företagens strategiska arbete. Samtidigt identifierades även inslag av greenwashing, exempelvis i form av vaga formuleringar, symboliska initiativ och avsaknad av mätbara mål.

Studiens övergripande slutsats är att företagens hållbarhetsrapportering inte enbart kan förstås som antingen greenwashing eller strategisk hållbarhetsintegration. I stället framträder en mer nyanserad bild där båda formerna samexisterar i rapporteringen. Resultatet från detta studie bidrar därmed till en ökad förståelse för hur företag kommunicerar sitt hållbarhetsarbete och kan ge vägledning för både företag och intressenter i tolkningen av hållbarhetsrapportering.

The study aims to examine the audience's reactions in connection to Aftonbladet’s exposé of Matilda Djerf’s company Djerf Avenue in 2024. The article generated widespread criticism and public attention, particularly on social media. This study analyzes comments left under three of Matilda Djerf’s Instagram posts during the scandal, as well as how they evolve over the course of the crisis. The empirical material consists of 190 comments which were analyzed using a quantitative content analysis. The comments were coded according to different themes, such as calls to action, criticism of Djerf as a person, support and cancel rhetoric.

The results indicate that criticism directed at Djerf as a person dominates across all posts, while criticism targeting Djerf Avenue occurs to a significantly lesser extent. During the initial phase of the crisis, reactions are characterized by strong emotional reactions, focusing on personal attacks and calls for boycotts. In the second phase, greater focus is directed toward Djerf’s apology and the audience’s evaluation of her response to the situation. In the later phase, the intensity of negative reactions decreases while supportive comments become more visible. The results also suggest that audience reactions are largely influenced by parasocial relationships and by the audience’s expectations of authenticity from influencers. The study contributes to a greater understanding of how crises involving influencers develop on social media and how audience reactions change over time.

Background: We investigated whether markers, genes or terms of the Human Phenotype Ontology associated with genetic or rare diseases (GARDs) that affect airway or lung function are associated with lung cancer.

Methods: Genes of interest were extracted from GARD (Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center), OMIM (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man®), ORPHANET and Monarch Initiative. Individual SNP, gene level and gene-set analyses were performed for 52,207 SNPs, 1677 genes or for 620 terms of the Human Phenotype Ontology. The analysis included 14,068 lung cancer cases and 12,390 cancer-free control subjects of European descent from the International Lung Cancer Consortium ILCCO.

Results: The marker rs56113850 (OR=0.893, 95%CI: 0.862-0.924) was associated with lung cancer (p=1.2x10-10). This marker is located in CYP2A6 as well as in an enhancer region of LTBP4, which is associated with cutis laxa. A suggestive significant association was observed for two markers associated with the DMD gene, which is linked to Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The gene sets "Abnormal circulating adrenocorticotropin concentration" and "Central nervous system neoplasm" were found to be significantly enriched with GARD genes, and can therefore be considered to be associated with lung cancer.

Conclusions: Genes associated with genetic and rare lung diseases do not generally appear to carry risk factors for lung cancer. However, genes associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis show some, but rather weak or complex, associations with lung cancer. Tests at the gene level provide extremely inhomogeneous results, even when applied to the same data.

While customer journey research is proliferating, acumen of the broader stakeholder journey (SJ), which addresses any stakeholder's (e.g., an employee's, supplier's, or customer's) journey with the firm, remains more nascent. In particular, understanding of the role of psychological mechanisms in shaping collective or grouped stakeholders’ journeys, aggregated stakeholders' shared trajectory of role-related touchpoints and activities, enacted through their joint engagement, which shape their shared experience with the firm (e.g., the shared journeys of employee unions or teams, customer advocacy groups, supplier collectives, competitors' organizations, or industry associations), lags behind. To bridge this gap, we adopt group-centric dynamic social impact theory (DSIT) to examine the effect of dynamic social impact (social influence) on grouped stakeholders' journey with the firm. Drawing on the 7C framework, we develop a set of propositions that explore the effect of grouped stakeholders' DSIT tenets of stakeholder consolidation, clustering, correlation, and continuing diversity on their joint engagement and experience through their journey with the firm, offering novel insight. We conclude by deriving key theoretical (e.g., by inviting future empirical testing of the propositions) and practical implications from our analysis (e.g., by proposing strategies to facilitate constructive stakeholder interactions).

This thesis compares the performance of indexing over relational and semi-structured databases under updates, deletes and inserts. A total of 10 cases have been benchmarked: PostgreSQL or MongoDB databases which uses no indexing, B-tree indexing, Hash indexing, and extra two B-tree indices over non-primary attributes. The benchmark itself was done on 4 databases with 10⁴ , 10⁵ , 10⁶  and 10⁷ records generated by the Python library Faker which tries to createas unique data as possible. The results indicate that without indexing and with secondary indexing the execution time of the operations increases proportionally to the size of the database. Whilst the execution time becomes constant with B-tree and hash indexing based on primary attributes.

The purpose of this study is to understand how young adults between the ages of 18-28 interpret information from influencers on Tiktok and Instagram. But also how they navigate in the digital information overload. The study was conducted with a qualitative method in terms of semistructured interviews and a thematic analysis. The results show how respondents use a variation of factors to assess credibility from influencers on Tiktok and Instagram. Influencers' collaborations with companies are often seen with skepticism which lowers the credibility, but if the influencers use the products themselves it can increase the credibility. Also if it is a collaboration with a well established company it might be interpreted as more reliable. Other factors that affect the credibility are social signals such as likes, number of followers and comments. It can be used as heuristics to determine if a content is trustworthy, especially when the viewers are unsure. Expertise is a factor that often increase the credibility for the influencers and their content. Attraction and parasocial relationships are often an unaware factor that contribute to how an influencer's content is perceived, which can also be affected by algorithms. However, the respondents' own experiences can play a stronger role in how they perceive the content. In summary the study suggests that young adults use a combination of factors when they decide if an influencer's content is trustworthy, which may differ depending on the recipient's own life experiences.    

This study examines how the streaming platform Spotify uses technical features, personalization and data collection to shape user agency. The purpose of this study is to analyze how design and language choices can influence user behaviour and normalize data collection. The research questions posed are what type of interaction is the user encouraged to, how is personalization used as a strategy to enhance user engagement, and how is data collection framed within the interface. The analysis is based on systematic interaction from two different user profiles on the Spotify application. The material used is a selection of Spotify's technical features and interface that illustrates the platform's functional, sensory, cognitive and cooperative affordances. The theoretical foundation of the study is based on platform theory, surveillance capitalism, and critical perspectives on interface design. The method used is a qualitative technological approach focusing on the platform's technical affordances. Furthermore, the study is combined with an autoethnographic approach, where the aim is to explore, describe, and analyze everyday actions and cultural contexts based on personal experiences. Previous research has shown that digital platforms are designed to collect and transform user data for economic purposes, rather than to improve the user experience. This essay shows that the platform activates different affordances depending on user behavior. The analysis shows that personalization is presented as careful and playful, and data collection is normalized through the design of the interface. The study provides insights into how streaming platforms like Spotify have the power to shape user behavior. 

Background: Antibiotic prescribing for pharyngotonsillitis in primary healthcare significantly influences patient outcomes, particularly concerning the risk of complications. This study examines trends in antibiotic use and the associated risk of complications before, during and after the pandemic.

Methods: This study used large-scale, register-based data linking primary healthcare records with national and regional registers. The study included individuals aged 12 and older from the Stockholm and Västra Götaland regions, representing about 40% of the Swedish population. We identified 295,972 cases of pharyngotonsillitis between 1 January 2018 and 30 December 30, 2023, applying a 180-day washout period to ensure distinct episodes. Logistic regression models estimated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for complications within 30 days, comparing patients who received antibiotics to those who did not.

Results: Antibiotic prescriptions temporarily decrease during the pandemic, followed by a partial rebound, with penicillin remaining the preferred antibiotic. Complications, with peritonsillar abscess being the most common, were more frequent in patients receiving antibiotics (1.75%) compared to untreated individuals (0.43%). Among treated patients, those prescribed penicillin had fewer complications (1.62%) than those given other antibiotics (2.87%). After adjusting for sociodemographics, comorbidities, primary care visits, and vaccination status, the risk for complications is lower for untreated patients (aOR 0.24, 95% CI 0.22–0.26).

Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted antibiotic prescribing patterns in Swedish primary care, with a substantial reduction in overall antibiotic prescribing during the pandemic. Penicillin’s continued use as a first-line therapy appears well-justified, given its lower associated risk of complications.

We show how cosmological particle production can be described using an equal-time Wigner formalism. This quantum kinetic approach was originally designed with a focus on its classical limit, but we show that it can also be used to study inherently quantum phenomena such as particle production.

Introduction: In aortic valve disease, several interventions are available. In young people who are still growing, or considering the risks of long-term anticoagulation, the Ross procedure remains an alternative for aortic valve replacement. This procedure entails the transposition of the patient’s pulmonary valve to the aortic position, with placement of a homograft in the pulmonary position. However, long-term prognosis remains largely unknown.

Methods: The Swedish national registry of congenital heart disease was searched for adult patients with a history of Ross operation.

Results: 82 patients (mean age 40.4±15.8 years) were identified, with a mean age at the time of the Ross procedure of 23.6±14.7 years. After a mean follow-up of 16.8±5.5 years, 24.4% of patients underwent a first reoperation involving either the neoaortic valve or the pulmonary homograft, at a mean age of 32.0±13.9 years. The cumulative incidence of reoperation was approximately 15% at 10 years and 30% at 20 years post-Ross procedure. Among the 20 reinterventions, 17 (85.0%) involved the pulmonary valve and 8 the neoaortic valve; five patients underwent procedures on both valves. Two patients (2.3%) died during follow-up.

Forty-eight patients in the cohort had undergone primary Ross surgery. This subgroup was older at the time of data extraction (mean age 46.7±15.7 years) compared with those who underwent secondary Ross surgery (mean age 31.3±10.7 years), that is, typically following previous interventions. The secondary Ross group demonstrated better left ventricular function, with ejection fraction >50% in 91.7% of cases, compared with 69.8% in the primary group (p=0.041).

Conclusion: One in four patients undergoing the Ross procedure requires a reintervention, commonly involving the pulmonary valve. Long-term mortality was low. In selected patients, the Ross procedure remains a viable option; however, late morbidity must be considered. Our findings suggest that secondary Ross surgery is associated with better long-term outcomes, particularly regarding left ventricular function, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

BACKGROUND: Despite significant progress in identifying risk factors for colorectal cancer (CRC), factors influencing survival in people with CRC remain less understood. Pro-inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) have been implicated in cancer progression and may influence CRC outcomes. We investigated associations between genetically predicted levels of IL-6 and TNF-α signaling pathways and mortality in people with CRC.

METHODS: We conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using cis-acting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with soluble IL-6 receptor alpha (sIL6-RA) and IL-6 signal transducer gp130 (IL6ST), representing IL-6 signaling, and with TNF-α, and its soluble receptors (sTNF-R1, sTNF-R2). SNPs were obtained separately from two large genome-wide association studies (GWAS): deCODE and UK Biobank (UKB). The outcome was CRC-specific mortality among 16,964 CRC cases (4010 deaths) in the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium (GECCO). Analyses were stratified by tumor site and stage. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method, incorporating a correlation matrix for dependent SNPs, was used for primary analyses. Because literature links TNF-α to CRC incidence, we additionally performed a simulation study to evaluate the potential impact of collider bias resulting from restricting analyses to CRC cases.

RESULTS: Genetically predicted sIL6-RA was weakly positively associated with CRC-specific mortality (deCODE-SNPs (n = 13) HR per 1 SD increase: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.00-1.12; UKB-SNPs (n = 11) HR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.02-1.17). Genetically proxied IL6ST levels showed no association with CRC-specific mortality in the overall sample (deCODE-SNPs (n = 19) HR: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.90-1.21; UKB-SNPs (n = 9) HR: 1.11; 95% CI: 0.87-2.42), while higher IL6ST levels were associated with increased mortality among patients with stage 2/3 disease (deCODE-SNPs (n = 19) HR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.10-1.91; UKB-SNPs (n = 9) HR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.22-2.89). No associations were observed for TNF-α, sTNF-R1, or sTNF-R2. Findings for all exposures were consistent across both GWAS datasets. Simulation analyses for TNF-α indicated collider bias was present but limited in magnitude.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that IL-6 signaling may play a role in CRC progression although of limited magnitude, whereas TNF-related pathways appear less relevant for prognosis.

Background: An accurate understanding of prognosis in Parkinson's disease (PD) is important for patient information provision, personalized treatment, and clinical trial design, but most previous research has been biased towards younger, healthier patients.

Objectives: To describe key clinical outcomes longitudinally and identify baseline prognostic factors (predictors) for these outcomes using population-representative PD cohorts.

Methods: We meta-analyzed individual patient data from six incidence cohorts in Western Europe (Norway, Sweden, and UK). Each cohort aimed to recruit and follow up all newly diagnosed cases in defined population/incidence periods (between 2000 and 2011). We described postural instability (Hoehn & Yahr Stage 3), functional dependency (needing help with daily activities), dementia, and death with up to 12 years' follow-up and investigated clinical and genetic predictors using frailty Cox models.

Results: In 883 population-based incident patients, median age at motor symptom onset was 69.2 years. Median time to postural instability and functional dependency was 7.4 years. Dementia affected 49.6% by 10 years and 54.7% had died by 12 years (median survival 9.4 years). Older age, higher Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-Part III (MDS-UPDRS-III) score, and lower Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were significantly associated with all outcomes; cognitive symptoms and GBA polymorphisms with each outcome except mortality; and APOE ε4 with increased mortality and dementia.

Conclusions: This first individual patient data meta-analysis of population-based incidence cohorts provides robust prognostic data, with fewer selection biases than previous PD studies, for informing people with PD about prognosis. In incidence cohorts, overall PD prognosis is worse than previously suggested, with key outcomes often occurring early. Further work should develop validated prognostic models for objective stratification of prognostic risk and for personalized medicine. 

Barrett’s esophagus (BE) is the precursor to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Progression to high-grade dysplasia (HGD)/EAC can be directly from non-dysplastic BE or via low-grade dysplasia (LGD). There is a lack of consensus about the implications of LGD diagnosis on progression risk and whether modifying risk progression with endoscopic interventions such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is appropriate. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical implications of LGD and the cost-effectiveness of different management strategies. Outcomes from a large single-center prospective BE surveillance database were retrospectively analyzed. All patients with BE in a structured surveillance program were included. The cohort was divided into three groups: non-dysplastic BE throughout, LGD at surveillance entry, and LGD developing during surveillance. Each group’s annual incidence of progression to HGD/EAC was calculated per 100 person-years. Outcomes were then applied within a health economic model for health economic analysis of ongoing endoscopic surveillance versus RFA of LGD to identify the most cost-effective management strategy. Nine hundred fourteen patients were included; 727 had non-dysplastic BE, 97 had LGD at entry, and 90 developed LGD during surveillance. Total surveillance time was 5212 person-years. Forty-six (5.0%) patients progressed to HGD/EAC, at an annual progression rate of 0.9 per 100 person-years. For subgroups, the progression rates to HGD/EAC were 0.6 per 100 person-years for non-dysplastic BE, 1.0 for LGD at entry, and 2.2 for LGD during surveillance (P < 0.0001). The most cost-effective management strategy was RFA if LGD was identified under surveillance, with an estimated cost per quality-adjusted life year gained being AU$26,763. Overall progression from LGD to HGD/EAC was comparable to most previous studies. RFA is a cost-effective management strategy for BE once LGD arises during surveillance.

Cell culture bioprocess data are typically collected across many timepoints and batches, where numerous analytes covary with each other and, critically, with elapsed process time. This time dependence can inflate performance metrics and compromise the validity of multivariate models. We introduce time-adjusted performance evaluation (TAPE), a regression-agnostic validation technique that quantifies and separates time-driven from time-independent predictivity. TAPE pairs leave-one-group-out cross-validation with per-timepoint centering to decompose performance into between-timepoint (time-dependent) and within-timepoint (time-decoupled) parts by comparing predicted and observed deviations from each timepoint mean. Applying TAPE to orthogonal partial least squares models across five Chinese hamster ovary cell culture datasets (three Raman spectroscopy, one metabolomics, and one transcriptomics), several ostensibly strong models’ predictivity was largely explained by timepoint means alone. After removing between-timepoint variation, only models with sample–response relationships independent of time retained good predictivity. For Raman, only models for Raman-active analytes (glucose, lactate) remained predictive, whereas Raman-inactive ones (K+, NH4+) did not. In the omics studies, the models for titer, viable cell density, growth rate, and death rates were predominantly time-driven. By quantifying time’s contribution to model performance, TAPE helps prevent misleadingly good performance metrics and supports more reliable multivariate modeling of time-series bioprocess data.

OBJECTIVE: Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) for testicular germ cell cancer is a complex procedure associated with postoperative complications and long-term morbidity, best performed by experienced surgeons at high-volume centers. This study evaluates surgical outcomes of RPLND in a centralized population-based cohort.

METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of a prospective multicenter cohort of all RPLNDs in Sweden between 2018 and 2022. 217 patients (175 nonseminomas and 42 seminomas) underwent unilateral or bilateral primary RPLND or post-chemotherapy RPLND. Primary outcomes were complications, loss of ejaculation, and histopathology.

RESULTS: Intraoperative complications occurred in 8% of unilateral and 0% of bilateral templates in primary RPLND, and in 0 and 8% in post-chemotherapy RPLND, most commonly renal injury. Postoperative complications rate was significantly higher with bilateral templates in post-chemotherapy RPLND (49% vs 18%, p < 0.01). Clavien-Dindo ≥ IIIb complications occurred in 2 (primary) and 3% (post-chemotherapy), respectively. Loss of ejaculation was numerically more common after bilateral templates (primary: 60% vs 31%, p = 0.07; post-chemotherapy: 53% vs 38%, p = 0.09). Viable cancer was found in 95% of seminomas and 52% of nonseminomas for primary RPLND and in nonseminoma post-chemotherapy RPLND, 11% viable cancer, 50% teratoma, and 39% benign nodes. Robotic surgery did not increase complications or loss of ejaculation.

CONCLUSIONS: RPLND demonstrated low complication rates and rare serious events. Bilateral templates were associated with increased loss of ejaculation. Robotic surgery was safe, and prior chemotherapy did not preclude laparoscopy. Post-chemotherapy RPLND showed more teratoma and viable cancer, and fewer benign findings than previously reported.

Drought-induced tree mortality underscores the need for improved physiological models to predict tree responses to water stress. We employed a hysteresis modelling approach analyzing diel water absorption and desorption cycles to understand drought-induced shifts in physiological thresholds. We applied this approach to sap flow (Js), stem diameter fluctuation (SDF), stem volumetric water content fluctuation (SVWCF), and vapour pressure deficit (VPD), datasets from two throughfall reduction experiments in contrasting ecosystems: a cloud forest (Peru) and a temperate forest (USA). Using a generalised transcendental equation, we quantified five diurnal hysteresis loops (Js:VPD, Js:SDF, Js:SVWCF, SDF:VPD, SVWCF:VPD) and derived hysteresis parameters (centroids, area, lag and angle of rotation) and physiological thresholds, i.e. transitions from water absorption to desorption and from water desorption to absorption. The model captured nonlinear physiological responses and highlighted the hysteresis strength and out-of-phase dynamics in each hysteresis loop. Droughted trees exhibiting contrasting patterns of stem shrinkage and moisture depletion revealed distinct water-use strategies: a stem water-extractive strategy under stress, relying on internal water storage, versus a conservative drought-avoidance strategy, maintaining a positive stem water balance. Our findings suggest that hysteresis-derived parameters serve as diagnostic tools and early indicators of drought stress, improving predictions of tree hydraulic resilience and water use strategies.

Efficient charge-carrier injection from air-stable electrodes into organic semiconductors (OSCs) is essential for fabricating solution-processed organic electronic devices under ambient conditions. Today, this is typically achieved by incorporating doped OSC interlayers, introducing self-assembled dipole monolayers, or adding mobile ions to the active material (AM). Here, we demonstrate an alternative approach that eliminates the need for additional injection layers or ionic additives. We achieve this by blending the dipolar compound TMPE-OH into the electroluminescent polymer Super Yellow (SY) and depositing this sole AM between two air-stable electrodes, forming a single-layer, dipole-doped OLED (D-OLED). By tracking its transient voltage-luminance response, performing impedance spectroscopy, and comparing these characteristics with two other single-layer device concepts, i.e. a neat-SY OLED without a dipolar compound and a light-emitting electrochemical cell (LEC) containing mobile ions, we can establish that the auxiliary dipoles in the D-OLED reorient under the applied driving voltage, enabling fast luminance turn-on and thinning the injection barriers at both electrodes. Finally, we demonstrate that the D-OLED achieves current efficacies comparable to those of SY OLEDs incorporating dedicated injection layers or LECs. Our study establishes dipolar doping as a practical strategy for efficient bipolar charge injection from air-stable electrodes in solution-processed organic semiconductor devices.

Anal fistula is a complex and often prolonged condition that significantly impacts patients’ daily lives and psychological well-being. This qualitative study explored how individuals living with anal fistula experience stigma, disruption, and identity strain in everyday life. Fifteen participants undergoing active treatment were interviewed at two hospitals. Data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings show that living with anal fistula was marked by shame, uncertainty, and social withdrawal, often contributing to an altered or fractured sense of self. Participants navigated this experience through three identity-shaping mechanisms: Knowledge Uncertainty, Expectations and Experiences, and Quality-of-Life. These mechanisms influenced how participants made sense of their condition, coped with invisibility, and negotiated bodily control in the context of pain and stigma. While many struggled to maintain a coherent identity in the face of chronic symptoms, interactions with empathetic healthcare providers, particularly those offering consistent information and emotional support played a critical role in helping patients feel seen and supported. The study highlights the need for more holistic, person-centered approaches to care that address not only the physical but also the psychosocial dimensions of life with an anal fistula.

Denna rapport redovisar en satsning på samverkan, dialog och forskningskommunikation med fokus på socialt inkluderande och hållbar samhällsplanering som genomförts i samarbete mellan Norrbottens Kommuner och Institutionen för socialt arbete vid Umeå universitet. Satsningen som kom att kallas KomForS (Kommunikation och Forskning i Samverkan), har bedrivits i form av ett forskningskommunikationsprojekt med finansiering från forskningsrådet Formas.

I rapporten beskrivs såväl KomForS-projektets genomförande och aktiviteter som de erfarenheter och lärdomar som arbetet har genererat. Syftet har varit att sammanställa och sprida erfarenheterna från KomForS för att kunna vidareutveckla permanenta former för forskningskommunikation och brobyggande mellan universitet och kommuner, och därigenom stärka den samverkan som bedrivs mellan våra organisationer. En ytterligare ambition är att rapporten kan spridas i ett vidare sammanhang, exempelvis till andra kommuner och lärosäten. 

Neurosteroids and inhibitory neurotransmitters can modulate neurotransmitter release from presynaptic terminals, yet the mechanisms underlying such modulation remain unclear. In this study, we investigated how presynaptic glycine and GABAAR-receptors (GlyRs and GABAARs) regulate glutamate release onto neurons in the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN), a hypothalamic region critically involved in reproductive and social behaviors. Using patch-clamp recordings from mechanically dissociated MPN neurons with functionally preserved presynaptic terminals, we selectively examined local presynaptic effects of receptor activation. Both the neurosteroid allopregnanolone and the selective GABAAR agonist muscimol consistently increased the frequency of glutamate-mediated spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs). This facilitation was sensitive to the GABAAR-blocker picrotoxin, abolished by inhibition of sodium-potassium-chloride cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) or by the sodium-channel blocker tetrodotoxin, consistent with a mechanism involving depolarizing chloride efflux driven by a high intraterminal chloride ion concentration and subsequent sodium-dependent recruitment of presynaptic calcium channels. In contrast, activation of presynaptic GlyRs produced bidirectional effects on glutamate release: facilitation in some terminals and inhibition in others. We demonstrate that the inhibitory effect likely depends on low intraterminal chloride concentration maintained by the potassium-chloride cotransporter 2 (KCC2), which enables chloride influx and hyperpolarization upon GlyR activation. Consistent with this mechanism, pharmacological blockade of chloride extrusion abolished glycine-induced inhibition, and immunogold labeling revealed KCC2 presence in a subset of presynaptic terminals innervating MPN neurons. Together, these findings suggest functional presynaptic KCC2 in central neurons and identify presynaptic chloride homeostasis as a key determinant of synapse-specific modulation of glutamate release in the MPN.

This study examines how academic development units (ADUs) maintain and sustain educational leadership within Swedish higher education institutions. Drawing on a national survey of ADU directors and a purposeful subsample of five focus-group interviews including deans and programme leaders, drawn from a larger dataset, we use reflexive thematic analysis to explore how ADUs are described by participants as fostering continuity in educational leadership. Framed through the lens of critical-constructive academic development, the findings show that ADUs’ influence is primarily relational and epistemic; that is, enacted through sustained practices of dialogue, interpretation, and trust-building rather than formal authority. As organisational actors, ADUs mediate between educational strategy and pedagogical practice, interpreting institutional priorities while maintaining space for reflection and critique. The study reframes ADUs as mediating infrastructures of care and critique, illustrating how they are described as maintaining continuity in educational leadership through relational and epistemic practices within complex university systems.

Background:

Lung function and its trajectory throughout the life-course - starting from lung growth and maturation, followed by the attainment of peak capacity, and subsequent decline - are influenced by different interrelated factors, including smoking, overweight, obesity, traffic exposure in childhood, and asthma, with the latter being one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. Both lung function impairment and asthma carry a significant public health burden due to increased risk of morbidity, mortality, and lower quality of life. Although characterized by chronic airway inflammation and variable airflow limitation, asthma is a heterogeneous disease encompassing diverse clinical presentations and symptoms, including wheezing, difficulty breathing, and coughing. Understanding how these factors impact lung function is critical for identifying high-risk individuals in order to improve asthma outcomes and survival.

Aims:

The overall aim of this thesis is to investigate how specific respiratory symptoms and changes in body mass index (BMI) during adulthood, as well as traffic exposure in childhood, are associated with lung function and asthma. A further aim is to evaluate the association between different spirometry patterns and mortality among adults with asthma.

Methods:

This thesis is based on longitudinal data from the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) research program, which used two separate population-based cohorts: the OLIN adult asthma cohort, examined at study entry (1986-2001) and at one follow-up (2012-2014), and the OLIN pediatric cohort II, recruited in 2006 at age 8 and followed up in 2016-2017 at age 19. Four prospective studies were conducted:

1. Respiratory symptoms: An analysis of 977 adults with asthma, who were followed for an average of 18 years to determine the association between the number and type of respiratory symptoms at study entry (recurrent wheeze, dyspnea, longstanding cough and productive cough) and lung function at follow-up in terms of the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) and also the annual decline in FEV₁, adjusting for other potentially associated factors by linear regression.

2. Body mass index (BMI): A study of 945 adults with asthma that investigated the impact of annual BMI change on the annual decline in FEV1, forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV₁/FVC separately in those with normal weight (BMI 18.5–24.9) and those with overweight/obesity (BMI ≥25) at study entry. Regression models were used to adjust for sex, age, smoking, inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) use and occupational exposure to gases, dust or fumes.

3. Spirometry patterns: A mortality study of 2028 adults with asthma, where spirometry patterns at study entry were classified as normal, preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) and obstruction. Mortality data until the 31^st of December 2020 (n=720 deceased) were linked from a national register and grouped by cause: respiratory, cardiovascular, cancer and other. Cox and Fine-Gray regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for spirometry patterns in relation to all-cause and cause-specific mortality, adjusted for age, sex, ICS use, education level, smoking habits and BMI.

4. Traffic exposure: A 10-year follow-up of a pediatric general population cohort (n=1056), that examined the impact of childhood exposure to vehicle traffic, in an area with low traffic-flows, on lung function in young adulthood in terms of FEV₁, FVC and FEV₁/FVC. Different exposure thresholds were defined based on residence proximity (within a 200 m radius of the home address) to a road with the highest daily count of heavy vehicles (≥250 and ≥500) or any type of vehicle (≥4000 and ≥8000). The association between vehicle traffic exposure and lung function was analyzed by linear regression adjusting for potential confounders.

Results:

Respiratory symptoms associated with lung function - specifically, recurrent wheeze and a high number of concurrent symptoms - were strongly associated with lower lung function, particularly in women. Regarding weight, BMI change was significantly associated with lung function decline. This association was more pronounced in those who were already overweight or obese at study entry compared to those with a normal BMI. The mortality study showed that, in addition to smoking and obesity, both PRISm and obstruction patterns increased all-cause and respiratory mortality risks. Environmentally, even in areas with relatively low traffic flow, childhood exposure to ≥250 heavy vehicles/day and ≥8000 vehicles/day were associated with slight but significantly lower lung function in young adulthood, suggesting that there may be no "safe" threshold for traffic exposure in relation to lung function development.

Conclusions:

Early-life traffic exposure in childhood was found to be associated with slightly lower lung function in young adulthood. Among adults with asthma, recurrent wheeze was the respiratory symptom that was most strongly associated with low lung function. BMI increase was also associated with lung function decline, especially among those who were already overweight or obese. Regarding spirometry patterns, both PRISm and obstruction were associated with increased risk of all-cause and respiratory mortality. These findings highlight that symptom control and weight management among adults with asthma, as well as public health policies considering even low-level traffic exposure, are essential for preserving lung function and reducing mortality.

This thesis investigates the diagnostic accuracy of non-echo-planar diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (non-EPI DW MRI) for cholesteatoma detection in routine clinical practice. It also evaluates the audiological and patient-reported outcomes of active transcutaneous bone-conduction devices (active transcutaneous BCDs) in otologic care.The thesis focuses on cholesteatoma diagnostics and hearing rehabilitation in individuals with conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss, and single-sided deafness.

The first paper evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of non-EPI DW MRI for the detection of cholesteatoma in routine clinical practice. Overall, diagnostic accuracy was moderate in routine clinical practice but improved when examinations were interpreted by experienced radiologists and when standardised EAONO/JOS diagnostic criteria were applied.

The subsequent papers assessed audiological and patient-reported outcome measures following implantation of active transcutaneous BCDs. The second paper evaluated the short-term outcomes of an active transcutaneous BCD and included an assessment of postoperative complications. The results demonstrated substantial short-term improvements in audiological performance and in quality of life among individuals with conductive and mixed hearing loss, while the complications rate was low. Participants with single-sided deafness generally experienced less benefit from the active transcutaneous BCD. However, the observed outcomes were in line with those reported for alternative rehabilitation options in this population.

The third paper examined the long-term efficacy and safety of active transcutaneous BCDs. Hearing improvements and patient-reported outcomes were maintained over time, with a low incidence of adverseevents.

The fourth paper expanded the evidence base by comparing the audiological performance of two commercially available active transcutaneous BCDs in participants with conductive and mixed hearing loss. The results showed that both systems produced substantial improvements in audiological performance. However, one system achieved significantly lower aided sound-field thresholds at several frequencies, indicating more efficient sound transmission. Both devices led to significant improvements in speech recognition in noise, with comparable gains across groups.

Overall, the findings indicate that non-EPI DW MRI has limitations in routine clinical practice, but diagnostic accuracy improves when examinations are interpreted by experienced radiologists using standardised assessment criteria. Active transcutaneous BCDs represent a safe and effective rehabilitation option for individuals with conductiveand mixed hearing loss and single-sided deafness.

In the Swedish constitutional system, lower-court judges play a central role in the application of law, yet little is known about how they understand this role in relation to the role of the national legislator. This thesis explores how Swedish lower-court judges understand their role in legal application, with particular attention to its relationship to the role of the national legislator in the constitutional system. The study focuses on judges’ own conceptions of what it means to apply the law, rather than on their actual practices or the outcomes of judicial decisions.

The research is based on interviews with currently serving lower-court judges, capturing how they view and reflect on the application of law and use of different legal sources. Using thematic analysis, three ideal-type roles are constructed to illustrate variations in these conceptions: The Civil Servant, The Guardian, and The Creator. The Civil Servant emphasises strict application of legislation and loyalty to the legislator. The Guardian highlights responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the legal system, including adherence to principles and to the hierarchy of norms. The Creator expresses a conception of the judge as also contributing to the development of law through judicial law-making. 

The constructed roles are analysed in relation to institutional and constitutional conditions and prior discussions about the role of the Swedish judge, as well as compared to each other. The analysis shows how the different role conceptions can be understood as expressions of different ways of relating to the institutional and constitutional conditions shaping the Swedish constitutional system. Furthermore, the comparison between the roles demonstrates that the different role conceptions can be seen as positioned within a tension between tradition, change, and the practical realities of everyday judicial work, ranging from a view of the judge as primarily serving the legislator to one of acting as a guardian of the legal system or, to some extent, its co-creator.

Overall, by constructing, analysing, and comparing these role conceptions, the dissertation contributes to a nuanced view of the diversity of the self-understandings of Swedish lower-court judges regarding their role in legal application. 

We discuss the challenge of exploring interactive technology within a children’s culture dominated by toys and stories based on transhumanist narratives of autonomous technology, robotic and artificial friends, timetravel, and future visions shaped by technological determinism. This position statement reflects on our role as design researchers in navigating this cultural backdrop in design efforts that include AI-imaginaries, especially together with children.

This study examines how brand identity is discursively constructed in the official communication of three major Swedish elite football clubs: AIK Fotboll, IFK Göteborg, and Malmö FF. Using a critical discourse analytical framework, the study investigates how language, symbols, and narratives are used to articulate notions of tradition, community, and professionalism, and how various stakeholder groups, particularly supporters, members, partners, and the broader society, are positioned within these discourses. The theoretical foundation combines perspectives on storytelling and organizational identity, emphasizing identity as a communicative, relational, and socially constructed phenomenon. The empirical material consists of publicly available texts from the clubs’ official websites, including sections on history, values, sustainability, and strategic documents for 2024–2026. Through a systematic text analysis informed by Fairclough’s three-dimensional model, the study identifies recurring linguistic patterns, intertextual references, and discursive strategies. The findings show that all three clubs construct their brand identities through a balance between historical continuity, collective belonging, and modern professionalization. Supporters are portrayed as emotionally central and identity-bearing actors, yet simultaneously positioned within a structure where strategic and operational authority remains with the club’s leadership. Partners and societal actors are framed as mutually legitimizing collaborators, while the clubs themselves are consistently constructed as the primary agents responsible for initiating and managing these relationships. Although the clubs differ in their emphasis the overarching logic is consistent: brand identity is produced through discourses that integrate collective authenticity with organizational professionalism. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of how elite football clubs use communication to construct legitimacy, belonging, and identity in a contemporary, commercialized sports landscape.

Cell-cell adhesion is a fundamental aspect of maintaining multicellular integrity while ensuring controlled cell and organ shedding, intercellular space formation and intrusive growth. Understanding of the precise mechanisms governing regulated cell separation, such as abscission, considerably progressed in recent decades. However, our comprehension of how plants maintain adhesion within tissues in which it is essential remains limited. Here we review some of the well-established knowledge along with latest discoveries that lead us to rethink the way developmentally controlled cell separation and adhesion maintenance may work. We also specifically explore the relationship between growth and adhesion, highlighting their similarities and coupling, and propose a plausible framework in which growth and adhesion are tightly co-regulated.

This paper examines the ongoing work of Truth Commissions (TCs) and Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs) directed at the Indigenous Sámi in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Employing a scoping and comparative approach, and drawing on the concept of educationalisation and boundary work theory, it provides an updated analytical account of the T(R)Cs, including their aims, key areas of knowledge and anticipated actions. The paper highlights the multifaceted role of education, history and the history of education in these processes, and connects the T(R)Cs to a growing body of research and emerging academic debate. It concludes with a comparative discussion of the Nordic T(R)Cs and of the road that lay ahead. In doing so, the paper hopes to contribute to advancing the professional dialogue on the ongoing commissions and their educational and educationalising dimensions.

Algorithms frequently manage online advertising markets, aligning advertisements with article topics. Our work investigates how users perceive the relevance of ads to articles when ads are placed using different keyword extraction algorithms, including Large Language Models (LLMs), and how transparency about the placement procedure influences these perceptions and behavioral intentions. We conducted an online user experiment (N = 498) where ads are matched with news articles using the keyword extraction methods TF-IDF, KeyBERT, and DeepSeek. Results indicate that lightweight methods can match advanced LLMs in delivering high user-perceived ad-article relevance, which in turn fosters click and purchase intentions. However, providing explanations for the ad-article placements by displaying extracted keywords reduces ad interest and thereby weakens behavioral intentions, while simultaneously increasing perceived relevance and moderating algorithm effects. These findings highlight the complex impact of transparency-increasing explanations and suggest that algorithmic precision metrics must be complemented by user perception and intention measures.

The aim of this study is to analyze how Swedish parliamentary parties’ proposals forcrime prevention measures related to schools can be categorized based on Sahlin’sprevention models, and how these proposals can be understood in relation to ideologicalperspectives. The study is based on a qualitative content analysis with a comparativeapproach, where material from the official websites of parliamentary parties has beenanalyzed using a coding scheme derived from Sahlin’s prevention models.

The results show that all prevention models are represented in the parties’ proposals,although the emphasis varies between parties. There is a broad consensus regarding theimportance of schools in crime prevention, particularly concerning early interventions,student health services, and inter-agency collaboration. At the same time, clear differencesemerge in how parties prioritize between structural, social, and control-oriented measures.

Furthermore, the study demonstrates that the parties’ proposals can be understood inrelation to ideological perspectives, where different priorities reflect varying views oncrime and its causes. However, the findings also indicate that parties tend to combinedifferent types of strategies, suggesting that criminal policy is shaped not only by ideologybut also by pragmatic considerations.

This study contributes to a deeper understanding of how political actors formulate crimeprevention strategies related to schools and how these can be analyzed within a commontheoretical framework.

Den här uppsatsen undersöker implementeringen av ett nytt integrerat bibliotekssystem vid Umeåregionens folkbibliotek under hösten 2025. Med utgångspunkt i ett sociotekniskt systemperspektiv kombineras kvalitativa intervjuer med en tematisk analys för att undersöka kritiska framgångsfaktorer, bibliotekariers och projektmedlemmars erfarenheter av implementeringsprocessen. Analysen visar att trots omfattande förberedelser och utbildning uppstod betydande utmaningar under driftsfasen.

Huvudfynden är: (1) kommunikationsluckor mellan biblioteket ochsystemleverantören (Axiell) angående systemfunktionalitet och support; (2) oväntade tekniska problem med de nya systemen (Arena och Quria) som påverkade bibliotekariers arbetsflöde och arbetsbörda; (3) varierande känslomässiga reaktioner bland personalen med oro förprofessionell identitet och autonomi; och (4) långsiktiga frågor om huruvida de nya systemen adekvat speglade bibliotekariers arbetspraktiker.

Studien visar att framgångsrik systemimplementering kräver mer än teknisk förberedelse och leverantörsstöd. Det krävs en fortsatt dialog mellan flera intressenter, uppmärksamhet på personalens bekymmer och professionell identitet, samt en realistisk insikt om systemensbegränsningar. Fynden överensstämmer delvis med etablerade implementeringsramverk (Yeh & Walters, Berg), men pekar också på behovet av mer kontextkänsliga tillvägagångssätt som tar hänsyn till enskilda biblioteksorganisationers speciella kulturer, traditioner och värderingar.

Cooperative perception has emerged as a key paradigm for enhancing environmental understanding in multi-agent systems by fusing sensory information from multiple agents to achieve more comprehensive and accurate perception than single-agent approaches.Despite its demonstrated benefits, existing cooperative perception methods face critical limitations in practical deployments, primarily due to model heterogeneity, latency, and limited communication bandwidth.

This Ph.D. thesis addresses the gap between the theoretical promise of cooperative perception and its practical deployment by systematically investigating how to design cooperative perception systems that are robust, efficient, and scalable under realistic constraints. The main objective of this research is to develop unified frameworks that enable effective multi-agent perception.

To this end, the thesis proposes a series of novel methods targeting these challenges.First, as a foundational study, InputMix is proposed to balance the contributions of heterogeneous sensors in joint training scenarios. Second, an intermediate model-agnostic cooperative perception framework is introduced to enable modular training and seamless collaboration among agents with heterogeneous models. Third, the Latency-Robust Cooperative Perception (LRCP) framework is developed to mitigate the adverse effects of temporal misalignment among agents. Fourth, a lightweight, codebook-free feature compression framework is designed to reduce communication overhead while preserving perceptual performance. Finally, these components are integrated into a unified framework.

Extensive experiments on public benchmark datasets demonstrate that the proposed methods achieve perception performance comparable to the ideal scenario under latency constraints, while enabling effective collaboration among heterogeneous agents and substantially reducing communication bandwidth.

The main contributions of this thesis lie in establishing practical cooperative perception frameworks that collectively address multiple fundamental challenges in multi-agent perception. The findings of this research have broader implications for large-scale autonomous systems, including connected autonomous vehicles and distributed robotic platforms, where reliable cooperative perception under communication and system heterogeneity constraints is essential.

The relationship between climate change and human hantavirus infection is complex, involving not only climate itself but also environmental conditions, rodent host ecology, and human behavior. Understanding this broader causal pathway requires careful integration of diverse data sources. Compared with well-studied vector-borne diseases, human hantavirus infection remains less explored, partly because its transmission pathways are more complicated to characterize. To assess how current evidence addresses this complexity, particularly the data and methods used, we reviewed empirical studies examining associations between climatic factors and human hantavirus infection in Europe. Thirteen studies were identified through a systematic approach. Using a tailored evaluation framework, we assessed their analytical approaches, including spatial and temporal resolution, lag effects, and handling of modifying and mediating variables. Across studies, we found substantial variation in data and methods. This heterogeneity, combined with differences in scale and variable selection, has led to inconsistent conclusions about whether and how climate influences hantavirus risk across different European regions. Our review highlights the need for more robust, coherent methodological strategies and explicit causal frameworks to clarify the relationships between climate and hantavirus infection and to support future surveillance and public health action.

In this article, we investigate how Danish and Swedish political parties strategically mobilised references to the past in their Facebook campaigning during the 2022 national elections. Through a qualitative content analysis of 759 Facebook posts, we identify how the past was instrumentalised in political rhetoric, specifically exploring positive, negative, and ambivalent campaigning strategies. Rather than reinforcing a pure binary between positive and negative messages, the findings illustrate that such references were also deployed ambivalently – simultaneously legitimising political positions and discrediting opponents. Yet, the study also highlights significant cross-national differences: While Swedish parties more often invoke long-term ideological legacies, Danish parties tend to focus on recent events. By combining insights from research on political campaigning and memory studies, our analysis underscores the complex narrative functions of history and memory in contemporary multiparty contexts. The study demonstrates how invoking the past shapes electoral discourse and thereby has the potential to influence both voter perceptions and self-proclaimed party legitimacy.

Systemic dissemination of inflammation-related proteins has been linked to unhealthy ageing and increased mortality. Yet, the systemic inflammatory profile of periodontitis, a common oral inflammatory disease, remains poorly characterised. The aim of this study was to evaluate the existing evidence linking alterations in serum levels of inflammation-related proteins to periodontitis. This study was registered in Prospero (CRD42024597308). The inclusion criteria were original, English language studies of human participants ≥16 years that assessed serum biomarkers in individuals with periodontitis and periodontally healthy controls. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched on October 13, 2024, and complemented with a hand search. Two independent reviewers performed abstract screening, full-text assessment, risk-of-bias assessment (modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale), and extraction of summary data. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to estimate the ratio of mean protein (RoM) level between periodontitis cases and controls. From 9120 screened records, 206 studies were included in the qualitative data synthesis, yielding 17953 participants (157 unique proteins) in total. Data from 144 studies (39 proteins) were included in the meta-analysis. In individuals with periodontitis compared with controls, analyses showed significantly (P<0.05) higher levels of C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2); interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-17, IL-17A and IL-18; leptin; matrix metalloproteinase 8 (MMP-8), myeloperoxidase (MPO); receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand (RANKL); and tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α). Notably, CCL2, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17, IL-17A, MMP-8, RANKL and TNF-α remained significantly elevated even in analyses restricted to systemically healthy participants, with additional significant associations observed for IL-12 and IL-33. Periodontitis is, independently of comorbidities, associated with systemic inflammation and with specific cytokines involved in metabolic and immune dysregulation, including inflammaging. These findings highlight the systemic impact of periodontitis and the importance of reducing the inflammatory burden to promote healthy aging and longevity.

Fe-rich smectite clays such as nontronite are widespread on Mars and serve as mineralogical archives of early aqueous processes and potential habitats. Their layered structures, high surface areas, and redox-active Fe sites make them promising candidates for adsorption, preservation, and catalytic transformation of organics. While clay–organic interactions have been extensively studied for Al-rich smectites, the role of Fe-rich clays in preserving nucleobases remains poorly constrained under Mars-like geochemical conditions. Here, we investigated adenine adsorption on nontronite across pH 1.8–13 and temperatures from −100 to 20 °C using Raman, UV–vis, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Raman analyses revealed diagnostic adenine bands in nontronite, including the purine ring-breathing mode at 723 cm–1 and a doublet near 1310–1345 cm–1, persisting under acidic and cryogenic conditions. UV–vis and DLS showed enhanced adenine uptake and aggregation at low pH, declining toward neutral and moderately alkaline conditions. Adsorption remained minimal above pH 11, and the observed spectral changes were primarily attributed to pH-induced modifications of the nontronite surface and possible adenine self-association. SEM confirmed compact, sheet-like morphologies at acidic pH, contrasting with disaggregated, amorphous textures under alkaline conditions, consistent with adenine desorption and partial clay destabilization. Our results demonstrate that adenine adsorption on nontronite is strongly pH- and temperature-dependent, with acidic and cryogenic environments enhancing preservation and spectral detectability. These findings establish the first experimental framework for adenine–nontronite interactions under Mars-like temperatures, while also providing reference Raman fingerprints and mechanistic insights relevant to both planetary exploration and clay–organic processes in terrestrial environments.

Metabolism is a key property of lake ecosystem functioning, but logistical challenges make it difficult to estimate across remote regions. The steady-state dissolved oxygen (DO) stable isotope method (18O method) estimates metabolism from discrete water samples and thus enables large-scale surveys. However, this method relies on the assumptions that the upper mixed layer DO saturation (DO%) relative to its isotopic composition (δ18ODO) is at a steady state and that an increase in DO% results in a proportional decrease in δ18ODO. The applicability of these assumptions has not been broadly assessed for small, low-productivity lakes with predominantly benthic metabolism. We evaluated the 18O method in these types of systems by surveying 184 Arctic lakes in Sweden and found that the method consistently produces realistic estimates of metabolism in well-mixed conditions and when water temperatures were relatively stable. Under such conditions, results from the 18O method agreed with those from the free-water diel DO method, and rates derived from both methods responded similarly to environmental drivers. In contrast, we found that the 18O method frequently generated unrealistic metabolic rates when temperatures were rising. Increasing temperatures may increase DO% irrespective of δ18ODO in the upper mixed layer and promote lake stratification, both violating the assumptions of the 18O method and preventing benthic metabolism from being integrated by surface water samples. We conclude that the 18O method is a powerful tool for studying metabolism in Arctic lakes across large spatial gradients, provided that temperature dynamics and vertical stratification are considered.

Spruce bark beetles are chemically communicating insects whose pheromones and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play a crucial role in species behavior, dispersal and mass attacks on spruce trees.  This literature review compiles and analyses analytical techniques for the detection and quantification of bark beetle pheromones, and their application in bioassays to assess behavioural responses. The focus is placed on VOC sampling and extraction techniques including solvent extraction, headspace methods and solid phase microextraction (SPME) as well as on the use of various adsorbents such as Porapak Q, Tenax and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Furthermore, key instrumental analytical techniques within analytical chemistry are addressed, with gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) constituting the primary method for identification and quantification of pheromone components. Complementary techniques such as GC–EAD, LC–MS and FTIR are also discussed in relation to their sensitivity and selectivity. The review demonstrates that an integrated application of advanced analytical methods and biological bioassays is necessary to identify biologically active pheromone components. This methodological combination provides an important foundation for further chemicalecological research and the development of pheromone-based applications. Keywords: bark beetles, pheromone, volatiles, olfactometer, Porapak Q, bioassay and open arena bioassay 

Somatic mutations in KRAS are a common driver of colorectal cancer (CRC) and present at different frequencies by race, sex, tumor site, ethnicity, and genetic similarity. Inherited germline variants may influence tumor somatic mutation frequency by altering mutation or DNA repair processes or altering cellular, immunological and/or microenvironmental responses after a mutation. We hypothesized that the germline genetic background modifies somatic KRAS mutation frequency in CRC. To test this, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 7071 individuals with CRC, using KRAS mutation status as the phenotype. Single-nucleotide variants were chosen for validation analyses based on P values from the discovery GWAS, predicted in silico functional effects, and proximity to genes with potential cancer relevance. A validation analysis of 101 SNVs of interest was performed in 2482 individuals. No SNVs were significantly associated with KRAS-mutant CRC (P value < 0.0005). One variant rs73067863-T showed a non-significant exploratory association with fewer KRAS-mutant tumors in the combined sample (P value = 9.7 × 10-7, OR = 0.75). Follow-up studies are needed to determine if these or other germline variants impact population differences in KRAS mutations in CRC.

Objectives: FDG PET/MRI is a promising imaging modality for nodal staging in rectal cancer; however, its role remains to be defined. We aimed to assess its performance in detecting mesorectal malignant lymph node involvement based on both metabolic and morphological criteria at PET/MRI versus at MRI alone.

Materials & methods: Sixty-five patients (median age 70 years, IQR 61–74; 39 men) were examined with FDG PET/MRI followed by individual anatomical matching of mesorectal nodal structures between histopathology and MRI. PET N-stage assessment was evaluated using FDG uptake over background levels, MRI N-stage by the 2016 European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR) consensus criteria and PET/MRI was evaluated using both in combination. Histopathological assessment served as gold standard, and the accuracy of identifying malignancy at both nodal and patient level was calculated. Furthermore, FDG PET/MRI and MRI using ESGAR criteria for nodal restaging after neoadjuvant treatment were also evaluated.

Results: In total, 835 nodal structures were matched, of which 104 were malignant (12%); among these, 59/104 (57%) were histopathologically proven lymph node metastases. MRI alone yielded a sensitivity of 54% and specificity of 85% for nodal malignancy, while the corresponding estimates for FDG-avidity gave a 75% sensitivity and 79% specificity. The different combined FDG PET/MRI criteria for malignancy were evaluated: FDG-positivity or malignancy according to ESGAR criteria resulted in a sensitivity of 76%; while the combination of FDG-positivity and malignancy according to ESGAR criteria achieved a specificity of 90%.

Conclusion: Compared to MRI alone, FDG PET/MRI offers potential added value by reducing the risk of nodal understaging.

The continental subsurface hosts energy-constrained groundwaters with a high diversity of ecologically elusive microorganisms adapted to the prevailing low-energy conditions. This study explored potential interactions among microbes using anaerobic enrichment incubations with three types of groundwater of contrasting hydrochemistry from the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory, Sweden. Removing cells larger than 0.45 µm from the inoculum resulted in incubations enriched in populations characterized by very small genomes, including Patescibacteria, Nanobdellota, and Omnitrophota. These incubations had a higher diversity than non-fractionated incubations. However, cell numbers and community structure of the fractionated incubations did not change over an incubation period up to four months, despite high microbial diversity and experimental amendments with either simple (acetate) or more complex (cell lysate) carbon sources. In addition, network analysis on the groundwaters revealed multiple co-occurrences between populations affiliated with the Patescibacteria and the Desulfobacterota. Overall, these findings support that a considerable part of microbial diversity has a small cell size in these low energy groundwaters and strong co-occurrences among populations as an important survival strategy.

A large library based on a Tn5 minitransposon carrying a thermostable kanamycin resistance gene was prepared using Thermus thermophilus HB27 genomic DNA as target. To increase the yield of transformants, DNA from the in vitro transposition reaction was amplified using isothermal multiple displacement amplification. The resulting product was first transformed into the high-transformation efficiency addAB/ppol strain and then into a wild-type HB27 strain. Tn-seq analysis of the libraries showed that almost all genes contained insertions and the distribution of the number of insertions per gene was unimodal, unlike the bimodal distribution reported in most Tn-seq analyzes, thus hindering the discrimination of required or essential genes. Upon comparing the Tn-seq results with gene conservation in pangenomic analysis from Thermus thermophilus to Deiococcota levels, as well as with available HB27 RNA-seq data, we observed a very low correlation between core genes or gene transcription levels and Tn-seq insertion frequency. Notably, many genes largely deemed part of the essential bacterial core, supporting critical cellular pathways, showed relatively high transposon insertion numbers. In the case of DNA repair routes, which are essential but somewhat redundant, our results align well with previously published essentiality data, indicating that many genes are dispensable and permissive to insertions. The analysis of these striking results in the context of Thermus biology suggests that the polyploidy of the Thermus genome and the differential stability of proteins may explain the apparent non-essentiality of key genes.

OBJECTIVES: Bone conduction devices (BCD) have been commercially available since the 1980s for patients with conductive hearing loss (CHL), mixed hearing loss (MHL), or single-sided deafness (SSD). BCDs significantly improve the hearing capacity of patients regardless of age, which has a positive impact on their quality of life, mental health, education, and work performance. BCDs are categorized as percutaneous or transcutaneous solutions based on the attachment method. Selecting the optimal solution for patients requires consideration of audiological outcomes, guidelines, safety, patient preferences, and costs. This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of an active transcutaneous solution (Osia System, Cochlear Ltd.) compared with percutaneous solutions to treat adult patients in Sweden. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A Markov model was developed to simulate a cohort of adult patients aged 59 years or older receiving Osia or percutaneous BCDs. The model considered 3 health states: patients who have received a BCD, patients without a device due to explantation (without reimplantation) or elective device non-use, and an absorbing state (death). The final state was based on age-dependent mortality, assuming hearing loss does not impact mortality. Probabilities were determined for transition between the health states with 6-month cycles and a lifetime horizon. Utility scores for each health state were derived from published literature using the Health Utilities Index Mark III (HUI3). Complication rates were also sourced from the literature, and the cost of complications and implantation from the National Board of Health and Welfare in Sweden, Socialstyrelsen. The perspective of the model was the Swedish health care system, and the main outcome was incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the results. RESULTS: Osia was associated with an increase in cost of 79,293 SEK and an increase in QALYs of 0.73 compared with percutaneous devices, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of 108,318 SEK per QALY gained. The main drivers of cost-effectiveness were baseline age, the cost of surgery, and the difference in utility scores between the two interventions. The differences in HUI3 scores may be linked to the reduced risk of complications, improved cosmetic appearance, and improved hearing with Osia. CONCLUSIONS: Osia is cost-effective compared with percutaneous devices over a lifetime horizon, when applying low to moderate cost per QALY willingness-to-pay thresholds indicated by the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services. This analysis provides information on the economic impact of different hearing solutions to support decisions on which BCD best meets the needs of patients and health care budgets.

We consider deep learning-based perception in real-time, safety-critical cyber-physical systems (CPS), such as autonomous driving and robotics, where embedded computing platforms typically operate under limited hardware resources due to SWaP-C (Size, Weight, Power, and Cost) constraints. In computer vision-based deep learning perception, adversarial patch attacks have emerged as a powerful method for deceiving classifiers. These attacks involve placing a carefully crafted patch on the input image, constituting a physically realizable and practical threat. Defense techniques against such attacks remain an active area of research. In this study, we evaluate and compare six well-known certifiable adversarial patch defenses, encompassing 14 models, across three different hardware platforms. We analyze their performance in terms of accuracy and processing time, highlighting key trade-offs. This paper aims to serve as a reference for selecting adversarial patch defense algorithms in real-time, safety-critical applications.

Background and objective: Indoor microbial exposures influence respiratory health, yet how men and women respond differently to airborne bacterial communities remains unclear. This study aimed to assess sex-specific associations between indoor airborne bacteria, and lung function, and airway inflammation in adults. Methods: Airborne dust was collected from the bedrooms of 1038 adults (463 men, 575 women) across five Nordic cities as part of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) III. Bacterial communities were profiled using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Bacterial and endotoxin loads were quantified via quantitative PCR (qPCR) and the Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay, respectively. Multivariable linear regression models stratified by sex were used to examine associations with lung function and airway inflammation. Results: Greater indoor bacterial diversity was associated with higher lung function in men (FEV1 β = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.29, P = 0.003) and higher FeNO levels in women (β = 2.44, 95% CI: 0.73 to 4.15, P = 0.005). Endotoxin load was positively associated with FeNO in women (β = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.70, P = 0.02), but not in men. Genera from Actinobacteriota and Bacilli were associated with higher lung function, while Clostridia was linked to lower lung function and reduced FeNO. In contrast, several genera from Actinobacteriota and Gammaproteobacteria were positively associated with FeNO. Conclusions: Indoor bacterial exposures were associated with respiratory health in a sex-specific pattern. These findings highlight the importance of microbial composition in shaping adult lung health and underscore the need for sex-specific approaches in future epidemiological research.

Photosynthesis is the foundational process for carbon fixation in terrestrial ecosystems. Although allelic variations in photosynthesis-related genes have the potential to enhance carbon assimilation efficiency, their functional roles in local adaptation are still not well understood. In this study, we systematically examined the genetic and transcriptomic diversity among globally distributed natural accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana, focusing on 1,103 genes associated with photosynthetic pathways. By assembling chloroplast genomes from 28 representative accessions and integrating whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing data from over 1,000 accessions, we identified extensive allelic variation. Notably, 34.0% of these genes exhibited regulatory variations through expression quantitative trait locus mapping, including key components such as Rubisco and Rubisco activase. Functional validation demonstrated that overexpression of these genes increased cotyledon size and root length. Additionally, genome-wide and transcriptome-wide association studies revealed that natural selection acting on these allelic variations significantly contributes to local environmental adaptation. Our findings elucidate the connection between genetic variation in photosynthetic pathways and their ecological significance, providing valuable insights for optimizing carbon fixation in dynamic environments.

Buildings contribute to global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, making energy-efficient interventions important for sustainable development. In practice, the design and evaluation of such interventions commonly rely on correlation-based predictive models, which describe statistical associations but provide limited insight into the causal mechanisms linking environmental changes, occupant perceptions, and behavioral responses. As a result, interventions may produce outcomes that differ from expectations. This study introduces the Occupant-Centric Building Intervention Framework (OCBIF) designed to assess effectiveness of building energy interventions related to OBI. It establishes causal relationships among environments, occupant characteristics and perceptions, and adaptive actions by adopting the Driver–Need–Action–System (DNAS) concept. It employs Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs) to simulate building contexts to allow observations related to occupant-building interaction (OBI) for final validation of building interventions. The case study is demonstrated using scenarios related to building interventions aiming to reduce heater uses. The causal analysis yields insights into thermal comfort and OBI. The results show that thermal sensation mediates the effect of indoor temperature on heater interaction, while age and system accessibility are additional causal influences on OBI. This causal structure explains why changes in indoor temperature do not translate directly into behavioral responses and why identical thermal interventions can lead to heterogeneous outcomes across occupants. Findings revealed that OCBIF bridged gaps in building intervention research providing actionable insights for stakeholders to design interventions enhancing energy efficiency while considering OBI.

Background: Pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain (PPGP) is a common musculoskeletal condition that affectsphysical functioning, emotional well-being, and everyday life for many women. While the physical symptoms of PPGPare increasingly recognised, there remains a lack of insight into the lived experiences of those affected, particularly inrelation to identity, coping, and family life.

Aim: This study aimed to explore pregnant Norwegian women’s experiences of PPGP, with a particular focus onsymptom burden, coping strategies, and the condition’s impact on quality of life and family dynamics.

Methods: Semi-structured in-depth individual interviews (n=18) were conducted with pregnant womenexperiencing PPGP. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: The overarching theme, This, too, shall pass, emerged from participants’ narratives, capturing a sharedperception of PPGP as a temporary, though challenging, aspect of the perinatal experience. While some participantsremained hopeful for immediate postpartum relief, others anticipated a longer recovery. The participants described aconstant need to adapt, striving to balance daily responsibilities and self-preservation despite persistent discomfort.PPGP significantly disrupted physical and emotional functioning, disrupted sleep, and hindering routine activities,including work participation. Partner support and social validation emerged as vital coping resources.

Interpretation: Our findings show that PPGP profoundly affects women’s physical, emotional well-being,occupational roles and sense of identity during pregnancy. These insights highlight the need for a holistic, personcentred approach to PPGP in clinical care. Improving professional awareness and the development of patientinformed interventions are essential to support coping strategies, safeguard maternal identity, and reduce the dailyburden of living with PPGP.