Extensive Internet Involvement—Addiction or Emerging Lifestyle?

In the discussions for the future DSM-5, the Substance-Related Disorders Work Group has been addressing “addiction-like” behavioral disorders such as “Internet addiction” to possibly be considered as potential additions for the diagnostic system. Most research aiming to specify and define the concept of Internet addiction (or: Excessive/Compulsive/Problematic Internet Use—PIU), takes its point of departure in conventional terminology for addiction, based in established DSM indicators. Still, it is obvious that the divide between characteristics of addiction and dimensions of new lifestyles built on technological progress is problematic and far from unambiguous. Some of these research areas are developing from the neurobiological doctrine of addiction as not being tied to specific substances. The concept of “behavioral addictions”, based on biological mechanisms such as the reward systems of the brain, has been launched. The problems connected to this development are in this study discussed and reflected with data from a Swedish survey on Internet use (n = 1,147). Most Swedes (85%) do use the Internet to some degree. The prevalence of excessive use parallels other similar countries. Respondents in our study spend (mean value) 9.8 hours per week online at home, only 5 percent spend more than 30 hours per week. There are both positive and negative social effects at hand. Many respondents have more social contacts due to the use of Internet, but there is a decline in face-to-face contacts. About 40% of the respondents indicate some experience of at least one problem related to Internet use, but only 1.8% marked the presence of all problems addressed. Most significant predictors for problem indicators, except for age, relate to “time” and time consuming activities such as gaming, other activities online or computer skills

Impact of Sample Type and DNA Isolation Procedure on Genomic Inference of Microbiome Composition

Explorations of complex microbiomes using genomics greatly enhance our understanding about their diversity, biogeography, and function. The isolation of DNA from microbiome specimens is a key prerequisite for such examinations, but challenges remain in obtaining sufficient DNA quantities required for certain sequencing approaches, achieving accurate genomic inference of microbiome composition, and facilitating comparability of findings across specimen types and sequencing projects. These aspects are particularly relevant for the genomics-based global surveillance of infectious agents and antimicrobial resistance from different reservoirs. Here, we compare in a stepwise approach a total of eight commercially available DNA extraction kits and 16 procedures based on these for three specimen types (human feces, pig feces, and hospital sewage). We assess DNA extraction using spike-in controls and different types of beads for bead beating, facilitating cell lysis. We evaluate DNA concentration, purity, and stability and microbial community composition using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and for selected samples using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Our results suggest that inferred community composition was dependent on inherent specimen properties as well as DNA extraction method. We further show that bead beating or enzymatic treatment can increase the extraction of DNA from Gram-positive bacteria. Final DNA quantities could be increased by isolating DNA from a larger volume of cell lysate than that in standard protocols. Based on this insight, we designed an improved DNA isolation procedure optimized for microbiome genomics that can be used for the three examined specimen types and potentially also for other biological specimens. A standard operating procedure is available from https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3475406. IMPORTANCE Sequencing-based analyses of microbiomes may lead to a breakthrough in our understanding of the microbial worlds associated with humans, animals, and the environment. Such insight could further the development of innovative ecosystem management approaches for the protection of our natural resources and the design of more effective and sustainable solutions to prevent and control infectious diseases. Genome sequence information is an organism (pathogen)-independent language that can be used across sectors, space, and time. Harmonized standards, protocols, and workflows for sample processing and analysis can facilitate the generation of such actionable information. In this study, we assessed several procedures for the isolation of DNA for next-generation sequencing. Our study highlights several important aspects to consider in the design and conduct of sequence-based analysis of microbiomes. We provide a standard operating procedure for the isolation of DNA from a range of biological specimens particularly relevant in clinical diagnostics and epidemiology

Education for empowerment

Syftet med den här undersökningen är att fördjupa förståelsen av hur undervisning i samhällskunskap kan bidra till att öka elevernas benägenhet att engagera sig i demokratiska processer. Syftet operationaliseras i två frågeställningar. Hur uppfattar elever sin demokratiska egenmakt och hur kan undervisningen utveckla elevernas upplevda demokratiska egenmakt?  En kartläggning genomförd i två gymnasieklasser i Stockholmsområdet visade att elevernas uppfattade egenmakt, med stöd i Amnås och Ekmans typer av passiva medborgare respektive Westheimer och Kahnes typer av aktiva medborgare, kan beskrivas i fyra upplevelsekategorier av växande egenmakt: ingen, liten, individuell och kommunitär egenmakt. De fyra upplevelsekategoriernas koppling till Amnås och Ekmans respektive Westheimer och Kahnes typer av medborgare gör vidare att de kan placeras och diskuteras i ett större ämnesdidaktiskt sammanhang. Undersökningens andra frågeställning besvaras med förslag på tre lärandeobjekt som möjliggör för elever att göra förflyttningar från upplevelsekategorier med ingen eller liten upplevd egenmakt till upplevelsekategorier med större upplevd egenmakt, nämligen det demokratiska systemet, opinionsbildning samt politiska rörelser

Education for empowerment

Syftet med den här undersökningen är att fördjupa förståelsen av hur undervisning i samhällskunskap kan bidra till att öka elevernas benägenhet att engagera sig i demokratiska processer. Syftet operationaliseras i två frågeställningar. Hur uppfattar elever sin demokratiska egenmakt och hur kan undervisningen utveckla elevernas upplevda demokratiska egenmakt?  En kartläggning genomförd i två gymnasieklasser i Stockholmsområdet visade att elevernas uppfattade egenmakt, med stöd i Amnås och Ekmans typer av passiva medborgare respektive Westheimer och Kahnes typer av aktiva medborgare, kan beskrivas i fyra upplevelsekategorier av växande egenmakt: ingen, liten, individuell och kommunitär egenmakt. De fyra upplevelsekategoriernas koppling till Amnås och Ekmans respektive Westheimer och Kahnes typer av medborgare gör vidare att de kan placeras och diskuteras i ett större ämnesdidaktiskt sammanhang. Undersökningens andra frågeställning besvaras med förslag på tre lärandeobjekt som möjliggör för elever att göra förflyttningar från upplevelsekategorier med ingen eller liten upplevd egenmakt till upplevelsekategorier med större upplevd egenmakt, nämligen det demokratiska systemet, opinionsbildning samt politiska rörelser

Kiln control for processing of zinc clinker

I fumingverket på Rönnskärsverken utvinns zinkklinker ur slaggen från elugnen. En annan råvara är stålverksstoft. I fumingugnen omvandlas smältans zink- och blyinnehåll till metallånga som oxideras till ett stoft. Stoftet renas i en klinkerugn. Slutprodukten, zinkklinker, som består av 70 - 75 % zink, exporteras till zinksmältverket Norzink i Norge. Klinkerugnen är ett väldigt långsamt system med stegsvarstider i storleksordningen en timme vilket gör den svårstyrd och det resulterar i störningar och stilleståndstid med låg produktion och låg kvalitet på klinkern. För att lösa detta problem testas automatisk reglering i detta arbete. Två processmodeller tas fram för simulering och reglerdesign och tre regulatorer har utvecklats i simulering. Två av dessa testas på den faktiska processen. Vidare har ett ramverk för snabb utveckling och testning av regulatorer utvecklats. En C++-klass för kommunikation via DDE-gränssnittet mellan regulator och operatörsgränssnittet har också konstruerats.In the fuming plant at Rönnskärsverken smelter, zinc clinker is xtracted from slags and steel mill dust. In the fuming furnace, zinc and lead are vapourised by coal injection. The reoxidised metal dust is further refined at the clinker plant to obtain a product that is low in halogenes. Zinc clinker, which contains approximately 70 - 75 % zinc, is exported to the Norzink zinc smelter in Norway. The refinement takes place in an industrial kiln. The kiln is a very slow system and therefore difficult to control which results in disturbances and dead time. This causes low production rate and poor quality in the clinker. In order to cope with this, automatic control is tested in this thesis. Two process models have been built for simulation and control design and three controllers have been evaluated in simulation. Two of the developed controllers are tested on the actual process. A framework for fast controller prototyping has also been developed. A C++-class för communication using the DDE interface between controller and the operator user interface has also been implemented

Internet Addiction : The Making of a New Addiction

The body of Internet addiction research articles has grown rapidly during the last years. Critics claim that the bulk of this research is more confirmatory than scrutinizing, in spite of weak evidence for the label of addiction. A study on excessive Internet use in Sweden has been cited repeatedly in Internet addiction studies. The present study takes a closer look at these citations and combines the presentation with a systematic review of methods and theoretical approaches in Internet addiction studies, published between January 2000 and July 2013

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