Pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum epidemiology and outcome in children born in Sweden 1980-1999

Aims: To describe children born with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (PA-IVS) in Sweden between 1980 and 1999, the incidence and outcome of PA-IVS, to examine cardio-pulmonary outcomes in survivors and to evaluate their quality of life. Material and methods: Eighty-four subjects were identified. All available medical data were evaluated. Among 52 survivors, 29 underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing and lung function tests at rest and 12 subjects underwent myocardial scintigraphy during exercise test and echocardiography at rest. A questionnaire concerning quality of life was completed by 42 subjects. Results: The incidence was 4.2/100, 000 live births. Eight subjects had an Ebstein-like tricuspid ostium, 31 had a muscular pulmonary atresia and 40 had a membranous pulmonary atresia. Ventriculo coronary arterial communications (VCAC) were found in 36 subjects (43%). Follow-up time was 14 days to 20 years (median 6 years). Among 52 survivors 32 had biventricular repair and 20 univentricular palliation. The survival rate was 68% ten years after initial surgery. Exercise capacity was reduced, but subjects without VCAC and operated with biventricular repair had better exercise capacity than the others. Lung function was an independent predictor of exercise capacity. Nine of 12 subjects examined had myocardial perfusion defects during exercise, and these were associated with VCACs. Right ventricular function, as judged from echocardiography at rest, was impaired, while left ventricular function was normal or slightly impaired. Overall quality of life was similar to that of a healthy control group, but subjects with PA-IVS reported more psychosomatic symptoms. Summary: PA-IVS is an unusual and heterogeneous congenital heart defect associated with high mortality during the first years of life. Membranous pulmonary atresia was associated with a better outcome than muscular pulmonary atresia with respect to survival, myocardial perfusion defects and exercise capacity. The majority of the survivors had biventricular repair. Overall quality of life was good

Children’s prosthetic citizenship as ‘here-and-now’, ‘not-yet’ and ‘not-here’. the case of the mobile preschool

Using the case of the mobile preschool we focus on how children’s prosthetic citizenship is constructed in relation to notions of mobility and place in the accounts of Swedish mobile preschool professionals. Mobile preschools are preschools in buses that visit different places in and around the city on an everyday basis. Analysis of interviews and workshop discussions with mobile preschool professionals shows how three different conceptualisations of children’s ‘proper’ citizenship operate in parallel in these accounts – children as ‘not-yet-citizens’, children as ‘not-here-citizens’ and children as ‘here-and-now-citizens’. These different conceptualisations are constructed in relation to the everyday mobility of the mobile preschool and notions of places as more or less beneficial for children’s proper future and Swedish citizenship, and reveal how mobility is not only a consequence of citizenship relations but also constitutive of them. This paper contributes to knowledge on how mobility and notions of place constitute ideas on citizenship, and how forms and geographies of mobility produce subjects as more or less citizen

Possibilities for sustainable biorefineries based on agricultural residues - A case study of potential straw-based ethanol production in Sweden

This study presents a survey of the most important techno-economic factors for the implementation of biorefineries based on agricultural residues, in the form of straw, and biochemical conversion into ethanol and biogas, together with production of electricity and heat. The paper suggests locations where the necessary conditions can be met in Sweden. The requirements identified are regional availability of feedstock, the possibility to integrate with external heat sinks, appropriate process design and the scale of the plant. The scale of the plant should be adapted to the potential, regional, raw-material supply, but still be large enough to give economies of scale. The integration with heat sinks proved to be most important to achieve high energy-efficiency, but it was of somewhat less importance for the profitability. Development of pentose fermentation, leading to higher ethanol yields, was important to gain high profitability. Promising locations were identified in the county of Ostergotland where integration with an existing 1st generation ethanol plant and district heating systems (DHSs) is possible, and in the county of Skane where both a significant, potential straw supply and integration potential with DHSs are available. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Playing, living, moving – and fearing? Families’ management of risk and safety through play (and) mobility : [Spielen, leben, bewegen – und fürchten? Familienmanagement von Risiko und Sicherheit durch Spiel (und) Mobilität]

This article focuses on the everyday mobilities of families living in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in Sweden. Through the use of interview material from two ongoing qualitative research projects on families’ apartment living, and on everyday mobility in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, we analyse how families account for the organization of collective family mobilities in order to enable and support children’s play and movement. Departing from a relational understanding of mobility, the article contributes to research on children’s everyday mobilities by focusing on how these are enmeshed with collective family mobilities as well as entangled with the neighbourhood context. The findings show how family play outings to parks, playgrounds and commercial play centres are a way for families to handle risk as well as to do and display ‘togetherness’, through the creation of ‘safe family spaces’ on the move for children’s play and movement. Dieser Artikel befasst sich mit der Alltagsmobilität von Familien, die in einem benachteiligten Viertel in Schweden leben. Anhand von Interviewmaterial aus zwei laufenden qualitativen Forschungsprojekten zum Wohnen von Familien und zur alltäglichen Mobilität in benachteiligten Stadtvierteln wird analysiert, wie Familien kollektive Familienmobilität gestalten, um Spiel und Bewegung der Kinder zu ermöglichen und zu unterstützen. Ausgehend von einem relationalen Verständnis von Mobilität trägt der Artikel zur Erforschung der Alltagsmobilität von Kindern und Familien bei, indem herausgearbeitet wird, wie diese miteinander sowie dem sozialräumlichen Kontext des Viertels verwoben sind. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, wie Familienausflüge in Parks, auf Spielplätze und in kommerzielle Spielzentren eine Möglichkeit für Familien darstellen, mit Risiken umzugehen und "Zusammengehörigkeit" zu zeigen, indem sie unterwegs "sichere Familienräume" für das Spiel und die Bewegung der Kinder schaffen.