Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure in children with asthma—relation between lead and cadmium, and cotinine concentrations in urine

SummaryExposure to heavy metals from environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) was investigated in 23 children with asthma (8.4±3.7yr). ETS exposure was assessed by an inquiry data-based exposure index, the urinary concentration of cotinine (U-cotinine; a major nicotine metabolite) and the house dust (fine and coarse fractions) concentrations of nicotine at home. The corresponding concentrations of the heavy metals cadmium and lead in dust and urine (U-Cd; U-Pb) were determined in the same samples.There were strong associations between the ETS exposure index and U-cotinine (rs=0.62; P<0.002) and nicotine in house dust (rs=0.77; P<0.001). There was a strong positive correlation between lead and cadmium concentrations in both fine (rs=0.86; P<0.001) and coarse dust (rs=0.57; P=0.02). Although, there was a tendency for a relation between nicotine and lead concentrations in fine dust (rs=0.52; P=0.06), no other significant associations were found between house dust metals and nicotine concentrations. U-Cd correlated well with U-cotinine (rs=0.50; P=0.02). Further, U-Pb were associated with U-cotinine, however not statistically significant (rs=0.41; P=0.06). A probable explanation is a direct inhalation of side-stream smoke containing heavy metals and/ or an increased pulmonary uptake, due to a small airways disease in children with asthma

Light, activity and sleep in my daily life: : Design of an online intervention targeting changes to routines and the home

Background: Older adults spend more time at home after retirement, and the home becomes a central place for activity. While research indicates that indoor lighting, exposure to daylight, physical activity and sleep interact to influence functioning, mood and daily rhythm, strategies are needed to promote behavioural changes to optimise these factors in daily life. The objective is to design an intervention delivered as a web-based course to encourage behaviour change related to outdoor physical activity, sleep patterns and changes to the home environment. The behaviour changes are intended to promote mental wellbeing and improve lighting and darkness conditions. The intervention strategy departs from the Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills Model. Intervention components build on goal implementation theory. The Technology Acceptance Model is used as a framework to evaluate usability aspects of the course content and the learning management system. Method: Using a mixed-methods approach, qualitative and quantitative data were collected through video observations, semi-structured interviews and a 10-item Likert scale questionnaire (The System Usability Scale). Scores were averaged for each participant and converted into a usability score out of 100 (a score of 68 or above is considered above average). In a first round, three experts on pedagogy, design for older people and/or interaction design were invited to independently assess the usability of the course content on their laptops in a full-scale model of an apartment. The setting enabled manipulations of the lighting conditions (daylight mode and night mode, change of luminaires), contextual interviews and video observation to identify any problems when participants experimented with the test kit included in the course material. They participated on three occasions lasting 2 hours each. Six healthy adults (aged 70+) participated in a similar usability trial in a second round. Findings: Experts’ average usability score was 78.3, indicating “Good” usability. However, the interviews did reveal some issues (e.g. difficult or inconsistent terms, unclear instructions). Results were used to refine the course before the second usability trial with six participants. Based on the interviews and usability ratings, the participants were positive about the course, and the instructions were easy to follow. All six participants rated the overall user-friendliness of the course as 6 out of 7. The average usability score was 86.7, indicating “Excellent” usability. Based on the participants’ feedback and interactions in the apartment, changes to the course content included, e.g. clarifying terms, the different types of text links and instructions. Unexpected issues with online enrolment in the course appeared before the second trial because standard instructions developed by the university were not tailored to the participants.Conclusions: A two-step usability evaluation by experts in the first round and target users in the second proved valuable. It enabled refinement of the course content and significantly reduced the number of identified usability issues in the second trial. A learning management system seems promising for use in behaviour-change interventions. However, the time-limited lab trials restricted a complete evaluation. Therefore, the next step is to pilot the course and evaluate the feasibility in real-world homes

Blood lead concentration after a shotgun accident.

In an accidental shooting, a man in his late forties was hit in his left shoulder region by about 60 lead pellets from a shotgun. He had injuries to the vessels, the clavicle, muscles, and nerves, with total paralysis of the left arm due to axonal injury. After several surgical revisions and temporary cover with split skin, reconstructive surgery was carried out 54 days after the accident. The brachial plexus was swollen, but the continuity of the nerve trunks was not broken (no neuroma present). We determined the blood lead (BPb) concentration during a follow-up period of 12 months. The BPb concentration increased considerably during the first months. Although 30 lead pellets were removed during the reconstructive surgery, the BPb concentration continued to rise, and reached a peak of 62 microg/dL (3.0 micromol/L) on day 81. Thereafter it started to decline. Twelve months after the accident, BPb had leveled off at about 30 microg/dL. At that time, muscle and sensory functions had partially recovered. The BPb concentration exceeded 30 microg/dL for 9 months, which may have influenced the recovery rate of nerve function. Subjects with a large number of lead pellets or fragments embedded in the body after shooting accidents should be followed for many years by regular determinations of BPb. To obtain a more stable basis for risk assessment, the BPb concentrations should be corrected for variations in the subject's hemoglobin concentration or erythrocyte volume fraction

Genetically modified soybeans in animal feed : commercial actors’ ethical perspective in the Swedish market

The world’s population is increasing, thus the need for food as well. As a result, innovation is needed in the agriculture sector to increase the production of food. Genetically modified, GM, crops could be such an innovation. However, with the use of GM crops today, some disadvantages have led to that the European Union have banned GM crops in cultivation within the union. Nevertheless, the EU imports a significant amount of GM crops from other parts of the world, such as Brazil, to use in animal feed, especially GM soybeans due to the high protein content. Sweden is the one country within the union that only imports GM-free soybeans due to a joint agreement among commercial actors. While GM crops are globally grown on approximately 170 million hectares in the world, the debate concerning its appropriateness as food source is common in the EU. Even if a lot of research has been done in the field of GM crops, a consensus has not yet been reached if a GM crops should be accepted to be cultivated within the EU. Research has been done on both consumers’ and policy makers’ attitudes regarding GM crops. However, little attention has been made on the commercial actor’ perspective. This study aims to, by using an ethical framework, investigate the commercial actors’ perspective regarding the use of GM soybeans in animal feed in Sweden. The empirics of this study focus on an existing multi-stakeholder network, The Swedish Soy Dialogue, where commercial actors have promoted a more sustainable soy production but have not discussed GM soybeans. Through a purposive sampling strategy, four key informants were selected to provide the study with empirical data. The study has a qualitative approach, and the data were collected using semi-structured interviews. In this study, the use of GM soybeans in animal feed has been seen as a wicked problem. A nuanced picture of the different key informants is presented in the light of the analytical framework that is developed from this study’s theoretical framework. The key informants have different reasoning and motive behind their standpoint, all of them equally meaningful and important when trying to get an understanding of the different perspective.Jordens befolkning ökar och därmed ökar också behovet av livsmedel. Det finns ett stort behov av innovationer inom den agrara näringen för att höja produktiviteten samtidigt som produktionen behöver bli mer hållbar. En av de innovationer som skulle kunna vara ett verktyg för att höja produktiviteten och bidra till ett mer hållbart jordbruk är genmodifierade grödor. Dock så finns det nackdelar med genmodifierade grödor så som de används idag vilket har lett till ett förbud att odla dessa inom EU. EU importerar fortfarande stora mängder för att använda som proteinkälla i animaliefoder. Detta gäller framför allt sojabönor. Sverige är ett undantag inom unionen då Sverige som enda land väljer att endast importera sojabönor som inte är genmodifierade, även till animaliefoder. Detta kommer sig utav att aktörerna på marknaden själva, utan pådrivningar från myndigheter, har beslutat sig för att endast använda sojabönor som inte är genmodifierade. Samtidigt som genmodifierade grödor odlas på över 170 miljoner hektar i världen, debatteras deras existens i Europa. Mycket forskning har bedrivits på området utan att komma fram till huruvida genmodifierade grödor bör förbjudas eller inte. Forskningen har också undersökt både konsumenters och beslutsfattares attityder till genmodifierade grödor och kan påvisa olika faktorer som påverkar framför allt konsumenters attityd gentemot genmodifierade grödor. Däremot finns det lite forskning på hur kommersiella aktörer ställer sig till användandet av genmodifierade grödor. I denna studie används ett etiskt ramverk för att undersöka kommersiella aktörers perspektiv till användandet av genmodifierade sojabönor i animaliefoder i Sverige. Studien utgår ifrån ett existerande multi-stakeholder network, Svenska Sojadialogen, där kommersiella aktörer har diskuterat hållbarhetsfrågan inom sojaproduktionen tidigare, men inte frågan om genmodifierade soja. Genom ett selektivt urval väljs fyra nyckelinformatörer ut som bidrar med studiens empiriska material. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och det empiriska materialet samlades in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. I studien hanteras användningen av genmodifierad soja i animaliefoder som ett wicked problem. En nyanserad bild över de olika nyckelinformatörernas perspektiv presenteras utifrån de analytiska teman som härleds ifrån det teoretiska ramverket. De olika aktörerna har olika resonemang och motiv till deras ställningstagande, vilka alla är lika betydelsefulla och viktiga för att skapa en förståelse för de olika perspektiven

Traineeprogrammet Skåne Nordväst, en språngbräda både för trainee och kommun?

Uppsatsen utgår ifrån en utvärdering av traineprogrammet i Skåne Nordväst 07/08. Traineeprogrammet startade som ett projekt för att rekrytera in driftiga, nyutexaminerade ungdomar till att fylla de glapp på specialist och ledarskapspositioner som väntas uppstå vid 40-talisternas pensionsavgångar. Syftet med uppsatsen är att utvärdera traineernas lärande och utveckling samt diskutera det empiriska resultatet mot teorier kring anställningsbarhet och det gränslösa arbetslivet. Studien har utformats som en kvalitativ fallstudie. Undersökningen baseras på 9 stycken djupintervjuer med både traineer och övriga intressenter samt dokumentstudier. Sammantaget utgör de olika programkomponenterna bra komplement till varandra sett till individens möjlighet att utnyttja sin fulla läropotential. Vidare kring de individuella lärprocesserna är dessa beroende av de kollektiva för att utveckla de kompetenser som efterfrågas. Den största svårigheten, tillika hindret, för lärande och anställningsbarhet som programmet har i dagsläget är dock den något sviktande individuella planeringen för varje trainee. Det kollektivt inriktade fokus som programmet har rimmar väl med de förmågor som individerna väntas ha i en eventuell framtid inom regionen. En diskussion/ analys förs kring hur dagens moderna organisationer påverkar regionens konkurrenskraft samt vilka utgångspunkter som finns för att utvecklas mot en modernare organisation

Prissäkring av mjölk

De senaste årens kraftiga prissvängningar på mjölk i Europa har lett till en ökad osäkerhet för många mjölkproducenter. I andra länder finns det verktyg för att hantera en ökad prisrisk vilket saknas i Sverige. En statlig konkurrenskraftutredning har tidigare konstaterat att avsaknaden av prissäkringsinstrument inom animaliesektorn är problematisk. Tidigare studier visar att det finns ett intresse hos svenska mjölkproducenter att kunna prissäkra mjölk. Däremot saknas studier som undersöker vilka faktorer som påverkar svenska mjölkproducenters intention att prissäkra. Syftet med uppsatsen är därför att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar mjölkproducenters intention att prissäkra mjölk samt vilka metoder mjölkproducenter använder för riskhantering i avsaknad av prissäkring. Studien omfattar kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra mjölkproducenter från Mälardalsregionen. Urvalet av respondenter skedde slumpmässigt och intervjuerna skedde på respektive lantbrukares gård. Riskhantering i lantbruket har ökat i betydelse eftersom att lantbruksföretagen har blivit allt större. Lantbrukare kan använda olika strategier och metoder för riskhantering där prissäkring är ett sätt överföra prisrisken på en annan part. Tidigare studier av amerikanska lantbrukare har identifierat flera faktorer som påverkar intentionen att prissäkra. Lantbrukarna i denna studie bekräftar flera av de faktorer som tidigare studier har ansett påverka intentionen att prissäkra mjölk samt lyfter fram andra faktorer som inte framkommit i tidigare studier. Utöver de faktorer som återfinns i tidigare litteratur lyfter lantbrukarna i denna studie fram rådgivning och möjligheten att prissäkra via ett mejeri som avgörande faktorer för deras intention att prissäkra mjölk. Lantbrukarna i studien vill att prissäkring ska vara en del av den ekonomiska rådgivningen och anser att prissäkring via mejeri är ett bättre alternativ än att prissäkra gentemot bank. Om prissäkring av mjölk blir möjligt i Sverige finns det ett behov av att öka kunskapsnivån inom ämnet både hos lantbrukare och rådgivare för att tillsammans kunna utarbeta effektiva prissäkringsstrategier.Dairy producers in Europe are increasingly experiencing price uncertainty due to higher volatility in the milk price. In other countries dairy producers have the possibility to reduce price risk by using price hedging on the commodity market, this is not possible for Swedish dairy producers. In an official report from the Swedish government the commissioner states that the lack of price hedging tools is a problem for the dairy producers. Earlier studies have shown that Swedish dairy producers are interested in using price hedging tools, however earlier studies do not analyse which factors affect the intention to use price hedging tools. The purpose of this study is therefore to analyse which factors affect the intention to use price hedging tools and to analyse which methods are used to manage risk in absence of price hedging tools. In this study we interviewed four dairy producers in Mälardalen in order to explore which factors affect the intention to use price hedging tools. The findings confirm earlier studies and suggest a few additional factors that earlier literature does not discuss. This study suggests that Swedish dairy producers would like to have the possibility to price hedge through dairy companies and would like to discuss price hedging strategies with their financial advisor. This implies that if price hedging becomes a reality the level of knowledge of the advisors and farmers have to improve in order to develop efficient price hedging strategies

Windows: a study of residents’ perceptions and uses in Sweden

What are inhabitants’ perceptions and uses of windows in multi-dwelling buildings? This paper reports on a field study that explores daylight, the visual connection to the outside and the role of windows in the home during the day and night. Qualitative interviews were held with 20 participants living in multi-dwelling buildings. The thematic analysis identified two main components as characteristic of residents’ experiences with their windows. The first, ‘perceived dwelling comfort’, consists of different types of comfort qualities, for example, keeping the body sufficiently warm or cool, blocking exterior noise, enabling visual tasks, perceiving the room to be adequately daylit, visually pleasant and spacious, obtaining visual privacy, and having an outside view to provide information and engagement. The second, ‘preferred exposure to external elements’ ('e.g.' air, sound, light, people outside) expresses a desire for personal control and reflects variability over time (momentary, daily, seasonal, ageing) and between individuals or groups. Windows represent an enjoyment of the home and fulfil much more than physical needs. They must allow sufficient personal control over fresh and cool air, sound, sunlight, streetlighting and privacy.   'Practice relevance' An enabling home environment affords residents opportunities to regulate the visual openness to the outside in order to satisfy individual needs for privacy or social connection. Preferences vary within and between household members, so window treatments must be easy for inhabitants to adjust. Housing designers and developers are advised to include exterior shading devices in the design and optional indoor window treatment to facilitate durable shading and privacy solutions. Further adjustments could be offered by landlords to tenants when they move in. Fenestration and shading devices offer the possibility to make full use of the available daylight, reduce electricity demand for indoor lighting and provide inhabitants with increased control of their comfort

Prevalence of knee pain and knee OA in southern Sweden and the proportion that seeks medical care.

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of frequent knee pain in radiographic, symptomatic and clinically defined knee OA in middle-aged and elderly patients and the proportion that seeks medical care

Positivity Effect and Working Memory Performance Remains Intact in Older Adults After Sleep Deprivation

Background: Older adults perform better in tasks which include positive stimuli, referred to as the positivity effect. However, recent research suggests that the positivity effect could be attenuated when additional challenges such as stress or cognitive demands are introduced. Moreover, it is well established that older adults are relatively resilient to many of the adverse effects of sleep deprivation. Our aim was to investigate if the positivity effect in older adults is affected by one night of total sleep deprivation using an emotional working memory task.Methods: A healthy sample of 48 older adults (60-72 years) was either sleep deprived for one night (n = 24) or had a normal night’s sleep (n = 24). They performed an emotional working memory n-back (n = 1 and 3) task containing positive, negative and neutral pictures.Results: Performance in terms of accuracy and reaction times was best for positive stimuli and worst for negative stimuli. This positivity effect was not altered by sleep deprivation. Results also showed that, despite significantly increased sleepiness, there was no effect of sleep deprivation on working memory performance. A working memory load × valence interaction on the reaction times revealed that the beneficial effect of positive stimuli was only present in the 1-back condition.Conclusion: While the positivity effect and general working memory abilities in older adults are intact after one night of sleep deprivation, increased cognitive demand attenuates the positivity effect on working memory speed