Air pollution episodes in Stockholm regional background air due to sources in Europe and their effects on human population

Using air quality measurements, we categorized air pollution according to source sectors in a rural background environment in southern Sweden based on hourly air-mass backward trajectories during 1997-2010. Concentrations of fine (PM2.5) and sum of fine and coarse particulate matter (PM10), accumulation mode particle number, black carbon and surface ozone were 4.0, 3.9, 4.5, 6.8 and 1.3 times higher, respectively, in air masses from the southeast as compared with those in air masses from the cleanest sector in the northwest, consistent with air-mass transport over areas with relatively high emissions of primary particulate matter (PM) and secondary PM precursors. The highest ultrafine particle numbers were associated with clean air from the northwest. We estimate that almost 7.8% and 0.6% higher premature human mortality is caused by PM2.5 and ozone exposure, respectively, when air originates from the southeast as compared with that when air originates from the northwest. Reductions of emissions in eastern Europe would reduce the highest air pollution concentrations and associated health risks. However, since air masses from the southwest are more frequent, emissions in the western part of Europe are more important for annual mean premature mortality

En röst från Danderyds sjukhus: Hur en offentlig organisation använder podcastmediet i sin varumärkeskommunikation

In this bachelor’s thesis, the branding communication in Danderyd hospital’s podcast Akutsjukhuset is examined, aiming to generate knowledge regarding how a public organisation can use the podcast medium in its branding operations. Thus, the study intends to fill the knowledge gap regarding how public organisations use the podcast medium in their branding communication. An initial understanding of Akutsjukhuset was generated through a first listen of its total 13 episodes, each one consisting of employees from Danderyd hospital acting as lone show-hosts. Through an inductive approach, relevant theories about branding communication were chosen in order to contextualise and generate a deeper understanding of the empirical data. Additionally, we were provided with Danderyd hospital’s policy document regarding external communication, and interviews with two of the hospital’s communication strategists were conducted in order to acquire background information about the podcast. By applying a qualitative content analysis with inspiration from hermeneutics and narrative analysis during our second listen and when analysing the policy document and the interviews, we could interpret and create further understanding regarding the contents of the podcast. The results show that branding strategies such as storytelling, identity building, relationship building and brand ambassadorship are expressed in Akutsjukhuset. To a large degree, the contents consist of the hosts’ personal stories utilising the sound bearing properties of the podcast medium, for example through music and voice variation. These stories can be interpreted as an attempt to humanise the hospital’s brand, which contributes to the creation of the brand’s identity and its stakeholder’s ability to create a relation to the brand. The employer brand is conveyed through frequent positive remarks regarding the workplace and the colleagues, but also in ways that are generalisable for healthcare at large, which can be interpreted as a form of extended employer branding. The podcast also contains attempts of transparency which highlight critique and negative aspects regarding the hospital, which often are extenuated through being mentioned in relation to something positive. Throughout the podcast, a proactive approach towards critique against healthcare is also visible.I föreliggande kandidatuppsats undersöks varumärkeskommunikationen i Danderyds sjukhus podcast Akutsjukhuset med syfte att skapa förståelse för hur en offentlig organisation kan använda podcastmediet i sitt varumärkesarbete. Studien ämnar således fylla kunskapsgapet kring hur offentliga organisationer använder podcastmediet i sin varumärkeskommunikation. En initial förståelse för Akutsjukhuset skapades genom en första genom-lyssning av dess samtliga 13 avsnitt, varje avsnitt bestående av medarbetare från Danderyds sjukhus som ensamma agerar programvärdar. Genom ett induktivt arbetssätt valdes relevanta teorier inom varumärkeskommunikation för att kontextualisera empirin och bidra till en djupare förståelse för den. Dessutom tillhandahölls Danderyds sjukhus policydokument för extern kommunikation, och intervjuer med två av sjukhusets kommunikationsstrateger genomfördes för att erhålla bakgrundsinformation kring podcasten. Genom användandet av en kvalitativ innehållsanalys med inspiration från hermeneutik och narrativ analys vid en andra genomlyssning och vid analysen av policydokumentet och intervjuerna kunde vi tolka och skapa vidare förståelse kring podcastens innehåll. Resultaten visar att varumärkesstrategier såsom storytelling, identitets-skapande, relationsskapande och varumärkesambassadörskap uttrycks i Akutsjukhuset. Innehållet präglas till stor del av programvärdarnas personliga berättelser som utnyttjar podcastmediets ljudbärande egenskaper, till exempel genom musik och röstvariation. Dessa berättelser kan ses som ett försök att mänskliggöra sjukhusets varumärke, vilket bidrar till att skapa varumärkets identitet och förmågan för intressenter att skapa en relation till det. Arbetsgivarvarumärket förmedlas genom att arbetsplatsen och kollegorna omnämns positivt, men även på sätt som är generaliserbara för vården i stort, vilket kan tolkas som en form av förlängd arbetsgivarvarumärkning. Podcastens innehåll präglas också av försök till transparens som framhäver kritik och negativa aspekter gällande sjukhuset, vilka ofta förmildras genom att de framställs i samband med något positivt. Ett genomgående proaktivt förhållningssätt gente¬mot kritik mot vården gör sig också synligt i podcasten

How do RBV and Porter’s five forces model explain the business strategy of a successful low cost airline? : a case study of Ryanair

Den här studien har syftat till att undersöka och analysera skillnaderna i hur de två teorierna Resource-based view (RBV) och Porters femkraftsmodell förklarar en framgångsrik affärsstrategi, men även hur de olika faktorerna som identifieras i de olika teorierna kan relateras till varandra. Det irländska flygbolaget Ryanairs affärsstrategi kommer studeras och användas som stöd för studien. Efter en dålig start ändrade de strategi och efter 25 år av framgångar är flygbolaget idag Europas mest lönsamma samt största sett till antalet passagerare. En kvalitativ metod har valts eftersom vi vill fördjupa oss i det enskilda fallet angående Ryanairs utveckling och framgång utifrån implementeringen av en ny affärsmodell. Eftersom Ryanairs process från omstrukturering till framgång har pågått under lång tid passar även fallstudien väl in som metod. För utökad förståelse för studiens två teorier, RBV och Porters femkraftsmodell, har litteratur som riktar kritik mot teorierna insamlats. Analysen och diskussionen har resulterat i att författarna kommit fram till tre faktorer identifierade med hjälp av Porters femkraftsmodell, samt fem faktorer med hjälp av RBV teorins VRIO-analys. Dessa var avgörande inom affärsstrategin för bolaget. Kombinationen med att inrikta sig på att vara ett lågprisflyg, skapa starka strategiska förhandlingsfördelar gentemot leverantörer samt utnyttja kapacitet för att konkurrera ut ny konkurrens har varit de starkast bidragande orsakerna till att Ryanair blivit framgångsrika, enligt Porters femkraftsmodell. Inom RBV läggs fokus på resurserna och där har varumärke, styrgrupp, personal, flygplansflotta och finansiella resurser lokaliserats som bakomliggande orsaker till Ryanairs framgångar. Kapacitet och användningen av kapacitet har varit de starkast relaterade faktorerna mellan teorierna. Den största skillnaden mellan analyserna är att RBV belyser mer värdet av de icke materiella tillgångarna som kunskap och varumärke än Porters femkraftsmodell.This study aims at investigating and analyzing the differences in how the two theories Resource-based View (RBV) and Porter's five force model explains a successful business strategy, but also how the different factors identified in the different theories can be related to each other. The irish airline Ryanair will be studied and used as support for the thesis. After a bad start the company changed their strategy and after 25 years of success the airline is Europe's most profitable and got the most passengers. A qualitative method has been chosen because we want to immerse ourselves in the individual case regarding Ryanair's development and success based on the implementation of a new business model. Because Ryanair's process from restructuring to success has been going on for a long time, the case study was suitable as a method. To extend the understanding of the study’s two theories, Porter’s five forces model and RBV, has a literature review of its critics been collected. The analysis and discussion have resulted in the authors coming up with three factors identified using the Porter's five forces model, as well as five factors using the VRIO analysis of the RBV theory. These were crucial in the business strategy of the company. The combination of focusing on low-cost flights, creating strong strategic negotiating advantages towards suppliers, and utilizing capacity to compete for new competition have been the strongest contributing reasons for Ryanair's success, according to the Porter's five forces model. RBV focuses on resources, where brand, management group, staff, aircraft fleet and financial resources have been identified as the root causes of Ryanair's success. Capacity and use of capacity have been the strongest related factors between the two theories. The main difference between the analyzes is that RBV illuminates more the value of non-material assets as knowledge and brand than the Porter's five forces model

Övervakning och redovisning av upplysningskraven i IAS 36:134

Syfte: Syftet är dels att analysera hur Nasdaq OMX Stockholm AB:s övervakning av noterade företag står i relation till diskussionen kring överflödiga upplysningar i de finansiella rapporterna. Syftet är även att utifrån empiri analysera hur Nasdaq OMX Stockholm AB, revisorer och företag resonerar kring upplysningskraven i IAS 36:134 och vilka konsekvenser resonemangen kan medföra i redovisningen samt för intressenter. Metod: Vi har valt ett kvalitativt perspektiv på uppsatsen för att undersöka hur de olika parterna resonerar. Utifrån detta genomförde vi intervjuer med en övervakare vid Nasdaq OMX Stockholm AB, revisorer, företag samt en analytiker. En stor del av underlaget i uppsatsen har sin grund i Nasdaq OMX Stockholm AB:s årliga övervakningsrapporter. Teoretiska perspektiv: Uppsatsen utgår från IAS 36:134. Teorin inleds med en definition av goodwill och nedskrivningsprövning. Därefter ges en introduktion till IASB:s kvalitativa egenskaper. Sedan redogörs för redovisningsteorierna positiv redovisningsteori samt institutionell teori. Detta följs av en redogörelse för diskussionen om överflödiga upplysningar. Empiri: Empirin utgörs av data som intervjuerna har resulterat i. Intervjuerna syftar till att utröna respondenternas åsikter kring valt ämne. Resultat: Ett alltför teoretiskt regelverk verkar leda till svårigheter för företagen att uppfylla det som upplysningarna syftar till. Det tycks delvis bero på företags ovilja att upplysa om känslig information i kombination med en låg efterfrågan från intressenter. Revisorer vill att företagen ska lämna mer upplysningar, men incitamentet till att påverka företagen kan vara bristande. Inkonsekvensen mellan teori och praktik tycks vara en anledning till att överflödiga upplysningar riskerar att uppstå. Nasdaq OMX Stockholm AB:s ”påpekanden” kan riskera att påverka företagen att inkludera, enligt företaget, oväsentliga upplysningar.Purpose: The purpose of this essay is to analyze the Issuer Surveillance Nasdaq OMX Stockholm AB’s surveillance of companies, in relation to the discussion on disclosure overload. The purpose is also to analyze how Issuer Surveillance Nasdaq OMX Stockholm AB, auditors and companies reason about the disclosures in IAS 36:134 and what consequences this reasoning may have on accounting and stakeholders. Methodology: Qualitative interviews with the following respondents: Issuer Surveillance Nasdaq OMX Stockholm AB, accountants, companies and a financial analyst. The purpose of the interviews is to analyze the view of the respondents regarding the subject of the thesis. Theoretical perspectives: The first and main theoretical approach is IAS 36:134. This is followed by definitions of goodwill and impairment test. Furthermore, the positive accounting theory and the institutional theory will be accounted for. The qualitative features of IASB and an introduction to information overload are also presented in the essay. Empirical foundation: The empirical data of the analysis was obtained through qualitative interviews. Conclusions: An overly theoretical framework seems to cause difficulties for companies to fulfill the purpose of the disclosures. This seems to depend on the unwillingness of companies to disclose sensitive information, in combination with low demands from stakeholders. Auditors would like companies to disclose more information, but the incitement to affect the companies seem to be insufficient. The inconsistency between theory and practice seems to be one of the reasons why disclosure overload arises. Remarks from Issuer Surveillance Nasdaq OMX Stockholm AB may lead to the fact that companies disclose what they see as irrelevant information

A Population-Based Study of Unfavorable Prognostic Factors Associated With Pyogenic Liver Abscess

BackgroundPyogenic liver abscess (PLA) is a rare entity that is associated with substantial mortality and morbidity. Our objective was to investigate variables associated with mortality and subsequent PLA in patients diagnosed with PLA in southern Sweden.MethodsWe conducted a population-based observational study comprising all episodes of PLA that occurred between 2011 and 2020 in the county of Skåne, southern Sweden. The primary outcome was defined as all-cause 90-day mortality and the secondary outcome was defined as the occurrence of a subsequent PLA.ResultsA total of 452 episodes of PLA occurred in 360 patients during the study period. The 90-day mortality rate was 16% (n = 58) and the subsequent PLA rate was 20% (n = 92). In a multivariable logistic regression model, female sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.0 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.1–3.9]), malignancy (OR, 3.7 [95% CI, 1.9–7.1]), liver failure (OR, 6.3 [95% CI, 2.7–14.5]), and polymicrobial findings (OR, 3.8 [95% CI, 2.2–6.9]) were associated with death within 90 days (P < .05). Male sex (OR, 2.1 [95% CI, 1.2–3.6]), malignancy (OR, 2.1 [95% CI, 1.3–3.6]), age (64–74 years: OR, 2.5 [95% CI, 1.3–4.8]), and chronic liver disease (OR, 3.0 [95% CI, 1.4–6.5]) were associated with the risk of subsequent PLA (P ≤ .01).ConclusionsIdentifying different clinical variables associated with an unfavorable outcome may improve the management and treatment of patients with PLA and thus prevent the risk of death and subsequent PLA

Swedish LifeWatch ─ a biodiversity infrastructure integrating and reusing data from citizen science, monitoring and research

With continued pressure on biodiversity and ever-growing conflicts with human development, qualified systems for scenario modelling, impact assessment and decision support are urgently needed. Such systems must be able to integrate complex models and information from many sources and do so in a flexible and transparent way. To that end, as well as for other complicated and data-intensive biodiversity research purposes, the concept of LifeWatch has emerged. The idea of LifeWatch is to construct e-infrastructure and virtual laboratories by integrating large data sources, computational capacities, and tools for analysis and modelling in an open, serviceoriented architecture. To be efficient and accurate, a continuous inflow of large quantities of data is essential. However, even with new techniques, government-funded monitoring data and research data will not feed the system with up-to-date species information of sufficient scale and resolution. To fill this void, skilled amateur observers (citizen scientists) can contribute to a very valuable extent. After a preparatory phase, a Swedish LifeWatch (SLW) consortium was initiated in 2011. Swedish LifeWatch developed an infrastructure where all components are accessible through open web services. At the SLW Analysis portal, different formats of species and environmental data can be accessed instantly, and integrated, analysed, visualized and downloaded at selected temporal, spatial or taxonomic scales. Swedish LifeWatch currently provides 46 million species observations from eight different databases, all harmonized according to standardized formats and the Dyntaxa taxonomic backbone database. Almost 40 million of these observations were provided by citizens through the online reporting system named the Species Observation System (SOS) or Artportalen. This paper describes this system, as well as the incentives that make it so successful. The citizen science data in the SOS are accessible, together with data from research and monitoring, in the SLW infrastructure, making the latter a powerful instrument for large-scale data extraction, visualization and analysis

The worldwide costs of dementia in 2019

Introduction: Dementia is a leading cause of death and disability globally. Estimating total societal costs demonstrates the wide impact of dementia and its main direct and indirect economic components. Methods: We constructed a global cost model for dementia, presenting costs as cumulated global and regional costs. Results: In 2019, the annual global societal costs of dementia were estimated at US $1313.4 billion for 55.2 million people with dementia, corresponding to US$23,796 per person with dementia. Of the total, US $213.2 billion (16$448.7 billion (34%) direct social sector costs (including long-term care), and US $651.4 billion (50$1313.4 in 2019. Sixty-one percent of people with dementia live in low-and middle-income countries, whereas 74% of the costs occur in high-income countries. The impact of informal care accounts for about 50% of the global costs. The development of a long-term care infrastructure is a great challenge for low-and middle-income countries. There is a great need for more cost studies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Discussions of a framework for global cost comparisons are needed

Evidence against PALB2 involvement in Icelandic breast cancer susceptibility

Several mutations in the PALB2 gene (partner and localizer of BRCA2) have been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, including a founder mutation, 1592delT, reported in Finnish breast cancer families. Although most often the risk is moderate, it doesn't exclude families with high-risk mutations to exist and such observations have been reported. To see if high-risk PALB2-mutations may be present in the geographically confined population of Iceland, linkage analysis was done on 111 individuals, thereof 61 breast cancer cases, from 9 high-risk non-BRCA1/BRCA2 breast cancer families, targeting the PALB2 region. Also, screening for the 1592delT founder mutation in the 9 high-risk families and in 638 unselected breast cancer cases was performed. The results indicate no linkage in any of the high-risk families and screening for the 1592delT mutation was negative in all samples. PALB2 appears not to be a significant factor in high-risk breast cancer families in Iceland and the 1592delT mutation is not seen to be associated with breast cancer in Iceland

Genome-wide search for breast cancer linkage in large Icelandic non-BRCA1/2 families

Abstract Introduction: A significant proportion of high-risk breast cancer families are not explained by mutations in known genes. Recent genome-wide searches (GWS) have not revealed any single major locus reminiscent of BRCA1 and BRCA2, indicating that still unidentified genes may explain relatively few families each or interact in a way obscure to linkage analyses. This has drawn attention to possible benefits of studying populations where genetic heterogeneity might be reduced. We thus performed a GWS for linkage on nine Icelandic multiple-case non-BRCA1/2 families of desirable size for mapping highly penetrant loci. To follow up suggestive loci, an additional 13 families from other Nordic countries were genotyped for selected markers. Methods: GWS was performed using 811 microsatellite markers providing about five centiMorgan (cM) resolution. Multipoint logarithm of odds (LOD) scores were calculated using parametric and nonparametric methods. For selected markers and cases, tumour tissue was compared to normal tissue to look for allelic loss indicative of a tumour suppressor gene. Results: The three highest signals were located at chromosomes 6q, 2p and 14q. One family contributed suggestive LOD scores (LOD 2.63 to 3.03, dominant model) at all these regions, without consistent evidence of a tumour suppressor gene. Haplotypes in nine affected family members mapped the loci to 2p23.2 to p21, 6q14.2 to q23.2 and 14q21.3 to q24.3. No evidence of a highly penetrant locus was found among the remaining families. The heterogeneity LOD (HLOD) at the 6q, 2p and 14q loci in all families was 3.27, 1.66 and 1.24, respectively. The subset of 13 Nordic families showed supportive HLODs at chromosome 6q (ranging from 0.34 to 1.37 by country subset). The 2p and 14q loci overlap with regions indicated by large families in previous GWS studies of breast cancer. Conclusions: Chromosomes 2p, 6q and 14q are candidate sites for genes contributing together to high breast cancer risk. A polygenic model is supported, suggesting the joint effect of genes in contributing to breast cancer risk to be rather common in non-BRCA1/2 families. For genetic counselling it would seem important to resolve the mode of genetic interaction

High-resolution genomic and expression analyses of copy number alterations in HER2-amplified breast cancer

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldINTRODUCTION: HER2 gene amplification and protein overexpression (HER2+) define a clinically challenging subgroup of breast cancer with variable prognosis and response to therapy. Although gene expression profiling has identified an ERBB2 molecular subtype of breast cancer, it is clear that HER2+ tumors reside in all molecular subtypes and represent a genomically and biologically heterogeneous group, needed to be further characterized in large sample sets. METHODS: Genome-wide DNA copy number profiling, using bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), and global gene expression profiling were performed on 200 and 87 HER2+ tumors, respectively. Genomic Identification of Significant Targets in Cancer (GISTIC) was used to identify significant copy number alterations (CNAs) in HER2+ tumors, which were related to a set of 554 non-HER2 amplified (HER2-) breast tumors. High-resolution oligonucleotide aCGH was used to delineate the 17q12-q21 region in high detail. RESULTS: The HER2-amplicon was narrowed to an 85.92 kbp region including the TCAP, PNMT, PERLD1, HER2, C17orf37 and GRB7 genes, and higher HER2 copy numbers indicated worse prognosis. In 31% of HER2+ tumors the amplicon extended to TOP2A, defining a subgroup of HER2+ breast cancer associated with estrogen receptor-positive status and with a trend of better survival than HER2+ breast cancers with deleted (18%) or neutral TOP2A (51%). HER2+ tumors were clearly distinguished from HER2- tumors by the presence of recurrent high-level amplifications and firestorm patterns on chromosome 17q. While there was no significant difference between HER2+ and HER2- tumors regarding the incidence of other recurrent high-level amplifications, differences in the co-amplification pattern were observed, as shown by the almost mutually exclusive occurrence of 8p12, 11q13 and 20q13 amplification in HER2+ tumors. GISTIC analysis identified 117 significant CNAs across all autosomes. Supervised analyses revealed: (1) significant CNAs separating HER2+ tumors stratified by clinical variables, and (2) CNAs separating HER2+ from HER2- tumors. CONCLUSIONS: We have performed a comprehensive survey of CNAs in HER2+ breast tumors, pinpointing significant genomic alterations including both known and potentially novel therapeutic targets. Our analysis sheds further light on the genomically complex and heterogeneous nature of HER2+ tumors in relation to other subgroups of breast cancer