Stimulating the Brain : Ethical Perspectives on Deep Brain Stimulation & Nano Scaled Brain Machine Interfaces

This thesis addresses some of the ethical concerns raised by connecting man and machine through so called Brain-Machine Interfaces, BMIs, elaborate brain implants that may both further our knowledge of the brain and alleviate neurological dysfunction and impairments. The primary foci have been to address urgent and prominent concerns elicited by BMIs; to critically evaluate arguments relevant to an ethical analysis of Deep Brain Stimulation, DBS; and to address and develop ignored or underrepresented perspectives of importance in an ethical analysis of DBS. The main method used in the analysis is ‘embedded ethics’. This method was developed during the doctoral project, to answer the specific research questions examined in paper I-IV, and builds on methodology such as empirical ethics and casuistry. The purpose of ‘embedded ethics’ is not to derive final conclusions or action guidance regarding a technology as such, but to identify, critically assess and problematize central ethical concerns elicited by new and emerging technologies, and to detect and address the lacunas in the current debate. Some key contributions of this thesis to the fields of nanoethics, neuroethics and bioethics are: to introduce the distinction between inherent and noninherent ethical concerns to elaborate on upcoming and future ethical concerns elicited by DBS; to identify biases, for instance as regards technology, time, speculative scenarios, and authenticity, that may distort an ethical analysis of DBS; to argue for the duty of ethicists analysing bioethical concerns to acknowledge the necessity of acquiring sufficient knowledge of the scientific/biological subject matter of analysis, knowledge either achievable by being an ‘embedded ethicist’ or through a firm dedication to understanding the particulars and contextual impact factors specific to the subject of analysis

"Man skriver liksom inte bara" ­ En kartläggning av skrivprocessen då tre barn i åldern 8-9 år med hjälp av berättarmallar får skapa en barnbok.

Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att kartlägga en skrivprocess där tre barn i åldern 8-9 år får skapa en barnbok med hjälp av berättarmallar och en författarskola. Vi kommer att genomföra ett undervisningsförsök där de medverkande barnen får utvärdera processen och produkten. Vi vill även undersöka vad andra barn anser om barnboken. Frågeställningar: Hur ser barnens skrivprocess ut under arbetet med barnboken? Vad tycker de skrivande barnen om skrivprocessen och resultatet? Vad tycker andra barn om resultatet av barnboken? Metod: Skribententerna som ingick i studien fick föra loggbok, delta i intervjuer, observeras och svara på frågor skriftligt. Vi har även analyserat barnens skrivprocess under barnboksarbetet, från förarbete till färdig produkt. För att få reda på vad andra barn tyckte om resultatet av barnboken fick barn från tre olika skolklasser svara på enkätfrågor kring barnboken. Resultat: Resultatet av undersökningen visar att användandet av tankekartan under förarbetet varit gynnsamt för barnens skrivprocess. När det gäller samförfattandet observerade vi att de hjälpte varandra att formulera sina tankar i ord och att samtal mellan dem bidrog till att förbättra berättelsen. Bearbetandet av texten väckte till viss del motstånd då barnen upplevde det som besvärligt att gå tillbaka i texten och göra ändringar. De författande barnen var nöjda med sitt resultat och att de själva ansåg att de utvecklats som skribenter. Enkätundersökningen tyder på att majoriteten av tillfrågade barnen uppskattade barnboken. Betydelse för läraryrket: Med de erfarenheter vi fått genom detta examensarbete kan vi i vårt kommande yrke som lärare skapa goda förutsättningar för elevers skrivutveckling enligt skrivprocessen. En viktig slutsats vi kan dra utifrån resultatet är förarbete med tankekartor är väl använd förberedelsetid inför skrivandet

A burial place for ashes - a contemporary burial practice : design proposal of a new burial place for ashes in the North cemetary of Lund

Detta är ett kandidatarbete i trädgårdsdesign. Arbetet är ett gestaltningsförslag av en askgravplats på Norra kyrkogården i Lund. Syftet med examensarbetet är att göra en gestaltning som samspelar med omgivningens gröna kulturarv för att möta det framtida behovet av fler askgravplatser. Utgångspunkten i examensarbetet är ett uppdrag från Kyrkogårdsförvaltningen i Lund. Uppdraget går ut på att göra ett gestaltningsförslag för Kvarter 22 på Norra kyrkogården. Följande frågeställningar ska besvaras: Hur införlivas en ny askgravplats på Norra kyrkogården i Lund med hänsyn till omgivningens kulturhistoria? Vilka faktorer bör man ta hänsyn till i gestaltningen? Målet med arbetet är att presentera en realistisk och genomförbar plan för den nya askgravplatsen. Gestaltningsförslaget ska samspela med sin omgivning, vara estetiskt tilltalande, vara funktionellt och skötseleffektivt. För att kunna besvara frågeställningarna har en litteratur-studie gjorts som bland annat behandlar den svenska kyrkogårdens historia, Norra kyrkogårdens utveckling från invigningen 1816 och framåt. Begreppet kulturhistoria och kulturminneslagen har varit viktiga undersökningsområden samt faktorer som man bör ta hänsyn till vid en gestaltning. I själva gestaltningsprocessen har metoden varit inventering, analys och förslag. Konceptet är att bevara platsens öppenhet och samtidigt skapa ett omslutande rum där anhöriga vill vara och minnas den avlidne. I gestaltningsförslaget bibehålls den öppna gräsmattan. Runt hela platsen planteras en idegranshäck i två olika höjder. Sittplatser och smyckningsplatser placeras i anslutning till befintliga gångar. Träddungar utgör blickfång i gräsytan och i häcken mot söder planteras gulbladigt korstörne. Gestaltningsförslaget tar hänsyn till omgivningens kulturhistoria samtidigt som andra viktiga faktorer vägs in i förslaget

White clover pollinators and seed set in relation to local management and landscape context

Bees are declining, which is worrisome since they both have intrinsic conservation value and play a major role as pollinators in both natural and managed ecosystems. Land use change and lack of suitable habitats are often suggested as driving forces of bee decline. To propose mitigation measures to halt bee decline, it is important to understand how land use relates to bee abundance and diversity, and to explore consequences for their provision of pollination services. White clover, Trifolium repens, is an outcrossing mass-flowering crop, which could serve as an abundant, although ephemeral, food resource for bees. We investigated how the bee community in 39 fields of white clover grown for seed, related to local field management (organic, conventional without insecticides and conventional with insecticides) and landscape context (proportion semi -natural land), and how this pollinator community related to white clover seed set. The honey bee, Apis mellifera, was the most commonly observed bee species, and two generalist bumble bee species, Bombus terrestris and B. lapidarius, were the subsequently most common. We observed fewer non -Apis bees, and a lower bee species richness in organic white clover seed fields compared to conventional fields independent of insecticide treatment. Bee species richness in both conventional and organic fields were positively related to the proportion of semi -natural land in the landscape, likely because of a larger species pool in such landscapes. Initial seed set in immature inflorescences was positively related to bee abundance, whereas final seed set in mature inflorescences was unrelated to bee abundance, possibly as a consequence of seed-eating weevils consuming a large proportion of the seeds. We conclude that both bee visitation and seed set in white clover benefit from conventional management and that landscapes rich in seminatural habitats will make future crop production more resilient. The observed positive relationship between bee abundance and initial seed set suggests that if we can mitigate pest impacts and increase bee abundance in clover seed fields, the final seed yield can be increased. Thus, bee decline should be considered and mitigated both to maintain biodiversity in general and for crop seed production specifically

Psychometric Evaluation of the HIV Stigma Scale in a Swedish Context

Background HIV-related stigma has negative consequences for infected people's lives and is a barrier to HIV prevention. Therefore valid and reliable instruments to measure stigma are needed to enable mapping of HIV stigma. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the HIV stigma scale in a Swedish context with regard to construct validity, data quality, and reliability. Methods The HIV stigma scale, developed by Berger, Ferrans, and Lashley (2001), was distributed to a cross-sectional sample of people living with HIV in Sweden (n = 194). The psychometric evaluation included exploratory factor analysis together with an analysis of the distribution of scores, convergent validity by correlations between the HIV stigma scale and measures of emotional well-being, and an analysis of missing items and floor and ceiling effects. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's α. Results The exploratory factor analysis suggested a four-factor solution, similar to the original scale, with the dimensions personalised stigma, disclosure concerns, negative self-image, and concerns with public attitudes. One item had unacceptably low loadings and was excluded. Correlations between stigma dimensions and emotional well-being were all in the expected direction and ranged between −0.494 and −0.210. The instrument generated data of acceptable quality except for participants who had not disclosed their HIV status to anybody. In line with the original scale, all subscales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency with Cronbach's α 0.87–0.96. Conclusion A 39-item version of the HIV stigma scale used in a Swedish context showed satisfactory construct validity and reliability. Response alternatives are suggested to be slightly revised for items assuming the disclosure of diagnosis to another person. We recommend that people that have not disclosed should skip all questions belonging to the dimension personalised stigma. Our analysis confirmed construct validity of the instrument even without this dimension

Development of a biomechanical energy harvester

© 2009 Li et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Sex differences in cerebral venous sinus thrombosis after adenoviral vaccination against COVID-19

Introduction: Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis associated with vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (CVST-VITT) is a severe disease with high mortality. There are few data on sex differences in CVST-VITT. The aim of our study was to investigate the differences in presentation, treatment, clinical course, complications, and outcome of CVST-VITT between women and men. Patients and methods: We used data from an ongoing international registry on CVST-VITT. VITT was diagnosed according to the Pavord criteria. We compared the characteristics of CVST-VITT in women and men. Results: Of 133 patients with possible, probable, or definite CVST-VITT, 102 (77%) were women. Women were slightly younger [median age 42 (IQR 28–54) vs 45 (28–56)], presented more often with coma (26% vs 10%) and had a lower platelet count at presentation [median (IQR) 50x109/L (28–79) vs 68 (30–125)] than men. The nadir platelet count was lower in women [median (IQR) 34 (19–62) vs 53 (20–92)]. More women received endovascular treatment than men (15% vs 6%). Rates of treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins were similar (63% vs 66%), as were new venous thromboembolic events (14% vs 14%) and major bleeding complications (30% vs 20%). Rates of good functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale 0-2, 42% vs 45%) and in-hospital death (39% vs 41%) did not differ. Discussion and conclusions: Three quarters of CVST-VITT patients in this study were women. Women were more severely affected at presentation, but clinical course and outcome did not differ between women and men. VITT-specific treatments were overall similar, but more women received endovascular treatment.</p

Sex differences in cerebral venous sinus thrombosis after adenoviral vaccination against COVID-19

Introduction: Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis associated with vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (CVST-VITT) is a severe disease with high mortality. There are few data on sex differences in CVST-VITT. The aim of our study was to investigate the differences in presentation, treatment, clinical course, complications, and outcome of CVST-VITT between women and men. Patients and methods: We used data from an ongoing international registry on CVST-VITT. VITT was diagnosed according to the Pavord criteria. We compared the characteristics of CVST-VITT in women and men. Results: Of 133 patients with possible, probable, or definite CVST-VITT, 102 (77%) were women. Women were slightly younger [median age 42 (IQR 28–54) vs 45 (28–56)], presented more often with coma (26% vs 10%) and had a lower platelet count at presentation [median (IQR) 50x109/L (28–79) vs 68 (30–125)] than men. The nadir platelet count was lower in women [median (IQR) 34 (19–62) vs 53 (20–92)]. More women received endovascular treatment than men (15% vs 6%). Rates of treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins were similar (63% vs 66%), as were new venous thromboembolic events (14% vs 14%) and major bleeding complications (30% vs 20%). Rates of good functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale 0-2, 42% vs 45%) and in-hospital death (39% vs 41%) did not differ. Discussion and conclusions: Three quarters of CVST-VITT patients in this study were women. Women were more severely affected at presentation, but clinical course and outcome did not differ between women and men. VITT-specific treatments were overall similar, but more women received endovascular treatment.</p