Success and Failures in and Unorthodx Neighbourhood Project

This paper describes an experiment in which a city district ward tries to improve communication with residents of a densely populated, multicultural inner city area. The experiment is performed in a situation where the labour market is fallilng seriouisly and where the dependency on social aid is large. It is an area with serious problems. Many of its residents feel alienated from sociey and neglected of the decison makers. One goal of the experiment is to adapt the governing of the area to the needs of its population. Another goeal is to develope a structure furthering dialogue between authorities and residents. The experiment has two main ingredients. The one is what we call the Action Plan Process and the other is Linkwork. In practice the first one is dependent on the secon one. We describe these methods and reflect on their usefulness and relevance. We also discuss what appears os be applicable in a wider context. Metropolitan districts where the inhabitants feel alienated and neglected are no new phenomenon

Linkworker - Överbryggare, ett nödvändigt inslag i framgångsrika integrationsprojekt

Efter att ha utvärderat olika projekt, som utförts inom den svenska regeringens storstadssatsning under åren 1999- 2004 i Malmö, anser vi oss kunna dra några generella slutsatser om vad som karaktäriserar framgångsrika metoder för att åstadkomma integration. Viktigast är att kommunikationskanaler öppnas i vilka information får flöda i alla riktningar. Men för att detta flöde skall bli verkligt förståelseskapande måste det finnas en grundläggande tillit mellan de inblandade t ex mellan nyinvandrade föräldrar och skolan eller mellan nyinvandrade och olika myndigheter. Detta sker effektivast på ett personligt plan där personer, som har förankring hos samtliga inblandade, får en viktig roll som mellanhänder. De senare har ibland haft olika benämningar som direkt pekat på rollens funktion. I Malmö har de omväxlande kallats integratörer, brobryggare och linkworkers. I andra fall har de ingen speciell titel men fungerar ändå i praktiken som mellanhänder. De kan vara anställda, förtroendevalda, ”eldsjälar” eller helt enkelt aktiva medborgare. Vi föreslår termen överbryggare som samlingsbeteckning för personer som, medvetet eller omedvetet, hjälper skilda individer, grupper, myndighetsrepresentanter, arbetsgivare etc att få tillit och kontakt med varandra med följd att en integrations- och förståelseprocess kan påbörjas. I artikeln demonstrerar vi överbryggarnas betydelse i olika avseenden med exempel från såväl framgångsrika som mindre lyckade integrationsprojekt. Vårt syfte är att förmedla insikter om integrationsprocessens problematik, vilka egenskaper som överbryggaren bör ha och vilka förhållanden och villkor som bör råda för att resultatet skall bli det önskade. Då två av författarna är sociologer och en etnolog kommer vi att peka på en del mer eller mindre uppenbara anknytningar både till etnologiska och sociologiska perspektiv. Inom sociologin bedömer vi framförallt insikterna från den symboliska interaktionismen som fruktbara

Sintering Behaviors of Synthetic Biomass Ash

Entrained flow gasification of biomass provides the opportunity to convert low-grade biogenic feedstocks to high-grade synthetic fuels. For a top-fired entrained flow slagging biomass gasifier, the thermophysical properties of the ash and slag limit process operation and affect process energy efficiency. The biomass ash has to be molten and slag viscosity has to be in a certain range for it to flow out of the gasifier. However, direct sampling, analysis, and evaluation of slag formation and behaviors are often challenging as entrained flow biomass gasification operates at high temperatures (i.e., 1200-1500°C) continuously. One alternative is to study synthetic ash's melting and sintering behaviors at elevated temperatures, which represent the major inorganic constituents in biomass ash. For thermochemical conversion of biomass, K, Ca and Si are typically the most common ash-forming elements. In this work, the synthetic ashes were prepared by mixing model compounds K2O, CaO and SiO2 in different mole ratios, which were pressed to form pellets. The selection of mole ratios was based on thermodynamic calculations that indicate that the tested model compound mixtures melt and flow with desired viscosity at certain temperature ranges. The pressed synthetic ashes were preheated at 900 °C for 8 hours to thermally homogenize them. Then the premelted synthetic ashes were heated at 1000 and 1400 °C in a muffle furnace with a residence time of 1 and 8 hours in air to study fusion behaviors and slag formation tendency, and were cooled down to room temperature gradually after the sintering test. The sintered residues were collected and analyzed by SEM/EDX to study the interactions of the model compounds and identify chemical compositions. The results showed that the mole ratios of model compounds have recognizable impacts on the composition, formation and transformation of mineral phases in residues from sintering tests. A strong correlation was also found between the sintering intensity of the synthetic ash and the mole ratios of model compounds.publishedVersio

Homogenization of Parabolic Equations with an Arbitrary Number of Scales in Both Space and Time

The main contribution of this paper is the homogenization of the linearparabolic equationtu (x, t) − ·axq1, ...,xqn,tr1, ...,trmu (x, t)= f(x, t)exhibiting an arbitrary finite number of both spatial and temporal scales.We briefly recall some fundamentals of multiscale convergence and providea characterization of multiscale limits for gradients in an evolution settingadapted to a quite general class of well-separated scales, which we nameby jointly well-separated scales (see Appendix for the proof). We proceedwith a weaker version of this concept called very weak multiscale convergence.We prove a compactness result with respect to this latter typefor jointly well-separated scales. This is a key result for performing thehomogenization of parabolic problems combining rapid spatial and temporaloscillations such as the problem above. Applying this compactnessresult together with a characterization of multiscale limits of sequences ofgradients we carry out the homogenization procedure, where we togetherwith the homogenized problem obtain n local problems, i.e. one for eachspatial microscale. To illustrate the use of the obtained result we apply itto a case with three spatial and three temporal scales with q1 = 1, q2 = 2and 0 &lt; r1 &lt; r2.MSC: 35B27; 35K10Publ online Dec 2013</p

Ett miljöanpassat informationssamhälle 2020

Rapport från regeringens IT-politiska strategigrupp

Histidine-Rich Glycoprotein Can Prevent Development of Mouse Experimental Glioblastoma

Extensive angiogenesis, formation of new capillaries from pre-existing blood vessels, is an important feature of malignant glioma. Several antiangiogenic drugs targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or its receptors are currently in clinical trials as therapy for high-grade glioma and bevacizumab was recently approved by the FDA for treatment of recurrent glioblastoma. However, the modest efficacy of these drugs and emerging problems with anti-VEGF treatment resistance welcome the development of alternative antiangiogenic therapies. One potential candidate is histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG), a plasma protein with antiangiogenic properties that can inhibit endothelial cell adhesion and migration. We have used the RCAS/TV-A mouse model for gliomas to investigate the effect of HRG on brain tumor development. Tumors were induced with platelet-derived growth factor-B (PDGF-B), in the presence or absence of HRG. We found that HRG had little effect on tumor incidence but could significantly inhibit the development of malignant glioma and completely prevent the occurrence of grade IV tumors (glioblastoma)

VII Scandinavian Copd Research Symposium, Holmenkollen, Oslo 18th-19th November 2016

Peer reviewe

Monitoring the newly qualified nurses in Sweden: the Longitudinal Analysis of Nursing Education (LANE) study

BACKGROUND: The Longitudinal Analysis of Nursing Education (LANE) study was initiated in 2002, with the aim of longitudinally examining a wide variety of individual and work-related variables related to psychological and physical health, as well as rates of employee and occupational turnover, and professional development among nursing students in the process of becoming registered nurses and entering working life. The aim of this paper is to present the LANE study, to estimate representativeness and analyse response rates over time, and also to describe common career pathways and life transitions during the first years of working life. METHODS: Three Swedish national cohorts of nursing students on university degree programmes were recruited to constitute the cohorts. Of 6138 students who were eligible for participation, a total of 4316 consented to participate and responded at baseline (response rate 70%). The cohorts will be followed prospectively for at least three years of their working life. RESULTS: Sociodemographic data in the cohorts were found to be close to population data, as point estimates only differed by 0-3% from population values. Response rates were found to decline somewhat across time, and this decrease was present in all analysed subgroups. During the first year after graduation, nearly all participants had qualified as nurses and had later also held nursing positions. The most common reason for not working was due to maternity leave. About 10% of the cohorts who graduated in 2002 and 2004 intended to leave the profession one year after graduating, and among those who graduated in 2006 the figure was almost twice as high. Intention to leave the profession was more common among young nurses. In the cohort who graduated in 2002, nearly every fifth registered nurse continued to further higher educational training within the health professions. Moreover, in this cohort, about 2% of the participants had left the nursing profession five years after graduating. CONCLUSION: Both high response rates and professional retention imply a potential for a thorough analysis of professional practice and occupational health

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362