Karlstads Universitet

In software engineering, organizational debt (OD) is a crucial but little-researched phenomena. OD refers to the accumulation of outdated structures, policies, and processes that hinder an organization’s advancement and adaptability. This multivocal literature review (MLR) synthesizes insights from software practitioners to elucidate OD causes, consequences, identification, and mitigation approaches that is considered a first step in illuminating the OD for software practitioners. After a thorough search, nine peer-reviewed articles and twenty-two recent blog posts on OD were included, indicating an emerging topic. Through inductive thematic analysis, four key topics emerged: definitions, causes like poorly managed change and siloed efforts, effects such as reduced innovation and agility, and mitigation strategies including agile principles, decentralized decision-making, and leveraging staff insights. While relying partly on non-peer-reviewed sources raises validity concerns, the review still provides a holistic and practical understanding of OD dynamics and complexities grounded in diverse perspectives. Further empirical research across diverse organizations would strengthen these preliminary findings. Effective OD management necessitates collaboration between academia and industry, considering technical debt (TD) best practices while tailoring interventions to OD’s distinct socio-technical characteristics.

Retailers are increasingly leveraging emerging digital technologies to enhance and deliver memorable and timely customer experiences. However, more research is needed to understand how these technologies are being implemented. Therefore, we conducted an fsQCA analysis of 32 retail cases of early adopters of beacon technology. Our findings reveal three main modes of implementation of emerging digital technologies in the retail customer experience: automation , augmentation , and customization . These modes can be interpreted as enablers that enhance the value of utilitarian and/or hedonic experiences, rather than as drivers of innovation per se. Our study adds a new perspective to the debate about the role of digital technologies in driving innovation. Moreover, the three modes identified provide managers with practical guidelines for the implementation of emerging digital technologies in retail environments.

Low-productive open landscapes, once prevalent in Western Europe, have significantly declined due to land reclamation and afforestation. Despite protection under the European Union Habitats Directive, remaining heathlands face degradation from various factors, including nitrogen deposition, climate change, and altered land use. Using laboratory and field experiments we examined the habitat requirements and causes of decline for two large heathland bush-crickets, Ephippiger diurnus Dufour, 1841 and Gampsocleis glabra (Herbst,1786), focusing on the availability of bare mineral soil for egg-deposition. Our study revealed a strong preference for bare sand over moss-covered soil for oviposition for both species. Eggs deposited in bare sand showed higher survival rates, better development, and increased hatching success compared to those in moss-covered soil. The decline of these bush-cricket species is linked to the reduction of bare soil due to moss encroachment, exacerbated by nitrogen deposition. Implications for insect conservation: Our results show that loss of bare soil patches is an important bottleneck in the life cycle of large heathland bush-crickets. Conservation efforts therefore must prioritize maintaining bare soil patches through anthropogenic disturbances and reducing nitrogen deposition to support bush-cricket reproduction and sustain their populations in Northwestern Europe.

Are differences between species the long-term consequence of microevolution within species, or does speciation involve fundamentally different processes? We analyzed brain and body sizes of present-day primate species using a novel phylogenetic comparative method that decomposes the phenotypic covariance of these traits into speciational and anagenetic components. We estimated that approximately half of speciation events are accompanied by accelerated phenotypic change. Equivalent in magnitude to approximately 7 million years of gradual microevolution, such speciational changes in brain and body size account for about 58% of the phenotypic variation among extant species. Interestingly, speciational changes in brain and body size appear significantly less correlated (r≈0.83) than gradual, microevolutionary changes in these same traits (r≈0.97). This indicates that the strong allometric constraint that dictates microevolution in brain and body sizes is relaxed at speciation events. These results suggest that phenotypic evolution is not only accelerated during speciation, but also involves events that seldomly occur at microevolutionary timescales.

Introduction: Using the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of a national and international crisis, it has been possible to show how critical care nurses (CCNs) were affected by their work situation with impact on health and wellbeing. This study sought out to investigate how CCNs stress was affected and to provide some answers as to how to react and organize care in a future crisis. The specific focus was CCNs’ stressors related supervision of nurses untrained in intensive care and how these were handled in a salutogenic perspective. Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze CCNs’ experiences of supervision of nurses without training in intensive care during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to analyze these experiences with the help of the salutogenic concept sense of coherence. Materials and Methods: The phenomena under study were explored during the years of 2021–2022 through in-depth interviews and interpreted using deductive content analysis. Results: By analyzing CCNs experiences of supervising nurses without training in intensive care with the lens of sense of coherence, it was possible to show in what way these concepts influenced how to cope with the demanding situation. Sense of coherence was influenced by the inevitable prioritization of patient care and nursing interventions. This prioritization caused moral distress, but was also enhanced or decreased by CCNs sense of coherence. Conclusion: When recruiting and introducing new personnel in a future crisis to any field of healthcare, but particularly to the intensive care, we would, on the basis of these findings, suggest that well-established plans are vital for how to move personnel throughout the organization, and for how to introduce the field of intensive care. Plans for how to model care with the help of RNs without specialist training should be put in place. A communication plan for the organization is also of importance to enhance transparency.

Mandible is a bony structure of neuroectodermal origin with unique characteristics that support dentition and jaw movements. In the present study, we investigated the effects of gestational exposure to a mixture of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on mandibular growth in mice. The mixture under study (Mixture N1) has been associated with neurodevelopmental effects in both a human cohort and animal studies. Pregnant mice were exposed throughout gestation to 0.5× (times of pregnant women’s exposure levels), 10×, 100× and 500× of Mixture N1, or the vehicle, and the mandibles of the male offspring were studied in adulthood. Micro-CT analysis showed non-monotonic effects of Mixture N1 in the distances between specific mandibular landmarks and in the crown width of M1 molar, as well as changes in the mandibular bone characteristics. The alveolar bone volume was reduced, and the trabecular separation was increased in the 500× exposed mice. Bone volume in the condyle head was increased in all treated groups. Τhe Safranin-O-stained area of mature hypertrophic chondrocytes and the width of their zones were reduced in 0.5×, 10× and 100× exposed groups. This is the first indication that prenatal exposure to an epidemiologically defined EDC mixture, associated with neurodevelopmental impacts, can also affect mandibular growth in mammals.

Introduction Previous research has indicated that internet-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can reduce pain during intercourse and increase pain acceptance in individuals with provoked vulvodynia, but the factors associated with treatment outcomes remain unknown. Aim This study aimed to investigate factors associated with changes in pain acceptance following an internet treatment based on ACT. Methods This exploratory study used data from the EMBLA study, a multicenter randomized controlled trial that investigated the effects of internet-based ACT for provoked vulvodynia. The examined factors included sociodemographics, medical history, pain and sexual behavior, and psychosocial characteristics. Linear regression analysis was employed to assess the association of these factors with pain acceptance, including interaction effects. Results were adjusted for multiple testing using Bonferroni correction. Outcomes The outcome measure was pain acceptance assessed on the scale Chronic Pain Questionnaire–Revised, which comprises two sub-scales: activity engagement and pain willingness. Results Before adjustment, greater improvement in overall pain acceptance and the subscale activity engagement was seen participants in the intervention group who had a history of physical violence or sexual assault. Increased time spent on the treatment platform per week was also associated with greater improvement in pain acceptance. Participants who reported gastrointestinal problems before the internet-based treatment showed better treatment outcomes in activity engagement. Previous contact with a psychologist or counselor was associated with less improvement in activity engagement. The intervention was less effective on the subscale pain willingness with increased age and for those reporting urinary problems. No associations remained statistically significant after adjustment for multiple testing. Clinical implications Previous exposure to violence and sexual assault, concomitant gastrointestinal or urinary problems, and adherence to treatment should be further investigated in larger studies on factors associated with treatment outcomes after internet treatment based on ACT, especially regarding pain. Strengths and limitations This was a novel and exploratory study and provides information for researchers in future investigations of how individual characteristics may influence treatment outcomes. A range of variables were explored in the models, underscoring the importance of future studies to strengthen the findings. One limitation concerns the sample size, which was fairly small considering the nature of the study. Conclusion After correcting for multiple testing, no factors were found to be statistically associated with changes in pain acceptance after the treatment.

A quarter of all preschool children in Sweden have migrant backgrounds. This article explores preschool principals’ views on how societal and cultural changes have affected the demands on staff in multicultural preschools. In the study, twelve principals were interviewed in focus groups where they identified tensions and contradictions for teachers and parents. These are explored through “Dilemmatic spaces”, a conceptual framework that makes it possible to analyse teachers’ everyday practice in relation to societal changes. This article presents the dilemmatic axes that were identified, including preschool teachers’ efforts to show respect for other cultures, versus upholding Swedish culture; and to consider immigrant parents’ expectations versus communicating Swedish values, policies and routines.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with reported need of weight loss support among adults with overweight or obesity in the general population. Design A cross-sectional population study based on a survey questionnaire sent to a random population sample. Multivariate odds ratios for reported need of weight loss support were calculated for socio-economic, lifestyle and health indicators, in total and by gender and age group. Setting Five counties in Sweden in 2022. Participants The study includes 10 069 persons with overweight or obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m ² ) aged 30–69 years. BMI was based on self-reported weight and height. Results In total, about 20 % reported needing weight loss support. The factors most strongly associated with reported need of weight loss support were obesity and female gender. Lack of social support, economic difficulties, physical inactivity, poor self-rated health, musculoskeletal pain and depression were also associated with reported need of weight loss support, whereas diabetes and hypertension were not. Some differences in these associations were observed between age groups. Conclusion Reported need of weight loss support is more common among women than among men and associated with obesity, lack of social support, economic difficulties, physical inactivity, poor self-rated health, musculoskeletal pain and depression in both genders. These factors are important for planning preventive and weight-control measures among adults with overweight or obesity.

Context Agriculture relies on irrigation in many parts of the world, and the need for irrigation is increasing due to rising demands for agricultural products and climate change-induced alterations in rainfall patterns. However, irrigated agriculture has been found to damage ecosystems and threaten landscape sustainability. Objectives Against this background, there has been a recent development towards large-scale irrigation in Spain. The aim of this study is to understand this development at the landscape level and its impact in the context of landscape sustainability. Methods We focused on two study sites in Castilla y León using a mixed-methods approach. We studied driving forces, landscape changes, and sustainability outcomes through document analysis, interviews, and aerial photograph analysis. Results The development of a landscape-level underground pipe network took place at one study site and is planned for the second study site. Interviewees perceived institutional and social driving forces as particularly influential and technological driving forces as less influential. Political and economic driving forces were often interlinked. The irrigation development tied to land consolidation led to landscape changes, such as the removal of trees and increases in field size. Thus, in terms of environmental sustainability, trade-offs were found, while social sustainability outcomes were mainly positive. The impact on farmers’ economic security varied. Conclusions For further landscape-level irrigation developments, we recommend integrating preserving seminatural habitats and the structural diversity of the agricultural landscape in planning processes. We also recommend a shift towards more water efficient crops, evapotranspiration management, and a new funding scheme for farmers to offset rising electricity costs.

The resilience of ecosystems, especially wetlands, plays a vital role in maintaining biodiversity, regulating climate, and supporting the livelihoods of communities. However, these ecosystems are increasingly threatened by both human activities and natural disturbances. To effectively manage and conserve these environments, it is imperative to comprehend the dynamics of various proxies that can indicate the state of an ecosystem, which may exhibit linear, non-linear, or abrupt changes over time. Although there has been considerable research focused on the quantitative analysis of wetland ecosystem dynamics prior to a state change—such as the transition from wetland to bare land—there remains a gap in understanding the alterations in water and energy balance dynamics within wetlands. In this study, we investigated the temporal patterns of key components of the energy balance system, including latent heat flux, sensible heat flux, and soil heat flux, alongside water dynamics as primary indicators of wetland change. We quantified water and energy dynamics using data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). By employing the Brock, Dechert, and Scheinkman (BDS) test along with non-parametric drift-diffusion jump (NDDJ) model approaches, we analyzed the temporal dynamics ofwater and energy dynamics at Kobi Wetland, a site protected under the Ramsar Convention. KobiWetland has experienced significant reductions in water levels, largely attributed to drought conditions and unsustainable agricultural practices in the area. The findings revealed a significant increase in non-linear dynamics in both water area and energy dynamics over the study time period. The BDS test and NDDJ analysis showed that sensible heat flux showed the strongest trend (Kendall’s τ = 0.48), with significant nonlinearity, compared with other indicators that can signal a loss of resilience and abrupt change. In contrast, the water area indicator (i.e., Modified Normalized Difference Water Index) has a weak trend (τ = 0.14) with minimal nonlinearity, while latent and soil heat flux exhibit moderate trends (Kendall’s τ = 0.34 and 0.38) and nonlinearity. This research contributes to the drought monitoring and predicting of water and energy dynamics changes in wetland ecosystems that can serve as signals of resilience loss.

Contact nursing services have been implemented in Swedish cancer care to increase healthcare quality. Too little is known about the content and quality of these services and the organizational prerequisites provided to contact nurses. The aim of this study was to explore contact nurses’ perceptions of their services and organizational prerequisites, as well as the connection between organizational prerequisites and moral stress. A cross-sectional survey was utilized consisting of a study-specific questionnaire and a select part of the Stress of Conscience Questionnaire. The study is reported in accordance with STROBE guidelines for cross-sectional studies. The results showed that contact nursing service content varied across settings and that 84% of contact nurses have what was categorized as satisfactory or moderately satisfactory self-reported organizational prerequisites. Perceived moral stress differed between contact nurses depending on organizational prerequisites. The variability of both services and prerequisites can be described as inequities in care and complicates evaluation and comparison.