Recent publications
Background: Symptom reduction occurring early in depression treatment is associated with favourable post-treatment outcome, but it is not known how early reduction in specific depression symptoms affect treatment outcome. We aimed to determine the impact of symptom-specific change from pre-treatment to week four during internet-delivered CBT (ICBT) on overall and symptom-specific depression severity at post-treatment. We hypothesized that change in mood and emotional involvement would be most strongly associated with later overall depression severity. Methods: 1300 participants with Major Depressive Disorder were followed over 12 weeks of ICBT using the self-report Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale gauging nine symptoms. Linear models, informed by causal inference and cross-lagged network analysis methods, were used to estimate associations between early symptom-specific change and post-treatment depression severity, controlling for register-based and self-reported pre-treatment confounders. Results: Early reduction in all symptoms was associated with lower overall and symptom-specific depression severity post-ICBT. Seven symptoms showed similar associations between early change and overall depression severity post-treatment: mood (standardized beta [β] = 0.44), feelings of unease (β = 0.39), ability to concentrate (β = 0.46), initiative (β = 0.43), emotional involvement (β = 0.42), pessimism (β = 0.44), and zest for life (β = 0.42). Change in sleep (β = 0.27) and appetite (β = 0.27) had weaker associations with overall depression severity at post-treatment and were the only symptoms showing the hypothesized difference compared with mood and emotional involvement. Conclusions: The impact of early symptom-specific reduction on post-treatment depression severity in ICBT for MDD may be similar across most symptoms, but less for the sleep and appetite symptoms, although causal interpretations rests on several assumptions.
Calculation of binding free energies between a protein and a ligand are highly desired for computer‐aided drug design. Here we approximate the binding energies of ABL1, an enzyme which is the target for drugs used in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia, with minimal models and density functional theory (DFT). Starting from the crystal structures of protein‐drug complexes, we estimated the binding free energies having used all available individual molecules (protein chains) within each structure, not only a single one as commonly used, in order to see if the choice of the protein chain is important in such calculations. Differences were observed between chains in the same file. Energy decomposition analysis (EDA) revealed that the most important factors for binding were exchange, repulsion and electrostatics. The desolvation term varied dramatically between the inhibitors (between 4.2 and 92.3 kcal/mol). All functionals showed similar patterns in the EDA and in discriminating between the ligands. Non‐covalent interactions (NCI) analysis was used to further explain the differences between protein chains and functionals. Overall, it is shown that small minimal models of a drug binding site can be useful to infer on the suitability of an initial crystal structure for further analysis such as EDA.
Mating between closely related individuals can result in a reduction in offspring fitness, known as inbreeding depression. Here, we investigate whether breeding with close relatives affects the reproductive output of parents and the development of their offspring in Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis), a cooperatively breeding species where females avoid mating with familiar individuals. By cross-fostering litters of pups soon after birth, we were able to form breeding pairs from full siblings that were reared apart. We compared the reproductive output of these sibling pairs and the survival and growth of their pups with that of unrelated pairs over a period of 4 years. The litter sizes and interbirth intervals of sibling pairs did not differ from those of unrelated pairs, but the growth and survival of inbred offspring were lower, showing that breeding between close relatives is associated with substantial fitness costs. This study suggests that inbreeding depression is an important driver of the extreme reproductive skew observed in social mole-rats. Studies of the costs of inbred matings are now needed in similar species, such as naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber), where captive females more commonly breed with close relatives, to determine whether these costs are lower than in Damaraland mole-rats.
In this study, we investigate the interplay between relative sea-level changes, the development of human settlements and land-cover changes in the Västervik-Gamlebyviken region on the southeast coast of Sweden, an important archaeological area from the Mesolithic until recent times. The reconstruction of shore displacement was based on diatom analysis of radiocarbon-dated sediment cores from three lake basins combined with previously published lake isolation data. The resulting curve was used to construct palaeogeographical maps for selected time windows. Land-cover changes were inferred from pollen data from three lakes using the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm with its two models REVEALS and LOVE. Our data suggest that people took advantage of the land gained due to an overall fall in relative sea level from~35 to~3 metres above sea level (m a.s.l.) over the last 10 000 years, interrupted by periods of transgression and highstands. A sea-level regression of~16 m occurred between 10 000 and 8500 cal a BP followed by an~3-4-m sea-level rise, reaching~22 m a.s.l. at~7500 cal a BP, which corresponds to the maximum Littorina Sea shoreline in the area. The available archaeological findings for the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic (8950-5450 cal a BP) agree well with the shore displacement curve showing that settlements and human activities were concentrated along or above the shorelines as defined from our study. During the transgression after 8500 cal a BP, however, seasonal settlements were submerged (as shown by findings of polished stone tools and hearths buried in sand) and used again during the subsequent regression after 4600 cal a BP. The Iron Age (2450-900 cal a BP) corresponds partly to a highstand at~11 m a.s.l. between 3600 and 2000 cal a BP and partly to a rapid regression of~8 m between 2000 and 1500 cal a BP, and both periods coincide with known human activities along the contemporaneous shoreline. The rapid regression after 2000 cal a BP corresponds to an increase of both regional and local landscape openness and the beginning of a continuous record of crop cultivation.
The growing global instability has increased the demand for healthcare and disaster response skills among registered nurses (RNs). However, research shows that RNs are not sufficiently prepared for disaster situations. Although RNs are responsible for managing injuries during armed conflicts in accordance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL), nursing education lacks specific training in this area. A national survey revealed that only two universities in Sweden offer IHL-related education for nursing students. These findings highlight the urgent need to revise nursing education in Sweden to better prepare RNs for the challenges posed by global crises, including armed conflicts.
The concept of matching refers to the process of selecting a family foster home to fit an individual child in placement. Matching is important for the quality of care, as the carers need the necessary resources to meet the child’s needs. Failure in matching can have negative consequences, such as a ‘breakdown’. The aim of this article is to explore the social workers’ practice when matching children and foster carers to ensure the children will receive good care and avoid a placement change. The article uses a qualitative approach and is based on interviews with 31 participants. Social workers and managers at municipal social services, as well as consultants, were interviewed about their work. The professionals reflected on what aspects they perceive as most important in matching and what challenges they encounter that complicate the process. Narratives of successful matches often focused on the characteristics, competence and experience of the foster carers to meet the needs of the children. Some of the challenges highlighted were time pressure and a lack of family foster homes to choose from. This means that professionals have to compromise and prioritise what is most important in relation to the needs of the child.
Background
Involving older adults in co-design processes is essential in developing digital technologies and health care solutions to enhance self-care management at home, especially for older adults with chronic illness and their companions. Remote co-design approaches could provide technologically sustainable solutions that address their personal needs.
Objective
This study aimed to cocreate and test the usability of a video feedback tool to facilitate self-care management at home.
Methods
This experience-based co-design approach involved collaboration between 4 pairs of older adults, 4 researchers, and 2 service designers in three steps: (1) six iterative workshops (5 remote and 1 in person) to cocreate self-care exercises within an existing video feedback tool by identifying factors influencing self-care management; (2) developing and refining the self-care exercises based on suggestions from the older adults; and (3) usability testing of the cocreated exercises with the 4 pairs of older adults in their homes. Among the older adults (68-78 years), 3 adults had heart failure and 1 adult had hypertension. Data were analyzed inductively through thematic analysis and deductively using the USABILITY (Use of Technology to Engage in Adaptation by Older Adults and/or Those With Low or Limited Literacy) framework.
Results
The identified influencing factors guiding the contents and format development of 2 new self-care exercises were that pairs of older adults support and learn from each other in performing self-care, which increases their motivation and engagement in practicing self-care at home. The usability test of the 2 new self-care exercises, “Breathing exercises” and “Picking up from the floor,” revealed that the pairs found the exercises and the video feedback component valuable for learning and understanding, for example, by comparison of performances highlighting movement variability. However, they found it difficult to manage the video feedback tool on their own, and a support structure or tailored education or training was requested.
Conclusions
This study emphasizes that the video feedback tool holds the potential to facilitate learning and understanding in self-care management, which may support motivation. The studied video feedback tool can be beneficial for pairs of older adults managing self-care at home as a complement to traditional health care services, but an accurate supporting structure is required. The effectiveness of the video feedback tool and its integration into existing health care services still need to be assessed and improved through careful design and structured support.
The overall goal of this project is to gain a broad picture of belonging and the politics of belonging in early education settings (In Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland the children attend school from 6 or 7 years. In the Netherlands children attend compulsory school at 4 years of age. Using the terms early education settings and (pre)schools with parenthesis we refer to educational institutions (preschool, day-care, compulsory school) involving children between 4 and 6 years) in five European countries: Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. By ‘belonging’ we refer to children´s sense of feeling safe and ‘at home’. By ‘politics of belonging’ we refer to societal structures and processes of safeguarding communities and their borders among children (and educators) in their early education settings. Educators (n = 648) and parents (n = 1,598) were surveyed about their perspectives about, and pedagogies for, belonging. Results indicated that, in general, parents and educators felt positively about belonging in their (pre)schools. Even so the study shows that experiences of belonging cannot be taken for granted, and a number of parents and educators worry about children being excluded and alienated. The study also revealed a relation between the educational level of educators and the complexity of pedagogic methods educators used to support children´s belonging in early education settings.
Thiamine deficiency is an ongoing issue across the Northern Hemisphere, causing reproductive failure in multiple salmonid populations. In the Baltic Sea, a large brackish water system in northern Europe, previous research has suggested that this deficiency is associated with lipid‐rich diets with a high proportion of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n‐3). The mechanism proposed is that a diet abundant in highly unsaturated fatty acids, such as DHA, depletes thiamine as an antioxidant defense in adult salmonids, rather than allocating thiamine to the offspring. In light of this existing hypothesis, we here explore the relationship between diet history and the related fatty acid (FA), profiles, and thiamine status of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) in three systems: the Baltic Sea, the North Atlantic Ocean, and Lake Vänern. Atlantic salmon inhabiting each system is known to have unique feeding histories and thiamine status. Our results showed that despite extensive sampling effort and distinct FA profiles, indicative of their diverse diets, there were no correlations between any FAs, including DHA, and the thiamine status of these populations. This finding does not support the above‐mentioned hypothesis that diets rich in easily oxidized FAs would lead to lower thiamine concentrations in salmon tissues. Additionally, we found that changes in the salmon FA profiles throughout their life cycle are consistent for both low‐thiamine populations from the Baltic Sea and medium‐thiamine populations from North Atlantic Ocean, suggesting that these changes might not be involved in thiamine deficiency development.
In this note we prove that the algebras LK(E) and KE have the same entropy. Entropy is always referred to the standard filtrations in the corresponding kind of algebra. The main argument leans on (1) the holomorphic functional calculus; (2) the relation of entropy with suitable norm of the adjacency matrix; and (3) the Cohn path algebras which yield suitable bounds for the algebraic entropies.
Background
Aquatic viruses act as key players in shaping microbial communities. In polar environments, they face significant challenges such as limited host availability and harsh conditions. However, due to the restricted accessibility of these ecosystems, our understanding of viral diversity, abundance, adaptations, and host interactions remains limited.
Results
To fill this knowledge gap, we studied viruses from atmosphere-close aquatic ecosystems in the Central Arctic and Northern Greenland. Aquatic samples for virus-host analysis were collected from ~60 cm depth and the submillimeter surface microlayer (SML) during the Synoptic Arctic Survey 2021 on icebreaker Oden in the Arctic summer. Water was sampled from a melt pond and open water before undergoing size-fractioned filtration, followed by genome-resolved metagenomic and cultivation investigations. The prokaryotic diversity in the melt pond was considerably lower compared to that of open water. The melt pond was dominated by a Flavobacterium sp. and Aquiluna sp., the latter having a relatively small genome size of 1.2 Mb and the metabolic potential to generate ATP using the phosphate acetyltransferase-acetate kinase pathway. Viral diversity on the host fraction (0.2–5 µm) of the melt pond was strikingly limited compared to that of open water. From the 1154 viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs), of which two-thirds were predicted bacteriophages, 17.2% encoded for auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) with metabolic functions. Some AMGs like glycerol-3-phosphate cytidylyltransferase and ice-binding like proteins might serve to provide cryoprotection for the host. Prophages were often associated with SML genomes, and two active prophages of new viral genera from the Arctic SML strain Leeuwenhoekiella aequorea Arc30 were induced. We found evidence that vOTU abundance in the SML compared to that of ~60 cm depth was more positively correlated with the distribution of a vOTU across five different Arctic stations.
Conclusions
The results indicate that viruses employ elaborate strategies to endure in extreme, host-limited environments. Moreover, our observations suggest that the immediate air-sea interface serves as a platform for viral distribution in the Central Arctic.
Dvb_jZZ1H7pg55rxrDSVb2Video Abstract
Complex dynamic systems displaying interdependency between nitroaldol and boronic ester reactions have been demonstrated. Nitroalkane‐1,3‐diols, generated by the nitroaldol reaction, were susceptible to ester formation with different boronic acids in aprotic solvents, whereas hydrolysis of the esters occurred in the presence of water. The boronic ester formation led to significant stabilization of the nitroaldol adducts under basic conditions. The use of bifunctional building blocks was furthermore established, allowing for main chain nitroaldol‐boronate dynamers as well as complex network dynamers with distinct topologies. The shape and rigidity of the resulting dynamers showed an apparent dependency on the configuration of the boronic acids.
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