RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

Reservoir computing advances the intriguing idea that a nonlinear recurrent neural circuit—the reservoir—can encode spatio-temporal input signals to enable efficient ways to perform tasks like classification or regression. However, recently the idea of a monolithic reservoir network that simultaneously buffers input signals and expands them into nonlinear features has been challenged. A representation scheme in which memory buffer and expansion into higher-order polynomial features can be configured separately has been shown to significantly outperform traditional reservoir computing in prediction of multivariate time-series. Here we propose a configurable neuromorphic representation scheme that provides competitive performance on prediction, but with significantly better scaling properties than directly materializing higher-order features as in prior work. Our approach combines the use of randomized representations from traditional reservoir computing with mathematical principles for approximating polynomial kernels via such representations. While the memory buffer can be realized with standard reservoir networks, computing higher-order features requires networks of ‘Sigma-Pi’ neurons, i.e., neurons that enable both summation as well as multiplication of inputs. Finally, we provide an implementation of the memory buffer and Sigma-Pi networks on Loihi 2, an existing neuromorphic hardware platform.

The nineteenth century was an era of rapid urban growth, increasing temporal awareness, and a rising demand for precision. Time measurement and display became particularly important in this context, not just for scientific or military purposes, but also for administrations, businesses and for the general public. There was, however, one significant problem: making all the public clocks show the same and correct time, which led to the development of urban temporal infrastructures as symbols of urban modernity and a source of civic pride. This article presents an account of the origins of two temporal infrastructures in Paris, focusing particularly on the electrical network devised by the scientists of the Paris Observatory.

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric conditions. Given its high prevalence and disease burden, accurate diagnostic procedures and valid instruments are warranted to identify those in need of treatment. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is one of the most widely used self-report measures of depression, and its validity and reliability has been evaluated in several languages. However, the Swedish translation has yet not been subject to psychometric evaluation, and no previous psychometric evaluation of the instrument have used both Rasch analysis and classic test theory. The aim of this study was to investigate validity and reliability of the PHQ-9 in a Swedish sample of individuals with self-reported current or past mental health problems using Rasch analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. A sample of 4958 participants was recruited from an online survey covering different aspects of covid-19 and mental health targeted towards individuals with mental health problems. Results showed that a one-factor solution fit the data after removing one item and that some items had a different response pattern for older respondents. Furthermore, after removing item 2 and merging the two middle response categories for item 9, the Swedish translation of PHQ-9 showed adequate psychometric properties. The findings suggests that the Swedish translation of PHQ-9 may need to be adapted in order to make adequate interpretations of an individual score and to differentiate between populations. Further tests of its validity and reliability in other Swedish samples are needed to fully understand the properties of the Swedish version of PHQ-9.

Background Family sense of coherence (FSOC) seems to reduce distress in the family and promote the well-being of the family. Therefore, getting accurate measurements for families with long-term illnesses is of particular interest. This study explores dyadic data analysis from the dyadic- and single-informant perspectives, and the measurement properties of the FSOC-S12 according to the Rasch model. Methods Racked and stacked data from 151 dyads were analyzed according to the polytomous Rasch model. Results Notably, both the dyadic- and single-informant perspectives (i.e., racked and stacked data set-ups) showed measurement properties with minor deviations from the Rasch model according to fit statistics. However, most items had disordered thresholds and some problems with local dependency. Item hierarchies were similar in both set-ups and there was no differential item functioning (DIF) by role from the dyadic informant perspective. Four items showed DIF by informant role in the single-informant perspective. Conclusions Our approach to handling dyadic data has shown both strengths and limitations in the evaluation of FSOC-S12, and the understanding of FSOC as a construct from the family’s view of the family’s ability as a whole (dyadic-informant perspective) and patient’s and family member’s separate views of the family’s ability as a whole (single-informant perspective).

The world is on a trajectory to exceed the 1.5‐degree target set by the Paris Agreement. As the effects of climate change become increasingly evident, there is a pressing need to fundamentally transform our societies towards just and sustainable futures. This paper presents a practical methodology for guiding collaborative transformation processes towards sustainability. Our aim is to contribute to the development of tools that combine insights from foresight with theories from the sustainability transitions literature, specifically scenario planning and multi‐level perspective (MLP) approaches. Foresight and sustainability transitions both aim to understand long‐term trends shaping production and consumption systems and guide transitions to more desirable socio‐technical regimes. However, few scholars have examined overlaps between the fields and explored the potential for practical integration in workshop settings. The MLP can benefit from scenario planning by incorporating directionality and pluralism of futures in transition processes, while the MLP provides a structure for understanding system dynamics and socio‐technical change to scenario planning. In this paper, we share our experiences using an integrated MLP‐scenario planning framework in a workshop setting where actors from the Swedish food system explored prospective transitions. Using backcasting and pre‐mortem related to regime dimensions from the MLP, participants built a common understanding of events, barriers and pathways associated with four normative scenarios of sustainable food systems. Our results show that the MLP and scenario planning can be integrated and implemented on a practical level to facilitate dialogues on current regime lock‐ins and thereby pave the way for transformative change.

A demand for a more sustainable use of resources entails that recycled aggregate material need to be used in advanced applications, as in concrete. Even if regulations and standards permit the use of recycled aggregate in concrete, the amount used for this application in many countries is negligible. This caution of the potential users is partly due to the uncertainty about how recycled aggregate, from construction and demolition waste and from washed excavation masses, influence the durability of concrete, such as alkali-silica resistance (ASR), frost resistance and carbonation. Choosing a binder that mitigate damaging alkali silica reactions is an effective means to diminish the risk for damage, even with alkali-reactive recycled aggregate. However, the alkali content of crushed concrete used as aggregate must be considered. No negative effect of recycled aggregate on the carbonation of concrete was observed. The uncertainty about the influence of aggregate porosity on the frost resistance of concrete, about adequate concrete test methods, about aggregate test criteria, and about the correlation between aggregate and concrete test methods need to be settled, before porous recycled aggregate like construction and demolition waste (CDW) can be used in more demanding exposure classes with respect to frost.

Wood, with its constituent building block cellulose, is by far the most common biomaterial on the planet and has been the most important material used by humans to establish civilization. If there is one single biomaterial that should be studied and used by materials scientists across disciplines to achieve a sustainable future, it is cellulose. This perspective provides insights for the general materials science community about the unique properties of wood and cellulose and how they may be used in advanced sustainable materials to make a substantial societal impact. The focus is on sawn wood or cellulose fibers produced at scale by industry and the more recent cellulosic nanomaterials, highlighting the areas where these cellulose‐based materials can be valorized into higher‐order functions. Numerous articles have comprehensively reviewed different areas where cellulose is currently used in advanced materials science. The objective here is to provide general insight for all material scientists and to provide the opinions about the areas in which cellulose and wood have the largest potential to make a significant societal impact, especially to realize next‐generation sustainable materials for construction, food, water, energy, and information. Discussing key areas where future research is needed to open avenues toward a more sustainable future is ended.

The main stakeholders in external quality assessment (EQA) programs are the participants, in whose interests these challenges are ultimately organised. EQA schemes in the medical field contribute to improving the quality of patient care by evaluating the analytical and diagnostic quality of laboratory and point-of-care tests (POCT) by independent third parties and, if necessary, pointing out erroneous measurement results and analytical or diagnostic improvement potential. Other benefits include the option of using EQA samples for other important laboratory procedures, such as the verification or validation of in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVD-MDs), a contribution to the estimation of measurement uncertainty, a means of training and educating laboratory staff through educational EQA programmes or samples, or even for independent and documented monitoring of staff competence, such as on samples with unusual or even exceptional characteristics. Participation in an EQA scheme for beneficiaries like medical, microbiological and histo- and molecular pathology laboratories, users of POCT and self-testing systems as well as National Metrology Institutes, calibration laboratories and reference laboratories that are dedicated to specific tasks and have particular expectations of the EQA scheme are presented here.

The NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission has collected samples of rock, regolith, and atmosphere within the Noachian-aged Jezero Crater, once the site of a delta-lake system with a high potential for habitability and biosignature preservation. Between sols 109 and 1,088 of the mission, 27 sample tubes have been sealed, including witness tubes. Each sealed sample tube has been collected along with detailed documentation provided by the Perseverance instrument payload, preserving geological and environmental context. Samples representative of the stratigraphy within each of four campaigns have been collected: samples from the Crater Floor Campaign represent a suite of potentially petrogenetically related igneous rocks displaying variable degrees of aqueous alteration; samples from the Fan Front record fluvial to deltaic sediments formed by the transport and deposition of materials from the Jezero watershed; regolith samples from the Fan Front preserve material possibly representative of global dust as well as diverse, locally derived clasts; Upper Fan samples record the latest stages of aqueous activity within Jezero; and samples from the Margin Campaign preserve lacustrine, littoral, or possibly igneous processes that may have occurred early in the history of the crater. Along with anticipated samples from the older rocks within the rim of Jezero Crater, Perseverance promises to deliver a suite of samples preserving a diversity of formation environments and ages. Upon return to Earth and analysis in terrestrial laboratories, these samples would address longstanding questions pertaining to the geologic evolution of Mars, its habitability, and the potential for life outside the Earth.

A lab-in-a-fiber component was fabricated using an optical fiber and a fiber capillary. It was used in a test suspension of fluorescently labeled and unlabeled cells and enabled detection of the labeled cells. Subsequently the labeled cells were selectively collected via suction into the capillary. A novel sampling technique reduced photobleaching of the labeled cells, extending the measurement time. The collected cells remained viable for downstream analysis. This platform’s low fabrication cost, simplicity, compatibility with standard laboratory equipment, and capacity for fully automated cell capture highlights its potential for future applications in minimally invasive sample collection and point-of-care diagnostics.

The recent AI boom requires more focus on energy-efficient and scalable optical interconnects. Silicon Photonics is enabling technology to satisfy growing demand. However, the lack of lasers and high-performance modulators hinders wide-scale adoption. Therefore, we present a heterogeneously integrated Indium Phosphide electro-absorption modulator with Silicon waveguides. We demonstrate up to 256 Gb/s on-off keying, 340 Gb/s 4-level pulse amplitude modulation, 375 Gb/s 6-level pulse amplitude modulation, and 360 Gb/s 8-level pulse amplitude modulation transmission over 500 m and 6 km of single-mode fiber with performance satisfying requirements of 6.25% overhead hard-decision forward error correction threshold of 4.5×10-3. Additionally, we investigate the modulator at 200 Gb/s per lane scenarios, demonstrating excellent performance with a simple seven-tap feed-forward equalizer.

The rise of new applications, such as interactive remote presence, online gaming, and video-assisted remote control of industrial machinery, necessitates enhanced requirements in terms of throughput and delay stability. Many efforts have been made to address these needs, with Deterministic Networking (DetNet) being one such initiative. DetNet aims to guarantee delivery with low latency and minimal jitter, ensuring high reliability and performance for time-sensitive applications. However, DetNet applicability in real-world scenarios is limited due to the need of a lower-layer protocol supporting resource reservation procedures ( e.g. , MPLS), and the lack of publicly available implementations. In this work, we present SRv6 Live-Live, an easy-to-deploy and highly scalable implementation of DetNet functions using the Segment Routing over IPv6 (SRv6) model. The SRv6 Live-Live behavior replicates packets of a selected flow across multiple paths at the ingress of the SRv6 domain and drops redundant replicas at the egress. After discussing insights about the paths’ selection strategy, we provide a SRv6 Live-Live implementation for programmable data planes using P4. We also propose the use of SRv6 Live-Live for best path selection at line rate, in SD-WAN scenarios. The main results obtained in the extensive performance evaluation are that SRv6 Live-Live preserves the throughput in case of congestion and reduces the tail end-to-end delay with a marginal impact on best-effort flows.

The increased mining of metals required to meet future demands also generates vast amounts of waste rock that depending on the ore, can contain substantial amounts of metal sulfides. Unconstrained storage of these mining biproducts results in the release of acidic metal laden effluent (termed ‘acid rock drainage’) that causes serious damage to recipient ecosystems. This study investigated the development of 16S rRNA gene based microbial communities and physiochemical characteristics over two sampling occasions in three age classes of rock, from newly mined to > 10 years in a boreal metal sulfide waste repository. Analysis of the waste rocks showed a pH decrease from the youngest to oldest aged waste rock suggesting the development of acid rock leachate. The microbial communities differed between the young, mid, and old samples with increasing Shannon’s H diversity with rock age. This was reflected by the young age microbial community beta diversity shifting towards the mid aged samples suggesting the development of a community adapted to the low temperature and acidic conditions. This community shift was characterized by the development of iron and sulfur oxidizing acidophilic populations that likely catalyzed the dissolution of the metal sulfides. In conclusion, the study showed three potential microbial community transitions from anaerobic species adapted to underground conditions, through an aerobic acidophilic community, to a more diverse acidophilic community. This study can assist in understanding acid rock drainage generation and inform on strategies to mitigate metal and acid release.

The risk of malnutrition increases with ageing, resulting in poorer health and higher risk of disease. Eating difficulties are important risk factors for malnutrition. Moreover, independence in relation to food and meals is highly rated by the elderly and has been associated with health and well-being. The purpose of this literature overview was to provide insights into nutritional status, food choice and preferences as well as the meal situations of home-living elderly (65+) people with motoric eating difficulties focusing on Scandinavia. The overall aim is to support independence and to prevent malnutrition. Nutritional status in the elderly was found to be negatively influenced by motoric eating difficulties including problems with manipulating food on the plate and transporting food to the mouth. Motoric eating difficulties may result in practical simplifications such as use of pre-prepared meals, less advanced cooking, and omission of certain meal constituents in order to avoid e.g. mismanagement and spillage. Eating difficulties are often accompanied by feelings of guilt and shame. Choosing smaller portions, reducing the number of eating episodes and not cooking independently have been associated with a higher risk of malnutrition. The nutritional effects of eating difficulties may be exacerbated by diminished chemosensory functions. Furthermore, both past and present food preferences should be considered in order to meet nutritional needs and meal satisfaction. Development of refined and socially accepted eating aids, in combination with tasty and nutritious products, is important in order to promote healthy and independent living among home-living elderly with motoric eating difficulties.

Purpose The decline in biodiversity caused by human activities is a major global challenge. An important driver of biodiversity loss, especially in the oceans, is seafood production. However, methods for quantifying biodiversity impacts in life cycle assessment (LCA) are currently heavily focused on terrestrial systems. This study aims to identify and evaluate methods addressing aquatic biodiversity loss relevant for LCAs of seafood and to provide recommendations to research and LCA practitioners. Methods The methodology comprised four key phases. First, environmental impacts from seafood production were identified and linked to biodiversity impacts. Second, it was assessed which impacts were addressed in existing seafood LCAs. Next, available biodiversity impact assessment methods were identified through a literature review. Finally, the identified assessment methods were evaluated and matched against the identified environmental impacts from seafood production to evaluate the efficacy of current LCA practices. Results and discussion A total of 39 environmental impacts linked to seafood production were identified. Of these impacts, 90% were categorized as causing biodiversity loss and included effects on genetic, species, and ecosystem level. Only 20% out of the impacts associated to aquatic biodiversity loss had been included in previous seafood LCAs, indicating a narrow scope in practice, as methods were available for half of the impacts. The available methods were, however, mainly focused on impact on species level and on the drivers pollution and climate change rather than the main drivers of marine biodiversity loss: exploitation and sea-use change. Conclusions Although many of the impacts from seafood production were related to biodiversity pressures, LCAs which are widely used to describe the environmental performance of seafood, disregard most biodiversity impacts from seafood production. The most severe limitations were the lack of methods for the pressures of exploitation and sea-use change and for effects on ecosystem and genetic biodiversity. This study provides recommendations to practitioners on how to best account for biodiversity impacts from seafood depending on the studied system, geographic area, and dataset. Future research should progress methods for impact pathways within the drivers exploitation and sea-use change, and effects on ecosystem biodiversity and genetic biodiversity.

A comprehensive understanding of chemical interactions at the surface of hair represents an important area of research within the cosmetic industry and is essential to obtain new products that exhibit...

Hydraulic conductivity of conifer sapwood varies greatly between and within annual rings due to varying dimensions and numbers of tracheids, lumina and bordered pits, complex relationships and non-linearities. Existing laboratory methods are too tedious and expensive for large scale studies for instance of genetics, tree improvement and silvicultural practices, and their spatial resolution is not enough for information on seasonal weather effects which may reflect vulnerability to drought. The article presents a set of integrated models estimating radial variations in hydraulic conductivity at the tracheid level, at 25 µm resolution. A rationalised model was designed for the organisation of tracheids and the water transport through lumina and bordered pits. Within this, pressure drops at flow along lumina and at passages of pits are estimated and integrated to provide local estimates of lumen and xylem conductivities with same radial resolution. The estimated lumen conductivities varied from maximum 0.030 m ² /(s·MPa) in earlywood to minimum 0.001 m ² /(s·MPa) in latewood. Estimated pressure drops on pit passages reduce these values with about 80 and 90 % into xylem conductivities of 0.006 and 0.0001 m ² /(s·MPa) in same earlywood and latewood. Sample means of modelled trunk xylem conductivities were correlated with data from laboratory analyses, resulting in R ² > 0.50.

Superinsulating nanofibrillar cellulose foams have the potential to replace fossil‐based insulating materials, but the development is hampered by the moisture‐dependent heat transport and the lack of direct measurements of phonon transport. Here, inelastic neutron scattering is used together with wide angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS) and small angle neutron scattering to relate the moisture‐dependent structural modifications to the vibrational dynamics and phonon transport and scattering of cellulose nanofibrils from wood and tunicate, and wood cellulose nanocrystals (W‐CNC). The moisture interacted primarily with the disordered regions in nanocellulose, and WAXS showed that the crystallinity and coherence length increased as the moisture content increased. The phonon population derived from directional‐dependent phonon density of states (GDOS) increased along the cellulose chains in W‐CNC between 5 and 8 wt% D2O, while the phonon population perpendicular to the chains remained relatively unaffected, suggesting that the effect of increased crystallinity and coherence length on phonon transport is compensated by the moisture‐induced swelling of the foam walls. Frequency scaling in the low‐energy GDOS showed that materials based on hygroscopic and semicrystalline nanocellulose falls in between the predicted behavior for solids and liquids. Phonon‐engineering of hygroscopic biopolymer‐based insulation materials is promoted by the insights on the moisture‐dependent phonon transport.