• 2020-2024close
• Open Access close
• Restricted close
• Open Source close
• Article close
• SE close
• Digitala Vetenskapliga Arkivet - Ac... close
• Publikationer från KTH close

Objective: Psoriatic arthritis mutilans (PAM) is the most severe phenotype of psoriatic arthritis due to excessive bone erosion causing joint destruction and decreased functional capacity. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of comorbidities among patients with PAM and the association between comorbidities and joint involvement.Methods: A total of 66 patients aged ≥18 years from the Nordic countries with past or present psoriasis along with at least one mutilated joint were included in the present study.Results: The median number of comorbid conditions per patient was 1 [interquartile range (IQR) 0–2] and 16.7% reported three or more comorbidities. The most frequent comorbidity was hypertension (36.4%). The median number of mutilated joints per patient was 3 (IQR 1–8.3; range 1–38).Conclusion: Two thirds of the patients with PAM reported comorbid conditions and the most frequent was hypertension which affected more than a third of the patients. However, this study was unable to detect any association between comorbidities and the severity of PAM.

This paper estimates family spillovers in high school major choice in Sweden, where admission to oversubscribed majors is determined based on GPA. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find large sibling and intergenerational spillovers that depend on the sex mix of a dyad. Same-sex siblings copy one another, while younger brothers recoil from an older sister’s choices. Fathers and mothers influence sons but not their daughters, except when a mother majors in the male-dominated program of engineering. Back-of-the-envelope calculations reveal that these within-family spillovers have sizable implications for the sex composition of majors. (JEL I21, J12, J13, J16)

In this essay, we explore what happens when science meets comic art and how such meeting offers an opportunity to rethink science communication. We base our discussion on our own experience, as research scholars, of engaging in a collaboration with a comic artist. Three key reflections are developed: how comic art may help to (1) conceptualize ideas in an early research phase, (2) clarify the main argument by making the (un)written word visible; and (3) communicate science with an open end. These aspects contribute to an increased understanding of science communication in both research and society.

Integration och särskilt etablering på arbetsmarknaden för migranter står högt på dagordningen i den politiska debatten. I artikeln fokuseras centrala aktörers integrationsarbete i förhållande till nationella riktlinjer och lokala förutsättningar i tre rurala kommuner. Analysen visar att det huvudsakligen är det rurala i förhållande till det urbana som tycks avgörande för de tre kommunerna, samt att lokala innovativa lösningar nyttjas för att främja etablering och möjliggöra för migranter att stanna och verka på orten. Nationella riktlinjer tycks både verka som stimulerande drivkrafter och förhindrande, begränsande strukturer som är opålitliga och kortsiktiga i ett sammanhang där tidsperspektivet är centralt. Labour market integration is an urgent matter in the political debate. This article focuses on key actors’ integration work in three rural municipalities in relation tonational guidelines and local conditions. The analysis shows that it is mainly the rural in relation to the urban that seems crucial for the municipalities, and that local innovative solutions are used to promote establishment and enable migrants to stay and work in the community. The National guidelines seem to act as both stimulating drivers and preventive, limiting structures that are unreliable and short-termed in a context where the time perspective is central.

AbstractAimSeparating infants and their parents after a Caesarean section is still the routine care worldwide. This study investigated three caregiving models on the wakefulness and physiological parameters of full‐term infants after an elective Caesarean section.MethodsNewborn infants born in a Chilean public hospital in 2009‐12 were randomised to three groups: cot, fathers' arms or skin‐to‐skin contact with their father. They were assessed at 15‐minute intervals, from 45 to 120 minutes after the Caesarean section. Their physiological parameters were measured, and their wakefulness was assessed using the Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale.ResultsWe studied 95 infant (53% girls) born at a mean gestational age of 38.9 ± 0.9 weeks. Heart rates were significantly higher in the skin‐to‐skin than cot or fathers' arms groups and showed greater stability over time. Wakefulness was initially higher in the skin‐to‐skin group, but there were no significant differences by the end of the observation. There were no differences between the groups in peripheral oxygen saturation. Skin‐to‐skin contact had no negative impact on the infants.ConclusionThe skin‐to‐skin group showed some advantages over the cot and fathers' arms groups when it came to establishing stable physiological parameters and wakefulness. This approach should be supported during mother‐infant separation.

Negative carbon dioxide (CO2)-emissions are prevalent in most global emissions pathways that meet the Paris temperature targets and are a critical component for reaching net-zero emissions in Year 2050. However, economic incentives supporting commercialization and deployment of BioEnergy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) are missing. This Policy and Practice Review discusses five different models for creating incentives and financing for BECCS, using Sweden as an example: (1) governmental guarantees for purchasing BECCS outcomes; (2) quota obligation on selected sectors to acquire BECCS outcomes; (3) allowing BECCS credits to compensate for hard-to-abate emissions within the EU ETS; (4) private entities for voluntary compensation; and (5) other states acting as buyers of BECCS outcomes to meet their mitigation targets under the Paris Agreement. We conclude that successful implementation of BECCS is likely to require a combination of several of the Policy Models, implemented in a sequential manner. The governmental guarantee model (Model 1) is likely to be required in the shorter term, so as to establish BECCS. Policy Models 2 and 3 may become more influential over time once BECCS has been established and accepted. Model 3 links BECCS to a large carbon-pricing regime with opportunities for cost-effectiveness and expanded financing. We conclude that Policy Models 4 and 5 are associated with high levels of uncertainty regarding the timing and volume of negative emissions that can be expected—Thus, they are unlikely to trigger BECCS implementation in the short term, although may have roles in the longer term. Based on this study, we recommend that policymakers carefully consider a policy sequencing approach that is predictable and sustainable over time, for which further analyses are required. It is not obvious how such sequencing can be arranged, as the capacities to implement the different Policy Models are vested in different organizations (national governments, EU, private firms). Furthermore, it is important that a BECCS policy is part of an integrated climate policy framework, in particular one that is in line with policies aimed at the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the creation of a circular economy. It will be important to ensure that BECCS and the associated biomass resource are not overexploited. A well-designed policy package should guarantee that BECCS is neither used to postpone the reduction of fossil fuel-based emissions nor overused in the short term as a niche business for “greenwashing” while not addressing fossil fuel emissions.

We present an atmospheric model tailored for the interactive visualization of planetary surfaces. As the exploration of the solar system is progressing with increasingly accurate missions and instruments, the faithful visualization of planetary environments is gaining increasing interest in space research, mission planning, and science communication and education. Atmospheric effects are crucial in data analysis and to provide contextual information for planetary data. Our model correctly accounts for the non-linear path of the light inside the atmosphere (in Earth's case), the light absorption effects by molecules and dust particles, such as the ozone layer and the Martian dust, and a wavelength-dependent phase function for Mie scattering. The mode focuses on interactivity, versatility, and customization, and a comprehensive set of interactive controls make it possible to adapt its appearance dynamically. We demonstrate our results using Earth and Mars as examples. However, it can be readily adapted for the exploration of other atmospheres found on, for example, of exoplanets. For Earth's atmosphere, we visually compare our results with pictures taken from the International Space Station and against the CIE clear sky model. The Martian atmosphere is reproduced based on available scientific data, feedback from domain experts, and is compared to images taken by the Curiosity rover. The work presented here has been implemented in the OpenSpace system, which enables interactive parameter setting and real-time feedback visualization targeting presentations in a wide range of environments, from immersive dome theaters to virtual reality headsets. To appear at IEEE VIS 2020