More and more things are getting connected to the internet, including lights, speakers, and refrigerators. These connected things are an example of what a smart home system that is part of the Internet of Things (IoT) can incorporate. IoT enables advanced services by interconnecting physical and virtual things. But, building interactive prototypes for smart home systems can be difficult and costly

In the digitalized era, we do less and less physical work, which in turn leads to less physical activities. Many different wearables and applications try to motivate us to exercise more but people stop using them after a couple of months. One of the reasons people stop using them is because they serve as a post-activity viewing and not as a motivator. Meanwhile, the gaming industry has spent years

Since the 1990s, social work has been subject to requirements for monitoring and quality assurance. Here we examine one of the monitoring systems: Open Comparisons (OC). Gradually expanded and published online by a national agency, the OC now has around 350 indicators that cover major areas within social work in Sweden. We use program theory to clarify the operational idea in which OC is based. To

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare inflammatory disease of unknown cause. 30% of patients have anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) specific for myeloperoxidase (MPO). Here, we describe a genome-wide association study in 676 EGPA cases and 6809 controls, that identifies 4 EGPA-associated loci through conventional case-control analysis, and 4 additional associat

Alzheimer’s disease is an aging related disorder of the mind, accountable for 60-80 percent of all cases of dementia. With its insidious progression and the decline of cognitive abilities, this disease is a major challenge for our society as a whole. This is because of the growing proportion of people living to advanced age and our current lack of capacity to prevent or even give effective symptom

Hosting a cultural history of 8.000 years in China, jade has seen a revival in China’s current era. Jadeite is the most expensive type of jade, and the vast majority of jadeite is mined in Myanmar’s Kachin State and sold in China.Spectral Jade is a study of trade, carving, and use of jadeite. The dissertation is based on ethnographic research in different nodes of the jadeite commodity chain, incl

We sampled ammonium sulfate particles and indoor particles of outdoor origin through a small chamber covered with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) flooring. We measured the uptake of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC) by the airborne particles in real time. The particles acquired SVOC mass fractions up to 10%. The phthalate ester DEHP (di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate), a known endocrine disruptor, contribut

In the ActivAbles and STARR projects we have developed interactive training tools for stroke survivors. A prototype system includes an interactive balance foam pad, feedback lamps and a step counting game app which all connect to a central server. The feedback is designed to be inclusive - designs are multimodal, and the setup is flexible and can easily be adapted. We describe the system and repor

Stroke outcome is determined by a complex interplay, where age and stroke severity are predominant predictors. Studies on hemorrhagic stroke indicate that APOE genotype is a predictor of poststroke outcomes,1,2 but results from studies on ischemic stroke are more conflicting.1,3 There is 1 study suggesting an influence of APOE genotype on age at ischemic stroke onset,4 and sex-specific effects on

Background: Traumatic brain injuries continue to be a significant cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Most traumatic brain injuries are classified as mild, with a low but not negligible risk of intracranial hemorrhage. To help physicians decide which patients might benefit from a computerized tomography (CT) of the head to rule out intracranial hemorrhage, several clinical decision rules h

Background: Standardized, research-based strategies to guide the implementation and evaluate the effects of housing adaptations (HA) on client outcomes are rare. We hypothesized that, compared to ordinary practice, a standardized assessment and evaluation protocol for HA implementation would better maintain or improve client outcomes over 1 year. Method: Using a cluster design, South Swedish munic

Background: The longevity for people with intellectual disability (ID) has significantly increased in developed countries during the past decades. Consequently, the incidence of cancer is expected to increase in this group. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prescription of pain medication in older cancer patients with intellectual disability (ID) compared to older patients in the

Background: Stability is one of the most fundamental intrinsic characteristics of proteins and can be determined with various methods. Characterization of protein properties does not keep pace with increase in new sequence data and therefore even basic properties are not known for far majority of identified proteins. There have been some attempts to develop predictors for protein stabilities; howe

Background: Brief screening instruments focusing on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that can be administered in primary care are scarce; there is a need for shorter and more precise instruments. The Autism-Tics, AD/HD and other Comorbidities inventory (A-TAC) has previously been validated for ASD reporting excellent validity. This study aims to determine the psychometric properties of each item in

Background: Meniscus injury and meniscectomy both entail increased risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Thigh muscle weakness is a suggested mediator of OA but there is little evidence of its importance for knee OA development after meniscectomy. This study aimed to examine the association between thigh muscle strength after partial meniscectomy in middle-aged subjects with a non-traumatic meniscal t