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Introduction: The influence of pregnancy on the risk of ventral hernia recurrence is not known. This study aims to assess whether the frequency of pregnancies is associated with an elevated risk of developing ventral hernias. Method: This nationwide study cohort constitutes women borne 1950 – who were registered in the Swedish Birth Register (MBR). Data on pregnancies, distinguishing between vaginal and caesarian sections, were retrieved from the Birth Register. The cohort was cross-matched with the National Patient Register (NPR) to identify subsequent primary hernia repairs. Results: A total of 1,630,754 women born between 1950 and 1980 were included in the study. Among them, 1,588,609 (92.3%) were registered for at least one birth. The incidence rate for Umbilical Hernia Repair (UHR) and Epigastric Hernia Repair (EHR) was 13.21 per 100,000 person-years and 5.4 per 100,000 person-years, respectively. When compared with women registered for one delivery, the incidence rate ratio for UHR was 1.3 (95% CI: 1.26–1.33, P < 0.001) among thos eregistered for two deliveries and 1.6 (95% CI: 1.58–1.68, P < 0.001) among those registered for ≥3 deliveries. The incidence rate ratios were 1.29 (95% CI: 1.20–1.39, P < 0.001) and 1.34 (95% CI: 1.24–1.45, P < 0.001) for EHR among women with two and ≥3 registered deliveries, respectively. Conclusion: A history of more than one pregnancy is associated with an increased incidence of umbilical and epigastric hernias.

The notion of critical thinking means the intellectual skills and propensities required to actively carry out reflective and evidence-based belief-formation, decision-making and judgment. This doctoral dissertation comprises of three studies with their self-contained lines of argumentation. Article I, The Conflicting Ideals of Democracy and Critical Thinking in Citizenship Education, assesses the dormant tensions between the two educational goals of critical thinking and democracy, arguing that we should prioritize the former in the cases where they pull in opposite directions. Article II, De-Idealising the Educational Ideal of Critical Thinking, argues that the philosophical accounts of an ideal critical thinker are excessively idealized in the light of current empirical research on human cognition. I then ruminate on what this might mean for our theoretical understanding and the pedagogical applications of critical thinking. Article III, From Critical Thinking to Criticality and Back Again, reviews in critical spirit certain recent proposals, which attempt to overcome the weaknesses of the two research programs of critical thinking and critical pedagogy in the form of a new and improved educational objective called criticality., Tiivistelmä Kriittisellä ajattelulla tarkoitetaan niitä yksilön henkisiä kykyjä ja taipumuksia, jotka saavat hänet harjoittamaan perusteisiin perustuvaa uskomustenmuodostusta ja päätöksentekoa. Tämä artikkeliväitöskirja sisältää kolme osatutkimusta, joilla on omat johtopäätöksensä. Artikkeli I, The Conflicting Ideals of Democracy and Critical Thinking in Citizenship Education, tarkastelee kriittisen ajattelun ja demokratiakansalaisuuden kasvatustavoitteiden välillä piileviä jännitteitä argumentoiden, että meidän tulee asettaa ensin mainittu etusijalle niissä tilanteissa, joissa nämä kasvatuspäämärät vetävät vastakkaisiin suuntiin. Artikkeli II, De-Idealising the Educational Ideal of Critical Thinking, argumentoi kriittisestä ajattelusta annettujen filosofisten kuvausten olevan kohtuuttoman idealisoituja, kun huomioimme ihmiskognitiosta tehdyt empiiriset tutkimukset. Pohdin tältä perustalta sitä, miltä kriittistä ajattelua koskeva teoreettinen ymmärryksemme ja sille rakentuvat pedagogiset sovellukset saattaisivat näyttää empiirisen tietämyksen valossa. Artikkeli III, From Critical Thinking to Criticality and Back Again, arvioi kriittisessä hengessä eräitä tuoreita puheenvuoroja, jotka yrittävät ylittää kriittisen ajattelun ja kriittisen pedagogiikan tutkimusohjelmiin sisältyviä heikkouksia kriitillisyydeksi nimetyn uuden ja paremman kasvatustavoitteen nimissä.

Abstrakti Kriittinen ajattelu on ollut jo vuosikymmeniä yksi aikamme keskustelluimmista kasvatuspäämää-ristä. Kriittisen ajattelun tunnuspiirteitä analysoineet tutkijat ovat määritelleet sen ilmiönä kaik-kien niiden henkisten taitojen ja asenteiden ryppääksi, jonka osatekijät saavat yksilön aktiivisesti ja menestyksekkäästi harjoittamaan perusteisiin nojaavaa uskomustenmuodostusta ja päätöksente-koa. Reflektiivinen ajattelu on puolestaan ilmiönä kriittisen ajattelun lähisukulainen, niin syntyhis-torialtaan kuin sisällöltäänkin. Huomion määrässä mitattuna se on sittemmin jäänyt kriittisen ajat-telun varjoon. Reflektiivisen ajattelun kasvatuspäämäärän esitteli viime vuosisadan alkupuolen amerikkalainen kasvatusfilosofi John Dewey, ja hänet nostetaan vakiintuneesti myös kriittisen ajattelun keskeiseksi varhaisvaikuttajaksi. Artikkelimme esittää, että vaikka pintapuolisesti de-weyläinen reflektiivinen ajattelu muistuttaa monin tavoin nykyaikaista kriittistä ajattelua, lähem-mässä vertailussa näiden ilmiöiden väliset erot kasvavat merkityksellisiksi. Ihanteellisen kriittisen ajattelijan toimintaa kuvataan alan tutkimuskirjallisuudessa tunnusleimallisesti tietoteoreettisten kriteerien ja loogisten säännöstöjen toteuttamisen kautta, jolloin tämä toiminta abstrahoituu teo-reettisena ilmiönä erilleen arkisesta elämismaailmastamme eräänlaiseksi ideaaliteoriaksi. Reflek-tiivinen ajattelija sen sijaan kuvaillaan Deweyn teoksissa normatiivisesti tavoiteltavana asiana, mutta ilman ideaaliteorioihin yhdistettyjä ongelmia. Artikkelissamme asetamme rinnakkain kriitti-sen ja reflektiivisen ajattelun, mikä voi auttaa tunnistamaan ja ylittämään kriittisen ajattelun kas-vatustavoitteen ongelmakohtia.

This paper assesses the prospects of combining the distinctive strengths of the two major educational research programs of critical thinking and critical pedagogy—or, described more accurately, overcoming their shared limitations—in a new and superior educational objective called criticality. Several recent proposals explore the possibilities of engaging in bridge-building between these camps. The plan is that the distinctive strengths of these paradigms—the logical and epistemological precision of critical thinking together with the socio-political consciousness of critical pedagogy—could complement each other, while the associated adjustments to the overall picture could also help us to address their shared shortcomings. This gives us a new and more grounded educational goal of criticality, as suggested and developed independently by a growing number of thinkers. This article joins the ongoing conversation but provides a more counterreactionary tone by striving to vindicate the traditional mainstream conception of critical thinking. I maintain that despite their admirable ambitions, the various expressions of criticality do not succeed in combining the best parts of critical thinking and critical pedagogy, since on a deep metatheoretical level these two paradigms have irreconcilable core principles. First, I argue that the depiction of the failures of critical thinking used to motivate criticality is to a large degree a straw man: in actuality, the existing conceptualization of critical thinking can already do the desired extra socio-political educational work, so there really is no pressing need for the suggested augmentations. Second, the traditional worries of indoctrination, which have followed critical pedagogy since the inception of this educational movement, still remain unresolved within criticality. The only way to address this concern successfully is to lean on critical thinking as the core of our educational theory, bringing us right back to wh

Plutonium distribution was studied in an undisturbed sediment core sampled from the Tvären bay in the vicinity of the Studsvik nuclear facility in Sweden. The complete analysis, including minor isotopes, of the Pu isotope composition (238Pu, 239Pu, 240Pu, 241Pu, 242Pu, and 244Pu) allowed us to establish the Pu origin in this area of the Baltic Sea and to reconstruct the Studsvik aquatic release history. The results show highly enriched 239Pu, probably originating from the Swedish nuclear program in the 1960s and 1970s and the handling of high burn-up nuclear fuel in the later years. In addition, the 244Pu/239Pu atomic ratio for the global fallout period between 1958 and 1965 is suggested to be (7.94 ± 0.31)·10-5. In the bottom layer of the sediment, dated 1953-1957, we detected a higher average 244Pu/239Pu ratio of (1.51 ± 0.11)·10-4, indicating the possible impact of the first US thermonuclear tests (1952-1958).

Photovoltaics, or solar cells, are fast growing both with regards to industrialization and research. Globally, the total PV installation is around 40 GW and an annual growth rate of 45% has been experienced over recent years. In the comparison between different photovoltaic technologies a figure of merit is the production cost per peak watt of solar electricity produced. For so called second generation thin film solar cells production costs down to and even below 1 $ W−1 peak are reported. To be competitive with conventional energy sources for large-scale electricity production new PV technologies need to aim at production costs below 0.5 $ W−1 peak. The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) is a molecular solar cell technology which have the potential to achieve production costs below 0.5 $ W−1 peak. DSC is based on molecular and nanometer-scale components. Record cell efficiencies of 12%, promising stability data and means of energy efficient production methods have been accomplished. As selling points for the DSC technology the prospect of low-cost investments and fabrication are key features. DSCs offer the possibilities to design solar cells with a large flexibility in shape, color, and transparency. This chapter describes the basic principles of the operation of DSC, the state-of-the-art, the materials development that is currently taking place as well as the potentials for future development., Part of ISBN 9780128197349 9780128197271QC 20230724

Item does not contain fulltext, Systemic sclerosis (SSc), the most lethal of rheumatologic conditions, is the cause of death in >50% of SSc cases, led by pulmonary fibrosis followed by pulmonary hypertension and then scleroderma renal crisis (SRC). Multiple other preventable and treatable SSc-related vascular, cardiac, gastrointestinal, nutritional and musculoskeletal complications can lead to disability and death. Vascular injury with subsequent inflammation transforming to irreversible fibrosis and permanent damage characterizes SSc. Organ involvement is often present early in the disease course of SSc, but requires careful history-taking and vigilance in screening to detect. Inflammation is potentially reversible provided that treatment intensity quells inflammation and other immune mechanisms. In any SSc phenotype, opportunities for early treatment are prone to be under-utilized, especially in slowly progressive phenotypes that, in contrast to severe progressive ILD, indolently accrue irreversible organ damage resulting in later-stage life-limiting complications such as pulmonary hypertension, cardiac involvement, and malnutrition. A single SSc patient visit often requires much more physician and staff time, organization, vigilance, and direct management for multiple organ systems compared to other rheumatic or pulmonary diseases. Efficiency and efficacy of comprehensive SSc care enlists trending of symptoms and bio-data. Financial sustainability of SSc care benefits from understanding insurance reimbursement and health system allocation policies for complex patients. Sharing care between recognised SSc centers and local cardiology/pulmonary/rheumatology/gastroenterology colleagues may prevent complications and poor outcomes, while providing support to local specialists. As scleroderma specialists, we offer a practical framework with tools to facilitate an optimal, comprehensive and sustainable approach to SSc care. Improved health outcomes in SSc relies upon recogntion, management and, to the

Systemic sclerosis (SSc), the most lethal of rheumatologic conditions, is the cause of death in >50% of SSc cases, led by pulmonary fibrosis followed by pulmonary hypertension and then scleroderma renal crisis (SRC). Multiple other preventable and treatable SSc-related vascular, cardiac, gastrointestinal, nutritional and musculoskeletal complications can lead to disability and death. Vascular injury with subsequent inflammation transforming to irreversible fibrosis and permanent damage characterizes SSc. Organ involvement is often present early in the disease course of SSc, but requires careful history-taking and vigilance in screening to detect. Inflammation is potentially reversible provided that treatment intensity quells inflammation and other immune mechanisms. In any SSc phenotype, opportunities for early treatment are prone to be under-utilized, especially in slowly progressive phenotypes that, in contrast to severe progressive ILD, indolently accrue irreversible organ damage resulting in later-stage life-limiting complications such as pulmonary hypertension, cardiac involvement, and malnutrition. A single SSc patient visit often requires much more physician and staff time, organization, vigilance, and direct management for multiple organ systems compared to other rheumatic or pulmonary diseases. Efficiency and efficacy of comprehensive SSc care enlists trending of symptoms and bio-data. Financial sustainability of SSc care benefits from understanding insurance reimbursement and health system allocation policies for complex patients. Sharing care between recognised SSc centers and local cardiology/pulmonary/rheumatology/gastroenterology colleagues may prevent complications and poor outcomes, while providing support to local specialists. As scleroderma specialists, we offer a practical framework with tools to facilitate an optimal, comprehensive and sustainable approach to SSc care. Improved health outcomes in SSc relies upon recogntion, management and, to the

Purpose: Little is known about the longitudinal development of different plasma protein levels during early childhood and particularly in relation to lifestyle factors. This study aimed to monitor the plasma proteome early in life and the influence of different lifestyles. Experimental Design: A multiplex bead-based immunoassay was used to analyze plasma levels of 97 proteins in 280 blood samples longitudinally collected in children at 6, 12, 24, and 60 months of age living in families with an anthroposophic (n = 15), partly anthroposophic (n = 27), or non-anthroposophic (n = 28) lifestyle. Results: A total of 68 proteins (70%) showed significantly altered plasma levels between 6 months and 5 years of age. In lifestyle stratified analysis, 59 of 97 (61%) proteins were altered over time within one or more of the three lifestyle groups. Nearly half of these proteins (28 out of 59) changed irrespective of lifestyle. The temporal changes represented four longitudinal trends of the plasma proteins during development, also following stratification of lifestyle. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Our findings contribute to understand the development of the plasma proteome under the influence of lifestyle exposures in early childhood., QC 20220309