Search

Abstract Although digital breast tomosynthesis has higher sensitivity than digital mammography and at least as high specificity, digital mammography remains the most common method for conducting mammographic screening. At the same time, mammography systems are now delivered “DBT-ready” and can be used for either digital mammography or digital breast tomosynthesis. In this paper, we ask whether it is ethically permissible to use such equipment for digital mammography, given its lower sensitivity. We argue it is not, and that clinics are ethically required to use their DBT-ready equipment to screen with digital breast tomosynthesis whenever this is practically possible. Our argument relies on a comparison between digital breast tomosynthesis and a hypothesized improvement in the image quality of digital mammography. Critical relevance statement Women may lose out on the benefits of screening with digital breast tomosynthesis when DBT-ready equipment is used to screen with digital mammography; we argue that this practice is ethically problematic. Key Points Digital breast tomosynthesis finds more cases of breast cancer than digital mammography. Mammography equipment can often be used to screen with both digital breast tomosynthesis and digital mammography. When they can, clinics are ethically required to use existing equipment to screen with digital breast tomosynthesis instead of digital mammography.

Abstract Background Partial nitritation-anammox (PNA) is a biological nitrogen removal process commonly used in wastewater treatment plants for the treatment of warm and nitrogen-rich sludge liquor from anaerobic digestion, often referred to as sidestream wastewater. In these systems, biofilms are frequently used to retain biomass with aerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and anammox bacteria, which together convert ammonium to nitrogen gas. Little is known about how these biofilm communities develop, and whether knowledge about the assembly of biofilms in natural communities can be applied to PNA biofilms. Results We followed the start-up of a full-scale PNA moving bed biofilm reactor for 175 days using shotgun metagenomics. Environmental filtering likely restricted initial biofilm colonization, resulting in low phylogenetic diversity, with the initial microbial community comprised mainly of Proteobacteria. Facilitative priority effects allowed further biofilm colonization, with the growth of initial aerobic colonizers promoting the arrival and growth of anaerobic taxa like methanogens and anammox bacteria. Among the early colonizers were known ‘oligotrophic’ ammonia oxidizers including comammox Nitrospira and Nitrosomonas cluster 6a AOB. Increasing the nitrogen load in the bioreactor allowed colonization by ‘copiotrophic’ Nitrosomonas cluster 7 AOB and resulted in the exclusion of the initial ammonia- and nitrite oxidizers. Conclusions We show that complex dynamic processes occur in PNA microbial communities before a stable bioreactor process is achieved. The results of this study not only contribute to our knowledge about biofilm assembly and PNA bioreactor start-up but could also help guide strategies for the successful implementation of PNA bioreactors. Video Abstract

Motivated by earlier research highlighting Swedish teachers' beliefs that the setting of homework compromises deep-seated principles of educational equity, this paper presents an exploratory study of Swedish parents' perspectives on homework in their year-one children's learning. Twenty-five parents, drawn from three demographically different schools in the Stockholm region, participated in semi-structured interviews. The interviews, broadly focused on how parents support their children's learning and including questions about homework in general and mathematics homework in particular, were transcribed and data subjected to a constant comparison analytical process. This yielded four broad themes, highlighting considerable variation in how parents perceive the relationship between homework and educational equity. First, all parents spoke appreciatively of their children receiving reading homework and, in so doing, indicated a collective construal that reading homework is neither homework nor a threat to equity. Second, four parents, despite their enthusiasm for reading homework, opposed the setting of any homework due to its potential compromise of family life. Third, seven parents indicated that they would appreciate mathematics homework where it were not a threat to equity. Finally, fourteen parents, despite acknowledging homework's potential compromise to equity, were unequivocally in favour of mathematics homework being set to their children.

In this paper we present analyses of three textbooks currently used in the teaching of mathematics to year-one children in England. One is an established English-authored textbook, while the others are Singaporean-authored imports promoted by government as solutions to perceptions of systemic failure. Every task in each textbook was coded against a set of eight number-related competences known to support children's learning in both short and long terms. Such a framework, which is literature-derived and curriculum-independent, enables meaningful comparison of materials deriving from different cultural contexts. Analyses of the proportions of all tasks coded for the different competences showed that none of the three books adequately addresses all eight competences, although the English-authored comes closest. Moving averages, undertaken to show the temporal location of the opportunities presented for children to acquire the eight competences, showed them distributed throughout the school year in the English-authored textbook but only during the first half of the school year in the two Singaporean-authored textbooks. Some implications for the importation of such materials are discussed.

It has been argued that digital platform firms leverage their position at spatial bottlenecks in such a fashion so as to allow operations in local labour markets while at the same time insulating themselves from the regulatory provisions that govern those local markets. This is not necessarily a stable condition, but as long as platform firms exert power, they may shift the social relationships that platforms embody in their favour: domination trumps mutuality and autonomy. However, this does not have to be so. Depending on the context, opportunities for breaking out of this mould exist. Specifically, we focus on the institutional context provided by coordinated market economies to argue that, depending on pre-existing forms of cooperation, platforms can be designed and applied in a manner that enables the building and maintenance of trust through an emphasis on mutuality and autonomy rather than inevitably drifting towards the pole of domination. Using the example of the hospitality industry and focusing on training and certification in geographically fragmented labour markets, we set out to explore the possible role of the institutional setting in shaping platform use as recruitment needs are to be resolved.

Abstract Cumulative exposure to psychosocial adversity at an early age has been shown to be a risk factor for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism that often co-occur. However, it is not clear if this association reflects a causal effect or familial confounding. We aimed to assess whether cumulative psychosocial adversity in the family increases the risk for ADHD and autism in offspring while accounting for unmeasured familial confounding. We used a population-based cohort of 1,877,901 individuals born in Sweden between 1990 and 2009. Participants were followed from the age of 3 until 2013, with a median follow up time of 13.8 years. We created a cumulative index based on 7 psychosocial adversity factors. We used Cox regression to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) relating neurodevelopmental conditions to cumulative psychosocial adversity. To address familial confounding, the analyses were repeated in groups of relatives of different kinship: siblings and half-siblings and cousins. A dose-response relationship was observed between cumulative exposure to psychosocial adversity and ADHD at a general population level (covariate adjusted HRs (aHRs) with 95% confidence intervals ranged from 1.55 [one adversity; 1.53–1.58] to 2.65 [ ≥ 4 adversities; 1.98–3.54]). No clear dose-response relation was seen for autism (aHRs ranged from 1.04 [.59–1.84] to 1.37 [1.30–1.45]). HRs of ADHD and autism decreased with increasing level of kinship in the analysis of relatives. Cumulative exposure to psychosocial adversity was associated with both ADHD and autism in the general population, these associations were partly explained by unmeasured familial confounding between relatives. This highlights the need for using family-based designs in studies of psychosocial adversity and ADHD and autism.

The ability to accurately map tropical wetland dynamics can significantly contribute to a number of areas, including food and water security, protection and enhancement of ecosystems, flood hazard management, and our understanding of natural greenhouse gas emissions. Yet currently, there is not a tractable solution for mapping tropical forested wetlands at high spatial and temporal resolutions at a regional scale. This means that we lack accurate and up-to-date information about some of the world’s most significant wetlands, including the Amazon Basin. RadWet-L is an automated machine-learning classification technique for the mapping of both inundated forests and open water using ALOS ScanSAR data. We applied and validated RadWet-L for the Amazon Basin. The proposed method is computationally light and transferable across the range of landscape types in the Amazon Basin allowing, for the first time, regional inundation maps to be produced every 42 days at 50 m resolution over the period 2019–2023. Time series estimates of inundation extent from RadWet-L were significantly correlated with NASA-GFZ GRACE-FO water thickness (Pearson’s r = 0.96, p < 0.01), USDA G-REALM lake hight (Pearson’s r between 0.63 and 0.91, p < 0.01), and in situ river stage measurements (Pearson’s r between 0.78 and 0.94, p < 0.01). Additionally, we conducted an evaluation of 11,162 points against the input ScanSAR data revealing spatial and temporal consistency in the approach (F1 score = 0.97). Serial classifications of ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 ScanSAR data by RadWet-L can provide unique insights into the spatio-temporal inundation dynamics within the Amazon Basin. Understanding these dynamics can inform policy in the sustainable use of these wetlands, as well as the impacts of inundation dynamics on biodiversity and greenhouse gas budgets.

Abstract Monochloramine is used to regulate microbial regrowth in drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) but produces carcinogenic disinfection byproducts and constitutes a source of energy for nitrifying bacteria. This study followed biofilm-dispersed microbial communities of a full-scale DWDS distributing ultrafiltered water over three years, before and after removal of monochloramine. Communities were described using flow cytometry and amplicon sequencing, including full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Removal of monochloramine increased total cell counts by up to 440%. Increased abundance of heterotrophic bacteria was followed by emergence of the predatory bacteria Bdellovibrio, and a community potentially metabolizing small organic compounds replaced the nitrifying core community. No increased abundance of Mycobacterium or Legionella was observed. Co-occurrence analysis identified a network of Nitrosomonas, Nitrospira, Sphingomonas and Hyphomicrobium, suggesting that monochloramine supported this biofilm community. While some species expanded into the changed niche, no immediate biological risk to consumers was indicated within the DWDS.

Acknowledging evidence that the ability to estimate has major consequences for both later mathematics learning and real-world functionality, this paper examines the national mathematics curriculum for compulsory school for each of Denmark, Norway and Sweden for the estimation-related opportunities it offers children. Framed against four conceptually and procedurally different forms of estimation (computational, measurement, quantity and number line), each of which is implicated differently in the later learning of mathematics, analyses indicated that none of the four forms of estimation were addressed explicitly in the Norwegian curriculum. Expectations of computational and measurement estimation were present in both the Danish and the Swedish curricula, although neither referred to either quantity or number line estimation. Even when estimation-related learning outcomes were articulated, there was no evidence of the processes by which they might be realised. Finally, there were no acknowledgements that estimation may contribute to the learning of other mathematical topics.

In this paper, motivated in part by evidence that Swedish teachers are sceptical of parents' abilities to offer appropriate support, we present an exploratory investigation of the activities Swedish parents initiate to facilitate their year-one (first grade) children's learning of mathematics. Data, derived from 25 semi-structured interviews conducted with parents from three demographically different schools, were subjected to constant comparison analyses and yielded three broad categories of activity. These concerned the use of games in the learning of mathematics, contextualised mathematics activities like cooking and shopping, and decontextualised mathematics activities like systematic counting. Collectively, the results indicate that while parents of year-one children are confident supporting their children's learning of mathematics, they are also conscious of the need to avoid both undermining schools' efforts and exacerbating educational inequity. With few exceptions, the activities parents described were age-appropriate and more likely to complement teachers' actions than not.

Plants’ response to single environmental changes can be highly distinct from the response to multiple changes. The effects of a single environmental factor on wheat growth have been well documented. However, the interactive influences of multiple factors on different wheat genotypes need further investigation. Here, treatments of three important growth factors, namely water regime, temperature, and CO2 concentration ([CO2]), were applied to compare the response of two wheat genotypes with different heat sensitivities. The temperature response curves showed that both genotypes showed more variations at elevated [CO2] (e[CO2]) than ambient [CO2] (a[CO2]) when the plants were treated under different water regimes and temperatures. This corresponded to the results of water use efficiency at the leaf level. At e[CO2], heat-tolerant ‘Gladius’ showed a higher net photosynthetic rate (Pn), while heat-susceptible ‘Paragon’ had a lower Pn at reduced water, as compared with full water availability. The temperature optimum for photosynthesis in wheat was increased when the growth temperature was high, while the leaf carbon/nitrogen was increased via a reduced water regime. Generally, water regime, temperature and [CO2] have significant interactive effects on both wheat genotypes. Two wheat genotypes showed different physiological responses to different combinations of environmental factors. Our investigation concerning the interactions of multi-environmental factors on wheat will benefit the future wheat climate-response study.

Historically, Sweden has reported several impacts on transformers and transmission lines related to geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) that develop during strong space weather events. GICs are driven by the geoelectric field (E), and their intensity depends on various factors, including the lithology conductivity and the rate of change of the Earth’s magnetic field. The purpose of this study is to perform an extreme value (EV) analysis of the E magnitude at six different latitudes in Sweden and to express the maximum |E| that might be observed in 10, 50, and 100 years. We analyzed 10-s E data in Sweden, obtained from a 1-D model. This model incorporates 10-s geomagnetic measurements from the IMAGE network and the vertical Earth’s ground electrical conductivity in Sweden, extracted from a 3-D conductance map for the Fennoscandian region. Extreme E events tend to occur in clusters around geomagnetic disturbances (substorms and geomagnetic storms). Therefore, we applied two different methods to decluster the data. After declustering, Generalized Pareto (GP) distributions were fitted to the remaining extreme events that exceeded the 99.5th percentile. The EV analysis indicates that the shape parameter of the GP distribution depends on latitude. This implies that at higher geographic latitudes (64.52–68.02°N) the distribution decreases faster toward zero than at lower latitudes (58.26–62.25°N). As a result the expected maximum |E| in 100 years in central Sweden ranges between 4.0 and 8.5 V/km, while at higher latitudes, it ranges between 2.0 and 2.5 V/km, similar to the modeled geoelectric field values during the Halloween event in October 2003. In particular, around 60.50°N the distribution of extreme events exhibits the heaviest tail. When we additionally consider the effect of conductivity, the region of west Sweden around 60.50°N exhibits the largest expected maximum in 100 years with a value around 8.5 V/km. This is three times larger than the maximum modeled |E| at that latitude.

Lilli Zickerman (1858–1949) was an entrepreneur who took part in organising the Swedish handicraft associations in the late 19th century. She was also a pioneer in the archives and active in the feminine sphere of textile handicraft. From 1914–1931 she conducted a huge inventory called Swedish Folk Textile Art that consists of more than 24,000 photographs and descriptions of vernacular textiles and manuscripts for a planned series of books and films. By mapping textile handicrafts, she aimed to preserve traditional textile craft techniques to inspire their continued production. Her intention was to create an archive for the inspiration and education of future textile artists. The inventory has had effects that are still apparent today; this paper illuminates the ways in which Zickerman’s ideas about textile handicrafts have contributed to the continuation of Swedish cultural heritage and how it has become an authorised heritage discourse that continues to guide the scholars and practitioners involved in the history of textiles and their production. Here, we will present the first article within an ongoing project on Swedish Folk Textile Art and how it was conducted. We will contextualise the ideas and knowledge that it contains by focusing on Zickerman’s intention to preserve the past to serve the future. From a critical craft perspective, we will discuss geographical mapping as a method for investigating the invent­tory; the inclusion and exclusion of geographical areas, textile techniques, materials and people; the ideas and the knowledge that are expressed in the inventory; and the networks that it created. By doing so, we aim to highlight the connections between people, between people and materials, and between history and the current day.

With global climate change, the frequency and intensity of waterlogging events are increasing due to frequent and heavy precipitation. Little is known however about the response of plants to repeated waterlogging stress events. The aim is to clarify physiological regulation mechanisms of tomato plants under repeated waterlogging stress, and whether Trichoderma harzianum can alleviate waterlogging injury. We identified two genotypes of tomato, ‘MIX-002’ and ‘LA4440’, as waterlogging tolerant and sensitive genotypes, respectively, based on plant biomass accumulation. The two tomato genotypes were subjected to a waterlogging priming treatment for 2 days (excess water for 1 cm above substrate surface) followed by a recovery stage for 2 days, and then a second waterlogging stress for 5 days (excess water for 1 cm above substrate surface) followed by a second recovery stage for 3 days. Leaf physiological, plant growth parameters, and the expression of five key genes were investigated. We found that the two genotypes responded differently to waterlogging priming and stress in terms of photosynthesis, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and osmotic regulatory mechanisms. Waterlogging stress significantly increased H2O2 content of ‘MIX-002’, while that of ‘LA4440’ had no significant change. Under waterlogging stress, photosynthesis of the two genotypes treated with waterlogging priming returned to the control level. However, Trichoderma harzianum treatment during the second recovery stage did not show positive mitigative effects. The plants of ‘LA4440’ with priming showed lower peroxidase (POD) activity and proline content but higher H2O2 content than that without priming under waterlogging stress. Under waterlogging stress with priming as compared to without priming, SODCC2 was downregulated in two tomatoes, and AGR2 and X92888 were upregulated in ‘MIX-002’ but downregulated in ‘LA4440’. Overall, the two tomato genotypes exhibited distinct photosynthetic, ROS and osmotic regulatory mechanisms responding to the waterlogging stress. Waterlogging priming can induce stress memory by adjusting stomatal conductance, sustaining ROS homeostasis, regulating osmotic regulatory substances and key gene expressions mediated by H2O2, and thus alleviate the damage on tomato photosynthesis when waterlogging reoccurred.

Abstract Background Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are a common form of arrhythmia associated with an unfavorable prognosis in patients with structural heart disease. It is unclear whether PVCs site of origin and QRS‐width has a prognostic significance in patients without structural heart disease. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic importance of PVCs morphology and duration in this patient group. Methods We included 511 consecutive patients without a history of previous heart disease. They were examined with echocardiography and exercise test with normal findings. We categorized the PVCs from a 12 lead ECG according to morphology and width of the QRS‐complex and analyzed the outcome in terms of a composite endpoint of total mortality and cardiovascular morbidity. Results During a median follow‐up time of 5.3 years, 19 patients (3.5%) died and 61 (11.3%) met the composite outcome. Patients with PVCs originating from the outflow tracts had a significantly lower risk for the composite outcome compared to patients with non‐OT‐PVCs. Similarly, patients with PVC originating from the right ventricle had a better outcome than patients with left ventricular PCVs. No difference in outcome depending on QRS‐width during PVCs was noticed. Conclusion In our cohort of consecutively included PVC patients without structural heart disease PVCs from the outflow tracts were associated with a better prognostic outcome than non‐OT PVCs; the same was true for right ventricular PVCs when compared to left ventricular ones. The classification of the origin of the PVCs was based on 12‐lead ECG morphology. QRS‐width during PVC did not seem to have prognostic significance.