Policies aimed to spur quality competition among health care providers are ubiquitous, but their impact on quality is ex ante ambiguous. This study contributes to the sparse empirical literature on primary care quality by examining the heterogeneous impact of recent competition enhancing reforms in Sweden. The reforms led to substantially more entry of new providers in more exposed markets, but th

Background: A promising approach to improve the performance of neural implants consists of adding nanomaterials, such as nanowires, to the surface of the implant. Nanostructured interfaces could improve the integration and communication stability, partly through the reduction of the cell-to-electrode distance. However, the safety issues of implanted nanowires in the brain need to be evaluated and

Purpose: To report on the distribution and test-retest reliability of Antonovsky’s 13-item Sense of Coherence (SOC-13) Scale in patients with hand-related disorders (HRD). Links between the SOC-13 score and factors such as age, number of days between date of injury and start of rehabilitation, gender and educational level were explored. Method: Survey with test–retest, using self-administered ques

Between 1789 and 1803 the National Debt Office issued unbacked interest bearing notes whereas the Bank of Sweden issued silver backed notes. The massive note issuance by the National Debt Office led to different exchange rates and two units of account. The situation gave rise to an early paper standard theory formulated by Anders Wappengren, a well-read merchant who was strongly influenced by Adam

Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) is the prime diagnostic modality for the small-bowel. It consists in a swallowable color camera that enables the visual detection and assessment of abnormalities, without patient discomfort. The localization of the capsule is currently performed in the 3D abdominal space using radiofrequency (RF) triangulation. However, this approach does not provide sufficient inf

Background and purpose - Little is know about patterns of sick leave in connection with total hip and knee joint replacement (THR and TKR) in patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Patients and methods - Using registers from southern Sweden, we identified hip and knee OA patients aged 40-59 years who had a THR or TKR in the period 2004-2012. Patients who died or started on disability pension were excl

AIMS: This article reviews current practice relating to arts and culture on prescription in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and in the United Kingdom. It considers future possibilities and also each of the Scandinavian countries from a culture and health policy and research perspective. The United Kingdom perhaps leads the field of Arts on Prescription practice, and subsequent research is described in ord

We present results on the implementation of switches for a reconfigurable antenna at 60 GHz. The switches are realized by diodes, which are characterized by measurements on a coplanar waveguide test bed. From the measurements, we extract different circuit models. The models are used as lumped elements in a full wave simulation of a reconfigurable antenna, where it is shown that the different model

This paper concerns the dynamic and static analysis of the effect of shunt capacitor control strategies on the long-term voltage instability. For this purpose a simplified test system called N3area, reflecting the key voltage instability characteristics of NORDIC32 is considered. Two different control strategies for shunt capacitors including the local and neighboring schemes are applied to improv

Tuberculosis is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by Mycobacteria. WHO estimates that around eight million people are suffering from tuberculosis every year. The Administration of antibiotics fails due to the multi-drug resistant capability of Mycobacterium. Traditional methods require time and huge investment. Therefore, it is essential to provide an alternative strategy to trea

The compressive sensing algorithm BPDN applied to RCS ISAR measurements is investigated in this paper. It is used to acquire ISAR images from data sets that are incomplete if conventional back projection is used to process images. The aim of the study is to determine if the algorithm can be used to extract accurate RCS values for parts of the measured objects when there are azimuth angle gaps in t

Three-dimensional (3D) solar maps based on Radiance simulations are presented for a future city district in southern Norway. The surface mapping method provides the commercial developer with a practical tool to evaluate the potential for building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). The solar maps identify the optimum roof and facade areas available for solar energy utilization. The importance of BIPV

Objectives: To assess whether partial meniscectomy is associated with increased risk of radiographic osteoarthritis (ROA) and worsening cartilage damage in the following year. Methods: We studied 355 knees from the Osteoarthritis Initiative that developed ROA (Kellgren-Lawrence grade ≥ 2), which were matched with control knees. The MR images were assessed using the semi-quantitative MOAKS system.

Purpose: To explore the knowledge necessary for adoption and implementation of the Assessment of Learning Powered mobility use (ALP) tool in different practice settings for both adults and children. To consult with a diverse population of professionals working with adults and children, in different countries and various settings; who were learning about or using the ALP tool, as part of exploring

Purpose We compared clinical characteristics and cancer specific mortality in men diagnosed with prostate cancer before vs after age 50 years. Materials and Methods A total of 919 men 35 to 49 years old and 45,098 men 50 to 66 years old who were diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1998 and 2012 were identified in PCBaSe (Prostate Cancer data Base Sweden). Cancer specific mortality was compared

Purpose: The aim of the study was to explore patients’ long-term experience of a congenital hand problem, and the consequences for daily life. Method: Fifteen participants with a median age 24 years (17–55 years), born with thumb hypoplasia/aplasia or thumb duplication were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were subjected to qualitative content analysis. Results:

Objectives: Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a locally produced multifunctional protein involved in inflammation, matrix deposition, and immunity. As patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a more severe disease course and higher risk of joint destruction than seronegative patients, the aim of the present study was to examine differences in PTX3 in synovial fluid (SF) (and serum) in seropos

BACKGROUND Both genetic and lifestyle factors contribute to individual-level risk of coronary artery disease. The extent to which increased genetic risk can be offset by a healthy lifestyle is unknown. METHODS Using a polygenic score of DNA sequence polymorphisms, we quantified genetic risk for coronary artery disease in three prospective cohorts - 7814 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in

While addition of managed honeybees (Apis mellifera) improves pollination of many entomophilous crops, it is unknown if it simultaneously suppresses the densities of wild insects through competition. To investigate this, we added 624 honeybee hives to 23 fields of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) over 2 years and made sure that the areas around 21 other fields were free from honeybee hives. We dem