Umea University Research Articles

Police well-being interventions: Using awe narratives to promote resilience

The well-being of the police workforce needs to be a priority as law enforcement agencies continue to adapt to emerging issues while serving their communities. Reflecting and sharing awe narratives, as well as being exposed to the awe stories of others, can enhance their resilience and support their overall well-being. This article, which is based on a special lecture given during the Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference held May 21–24, 2023, at Umea University in Umea, Sweden, uses phenomenology to examine the awe stories and experiences of police participants who took part in a resilience program as well as feedback during the conference discussion. The analysis demonstrates that awe narratives can serve as a gateway to other resilience practices including cognitive reappraisal, emotional intelligence, gratitude, humility, finding meaning and purpose in life, mindfulness, optimism and hope, self-compassion, self-efficacy, social connection, and managing uncertainty and ambiguity. Based on the findings, awe narratives should be considered for implementation in future police mental health and resilience training as an evidence-based practice to support the police workforce.

Association of Progression Patterns in Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS) with Outcome in Multiple Myeloma: A Cohort Study of over 35 Years

Introduction: Guidelines suggest following monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) according to risk of multiple myeloma progression. Follow-up of low-risk MGUS is debated as progression risk is low. Worse myeloma-related outcome was observed in patients followed for low-risk MGUS, potentially due to less optimal follow-up (Bianchi et al. Blood 2010, Sigurdardottir et al. Jama Oncology 2015). However, it is not clear if progressing low-risk MGUS by its nature displays more aggressive biological behavior. To gain better understanding of progression patterns in MGUS, we investigated, independent of follow-up, whether progression from low-risk MGUS is associated with worse outcome in multiple myeloma. The main outcome was overall survival from the time of myeloma diagnosis.Methods: The Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study (NSHDS) is a longitudinal prospective cohort with more than 100,000 participants. Typically, NSHDS participants donate repeated blood samples at intervals of several years. Samples are frozen within one hour and stored at -80° C at Umea University Hospital. Linkage to the Swedish Cancer Registry facilitated identification of myeloma patients with two pre-diagnostic samples in NSHDS (N = 61). Of these, we screened repeated pre-diagnostic samples using protein- and immunofixation electrophoresis and free light chain assays. We identified 42 individuals who had detectable monoclonal gammopathy in both pre-diagnostic samples without MGUS follow-up before myeloma diagnosis, allowing to investigate natural progression patterns in relation to outcome. Overall survival was determined using Kaplan-Meier plots. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using multivariable Cox regression including known prognostic factors. Fisher's exact test was used to compare categorical variables.Results: The first pre-diagnostic sample was collected in November 1986 and the last follow-up since myeloma diagnosis was in February 2021, resulting in a 35-year study duration. Median age at myeloma diagnosis was 62 (range 48-84) with a median follow-up of 7 years (range 0.2-18). At first pre-diagnostic blood draw, 12 had low-risk and 30 had MGUS of other risk (Mayo Clinic criteria). Characteristics at myeloma diagnosis except sex were similarly distributed between the two groups. Comorbidities, myeloma treatment and access to novel drugs were balanced between groups. Bone disease (osteolytic lesions and/or vertebral compression fractures attributable to myeloma) at myeloma diagnosis was more common in patients who had low-risk MGUS at first pre-diagnostic blood draw (P = 0.04). This association was pronounced excluding light chain myeloma (P = 0.01). Access to other radiographic imaging than conventional skeletal survey such as CT or MRI was similar for both groups.In low-risk vs. other MGUS, median overall survival since myeloma diagnosis was 2.3 (95% CI, 1.8-2.9) years and 7.5 (95% CI, 4.8-10.2) years (Figure A). Results were similar investigating overall survival since frontline therapy start (excluding 5 patients not requiring therapy) (Figure B). Sex and bone disease were not associated with survival.At repeated pre-diagnostic blood draw (in median 3.7 years prior myeloma diagnosis), 67% vs. 19% had low- or low-intermediate risk MGUS in patients with low-risk vs. other MGUS at first pre-diagnostic blood draw (P = 0.01), suggesting more rapid progression close to myeloma diagnosis in patients with low-risk MGUS at first blood draw. Investigating this further, we plotted M spikes in low-risk vs. other MGUS of IgG isotype (Figures C-D). M spike trajectories were largely similar between groups, although the annual median M spike increase from repeated pre-diagnostic blood draw to myeloma diagnosis was 6.0 g/L in low-risk vs. 2.3 g/L in other MGUS (P = 0.14).Conclusions: Progression from low-risk MGUS is, independent of MGUS follow-up, associated with a higher proportion of bone disease and worse survival. Based on the known phenotypic heterogeneity in multiple myeloma, we speculate that low-risk MGUS in case of malignant progression belongs to a group of more aggressive tumors. Our results need to be interpreted carefully because of the small sample size. Replication and further investigation are needed. If replicated, these findings could help to improve current MGUS follow-up strategies, which are solely based on progression risk. [Display omitted] DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

A transportable refractometer for assessment of pressure in the kPa range with ppm level precision

A transportable refractometer for assessment of kPa pressures with ppm level precision is presented. It is based on the GAs MOdulation Refractometry (GAMOR) methodology, making it resistant to fluctuations and drifts. At the National Metrology Institute at RISE, Sweden, the system assessed pressures in the 4.3 - 8.7 kPa range with sub-ppm precision (0.5 - 0.9 ppm). The system was thereafter disassembled, packed, and transported 1040 km to Umea University, where it, after unpacking and reassembling, demonstrated a similar precision (0.8 - 2.1 ppm). This shows that the system can be disassembled, packed, transported, unpacked, and reassembled with virtually unchanged performance.

Socially just pedagogies and social justice: The intersection of teaching ethics at higher education level and social justice

This article is part of a longer term project between the Department of Religion and Theology at the University of the Western Cape and Umea University in Sweden. At both the institutions the teaching of ethics as a module within social science curricula has been an important focus area. The critical investigation of the growth of the ethics modules in the Department of Religion and Theology addresses questions of the growth in the number of students taking ethics as a module that have been escalated in the last few years. This research seeks to explore social justice as a pedagogy to teach ethics. The article investigates the relationship between socially just pedagogies and social justice as a means of knowledge production. The ethics modules and students at the Department of Religion and Theology at the University of the Western Cape are the context of the study, and different socially just pedagogies will be investigated as relevant and significant pedagogies for teaching ethics for social change. Particular attention is given to the interaction between the lecturer, student and non-human phenomena as means of knowledge production. The nature of the interaction determines the effectiveness of pedagogies for a social justice agency.

KOLMOGOROV STORIES

Authors of this paper were educated and have spent many years in Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), in the Interfaculty Laboratory of Statistical Methods (ILSM). Prof. Yu. K. Belyaev was student of Kolmogorov, and for several years his deputy in the ILSM, created and led by the great A. N. Kolmogorov. Now Prof. Yuri Belyaev is Emeritus Professor at Umea University (Sweden). Asaf Hajiyev was a PhD student in Kolmogorov's ILSM. In this paper some unusual incidents about the legendary Kolmogorov, and people around him are presented. Some stories were taken from the books and the internet (see references) dedicated to the memory of Kolmogorov; some were told by his students, and some happened with authors of this paper.Men are cruel but Man is kind.– A. N. Kolmogorov

Umeå University's proposed "Rural Stream" - An effective alternative to the longitudinal integrated clerkship model for small rural communities?

Umeå University Faculty of Medicine (UUFM), Sweden, has a regionalized medical program in which students spend the final 2½ years of their undergraduate degree in district hospitals. In late 2018, UUFM started a "rural stream" pilot exposing students to smaller rural locations. The objectives are to deliver the benefits for medical education and rural workforce development that have been observed in longitudinal integrated clerkships (LICs) while maintaining consistency between learning experiences in the main campus, regional campuses, and rural locations. This article compares the UUFM rural stream with those typical of the LICs described in the medical education literature. Comparisons are made in terms of the four key criteria for LIC success, and additional characteristics including peer and interprofessional learning, "'continuity," and curriculum development. The rural stream has elements of length, immersion, position in the degree program, and community engagement that are both similar to, and different from, LICs. Key challenges are to ensure that participating students create close relationships with host medical facilities and communities. The rural stream also has some potential advantages, particularly in relation to team learning. Alternatives to the LIC rural stream model as typically described in the literature may be required to allow for immersive medical education to occur in smaller rural communities and to be suitable for medical schools with more traditional approaches to education.

Fluid restriction negatively affects energy intake and growth in very low birthweight infants with haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus.

We explored if fluid restriction in very low birthweight (VLBW) infants with a haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) affected energy and protein intakes and growth. Retrospectively, we identified 90 VLBW infants that were admitted to Umea University Hospital, Sweden, between 2009 and 2012: 42 with and 48 without haemodynamically significant PDA (hsPDA). Anthropometric, fluid, energy and protein intake data during the first 28days of life were expressed as z-scores. In the 42 infants diagnosed with hsPDA, fluid intake was restricted after diagnosis, resulting in a decrease in energy and protein intake. No decrease was observed in the other 48 infants in the cohort. Multivariate analysis showed that the z-score of weight change depended on both ductus arteriosus status and energy intake; thus, infants with hsPDA did not grow as expected with the energy provided to them. Energy and protein intake was diminished in prematurely born infants with hsPDA when fluid was restricted after diagnosis. The initial reduction in intakes may have contributed to the lower postnatal growth observed in these infants.

The Combined Influence of Waist and Hip Circumference on Risk of Death in a Large Cohort of European and Australian Adults

Background: Waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC) are both strongly associated with risk of death, however their joint association has rarely been investigated. This study aimed to assess the combined influence of WC and HC, as well as a range of other obesity measures, with the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) death. Methods: This study uses participant data from 30 cohorts of the MORGAM Project conducted in 11 countries; 90,487 males and females aged 30-74 years, predominantly Caucasian, with no history of CVD, recruited in 1986-2010, and followed-up for up to 24 years. Hazard ratios were estimated using sex specific Cox models stratified by cohort with age as the time scale. Models included baseline categorical obesity measures, age, total and HDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive drugs, smoking and diabetes. Findings: 9105 all-cause deaths were recorded during a median follow up of 10 years. Hazard ratios for all-cause death presented J- or U-shaped associations with most obesity measures. When WC and HC were included in the same model, in both men and women, for all hip sizes, having a smaller waist was found to be strongly associated with lower risk of death, except for males with the smallest hip size. In addition, among those with smaller waists, hip size was strongly negatively associated with risk of death, with around 20% more people identified as being at increased risk compared to WC alone. Interpretation: A more complex relationship between HC, WC and risk of death is revealed when both measures are considered simultaneously. This is particularly true for individuals with smaller waists, where having larger hips was protective. Considering both WC and HC in the clinical setting could help to best identify those at increased risk of death. Funding Statement: The MORGAM Project received funding from Medical Research Council London grant G0601463 (80983) and European Union FP7 project BiomarCaRE (HEALTH-F2-2011-278913). The activities of the MORGAM Data Centre have been sustained also by recent funding from European Union FP 7 project CHANCES (HEALTH-F3-2010-242244). AJC, HR and LO were supported by Deakin University. AJC is the recipient of an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards (project number DE160100141). SS was supported by the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, the County Council of Vasterbotten (ALF, VLL-548791), and Umea University. Declaration of Interests: No conflicts of interest exist in relation to this work. Ethics Approval Statement: Each MORGAM participating centre was responsible for ethical approval and patient consent, according to local rules at the time of study enrollment.

Anna Lydia Svalastog and Gunlög Fur (eds.): Visions of Sápmi

To approach Sapmi is not an easy task. To try to grasp a part of Sapmi and make it into a comprehensible text in a relatively short book is even more challenging. Svalastog and Fur have gathered six articles in this volume, with six quite different perspectives. The purpose of the book is somewhat vague: ‘to generate further interest on the Sami presence, both in the past and in the present.’ So that will be my perspective for this review, as a historian of religion, a senior lecturer at Mid Sweden University in the Study of Religion. One of my focuses when teaching about Sami religion and culture is to generate further interest in this in my students, especially the students aiming to become Middle School teachers. In the latest curriculum for Swedish 10 to 12 year olds, Sami religion is one of the subjects to teach. Could Svalastog and Fur’s collection possibly be something to use? To be honest, I’m thrown between hope and despair. The book has its origin in academic discussion at Umea University, but the contributions that surface in it are not always academic, and sometimes over-academic, if there is such a thing. This creates differences between texts, but it also makes it obvious that each writer seems to have had different groups of audiences in mind when writing. Two general approaches can be seen and may be characterized as descriptive and analytic. But for my purposes, maybe both can be of use.

Rewired: Research-Writing Partnerships within the Frameworks. Randall McClure, ed., for the Association of Research Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association, 2016. 303p. Softcover, $68.00 (ISBN 978-0-8389-8904-3).

Attending the “ Creating Knowledge VIII ” 2016 conference (Reykjavik, Iceland) I was delighted to find conference sessions addressing the integration of writing and research for students. One session was titled “We have to talk about collaboration”: a presentation on a partnership between the University Library and the Writing Centre at Umea University, Sweden. Rewired: Research-Writing Partnerships within the Frameworks , edited by Randall McClure, extends this conversation to development of, partnerships with, and assessment of information literacy and writing as collaborative and integral foundations of academic research.

Swimming in a sea of drugs: Psychiatric drugs in the aquatic environment could have severe adverse effects on wildlife and ecosystems.

Tomas Brodin, a behavioral ecologist at Umea University, Sweden, was driving home from work 1 day in 2011 and listening to the radio. A chemist was being interviewed, talking about how he had discovered 20 different pharmaceuticals in the tissue of rainbow trout near a wastewater plant. Brodin, whose research focuses on animal personality, was immediately intrigued: Since pharmaceuticals change the personality of humans, could this affect wildlife too? “We had been joking about this possibility in the lab”, Brodin said. But now this joke seemed more real than he had expected. Brodin contacted the chemist from the radio show, Jerker Fick, who turned out to be working in the same building. Together with Jonatan Klaminder and Micael Jonsson, they began to collaborate on investigating the effect of psychiatric drugs in the environment on fish behavior. > … drugs that make people less fearful or less depressed could similarly act on neural circuits that process emotion and behavior in fish. A growing world population along with better medical care have drastically increased the consumption of pharmaceuticals during the past few decades. There are about 4,000 active pharmaceutical ingredients in use. In 2012, about 60% of US Americans took at least one prescription drug; 15% were taking more than 5. One in six adults in the USA reported taking a psychiatric drug in 2013. Many pharmaceuticals are not fully metabolized or broken down in the human body, but are excreted as active substances, which are only partially removed by most wastewater treatment plants. Various drugs therefore enter freshwater aquatic ecosystems where they may persist in their active form for decades [1]. Their concentrations may be low, but fish and other aquatic organisms are exposed to them persistently. ### Effects of psychiatric drugs on fish behavior There have been increasing concerns that residues of antibiotics could generate antibiotic resistance …

Inventive steps: the CRISPR patent dispute and scientific progress: The recent patent decisions about CRISPR tell us a lot about how advances in biology are actually made-and how they are not.

Recent decisions by patent offices in the USA and Europe concerning the revolutionary gene‐editing technology, CRISPR/Cas9, have shed light on the importance—and puzzles—of one particular area of patent law: “nonobviousness”, as it known in the USA, or, in Europe, the “inventive step”. In February 2017, the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) found that the work of Feng Zhang, a researcher at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, MA, USA, constituted a “nonobvious” advance over the celebrated work of Jennifer Doudna of the University of California, Berkeley (USA) and Emmanuelle Charpentier, then at Umea University, Sweden [1]. As a consequence, the Broad Institute will be able to keep its US patents covering the technology irrespective of how Doudna and Charpentier's patent application proceeds. By contrast, the European Patent Office (EPO) announced that it had granted Doudna and Charpentier's European patent application covering broad uses of CRISPR/Cas9 in essentially any cell type, despite the US Patent Office's decision to the contrary [2]. Other parties—including the Broad Institute—will be able to challenge Doudna and Charpentier's European patent. But for now, the EPO's decision is an implicit recognition that Doudna and Charpentier's work was, itself, a major “inventive step” over the work that came before it. Patent law does not always neatly align itself with the realities of biological research. But these competing decisions have put those differences on parade. The US decision in particular—and even the nature of the controversy between the two US research institutions—has been widely criticized by scientists. One prominent researcher, Michael Eisen from the University of California, Berkeley, has taken particular issue with the PTAB's articulation of the typical manner in which molecular biologists adapt discoveries to different cell systems. “[O]ne can believe that it was obvious that CRISPR would work in eukaryotic cells, …

List of Committees

Patron CouncilShri Deepak Joshi,Honorable Minister, Tech. Edu. & SkillDevelopment Deptt. MP Govt., Bhopal.Mrs. Kalpana Shrivastava,Principal Secretary, Tech. Education, MP Govt., Bhopal.Dr. Ashish Dongre,Director, Tech. Edu. & Skill DevelopmentDeptt. MP Govt., Bhopal.Chief MentorDr. Umesh Pendharkar,Principal, Ujjain Engineering College, Ujjain(M.P.) Coordinator Dr. Prerana SharmaAsso. Prof. & Head, Physics Deptt. Co-Coordinators Dr. H.K. Patel,Head, Mathematics Deptt.Prof. Y.K. Joshi,Asst. Prof., Comp. Sc. Deptt.Dr. R.K. Rai,Asso. Prof., Physics Deptt.Dr. V.K. Hinge,Asst. Prof., Physics Deptt. Fellow Associates Shweta Jain, Project Fellow MPCST, Bhopal (M.P.) IndiaArchana Patidar, Project Fellow UGC New Delhi, IndiaTripti Rimza, Project Fellow SERB-DST New Delhi, IndiaKarishma Jena, Project Fellow MPCST, Bhopal (M.P.) IndiaInternational Scientific Advisory CommitteeProf Swadesh Mahajan, Univ of Texas, Austin, USAProf. B. Eliasson, Strathclyde University, UKDr. Ioannis Kourakis, Queen’s Univ. Belfast, UKProf Dieter HH Hoffmann, Darmstadt, GermanyProf. R. Bingham, Strathclyde University, UKProf. G. Brodin, Umea University, SwedenProf. F. Haas, Instituto de Fisica, BrazilProf. S.S. Pandey, VC, Vikram Univ. Ujjain, IndiaProf. A.K. Gwal, VC, AISECT, Bhopal, IndiaProf. S. Chaturvedi, Director IPR, Ahmedabad, IndiaProf. Dhiraj Bora, IPR, Ahmedabad, IndiaProf. P.A. Naik, Director RRCAT, Indore, IndiaDr. J.A. Chakera, RRCAT, Indore, IndiaProf. Avinash Khare, DU, Delhi, IndiaProf. B.P. Pandey, Macquarie University, AustraliaProf. Y.C. Saxena, IPR Ahmedabad, IndiaProf. Abhijit Sen, IPR, Ahmedabad, IndiaProf. R.P. Sharma, IIT, Delhi, IndiaProf. V.K. Tripathi, IIT, Delhi, IndiaProf. Basudev Ghosh, Jadavpur Univ., Kolkata, IndiaProf. Vinod Krishan, IIA, Bangalore, IndiaProf. Raju Khannal, TU, Kathmandu, NepalProf. J. Ghosh, IPR, Ahmedabad, IndiaProf. Devendra Sharma, IPR Ahmedabad, India Conference Advisory CommitteeProf. S.K. Ghosh, VU, Ujjain, IndiaProf. K.P. Joshi, DAVV, Indore, IndiaProf. M.S. Tiwari, DSHGSU, Sagar, IndiaProf. Ashutosh Mishra, DAVV, Indore, IndiaProf. R.K. Chhajlani, VU, Ujjain, IndiaProf. B.D. Shrivastava, VU, Ujjain, IndiaProf. G.K. Upadhyay, VU, Ujjain, IndiaProf. S.B. Shirivastava, VU, Ujjain, IndiaProf. P.K. Sen, SGSITS, Indore, IndiaDr. Vipul Arora, RRCAT, Indore, IndiaProf. G. Mishra, DAVV, Indore, IndiaDr. Poornima Khare, RGPV, Bhopal, IndiaDr. Swati Dubey, VU, Ujjain, IndiaDr. Nishchhal Yadav, VU, Ujjain, IndiaDr. G. Ahirwar, VU, Ujjain, IndiaDr. S. Shastri, GPC, Ujjain, IndiaDr. M.K. Rathore, MPCST, Bhopal, IndiaDr. J. Parashar, SATI, Vidisha, IndiaDr. Y. Choyal, DAVV, Indore, IndiaDr. R.P. Prajapati, GGCU, Bilaspur, IndiaDr. Praveen Sharma, BU, Bhopal, IndiaLocal Organizing CommitteeDr. S.K. Jain, Registrar, RGPV, BhopalDr. J.K. Shrivastava, Head, Chem. Engg. Deptt., UECUProf. B.L. Gupta, Head, Electrical Engg. Deptt., UECUDr. A.K. Sthapak, Head, Civil Engg. Deptt., UECUProf. R. Nagaich, Head, Mech. Engg/. Deptt., UECUProf. Y. S. Thakur, Head, Elx. & Comm. Deptt., UECUProf. K.S. Chandel, Head, Chemistry Deptt., UECUProf. A.K. Mishra, Chemistry Deptt., UECUDr. B.K. Singh, Controller Examination, UECUDr. Sunil Punjabi, Dean Academic, UECUDr. J. Palsania, Dean, Student Welfare, UECUDr. Savita Maru, Dean Planning, UECUDr. A.K Dwivedi, DDO, UECUDr. V.K. Sukhwani, Mechanical Engg. Deptt., UECUProf. A. Bhardwaj, Head Phys. Deptt. P.G.C, Biaora

TOURISM STUDIES IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION IN SWEDEN: FOCUSING ON SUSTAINABILITY

In this paper the Swedish higher tourism education is presented by analyzing the development of tourism education. Descriptive information of English taught University programs has been collected with a purpose to gain a deeper understanding of the general features of tourism higher education in Sweden. Methodology. The paper is based on a web-based content analysis of Swedish universities’ web-sites. In total six master degree programs at five universities were analyzed. Results of the analysis showed that the first Swedish academic program in tourism was opened in 1978 and from its inception tourism education is of growing significance. Instead of the higher number of degree programs in tourism, which are taught in Swedish, there is a limited number of those taught in English. Just one Bachelor Programme is taught in English in International Tourism is developed at Dalarna University and one Ph.D. Programme in Tourism is developed at Mid Sweden University. Master programs related to tourism are offered at Dalarna University, Linnaeus University, Lund University, Mid Sweden University, and Umea University. Based on the curricula analysis of these programs, five main themes are identified: 1) tourism as a social phenomenon; 2) sustainable development of tourism; 3) tourism destination development; 4) economics of tourism, and 5) tourism through service studies. The findings show that the major university programs in tourism adopt an interdisciplinary approach, which combines elements of social sciences, humanities, and business administration. According to the observed curricula, the view on tourism as on social phenomenon prevails. In the studying process, the concept of sustainable development and classical social concepts such as ethnicity, gender, class, culture, and power relations are widely integrated into different tourism courses, making the programs comprehensive, and attractive for international students. The recognition of the tourism programs is supported by the increasing number of international students obtaining degree program in Sweden. Practical implications. This paper presents the Swedish experience of institutionalization of tourism studies into the higher education, which may be interesting for program administrators, faculty, and prospective graduate students. Value/originality. The analysed data shows the specific features of master’s programs in tourism studies and identifies the focusing of Swedish higher education on sustainability.

Tunable Laser Monitors Microbes in Packaged Foods, Medical Supplies

Combining a tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer (TDLAS) with wavelength modulation (WM) yields an instrument that can rapidly detect carbon dioxide to monitor microbial growth, including in packaged food products and medical instruments and supplies, according to Jie Shao at Zhejiang Normal University in Jinhua, China, and his collaborators there and at Umea University in Umea, Sweden. Details appeared 20 March 2016 in Applied Optics (doi:10.1364/AO.55.002339).

Battling the bureaucracy hydra.

“How hard can it be to write a contract?” I asked myself. After all, I had already overcome some long odds. Seven weeks earlier—just days before I was to fly to Brussels for the second evaluation phase of a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant application—the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull erupted, throwing enough ash into the sky to essentially halt European air traffic. Yet my flight from Sweden, where I was an assistant professor at Umea University, was one of the few not grounded. Then, when I arrived at ERC headquarters and entered the hot, airless meeting room to present my proposed work, the chairperson told me, “You have 10 minutes—sharp.” I finished in 9 minutes and 59 seconds. “This must be a good sign,” I told myself. ![Figure][1] ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT NEUBECKER > “The hydra returned at unpleasantly regular intervals.” I turned out to be right. In the middle of the summer holidays, I learned that I received the grant! But the contract negotiations had to start immediately. With 19 different documents amounting to more than 150 pages to read or fill out, the contract process seemed like a many-headed bureaucratic hydra. I had to convert the text and budget of my application into a legal document, but my knowledge of legalese was limited, so I enlisted help from administrators and lawyers at my university. Eight weeks later, my team at Umea and ERC officers in Brussels had exchanged many emails and documents, 15 people had been mobilized, and I had sacrificed a large part of my vacation, but the contract was signed. A couple of months later, I realized that I needed to temporarily hire an outside person to bring in some specific expertise. The ERC officer said I would have to amend the painstakingly negotiated contract and asked me, “Do you really need to do this?” Any sensible person would have realized that such a statement meant problems, but I somehow missed the not-so-subtle message. After once again going through the lengthy contract process, I had an amended contract. A year later the hydra returned, hidden in a discreet email entitled “Advanced Notice Letter,” alerting me to the fast-approaching deadline for my first financial report. A failure to have the report approved would prevent me from receiving further funding, but meeting all the requirements laid out in the 36-page user guide seemed almost impossibly complicated. Again, a fierce communication between Umea and Brussels began. Through a strategy that amounted to trial and error, and with the help of supportive ERC officials, the report was approved, and I could turn my attention back to research. The hydra returned at unpleasantly regular intervals, demanding its share of sacrifice. I have now finished the ERC project and completed four financial reports and two scientific reports. In addition, three different external auditing firms have scrutinized the project because auditing is required once a certain budget threshold is reached. My ERC adventure helped me build up my research group and produce good science, and it has meant an enormous amount to me. But fighting the hydra has taken its toll. Certainly large grants require some control measures, but I don't think that cutting the number of reports and audits by half would have been irresponsible—and it would have allowed me to spend more of my time on the research the grant was meant to fund. But on the positive side, the experience helped me become more patient and stress resistant, and I now know that I have many helpful colleagues who can support me. So what advice can I offer for others facing the hydra? First, before even applying for a grant, carefully plan how you'd like to spend the money to avoid time-consuming amendments. Second, the administrators helping you with the process are probably much more experienced in dealing with these situations than you are, so listen to their advice. Third, don't despair. Even if the requirements are complicated and lengthy, you will get through them—with the assistance of those more expert than you. Then you can return to the real reason you became a scientist and get back to the research. [1]: pending:yes

Tissue sample stability: thawing effect on multi-organ samples

Correct handling of samples is essential in metabolomic studies. Improper handling and prolonged storage of samples has unwanted effects on the metabolite levels. The aim of this study was to identify the effects that thawing has on different organ samples. Organ samples from gut, kidney, liver, muscle and pancreas were analyzed for a number of endogenous metabolites in an untargeted metabolomics approach, using gas chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry at the Swedish Metabolomics Centre, Umea University, Sweden. Multivariate data analysis was performed by means of principal component analysis and orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminant analysis. The results showed that the metabolic changes caused by thawing were almost identical for all organs. As expected, there was a marked increase in overall metabolite levels after thawing, caused by increased protein and cell degradation. Cholesterol was one of the eight metabolites found to be decreased in the thawed samples in all organ groups. The results also indicated that the muscles are less susceptible to oxidation compared to the rest of the organ samples.

Beyond Trends

1. Christian Lundstrom 1. is a PhD student at Umea University in Umea, Sweden. (christian.lundstrom{at}econ.umu.se) 2. Jarkko Peltomaki 1. is an associate professor at Stockholm Business School, Stockholm University in Stockholm, Sweden. (jape{at}sbs.su.se) 1. To

Exploring Activities Regarding Technology-Enhanced Learning in a One-to-One Initiative

The uptake and use of digital technologies in the classroom was studied in Unos Umea, a One-to-One (1:1) initiative between Umea University and the municipality of Umea in Sweden. The focus was set ...

Adhesion Pili from Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Share Similar Biophysical Properties Despite Their Different Assembly Pathways

Journal Article Adhesion Pili from Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Share Similar Biophysical Properties Despite Their Different Assembly Pathways Get access Narges Mortezaei, Narges Mortezaei Department of Physics, Umea University, SE-901 87 Umea, Sweden Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Chelsea R Epler, Chelsea R Epler Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston Univ. School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Paul P Shao, Paul P Shao Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston Univ. School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Mariam Shirdel, Mariam Shirdel Department of Physics, Umea University, SE-901 87 Umea, Sweden Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Bhupender Singh, Bhupender Singh Department of Physics, Umea University, SE-901 87 Umea, SwedenThe Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS) and Department of Molecular Biology, Umea University, SE-901 87 Umea, Sweden Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Annette McVeigh, Annette McVeigh Enteric Diseases Department, Infectious Diseases Directorate, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Bernt Eric Uhlin, Bernt Eric Uhlin The Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS) and Department of Molecular Biology, Umea University, SE-901 87 Umea, Sweden Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Stephen J Savarino, Stephen J Savarino Enteric Diseases Department, Infectious Diseases Directorate, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USADepartment of Pediatrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Magnus Andersson, Magnus Andersson Department of Physics, Umea University, SE-901 87 Umea, Sweden Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Esther Bullitt Esther Bullitt Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston Univ. School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Microscopy and Microanalysis, Volume 21, Issue S3, 1 August 2015, Pages 915–916, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1431927615005371 Published: 23 September 2015