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The purpose of this study is to increase our understanding of the factors and mechanisms that affect the productivity of an Agile Software Development team. The main perspective used is one focusing on established theory on productivity of knowledge workers in general, as well as on the viability of these theories in this specific context. The study is of a qualitative nature, following an abductive research approach. The research process is an interaction between the existing theory and gathered empiric data, facilitated by the researcher. A model describing the phenomenon, the goal of this study, is based on theory from both knowledge worker productivity and Agile Software Development, and further improved by an empirical case study. The study contains literature reviews of general knowledge worker productivity theories and characteristics of Agile Software Development. This knowledge is used to create a first model of the phenomenon. The model is then used to set up a case study at a case company to compare real life experiences to the model. The case study is conducted through semi-structured interviews with personnel at the case company, focusing on experiences and subjective perceptions of the phenomenon. The literature reviews show that work in an Agile Software Development context can be characterized as knowledge work, and that the Agile methods to a significant degree follow the general recommendations put forth in theories and results from previous research in the field of knowledge worker productivity. The resulting model is a description of the phenomenon and the underlying mechanisms. It should be useful tool for understanding how, why and under what circumstances the specific characteristics of Agile Software Development affect productivity. The model has been constructed with the mindset of making it an easily accessible tool for understanding and improving the preconditions for a productive team. The results and the constructed model indicate for example the negative effects of splitting the loyalty and team identity of employees by having them commit to several different work teams, and the need to actively structure follow-up and feedback to the same level on which responsibilities and autonomy is defined and granted.
Importance: Cardiovascular risk factors in youth have been associated with future cardiovascular disease (CVD), but conventional observational studies are vulnerable to genetic and environmental confounding. Objective: To examine the role of genetic and environmental factors shared by full siblings in the association of adolescent cardiovascular risk factors with future CVD. Design, Setting, and Participants: This is a nationwide cohort study with full sibling comparisons. All men who underwent mandatory military conscription examinations in Sweden between 1972 and 1995 were followed up until December 31, 2016. Data analysis was performed from May 1 to November 10, 2022. Exposures: Body mass index (BMI), cardiorespiratory fitness, blood pressure, handgrip strength, and a combined risk z score in late adolescence. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was fatal or nonfatal CVD, as recorded in the National Inpatient Register or the Cause of Death Register before 2017. Results: A total of 1 138 833 men (mean [SD] age, 18.3 [0.8] years), of whom 463 995 were full brothers, were followed up for a median (IQR) of 32.1 (26.7-37.7) years, during which 48 606 experienced a CVD outcome (18 598 among full brothers). All risk factors were associated with CVD, but the effect of controlling for unobserved genetic and environmental factors shared by full siblings varied. In the sibling analysis, hazard ratios for CVD (top vs bottom decile) were 2.10 (95% CI, 1.90-2.32) for BMI, 0.77 (95% CI, 0.68-0.88) for cardiorespiratory fitness, 1.45 (95% CI, 1.32-1.60) for systolic blood pressure, 0.90 (95% CI, 0.82-0.99) for handgrip strength, and 2.19 (95% CI, 1.96-2.46) for the combined z score. The percentage attenuation in these hazard ratios in the sibling vs total cohort analysis ranged from 1.1% for handgrip strength to 40.0% for cardiorespiratory fitness. Consequently, in the sibling analysis, the difference in cumulative CVD incidence at age 60 years (top vs bottom decile) was 7.2% (95% CI, 5.9%-8.6%) for BMI and 1.8% (95% CI, 1.0%-2.5%) for cardiorespiratory fitness. Similarly, in the sibling analysis, hypothetically shifting everyone in the worst deciles of BMI to the middle decile would prevent 14.9% of CVD at age 60 years, whereas the corresponding number for cardiorespiratory fitness was 5.3%. Conclusions and Relevance: In this Swedish national cohort study, cardiovascular risk factors in late adolescence, especially a high BMI, were important targets for CVD prevention, independently of unobserved genetic and environmental factors shared by full siblings. However, the role of adolescent cardiorespiratory fitness in CVD may have been overstated by conventional observational studies.
Abstract Development of schizophrenia relates to both genetic and environmental factors. Functional deficits in many cognitive domains, including the ability to communicate in social interactions and impaired recognition of facial expressions, are common for patients with schizophrenia and might also be present in individuals at risk of developing schizophrenia. Here we explore whether an individual’s polygenic risk score (PRS) for schizophrenia is associated with the degree of interregional similarities in blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) signal and gray matter volume of the face-processing network and whether the exposure to early adversity moderates this association. A total of 90 individuals (mean age 22 years, both functional and structural data available) were used for discovery analyses, and 211 individuals (mean age 26 years, structural data available) were used for replication of the structural findings. Both samples were drawn from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. We found that the degree of interregional similarities in BOLD signal and gray matter volume vary as a function of PRS; lowest interregional correlation (both measures) was observed in individuals with high PRS. We also replicated the gray matter volume finding. We did not find evidence for an interaction between early adversity and PRS on the interregional correlation of BOLD signal and gray matter volume. We speculate that the observed group differences in PRS-related correlations in both modalities may result from differences in the concurrent functional engagement of the face-processing regions over time, eg, via differences in exposure to social interaction with other people.
Abstract Background: Climate change is a major global challenge, especially for Indigenous communities. It can have extensive impacts on peoples’ lives that may occur through the living environment, health and mental well-being, and which are requiring constant adaptation. Objectives: The overall purpose of this research was to evaluate the impacts of climate change and permafrost thaw on mental wellness in Disko Bay, Greenland. It contained two parts: multidisciplinary fieldwork and a questionnaire survey. The aim of the fieldwork was to learn about life and living conditions and to understand what it is like to live in a community that faces impacts of climate change and permafrost thaw. For the questionnaire the aim was to find out which perceived environmental and adaptation factors relate to very good self-rated well-being, quality of life and satisfaction with life. Analysis: Fieldwork data was analyzed by following a thematic analysis, and questionnaire data statistically by cross-tabulation. First, the associations between perceived environmental and adaptation factors were studied either by the Pearson χ2 test or by Fisher’s exact test. Second, binary logistic regression analysis was applied to examine more in depth the associations between perceived environmental/adaptation variables and self-rated very good well-being, satisfaction with life and quality of life. The binary logistic regression analysis was conducted in two phases: as univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Nature and different activities in nature were found to be important to local people, and results suggest that they increase mental wellness, specifically well-being and satisfaction with life. Challenges associated with permafrost thaw, such as changes in the physical environment, infrastructure and impacts on culture were recognized in everyday life. Conclusions: The results offer relevant information for further plans and actions in this field of research and at the policy level. Our study shows the importance of multidisciplinary research which includes the voice of local communities.
Abstract Background: Several psychological symptoms in adolescence associate with later development of psychosis. However, it is unclear which symptoms specifically predict psychotic disorders rather than psychiatric disorders in general. We conducted a prospective study comparing how specific adolescent psychotic-like symptoms, predicted psychotic and non-psychotic hospital-treated psychiatric disorders in the population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (NFBC1986). Methods: At age 15–16 years, 6632 members of the NFBC1986 completed the PROD-screen questionnaire. New hospital-treated mental disorders of the NFBC1986 participants were detected between age 17 and 30 years from the Finnish Care Register for Health Care. Multiple covariates were used in the analysis. Results: During the follow-up, 1.1% of the participants developed a psychotic and 3.2% a non-psychotic psychiatric disorder. Three symptoms were specifically associated with onset of psychosis compared to non-psychotic psychiatric disorders: ‘Difficulty in controlling one’s speech, behaviour or facial expression while communicating’ (adjusted OR 4.00; 95% CI 1.66–9.92), ‘Difficulties in understanding written text or heard speech’ (OR 2.25; 1.12–4.51), and ‘Difficulty or uncertainty in making contact with other people’ (OR 2.20; 1.03–4.67). Of these, the first one remained statistically significant after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first general-population-based prospective study exploring psychiatric symptoms predicting the onset of hospital-treated first-episode psychosis in comparison to non-psychotic disorders. We found three symptoms related with difficulties in social interaction which predicted onset of psychosis. This is a novel finding and should be replicated.
Abstract Objective: Meta-analyses of cross-sectional studies confirm an increase in circulating inflammatory markers during acute psychosis. Longitudinal studies are scarce but are needed to understand whether elevated inflammatory markers are a cause or consequence of illness. We report a longitudinal study of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in adolescence and subsequent risk of schizophrenia and related psychoses in adulthood in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. Method: Serum high-sensitivity CRP was measured at age 15/16 years in 6362 participants. ICD-10 diagnoses of schizophrenia and related psychoses were obtained from centralised hospital inpatient and outpatient registers up to age 27 years. Logistic regression calculated odds ratios (ORs) for psychotic outcomes associated with baseline CRP levels analysed as both continuous and categorical variables using American Heart Association criteria. Age, sex, body mass index, maternal education, smoking, and alcohol use were included as potential confounders. Results: By age 27 years, 88 cases of non-affective psychosis (1.38%), of which 22 were schizophrenia (0.35%), were identified. Adolescent CRP was associated with subsequent schizophrenia. The adjusted OR for schizophrenia by age 27 years for each standard deviation (SD) increase in CRP levels at age 15/16 years was 1.25 (95% CI, 1.07–1.46), which was consistent with a linear, dose-response relationship (P-value for quadratic term 0.23). Using CRP as a categorical variable, those with high (>3 mg/L) compared with low (<1 mg/L) CRP levels at baseline were more likely to develop schizophrenia; adjusted OR 4.25 (95% CI, 1.30–13.93). There was some indication that higher CRP was associated with earlier onset of schizophrenia (rs = −0.40; P = 0.07). Conclusions: A longitudinal association between adolescent CRP levels and adult schizophrenia diagnosis indicates a potentially important role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of the illness, although the findings, based on a small number of cases, need to be interpreted with caution and require replication in other samples.