Extending working life in Belgium. CEPS Working Document No. 386, 22 November 2013

This report aims at understanding how persons aged 50 years and older are and can be integrated into the working society in Belgium. We are interested in how people in this age group can be induced to engage in various forms of employment and lifelong learning. Based on secondary literature, descriptive databases as well as interviews with experts and focus groups, we find that the discussion on active ageing in Belgium is well advanced with numerous contributions by academics, stakeholders, social partners, the public administration and interest groups. The wish to retire at 60 is widely shared, but at the same time the majority of Belgium’s elderly are able and would be willing to work under specific conditions. Therefore, we recommend that Belgium should invest in more flexible systems including a revision of the tax scheme, such as the part-time retirement system proposed by the insurance company Delta Lloyd. An equally relevant recommendation would be to ensure that public employment agencies, employers and agencies that provide training encourage all workers to work and learn regardless of their age

Generalized biodiversity assessment by Bayesian nested random effects models with spyke-and-slab priors

We analyze variations in alpha-diversity of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in an Italian lagoon system using Bayesian hierarchical models with nested random effects. Our aim is to understand how spatial scales influence microhabitat definition. Tsallis entropy measures diversity and spike-and-slab regression selects predictors

miRNAs in protection and regeneration of dopaminergic midbrain neurons

PD is the second most frequent neurodegenerative disorder affecting over 3 % of the population older than 80 years of age. Although PD is a system disorder which affects most regions of the brain, the progressive demise of the nigrostriatal projections and the inability of this system to regenerate are mainly responsible for the functional deficits observed. The etiology underlying PD is not finally resolved. Recent studies suggest that gene expression regulators might contribute to a large variety of disease states. miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that are important for the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Alterations in miRNA function have been reported in different neurodegenerative diseases including PD. Furthermore, miRNAs are auspicious therapeutic targets, as the manipulation of their expression might be neuroprotective or could induce the regeneration of neurons. In the present study the miRNAome of developing PMN cultures was analyzed and it was demonstrated that the major changes occur during early development. In order to analyze miRNA expression changes during degeneration and spontaneous regeneration of the murine nigrostriatal system a small RNA sequencing of the midbrain of the 6-OHDA mouse model for PD was performed and revealed novel sets of miRNAs involved in degeneration and regeneration of DA neurons in vivo. Taken together, miRNAs play an important role in development, maintenance and degeneration of DA neurons in vivo and in vitro and thus are promising targets for a better understanding of PD pathophysiology and the development of new therapeutic strategies

Validity and measurement invariance of the Unified Multidimensional Calling Scale (UMCS): A three-wave survey study

The accumulation of scientific knowledge on calling is limited by the absence of a common theoretical and measurement framework. Many different models of calling have been proposed, and we do not know how much research results that refer to a specific model are generalizable to different theoretical accounts of calling. In this article, we investigate whether two leading models of calling tackle the same construct. The two models were merged into a comprehensive framework that measures calling across seven facets: Passion, Purposefulness, Sacrifice, Pervasiveness, Prosocial Orientation, Transcendent Summons, and Identity. We then developed the Unified Multidimensional Calling Scale (UMCS) drawing from previous published items. Across two surveys involving college students (N = 5886) and adult employees (N = 205) the UMCS was proved to be valid and reliable. We also observed that the UMCS is invariant across time and calling domains. Finally, we found that facets of calling have very different relationships with outcomes and concurrent measures, suggesting that results obtained with a smaller set of facets are not generalizable to the higher-order construct of calling or to a different model that does not share the same facets. \ua9 2018 Vianello et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Assessing the role of the spatial scale in the analysis of lagoon biodiversity. A case-study on the macrobenthic fauna of the Po River Delta

The analysis of benthic assemblages is a valuable tool to describe the ecological status of transitional water ecosystems, but species are extremely sensitive and respond to both microhabitat and seasonal differences. The identification of changes in the composition of the macrobenthic community in specific microhabitats can then be used as an “early warning” for environmental changes which may affect the economic and ecological importance of lagoons, through their provision of Ecosystem Services. From a conservational point of view, the appropriate definition of the spatial aggregation level of microhabitats or local communities is of crucial importance. The main objective of this work is to assess the role of the spatial scale in the analysis of lagoon biodiversity. First, we analyze the variation in the sample coverage for alternative aggregations of the monitoring stations in three lagoons of the Po River Delta. Then, we analyze the variation of a class of entropy indices by mixed effects models, properly accounting for the fixed effects of biotic and abiotic factors and random effects ruled by nested sources of variability corresponding to alternative definitions of local communities. Finally, we address biodiversity partitioning by a generalized diversity measure, namely the Tsallis entropy, and for alternative definitions of the local communities. The main results obtained by the proposed statistical protocol are presented, discussed and framed in the ecological context

Terveyttä ilon kautta kuudesluokkalaisille

Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli luoda kuudesluokkalaisille teemapäivä ravitsemuksen ja liikunnan merkityksestä hyvinvoinnille ja terveydelle. Tulevina hoitotyön ammattilaisina päätös muokata teemapäivästä hyvinvointipäivä oli itsestään selvyys. Hyvinvointipäivän tavoitteena oli tuoda kuudesluokkalaisille ajankohtaista tietoa ravitsemuksesta ja liikunnasta innostavasti, sekä ikätasoisesti kannustamalla nuoria pitämään huolta omasta terveydestä ja hyvinvoinnista. Lisäksi hyvinvointipäivän tarkoituksena oli selvittää opinnäytetyön työryhmälle, pystytäänkö ennaltaehkäisevällä hoitotyöllä vaikuttamaan lasten ja nuorten motivaatioon ylläpitää terveyttä ja hyvinvointia ennen vakavien elämäntapasairauksien syntymistä. Hyvinvointipäivä järjestettiin yhteistyössä Vantaalla sijaitsevan Jokivarren koulun kanssa. Hyvinvointipäivä suunniteltiin yhdessä kuudennen luokan opettajan ja luokan oppilaiden kanssa 1.9.2017. Itse hyvinvointipäivä toteutettiin Jokivarren koululla 8.9.2017, ja tapahtumaan osallistui yksi kuudesluokka. Hyvinvointipäivään sisältyi teoriaa terveellisestä ravitsemuksesta ja liikunnasta, sekä niiden vaikutuksesta kokonaisvaltaiselle hyvinvoinnille. Lisäksi hyvinvointipäivänä valmistettiin terveellistä välipalaa ja liikuttiin yhdessä hyvinvointipäivän teeman mukaisesti. Opinnäytetyön teoreettinen viitekehys pohjautui tämän hetkisiin ravitsemus- ja liikuntasuosituksiin. Lisäksi teoreettisessa viitekehyksessä hyödynnettiin tutkittua tietoa lasten ravitsemuksesta ja liikunnasta. Opinnäytetyössä perehdyttiin myös kouluikäisen ikätasoiseen ohjaukseen ja motivointiin. Opinnäytetyön aikana asiakaslähtöisyys nousi keskeiseen rooliin hyvinvointipäivää suunniteltaessa, sekä sitä toteuttaessa. Ennen hyvinvointipäivää kuudennen luokan oppilaat vastasivat liikunta- ja ravitsemuskyselyyn viikon ajan liikunta- ja ravitsemustottumuksistaan. Tarkoituksena oli selvittää oppilaiden tämän hetkistä tietoa ravitsemuksesta ja liikunnasta, ja sitä kuinka paljon oppilaat liikuntaa harrastavat. Kyselyn avulla laadittiin asiakaslähtöisesti hyvinvointipäivän ohjelman. Lisäksi kuudennen luokan oppilaat vastasivat samaan liikunta- ja ravitsemuskyselyyn hyvinvointipäivän jälkeen, jotta saataisiin selvitettyä tarkoituksen mukaisesti työryhmälle motivoiko ennaltaehkäisevä hoitotyö nuoria ylläpitämään hyvinvointiaan. Liikunta- ja ravitsemuskyselyn ja suunnitelmapäivän avulla selvisi, että hyvinvointipäivään osallistuvat kuudesluokkalaiset olivat liikunnallisesti aktiivisia ja suurin osa heistä harrasti säännöllisesti liikuntaa. Kuudesluokkalaiset kokivat liikunnan hauskaksi sekä kehittäväksi. Lisäksi kuudesluokkalaiset pitivät tärkeänä kavereiden näkemistä liikunnallisissa harrastuksissa. Suurin osa kuudesluokkalaisista ruokaili säännöllisesti arkisin, mutta viikonloppuisin erityisesti napostelu lisääntyi. Hyvinvointipäivästä saadusta palautteesta ilmeni, että suurin osa kuudesluokkalaisista koki hyvinvointipäivän hyödylliseksi.The goal of the thesis was to create an activity day for sixth graders, in which they learned about the importance of nutrition and exercise to health and wellbeing. As future professionals of healthcare, our goal to modify the day to be about wellbeing was self-evident. The goal of the day was to give the sixth graders current information about nutrition and exercise in a way that was inspiring and suitable for the age of the children by encouraging the them to take care of their health and wellbeing. The goal was also to explain the workgroup of the thesis, if preventive healthcare could influence the motivation of children and young people to maintain their health and wellbeing, and this way avoid any serious future health problems. The day was organized in co-operation with a school called “Jokivarren koulu” in Vantaa. The day was planned together with the teacher and the students of the 6th grade on September 1, 2017. The activity day was carried out in the Jokivarsi school on September 8, 2017, and one class of sixth graders took part in the day. The day included a theory lesson on healthy nutrition and exercise, and their effect on overall well-being. During the day students also prepared healthy snacks and did some physical activities according to the theme of the day. The theoretical framework of the thesis was based on current nutrition and physical activity recommendations. Furthermore, researched information about the exercise and nutrition of children was utilized in the theoretical framework. Guidance and motivation suitable for children at school were familiarized with in the thesis. The role of customer oriented approach became important while planning and carrying out the activity day. Before the activity day, the students of the sixth grade answered a questionnaire about their eating and exercising habits during one week. The purpose was to find out the current knowledge the students had about nutrition and exercise, and how physically active they are. A customer oriented programme for the activity day was planned with the help of the questionnaire. Afterwards the children answered the same questionnaire, the meaning of which was to find out if preventive health care would motivate children and youth to maintain their well-being. With the help of the questionnaire and the day of planning the activities, it was clear that the sixth graders who participated in the activity day were physically active and the majority of them exercised regularly. The sixth graders thought that the day was fun and also educational. They also felt that meeting friends is an important part of sports and other physically active hobbies. Most of the children ate regularly during the week but on the weekends they had more snacks. Based on the feedback of the activity day, most of the sixth graders found the day useful