Hotel Delta

Vlaardingen, el tercer puerto de los Países Bajos en la Meuse, cerca de Rotterdam, al oeste de esta ciudad, es una ciudad que se desarrolla rápidamente. Este crecimiento fué debido, principalmente, al desarrollo industrial de la región

Nordic Post-Graduate Sustainable Design and Engineering Research from a Supervisor Perspective

The multi- and interdisciplinary field of sustainable product innovation is rapidly expanding as an arena for scientific research. Universities in Nordic countries can be considered as an exponent of this type of research, with active research groups in, among others, Göteborg, Helsinki, Lund, Lyngby, Linköping and Trondheim. In the context of a Nordforsk funded project, seven second generation PhD supervisors from these universities, who have been active in this field for many years, discuss funding, publication, research traditions, education and supervision practices related to PhD research in this field. A number of recommendations to improve current practices are made, including the mapping currently existing differences in different academic institutions, studying the cross-over learning effects between academica and non-academic partners, and the development of ‘quality indicators’ of research in the SPI domain

Longitudinal changes of telomere length and epigenetic age related to traumatic stress and post-traumatic stress disorder

Several studies have reported an association between traumatic stress and telomere length suggesting that traumatic stress has an impact on ageing at the cellular level. A newly derived tool provides an additional means to investigate cellular ageing by estimating epigenetic age based on DNA methylation profiles. We therefore hypothesise that in a longitudinal study of traumatic stress both indicators of cellular ageing will show increased ageing. We expect that particularly in individuals that developed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increases in these ageing parameters would stand out.From an existing longitudinal cohort study, ninety-six male soldiers were selected based on trauma exposure and the presence of symptoms of PTSD. All military personnel were deployed in a combat zone in Afghanistan and assessed before and 6 months after deployment. The Self-Rating Inventory for PTSD was used to measure the presence of PTSD symptoms, while exposure to combat trauma during deployment was measured with a 19-item deployment experiences checklist. These groups did not differ for age, gender, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, military rank, length, weight, or medication use. In DNA from whole blood telomere length was measured and DNA methylation levels were assessed using the Illumina 450K DNA methylation arrays. Epigenetic ageing was estimated using the DNAm age estimator procedure.The association of trauma with telomere length was in the expected direction but not significant (. B=. -10.2, p=. 0.52). However, contrary to our expectations, development of PTSD symptoms was associated with the reverse process, telomere lengthening (. B=. 1.91, p=. 0.018). In concordance, trauma significantly accelerated epigenetic ageing (. B=. 1.97, p=. 0.032) and similar to the findings in telomeres, development of PTSD symptoms was inversely associated with epigenetic ageing (. B=. -0.10, p=. 0.044). Blood cell count, medication and premorbid early life trauma exposure did not confound the results.Overall, in this longitudinal study of military personnel deployed to Afghanistan we show an acceleration of ageing by trauma. However, development of PTSD symptoms was associated with telomere lengthening and reversed epigenetic ageing. These findings warrant further study of a perhaps dysfunctional compensatory cellular ageing reversal in PTSD

Hotel Britania

Durante los últimos años de la segunda guerra mundial, el Gran Hotel Britania, en Flushing, fue el Cuartel General del ejército alemán sobre el estuario del río Scheldt

Shape and volume changes of the superior lateral ventricle after electroconvulsive therapy measured with ultra-high field MRI

The subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles harbors neuronal stem cells in adult mammals. Rodent studies report neurogenic effects in the SVZ of electroconvulsive stimulation. We hypothesize that if this finding translates to depressed patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), this would be reflected in shape changes at the SVZ. Using T1-weighted MR images acquired at ultra-high field strength (7T), the shape and volume of the ventricles were compared from pre to post ECT after 10 ECT sessions (in patients twice weekly) or 5 weeks apart (controls) using linear mixed models with age and gender as covariates. Ventricle shape significantly changed and volume significantly decreased over time in patients for the left ventricle, but not in controls. The decrease in volume of the ventricles was associated to a decrease in depression scores, and an increase in the left dentate gyrus, However, the shape changes of the ventricles were not restricted to the neurogenic niche in the lateral walls of the ventricles, providing no clear evidence for neurogenesis as sole explanation of volume changes in the ventricles after ECT

Modular-Level Functional Connectome Alterations in Individuals With Hallucinations Across the Psychosis Continuum

Functional connectome alterations, including modular network organization, have been related to the experience of hallucinations. It remains to be determined whether individuals with hallucinations across the psychosis continuum exhibit similar alterations in modular brain network organization. This study assessed functional connectivity matrices of 465 individuals with and without hallucinations, including patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, nonclinical individuals with hallucinations, and healthy controls. Modular brain network organization was examined at different scales of network resolution, including (1) global modularity measured as Qmax and Normalised Mutual Information (NMI) scores, and (2) within- and between-module connectivity. Global modular organization was not significantly altered across groups. However, alterations in within- and between-module connectivity were observed for higher-order cognitive (e.g., central-executive salience, memory, default mode), and sensory modules in patients with schizophrenia and nonclinical individuals with hallucinations relative to controls. Dissimilar patterns of altered within- and between-module connectivity were found bipolar disorder patients with hallucinations relative to controls, including the visual, default mode, and memory network, while connectivity patterns between visual, salience, and cognitive control modules were unaltered. Bipolar disorder patients without hallucinations did not show significant alterations relative to controls. This study provides evidence for alterations in the modular organization of the functional connectome in individuals prone to hallucinations, with schizophrenia patients and nonclinical individuals showing similar alterations in sensory and higher-order cognitive modules. Other higher-order cognitive modules were found to relate to hallucinations in bipolar disorder patients, suggesting differential neural mechanisms may underlie hallucinations across the psychosis continuum.publishedVersio

Product Design Education for Circular Economy

Design has continually developed new approaches to find the most appropriate solutions to the growing environmental and social problems. At the same time higher education courses have tried to adapt their curricula accordingly. The most recently proposed model is circular economy. It reinforces the idea of a paradigm shift to a system of closed loops where there is no waste. This article develops a state of the art on the integration of sustainability in product design in higher education and its evolution to embrace circular economy. This analysis includes identifying past experiences, which contents are addressed, what methodologies are used, what type of approach (focused or dispersed) and what are the needs for teaching staff. This paper tries to identify gaps in order to purpose better solution for circular economy integration.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Family composition and age at menarche: findings from the international Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Study

This research was funded by The University of St Andrews and NHS Health Scotland.Background Early menarche has been associated with father absence, stepfather presence and adverse health consequences in later life. This article assesses the association of different family compositions with the age at menarche. Pathways are explored which may explain any association between family characteristics and pubertal timing. Methods Cross-sectional, international data on the age at menarche, family structure and covariates (age, psychosomatic complaints, media consumption, physical activity) were collected from the 2009–2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey. The sample focuses on 15-year old girls comprising 36,175 individuals across 40 countries in Europe and North America (N = 21,075 for age at menarche). The study examined the association of different family characteristics with age at menarche. Regression and path analyses were applied incorporating multilevel techniques to adjust for the nested nature of data within countries. Results Living with mother (Cohen’s d = .12), father (d = .08), brothers (d = .04) and sisters (d = .06) are independently associated with later age at menarche. Living in a foster home (d = −.16), with ‘someone else’ (d = −.11), stepmother (d = −.10) or stepfather (d = −.06) was associated with earlier menarche. Path models show that up to 89% of these effects can be explained through lifestyle and psychological variables. Conclusions Earlier menarche is reported amongst those with living conditions other than a family consisting of two biological parents. This can partly be explained by girls’ higher Body Mass Index in these families which is a biological determinant of early menarche. Lower physical activity and elevated psychosomatic complaints were also more often found in girls in these family environments.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Predictive factors for new onset or progression of knee osteoarthritis one year after trauma: MRI follow-up in general practice

Objective: To prospectively evaluate prognostic factors for new onset or progression of degenerative change on follow-up MRI one year after knee trauma and the association with clinical outcome. Methods: Within a prospective observational cohort study in general practice, we studied a subgroup of 117 patients with acute knee trauma (mean age 41 years, 43% women). Degenerative change was scored on MRI at baseline and after one year follow-up. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate prognostic factors for new onset or progressive degenerative change on follow-up MRI. Association between new or progressive degeneration and clinical outcome after one year was assessed. Results: On follow-up MRI 15% of patients with pre-existing knee osteoarthritis showed progression and 26% of patients demonstrated new degenerative change. The only statistically significant prognostic variable in the multivariate analysis was bone marrow oedema on initial MRI (OR 5.29 (95% CI 1.64-17.1), p∈=∈0.005). A significant association between new or progressive degenerative change and clinical outcome was found (p∈=∈0.003). Conclusion: Bone marrow oedema on MRI for acute knee injury is strongly predictive of new onset or progression of degenerative change of the femorotibial joint on follow-up MRI one year after trauma, which is reflected in clinical outcome