Tragedy and tiumph:Rwandan women's resilience in the face of sexual violence

<p>An estimated 250,000 to 500,000 women were raped during the Rwandan genocide which took place over 17 years ago. Many survivors then had to deal with the shunning by their families and communities and diseases such as HIV.</p><p>Little attention has been paid to this situation, as prosecuting rape has not been a priority internationally, let alone at the national level.  Nevertheless, there exist a number of promising initiatives in Rwanda that signal a shift in how sexual violence is addressed.</p&gt

Predicting bilingual preschoolers' patterns of language development: Degree of non-native input matters

While numerous studies have recently shown that variation in input quantity predicts children’s rate of acquisition across a range of language skills, comparatively little is known about the impact of variation in input quality on (bilingual) children’s language development. This study investigated the relation between specific quality-oriented properties of bilingual children’s input and measures of children’s language development across a number of skills while at the same time taking family constellation into account. Participants were bilingual preschoolers (n = 50) acquiring Dutch alongside another language. Preschoolers’ receptive and productive vocabulary and morphosyntax in Dutch were assessed. Parental questionnaires were used to derive estimates of input quality. Family constellation was first operationalized as presence of a native-speaker parent and subsequently in terms of patterns of parental language use. Results showed that proportion of native input and having a native-speaker parent were never significant predictors of children’s language skills, whereas the degree of non-nativeness in the input, family constellation in terms of parental language use, and language richness were. This study shows that what matters is not how much exposure bilingual children have to native rather than non-native speakers, but how proficient any non-native speakers are

Cerebrospinal Fluid Sex Steroid Hormones in Bacterial Meningitis

Unfavorable outcome in bacterial meningitis is related to excessive inflammation and higher inflammatory markers have been reported in female than in male patients. Sex steroid hormones have immunomodulatory properties and can be found in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF); however, their actions have not been studied in bacterial meningitis. We investigated the association between CSF sex steroid hormone levels and inflammatory parameters, disease severity, and outcome in pneumococcal meningitis. We identified adults with culture-proven pneumococcal meningitis in a prospective cohort study (2006-2014). We measured estradiol and testosterone in CSF using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) using an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Hormone levels were compared according to outcome, which was graded using the Glasgow Outcome Scale (a score of 5 indicating favorable, 1-4 unfavorable outcome). Correlation analysis was used to measure the association between hormone levels and inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and complement factors as well as severity of illness, as measured by the Glasgow Coma Scale and the Dutch Meningitis Risk Score. We included 60 patients: 20 men, 20 premenopausal (50 years) women. Twenty-one (35%) patients had an unfavorable outcome and 11 (18%) died. Cases with an unfavorable outcome exhibited higher estradiol (median 14.0 vs 5.0 pmol/L, P = .04) and lower SHBG (0.40 vs 1.0 nmol/L, P = .03) levels compared with those with a favorable outcome. Estradiol was positively correlated with C-reactive protein (R = 0.42, P = .001), CSF protein (R = 0.33, P = .01), and proinflammatory cytokine levels. CSF concentrations of the sex steroid hormone estradiol were associated with outcome and CSF inflammation. Understanding the dose and time-dependent interaction between sex steroid hormones and the inflammatory response in bacterial meningitis represents an important and understudied topic.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Factors promoting staying at work in people with chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain:a systematic review

Purpose: To identify determinants for staying at work (SAW) in workers with chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP). Method: A systematic review of factors that promote SAW in workers with CMP. We searched the databases of PubMed, EMBASE, PsycInfo, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library. We included studies reporting on working subjects without present CMP-related sick leave. A quality assessment of GRADE criteria and evidence synthesis was performed. Results: We identified five cross-sectional studies and two qualitative studies reporting on factors associated with SAW in workers with CMP. Consistent association with SAW was found for low perceived physical disability and low emotional distress (low-level evidence). Duration of pain, catastrophizing, self-esteem and marital status were not associated with SAW (low-level evidence). Qualitative studies indicated that personal adjustments and workplace interventions are important determinants for SAW (evidence not graded). Conclusions: No high-level evidence for SAW determinants for workers with CMP was identified. Future interventions aimed at promoting SAW could consider reducing perceived physical disability and emotional distress, and promoting adjustment latitude at work, support from supervisors, and the workers' motivation and self-management skills. Further research is required because knowledge of SAW in workers with CMP is scarce, and the relevance of the subject is high

The assessment of efforts to return to work in the European Union

Background: Assessment of efforts to promote return-to-work (RTW) includes all efforts (vocational and non-vocational) designed to improve the work ability of the sick-listed employee and increase the chance to return to work. Aim of the study was to investigate whether in 13 European countries these RTW efforts are assessed and to compare the procedures by means of six criteria. METHODS: Data were gathered in the taxonomy project of the European Union of Medicine in Assurance and Social Security and by means of an additional questionnaire. RESULTS: In seven countries RTW efforts are subject of the assessment in relation to the application for disability benefits. Description of RTW efforts is a prerequisite in five countries. Guidelines on the assessment of RTW efforts are only available in the Netherlands and no countries report the use of the ICF model. Based on the results of the additional questionnaire, the assessor is a social scientist or a physician. The information used to assess RTW efforts differs, from a report on the RTW process to medical information. A negative outcome of the assessment leads to delay of the application for disability benefits or to application for rehabilitation subsidy. Conclusion: RTW efforts are assessed in half of the participating European countries. When compared, the characteristics of the assessment of RTW efforts in the participating European countries show both similarities and differences. This study may facilitate the gathering and exchange of knowledge and experience between countries on the assessment of RTW efforts

A planar 3 dof sample manipulator for nano-scale characterization

We present the first monolithic manipulator for in-plane positioning in three degrees of freedom (DOF), based on a parallel flexure-mechanism. The manipulator stage is capable of translation in the x- and y-direction (maximum of ±9 μm) as well as rotation about the z-axis (maximum of ±2 degrees). A power-port based model has been developed to give insight in the systems behavior. The effect of anisotropy in the Young’s modulus of single crystalline silicon (SCS) on the flexure stiffness is modeled and matches the real system

Effect of inelastic scattering on parametric pumping

Pumping of charge in phase-coherent mesoscopic systems due to the out-of-phase modulation of two parameters has recently found considerable interest. We investigate the effect of inelastic processes on the adiabatically pumped current through a two terminal mesoscopic sample. We find that the loss of coherence does not suppress the pumped charge but rather an additional physical mechanism for an incoherent pump effect comes into play. In a fully phase incoherent system the pump effect is similar to a rectification effect

Analysis of a marine phototrophic biofilm by confocal laser scanning microscopy using the new image quantification software PHLIP

BACKGROUND: Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) is the method of choice to study interfacial biofilms and acquires time-resolved three-dimensional data of the biofilm structure. CLSM can be used in a multi-channel modus where the different channels map individual biofilm components. This communication presents a novel image quantification tool, PHLIP, for the quantitative analysis of large amounts of multichannel CLSM data in an automated way. PHLIP can be freely downloaded from RESULTS: PHLIP is an open source public license Matlab toolbox that includes functions for CLSM imaging data handling and ten image analysis operations describing various aspects of biofilm morphology. The use of PHLIP is here demonstrated by a study of the development of a natural marine phototrophic biofilm. It is shown how the examination of the individual biofilm components using the multi-channel capability of PHLIP allowed the description of the dynamic spatial and temporal separation of diatoms, bacteria and organic and inorganic matter during the shift from a bacteria-dominated to a diatom-dominated phototrophic biofilm. Reflection images and weight measurements complementing the PHLIP analyses suggest that a large part of the biofilm mass consisted of inorganic mineral material. CONCLUSION: The presented case study reveals new insight into the temporal development of a phototrophic biofilm where multi-channel imaging allowed to parallel monitor the dynamics of the individual biofilm components over time. This application of PHLIP presents the power of biofilm image analysis by multi-channel CLSM software and demonstrates the importance of PHLIP for the scientific community as a flexible and extendable image analysis platform for automated image processing

Quantum-Statistical Current Correlations in Multi-Lead Chaotic Cavities

Quantum mechanics requires that identical particles are treated as indistinguishable. This requirement leads to correlations in the fluctuating properties of a system. Theoretical predictions are made for an experiment on a multi-lead chaotic quantum dot which can identify exchange effects in electronic current-current correlations. Interestingly, we find that the ensemble averaged exchange effects are of the order of the channel number, and are insensitive to dephasing.Comment: 4 pages REVTEX, including two figure