Meteorologische Waarnemingen Gedaan Gedurende Eene Reis Van Nederland Naar Java, Aan Boord Van Het Koopvaardijschip Gertrude Gezagvoerder A. Schaap.

v. ; 27 cm.Publication suspended Mar. 1942-May 1946

Enabling Online Safe Spaces: A Case Study of Love Matters Kenya

For sexual health organisations, establishing a safe space to talk about sensitive topics is an important prerequisite for information exchange and open dialogue. With the popularity of social media and mobile phones, these safe spaces are moving online. This article examines one of these spaces, the Love Matters Kenya Facebook page, as an example of a sexual health organisation using social media to discuss sexuality with young people. We observed interactions on the Facebook page over a period of six weeks, and also led an online focus group discussion. The results showed that the key elements of a safe space are: good moderation; users’ ability to create their own online personas; and a community atmosphere that enables trust and social relationships to grow

Bradykinin mediates cardiac preconditioning at a distance

Preconditioning the heart by brief coronary (CAO) or mesenteric artery occlusion (MAO) can protect against damage during subsequent prolonged CAO and reperfusion. The role of bradykinin (BK) in remote cardiac preconditioning by MAO is investigated by antagonizing the BK B(2) receptor [Hoechst 140 (HOE-140)] or simulating local BK release by mesenteric intra-arterial infusion. Anesthetized male Wistar rats (n = 6-8) were treated with HOE-140 or saline before starting the preconditioning protocol, CAO, MAO, or non-preconditioned control. Infarct size related to risk area [ratio of infarct area to area at risk (IA/AR)] was determined after 3 h of reperfusion following a 60-min CAO. IA/AR was 62 +/- 5% in controls and not affected by HOE-140 (58 +/- 6%). CAO as well as MAO significantly protected the heart (IA/AR, 37 +/- 3 and 35 +/- 5%), which was prevented by HOE-140 (IA/AR, 71 +/- 6 and 65 +/- 7%, respectively). Brief intramesenteric BK infusion mimicked MAO (IA/AR, 26 +/- 3%). Pretreatment with hexamethonium could abolish this protection (IA/AR, 67 +/- 4%). These data indicate an important role for BK in remote preconditioning by MAO. Results support the hypothesis that remote preconditioning acts through sensory nerve stimulation in the ischemic organ

User experiences of digital prostheses in daily functioning in people with an amputation of thumb or finger

Study Design Qualitative research design using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to interpret users’ experiences with digital prostheses. Background Digital prostheses are rarely used, and little is known about the experiences of traumatic finger amputees with digital prostheses. When advising patients regarding digital prostheses, it is crucial for professionals to understand users experiences of wearing a digital prosthesis and the meaning attached to wearing a digital prosthesis. Purpose of study The aim of this study was to explore and understand users experiences of wearing a digital prostheses in daily functioning. Methods Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded, and transcribed. The written interview texts were analysed following Interpretative phenomenological analysis guidelines. Results Four participants were interviewed. They experienced the prostheses as valuable additions to their daily functioning. Three different themes relating to wearing and using digital prostheses emerged from in-depth analysis of the data: How the prosthesis supporting them regaining a ‘grip’ on life, reduced overload on unaffected side and restored body image. Conclusions This study provides a deeper understanding of the experiences of people with digital amputations who use prostheses. Most importantly, that a prosthesis is of crucial importance for participants to be able to act independently and autonomously as well as to participate in family, work and social environments. This insight will help practitioners when considering, with clients the most appropriate digital prosthesis to meet their goals

On the production and perception of syntactical regularities in zebra finches : experimenting with ABBA, ACDC and others

Natural zebra finch song contains heterogeneity in the relative distribution of element types across 13 populations worldwide, but compared between individuals it contains relatively little structural constraints or rules in the order of elements. In contrast, from a perception point of view, zebra finches are able to detect differences in song structure and are able to learn rules to generalize these regularities to new element types in some instances, a hallmark of human language. This ability might seem conflicting with the absences of clear structural rules in their own natural songs, but it might be that these rule learning/detection mechanisms operate in a more general cognitive context, which has also been suggested for some mechanisms found in human artificial language learning.LEI Universiteit LeidenGedragsbiologi

Individual housing of male C57BL/6J mice after weaning impairs growth and predisposes for obesity

For (metabolic) research models using mice, singly housing is widely used for practical purposes to study e.g. energy balance regulation and derangements herein. Mouse (social) housing practices could however influence study results by modulating (metabolic) health outcomes. To study the effects of the social housing condition, we assessed parameters for energy balance regulation and proneness to (diet induced) obesity in male C57Bl/6J mice that were housed individually or socially (in pairs) directly after weaning, both at standard ambient temperature of 21 degrees C. During adolescence, individually housed mice had reduced growth rate, while energy intake and energy expenditure were increased compared to socially housed counterparts. At 6 weeks of age, these mice had reduced lean body mass, but significantly higher white adipose tissue mass compared to socially housed mice, and higher UCP-1 mRNA expression in brown adipose tissue. During adulthood, body weight gain of individually housed animals exceeded that of socially housed mice, with elevations in both energy intake and expenditure. At 18 weeks of age, individually housed mice showed higher adiposity and higher mRNA expression of UCP-1 in inguinal white but not in brown adipose tissue. Exposure to an obesogenic diet starting at 6 weeks of age further amplified body weight gain and adipose tissue deposition and caused strong suppression of inguinal white adipose tissue mRNA UCP-1 expression. This study shows that post-weaning individual housing of male mice impairs adolescent growth and results in higher susceptibility to obesity in adulthood with putative roles for thermoregulation and/or affectiveness