Survey of curricula: Linguistics and language-related degrees in Europe. UPSKILLS Intellectual output 1.1

open5siThe needs analysis of the UPSKILLS project is the foundation for all subsequent project activities, and the survey of curricula (SoC) as its first step is designed to provide insights for finetuning the interventions and materials that will be designed during the lifetime of the project, as well as for enlarging the pool of stakeholders to whom the project results will be disseminated. The SoC has several steps: drawing a list of European language and linguistics degrees from international ranking websites, selecting and analyzing a representative sample of degrees based on a set of indicators agreed upon by all partners, and additional study of a selection of degrees that the partners identified as exemplary in the context of the UPSKILLS project.openGledić, Jelena; Đukanović, Maja; Miličević Petrović, Maja; van der Lek, Iulianna; Assimakopoulos, StavrosGledić, Jelena; Đukanović, Maja; Miličević Petrović, Maja; van der Lek, Iulianna; Assimakopoulos, Stavro

Graduate skills and employability: Focus interviews with selected job market stakeholders. UPSKILLS Intellectual output 1.5

open9siThe final stage of the UPSKILLS needs analysis involved focus interviews with job market stakeholders. This report presents the method used to conduct and analyse the interviews we carried out with twelve job market stakeholders, the main findings of this UPSKILLS task, a discussion of how these findings relate to the results obtained in the previous steps of the needs analysis, and the aims of the UPSKILLS partnership more generally.openAssimakopoulos, Stavros; Vella, Michela; van der Plas, Lonneke; Milicevic Petrovic, Maja; Samardžić, Tanja; van der Lek, Iulianna; Bernardini, Silvia; Ferraresi, Adriano; Pallottino, MargheritaAssimakopoulos, Stavros; Vella, Michela; van der Plas, Lonneke; Milicevic Petrovic, Maja; Samardžić, Tanja; van der Lek, Iulianna; Bernardini, Silvia; Ferraresi, Adriano; Pallottino, Margherit

Can Variation in Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA)-Axis Activity Explain the Relationship between Depression and Cognition in Bipolar Patients?

Background: Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is thought to be associated with more mood symptoms and worse cognitive functioning. This study examined whether variation in HPA axis activity underlies the association between mood symptoms and cognitive functioning. Methodology/Principal Findings: In 65 bipolar patients cognitive functioning was measured in domains of psychomotor speed, speed of information processing, attentional switching, verbal memory, visual memory, executive functioning and an overall mean score. Severity of depression was assessed by the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-self rating version. Saliva cortisol measurements were performed to calculate HPA axis indicators: cortisol awakening response, diurnal slope, the evening cortisol level and the cortisol suppression on the dexamethasone suppression test. Regression analyses of depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning on each HPA axis indicator were performed. In addition we calculated percentages explanation of the association between depressive symptoms and cognition by HPA axis indicators. Depressive symptoms were associated with dysfunction in psychomotor speed, attentional switching and the mean score, as well as with attenuation in diurnal slope value. No association was found between HPA axis activity and cognitive functioning and HPA axis activity did not explain the associations between depressive symptoms and cognition. Conclusions/Significance: As our study is the first one in this field specific for bipolar patients and changes in HPA-axis activity did not seem to explain the association between severity of depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning in bipolar patients, future studies are needed to evaluate other factors that might explain this relationship