Croatian Memories : speech, meaning and emotions in a collection of interviews on experiences of war and trauma

In this contribution we describe a collection of approximately 400 video interviews recorded in the context of the project Croatian Memories (CroMe) with the objective of documenting personal war-related experiences. The value of this type of sources is threefold: they contain information that is missing in written sources, they can contribute to the process of reconciliation, and they provide a basis for reuse of data in disciplines with an interest in narrative data. The CroMe collection is not primarily designed as a linguistic corpus, but is the result of an archival effort to collect so-called oral history data. For researchers in the fields of natural language processing and speech analysis this type of life-stories may function as an 'objet trouvé' containing real-life language data that can prove to be useful for the purpose of modelling specific aspects of human expression and communication

The feasibility of a web-based counselling program for occupational physicians and employees on sick leave due to back or neck pain

BACKGROUND: The objective of this feasibility study was to gain insight into occupational physicians' (OPs) and employees' use of, and attitudes towards, 'Snelbeter' (Get Well Fast), a new web-based counselling program for employees on sick leave due to non-specific back or neck pain and their OPs. METHODS: Registered user information was collected from the website to get insight in the use of the program by employees (n = 24). Qualitative information was obtained through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 19 OPs and nine employees in order to get insight in the actual use of the provided information, the attitudes towards the program and possible improvements of the program. RESULTS: Actual use of the program among OPs was low. The majority of OPs, eight out of 11 (73%), never or only occasionally signed in. The greatest obstacle for OPs to use the program was the low number of eligible employees involved. Employees appreciated the program but their use was moderate. A small majority of the employees who used the program, 14 out of 24 (58%), opened 50% to 100% of the provided documents, a majority of the interviewed employees, seven out of nine (78%), used the provided information sometimes or regularly. The absence of personal contact was found to be a major barrier towards use of the program by employees. CONCLUSION: Although both OPs and employees appreciated the idea of the program and employees appreciated using it, program utilization was moderate to low. The discussion section reveals that before implementation can be started to any extent, the program will need adaptations that make it more attractive to use. The program should be considered for both return to work (RTW) and the prevention of sick leave. Adding personal contact (e.g. involving physiotherapists) to the program may also be promisin

Tailoring and visualizing the pore architecture of hierarchical zeolites

Recently the concept of hierarchical zeolites invoked more explicit attention to enhanced accessibility of zeolites. By realizing additional meso-/macroporosity with the intrinsic microporosity of zeolites, a hierarchical pore system arises which facilitates mass transport while maintaining the zeolite shape selectivity. A great number of synthesis strategies have been developed for tailoring the pore architecture of hierarchical zeolites. In this review, we give a general overview of different synthesis methods for introduction of additional porosity. Advantages and limitations of these different synthesis approaches are addressed. The assessment of pore structure is essential to build the link between the zeolite pore structure and its functionality. A variety of 2D and 3D microscopy techniques are crucial to visualize the hierarchical pore structure, providing unique and comprehensive information that, however, should be linked to the results of bulk characterization techniques as much as possible. The microscopy techniques are classified and discussed according to the different probes used, such as optical light, X-rays and electrons. Representative work is reviewed to elucidate the capability of each technique and their drawbacks

Exploring the link between restructuring and employee well-being

Restructuring is a permanent feature in our economy. Anyone working in the current job market will sooner or later experience restructuring in some form. We know that restructuring can have a profound effect on the psychological health and well-being of employees. It is therefore important to have more insight into the relationship between resructuring and psychological health and well-being of employees. We not only need to have insight into what the effects are, we also need to know how employees’ well-being is affected. What are the pathways through which restructuring affects well-being and what are the factors that influence the relationship between restructuring and well-being? This is important because once we know this, it will be possible to define effective preventive actions and interventions to minimise the negative effects of restructuring and foster the positive effects. Furthermore, it will also be possible to define parameters to monitor restructuring processes

Steps towards sound change - initiatives for ensuring employee well-being during restructuring

Organisaatiomuutokset ovat osa nykypäivän työelämää, ja useimmat työntekijät kokevat muutoksia työuransa aikana. Organisaatiomuutosten tavoitteena on kehittää työn tuottavuutta ja organisaation kykyä vastata kansainvälistyneen talouden haasteisiin. Hyvin toteutettu organisaatiomuutos on kuitenkin haastava tehtävä. Organisaation pitäisi pystyä varmistamaan, että työntekijöiden hyvinvointi ja motivaatio säilyvät muutoksen aikana, ja että samanaikaisesti organisaatiomuutoksen tavoitteena oleva työn tuottavuuden parantuminen toteutuu. Hyvinvoivat työntekijät ovat työn tavoitteiden saavuttamisen kannalta olennaisin voimavara, kun organisaatio jatkaa toimintaansa muutosten jälkeen. Tämän oppaan tarkoituksena on tarjota organisaatioiden johdolle, esimiehille, henkilöstöhallinnolle ja muille organisaatiomuutoksessa mukana oleville toimijoille, kuten työntekijöiden edustajille, ideoita siitä, kuinka organisaatiomuutos voidaan toteuttaa työntekijöiden kannalta mielekkäästi ja heidän hyvinvoinnistaan huolehtien. On hyvä muistaa, että organisaatiomuutoksen aikana pienillä asioilla voi olla suuri merkitys työntekijöiden hyvinvoinnin kannalta. Samat hyvinvointia tukevat toimet myös auttavat saavuttamaan organisaatiomuutoksen varsinaisen tavoitteen – terveen ja tuottavan organisaation

Dynamics of the Type I Interferon Response During Immunosuppressive Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objective: The type I interferon (IFN) response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been extensively studied in relation to therapy with biological DMARDs (bDMARDs). However, the effect of conventional synthetic (cs)DMARDs and glucocorticoids (GCs) on IFN response gene (IRG) expression remains largely unknown, even though csDMARDS are used throughout all disease phases, including simultaneously with biologic therapy. This study was aimed to determine the dynamics of IFN response upon immunosuppressive treatment.Methods: Whole blood was collected in PAXgene tubes from 35 RA patients who received either COBRA therapy (combination of prednisone, initially 60 mg, methotrexate and sulfasalazine) (n = 14) or COBRA-light therapy (prednisone, initially 30 mg, and methotrexate) (n = 21). Expression of 10 IRGs was determined by real-time PCR at baseline (T0), after 4 weeks (T4), and 13 weeks (T13) of treatment. IRG selection was based on the differential presence of transcription factor binding sites (TFBS), in order to study the therapy effect on different pathway components involved in IFN signaling.Results: Seven of the 10 IRGs displayed significant changes during treatment (p ≤ 0.016). These 7 IRGs all displayed a particularly pronounced decrease between T0 and T4 (≥1.6-fold, p ≤ 0.0059). The differences between IRG sensitivity to the treatment appeared related to the presence of TFBS for STAT1 and IRF proteins within the genes. The extent of the decreases between T0 and T4 was similar for the COBRA- and COBRA-light-treated group, despite the differences in drug combination and doses in those groups. Between T4 and T13, however, IRG expression in the COBRA-light-treated group displayed a significant increase, whereas it remained stable or decreased even further in most COBRA-treated patients (comparison of mean fold changes, p = 0.011). A significant association between IRG dynamics and clinical response to therapy was not detected.Conclusions: Immunosuppressive treatment with csDMARDs, in this case a combination of prednisolone, methotrexate and sulfasalazine, substantially downregulates the IFN response in RA patients. The dynamics of this downregulation were partly dependent on the presence of TFBS within the IRGs and the combination and dosages of agents, but they were irrespective of the clinical response to therapy

Supplementary data for the article: Apostolovic, D.; Stanic-Vucinic, D.; De Jongh, H. H. J.; De Jong, G. A. H.; Mihailovic, J.; Radosavljevic, J.; Radibratovic, M.; Nordlee, J. A.; Baumert, J. L.; Milcic, M.; et al. Conformational Stability of Digestion-Resistant Peptides of Peanut Conglutins Reveals the Molecular Basis of Their Allergenicity. Scientific Reports 2016, 6. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep29249

Supplementary material for: [https://doi.org/10.1038/srep29249]Related to published version: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2273

Recovery from Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms: A Qualitative Study of Attributions in Survivors of War

This study was funded by a grant from the European Commission, contract number INCO-CT-2004-50917

GPS tracking data of Eurasian oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) from the Netherlands and Belgium

We describe six datasets that contain GPS and accelerometer data of 202 Eurasian oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) spanning the period 2008–2021. Birds were equipped with GPS trackers in breeding and wintering areas in the Netherlands and Belgium. We used GPS trackers from the University of Amsterdam Bird Tracking System (UvA-BiTS) for several study purposes, including the study of space use during the breeding season, habitat use and foraging behaviour in the winter season, and impacts of human disturbance. To enable broader usage, all data have now been made open access. Combined, the datasets contain 6.0 million GPS positions, 164 million acceleration measurements and 7.0 million classified behaviour events (i.e., flying, walking, foraging, preening, and inactive). The datasets are deposited on the research repository Zenodo, but are also accessible on Movebank and as down-sampled occurrence datasets on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS)

Absence of B Cells in Brainstem and White Matter Lesions Associates With Less Severe Disease and Absence of Oligoclonal Bands in MS

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether B-cell presence in brainstem and white matter (WM) lesions is associated with poorer pathological and clinical characteristics in advanced MS autopsy cases. METHODS: Autopsy tissue of 140 MS and 24 control cases and biopsy tissue of 24 patients with MS were examined for CD20+ B cells and CD138+ plasma cells. The presence of these cells was compared with pathological and clinical characteristics. In corresponding CSF and plasma, immunoglobulin (Ig) G ratio and oligoclonal band (OCB) patterns were determined. In a clinical cohort of 73 patients, the presence of OCBs was determined during follow-up and compared to status at diagnosis. RESULTS: In 34% of active and 71% of mixed active/inactive lesions, B cells were absent, which correlated with less pronounced meningeal B-cell infiltration (p < 0.0001). The absence of B cells and plasma cells in brainstem and WM lesions was associated with a longer disease duration (p = 0.001), less frequent secondary progressive MS compared with relapsing and primary progressive MS (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.046, respectively), a lower proportion of mixed active/inactive lesions (p = 0.01), and less often perivascular T-cell clustering (p < 0.0001). Moreover, a lower CSF IgG ratio (p = 0.006) and more frequent absence of OCBs (p < 0.0001) were not