Light-zone(s): as Concept and Tool

Daylight is essential to the experience of an architectural space. Nevertheless, amongst the handful of predominantly scientific methods available to assess daylight in architecture, there are only a few considering the spatial and form-giving characteristics of daylight. This paper investigates light-zone(s) as concept and tool, which can be taken as a point of departure for a new method to perceive, consider and analyse daylight in architecture. As concept, light-zone(s) are areas, fields or zones of light. It is a way of considering a space's daylight as (forms of) bubbles or spheres of light, which as light-zones can be compressed, expanded, combined, exploded, etc., all according to the character of 'the meeting' between the light-zone(s) and the space itself (inclusive of the space'scontent). Thus, the daylight in a space can be regarded asa composition of light-zones.As tool, light-zone(s) are (spatial) groupings of the lightingvariables (intensity, direction, distribution and colour), whichare significant to the space and form-giving characteristicsof light. That is to say, the light-zone(s) tool is the point ofdeparture for a method of creating a spatial ‘grasp' on daylighting variables in a given space. The relation between the light-zone(s) concept and tool respectively can be described as follows: On the one level light-zone(s) can be explored as an architectural idea or notion, thus belonging more to the field of architectural theory. On another more practice-driven level, light-zone(s) can be articulated and specified in relation to lighting technology

The Self-help Online against Suicidal thoughts (SOS) trial:study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

SPIRIT Checklist. (DOC 121 kb

Associations of Personality with Body Mass Index and Obesity in a Large Late Midlife Community Sample

Objective: The study examined cross-sectional associations of personality with BMI and obesity among men and women in a large late midlife community sample. Methods: The sample comprised 5,286 Danish individuals aged 49-63 years from the Copenhagen Ageing and Midlife Biobank (CAMB) with complete information on measured BMI, personality assessed by the NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO FFI), and sociodemographic factors including sex, age and educational length. Analysis of variance and logistic regression models were used to investigate associations between personality and BMI as well as obesity. Personality traits were analyzed separately and combined in the same model. Results: All personality traits except for neuroticism were significantly associated with BMI, with extraversion (p value ranged from Conclusion: Personality was significantly associated with BMI and to a lesser extent with obesity, and these associations differed between men and women. Also, it was suggested that the interrelations of the five personality traits should be considered in future research of personality and health outcomes

Assessment of Suicide Risks During the First Week Immediately After Discharge From Psychiatric Inpatient Facility

Background: The suicide rate in first week after psychiatric discharge is alarmingly high. Although a risk assessment prior to discharge is standard praxis, it can be difficult to take into consideration the obstacles that patient will meet once discharged. A follow-up-visit during the first week after discharge is an opportunity to reevaluate whether a person may be at risk of suicide. Aim: To determine how many patients, of those who were assessed, were evaluated to be at elevated risk of suicide during the first week after psychiatric discharge and secondarily to identify predictors of this and predictors for receiving a follow-up visit during first week after discharge. Methods: All patients discharged between March 1st 2018 to January 17th 2019 were offered a home visit including a systematic risk assessment. Socio-demographics and clinical variables were obtained from medical records and logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of a higher suicide risk assessment as well as receiving a follow-up visit. Results: Information from 1905 discharges were included. Of these, 1,052 were seen in follow-up meetings. Risk assessments was conducted in a total of 567 discharge procedures, of which 28 (5%) had an elevated risk of suicide. A history of suicide attempt, suicide risk having been the reason for admission, a first diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder was associated with an elevated risk of suicide after discharge. Conclusion: Follow-up visits could serve as an important tool to identify people whose suicidal risk were overlooked at discharge or exposed to severe stressors after discharge.Helsefonden (grant number: 18-B-0302

One-Year Treatment with Olanzapine Depot in Female Rats: Metabolic Effects

Background Antipsychotic drugs can negatively affect the metabolic status of patients, with olanzapine as one of the most potent drugs. While patients are often medicated for long time periods, experiments in rats typically run for 1 to 12 weeks, showing olanzapine-related weight gain and increased plasma lipid levels, with transcriptional upregulation of lipogenic genes in liver and adipose tissue. It remains unknown whether metabolic status will deteriorate with time. Methods To examine long-term metabolic effects, we administered intramuscular long-acting injections of olanzapine (100 mg/kg BW) or control substance to female rats for up to 13 months. Results Exposure to olanzapine long-acting injections led to rapid weight gain, which was sustained throughout the experiment. At 1, 6, and 13 months, plasma lipid levels were measured in separate cohorts of rats, displaying no increase. Hepatic transcription of lipid-related genes was transiently upregulated at 1 month. Glucose and insulin tolerance tests indicated insulin resistance in olanzapine-treated rats after 12 months. Conclusion Our data show that the continuous increase in body weight in response to long-term olanzapine exposure was accompanied by surprisingly few concomitant changes in plasma lipids and lipogenic gene expression, suggesting that adaptive mechanisms are involved to reduce long-term metabolic adverse effects of this antipsychotic agent in rats.publishedVersio

Molecular characterization and temporal expression profiling of presenilins in the developing porcine brain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The transmembrane presenilin (PSEN) proteins, PSEN1 and PSEN2, have been proposed to be the catalytic components of the γ-secretase protein complex, which is an intramembranous multimeric protease involved in development, cell regulatory processes, and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease. Here we describe the sequencing, chromosomal mapping, and polymorphism analysis of PSEN1 and PSEN2 in the domestic pig (<it>Sus scrofa domesticus</it>).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The porcine presenilin proteins showed a high degree of homology over their entire sequences to the PSENs from mouse, bovine, and human. PSEN1 and PSEN2 transcription was examined during prenatal development of the brain stem, hippocampus, cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum at embryonic days 60, 80, 100, and 114, which revealed distinct temporal- and tissue-specific expression profiles. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis of PSEN1 and PSEN2 showed similar localization of the proteins predominantly in neuronal cells in all examined brain areas.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The data provide evidence for structural and functional conservation of PSENs in mammalian lineages, and may suggest that the high sequence similarity and colocalization of PSEN1 and PSEN2 in brain tissue reflect a certain degree of functional redundancy. The data show that pigs may provide a new animal model for detailed analysis of the developmental functions of the PSENs.</p