Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) form a highly promising class of bioplastics for the transition from fossil fuel-based plastics to bio-renewable and biodegradable plastics. Mixed microbial consortia (MMC) are known to be able to produce PHAs from organic waste streams. Knowledge of key-microbes and their …

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: We aimed to investigate the test-retest reliability and validity of ultrasound for two commonly used types of transducer, using different methods for the estimation of muscle size and echo intensity (EI). METHODS: Fourteen healthy adults were included in this study. Ultrasound images …

Most endogenous viruses, an important proportion of eukaryote genomes, are doomed to slowly decay. Little is known, however, on how they evolve when they confer a benefit to their host. Bracoviruses are essential for the parasitism success of parasitoid wasps, whose genomes they integrated ~103 million …

Nightshift workers go against the natural sleep–wake rhythm. Light can shift the circadian clock but can also induce acute alertness. This placebo-controlled exploratory field study examined the effectiveness of light glasses to improve alertness while reducing the sleep complaints of hospital nurses …

PURPOSE: To investigate the longitudinal association between the macronutrient composition of the diet and frailty. METHODS: Data were obtained from 5205 Dutch middle-aged and older adults participating in the Rotterdam Study. Frailty was measured using a frailty index based on the accumulation of 38 …

Backgroundand aim – In this study, it is pre-supposed that the indoor environmental conditions of classrooms can contribute to the quality of the educational process. Thermal, acoustic and visual conditions and indoor air quality (IAQ) may be extremely supportive in order to support the in-class tasks …

In this study, growth trajectories (from admission until unconditional release) of crime-related dynamic risk factors were investigated in a sample of Dutch forensic patients (N = 317), using latent growth curve modeling. After testing the unconditional model, three predictors were added: first-time …

Background: Empowerment is expected to have a beneficial effect on a woman’s well-being during the perinatal period and her readiness to face the challenges of motherhood. In the literature on pregnancy and childbirth, empowerment is used widely in different contexts, with different connotations and …

Children with low motor competence (MC) are at high-risk for physical inactivity, yet little is known about their physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) patterns throughout the day. The purpose of this study is to disentangle PA and SB patterns among children with low MC across segmented …

Background: Knowledge concerning the feasibility and effects of progressive resistance training (PRT) for persons with intellectual disabilities and visual impairment who are categorized in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Level 1 is limited. The aim of our study was to evaluate feasibility …