Publications by authors named "Kieft B"

Aims: Problem Management Plus (PM+) has been effective in reducing mental health problems among refugees at three-month follow-up, but there is a lack of research on its long-term effectiveness. This study examined the effectiveness of PM+ in reducing symptoms of common mental disorders at 12-month follow-up among Syrian refugees in the Netherlands.

Methods: This single-blind, parallel, controlled trial randomised 206 adult Syrians who screened positive for psychological distress and impaired functioning to either PM+ in addition to care as usual (PM+/CAU) or CAU alone.

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Anaerobic digestion of municipal mixed sludge produces methane that can be converted into renewable natural gas. To improve economics of this microbial mediated process, metabolic interactions catalyzing biomass conversion to energy need to be identified. Here, we present a two-year time series associating microbial metabolism and physicochemistry in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant.

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To realize the potential of autonomous underwater robots that scale up our observational capacity in the ocean, new techniques are needed. Fleets of autonomous robots could be used to study complex marine systems and animals with either new imaging configurations or by tracking tagged animals to study their behavior. These activities can then inform and create new policies for community conservation.

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Article Synopsis
  • Many refugees have mental health problems, but it can be hard for them to get help in richer countries.
  • A study was done to see if a program called Problem Management Plus (PM+) could help Syrian refugees in the Netherlands feel better.
  • The results showed that those who used PM+ felt less depressed, anxious, and had fewer PTSD symptoms compared to those who didn’t use it, meaning PM+ is a helpful tool for their mental health.
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We report the genome of Phormidium yuhuli AB48, which includes a circular chromosome and a circular plasmid (4,747,469 bp and 51,599 bp, respectively). This is currently the only closed reference genome of an isolate of the genus, based on the Genome Taxonomy Database (GTDB), providing a potential model system for sustainable biotechnology innovation.

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Here, we report metagenome-assembled genomes for " Phormidium sp. strain AB48" and three cooccurring microorganisms from a biofilm-forming industrial photobioreactor environment, using the PacBio sequencing platform. Several mobile genetic elements, including a double-stranded DNA phage and plasmids, were also recovered, with the potential to mediate gene transfer within the biofilm community.

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Despite their recognized potential, current applications of cyanobacteria as microbial cell factories remain in early stages of development. This is partly due to the fact that engineered strains are often difficult to grow at scale. This technical challenge contrasts with the dense and highly productive cyanobacteria populations thriving in many natural environments.

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Recent studies on marine heat waves describe water temperature anomalies causing changes in food web structure, bloom dynamics, biodiversity loss, and increased plant and animal mortality. However, little information is available on how water temperature anomalies impact prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea) inhabiting ocean waters. This is a nontrivial omission given their integral roles in driving major biogeochemical fluxes that influence ocean productivity and the climate system.

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Blooms of marine phytoplankton fix complex pools of dissolved organic matter (DOM) that are thought to be partitioned among hundreds of heterotrophic microbes at the base of the food web. While the relationship between microbial consumers and phytoplankton DOM is a key component of marine carbon cycling, microbial loop metabolism is largely understood from model organisms and substrates. Here, we took an untargeted approach to measure and analyze partitioning of four distinct phytoplankton-derived DOM pools among heterotrophic populations in a natural microbial community using a combination of ecogenomics, stable isotope probing (SIP), and proteomics.

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Effects of powdered (<0.075 mm) biochar on thermophilic anaerobic digestion were investigated with biochemical methane potential (BMP) assays. The assays had substrate to inoculum ratios (SIR) of 2.

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The deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) layer is an ecologically important feature of the open ocean. The DCM cannot be observed using aerial or satellite remote sensing; thus, in situ observations are essential. Further, understanding the responses of microbes to the environmental processes driving their metabolism and interactions requires observing in a reference frame that moves with a plankton population drifting in ocean currents, i.

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Knowing the displacement capacity and mobility patterns of industrially exploited (i.e., fished) marine resources is key to establishing effective conservation management strategies in human-impacted marine ecosystems.

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Salar de Huasco is a wetland in the Andes mountains, located 3800 m above sea level at the Chilean Altiplano. Here we present a study aimed at characterizing the viral fraction and the microbial communities through metagenomic analysis. Two ponds (H0 and H3) were examined in November 2015.

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: Syrian refugees face multiple hardships and adversities which put them at risk for the development of mental health problems. However, access to adequate mental health care in host countries is limited. The WHO has developed Problem Management Plus (PM+), a brief, scalable psychological intervention, delivered by non-specialist helpers, that addresses common mental disorders in people affected by adversity.

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Article Synopsis
  • Earth's largest aquifer ecosystem is found in the igneous oceanic crust, where chemosynthesis and water-rock reactions supply carbon and energy for a thriving deep biosphere.
  • The study focused on understanding the energy and carbon metabolisms in the thermal basaltic aquifer, finding that the predominant carbon fixation pathway was the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, particularly in the bacteria identified.
  • Results indicate that anaerobic processes like sulfate reduction and nitrogen fixation are occurring, highlighting the potential for ancient forms of metabolism to persist in modern suboceanic aquifers.
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Seafloor sediment flows (turbidity currents) are among the volumetrically most important yet least documented sediment transport processes on Earth. A scarcity of direct observations means that basic characteristics, such as whether flows are entirely dilute or driven by a dense basal layer, remain equivocal. Here we present the most detailed direct observations yet from oceanic turbidity currents.

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Linking microbial community structure to ecological processes requires understanding of the functional roles among individual populations and the factors that influence their distributions. These structure-function relationships are particularly difficult to disentangle in estuaries, due to highly variable physico-chemical conditions. Yet, examining microbe-mediated turnover of resources in these "bioreactor" ecosystems is critical for understanding estuarine ecology.

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Heterotrophic microbes are critical components of aquatic food webs. Linkages between populations and the substrates they utilize are not well defined. We present the metagenome of microbial communities from the coastal Pacific Ocean exposed to various nutrient additions in order to better understand substrate utilization and partitioning in this environment.

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This article presents the application of a psychosocial care approach, which has been developed for and in a non-western context, within an asylum seekers' setting in the Netherlands. The project aimed to increase access to basic psychosocial care to a target population that experiences difficulties in entering mental healthcare services, by a group of trained peer asylum seekers and refugees. The development of an informal paraprofessional support system makes better use of existing resources, provides secondary benefits for the participants and helps to overcome the treatment gap between perceived needs and the formal mental healthcare system.

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