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By using information technology, local governments can develop alternative forms of citizen engagement. Civic crowdfunding campaigns supported by online platforms enable citizens to participate financially in social projects and can be matched with government funding. As such, an alternative for subsidies seems to be developing. In this paper, we assess empirically the success of civic crowdfunding campaigns in the Netherlands by using data collected during 2018 from 269 civic crowdfunding projects and local demographic data from the neighborhoods of these projects. The factors--the use of match-funding, the target amount of money, and the theme of the project, as well as the age structure, the province, and the degree of urbanization of the neighborhood of the civic crowdfunding project--turn out to be empirically related to the success of a civic crowdfunding campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neuropsychological tests are influenced by culture, language, level of education, and literacy, but there are few cognitive tests of which the applicability in ethnic minority populations has been studied. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Visual Association Test (VAT), a test of visual association memory, in a non-Western, low-educated memory clinic population. Additionally, a modified version of the VAT using colored photographs instead of line drawings was studied (mVAT). Method: Both the original VAT and the mVAT were administered to non-Western immigrants (n = 73) from 2 multicultural memory clinics in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and a control sample of non-demented Turkish elderly (n = 14) with low education levels (32 and 29% illiterate, respectively). Results: Both the VAT and the mVAT were able to discriminate persons with and without dementia (area under the curve: VAT, 0.77–0.88; mVAT, 0.85–0.95). The mVAT had more homogeneous item difficulty levels than the VAT. Administration of parallel versions of the VAT and the mVAT within the same person revealed higher scores on the mVAT (Z = –3.35, p = 0.001). Conclusions: The mVAT is a reliable and valid measure of memory in non-Western immigrants. Clinicians and researchers should be aware that the memory performance of immigrants may be systematically underestimated when using tests with black-and-white line drawings, such as the original VAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article extends the corporate social performance (CSP) model by studying the role of governance structures and governance systems in shaping corporate social responsibility. The authors argue that a governance perspective offers a fruitful research strategy both to study empirically how firms balance the competing moral frameworks and political philosophies that are part and parcel of defining their role in society and to further the theoretical integration of the descriptive and normative perspectives in the business and society field. They illustrate the potential of this research strategy with a comparative case study of processes of responsiveness at four Dutch banks with markedly different governance structures. This study shows how governance systems and structures both enable and constrain corporate responsibility and responsiveness. The authors conclude with a proposal to reorient the CSP model to harness the integrative potential of studying corporate social responsibility through a governance lens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although critical differences exist between large companies and small- and medium-sized enterprises ( SMEs), limited empirical research has been done on human resource (HR)-related corporate social responsibility ( CSR). In this paper we study aging workforce management ( AWM) as a component of CSR. Our study was conducted in the Netherlands through a randomly distributed online questionnaire. Managers and team leaders of 201 SMEs responded. The data were analyzed using multiple hierarchical regression analysis. Our results are twofold: first, findings suggest that CSR policies in micro organizations with fewer than five employees seem to be strongly associated with AWM; and second, that companies with a focus on integration of older workers in daily activities do not perceive their actions as HR-related. Using AWM as part of CSR helps to give insight into the role of the owner, company size and the nature of implicit CSR practices. Our study demonstrates that the use of AWM in CSR research can lead to valuable insights and therefore, our overarching research question is answered that AWM can be used when studying CSR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyse LRP10 variants, recently associated with the development of Parkinson's disease (PD), Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), in a series of patients and controls from the South-West of the Netherlands (Walcheren).Methods: A series of 130 patients with PD, PDD or DLB were clinically examined, and a structured questionnaire used to collect information about family history of PD and dementia. The entire LRP10 coding region was sequenced by Sanger methods in all patients, and haplotype analysis was performed for one recurrent LRP10 variant. The fragments containing possibly pathogenic LRP10 variants were sequenced in 62 unaffected control subjects from the same region. Other known PD-associated genes were analyzed by exome sequencing and gene dosage in the carriers of LRP10 variants.Results: Four patients were carriers of a rare heterozygous, possibly pathogenic LRP10 variant: p.Arg151Cys, p.Arg263His, and p.Tyr307Asn. None of these variants was detected among the controls, nor were additional mutations identified in known PD-associated genes in the four LRP10 variant carriers. The previously reported p.Tyr307Asn variant was identified in two patients (with PD and PDD), who are connected genealogically within six generations, and in one of their relatives with cognitive decline. Haplotype analysis suggests a common founder for the p.Tyr307Asn variant carriers analyzed.Discussion: We report three possibly pathogenic LRP10 variants in patients with PD and PDD from a local Dutch population. The identification of additional patients carrying the p.Tyr307Asn variant provides some further evidence that this variant is pathogenic for PD and PDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diagnosing dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is challenging as symptoms are heterogenous and not specific to the disease. Here we present a clinicopathologic series of false-positive DLB cases. Patients were enrolled retrospectively from the Netherlands Brain Bank when they met the clinical criteria of probable DLB, but with a pathologic diagnosis other than DLB or Parkinson's disease dementia. Twenty-two false-positive cases were selected. Alzheimer disease with or without copathology was the most common (64%) pathologic diagnosis. Other pathologic diagnoses, such as frontotemporal dementia, multiple-system atrophy, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and autoimmune encephalitis, were also encountered. Atypical clinical signs for DLB were present in almost half of the cases and could be a trigger to consider other diagnoses than DLB. Additional diagnostic examinations, feedback of pathologic diagnosis, and the creation of a set of clinical features that are indicative of other conditions, could reduce the amount of false-positive DLB cases.

Background and Purpose: Men, but not women, with unrecognized myocardial infarction (MI) have an increased risk of cardiac events and stroke compared with those without MI or with recognized MI. We investigated whether unrecognized MI is also a risk factor for dementia and cerebral small vessel disease (white matter lesions and brain infarction) in 2 population-based cohort studies., Methods: In the Rotterdam Study, 6347 participants were classified at baseline (1990 to 1993) into those with recognized MI (subdivided into Q-wave and non-Q-wave MI), with unrecognized MI, and without MI based on electrocardiography and interview and were followed for incident dementia (n=613) until January 1, 2005. In the Rotterdam Scan Study, 436 nondemented persons were similarly classified based on electrocardiography and interview and underwent brain MRI for the assessment of white matter lesions and brain infarction., Results: In men, unrecognized MI was associated with an increased risk of dementia (compared with men without MI hazard ratio, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.37 to 3.35) and with more white matter lesions and more often brain infarction on MRI. In women, no associations were found with unrecognized MI. Recognized MI was not associated with the risk of dementia in either sex. Men, but not women, with recognized MI had more often any brain infarction or asymptomatic brain infarction, especially if they had Q-wave MI. No consistent associations were found between recognized Q-wave or non-Q-wave MI and severity of white matter lesions. Additional adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors did not change the results., Conclusions: Men with unrecognized MI have an increased risk of dementia and more cerebral small vessel disease.

Objective: Elevated glucocorticoid levels are associated with dementia. A glucocorticoid receptor gene variant (ER22/23EK) is related to relative glucocorticoid resistance. We investigated whether the ER22/23EK allele is associated with dementia and structural brain abnormalities., Methods: This study was performed in two prospective population-based cohort studies among elderly. The first study included 6034 participants who were screened for dementia (mean follow-up 5.8 years). The second study included 1011 elderly subjects with an MRI at baseline and follow-up. The ER22/23EK allele was assessed for association with dementia, cognitive function and white matter lesions., Results: The ER22/23EK allele was associated with a decreased risk of dementia. Among non-demented participants, ER22/23EK-carriers had a better performance on psychomotor speed tests than non-carriers. No differences were found in memory function between genotypes. In addition, both presence and progression of white matter lesions was lower in ER22/23EK-carriers. No association was found with brain atrophy on MRI., Conclusions: Our findings suggest a protective effect of the ER22/23EK allele on the risk of dementia and white matter lesions.

Purpose: Retinal venular dilatation is associated with systemic inflammation. The hypothesis for the current study was that larger retinal venular diameters are related to the His allele of the Tyr402His polymorphism in the complement factor H (CFH) gene, a major inhibitor of the complement pathway. Possible effect modification by smoking and inflammatory markers was examined., Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed within the Rotterdam Study, a population-based study among elderly persons aged 55 years and older. The Tyr402His polymorphism of the CFH gene was genotyped in 5066 participants and retinal arteriolar and venular diameters were graded on digitized fundus transparencies., Results: Genotype frequencies were 41% in TyrTyr, 45% in TyrHis, and 14% in HisHis carriers. The His(402) allele was associated with smaller rather than larger venular diameters (age- and sex-adjusted means and standard errors [in micrometers] were 222.5 +/- 0.45 for TyrTyr, 221.9 +/- 0.43 for TyrHis, and 220.6 +/- 0.78 for HisHis carriers; P-trend = 0.03). This association was apparent only in never-smokers and was not modified by the inflammatory markers erythrocyte sedimentation rate, leukocyte count, C-reactive protein, or fibrinogen. Adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors did not change results. No associations were found with arteriolar diameters., Conclusions: The findings do not support the hypothesis that the His(402) allele is related to larger retinal venular diameters. The association with smaller retinal venular diameters most likely is a chance finding, because it was present only among never-smokers and was not modified by inflammatory mediators of complement. These results suggest that the Tyr402His variant is not related to retinal venular diameters.

The direct visualization of retinal vessels provides a unique opportunity to study cerebral small vessel disease, because these vessels share many features. It was reported that persons with smaller retinal arteriolar-to-venular ratio tended to have more white matter lesions on MRI. It is unclear whether this is due to arteriolar narrowing or venular dilatation. We investigated whether smaller arteriolar or larger venular diameters or both were related to severity and progression of cerebral small vessel disease. We studied 490 persons (60-90 years) without dementia from a population-based cohort study. At baseline (1990-1993), retinal arteriolar and venular diameters were measured on digitized images of one eye of each participant. In 1995-1996, participants underwent cerebral MRI scanning. We rated the severity of periventricular white matter lesions on a 9-point scale, approximated a total subcortical white matter lesion volume (range: 0-29.5 ml) and rated the presence of lacunar infarcts. On average 3.3 years later, 279 persons had a second MRI. Changes in periventricular and subcortical white matter lesions were rated with a semi-quantitative scale, and progression was classified as no, minor and marked. An incident infarct was a new infarct on the follow-up MRI. Neither venular nor arteriolar diameters were related to the severity of cerebral small vessel disease. Larger venular diameters were, however, associated with a marked progression of cerebral small vessel disease. Age and gender adjusted odds ratios (ORs) per standard deviation increase were 1.71 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-2.61] for periventricular, 1.72 (95% CI: 1.09-2.71) for subcortical white matter lesion progression and 1.59 (95% CI: 1.06-2.39) for incident lacunar infarcts. These associations were independent of other cardiovascular risk factors. Only the OR for incident lacunar infarcts was attenuated (1.24; 95% CI: 0.72-2.12). No association was observed between arteriolar diameters and progression of cerebral small vessel disease. In conclusion, retinal venular dilatation was related to progression of cerebral small vessel disease. The mechanisms underlying venular dilatation deserve more attention, as they may provide new clues into the pathophysiology of cerebral small vessel disease.

Purpose: A lower retinal arteriolar-to-venular ratio (AVR) has been suggested to reflect generalized arteriolar narrowing and to predict the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The contribution of the separate arteriolar and venular diameters to this AVR is unknown. Thus, associations between retinal arteriolar and venular diameters, and the AVR on the one hand and blood pressure, atherosclerosis, inflammation markers, and cholesterol levels on the other were examined in the Rotterdam Study., Methods: In this cross-sectional population-based study, for one eye of each subject (> or =55 years; n = 5674), retinal arteriolar and venular diameters (in micrometers) of the blood columns were summed on digitized images. At baseline blood pressures, cholesterol levels, and markers of atherosclerosis and inflammation were also measured., Results: With increasing blood and pulse pressures, retinal arteriolar and venular diameters and the AVR decreased significantly and linearly. Lower arteriolar diameters were associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness. Larger venular diameters were associated with higher carotid plaque score, more aortic calcifications, lower ankle-arm index, higher leukocyte count, higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate, higher total serum cholesterol, lower HDL, higher waist-to-hip ratio, and smoking. A lower AVR was related to increased carotid intima-media thickness, higher carotid plaque score, higher leukocyte count, lower HDL, higher body mass index, higher waist-to-hip ratio, and smoking., Conclusions: Because larger venular diameters are associated with atherosclerosis, inflammation, and cholesterol levels, the AVR does not depend only on generalized arteriolar narrowing due to the association between smaller arteriolar diameters and higher blood pressures. These data indicate that retinal venular diameters are variable and may play their own independent role in predicting cardiovascular disorders.