Academic Ceremonies
The academic ceremonies of Maastricht University take place in the Aula, Minderbroedersberg 4-6. Click here for a route description.
Key words: secondary education, peer assessment
PhD Conferral mw.drs. Maria J. van Zundert
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
Supervisor: prof.dr. J.J.G. van Merriënboer
Co-supervisors: dr. K.D. Könings, dr. D.M.A. Sluijsmans
Title: “Conditions of Peer Assessment for Complex Learning”
Friday 4 May 2012, 14.00 hours
Peer assessment (assessing each others’ work) fits in with self-steered and cooperative learning by pupils. Moreover, it is an important professional skill. Scientifically not much was known about its effectiveness and the degree to which pupils learn from it themselves. This dissertation studied peer assessment in high schools for Havo and Vwo. One of the conclusions is that when students have to assess each others’ work before they master the study subject, this method has a contrary effect. Therefore, it is recommended to support the pupils in this area with a step-by-step instruction. As the instruction progresses, and the knowledge and skills of the pupil increase, this support is gradually reduced.
PhD Conferral mw.drs. Rebecca Küpper
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
Supervisor: prof.dr. J. van Os
Co-supervisor: dr. C. Henquet
Title: “Epidemiological and biological mechanisms of cannabis as cause of psychosis”
Friday 4 May 2012, 16.00 hours
Key words: private employment initiatives, reducing unemployment
PhD Conferral drs. Ruud Gerards
School of Business and Economics
Supervisors: prof.dr. J. Muysken, prof.dr. A. de Grip
Title: “Unemployment and employability: how firms can help”
Thursday 10 May 2012, 14.00 hours
This dissertation shows that companies can make a measurable and significant contribution to the reduction of unemployment and the stimulation of employability of low educated persons. For this purpose, three private initiatives of Philips were studied: the Philips Werkgelegenheidsplan (WGP/Philips Employment Plan), Certification of Skills, and E (mployability)-miles (E-miles).
The main conclusions are that a participant in the employment plan has an 18 percent bigger chance of finding a job than a comparable unemployed person who did not participate. This means that the impact of the employment plan is much more important than those of public re-entry tracks. Low educated people, who participated in the Certification of Skills track, averagely earn more afterwards, are promoted more often and less often dismissed than non-participants. Employees who make use of E-miles become more aware of the importance of personal development and training.
Key words: bipolar disorder, cognitive functioning
PhD Conferral drs. Bernardus M.G. Arts
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
Supervisor: prof.dr. J. van Os
Co-supervisor: prof.dr. L. Krabbendam
Title: “Bipolar disorder and cognitive functioning: A two-year naturalistic study”
Friday 11 May 2012, 12.00 hours
Patients with a bipolar (manic-depressive) disorder suffer from extreme mood swings that take shape as depression and/or mania. Bimonthly, a group of 76 patients was neuropsychologically examined over a period of two years. Studied were the course of their cognitive functioning by testing among others memory and attention functions and the influence of clinical variables on that, such as mood and medication. The cognitive functioning turned out to vary strongly over time and could only be partially explained by the mentioned variables. Medication used in the treatment of psychotic symptoms turned out to have the strongest negative effects on cognitive functioning.
Inauguration of dr. Leonie M.E.A. Cornips, appointed at Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences extraordinary professor ‘Taalcultuur in Limburg’
Title: “Talen in beweging”
Friday 11 May 2012, 16.30 hours
PhD Conferral drs. Gerardus C. van Almen
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
Supervisor: prof.dr. S. Heymans
Co-supervisor: dr. B.L.M. Schroen
Title: “Pleiotropic effects of non-structural matrix proteins in the stressed heart. ECM remodeling in cardiotoxicity, aging and cardiac allograft rejection”
Wednesday 16 May 2012, 14.00 hours
Inauguration of dr. Casper G. Schalkwijk, appointed at Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences extraordinary professor ‘Experimentele Interne Geneeskunde’
Title: “De zoete inval”
Wednesday 16 May 2012, 16.30 hours
PhD Conferral mw.drs. Margreet Oorschot
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
Supervisor: Prof.dr. I. Myin-Germeys
Title: “Back to reality. Exploring the phenomenology of psychosis in daily life”
Wednesday 23 May 2012, 12.00 hours
PhD Conferral drs. Pieter R. Bakker
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
Supervisors: prof.dr. P.N. van Harten, prof.dr. J. van Os
Title: “Drug-induced movement disorders in long-stay psychiatric patients; genetic and non-genetic risk factors: A prospective study”
Wednesday 23 May 2012, 14.00 hours
On the site of a psychiatric hospital a man walks with a bent back, slowly with a shaking hand. What is the matter with him? This is one of the movement disorders caused by anti-psychotics. This dissertation shows that movement disorders occur often in this patient group and that therefore prevention is crucial. The hope that the new anti-psychotics would make these horrible side-effects disappear turns out an illusion. Older age and higher anti-psychicum dose are risk factors for certain movement disorders. Analyses of earlier studies suggest multiple genetic influences. Also in additional research weak genetic signals were found that ask for larger long-term random studies, in which the fluctuating course of movement disorders and gene-environment interactions can be included.
PhD Conferral drs. A. Jahanshahi
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
Supervisors: prof.dr. H.W.M. Steinbusch, prof.dr. Y. Temel
Title: “The structural plasticity of serotonergic and dopaminergic systems: a multidisciplinary approach”
Wednesday 23 May 2012, 16.00 hours
PhD Conferral mw.drs. An M. Voets
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
Supervisor: prof.dr. H.J.M. Smeets
Co-supervisor: dr. I.F.M. de Coo
Title: “New pathophysiological concepts and potential therapeutic targets for oxidative phosforylation disorders”
Thursday 24 May 2012, 10.00 hours
Mitochondria are the power stations of a cell. The function of mitochondria can become disturbed by genetic defects in cell nucleus or mitochondrial DNA. These lead to a wide range of syndromes in which mainly brains, liver tissue and muscle tissue are affected. To find out which disease processes are activated by their genetic defect, this PhD research developed a series of model systems, using cells or tissue from patients. The identified processes may be interesting for therapy. The current technological progress leads to a quicker increase of newly developed variants in both cell nucleus and mitochondrial DNA. Therefore, an analysis was made of the normal variant in the mitochondrial DNA of a large population that can improve the classification of new disease-causing variants.
PhD Conferral drs. Seyed H. Naeemi
School of Business and Economics
Supervisor: prof.dr. R. Müller
Co-supervisor: dr. A. Berger
Title: “Mechanism design and characterizing incentive compatability”
Thursday 24 May 2012, 12.00 hours
PhD Conferral mw.drs. Kim J.A.F. van Kaam
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
Supervisor: prof.dr. J.L.H. Evers
Co-Supervisors: dr. G.A.J. Dunselman, dr. P.G. Groothuis
Title: “Deep infiltrating endometriosis; environment, genetics, epigenetics”
Thursday 24 May 2012, 14.00 hours
Key words: diabetes, multi-morbidity, functional impairments, vulnerability
PhD Conferral mw.drs. Evelien Pijpers
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
Supervisors: prof.dr. A.C. Nieuwenhuijzen Kruseman, prof.dr. C.D.A. Stehouwer
Co-Supervisor: Dr. I. Ferreira
Title: “Morbidity and mortality risk of aging diabetic and psychogeriatric patients”
Friday 25 May 2012, 14.00 hours
This dissertation studies the multi-morbidity (multiple disorders), functional impairments and frailty in diabetes patients. All patients that we examined had at least one co-morbid disorder. Eighty percent had more. We can conclude that in aging patients with diabetes the weight of care and the burden of the disease were considerable. The risk of repeated falling is 1.5 times higher in aging patients with diabetes than in aging people without diabetes. This is partly explained by medication, pain and loss of strength in the joints and muscles, a bad health and less physical activity, and cognitive disorders. Our findings show that an active lifestyle and fall prevention should be part of the treatment of all aging patients with diabetes. Screening for frailty turned out not useful.
Inauguration of dr. S.R.B. Heymans, appointed at Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences extraordinary professor ‘Idiopathische Cardiomyopathieën’
Title: “Europa, het bindweefsel van het hart"
Friday 25 May 2012, 16.30 hours
PhD Conferral mw.drs. Elena Cettolin
School of Business and Economics
Supervisor: prof.dr. A. Riedl
Title: “Self and other regarding motives in decision making under uncertainty”
Wednesday 30 May 2012, 12.00 hours
Inauguration of dr. Peter Anderson, appointed at Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences extraordinary professor ‘Alcohol and Health’
Title: “Why does Europe have a drinking problem”
Wednesday 30 May 2012, 16.30 hours
PhD Conferral mw.drs. Elena-Ivona Dumitrescu
School of Business and Economics
Supervisors: prof.dr. B. Candelon; prof.dr. C. Hurlin (University of Orléans, France)
Title: “Econometric Methods for Financial Crises”
Thursday 31 May 2012, 12.00 hours
