Synthetic supramolecular polymers and hydrogels in water are emerging as promising biomaterials due to their modularity and intrinsic dynamics. Here, we introduce temperature sensitivity into the... Show moreSynthetic supramolecular polymers and hydrogels in water are emerging as promising biomaterials due to their modularity and intrinsic dynamics. Here, we introduce temperature sensitivity into the nonfunctionalized benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide (BTA-EG4) supramolecular system by incorporating a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-functionalized (BTA-PNIPAM) moiety, enabling 3D cell encapsulation applications. The viscous and structural properties in the solution state as well as the mechanical and dynamic features in the gel state of BTA-PNIPAM/BTA-EG4 mixtures were investigated and modulated. In the dilute state (c ∼μM), BTA-PNIPAM acted as a chain capper below the cloud point temperature (Tcp = 24 °C) but served as a cross-linker above Tcp. At higher concentrations (c ∼mM), weak or stiff hydrogels were obtained, depending on the BTA-PNIPAM/BTA-EG4 ratio. The mixture with the highest BTA-PNIPAM ratio was ∼100 times stiffer and ∼10 times less dynamic than BTA-EG4 hydrogel. Facile cell encapsulation in 3D was realized by leveraging the temperature-sensitive sol-gel transition, opening opportunities for utilizing this hydrogel as an extracellular matrix mimic. Show less
Central Asia is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. There is, however, a lack of research on how local businesses, political elites and the general public perceive the need for... Show moreCentral Asia is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. There is, however, a lack of research on how local businesses, political elites and the general public perceive the need for comprehensive greening initiatives to address its consequences. To account for the material and ideational factors influencing clean energy transition in Central Asian petrostates, I offer an alternative analytic framework that I call ‘contrasting adaptation’. I argue that the energy transition has resulted in two contradictory responses at multiple levels of political governance: a formal response that is broadly supportive of new ‘green’ identities and policies, and an informal response that seeks to delay plans to decarbonize local business models and continues to prioritize ‘old’ oil and gas activities through new transnational networks. Drawing on a model of actor interactions at different levels of climate governance, I examine ‘contrasting adaptation’ – its constituent policies and discourse – to provide a better theorized framework for understanding climate politics in Central Asia. I use comparative analysis of the climate policies of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the two Central Asian petrostates that pledged to carbon neutrality, informed by documentary and textual sources, and discourse analysis. Show less
Sievers, Eva; Spierenburg, M.J.; Jhagroe, S.S.; Oudenhoven, A.P. E van 2024
Rapid global change threatens to outstrip global efforts to establish sustainable stewardship of social-ecological systems (SES). Place-based research can enhance effectiveness of global... Show moreRapid global change threatens to outstrip global efforts to establish sustainable stewardship of social-ecological systems (SES). Place-based research can enhance effectiveness of global sustainability policies and actions by providing contextualized knowledge underpinning bottom-up solutions. However, the use and transfer of place-based knowledge remains a major challenge. In this study, we analyze place-based knowledge transfer in a local-to-global and knowledge-to-action context. We aim to provide insights on when, how, and why place-based research can inform decision-making at the global scale, and lead to action towards more sustainable and just futures. Our iterative and exploratory methodology involved alternating rounds of literature reviews and interviews with interdisciplinary researchers. We identify four key steps (place-based knowledge production, knowledge synthesis, knowledge use at the global scale, and knowledge revision and lessons learned) and five facilitative factors (bridging organizations, knowledge brokers, boundary organizations, institutionalized knowledge governance and polycentric governance systems), which provide a comprehensive understanding of place-based knowledge transfer. Our conceptual framework provides suggestions on how to set up place-based knowledge transfer to be more effective, complete, and inclusive. Furthermore, our study discusses two major structural challenges that currently inhibit place-based knowledge transfer, and shows ways forward for science and policy to overcome these. We argue that place-based knowledge transfer can be an effective means to undo dominant power relations and the epistemic status quo, and enable a shift from short-termism in science and policy towards more long-term SES goals. Therefore, it is seminal to open up the predominant value system to more diverse knowledge systems, signifying a shift away from global decision-making that is guided by neoliberal capitalist principles and over-emphasizes short-term and individual gains. Finally, it is crucial to prioritize learning over knowing to exploit the long-term value of place-based knowledge transfer. Show less
This article explores the current and future technological pathways of RFID components and quantifies their environmental impacts through life cycle assessment (LCA), and also covering the critical... Show moreThis article explores the current and future technological pathways of RFID components and quantifies their environmental impacts through life cycle assessment (LCA), and also covering the critical materials and energy use of tags, readers, and backend servers. We assess RFID-enabled lithium-ion battery supply chains with different cathode chemistries – lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM) as case applications. The results indicate that miniaturization and novel antenna materials can reduce the current environmental impacts of tags and readers by 60 % and 4 %, respectively. Direct energy consumption and antennas are the main contributors for tags, while microcontrollers and transceivers are the main contributors for readers. Furthermore, the overall environmental improvements of RFID system outweigh their additional environmental impacts. The use of RFID systems in optimizing battery supply process gives higher reductions in climate change and abiotic resource depletion impacts than switching to low-carbon battery chemistries (i.e. using NCM instead of NCA). Show less
Through a series of questions and responses, in this dialogue-based article we aim to stimulate reflection on indirect translation within the audiovisual translation community, offering... Show moreThrough a series of questions and responses, in this dialogue-based article we aim to stimulate reflection on indirect translation within the audiovisual translation community, offering perspectives on this practice. We start by delving into the historical roots of indirect translation in the industry, questioning how far back such practices extend. Then we shift the focus to the challenges translators face in indirect translation workflows, to the potential contributions of research to the ongoing debates surrounding indirect translation, as well as to how indirect translation and machine translation intersect. Finally, looking to the future, we examine potential developments in indirect translation workflows and consider how educational programs can adapt to meet the changing demands of the industry. Show less
Background: Decision‐making after local resection of T1 colorectal cancer (T1CRC) isoften complex and calls for optimal information provision as well as active patientinvolvement.Objective: The aim... Show moreBackground: Decision‐making after local resection of T1 colorectal cancer (T1CRC) isoften complex and calls for optimal information provision as well as active patientinvolvement.Objective: The aim was to evaluate the perceptions of patients with T1CRC oninformation provision and therapeutic decision‐making.Methods: This multicenter cross‐sectional study included patients who underwentendoscopic or local surgical resection as initial treatment. Information provision wasassessed using the EORTC QLQ‐INFO25 questionnaire. In patients with high‐riskT1CRC, we evaluated decisional involvement and satisfaction regarding thechoice as to whether to undergo additional treatment after local resection, and thelevel of decisional conflict using the Decisional Conflict Scale.Results: Ninety‐eight patients with T1CRC were included (72% response rate; 79/98 endoscopic and 19/98 local surgical resection; 45/98 high‐risk T1CRC). Mediantime since local resection was 28 months (IQR 18); none had developed recurrence.Unmet information needs were reported by 29 patients (30%; 18 low‐risk, 11 high‐risk), mostly on post‐treatment related topics (follow‐up visits, recovery time,recurrence prevention). After local resection, 24 of the 45 high‐risk patients (53%)underwent additional treatment, while others were subjected to surveillance.Higher‐educated patients were more often actively involved in decision‐making(93% vs. 43%, p = 0.002) and more frequently underwent additional treatment(79% vs. 40%, p = 0.02). Decisional conflict (p = 0.19) and satisfaction (p = 0.78)were comparable between higher‐ and lower‐educated high‐risk patients. Show less
Verdonschot R.G.; Wal, G.J. van der; Ashley, L.; Knudsen, B.; Grebmer zu Wolfsthurn, S. von; Schiller, N.O.; Hagoort, P. 2024
There is evidence from both behavior and brain activity that the way information is structured, through the use of focus, can up-regulate processing of focused constituents, likely to give... Show moreThere is evidence from both behavior and brain activity that the way information is structured, through the use of focus, can up-regulate processing of focused constituents, likely to give prominence to the relevant aspects of the input. This is hypothesized to be universal, regardless of the different ways in which languages encode focus. In order to test this universalist hypothesis, we need to go beyond the more familiar linguistic strategies for marking focus, such as by means of intonation or specific syntactic structures (e.g., it-clefts). Therefore, in this study, we examine Makhuwa-Enahara, a Bantu language spoken in northern Mozambique, which uniquely marks focus through verbal conjugation. The participants were presented with sentences that consisted of either a semantically anomalous constituent or a semantically nonanomalous constituent. Moreover, focus on this particular constituent could be either present or absent. We observed a consistent pattern: Focused information generated a more negative N400 response than the same information in nonfocus position. This demonstrates that regardless of how focus is marked, its consequence seems to result in an upregulation of processing of information that is in focus.Gravitation Grant 024.001.006 of the Language in Interaction Consortium from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) Show less
As the world’s second most consumed resource, sand is being depleted at an alarming rate. China accounted for nearly half of the world’s sand consumption in 2012. Here we present a material flow... Show moreAs the world’s second most consumed resource, sand is being depleted at an alarming rate. China accounted for nearly half of the world’s sand consumption in 2012. Here we present a material flow analysis of sand from 1995 to 2020 that shows China’s overall sand supply surged by approximately 400% over the study period, yet the proportion of natural sand dropped from ~80% to ~21% due to the increasing use of manufactured sand. From 2010 to 2020, China’s natural sand supply nearly halved due to the strict policies on natural sand mining and the promotion of manufactured sand. This shift demonstrates a possibility for mitigating impacts on natural sand resources during industrialization and urbanization. Show less
In this chapter, we frame Pro-environmental behaviors (PEB) as a moral issue and describe the need to understand the development of environmental morality in young populations. We then specify... Show moreIn this chapter, we frame Pro-environmental behaviors (PEB) as a moral issue and describe the need to understand the development of environmental morality in young populations. We then specify factors associated with children’s and adolescents’ environmental morality and their relation with PEB, including young populations’ moral judgments of environmentally harmful actions, their sense of personal obligation to protect nature, and the role of moral environmental emotions. Next, we focus on developmental differences found in environmental morality. We end up by providing suggestions of how formative experiences, especially those organized in contact with nature, may instill a moral stance toward nature in youth. Show less
Akkerman, N.N.W.; Langman, P.F.; Lipscomb, S. 2024
The 16th and 17th centuries were a crucial time for spycraft, full of political intrigue and diplomatic subterfuge. Walsingham was known as a 'Spy Master', but there were many, all vying for... Show moreThe 16th and 17th centuries were a crucial time for spycraft, full of political intrigue and diplomatic subterfuge. Walsingham was known as a 'Spy Master', but there were many, all vying for attention from the Crown.But how did they and their spies operate? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb welcomes Pete Langman and Professor Nadine Akkerman to delve into the practices of espionage and reveal how the line between spy and criminal was easily blurred depending on who was in favour, and who was betrayed.Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. Show less
Skin barrier function is localized in its outermost layer, the stratum corneum (SC), which is comprised of corneocyte cells embedded in an extracellular lipid matrix containing ceramides (CERs),... Show moreSkin barrier function is localized in its outermost layer, the stratum corneum (SC), which is comprised of corneocyte cells embedded in an extracellular lipid matrix containing ceramides (CERs), cholesterol (CHOL), and free fatty acids (FFAs). The unique structure and composition of this lipid matrix are important for skin barrier function. In this study, experiments and molecular dynamics simulation were combined to investigate the structural properties and phase behavior of mixtures containing nonhydroxy sphingosine CER (CER NS), CHOL, and FFA. X-ray scattering for mixtures with varying CHOL levels revealed the presence of the 5.4 nm short periodicity phase in the presence of CHOL. Bilayers in coarse-grained multilayer simulations of the same compositions contained domains with thicknesses of approximately 5.3 and 5.8 nm that are associated with elevated levels, respectively, of CER sphingosine chains with CHOL, and CER acyl chains with FFA chains. The prevalence of the thicker domain increased with decreasing CHOL content. This might correspond to a phase with ∼5.8 nm spacing observed by x-rays (other details unknown) in mixtures with lower CHOL content. Scissoring and stretching frequencies from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) also indicate interaction between FFA and CER acyl chains and little interaction between CER acyl and CER sphingosine chains, which requires CER molecules to adopt a predominantly extended conformation. In the simulated systems, neighbor preferences of extended CER chains align more closely with the FTIR observations than those of CERs with hairpin ceramide chains. Both FTIR and atomistic simulations of reverse mapped multilayer membranes detect a hexagonal to fluid phase transition between 65 and 80°C. These results demonstrate the utility of a collaborative experimental and simulation effort in gaining a more comprehensive understanding of SC lipid membranes. Show less
Munar-Palmer M.; Santamaría-Hernando S.; Liedtke J.; Ortega D.R.; López-Torrejón G.; Rodríguez-Herva J.J.; ... ; López-Solanilla E. 2024
Due to its colonial history and prevalent multilingualism, Cameroon is a country where language policies have profoundly impacted socioeconomic and political life. Cameroon has 273 local languages... Show moreDue to its colonial history and prevalent multilingualism, Cameroon is a country where language policies have profoundly impacted socioeconomic and political life. Cameroon has 273 local languages and two official languages, English and French. The two official languages have been a crystallization point for discontent and civil unrest, leading to secessionist sentiments and violence. In this paper, we assess Cameroon’s language policies, firstly by providing a brief historical and legal overview based in the literature. We then present a new decolonial analytical framework, building on but extending existing theoretical frameworks. Our new analysis shows that a transition to using indigenous languages in formal education and other domains is not necessary at present. However, we argue that such a transition will become unavoidable in future. We show that it will be practically possible to use a limited number of indigenous languages as mediums of instruction, building on existing bilingualisms in the country. We believe these languages should be chosen using rational criteria and we introduce an approximate assessment of which languages are easy to learn and teach, and for speakers of which other languages. The transition we foresee requires planning and preparation. A different approach to Cameroon’s languages may help in building national unity and healing national wounds in the areas of sociolinguistic power-sharing and interregional cohabitation. We expect that our approach also holds benefits for other African countries. Show less
Coordinative Europeanisation is a powerful frame to explain the rapid response of EU institutions in times of permanent emergency. So far, though, little is known about sub-national actors’ role in... Show moreCoordinative Europeanisation is a powerful frame to explain the rapid response of EU institutions in times of permanent emergency. So far, though, little is known about sub-national actors’ role in this process. Moving away from a state-centric approach, this article investigates the role of sub-national actors through the case study of the digital provision of services to asylum seekers. Given the field’s high salience and state-centric nature, this article elucidates the critical role of European sub-national actors, particularly at the municipality level, to accelerate the digital provision of services to refugees. Comparing 3 European cities (Paris, Palermo and Malaga), we argue that sub-national actors can play a role in coordinative Europeanisation and that 2 main mechanisms may enable it. In the cases observed, discursive coordination around humanitarian duty facilitated the emergence of similar digital solutions across countries. Subsequently, horizontal and vertical networking was used by sub-national actors to legitimise their actions and enhance their anchoring in processes of coordinative Europeanisation Show less
Alcantara-Rodriguez, M.; Andel, T.R. van; Françozo, M. 2024
