Sophie Ernst’s doctoral thesis is an artist’s contribution to media art theory. It focusses on the role of projection as material for sculpture. Her research addresses the question in what... Show more Sophie Ernst’s doctoral thesis is an artist’s contribution to media art theory. It focusses on the role of projection as material for sculpture. Her research addresses the question in what manner are projections applied in contemporary art and what image traditions does this relate to. She considers projections to be either immersive, like a cinematic experience, or augmentative, in the sense of a mixed reality. Immersions, the dominant mode in projection art and large parts of the theoretical discourse, presuppose a willing suspension of disbelief. Augmentation, on the other hand, can be seen as ‘magical’. It is a technique in art to ‘make strange’ by creating a distance that can be either pleasant or unsettling. Ernst argues that augmenting projections are persuasive, not because they are materially ‘real’, but rather since they make visible what we could imagine as real. Show less
The Our Lady Cathedral in Tournai is today one of the most remarkable churches of the Low Countries. In the Middle Ages, it was the mother church of the most northern bishopric of France.... Show more The Our Lady Cathedral in Tournai is today one of the most remarkable churches of the Low Countries. In the Middle Ages, it was the mother church of the most northern bishopric of France. The early 12 Century Cathedral was built during a highly turbulent chapter in the history of the bishopric. After five centuries in personal union with the diocese of Noyon, and a long struggle for independence, Tournai recovered its own bishop in 1146. The architecture of the new early 12 Century Cathedral was to represent the venerable age of the Church of Tournai and its original independence. The triconchos (trefoil) ground plan points to the martyrium churches: it recalls the ideal of the early Church and its local saintly founder. The impressive group of five towers refers to the future, being a prefiguration of the Holy City Jerusalem that will descent on earth at the end of time. The strength of the Cathedral as a representation of the episcopal see of an independent bishopric of Tournai was visualised in the attribute of Eleutherius, the new patron saint: a model of the group of five towers forms a concise summary of the architecture of the Cathedral. Show less
The rate of climate warming in the Arctic nearly doubles warming in the temperate regions. In the arctic tundra, this warming has already altered vegetation, with strong declines in lichens... Show more The rate of climate warming in the Arctic nearly doubles warming in the temperate regions. In the arctic tundra, this warming has already altered vegetation, with strong declines in lichens and mosses and expansion of shrubs. This process called “the greening of the Arctic” has important consequences for the global nutrient cycling and emission of green-house gases to the atmosphere. Even though, plant community dynamics has been monitored in tundra, the effect of climate warming on belowground fungi remained largely unknown, despite the known key roles that fungi play providing the plants with water and nutrients in nutrient-poor arctic soils. This thesis addresses the effect of climate warming on arctic soil fungal communities by DNA-metabarcoding. Climate warming had a strong effect on fungal community composition leading to a strong decline in diversity of lichenized, moss-associated, and ectomycorrhizal fungi. Instead, many species of saprotrophic and parasitic fungi took over. These changes are expected to alter nutrient turnover in tundra soils (including decomposition and CO2 flux) and affect populations of plants and animals (for example, caribous that are feeding on lichenized fungi in winter). Show less
This study treats the verbal aspect system in Old Church Slavonic. A proper analysis of the aspect system in Old Church Slavonic can contribute to a better understanding of verbal aspect in the... Show moreThis study treats the verbal aspect system in Old Church Slavonic. A proper analysis of the aspect system in Old Church Slavonic can contribute to a better understanding of verbal aspect in the modern Slavic languages and the development of aspect in Slavic. In this study, it is demonstrated that the verbal aspect system in Old Church Slavonic can best be described if one categorizes the verbs into three main categories: perfective, imperfective and anaspectual. This differs from the traditional division into perfective and imperfective verbs only. To support this categorization, the study contains over 300 examples. The semantic analysis of these examples shows, amongst others, that within the typology of Slavic aspect, verbal aspect in Old Church Slavonic functions more like verbal aspect in the Western group of Slavic languages (e.g. Czech) than like that in the Eastern group (e.g. Russian). The Eastern group can therefore be regarded as the more innovative group, while the Western group is the more conservative. The study also discusses the role the imperfect tense possibly plays in the development of derived imperfective verbs and, through that, in the development of the perfective-imperfective aspect opposition in Slavic. Show less
Coeliac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated systemic disorder elicited by gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the influence of infant feeding on... Show moreCoeliac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated systemic disorder elicited by gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the influence of infant feeding on prevention and development of childhood CD (part 1) and to explore new strategies for improvement of care for CD children and young adults (part 2). In part 1, the European multi-centre randomized double-blind placebo-controlled dietary intervention-study in high-risk children (www.preventcd.com) is presented. Based on retrospective studies suggesting a ‘window of opportunity’ for primary prevention of CD, parents were advised to introduce gluten between 4–6 months of age. Our results show that this did not reduce the risk of CD by 3 years of age and contributed to a new European guideline stating that gluten may be introduced between age 4-12 months. Part 2 shows that physicians overestimate the CD specific health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) of CD patients, supporting implementation of self-reported CD-specific HRQOL measurements during follow-up. Compared to traditional hospital visits for treated CD, E-health was cost-saving, satisfactory, and significantly improved the CD-specific HRQOL. As E-health requires a point-of-care test suitable for follow-up of treated CD, three different tests were compared with conventional ELISA and one was found to be suitable. Show less
My study focused on 1) fragmented seagrass interaction with hydrodynamics and 2) fragmented seagrass interaction with nutrients. My main research questions are: i) How do heterogeneous... Show more My study focused on 1) fragmented seagrass interaction with hydrodynamics and 2) fragmented seagrass interaction with nutrients. My main research questions are: i) How do heterogeneous patches in the seagrass bed interact with the hydrodynamic force? ii) How do the different seagrass properties (density, leaf length) and gap sizes influence flow development inside the gap? iii) How is the advective porewater exchange influenced by the presence of seagrass? and iv) How do the different hydrodynamic factors (diffusion, flow, wave and flow induced by wave) influence porewater exchange from sediment to water column? The results of these studies show that in controlled environments which exclude the effects of factors other than the hydrodynamic conditions, seagrass meadows have the ability to restore and re-homogenize themselves. A wide range of other factors may also play a role in determining whether heterogeneous patches become more or less homogeneous, such as nutrient cycling from sediment into the water column or vice versa, deposition of organic matter, erosion by waves or tidal currents, or animal grazing. This PhD thesis presents findings that elucidate the fundamental processes of seagrass–hydrodynamics interactions, which impact ecological processes such as patch and gap dynamics and advective porewater exchange. Show less
The aim of this dissertation was to investigate whether and how E-health can help to improve health care for individuals with eating disorder symptoms. The main goal was to evaluate two E-health... Show moreThe aim of this dissertation was to investigate whether and how E-health can help to improve health care for individuals with eating disorder symptoms. The main goal was to evaluate two E-health interventions: e-community ‘Proud2Bme’ and fully automated Internet-based intervention ‘Featback’. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Featback with and without therapist support in comparison to a waiting was examined in a randomized controlled trial. Furthermore, potential moderators and mediators were investigated: what works for whom and what is the psychological mechanism that explains how Featback achieves its beneficial effects? Also, all online therapist communication within the Featback intervention was qualitatively examined. What did therapists actually do within the online support sessions as offered in addition to Featback? And can therapist behaviors predict participants’ outcome and satisfaction? Finally, this dissertation includes a systematic review of treating eating disorders over the Internet, as well a chapter about the emerging findings, issues, and opportunities regarding E-health for eating disorders in the past few years (2013-2015). How effective are Internet-based self-help interventions, -treatment, and -relapse prevention programs? What is the potential of Smartphone applications in treating eating disorders? What are the opportunities and challenges for the development and implementation of E-health for eating disorders? Show less
Despite the increasing number of obese patients, evidence-based dosing guidelines are scarce, particularly for obese children and morbidly obese adults (BMI > 40 kg/m2). For both these... Show more Despite the increasing number of obese patients, evidence-based dosing guidelines are scarce, particularly for obese children and morbidly obese adults (BMI > 40 kg/m2). For both these populations, pharmacokinetic studies are needed to provide a basis for evidence-based dosing guidelines. In this thesis, we studied the pharmacokinetics of the CYP3A substrate midazolam, the renally excreted drug metformin and acetaminophen (metabolized by glucuronidation, sulphation and CYP2E1) in obese adolescents and/or morbidly obese adults. We address several currently unanswered questions; Can doses for obese adolescents be predicted on the basis of data obtained in morbidly obese adults? How to analyse pharmacokinetic data in obese adolescents, for whom body weight is influenced by growth, age and obesity? How to achieve safe and effective acetaminophen dosing for morbidly obese patients? The studies described in this thesis contribute to the existing gaps in knowledge regarding the pharmacokinetics and evidence-based dosing of drugs in obese adolescents and morbidly obese adults. Show less
Blood loss requiring transfusions, and, in some cases even surgical re-exploration, is relatively common after cardiac surgery. There are several factors associated with this blood loss that can... Show moreBlood loss requiring transfusions, and, in some cases even surgical re-exploration, is relatively common after cardiac surgery. There are several factors associated with this blood loss that can be separated into bleeding complications with a surgical origin (bleeding vessel, anastomosis or other suture line) and those related to ineffective hemostasis. The aim of this thesis is to improve our understanding of the development of (excessive) blood loss due to ineffective hemostasis during and after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, in order to support the process of decision making concerning medication and blood product substitution, and to explore several preventative measures to reduce the risk of bleeding. Both processes of bleeding and hypercoagulation appear to define the peri-operative period in CABG surgery. Show less
This thesis has dealt with the role of endosonography in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. The main conclusion is that endosonography with aspiration of mediastinal lymph nodes has superior... Show moreThis thesis has dealt with the role of endosonography in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. The main conclusion is that endosonography with aspiration of mediastinal lymph nodes has superior diagnostic yield in comparison to conventional bronchoscopy with taking of peripheral (TBLB) and endobronchial (EBB) tissue (80% vs 53%). Guidelines advising to perform bronchoscopy (including TBLB and EBB) as a first choice procedure to detect granulomas should be revised. In case EUS or EBUS are not available, bronchoscopy may reach comparable sensitivity but only if cTBNA, TBLB and EBB are all performed. This will increase procedure time and likely also complications because of the number of needle and forceps samples. Secondly, we assessed morbidity and mortality rates of EBUS and EUS for pulmonary indications and found that both techniques are very safe. Fatalities have been described but are very rare with a mortality rate of 0.04% and mostly occurred in patients of fragile health. Serious adverse events happen occasionally (0.15%) and are mostly of infectious origin in patients undergoing needle aspiration of cysts, sarcoid of necrotic lymph nodes. Show less
Increasingly, pleas are made for extending the involvement of minors in decision-making about participation in pediatric research. However, a number of issues arise from this desired... Show more Increasingly, pleas are made for extending the involvement of minors in decision-making about participation in pediatric research. However, a number of issues arise from this desired participation of minors. First, involvement in decision-making requires children and adolescents to be adequately informed about what participation in research entails. Second, the plea for increased involvement in decision-making requires further investigation whether children indeed can, should and want to play a role in the decision about research participation. This thesis addresses these issues and thereby contributes to insights in how to empower minors in the context of informed consent for research participation. New informed consent material was developed in close cooperation with children and other end-users, the process of which is described and evaluated. Also, insights in the role that minors can, should and want to play in the informed consent procedure are described. These insights were obtained by reviewing multidisciplinary scientific evidence on the competence of minors, by an ethical reflection on the view on children that we should adopt, and by consulting minors themselves about the perspectives on their role in decision-making. Finally, based on this research, recommendations are provided on how to empower minors in decision-making about research participation. Show less
Research on the prevalence, diagnostic and prognostic value for treatment of personality pathology – i.e., both personality disorders and problematic personality characteristics – was... Show more Research on the prevalence, diagnostic and prognostic value for treatment of personality pathology – i.e., both personality disorders and problematic personality characteristics – was carried out within a mainly Dutch forensic mental health setting. Issues such as (dis)simulation and unintentional self-deception limit the utility of self-report instruments within a pre-trial setting. Personality disorders and psychopathic traits in suspected offenders in the Netherlands often lead to court rulings of enforced psychiatric treatment – an internationally unique situation. A prospective study on the predictive value of personality disorder isolated factors that can affect enforced treatment length, such as crime type and comorbidity, that can be a focus for policy makers and forensic mental health experts. Caution is advised when using self-report instruments within the forensic context, especially in the absence of response bias scales and in the case of (legal) incentives for certain outcomes. There is urgent need for international standardization of instruments and terminology and a test battery that is specifically designed for and validated within forensic populations. An increase in (detail of) digital registration of patient, treatment and risk characteristics is necessary for meaningful scientific research, a better assessment of personality and risks, fewer incidents, lower recidivism and shorter treatment. Show less
The aim of my study was to analyze the impact of selective logging on plant and bird diversity in East Kalimantan. The impact of logging on plant communities was studied in a forest (in the... Show moreThe aim of my study was to analyze the impact of selective logging on plant and bird diversity in East Kalimantan. The impact of logging on plant communities was studied in a forest (in the process of FSC certification) that has been logged selectively 1, 5 and 10 years previously compared to a primary forest site. The stem densities of trees in the primary forest were significantly higher compared to the three selectively logged forest sites. Stem densities of saplings were equivalent in all four forest sites. Seedling stem densities were significantly higher in the forest site logged 10 years previously compared to the primary forest. The “heavy hardwood” class, represented by a certain abundance of stems and species richness, was significantly lower in the forest sites selectively logged 1 and 5 years ago compared to the primary forest site. Stems with a higher abundance in the selectively logged forest sites generally belonged to the “light wood” class. I also studied the impact of logging on bird communities in East Kalimantan. My study compared secondary forest sites with relatively undisturbed primary lowland dipterocarp rain forest sites of East Kalimantan. All birds were identified during point counts in all sites; in the selective logging concession in a primary site and in selectively logged forest sites in the Berau district, a primary site in Sungai Wain and a disturbed site in Pusrehut Kutai Kartanegara. I found a significantly higher abundance of birds in the terrestrial foraging layer in primary forests as compared to secondary forests. I also found a significantly higher abundance of birds of the frugivorous/insectivorous guild and of endemic insectivorous birds in the primary forest. Show less
By combining low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) with pulsed laser deposition (PLD), we have created a unique set-up to study the first stages of growth of complex metal oxides. We... Show more By combining low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) with pulsed laser deposition (PLD), we have created a unique set-up to study the first stages of growth of complex metal oxides. We demonstrate this by investigating the growth of SrTiO3 (STO) and LaAlO3 (LAO) on STO in real-time. We follow growth by monitoring the intensity and the full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) of the specular diffracted beam at various energies. For layer-by-layer growth, we find the anticipated intensity peaks at the completion of each layer, and an oscillatory FWHM with the maximum at half-layer coverage. In the LAO on STO case, for optimal growth conditions and a LAO thickness above the critical thickness of 4 unit cells the interface between the band insulators shows conductivity. We obtain an electronic fingerprint of the growing material, by measuring the intensity of the specular beam as a function of energy at regular intervals during growth. Extending this fingerprint with the intensity dependence on the momentum parallel to the surface allows us to extract the band dispersion of unoccupied electron states of the sample surface. Significant differences in the unoccupied band structure develop between samples which are conducting and non-conducting. Show less
Economic valuation of ecosystem services is a popular yet troubled approach in modern nature conservation. It's effectiveness remains unknown while a lot of criticism is noted in the... Show more Economic valuation of ecosystem services is a popular yet troubled approach in modern nature conservation. It's effectiveness remains unknown while a lot of criticism is noted in the literature about potential consequences of this approach. This thesis first clarifies the various discourses extant about the topic. Then, it shows how the topic of ecosystem services is replacing calls for nature conservation in policy documents. It investigates two different ways to give ecological knowledge a strong influence in market-based approaches. The first way being the use of portfolio theory and the second way being the use of indicators for conservation success based on ecological science. The thesis finally turns towards the greater challenge of motivating people to protect nature, and argues that economic valuation has only a limited role to play in this endeavor. Show less
In this thesis, we studied the Hodge theory and deformation theory of nodal surfaces. We showed that nodal surfaces in the projective 3-space satisfy the infinitesimal Torelli property. We... Show moreIn this thesis, we studied the Hodge theory and deformation theory of nodal surfaces. We showed that nodal surfaces in the projective 3-space satisfy the infinitesimal Torelli property. We considered families of examples of even nodal surfaces, that is, those endowed with a double cover branched on the nodes. We gave a new geometrical construction of even 56-nodal sextic surfaces, while we proved, using existing constructions, that the sub-Hodge structure of type (1,26,1) on the double cover S of any even 40-nodal sextic surface cannot be simple. We also demonstrated ways to compute sheaves of differential forms on singular varieties using Saito's theory of mixed Hodge modules. Show less
This Thesis reports on the discovery and optimization of potent inhibitors for the serine hydrolases sn-1 diacylglycerol lipase α (DAGLα) and α/β hydrolase domain 16A (ABHD16A). Several... Show more This Thesis reports on the discovery and optimization of potent inhibitors for the serine hydrolases sn-1 diacylglycerol lipase α (DAGLα) and α/β hydrolase domain 16A (ABHD16A). Several structure- and ligand-based drug discovery methodologies were employed, such as in silico screening and high throughput screening, in combination with activity-based protein profiling (ABPP). The glycine sulfonamides reported in this Thesis, such as LEI106, are important peripherally restricted inhibitors that can be used to evaluate the contribution of perturbing DAGL activity in the potential treatment of metabolic syndrome, diabetes and pheriphiral obesity. The α-keto heterocycles in this Thesis, such as LEI107, could be important inhibitors to evaluate if a therapeutic window can be established for (central) DAGL inhibitors in the potential treatment of addiction, obesity and neuroinflammation. Lastly, 1,2,4-triazole urea sulfonamides that are reported in this Thesis can be used as novel tool compounds to evaluate DAGL and ABHD16A function in both health and disease. Show less
The present study aims to cast light on the interpretation of tax treaties by attributing its ordinary meaning to the term ‘resident of a Contracting State’ in Art.4 of the OECD Model... Show moreThe present study aims to cast light on the interpretation of tax treaties by attributing its ordinary meaning to the term ‘resident of a Contracting State’ in Art.4 of the OECD Model Convention on Income and Capital, in good faith, according to the general rule of interpretation under public international law. Moreover, it seeks to analyse and discuss the manner in which the definition of residence contributes to the determination of the object and purpose of tax treaties, and to what extent this definition informs the meaning of abuse from a tax treaty perspective. Show less
This dissertation explores the relationship between autonomous weapon systems, the concept of human dignity, and international law. The thesis focuses on four branches of international law ... Show moreThis dissertation explores the relationship between autonomous weapon systems, the concept of human dignity, and international law. The thesis focuses on four branches of international law (international humanitarian law, human rights law, criminal law and the law of state reponsibility) and discusses whether autonomous weapon systems can be used in compliance with these bodies of law. The foundational notion of human dignity in international law provides a theoretical framework for the research and writing. The thesis argues that there are certain kinds of decision-making responsibilities that humans should not delegate to autonomous machines. More specifically, it argues that the transfer of decisions involving complex (and often contradictory) values to artificial intelligence software violates human dignity and, therefore, international law. Nevertheless, as the speed of autonomous weapon systems increases, the opportunities for human involvement and intervention in such decisions will inevitably decrease. Thus, to preserve the principle of human dignity (and ultimately international law), autonomous weapons should have a ‘co-active’ design that ensures teamwork and interdependence between humans and the computer software that directs these weapons. Show less
This thesis presents another approach for direct cytosolic delivery via membrane fusion. This approach is based on a complementary pair of coiled-coil forming peptides, K (KIAALKE)4 and E (EIAALEK... Show moreThis thesis presents another approach for direct cytosolic delivery via membrane fusion. This approach is based on a complementary pair of coiled-coil forming peptides, K (KIAALKE)4 and E (EIAALEK)4 and is mimicking the action of the SNARE-complex. The SNARE-complex is responsible for fusion between vesicles and membranes of cells in the synapse and is also composed of coiled-coil forming peptides. In our system, the peptides are conjugated to a cholesterol anchor via a polyethylene glycol (PEG) spacer, yielding lipopeptides CP4K4 and CP4E4. Membrane fusion between liposomes and the plasma membrane of the cells is triggered by these two lipopeptides when each embedded within the lipid bilayer of the liposomes or the plasma membrane of the cell. Show less
