This is a study of oral tradition focusing on family stories that relate to historical events and social issues of contemporary Mentawai kin groups. I give descriptive answers for the central... Show moreThis is a study of oral tradition focusing on family stories that relate to historical events and social issues of contemporary Mentawai kin groups. I give descriptive answers for the central research question of how and to what extent oral narratives are involved in dealing with current issues about place of origin, the notion of identity, and discourses about land and land rights in Mentawai society in Indonesia. The family stories are an important source of information with regard to identity, forming a verbal reflection of the kin groups__ identity and justifying certain claims with regard to ancestral land. A family story must be properly preserved by its owners by carefully transmitting the content and significance of the story to following generations. The power of human memory plays an important part in maintaining and transmitting the significance of past events. In the field of oral tradition, family stories can thus be regarded as a specific genre of oral narratives. When studying oral narratives it is, in my opinion, important to pay special attention to family stories. Not in the last place so, because the communities still using family stories frequently consider them indispensable. Show less
The objective of this thesis was to obtain insight into the processes that play a role in biodiversity patterns of tropical marine species by using marine lakes as a model. Marine lakes are... Show moreThe objective of this thesis was to obtain insight into the processes that play a role in biodiversity patterns of tropical marine species by using marine lakes as a model. Marine lakes are landlocked water bodies that maintain a marine character through narrow submarine connections to the sea. Two regions in Indonesia were studied: Berau (East Kalimantan) and Raja Ampat (West Papua). The following questions were addressed: 1. What are the different types of marine lakes in Indonesia? 2. Are the species assemblages in marine lakes distinct from those in the adjacent coastal environments? 3. To what extent are the populations in the lakes isolated? 4. Can marine lakes in Indonesia be considered natural laboratories of evolution? There is a large diversity in types of marine lakes and many more remain to be documented in Indonesia. The spatial variation in sponge species composition in marine lakes, coastal mangroves and coral reefs show that marine lakes contain three groups of sponge species: (a) widespread species known from various locations in Indo-Pacific reefs, (b) lake species that only occur in lake systems, (c) endemic species restricted to a single lake. The patterns of genetic variation found in the marine lake populations are generally consistent with populations in isolated environments. The lakes appear to be both cradles and refuges of diversity Show less
This dissertation addresses the question of what it means to remake everyday life in the shadow of disaster. Focusing on the city of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, in the years after the devastating Indian... Show moreThis dissertation addresses the question of what it means to remake everyday life in the shadow of disaster. Focusing on the city of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, in the years after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004, it explores how tsunami survivors have been remaking the everyday ever since that moment. Based on ethnographic research in the post-disaster years, the five chapters of this dissertation discuss various dimensions of the remaking of everyday life that were important to the tsunami survivors, including the reconstruction of houses, interactions between survivors, international organizations and the state, the narrative experiences of the tsunami, the process of grieving and its entanglement with Islam, the creation of collective memory and forgetfulness in urban space, and ideas about the future that build on notions of moral and socio-economic improvement. In these chapters the concept of subjectivity is used to show how individuals creatively shape their lives in the context of tremendous social, economic, and political changes. The dissertation concludes that the anthropology of disaster, that has up to now predominantly focused on post-disaster social change and continuity and on structural historical patterns of vulnerability and resilience, can be enriched by ethnographic studies of subjectivity. Show less
In this dissertation we present the results of our research on Helicobacter pylori infections in childhood, focusing on the prevalence, diagnosis and treatment of the infection. Our studies were... Show moreIn this dissertation we present the results of our research on Helicobacter pylori infections in childhood, focusing on the prevalence, diagnosis and treatment of the infection. Our studies were conducted in the Netherlands, Europe and Indonesia. We discuss diagnostic tests, therapeutic regimens, resistance and preventive measurements. We highlight clinical and pathophysiological aspects of the infection and describe which particular strains are prevalent and how transmission occurs. Presently, there are no established correlations between a Helicobacter pylori infection and recurrent abdominal pain, gastroesophageal reflux disease or growth retardation. We present data on the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in young infants in the Netherlands and observe that children with at least one non-Dutch parent form a risk group. We assess risk factors in a Europe-wide study on gastroduodenal erosions and ulcers in childhood. In our study, Helicobacter pylori infection and gastrotoxic medications were relatively little implicated as etiology of that pathology. The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Indonesian young children is relatively high and points at an early acquisition of the infection. Finally, the resistance of Helicobacter pylori to clarithromycin and metronidazole was assessed for adults and children in the Netherlands. Low resistance rates were found, but the resistance in adults is increasing. We conclude that a test-and-treat regimen is justified for the Netherlands. Show less
The aim of the present study is to examine the transformation of teacher training in Indonesia from 1893 to 1969. Public teacher training altered over time to keep in step with the changing... Show moreThe aim of the present study is to examine the transformation of teacher training in Indonesia from 1893 to 1969. Public teacher training altered over time to keep in step with the changing requirements in public primary school curricula which had been incurred by economic and political factors. In colonial time the government policy was to prepare Indonesian teachers in the Netherlands Indies according to a standard which would gradually be raised so that in the end, they could concur with the level of the training originally designed for their European counterparts. The introduction of the Kweekschoolplan in 1927 heralded the re-organization and transformation of the kweekschool and the Hogere Kweekschool (HKS) into Hollands Inlandse Kweekschool (HIK). Alas, the Great Depression in 1929 dispelled the colonial dream and the Japanese invasion in 1942 completely altered the next chapter in the history of Indonesian society. The post-war period witnessed three essential points: the brain-drain from schools of the Indonesians who had been educated at the HIK; the removal of Dutch from public school; and the influx of American professors to the schools of teacher training. Now the patterns of expectations of teachers in Indonesia drastically changed, but the nature of teacher training remained basically unchanged. This disjunction implies that the transition from colonial to post-colonial State revealed a paradox in which continuity and change were juxtaposed. The switch from the Dutch to the American model of teacher training in the late 1950s reflected a spirit of reform but also created confusion in the Indonesian search for the meaning of independence.The institutional re-organization of teacher training during the 1950s which continued into the 1960s reflected the bigger narrative of Indonesian State formation at the time. Here, the process of regime change displayed the politics of elimination with a startling lack of understanding of historical experience. A dichotomous way of seeing matters, a rigid option of ‘either this or that’ and a perspective which sharply differentiated between ‘we’ and ‘they’ came to the top list of priorities. Show less
Nausea and vomiting are well known side effects related to chemotherapy. Indeed, nausea and vomiting are the most distressing side effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients. Dopamine, serotonin... Show moreNausea and vomiting are well known side effects related to chemotherapy. Indeed, nausea and vomiting are the most distressing side effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients. Dopamine, serotonin and neurokinin1 are thought to be the neurotransmitters that play role in the pathophysiology of Chemotherapy Induced Nausea Vomiting (CINV). Thus, the antagonists of those neurotransmitters are considered as prophylactic antiemetics for CINV. In the 1990s, the use of 5-Hydroxytriptamine receptor antagonists (5-HT3RAs) highly improved the patients__ response rate to antiemetic drugs. In addition, the combination of a neurokinin 1 antagonist, a 5HT3RA and a corticosteroid can further increase the response rate up by 15% in acute phase and 20% in delayed phase. Thus, the international guideline of clinical oncology recommend this combination as prophylactic antiemetic drugs in the acute phase and a combination of dexamethasone __ metoclopramide as prophylactic antiemetics in the delayed phase. However, when the standard antiemetic drug regimens are administered to patients, there are still 20-30% patients in the acute phase and 40% patients in the delayed phase experiencing CINV. Thus, there is a high interindividual variability in response to antiemetic drugs in oncology patients. Some patient characteristics such as female gender, younger patients and history of alcohol drinking could increase the risk of CINV from 20% to 70%. Therefore, individualizing of the use of antiemetics could start by considering the patient characteristics. This thesis focuses on determining the impact of CINV on QoL in Indonesian cancer patients and optimizing the prevention and treatment of CINV by exploration of pharmacogenetic biomarkers. Show less
