The thesis aims to provide a systematic, structured and evidence-based view of the internationalisation of Chinese NGOs and examine their role in Chinese international development by primarily... Show moreThe thesis aims to provide a systematic, structured and evidence-based view of the internationalisation of Chinese NGOs and examine their role in Chinese international development by primarily studying 28 Chinese NGOs based on fieldwork, interviews and analysis of organizational discourses. The thesis has shown that the major characteristic of the autonomy of Chinese NGOs is that the Chinese state’s influence does not come directly from its interventions in the operations of Chinese NGOs as there are limited direct policies, funding and other operational intervention from the Chinese government related to internationalisation. Instead, the Chinese state’s influence is embedded in the existing regulatory system regarding NGO registration and supervision and in the sources of legitimacy for internationalisation, a phenomenon dubbed as “embedded internationalisation”. The process of Chinese NGOs’ internationalisation is not sufficiently autonomous from the influence of the Chinese state and corporations and, thus, cannot offer a viable alternative to China’s mainstream international development landscape. Instead, Chinese NGOs have played a complementary role, as they have enriched the varieties of China’s aid and development cooperation and promoted China’s soft power. Show less
The circadian timing system is highly integrated with the sleep-wake regulation system. This thesis focuses on how different pharmacological treatments influence the sleep regulation system and the... Show moreThe circadian timing system is highly integrated with the sleep-wake regulation system. This thesis focuses on how different pharmacological treatments influence the sleep regulation system and the circadian timing rhythm in two murine models. In the first animal model, which is presented in Chapter 2 and 3, we implanted EEG/EMG electrodes in freely moving Brown Norway rats. We chose this rat strain because it is pigmented and therefore a more representative model than the more mainstream rat strains which are usually albino rats. This study aimed to investigate the effect of caffeine, sleep deprivation and ketamine on sleep and circadian-controlled activity under constant darkness. In the second animal model, which is presented in Chapter 4 and 5, we implanted EEG/EMG or Multi-unit electrodes in chemotherapy-induced fatigue mice. All the results from this thesis and future perspectives were discussed in Chapter 6. We are able to see how disruption of sleep and the circadian clock adversely affect health and may contribute to many diseases in modern society. In this thesis, these studies provide a better understanding of these drugs influence the circadian timing system and sleep-wake regulation and maybe new treatment approaches for antidepressant therapy and cancer related fatigue. Show less
The research described in this thesis focuses on the responses of lung epithelial cells lining the airways and alveoli. In the study, the effects of viruses that cause lung infections on these... Show moreThe research described in this thesis focuses on the responses of lung epithelial cells lining the airways and alveoli. In the study, the effects of viruses that cause lung infections on these epithelial cells were mapped in detail. Combinations with exposure to cigarette smoke were also included. To do this, epithelial cells obtained from lung tissue were cultured in the lab and exposed to rhinovirus, a common cold virus, and to SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. Exposure of the epithelial cells to these viruses induces very specific reactions in the airway epithelium. These can be further affected by cigarette smoke. The results of our research have taught us more about the processes specifically involved in the different responses of the epithelium, and how external factors such as cigarette smoke influence these responses. For example, we now better understand how cigarette smoke leads to a higher infection rate of rhinovirus, and it has become clear that the response of the airway epithelium to SARS-CoV-2 differs from the response to other coronaviruses. Our findings are therefore important for a better understanding of the role of viral infections in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and for understanding what makes SARS-CoV-2 a unique virus. Show less
This dissertation aimed to broaden our understanding of patient-relevant outcomes after kidney transplantation with a special focus on the patients’ perspectives. By conducting different studies in... Show moreThis dissertation aimed to broaden our understanding of patient-relevant outcomes after kidney transplantation with a special focus on the patients’ perspectives. By conducting different studies in Dutch kidney transplant recipients and by synthesizing existing evidence, we explored several post-transplant patient-relevant outcomes (e.g. health-related quality of life, symptom burden, illness perceptions, medication non-adherence and hospital readmission) and investigated pathways to improve these outcomes, hereby adding to the existing body of knowledge in kidney transplantation. In Chapter 1, we briefly introduced the status quo of patient-relevant outcomes in kidney transplant recipients, discussed potential pathways to improve patient-relevant outcomes in kidney transplant recipients, and provided an overview of the studies presented in this dissertation. In Chapter 7, we provided a summary of our main findings from different studies described in Chapter 2 - 6, the clinical implication of our main findings, and suggestions for future research. Show less
The research topic of the thesis is the extension of evolutionary multi-objective optimization for real-world scheduling problems. Several novel algorithms are proposed: the diversity indicator... Show moreThe research topic of the thesis is the extension of evolutionary multi-objective optimization for real-world scheduling problems. Several novel algorithms are proposed: the diversity indicator-based multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (DI-MOEA) can achieve a uniformly distributed solution set; the preference-based MOEA can obtain preferred solutions; the edge-rotated cone can improve the performance of MOEAs for many-objective optimization; and dynamic MOEA takes the stability as an extra objective. Besides the classical flexible job shop scheduling, the thesis proposes solutions for the novel problem domain of vehicle fleet maintenance scheduling optimization (VFMSO). The problem originated from the CIMPLO (Cross-Industry Predictive Maintenance Optimization Platform) project and the project partners Honda and KLM. The VFMSO problem is to determine the maintenance schedule for the vehicle fleet, meaning to find the best maintenance order, location and time for each component in the vehicle fleet based on the predicted remaining useful lifetimes of components and conditions of available workshops. The maintenance schedule is optimized to bring business advantages to industries, i.e., to reduce maintenance time, increase safety and save repair expenses. After formulating the problem as a scalable benchmark in an industrially relevant setting, the proposed algorithms have been successfully used to solve VFMSO problem instances. Show less
This ecological community has long been known to affect host biology, and their diverse roles have been further clarified in recent years following numerous studies of animal:microbiota... Show moreThis ecological community has long been known to affect host biology, and their diverse roles have been further clarified in recent years following numerous studies of animal:microbiota interactions in diverse systems.In this thesis, I will shed light on the ecological interactions between the burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides, and its gut microbiota. I will investigate the potential mechanisms underlying the transmission and colonization of gut microbiota of this species. In addition, I will examine some 9 of the effects conferred by the beetle’s microbiota on its ecology. My research highlights the association between host behaviour and gut microbiota ecology.My data contributes to an increased understand of the relationships between insect parental care and the social transmission of beneficial gut bacteria. My study will help us to better understand the complex interactions between insects and their microbiota. Show less
The studies described in this thesis have contributed to the discovery of CETP as a biomarker for the hepatic macrophage content, a hallmark of NASH for which no non-invasive diagnostic method is... Show moreThe studies described in this thesis have contributed to the discovery of CETP as a biomarker for the hepatic macrophage content, a hallmark of NASH for which no non-invasive diagnostic method is currently available, and discovery of novel therapeutic modalities for atherosclerosis and NASH. First of all, we gained more insight into the true cellular origin of CETP (i.e. the liver macrophage), and the mechanisms underlying the CETP-lowering effects of HDL-raising agents (i.e. by reducing the hepatic macrophage content). We extrapolated the association between the reduction of hepatic lipid content and plasma CETP concentration upon lipid-lowering interventions from mice to humans. Furthermore, we demonstrated the role of CETP in discrepant effects of rHDL on VLDL metabolism between mice and humans, and reported a species difference in the central regulation of hepatic VLDL metabolism by NPY between mice and rats, which underscores a general concern in animal research in view of extrapolating findings from specific animal studies to explain observations done in humans. Additionally, we demonstrated that CORT has long-lasting beneficial effects on atherosclerosis development suggesting a possibility for therapeutic application of anti-inflammatory agents in CVD. Finally, we described GLP-1 receptor agonism as a novel strategy to improve lipid metabolism and hepatic inflammation, which may result in novel strategies to treat both atherosclerosis and NASH. Show less
