The vital role that cities play in the governance of migration is increasingly recognized, yet migration scholars still perceive this ‘local turn’ as a recent phenomenon. This article presents a... Show moreThe vital role that cities play in the governance of migration is increasingly recognized, yet migration scholars still perceive this ‘local turn’ as a recent phenomenon. This article presents a cross-country and cross-city comparative analysis of three mid-size European cities during the post-war period: Bristol, Dortmund and Malmö. It analyses administrative cultures and local policy arenas, exposing the complexity of local migration policy-making and the crucial importance of historical perspectives. It reveals the inherent local variation in policies and practices, and argues that traditional national-level studies do not fully capture how urban actors responded to migration. Show less
In the Netherlands acute care organisations are overstretched and overcrowded. The acute care networks involve different organisations, including Emergency Departments (EDs), General Practice... Show moreIn the Netherlands acute care organisations are overstretched and overcrowded. The acute care networks involve different organisations, including Emergency Departments (EDs), General Practice Cooperatives (GPCs), ambulance services, acute mental health services, and home care and nursing home organisations. Crowding gives rise to major problems in healthcare and is caused by a combination of factors. As the general population continues to age, so too does the burden on the shrinking working force. Another factor is the suboptimal use of acute care, as a relatively high proportion of acute care use goes to patients presenting problems that are considered to have low urgency. Furthermore, the large number of acute care organisations involved increases the fragmentation caused by healthcare providers working independently and with too little communication, which stands in the way of effective cooperation. Due to the large number of organisations involved, there are multiple entrance and exit routes for patients in acute care organisations. Effective communication and coordination between all stakeholders at different levels of an organizational structure is crucial to providing high quality acute care.The main objective of this thesis is to find clues how and where acute care in the Netherlands can be improved at all integration levels. Insight into the various mechanisms should enable us to maintain accessibility of acute care for all citizens in the future. Show less
This article explores how Dortmund’s municipal government propagated a concept of city-citizenship and belonging for new arrivals by mediating between expellee, refugee and migrant communities and ... Show moreThis article explores how Dortmund’s municipal government propagated a concept of city-citizenship and belonging for new arrivals by mediating between expellee, refugee and migrant communities and ‘native’ civil society in the 1940s-1950s. The devastation of Dortmund during the Second World War, and the housing and energy shortages that followed, meant that the arrival of over a hundred thousand expellees and refugees in 1945–1960 placed severe strains on municipal resources while exacerbating conflicts between ‘native’ Dortmunders and new arrivals. The success of the Social Democratic Party (spd) in building a hegemonic position in postwar politics and administration by the late 1940s facilitated the coordination of municipal efforts to foster inter-community relations and introduce new populations to city life. Within the city council and government, in expellee meetings, and in municipal events we observe sustained municipal efforts to 1) exert social control over expellee/refugee arrivals to deflect anger at the poor conditions of the reconstruction period away from municipal officials and 2) inculcate taboos based on peace and democratic norms to delegitimise the politics of inter-community resentment. It concludes by tracing how official narratives and municipal practices constructed in the 1940s-50s were redeployed during the arrival of guest workers in the 1960s. Show less
Vester, M.P.M.; Grooth, G.J. de; Bonten, T.N.; Hoeven, B.L. van der; Doelder, M.S. de; Eindhoven, D.C.; ... ; Dijkman, P.R.M. van 2019
Many cities advertise services especially for expats, but who are they and why do we welcome them? Are they the ideal migrant, employee and citizen? In this historical study of expats in The Hague... Show moreMany cities advertise services especially for expats, but who are they and why do we welcome them? Are they the ideal migrant, employee and citizen? In this historical study of expats in The Hague and Jakarta in the postwar period, their settlement process in the city is studied from a long-term perspective and on the basis of empirical data from the archives of municipalities, embassies, expat clubs and school, as well as interviews. This study shows that the postwar and postcolonial period witnesses the rise of a new generation of expats who have a more diverse profile when it comes to their nationality, social background, profession, career and family situation. As a result it are no longer only nation states, as was the case in the colonial context, but also private companies, international organizations and urban governments that play an important role in their settlement process. Because expats have more international careers we also see a standardization process occurring in the way expatriate communities organize around the world. This study, however, also urges city governments to remain aware of the specific profile of the expatriates they attract and how internationalization processes affect the opportunities of other citizens in the city. Show less
The human brain is able to flexibly adapt its information processing capacity to meet a variety of cognitive challenges. Recent evidence suggests that this flexibility is reflected in the dynamic... Show moreThe human brain is able to flexibly adapt its information processing capacity to meet a variety of cognitive challenges. Recent evidence suggests that this flexibility is reflected in the dynamic reorganization of the functional connectome. The ascending catecholaminergic arousal systems of the brain are a plausible candidate mechanism for driving alterations in network architecture, enabling efficient deployment of cognitive resources when the environment demands them. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing both resting-state and task-based fMRI data following the administration of atomoxetine, a noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, compared with placebo, in two separate human fMRI studies. Our results demonstrate that the manipulation of central catecholamine levels leads to a reorganization of the functional connectome in a manner that is sensitive to ongoing cognitive demands. Show less
In haar proefschrift heeft Katinka Beker onderzoek gedaan naar de fundamentele leesprocessen die ten grondslag liggen aan leren van (meerdere) teksten. Uit een combinatie van literatuur- en... Show moreIn haar proefschrift heeft Katinka Beker onderzoek gedaan naar de fundamentele leesprocessen die ten grondslag liggen aan leren van (meerdere) teksten. Uit een combinatie van literatuur- en experimenteel onderzoek is gebleken dat het activeren van eerder gelezen informatie en achtergrondkennis tijdens het lezen belangrijk is bij het leren van teksten. Door een nieuw onderzoeksparadigma te gebruiken kon op een subtiele manier onderzocht worden of informatie uit eerder gelezen teksten of achtergrondkennis actief was tijdens het lezen van nieuwe teksten. Het paradigma kan in toekomstig onderzoek gebruikt worden om te onderzoeken onder welke omstandigheden informatie uit eerder gelezen teksten of achtergrondkennis geactiveerd wordt tijdens het lezen van nieuwe teksten. Het onderzoek is vooral fundamenteel van aard, maar bevat ook een aantal aanknopingspunten waarmee in toekomstig praktijkgericht onderzoek mogelijk een vertaalslag gemaakt kan worden voor de onderwijspraktijk. Zo lijken consolidatie- en verrijkingsprocessen belangrijk te zijn bij het leren van teksten. Show less
The dissertation studies how non-central governments inserted themselves in the integration process between Argentina and Chile. As a case study, the link between the Argentinean province of San... Show moreThe dissertation studies how non-central governments inserted themselves in the integration process between Argentina and Chile. As a case study, the link between the Argentinean province of San Juan and the Chilean region of Coquimbo was addressed through an extensive literature review and more than 70 interviews with key informants. The first chapter presents the theoretical framework, developing the concepts of paradiplomacy, forms of state and centralism. The second chapter provides a historical overview of the role the border area played in the relationship between Argentina and Chile. The third chapter provides an institutional analysis of the Argentinean and Chilean political configurations, shedding light on the different prerogatives and autonomy of their non-central governments. Finally, the fourth chapter analyses the link between Coquimbo and San Juan, especially through the integration committees and the Binational Entity Tunnel Agua Negra (EBITAN), highlighting the fundamental role substate governments played in the bilateral integration process. The dissertation concludes that, through the appropriate international institutionalization and flexibility at the central level, Coquimbo and San Juan proved to be an enormous contribution to integration, something worthy of being replicated not only in Argentina and Chile, but also in other countries of Latin America and the world. Show less
This thesis consists of two distinct topics. The first part of the thesis con- siders Gibbs-non-Gibbs transitions. Gibbs measures describe the macro- scopic state of a system of a large number of... Show moreThis thesis consists of two distinct topics. The first part of the thesis con- siders Gibbs-non-Gibbs transitions. Gibbs measures describe the macro- scopic state of a system of a large number of components that is in equilib- rium. It may happen that when the system is transformed, for example, by a stochastic dynamics that runs over a certain time interval, the evolved state is no longer a Gibbs measure. We study transitions from Gibbs tot non-Gibbs for mean-field systems and their relation to the large deviation rate function that is related to those systems. In the second part of the thesis we describe different notions of integrals for functions with values in a partially ordered vector space. We describe two extensions for integrals, called the vertical and the lateral extension. We compare combinations of them and compare them to other integrals. Another integral can be obtained for Archimedean directed ordered vector spaces, as they can be covered by Banach spaces in a natural way. This allows us to generalise the Bochner integral to function with values in such space. Show less
This subject of this thesis is toleration in the Netherlands after 2000. It presents an analysis of a number of parliamentary debates that have bearing on the treatment of religious and cultural... Show moreThis subject of this thesis is toleration in the Netherlands after 2000. It presents an analysis of a number of parliamentary debates that have bearing on the treatment of religious and cultural diversity in the Netherlands and on the integration of newcomers to Dutch society. It focuses on parliamentary debates since 2000 because of reports of diminishing tolerance and increasing assimilationism in the Netherlands post-2000. The question this research attempts to answer is how parliament conceives of the place and role of __moral communities__, i.e. ethnic, religious, or cultural communities, in the Netherlands. It specifically aims to determine to which degree and on what grounds moral communities are regarded as having the liberty to remain distinct from Dutch society and to what extent and on what grounds their members are required to integrate or assimilate. To that end liberal political philosophy, i.e. political philosophy investigating the grounds, form, and scope of individual liberty, is applied as an analytical tool in this research. Show less
The integration of Latin America has been a complex process. It has been characterized as a journey of improvements and setbacks, of sewing and then tearing apart. The main issue has been how to... Show moreThe integration of Latin America has been a complex process. It has been characterized as a journey of improvements and setbacks, of sewing and then tearing apart. The main issue has been how to build a strong and cohesive region in a context of strong nation states. The process of independence in the 19th century led to a debate concerning the creation of the Bolivarian inspired __Patria Grande__ (__Great Nation__) or the construction of separate states. While the Westphalian model of nation state ultimately triumphed, the yearning for regional integration remained encoded in Latin America__s aspirations. The pull towards integration was dormant following independence, as most countries rejected the goal of institutionalized and supranational associations. This pull regained strength after the turbulent period of both World Wars and the Great Depression, events that led countries to rethink their international insertion strategies. Show less
This study concerns three central aspects of multiculturalism, which are closely related to fundamental debates on citizenship and are described as the principal dimensions of multicultural... Show moreThis study concerns three central aspects of multiculturalism, which are closely related to fundamental debates on citizenship and are described as the principal dimensions of multicultural citizenship. The first of these dimensions relates to national belonging: the recognition that citizens of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds belong to the national group. The second dimension bears upon social equality, on grounds such as ethnic origin, religion, gender and sexual orientation. The third dimension is the most defining aspect of multiculturalism: the recognition of cultural distinctiveness of the various groups in society, which is considered necessary (by proponents of multiculturalism) to achieve citizen equality. This study explores views in Dutch society on these potentially divisive issues. Essentially, this study provides insight into the question to which extent society attributes the quality ‘Dutch’ to Dutch citizens from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Show less
Medical curricula are intended to help students to relate clinical and basic science knowledge. Localizing underlying basic science mechanisms allows teacher and students to focus on relevant... Show moreMedical curricula are intended to help students to relate clinical and basic science knowledge. Localizing underlying basic science mechanisms allows teacher and students to focus on relevant relations with clinical phenomena. Concept maps are promising for medical education because of the potential to articulate integration of clinical and basic sciences. We examined therefore whether and to which extent integration of clinical and basic sciences is articulated in concept maps of groups of clinicians and basic scientists with different expertise levels and developed a framework of features that described integration. The concept maps of the groups of residents and basic scientists in training appeared to articulate integration to a higher extent than the concept maps of experienced clinicians and basic scientists. Clarifications for these results were found in the process of construction and the way the groups shared and communicated their knowledge. Investigation of both concept maps and the concept mapping process resulted in recommendations to improve instructions and procedure. In addition to the construction of concept maps, the usefulness of these concept maps for medical education is explored, by taking into account the views of both constructors and teachers who were not involved in the construction process. Show less
Rica, L. de la; Urquiza, J.M.; Gomez-Cabrero, D.; Islam, A.B.M.M.K.; Lopez-Bigas, N.; Tegner, J.; ... ; Ballestar, E. 2013
Op 7 mei 2011 publiceerde het NRC Handelsblad een essay van Anil Ramdas, waarin hij zich een overtuigd criticus van het Nederlandse minderhedenbeleid betoonde. Hij verweet de overheid een te grote... Show moreOp 7 mei 2011 publiceerde het NRC Handelsblad een essay van Anil Ramdas, waarin hij zich een overtuigd criticus van het Nederlandse minderhedenbeleid betoonde. Hij verweet de overheid een te grote opdringerigheid in de omgang met de eigen culturen van migranten. Rond de eeuwwisseling, en in het bijzonder na ‘9/11’ en de moord op Theo van Gogh in 2004, was er sprake van een slingerbeweging naar het andere uiterste: ‘de overheid voelt zich nu geroepen om niet de eigen culturen te bevorderen, maar om de eigen culturen te bestrijden!’ In Het Land van Herkomst, waarin de banden van Marokkaanse migranten centraal staan, verklaart Bouras de veranderde houding van de Nederlandse overheid. Ook aan Marokkaanse zijde deden zich verschuivingen voor. Met de analyse van het Marokkaanse emigratiebeleid en levensverhalen van Marokkanen laat Bouras zien dat de aard en de omvang van de banden met Marokko in de periode tusse n 1960 en 2010 bepaald worden door meerdere factoren. Show less
This thesis is the collection of four published papers demonstrating annotation of genes and microRNAs with the aid of bioinformatics, in particular using heterogeneous data integration. Gene... Show moreThis thesis is the collection of four published papers demonstrating annotation of genes and microRNAs with the aid of bioinformatics, in particular using heterogeneous data integration. Gene annotation is the process of detecting the structure and biological function of the raw DNA sequences; while microRNA annotation is mainly about identifying its regulatory targets since microRNA modify gene expression by binding to their targets. In order to ef__ciently and accurately annotate microRNAs and coding region of a novel genome, we developed several complex work__ows which integrate the current most relevant data sources and tools. The essence of integration is not to produce even more data but to increase the sensitivity and/or speci__city of the algorithm and system. Currently, in life sciences high-throughput experiments, multiple platforms, and multiple model or non-model species are very commonly applied in different studies. In line with this trend heterogeneous data integration is no doubt an important strategy for the analysis of biological data. Show less
The current study provides a comprehensive view of the legal and political context in which these instruments were designed, with explanations about their content and recommendations for any future... Show moreThe current study provides a comprehensive view of the legal and political context in which these instruments were designed, with explanations about their content and recommendations for any future amendments. It considers the first initiatives taken by the Commission and the Council on these issues before the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam and also reviews proposals submitted by NGOs that have played a substantial role in the debate. Furthermore, documentation of the various European institutions on the negotiations surrounding the adoption of the texts in question as well as trends in case law are carefully examined. The study aims to answer the following questions: To what extent does the normative content of the guidelines allow a difference in treatment between EU migrants and Non EU migrants, does it give binding force to the obligations of Member States, and provide judicial certainty to stakeholders? Show less
Current generation adenoviral vectors (Ads) are not suitable for those gene therapy approaches that require long-term gene expression. This is due to their high immunogenicity and transient gene... Show moreCurrent generation adenoviral vectors (Ads) are not suitable for those gene therapy approaches that require long-term gene expression. This is due to their high immunogenicity and transient gene expression in fast dividing tissue. The development of gutless Ads, also known as helper-dependent Ads, is a major improvement in reducing the immunogenicity of the vector system. Gutless Ads lack virtually all viral protein-coding sequences, thus severely limiting the viral-antigen evoked cellular immune responses that may result in the elimination of the transduced cells. Safety wise, recombinant Ads are considered safe due to their inability to replicate autonomously. However, we show in this thesis that replication of recombinant Ads can be rescued by the co-infection of wild type (wt) Ads. In this thesis studies are described that aim at the development of a new system to prevent vector mobilization. Though at its present state not directly applicable, this system could also potentially be used for the production of gutless Ads devoid of helper Ad contamination. To improve efficacy of the Ad vector in dividing tissue we also studied two integration systems for their applicability in Ads. Overall, the experiments described in this thesis aim at generating safer vectors that should result in prolonged transgene expression due to lower immunogenicity and genomic integration. Show less
