Many Chinese people suffer from chronic diseases like hypertension and chronic lung disease (CLD), leading to a significant disease burden. Self-management intervention (SMI) can help improve... Show moreMany Chinese people suffer from chronic diseases like hypertension and chronic lung disease (CLD), leading to a significant disease burden. Self-management intervention (SMI) can help improve patients’ quality of life and reduce the disease burden. But most research on SMI has been done in high-income countries, while over 599 million Chinese people suffer from chronic diseases. Implementing effective SMI in high–income countries for Chinese people with chronic diseases is possible. However, such SMI might not work well in China because of differences in economics and culture. To meet this end, this thesis aimed to tailor a proven-effective SMI tackling CLD, developed and tested in the Netherlands, to the Chinese context. The tailoring steps included identifying the Chinese context, selecting the SMI and mode of delivery, identifying factors influencing the SMI implementation, and integrating SMI into the Chinese context. The results found that SMI – developed and tested in the Netherlands – could be tailored in China. The tailored SMI could help Chinese people with CLD improve their health outcomes and reduce the disease burden, consequently can optimize resource use locally. Other researchers could use the research experience in this thesis to tailor other SMIs targeting other chronic diseases in other cultures. Show less
Schulze, R.; Guinée, J.B.; Oers, L. van; Alvarenga, R.; Dewulf, J.; Drielsma, J. 2019
At the beginning of the SUPRIM project, there was no global consensus on the assessment of impacts from the use of abiotic resources (minerals and metals), in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA).... Show moreAt the beginning of the SUPRIM project, there was no global consensus on the assessment of impacts from the use of abiotic resources (minerals and metals), in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). Unlike with other impact categories such as global warming, there is not just one single, explicitly agreed-upon problem arising from the use of abiotic resources. The topic is complex and new methods are still being developed, all with different perspectives and views on resource use. For this reason, the SUPRIM project initiated a consensus process together with members from the research and mining communities, with the aim to obtain an understanding of different stakeholders’ views and concerns regarding potential issues resulting from the use of resources. This paper reports on this consensus process and its outcomes. Insights from this process are twofold: First, the outcome of the process is a clear definition of the perspectives on abiotic resources which form the starting point to further refine or develop LCIA methods on abiotic resource use. Second, the process itself has been a challenging but valuable exercise, which can inspire the evolution of other complex issues in life cycle impact assessment, where research communities face similar issues as experienced with abiotic resources (e.g. water and land use, social LCA, etc.). Show less
The key objective of this research is to design a consultation model for the legislative process in fiscal matters. When tax laws are being drafted, such a model can be used as a tool to select... Show moreThe key objective of this research is to design a consultation model for the legislative process in fiscal matters. When tax laws are being drafted, such a model can be used as a tool to select the best possible consultation variant and the suitable stakeholders. I have analyzed six consultation methods with the aim of providing a framework for selecting the most effective one(s). I have described the structure and possible variants of each of these six methods and I have explained their strengths and weaknesses. Of fiscal stakeholder groups that may be consulted there are seven: taxpayers; tax consultants and their professional organizations; interest groups; academics; judges and the National Ombudsman; foreign authorities; and internal stakeholders. I have identified the consultation purposes to which the various stakeholder groups can usefully contribute as well as the considerations underlying the choice whether or not to consult a particular stakeholder group. As the manner in which a consultation procedure is executed can be a decisive success factor, the key stages of a sound consultation procedure and the considerations underlying them are also an integral part of this research. Show less
To commemorate the Dutch Revolt people from both the Northern and Southern Netherlands commissioned, kept, and collected a large variety of objects. From paintings to clay pipes, from hearth plates... Show moreTo commemorate the Dutch Revolt people from both the Northern and Southern Netherlands commissioned, kept, and collected a large variety of objects. From paintings to clay pipes, from hearth plates to gable stones, from clothing to cannonballs; all these objects were used to either remember of forget the war in the late sixteenth and seventeenth century. Especially on an urban level many of these material memories survive. They are part of an urban memory landscape, a set of shared memories which survived on several levels of the urban community and involved multiple stakeholders such as the magistrate, the church, corporations, and individual citizens. Within the urban community these stakeholders used diverse objects to promulgate a certain message about the Revolt. Subsequently this could become part of a city's urban identity and civic representation. Whether in the Dutch Republic or in the Habsburg Netherlands cities were well aware of their options either to include, exclude or reinterpret stories about the past. Material memories of the Dutch Revolt were therefore continuously and carefully (re)selected and used to reflect on what the urban community had gone through during eighty years of war Show less
