Due to a shortage of donation after brain death (DBD) organs, donation after circulatory death (DCD) is increasingly performed. In the field of islet transplantation, there is uncertainty regarding... Show moreDue to a shortage of donation after brain death (DBD) organs, donation after circulatory death (DCD) is increasingly performed. In the field of islet transplantation, there is uncertainty regarding the suitability of DCD pancreas in terms of islet yield and function after islet isolation. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential use of DCD pancreas for islet transplantation. Islet isolation procedures from 126 category 3 DCD and 258 DBD pancreas were performed in a 9-year period. Islet yield after isolation was significantly lower for DCD compared to DBD pancreas (395 515 islet equivalents [IEQ] and 480 017 IEQ, respectively; p = .003). The decrease in IEQ during 2 days of culture was not different between the two groups. Warm ischemia time was not related to DCD islet yield. In vitro insulin secretion after a glucose challenge was similar between DCD and DBD islets. After islet transplantation, DCD islet graft recipients had similar graft function (AUC C-peptide) during mixed meal tolerance tests and Igls score compared to DBD graft recipients. In conclusion, DCD islets can be considered for clinical islet transplantation. Show less
This report is the second output from the Joint Research Centre’s (JRC) Enlightenment 2.0 multi-annual research programme. The work started with the classical Enlightenment premise that reason is... Show moreThis report is the second output from the Joint Research Centre’s (JRC) Enlightenment 2.0 multi-annual research programme. The work started with the classical Enlightenment premise that reason is the primary source of political authority and legitimacy. Recognising that advances in behavioural, decision and social sciences demonstrate that we are not purely rational beings, we sought to understand the other drivers that influence political decision-making. The first output “Understanding our political nature: how to put knowledge and reason at the heart of policymaking” published in 20191, addressed some of the most pressing political issues of our age. However, some areas that we consider crucial to providing an updated scientific model of the drivers of political decision-making were not fully addressed. One of them is the impact of our contemporary digital information space on the socio-psychological mechanisms of opinion formation, decision-making and political behaviour. The JRC, together with a team of renowned experts addresses this knowledge deficit in a report that synthesises the knowledge about digital technology, democracy and human behaviour to enable policymakers to safeguard a participatory and democratic European future through legislation that aligns with human thinking and behaviour in a digital context. It is hoped that this report will prove useful as policymakers reflect upon the forthcoming European Democracy Action Plan, the Digital Services Act, the EU Citizenship Report 2020, as well as on how to legislate against disinformation. The report has been written in spring/summer of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of Europe and the world. During this time, our democracies suffered while technology played a crucial role in keeping societies functioning in times of lockdown. From remote distance education to teleworking, religious services to staying in touch with family and friends, for many but not all, everyday activities moved online. Additionally, technological applications and initiatives multiplied in an attempt to limit the spread of the disease, treat patients and facilitate the tasks of overworked essential personnel. Conversely, however, significant fundamental rights questions have been raised as unprecedented initiatives to track, trace and contain the pandemic using digital technologies have proven controversial. Governments invoking emergency measures in support of public health decision-making, used advanced analytics to collect, process and share data for effective front-line responses that lacked transparency and public consultation. When used as an information source, social media have been found to present a health risk that is partly due to their role as disseminators of health-related conspiracies, with non-English language speakers being at greater risk of exposure to misinformation during the crisis. It is likely that these technologies will have a long-lasting impact beyond COVID-19. Yet despite the immediacy of the crisis, the authors invite the reader to take a longer perspective on technology and democracy to get a deeper understanding of the interrelated nuances. In dark times, we seek to bring light to the importance of understanding the influence of online technologies on political behaviour and decision-making. Show less
The importance of the media, both in the acquisition of knowledge, and in the formation of opinions and representations of science subjects, has been widely acknowledged in research. However,... Show moreThe importance of the media, both in the acquisition of knowledge, and in the formation of opinions and representations of science subjects, has been widely acknowledged in research. However, there is still an insufficient number of studies which focus on how young audiences specifically access, understand and create science-related content via different platforms, thereby mobilising different literacies. The present empirical study seeks to explore some bridges in this regard. By looking at a young public interested in science, namely Astronomy and Space Sciences, we intend to ascertain what they value and how they appropriate scientific information in their social relations in order to build critical scientific literacy for decision-making and the formation of opinions about science. The main results of this study confirm that informal learning plays an important role not only in the development of identification with science by young people, but also in the search for related academic and professional pathways. Although it confirms that younger people do not seek science news, the current study suggests that they do engage in seeking science-specific information according to their interests. The absence of a reflection on how science discourses and news are produced and filtered by the media and other science communication agents underlines the relevance of promoting critical science literacy, which seems to imply a link to other literacies, media literacy included. Show less
Kramer, C.S.M.; Franke-van Dijk, M.E.I.; Bakker, K.H.; Uyar-Mercankaya, M.; Karahan, G.E.; Roelen, D.L.; ... ; Heidt, S. 2020
In kidney transplantation, eplet mismatches between donor and recipient have been associated with de novo donor-specific antibody development. Eplets are theoretically defined configurations of... Show moreIn kidney transplantation, eplet mismatches between donor and recipient have been associated with de novo donor-specific antibody development. Eplets are theoretically defined configurations of polymorphic amino acids and require experimental verification to establish whether they can be bound by alloantibodies. Human HLA-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been instrumental for this purpose but are largely lacking for HLA class II. In this study, we isolated single HLA-DR-specific memory B cells from peripheral blood of immunized individuals (n = 3) using HLA class II tetramers to generate recombinant human HLA-DR antigen-reactive mAbs (n = 5). Comparison of the amino acid composition of the reactive HLA alleles in relation to the antibody reactivity patterns led to identification of 3 configurations, 70Q 73A, 31F 32Y 37Y, and 14K 25Q recognized, respectively, by HLA-DRB1*01:01, HLA-DRB1*04:01, and HLA-DRB1*07:01 antigen-reactive mAbs. The first 2 correspond to eplets 70QA and 31FYY and can now be considered antibody verified. The latter indicates that eplet 25Q needs to be redefined before being considered as antibody verified. Generation and reactivity analysis of human HLA-DR mAbs allowed for identification of amino acid configurations corresponding to known eplets, whereas the other patterns may be used to redefine eplets with similar, but not identical predicted amino acid composition. Show less
The Banff Digital Pathology Working Group (DPWG) was formed in the time leading up to and during the joint American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics/Banff Meeting, September 23-27,... Show moreThe Banff Digital Pathology Working Group (DPWG) was formed in the time leading up to and during the joint American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics/Banff Meeting, September 23-27, 2019, held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the meeting, the 14th Banff Conference, presentations directly and peripherally related to the topic of "digital pathology" were presented; and discussions before, during, and after the meeting have resulted in a list of issues to address for the DPWG. Included are practice standardization, integrative approaches for study classification, scoring of histologic parameters (eg, interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy and inflammation), algorithm classification, and precision diagnosis (eg, molecular pathways and therapeutics). Since the meeting, a survey with international participation of mostly pathologists (81%) was conducted, showing that whole slide imaging is available at the majority of centers (71%) but that artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning was only used in approximate to 12% of centers, with a wide variety of programs/algorithms employed. Digitalization is not just an end in itself. It also is a necessary precondition for AI and other approaches. Discussions at the meeting and the survey highlight the unmet need for a Banff DPWG and point the way toward future contributions that can be made. Show less
Hoe kiezen we wat de school moet meegeven aan de volgende generatie, als elke groep in de samenleving daar anders over denkt? Waarom mag de één wel met steun van de overheid programma's maken voor... Show moreHoe kiezen we wat de school moet meegeven aan de volgende generatie, als elke groep in de samenleving daar anders over denkt? Waarom mag de één wel met steun van de overheid programma's maken voor omroep of theater, en de ander niet? Wat moet worden onderzocht als niet elk onderzoek kan worden betaald? In een land waar geen enkele meerderheid zomaar zijn wil kan opleggen, zijn dat lastige vragen. "In de regel vrij" laat zien hoe Nederland in de afgelopen eeuw op eigen wijze vorm gaf aan onderwijs, cultuur en wetenschap. Een bijzondere ervaring, die bij de vraagstukken van de toekomst nog van nut kan zijn. Dit toegankelijke en rijk geïllustreerde boek verschijnt bij het honderdjarig bestaan van het ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap. Het beschrijft een eeuw in thema's, van burgerschap tot wetenschap en van media tot Mammoetwet. Daarnaast bevat het bijzondere interviews met alle oud-ministers sinds 1973. Show less
Wunderink, H.F.; Meijden, E. van der; Blij-de Brouwer, C.S. van der; Mallat, M.J.K.; Haasnoot, G.W.; Zwet, E.W. van; ... ; Feltkamp, M.C.W. 2017
