International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion online publications
Not a member yet
484620 research outputs found
Sort by
Google's expansion into security:Platforms, infrastructure, (in)visibility
No full textOver the last decade, Big Tech have been extending their socio-political impact by increasingly getting involved in matters of security. As such, Big Tech like Google gain power over what needs to be secured or protected, from whom and how. Concerned with this development, this PhD thesis asks how Google builds on its digital dominance to expand and navigate its position in the security domain. It answers this question from an interdisciplinary perspective that combines critical security studies with platform studies. This approach enables a deep exploration of Google’s security-focused platforms, infrastructure, internet standardization efforts, and expertise in artificial intelligence. The PhD thesis argues that Google builds on its digital dominance to expand and navigate its position in the security domain through its platformization of security, expanding infrastructurally, and by deploying (in)visibility politics. As such, Google’s involvement in security is no longer ambivalent. Google is pro-actively taking steps to shape understandings of security to fit its commercial objectives. Google may align itself with government interests when there is potential for long-term commercial benefit. But Google does not hesitate to treat governments just like any other user of its platform who needs to agree with the terms and conditions if that platform has reached an infrastructural scale and scope. While Google is subject to government regulation in for example the United States and the European Union, Google’s relationship with governments is therefore highly dependent on context
Molecular mechanisms and biomarkers of aging and lifespan extension
Get PDFThe aim of this thesis was to identify novel regulators of longevity, test pharmacological interventions, and explore the role of lipid metabolism in aging using both genetic and systems-level approaches. In Chapter 2, we identified the opioid antagonist naltrexone as a potential geroprotective compound by mimicking the FOXO3A pathway in silico. In C. elegans, low-dose naltrexone extended healthspan and lifespan via SKN-1/NRF2-mediated regulation of innate immunity and stress resistance. Chapter 3 utilized 85 recombinant inbred lines (RIAILs) of C. elegans to integrate transcriptomic, proteomic, and lipidomic data with lifespan and other life-history traits. We observed substantial variability in longevity, positively associated with developmental time, and mapped both established and novel regulators, including rict-1, gfm-1, and mltn-1. In Chapter 4, we investigated mitochondrial stress response (MSR) activation by doxycycline across the same RIAIL panel. Lifespan extension was highly strain-specific, and QTL mapping identified fipp-1/FIP1L1 as a new regulator of the UPRmt, validated in worms and human cells. Chapter 5 extended this work to human plasma lipidomics, revealing triglyceride accumulation with age, modulated by physical activity. Chapter 6 further identified lipid acyl-chain lengthening as a conserved hallmark of aging in worms, flies, mice, and humans, and linked it to cardiovascular disease progression. Knockdown of lipid elongation enzymes in C. elegans extended lifespan and reversed lipid remodeling. Finally, Chapters 7 and 8 integrate these findings, highlighting new therapeutic targets, molecular biomarkers, and lipid remodeling mechanisms in aging and lifespan regulation
Personalising treatment and targets in IBD
Get PDFInflammatoire darmziekten (IBD) zijn chronische ontstekingsziekten van de darm. De precieze oorzaak is onbekend. Klachten die vaak voorkomen zijn buikpijn, diarree, bloed bij de ontlasting en een plotselinge, onhoudbare aandrang voor ontlasting. IBD kan niet worden genezen. De behandeling is erop gericht de ontsteking te onderdrukken, maar dat lukt niet altijd. In dit proefschrift hebben we onderzocht of meer persoonlijke aanpak van zowel de behandeling als de behandeldoelen kan zorgen voor betere uitkomsten voor patiënten.In het eerste deel keken we naar het personaliseren van de behandeling. Uit eerder onderzoek bleek dat patiënten met een ernstige aanval van colitis ulcerosa mogelijk een hogere dosering van het medicijn infliximab nodig hebben, maar dat de optimale dosis verschilt per persoon. Wij hebben daarom in deze patiënten onderzocht of een persoonlijke dosis infliximab (afgestemd op de concentratie infliximab in het bloed) beter werkt dan de standaarddosis. We vonden dat een persoonlijke dosering mogelijk beter werkt en net zo veilig is als de standaarddosering. De persoonlijke dosis heeft daarom waarschijnlijk een beter risico/baten profiel.In het tweede deel richtten we ons op behandeldoelen. Voor veel patiënten is kwaliteit van leven een van de belangrijkste doelen. Bestaande vragenlijsten om dit te meten zijn echter vooral gemaakt door artsen, die kwaliteit van leven anders beoordelen dan patiënten zelf. Ook zijn de vragenlijsten vooral ontwikkeld in westerse landen en leggen ze nadruk op wat patiënten niet meer kunnen. Wij hebben daarom samen met patiënten wereldwijd een nieuwe vragenlijst ontwikkeld. Deze meet in hoeverre mensen met IBD een normaal leven kunnen leiden. De vragenlijst is getest in vier talen (Nederlands, Engels, Spaans en Hindi) en bleek goed en betrouwbaar te werken.Door behandeling en behandeldoelen te personaliseren, hopen we dat patiënten met IBD in de toekomst vaker een normaal leven kunnen leiden
Atmosphere/Amsterdam:Architectural media and the urban (re)imagination of nature
Get PDFIn the summer of 2020, the city of Amsterdam published the Amsterdam Green Infrastructure Vision 2050: A Liveable City for People, Plants, and Animals as part of the larger (re)positioning of Amsterdam as a ‘sustainable’ city. This article-based dissertation focuses on seven different sites to explore how architecture contributes to the imagination and realization of sustainability: The interactive cartographic database Maps Amsterdam, the three residential building projects ReGen Villages, The Urban Tree Village and VERTICAL, and the three neighborhood (re)developments Sloterdijk, Zuidas and Bajeskwartier. From drawings and sketches of initial designs via virtual renderings and animations to photographs and videos of the construction, architecture can be understood as an inherently mediated process – and yet, these media are rarely approached as a site of negotiation. Conceptualizing the term architectural media, this thesis positions mediations of architecture as a key site of place-making and meaning-making – particularly in processes of urban transformation. In the context of the ‘sustainable’ city, architectural media are (re)imagining urban nature(s), (re)constructing urban future(s) and (re)producing urban atmosphere(s). Weaving together the different case studies, the individual chapters move through the architectural process, from the initial urban policies and plans delineating the city’s development to virtual renderings of proposed constructions, architectural models as haptic visualizations of neighborhood development plans, architectural photographs of different moments in the construction process to the construction site itself. Taken together, the chapters underline how becoming ‘sustainable’ and making a ‘sustainable’ city are entangled processes of imagination and realization.</p
Between shared and conflicting interests:The political economy of the markets for public debt in the Dutch Republic, 1600-1795
Get PDFEvidence-informed decision making in occupational health and safety
Get PDFDecisions to (de-)implement occupational safety and health (OSH) interventions are not always supported by the best available scientific evidence. The aim of this thesis is to investigate how researchers can support OSH decision makers in using the best available evidence when (de-)implementing OSH interventions. In the first part of the thesis, we looked at the quality of evidence from research studies that can inform policy makers’ and other stakeholders’ decisions. In the second part of the thesis, we analysed how OSH decision makers can make evidence-informed decisions from both a population and individual perspective. The thesis consists of five studies: two Cochrane systematic reviews, an analysis of the reporting quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in OSH, the implementation of the evidence-to-decision framework for policy decisions regarding (de-)implementing return to work coordination interventions, and the development and feasibility study of a decision aid for healthcare workers on the use of double gloves to prevent needle-stick injuries.We found moderate to very low-quality evidence from OSH intervention studies. Most trials do not fulfil the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) which negatively impacts the risk of bias assessments, and thus the quality of the evidence in OSH. The evidence-to-decision framework for policy makers and a decision-aid for workers enabled a systematic and transparent approach to decision making that is informed by the best available evidence for all relevant decision-making criteria, such as effectiveness, costs, and personal values
Optimizing and personalizing Barrett’s neoplasia management:Facilitating future transition
Get PDFIn recent years, the incidence of esophageal cancer, particularly adenocarcinoma, has risen significantly in Western countries. Barrett’s Esophagus (BE) is a recognized precursor to this malignancy. Patients with BE are regularly monitored through endoscopy to detect abnormal cells or cancer at an early, treatable stage. A combined therapeutic approach comprising of endoscopic resection of abnormalities and ablation of Barrett’s mucosa has been demonstrated to be both effective and safe for patients with low-grade dysplasia, high-grade dysplasia, or early esophageal cancer. Part 1 of this dissertation introduces endoscopic eradication therapy (EET), addresses common procedural errors in managing Barrett’s-related neoplasia and provides practical recommendations for endoscopists to mitigate these errors.Part 2 examines the expansion of endoscopic treatment criteria for esophageal cancer. It evaluates the outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissections (ESD) in the Netherlands and evaluates the risk of residual neoplasia in patients with non-radical (R1) resections, i.e. presence of tumor cells in the deep resection margin following endoscopic therapy. ESD has proven safe and effective for the removal of (deep) invasive submucosal tumors. Furthermore, the studies indicated that only half of the patients with R1 resections were diagnosed with residual tumor tissue, suggesting that current recommendations for additional surgery after R1 resection may lead to overtreatment of some patients. Furthermore, the importance of expert centers for managing patients with ultra-long Barrett segments, given their higher risk of neoplastic progression, is also discussed.Part 3 focuses on personalized care following successful endoscopic treatment for Barrett’s-related neoplasia. The natural progression course of untreated dysplasia to a symptomatic cancer stage was evaluated. Additionally, the risk of mortality from non-esophageal cancer causes was evaluated in the population of patients after successful EET, which was nearly 40 times greater than mortality from esophageal cancer recurrence. The Charlson Comorbidity Index proved useful in predicting this mortality risk. These studies may offer valuable insights for future treatment strategies
Disentangling the metabolic and psychological wiring in obesity:A look beyond the scale
Get PDFThis thesis investigates the biological mechanisms underlying obesity and obesity-related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and MASLD-MASH, through a systems biology perspective. It emphasizes the multifactorial nature of obesity and its complexities. At its core is the BARIA study, a large longitudinal cohort examining metabolic and psychological changes following bariatric surgery.A key focus is bile acid metabolism, leveraging a unique dataset of portal bile acids to gain deeper insights into the enterohepatic circulation in individuals with severe obesity. The interaction between portal bile acids and the gut microbiota emerges as critical. Alterations in bile acid profiles after surgery revealing pathways potentially linked to diabetes remission.The thesis also addresses complications of bariatric surgery, such as post-bariatric hypoglycemia. Using high-throughput sequencing, acylcholines were identified as a novel pathway that may influence glucose metabolism, providing new insights into the condition’s underlying mechanisms.Psychological dimensions of obesity are explored, including the identification of distinct psychological phenotypes that may impact post-surgery outcomes. Additionally, the role of self-compassion is highlighted as a potential factor in enhancing patients' overall well-being.Finally, the gut microbiota's role is underscored by the discovery of microbiota-generated ethanol in the portal vein, correlating with MASLD-MASH markers and suggesting a significant role in disease pathogenesis.In summary, this research integrates microbiome, metabolic, and psychological factors, advancing understanding of the complexity of obesity and metabolic diseases while paving the way for innovative, personalized treatments
Deserving refugees?:The evolution of a concept in the Dutch Republic (1570-1730s)
Get PDFThe Dutch word for ‘refugee’ (vluchteling) is relatively new according to the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal and traces its origin to the early seventeenth century. It only became common in general language at the end of that century, specifically as a description for Protestants fleeing religious persecution and oppression in France. This linguistic development, however, must be seen in the light of a long-term and broader socio-cultural change in the attitude against foreigners. This study examines this development. It questions when, how and why the concept of ‘the refugee’ evolved into a specific category of migrant. To examine the emergence and evolution of the concept of ‘refugee’ during a period when this term was not part of a formal legal vocabulary, I distinguished between the development of the concept as a type of migrant and the terminology that was actually used. The concept was shaped by the distinction between ‘desirable’ and ‘undesirable’, and between those deemed ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ of aid. The evolution of the ‘deserving refugee’ was driven by administrative needs, religious and geopolitical dynamics, economic interests of local elites, and the advocacy efforts of displaced communities. These factors collectively shaped the understanding of the ‘refugee’
Can teachers promote students' self-regulated learning in elementary schools?:The role of teacher–student interactions and teacher skills
Get PDFSelf-regulated learning (SRL) is widely recognized as a crucial skill that influences various educational outcomes, including students’ academic success, student engagement, and lifelong learning capabilities. It involves a cyclical process in which students actively regulate various components of their learning, including cognition, metacognition, motivation, emotions, and behavior. Despite its significance, many educators struggle to effectively teach SRL in their students, which may be due to a lack of knowledge and practical tools to guide them. This lack of knowledge and tools stems in part from the traditional belief that SRL starts to develop after elementary school. Additionally, much of the existing theoretical models of SRL are grounded in research primarily focused on secondary school and university students. As a result, there is still a knowledge gap concerning how SRL may be best promoted in younger children. To address this gap, this dissertation explored the extent to which teacher and classroom factors are associated with students’ SRL-skills during the upper elementary school years. Three aims were addressed. The first aim was to synthesize the current empirical literature on classroom processes that may promote students’ SRL. The second aim was to examine the dimensions that underlie individual differences in SRL among elementary school students. The third and final aim was to investigate the extent to which teacher and classroom processes are associated with SRL-skills in elementary school classes, including daily interactions between teachers and students, and specific teacher skills