Institutional Repository Universiteit Antwerpen
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Bespreking van het arrest van het Hof van Justitie van 29 april 2025, zaak C-181/23, Europese Commissie/Republiek Malta
No full textAbstract: Korte commentaar bij het arrest van het HvJ van 29 april 2025 in zaak C-181/23, Commissie/Malt
Post-conflict institutional engineering and political representation in Burundi
No full textAbstract: Power sharing, in its various forms, has become the main approach of conflict-regulation in divided societies, that is, societies where \u2018us against them\u2019 organizes political competition. It is used to resolve post-electoral conflicts, to end violent identity-based conflicts, and/or to ensure political representation of politically salient groups. Burundi, the focus of this research, has mobilized ethnic power-sharing to end an ethnic conflict between Hutu and Tutsi, the two main ethnic groups in the country. This research aims to uncover the institutional architecture and lifecycle of power sharing in Burundi, examine whether (and how) the evolution of power dynamics influenced political power-sharing practices in Burundi, and explore whether (and how) power-sharing institutions shape citizens\u2019 perceptions and experiences of political representation. To achieve these goals, it relies on an original dataset of individuals who held important state positions between 1988 and 2023 and life histories. It discusses, inter alia, the conditions under which power-sharing became adoptable. It shows that a mutually hurting stalemate was key to the signature of a power-sharing agreement in Burundi. However, the durability of this agreement has owed much to the adaptability of its design. A changing political context has affected the real-life implementation of the initial arrangements. Dominant political actors have taken advantage of loopholes in the design and monopolized strategic and high salience political positions. Hence, the power-sharing system has mimicked the predecessor regimes in terms of instrumentalization of regionalism, domination of male politicians, and blurring lines between military and political establishments. This research argues that the evolution of ethnic power-sharing is a function of a larger pattern of strategies to control power, in light of long-standing patron-client dynamics, single party culture, civil-military relations and regional power imbalances. While power-sharing can be a strong tool to end protracted conflicts (even in hard cases like Burundi), its transformative potential can be limited
A molecular perspective on leprosy : advancing diagnostics and RNA stability, and exploring host susceptibility and potential reservoirs
No full textAbstract: Although often regarded as a disease of the past, leprosy remains a public health concern in some parts of the world. This disease, caused by Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis, affects the skin and nerves and, if diagnosed late, can lead to permanent disability and ongoing transmission. Although M. leprae was discovered over 150 years ago, major knowledge gaps still hinder effective control. This PhD thesis addresses several of these gaps using state-of-the-art molecular approaches. For the first time, tongue dorsum samples from leprosy patients were systematically compared with skin biopsies and nasal swabs. While M. leprae DNA was detected by RLEP qPCR in tongue swabs and scrapes of patients with high bacillary loads, sensitivity was lower than for other sampling methods. Nevertheless, the confirmed presence of M. leprae on the tongue dorsum warrants further study, e.g. on transmission. To support molecular studies in field conditions, RNA preservation was evaluated using M. tuberculosis as a culturable proxy. While RNAlater did not fully inactivate mycobacteria, a long-term stability experiment showed that 70% ethanol preserved RNA yield and integrity for up to 12 months at \u201320 C, and quality was unaffected by multiple freeze\u2013thaw cycles, suggesting a potential for field applicability. Potential reasons for persistent leprosy hyperendemicity in the Comoros were further explored. Whole genome sequencing of a multiplex family from Anjouan identified candidate host susceptibility genes, including IL12RB1, HLA-A, RNH1, ATG3, and MALT1. In contrast, screening of ticks from all three Comorian islands revealed no M. leprae DNA, suggesting hat they likely do not play a role in transmission. Similarly, squirrels from leprosy-endemic Tshopo Province (DRC) tested negative for M. leprae and M. lepromatosis DNA, provisionally excluding them as reservoirs
Regulating nitrogen pollution in agriculture : modeling policy effects and farmer preferences for economic instruments
No full textAbstract: This thesis examines how economic instruments can address the regulation of nitrogen pollution from agricultural sources, focusing both on sector-level impacts and farmer behavior. Nitrogen pollution remains a critical challenge within the dynamics between agriculture and the environment in the European Union, requiring the design of effective and socially acceptable control policies, for which insights into both policy impacts and individual decision-making are needed. The first chapter explores the unexpected effects of regulating multiple nitrogen pollutants using taxation policies. Through a formal economic framework and the European agricultural supply model AROPAj, we show that taxing nitrogen fertilizer inputs can paradoxically increase nitrogen emissions in some regions. This effect can be attributed to the presence of untaxed organic nitrogen from livestock manure and its redistribution for profit maximization purposes. While overall pollution is reduced, the findings emphasize the complexity of nitrogen regulation, particularly in livestock-intensive systems. The second chapter investigates the role of information policies in the improvement of soil and water quality in Flanders through agricultural extension and advisory services. Using a combination of an ex-post satisfaction assessment and an ex-ante Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE), we examine how Flemish farmers value different features of advisory programs. While previous participation in existing programs does not significantly influence participation decisions, results from mixed logit and latent class models reveal a strong preference for trusted, non-government-affiliated advisors and a high sensitivity to participation costs. The study puts emphasis on the importance of tailoring advisory services to farmers' guidance needs. The third chapter focuses on the design of a voluntary, result-based agri-environmental scheme under the Flemish Manure Policy. Using a DCE, we elicit farmers' preferences for flexibility in farming calendar obligations versus financial incentives for compliance with nitrate residue thresholds. The analysis indicates that average preferences are driven by nitrate monitoring thresholds and flexibility and a marginal influence of the monetary reward. Significant preference heterogeneity is revealed across the population, with the latent class model identifying one group of farmers oriented toward the status quo and another inclined toward scheme participation. Perceived achievability of environmental targets also emerges as a key driver of enrollment. Together, these three chapters provide complementary insights on the impact of taxation policies, information and incentive instruments on nitrogen pollution outcomes. The thesis contributes to the design of more effective and socially acceptable environmental policy instruments in the agricultural sector
Orewoet\u2019s Journey. The Reuse of a Medieval Mystical Term in a Contemporary Novel
No full textAbstract: After centuries of oblivion, the Middle Dutch neologism orewoet [madness of love] \u2013 a key term in the writings of the medieval mystic Hadewijch of Brabant (c. 1240) \u2013 has made a striking comeback in the contemporary cultural field of the Low Countries. This article situates the resurrection of orewoet in the broader context of the religious turn of the 21th century and the \u2018affective dominant\u2019 evident in contemporary literature, taking the novel Orewoet (2016) by Dutch author Emy Koopman as a case study. Using the methodology of Cultural Transfer Studies, we analyze the semantic field of maddening desire in, first, Hadewijch\u2019s mystical love lyrics, and second, Koopman\u2019s novel. This comparative analysis reveals that, in the secular love story Orewoet, only one aspect of Hadewijch\u2019s orewoet is appropriated: the lover\u2019s suffering from unrequited love as a destructive force. The deifying potential of orewoet as a painful yet transformative force for self-annihilation that propels the lover into spiritual maturity, did not survive its journey from Hadewijch to Koopman
The link between formal childcare uptake and subsequent childbearing : evidence for ten European countries
No full textAbstract: Despite numerous studies addressing formal childcare uptake, the potential influence of individual-level childcare usage on subsequent birth hazards remains largely underexplored. Utilizing data from the Generations and Gender Survey (GGS), this study employs dynamic propensity score matching and hazard models to address the association between formal childcare uptake and subsequent birth hazards amongst working parents across ten European countries. In line with micro-economic and sociological theories, working parents who used formal childcare are assumed more likely to progress to a next birth, due to less tension between work and family, lower dependency on informal care, and potential positive effects on employment security, stress reduction, and child development. However, our findings reveal notable cross-national differences. In countries with higher rates of formal childcare usage among working parents in the GGS sample (France, Germany, Russia, Lithuania, and Hungary) results show a positive association between childcare uptake and subsequent births. In contrast, Georgia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, and Austria exhibit predominantly negative associations. As such, this study not only addresses the linkage between formal childcare uptake and continued fertility using comparable data and a consistent research design across ten countries, but also invites future cross-national comparisons tailored to explain such cross-national variation
Don't mention the war : the effect of war threat on entrepreneurial activity in the Second Industrial Revolution of Belgium
No full textAbstract: We examine the impact of war tensions on entrepreneurship in Belgium during the Second Industrial Revolution (1885-1913), focusing on how geopolitical uncertainty influenced firm creation and capital raised by new firms. Our analyses reveal significant declines in both as threats escalated. Utilising a text-based war threat measure and controlling for other sources of uncertainty, we document that rising risk aversion suppressed entrepreneurial activity. The results challenge the effectuation theory, demonstrating that perceived opportunities during conflicts were overshadowed by caution
Belgium and the Ottoman Empire : diplomacy, capital, and transnational loyalties, 1865-1914
No full textCD70-directed CAR natural killer cells as novel off-the-shelf cell therapy in colorectal and pancreatic cancer targeting tumor cells and their microenvironment
No full textAbstract: The engineering of immune cells with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) has enabled the development of CAR T cell therapies, which eliminate tumor cells in an antigen-specific, HLA-independent manner without prior education. While CAR T cells have shown remarkable success in CD19+ B cell malignancies, their efficacy in solid tumors remains limited due to heterogeneous antigen expression, complex tumor trafficking, and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). To overcome these challenges, this study explores a CAR-based natural killer (NK) cell therapy targeting CD70, an emerging tumor-associated antigen, for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). CD70 is part of the CD70-CD27 co-stimulatory axis, which is normally tightly regulated but becomes dysregulated in various cancers, contributing to tumor progression and immune evasion. While CD70 is primarily expressed on tumor cells, recent findings, including those from this study, have identified CD70+ cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the TME of CRC and PDAC, where they promote tumor migration and immune suppression. Given their pro-tumorigenic role, we hypothesized that CD70+ CAFs represent a viable therapeutic target. CAR NK cells offer several advantages over CAR T cells, including off-the-shelf availability, lower toxicity, and multiple tumor-killing mechanisms. In this study, CD70-directed CAR NK cells were developed and evaluated for their efficacy against CD70+ tumor cells and CAFs in CRC and PDAC. Notably, interleukin-15 (IL-15) stimulation was found to be essential for optimal CAR NK cell activation and cytotoxicity. IL-15 significantly enhanced CAR expression and NK cell activation, reducing dependence on high CD70 target expression. To optimize patient selection, we investigated soluble CD27 (sCD27) as a potential predictive biomarker for CD70+ CAFs. However, in vitro analyses revealed no correlation between sCD27 levels and CD70+ CAF presence, limiting its utility as a stratification marker for CD70-CAR NK therapy. Given the central role of CAFs in therapy resistance and tumor progression, targeting CD70+ CAFs may improve treatment responses. However, to achieve comprehensive tumor eradication, this strategy may need to be combined with direct tumor-targeting therapies. Chemotherapy, a standard-of-care treatment for mCRC, was found to enhance CD70 expression and induce tumor cell stress responses that could synergize with CAR NK therapy. In conclusion, this study provides a strong preclinical rationale for translating CD70-CAR-IL-15 NK cells into clinical applications for mCRC and PDAC. Furthermore, the findings support investigating combination strategies with chemotherapy to enhance therapeutic efficacy
Embodied legacies of rebellion : (body) memory, self-conception and political participation among ex-combatants in Burundi
No full textAbstract: Across space and time, the return of combatants after war has been fraught with challenges, carrying profound implications for both individuals and societies. This thesis engages with this universally relevant topic by examining the lived, embodied experiences of Burundian ex-combatants from an underexplored long-term perspective. It examines the ways in which their past participation in war continues to shape their lives and political engagement. Employing an innovative analytical framework of embodiment, the thesis pays particular attention to the role of the body in these processes \u2013 previously overlooked in research on the topic. The thesis draws on qualitative life history interviews \u2013 conducted during six months of fieldwork \u2013 with ex-combatants from the CNDD-FDD and the PALIPEHUTU-FNL, the two major armed groups that fought Burundi\u2019s national army during the civil war, which ravaged the country from 1993 until the early 2000s. After over a decade of fighting, the CNDD-FDD and PALIPEHUTU-FNL laid down their arms in 2004 and 2009, respectively. At the institutional level, both groups transformed into political parties and became the key players in the country\u2019s political landscape. At the individual level, part of the groups\u2019 combatants were integrated into the new national security forces, while part were demobilised and reintegrated into civilian society. It is this latter group of ex-combatants that is the focus of this research. Four empirical chapters lie at the heart of this thesis. The first chapter sets the scene by focusing on the wartime experiences, examining the various ways in which they shaped combatants. Loosely building on this foundation, the subsequent chapters explore the complex legacies of these wartime experiences from various angles. They examine the internal, embodied continuities of the past in the form of (body) memories; the contradictory social forces that complicate ex-combatants\u2019 understanding of themselves and their place in society; and the impetus and forms of ongoing political engagement. The contributions of this thesis are both empirical and theoretical. Empirically, it provides nuanced insights into the long-term legacies of war, relevant in Burundi and beyond. Theoretically, it introduces a novel embodiment perspective to the scholarship on ex-combatants, opening up new avenues for research. Implicitly, it also carries practical implications by pointing to the potential of the body as ground for policy interventions