Leiden University Scholary Publications
Not a member yet
131438 research outputs found
Sort by
The affective iconicity of lexical tone: evidence from standard Chinese
Get PDFTheoretical and Experimental Linguistic
Silent safety: assessing cavitation-prevention procedures on board naval surface ships
Get PDFSocial, Cognitive, and Affective Decision Makin
Poetry and subalternity: what are we looking for?
Get PDFAbstract: Battler poetry (dagong shige), often called migrant worker poetryin English, is writing by precarious workers in postsocialist China thataddresses their socioeconomic experience. It speaks to a wide-rangingaudience that includes the authors’ fellow workers but also cultural officials,middle-class media consumers, labor activists, and scholars andtranslators, in China and elsewhere. Battler poetry raises questions thatlie at the nexus of social experience and aesthetics. As such, it invitesinterdisciplinary work at the interface of social science and the humanities.Scholarship on battler poetry to date is dominated by paraphrastic andinterpretive approaches. To complement these approaches, this chapterproposes an ontological approach that recognizes battler poetry as not justdocumentation or artifact but as partaking of poetic voice, a fundamentalexpression of humanity whose manifestations are remarkably diverse.Keywords: Migrant worker literature, Chinese poetry, battler poetry,dagong poetry, Mu CaoAsian Studie
Regulatory preparedness for multicomponent nanomaterials: current state, gaps and challenges of REACH
Get PDFIn 2018 the European Commission adopted revisions to the Annexes of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 concerning registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH) to introduce nanomaterial-specific clarifications and provisions. Multicomponent nanomaterial (MCNM) is a non-regulatory term that has been used in recent EU-funded projects to describe nanomaterials with a complex structure and/or composition and which are expected to be increasingly used in products in the near future. This paper examines the regulatory preparedness of REACH, and its revised Annexes, for MCNMs. Several situations have been identified where there is potential confusion and uncertainty around how regulatory definitions used in REACH should be applied to MCNMs. If a MCNM cannot be identified as falling within a specific definition, understanding the regulatory obligations that apply to it is very difficult. Examples of these grey areas include how the term “surface functionalisation or modification” applies when a chemical is physisorbed to the surface of a nanoform, and the identity of the substance that should be registered when the modification takes it outside the definition of a nanoform. We conclude that the regulatory preparedness can be improved by amending the REACH guidance on information requirements for nanoforms and revising the definition of “nanoform” in line with the updated EC Recommendation on the definition of nanomaterial.Environmental Biolog
Investigation of possible G-quadruplex formation by GU- and GA-rich repeats and their role in translation
Get PDFRNA G-quadruplexes (rG4s) are involved in many aspects of cellular and viral protein expression. rG4s consist of at least two stacks of guanine tetrads that are stabilized by non-Watson-Crick-Franklin base pairs. It is currently unknown how single or multiple non-G nucleotide insertions affect the stability or function of rG4s. Here, we investigated the G4-forming potential of GU- and GA-rich sequences by measuring their ability to inhibit ribosomal scanning and induce -1 ribosomal frameshifting (-1 FS) using a cell-free lysate. Our results show that, in contrast to canonical rG4s, GU and GA repeats with eight or more guanines do not affect ribosomal scanning or stimulate -1 FS. However, in the presence of G4-stabilizing ligands PhenDC3 or pyridostatin, GU and GA repeats strongly inhibited scanning and induced -1 FS. These findings have implications for the structural landscape of rG4s and the potential side-effects of G4 targeting drugs in general.Macromolecular Biochemistr
Review of weighting methods for life cycle impact assessment under GLAM
Get PDFPurposeWeighting is the process of assigning relative importance to life cycle inventory results or indicator results across impact categories, using weighting factors based on value choices. It is an optional step within Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) but plays an important role in interpreting and communicating the relative importance of different environmental impacts. As part of the Global LCIA Guidance (GLAM) project under the UN Life Cycle Initiative, a comprehensive review of weighting methods was conducted to better understand which approaches are most appropriate for different applications in LCA.MethodsMembers of the GLAM weighting subtask identified and reviewed twenty-seven weighting methods. These methods were grouped into four categories: Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), monetary, data-driven and distance-to-target methods. Classifiers based on inherent features of the weighting methods were applied to support their inclusion or exclusion from further considerations. Each method then was assessed against a set of evaluation criteria defined by the subtask members. A color-code system (green, yellow or red) was applied to indicate the degree to which each method met each criterion to facilitate comparison and communication.Results and discussionEach method was briefly described with appropriate references, including examples of usage in LCA studies where available. The review results are summarized in a table that highlights the performance of each method against the evaluation criteria. All monetary methods are classified as trade-off rates, whereas there are MCDA methods and data-driven methods that can be either trade-off rates or importance coefficients. All distance-to-target methods are classified as importance coefficients. The ability of each method to incorporate temporal discounting or cultural differentiation varies, depending on the data availability and study design. None of the methods reviewed fully met all evaluation criteria, especially within the scope of the GLAM project. Some criteria (like Scientific validity) are sufficiently met by almost all of these methods.ConclusionsExisting weighting methods based on different approaches have both advantages and limitations. No single method is universally sufficient, and their validity depends on context. This comprehensive overview of available weighting methods provides a valuable starting point for practitioners seeking to identify suitable weighting method for specific LCA applications. To facilitate easy use, a software was also developed based on this review to support the selection of the most appropriate weighting method for LCA studies.Global Challenges (FGGA)Industrial Ecolog
Graças a Deusa: (Social) media uses of Pajubá, the Brazilian LGBTQIA+ dialect
Get PDFPrevious research on Brazilian Portuguese shed light on how LGBTQIA+ communities use language. More specifically, they explored how LGBTQIA+ individuals use Pajubá, the Brazilian LGBTQIA+ dialect. However, LGBTQIA+ speak in that language remains underexplored due to the only recent appearance of Queer Linguistics in Brazil. This paper scrutinizes the language attitudes of native Brazilian Portuguese speakers toward using Pajubá on (social) media specifically, given that no studies to date have provided a substantial discussion on the topic. Primary data come from an online Qualtrics survey completed by 910 participants promoted via social media and through a friend-of-a-friend technique. By analyzing the language attitudes of those speakers toward the uses of Pajubá on (social) media, this paper displays how the online/digital environment helps promote the dialect, contributing to the language variation of Brazilian Portuguese. Moreover, it shows some controversial uses of the dialect, for example, when non-LGBTQIA+ people, companies, and organizations appropriate Pajubá for performative allyship and commercial purposes. Lastly, it explains that the dialect creates a dialogue between people who identify as LGBTQIA+ and non-LGBTQIA+, showing how both groups embrace sexual and gender diversity and widely accept the language variation that Pajubá offers.Language Use in Past and Presen
Machine translation at the hospital: healthcare professionals’ perspectives on use, appropriateness, and policy
Get PDFThis study surveys healthcare professionals’ use of MT and GenAI at a hospital, examining usage, adoption factors, satisfaction, technical conditions, and the perceived need for policies and training. Results show MT and GenAI tools are mostly used in routine care but are perceived as inappropriate for complex interactions, against a backdrop of absent institutional policies.NWO06.XS.24.02.113Theoretical and Experimental LinguisticsDescriptive and Comparative Linguistic
Cholera in the countryside: the dynamics of the 1866 cholera pandemic in the Dutch province of North Brabant
No full textThis chapter examines the dynamics of the 1866 cholera epidemic in the Dutch province of North Brabant, with a particular focus on the rural town of Roosendaal. Drawing from newly available individual cause-of-death records, provincial and municipal archives, and ecclesiastical correspondence, it offers a detailed analysis of both the disease’s local impact and the respons es of various authorities. While much of the existing cholera historiography has centred on major European cities, this study shifts attention to the rural and semi-urban periphery, where cholera could still cause significant mortality de spite a lack of dramatic governmental or public reaction. Rural epidemics were often less predictable in terms of time and location, and potentially more pro longed in remote regions. Cities, Migration and Global Interdependence 1350-200
Antibiotic conjugates and natural products as next-generation strategies against antimicrobial resistance
Get PDFThis thesis tackles the urgent challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through the design of novel antibacterial agents. It combines chemical synthesis, structural optimization, and biological evaluation to overcome resistance mechanisms. The first part focuses on antibiotic conjugates, including carbapenem/MBL inhibitor and rifampicin–siderophore conjugates. Results show that linker design critically affects potency, with certain rifampicin–chlorocatechol conjugates showing up to 32-fold improved activity. The second part investigates natural products, notably poriolide, for antibacterial and anticancer potential and as payloads in antibody–drug conjugates. Overall, the work advances strategies for next-generation therapeutics against AMR.Microbial Biotechnolog