6 research outputs found
Infrastructuur, ruimte en grenzen: havenontwikkeling en de strijd om de Schelde
No full textEeuwenlang is er gestreden om de controle over de Westerschelde. Van groot geopolitiek belang als toegangspoort tot de havensteden Antwerpen, Gent en het Europese achterland, en andersom, als verbinding met de wereld. De landsgrens die dwars door het Scheldebekken loopt, heeft lange tijd de ontwikkeling van dit gebied belemmerd. De grens zorgt aan Vlaamse zijde voor een blijvende afhankelijkheid van Nederlandse medewerking aan bijvoorbeeld de uitdieping van de Schelde, de vergroting van de zeesluizen in Terneuzen en de vestiging van achterlandverbindingen (zoals bijvoorbeeld de ‘IJzeren Rijn’).Andersom weet Zeeland maar zeer beperkt te profiteren van de welvarende Vlaamse steden. Ondanks de nabijheid van Antwerpen, Gent en Brugge is Zeeuws-Vlaanderen een krimpende, en binnen de Nederlandse context volstrekt gemarginaliseerde grensregio. Maar daar lijkt verandering in te komen. In plaats van met de ruggen naar elkaar toe te staan, zien beide zijden van de grens steeds meer een gezamenlijke nieuwe toekomst. Met name de recente fusie van de havenschappen van Vlissingen/Terneuzen en Gent springt in het oog. In deze bijdrage belichten we deze unieke gebeurtenis – vanuit ruimtelijk, historisch, geopolitiek én bestuurskundig perspectief –, en we bespreken de betekenis ervan voor het bredere proces van grensoverschrijdende integratie in het Scheldebekken. Accepted Author ManuscriptUrban Development ManagementUrban Studie
Knotless seton for perianal fistulas: feasibility and effect on perianal disease activity
No full textPatients with perianal fistulas are frequently treated by a knotted seton which is well-known for causing complaints. We aimed to assess the feasibility of the knotless SuperSeton and advantages with respect to perianal disease activity. In a prospective cohort study, we included all consecutive adult patients with a knotted seton in situ or a perianal fistula requiring new seton drainage. Primary endpoint was seton feasibility (maintenance of the connection for minimally three months). Secondary endpoints included improvement of the Perianal Disease Activity Index (PDAI), complications and re-interventions within three months of follow-up. PDAI scores of patients with a knotted seton were crossover compared to PDAI scores after knotless seton replacement. Sixty patients (42% male, mean age 42 (SD 13.15), 41 with Crohn’s disease) were included between August 2016 and April 2018. Of 79 knotless setons, 69 (87.3%) stayed connected for ≥ 3 months. Overall, the knotless seton significantly decreased discharge (P = 0.001), pain (P < 0.001) and induration (P < 0.001) measured by the PDAI when compared to baseline. In patients with a knotted seton, replacement by the knotless seton significantly decreased discharge (P = 0.005) and pain (P < 0.001) measured by the PDAI. Furthermore, 71% of patients reported fewer cleaning problems compared to the knotted seton. Ten patients developed a perianal abscess, and five patients required a re-intervention. This study supports the feasibility of the knotless seton with promising short-term results. The knotless seton might be preferred over the knotted seton in terms of perianal disease activity.Correction DOI 10.1038/s441598-021-88353-xMedical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technolog
EELWORM: a bioinspired multimodal amphibious soft robot
No full textExploration robots are challenged by a continuous adaptation to the terrain induced by ever changing environments. These adaptations can be subtle (e.g. when moving from a smooth to a rough terrain), however drastic changes in environment require robots to address different locomotion modes (e.g. crawling vs swimming). While each locomotion mode can be driven by a dedicated set of actuators, nature shows that multimodal locomotion is also possible by activating the same set of actuators in different sequences (e.g. swimming snakes). In this paper, we present EELWORM, a 40 cm long soft-bodied robot consisting out of an arrangement of five inflatable bending and elongating actuator modules that can be addressed individually. EELWORM is capable of both crawling and swimming by varying the actuation sequences within the same embodiment. We show multimodal locomotion at speeds of 2 body lengths per minute (crawling) and 3 body lengths per minute (swimming).sponsorship: This research is supported by the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders (FWO). Corresponding author: [email protected] (Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders (FWO))status: Published onlin
The price approach to financial integration: Decomposing European money market interest rate differentials
No full textFinancial Policy;Financial Markets;EMS;Interest Rate
A Simplicial Algorithm for Computing Robust Stationary Points of a Continuous Function on the Unit Simplex
No full textMetabolic consequences of neuronal mitochondrial fission ablation
No full textDynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), the main mammalian mediator of mitochondrial fission, has an especially important role in neuronal development, such that its deletion gives rise to pre- or perinatal lethality. However, less is known about the need for Drp1 in adult neurons; this is relevant because inhibition of Drp1 could prevent pre-apoptotic mitochondrial fragmentation, and therefore be neuroprotective.
In our mouse model, inducible Drp1 ablation in the forebrain of adult mice leads to swollen, perinuclearly aggregated mitochondria and to impaired synaptic transmission. Of note, ablated mice also develop a complex and ultimately lethal catabolic phenotype, marked by weight loss, increased lipolysis and elevated corticosterone. We traced this back to the activation of the integrated stress response in Drp1-ablated brain regions, culminating in the ectopic induction of metabolic cytokine Fgf21. Fgf21 is normally produced in liver, fat and muscle tissue in response to fasting or exercise, and no reports exist of it being produced in the brain. This “mitokine” increases insulin sensitivity and stimulates corticosterone production via receptors in the hypothalamus, thus explaining essential aspects of the catabolic phenotype.
This work has implications not only for mitochondrial biology but also for the understanding of the central regulation of systemic metabolism
