Between Choice and Stigma:Identifications of Economically Successful Migrants

In this contribution, we draw on the unusual but interesting comparison between ‘immigrants’ and ‘expats’, with the aim of scrutinizing identity construction and the tensions between stigma and identity of choice against the background of the (reluctant) superdiverse city of Rotterdam. We focus on two types of socioeconomically successful migrants which, despite their similarities in class position, are generally regarded as rather different. First, middle-class migrants and members of the second generation from ‘classic’ migration groups in the Netherlands (with roots in Surinam, Turkey and Morocco, including descendants of former guest workers). Second, expatriates or knowledge workers of various national backgrounds (including American, English, Indian, Chinese) who came to the Netherlands on a temporary basis because of their highly-skilled jobs (or the jobs of their partners, as we also included trailing spouses). We address the questions of how these migrants perceive themselves, how they think that others perceive them, and how discrepancies between these two affect their feelings of belonging in the city of Rotterdam and the Netherlands. Our findings suggest that while both ‘immigrants’ and ‘expatriates’ combine various identities, immigrants have more difficulty to adopt alternative identities (such as ‘cosmopolitan’) than expatriates because of their dominant label as ‘allochtoon’ (non-native Dutch).</p

Concurrent chemotherapy (carboplatin, paclitaxel, etoposide) and involved-field radiotherapy in limited stage small cell lung cancer: a Dutch multicenter phase II study

To improve the prognosis of limited stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) the addition of concurrent thoracic radiotherapy to a platinum-containing regimen is important. In the Netherlands, we initiated a multicenter, phase II study, of the combination of four cycles of carboplatin (AUC 5), paclitaxel (200 mg m−2) and etoposide (2 × 50 mg orally for 5 days) combined with 45 Gy (daily fractions of 1.8 Gy). The radiation was given to the involved field and concurrently with the second and third chemotherapy cycle. Patients with a partial or complete response received prophylactic cranial irradiation to a dose of 30 Gy. From January 1999 to December 2001, 37 of the 38 patients with LS-SCLC entered were eligible for toxicity analysis and response. Grade 3 and 4 haematological toxicity occurred in 57% (21/37) with febrile neutropenia in 24% (9/37). There were no treatment-related deaths or other grade 4 toxicity. Grade 3 toxicities were oesophagitis (27%), radiation pneumonitis (6%), anorexia (14%), nausea (16%), dyspnea (19%) and lethargy (22%). The objective response rate was 92% (95% confidence interval (CI) 80–98%) with a median survival time of 19.5 months (95% CI 12.8–29.2). The 1-, 2- and 5-year survival rate was 70, 47 and 27%, respectively. In field local recurrences occurred in six patients. Distant metastases were observed in 19 patients of which 13 in the brain. This study indicates that combination chemotherapy with concurrent involved-field radiation therapy is an effective treatment for LS-SCLC. Despite PCI, the brain remained the most important site of recurrence

Towards responsible rebellion: How founders deal with challenges in establishing and governing innovative living arrangements for older people

In the Netherlands, there is an increasing need for collective forms of housing for older people. Such housing bridges the gap between the extremes of living in an institutionalised setting and remaining in their own house. The demand is related to the closure of many residential care homes and the need for social engagement with other residents. This study focuses on housing initiatives that offer innovative and alternative forms of independent living, which deviate from mainstream housing arrangements. It draws on recent literature on healthcare ‘rebels’ and further develops the concept of ‘rebellion’ in the context of housing. The main research question is how founders dealt with challenges of establishing and governing ‘rebellious’ innovative living arrangements for older people in the highly regulated context of housing and care in the Netherlands. Qualitative in-depth interviews with 17 founders (social entrepreneurs, directors and supervisory board members) were conducted. Founders encountered various obstacles that are often related to governmental and sectoral rules and regulations. Their stories demonstrate the opportunities and constraints of innovative entrepreneurship at the intersection of housing and care. The study concludes with the notion of ‘responsible rebellion’ and practical lessons about dealing with rules and regulations and creating supportive contexts

Mechanical Behavior of a Porous, Sub-total Meniscus Implant Based on Poly(trimethylene carbonate)

Meniscus tears often occur in the avascular inner part of the meniscus and therefore do not heal spontaneously. Current treatments such as meniscectomy and the implantation of allografts are insufficient. In this study we prepared a designed, sub-total, porous meniscus implant from functionalized poly(trimethylene carbonate) by stereolithography, and investigated its mechanical behavior in a human cadaveric knee. The sub-total meniscus implant was sutured to the peripheral rim of the meniscus and placed in the medial compartment of the knee. To determine the peak- and mean pressures and the contact area pressure distribution, measurements were made and compared to those of the native meniscus-, meniscectomy- and allograft implant situations. Compared to the native meniscus, meniscectomy results in considerably higher peak- and mean pressures. Compared to meniscectomy, the allograft and PTMC implants show a limited decrease in peak pressures and a much lower mean pressure. The mean pressures are close to those of the native meniscus. Both the allograft and the PTMC implant show improved mechanical behavior compared to meniscectomy. It can be expected that the mechanical function of the PTMC implant will improve upon the formation of tissue in the pores of the implant after implantation in patients

In Vitro and In Vivo Degradation of Photo‐Crosslinked Poly(Trimethylene Carbonate‐co‐ε‐Caprolactone) Networks

Three-armed poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) and poly(trimethylene carbonate-co-Ɛ-caprolactone) (P(TMC-co-ε-CL)) macromers with molecular weights of approximately 30 kg mol−1 are synthesized by ring-opening polymerization and subsequent functionalization with methacrylic anhydride. Networks are then prepared by photo-crosslinking. To investigate the in vitro and in vivo degradation properties of these photo-crosslinked networks and assess the effect of ε-caprolactone content on the degradation properties, PTMC networks, and copolymer networks with two different TMC:ε-CL ratios are prepared. PTMC networks degraded slowly, via an enzymatic surface erosion process, both in vitro and in vivo. Networks prepared from P(TMC-co-ε-CL) macromers with a 74:26 ratio are found to degrade slowly as well, via a surface erosion process, albeit at a higher rate compared to PTMC networks. Increasing the ε-CL content to a ratio of 52:48, resulted in a faster degradation. These networks lost their mechanical properties much sooner than the other networks. Thus, PTMC and P(TMC-co-ε-CL) networks are interesting networks for tissue engineering purposes and the exact degradation properties can be tuned by varying the TMC:ε-CL ratio, providing researchers with a tool to obtain copolymer networks with the desired degradation rate depending on the intended application

Thick ice layers in snow and frozen soil affecting gas emissions from agricultural soils during winter

Abstract. We investigated soil and snow cover gas concentrations at two agricultural sites (St-Lambert; Chapais) in Quebec, Canada, during winter 1998-1999. Both sites showed frozen and unfrozen soils and complex snow cover structure. At St-Lambert we measured higher average concentrations of N,O (35 to 62 pL L-&apos;) and CO, (3 to 19 mL L-l) below the frozen soil surface of plots subjected to a treatment of pig slurry than in the control plot (N,O, 9 to 30 pL L-&apos;; CO,, 3 to 7.5 mL L-l). The lack of vertical gaseous concentration gradients in the snowpack was due to the trapping of accumulating gas below the impermeable frozen soil layer. Soil gas concentrations decreased sharply when soil warmed to the freezing point. At the same time, the snow cover was isothermal. N,O could have been lost at spring thaw through gaseous emissions and/or dissolved in meltwaters and leached to the drainage system. High N,O fluxes were measured using closed chambers (215 ng m- &apos; s-&apos;, slurry treatment; 55 ng mP2 s-&apos;, control) as soon as snow ablation was completed, but became negligible 2 days later, suggesting that emissions were the result of passive degassing rather than of increased biological activity. At Chapais, N20 and CO, accumulated in the unfrozen soil surface below a thick (0.1 m) basal ice layer. The basal ice layer and the continuous ice layer above it were impermeable to gas diffusion, as demonstrated by the accumulation of a tracer gas (Ar,&gt;50 mL L-&apos;) introduced by a diffuser into the soil. The existence of a basal ice layer is uncommon in eastern Canada. The occurrence of such a phenomenon may increase with climate change due to more frequent rain events during the cold season and affect the dynamics of winter gas emissions from soils. 1

Senior Co-Housing in the Netherlands: Benefits and Drawbacks for Its Residents

Senior co-housing communities offer an in-between solution for older people who do not want to live in an institutional setting but prefer the company of their age peers. Residents of co-housing communities live in their own apartments but undertake activities together and support one another. This paper adds to the literature by scrutinizing the benefits and drawbacks of senior co-housing, with special focus on the forms and limits of social support and the implications for the experience of loneliness. Qualitative fieldwork was conducted in eight co-housing communities in the Netherlands, consisting of document analysis, interviews, focus groups, and observations. The research shows that co-housing communities offer social contacts, social control, and instrumental and emotional support. Residents set boundaries regarding the frequency and intensity of support. The provided support partly relieves residents' adult children from caregiving duties but does not substitute formal and informal care. Due to their access to contacts and support, few residents experience social loneliness. Co-housing communities can potentially also alleviate emotional loneliness, but currently, this happens to a limited degree. The paper concludes with practical recommendations for enhancing the benefits and reducing the drawbacks of senior co-housing

Noem vaccin-critici geen wappies, dat werkt averechts

The politics and administration of institutional chang

Coronavaccinatie in Nederland: over uitvergrote tegenstellingen en lessen voor de toekomst

The politics and administration of institutional chang

On the map: Nature and Science editorials

Bibliometric mapping of scientific articles based on keywords and technical terms in abstracts is now frequently used to chart scientific fields. In contrast, no significant mapping has been applied to the full texts of non-specialist documents. Editorials in Nature and Science are such non-specialist documents, reflecting the views of the two most read scientific journals on science, technology and policy issues. We use the VOSviewer mapping software to chart the topics of these editorials. A term map and a document map are constructed and clusters are distinguished in both of them. The validity of the document clustering is verified by a manual analysis of a sample of the editorials. This analysis confirms the homogeneity of the clusters obtained by mapping and augments the latter with further detail. As a result, the analysis provides reliable information on the distribution of the editorials over topics, and on differences between the journals. The most striking difference is that Nature devotes more attention to internal science policy issues and Science more to the political influence of scientists