Vegetatie en opslibbing in de Peazemerlannen en het referentiegebied west - Groningen : Evaluatie 2007 - 2012

Deze rapportage beschrijft de monitoring in het kader van de bodemdaling onder de kwelder de Peazemerlannen. Er wordt een overzicht gegeven van de activiteiten en meetresultaten in de kwelder en zomerpolder van de Peazemerlannen en het referentiegebied in de kwelderwerken in West-Groningen van de jaren 2007 t/m 2012. De meeste gegevens worden weergegeven vanaf 2007, het startjaar van de gaswinning. Oudere data worden, waar nuttig, ook weergegeven of er wordt verwezen naar eerdere rapporten

MUC5B levels in submandibular gland saliva of patients treated with radiotherapy for head-and-neck cancer: A pilot study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The salivary mucin MUC5B, present in (sero)mucous secretions including submandibular gland (SMG) saliva, plays an important role in the lubrication of the oral mucosa and is thought to be related to the feeling of dry mouth. We investigated if MUC5B levels in SMG saliva could distinguish between the presence or absence of severe dry mouth complaints 12 months after radiotherapy (RT) for head-and-neck cancer (HNC).</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Twenty-nine HNC patients with a residual stimulated SMG secretion rate of ≥0.2 ml/10 min at 12 months after RT were analyzed. MUC5B (in U; normalized to 1) and total protein levels (mg/ml) were measured in SMG saliva at baseline and 12 months after RT using ELISA and BCA protein assay, respectively. Overall, median MUC5B levels decreased after RT from 0.12 to 0.03 U (<it>p</it> = 0.47). Patients were dichotomized into none/mild xerostomia (n = 12) and severe xerostomia (n = 17) based on a questionnaire completed at 12 months. SMG and whole saliva flow rates decreased after RT but were comparable in both groups. The median MUC5B level was higher in patients with no or mild xerostomia compared to patients with severe xerostomia (0.14 vs 0.01 U, <it>p</it> = 0.22). Half of the patients with severe xerostomia had no detectable MUC5B at 12 months after RT. No differences in total protein levels were observed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Qualitative saliva parameters like MUC5B need further investigation in RT-induced xerostomia. This pilot study showed a trend towards lower MUC5B levels in the SMG saliva of patients with severe xerostomia 12 months after RT for HNC.</p

Excessive toxicity of cabozantinib in a phase II study in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic salivary gland cancer

AIM: Because the tyrosine kinases c-MET and vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR) are often overexpressed in salivary gland cancer (SGC), this study evaluated the efficacy and safety of cabozantinib in patients with recurrent/metastatic (R/M) SGC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A single-centre phase II study was conducted. Patients with immunohistochemical c-MET-positive R/M SGC were included in three cohorts: adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC); salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) and other miscellaneous SGCs. No prior systemic treatments were required. Patients started cabozantinib 60 mg once daily. The primary outcome was the objective response rate (ORR). Secondary outcomes included survival, safety and quality of life. Per Simon-two-stage design, depending on efficacy, a maximum of 43 patients would be included. RESULTS: In total, 25 patients were included until premature closure owing to severe toxicity. Six patients (24%) had grade 3-5 wound complications, occurring at a median of 7.1 months on cabozantinib treatment (range 2.1-12.6). Remarkably, four of these six patients developed this complication in the area prior exposed to high-dose radiotherapy. Other grade ≥3 adverse events in >1 patient were hypertension (20%), diarrhoea (8%) and dehydration (8%). Twenty-one patients were evaluable for response; 1/15 ACC (ORR: 7%); 1/4 SDC and 0/2 patients with other miscellaneous SGC responded. Median progression-free survival was 9.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 7.4-11.4 months), 7.2 months (95%CI 0.0-15.1) and 6.9 months (95%CI 0.0-15.1), respectively. CONCLUSION: This study showed too many severe cabozantinib-associated wound complications in patients with SGC, especially in prior irradiated areas. Therefore, the study closed prematurely. The efficacy in the limited number of evaluable patients was low to moderate. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03729297

Climate adaptation of interconnected infrastructures: a framework for supporting governance

Infrastructures are critical for human society, but vulnerable to climate change. The current body of research on infrastructure adaptation does not adequately account for the interconnectedness of infrastructures, both internally and with one another. We take a step toward addressing this gap through the introduction of a framework for infrastructure adaptation that conceptualizes infrastructures as complex socio-technical “systems of systems” embedded in a changing natural environment. We demonstrate the use of this framework by structuring potential climate change impacts and identifying adaptation options for a preliminary set of cases—road, electricity and drinking water infrastructures. By helping to clarify the relationships between impacts at different levels, we find that the framework facilitates the identification of key nodes in the web of possible impacts and helps in the identification of particularly nocuous weather conditions. We also explore how the framework may be applied more comprehensively to facilitate adaptation governance. We suggest that it may help to ensure that the mental models of stakeholders and the quantitative models of researchers incorporate the essential aspects of interacting climate and infrastructure systems. Further research is necessary to test the framework in these contexts and to determine when and where its application may be most beneficial.Infrastructure Networks Climate Adaptation and Hotspots. Knowledge for Climate Progra

Characterising Radio Telescope Software With the Workload Characterisation Framework

We present a modular framework, the Workload Characterisation Framework (WCF), that is developed to obtain, store and compare key characteristics of radio astronomy processing software in a reproducible way. As a demonstration, we discuss the experiences using the framework to characterise a LOFAR calibration and imaging pipeline.Instrumentatio

Biosubstraat : Duurzaam substraat op basis van BioFoam

Doelstelling van het project was het ontwikkelen van een hernieuwbare grondstof/substraat, welke voldoet aan de wensen en eisen van de kwekers en waar een kwalitatief goed product op geteeld kan worden met handhaving of verbetering van het rendement. Het belangrijkste eindproduct is een bio substraat op basis van gemodificeerde BioFoam. De volgende activiteiten hebben bijgedragen aan het realiseren van de doelstelling: • Het ontwikkelen en produceren van diverse varianten gemodificeerde BioFoam en het uitvoeren van een aantal fysische en chemische testen in het laboratorium. • Het bepalen van belangrijke eigenschappen van deze gemodificeerde BioFoam als substraat in combinatie en vergelijking tot andere grondstoffen in het laboratorium • Het uitvoeren van diverse teeltproeven met mengsels van BioFoam met andere grondstoffen • Het in beeld brengen van de voordelen met betrekking tot de ketenkosten. Er is maar een teeltjaar (alleen 2012) gebruikt om testen uit te voeren. Ketens moeten daarom nog deels opgezet worden. • Op basis van de (teelt)proeven zijn wel meer partijen bij het project betrokken geraakt en heeft de markt belangstelling getoond. Het belangrijkste eindproduct is een getest substraat op basis van gemodificeerde BioFoam

Learning from Sustainability-Oriented Innovation

This chapter argues that insights from the realm of sustainability-oriented innovation can provide useful answers to the question of why Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) would (or should) become interested in implementing responsible innovation practices. It is based on the assumption that “responsible innovation” and “sustainability-oriented innovation” are different approaches aimed at orienting innovation towards increased positive impacts on social and natural environments. Motivations and influences for pursuing sustainability-oriented inno-vation have been studied in the past, and can provide insights into reasons for pursu-ing the implementation of responsible innovation practices

Sex and Gender-Related Differences in COVID-19 Diagnoses and SARS-CoV-2 Testing Practices During the First Wave of the Pandemic:The Dutch Lifelines COVID-19 Cohort Study

Background: Although sex differences are described in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnoses and testing, many studies neglect possible gender-related influences. Additionally, research is often performed in clinical populations, while most COVID-19 patients are not hospitalized. Therefore, we investigated associations between sex and gender-related variables, and COVID-19 diagnoses and testing practices in a large general population cohort during the first wave of the pandemic when testing capacity was limited. Methods: We used data from the Lifelines COVID-19 Cohort (N = 74,722; 60.8% female). We applied bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses. The outcomes were a COVID-19 diagnosis (confirmed by SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing or physician's clinical diagnosis) and PCR testing. Independent variables included among others participants' sex, age, somatic comorbidities, occupation, and smoking status. Sex-by-comorbidity and sex-by-occupation interaction terms were included to investigate sex differences in associations between the presence of comorbidities or an occupation with COVID-19 diagnoses or testing practices. Results: In bivariate analyses female sex was significantly associated with COVID-19 diagnoses and testing, but significance did not persist in multiple logistic regression analyses. However, a gender-related variable, being a health care worker, was significantly associated with COVID-19 diagnoses (OR = 1.68; 95%CI = 1.30-2.17) and testing (OR = 12.5; 95%CI = 8.55-18.3). Female health care workers were less often diagnosed and tested than male health care workers (ORinteraction = 0.54; 95%CI = 0.32-0.92, ORinteraction = 0.53; 95%CI = 0.29-0.97, respectively). Conclusions: We found no sex differences in COVID-19 diagnoses and testing in the general population. Among health care workers, a male preponderance in COVID-19 diagnoses and testing was observed. This could be explained by more pronounced COVID-19 symptoms in males or by gender inequities