Interconnection: sustaining difference in a fluid world

My dissertation and art work explore the interdependence and the interconnection of different structures and cultures by examining the question of how one might live one’s life in a displaced situation. The question is examined both through the lens of cultural identity and that of medium specificity. It also explores how to sustain difference while moving and being “fluid” within society and across borders. This research paper explores the question by referencing theorists and philosophers and by introducing the work of several contemporary artists who all, in one way or another, support my argument and my art practice. My art work will show a transformation process between two different objects: the termite nest and the wooden shoe. My thesis will propose that, even though the way to sustain differentiation in a process of assimilation is to live in a fluid, open and borderless way, it could be argued that some sort of boundary can give a protection and a sense of belonging that is still desired in the world today. The new home however is not static but will be ever-transforming and changing. In the current connected world identities are required to be fluid and open for constant change so as to be flexible with the movements across borders. Important for keeping harmony and balance is to understand and accept differences, adopt and reject aspects of other identities. I introduced the Dutch clog as an iconic Dutch symbol and as a reflection on form in association with my identity. In Australia I stumbled across the termite nests and their interesting forms and shapes. The transformation process is demonstrated in the art work through the interconnection of the Dutch clog with the Australian termites and their nests. This process has resulted in the work Homeward Bound, an installation of hybrid objects

Design imperfections for steel beam lateral torsional buckling

To perform geometrically and materially nonlinear analyses including imperfec-tions for steel beam lateral torsional buckling, the size and shape of the geometric imperfec-tion can be obtained from EN 1993-1-1. The shape is prescribed as an initial bow along the weak axis of the section, excluding torsion of the cross-section. The shape of the imperfection can alternatively be taken equal to the lateral torsional buckling mode, including torsion. Sev-eral tables and formulas exist to determine the size of the imperfection. Different imperfection approaches were applied in finite element simulations to evaluate the lateral torsional nonlin-ear buckling resistances and to compare them to the results obtained with design rules

Legionellapreventie: betere naleving Waterleidingwet nodig

Ongeveer 20 procent van de zorginstellingen en zwembaden heeft in 2005 te maken gehad met een legionellabesmetting in de leidingwaterinstallatie. Dit gold ook voor 5 procent van de hotels en campings. Vooral in zorginstellingen kan Legionella in de waterleidingen gevaarlijk zijn, omdat de mensen hier vaak een zwakkere gezondheid hebben. Circa 90% van de instellingen leeft niet alle wettelijk voorgeschreven preventiemaatregelen volledig na. Bij hercontrole is echter een groot deel van de problemen opgelost. Dit toont de effectiviteit en het belang van de controles: eenmaal op de hoogte van de risico’s zijn de eigenaren meestal bereid de nodige aanpassingen te doen. Het aantal collectieve leidingwaterinstallaties met Legionella nam tussen 2000 en 2006 niet duidelijk af. Een betere naleving van de legionellapreventie regelgeving en installatievoorschriften leidt naar verwachting wél tot minder Legionella in leidingwaterinstallaties. Tussen 2000 en 2006 steeg het aantal gemelde patiënten met legionellose. Een betrouwbare schatting van het aantal patiënten dat gerelateerd is aan een collectieve leidingwaterinstallatie als besmettingsbron is echter niet mogelijk

The Impact of Socioeconomic Status, Surgical Resection and Type of Hospital on Survival in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer:A Population-Based Study in The Netherlands

The influence of socioeconomic inequalities in pancreatic cancer patients and especially its effect in patients who had a resection is not known. Hospital type in which resection is performed might also influence outcome. Patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer from 1989 to 2011 (n = 34,757) were selected from the population-based Netherlands Cancer Registry. Postal code was used to determine SES. Multivariable survival analyses using Cox regression were conducted to discriminate independent risk factors for death. Patients living in a high SES neighborhood more often underwent resection and more often were operated in a university hospital. After adjustment for clinicopathological factors, risk of dying was increased independently for patients with intermediate and low SES compared to patients with high SES. After resection, no survival difference was found among patients in the three SES groups. However, survival was better for patients treated in university hospitals compared to patients treated in non-university hospitals. Low SES was an independent risk factor for poor survival in patients with pancreatic cancer. SES was not an adverse risk factor after resection. Resection in non-university hospitals was associated with a worse prognosis.</p

Vloeruitvoering in kraamhokken

In de voorstellen voor de Gezondheid- en Welzijnswet voor Dieren wordt uitgegaan van een verbod op volledig roostervloeren. Uit onderzoek, in onder andere Raalte en Sterksel, is gebleken, dat een toename van de hoeveelheid dichte vloer niet hoeft te leiden tot een verbeterde gezondheid van zeug en biggen. Dit geldt voor de klassieke situatie van een halfroostervloer, waarbij er sprake is van een beton- of troffelvloer in combinatie met rooste

Oxytocin administration suppresses hypothalamic activation in response to visual food cues

The aim of this study was to use functional neuroimaging to investigate whether oxytocin modulates the neural response to visual food cues in brain regions involved in the control of food intake. Twenty-four normal weight volunteers received intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) or placebo in a double-blind, randomized crossover study. Measurements were made forty-five minutes after dosing. On two occasions, functional MRI (fMRI) scans were performed in the fasted state; the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response to images of high-calorie foods versus low-calorie foods was measured. Given its critical role in eating behaviour, the primary region of interest was the hypothalamus. Secondary analyses examined the parabrachial nuclei and other brain regions involved in food intake and food reward. Intranasal oxytocin administration suppressed hypothalamic activation to images of high-calorie compared to low-calorie food (P = 0.0125). There was also a trend towards suppression of activation in the parabrachial nucleus (P = 0.0683). No effects of intranasal oxytocin were seen in reward circuits or on ad libitum food intake. Further characterization of the effects of oxytocin on neural circuits in the hypothalamus is needed to establish the utility of targeting oxytocin signalling in obesity

The quotient Unimodular Vector group is nilpotent

Jose-Rao introduced and studied the Special Unimodular Vector group $SUm_r(R)$ and $EUm_r(R)$, its Elementary Unimodular Vector subgroup. They proved that for $r \geq 2$, $EUm_r(R)$ is a normal subgroup of $SUm_r(R)$. The Jose-Rao theorem says that the quotient Unimodular Vector group, $SUm_r(R)/EUm_r(R)$, for $r \geq 2$, is a subgroup of the orthogonal quotient group $SO_{2(r+1)}(R)/EO_{2(r + 1)}(R)$. The latter group is known to be nilpotent by the work of Hazrat-Vavilov, following methods of A. Bak; and so is the former. In this article we give a direct proof, following ideas of A. Bak, to show that the quotient Unimodular Vector group is nilpotent of class $\leq d = \dim(R)$. We also use the Quillen-Suslin theory, inspired by A. Bak's method, to prove that if $R = A[X]$, with $A$ a local ring, then the quotient Unimodular Vector group is abelian

Survival of Women with Advanced Stage Cervical Cancer:Neo-Adjuvant Chemotherapy Followed by Radiotherapy and Hyperthermia versus Chemoradiotherapy

Aim: To investigate and compare overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) and toxicity of women who underwent either chemoradiotherapy with or without prior lymph node debulking or upfront chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy and hyperthermia (triple therapy) for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) to identify a potential role for triple therapy. Methods: Women with histologically proven LACC and with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2009 stage IB2 and IIA2 to IVA were included. Cox regression analyses were used for calculating hazard ratios and to adjust for confounding variables. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to examine the influence of covariates on toxicity. Results: A total of 370 patients were included of whom 58% (n = 213) received chemoradiotherapy (CRT), 18% (n = 66) received node-debulking followed by chemoradiotherapy (LND-CRT) and 25% (n = 91) received triple therapy (TT). Five-year OS was comparable between the three treatment groups, with 53% (95% confidence interval 46–59%) in the CRT group, 45% (33–56%) in the LND-CRT group and 53% (40–64%) in the TT group (p = 0.472). In the adjusted analysis, 5-year OS and DFS were comparable between the three treatment groups. No chemotherapy-related differences in toxicity were observed. Conclusion: This study suggests that the toxicity and survival of TT is similar to CRT or LND-CRT.</p

Survival of Women with Advanced Stage Cervical Cancer:Neo-Adjuvant Chemotherapy Followed by Radiotherapy and Hyperthermia versus Chemoradiotherapy

Aim: To investigate and compare overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) and toxicity of women who underwent either chemoradiotherapy with or without prior lymph node debulking or upfront chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy and hyperthermia (triple therapy) for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) to identify a potential role for triple therapy. Methods: Women with histologically proven LACC and with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2009 stage IB2 and IIA2 to IVA were included. Cox regression analyses were used for calculating hazard ratios and to adjust for confounding variables. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to examine the influence of covariates on toxicity. Results: A total of 370 patients were included of whom 58% (n = 213) received chemoradiotherapy (CRT), 18% (n = 66) received node-debulking followed by chemoradiotherapy (LND-CRT) and 25% (n = 91) received triple therapy (TT). Five-year OS was comparable between the three treatment groups, with 53% (95% confidence interval 46–59%) in the CRT group, 45% (33–56%) in the LND-CRT group and 53% (40–64%) in the TT group (p = 0.472). In the adjusted analysis, 5-year OS and DFS were comparable between the three treatment groups. No chemotherapy-related differences in toxicity were observed. Conclusion: This study suggests that the toxicity and survival of TT is similar to CRT or LND-CRT.</p