Spannende verkiezingen, boeiende formatie, weinig democratie

Velen voorspellen dit jaar de moeilijkste kabinetsformatie sinds 1977. Toen won de PvdA met Joop den Uyl als premier maar liefst tien zetels, wist het CDA de achteruitgang van de voormalige grote confessionele partijen te stoppen, behaalde de VVD onder Wiegel de grootste verkiezingswinst ooit (28 zetels) en zag D66 kans zich onder Terlouw te herstellen van de bijna ondergang van de partij een paar jaar eerder onder Van Mierlo. Het resultaat na 208 dagen formeren was niet de voortzetting van een kabinet met de grootste winnaar bij de verkiezingen, de PvdA, maar het eerste kabinet Van Agt (CDA-VVD). Die hadden bij elkaar 77 zetels, veel minder dan de combinatie PvdA/CDA (102). In de euforie van de verkiezingsoverwinning leek de PvdA die mogelijkheid vergeten te zijn en overspeelde haar hand

Pdms-based ligands for quantum dots in silicones

The invention provides a process for the production of a light converter comprising a siloxane polymer matrix with light converter nano particles embedded therein, the process comprising (a) mixing (i) light converter nano particles having an outer surface grafted with grafting ligands and (ii) curable siloxane polymers, and (b) curing the curable siloxane polymers, thereby producing the light converter; wherein the grafting ligands comprise siloxane grafting ligands having x1 Si backbone elements, wherein at least one Si backbone element of each siloxane grafting ligand comprises a side group having a grafting functionality; wherein the curable siloxane polymers have y1 Si backbone elements; and wherein x1 is at least 20, wherein y1 is at least 2, and wherein x1/y1≥0.8.</p

Design and characterization of dielectric filled TM110_{110} microwave cavities for ultrafast electron microscopy

Microwave cavities oscillating in the TM$_{110}$ mode can be used as dynamic electron-optical elements inside an electron microscope. By filling the cavity with a dielectric material it becomes more compact and power efficient, facilitating the implementation in an electron microscope. However, the incorporation of the dielectric material makes the manufacturing process more difficult. Presented here are the steps taken to characterize the dielectric material, and to reproducibly fabricate dielectric filled cavities. Also presented are two versions with improved capabilities. The first, called a dual-mode cavity, is designed to support two modes simultaneously. The second has been optimized for low power consumption. With this optimized cavity a magnetic field strength of 2.84 $\pm$ 0.07 mT was generated at an input power of 14.2 $\pm$ 0.2 W. Due to the low input powers and small dimensions, these dielectric cavities are ideal as electron-optical elements for electron microscopy setups

Performance model for “Just-in-Time” problems in real-time multimedia applications

Over the last few years, the use of large-scale multimedia data applications has been growing tremendously, and this growth is not likely to slow down in the near future. Many multimedia applications operate in a real-time environment (e.g., surveillance cameras, iris scans), which must meet strict time constraints, i.e. to analyze video frames at the same rate as a camera produces them. To meet this requirement, Grid computing is rapidly becoming indispensable. However, the variabilities of the software and the hardware in grid environment cause the strong burstiness in the transmission delay of video frames. Because the burstiness is unknown beforehand, it is difficult to determine the right sending moments of video frames. If the time interval between sending two sequential frames is too large, then the service utilization may be low. If use large buffer to guarantee the service utilization, then video frames may be outof- date because of the long waiting time at buffer in the server side. This problem is referred to as “Just-in-time” problem. To solve this problem, it is essential to determine the right sending moments of video frames, properly dealing with the trade-off between the service utilization and the “up-to-date” of video frames. Motivated by this, in this paper we develop an adaptive control method that react to the continuously changing circumstances in grid system so as to obtain the highest service utilization on the one hand and to keep the video frame up-to-date on the other hand. Extensive experimental validation in our DAS-3 testbed and the trace-driven simulation show that our method is indeed highly effective

Getting lost in a story: how narrative engagement emerges from narrative perspective and individual differences in alexithymia

The present research examines how narrative engagement, or the extent to which people immerse themselves into the world of a story, varies as a function of narrative perspective and individual differences in alexithymia. The authors hypothesised that narrative engagement would be higher when people assume a first-person (rather than third-person) perspective and for people lower (rather than higher) on alexithymia. In an online study (N = 541) and a lab study (N = 55), participants with varying levels of alexithymia read first- and/or third-person narrated texts and then rated their narrative engagement. As expected, first-person stories evoked more narrative engagement than third-person stories, and global alexithymia was negatively correlated with narrative engagement. Narrative perspective did not interact with cognitive facets of alexithymia (i.e. difficulties identifying, verbalising, and understanding feelings). However, narrative perspective did interact with affective facets of alexithymia (i.e. emotionalising and fantasising): First-person (rather than third-person) stories elicited more narrative engagement at lower levels of affective alexithymia, but not at higher levels of affective alexithymia. The interaction effect was significant in Study 1; the interaction was significant in Study 2 after controlling for trait absorption. Together, these findings suggest that alexithymia is linked to difficulties in mentally simulating narrative worlds.Pathways through Adolescenc

Implementation of HIV Self-Testing to Reach Men in Rural uMkhanyakude, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. a DO-ART Trial Sub Study

Background: KwaZulu–Natal, South Africa has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates globally. Persons <35 years and men have lower rates of HIV testing. HIV self-testing (HIVST) may overcome many barriers of facility-based HIV testing in order to identify HIV positive young persons and men and link them to care. We investigated whether HIVST distribution was a feasible approach to reach men and assessed the proportion of participants who reported their HIVST results, tested positive and linked to care. / Methods: Teams comprised of a nurse, clinic research assistant, and recruiters distributed HIVST kits in rural uMkhanyakude, KwaZulu-Natal from August—November 2018 with a focus on testing men. Workplaces (farms), social venues, taxi ranks, and homesteads were used as HIVST kit distribution points following community sensitisation through community advisory boards and community leaders. HIVST kits, demonstration of use, and small incentives to report testing outcomes were provided. The Department of Health provided confirmatory testing and HIV care at clinics. / Results: Over 11 weeks in late 2018, we distributed 2,634 HIVST kits of which 2,113 (80%) were distributed to persons aged <35 years, 2,591 (98%) to men and 356 (14%) to first time testers. Of the HIVST distributed, 2,107 (80%) reported their results to the study team, and 157 (7%) tested positive. Of persons who tested positive, 107/130 (82%) reported having a confirmatory test of which 102/107 (95%) were positive and initiated on ART. No emergencies or social harms were reported. / Conclusion: Large scale distribution of HIVST kits targeting men in rural KwaZulu-Natal is feasible and highly effective in reaching men, including those who had not previously tested for HIV. While two-thirds of persons who tested HIV positive initiated ART, additional linkage strategies are needed for those who do not link after HIVST. HIVST should be used as a tool to reach men in order to achieve 95% coverage in the UNAIDS testing and care cascade in KwaZulu-Natal

Risk factors for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in 2-4 year olds in a rural HIV-prevalent setting.

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in children acts as a sentinel for infectious tuberculosis. OBJECTIVE: To assess risk factors associated with tuberculous infection in pre-school children. METHOD: We conducted a population-wide tuberculin skin test (TST) survey from January to December 2012 in Malawi. All children aged 2-4 years residing in a demographic surveillance area were eligible. Detailed demographic data, including adult human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status, and clinical and sociodemographic data on all diagnosed tuberculosis (TB) patients were available. RESULTS: The prevalence of M. tuberculosis infection was 1.1% using a TST induration cut-off of 15 mm (estimated annual risk of infection of 0.3%). The main identifiable risk factors were maternal HIV infection at birth (adjusted OR [aOR] 3.6, 95%CI 1.1-12.2), having three or more adult members in the household over a lifetime (aOR 2.4, 95%CI 1.2-4.8) and living in close proximity to a known case of infectious TB (aOR 1.6, 95%CI 1.1-2.4), modelled as a linear variable across categories (>200 m, 100-200 m, <100 m, within household). Less than 20% of the infected children lived within 200 m of a known diagnosed case. CONCLUSION: Household and community risk factors identified do not explain the majority of M. tuberculosis infections in children in our setting