The 2017 Regional Election in Catalonia: An attempt to understand the pro-independence vote

This paper tries to unveil the main factors behind the triumph of the proindependence vote in the 2017 Regional Election in Catalonia. The empirical analysis, which is carried out at the county level and by using a spatial econometric model, reveals that geographical location matters. The estimation results also suggest that the pro-independence vote is mainly linked to the birthplace of individuals. More specifically, it shows that the independence feeling is weaker the higher the share of citizens born outside Catalonia. On the other side, young and highly educated people are more prone to independence. Additionally, it is shown that people working in the public sector are more likely to vote for a political party in favor of Catalonia remaining in Spain, while the opposite happens for those voters working in construction. Finally, the results seem to dispel some myths associated with the role played by the county’s size and level of income on the proindependence vote

The hydrolysis of glycoproteins by polyoxometalates

Sialic acid release is a frequently used step in the analysis of glycoproteins. At present, sialic acids are secreted using enzymes or by acid hydrolysis. However, both methods have disadvantages. The efficiency of enzymatic separation depends on the composition of the sample, as a result of which this method can give an incorrect impression of the sialic acid content of the sample. To avoid this, acid hydrolysis is often chosen because this method is not dependent on the sample composition. However, it does have harsch reaction conditions, which means that the protein breaks down and the sialic acids are also partially affected. The study of sialic acids would therefore benefit from the development of a sialic acid separation procedure that is independent of the sample composition and at the same time uses milder reaction conditions than current acid hydrolysis methods to minimize destruction of the sample. Polyoxometalates (POMs) are a class of components that consist of self-assembled metal-oxygen clusters that are used for a wide variety of applications, including catalysis, materials science and medicine. Heteropolyacids, acidic polyoxometalates, have already been extensively studied as catalysts due to their strong Brønsted acidity. This thesis deals with the new use of polyoxometalates in the separation of sialic acids. Heteropolyacids showed increased reactivity to other commonly used acids. This allows milder reaction conditions that promote the stability of sialic acids and protein. In this thesis, heteropolyacid-induced hydrolysis of sialic acid is studied with two glycoproteins, fetuin and alpha-1-acid glycoprotein, and sialyllactose, an oligosaccharide. The hydrolysis of peptide bonds with metal-substituted POMs was also studied with transferrin, a glycoprotein.status: publishe

Een regionaal econometrisch model voor België

status: publishe

Ultrastaging of sentinel lymph nodes in gynecological cancer: Repeating the story of breast cancer? Letter to the editor, Reply to Cibula D, McCluggage WG. Sentinel lymph node (SLN) concept in cervical cancer: Current limitations and unanswered questions. Gynecol Oncol 2019;152:202–7

SCOPUS: le.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe