Standardization and implementation of fluorescence molecular endoscopy in the clinic

Significance: Near-infrared fluorescence molecular endoscopy (NIR-FME) is an innovative technique allowing for in vivo visualization of molecular processes in hollow organs. Despite its potential for clinical translation, NIR-FME still faces challenges, for example, the lack of consensus in performing quality control and standardization of procedures and systems. This may hamper the clinical approval of the technology by authorities and its acceptance by endoscopists. Until now, several clinical trials using NIR-FME have been performed. However, most of these trials had different study designs, making comparison difficult. Aim: We describe the need for standardization in NIR-FME, provide a pathway for setting up a standardized clinical study, and describe future perspectives for NIR-FME. Body: Standardization is challenging due to many parameters. Invariable parameters refer to the hardware specifications. Variable parameters refer to movement or tissue optical properties. Phantoms can be of aid when defining the influence of these variables or when standardizing a procedure. Conclusion: There is a need for standardization in NIR-FME and hurdles still need to be overcome before a widespread clinical implementation of NIR-FME can be realized. When these hurdles are overcome, clinical outcomes can be compared and systems can be benchmarked, enabling clinical implementation

Normen voor commissarissen:een verwachtingskloof?

Normen voor commissarissen: een verwachtingskloof

Klimaatverandering, wetenschap en debat

De KNAW is ervan overtuigd dat er geen aanleiding meer is de gevolgen van de toegenomen concentratie kooldioxide en andere broeikasgassen in de atmosfeer te bagatelliseren of weg te wuiven. Ook al zou de klimaatverandering milder uitpakken dan verwacht dan nog is het, in het kader van andere overwegingen zoals zorg om toekomstige energievoorziening en duurzame ontwikkeling, verstandig in het beleid rekening te houden met de klimaatverandering zoals die wordt verwacht in de rapporten van het IPCC

Dutch Moroccan websites: A transnational imagery?

In the last few years, second-generation migrants in the Netherlands have started to set up their own websites, in particular Dutch Moroccan youth. These developments have changed the old phenomenon of migration, making new communication technology a special feature of the concept of transnationalism. For migrants, the Internet is an excellent tool to ally themselves with compatriots throughout the world. This paper focuses on how the second generation of migrants uses discussion boards of websites to express their ties with their country of origin; thus websites are examples of cultural artefacts that can be seen as a virtual way of keeping alive the image of Morocco. Two websites, Maroc.nl and Maghreb.nl, show how Dutch Moroccan youth express their loyalty and belonging to Morocco. They use these websites as a source of information and imagination, therefore the sites function as a binding factor in a Dutch social context. In fact, what these particular websites keep together is not the transnational but the national network of Dutch Moroccan youths