Sortase A-mediated site-specific labeling of camelid single-domain antibody-fragments: a versatile strategy for multiple molecular imaging modalities

Imaging- and therapeutic targets in neoplastic and musculoskeletal inflammatory diseas

Inhibition of Firefly Luciferase by General Anesthetics: Effect on In Vitro and In Vivo Bioluminescence Imaging

<div><h3></h3><p>Bioluminescence imaging is routinely performed in anesthetized mice. Often isoflurane anesthesia is used because of its ease of use and fast induction/recovery. However, general anesthetics have been described as important inhibitors of the luciferase enzyme reaction.</p> <h3>Aim</h3><p>To investigate frequently used mouse anesthetics for their direct effect on the luciferase reaction, both in vitro and in vivo.</p> <h3>Materials and Methods</h3><p>isoflurane, sevoflurane, desflurane, ketamine, xylazine, medetomidine, pentobarbital and avertin were tested in vitro on luciferase-expressing intact cells, and for non-volatile anesthetics on intact cells and cell lysates. In vivo, isoflurane was compared to unanesthetized animals and different anesthetics. Differences in maximal photon emission and time-to-peak photon emission were analyzed.</p> <h3>Results</h3><p>All volatile anesthetics showed a clear inhibitory effect on the luciferase activity of 50% at physiological concentrations. Avertin had a stronger inhibitory effect of 80%. For ketamine and xylazine, increased photon emission was observed in intact cells, but this was not present in cell lysate assays, and was most likely due to cell toxicity and increased cell membrane permeability. In vivo, the highest signal intensities were measured in unanesthetized mice and pentobarbital anesthetized mice, followed by avertin. Isoflurane and ketamine/medetomidine anesthetized mice showed the lowest photon emission (40% of unanesthetized), with significantly longer time-to-peak than unanesthetized, pentobarbital or avertin-anesthetized mice. We conclude that, although strong inhibitory effects of anesthetics are present in vitro, their effect on in vivo BLI quantification is mainly due to their hemodynamic effects on mice and only to a lesser extent due to the direct inhibitory effect.</p> </div

Designing ‘for' and ‘with' ambiguity: actualising democratic processes in participatory design practices with children

In the last thirty years, there has been an increased interest in supporting children’s participation in society, where the results of these practices may or may not have contributed to more democratic outcomes. In this thesis, I focus on the democratic character and potential of the 'processes' driving such practices, and their outcomes, which, to date, have mostly been overlooked. My inquiry is situated within the context of participatory design with children and explores how adult-initiated practices that work on children’s participation in society, can, in addition to producing a democratic outcome only, also be actualised as a democratic process. Here, a 'democratic process' is understood as a process based on child–adult interactions that respect fundamental democratic values such as freedom, equality, and justice. My design practice, in this case, the 'Public Play' project, formed the core of my fieldwork and empirical material. 'Public Play' was a series of five participatory design workshops where groups of children and I worked together on children’s participation in public space in Belgium and Sweden. A new research approach: 'research through design' interventions was developed and used for the exploring of “openness” (Eco, 1989[1962]) as well as the study of its effects by analysing some key workshop situations through a theoretical framework drawn from Gaver et al. (2003). The thesis foregrounds how ambiguity — the quality of being open to the simultaneous coexistence of several meanings — can be a resource for the actualising of a pluralistic democratic process. Exploring ambiguity revealed both the adult designer and the child participants being enabled to express their meanings when defining the content, roles, and agenda of the process, and that the actualising of a democratic process also requires certain ways of negotiating and fulfilling responsibilities. The thesis also highlights the 'particip-actor' role the children can play, as well as new roles for the facilitator when designing 'for' and 'with' ambiguity. Through my inquiry, an 'ambiguity approach' comes into being, which helps designers work with ambiguity in a more controlled way, as well as providing them with a strategic framework informed by learning-by-doing, learning-over-time, and learning-from-peers.Performed via zoo

Virological surveillance report of the NRC influenza for season 2020-2021

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the sentinel surveillance resumed slowly in the season 2020-2021. Only the severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) allowed to properly evaluate the circulation of respiratory viruses during the 2020-2021 season. The season was characterized by the absence of an influenza virus epidemic, and the return of parainfluenza viruses and respiratory syncytial viruses detected mainly in children. SARS-CoV-2 continued to intensively circulate and was mainly detected in adults and older adults. Other respiratory viruses such as metapneumoviruses, seasonal coronaviruses, rhino- and enteroviruses, and adenoviruses were also detected, without clear epidemic&nbsp;wave.</p