Evaluation of two Australian Rugby Union sports recruitment programs

The focus of the evaluation was on how well the programs were implemented, the characteristics of participating children and families, and the impacts of the programs on the participants. The evaluation design was based on a program logic model developed in an earlier project, and used mixed data collection methods, including parent surveys (before and after the programs), focus groups with children participating, interviews with parents, rugby club members, teachers and ARU staff, and administrative data. The methods were implemented as planned, although there were some limitations, including lower numbers of children participating due to the unexpectedly low numbers of schools and children who took part in Gala Day, the lack of administrative data and the lower than expected response rate for the parent baseline survey (50% of all parents) and three month parent follow up survey (30% of all parents). Nevertheless, we are confident that this research provides a sound basis for further work in this area

Ook de mondelinge motivering van de straftoemetingsbeslissing laat te wensen over

Criminal Justice: Legitimacy, accountability, and effectivit

Smoltification, seawater performance, and maturation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fed different fat levels

IntroductionThe use of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) to produce Atlantic salmon smolts has resulted in exceptionally high fish growth rates. However, there are potential negative trade-offs between fast growth and key physiological processes, such as inadequate smoltification and early sexual maturation, which can both be linked to body energy reserves.MethodsThis study determined the effect of i) dietary fat levels on Atlantic salmon whole-body fat and fatty acids composition, growth performance and smoltification and ii) a previous dietary regime on seawater growth performance and male early sexual maturation. In freshwater RAS, salmon parr (~19g) were fed 3 fat levels (20, 24, and 28%) over a 14-week period at 12°C. Subsequently, in seawater flow-through systems, smolt (~96g) were fed a control diet (26%) for 12 weeks at 2 temperatures (12 and 16°C).ResultsDietary fat levels resulted in differences in k-factor, fish whole-body fat and fatty acids composition; the low fat diet resulted in fish with a 23% lower whole-body fat when compared to the other two dietary groups at the end of the freshwater phase. These differences in whole-body fat faded at the end of the seawater phase. During the freshwater phase, all three feeds resulted in a comparable growth performance and smoltification indicator values, including k-factor, gill Na+, K+-ATPase, blood serum chloride and smolt index score. In contrast, water temperature resulted in fish body weight differences, where groups reared at 16°C were larger than those reared at 12°C. Nevertheless, both temperature regimes supported a similar thermal growth coefficient. Smolts grown at 16°C showed a higher level of the sex steroids androstenedione compared to those at 12°C. However, 11-ketotestosterone and testosterone levels did not differ despite a trend for higher levels at 16°C. Furthermore, testis histology at the final sampling indicated that some individuals showed initial signs of maturation (stage 3).DiscussionIn conclusion, varying dietary fat levels (20 - 28%) during the freshwater phase did not influence smoltification or male early sexual maturation during the subsequent grow-out phase. However, a temperature increase from 12 to 16°C resulted in larger fish and appeared to stimulate early male maturation in some fish individuals

Applications of hyperspectral imaging for documenting smoltification status and welfare in Atlantic salmon

publishedVersio

Tumor sialylation impedes T cell mediated anti-tumor responses while promoting tumor associated-regulatory T cells

The increased presence of sialylated glycans on the tumor surface has been linked to poor prognosis, yet the effects on tumor-specific T cell immunity are hardly studied. We here show that hypersialylation of B16 melanoma substantially influences tumor growth by preventing the formation of effector T cells and facilitating the presence of high regulatory T cell (Treg) frequencies. Knock-down of the sialic acid transporter created "sialic acid low" tumors, that grew slower in-vivo than hypersialylated tumors, altered the Treg/Teffector balance, favoring immunological tumor control. The enhanced effector T cell response in developing "sialic acid low" tumors was preceded by and dependent on an increased influx and activity of Natural Killer (NK) cells. Thus, tumor hypersialylation orchestrates immune escape at the level of NK and Teff/Treg balance within the tumor microenvironment, herewith dampening tumorspecific T cell control. Reducing sialylation provides a therapeutic option to render tumors permissive to immune attack

“Courageous but insolent”: African soldiers in the Dutch East Indies as seen by Dutch officials and Indonesian neighbours

Labour shortages were endemic in colonial societies. Plantation and mining labour was notoriously unattractive, but the army posed problems of its own. In their search to satisfy the voracious appetite for labour in commercial empires and colonial societies, rulers developed racial and ethnic stereotypes as to which “race” was most suitable to perform certain jobs. Africans were deemed most suitable for hard physical labour in tropical climates. They were also portrayed as “martial races”, fit to fill the manpower needs of both Islamic and European armies. This article will first give a brief overview of the use of African labour in the Dutch East Indies. Next, I discuss in more detail one peculiar aspect of inter colonial labour migration in the Dutch colonial empire: the recruitment of West African soldiers for the Dutch East Indies army in the 19th century