Records of five bryozoan species from offshore gas platforms rare for the Dutch North Sea

This study reports on bryozoan species collected at three offshore gas platforms in the Dutch part of the North Sea. Four out of thirteen observed species are considered as rare in the Netherlands, whereas Cribrilina punctata is anew species for Dutch waters

Broadband Optical Serrodyne Frequency Shifting

We demonstrate serrodyne frequency shifting of light from 200 MHz to 1.2 GHz with an efficiency of better than 60 percent. The frequency shift is imparted by an electro-optic phase modulator driven by a high-frequency, high-fidelity sawtooth waveform that is passively generated by a commercially available Non-Linear Transmission Line (NLTL). We also implement a push-pull configuration using two serrodyne-driven phase modulators allowing for continuous tuning between -1.6 GHz and +1.6 GHz. Compared to competing technologies, this technique is simple and robust, and offers the largest available tuning range in this frequency band.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figure

Duurzame maïsteelt op zandgrond : verslag van een deskundigendag, gehouden op 22 april 2010

Voor de melkveehouderij op zandgrond is de maïsteelt belangrijk. Zetmeelrijke, eiwitarme maïs combineert uitstekend met zetmeelarm maar eiwitrijk gras, wat goed is voor de koe maar ook voor het milieu omdat een maïsgewas zeer efficiënt met water omgaat en omdat een rantsoen met maïs de emissies van lachgas en ammoniak beperkt. Bovendien kan door de voeding van maïs op krachtvoer worden bespaard. Daar staat tegenover dat op veel bedrijven bij de maïsteelt te veel meststoffen en herbiciden naar het grond- en oppervlaktewater verloren gaan. Dat maakt het voor waterbeheerders moeilijk te voldoen aan de kwaliteitsnormen die de Kaderrichtlijn Water (KRW) stelt. Ook de maïstelers zijn daar niet blij mee, omdat dit duidt op een slechte benutting van grondstoffen. De teeltkosten zijn dan te hoog, de gewasopbrengsten te laag, of de bodemkwaliteit lijdt eronder

Two Decades of Research on Euthanasia from the Netherlands. What Have We Learnt and What Questions Remain?

Two decades of research on euthanasia in the Netherlands have resulted into clear insights in the frequency and characteristics of euthanasia and other medical end-of-life decisions in the Netherlands. These empirical studies have contributed to the quality of the public debate, and to the regulating and public control of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. No slippery slope seems to have occurred. Physicians seem to adhere to the criteria for due care in the large majority of cases. Further, it has been shown that the majority of physicians think that the euthanasia Act has improved their legal certainty and contributes to the carefulness of life-terminating acts. In 2005, eighty percent of the euthanasia cases were reported to the review committees. Thus, the transparency envisaged by the Act still does not extend to all cases. Unreported cases almost all involve the use of opioids, and are not considered to be euthanasia by physicians. More education and debate is needed to disentangle in these situations which acts should be regarded as euthanasia and which should not. Medical end-of-life decision-making is a crucial part of end-of-life care. It should therefore be given continuous attention in health care policy and medical training. Systematic periodic research is crucial for enhancing our understanding of end-of-life care in modern medicine, in which the pursuit of a good quality of dying is nowadays widely recognized as an important goal, in addition to the traditional goals such as curing diseases and prolonging life

Coulomb Blockade in a Silicon/Silicon-Germanium Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Quantum Dot

We report the fabrication and electrical characterization of a single electron transistor in a modulation doped silicon/silicon-germanium heterostructure. The quantum dot is fabricated by electron beam lithography and subsequent reactive ion etching. The dot potential and electron density are modified by laterally defined side gates in the plane of the dot. Low temperature measurements show Coulomb blockade with a single electron charging energy of 3.2 meV.Comment: Typos corrected; to appear in Appl. Phys. Let

Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of a Blended-Wing-Body Aircraft

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106465/1/AIAA2013-283.pd

Computer-aided detection in breast MRI: a systematic review and meta-analysis

To evaluate the additional value of computer-aided detection (CAD) in breast MRI by assessing radiologists' accuracy in discriminating benign from malignant breast lesions. A literature search was performed with inclusion of relevant studies using a commercially available CAD system with automatic colour mapping. Two independent researchers assessed the quality of the studies. The accuracy of the radiologists' performance with and without CAD was presented as pooled sensitivity and specificity. Of 587 articles, 10 met the inclusion criteria, all of good methodological quality. Experienced radiologists reached comparable pooled sensitivity and specificity before and after using CAD (sensitivity: without CAD: 89%; 95% CI: 78-94%, with CAD: 89%; 95%CI: 81-94%) (specificity: without CAD: 86%; 95% CI: 79-91%, with CAD: 82%; 95% CI: 76-87%). For residents the pooled sensitivity increased from 72% (95% CI: 62-81%) without CAD to 89% (95% CI: 80-94%) with CAD, however, not significantly. Concerning specificity, the results were similar (without CAD: 79%; 95% CI: 69-86%, with CAD: 78%; 95% CI: 69-84%). CAD in breast MRI has little influence on the sensitivity and specificity of experienced radiologists and therefore their interpretation remains essential. However, residents or inexperienced radiologists seem to benefit from CAD concerning breast MRI evaluation