The dynamics of functioning investigating societal transitions with partial differential equations

In this article a mathematical framework is introduced and explored for the study of processes in societal transitions. A transition is conceptualised as a fundamental shift in the functioning of a societal system. The framework views functioning as a real-valued field defined upon a real variable. The initial status quo prior to a transition is captured in a field called the regime and the alternative that possibly takes over is represented in a field called a niche. Think for example of a transition in an energy supply system, where the regime could be centrally produced, fossil fuel based energy supply and a niche decentralised renewable energy production. The article then proceeds to translate theoretical notions on the interactions and dynamics of regimes and niches from transition literature into the language of this framework. This is subsequently elaborated in some simple models and studied analytically or by means of computer simulation

Towards Transition Theory

This thesis is a treatise on a theory for societal transitions: pillar theory. Societal transitions are complex processes taking place in complex systems, large-scale, long-term processes in which societal systems radically change the way they are composed and function. Since we all are part of societal systems, it speaks for itself that we ought to want to understand transitions. Nevertheless, although several aspects of transitions have been studied from various perspectives in various disciplines, the study of societal transitions as such is a relatively recent development. Consequently, the knowledge on transitions is scattered over disciplines and rather fragmented. Understanding requires theory, for even articulating what one doesn't know about a certain subject inevitably requires phrasing it as a question using concepts. Theory is an intellectual tool. It also works the other way around. Theory is also the result of understanding and it is this Janus-faced property on which this thesis is based

Laboratory study of the impact of repetitive electrical and mechanical stimulation on brown shrimp Crangon crangon

Pulse trawling is currently the best available alternative to beam trawling in the brown shrimp Crangon crangon and Sole Solea solea (also known as Solea vulgaris) fisheries. To evaluate the effect of repetitive exposure to electrical fields, brown shrimp were exposed to the commercial electrodes and pulse settings used to catch brown shrimp (shrimp startle pulse) or Sole (Sole cramp pulse) 20 times in 4 d and monitored for up to 14 d after the first exposure. Survival, egg loss, molting, and the degree of intranuclear bacilliform virus (IBV) infection were evaluated and compared with those in stressed but not electrically exposed (procedural control) and nonstressed, nonexposed (control) brown shrimp as well as brown shrimp exposed to mechanical stimuli. The lowest survival at 14 d (57.3%) occurred in the Sole cramp pulse treatment, and this was significantly lower than in the group with the highest survival, the procedural control (70.3%). No effect of electrical stimulation on the severity of IBV infection was found. The lowest percentage of molts occurred in the repetitive mechanical stimulation treatment (14.0%), and this was significantly lower than in the group with the highest percentage of molts, the procedural control (21.7%). Additionally, the mechanically stimulated brown shrimp that died during the experiment had a significantly larger size than the surviving individuals. Finally, no effect of the shrimp startle pulse was found. Therefore, it can be concluded that repetitive exposure to a cramp stimulus and mechanical stimulation may have negative effects on the growth and/or survival of brown shrimp. However, there is no evidence that electrical stimulation during electrotrawls would have a larger negative impact on brown shrimp stocks than mechanical stimulation during conventional beam trawling

A versatile, compartmentalised gut-on-a-chip system for pharmacological and toxicological analyses

A novel, integrated, in vitro gastrointestinal (GI) system is presented to study oral bioavailability parameters of small molecules. Three compartments were combined into one hyphenated, flow-through set-up. In the first compartment, a compound was exposed dynamically to enzymatic digestion in three consecutive microreactors, mimicking the processes of the mouth, stomach, and intestine. The resulting solution (chyme) continued to the second compartment, a flow-through barrier model of the intestinal epithelium allowing absorption of the compound and metabolites thereof. The composition of the effluents from the barrier model were analysed either offline by electrospray-ionisation-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), or online in the final compartment using chip-based ESI-MS. Two model drugs, omeprazole and verapamil, were used to test the integrated model. Omeprazole was shown to be broken down upon treatment with gastric acid, but reached the cell barrier unharmed when introduced to the system in a manner emulating an enteric-coated formulation. In contrast, verapamil was unaffected by digestion. Finally, a reduced uptake of verapamil was observed when verapamil was introduced to the system dissolved in apple juice, a simple food matrix. It is envisaged that this integrated, compartmentalised GI system has potential for enabling future research in the fields of pharmacology, toxicology, and nutrition

Advances in emergency networking

Crisis situations require fast regain of control. Wireless ad-hoc networks will enable emergency services to act upon the actual status of the situation by retrieving and exchanging detailed up-to-date information. Deployment of highbandwidth, robust, self-organising ad-hoc networks will therefore enable quicker response to typical hat/where/when questions, than the more vulnerable low-bandwidth communication networks currently in use. This paper addresses a number of results of the projects AAF (Adaptive Ad-hoc Freeband communications) and Easy Wireless that enable high bandwidth robust ad-hoc networking

Easy Wireless: broadband ad-hoc networking for emergency services

Wireless ad-hoc networks will enable emergency services to continuously overview and act upon the actual status of the situation by retrieving and exchanging detailed up-to-date information between the rescue workers. Deployment of high-bandwidth, robust, self-organising ad-hoc networks will enable quicker response to typical what/where/when questions, than the more vulnerable low-bandwidth communication networks currently in use. This paper addresses a number of results of the Easy Wireless project that enable high bandwidth robust ad-hoc networking. Most of the concepts presented here have been experimentally verified and/or prototyped

Reconciling biodiversity and carbon stock conservation in an Afrotropical forest landscape

Protecting aboveground carbon stocks in tropical forests is essential for mitigating global climate change and is assumed to simultaneously conserve biodiversity. Although the relationship between tree diversity and carbon stocks is generally positive, the relationship remains unclear for consumers or decomposers. We assessed this relationship for multiple trophic levels across the tree of life (10 organismal groups, 3 kingdoms) in lowland rainforests of the Congo Basin. Comparisons across regrowth and old-growth forests evinced the expected positive relationship for trees, but not for other organismal groups. Moreover, differences in species composition between forests increased with difference in carbon stock. These variable associations across the tree of life contradict the implicit assumption that maximum co-benefits to biodiversity are associated with conservation of forests with the highest carbon storage. Initiatives targeting climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation should include both old-growth and regenerating forests to optimally benefit biodiversity and carbon storage