Driven diffusive systems with mutually interactive Langmuir kinetics

We investigate the simple one-dimensional driven model, the totally asymmetric exclusion process, coupled to mutually interactive Langmuir kinetics. This model is motivated by recent studies on clustering of motor proteins on microtubules. In the proposed model, the attachment and detachment rates of a particle are modified depending upon the occupancy of neighbouring sites. We first obtain continuum mean-field equations and in certain limiting cases obtain analytic solutions. We show how mutual interactions increase (decrease) the effects of boundaries on the phase behavior of the model. We perform Monte Carlo simulations and demonstrate that our analytical approximations are in good agreement with the numerics over a wide range of model parameters. We present phase diagrams over a selective range of parameters.Comment: 9 pages, 8 Figure

Blind Spots: Domestic Entrepreneurship and Private-sector Development in South-Sudan

Policy discourse on private sector development in fragile states has started attributing great importance to domestic entrepreneurship. This chapter follows Dutch initiatives to support entrepreneurs in South Sudan between 2009 and 2015. Despite the rhetoric, support for entrepreneurs did not materialise. Donor representatives refer to a lack of small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurial skills as prime reasons. Our research reveals that in practice, the apolitical interventionist rationale characterising donor support in South Sudan conflicts with the politicised nature of the private sector. In fact, interventions side-line domestic entrepreneurship, reinforcing an image of a ‘missing middle’ and diverting attention to international firms as ‘capacity builders’

Making sense of race/ethnicity and gender in televised football: reception research among British students

Most people today watch football by way of the mass media, sites that reproduce and transform ideologies and ideas surrounding racial/ethnic and gender identity. However, still little remains known as to what extent actual football viewers take up or resist these ideas. Drawing on a cultural studies perspective, this study tries to identify the dominant discourses that British television viewers use to assign meaning to race/ethnicity and gender in men’s and women’s football on television. Eleven focus groups of British students (n = 44) were utilized to explore these discourses. Our findings indicate that viewers from various ethnic backgrounds were largely compliant with the hegemonic media discourses about natural physicality in both gender and race/ethnic comparisons. At the same time, multiple negotiated/oppositional discourses were found in relation to women’s football that showed how other social practices contributed to such readings. Limitations and possible areas for future research are discussed

Bankers Focus on Clients – But What Do Banks Do?

Bank employees in the Netherlands want to focus on clients and the interests of their clients. But they feel constrained to do so by the dominant banking culture. They have low trust in their employers, they feel not motivated by the targets they are required to meet, and they experience very limited autonomy. This affects their service orientation towards clients. More autonomy, less emphasis on targets, and more openness in the relationship with managers is likely to further the interests of bank clients

Bankier stelt klant centraal – nu de bank nog

Bankmedewerkers willen het klantbelang vooropstellen maar voelen zich belemmerd door de bankcultuur. Het vertrouwen in de organisatie hapert, medewerkers worden niet gemotiveerd door de gestelde prestatiedoelen en krijgen te weinig ruimte van de leidinggevende en de klant komt in de knel. Meer autonomie, openheid en de afname van prestatiedoelen kan het klantbelang ten goede komen

High quality ultrafast transmission electron microscopy using resonant microwave cavities

Ultrashort, low-emittance electron pulses can be created at a high repetition rate by using a TM$_{110}$ deflection cavity to sweep a continuous beam across an aperture. These pulses can be used for time-resolved electron microscopy with atomic spatial and temporal resolution at relatively large average currents. In order to demonstrate this, a cavity has been inserted in a transmission electron microscope, and picosecond pulses have been created. No significant increase of either emittance or energy spread has been measured for these pulses. At a peak current of $814\pm2$ pA, the root-mean-square transverse normalized emittance of the electron pulses is $\varepsilon_{n,x}=(2.7\pm0.1)\cdot 10^{-12}$ m rad in the direction parallel to the streak of the cavity, and $\varepsilon_{n,y}=(2.5\pm0.1)\cdot 10^{-12}$ m rad in the perpendicular direction for pulses with a pulse length of 1.1-1.3 ps. Under the same conditions, the emittance of the continuous beam is $\varepsilon_{n,x}=\varepsilon_{n,y}=(2.5\pm0.1)\cdot 10^{-12}$ m rad. Furthermore, for both the pulsed and the continuous beam a full width at half maximum energy spread of $0.95\pm0.05$ eV has been measured

European audiovisual media policy in the age of global video on demand services: A case study of Netflix in the Netherlands

This article considers the provisions in the European Union's revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive concerning video on demand (VOD) services and the effectiveness of supply-side cultural diversity regulations in achieving their purported policy goals of increased production and consumption of European works. Because the Netherlands is the 'country of origin' to several multinational VOD services, including Netflix, we conducted a case study of this specific national context. We examine the quota for and prominence of European works, as well as different forms of financial obligations. We find that the former two policy tools may require new strategies to effectively reach their objectives in a nonlinear context. Our evidence also indicates that the latter remains controversial in the domestic audiovisual industry, as stakeholder positions are dependent on the type(s) of production stimulated. Based on this, we argue that securing the independence of producers and ensuring VOD services are transparent with respect to performance data are essential to promoting source diversity and a sustainable value chain

Prevalence, Risk Factors and Consequences of Chronic Polyneuropathy : The Rotterdam Study

Polyneuropathy is a chronic disease characterized by symmetric tingling sensations, numbness and neuropathic pain in the hands and feet. There is a lack of knowledge about the prevalence and risk factors of this disease, especially on population level. Within the Rotterdam Study, a large population-based study, we employed an extensive polyneuropathy screening consisting of a symptom questionnaire, neurological examination and nerve conduction studies. With this screening we prospectively screened 1310 participants and found a definite polyneuropathy in 5.5% of persons above 45 years of age, and this percentage increased drastically with age. In 46% of persons with polyneuropathy, no established risk factor was present (chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy), which highlights the need for further studies on risk factors for this disease. Aside from diabetes, which probably is the most important known risk factor for chronic polyneuropathy, we identified metabolic syndrome and especially (abdominal) obesity and dyslipidemia as potential risk factors for polyneuropathy. Importantly, these factors also associated with decreased peripheral nerve function in persons (yet) without signs or symptoms of polyneuropathy. This suggest that these factors have role in the pathophysiology of chronic axonal polyneuropathies, but longitudinal studies are required to confirm these associations. We also studied the effect of polyneuropathy on daily life and found that polyneuropathy associated with impairment in several basic activities of daily living, such as arising, dressing and grooming, eating and walking. Furthermore, persons with polyneuropathy have an increased risk of falling, and on the potential consequences of falling, such as head trauma and fractures. To conclude, polyneuropathy is a very common, often idiopathic, disabling disorder. More research is necessary to elucidate the pathophysiology of this multifactorial disease

Automatic configuration of the reference point method for fully automated multi-objective treatment planning applied to oropharyngeal cancer

Purpose: In automated treatment planning, configuration of the underlying algorithm to generate high-quality plans for all patients of a particular tumor type can be a major challenge. Often, a time-consuming trial-and-error tuning procedure is required. The purpose of this paper is to automatically configure an automated treatment planning algorithm for oropharyngeal cancer patients. Methods: Recently, we proposed a new procedure to automatically configure the reference point method (RPM), a fast automatic multi-objective treatment planning algorithm. With a well-tuned configuration, the RPM generates a single Pareto optimal treatment plan with clinically favorable trade-offs for each patient. The automatic configuration of the RPM requires a set of computed tomography (CT) scans with corresponding dose distributions for training. Previously, we demonstrated for prostate cancer planning with 12 objectives th