Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in B- and T-cell lymphoma

Huijgens, P.C. [Promotor]Mulder, C.J.J. [Promotor]Dongen, G.A.M.S. van [Copromotor]Zijlstra-Baalbergen, J.M. [Copromotor

Molecular analysis and phenotype characterization of the progeny of two antisense potato plants

Two transgenic potato lines csr2-1 and csr4-8, containing two different antisense constructs, csr2 and csr4, respectively, were crossed to investigate the possibility of achieving double transformants with combined effects of the two antisense transgenes on plant phenotypes and cellulose deposition. Molecular analysis revealed an expected segregation ratio of 1:1:1:1 of the four classes. Phenotype characterization revealed that offspring containing either one or both transgenes produced more tubers than the control plants but individual tubers were mostly smaller and had lesser weight than the control tubers

Young men's ambivalence toward alcohol

There is widespread concern about the health and social consequences of excessive alcohol consumption among young men. Interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm will be affected by ambivalence toward alcohol, because ambivalent attitudes are worse predictors of behaviour than are homogeneous attitudes. It is therefore important to identify aspects of alcohol consumption about which young men are not ambivalent. In-depth interviews were conducted with a socioeconomically diverse sample of 31 men, aged 18–21 living in London, UK. Ambivalence toward alcohol was widespread. None of the drinkers who were interviewed had uncomplicated positive evaluations of drinking: all mentioned compelling reasons not to drink. Most motives for drinking were also identified as reasons for not drinking if consumption became excessive. However, three motives for not drinking were not also motives for drinking: violence, alcoholism, and cost. These findings should be considered during the design of interventions to reduce the health and social consequences of excessive alcohol consumption amongst young men

Differential expression of cellulose synthase (CesA) gene transcripts in potato as revealed by QRT-PCR

Two transgenic potato lines, csr2–1 and csr4–8 that contained two different antisense cellulose synthase (CesA) genes, csr2 and csr4, respectively were crossed. The aim, amongst others, was to investigate the possibility of generating double transformants to validate a hypothetical presence of the proteins of the two CesA genes in the same cellulose synthase enzyme complex. SYBR-Green quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays were carried out on four CesA gene transcripts (CesA1, 2, 3, and 4) in the wild type genetic background, and on the two antisense CesA gene transcripts (CesA2 and 4) in the progeny resulting from the cross between the two transgenic potato lines. The quantitative RT-PCR analyses revealed different expression patterns of the two CesA genes. The CesA2 mRNA was shown to be relatively more abundant than CesA4 mRNA, regardless of the genetic background, suggesting that the two proteins are not present in the same enzyme complex

Voluntary temporary abstinence from alcohol during “Dry January” and subsequent alcohol use

Objective: Temporary abstinence from alcohol may convey physiological benefits and enhance well-being. The aim of this study was to address a lack of information about: (1) correlates of successful completion of a planned period of abstinence, and (2) how success or failure in planned abstinence affects subsequent alcohol consumption. Methods: 857 British adults (249 men, 608 women) participating in the “Dry January” alcohol abstinence challenge completed a baseline questionnaire, a one-month follow-up questionnaire, and a 6-month follow-up questionnaire. Key variables assessed at baseline included measures of alcohol consumption and drink refusal self-efficacy (DRSE). Results: In bivariate analysis, success during Dry January was predicted by measures of more moderate alcohol consumption and greater social DRSE. Multivariate analyses revealed that success during Dry January was best predicted by a lower frequency of drunkenness in the month prior to Dry January. Structural Equation Modelling revealed that participation in Dry January was related to reductions in alcohol consumption and increases in DRSE among all respondents at 6-month follow-up, regardless of success, but these changes were more likely among people who successfully completed the challenge. Conclusions: The findings suggest that participation in abstinence challenges such as “Dry January” may be associated with changes toward healthier drinking and greater DRSE, and is unlikely to result in undesirable “rebound effects”: very few people reported increased alcohol consumption following a period of voluntary abstinence

Traversable wormholes: minimum violation of null energy condition revisited

It was argued in literature that traversable wormholes can exist with arbitrarily small violation of null energy conditions. We show that if the amount of exotic material near the wormhole throat tends to zero, either this leads to a horn instead of a wormhole or the throat approaches the horizon in such a way that infnitely large stresses develop on the throat.Comment: 12 pages. To appear in PR

Finance and the global land rush

In the wake of the 2007–08 food crisis, we have seen the combined development of a rapid financialization of agriculture with the expansion of large-scale corporate farming through large-scale land deals, in particular in developing countries and emerging economies. The rapidly growing appetite for agriculture among financial investors is driven by: mounting risks in “conventional” stocks following the financial crisis, the growing demand and prices for food, and the soaring subsidies for biofuel production. Whereas farming was long considered backward and financially uninteresting, with the new conjuncture in financial firms, a range of farmland settings are now seen as a new, promising frontier of finance. Important questions arise from these developments. What is the magnitude of the involvement of the financial sector in the farmland rush? What kind of financial actors are involved and how do they operate? How does the involvement of the financial sector change agriculture? And how viable are these investments economically? Contrary to common wisdom, which conceives these farmland investment projects as highly profitable, this article provides evidence of unprofitable and failed investment endeavours. It subsequently looks into causes of such failures, focusing on the intrinsic tensions of the investor-led farming model, and discusses implications for research and policy

Associations between religiosity and sexuality in a representative sample of Australian adults

Many studies have examined the influence on sexual attitudes and behavior of religious belief (i.e., religious denomination) or religiosity (e.g., attendance at services, subjective importance of religion). However, few studies have examined the combined effects of religion and religiosity on sexual attitudes and behavior. This study examined such effects in a representative sample of 19,307 Australians aged 16–59 years (response rate, 73.1%). The study compared members of four religious groups (Protestant, Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim) and two levels of frequency of attendance at religious service (less than monthly, at least monthly). Religious participants were compared to their non-religious peers in analyses adjusted for potential confounding by demographic variables. The outcomes were five sexual behaviors and five corresponding measures of sexual attitudes. The study revealed inconsistent patterns of association between religion/religiosity and a range of sexual behaviors and attitudes. In general, greater attendance at religious services was associated with more conservative patterns of behavior and attitudes. However, religious people who attended services infrequently were more similar to their non-religious peers than their more religious peers. The results of this study highlight the importance of considering not only religion or religiosity, but the intersection between these two variables

Truly naked spherically-symmetric and distorted black holes

We demonstrate the existence of spherically-symmetric truly naked black holes (TNBH) for which the Kretschmann scalar is finite on the horizon but some curvature components including those responsible for tidal forces as well as the energy density $\bar{\rho}$ measured by a free-falling observer are infinite. We choose a rather generic power-like asymptotics for the metric functions and analyze possible types of a horizon depending on the behavior of curvature components in the free-falling frame. It is also shown in a general case of distorted black holes that $\bar{\rho}$ and tidal forces are either both finite or both infinite. The general approach developed in the article includes previously found examples and, in particular, TNBHs with an infinite area of a horizon. The fact that the detection of singularity depends on a frame may be relevant for a more accurate definition of the cosmic censorship conjecture. TNBHs may be considered as a new example of so-called non-scalar singularities for which the scalar curvature invariants are finite but some components of the Riemann tensor may diverge in certain frames.Comment: 18 pages. 2 last sentences on quantum backreaction modified. Typos corrected. To appear in PR