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Objective: In 2021, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) was confirmed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as a rare side effect of the COVID-19 adenovirus vector vaccines Vaxzevria® and Jcovden®. This study aimed to describe the public's knowledge of TTS and how it affected the willingness to be vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines in six European countries. Methods: From June to October of 2022, a multi-country cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Denmark, Greece, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, and Slovenia. The minimum target of participants to be recruited was based on the size of the country's population. The results were analysed descriptively. Results: In total, 3794 respondents were included in the analysis; across the six countries, 33.3 %–68.3 % reported being familiar with signs and symptoms of TTS, although 3.1–61.4 % of those were able to identify the symptoms correctly. The reported changes in willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and with other vaccines varied per country. The largest reported change in the willingness to be vaccinated with Vaxzevria® and Jcovden® was observed in Denmark (61.2 %), while the willingness to be vaccinated with other COVID-19 vaccines changed most in Slovenia (30.4 %). The smallest decrease in willingness towards future vaccination against COVID-19 was reported in the Netherlands (20.9 %) contrasting with the largest decrease observed in Latvia (69.1 %). Conclusion: Knowledge about TTS seemed to have influenced the public's opinion in Europe resulting in less willingness to be vaccinated with Vaxzevria® and Jcovden®. Willingness for vaccination against COVID-19 with other vaccines and widespread use of vaccines to prevent other diseases also differed and seemed to be determined by the approaches taken by national health authorities when reacting to and communicating about COVID-19 vaccination risks. Further investigation of optimal risk communication strategies is warrant

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder where formation of Lewy Bodies (LBs) in the dopaminergic neurons of the substantial nigra pars compacta (SN) cause progressive cell death, resulting in a dopamine (DA) deficiency which manifests itself in motor symptoms including tremors and bradykinesia. Current PD treatments focus on symptom reduction through oral delivery of levodopa (L-DOPA), a precursor of DA. However, L-DOPA delivery to the brain is inefficient due to low oral bioavailability, degradation in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the liver, short systemic half-life, systemic L-DOPA decarboxylation into DA and limited brain uptake due to the blood brain barrier (BBB). Additionally, due to the buildup of L-DOPA tolerance by the PD brain, increased dosages are required as the disease progresses, resulting in increased systemic DA concentrations causing serious side effects like dyskinesias. To improve PD treatment efficiency and to reduce side effects, recent research focuses on the encapsulation of L-DOPA in nanoparticles (NPs), the most popular of which include the polymeric- and lipid-based NPs. Both formulations are able to protect L-DOPA from systemic decarboxylation into DA and increase L-DOPA delivery to the central nervous system (CNS). Additionally, these NPs can be modified with proteins and antibodies specifically targeting the BBB, not only improving targeting to-, but also the crossing of the BBB, thereby reducing required dosages and free systemic DA. An alternative treatment strategy is to avoid the BBB altogether through direct intranasal delivery of NP encapsulated L-DOPA to the brain. Through intranasal delivery, L-DOPA can be directly delivered to the brain via the olfactory and trigeminal nerves, reducing free systemic DA and avoiding the BBB-associated problems. These polymeric- and lipid-based NPs can be additionally modified to improve mucoadhesion and cell penetration, resulting in increased therapeutic concentrations o

Binnen On the way to PlanetProof (hierna kortweg PlanetProof) wordt het onderdeel Duurzaamheidsvergoeding een belangrijke pijler. Daar waar de retail aan telers van aardappelen, groenten en fruit (AGF) vraagt om (bovenwettelijke) extra duurzaamheidsstappen te zetten, worden via deze vergoeding de kosten gedekt. CLM is gevraagd de meerkosten van PlanetProof (2023-2026) voor onbewerkte AGF voor de versmarkt in beeld te brengen. CLM heeft een methode ontwikkeld om deze kosten in beeld te brengen. Deze methode is eerder toegepast bij de bepaling van de meerkosten van bovenwettelijke verduurzamingsschema’s voor AGF. Het betreft een quickscan, die een beproefde aanpak bleek om meerkosten voor duurzamere producten in te schatten.

De invasieve plant Alsemambrosia blijft zich uitbreiden in Nederland, waardoor het risico op gezondheidsklachten voor hooikoortspatiënten verder toeneemt. Deze plant komt nu vooral voor in particuliere tuinen, maar staat in andere Europese landen ook bekend als een schadelijk onkruid voor de akkerbouw. Wat kunnen we verwachten en wat is ertegen te doen?

Of all people aged 60 years and over, 20% suffer from mental illness, the most common being depression (7%). This could be caused by immobility issues that make them less able to engage in activities such as museums or the theater. These activities allow visitors to learn and be entertained, which can benefit mental health through gaining greater intellectual engagement. This qualitative study investigated how technology could provide a solution to this problem, focusing on the comparison between a 2D computer screen and VR. However, there are challenges to conducting research with elderly people. Examples of these challenges include the fact that elderly people may have short attention spans, that there is a wide range of technological skills among this user group and VR sickness. These challenges were taken into account by developing a short and appropriate questionnaire. To investigate the advantages and disadvantages of both 2D computers and VR, participants experienced the Dutch painting The Night Watch both on a computer and in VR. After each condition, they completed a questionnaire about their experience. One of the main findings is that participants seemed to interact more easily with the trackers in VR than with the computer mouse. Although VR was new to the majority (76%), fewer participants needed assistance (2D: 20%, VR: 8%), and fewer participants made mistakes while interacting with the content (2D: 52%, VR: 32%). Another finding is that, although the participants enjoyed the quality of the 2D computer screen, the participants reported feeling more immersed in the VR experience than on the 2D computer screen.

Copper chalcogenide nanocrystals (NCs) are of great interest as replacements for the highly researched, but toxic cadmium and lead based chalcogenide nanocrystals due to their low toxicity, environmental compatibility, potentially lower costs and very wide range of compositions and crystal structures. CuInS2 is a ternary copper chalcogenide, where the photoluminescence of CuInS2 nanocrystalsspans the red to near-infrared (NIR) region. The photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of CuInS2 nanocrystals is typically below 5-10% and must be improved for efficient use in optical applications like white LEDS, luminescent solar concentrators and bioimaging. Improving the PLQY is generally achieved by overcoating the nanocrystal with a wider bandgap semiconductor material, preferably without cadmium. ZnS is a good alternative compared to cadmium based shells due to its small lattice mismatch with CuInS2 ( ̴2.35%) and lower toxicity. The problem of using ZnS as shell material is the possibility of interdiffusion of Zn2+ into the CuInS2 core, leading to blue-shifts and broadening in optical spectra. For applications like bioimaging this can be an issue where a specific spectral range is used. To obtain high PLQY CuInS2/ZnS nanocrystals without alloying, a gallium-rich (Cu,In,Ga)S2 layer in between could prevent interdiffusion of Zn2+ into the CuInS2 core as the ionic radius of Ga3+ is different from Cu+, In3+ and Zn2+. This would hamper the blue-shift and broadening of the optical spectra. The (Cu,In,Ga)S2 layer could be obtained by a Ga3+ for Cu+ cation exchange with GaCl3-diphenylphosphine (DPP) as the precursor. The changes in PLQY, absorption and photoluminescence emission (PL) spectra of bare CuInS2 during the heating-up synthesis with varying volumes of 1-dodecanethiol (DDT) are followed. Optical spectra red-shift with increasing reaction times due to nanocrystal growth and the PLQY increases with increasing reaction times likely due to reduction in defect density, the d

Met de jaarlijkse residumeting monitort Tuinbranche Nederland de voortgang van de Ambitie gewasbeschermingsmiddelen in de sierteelt van de Nederlandse tuinretail 4.0. De monitoring is uitgevoerd bij tuincentra van Praxis, Welkoop, Intratuin, Hornbach, GRS Retail (inclusief GroenRijk), BijSTOX en BTC-retail. Het doel van dit rapport is om de Tuinbranche en de deelnemende retailers inzicht te geven in hoeverre zij voldoen aan de ambitie én waar zij zich nog kunnen verbeteren.

Een nieuwe studie laat zien dat de gewone pad in warme winters sneller door zijn energiereserves heen is. Hoge temperaturen in de winter maken padden ook kwetsbaarder voor plotseling invallende vorst. De steeds warmere winters zijn mogelijk een verklaring voor de 60 procent achteruitgang van het aantal padden in ons land in de afgelopen 15 jaar. Dit jaar is de winterrustperiode ook weer zeer warm.

Februari was recordwarm. Door de hoge temperaturen zijn ook teken actief geworden. Van de mensen die wekelijks via Tekenradar.nl doorgeven of ze een tekenbeet hebben opgelopen, liep 2 tot 3 procent een tekenbeet op. Er zijn ook al enkele meldingen van de ziekte van Lyme. Om de tekendynamiek beter te onderzoeken roept Tekenradar mensen op om wekelijks door te geven of ze wel of niet gebeten zijn.

In oktober 2023 heeft CLM een interactieve bijeenkomst met provincies georganiseerd over het thema “Samenwerking en weerstand rond verduurzaming van de landbouw”. Deze bijeenkomst leverde boeiende inzichten die kunnen helpen bij de transitie in het landelijk gebied. Op verzoek van het Regiebureau Transitie Landelijk Gebied (RTLG) van het Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit (LNV) heeft CLM de inzichten verwerkt in deze paper.

Het aantal tekenbeten stijgt nu duidelijk. Een mooi moment om terug te blikken op 2023. Drenthe had veruit de meeste gemelde tekenbeten per 100 duizend inwoners op Tekenradar.nl. Vanuit Gelderland werd het hoogste absolute aantal gemeld. De helft van de tekenbeten werd opgelopen in het bos. Een derde in de tuin. Nu start onderzoek via Tekenradar naar hoe de Lymebacterie ons afweersysteem misleidt.

Nederland is een waterrijk land met een hoge bevolkingsdichtheid en dito veestapel. Hierdoor zijn we kwetsbaar voor uitbraken van virusziektes die worden overgedragen door muggen, de zogenaamde Arbo-virussen (Arthropod-born). Niet alleen door de Gewone steekmug (Culex pipiens), maar ook door de verwachte nieuwe vestiging van de Aziatische tijgermug (Aedes albopictes). Bij Vogelringstation Meijendel (hierna: Vrs Meijendel) werken we mee aan een onderzoek dat de ontwikkelingen met betrekking tot deze virusziektes monitort. In dit artikel wordt dit onderzoek nader toegelicht en worden de resultaten bij Vrs Meijendel kort besproken.

Co-publicatie Royal HaskoningDHV en HKV. In juli 2021 is Limburg getroffen door overstromingen in de stroomgebieden die afwateren op de Maas. Een van de belangrijkste gebieden met overstromingen betrof Bunde en omgeving, rond de Geul. Aan de westzijde van dit gebied voert de Geul water af via een sifon onder het Julianakanaal door, naar de Maas. In juli 2021 werd er meer water door de Geul aangevoerd dan de sifon kon verwerken, waardoor het water van de Geul zijn weg zocht naar de omgeving, met overstromingen en grote schade tot gevolg. Er zijn maatregelen mogelijk die de kans op en de gevolgen van wateroverlast door het buiten de oevers treden van de Geul verkleinen. Deze maatregelen zijn verkend op effectiviteit en haalbaarheid in de Verkenning Geulmonding. Voorliggende rapportage doet verslag van deze Verkenning.

Recordwarm en extreem nat. Het voorjaar verloopt optimaal voor de ontwikkeling van muggen. De overwinterende muggen zijn waarschijnlijk zeer vroeg begonnen met het leggen van eitjes. De eerste lichting muggen kwam zo’n 1,5 week geleden tevoorschijn. Door de vele en aanhoudende regen waren zeer veel broedplaatsen beschikbaar. Als echte droogte uitblijft, is een muggenrijke zomer te verwachten.

The increasing global population and climate change have intensified water demands, resulting in increased reliance on groundwater resources. The increasing water demand and diminishing recharge rates pose a significant threat to groundwater levels and discharge. This will lead to alterations in the flow regimes and water volumes impacting wetlands and species richness. Slight modifications in flow regimes and water volumes can result in the loss of specific plant and fish species communities, as these communities are adapted to particular conditions. This research focuses on quantifying relationships between hydrological and water quality variables and plant species richness in wetlands in Australia and England. The approach aims to fill knowledge gaps related to plant species-area relationships and their interactions with hydrology and water quality. A comprehensive literature review is included about wetlands and identifying which drivers impact the species richness in wetlands. For hydrological datasets, the PCR-GLOBWB model output is used. For the water quality data, the DynQual model output and the World Bank’s ‘Quality Unknown’ data are used. General statistics were calculated and a correlation matrix is used to find the highest correlation with plant species richness. The strength of the hydrological and water quality-species richness relationships are quantified using linear, inverse and power regression. The multiple linear regression is done for all variables including cross-validation. The results indicate that the wetland area holds the strongest correlation with species richness. Power regression models demonstrate significant prediction, particularly for wetland area and organic pollution (BOD concentrations). The multiple linear regression models show that using one predictor variable is insufficient to explain species richness. The area plays a critical role in improving the fit to species richness. This study can be used to understand the contribut

Organized Retail Crime (ORC) has been on the rise and has become an increasing concern for retailers as individual incidents increase in value and even violence with Organized Retail Criminals having more violent confrontations with retail employees. This research aims to understand and analyze ORC and those who commit it so targeted strategies can be developed and implemented to stop its rise. This research differs from typical retail strategies and research on ORC by focusing on the human aspect of why people commit ORC and what methods they employ. By understanding and looking at the problem from this human perspective there may be ways to decrease its prevalence without more locks, cameras, or guards. Through background research and interviews there is an increasing focus on fighting ORC by either better partnership with law enforcement and policy makers in order to punish Organized Retail Criminals or stricter controls on retail goods to prevent the merchandise from leaving the store in the first place. This research aims to prevent Organized Retail Crime in the first place, reducing the need for the other two strategies by tackling ORC in a new more preventative way. The objective of this project is to develop strategies for discouraging ORC without resorting to increased technological security measures. This research involves Interviewing people associated with ORC who both commit and combat it as well as looking at ORC data to find patterns or correlations between things like locations, dates, and times.

The full text of this thesis is not available due to privacy or embargo reasons.

In 2021, both social and economic activities began to return towards the levels preceding the COVID-19 pandemic for some parts of the globe, with others still experiencing restrictions. Meanwhile, the climate has continued to respond to the ongoing increase in greenhouse gases and resulting warming. La Niña, a phenomenon which tends to depress global temperatures while changing rainfall patterns in many regions, prevailed for all but two months of the year. Despite this, 2021 was one of the six-warmest years on record as measured by global mean surface temperature with an anomaly of between +0.21° and +0.28°C above the 1991–2020 climatology.

Inspired by the notion that physical systems can contain only a finite amount of information or complexity, we introduce a framework that allows for quantifying the amount of logical information needed to specify a function or set. We then apply this methodology to a variety of physical systems and derive the complexity of parameter-dependent physical observables and coupling functions appearing in effective Lagrangians. In order to implement these ideas, it is essential to consider physical theories that can be defined in an o-minimal structure. O-minimality, a concept from mathematical logic, encapsulates a tameness principle. It was recently argued that this property is inherent to many known quantum field theories and is linked to the UV completion of the theory. To assign a complexity to each statement in these theories one has to further constrain the allowed o-minimal structures. To exemplify this, we show that many physical systems can be formulated using Pfaffian o-minimal structures, which have a well-established notion of complexity. More generally, we propose adopting sharply o-minimal structures, recently introduced by Binyamini and Novikov, as an overarching framework to measure complexity in quantum theories.

11 januari 2023, Contains fulltext : 289506.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)