Academic Ceremonies December 2015

“Finding, developing and using indicators of behavioural determinants of children’s health in Europe”

“Trees, agreement forests and threewidth: Combinatorial algorithms for constructing phylogenetic 
networks”

“Prevention and compensation of trans-boundary damage in relation to cross-border (oil and gas) pipelines”

Cross-border pipelines provide a relatively safe but economic tool for transportation of  large quantities of oil and gas across international borders. Meanwhile pipelines cannot be kept completely safe from accidents, like in 2004 near Brussels (24 people died) and in 2010 in Michigan (oil spill that contaminated wildlife habitat). This thesis addresses the impact and application of various policy instruments and regulation at the international level, which may be considered as an appropriate instrument to guarantee the safety of cross-border oil and gas pipelines. It makes a contribution to the comprehension of the possible damage which may be caused by the construction and operation of the pipelines. Furthermore, it has tried to provide a multi-faceted assessment of the regulatory framework governing the prevention and compensation of trans-boundary damage which may be caused by oil and gas pipelines. Piri reveales that there are still deficiencies in the prevention and compensation of such trans-boundary damage.

Key words:

cross-border pipelines, trans-boundary accidents,safety and environmental regulations 

“Image-guided and adaptive radiation therapy with 3D ultrasound imaging”

“Biological mechanisms of environmental stressors in psychiatry”

This thesis aims to better understand the relationships between inflammation and mood disorders. Using molecular approaches on clinical patient groups, this thesis provides further evidence for the role of immune-related pathways in the mechanism of action of lithium for mood stabilization in bipolar disorder and electroconvulsive therapy for treatment-resistant depression.  It furthermore has extended the current knowledge about antidepressant effects of infliximab (an anti-inflammatory) in Crohn’s Disease. These novel insights form the next steps showing that immune-related pathways are relevant for the onset and treatment of mood disorders and have the potential to deliver important prognostic information to personalize and optimize treatment. 

Keywords:

Inflammation, depression, bipolar disorder, environment, immune system 

“Role of vascular smooth muscle cell mediated calcification in atherosclerosis”

“The Antisteatotic effect of dietary protein: Why does it work ?”

“Environmental epigenetics in mental health and illness”

“Liver Steatosis: Underlying mechanisms and dietary interventions”

“The European Stability Mechanism and State Aid Rules”

“Surgical treatment of defecation disorders”

“Organ-preservation in rectal cancer; can new MRI-techniques improve patient selection”

“Rechtspreken in een Europese Context"

"Syndromic surveillance; Made in Europe"​

The health of the population is threatened by various disease outbreaks, natural disasters or man-made threats. Rapid information is crucial to prevent spread of disease, target interventions and control rumours. However, current health information systems are too slow and focus on previously defined infectious diseases only. Ziemann found that analysing alternative, already existing, electronic information sources such as emergency care patient records or web searches provide supplementary, near real-time information on the public health impact of different infectious and non-infectious threats. Comparing experiences with such information sources across several European countries resulted in concrete recommendations to improve health information practice.

Keywords:

health information, surveillance, Europe, comparative research

“Smoking and other influencing factors on skin and scar quality in surgery”

“Challenging the limits of endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair”

“Climate change and dengue transmission in Vietnam: An integrated assessment”

This thesis discusses in what different ways climate change might affect dengue fever transmission in Hanoi, Vietnam. Three aspects were researched: potential effects of climate change on dengue transmission; potential changes in dengue fever patterns; and public perceptions on climate change and human health. Toan demonstrates that climate can affect the size and geographical spread of the dengue epidemic through both direct and indirect effects on the virus, the vector and the population. As the climate continues to change, we can expect continued spread of the disease in Vietnam. This thesis contributes to the understanding of the burden of dengue disease, its epidemiology and disease transmission. The findings from detailed investigations will be relevant for other areas especially in Southeast Asia with a similar context.

Key words:

dengue fever, climate change, transmission

“Quality of pressure ulcer care in Indonesian hospitals”

“Evaluatie van bestralingseffecten op het bot en Osteoradionecrose van de mandibula in een groot dier model”

“Extracorporeal life support – Applications and considerations”

Extracorporeal Life Support is a further development of the heart-lung machine, to support function of the heart, lungs or both. The application of this support is considered for patients who are quite moribund and fail conventional therapies. The thesis focuses on when to consider applying this complex, lifesaving technology and when it might not be suitable. Further, Sharma aimed to identify newer indications for organ support and also addresses inherent questions arising from the application of the support system, e.g. the potential application of extracorporeal life support to resuscitate patients from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the Maastricht region or to facilitate recovery of the lungs in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Sharma also gives suggestions to make the application of extracorporeal life support much safer.

Key words:

Extracorporeal Life Support, application, considerations

"Preoperative interventions in patients with severe knee osteoarthritis undergoing total knee replacement; neuromuscular training and patient education"

Keywords:

Knee osteoarthritis, total knee replacement, neuromuscular training, preoperative

“Internal Representations of the brain; shortterm visual memory and tool integration”

“QUEST for the BEST; quality of colonoscopy and colorectal diagnosis in clinical practice”

“The principle of legality in European criminal law”

“Rescue ventilation using expiratory ventilation assistance; innovating while clutching at straws”

“De eerste leerstoel forensische pathologie”

“22q11.2 deletion syndrome: intelligence, psychopathology and neurochemistry at adult age”

“Chlamydia trachomatis testing policy and control: The neglected role of the anorectal site”

“Optimizing intersectoral collaboration in school health; creating win-win situations and a systematic implementation based on the diagnosis of sustainable collaboration model”

The first aim of this dissertation was to evaluate the possible gains that can be made by implementing health promotion in schools for the educational sector. We found promising but limited evidence for the relationship between interventions targeting energy balance and academic performance. The evidence for mechanisms explaining this relationship was limited to hypothetical assumptions from other studies.  
The second aim of this dissertation was to study the systematic development of intersectoral collaboration as part of a broader advisory trajectory designed for health professionals engaged in CSHP collaborations.  This was examined using the DIagnosis of Sustainable Collaboration (DISC) model. This research yields a strong message, namely that a systematic approach to intersectoral collaboration in CSHP seems effective and that the DISC model is an appropriate tool for this purpose.

Keywords:

school health promotion, intersectoral collaboration 

“Procesoptimalisatie van gedragsinterventies”

Jaarlijks worden miljarden euro’s geïnvesteerd in (om- en bij-)scholingstrajecten. Voor organisaties zou het van belang kunnen zijn om een inschatting te kunnen maken van de kosten en de mogelijke opbrengsten daarvan. In dit proefschrift is een methodiek ontwikkeld om gedragsverandering te meten en de effectiviteit van (gedrags)interventies/trainingen te vergroten. Binnen een internationaal productiebedrijf zijn het concept en meetinstrument voor een procesoptimalisatie ontwikkeld en later in drie casestudies toegepast. De uitkomsten geven een positief beeld over de ontwikkelde methode. Lastig blijft de relatief kleine steekproefomvang en daarmee de statistische verwerking van dergelijk onderzoek. 

Trefwoorden:

Procesoptimalisatie, gedrag, trainingen, effectiviteit

“Energy for life after colorectal cancer: Associations of physical activity and sedentary behavior with quality of life in colorectal cancer survivors”

“Prognostic methylation markers for colorectal cancer: Pitfalls and perspectives”

“I eat when I’m sad, I eat when I’m glad; on the role of cue reactivity and classical conditioning in emotional eating”

“Novel insights towards memory restoration”

“Looking for the right path; technology dynamics, incentive strategies and catching-up in the semiconductor industry”

The evolution of technology is a key driver of economic and societal change.  In this dissertation, a new theoretical framework is developed to study how firms in the Semiconductor industry tackle engineering design challenges to make new and better devices.   The never-ending miniaturization of microchips allowed the creation of new electronic products like smart-phones, tablets and flat-screen monitors. However, it also forced firms to deal with the rise of design challenges caused by the smaller scale of transistors, such as heat dissipation and faster deterioration. By analysing patent citation networks, it was revealed which firms tackled those challenges by applying well-established design approaches and which one explored new paths. It was also investigated whether there is a life cycle of design challenges and problem-solving approaches during the technological evolution of an industry. The focus was on the inventive strategies followed by catching-up firms. The novel theoretical framework and network analysis methods described in this dissertation are of great value for scholars of innovation and technology dynamics, policy makers and technology managers. 

Keywords:

theoretical framework, industry, catching-up firms

“Left atrial vascular and metabolic remodeling in pig models of atrial fibrillation”

“Towards integrated nurse-led self-management support in routine diabetes care”

“Endothelial nitric oxide synthase; Dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde”

“Current status and innovations in treatment of perianal and rectovaginal fistulas: are we still in the dark ?”

“Knowledge flows and networks in the ICT sector: The case of Pakistan”

“BE PREPARED !; Motivational Interviewing as pre-treatment in chronic pain rehabilitation”

“Economic and financial comovements and interdependence in the Euro area”

“Studies on safety issues in anticoagulant management”

“Criteria of distributive justice; an economic inquiry”

“Ontology mapping with auxiliary resources”

“Climate Change and Health; consequences and adaptation in Europe”
 

“Killing Time; Identification of adolescent cannabis users and the development of an early prevention program: Moti-4”

“PAMPering immune responses; spotlight on helper cells for Dendritic cell vaccination”

“Trends in childhood asthma and atopic diseases; practice-based research in Child and Youth  Health Care”

“Healthcare Quality Improvement by Redesign; aspects of redesigning healtcare processes and the effect on quality of care”

“Toxic thoughts about the food that we eat: social media, fear and fairness”

“Insulin receptor sensitization improves affective pathology in various mouse models”

“Giften, schenkingen en schenkbelasting; een rechtsvergelijking met België vanuit Nederlandse optiek”

“Irritable bowel syndrome; pathophysiology, symptoms and biomarkers”

“Clinical outcomes after innovative lamellar corneal transplantation surgery” 

“Dissecting Aggregate Productivity: International 
Integration and Growth with Heterogeneous Firms”

“ZIN IN POËZIE; een interpretatief en empirisch onderzoek naar de pragmatiek van het kinderlied”

“Supervised Exercise Therapy for Intermittent Claudicxation; subgroups, gait and physical activity”