Academic Ceremonies September 2010

“Essays on Bargaining and Claim Problems”

This dissertation investigates normative, strategic, and psychological aspects of bargaining and bankruptcy problems using theoretical and experimental methods. It shows that in case of bankruptcy and when claims are known, compensations of creditors in proportion to their claims is not only normatively appealing but also a stable outcome when firms can choose the bankruptcy rule to attract investors. However, when claims are unverifiable the equal division of the estate is the stable outcome of a simple allocation problem.  The thesis also shows that bargaining over a jointly produced surplus is strongly affected by information about the relative performance of team members and the randomness in the production process. Importantly, these effects are mediated by immaterial subjective entitlements bargainers derive through the production process.

Key words:

bargaining, bankruptcy 

“Molecular imaging of large arteries by ultrasound; Potentials and pitfalls”

The cause of cardiovascular diseases is often atherosclerosis. A torn atherosclerotic plaque causes thrombi that can lead to a heart or brain infarct. With ultrasound (echography) an atherosclerotic plaque can be made visible. However, it is not yet possible to determine the risk of tearing with ultrasound. A new development uses molecular imaging involving a contrast agent to visualize the presence of atherosclerosis-specific molecules that can play a role in the tearing. This dissertation describes a method to visualize a plaque by means of white blood cells that were charged with an ultra sound contrast agent. It is shown that the cells that were charged with blood cells are detectable in the blood stream and that the contrast agent has no influence on the roll and attachment behaviour on the activated vascular wall. This new acquired knowledge is essential for the development of efficient diagnostics.

This research was financially supported by the ‘Nederlandse Hartstichting’

Key words:

molecular imaging, ultrasound, contrast agents

“Union democracy and the challenge of globalisation to organised labour in Ghana”

In Ghana, trade union strategies to combat globalisation challenges include revamping union structures to enhance the membership of women and informal economy workers. Internal democracy in trade unions relies on the ability of their members, irrespective of their background, to access the power tools offered by unions to defend their working rights. The construction of trade union membership around male formal economy workers offers limited access for women and informal economy members to union power tools like education, sub-group autonomy and participation in union governance. The inability of trade unions in Ghana to foster solidarity between women, informal and formal economy members, was affecting not only members’ access to power resources, but union potential to combat effectively globalisation challenges in the workplace and beyond.       

Key words:

union renewal, internal democracy, globalisation, gender democracy, informal economy 

“Methodological and Conceptual Challenges of Evaluating the Impact of Development Interventions”

In the past years, doubts about the usefulness of development cooperation have led to an increase in rigorous impact evaluation.  Many people, however, wrongly align ‘rigorous’, with the use of randomized experiments. This dissertation distinguishes three important categories of challenges in impact evaluation: delimitation, attribution versus explanation, and practical implementation. A reflection about these issues, and not so much a certain method, forms the basis for rigorous study. Within this framework the various sub-studies illustrate the following aspects: the limitations and the potential of randomized experiments; the importance of a policy-theoretical perspective in impact evaluation, and the importance of combining suitable methods.

Key words:

development cooperation, impact evaluation

“Cognition and depression after stroke; course and interaction”

This research studied depressive complaints and cognition after a stroke, as well as their course in time and interaction with each other. A cohort of 190 patients was followed during a year and examined for depression after 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months; another cohort of 194 people was followed during two years and underwent full neuropsychological examination after 1, 6, 12 and 24 months. Depressive complaints after a stroke often turned out to be connected to the stroke. In half of the cases the depression occurred in the first three months after the stroke, and one third of these persons recovered within a few weeks. In more serious cases, complaints can recur of become chronic. Patients with executive function disorders (disorders in behaviour, emotion and thinking) have a worse prognosis.  

Key words:

stroke, depression

“Sacral Neuromodulation in patients with faecal incontinence”

Faecal incontinence is very common but complex disorder involving high costs for the patient and the community.  Besides a considerable psychological burden it has an enormous socially invalidating aspect that has profound consequences for the patient’s well-being. This dissertation summarizes the usability, safety, feasibility and the possible mechanism of action of sacral neuromodulation (SNM) as a treatment for faecal incontinence. After 10 years of clinical experience with SNM in our hospital, we can conclude that SNM is an effective treatment for functional intestinal disorders, particularly in patients with faecal incontinence.  

Key words:

faecal incontinence, treatment, sacral neuromodulation

“Interpretation of diagnostic test results: Pretest expectations, test interpretation and management decisions in routine general practice”

“The European Union and its Member States: Organized Hypocrisy?”

“Virtual Worlds, Real Healing”

The research points to the relevance of understanding the role that traditional habits and practices (i.e., passive acquisition of new technologies, lack of implicit learning efforts, weak investments in machinery and equipment) play in shaping the development of an industry. It also considers how institutions (in the form of policies) can effect changes to (or reinforce) these habits and practices. It shows that without purposeful intervention to support learning, the policy regime is not enough on its own to ensure that technological learning and capacity building takes place. Therefore, building capacity locally and creating an institutional regime that supports innovation appears to be the only way in which learning and capacity development processes can be enhanced.

Key words:

virtual reality, stress, anxiety

“Learning and Innovation under Changing Market Conditions: the Auto Parts Industry in Mexico”

The research points to the relevance of understanding the role that traditional habits and practices (i.e., passive acquisition of new technologies, lack of implicit learning efforts, weak investments in machinery and equipment) play in shaping the development of an industry. It also considers how institutions (in the form of policies) can effect changes to (or reinforce) these habits and practices. It shows that without purposeful intervention to support learning, the policy regime is not enough on its own to ensure that technological learning and capacity building takes place. Therefore, building capacity locally and creating an institutional regime that supports innovation appears to be the only way in which learning and capacity development processes can be enhanced.

Key words:

innovation, auto parts market Mexico, traditions

“Technical Change, Competitiveness and Poverty Reduction: A study of the Ghanaian Apparel Industry”

To guide future technology, industrial and poverty reduction policy planning and formulation, this study offers evidence of widespread technical inefficiencies and technical change among SMEs in apparel manufacturing business in Ghana. A survey of 140 firms shows weak signs of catching-up with the best practice firms even with increasing application of new technologies. Levels of poverty/deprivation remain high among apparel manufacturers, down from 41.8 percent in 2002 to 34.2 percent in 2007. The study linked the drop in poverty to output growth and proposed a more sustained and comprehensive policy measures to boost productivity growth through a better educated workforce and automated production processes to curb technical inefficiencies. Going forward requires good governance and workable international trade rules to change the present levels of performance of textiles/apparel industry in Ghana.

Key words:

Technical Change, Competitiveness, Poverty Reduction, Apparel Industry, Ghana

“Pension rights, human capital development and well-being”

This dissertation studies to which extent pension system reforms have an effect on training participation, the delivered effort at work, the well-being and the mental health of older employees. The study shows that reducing the pension benefits (discontinuance of pension scheme in the public sector) has a substantial and persistent negative effect on the mental health and well-being of employees. Moreover, the work effort is lower among employees with moderated pension benefits, who have a strong urge for retaliation. The decline in well-being is caused by the fact that employees feel they are treated unjustly and strongly compare themselves with those who keep their original entitlement to pension benefits.

Key words:

moderated pension benefits, human capital, well-being

“Innovation in Car Mobility; co-evolution of demand and supply under sustainability pressures”

“On European Antitrust Enforcement”

“Perinatal modulators of respiratory outcome after preterm birth”

Ten percent of all children are born preterm. Preterm birth increases the risk of death and diseases, among which chronic lung damage. In lung fluid of premature infants changes were found that can predict and partly explain lung damage. Furthermore, children were examined that were born after a uterus infection, main cause for preterm birth. There are indications that they can be better treated by raised dosage and more extensive application of medicines that are already used in practice. This can lead to a strong decrease of disease and death. It shows that early prediction of disease and specific treatment can contribute to a better future for premature infants.

Key words:

preterm birth, (chronic) lung damage

“Modelonzekerheid en Waardering”

“Melatonin for sleep problems in individuals with intellectual disabilities: A study into its effectiveness and clinical aspects”

Melatonin is drug that regulates the sleep-wake rhythm. This dissertation studied the working of melatonin in individuals with intellectual disabilities who have long-term sleep problems. In their case, namely, sleep problems are often caused by a disorder in their own melatonin rhythm; in individuals without intellectual disabilities other factors (such as stress) often play a role. Melatonin not only turned out effective in the treatment of problems with falling asleep and continuing to sleep, but it also had a positive effect on behaviour problems during the day. Aggressive behaviour, such as hitting, biting and destroying, was reduced. Remarkably, in some patients the sleep problems recurred during the treatment after a few weeks because the melatonin was too slowly broken down. The advice is to only start a melatonin treatment after (in the saliva) the moment has been determined when the own melatonin production has started.  

Key words:

individuals with intellectual disabilities, sleep problems, melatonin, behaviour problems

“Brain Sterol Metabolism – Modulating Alzheimer’s Disease”

This dissertation shows that stimulating the processing of cholesterol (turnover) in the brains of Alzheimer mice (by means of medication) can turn around the cognitive regression that characterizes the disease. It was also shown that the natural stimulation of the cholesterol turnover with plantsterols leads to an irreversible accumulation of these plantsterols in the brains of mice, which in healthy mice does not influence the normal brain functions. In an Alzheimer cell model, however, was found that plantsterols reduce the production of toxic peptides that characterize Alzheimer’s disease. This dissertation offers a solid foundation for further studies into the modulation of the brains-sterol-metabolism in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Dietary intervention can play an important role here. 
 
The study was financially supported by a Marie Curie early stage training site fellowship (MEST-CT-2005-02058)

Key words:

Alzheimer, cholesterol, plantsterol, brain, cognition

“Monte-Carlo Tree Search”

“Unity in Diversity: studies on Micro and Macro Panel Data Sets”

Thanks to the progress of information technology, keeping track records of a multitude of people or entities has become a matter of routine. For instance, marketeers keep files of potential customers, employers of employees, insurers of insured, investors of companies etc. The data concern a number of different but qualitatively similar units, which have been observed over some time. The topic of this dissertation is the methodology and practice of the analysis of such multi-unit or panel data. Two micro-economic and two macro-economic applications are presented and discussed; the micro-economic ones use a large sample of households or individuals, the macro-economic ones involve a small or less small number of countries, each observed for a few years. What our results show is that relationships that are often taken for granted are in reality very fragile and may be based largely on preconceptions.

Key words:

methodology, analysis, panel data