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In order to achieve urinary and faecal continence an efficient control on both systems is necessary, which means equilibrium between the two important phases of each system: storage and emptying. This implicates not only control of the pelvic floor muscles (contraction and relaxation) but also a correct interpretation of the sensorial information during both functional alternative phases leading to social acceptable responses by “automatic” and voluntary procedures. Those automatic and voluntary responses are part of a learning process.

From the time when the problem of people travelling to areas of conflict in Syria and Iraq became a topical issue at the end of 2012, many European countries as well as the United States have taken measures to prevent actual or would-be travellers and to prosecute and/or monitor returnees. This report provides an overview of measures taken, and the instances in which they are being taken, focusing on "person-specific measures". The report shows that the reviewed countries generally take similar initiatives. Nonetheless, there are significant differences in terms of political organisation, powers and legal culture. In a broader sense, this report attempts to shed light on the changing toolbox states have at their disposal as they try to face up to potentially violent, internationally operating non-state actors.

This report offers an understanding of counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation policies in the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Its emphasis is on developments following the 11 September 2001 attacks, and addresses the phenomenon referred to as jihadism. The report identifies three developments: 1) the development of counterterrorism and counterradicalisation as actual policy domains, 2) increased coordination of policy and initiatives for information-sharing, 3) unclear demarcation of the policy domain.

¡VAMOS! – Viable Alternative Mine OperatingSystem – is a research project fundedby the H2020 program which is buildinga prototype underwater mining systemthat will provide a novel way of exploitinginaccessible inland mineral resourcesthat lie beneath the water table. The project is developing a submerged remotelycontrolled mining vehicle prototype with associated launch, recovery and ore collectingequipment. The system is also equippedwith cutting-edge technology for environmentaldata collection and real-time gradecontrol. The ¡VAMOS! technology is expectedto provide major advantages in the fieldsof environmental sustainability and safetywith respect to conventional mining methods.Two separate field trials will prove theenvironmental integrity and eromicviability of the concept.

Next-generation sequencing is radically changing how DNA diagnostic laboratories operate. What started as a single-gene profession is now developing into gene panel sequencing and whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing (WES/WGS) analyses. With further advances in sequencing technology and concomitant price reductions, WGS will soon become the standard and be routinely offered. Here, we focus on the critical steps involved in performing WGS, with a particular emphasis on points where WGS differs from WES, the important variables that should be taken into account, and the quality control measures that can be taken to monitor the process. The points discussed here, combined with recent publications on guidelines for reporting variants, will facilitate the routine implementation of WGS into a diagnostic setting. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sinds eind 2012 staat de uitreis naar en terugkeer uit Syrië en Irak hoog op de agenda in veel Westerse landen en zijn er maatregelen genomen om te proberen grip te krijgen op de problematiek. In dit rapport is er op basis van publiekelijk beschikbare informatie gekeken naar zogenoemde persoonsgerichte maatregelen waar onder strafrechtelijke vervolgingen, beperkende maatregelen zoals het afnemen van reisdocumenten en sociale interventies. Maatregelen die betrekking hebben op bijvoorbeeld het vergroten van de maatschappelijke weerstand of organisatieverboden zijn niet meegenomen.Dit rapport kijkt naar het palet aan maatregelen dat in verschillende fases wordt ingezet.

Deze studie brengt in kaart wat in Nederland, België, Denemarken, Duitsland, Frankrijk, het Verenigd Koninkrijk en de Verenigde Staten wordt gegaan tegen ‘jihadisme’. Er is vooral gekeken naar hoe terrorismebestrijding en de aanpak van radicalisering in de bovengenoemde landen is opgezet. Hierbij is enerzijds gekeken naar beleidsplannen en strategieën en anderzijds naar welke actoren actief zijn op het gebied van terrorismebestrijding en het tegengaan van radicalisering. Alle landen ondernemen activiteiten op deze twee gebieden, hoewel er tussen de landen onderling wel verschillen zijn. Coördinatie van beleid en informatiedeling worden in toenemende mate belangrijk vanwege de inzet op een brede aanpak. Daarnaast kent de aanpak van ‘jihadisme’, vooral waar het de aanpak van radicalisering betreft, geen heldere grenzen door de toetreding van niet-traditionele veiligheidspartners en niet-overheidspartners.

Background: While serological assays for blood and plasma screening must have a high sensitivity, specificity of the assays is equally important. When blood and plasma centers consider switching to a new method, they are well aware that this may result in a temporary or permanent deferral of donors if the new method is less specific than the previous method that was used for donor testing. This is a major concern especially for those centers that have a very high proportion of multiple time whole blood or plasma donors. Aims: To evaluate the initial (IRR) and repeat reactive rate (RRR), and specificity of the prototype assays developed for the new Abbott Alinity s System at two sites in Europe using routine surplus samples from whole blood donors (serum or plasma). Initially reactive samples are defined as those that did not test reactive upon repeat testing, whereas the rate of repeatedly reactive samples is the percentage of samples that are repeatedly reactive but not found positive by confirmatory testing. Methods: Serum and plasma samples from routine whole blood donors were tested by commercially available methods and the following prototype Alinity s assays: HIV Ag/Ab Combo (n=1856), HBsAg (n=1925), Anti-HCV (n=1924), Anti-HBc (n=1857), Syphilis (n=2708) and HTLV I/II (n=2543). Initial reactive results and any samples with a discrepant result to the routine method were retested in duplicate and subject to confirmatory testing. Results: For the Alinity s HBsAg, Anti-HCV and Syphilis assays, all samples tested initially non-reactive, and the specificity of these assays was determined to be 100 %. The Alinity s HIV Ag/Ab Combo assay had one initially reactive sample that turned negative upon retesting in duplicate, for a specificity of 100 %. Nine samples were found repeatedly reactive upon testing with Alinity s Anti-HBc, all of which were confirmed positive upon subsequent testing. For Alinity s HTLV I/II, two samples were initially and repeatedly reactive but negative by confirmatory testing, therefore reducing the specificity of this test to 99, 92 %. Summary / Conclusions: The prototype screening assays developed for use with the new Alinity s System showed very good specificity when using samples from populations with a high percentage of multiple time donors. These data indicate that the introduction of the newly developed Alinity s screening assays will not cause unnecessary donor deferral, not even temporarily.

After restoration, eutrophicated shallow freshwaters may show mass development of only one or two submerged macrophyte species, lowering biodiversity and hampering recreation. It is unclear which environmental factors govern this high percentage of the volume inhabited (PVI11 PVI: The percent of the water volume inhabited by submerged macrophytes. ) by submerged macrophytes, and whether the development of a more diverse, low canopy vegetation is likely to occur if dominant species decline in abundance. We hypothesized that (1) adequate light and high sediment nutrient availability leads to massive development of submerged macrophytes, and (2) that macrophyte species richness is low at high PVI, but that this is not caused by a lack of viable propagules of non-dominant species (especially charophytes). To test these hypotheses, fifteen shallow waters in the Netherlands were studied with respect to submerged vegetation (including propagules), water, and sediment characteristics. The probability of high submerged macrophyte PVI is highest in shallow waters where light availability in the water layer and phosphorus availability in the sediment are abundant. These conditions typically occur upon restoration of eutrophic waterbodies by reducing water nutrient loading or applying biomanipulation. Other factors, as top-down control, can additionally influence realised PVI. Viable propagules of species other than the dominant ones, including charophytes, were found in most of the sediments, indicating that once the dominant species declines, there is local potential for a diverse submerged vegetation to develop. Results can be used to predict when mass development occurs and to tackle the factors causing mass development.

De verhoogde terreurdreiging in Nederland doet de vraag rijzen of de overheid wel voldoende middelen in handen heeft om potentiële terroristen vroegtijdig op het spoor te komen. Hoe is het gesteld met de opsporingsbevoegdheden van politie en justitie? Hebben zij voldoende wettelijke middelen om bij signalen van een terroristische dreiging meteen in actie te kunnen komen? Kunnen zij in de praktijk nader onderzoek verrichten, ook als er alleen vage geruchten zijn over een mogelijke terreurdreiging? En hoe gaan zij in de praktijk om met bevoegdheden waar zij de beschikking over hebben? In dit hoofdstuk komen deze vragen aan de orde. In de eerste paragraaf bespreken we twee wetten die na 9/11 in Nederland in het leven zijn geroepen om terroristische activiteiten beter te kunnen opsporen. In hoofdzaak richten we ons op de 'Wet ter verruiming van de mogelijkheden tot opsporing en vervolging van terroristische misdrijven'. Die wet is in 2007 in werking getreden met als belangrijkste doel terroristische activiteiten vroegtijdig te kunnen opsporen. In de paragrafen daarna bespreken we hoe politie en justitie in de praktijk optreden bij signalen van een terroristische dreiging en in hoeverre ze daarbij gebruikmaken van deze wet. Er komen verschillende handelingsstrategieën aan de orde die in de opsporingspraktijk worden toegepast.

Contains fulltext : 174738.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Tremendous progress in genetics and genomics led to a wide range of healthcare providers, genetic tests, and more patients who can benefit from these developments. To guarantee and improve the quality of genetic testing, a unified European-based registration for individuals qualified in biomedicine was realized. Therefore a Europe-wide recognition of the profession 'European registered Clinical Laboratory Geneticist (ErCLG)' based on a syllabus of core competences was established which allows for harmonization in professional education. The 'European Board of Medical Genetics division - Clinical Laboratory Geneticist' provides now since 3 years the possibility to register as an ErCLG. Applicants may be from all European countries and since this year also from outside of Europe. Five subtitles reflect the exact specialty of each ErCLG, who can reregister every 5 years. A previously not possible statistics based on ~300 individuals from 19 countries as holders of an ErCLG title provides interesting insights into the professionals working in human genetics. It could be substantiated that there are around twice as many females than males and that a PhD title was achieved by 80% of registered ErCLGs. Also most ErCLGs are still trained as generalists (66%), followed by such ErCLGs with focus on molecular genetics (23%); the remaining are concentrated either on clinical (6%), tumor (4%) or biochemical genetics (1%). In conclusion, besides MDs and genetic counselors/nurses an EU-wide recognition system for Clinical Laboratory Geneticist has been established, which strengthens the status of specialists working in human genetic diagnostics in Europe and worldwide.

Eutrophication of shallow lakes in North-West Europe has resulted in cyanobacterial blooms, turbid water, and a decline in submerged macrophytes. Even though external inputs of phosphorus (P) are declining, internal loading of P from the sediment may delay the recovery of these aquatic ecosystems. Iron can be a useful chemical binding agent to combat internal P loading in shallow lakes, but may potentially be harmful for macrophyte growth. We tested whether iron addition as a restoration measure harms the growth of submerged macrophytes. We hypothesized that this depends on the iron dosage and the rooting strategy of the macrophytes. We experimentally tested the effects of Fe (FeCl3) on the submerged macrophytes Potamogeton pectinatus L and Elodea nuttallii (Planch.) H. St. John. Iron was dosed at a concentration of 20 g Fe m(-2) and 40 g Fe m(-2) to the surface water or to both the surface water and sediment. E. nuttallii growth was not affected by iron addition, whereas P. pectinatus growth significantly decreased with increasing iron concentrations. Nonetheless, biomass of both species increased in all treatments relative to starting conditions. During the experiment, propagules sprouted from a propagule bank in the sediment including species with a high conservation value and this spontaneous emergence was not influenced by increasing iron concentrations. We conclude that adding iron(III)chloride in dosages of 20-40 g m(-2) may reduce growth of some macrophyte species, but does not prevent overall macrophyte recovery. It may however affect macrophyte community composition due to differential responses of macrophyte species to iron addition. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Destination Syria is an exploratory study providing insights on the daily lives of western citizens that have travelled to the area, torn by conflict to join jihadist groups like ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra. Specific attention has been paid to daily life in ISIS territories and in areas controlled by Jabhat al-Nusra and affiliated jihadist groups. The study covers a variety of key aspects that influence life in the areas controlled by these groups, such as administrative structures, policies, training, deployment, services, social conduct control and financial aspects – making Destination Syria one of the first studies to comprehensively outline what daily life looks like in Syria within jihadist territory.