University of Applied Sciences Utrecht

In cartilage tissue engineering, there is a growing interest in dynamic hydrogels that promote spheroid fusion and cartilaginous matrix deposition, while maintaining sufficient stability for long-term construct maturation. In this study, Diels-Alder click chemistry is employed as a dynamic-covalent crosslinking method to create hydrogels composed of hyaluronic acid, gelatin, and PEG. By adjusting the pH during crosslinking, the tuneability of hydrogel stiffness and stability at pH values around the physiological pH of native cartilage is demonstrated. This pH modulation does not compromise hydrogel functionality, as encapsulated equine articular cartilage progenitor cell spheroids remain viable and functional for a culture period of 28 days. The hydrogel environment supports the deposition of cartilaginous extracellular matrix components, including collagens and sulphated glycosaminoglycans. Enhanced chondrogenesis and deposition of collagen type II are observed at higher spheroid concentrations, corresponding to inter-spheroid distances of 100-150µm following hydrogel swelling, compared to lower concentrations at a distance of >500µm. To further improve construct robustness, the hydrogel constructs can be reinforced on day 1 with a melt electrowritten scaffold, increasing the compressive modulus 100-fold by day 28 compared to non-reinforced constructs, highlighting the potential of this system for engineering cartilage implants.

Patient-centered communication together with evidence-based practice is seen as the underlying pillars of shared decision making (SDM). However, the application of patient-centered communication in physiotherapy practice has not yet been studied from an observer-based point of view. The purpose was to determine to what extent physiotherapists use patient-centered communication in the first physiotherapy consultations of people with shoulder problems, and to what extent patient-centered communication is related to the level of SDM. In this secondary analysis, 100 audio-recorded initial physiotherapy consultations with people with shoulder problems, obtained through convenience sampling, were analyzed for the level of patient-centered communication using the Four Habit Coding Scheme (4HCS) (0-100, higher 4HCS scores indicate higher level of patient-centered communication). The relation between the level of patient-centered communication and the SDM was analysed in multiple steps. A total of 100 initial physical therapy consultations of 41 participating physical therapists were included. The mean 4HCS score was 45(range 18-90). The correlation between the 4HCS and the OPTION-5 scores was 0.610(CI95 % 0.470 - 0.720). The four categories in the relation between patient-centered communication and SDM show that the most consultations are in the group of low patient-centered communication and low SDM and that there are only two consultations in the low patient-centered communication and high SDM. Our results show that there is room for improvement in the application of patient-centered communication in physiotherapy practice although physiotherapists do apply patient-centered communication more than SDM. Patient-centered communication does not guarantee the application of SDM, although a higher level of SDM does indicate a higher degree of patient-centered communication. Practice implications This study offers clinical guidance on how to improve the integration of patient's perspective, values, and preferences in the decision making.

Abstract An understanding of habitat use and levels of active behaviour is foundational to wildlife behaviour, ecology, conservation and management. These variables are commonly measured by tracking individuals in space and time using biologging. In principle, camera‐trap data also contain information about both activity level and habitat use; however, because motion‐triggered cameras capture only active animals, the raw rates of capture in different habitats give us an indication of habitat use by active animals only, missing patterns of use and preference by inactive individuals. Furthermore, capture rates are readily confounded by spatially imbalanced survey effort (either by design or by accident), and by habitat‐related variation in other determinants of trap rate (animal speed and camera sensitivity). Here, we show how camera‐traps can be used to infer patterns of both activity and habitat use by deconfounding these effects. Using simulation, we show that the method is minimally biased when the key underlying assumption (spatially invariant activity pattern) is met, but can otherwise be moderately biased. It also understandably fails to provide reliable information for parts of the day when there is very little or no activity, working best for populations that are at least partly available for detection throughout the day. We demonstrate the use of the method by applying it to 7 years of springtime data on seven mammal populations from habitat‐stratified camera‐trap monitoring in Hoge Veluwe National Park, the Netherlands. The method recovered credible patterns of habitat‐specific activity levels in all species, and credible patterns of habitat use and preference in all but one strictly nocturnal species. The method uncovered hidden diurnal migration patterns between habitats, preference for resource‐rich habitat, risk avoidance during public opening hours, and spatiotemporal segregation in some species. The new method allows analysis of habitat relationships for entire communities of larger mammals without the need for trapping and tagging.

Generative AI (GenAI) in education has become a divisive topic. While some teachers view GenAI as a transformative tool, others caution against harms and impacts on teaching and learning. Since the usefulness of a tool depends on the user, how teachers view and use GenAI and their perceptions of its role in teaching and learning may influence its benefits and risks. The study adopts a qualitative approach, interviewing 23 higher education teachers with teaching experience across disciplines. Using the Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) and sensemaking frameworks to guide and analyse the interviews, a set of opportunities, challenges, and threats associated with integrating GenAI in higher education was identified. Teachers highlighted opportunities, including using GenAI as a study buddy. Concerns were raised about students’ overreliance on GenAI, GenAI undermining the teaching and learning process, and issues like undetected plagiarism. The findings suggest a need for professional development to help teachers understand GenAI and how it can be effectively used in teaching. Some teachers warned against the paradox of using a tool to save time, only to find that it might increase workload and frustration. These insights contribute to developing guidelines and informing policymaking to ensure integration of GenAI in education.

T his special issue aims to unpack what competencies public managers, policy makers, and public leaders need to manage and cope with the digital transition and what this implies for teaching digital governance. We situate digital governance into a wider context of socio-technical change, by using a multilevel perspective based on transition scholarship and the recent debate on directionality. This allows us to capture the public sector capabilities needed for governing the different spheres of digital transition, as well as the individual skills and knowledge required from public officials. We situate the six studies in this special issue within our multilevel perspective. The contributions provide concrete examples of skills and knowledge needed and what it implies for public management programs. Furthermore, based on our multilevel framework we identify avenues for future research into organizational and strategic capabilities for the digital transition and the operational, reflective, and political skills needed to foster these capabilities.

Oral health is critical for overall health and well-being, especially in older people. However, the frequency of dental visits tends to decrease as individuals age. In contrast, frail older people who are less likely to visit the dentist, increasingly rely on medical care, such as the general medical practitioner (GP). There is a lack of quick and efficient screening tools for GPs to assess the risk of oral health deterioration. This study aims to develop a short screening tool to provide GPs with a quick, easy-to-use tool to predict oral health deterioration in older people, enabling timely referral and intervention when needed. The study consisted of three phases. In phase 1, the research team preliminary selected themes and items based on their predictive value, following a prior systematic review. In phase two the English self-reporting items were translated into Dutch, following cross-cultural adaptation guidelines. In phase 3 a panel of experts was selected and a Delphi method was conducted to develop the SHORT screening tool. The preliminary selection resulted in thirteen self-reporting items. Translation and back-translation proceeded without difficulties. The Delphi panel included 10 healthcare professionals and consisted of three rounds, after which consensus was achieved for the inclusion of three self-reporting items in the tool (100% agreement; median score = 5; IQR = 0). The SHORT screening tool was developed, including a preliminary selection of items, translation, and the Delphi method, which was successful in achieving consensus. Further research is recommended to validate and test the psychometric properties of this newly developed screening tool. - The SHORT tool provides a quick, three-item screening method for general practitioners to identify older people at risk for oral health deterioration, enabling timely referrals. - It addresses the lack of practical oral health assessment tools tailored for non-oral health professionals. - The SHORT tool was developed through expert consensus and is ready for further validation.

Interactions between iron-containing mineral dust and chloride-rich sea salt aerosols lead to the formation of iron(III) chloride salts, which initiate the photocatalytic release of molecular chlorine (Cl2) [1-5]. Photolysis of the chlorine generates reactive Cl radicals—potent atmospheric oxidants with substantial implications for the degradation of methane and other greenhouse gases. This catalytic chlorine production relies on the reoxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III) through Fenton chemistry. To understand the photolytic chlorine production, the Fenton chemistry in these aerosols must be understood as well. This study presents experimental investigation and multiphase modeling of the dark chlorine production from the reaction of iron(III) chloride aerosols and H2O2. The experiments were performed in the 200 m3 European Photoreactor (EUPHORE) in Valencia, Spain. Measurements were collected with long-path FTIR, OPS, SMPS, PTR-MS, ACSM, Picarro G2108 and G2201-i as well as monitors for O3, NO, NO2, NOx, CO and HCHO. Furthermore, flask samples were collected for analysis of [CO], d13C-CO, [CH4], d13C-CH4 and VOCs at Utrecht University. Multiphase modeling of the experiment has been done through the integration of Fenton reactions and iron chloride chemistry into the kinetic multilayer model for Aerosol Dynamics, gas- and particle-phase chemistry in CHAMber environments (ADCHAM)[6]. A production was observed of 1.14 Cl2 molecules per Fe atom per hour and 4.33 H2O2 were consumed per Cl2 molecule produced. An inhibition of the chlorine production later in the experiment was observed and is under investigation.This work is part of a project supported by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 –Research and Innovation Framework Program through the ATMO-ACCESS Integrating Activity ATMO-TNA-7—0000000004 (GA N. 101008004)[1] Chen et al. (2024) Environ. Sci. Technol., 58(28), 12585-12597[2] Mikkelsen et al. (2024) Aerosol Research, 2, 31-47[3] Wittmer et al. (2015) Environmental Chemistry, 12(4), 461-475[4] Wittmer et al (2017) Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry, 74, 187-204[5] van Herpen et al. (2023) PNAS, 120, 31[6] Roldin et al. (2014) ACP, 14, 7953–7993

Stepovers between fault segments are a key structural control on rupture propagation, often determining whether ruptures terminate or cascade into large, multi-segment earthquakes. These dynamics critically influence earthquake magnitude and seismic hazard. Theoretical models, in particular the rupture-tip equation of motion for elongated ruptures (Weng & Ampuero, 2019), describe rupture growth along planar faults of finite widths. However, they do not account for the potential of rupture jumping across geometric discontinuities or frictional barriers. In this study, we use 2.5D dynamic rupture simulations with the spectral element method (SEM2DPACK software) to determine how the critical distance Hc for rupture jumping across stepovers in elongated fault systems of two parallel normal faults depends on prestress level S’ and seismogenic width W (Fig. a). We simulate dynamic rupture on a primary fault and record the resulting stress perturbations on a locked secondary fault. The critical stepover distance Hc​ is determined by computing the strength excess required for Coulomb failure on the secondary fault over a static process zone Lc. This approach is validated by complete dynamic rupture simulations in a selected set of fault stepover cases. For two co-planar faults we find a Hc/W ~ 1/S’n scaling relationship with n=2 for short Hc (near-field) and n=1/2 for large Hc (far-field) (Fig. b), consistent with dynamic nucleation thresholds with stepovers. For non-co-planar faults we find a Hc/W ~ 1/S’n scaling relationship with n=1 for near-field transitioning to n=2 for far-field (Fig. c). This transition is governed by the angular dependence of the stopping phase emitted by rupture arrest on the primary fault and the resulting dynamic trigger. These scaling relationships for co-planar and non-co-planar faults will be incorporated into the rupture-tip equation of motion, extending its applicability to segmented fault systems. The updated framework will improve assessment of rupture potential in complex fault networks, such as the 2023 Kahramanmaraş sequence (strike-slip), the 2010 Maule earthquake (subduction zone), and the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake (multifault rupture), as well as for induced earthquakes (e.g., the Groningen gas field). Particularly, extrapolating our results suggests that faults with small W need to be highly critically stressed to jump over even short distances (e.g., >94% stressed to jump over 300 m in Groningen’s 300 m wide gas reservoir). Since fault slip is expected to occur locally before reaching such high averaged stresses, this implies that rupture jumping in induced seismicity settings with small W is highly unlikely. These findings contribute to a unified theory of rupture propagation incorporating complex segmented systems.

Vertical deformation is the most discriminating observable of the seismic cycle in subduction zones, but its complex measurement and contamination by multiple controlling processes have limited its exploitation. While horizontal displacements primarily reflect interplate coupling, vertical signals encode the competition among elastic megathrust loading, plate tectonic forcing, mantle flow and relaxation, and long-wavelength mass redistribution within the upper plate and forearc. Advances in satellite geodesy now allow vertical deformation rates to be resolved with sufficient precision and spatial coherence to provide new constraints on long-standing conceptual models of interseismic deformation. Recent observations reveal the existence of a secondary zone of interseismic subsidence (SZIS) in Cascadia, Nankai, Japan Trench, and Southern Chile. We use new data and models to assess the persistence of a SZIS and quantify and unravel its physical controls.Using multi-track InSAR rate maps in northern Chile, we identify an inter-seismic secondary zone of subsidence landward of the primary coastal uplift belt. The presence of this SZIS supports the existence of a persistent secondary zone of interseismic subsidence. However, within the classical backslip framework, the elastic half-space predicts a slow monotonic transition from coastal uplift to inland subsidence. We show that it cannot reproduce the observed secondary trough without invoking unphysical coupling distributions or implausible fault geometries. The discrepancy is therefore not parametric, but conceptual. Interestingly, the existence of a SZIS was first predicted by our numerical seismotectonic models (van Dinther et al., PAGEO, 2019). We use these cross-scale visco-elasto-plastic models to demonstrate the critical role of a visco-elastic lower crust, which allows for an elastic upper crust that is thin enough to bulge under compression transferred across a coupled megathrust. We find that this mechanism is important, but it is not the only relevant mechanism. To quantify and detangle the physical mechanisms in more detail, we build a data-driven model of Northern Chile and aim to explain lateral variations along our observed segment. We integrate high-resolution earthquake catalogue, seismic tomography, and gravity anomaly observations to constrain slab geometry, forearc rheology, density structure, and seismogenic zone dimensions. Our fully dynamic visco-elasto-plastic earthquake cycle model with invariant rate-and-state friction resolves sequences of quasi-periodic earthquakes and can build topography over them. Through that, we aim to explain the presence of a SZIS also in our early geomorphic and geological interpretations of upper-plate deformation. Those multi-scale observations support that vertical surface displacements are not only governed by elastic rebound of megathrust faulting but also include a long-term long-wavelength deformation signal possibly related to position-dependent buckling of the upper plate.We argue that, together with the existence of a persistent secondary zone of coseismic uplift of the largest earthquakes, such a secondary zone of deformation is a persistent and characteristic feature of seismic cycle deformation in subduction zones. This primary diagnostic will allow for a reinterpretation of the mechanics of subduction through an extension of the canonical backslip surface-deformation model.

Bioremediation is a promising strategy for sustainable management and treatment of field sites with soil and groundwater contamination. Understanding the fate of contaminants is key for identifying optimal conditions and prediction of biodegradation in the subsurface. We develop the open-source Python package mibitrans for hydrogeological reactive transport modelling for simple use of field site modelling, transport prediction and management optimization. Mibitrans is developed in the frame of the EU-funded MiBiRem project.Mibitrans is based on physics-based (semi-)analytical solutions for multidimensional solute transport in groundwater. Biodegradation can be modelled in various ways, including simple first-order decay and chemical reactions based on electron acceptor concentrations. The mibitrans package is modular, fully tested, well documented and well-structured to allow for easy adaptation and use in various field situations. We will present the use with example field site data from ongoing bioremediation projects.