Maastricht University

Functional Characterization of Myelodysplastic Syndrome by Multiparameter Flow Cytometry: The Clinical Synergy Between Ki-67 and Bcl-2 and Their Potential Role in Diagnostics and Personalized Therapy

The diagnosis and clinical management of myelodysplastic neoplasms are increasingly challenged by the disease’s inherent heterogeneity, particularly with respect to the diagnosis of low-grade variants. While standardized flow cytometric protocols traditionally rely on static biom...

AI-generated food stimuli match real counterparts in perceived healthiness and calorie content but not in realism or willingness to eat

Abstract Visual food stimuli are widely used in food perception and evaluation research, but are often limited by a lack of control of confounding variables. AI-generated food images may be a viable but yet understudied alternative. In a within-subject online experiment, 87 parti...

Thermodynamic characterization of Lewis acid–base interactions on carbon nanomaterials: Validation and Universality of the Hamieh five-parameter model

Understanding the Lewis acid–base properties of carbon materials is essential for predicting adsorption behavior, catalytic performance, and interfacial interactions. In this work, eight carbon materials—graphene, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, untreated carbon fiber, ox...

Reduced Joint Range of Motion in Nursing Home Residents: A Documentation Gap With Functional Implications

Objectives To ascertain to what extent reduced range of motion (ROM) and tender joints identified through a standardized physical examination were documented in the medical records of nursing home residents and to describe functional dependence and pain scores in relation to docu...

Platelet Reactivity and Sex Differences: Clinical Implications for Women

Platelets are central to hemostasis and thrombosis. Excessive platelet activation contributes to arterial thrombotic events, including myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and complications of peripheral artery disease, whereas excessive platelet inhibition increases bleeding...

Prospective annual evaluation of sports motor performance, BMI and social index in Swiss first graders over a period of 12 years

Abstract Understanding factors that influence children’s motor development is of major public health relevance, given its association with physical activity, health trajectories, and long-term well-being. This study evaluates neuromotor development alongside environmental factors...

Growing appetites: the impact of vegetable-rich school meals on child nutrition, cognition, and well-being

Typical lunch meals consumed by Dutch children fall short of national dietary guidelines. The average vegetable intake during lunch is around 8 g, contributing to inadequate overall vegetable consumption in over half of children under 12. A school-based lunch programme offering v...

Crossing effects in the tactile temporal order judgment task: a meta-analysis

Abstract The tactile temporal order judgment (TOJ) task is widely used in multisensory neuroscience. Participants judge which of two tactile stimuli, one on each hand, came first. A key finding is that TOJ performance declines when the arms are crossed, likely due to interactions...

Technical note: reconstructing dose distributions from manually planned electron boosts in breast radiotherapy

Purpose In breast radiotherapy, delivery of manually-calculated electron boosts limits retrospective dose–response analyses as dose distribution is unavailable. This work evaluates the feasibility of reconstructing dose distributions from manually planned electron boosts in breas...

How High is the Bar? Pension Fund Benchmark Choices in Real Assets

Abstract This paper examines how defined benefit pension funds select and revise performance benchmarks for real assets, including private real estate, listed REITs, infrastructure, commodities, and natural resources. Using data from CEM Benchmarking, we document substantial hete...

The Dutch cardiomyopathy registry (DCR); rationale and registry design

BACKGROUND: Cardiomyopathies are important causes of arrhythmias, sudden cardiac death, and heart failure. With accumulating knowledge in clinical, genetic, and molecular phenotyping, the number of distinct disease entities is growing. There is a need for broad, inclusive, high-q...

Molecular Rotors: From Newtonian Fluids to Functional Materials as Viscosity and Temperature Sensing Tools

ABSTRACT Molecular rotors (MRs) are a distinctive class of fluorescent molecules whose photophysical properties are influenced by their surrounding environment, making them valuable as viscosity nanosensors. However, interpreting their fluorescence responses in complex systems po...

Exploring patients’ experiences and perceptions of manipulation under anesthesia for stiffness after total knee arthroplasty: a qualitative study

Purpose To gain in-depth insight into the experiences and perceptions of patients requiring manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) for persistent stiffness after total knee arthroplasty (TKA).Material and methods A pragmatic qualitative study using the interpretive description appro...

Multicentre performance and consistency of two deep learning models for malignancy probability estimation of incidental pulmonary nodules

Abstract Objectives A screening-trained deep learning (DL) model (DL1) for pulmonary nodule malignancy probability estimation on CT previously demonstrated good discrimination on a single-centre dataset of incidental nodules. An updated DL model (DL2) was trained on both screenin...

Mind the gap: The role of workers’ automation perceptions for the automation training gap

Technological advancements in automation are transforming job tasks and skill demands, raising concerns about the adaptability of the workforce. While reskilling and upskilling are widely recommended for workers in high-risk occupations, empirical research consistently finds an “...

Multicenter retrospective study on perceived effectiveness, reported side effects, and cognitive outcomes of SSRIs in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) markedly increases risk of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety and mood disorders, and is associated with a spectrum of cognitive impairment, from borderline functioning to intellectual disability, with cognitive decline frequently reporte...

Facilitating Falsification: Devil’s Advocacy in Dutch Police Investigations

Abstract Confirmation bias has been identified as a recurrent cause of wrongful convictions. To mitigate the risk of this bias, police investigators should devote effort to exploring and attempting to falsify alternative hypotheses about a crime. In the Netherlands, investigators...

Contrasting Soil Chemical and Microbial Responses to Moderate Thinning in a South Swedish Spruce Forest

Abstract Small-scale forest owners frequently implement thinning to enhance stand productivity, improve timber quality, and maintain structural diversity; however, its short-term effects on soil physicochemical and biological properties remain insufficiently understood. This stud...

Beating the Odds: Survival After Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Decannulation Due to Poor Prognosis in Children—An Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Registry Study

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a life-saving intervention for critically ill children. However, decisions regarding discontinuation due to poor prognosis remain ethically complex. While outcomes after successful weaning are well described, survival following decann...

Reconstructing Causal Reasoning in Hybrid Governance: A Realist Program Theory Evaluation of the Dutch Function Mix

This study addresses a central challenge in contemporary evaluation: how to assess the plausibility of causal reasoning underlying policy interventions in complex governance systems. Using the Dutch function mix reform as an illustrative case, the study reconstructs and evaluates...