List of awards Mosaic programme 2010

See also the press release

The role of blood platelets in the growth and metastasing of liver cell cancer
E.M. (Edris) Alkozai (m) 29-04-1984, Groningen University Medical Centre - Hepatobiliairy Surgery and Liver Transplantation
Blood platelets play a key role in liver regeneration and might also stimulate the growth of certain types of cancer. It is not clear if blood platelets play a role in the progression of liver cell cancer. In this project, the role of blood platelets in the growth and metastasing of liver cell cancer will be investigated.

Lifting the fog from the cloud, a value-sensitive design for Cloud Computing
Ir. V.E. (Engin) Bozdag (m) 01-01-1982, TUD - Technology, Policy and Management
Cloud Computing is an emerging model of computing where users outsource their data processing and storage needs to a third party over the internet. This interdisciplinary research aims to identify moral values affected by this technology (e.g., privacy, transparency) and integrate them into the design of cloud systems.

Revealing the true criminal behind Sjögren’s syndrome
Z. (Zana) Brkic (v) 17-05-1985, Erasmus MC - Immunology
Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease which is often overlooked. This research project aims to find biomarkers on white blood cells of SS patients to understand the origin of this disease and to expedite new diagnosis and treatment options.

Resetting a mistaken immune system
M. (Maja) Bulatović (v) 17-12-1982, UMCU – Pediatric Immunology
The immune system is meant to protect. Sometimes it makes mistakes attacking your body, like the joints. In children this leads to joint inflammation. Only some children get better with medication. We aim to find out how their immune system either resets or fails to do so.

Brain MRI in antisocial adolescents
Drs. M.D. (Moran) Cohn (m) 24-03-1985, VUmc – Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Antisocial behavior in children often seems quite innocent. However, some antisocial children grow up to be serious criminals. The researchers will investigate whether dysfunctions in fear and reward-related brain areas may put antisocial children at risk for persistent antisocial behaviour.

Financial inequality and the secrets of the ground
M.S.D. (Mintra) Dwarkasing (f) 12-04-1985, Tilburg University – Finance
People differ in how much they possess. Some people possess considerable wealth, whereas others possess little. This study shall investigate how this financial inequality affects the financing options of companies and whether the historical composition of the soil types on which we live has caused this inequality.

Imaging arteriosclerosis: useful or not?
H. (Hamza) El Aidi (m) 08-08-1983, Utrecht University – Cardiology
Cardiovascular diseases are the most important cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will be used to investigate the extensiveness, progression and prognostic value of arteriosclerosis in the coronary arteries and main arteries of the body in patients with vascular disease.

Firm Founders’ Career Capital: Utilizing the Past to Develop the Future
Drs. Y. (Yuval) Engel (m) 17-09-1982, VU – Economics & Business Administration
Upon foundation, firm founders endow their new ventures with resources accumulated throughout their career. This research project examines how firm founders utilize their career capital to enhance both venture performance and individual career success.

Generating heart tissue
Drs. M.C. (Marc) Engels (m) 17-05-1984, LUMC – Cardiology
After a heart attack, heart muscle dies, which leads to heart failure. By reprogramming cells into heart cells, we hope to generate viable heart tissue, that can ultimately be transplanted into diseased hearts.

Pancreatic cancer: fast predator
Drs. S. (Samira) Fegrachi (v) 26-06-1980, UMCU – Surgery
Pancreatic cancer with locally advanced growth has no treatment. Patients die within six months. Radiofrequency ablation is a technique that burns cancer cells. In liver tumours it is used successfully. This project will study this new treatment in the pancreas.

Do Chinese Judges Make Law?
J. (Jing) Guo (m) 06-08-1977, UvA - Law
It is commonly believed that judges apply, rather than make the law. Recently China begins to allow higher judges to select judicial decisions as precedents. This research seeks to find out how this reform affects the law-making power of Chinese judges.

The minority glass ceiling hypothesis
S. (Seval) Gündemir (v) 13-05-1985, VU – Work and Organizational Psychology
Ethnic minorities are underrepresented in leadership positions, an effect that remains after correcting for educational differences. This project will illuminate how biases against ethnic minority leadership can be erased and how the minority glass ceiling can be shattered.

Risk of mortality after a new hip/knee
A. (Arief) Lalmohamed (m) 12-10-1986, Utrecht University – Pharmaceutical Sciences
Hip and knee prostheses are a frequently used and effective form of treating arthrosis in elderly patients. It is a major operation, which can sometimes be fatal. This European study will develop a method to protect the risk of mortality of these patients.

Brain mechanisms of avoidance learning in social phobia
V. (Verena) Ly (f) 26-04-1986, Leiden University – Leiden Institute of Brain and Cognition, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
Social phobia is the most frequently occurring anxiety disorder and is associated with severe limitations. Avoidance behaviour is the main persistent factor of social phobia. This project will investigate the brain mechanisms that are involved in avoidance learning in social anxieties and how avoidance learning can be influenced.

The invisible proofs
J. (Jasmina) Mačkić (v) 27-04-1984, Leiden University – Law
Discrimination occurs frequently, but evidence is often lacking. How can the European Court of Human Rights accurately establish if discrimination has taken place? Does the current system of evidence constitute an obstacle for the effective protection of vulnerable groups? A comparative legal study will be used to map out alternatives.

The privatised art of warfare
E.V. (Evgeni) Moyakine (m) 25-03-1986, Tilburg University – Law
States make extensive use of private military and security companies that are hired to carry out a large number of military and security tasks. This study will focus on the liability of the state for the misconduct of such companies in armed conflicts and peace operations.

Standards across borders: phantom or reality?
D.N. (Daria) Ratsiborinskaya (v) 25-10-1976, EUR – European law
European Union promotes the use of high environmental legal standards. The project will develop legal environmental indicators, to asses whether these standards are actually applied outside the European Union. New indicators will be tested in a case-study on Russia.

The key to a safe immunosuppressive drug
A.S.W. (Angela) Tjon (f) 24-09-1983, Erasmus University Medical Centre – Gastroenterology
Side effects that arise due to the life-long use of immunosuppressive drugs limit the success of organ transplantation. Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) are a safe alternative. However there is a shortage of these. The researcher will identify the active component in IVIg and this could lead to the production of a synthetic alternative.

Moroccan troops in Europe (1936-1945)
A. (Ali) Al Tuma (m) 14-11-1979, UL – History
Moroccan soldiers fought on European battlefields during the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War. But how were these colonials integrated in armies that were European in culture, and how did they interact with a society that was new to them?

Semantic Web Enhanced Product Search
D. (Damir) Vandic (m) 30-04-1987, EUR – Economics and Informatics
Online product search allows users to discover their desired products. At the current moment this is a laborious, time-intensive process. This research project aims to investigate the use of Semantic Web vocabularies for efficient product discovery and presentation.

The Impact of Government Interventions in Banks on the Corporate Sector
T. (Teng) Wang (m) 07-12-1984, EUR – Finance
The banking industry is severely hit by the global financial crisis and governments have been forced to rescue many banks. This research project investigates whether and how government interventions in banks affect the corporate sector during the financial crisis.