Matches in Ghent University Academic Bibliography for { ?s <http://schema.org/abstract> ?o. }
- 01GMMXBT896GNYMZ2K42Z0BX9B abstract "A solid-supported O-methylisourea reagent has been prepared in one step starting from commercially available solid-supported carbodiimide. The isourea reagent has been successfully used for the preparation of methyl esters from the corresponding carboxylic acids. The crude products obtained after resin filtration and solvent evaporation are generally obtained in >98% purity.".
- 01GMMXC41FW48SCDYEHCVBTP4T abstract "The synthesis of the fluorous amine scavenger [(C6F13CH2CH2)(3)SiCH2CH2CH2](2)NH and its successful application in the automated solution phase parallel synthesis of a urea library are described. Ureas were made by robotic synthesis from organic amines and excess isocyanates. The amine scavenger reacts with excess isocyanate, and the fluorous tag serves to solubilize the resulting adduct in the fluorous phase so it can be removed by fluorous-organic extraction. Organic urea products are isolated in high yields and purities after liquid-liquid extraction. Preliminary biological evaluation shows that several of the ureas have ion channel modulation abilities. In contrast to polymer and ionic quenching methods, the fluorous quench works whether the product is soluble or insoluble in the reaction medium, and ionizable functional groups are tolerated in the products.".
- 01GMMXC41M1VJV3YR2W45Z97MP abstract "Benzotrifluoride (BTF, trifluoromethylbenzene, alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluorotoluene, C6H5CF3) and related compounds are introduced as new solvents for traditional organic synthesis and for fluorous synthesis. BTF is more environmentally friendly than many other organic solvents and is available in large quantities. BTF is relatively inert and is suitable for use as a solvent for a wide range of chemistry including ionic, transition-metal catalyzed and thermal reactions. It is especially useful for radical reactions, where it may replace benzene as the current solvent of choice for many common transformations. BTF and related solvents are also crucial components of fluorous synthesis since they can dissolve both standard organic molecules and highly fluorinated molecules. This chapter provides an overview of the reactivity and toxicological properties of BTF and analogs and then summarizes their recent uses as reaction solvents in both traditional organic and new fluorous synthesis.".
- 01GMMXKYZQH7ESMQDDVS7KZP0H abstract "Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) often use plate-fin heat sinks as cold side heat exchangers under forced convection. The available net electrical power obtained from these TEGs corresponds to that generated (Seebeck effect) minus that consumed (cooling fan). Generation and self-consumption have different trends as a function of the air flow speed, so a maximum of the net electrical power is expected when varying the cooling flow rate. Here, a semi-analytical model was developed to predict the maximum net electrical power of a single TEG module with a plate-fin heat sink with non-bypassed forced convection. The model was successfully validated with experimental data. It was applied to determine the heat sink design (fin thickness and fin-to-fin distance) that optimized the net electrical power for given values of hot source temperature, TEG properties, and duct cross-section. Numerical results indicated that the optimal dimensions of the plate-fin heat sink depended, among others, on the TEG effective properties. For a given TEG, the net output power was less sensitive to changes in fin thickness than in fin spacing. The optimal heat sink designs predicted by the model for the cases studied had fin thicknesses of 0.32 and 0.44 mm with fin-to-fin distances of 1 mm.".
- 01GMMZYXXV4V4J0K6PWY107V46 abstract "Plastic pollution is ubiquitous and persistent in the aquatic environment. Its distribution is heterogeneous in terms of both physical (e.g. size, shape, density, porosity, colour) and chemical properties (e.g. polymer type, surface charge, polarity, presence of additives or persistent organic pollutants). A strong international research effort has been made over the past 15 years, notably on methods development, to collect, prepare, and thus analyse plastic items with dimensions between 10 µm and 5 mm denoted as microplastics (MPs). However, MPs will eventually degrade in the environment - with a concomitant modification of their initial characteristics - to successively smaller entities, eventually reaching the nano-size range: they are then denoted as nanoplastics (< 1 µm; NPs). Nanoplastics are expected to be widely present in the environment and to represent an hazard for the ecosystem and ultimately for humans, but there is a paucity of reliable data on the concentration and distribution of small MPs (< 10 µm ; sMPs) and NPs in environmental matrices. Furthermore, there is currently a knowledge gap on these particles notably because of sampling and analytical challenges with methods that need to diverge from the ones developed at present for MPs. The current lack of relevant and standardized methods for sampling, preparing, and then quantifying and characterizing sMPs and NPs precludes the development of robust environmental risk assessment strategies. Indeed, by knowing their realistic distribution in the environment, it will be possible to set ecotoxicological studies with notably relevant concentration and particles types of plastics. The end goal of the present work is to identify reliable and relevant methods applicable for sampling, preparing, and determining the concentration and distribution of sMPs and NPs in complex environmental matrices (water, sediment and fauna) including information on their physical and/or chemical characteristics. The developed analytical toolbox will provide the means to establish realistic input values for further ecotoxicological studies and risk assessment regarding plastic particles with size smaller than 10 µm. [Acknowledgements: This research is supported by the Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek – Vlaanderen (FWO, Research Foundation Flanders) via SB PhD fellowship (grant no.1S03922N) and FWO project (grant no.G053320N).]".
- 01GMN0ET74CG7XC6GRFCMAK0QG abstract "There is an increasing number of clinical applications where deep learning plays an important role. Heart chamber segmentation enables delineation of anatomical structures of heart and it is a prerequisite for a wide range of clinical applications. 3D U-Net architecture consistently achieves the highest scores in various medical imaging challenges. NoNewNet architecture is a modification of the 3D U-Net architecture which was shown to outperform the original 3D U-Net and was recently implemented inside the NiftyNet package. In this paper we demonstrate that with the properly trained NoNewNet network and NiftyNet we can outperform the current state-of-the-art networks. The evaluation of the trained network was performed on 20 3D CT images from MICCAI 2017 Multi-Modality Whole Heart Segmentation Challenge dataset using five-fold cross-validation. We experimentally prove that border size can significantly reduce inference time without affecting segmentation accuracy. Additionally, we provide the discussion of the effects of some of the NiftyNet configuration parameters on the performance of the network.".
- 01GMN1Y5X9HMA9HPFMN1PY0G3X abstract "Objective The heterogeneity in the population of older patients with cancer makes clinical decision-making difficult. We investigated the agreement between the G8 score and clinical judgment in frailty assessments, determined the impact of a life-expectancy calculator, and explored patient and caregiver preferences towards the treatment goal. Methods Patients aged >= 75 years in need of new oncological treatment were prospectively enrolled between June 2020 and February 2021. Frailty was estimated by the oncologist and caregiver and compared to the G8 estimation. We examined whether the oncologist changed the fit/frail estimation based on life expectancy calculated using the ePrognosis tool. The main treatment goals, either longevity or quality of life (QoL), from the patient's and caregiver's perspective were noted and compared. Results Forty-nine patients were included in the analysis. Comparison of the oncologist's and the caregiver's frailty estimation with the G8 assessment showed agreement and a Kappa coefficient of 58.3% (0.231) and 60% (0.255), respectively. The ePrognosis score and the odds of change in the frailty estimation by the oncologist showed no correlation. Regarding preferences, 28 (57.1%) and 17 (34.7%) patients and eighteen (47.3%) and seventeen (44.7%) caregivers chose longevity and QoL, respectively. The observed agreement and Kappa coefficient were 78.8% and 0.578. Conclusion Compared to the G8 assessment, frailty was underestimated by both oncologists and caregivers. Most of the patients chose longevity over QoL, and the preferences between the patient and the caregiver matched in the majority of cases.".
- 01GMN23PVJTJYKMRVGVVVGP7N5 abstract "ObjectivesFerric carboxymaltose (FCM) is increasingly used in the management of cancer-related anemia, yet it may cause hypophosphatemia. This retrospective study describes the incidence, evolution and risk factors of hypophosphatemia in a cohort of patients with solid tumors receiving FCM.MethodsSerum phosphorus concentration was assessed longitudinally using a random intercepts model. The probability of developing hypophosphatemia, as graded by CTCAE version 4.0, was investigated using a multi-state model. Transition hazards were modeled non-parametrically and semi-parametrically by a Cox model. Causal marginal risk differences between baseline interventions on serum phosphorus and/or FCM dose were obtained via G-computation.ResultsIn 174 ambulatory patients with solid tumors receiving FCM at two university hospitals between October 2020 and September 2021, the risk of developing moderate-to-severe hypophosphatemia was 36.0% (95% confidence interval (CI) 28.2-43.9%) and peaked within 16 days after first FCM administration. The average duration of moderate-to-severe hypophosphatemia was 12.4 days. After adjustment for confounders, lower baseline serum phosphorus (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.88 per 0.1 mmol/L increase, 95% CI 0.79-0.98) and higher FCM dose (first dose: aHR 1.12 per 1 mg/kg increase, 95% CI 1.01-1.25; second dose: aHR 1.06 per 1 mg/kg increase, 95% CI 1.00-1.13) significantly increased the hazard of moderate-to-severe hypophosphatemia.ConclusionApproximately one out of three ambulatory patients with solid tumors may develop moderate-to-severe hypophosphatemia after FCM administration. Baseline serum phosphorus and FCM dose may be modifiable risk factors that should be considered for intervention in order to mitigate the risk of hypophosphatemia.".
- 01GMN2J00AAM63HP7M7003QG9X abstract "Background When assessing and reporting the performance of bariatric procedures, longitudinal total weight loss % (TWL%) is the preferred method of choice. This averages out significant individual weight regains. Due to no assessment of individual weight trajectories, numerous patients with weight recidivism are missed in the overall assessment of the applied procedures. Materials and Methods The SIMPLE acronym (Survival analysis of Interpolated weight trajectories in a Markov chain, assessing Predictors, Longitudinal TWL% and individual procedure success and relapse Events) provides a framework to assess the performance of bariatric procedures in everyday practice, identifying a procedures' overall performance both in terms of longitudinal total weight loss % and individual events of weight regain. The SIMPLE approach is demonstrated on a cohort of 907 bariatric patients collected over 7 years. Six hundred eighteen patients received a primary RYGB, 81 a primary SG, while 208 were conversions to either a RYGB (n = 198) or SG (n = 10). Successful surgery was defined as 20% TWL; a weight regain as a 15% increase from the lowest individually attained weight post-surgery. Results The longitudinal TWL% performance at 5 years was 34.5%, 21.3%, and 22.9% for the primary RYGB, primary sleeve gastrectomy, and conversion operation, respectively. However, nearly 20% of the conversion operations never reached success, while 33.5% registered a relapse event within 5 years. Conclusion The combined approach of the SIMPLE assessment clearly showed that a non-trivial amount of individuals did not achieve success or regained significant weight after surgery. This indicates that a combined approach to reporting bariatric performance is preferred.".
- 01GMN2M471B1S0HZPDG3A76Q30 abstract "Stony corals play a key role in the marine biodiversity of many tropical coastal areas as suppliers of substrate, food and shelter for other reef organisms. Therefore, it is remarkable that coral diversity usually does not play a role in the planning of protected areas in coral reef areas. In the present study we examine how stony coral diversity patterns relate to marine park zonation and the economic value of reefs around St. Eustatius, a small island in the eastern Caribbean, with fisheries and tourism as important sources of income. The marine park contains two no-take reserves. A biodiversity survey was performed at 39 sites, 24 inside the reserves and 15 outside; 22 had a maximum depth > 18 m and 17 were shallower. Data on economic value per site were obtained from the literature. Corals were photographed for the verification of identifications made in the field. Coral species richness (n = 49) was highest in the no-take reserves and species composition was mainly affected by maximum depth. No distinct relation is observed between coral diversity and fishery value or total economic value. Based on the outcome of this study we suggest that in future designs of marine park zonation in reef areas, coral diversity should be taken into consideration. This is best served by including reef areas with a continuous depth gradient from shallow flats to deep slopes.".
- 01GMN6FK0YY2F4Z6WGJM71PBP0 abstract "COVID-19 proved that primary care (PC) providers have an important role in managing health emergencies, such as epidemics. Little is known about the preparedness of primary care practice infrastructure to continue providing high quality care during this crisis. The aim of this paper is to describe the perceived limitations to the infrastructure of PC practices during COVID-19 and to determine the factors associated with a higher likelihood of infrastructural barriers in providing high quality care. This paper presents the results of an online survey conducted between November 2020 and November 2021 as a part of PRICOV-19 study. Data from 4974 practices in 33 countries regarding perceived limitations and intentions to make future adjustments to practice infrastructure as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic were collected. Approximately 58% of practices experienced limitations to the building or other practice infrastructure to provide high-quality and safe care during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 54% making adjustments to the building or the infrastructure was considered. Large variations between the countries were found. The results show that infrastructure constraints were directly proportional to the size of the practice. Better pandemic infection control equipment, governmental support, and a fee-for-service payment system were found to be associated with a lower perceived need for infrastructural changes. The results of the study indicate the need for systematic support for the development of practice infrastructure in order to provide high-quality, safe primary care in the event of future crises similar to the COVID-19 pandemic.".
- 01GMN9SQEG7NVS54KX1FQY4GNW abstract "‘Dekolonisering, gericht op het veranderen van de orde van de wereld, is een programma van totale wanorde.’ Woorden van de legendarische Martinikaans-Franse psychiater, filosoof en revolutionair Frantz Fanon. Koen Bogaert opent er zijn boek mee. Want wat als je consequent dekoloniseert? Dekolonisering is geen eenvoudig stappenplan dat je even implementeert. Het is in de eerste plaats een sociale en intellectuele strijd, een revolutionair project zelfs, dat start met de radicale verbeelding van een totaal nieuwe samenleving. In dit boek trekt Koen Bogaert alle draden samen van zijn studie van een reeks dekoloniale denkers, van Fanon tot C.L.R. James, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, Sylvia Wynter en Priyamvada Gopal. In hun spoor neemt hij je mee in een geschiedenis die ruim vijfhonderd jaar overspant, van de koloniale symbiose tussen staten en bedrijven, de uitvinding van ‘ras’ tot de Haïtiaanse Revolutie en de hedendaagse heropflakkering van het mondiale protest. Met een nawoord van Sibo Kanobana.".
- 01GMNAQC9425TKCGS784GNATPC abstract "Influenza is a zoonotic virus that causes a health and economic burden to both humans and swine. Although both species are susceptible to the same influenza A virus (IAV) subtypes (H1N1 and H3N2), the epidemiology of IAVs differs substantially between both host species, but also between geographically separated swine populations. In 2011, a new influenza serotype, influenza D (IDV), has been associated with respiratory disease in swine. Currently, inactivated IAV vaccines are most frequently used for vaccination of humans and swine. These vaccines generally fail to induce protection against IAV strains that are antigenically different from the vaccine strains. Therefore, more broadly protective vaccines and/or vaccination strategies are urgently needed. Heterologous prime-boost vaccination is one strategy that has been shown to induce broadly cross-reactive antibodies and cross-protection in various influenza viral hosts, including swine.".
- 01GMNAZ2Y8EJWC3MT7JB5T3RNG abstract "SKAM (NRK, 2015–2017), a popular Norwegian teen drama series, was praised for its season revolving around a nonheterosexual cis-male teenager coming to terms with his sexual desires and identity. Broadcasting companies from predominantly Western European countries bought the format and created local versions. The essay explores how SKAM and three Western European remakes represent same-sex desire and sexual identity formation. We found that the remakes were rather faithful to the politics of representation of the Norwegian source text. Emphasizing authenticity and everyday realism, they situate the teenagers in a Western context that may feature less blatant heterosexism and homophobia but where heteronormativity still co-constructs the process of sexual identity formation and general attitudes towards same-sex desire and LGBTQ culture. We postulate that SKAM and its remakes encourage LGBTQ and heterosexual teens to deconstruct their homonegative prejudices and become aware of the pervasiveness of heteronormativity.".
- 01GMNH04RGNVWJ730BJJXGCY99 abstract " As the real-world impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems has been steadily growing, so too have these systems come under increasing scrutiny. In particular, the study of AI fairness has rapidly developed into a rich field of research with links to computer science, social science, law, and philosophy. Though many technical solutions for measuring and achieving AI fairness have been proposed, their model of AI fairness has been widely criticized in recent years for being misleading and unrealistic. In our paper, we survey these criticisms of AI fairness and identify key limitations that are inherent to the prototypical paradigm of AI fairness. By carefully outlining the extent to which technical solutions can realistically help in achieving AI fairness, we aim to provide readers with the background necessary to form a nuanced opinion on developments in the field of fair AI. This delineation also provides research opportunities for non-AI solutions peripheral to AI systems in supporting fair decision processes.".
- 01GMNHFMQ9ZCJC8PF6BWTHRE83 abstract "This paper deals with some typologically remarkable features of the early Vedic verbal system. Forms belonging to the present tense system are mostly employed in transitive-causative constructions, whereas forms of the perfect tense system are typically intransitive. Similar correlations between tense/aspect and transitivity can also be found in some other, genetically unrelated languages, such as Yukaghir and Aleut. The aim of the paper is threefold. First, attention is drawn to correlations between the two groups of apparently unrelated grammatical categories, i.e. tense, aspect, and aktionsarten, on the one hand, and transitivity and causativity, on the other (sections 1–3). In section 4 correlations are discussed between the transitivity/causativity and present/perfect oppositions in the Vedic verbal system, and in section 5 the parallel phenomena in Ancient Greek, within a broader Indo-European perspective. This correlation (labelled ‘split causativity’ in the present paper) provides us with further evidence for an approach to transitivity as a set of independent features and, additionally, can clarify the status and function of some “hybrid” formations, such as forms derived from perfect stems with present tense endings (section 6).".
- 01GMP0NW0PX386Y1CVA6SE0WYY abstract "The silent pandemic of antibiotic resistance is thriving, prompting the urgent need for the development of new antibacterial drugs. However, within the preclinical pipeline, in vitro screening conditions can differ significantly from the final in vivo settings. To bridge the gap between in vitro and in vivo assays, we developed a pig-skin-based bioluminescent ex vivo burn wound infection model, enabling real-time assessment of antibacterials in a longitudinal, non-destructive manner. We provide a proof-of-concept for A. baumannii NCTC13423, a multidrug-resistant clinical isolate, which was equipped with the luxCDABE operon as a reporter using a Tn7-based tagging system. This bioluminescence model provided a linear correlation between the number of bacteria and a broad dynamic range (104 to 109 CFU). This longitudinal model was subsequently validated using a fast-acting enzybiotic, 1D10. Since this model combines a realistic, clinically relevant yet strictly controlled environment with real-time measurement of bacterial burden, we put forward this ex vivo model as a valuable tool to assess the preclinical potential of novel phage-inspired enzybiotics.".
- 01GMPGQ99KSENFC06YJP742XXA abstract "It is argued that verbs of class mriyáte display a number of features which link them to the middle ´-ya-presents. Despite the “passive” accent of mriyáte, this present is never found with passive meaning. Moreover, the meaning ‘die’ is expressed by active forms outside the system of the present, which is a feature typical of class IV verbs. Finally, the semantic development of dhriyáte (‘determines’) in late Vedic texts complies with constraints imposed on possible meaning types of middle ´-ya-presents. This means that verbs of the type mriyáte were treated together with middle ´-ya-presents, rather than with -yá-passives.".
- 01GMPP6TNBP5E10XP3FXXV5BG6 abstract "The term grammaticalization originally denoted a particular outcome of language change (lexis > morphology), then got expanded to practically all studies involving language change, the processes that create such changes, and a theory modeling these. These expansions have been challenged in the literature as conceptually flawed. A usage-based analysis of the evolution of the concept culminates in the use of the term grammaticalization as a “flag” of a particular approach to linguistics. However, the theoretical premises of grammaticalization studies are entirely compatible with the premises of Diachronic Construction Grammar (DCxG). All studies within the “expanded” concept of grammaticalization can be explicitly modeled within DCxG, which provides formalism of sufficient detail to map the gradual nature of language change in cases of grammaticalization and beyond. Consequently, the most vigorous attacks on grammaticalization lose power when grammaticalization is seen as part of a larger, more complete theory of language and language change.".
- 01GMQ5QW6G1JWDJFNH83EWRARW abstract "Banal nationalism is the continuous repetition of national symbols in everyday life. It is ‘banal’ because these signs become invisible as they feel so familiar. This study focusses on two adaptations in the Low Countries of the format SKAM as banal nationalism is often the side product of a localization strategy when adapting formats. Banal nationalism can produce, reproduce and reinforce the idea of a national identity. Following a qualitative textual analysis a difference was found between the Dutch SKAMNL and the Flemish wtFOCK with regard to latent and manifest articulations of banal nationalism. SKAMNL tends to localize less obvious cultural proximities such as identity, whereas wtFOCK localizes more straightforward cultural proximities such as the inclusion of national holidays and local brands. A second finding is that there is both a local ‘youth culture’ that is being represented, as well as a more transnational one.".
- 01GMQ6TXQR7M2ZJDVF0CZJV6EN abstract "BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence shows a positive impact of physical activity (PA) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in cancer patients. However, longitudinal evidence on PA and HRQoL in patients with bladder cancer (BC) undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) is lacking. OBJECTIVES: To investigate PA levels, HRQoL outcomes and their relationship from diagnosis to one year after RC in BC patients. METHODS: A longitudinal cohort study in 90 BC patients was conducted at Ghent and Leuven University Hospitals between April 2017 and December 2020. The Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) and the EORTC QLQ-C30 and BLM30 were used to measure PA and HRQoL, respectively, before RC, one, three, six and twelve months after RC. Linear mixed models were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: The majority was physically inactive before RC (58%), at month one (79%), three (53%), six (61%) and twelve (64%). Among (moderately) active patients, light-intensity activities (mainly walking) were important contributors to the total amount of PA. Clinically important and low HRQoL outcomes in different domains were identified with lowest scores at diagnosis and one month after RC. Active patients before RC have better physical functioning (mean difference (MD) -22.7, standard error (SE) 8.7, p = 0.011), global health status (MD -15.9, SE 6.9, p = 0.023) and fatigue (MD 19.9, SE 9.5, p = 0.038) one month after RC, compared to inactive patients. Active patients at month have better physical functioning (MD -16.2, SE 6.9, p = 0.023) and sexual functioning (MD -16.8, SE 5.4, p = 0.003; MD -13.5, SE 5.5, p = 0.017) at month six and twelve, respectively, compared to inactive patients. CONCLUSIONS: Higher PA levels are associated with better HRQoL outcomes for BC patients undergoing RC. The data suggests that PA interventions could be an asset to improve BC patients’ HRQoL, but should be tested in future trials.".
- 01GMQ88KAN62KB35XQB4M53B8T abstract "Background: Physical activity (PA) surveillance, policy, and research efforts need to be periodically appraised to gain insight into national and global capacities for PA promotion. The aim of this paper was to assess the status and trends in PA surveillance, policy, and research in 164 countries. Methods: We used data from the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) 2015 and 2020 surveys. Comprehensive searches were performed for each country to determine the level of development of their PA surveillance, policy, and research, and the findings were verified by the GoPA! Country Contacts. Trends were analyzed based on the data available for both survey years. Results: The global 5-year progress in all 3 indicators was modest, with most countries either improving or staying at the same level. PA surveillance, policy, and research improved or remained at a high level in 48.1%, 40.6%, and 42.1% of the countries, respectively. PA surveillance, policy, and research scores decreased or remained at a low level in 8.3%, 15.8%, and 28.6% of the countries, respectively. The highest capacity for PA promotion was found in Europe, the lowest in Africa and low-and lower-middle-income countries. Although a large percentage of the world's population benefit from at least some PA policy, surveillance, and research efforts in their countries, 49.6 million people are without PA surveillance, 629.4 million people are without PA policy, and 108.7 million live in countries without any PA research output. A total of 6.3 billion people or 88.2% of the world's population live in countries where PA promotion capacity should be significantly improved. Conclusion: Despite PA is essential for health, there are large inequalities between countries and world regions in their capacity to promote PA. Coordinated efforts are needed to reduce the inequalities and improve the global capacity for PA promotion.".
- 01GMQ9JMQM39Z3F6E9AQM4SJ4J abstract "In this article, I provide a historical and philosophical discussion of the so-called “science wars”. The term “science wars” refers to a series of debates which took place in the second half of the 1990s and which centered on the status of science and the nature of scientific knowledge. On the one hand, a group of authors reacted against what they perceived as a “postmodern” attack on science. This in turn led to several reactions from those who were labeled as “postmodernists”. Among these, some authors in turn claimed that it were the scientists and their epigones who were the real aggressors, using the authority of science to attack any form of critical thinking and even democracy itself. I first provide a short historical overview and analysis of the science wars. The aim of this overview is to show how critics of postmodernism ignored differences between different approaches in science studies and in this way constructed the idea of the existence of a homogeneous postmodern attack on science. This resulted in an intellectual trench war, in which more nuanced positions got overlooked, being trapped in the no man’s land between two extreme positions. After this historical overview, I explore this no man’s land. I discuss several scholars and approaches within science studies that had been grouped together by critics of postmodernism. I will focus on the differences between these approaches, thus providing a more nuanced picture of science studies. Finally, I argue for the relevance of revisiting the science wars. Blindly labelling (certain approaches in) science studies as “anti-science” disables us from using important insights from these studies, insights which could be relevant in dealing with complex societal issues in which scientific knowledge plays a role such as climate change.".
- 01GMQ9XV2SPX79AC3GSVT7P0R6 abstract "Rueda, Pugh, and Savulescu inter-vene in the debate of reprogenetic enhancement technologies that can lead to ethical disruption. In re-sponse, we think such innovations may not so much disrupt biomedi-cal ethics but instead may reani-mate older debates in this field.".
- 01GMQCEKEA0MQVPCX83KT8HYX9 abstract "Studies investigating L2 English receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge in young learners have shown that English can be picked up through exposure outside the classroom. In this study I looked into lexical characteristics of young learners' writing at the start of formal English lessons in the first year of secondary school (n = 3168). The texts were given a holistic score and several lexical measures were calculated. The results showed large individual differences between learners' writing. Regression analysis was used to investigate which lexical characteristics predicted proficiency scores. The final model explained 50% of the variance. Similar to what was found in previous research investigating young L2 English learners' writing I found that a number of broad predictors impacted the proficiency score. These were lexical diversity, word count, total number of spelling errors and percentage of English words used. Additionally, four fine-grained variables predicted the proficiency score: word frequency, trigram frequency, age of acquisition and imageability. The results show the added value of investigating a wide range of variables to shed light on the lexical factors that might impact writing scores, even in beginner and pre-intermediate level L2 writing.".
- 01GMQDBHAPJAP8RVXXP0NE6FKJ abstract "Background: To date, the amount of cartilage loss is graded by means of discrete scoring systems on artificially divided regions of interest (ROI). However, optimal statistical comparison between and within populations requires anatomically standardized cartilage thickness assessment. Providing anatomical standardization relying on non-rigid registration, we aim to compare morphotypes of a healthy control cohort and virtual reconstructed twins of end-stage knee OA subjects to assess the shape-related knee OA risk and to evaluate possible correlations between phenotype and location of cartilage loss. Methods: Out of an anonymized dataset provided by the Medacta company (Medacta International SA, Castel S. Pietro, CH), 798 end-stage knee OA cases were extracted. Cartilage wear patterns were observed by computing joint space width. The three-dimensional joint space width data was translated into a two-dimensional pixel image, which served as the input for a principal polynomial autoencoder developed for non-linear encoding of wear patterns. Virtual healthy twin reconstruction enabled the investigation of the morphology-related risk for OA requiring joint arthroplasty. Results: The polynomial autoencoder revealed 4 dominant, orthogonal components, accounting for 94% of variance in the latent feature space. This could be interpreted as medial (54.8%), bicompartmental (25.2%) and lateral (9.1%) wear. Medial wear was subdivided into anteromedial (11.3%) and posteromedial (10.4%) wear. Pre-diseased limb geometry had a positive predictive value of 0.80 in the prediction of OA incidence (r 0.58, p < 0.001). Conclusion: An innovative methodological workflow is presented to correlate cartilage wear patterns with knee joint phenotype and to assess the distinct knee OA risk based on pre-diseased lower limb morphology. Confirming previous research, both alignment and joint geometry are of importance in knee OA disease onset and progression.".
- 01GMQE9HCB0M4K60MWJ377QE44 abstract "Following the First and Second World Wars colossal amounts of munition, including conventinal explosives and chemical warfare agents, were sea-dumped in coastal and off-shore sites all over the globe. As a consequence of decades of exposure to seawater, munition shells are expected to be highly corroded thus allowing the release of toxic chemicals to the environment. Despite the growing environmental concern, the toxic potential of dumped munition and their reaction products is largely unkown. In this study, the cytotoxicity of thiodiglycol, 1,4-oxathiane and 1,4-dithiane, three metabolites of the chemical warfare agent sulphur mustard frequently detected in environmental samples from dumpsites, was assessed in rainbow trout gill (RTgill-W1) and human colon adenocarcinoma (Caco2) cells following 24 hours and 24 and 48 hours exposure, respectively. For that, a combination of three viability assays was used following the test guideline 249 from OECD. The obtained results for RTgill-W1 allowed the estimation of the LOECs of 50 mg/L and 100 mg/L for 1,4-dithiane and 1,4-oxathine, respectively, which correspond to the 96 hours LOEC in fish, while a NOEC of 100 mg/L was estimated for thiodiglycol. Similarly, for Caco2, 1,4-dithiane also proved to be the most toxic of the tested chemicals with the LOECs of 6.25 mg/L and 100 mg/L, following 24 and 48 hours exposure. Furthermore, LOECs of 100 mg/L were estimated for 1,4-oxathiane and thiodiglycol following both exposure periods. This first insight on the cytotoxic potential of three relevant sulphur mustard metabolite products reveals that 1,4-dithiane is the most toxic of the tested chemicals, even though all estimated LOECs are well above the concentrations detected in environmental samples, which normally range µg/L.".
- 01GMQG4REKWVAT57EP2NG28B5F abstract "This paper argues that Locke develops a new conceptualization of both power and freedom in the Two Treatises of Government. Unlike his predecessors, Locke claims that freedom is a necessary rather than a conditional property of men. Therefore, power must be understood as a relationship of consent between radically free actors. However, instead of critically examining power structures in society, Locke uses this new definition as a tool of political justification. Locke emphasises the power of people to rebel against their conditions in order to legitimise the authority of states in which the people do not revolt. Although the individual is a theoretically important player, they are reduced to cogs in the political machine. The right to revolt, this paper will argue, is but a rhetorically strategic device to validate the power of the state.".
- 01GMQGNEWVC21ADNYA4C48T5ZG abstract "Following World War I and II, colossal amounts of munition, including conventional explosives and chemical warfare agents, were sea-dumped in coastal and off-shore sites all over the globe [1]. As a consequence of decades of exposure to seawater, munition shells are expected to be highly corroded thus allowing the release of toxic chemicals to the environment [2]. While the growing interest on the ocean as a new economic frontier and the increasing investments in the blue economy highlight the need for remediation of such dumpsites, the toxic potential of the dumped munition and related chemicals to human health and marine organisms is still largely unknown. However, valuable information to address this data gap can be obtained via the incorporation of new approach methodologies (NAMs). Here, both in vitro and in silico methodologies were applied to shed light on the impact of these legacy pollutants. In this study, first insights on the cytotoxic potential of conventional and chemical munition (and related chemicals frequently detected in environmental samples) to rainbow trout gill (RTgill-W1) cells and human colon adenocarcinoma (Caco2) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells is provided. Chemicals were selected based on their frequent detection in environmental samples and the fact that their toxicity to fish and humans is unknown. Specifically, three chemical warfare agent related chemicals, i.e. thiodiglycol, 1,4-oxathiane and 1,4-dithiane, all degradation products of sulphur mustard, were tested at six different concentrations ranging from 3.13 to 100 mg/L while four explosives related chemicals, i.e. 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), 1,3-dinitrobenzene (1,3-DNB), tetryl and picric acid, were evaluated at concentrations ranging from 1.56 to 50 mg/L. The cytotoxicity of the selected chemicals to RTgill-W1 was assessed following the guidelines described in OECD test guideline 249, following 24 hours exposure [3]. Three cell viability assays were combined to assess the effect of the chemicals on the integrity of the lysosomal membrane, the metabolic activity and the integrity of the cell membrane, thus providing information on the mode of action of each chemical. The same array of assays was used to assess the cytotoxicity of these chemicals to Caco2 and HepG2 (with minor adaptations to the seeded cell density and exposure period) using cell viability measured after 24 and 48 hours of exposure as endpoint. The obtained results allowed the estimation of the no-observed effect concentration (NOEC), lowest-observed effect concentration (LOEC) as well as the effect concentration (EC) resulting in 10%, 20% and 50% loss of cell viability (when compared to the controls). In general, the results show that the tested explosives and related chemicals are more toxic to both fish and human cells than that of the chemical warfare agent related chemicals. Further, specific effects to one of the performed assays, potentially indicating chemical mode of action, was evaluated and incorporated in known adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) in order to identify the cascade of events leading to an adverse outcome. Overall, the combination of in vitro and in silico methodologies here applied allow an efficient, animal free and more environmentally sustainable assessment approach. Ultimately, the gathered data provides a first insight into the cytotoxic potential of seven relevant sea-dumped munition related chemicals. These insight and data can be used for risk assessment purposes. References [1] J.A. Tørnes, Ø.A. Voie, M. Ljønes, A.M. Opstad, L.H. Bjerkeseth, F. Hussain, Investigation and Risk Assessment of Ships Loaded with Chemical Ammunition Scuttled in the Skagerrak, Norwegian Defense Research Establishment (FFI), 2002. [2] J.A.K. Silva, T. Chock, Munitions integrity and corrosion features observed during the HUMMA deep-sea munitions disposal site investigations, Deep. Res. Part II Top. Stud. Oceanogr. 128 (2016) 14–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2015.09.001. [3] OECD, Test No. 249: Fish Cell Line Acute Toxicity - The RTgill-W1 cell line assay, Guidel. Test. Chem. Sect. 2. (2021). https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/test-no-249-fish-cell-line-acute-toxicity-the-rtgill-w1-cell-line-assay_c66d5190-en.".
- 01GMQGYEMMPCWBKGZ5FNCSGM37 abstract " In past work on fairness in machine learning, the focus has been on forcing the prediction of classifiers to have similar statistical properties for people of different demographics. To reduce the violation of these properties, fairness methods usually simply rescale the classifier scores, ignoring similarities and dissimilarities between members of different groups. Yet, we hypothesize that such information is relevant in quantifying the unfairness of a given classifier. To validate this hypothesis, we introduce Optimal Transport to Fairness (OTF), a method that quantifies the violation of fairness constraints as the smallest Optimal Transport cost between a probabilistic classifier and any score function that satisfies these constraints. For a flexible class of linear fairness constraints, we construct a practical way to compute OTF as a differentiable fairness regularizer that can be added to any standard classification setting. Experiments show that OTF can be used to achieve an improved trade-off between predictive power and fairness. ".
- 01GMQM7901R2P1T497B9K07RCJ abstract "Around 60% of internationally traded gas is shipped through pipelines. In Europe alone, there are around twenty cross-border gas transmission pipelines and new pipelines continue to be proposed. Yet, proposed pipelines often do not make it past the planning stage. Existing research has been unable to find a framework for determining success and failure in cross-border gas pipeline projects??? construction. In this study, a six condition explanatory framework is developed based on an extensive literature review to explain the success or failure of gas pipelines in Europe. These conditions include: support from the involved states, powerful states, the Commission and the US, as well as the number of stakeholders and the technical difficulties (length and onshore/offshore). The study then conducts a Qualitative Comparative Analysis on 21 European gas pipeline projects and finds that support from those involved, powerful member states and the Commission is imperative for the successful construction of gas pipelines in Europe. The absence of these conditions has the opposite effect.".
- 01GMQMABJAVR1CVZCTJK0V9XCB abstract "This dataset includes annotated corpus data from live lyrical performances of 16 blues artists from 2 periods (1960s and 2010s) and from 2 social groups (African American and non-African American). Both native and non-native blues singers are included. Five phonological forms of African American English [AAE] were selected as variables using the relevant literature: (1) /aɪ/ monophthongization, (2) final /-t/ and (3) /-d/ deletion, (4) alveolar nasal /n/ in <-ing> ultimas, and (5) deletion of post-vocalic, word-final /-r/. Each observation of these forms was annotated as either AAE-realization or non-AAE-realization. The lexeme in which the form occurs is annotated as well as the performing artist and the song in which the observation occurs. The full lyrics itself are not included in the dataset.".
- 01GMQR3XVD5DNGMFJQ86WN2H7D abstract "This article provides, at the request of the editors of this journal, an English-language summary of a biography recently published in French about the Belgian educational pioneer Ovide Decroly, on whom we have already published a number of studies: Ovide Decroly (1871-1932): une approche atypique? (Theory and History of Education International Research Group, housed at the Faculty of Education, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, 2022), 299 pp. (Theory and History of Education Monograph Series, vol. 4). Of that work (Depaepe, Simon & Van Gorp, 2022), which represents the conclusion of more than 20 years of research by the authors on this eminent figure in the Belgian history of education, we outline here briefly the background, methodological starting points, and contents.".
- 01GMQS9SKT1NMX1DRZZWVA96B1 abstract "Il y a plus de 50 ans, le Code judiciaire (1967) instituait les cours et les tribunaux du travail. Cette réforme a marqué l’entrée dans la maturité de la jurisprudence du travail en Belgique. Mais les juridictions du travail nouvellement créées n’ont pas reçu seulement pour tâche de trancher les litiges relatifs à la relation de travail. Elles ont également reçu la compétence de traiter l’ensemble du contentieux de la sécurité sociale, alors éclaté entre de très nombreuses juridictions et commissions administratives. Si nous y sommes aujourd’hui habitués, ce choix n’avait pourtant rien d’évident. Après tout, nous avons affaire à deux branches du droit très différentes : relevant du droit privé, le droit du travail concerne les relations entre travailleurs et employeurs, tandis que, province du droit public, le droit de la sécurité sociale a trait aux relations entre les assurés sociaux et les institutions. Dans cet ouvrage, l’auteur revient sur le processus qui a conduit le législateur, il y a un peu plus d’un demi-siècle, à attribuer aux juridictions du travail la compétence du contentieux de la sécurité sociale. Il reconstitue aussi les motivations de ce choix, rangé à l’époque sous le sceau de l’ « unité du droit social ». Enfin, il pose la question de savoir si ce choix fait toujours sens aujourd’hui,en particulier du point de vue de la protection des justiciables.".
- 01GMQSC1D0EW10Q4GHB9JEW2Z8 abstract "Cette thèse de doctorat forme une première étude sociale intégrée et comparée de la résistance et de la collaboration en Belgique durant la Première Guerre mondiale. Elle propose une cartographie sociale des différentes formes de résistance et de collaboration, et met en lumière différents champs tensions qui traversèrent la population. Cette étude vise en fin de compte à présenter les différentes formes de résistance et de collaboration perpétrées par les diverses couches de la population, et à évaluer l’impact socialement différencié de la guerre sur les populations civiles occupées. Pour ce faire, cette recherche aborde la résistance et la collaboration sous l’angle d’une définition pénale commune, reposant tant en droit belge qu’en droit allemand sur la notion d’infraction politique. Cette définition commune ouvre de nouvelles perspectives comparatives entre résistants et collaborateurs, qui apparaissent dans les deux cas, au regard de l’État condamnant, comme des criminels et des délinquants politiques dans un contexte de guerre. Cette définition pénale a amené cette étude à centrer son analyse sur les prisonniers politiques des deux camps, et à aborder l’histoire sociale de la résistance et de la collaboration sous un angle carcéral. Cette recherche répond ainsi à trois objectifs distincts. Premièrement, il s’agit de définir aussi largement et aussi précisément que possible les notions de résistance et de collaboration. Deuxièmement, cette recherche s’intéresse à la notion et au statut singulier de prisonnier politique. Elle analyse l’évolution de cette notion, et se concentre en particulier sur l’impact de la guerre en Belgique et en Allemagne à son égard. Troisièmement, cette étude élabore, sur base de dossiers pénitentiaires ainsi que de dossiers de victimes civiles de la guerre, une analyse sociale détaillée de chaque type de résistance et de collaboration. À des fins comparatives, les comportements analysés sont regroupés au sein de quatre grands champs de tensions, à savoir les champs militaire, économique, politique et judiciaire.".
- 01GMQSC1D0EW10Q4GHB9JEW2Z8 abstract "Dit doctoraal proefschrift brengt de eerste geïntegreerde en vergelijkende sociale studie over verzet en collaboratie in België tijdens de Eerste Wereldoorlog. Het schetst een sociaal overzicht van de verschillende vormen van verzet en collaboratie en belicht verschillende spanningsvelden die de bevolking doorkruisten. Uiteindelijk wil deze studie de verschillende vormen van verzet en collaboratie van de verschillende lagen van de bevolking weergeven en de sociaal gedifferentieerde gevolgen van de oorlog voor de bezette burgerbevolking evalueren. Daartoe benadert dit onderzoek verzet en collaboratie vanuit het perspectief van een gemeenschappelijke strafrechtelijke definitie, die zowel in het Belgische als in het Duitse recht gebaseerd is op het concept van politiek misdrijf. Deze gemeenschappelijke definitie opent nieuwe vergelijkingsmogelijkheden tussen verzetsstrijders en collaborateurs, die in beide gevallen in de ogen van de veroordelende staat politieke misdadigers en delinquenten in een oorlogssituatie zijn. Op basis van deze strafrechtelijke definitie richt deze studie zich op politieke gevangenen van beide zijden, en op de sociale geschiedenis van het verzet en de collaboratie benadert vanuit een gevangenisperspectief. Dit onderzoek beantwoordt dus aan drie verschillende doelstellingen. Ten eerste wil zij de begrippen verzet en collaboratie zo breed en zo precies mogelijk definiëren. Ten tweede concentreert dit onderzoek zich op de notie en de bijzondere status van de politieke gevangene. Het analyseert de evolutie van dit begrip, met bijzondere aandacht voor de gevolgen van de oorlog in België en Duitsland. Ten derde ontwikkelt deze studie, op basis van gevangenisdossiers en burgerslachtoffers van de oorlog, een gedetailleerde sociale analyse van elk type verzet en collaboratie. Voor vergelijkingsdoeleinden worden de geanalyseerde gedragingen gegroepeerd in vier grote spanningsvelden, namelijk het militaire, het economisc".
- 01GMQSC1D0EW10Q4GHB9JEW2Z8 abstract "This PhD presents a first integrated and comparative social study of resistance and collaboration during the First World War in Belgium. It proposes a social mapping of the different forms of resistance and collaboration, and highlights the different areas of tension that crossed the population. Ultimately, this study aims to present the different forms of resistance and collaboration perpetrated by the various strata of the population, and to assess the socially differentiated impact of the war on the occupied civilian population. To this end, this research approaches resistance and collaboration from a common criminal definition, based on the concept of political offence in both Belgian and German law. This common definition opens up new comparative perspectives between resistance fighters and collaborators, who appear in both cases, in the eyes of the condemning State, as political criminals and delinquents in a war context. This penal definition led this study to focus its analysis on political prisoners from both camps, and to approach the social history of resistance and collaboration from a prison perspective. This research has three distinct objectives. Firstly, it aims to define the notions of resistance and collaboration as broadly and as precisely as possible. Secondly, this research focuses on the notion and specific status of political prisoner. It analyses the evolution of this notion, focusing in particular on the impact of the war on this matter in Belgium and Germany. Thirdly, on the basis of prison files as well as files of civilian war victims, this study develops a detailed social analysis of each type of resistance and collaboration. For comparative purposes, the analysed behaviours are gathered into four main fields of tension, namely the military, economic, political and judicial fields.".
- 01GMQTDT1YS6MCG6NS5YJSFWEB abstract "Porcine ETEC is an important cause of bacterial diarrheal illness and is regarded as a global health threat for farm animals. Neonatal diarrhea (ND) and post weaning diarrhea (PWD) caused by ETEC result in severe economic losses for the farming industry worldwide due to increased morbidity and mortality and reduced growth rates. Neonatal piglets can be protected by the transfer of maternal antibodies upon vaccination of the sow. However, upon weaning piglets become highly susceptible to ETEC as the passive immunity wanes at weaning. To protect newly weaned piglets against ETEC infections, an oral live bivalent vaccine, Coliprotec® F4/F18 (Elanco GmbH), has been marketed in the EU and other countries since 2017. However, it could not provide complete protection to piglets. Furthermore, the live vaccine has some limitations and associated risks. Therefore, further research into the development of vaccines or alternative strategies is needed. This requires a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of ETEC and its interaction with its hosts at the molecular level.".
- 01GMQXGY1FRHW25STY5AMJS51F abstract "In the present study, the effect of Niobium (Nb) on the hydrogen embrittlement resistance of Quenched and Partitioning (Q&P) steel is investigated. For this purpose, the hydrogen uptake level and its impact on the mechanical properties of a Nb-free and a 0.024 wt% Nb Q&P steel are thoroughly analysed. The hydrogen trapping capacity is evaluated via thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). In-depth analysis of the desorption kinetics at different heating rates allows identification and quantification of the available trapping sites. The hydrogen embrittlement sensitivity of both steels is characterized using static and dynamic tensile tests. The addition of Nb results in an increase of the hydrogen concentration by more than 25%. The larger hydrogen content in the Nb steel, as a result of the higher fraction of grain boundaries/interphases, gives rise to a more severe embrittlement of the Nb steel compared to the Nb-free one. In addition to the larger hydrogen fraction in the Nb Q&P steel, the larger retained austenite fraction of low stability is detrimental due to the larger fraction of high carbon martensite formed when straining. This results in higher susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement of the Nb microalloyed steel due to the brittle character of the high carbon martensite that forms easily during straining. Under dynamic loading conditions, the hydrogen embrittlement of both steels is minimal, which is attributed to a reduced hydrogen diffusion and the suppression of the transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) effect due to adiabatic heating.".
- 01GMQZWHRCY9V1FKBN1C2M6QCP abstract "In the wake of the “new governance” movement, the EU has increasingly relied on soft law instruments that include non-political stakeholders into the policy process. Codes of conduct are such instruments. They have traditionally been used in EU law in a wide but inconsistent variety of ways. However, recent high-profile information and communication technology legislative instruments such as the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, the General Data Protection Regulation and the Digital Services Act use codes of conduct in a relatively similar way that seems to mark a new trend in EU policymaking. This contribution argues that codes under these three instruments display unique features across their functional dimensions (implementation, accountability and enforcement) and the dimensions of legalisation (obligation, precision and delegation). While this approach may be understandable with a view to achieving a further integration of the European Digital Single Market, it raises important questions regarding its normative repercussions and the legitimacy of these instruments.".
- 01GMSTA27PB9ACYZ4JRKH2EVZP abstract "Recente klimaatrapporten hebben geleid tot krachtige beleidsmaatregelen op mondiaal en Europees niveau inzake de uitstoot van broeikasgassen en de uitputting van grondstoffen. Naast klimaatneutraliteit in 2050 nam Europa in 2020 een even cruciaal initiatief inzake behoud van grondstoffen, met name het actieplan circulaire economie. Een belangrijke pijler hierin is industriële symbiose (IS), dat een doorgedreven uitwisseling van materialen en energieën tussen bedrijven en andere industriële of maatschappelijke actoren nastreeft. Voorliggend onderzoek spitst zich toe op IS in de procesindustrie. De cement-, chemie- en staalsector transformeert grondstoffen tot bouwstenen voor strategische producten, en vormt zo de basisindustrie van de Europese economie. Dergelijke transformaties vereisen echter een intensief gebruik van energie- en hulpbronnen, wat gepaard gaat met aanzienlijke hoeveelheden afval en emissies; die op hun beurt opnieuw ingezet kunnen worden in een circulaire economie. Dit proefschrift verkent systematisch het potentieel aan sectoroverschrijdende samenwerking in de procesindustrie. Het onderzoek leert dat niet enkel technische maar ook niet-technische factoren essentieel zijn bij de beoordeling van industriële symbiose. Via innovatieve tools en inzichten worden nieuwe IS-opportuniteiten geduid, aanbevelingen geformuleerd en verdere onderzoekspistes aangereikt. Het werk besluit met een indicatie van het transitiepotentieel van de procesindustrie naar een circulaire en koolstof-neutrale economie.".
- 01GMSYGK1J9WJDB4BEMEN5P7JM abstract "Non-contact vibration measurements are relevant for non-invasively characterizing the mechanical behavior of structures. This paper presents a novel methodology for full-field vibrational analysis at high frequencies using the three-dimensional digital image correlation technique combined with the projection of a speckle pattern. The method includes stereo calibration and image processing routines for accurate three-dimensional data acquisition. Quantitative analysis allows the extraction of several deformation parameters, such as the cross-correlation coefficients, shape and intensity, as well as the out-of-plane displacement fields and mode shapes. The potential of the methodology is demonstrated on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle wing made of composite material, followed by experimental validation with reference accelerometers. The results obtained with the projected three-dimensional digital image correlation show a percentage of error below 5% compared with the measures of accelerometers, achieving, therefore, high sensitivity to detect the dynamic modes in structures made of composite material.".
- 01GMSZA30Q010X95E2KCF9EH72 abstract "An all-silicon transmitter chipset is presented for narrowband operation in the unlicensed 60 GHz band. The PIC consists of parallel electro-absorption modulators and thermo-optic phase shifters which are driven with both in-phase and quadrature components by the RFIC. A sideband suppression ratio of 25 dB is demonstrated with a full chipset size of 1.1 mm(2) and a power consumption of 45 mW. Link experiments are conducted with QAM signals. (C) 2022 The Author(s)".
- 01GMT2VYGN6WM5RQAZNN6W5VGW abstract "Art-based interventions, such as classroom drama workshops (CDWs), increasingly form part of a collection of mental health-promoting activities introduced in school settings. While research points to the potential benefits of CDWs for the mental well-being of refugee and migrant adolescents, the mechanisms to such improvement are less understood. In this article we respond to the need for qualitative evidence of how CDW interventions affect refugee and migrant adolescents' experience. The study draws on eight focus group discussions (FGDs) with 41 adolescents, four semi-structured interviews with teachers and a school coordinator, and written documents from two drama therapists. Our thematic analysis revealed that the CDWs were found to foster trust and improve social relations in the classroom-key facets of bonding social capital. Several processes were described as being linked to these changes. Participants spoke about how the CDWs were facilitated in an emancipatory and safe manner, creating social spaces where the adolescents could have fun together, share, and bear witness to each other's stories, as well as experiencing a sense of agency. In some cases, however, activities in the CDWs crossed the learners' psychological boundaries, which led to withdrawal and a loss of trust. We conclude that whilst CDWs have the potential to facilitate bonding social capital amongst refugee and migrant adolescents and their teachers, this potential hinges on how the CDWs are facilitated.".
- 01GMT47SKYEJEEDHX448BAEBR5 abstract "In this paper, we propose and study a type of tuple-level constraint that arises from the selection operator $\sigma $ of relational algebra and that closely resembles the concepts of tuple-level denial constraints. We call this type of constraint selection rules and study their concepts and properties in the setting of data consistency management. The main contribution of this paper is the study of rule implication with selection rules in order to solve the error localization problem by means of the set cover method. It turns out that rule implication can be applied more easily if the representation of selection rules is extended in order to allow gaps between attribute values. We show that the properties of selection rules allow to improve the performance of rule implication. Evaluation of our approach compared to HoloClean on four real-world datasets shows promising results. First, repair with selection rules is often faster and less memory-consumable than HoloClean, especially when the amount of work that rule implication has to do is limited. Second, in terms of precision and recall of error detection and correction, repair strategies with selection rules almost always outperform HoloClean.".
- 01GMTBVGJ1C8WP43D2GEVCFA3W abstract "Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) input is known to alter the soil microbiome, but how N enrichment influences the abundance, alpha-diversity and community structure of N-cycling functional microbial communities in grass-lands remains poorly understood. Here, we collected soils from plant communities subjected to up to 9 years of annual N-addition (10 g N m(-2) per year using urea as a N-source) and from unfertilized plots (control) in 30 grasslands worldwide spanning a large range of climatic and soil conditions. We focused on three key microbial groups responsible for two essential processes of the global N cycle: N-2 fixation (soil diazotrophs) and nitrification (AOA: ammonia-oxidizing archaea and AOB: ammonia-oxidizing bacteria). We targeted soil diazotrophs, AOA and AOB using Illumina MiSeq sequencing and measured the abundance (gene copy numbers) using quantitative PCR. N-addition shifted the structure of the diazotrophic communities, although their alphadiversity and abundance were not affected. AOA and AOB responded differently to N-addition. The abundance and alpha-diversity of AOB increased, and their community structure shifted with N-addition. In contrast, AOA were not affected by N-addition. AOA abundance outnumbered AOB in control plots under conditions of low N availability, whereas N-addition favoured copiotrophic AOB. Overall, N-addition showed a low impact on soil diazotrophs and AOA while effects for AOB communities were considerable. These results reveal that long-term N-addition has important ecological implications for key microbial groups involved in two critical soil N-cycling processes. Increased AOB abundance and community shifts following N-addition may change soil N-cycling, as larger population sizes may promote higher rates of ammonia oxidation and subsequently increase N loss via gaseous and soil N-leaching. These findings bring us a step closer to predicting the responses and feedbacks of microbial-mediated N-cycling processes to long-term anthropogenic N-addition in grasslands.".
- 01GMTBYG1W6VY1YKFN19PMWYN3 abstract "Alternating Dat-Nom/Nom-Dat verbs in Icelandic are notorious for instantiating two diametrically opposed argument structures: the Dat-Nom and the Nom-Dat construction. Since the discovery of this verb class in Icelandic, considerable work has been carried out on different aspects of the nature of these verbs in Icelandic and related languages. Yet, what is missing from the literature is a systematic study of the distribution of the relevant verbs across the two argument structure constructions in language use and whether all alternating verbs instantiate both argument structure constructions to the same degree. For this purpose, we have carried out a study of 15 verbs, five alternating ones, and as a control, five ordinary Nom-Dat verbs and five non-alternating Dat-Nom verbs. Our findings show that alternating verbs instantiate the Nom-Dat construction in 54% of the cases, and the Dat-Nom construction in 46% of the cases on average for four of the five verbs when both arguments are full NPs, although considerable statistical differences are found between the five verbs. Another remarkable finding is that when the two arguments are pronouns, the Nom-Dat construction takes precedence over the Dat-Nom construction.".
- 01GMTCKKB92KRHR1DVG6V4TK4A abstract "At the turn of the century, both academics and practitioners anticipated the Europeanization of national politics and political parties. One major expectation was that parties would adapt their organisation and behaviour to the existence of the EU and the functioning of its institutions. However, the early 2000s poured cold water on those expectations: the slacking politicization of EU affairs, it was concluded, created few incentives for parties to adapt, and so there was no meaningful Europeanization to speak of. EU politicization became the necessary pre-condition for party Europeanization. Today, however, that pre-condition seems (partly) fulfilled, as scholars are observing increasing EU politicization. Hence, we ask whether parties live up to expectations and, facing a politicised context, are today showing signs of party organizational Europeanization (POE). Based on a comparative case study of Dutch and Flemish parties, who function in differently politicized environments, we find that Europeanization remains limited. We conclude that it is likely not EU politicization holding parties back, but instead point towards the broader institutional misfit between national and European politics. We call on future research to further elaborate on this misfit, which might be the Achilles heel for EU democracy.".
- 01GMTFN6Q9ZPKDQD4AEYDM83VM abstract "Background: Despite effectiveness of action and coping planning in digital health interventions to promote physical activity (PA), attrition rates remain high. Indeed, support to make plans is often abstract and similar for each individual. Nevertheless, people are different, and context varies. Tailored support at the content level, involving suggestions of specific plans that are personalized to the individual, may reduce attrition and improve outcomes in digital health interventions. The aim of this study was to investigate whether user information relates toward specific action and coping plans using a clustering method. In doing so, we demonstrate how knowledge can be acquired in order to develop a knowledge-base, which might provide personalized suggestions in a later phase. Methods: To establish proof-of-concept for this approach, data of 65 healthy adults, including 222 action plans and 204 coping plans, were used and were collected as part of the digital health intervention MyPlan 2.0 to promote PA. As a first step, clusters of action plans, clusters of coping plans and clusters of combinations of action plans and barriers of coping plans were identified using hierarchical clustering. As a second step, relations with user information (i.e. gender, motivational stage, ...) were examined using anova's and chi(2)-tests. Results: First, three clusters of action plans, eight clusters of coping plans and eight clusters of the combination of action and coping plans were identified. Second, relating these clusters to user information was possible for action plans: 1) Users with a higher BMI related more to outdoor leisure activities (F = 13.40, P < .001), 2) Women, users that didn't perform PA regularly yet, or users with a job related more to household activities (X-2 = 16.92, P < .001; X-2 = 20.34, P < .001; X-2 = 10.79, P = .004; respectively), 3) Younger users related more to active transport and different sports activities (F = 14.40, P < .001). However, relating clusters to user information proved difficult for the coping plans and combination of action and coping plans. Conclusions: The approach used in this study might be a feasible approach to acquire input for a knowledge-base, however more data (i.e. contextual and dynamic user information) from possible end users should be acquired in future research. This might result in a first type of context-aware personalized suggestions on the content level.".
- 01GMTHY7J4QTNYAH29RYCS3XTW abstract "Le 24 février 2022 marque un tournant historique pour l’ordre sécuritaire hérité de l’après-guerre froide et consécutif à la dissolution de l’URSS. i) Pourquoi l’invasion russe de l’Ukraine est-elle réellement un tournant historique même si l’on ne connait pas encore son ampleur ? Quelles ont été les premières réactions en Méditerranée ? ii) Quels sont parmi les nouveaux paramètres de sécurité et de défense de l’espace euro-méditerranéen ceux qui changent vraiment la donne aujourd’hui et quels sont ceux qui peuvent le faire demain ? iii) Existe-t-il des structures et des outils dans l’espace euro-méditerranéen pour répondre à ces défis ? ou faut-il les inventer ?".
- 01GMTM54NK2W9PE3Y2T5XHDMRF abstract "La Unión Europea (UE), que desea convertirse en un actor de la gobernanza internacional de los océanos, está desarrollando relaciones específicas y más estratégicas con los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo (PEID). En efecto, la existencia de regiones ultraperiféricas de la UE y de países y territorios de ultramar situados en el océano Atlántico, incluido el Caribe, el gran océano Índico y en el Pacífico significa también, más allá de la historia y la cultura, una proximidad geográfica entre la UE y la mayoría de los PEID. La estrategia de cooperación de la UE en el Indo-Pacífico reforzará esta tendencia. Para analizar críticamente estas relaciones, esta contribución se centra en las dimensiones geopolíticas, comerciales y de cooperación, ante todo desde una perspectiva geojurídica. Intentamos responder dos preguntas ¿cuál es la importancia de los PEID para la UE? ¿Y qué puede ofrecer la UE para ayudar a los PEID a desarrollar sus capacidades y promover la cooperación regional en el difícil contexto actual?".
- 01GMTM54NK2W9PE3Y2T5XHDMRF abstract "The European Union (EU) intends to become an actor in international ocean governance. With this in mind, it is developing specific and more strategic relations with Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Indeed, the existence of the EU's Outermost Regions and Overseas Countries and Territories also implies, beyond history and culture, a geographical proximity between the EU and most SIDS. The EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific would reinforce this trend. In order to critically assess these relationships, this article focuses on their geopolitical, trade, and cooperation dimensions, mainly from a geo-legal perspective. The main questions being asked focus on the importance of the SIDS for the EU, and what the EU can offer to assist SIDS in developing their capacities and promote regional cooperation in the challenging current context.".
- 01GMTMS7VY70801RGDBPWPXZXB abstract "During the 21st Century, climate change and improving air quality will alter biological communities and their influence on building stones. While air pollution used to be a principal factor of stone deterioration, it is diminishing in many parts of the world. These environmental changes affect the aesthetics of building stones, and fewer black gypsum crusts will form, while more biological-induced discolorations could occur. Within the British Isles, it resulted in the “greening” of monuments after increased algal growth. Besides aesthetical damage, the formation of biofilms could affect water transport and retention. Changes in the water-stone relationship should be studied in detail because moisture is the most significant facilitator of stone alteration, leading to physical, chemical and further biological weathering. This topic was intensely studied on soils. However, knowledge of the effect of biofilms on water transport and retention of stones is limited. For this reason, three porous natural building stones: Ernzen, Euville and Savonnières, were biofouled at the outer surface with the cyanobacteria Phormidium autumnale. The colonization was estimated by spectrophotometry, and their relationship with the stones was studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Environmental SEM (ESEM) and optical microscopy on thin sections. Based on the European standards, the water transport properties were determined of biofouled and untreated samples. Microscopy showed that the biofilms covered the surface while they spanned over and closed numerous pores. They had a measurable effect on water transport and retention and reduced the rate of capillary water absorption and drying in combination with higher moisture content after (vapor) sorption. Moreover, the biofilms changed the surface wettability and induced near hydrophobic conditions in a dry state while no effect was measured on the water vapor diffusion and air permeability. These changes can alter the material properties and other processes like salt weathering and freeze-thaw damage. As swelling and shrinkage were observed by ESEM, the properties and physical effects of biofilms are expected to change with fluctuating relative humidity.".
- 01GMTQE6BQEHBXMEHB2054HDYR abstract "Natural stones are essential for our built heritage. They are considered durable and permanent. However, they deteriorate through physical, chemical and biological action with water as the principal facilitator. Within a stone, water transport and retention depend on the stone's characteristics. It is expected that biofilms and extracellular polymeric substances change these properties and thus the water-stone relationship. To study the effect of the biofilms, three porous natural building stones: Ernzen, Euville and Savonnières, were biofouled with cyanobacteria Phormidium autumnale. The amount of biofilm was estimated by spectrophotometry, characterized by optical microscopy, and (environmental) scanning electron microscopy. Water transport and retention for biofouled and untreated samples were determined following European standards. Microscopy showed that the biofilms primarily covered the stone's outer surface. They experienced swelling and shrinkage dependent on the subjected relative humidity conditions, which could facilitate physical weathering. The biofilms slightly affected the water transport properties and induced a (near) hydrophobic surface. They reduced the drying rate and capillary coefficient. Moreover, biofouled samples absorbed more water vapor, had a higher water content, while no direct effect was measured on the water vapor diffusion and gas permeability. These changes could affect future weathering processes, including freeze-thaw and salt weathering.".
- 01GMVAYWANX9F75GJZ63304AV8 abstract "The multimedia industry is constantly pushing to deliver more and more immersive experiences. Instead of watching a flat screen (e.g. to watch movies, to stream, to teleconference, etc.), technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) allow a user to move around in a virtual world with six degrees-of-freedom. I present a pipeline that captures real-world environments using cameras, reconstructs the scene in 3D, and allows a viewer to walk through the reconstruction in using VR. To achieve real-time rendering in VR (90 frames per second), several trade-offs need to be made between computational performance and visual quality. During the demo, the users will be able to explore multiple environments in VR created through the pipeline. Through these user experiments, the quality of experience of the system at different trade-offs can be measured.".
- 01GMVAYWB99WSTRWSVFZHJJ8Q3 abstract "Machine learning is finding its way into more and more application domains, often reaching outstanding results. However, most of its premier results have been achieved in vision and language tasks. The new methods which power those results are then eagerly adopted in a broader set of research fields to solve other tasks, typically with other types of data. This demonstration will show that the blind adoption of computationally expensive methods has caused more harm than good in my research field, (network / host) intrusion detection and in the application of data science in cybersecurity tasks more broadly. Foregoing establishing proper baselines with simple methods has deluded many researchers into hailing their methods as improvements over the state-of-the-art, when in fact they are not. This demo is targeted at researchers who are applying ML to any task with structured input data.".
- 01GMVAYWBG52XMV0WM2EAH8WQ8 abstract "Current Total Body Positron Emission Tomography (TB-PET) scanners come at high acquisition and installation costs which limits their implementation into more clinical use. Patient population and clinical needs see gradual changes on-going and expected in the future; and PET imaging will play a role not only for detection but also for therapy prediction and follow-up. To accommodate for the increasing number of patients and repeat scans, PET scanners should evolve towards: (i) lower dose imaging, (ii) faster imaging, (iii) lower cost (including system and procedure cost), and (iv) less personnel per scan. Furthermore, although current TB-PET systems have become so sensitive that 30-seconds body acquisitions seem feasible, practical patient throughput is limited by patient positioning on the bed. Our group proposes a novel design concept for TB-PET to go towards fast and lower dose imaging with higher patient throughput for lower component cost: a new flat panel high-resolution Walk Through (WT) TB-PET design with patients standing in upright position between two flat panels. Patient sizes measured from 40 random PET-CT scans defined the flat panel dimensions: 70 cm wide, 105 cm high and 50 cm gap. The footprint of the WT-TB-PET system is very small (about 2 m2) compared to the large installation space of current PET-CTs (30-40 m2). To investigate the extent of patient motion a WT-TB-PET mock-up was built. Motion analyses compared the impact of free-breathing vs breath-hold induced body motion in the WT-TB-PET. One further benefit of the design is the use of monolithic detectors: they offer high intrinsic spatial resolution (2 mm over the whole field-of-view), thereby outperforming classical pixelated detectors by a factor 2-3. Combined with the use of BGO (at 3x lower cost compared to current L(Y)SO), the estimated component cost is about 1.3 MEuro (comparable to the cost of a standard PET-CT).".
- 01GMVAZ17ZFESQDTMDP7A0GDH6 abstract "Nowadays complex building designs, new construction materials and everchanging layout of the buildings all stress the difficulty to properly address evacuation in modern buildings. There has been a shift away from the legislation-based set of rules (prescriptive approach) towards a performance-based approach to fire safety engineering. One of the challenges is determining the attained level of fire and life safety. The project will realise coupling between the BIM model and fire engineering practice allowing for an iterative data-based fire and life safety strategy to be put into place, which can be adapted during the lifetime of the building, considering data from evacuation exercises and CFD simulations.".
- 01GMVAZ1837A41GA10924RRAT7 abstract "Most biofuels in use today are obtained from feedstock that can also be used for food-grade agriculture, creating an ever growing ethical problem. In the search for so-called second-generation (2G) sustainable transportation fuels that are not in competition with food production, a woody biomass-based biofuel production technique is currently under development. The process development is integrated in the Belgian federal government funded Ad-Libio project and its process outcome is mainly consisting of hydrocarbons containing five to six carbon atoms, that differ significantly from gasoline or diesel fuel. Since the Ad-Libio fuel composition can be changed, a fuel blend calculator with integrated fuel database has been developed. This tool enables fast fuel property calculations, so quick decisions can be made on the fuel production process outcome. After a first screening with the calculator, a fuel research engine was used to evaluate the combustion properties of the promising fuel blends, enabling quick in-house experimental verification of the calculations. The ultimate goal is to produce a drop-in fuel, made out of wood waste, that can be fully interchanged with the gasoline fuels in use today, enabling sustainable transportation for modern and legacy combustion engine-powered vehicles.".
- 01GMVAZ187RR9Q27YBW8P62XTD abstract "The permeability of tumor stroma (k [m²]) is a measure of flow conductivity, and plays an important role in modeling tumor interstitial fluid flow (TIF). However, reliable tumor- and/or patient-specific k values are not available. Therefore, we devised a novel ex-vivo setup that allows measuring the permeability in clinical tissue samples. Additionally, we developed a computational model to better understand the effect of tumor tissue permeability on TIF. Fresh human tumor samples were harvested, sliced, and punched into circular discs, after which they were placed on the enclosure of modified Ussing diffusion chambers. Subsequently, k measurements were performed using two different diffusion chambers connected to a bubble tracker system to quantify the fluid exchange through the tissue induced by a hydrostatic pressure. In addition, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling approach was developed to investigate the sensitivity of TIF to the magnitude of k. The results of the measurements demonstrated a large difference between the permeability of various tumor types (range of 5E-18 to 4E-16 m²). More importantly, the results also demonstrated the heterogeneity of k values in single tumors, with k values that varied up to a factor of 4 in certain tumor types (e.g. between 5E-18 to 2E-17 m^2 for a peritoneal metastasis sample). The CFD model also showed that the heterogeneity of k can significantly affect the TIF, indicating the importance of personalized estimations of 3D spatial k profiles. A new experimental and computational method was successfully introduced to measure tumor stroma permeability values of human cancer tissue samples and model their impact on TIF. The results showed significant inter- and intratumor differences in k values and TIF, implying k values to be an important piece of the puzzle for personalized modeling of perfusion and treatment of solid tumors.".
- 01GMVAZ64PC6YGTYCJJJCHNTQ2 abstract "Extracting a subset or a derived set of data from a larger dataset requires a plan for how to do it efficiently. Creating a good plan, however, requires relevant beforehand knowledge about the data being processed. With traditional databases, sufficient information might be available and up-to-date, however with Linked Data that may not be the case, resulting in inefficient plans that later need to be adjusted. But how to detect when a plan is not efficient enough and needs to be adjusted, when can the plan be adjusted and how can it be adjusted? Has the problem been solved already, or is there something left to explore?".
- 01GMVAZ64V3YYZZA12S990AGQC abstract "Approximate pattern matching entails finding approximate occurrences of a search pattern P in a search text T. In a typical bioinformatics scenario, P is a DNA fragment (a read) and T a (collection of) reference genomes(s). Search schemes are an efficient computational technique that guarantee to exhaustively identify all occurrences within a pre-specified number of allowed errors (substitutions and indels). Using a bidirectional FM-index, they describe how to traverse the search space in such a way that runtime is minimized. Despite their optimal time complexity, basic operations on the FM-index require expensive random memory access. We examine whether in-text verification, in which a candidate occurrence is validated in the search text via a bit-parallel pairwise alignment approach, can be used to supplement in-index matching using search schemes. In comparison to pure in-index matching, we find that hybrid in-index/in-text matching can reduce running time by more than a factor of two. We introduce Columba 1.1, an open-source C++ software program that efficiently implements these ideas. Columba 1.1 can locate, within a maximum edit distance of 4, all occurrences of 100,000 reads (150 bp) in the human reference genome in about 30 seconds. This outperforms existing, state-of-the-art lossless alignment tools such as Bwolo, Yara and GEM and is comparable to the lossy aligner BWA in mem mode.".
- 01GMVAZ64ZBWZ98K07MPH656EF abstract "The world is complex and full of challenges. To overcome those challenges progress is needed. Progress is often facilitated by serendipity -- an unplanned and fortunate discovery. Luck, so to speak. But is it possible to plan serendipity? To remove the luck out of the equation? To simply find the information we need to overcome a challenge? The world is full of information. And it is becoming ever more. So much that it is impossible to look through all of it. We use machines to help with information discovery. They are good at connecting information, comparing facts, and structuring it as Knowledge Graphs. But machines are also shallow. They don't feel and think, don't understand human opinions and emotions. They only care about facts and throw away all the human complexities. The world is full of information, but machines don't understand half of it. They simply are not yet ready to help us. How do we make this hidden information visible? How do we make it searchable? Is it possible that the secret of serendipity lies in opinions and emotions? That there exists a hidden 'human graph' above the world of facts (KG)? A graph full of opinions and emotions, not understandable by machines? A graph that connects all the seemingly unrelated facts in a logical way? And we just need to follow it to find 'serendipity'? There already exist approaches to add annotations and metadata to existing KGs, for example property graphs and RDF*. But how do we describe opinions, how do we formalize emotions? Can RDF be used to construct a 'human graph'? To answer these questions, I will investigate how human opinions, emotions and complexities can be captured in KGs using RDF* and/or property graphs.".
- 01GMVAZB1D0CVXFG7FT6VP4JD0 abstract "In future sixth-generation (6G) wireless communications, carrier frequencies above 100 GHz will be used where large bandwidths are still available that enable high-capacity wireless links. This poster presents an overview of my research on the characterization of radio propagation at D-band frequencies, ranging from 110 to 170 GHz, for indoor and outdoor environments. The envisioned applications for indoor environments include video streaming, virtual and augmented reality (AR/VR), and a wireless hub. For outdoor environments, fixed wireless access (FWA) networks are envisioned, providing internet connectivity as an alternative to fiber. Empirical channel models are presented based on measurement campaigns, using a vector network analyzer-based channel sounder for the indoor environments, and a spectrum analyzer-based channel sounder for the outdoor environments. Penetration and reflection loss measurements for different materials show a periodic pattern over the full band. Reflection loss values range from 4 dB for a tabletop up to 20 dB for a cardboard box. The spatio-temporal channel model for a conference room environment confirms the channel sparsity with respect to multipath components. For outdoor environments, Line-of-Sight (LOS) and non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) path loss models are presented, as well as building reflection loss measurements and a new vegetation loss model. The outdoor channel models are used in link budget calculations to estimate received power as a function of distance for a fixed transmit power and antenna gain. The received power estimate is used to calculate the signal-to-noise ratio from which the channel capacity can be determined, which confirms that D-band frequencies can be used to realize FWA networks.".
- 01GMVAZB1JC80W77JMXY47R1EX abstract "Extracting a subset or a derived set of data from a larger dataset requires a plan for how to do it efficiently. Creating a good plan, however, requires relevant beforehand knowledge about the data being processed. With traditional databases, sufficient information might be available and up-to-date, however with Linked Data that may not be the case, resulting in inefficient plans that later need to be adjusted. But how to detect when a plan is not efficient enough and needs to be adjusted, when can the plan be adjusted and how can it be adjusted? Has the problem been solved already, or is there something left to explore?".
- 01GMVAZB1N9X9HC2MWQ47G2KDP abstract "In 2018, part of the Morandi bridge in Italy collapsed and 43 people were killed, only because of a defect that could have been detected. To prevent such failures, implementing a structural health monitoring technique that secures the safety of life, property, and environment, is of great importance. If an appropriate method is used for damage detection, the infrastructure's operational cost will be reduced since a low-cost repair can be scheduled timely. The electromechanical impedance-based method is a technique that can detect very small damages, like fatigue cracks, in steel infrastructure. In this online and in-situ method, a small, low-cost, and lightweight piezoelectric transducer is surface-mounted on a host structure. Opposite to the available solutions including acoustic emission, guided wave, and fiber optic sensing, the EMI method has clear advantages for fatigue crack monitoring: - It is an active technique and thus allows permanent monitoring. - The required hardware is very affordable for industries. - Piezoelectric transducers exhibit very good durability and survivability against temperature cycling and environmental exposure. - It can be applied to complex structures, e.g., a heavy-lifting crane. - The PZT sensors can be installed remotely from the crack location. The electromechanical impedance-based method does not require any shutdown of infrastructures. Therefore, they can have improved efficiency. Under the support of the Industrial Research Fund (IOF) of UGent, a project is initiated to further develop the EMI method towards a robust technology or industrial application. First, the effects of environmental and operational factors on the performance of the EMI method will studied for the sake of a technological proof-of-concept. The second goal is to build up a (wireless) measurement node system. Eventually, the ambition is to open a new horizon in EMI applications by integrating decision-making strategies for integrity analysis and maintenance planning of infrastructures.".
- 01GMVAZFY6EJ6MP777NW89G3FY abstract "How can we provide a positive user experience in our future smart spaces, given the strong growth of smart devices, each demanding attention with their own visual, auditory and tactile interactions? We will define a framework that is able to map the user experience journey in which all possible interactions between the user the products and the smart environment are measured in detail. In order to achieve this, we will create a Unity workspace to simulate smart environments by combining spatial audio, virtual reality and tactile interactions. In this workspace we will explore psychophysiological markers of the user's personal experience of these interactions (blink rate, skin conductance and heart rate) and assess the practical feasibility for user evaluation. Furthermore we will setup a protocol to capture all relevant interactions that occur in the context of a smart environment based on our HCCI (Human Computer Context Interaction) framework. This will be implemented via a Proof of Concept based on the smart kitchen environment.".
- 01GMVAZFYBQ1W2YPD49980R6S2 abstract "The use of cross-sectional curved steel plates has been increased. They increase the bridge's aesthetics and can be beneficial to the overall bridge performance. Based on numerical analysis, a design method has been proposed. Since this design proposal is surely based on FE analysis, it is not possible to have a 100\% certainty about its reliability. For this reason, two girders with a single curved web are designed and tested in a three-point-bending test. During the test, both strains and deformations were monitored. In addition, the full web behaviour was captured by a 3D ARAMIS system. The experiment showed that the webs had a higher buckling resistance than was expected.".
- 01GMVAZFYF16H03HP2EW4H5QQH abstract "As an engineer and researcher, it is important to understand what combination of loading and environmental conditions will cause failure of a component or structure rather than just determining whether failure will be avoided. Future work will focus on an in-depth investigation of failure conditions and mechanisms for various adhesive systems subjected to different load conditions.".
- 01GMVAZMTX0YE9VHGZX43JM3VF abstract "In order to make the transition towards a circular economy, more emphasis is put on recycling of materials and improving the existing recycling processes. For metal recycling, the first step is typically a high temperature pyrometallurgical process (T > 1000 °C). Within this process, impurities in the liquid metal are oxidized to metal oxides which end up in the liquid slag phase. This slag phase is made processable via additions of sand (SiO2) and lime (CaO) to the furnace. The current project focusses on the recycling of precious metals via the copper smelting process as copper is typically used as collector metal for gold, silver, platinum… One issue regarding the copper smelting process is the existence of metal losses to the slag which limits the process efficiency. These metal losses can be both chemical, e.g. copperoxide, or mechanical via the entrainment of metallic droplets. Both problems could be solved via a submerged arc electrical furnace which can serve as both a decantation and reduction furnace. Within this furnace, electrodes are immersed in the slag and the electrical current from these electrodes is converted to heat via the Joule effect. Essential in this type of heating is the slag's resistance and thus its dependency on the slag's electrical conductivity, which makes it an important process parameter. Unfortunately, electrical conductivity data is limited for secondary copper smelter slags. Therefore, an experimental setup and methodology was developed and tested for a simple binary SiO2-PbO system which was already investigated by several authors via a two-electrode setup. Our tests concluded that our results agree with those obtained from literature in terms of their absolute value, the temperature dependency and PbO content even though a different setup was used. Therefore, it was concluded that valid experimental data can be obtained via our setup and methodology.".
- 01GMVAZMV2ZS68EDKEBG4E51PX abstract "Climate change, a problem created by people that goes far beyond national borders, requires a coordinated solution with drastic mindset changes at all levels of our current society. In this respect, the chemical industry will play an essential and crucial role in the development of a circular and sustainable economy provided that it becomes CO2-neutral itself. There is no single nor simple solution to curb GHG emissions, but electrification is a step in the right direction. Electrification will, however, require massive quantities of cheap net zero-carbon electricity. Yet that will not suffice to shift from conventional to electrified processes. Current chemical plants are not designed for the swift integration of electricity. To enhance energy efficiency and product yield and thus profit margins, the -often outdated- production processes need to be reinvented. This is where electrification offers numerous opportunities. In this work, a drastically new chemical reactor concept is introduced for the decarbonization of hydrocarbon cracking. Instead of using fossil-fuel-driven furnaces, this novel design relies on the acceleration of the reactant to supersonic velocities through the rotational movement of a rotor. Strategically located diffusers allow a reduction in the flow velocity. This movement in particular generates stationary shockwaves across which the flow decelerates from supersonic to subsonic velocities. Hence, velocity is being traded for enthalpy, resulting in heating times for shock-heated gases in the order of nanoseconds. To assess the reactor potential, computational models have been developed and used for comparison with the current state-of-the-art steam cracking furnaces.".
- 01GMVAZMV6TY5FG58885HSJWVB abstract "Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) has shown to be a technological solution in mitigating fossil fuel reliance and economically incentivizing CO2 capture. The need for effective photo/electrocatalysts with high CO2 reduction activity, yielding high-value products for the CCU industry is vital. Direct Z-scheme heterojunctions named after their charge transfer mechanism, use sunlight to conduct various photocatalytic reactions, similar to photosynthesis in plants. However, little is known about the electronic properties of such Z-scheme junctions. Solar cell simulation techniques are proposed to obtain material properties insights and electronic characterization. It can also optimize the heterojunction in order to maximize the desired characteristics.".
- 01GMVAZSQM8WG9QS1HHSHM54JX abstract "More than a quarter of the global greenhouse gas emissions are related to the transportation sector and, therefore, a major revamp of this sector is required to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement objectives. Our research focuses on combined modeling and experimental work on combustion of oxymethylene ethers (OMEs). These molecules form a promising family of synthetic fuels, which can be produced starting from CO2 via carbon capture and utilization technology with renewable electricity, so-called e-fuels. OMEs consist of alternating carbon and oxygen bonds in the backbone saturated with hydrogen (structural formula CH3O(CH2O)nCH3), instead of alternating carbon-carbon bonds in the case of fossil-based fuels. OMEs are compatible with the current generation of diesel engines and blending them with conventional diesel fuels reduces the soot emissions significantly because of the absence of carbon-carbon bonds. As such, OMEs and OME-diesel blends result in less harmful emissions and can contribute to a more sustainable transportation sector on the short term due to the transition towards a circular carbon economy. To promote the use of these molecules, it is important to understand their low- and high-temperature combustion chemistry. Detailed microkinetic models have been developed systematically with in-house developed automatic kinetic model generation code `Genesys' to gain fundamental insight into the decomposition chemistry. Quantum chemical calculations are performed on the HPC to unravel the OME decomposition pathways, and to obtain both accurate thermodynamic and kinetic parameters for species and reactions, respectively. New experimental data is obtained from a variety of experimental units to validate the constructed models under a broad set of conditions. Our kinetic models will enable predictive simulations to optimize the combustion and allow global deployment in heavy-duty transportation for which electrification is unfeasible.".
- 01GMVAZSQXEG01CVKCN0FRXMBH abstract "Feature selection is a crucial step in developing robust and powerful machine learning models. Feature selection techniques can be divided into two categories: filter and wrapper methods. While wrapper methods commonly result in strong predictive performances, they suffer from a large computational complexity and therefore take a significant amount of time to complete, especially when dealing with high-dimensional feature sets. Alternatively, filter methods are considerably faster, but suffer from several other disadvantages, such as (i) requiring a threshold value, (ii) many filter methods not taking into account intercorrelation between features, and (iii) ignoring feature interactions with the model. To this end, we present PowerShap, a novel wrapper feature selection method, which leverages statistical hypothesis testing and power calculations in combination with Shapley values for quick and intuitive feature selection. PowerShap is built on the core assumption that an informative feature will have a larger impact on the prediction compared to a known random feature. Benchmarks and simulations show that PowerShap outperforms other filter methods with predictive performances on par with wrapper methods while being significantly faster, often even reaching half or a third of the execution time. As such, PowerShap provides a competitive and quick algorithm that can be used by various models in different domains. Furthermore, PowerShap is implemented as a plug-and-play and open-source sklearn component, enabling easy integration in conventional data science pipelines. User experience is even further enhanced by also providing an automatic mode that automatically tunes the hyper-parameters of the PowerShap algorithm, allowing to use the algorithm without any configuration needed.".
- 01GMVAZSR3K7DEEZHRMFDHXGM5 abstract "Since the development of CT-imaging in the 20th century, medical imaging has transformed the field of preoperative surgical planning. Today, 3D reconstructions of patient-specific anatomies are increasingly being used as input for computational models of various treatments. These treatment models can assist the clinician in comparing different treatment scenarios preoperatively and choosing the most optimal one for each patient-specific situation, thereby increasing health outcomes. Specifically, for liver cancer, we have developed a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model in Fluent (Ansys, USA) of blood ($\rho$: 1060 kg/m³) and drug particle ($\rho$: 1060 kg/m³, diameter: 40 µm) flow in the hepatic arteries perfusing the tumor, based on the conebeam CT images of a patient with primary liver cancer treated at UZ Leuven. This CFD model allows us to predict the impact of various interventional parameters on the tumor dose distribution. For example, a microcatheter (length: 80 mm, diameter: 0.7 mm) positioned near the wall led to a much more uniform dose distribution than a microcatheter positioned at the center of the vessel. However, the total dose delivered to the tumor was only 43.2\% for the off-center catheter, and 49.3\% for the central position. These results show that different microcatheter positions can have a significant impact on both tumor dose and tumor dose distribution. Success stories of preoperative planning software companies like HeartFlow and FEops have shown the incredible potential of computational models in medicine. However, many of these computational models, including our own, need to be validated for a wide range of patients first before being integrated into clinical practice. Additionally, high computational complexity is another factor that might hamper clinical integration. In the near future, as medical imaging has done in the previous century, computational modelling might be the next big step in transforming the field of preoperative surgical planning.".
- 01GMVAZYMPRJ71WVJD5JP0C0WW abstract "The energy transition sits high on the agenda of decision makers, whether in industry or governments. On top of the urgency due to climate change, its importance has grown exponentially since the start of the energy crisis resulting from the war in Ukraine. Prime effort is put into the shift from fossil fuel towards renewable resources by all actors in society, with industry playing an important role. To facilitate this shift, complementary infrastructure is required for different energy carriers - electrons or molecules: electricity, natural gas, hydrogen, CO2, etc. Additional connections, new or repurposed infrastructure, etc. will be needed such as natural gas pipelines used for hydrogen transport or transmission lines for green electricity. The infrastructure needs should be optimised to supply regional demand but also to enhance flexibility and interconnectivity. The presence of (energy-intensive) industry in those regions is a decisive design factor for new energy infrastructure. To structure the assessment of demand and supply, industrial activities are clustered in hubs based on location and profile. Port areas are typical hubs. The focus within the TRILATE project is on the industrial clusters in Belgium: Bruges, Gent, Antwerp and the Meuse region. Energy backbones are investigated on a regional level, including connections with industrial clusters in neighbouring countries. Within and between those hubs, methodologies are applied to explore and implement industrial symbiosis. The exchange of materials and energy streams doesn't only benefit the shift towards a circular economy, it also advances the energy transition towards a low-carbon economy. The ECM research group (Energy and Cluster Management) at UGent specialises in tools that support the development of industrial symbiosis. The TRILATE project builds on experience from previous ECM projects, such as EPOS (H2020), AIDRES (DG ENER) and H4C (ASPIRE).".
- 01GMVAZYMVXC64PWF421W78BQX abstract "Gears are widely used in many different applications. Their condition is often monitored using indirect measurements (vibrations, temperature, oil analysis) or periodic visual inspection. However, if these current systems could be aided by a real-time automated vision system, gear defects could be detected much earlier on. This early detection is one of the cornerstones for applications of gears in industries such as wind energy. To realize such a vision system a back-to-back gear tester (FZG) is being installed with a vision-based condition monitoring system. This system will allow for further research to better understand the initiation and spatio-temporal evolution of gear surface defects. Secondly, it will allow for improvements in current conditioning monitoring techniques and subsequently maintenance strategies. Finally, this research can help towards the development of a visual monitoring system that can be installed in vital applications such as wind energy.".
- 01GMVAZYMYDQXP0J0Q8XPA9A94 abstract "Open-channel confluences are important junctions in fluvial and artificial networks, which regulate the mixing phenomena of substances transported by the merging flows. The present research aims at investigating how the bed morphology, like the presence of a scour hole and a depositional bar, influences the flow patterns and mixing phenomena at a T-shaped open-channel confluence with a wider downstream channel. Large Eddy Simulations (LES) are applied to compare the flow and passive scalar transport processes at two different bed morphologies: the flat bed and the degraded bed. The results clearly show that in the degraded bed case, the reverse flow zone is shorter and narrower, even absent near the bed, due to the complex interaction of the flow with the scour hole and the depositional bar. Moreover, the degree of contraction of the main flow is less in the degraded bed case. Despite the differences in flow patterns, the degree of mixing in the confluence zone is first very similar for the degraded and the flat bed cases. Only when going more downstream, there is a higher degree of mixing for the flat bed, which may be attributed to the differences in the turbulence levels and the mixing interface.".
- 01GMVB03HHX2PTCJNGJQTCYA46 abstract "Fixed wireless access (FWA) using mmWave bands, mainly the unlicensed 60 GHz spectrum, is presented to compete with fiber development while delivering lower costs. The deployment of FWA networks in the 60 GHz band in realistic urban and rural areas in Belgium is assessed in this study. In order to maximize user coverage, provide a minimum of 1 Gbps of bandwidth, and reduce the needed network infrastructure, we built a network planning tool with a novel mesh backhaul based on the IEEE 802.11ay standard. We assess various serving node locations, also known as Edge Nodes (EN), and how environmental variables like rain and vegetation impact the network design. The position of the ENs must be appropriately defined to obtain a viable user coverage of more than 95\%, especially in urban settings where the geometry of street canyons affects propagation. While urban situations need four times as much infrastructure, rural scenarios only need about 75 ENs per km2. Lastly, depending on the node deployment approach used, vegetation can decrease coverage by 3\% or increase infrastructure by up to 7\%. In comparison, severe rainfall can decrease coverage by 5\% or increase infrastructure by 15\%.".
- 01GMVB03HPS4KRYGQZYM4B3XDS abstract "Biological evolution shapes the body and brain of living creatures together over time. By contrast, in evolutionary robotics, brain-body co-optimization remains challenging. Conflicting mutations cause dissociation between morphology and control, which leads to premature convergence. Recent works have proposed algorithmic modifications to mitigate the impact of conflicting mutations. However, the importance of genetic design remains underexposed. Current approaches are divided between a single, pleiotropic genetic encoding and two isolated encodings representing morphology and control. This design choice is commonly made ad hoc, causing a lack of consistency for practitioners. To standardize this design, we performed a comparative analysis between these two configurations and two previously unexplored alternatives on a soft robot locomotion task.".
- 01GMVB03HSGH5G3DQCBE6RFMTB abstract "Increasing awareness for sustainability has led to the development of smart self-healing materials, which can extend the service life and improve safety without human intervention. Vascular networks are observed in biological systems, such as leaf venation and blood vascular systems, and provide inspiration for self-healing mechanisms in engineered systems. Embedding a vascular network in a host material has the advantage of addressing varying magnitudes of damage and allowing for an indefinite replenishment of the healing agent, which are current limitations of intrinsic and capsule-based self-healing systems. These networks are demonstrated in polymer and composite materials, with fabrication methods including removal of sacrificial elements, electrospinning, and an array of additive manufacturing (AM) techniques. Advances in AM allow more complex network configurations to be realized that optimize fluid distribution and healing potential. This review intends to provide a comprehensive overview of the current progress and limitations of the design approaches, fabrication methods, healing mechanisms, and relevant applications of embedded vascular networks. Additionally, significant research gaps and future research directions for vascular self-healing materials are described.".
- 01GMVB08EB09ABX4QA1KX05ZDJ abstract "Predictive maintenance attempts to prevent unscheduled downtime by scheduling maintenance before expected failures and/or breakdowns while maximally optimizing uptime. However, this is a non-trivial problem, requiring sufficient data analytics knowledge and labeled data, either to design supervised fault detection models, or to evaluate performance of unsupervised models. While today most companies collect data by adding sensors on their machinery, the majority of this data is unfortunately not labeled. Moreover, labeling requires expert knowledge and is very cumbersome. To solve this mismatch, we present an architecture that guides the experts so they only have to label a very small subset compared to today's standard labeling campaigns when designing predictive maintenance solutions. We use autoencoders to highlight potential anomalies and clustering approaches to group anomalies into (potential) failure types, and then present the resulting clustered anomalies to domain experts for labeling. This way, we enable domain experts to enrich routinely collected machine data with business intelligence via a user-friendly hybrid model, combining autoencoder models with labeling steps and supervised models. Ultimately, the labeled failure data allows creating better failure prediction models, which in turn enables more effective predictive maintenance. More specifically, our architecture opens up the data available within companies without cumbersome labeling tasks, so companies make maximum use of their data and expert knowledge to ultimately gain increased profit. Using our methodology, an average of 85 \% of labeling gain is achieved when compared to standard labeling tasks.".
- 01GMVB08EHJ9DZZ2M96DDSXFGF abstract "On the message board of the Renmin Website, a user expressed his/her feelings: ``In order to cooperate with the government, we gave up the house we lived in for decades, the familiar environment, and the surrounding relatives and friends, planning to move to a different place. However, we end up wandering outside for many years and have nowhere to live or return to our hometown. There is only the unfinished building when we look around.'' The real estate industry has boomed over the past few decades. As a result, there are always new residential buildings in the city. Yet, not all of these buildings were completed on schedule. Modern Chinese cities are littered with half-finished housing projects that were abandoned mid-construction. In-completion is such a vast and complex issue that the implications of those unfinished projects on the neighborhood where they are located - or even the entire city - are hard to be finalized because of the incompleteness and uncertainty. The unfinished houses are not only commercial residential projects with an average price of 20 million, a large number of them are resettlement houses built for relocating rural residents. With the acceleration of urbanization and the state's emphasis on the development of rural areas, many places started to demolish natural villages and built concentrated communities. In this way, the rural lands will be gradually back to the government for urban construction. Scattered unfinished resettlement communities not only change the urban landscape but also the everyday life of the residents. This study intends to study the unfinished housing projects of the floating population with a view to providing a complementary perspective that completes our view of immigration, belonging, and 'home'.".
- 01GMVB08ENMDG5BBY8842DDTVA abstract "Most queueing models and their analysis have a rich history and follow a process of increased generality and complexity. In this paper, we introduce a new model, namely a multi-class queueing model where service times depend on the presence of one of the classes. Our model is motivated by road traffic, where the presence of heavy vehicles in a queue slows down the entire system, or, in contrast, where the presence of emergency vehicles may speed up the service. The specific assumption we impose is that the service time of each customer depends on whether at least one customer of that particular class is present in the system at the time of service. Although we study a fairly simple discrete-time model, we show that analysis is not straightforward. Furthermore, numerical examples expose that the impact of particular customers in the system can lead to a substantial slow down (or, in contrast, speed up) of the entire system.".
- 01GMVB0DBVS34WXFZZ2DV0Z2PX abstract "In engineering systems with extreme environmental conditions, proper sealing of machine components is especially important, e.g. in the space industry. The effectiveness of the seal depends largely on the method of sealing and the materials used. The investigation aims to research the abrasion phenomena of moving machine elements of the rotary shaft/seal relationship that is subjected to dry friction and intense abrasion in Martian and Lunar environments. The main objective is to determine the wear sensitivity of the rotating shaft/sealing units by performing laboratory tests both on a simplified coupon level and in a more complex real shaft/seal connection test. These enable material ranking and aid further material selection for the application.".
- 01GMVB0DC0RQYZSS6C65HEZ4ZF abstract "Photonic integrated circuits manipulate light at microscopic scales on the surface of a chip. In parallel with their electronical counterparts, interest is shifting from application specific designs to programmable circuits, offering greater flexibility and shorter design times. To utilize the full potential of programmable photonic integrated circuits, special software routines need to be developed to determine the optical paths inside the mesh. We develop an algorithm that quickly returns an efficient configuration. For this, it only requires the mesh topology, but otherwise works hardware-agnostic. We compare the results of our algorithm to earlier proposed algorithms and to an optimal solution where possible.".
- 01GMVB0DC4Q88D8Q6WT3M0ABN4 abstract "Internal damage features are a major issue for composites due to their layered structure, and must be detected in a reliable, nondestructive manner. Flash thermography is a promising non-destructive testing (NDT) technique that can be used to rapidly identify such internal anomalies. Advanced data analysis techniques are required to obtain high-quality detection of these damages, especially when concerned with small and deep defects. The most-often used state-of-the-art algorithm, called Pulsed Phase Thermography (PPT), is efficient in enhancing the defect detectability, but is not always straightforward to be interpreted. In order to overcome those limitations, a novel Adaptive Spectral Band Integration (ASBI) technique is proposed.".
- 01GMVB0J8K5X2K0VZ3NGP9NFJS abstract "In this study, we address an allocating inspection station problem with the inspection interval concept. That is, a number of inspection requests are released at assembly stations, so to guarantee a certain level of quality, we should cover these inspection requests as much as possible. However, based on the fact that production lines usually face capacity restrictions, we could have a possibility to postpone some portions of desired inspection requests to the later stages in an inspection interval starting at the release stage and ending at the due stage. In real case systems, however, we cannot be able to cover all inspection requests and consequently, these uninspected requests will reach customers with penalty costs. In this research, we consider this assumption to obtain a feasible solution. Thus, we can not only use the maximum capacity of the system but also define both optimal locations of inspection stations and the optimum number of performed inspection requests at each station. The main contributions of this study are threefold. First, we present an optimal inspection plan with a delayed inspection concept for a multi-product assembly line by which the manufacturer can balance inspection effort along an assembly line due to the limitation in the inspection capacity. Second, we provide mixed-integer programming for the problem with a multi-product setting in which capacity at each stage is considered. Third, a Lagrangian relaxation heuristic is developed to handle large-scale cases by providing a good lower bound.".
- 01GMVB0J8RFAXSG0PJR4W654WF abstract "We studied a supply chain in which two production plants collaborating in an industrial symbiosis to satisfy their stochastic demands cost-effectively. The research work is motivated by the circular economy, an emerging concept that eases extending products' life cycle through reusing, refurbishing, sharing, and recycling. One of the main obstacles in implementing industrial symbiosis is the lack of cooperation and trust between the stakeholders. Therefore, it seems necessary for decision-makers to provide a framework for optimizing the tactical plan to realize a strategic advantage from engaging in a symbiosis while considering uncertain market demand to provide a compatible production plan with the real-world working environment. Different approaches such as stochastic and robust optimization will be evaluated in terms of solution quality and computational time.".
- 01GMVB0J8W3FGN3F0X9XMHHVC6 abstract "Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) is a widely used technique for coating surfaces with colloidal particles. When using apolar solvents, one or more surfactants are required as charging agents. These surfactant molecules do not only adsorb to the particles, assisting in particle charging, but also aggregate into inverse micelles of which a small fraction also become charged. Since these charged inverse micelles (CIMs) are also subject to electrophoresis, they play a key role in the overall dynamics of the EPD process. Transient current analysis (TCA) is a useful technique for characterizing the dynamics of both solid particles and CIMs during EPD. In this technique a dispersion is placed between parallel electrodes, a voltage sequence is applied, and the resulting currents are measured and analyzed. In this work we present TCA results for a model system for EPD, based on Al2O3 nanoparticles (\O=140 nm) plus surfactant additives in a nonpolar solvent. Measurements are performed with and without particles. The currents are analyzed and compared to simulations based on the Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations, generation-recombination of CIMs and Mott-Gurney-like effects at the interfaces. The surfactants used in our dispersions are a cationic Cr(III) salt and a viscosity modifier based on polyalkylmethacrylate (PAMA). From the TCA and simulation the mobilities and concentrations of the particles and CIMs are obtained. Electric-field screening due to space-charge effects and long-term currents due to net CIM generation are investigated. And from currents in which the voltage is suddenly reversed information is obtained on the adsorption and desorption behavior of charges at the interfaces. Our work provides a good understanding of the physics of EPD in the chosen model system. The TCA method can be further used to analyze other and possibly more complex EPD systems and may be useful for real-time control of the process.".
- 01GMVB0Q5A817E6YNQNC90QHCE abstract "There is a need for higher torque density electric actuators in novel (quasi-)direct-drive robotic applications. Since the torque density is inherently limited by material properties, designers have to look at novel materials to push the torque density limit further. In this work, anodised aluminium foil is considered as an alternative to enamelled copper wire in a yokeless and segmented armature axial flux machine. This machine topology has a high torque density and is particularly suited for an anodised aluminium foil winding. The DC resistance, thermal properties and eventually the torque density of a prototype test case machine are compared for both winding materials. A 3D thermal finite element model is used to analyse the influence of the thermal interface between winding body and housing, and the influence of the cooling performance on the torque density. This has shown that the use of anodised aluminium foil can increase the torque density up to 37\%. To conclude, anodised aluminium foil winding offers a higher torque density in direct-drive yokeless and segmented armature axial flux actuators where the winding body thermal resistance is dominant in the thermal path from heat source to heat sink. It is experimentally shown that for the prototype machine, the torque per kg active stator mass increases 13\% through the use of anodised aluminium foil.".
- 01GMVB0Q5FT7ZB79M0WJH335BC abstract "The architecture culture of the last two decades shows a significant investment in the construction of architectural images. Moreover, a specific but fluid attention to historical continuities is discernible. The research studies how these images are constructions that go beyond their representational function, starting from the hypothesis of the `thickness' of the images and visual discourse produced through them. The research analyses them as forms of anticipated interpretation, as visual constructions that direct the interpretation and do so beyond the individual image and project. This poster focuses on a particular image to unfold the stakes in three dimensions of architectural images. There is a crucial amount of direction done both in the image itself, in the set images of a project, as well as in a concrete setting in which the image is on display. This direction implies a `way of looking' and actively formulates a position in (a) an image culture, (b) an architectural history and tradition and (c) an architectural field.".
- 01GMVB0Q5KJWVP6WV8HW5K3888 abstract "Current societal trends push for innovation and optimization of existing large-scale processes in the pursuit of a sustainable chemical industry. In the last decade, a substantial amount of progress has been made for predictive first principles-based models for numerous gas-phase processes. This is in contrast to the liquid phase, for which the construction of such detailed models has proven to be more challenging. As a case study, the liquid-phase oxidation of cyclohexane to cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone is investigated since it is an industrially relevant process to produce nylon-6 and nylon- 6,6. A new program is developed to aid liquid-phase model development, called ALKIMO, standing for ``Automatic Liquid-phase Kinetic Modeller''. The purpose is to transform a gas-phase kinetic model into a liquid- phase model by adding additional phenomena present in the liquid phase. Two effects are considered, the (de)stabilizing effect of dissolution and the diffusional limitations present in condensed phases. The effect of dissolution is modelled using the Gibbs free energy of solvation. This is calculated using the Volume- Translated Peng-Robinson Equation of State, which can be calculated using available group contribution methods. The predicted solvation energies in cyclohexane are compared with the experimental results of the CompSol database, resulting in a root mean square deviation of 1.23 kJ/mol. Diffusional limitations were also calculated based on empirical equations and group contribution methods. These proved to play a significant factor in the liquid-phase oxidation of cyclohexane as a substancial percentage (~21\%) of the reactions are diffusion limited. Bringing all these advancements together will enable to construct a new reliable microkinetic model to describe the liquid-phase oxidation of cyclohexane.".
- 01GMVB0W21N2M2NXMA6Y70BVC4 abstract "Clothing for personal protection can seriously compromise the comfort of a person and his physical and psychological states. New materials with smart moisture and heat management need to be integrated into clothing for better local and individual thermoregulation. Textiles can be functionalized with passive and active cooling mechanisms, the latter having greater cooling power if they rely on an external power supply. While the least amount of studies is done on active moisture management for cooling in clothing, sweat removal is equally important as temperature, especially in cases such as military uniforms, where less permeable, protective outer layers must be worn. This study includes developing textile systems for efficient sweat removal in situations where it is restricted through clothing or the environment, by utilizing the electroosmotic effect.".
- 01GMVB0W26B04B1BAJJ8CJ1BDZ abstract "Inference of plasma conditions from diagnostic measurements can often benefit from an integrated analysis, combining measurements from multiple diagnostics. This can be achieved in a Bayesian probabilistic framework, which allows determining the probability distribution of the physical quantities of interest that is compatible with all available data. The approach, sometimes referred to as integrated data analysis (IDA), therefore takes care of data fusion and error propagation at the same time, incorporating constraints on the inferred quantities by means of prior distributions. This contribution concerns IDA for determining impurity concentrations at WEST, based on measurements from soft X-ray spectroscopy (SXR), combined with measurements from interferometry and electron cyclotron emission. The goal is to reconstruct the tungsten distribution in a poloidal cross-section, using a Gaussian process to model the SXR emissivity profile. Ultimately, the aim is to use these results for impurity control, so the inference process will need to be approximated or emulated using appropriately fast models (e.g. neural networks). In this contribution we show first results of reconstructed SXR emissivity profiles from synthetic data, as well as an illustration of Bayesian integrated estimation of tungsten concentration in the plasma.".
- 01GMVB0W2AP56A0KHMF544Y0TP abstract "Snapshot Compressive Imaging (SCI) systems allow multiple frames to be mapped to a single measurement frame, enabling the capture of high-dimensional signals with low-dimensional sensors. For reconstructing multiple frames from a single snapshot, we employ a powerful concept called non-local self-similarity (NLS). Nevertheless, existing NLS based iterative optimization algorithms are too slow. To address the issue, we propose a novel model to re- construct the multiple frames from compressed measurements. We firstly apply a non-local operation to the measurement and construct a 4-D tensor from it. Then, we propose a bilayer low-rankness mea- sure to represent the high-dimensional low-rank structure of the 4- D tensor in multiple orientations. A block successive upper-bound minimization algorithm is designed to solve the resulting optimization problem. Subsequence convergence of our algorithm can be established under some mild conditions".
- 01GMVB10YXMNJJWS5SACH9HK13 abstract "Scratch abrasion is an abrasive wear mechanism in which a sharp indenting body penetrates and slides through the counter material. The stress state in the vicinity of the indenter is multiaxial and non-proportional and determines the involved damage mechanism. This stress state evolution cannot be investigated experimentally. Hence, the authors investigate scratch abrasion by means of finite element analysis fed with a continuum damage model, which transforms the complex stress trajectory into material degradation and removal. The damage model parameters must be experimentally calibrated in the range of stress states to mimic the damage during scratch abrasion. This work explains different calibration procedures that are adapted to calibrate damage models parameters for simulation of scratch abrasion.".
- 01GMVB10Z2BZY8C1NGQ9N6FBVC abstract "Traversing the river Seine in Paris is challenging for inland ships due to the density and diversity of local traffic (cargo and passengers) and the variety of manoeuvres that are encountered. On top of that, there is a high number of historically important bridges, where traffic has to pass underneath narrow arches, while taking into account delicate current conditions on a bending trajectory. Some decades ago, regulations concerning the maximum ship dimensions depending on the water level of the river were put in place to ensure the safety of navigation. However, with a growing interest in inland waterway transportation (economic, environmental and logistical advantages compared to rail or road transport) and with new types of ships plying the waterway, the question arose whether the regulations are still up to date. To this end, the waterway authority, Voies navigables de France (VNF), commissioned a study to assess the relevance of these regulations when present and future vessels of varying types and dimensions cross Paris. The study was carried out by the Maritime Technology Division at Ghent University in cooperation with International Marine and Dredging Consultants (IMDC), Flanders Hydraulics Research and Siradel. This poster presents how ship manoeuvring simulators are used to assess the maximum dimensions of ships crossing the Seine in Paris. Real time simulations were carried out by skippers familiar with the crossing of Paris and the analysis is based on their feedback as well as a selection of safety criteria. The simulations have shown that the main bottlenecks are related to the succession of passages under narrow bridges with non-aligned openings. Maximum water levels for which safe passage is possible, were determined for each ship type and compared with the actual regulations. Finally, recommendations have been formulated, which were then discussed with VNF and the stakeholders.".
- 01GMVB10Z7K8YQYXZVMVZSZ4SF abstract "Process intensification (PI) is essential for a sustainable future since these techniques aid in increasing energy and process efficiency. One possibility to induce PI is via advanced reactor design. Oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) converts methane catalytically to ethylene, the most important bulk chemical in industry. As such, it could contribute to a sustainable carbon economy. One of the main hurdles in OCM reactor design is temperature control due to the high exothermicity linked to the overall reaction scheme. The gas-solid vortex reactor (GSVR) is a new vortex-type reactor that can aid in solving the challenges related to OCM due to its intense mixing characteristics. In the GSVR, a bed of fluidized particles is obtained in a centrifugal field by introducing the feed gas via tangential inlet slots. Momentum is transferred from the injected gas to the granular particles, leading to the rotation and fluidization of the particles. In this work, Euler-Lagrangian CFD modelling (CFD-DEM) is applied to study the mixing phenomena at reactive conditions, particularly segregation and dispersion, in detail within the GSVR. The high degree of dispersion, and related thermal back-mixing, within the GSVR could allow for autothermal operation of OCM, while segregation would allow operation with multiple catalyst types. These characteristics aid in improving future design of the GSVR and in understanding the bed hydrodynamics. Specifically, for segregation, the effect of particle distribution within the polydisperse bed, gas inlet velocity, particle diameter, particle density, and a combined effect is investigated. Dispersion within the bed is evaluated in both the radial and azimuthal direction. Herein, the effect of the gas flow rate and particle diameter is assessed.".
- 01GMVB15VQ0VWZPZHASXHMXE44 abstract "Gears are key components of several industrial applications, being subjected to wear during operation. Scuffing, micropitting and pitting are common types of gear failure modes that can happen. The failure analysis is usually performed by visual inspection, and therefore is subjected to human bias. Hence, it is important to implement objective metrics to quantify of these failure modes. In this investigation, the 3D topography of gears exhibiting micropitting, pitting, and scuffing failure modes were measured with a white light interferometer. These topographies were evaluated in terms of function roughness parameters (S\_pk, S\_k, and S\_vk) as per ISO 25178-2. The results of the function parameters highlighted differences in the severity of damage, starting from the micropitting, and increasing to the scuffing and further to the pitting failure modes. Besides, using the peak-to-dale ratio (S\_pk⁄S\_vk ), it was possible to differentiate the scuffing failure from the micropitting and the pitting failures. This investigation demonstrated that it is possible to perform an objective quantification of gear failure modes using functional roughness parameters.".