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Matches in Ghent University Academic Bibliography for { ?s <http://schema.org/abstract> ?o. }

• 01GQSPCKN0ABP27MGTDBN1BDME abstract "Purpose: (1) To survey the employed techniques and the reasons/occasions which adults who had recovered from stuttering after age 11 without previous treatment reported as causal to overcome stuttering, (2) to investigate whether the techniques and causal attributions can be reduced to coherent (inherently consistent) dimensions, and (3) whether these dimensions reflect common therapy components. Methods: 124 recovered persons from 8 countries responded by SurveyMonkey or paper-and-pencil to rating scale questions about 49 possible techniques and 15 causal attributions. Results: A Principal Component Analysis of 110 questionnaires identified 6 components (dimensions) for self-assisted techniques (Speech Restructuring; Relaxed/Monitored Speech; Elocution; Stage Performance; Sought Speech Demands; Reassurance; 63.7% variance explained), and 3 components of perceived causal attributions of recovery (Life Change, Attitude Change, Social Support; 58.0% variance explained). Discussion: Two components for self-assisted techniques (Speech Restructuring; Elocution) reflect treatment methods. Another component (Relaxed/Monitored Speech) consists mainly of items that reflect a common, non-professional understanding of effective management of stuttering. The components of the various perceived reasons for recovery reflect differing implicit theories of causes for recovery from stuttering. These theories are considered susceptible to various biases. This identification of components of reported techniques and of causal attributions is novel compared to previous studies who just list techniques and attributions. Conclusion: The identified dimensions of self-assisted techniques and causal attributions to reduce stuttering as extracted from self-reports of a large, international sample of recovered formerly stuttering adults may guide the application of behavioral stuttering therapies.".
• 01GQSPHDEW0WM6AKJS1J33WAAA abstract "Research has demonstrated children who stutter score significantly lower than children who do not stutter on the Purdue Pegboard Test. Past data also suggest performance on this task may be associated with stuttering frequency (Choo et al., 2016; Mohammadi et al., 2016). The purpose of this study was to explore whether these performance differences and the relationship to stuttering frequency are present in adults who stutter (AWS). Forty-eight participants (AWS = 24, and AWNS = 24) matched for age, gender, education, and handedness completed all four tasks of the Purdue Pegboard Test. There were no significant between group differences and stuttering frequency did not predict performance. These findings suggest previous differences may only be applicable to subgroups and/or that, with development, the manual tasks unique to the Purdue Pegboard Test may not be sensitive enough to reveal differences.".
• 01GQSPY7SFDCEB4M6D7047YKZX abstract "Purpose: Current paper provides an overview of some our research findings on temperament and executive functioning in stuttering. Method: Different methodologies were used, ranging from parent questionnaire, i.e. the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (Van den Bergh and Ackx, 2003), to subsequent neuropsychological computer paradigms such as the Attention Network Test (Fan, McCandliss, Sommer, Raz, & Posner, 2002), the Go/NoGo task and the Auditory Set-shifting task of the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks (De Sonneville, 2009). Participants were children who stutter (CWS), ranging between 3;04 and 10;00 and a gender- and age-matched control group of children who do not stutter (CWNS). Results: CWS, as a group, scored higher on negative reactivity and lower on self-regulation. Questionnaire-based findings of lower self-regulation were corroborated by the findings on neurocognitive computer paradigms showing CWS to have a lower efficiency of inhibitory control, attentional orienting and attentional set-shifting. Conclusions: These findings provide support for the hypothesis that CWS and CWNS differ on temperament and several self-regulatory processes. The findings were linked to previous related studies and to emerging theoretical frameworks of stuttering development.".
• 01GQSR4A75PM1BJGN0J2XKB77R abstract "Monolithic scintillation crystals can be used for PET detectors, offering good spatial resolution and depth-of-interaction decoding capabilities. Gamma time estimation however often suffers from the spread of scintillation light, leading to an increased influence of dark counts and other statistical fluctuations in analog SiPMs. Digitizing the SiPM waveforms enables us to perform an accurate baseline correction, minimizing the effects of dark counts. The usual methodology of averaging the first few timestamps obtained from leading edge discrimination however still discards a lot of potentially useful information contained in the SiPM waveforms. We propose the use of a 3D convolutional neural network to predict the gamma arrival time in the scintillation crystal, using a 3 ns time window of the array of detector waveforms as input. Specifically, we investigate a 50x50x16 mm3 LYSO crystal coupled to an 8x8 readout array of SiPMs. The required data is obtained from Monte Carlo simulations in GATE, where we further simulate the SiPM signals as a sum of bi-exponential functions centered around the optical photon detection times. Our simulation includes the effects of limited photon detection efficiency, dark counts, optical crosstalk, photon transit time jitter and electronic noise. The neural network can achieve a coincidence time resolution of 141 ps FWHM, a 26% improvement over the conventional methodology of averaging the first few timestamps obtained by leading edge discrimination (177 ps FWHM). In addition, the time resolution for the CNN remains uniform over the crystal, whereas the traditional methodology shows a large deterioration for gamma interactions close to the SiPM surface.".
• 01GQSSG4K9RVFHQ2TR4CGNW5WW abstract "Speech-language pathologists can identify stuttering in multiple languages,even if they do not speak the language. However, due to differences in languagedevelopment, multilingual speakers have been documented with higherlevels of typical disfluencies in their speech than monolingual speakers. Thesehigher levels of disfluency put multilingual speakers at greater risk of misdiagnosis as individuals who stutter, due to poor understanding of the nature of the manifestation of stuttering in two or more languages and reliance on monolingual-English diagnostic criteria. The purpose of the present systematic review is to explore how stuttering is identified in multilingual speakers who are described as participants who stutter, and whether monolingual English-speaking guidelines were the most commonly used reference for determining the presence of stuttering.".
• 01GQSSJXX48S5FG92K3XT3HDAC abstract "A programmable hardware implementation of all-optical nonlinear activation functions for different scenarios and applications in all-optical neural networks is essential. We demonstrate a programmable, low-loss all-optical activation function device based on a silicon micro-ring resonator loaded with phase change materials. Four different nonlinear activation functions of Relu, ELU, Softplus and radial basis functions are implemented for incident signal light of the same wavelength. The maximum power consumption required to switch between the four different nonlinear activation functions in calculation is only 1.748 nJ. The simulation of classification of hand-written digit images also shows that they can perform well as alternative nonlinear activation functions. The device we design can serve as nonlinear units in photonic neural networks, while its nonlinear transfer function can be flexibly programmed to optimize the performance of different neuromorphic tasks.".
• 01GQSSNQPYTFG3GDP7RDJV101X abstract "We investigated the speech disfluencies of 54 typically fluent Finnish-speaking children: 14 children randomly selected from a longitudinal study (age levels 2, 3, and 4 years), and 40 children from a cross-sectional study (age levels 6, 7, 8, and 9 years). Speech samples, collected during a semi-structured conversation, were analysed for disfluencies per 100 words and 100 syllables. No significant within-age effect was found for the total frequency of disfluencies or disfluency types among the 2- to 4-year-olds. Across the 6- to 9-year-olds, between-group differences were found for the total frequency and type of disfluencies. Clinically relevant was that the criterion to distinguish normally fluent children from those who stutter, i.e., <3 stuttering-like disfluencies (SLD) per 100 syllables, was applicable in all age groups whereas the criterion <3SLD per 100 words was not. Consequently, these preliminary results suggest that different guidelines are needed for defining normal disfluency from stuttering in different languages.".
• 01GQST08R1GWM3R32H7YW28BZK abstract "Purpose: The goal of this study was to evaluate possible associations between child-and mother-reported temperament, stuttering severity, and child-reported impact of stuttering in school-age children who stutter. Method: Participants were 123 children who stutter (94 boys and 29 girls) who were between 9;0 and 14;10 (years;months) and their mothers. Temperament was assessed with the revised child and parent version of the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised (Ellis & Rothbart, 2001). The Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering (Yaruss & Quesal, 2006) was used to evaluate the stuttering impact. Results: Child-and mother-reported Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised temperament factors correlated moderately. No statistically significant associations were found between temperament and stuttering severity. The temperament factors of Surgency (both child-and mother reported) and Negative Affect (only child-reported) correlated moderately with the Overall Impact and several subsections (i.e., Speaker's Reactions, Daily Communication, and/or Quality of Life) of the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering. Conclusions: More extraverted and less fearful/shy children experience a lower overall impact of their stuttering. Children with higher levels of irritability and frustration experience a higher overall impact of their stuttering. Since children's ratings of temperament were more sensitive to these associations than mothers, this study supports the inclusion of child-reported temperament questionnaires in future research.".
• 01GQST5FGTXS24CQ5PT3HRZ3K0 abstract "Artificial neural networks are very time consuming and energy intensive to train, especially when increasing the size of the neural network in an attempt to improve the performance. In this paper, we propose to preprocess the input data of a deep neural network using a reservoir, which has originally been introduced in the framework of reservoir computing. The key idea of this paper is to use such a reservoir to transform the input data into a state in a higher dimensional state-space, which allows the deep neural network to process the data with improved performance. We focus on photonic reservoirs because of their fast computation times and low-energy consumption. Based on numerical simulations of delay-based reservoirs using a semiconductor laser, we show that using such preprocessed data results in an improved performance of deep neural networks. Furthermore, we show that we do not need to carefully fine-tune the parameters of the preprocessing reservoir.".
• 01GQSTM1XKD1BAR1CS7NJ0Z2W5 abstract "Lasten kommunikointiasenteita arvioivan “Communication Attitude Test for Preschool and Kindergarten Children Who Stutter” (KiddyCAT) ja aikuisten kommunikointiasenteita arvioivan “Communication Attitude Test for Adults” (BigCAT) -testien kansainvälinen tutkimus on osoittanut, että änkyttävät lapset ja aikuiset suhtautuvat kielteisemmin puhumiseen kuin sujuvasti puhuvat verrokit. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli arvioida KiddyCAT-Fin- ja BigCAT-Fin-testien suomennosten pätevyyttä (validiteettia) ja luotettavuutta (reliabiliteettia). Lisäksi tavoitteena oli määritellä kummallekin testille kliinisen käytön tueksi katkaisupistemäärä, jonka ylittävä pistemäärä ilmaisee keskimääräistä kielteisempää kommunikointiasennetta. Tutkimuksessa 86 alle kouluikäistä lasta (joista 41 änkyttävää) täytti KiddyCAT-Fin:n 12 kysymystä sisältävän itsearviointilomakkeen ja 109 aikuista (joista 29 änkyttävää) täytti BigCAT-Fin:n 34 kysymystä sisältävän itsearviointilomakkeen. Itsearviointien kokonaispistemäärien keskiarvot olivat lähellä alkuperäisten englanninkielisten versioiden arvoja. Lisäksi änkyttävien lasten ja aikuisten kommunikointiasenteet olivat merkitsevästi kielteisemmät kuin sujuvasti puhuvien. Kummankin testin sisäinen konsistenssi ja uudelleenmittausreliabiliteetti olivat korkeat. Suomennettujen KiddyCAT:n ja BigCAT:n voidaan todeta erottelevan änkyttävien ihmisten kommunikointiasenteet tehokkaasti sujuvasti puhuvien ihmisten asenteista.".
• 01GQSTM1XKD1BAR1CS7NJ0Z2W5 abstract "Research with the “Communication Attitude Test for Preschool and Kindergarten Children Who Stutter” (KiddyCAT) and “Communication Attitude Test for Adults” (BigCAT) in several countries have shown that children and adults who stutter have a more negative attitude toward speech compared to their nonstuttering peers. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of an authorized Finnish adaptation of the “Communication Attitude Test for preschool and kindergarten children who stutter” (KiddyCAT-Fin) and “Communication Attitude Test for Adults” (BigCAT- Fin). Moreover, the cut-off scores were defined for clinical use for both self-report tests. In this research, 86 preschool-aged children (41 of which stuttering) completed the KiddyCAT-Fin with 12 statements and 109 adults (29 of which stuttering) completed the BigCAT-Fin with 34 statements. The mean scores were descriptively close to those of the English version of both measures. Children and adults who stutter had a significantly more negative communication attitude than fluently speaking children and adults. Internal consistency and re-test reliabilities were high for both measures. To conclude, the Finnish versions of the KiddyCAT and BigCAT differentiate stuttering people efficiently from fluently speaking individuals based on their communication attitudes.".
• 01GQSTP7JK5802E4TPPQ5H679G abstract "External cavity mode-locked lasers could be used as comb sources for high volume application such as LIDAR and dual comb spectroscopy. Currently demonstrated chip scale integrated mode-locked lasers all operate in the C-band. In this paper, a hybrid-integrated external cavity mode-locked laser working at 1064 nm is demonstrated, a wavelength beneficial for optical coherence tomography or Raman spectroscopy applications. Additionally, optical injection locking is demonstrated, showing an improvement in the optical linewidth, and an increased stability of the comb spectrum. (c) 2022 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement".
• 01GQSTYR67BN18YP49V164PWB9 abstract "Purpose: This project sought to develop consensus guidelines for clinically meaningful, comprehensive assessment procedures for people who stutter across the lifespan. Method: Twelve expert clinicians and researchers who have written extensively about stuttering provided detailed descriptions of the type of data that they routinely collect during diagnostic evaluations of preschool children, schoolage children, adolescents, and adults who stutter. Iterative content analysis, with repeated input from the respondents, was used to identify core areas that reflect common domains that these experts judge to be important for evaluating stuttering for varying age groups. Results: Six core areas were identified as common components of a comprehensive evaluation of stuttering and people who stutter. These areas should be included to varying degrees depending upon the age and needs of the client or family. The core areas include the following: (a) stuttering-related background information; (b) speech, language, and temperament development (especially for younger clients); (c) speech fluency and stuttering behaviors; (d) reactions to stuttering by the speaker; (e) reactions to stuttering by people in the speaker's environment; and (f) adverse impact caused by stuttering. Discussion: These consensus recommendations can help speech- language pathologists who are uncertain about appropriate stuttering assessment procedures to design and conduct more thorough evaluations, so that they will be better prepared to provide individualized and comprehensive treatment for people who stutter across the lifespan.".
• 01GQSV6Z4ZD80GANY7392B5WC1 abstract "Purpose: The main aim of this study was to gain insight into whether temperament and/or stuttering severity were associated with anxiety and depression in children who stutter. Additionally, the study also provided an indication into the prevalence of anxiety and depression in children who stutter in a clinical cohort. Method: The participants were 132 English-speaking children (105 boys and 27 girls) between 9;0 and 14;11 years old (M = 11;8, SD = 1;10) and their mothers. At their first visit to a specialist center for children who stutter, mothers and children completed the relevant versions of the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised (EATQ-R; Ellis & Rothbart, 2001) and a screening of children's anxiety and depression, using the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS; Chorpita et al., 2000). Stuttering was evaluated using the Stuttering Severity Instrument Fourth Edition (SSI-4). Correlations were conducted between child and parent versions of the EATQ-R and RCADS; EATQ-R and RCADS; as well as the SSI-4 and RCADS. A comparison was made between those children who scored below the clinical threshold for anxiety and depression, and those who scored above. Results: Significant correlations were found for all mother and child EATQ-R factors and RCADS scales (except for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Correlations were also found between the child-and mother-reported temperament factors of positive reactivity, negative reactivity, and self-regulation and anxiety and depression. Children who scored above the clinical threshold for any category of anxiety or depression had significantly lower positive reactivity and higher negative reactivity scores, compared to those who scored below the threshold. There were no differences between the two groups with regard to SSI-4 scores. Conclusions: This is the first study to evaluate associations between temperament and anxiety and depression in children who stutter. Higher negative reactivity scores and lower positive reactivity and self-regulation scores are associated with elevated levels of anxiety and depression in children who stutter. Further, those who score above the clinical threshold have significantly higher levels of negative reactivity and lower levels of positive reactivity compared to those scoring below the threshold. Findings suggest that levels of anxiety that reach clinical threshold are more prevalent in children who stutter than would be expected based on population data. Current findings have implications for both the assessment and therapy of children who stutter presenting at clinics for support.".
• 01GQSW1VE88NEJAHPNS6M2CY64 abstract "The purpose of this chapter is to describe and discuss temperamental and emotional processes that are associated with developmental stuttering. In doing so, the chapter will provide a definition, brief history, and broad overview of temperament, as well as emotional reactivity and regulation processes, serving as the foundation for readers to better understand the relation between these processes and stuttering. Building on this foundation, the chapter will review empirical evidence and theoretical perspectives on the role of temperamental and emotional processes in developmental stuttering along with potential clinical considerations for assessment and treatment. At the outset, it should be noted that while this chapter is designed to cover the lifespan, it will primarily focus on children because this age-range has been studied the most with regard to temperamental and emotional processes.".
• 01GQSWM7DVR74HDB5X0ZFF4PCT abstract "PurposeOver the last few years, research findings have suggested limitations in executive function (EF) of children who stutter (CWS) with the evidence being more consistent in studies with preschoolers (3-6 years old) than in studies with school-aged children (6-12 years old). The purpose of the current study was to assess complex response inhibition and cognitive flexibility in school-aged CWS and their non-stuttering peers. MethodsParticipants, 19 CWS (mean age = 7.58 years, range 6.08-9.17) and 19 age-and gender-matched children who do not stutter (CWNS; mean age = 7.58 years, range 6.08-9.33), completed a visual task consisting of three task blocks. Analyses were based on response times and error percentages during the different task blocks. ResultsAll participants showed expected performance-costs in task block comparisons targeting complex response inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Significant group differences were found in measures of cognitive flexibility with CWS performing slower compared to CWNS (p = 0.02). Additionally, significant block x group interactions demonstrated that CWS, compared to CWNS, slowed down more (i.e., higher performance-cost) under both complex response inhibition (p = 0.049) and cognitive flexibility task conditions (p = 0.04 for no-set-shifting and p = 0.02 for set-shifting). ConclusionThese results are in line with some of the previous findings in school-aged CWS and suggest that CWS present lower performance in complex response inhibition and cognitive flexibility task conditions when compared to their non-stuttering peers.".
• 01GQSWP6RNXSE5TSF0F97HFGF1 abstract "Purpose: Recent research findings suggest possible weaknesses in cognitive flexibility (CF) in children who stutter (CWS) when compared to children who do not stutter (CWNS). Studies so far, have been conducted with either younger (3-6 years old) or older children (6-12 years old) with a variety of measures. The purpose of the present study was to investigate CF with the use of a single behavioral measure across a broader age range (4-10 years old). Methods: Participants were 37 CWS (mean age=6.90 years) and 37 age-and gender-matched CWNS (mean age=6.88years), divided in a younger (below 7 years) and older (above 7 years) age group. All participants undertook a computerized visual set-shifting task consisting of three blocks. CF was evaluated through across-and within-block comparisons of the actual response speed and accuracy values. In addition, mixing-and set-shifting-costs were evaluated based on the mean response speed and accuracy. Results: All participants showed expected mixing-and set-shifting-costs. Only the within-block analyses yielded significant between (sub)group differences. Investigation of the blockxclassification group x age group interactions showed that older CWS had larger set-shifting-costs (slowed down more and made more errors) compared to older CWNS. Conclusion: While all participants required more time during set-shifting trials, only the older CWS (7-10 years old), and not younger CWS, were slower and made more errors. This finding corroborates previous findings in CWS of a similar age and could possibly point to a role of CF in stuttering persistence.".
• 01GQSWQE2SENBA01JZEJJYDX5N abstract "Introduction: Behavioral and questionnaire-based studies suggest that children who stutter (CWS) exhibit poorer response inhibition than children who do not stutter (CWNS). However, the behavioral findings in adults who stutter (AWS) are less unequivocal and mainly based on manual response inhibition. Further study is therefore needed, especially given the lack of studies on verbal response inhibition among these groups.Methods: Thirteen AWS and 14 adults who do not stutter (AWNS) participated in a verbal stop signal task (SST) in which they were asked to read aloud six Chinese characters as fast as possible during the go-signal and ignore-signal trials and refrain from naming them during the stop-signal trials.Results: The two groups showed a comparable response reaction time in the go-signal and ignore -signal trial conditions. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in terms of the stop -signal reaction time (SSRT) and accuracy. However, a significant positive correlation was found between SSRT and the frequency of stuttering in conversation but not in reading.Conclusion: Current findings seem to provide additional support that exogenously triggered response inhibition among AWS does not differ from AWNS. The association between stuttering frequency and SSRT seems to suggest that individuals with more severe stuttering in conversa-tional speech have reduced exogenous response inhibition. However, this finding needs to be further explored in future studies using different measures of stuttering severity.".
• 01GQSWTEBA5F98ZE38MT0CGFHD abstract "Introduction: Recent studies conducted with bilingual populations have shown that bilingual children who do not stutter (CWNS) are often less fluent than their monolingual counterparts, which seems to affect the accuracy with which speech-language pathologists (SLPs) identify stuttering in bilinguals. That is, misdiagnosis appears frequently in bilingual children, and is more likely to occur with bilingual CWNS (false positives) than bilingual CWS (false negatives). Methods: The goal of the current study was to gain insight in the extent of this misdiagnosis. Speech samples of 6 Lebanese bilingual CWNS and 2 CWS were rated by Lebanese SLPs in an audio-only and audiovisual presentation mode. SLPs had to identify each child as stuttering or not and subsequently rate on a 6-point scale the stuttering severity for each child. SLPs also provided background information by means of a questionnaire. Results: The results showed that stuttering severity ratings (1) were on average significantly higher for CWS than for CWNS, (2) were for each CWS higher than for all but one of the CWNS, (3) varied significantly among the CWNS but not the CWS, (4) were not affected by the presentation mode, and (5) correlated positively with the percentage of stuttering-like disfluencies (SLD) and the mean number of iterations, but not with the percentage of other disfluencies (OD).Conclusion: Misdiagnosed bilingual CWNS are perceived by the SLPs as having a mild stutter, primarily based on the frequency of their disfluencies, but can be occasionally rated at par with CWS. Further research differentiating the disfluent speech of bilingual children who do and do not stutter is needed to reach a more adequate diagnosis of stuttering.".
• 01GQSX096XKQV18H4M44P34ZJJ abstract "Introduction: Little is known about the clinical decision-making process that speech-language pathologists( (SLPs) make when they decide which treatment approach they will use with Preschool age Children who Stutter (PCWS). Frequently used approaches are the Lidcombe Program, RESTART-DCM, Mini-KIDS, the Palin Parent-Child Interaction program and the Social-Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. In this study, we explored which attributes play a role in the complex process that precedes this clinical decision. We also explored if SLPs from the Netherlands, who are expected to follow the recommendations formulated in the Dutch professional stuttering guidelines, use different treatment approaches than SLPs from Belgium, who do not have specific guidelines to follow. Finally, we explored whether the number of years of experience of SLPs had an impact on the choice for treatment.Methods: This study used an observational design in which 36 SLPs, additionally qualified in the treatment of stuttering, completed a questionnaire. The SLPs spoke Dutch, resided in the Netherlands or Belgium and used more than one treatment approach for PCWS in their standard practice.Results: The following attributes affected the choice for treatment approach of most SLPs: (1) the child's reactions to the stuttering, (2) the child's language (and speech) skills, (3) the child's age, (4) the family's lifestyle, (5) the parent's ease to understand a treatment approach as judged by the SLPs and (6) the amount and quality of published research-based evidence. The decision-making of experienced SLPs is significantly more affected by the child's stuttering severity and time since onset compared to less experienced SLPs (both U = 90, p = .05). Dutch SLPs did not take other attributes into account than Belgian SLPs.Discussion/Conclusion: This study was a first attempt to explore which attributes affect the decision for a specific treatment. Further prospective research is needed.".
• 01GQSX9X8VDJ7YW9Y580R25PJV abstract "Introduction to the scope of the book, terminology definitions, and outline of chapters re case studies. Definitions and descriptions of a wide range of concepts associated with dysfluency are presented, including stereotypes and stigma and their possible impact on the person. Case studies in the book are outlined.".
• 01GQSXM2GQJ40DAGTRJ337Q7E3 abstract "There has been much discussion about whether one treatment approach is better than another approach. In this chapter, we propose that the quest for the ‘best therapy’ is unlikely to provide us with the knowledge we seek. Instead, we suggest that it is better to ask ourselves why a treatment approach is effective and why certain approaches appear to work better with particular clients. We argue that this might be explained by the contextual model, which suggests that it is the similarities between treatment approaches, rather than the differences which account for successful outcomes.".
• 01GQSXS035JBTVXY33HGNMSMGF abstract "Resilience is the ability to adjust and cope in an adaptive manner when confronted with adversity while moving forward with optimism and confidence. Support networks in one’s environment are crucial in fostering resilience. A program that actively targets resilience in children who stutter, among several other components, is Camp Dream. Speak. Live. It is an evidence-based intensive therapy programme where the goal is not increasing fluency but improving how children feel about their ability to communicate, and decreasing the impact of stuttering on their daily life.".
• 01GQSZWS2CAPR7ZEP471RK4S84 abstract "UDP-galactose 4-epimerase (Gal4E, EC 5.1.3.2) catalyses the interconversion of UDP-galactose and UDPglucose by inverting the configuration of the 4'-hydroxyl group of the sugar moiety. This enzyme is one of the mechanistically best-characterized members of the Short-chain Dehydrogenase/Reductase (SDR) superfamily. Although Gal4E was widely studied throughout all domains of life, ranging from eukaryotes to archaea, its biochemical characterization was often limited to UDP-hexoses, neglecting the possibility that Gal4E might be promiscuous towards other NDP-sugars and derivatives thereof. In this study, we identified a novel Gal4E subgroup displaying an unprecedented specificity on guanosine diphosphate (GDP) sugars. As a proof of concept, a detailed biochemical investigation was performed on Gal4E from Pyrococcus horikoshii (phGal4E_1), which revealed that it has, in fact, a clear preference for GDP-sugars. In addition, we confirmed that it accepts a variety of other sugar moieties, including L-sugars like L-galactose and L-fucose.".
• 01GQTBBJZQD5CXY5DEDJV96FP8 abstract "Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between virtual meeting participation and wellbeing. Based on the conservation of resources theory, we hypothesize that participation in more virtual meetings is associated with both negative and positive wellbeing indicators. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was sent to 3,530 employees across five Belgian universities in April 2020. Useful data from 814 respondents was collected and analyzed to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings The authors find support for their hypotheses, namely that participating in more virtual meetings is associated not only with negative wellbeing indicators (workload, stress and fatigue) but also with a positive wellbeing indicator, namely work influence. Research limitations/implications Given the unique work-from-home context during the pandemic, the generalizability of our findings may be limited. Nevertheless, this study contributes to the literature on Meeting Science and Virtual Work, as it is the first study to empirically relate virtual meetings to wellbeing indicators, including a positive one. Practical implications As virtual meetings and work-from-home are expected to remain prevalent, understanding wellbeing implications is of high managerial importance. Their findings can be useful for (HR) managers who develop flexible work policies for a post-pandemic world. Social implications The findings draw attention to the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between productivity and wellbeing in creating a sustainable work(-from-home) context. Originality/value The COVID-19 lockdown provided a unique opportunity to obtain insight on the relationship between virtual meetings and wellbeing at an unprecedented scale.".
• 01GQTE0WESAFE55GSD5A922KR6 abstract "The major goal was to investigate how accurate speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are in in identifying bilingual children who do not stutter (CWNS) and who stutter (CWS). Therefore 32 SLPs were exposed to audio and video samples of 6 CWNS and 2 CWS. Their task was to identify stuttering and explain their decisions. They also filled in a questionnaire to provide background information. We found that (a) misdiagnosis of CWNS as CWS happens frequently, more than vice versa; (b) videos do not improve judgments; (c) misdiagnosis frequently occurs through neglecting physical concomitants (d) no background variable was related to SLPs’ performance.".
• 01GQTPWG976SRM9E7444P7YS20 abstract "Introduction. — Aging is associated with a combination of several lower urinary tract (LUT) signs and symptoms, including residual urine, overactive bladder and nocturia. One of the mechanisms of this LUT dysfunction that has not been discussed in dept so far is the role of dopamine (DA). Methods. — In this narrative review, we explore the dopaminergic hypothesis in the development of this combination of LUT signs and symptoms in older adults. Results. — DA is one of the neurotransmitters whose regulation and production is disrupted in aging. In synucleinopathies, altered DAergic activity is associated with the occurrence of LUTS and sleep disorders. Projections of DAergic neurons are involved in the regulation of sleep, diuresis, and bladder activity. The low dopamine hypothesis could explain the genesis of a set of LUT signs and symptoms commonly seen in this population, including elevated residual urine, Overactive bladder syndrome and Nocturia (discussed as the RON syndrome). This presentation is however also common in older patients without synucleinopathies or neurological disorders and therefore we hypothesise that altered DAergic activity because of pathological aging, and selective destruction of DAergic neurons, could underpin the presentation of this triad of LUT dysfunction in the older population. Conclusion. — The concept of RON syndrome helps to better understand this common phenotypic presentation in clinical practice, and therefore serves as a useful platform to diagnose and treat LUTS in older adults. Besides recognizing the synucleinopathy ‘‘red flag’’ symptoms, this set of multi-causal LUT signs and symptoms highlights the inevitable need for combination therapy, a challenge in older people with their comorbidities and concomitant medications.".
• 01GQV6M2Z2WKVV71648HTMNAXG abstract "Nowadays, going beyond the 2D conventionally laminated structures is essential for improving the functionality of an electrical machine during the design process. Additive manufacturing (AM) offers unmatched 3D freedom for processing metal-based materials optimized for weight and cost effectiveness. Using this technology, new families of electrical machines can be manufactured which are difficult to be built using conventional methods. This paper is mainly targeting printing and testing of ferromagnetic material. Using different AM techniques, different parts are built using the silicon steel (Fe-3wt%Si) powder. The magnetic properties of these parts are measured and compared. Accordingly, a proper AM technology is identified as a promising method to manufacture magnetic materials. Additionally, quasi-static measurements are performed at low frequencies to compare the hysteresis losses of the 3D printed samples with those in conventional Fe-Si laminations. Results shows that good magnetic properties can be obtained from the 3D printed samples. Finally, the potential of 3D multi-material printing is highlighted for electrical machines.".
• 01GQVPNYM4XYJS3R5MPK6XRWWN abstract "Our understanding of the manifestation of stuttering in bilinguals is based on singlecase studies or limited groups. Moreover, our insight in the frequency and types of the disfluencies of nonstuttering bilinguals is limited. This study aims to describe the frequency and types of disfluencies of Lebanese nonstuttering bilinguals. This will lead to a better differential diagnosis of stuttering in bilinguals.".
• 01GQVQ0F37HDST9MP5HRE62QKT abstract "The purpose of this study is to investigate whether children who stutter (CWS) would score differently from children who not stutter (CWNS) on a computer paradigm that measured attentional shifting and inhibitory control in a combined manner. The task used was the Response Organization of Objects from the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks (De Sonneville, 2009).".
• 01GQVQ71NER8R66ZDDJ7X0Z66E abstract "Our understanding of the manifestation of speech disfluencies in children and the criteria used to diagnose stuttering are primarily based on monolingual, English speaking children. The purpose of this study was to describe the disfluencies produced by nonstuttering Yiddish-Dutch speaking children and determine whether these are in line with existing recommendations for a differential diagnosis for stuttering in monolingual speakers.".
• 01GQVQF24S2D7G150FSTYJYQE5 abstract "Achtergrond: De cumulatieve incidentie voor stotteren bij kleuters tot 4 jaar is 11%. Het stotteren kan leiden tot een grote bezorgdheid bij ouders en onaangename beleving bij de kleuter. Het is belangrijk stottertherapie tijdig op te starten aangezien het het meest succesvol is op kleuterleeftijd. Een correcte identificatie en doorverwijzing zo snel mogelijk na het ontstaan van het stotteren is dus van primordiaal belang. Voor sommige ouders is de huis- of kinderarts het eerste aanspreekpunt voor het stotteren van hun kleuter. Bedoeling: Peilen naar de kennis en het doorverwijsgedrag van huis- en kinderartsen. Methode: We volgden de methodiek van Yairi en Carrico (1992). Met een vragenlijst werden 71 artsen bevraagd. Resultaten: (1) Kennis: Nagenoeg alle artsen (97,1%) vinden dat ze onvoldoende informatie krijgen tijdens hun opleiding. Nieuwe wetenschappelijke inzichten blijken echter onvoldoende gekend. (2) Doorverwijsgedrag: de meerderheid (70,6%) verwijst door naar een logopedist. Eén vijfde echter (21,1%) raadt ouders aan het stotteren te negeren omdat het kind er eventueel zal uitgroeien. Discussie: De laatste twee decennia is de kennis omtrent ontwikkelingsstotteren enorm toegenomen. Deze kennis blijkt nog onvoldoende opgenomen te zijn door artsen, ongeacht hun leeftijd.".
• 01GQVRFCHYD0R52F66X062DTAV abstract "Stuttering is a speech fluency disorder that is manifested by involuntary repeated movements, and fixed postures of speech organs, and other superfluous behaviors. Some studies suggest a relation between stuttering and response inhibition deficit, which refers to inability to efficiently suppress the behaviours that are irrelevant, inappropriate, hazardous, or no longer required. The preliminary evidence for this connection in stuttering came from a parental survey study indicating that children who stutter (CWS) have lower scores on inhibitory control and attentional shifting compared to children who do not stutter. However, behavioral studies that used different experimental paradigms to test response inhibition among different stuttering groups are more controversial. Some behavioral studies using stop signal task (SST; which requires a person to stop an already initiated response in reaction to presence of a stop signal) supported less sufficient manual response inhibition in adults who stutter (Markett et al., 2016) (but also see Eggers, De Nil, & Van den Bergh, 2018 for different results in children). However, despite that stuttering is a speech production deficit, the speech motor inhibition mechanism is understudied compared to the manual response inhibition. This study aimed to examine the vocal response inhibition in 13 AWS as compared to 14 AWNS using SST. Six Chinese characters representing 6 lexical tones in Cantonese were presented to the participants across three different conditions including the go-signal trials (surrounded by green borders), stop-signal trials and ignore-signal trials. The stop-signal and ignore-signal trials were quite similar to go trials except, that after a delay the green border changed to a red border (signaling to stop the response) and blue border (signaling to continue the response), respectively. The participants were asked to read aloud the characters as fast as possible during the go-signal trials and refrain from naming them during the stop-signal trials. The results showed similar performance across the two groups in term of the vocal RT responses in go-signal and ignore-signal conditions. AWS were found to be slower (by 48 ms) and less accurate (by 9%) than AWNS to withhold the vocal responses in reaction to the stop signal, but the differences were not statistically significant (see Figure one). The preliminary results from this study would not support a robust deficit in vocal response inhibition in people who stutter. This finding is in line with a recent study showing that the externally triggered manual response inhibition is intact in CWS (Eggers et al., 2018). The current study extends these finding to the vocal response inhibition among AWS.".
• 01GQVRNR51R96QR83A58TS6XXM abstract "Introduction: In 2010 the IALP Fluency Committee conducted a questionnaire-based study on how fluency specialists worldwide complete the diagnostic phase in clients who stutter. The goal of this study was to gain insight in the structure and content of stuttering treatments utilized worldwide. Methods: A 55-item online survey was developed in English in collaboration with the IALP Fluency Committee and was consequently translated into French and Dutch. The survey consisted of a demographic section, including questions regarding respondent education, employment, and stuttering caseload. The main section of the questionnaire focused on the content of treatment and was divided in 4 sections: (1) working on the cognitive-emotional impact of stuttering, (2) working on speech behaviors, (3) working on communicative skills, and (4) working on other specific therapy techniques. The survey was sent to 1675 speech language pathologists residing in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Kuwait, Lebanon, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, and United States. The speech-language pathologists were identified as working with people who stutter. Over 300 SLPs completed the questionnaire. Results All data have been collected and a preliminary analysis has been done. A full analysis will be completed by the end of August. It appears that, globally, SLPs treat stuttering using a combination of approaches. While there were some regional differences, the differences weren’t extensive. Cognitive-emotional techniques were used most frequently. Both the use of cognitive-emotional techniques as well as working directly on speech behaviors increased with the age of the client. Focusing on broad “communication skills” was most prevalent when working with preschool-aged children. Clinicians with more experience tended to focus more on speech behaviors than those with less experience. Those clinicians with advanced specialization in stuttering tended to focus more on cognitive-emotional and communication skills over other approaches. Further, they tended to use a wider variety of “other” approaches. Discussion: Worldwide, it appears stuttering is being treated with a variety of techniques and often with a combination of techniques. These findings support the tenet that stuttering is a multi-dimensional problem and treatment often includes both impairment level and functional, social, and quality of life components. Presentation of results will provide a detailed overview of the most commonly used components in stuttering intervention globally and factors influencing possible differences.".
• 01GQVRT9DVQ57VG470JJZSGCSP abstract "Introduction: Rothbart (2011) defined temperament as constitutional-based individual differences in reactivity and self-regulation. Numerous temperament studies (Jones, Eggers, Zengin-Bolatkale, in review) indicated differences between children who stutter (CWS) and children who do not stutter. Eggers (2012) hypothesized about different mechanisms in which temperament could contribute to the onset and/or exacerbation of stuttering, one of which being a possible role in affective reactions, such as anxiety. Lonigan et al. (2004) studied the relationship between fear and temperament and found evidence for an integrated model in which the interaction between negative reactivity and self-regulation determines negative emotions and anxiety. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate possible associations between temperament and the anxiety level in CWS. Methods: Participants were 113 English-speaking children aged between 9;0 and 14;10 years old, referred to a specialist centre for children who stutter. Stuttering severity was assessed using the Stuttering Severity Instrument (SSI-4; Riley, 2009). Temperament was assessed with the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised (EATQ-R; Ellis & Rothbart, 2001), a child- and mother-report measure for 9- to 15-year-olds, based on Rothbart’s temperament model. Both versions consist of several temperament scales clustering under three or four factors, i.e. Surgency, Negative Affect, Effortful Control, and Affiliativeness (child-version only). The RCADS is a questionnaire consisting of six scales: a) separation anxiety disorder, b) social phobia, c) obsessive-compulsive disorder, d) panic disorder, e) generalized anxiety disorder and f) major depressive disorder (Chorpita et al., 2000). The six scales correspond to the dimensions of fear from DSM-IV (Wolpert, Cheng & Deighton, 2015) and the higher the score, the greater the anxiety/depressed feelings. Results: All data have been collected and are currently being analysed. Analyses on a preliminary dataset of 63 children (48 boys and 15 girls) with a stuttering severity ranging from mild to very severe, showed that a) higher scores on Surgency and Effortful Control correlate with lower total anxiety scores (both in mother- and child versions), b) higher scores on Negative Affectivity correlate with higher total anxiety scores (both in mother- and child versions), c) the subscales Fear, Depressive Mood and Frustration correlated positively and Inhibitory Control negatively with the child’s total anxiety score (both in mother- and child versions), and d) none of the temperament scales or factors rated by the mother correlate with any of the child-rated anxiety scales. Discussion: More extravert and less shy children, as well as children able to inhibit their responses and focus/shift their attention easily, experience lower anxiety levels. Children with higher levels of irritability and frustration experience higher anxiety levels. Moreover, this study supports the inclusion of child-reported temperament questionnaires since these are more sensitive to these associations. Results of the analysis of the full dataset will be reported.".
• 01GQVS500DJADFH4KWEY8QR84H abstract "Introduction: Our understanding of the manifestation of speech disfluencies in children and the criteria used to diagnose stuttering are primarily based on monolingual, English speaking children. The purpose of this study was to describe the disfluencies produced by nonstuttering Yiddish-Dutch, Turkish-Dutch, French-Dutch and Italian-Dutch speaking children and determine whether these are in line with existing recommendations for a differential diagnosis for stuttering in monolingual speakers. Methods: Participants were 59 typically developing bilingual Yiddish-Dutch-, 29 Turkish-Dutch-, 18 French-Dutch-, 13 Italian-Dutch-speaking, and 32 monolingual Dutch-speaking 6- to 12-year old children. All children (1) were successive bilinguals and (2) were sufficiently intelligible in both languages. Exclusion criteria were (1) the presence of reported speech-, language, and/or hearing problems, (2) a parental concern about the speech fluency, (3) a family predisposition for stuttering and/or cluttering, and (4) the presence of intellectual and/or neurological disorders. Exclusion criteria were evaluated based on a detailed parental questionnaire. Language dominance was based on a parental questionnaire. Speech samples were elicited by standardized, open-ended questions during an individual test session. Samples contained a minimum 300 words. Disfluencies were categorized using a classification system similar to Eggers, Van Eerdenbrugh, and Byrd (2019), an elaboration of Ambrose and Yairi’s categorization based on stuttering-like disfluencies (SLD) and other disfluencies (OD). Results: All data have been collected and data analyses is currently ongoing. Results will document (a) how OD and SLD are present in the bilingual speech samples compared to the monolingual speech samples; (b) how OD and SLD are present in the dominant versus the non-dominant language; (c) if the 3% criterion can be used to diagnose stuttering in these bilingual children. Conclusions: Preliminary findings show that bilingual speaking children have a higher frequency of speech disfluencies in comparison to monolingual children. The authors will discuss the feasibility of using monolingual stuttering guidelines in a bilingual population.".
• 01GQVS98WAJ47DFYSSEKSAX0MX abstract "Introduction: Our understanding of the manifestation of stuttering in bilingual children is mostly based on single-case studies or reduced participant groups. Also, our insight in the frequency and types of disfluencies produced by non-stuttering bilinguals is limited. Therefore, the aim of this study is to describe the frequency and types of speech disfluencies produced by bilingual Lebanese-French speaking children who do not stutter (CWNS), and to determine to what extent the disfluencies are mediated by language dominance. Methods: Participants are 30 CWNS (5;00 to 7;00 years). In order to determine their language dominance, we used the “Parents of bilingual children questionnaire” – PaBiQ (Tuller, 2015). All participants fulfilled the following inclusion criteria: (a) speaking 2 languages, (b) no parental or teacher concern regarding stuttering, (c) age equivalent speech-language skills as determined by analyses of answers to PABIQ (d) no parental or teacher concern regarding learning abilities, (e) no family history of stuttering and (f) no history of speech-fluency intervention. Speech samples were collected for each participant via video recordings: one spontaneous speech sample and one narrative speech sample per language (based on Frog stories of Mercer Mayer). Speech samples were subsequently transcribed while speech disfluencies were marked and classified as Stuttering-Like Disfluencies (SLD) and Other Disfluencies (OD) following Byrd & al. (2015) and Yairi & Ambrose (1999). Results: The results were compared to the (limited) published data in bilingual speakers. Participants exceeded the diagnostic criteria of 3% SLDs (per 100 words) in all speech samples and also a significant difference in %SLD & %OD as a function of language dominance was found. However, no difference was found in disfluencies between narratives and spontaneous speech samples, in L1 and L2, in contrast to results of Byrd et al. (2015). Conclusion: Diagnostical and clinical implications will be discussed.".
• 01GQVSJ2B4FG95M5WDFNFQF934 abstract "Introduction: In Belgium and The Netherlands, stuttering therapists often use several interventions to treat preschool age children who stutter. These include the Parent-Child Interaction Program, the Restart-DCM program, a social cognitive behaviour program, Mini-KIDS and the Lidcombe Program. How do they make the clinical decision to start one intervention approach and not another? This preliminary study was a first attempt to determine which factors stuttering therapists take into consideration when making the clinical decision about choosing a specific treatment program for a preschool age child who stutters and his family. Methods: Respondents were 54 female (except 2) stuttering therapists from The Netherlands (n = 29) and from the Dutch-speaking region in Belgium (n = 25). A questionnaire was constructed based on findings from the literature and the authors’ clinical experience. It contained 11 general questions, 43 questions about child-related factors, 23 about parent-related factors and 2 about scientific evidence. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Results: About two thirds of the stuttering therapists take (1) the child’s dealing with the stuttering (being frustrated by the stuttering, being sensitive to reactions of others towards the stuttering and being aware of the stuttering), (2) the child’s language (and speech) skills, (3) the child’s age, (4) the family’s life style, (5) the parent’s intellectual capabilities and (6) the available evidence into consideration when deciding which intervention to initiate. Tendencies for deciding the interventions for each of the factors will be explained during the presentation. Conclusions: Thirteen factors were used by the majority of therapists (> 50%) in this clinical decision-making. Almost all were related to the child (n = 9). A few were to the family (n = 3) and to evidence (n = 1).".
• 01GQVXGTNRKV8MTMBZ5SWP0BZV abstract "Tijdens deze lezing gaan we dieper in op de emotionele en temperamentgerelateerde processen die samengaan met ontwikkelingsstotteren. Naast een brede kadering van temperament, emotionele reactiviteit en regulatieprocessen, focussen we op recent wetenschappelijk onderzoek en theoretische invalshoeken bij het ontstaan en instandhouden van stotteren. We eindigen met mogelijke klinische overwegingen voor onderzoek en behandeling van stotteren bij jonge kinderen.".
• 01GQVXT2TPWG405DC00VNQ5ZH3 abstract "Executive functions are a set of cognitive processes necessary for the cognitive control of behavior. Over the last couple of years, our research group has used neurocognitive computer paradigm-based and ERP-based studies to evaluate executive functioning in children who stutter. Current presentation will give an overview of the research findings, specifically in the domain of attentional functioning, response control, and auditory processing. Findings will be linked to the available literature of other research groups.".
• 01GQVXZJ0PC9QE6K8Z4H5JEQJH abstract "In this session we will summarize the main features of a range of therapy programs for early childhood stuttering, along with the evidence base for each. We will consider whether it is the commonalities between the approaches that are critical and therefore an important focus for future research.".
• 01GQVYEF5FSSZFV4D98F5RHWAZ abstract "Temperament verschilt van kind tot kind en verwijst naar de mate waarin kinderen reageren op bepaalde prikkels en de mate waarin ze dit al dan niet kunnen bijsturen. De voorbije jaren gebeurde er heel wat onderzoek naar de predisponerende of precipiterende rol van temperament bij ontwikkelingsstotteren (e.g., Anderson et al., 2003; Alm, 2014; Eggers, et al., 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018; Jones et al., 2014; Kefalianos et al., 2017). De meeste bevindingen wijzen op een hogere (negatieve) reactiviteit en een lagere zelfregulatie bij een aanzienlijke groep van kinderen die stotteren. Temperament staat echter niet op zichzelf. Ook de zogenaamde ‘goodness of fit’, dit is de overeenstemming tussen de eisen van de omgeving en het temperament en de capaciteiten van het kind, kan een rol spelen in de behandeling van stotteren.".
• 01GQVYK8FQM69H30YP2SRYMAVP abstract "Temperament refers to individual differences in emotional reactivity (e.g., getting excited, getting frustrated) and self-regulation (e.g., suppressing inappropriate responses, shifting attentional focus). Several studies in this domain have demonstrated that a substantial group of children who stutter are more emotionally reactive and/or have lower emotion/attention regulation skills compared to children who do not stutter. Not only does this play a role in the exacerbation of stuttering, but according to a recent study it is also related to the impact that stuttering has on day-to-day functioning. During this lecture we will discuss the relevant literature and provide several tools and strategies of how clinicians and parents can contribute to improving children’s emotional regulation.".
• 01GQVYXYV4H50SYYPMVKJV83EJ abstract "EBP, EBT, and guidelines should be considered important tools but in order to become ‘effective clinicians’ (e.g., Manning, 2009) other aspects may be proven to be as important. Moreover, competence in evidence-based treatments in itself does not appear to be sufficient for improving the effectiveness of clinicians (Rousmaniere, Goodyear, Miller, & Wampold, 2017). During this talk, we will therefore argue the importance of (a) an ideal educational strategy for improving therapist effectiveness, and (b) offering plausible means by which clinicians can integrate an EBP model into their service delivery, taking into account the common factors (Barth et al., 2012).".
• 01GQVZ36ZT5SWHSR42RJB04TBE abstract "The European Clinical Specialization Fluency (ECSF) consortium has been running courses for qualified SLTs since 2008 with an annual intake of around 20 students. This European group has now developed an additional stepwise procedure to become a European Fluency Specialist. This is open to ECSF graduates as well as eligible clinicians and academics with special interest in fluency disorders. The process involves documentation re. clinical and/or academic activities, continued professional development activities, and informal discussion groups. Once approved, the certification process is complete and the person can use the title of European Fluency Specialist.".
• 01GQVZ5YZFMVEQCFM6TKZZC6P8 abstract "Ultrasonic welding (USW) is a solid-state welding process based on the application of high frequency vibration energy to the workpiece to produce the internal friction between the faying surface and the local heat generation required to promote the joining. The short welding time and the low heat input, the absence of fumes, sparks or flames, and the automation capacity make it particularly interesting for several fields, such as electrical/electronic, automotive, aerospace, appliance, and medical products industries. The main problems that those industries have to face are related to the poor weld quality due the improper selection of weld parameters. In the present work, 0.3 mm thick copper sheets were joined by USW varying the welding time, pressure, and vibration amplitude. The influence of the process variables on the characteristics of the joints and weld strength is investigated by using the analysis of variance. The results of the present work indicate that welding time is the main factor affecting the energy absorbed during the welding, followed by the pressure and amplitude. The shear strength, on the other hand, resulted mostly influenced by the amplitude, while the other parameters have a limited effect. Regardless the welding configuration adopted, most welds registered a failure load higher than the base material pointing out the feasibility of the USW process to join copper sheets.".
• 01GQVZ986EVN7CNA4B9TVPKS1M abstract "Executieve functies zijn een set van cognitieve processen verantwoordelijk voor de aansturing en controle van (doelgerichte) gedragingen. De ontwikkeling ervan begint op jonge leeftijd en loopt door tot in de adolescentie. Hierdoor kunnen kinderen zich vlot aanpassen aan hun omgeving en leren ze hun emoties en gedrag te reguleren. Gedurende de laatste jaren deden we hieromtrent diverse onderzoeken bij kinderen die stotteren aan de hand van neurocognitieve computertaken en ERPs. De huidige presentatie geeft een overzicht van onze belangrijkste onderzoeksbevindingen, specifiek op gebied van aandacht, responscontrole en auditieve verwerking. We bespreken daarenboven de klinische relevantie van de bevindingen (vb. frustratietolerantietraining, ouder-kind interactie) en linken ze aan reeds bestaande therapeutische benaderingen.".
• 01GQVZDV3GHEK6P63VNTB3JVGC abstract "This session is developed by, and presenter invited by, Fluency. A variety of treatment approaches have been developed for preschool children who stutter. Importantly, each class of treatment appears to facilitate comparable outcomes. The present seminar will use the Common Factors Theory framework for understanding the similarities in findings across these diverse treatments. This review will facilitate clinician selection of best practidce as opposed to best approach.".
• 01GQVZWT886Z2XEBS63N8BD14P abstract "This panel discussion will present a global perspective on established and emerging treatment options for people who stutter. Our objectives for the session are to (a) summarize treatment options available in various regions of the world; (b) summarize research findings on factors associated with adults’ successful improvement and/or management of stuttering; and (c) summarize emerging trends in stuttering treatment such as fluency enhancing biofeedback systems, self-efficacy, social support, self-modeling, web-based treatments, telehealth, and pharmaceutical adjuvants. Finally, our goal for the session is to foster participant discussion of potential pros and cons of new and trending approaches to stuttering treatment.".
• 01GQW01YJZEMHKCFEPD5MCD551 abstract "Objective: The goal of this study was to gain insight in the structure and content of stuttering treatments utilized worldwide. Background: In 2010 the IALP Fluency Committee conducted a questionnaire-based study on how fluency specialists worldwide complete the diagnostic phase in clients who stutter. This session highlights the results of a recent questionnaire-based study focused on the content of stuttering treatment worldwide. Method: A 55-item online survey was developed in English in collaboration with the IALP Fluency Committee and was consequently translated into French and Dutch. The survey consisted of a demographic section, including questions regarding respondent education, employment, and stuttering caseload. The main section of the questionnaire focused on the content of treatment and was divided in 4 sections: (1) working on the cognitive-emotional impact of stuttering, (2) working on speech behaviors, (3) working on communicative skills, and (4) working on other specific therapy techniques. The survey was sent to 1675 speech language pathologists residing in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Kuwait, Lebanon, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, and United States. The speech-language pathologists were identified as working with people who stutter. Over 300 SLPs from 16 different countries worldwide completed the questionnaire. Results & Discussion: All data have been collected and analysis is ongoing. Analysis will be completed early spring 2019. Presentation of results will provide an overview of the most commonly used components in stuttering intervention globally and factors influencing possible differences.".
• 01GQW06Y41HTARS5ASWG5B6GJG abstract "Objective: to determine the distribution of speech disfluencies in typically developing fluent Yiddish-Dutch children Background: The diagnosis of stuttering is often based on the number and type of disfluencies produced in a speech sample. The normative reference that is most frequently used is based on monolingual, English-speaking children (Ambrose & Yairi, 1999). It is unclear to what extent this reference is also applicable for the speech of bilingual speakers. This is an important question since this population is growing rapidly. Method: Speech samples were collected from 30 fluent bilingual Yiddish-Dutch children aged between 6;01 and 7;07 years and 30 fluent bilingual Yiddish-Dutch children aged between 9;00 and 10;04 years. Two raters independently evaluated the speech in the samples as typically developing fluent speech. Speech samples were transcribed. Type and frequency of disfluencies were analyzed based on Ambrose & Yairi’s classification system of stuttering-like disfluencies (SLD; i.e., part- and single-syllable word repetition and dysrythmic phonation) and other disfluencies (OD; i.e., interjection, revision, and multisyllable/phrase repetition). In addition, revisions were categorized into phonological, lexical or grammatical revisions. Language dominance was determined by a detailed parental questionnaire. Results: In both age groups, Yiddish was the dominant language and children produced significantly more disfluencies in the nondominant language, i.e. Dutch. The average %SLD was 3.51% for Yiddish and 4.45% for Dutch in the youngest group and 2,92% for Yiddish and 5,09% for Dutch in the oldest group. Monosyllabic word repetitions were the type of SLD produced most often in both groups. Interjections and (lexical) revisions were the most often used type of OD. Discussion: The findings of bilingual children will be contrasted with earlier findings in monolingual children. We will argue that one needs to be careful using monolingual reference data for bilinguals. Since this will result in too many (bilingual) children being falsely positively diagnosed with stuttering.".
• 01GQW0B64RMD27WRTVCHXTYS14 abstract "The European Clinical Specialization Fluency (ECSF) consortium has been running courses for qualified SLTs since 2008 with an annual intake of around 20 students. Currently more than 200 students from 27 EU and non-EU countries have graduated from the program. Members of this consortium are specialist therapists, researchers and lecturers working in the area of fluency disorders, drawn from 13 universities and colleges in 9 EU countries, along with two associate partners from Centers of Excellence for working the people with fluency disorders. The program is a well-designed combination of lectures, clinical practice and home assignments. Lectures are provided during two intensive weeks (September & February), scheduled during the academic year. These modules are combined with several lectures and follow up sessions in the home country of the participant. The local sessions take place outside the intensive weeks. Preparatory reading and home assignments form an integral part of the course. The specialized clinical training, under supervision of a fluency specialist, can begin after the first intensive week. Evaluation is based on permanent evaluation, portfolio, and specific evaluation moments. The curriculum consists of two components: theoretical knowledge and specific therapeutic skills along with specialized clinical training and portfolio. The one-year intensive course leads to a qualification as an ECSF-recognized Fluency Therapist, a significant step towards becoming a European Fluency Specialist (EFS). During this presentation, we will (1) elaborate how the course has evolved over time in order to create an ideal learning curve and optimal learning environment for participants; and (2) report on the results of an online survey of our graduates re. the learning outcomes and perceived benefits. This European group has now developed an additional stepwise procedure to become a European Fluency Specialist. This is open to ECSF graduates as well as eligible clinicians and academics with special interest in fluency disorders. The process involves documentation re. clinical and/or academic activities, continued professional development activities, and informal discussion groups, within a time frame of three years. The EFS Board reviews the documentation, approves applications in accordance with stated criteria and registers the applicant accordingly. Once approved, the certification process is complete and the person can use the title of European Fluency Specialist. To maintain certification, candidates must provide proof of accomplishments of the required activities annually; every three years the EFS Board will review the documented required activities for candidates to maintain certification. This recently developed EU model, active from 2016, shows similarities to ASHA’s (American Board of Fluency and Fluency Disorders) recognition procedure for becoming a ‘Board certified specialist in fluency’, and might be a useful model for other SLT domains.".
• 01GQW0HF73QFENE1FFF108F3QD abstract "Several studies (e.g., Eggers, 2012) have provided support for the hypothesis that children who stutter, as a group, differ on temperament components from nonstuttering children. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate if there is a correlation between the child’s temperament, as measured by child and parent questionnaires, and the functional impact of stuttering.".
• 01GQW314WNRSP34RCH15CAAAMW abstract "Background: The World Health Organization declared a pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), on March 11, 2020. The standardized approach of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) allows for quantifying the combined impact of morbidity and mortality of diseases and injuries. The main objective of this study was to estimate the direct impact of COVID-19 in France in 2020, using DALYs to combine the population health impact of infection fatalities, acute symptomatic infections and their post-acute consequences, in 28 days (baseline) up to 140 days, following the initial infection. MethodsNational mortality, COVID-19 screening, and hospital admission data were used to calculate DALYs based on the European Burden of Disease Network consensus disease model. Scenario analyses were performed by varying the number of symptomatic cases and duration of symptoms up to a maximum of 140 days, defining COVID-19 deaths using the underlying, and associated, cause of death. ResultsIn 2020, the estimated DALYs due to COVID-19 in France were 990 710 (1472 per 100 000), with 99% of burden due to mortality (982 531 years of life lost, YLL) and 1% due to morbidity (8179 years lived with disability, YLD), following the initial infection. The contribution of YLD reached 375%, assuming the duration of 140 days of post-acute consequences of COVID-19. Post-acute consequences contributed to 49% of the total morbidity burden. The contribution of YLD due to acute symptomatic infections among people younger than 70 years was higher (67%) than among people aged 70 years and above (33%). YLL among people aged 70 years and above, contributed to 74% of the total YLL. ConclusionsCOVID-19 had a substantial impact on population health in France in 2020. The majority of population health loss was due to mortality. Men had higher population health loss due to COVID-19 than women. Post-acute consequences of COVID-19 had a large contribution to the YLD component of the disease burden, even when we assume the shortest duration of 28 days, long COVID burden is large. Further research is recommended to assess the impact of health inequalities associated with these estimates.".
• 01GQWH5RWF6FBEGZMGRQDJKWD6 abstract "Maximum likelihood estimation of generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) is difficult due to marginalization of the random effects. Derivative computations of a fitted GLMM's likelihood are also difficult, especially because the derivatives are not by-products of popular estimation algorithms. In this paper, we first describe theoretical results related to GLMM derivatives along with a quadrature method to efficiently compute the derivatives, focusing on fitted lme4 models with a single clustering variable. We describe how psychometric results related to item response models are helpful for obtaining the derivatives, as well as for verifying the derivatives' accuracies. We then provide a tutorial on the many possible uses of these derivatives, including robust standard errors, score tests of fixed effect parameters, and likelihood ratio tests of non-nested models. The derivative computation methods and applications described in the paper are all available in easily obtained R packages.".
• 01GQWH5RWQKE2G9HHZ3Y4XD2B3 abstract "Translational Abstract Investigating structural relations (such as causal effects) between variables is a tenet of empirical research in the social and behavioral sciences. Because these variables are often latent, they must each be measured using (typically multiple) manifest indicators or items. Statistical models used to infer the structural relations usually consist of two parts: a structural part parameterizing the relations between the latent variables and a measurement part specifying the associations between each latent variable and its indicators. Ubiquitous structural equation modeling (SEM) estimation methods traditionally fit both parts simultaneously but are susceptible to various forms of statistical biases and computational convergence issues, particularly in small samples. In this article, we formalize a framework called "structural-after-measurement" (SAM), where estimation of the measurement part precedes estimation of the structural part. We build on a long-standing idea in the literature and demonstrate how earlier methods are specific SAM implementations. As a result, SAM estimators are robust to the vulnerabilities associated with traditional SEM estimators. We implement estimation methods using SAM as part of the lavaan package in the open-source statistical computing environment R. In structural equation modeling (SEM), the measurement and structural parts of the model are usually estimated simultaneously. In this article, we revisit the long-standing idea that we should first estimate the measurement part, and then estimate the structural part. We call this the "structural-after-measurement" (SAM) approach to SEM. We describe a formal framework for the SAM approach under settings where the latent variables and their indicators are continuous. We review earlier SAM methods and establish how they are specific instances of the SAM framework. Decoupled estimation for the measurement and structural parts using SAM possesses three key advantages over simultaneous estimation in standard SEM. First, estimates are more robust against local model misspecifications. Second, estimation routines are less vulnerable to convergence issues in small samples. Third, estimates exhibit smaller finite sample biases under correctly specified models. We propose two variants of the SAM approach. "Local" SAM expresses the mean vector and variance-covariance matrix of the latent variables as a function of the observed summary statistics and the parameters of the measurement model. "Global" SAM holds the parameters of the measurement part fixed while estimating the parameters of the structural part. Our framework includes two-step corrected standard errors, and permits computing both local and global fit measures. Nonetheless, the SAM approach is an estimation strategy, and should not be regarded as a model-building tool.".
• 01GQWH5RWVYMJ77AG803H9PZG2 abstract "In their article, Yuan and Deng argue that a structural parameter under partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is zero if and only if the same structural parameter is zero under covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM). Yuan and Deng then conclude that statistical tests on individual structural parameters assessing the null hypothesis of no effect can achieve the same purpose in CB-SEM and PLS-SEM. Our response to their article highlights that the relationship they find between PLS-SEM and CB-SEM structural parameters is not universally valid, and that consequently, tests on individual parameters in CB-SEM and PLS-SEM generally do not fulfill the same purpose.".
• 01GQWH5RWZFDP7HH3Z96Q279AC abstract "We show that separable nonlinear least squares (SNLLS) estimation is applicable to all linear structural equation models (SEMs) that can be specified in RAM notation. SNLLS is an estimation technique that has successfully been applied to a wide range of models, for example neural networks and dynamic systems, often leading to improvements in convergence and computation time. It is applicable to models of a special form, where a subset of parameters enters the objective linearly. Recently, Kreiberg et al. (Struct Equ Model Multidiscip J 28(5):725-739, 2021. ) have shown that this is also the case for factor analysis models. We generalize this result to all linear SEMs. To that end, we show that undirected effects (variances and covariances) and mean parameters enter the objective linearly, and therefore, in the least squares estimation of structural equation models, only the directed effects have to be obtained iteratively. For model classes without unknown directed effects, SNLLS can be used to analytically compute least squares estimates. To provide deeper insight into the nature of this result, we employ trek rules that link graphical representations of structural equation models to their covariance parametrization. We further give an efficient expression for the gradient, which is crucial to make a fast implementation possible. Results from our simulation indicate that SNLLS leads to improved convergence rates and a reduced number of iterations.".
• 01GQWR9DCC6EAS3R58203S710D abstract "Introduction:The objective of this study is to cross-check and if necessary, adjust registered ICD-O-3 topography and morphology codes with the findings in pathology reports available at the Belgian Cancer Registry (BCR) for glioma patients. Additionally, integration of molecular markers in the pathological diagnosis and concordance with WHO 2016 classification is investigated. Methods:Since information regarding molecular tests and corresponding conclusions are not available as structured data at population level, a manual screening of all pseudonymized pathology reports available at the BCR for registered glioma patients (2017-2019) was conducted. ICD-O-3 morphology and topography codes from the BCR database (based on information as provided by hospital oncological care programs and pathology labs), were, at tumour level, cross-checked with the data from the pathology reports and, if needed, specified or corrected. Relevant molecular markers (IDH-1/2, 1p19q codeletion, MGMTp) were manually extracted from the pathology reports. Results:In 95,3% of gliomas, the ICD-O-3 morphology code was correct. Non-specific topography codes were specified in 9,3%, while 3,3% of specific codes were corrected. The IDH status was known in 75,2% of astrocytic tumours. The rate of correct integrated diagnoses varies from 47,6% to 56,4% among different gliomas. MGMTp methylation status is available in 32,2% of glioblastomas. Conclusion:Both the integration of molecular markers in the conclusion of the pathology reports and the delivery of those reports to the BCR can be improved. The availability of distinct ICD-O-3 codes for each molecularly defined tumour entity within the WHO classification would increase the consistency of cancer registration, facilitate population level research and international benchmarking.".
• 01GQWRNQM814661FYQ2Q87Q9WE abstract "Two studies, ENGINE (Empowering New Generations to Improve Nutrition and Economic opportunities) and Growth through Nutrition, were conducted in the same 4 regions of Ethiopia approximately 5 years apart. A similar protocol using a quantitative and qualitative survey of key informants at the subnational level was used to explore barriers and facilitators for implementation of the country’s national multisector nutrition plan. Noticeable differences were observed, including a change in the perception of the nutrition problems in pregnant women and preschool aged children and greater awareness of the multisector plan. Poor coordination and collaboration were still noted in both time periods. A key issue highlighted was the need to keep up the momentum for multisector approaches to improve nutrition in the policy agenda.".
• 01GQWRZQYGHZ5PJBV9H4MH4HGM abstract "Background: Well-trained anthropometrists are essential for the delivery of high-quality anthropometric data used to evaluate public health nutrition interventions. Scant data are currently available on the precision of data collected by large teams of anthropometrists employed for nutrition surveys in low-income country settings. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the precision of child midupper arm circumference (MUAC) and length/height measurements taken by fieldworkers training for nutrition survey deployment. Methods: Following 3 d of training, an anthropometry standardization exercise was conducted in small teams of trainees at 7 sites in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. In groups of 2-4, trainee anthropometrists (n = 79) each measured 16 children aged 6-47 mo (n = 336) twice for MUAC and length/height. Both intraobserver and interobserver precision were analyzed using technical error of measurement (TEM), relative TEM, coefficient of reliability (R), and repeatability metrics. Bland-Altman limits of agreement were calculated for intraobserver measurements. Results: Intraobserver TEM was between 0.00 and 0.57 cm for MUAC (Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement: -0.50 to 0.54 cm) and between 0.04 and 2.58 cm for length/height measurements (Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement: -1.43 to 1.41 cm). Interobserver TEM was between 0.09 and 0.43 cm for MUAC and between 0.06 and 2.98 cm for length/height measurements. A high proportion of trainees achieved intraobserver R >0.95 (MUAC: 95%; length/height: 97%). Most teams also achieved interobserver R >0.95 (MUAC: 90%; length/height: 95%). Conclusions: Large numbers of anthropometrists (>75) in low-income settings can attain satisfactory precision in anthropometry following training and standardization. These protocols permit researchers to assess trainees, identify individuals who have not achieved the desired level of precision, and retrain or adjust roles prior to survey deployment.".
• 01GQWSFPPDGXBE4GKMXXZ8H9N3 abstract "Background In Ethiopia, 38% of children under 5 years of age are stunted (low height for age). A novel government-led intervention called the Sustainable Undernutrition Reduction in Ethiopia (SURE) aims to tackle the burden of stunting by improving complementary feeding and dietary diversity among young children. The SURE programme design applies a transtheoretical model of behaviour change, whereby exposure to recommended infant and young child feeding (IYCF) and nutrition-sensitive agriculture messages is a first stage to adopting key behaviours. This qualitative study explored the fidelity and dose of the IYCF and nutrition-sensitive agriculture messages delivered by extension workers. Methods A qualitative study was conducted across four regions in Ethiopia (Oromiya, Amhara, SNNP and Tigray) between April and October 2017. Across the four regions, 81 key informant interviews, 90 FGDs and 81 observations were conducted with 180 extension workers, 18 development agents and 54 mother-father pairs. Digitally recorded audio files were transcribed verbatim, and the data were analysed based on a framework analysis approach using NVivo (version 12) by coding and categorising texts into major themes and sub-themes. Results SURE target households had the intended exposure to messages about exclusive breastfeeding, timing of initiation of complementary feeding, food groups, diversified food consumption, irrigation, rearing small animals and vegetables. Few households reported receiving messages on the content or frequency of complementary feeding of a child beyond 6 months of age. Frequency of household visits and hence exposure to SURE messages was also variable. Agricultural messages delivered during household visits focussed on improving standard agricultural practices and rarely covered the importance of nutrition-sensitive agriculture to improve household or child nutrition. Conclusion Despite variability observed in the breadth and depth of messages delivered, large-scale behaviour change communication programmes can achieve moderate to good message exposure among target groups. Qualitative data provide an in-depth insight into fidelity and may supplement our understanding of programme roll-out and implementation. Further research is required to understand longer-term message saturation including frequency and reach.".
• 01GQWV78BHW1Y9HC1S60D0W5QX abstract "BackgroundAdequate zinc intake is essential for the growth and neurobehavioral development of young children. Zinc deficiency in children is recognized as risk factor for stunting. In Ethiopia, 38% of children under five years of age are stunted. This analysis was conducted to measure dietary zinc intake and to identify its determinants among children 6-35 months of age to design appropriate intervention.MethodsNationally and regionally representative data available from 6752 children 6-35 months of age from the Ethiopian national food consumption survey were analyzed. A multivariate model was used to identify determinants of dietary zinc intake.ResultsWe found low dietary zinc intake among children 6-35 month age. National average dietary zinc intake was 1.74 mg/day. Socio-economic status, maternal education, and maternal age were positively associated with dietary zinc intake, while the number of children under 5 years-of-age in a household was negatively associated with dietary zinc intake (p<0.0001). Children reportedly sick in the previous 2 weeks were most likely to have low dietary zinc intake (p<0.0001).ConclusionThe observed low dietary zinc intake in Ethiopian children has a significant association with health status of children, providing evidence for nutrition and health planners to emphasize on promoting consumption of zinc rich foods and preventing morbidity from common infections.".
• 01GQWVQ1DJ3J67TE3RDB66VZR1 abstract "Background In Ethiopia, poor infant and young child feeding practices and low household dietary diversity remain widespread. The Government has adopted the National Nutrition Programme that emphasizes the need for multi-sectoral collaboration to effectively deliver nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions. The Sustainable Undernutrition Reduction in Ethiopia (SURE) programme is one such Government-led initiative that will be implemented jointly by the health and agriculture sectors across 150 districts in Ethiopia. Prior to the design of the SURE programme, this formative research study was conducted to understand how the governance structure and linkages between health and agriculture sectors at local levels can support implementation of programme activities. Methods Data were collected from eight districts in Ethiopia using 16 key informant interviews and eight focus group discussions conducted with district and community-level focal persons for nutrition including health and agriculture extension workers. A framework analysis approach was used to analyze data. Results Few respondents were aware of the National Nutrition Programme or of their own roles within the multi-sectoral coordination mechanism outlined by the government to deliver nutritional programmes and services. Lack of knowledge or commitment to nutrition, lack of resources and presence of competing priorities within individual sectors were identified as barriers to effective coordination between health and agriculture sectors. Strong central commitment to nutrition, increased involvement of other partners in nutrition and the presence of community development workers such as health and agriculture extension workers were identified as facilitators of effective coordination. Conclusions Federal guidelines to implement the Ethiopian National Nutrition Programme have yet to be translated to district or community level administrative structures. Sustained political commitment and provision of resources will be necessary to achieve effective inter-sectoral collaboration to deliver nutritional services. The health and agriculture extension platforms may be used to link interventions for sustained nutrition impact.".
• 01GQWX6QHP606SGT28FXFVP3A7 abstract "BackgroundBroad and specific causes of adult mortalities are often neglected indicators of wellbeing in low-income countries like Ethiopia due to lack of strong vital statistics. Thus, this database study aimed to assess the causes of adult mortality using demographic surveillance data.MethodsAn 8-year (12 September 2009-11 September 2017) surveillance data from the Arba Minch Health and Demographic Surveillance Site was used for this study. Verbal autopsy methods and ICD codes were used to identify the causes of the adult deaths. The collected data were entered to the database by data clerks. We used Microsoft Excel and STATA version 16 software for data cleaning and analysis. Chi-squared test was used to see the significances of the trend analyses.ResultFrom the 943 adult deaths from 2009 to 2017 in the Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in southern Ethiopia, more than half of them were females. The specific leading cause of death in the adults were tuberculosis (16.8%), malaria (9.7%), and intestinal infectious diseases (9.6%).Communicable diseases (49.2%, 95% C.I 45.7, 52.7) accounted for about half of the deaths followed by non-communicable diseases (35%, 95% C.I 31.7, 38.4) where both categories showed an increasing trend.ConclusionAlthough pieces of evidences are showing the shift from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases as the major causes of adult death in developing countries, this study showed that communicable diseases are still the major causes of adult deaths. Efforts and emphasis should be given to control infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria.".
• 01GQWXP3523RMF9FJX7G5H3RQ5 abstract "Background: High TB mortality is increasingly understood as an indicator of different problems in the health system and community. Limited awareness of TB in the community, restricted accessibility and/or quality of health services can hamper survival. Exploration and analysis of death among TB patients can lead to a clearer and specific understanding of why the deaths happened and where interventions are likely to make a difference in a specific context.Objective: The study aimed to assess why people die of active tuberculosis in the era of effective chemotherapy.Methods: The study was conducted from October to December 2020 in Arba Minch Health and Demographic Surveillance System (AM-HDSS) by applying phenomenological study design. A total of 27 family members of people who had died of TB, 9 health extension workers (HEW) and 8 health care professionals working in TB clinics were participated in open in-depth interview. A total of 130 individuals participated in 16 focus group discussion which composed of patient survived from TB, religious leader, health development army (HAD) and HEWs. Adequacy of information (saturation) was considered as an adequate sample size to create the intended qualitative product. All the interviews and FGD were tape recorded and recordings were transcribed immedi-ately. ATLAS TI 9 software was used to analyse and process qualitative data. From data set codes were created then by identifying pattern among them themes were created. Then, generated themes were compared and some of them were split, combined, discarded and new ones created after returning to data set. Finally, themes were defined and a concise and easily understandable name was given for each theme.Result: Luck of sufficient knowledge about TB was considered to be a reason for cause of death. Most of the time, TB patients underestimate and ignore when the symptoms first emerge and will not relate it with any diseases. The low level of community awareness about the cause, transmission, treatment and prevention highly contributed to increased transmission rate and death due to TB. The study identified misconceptions in the community; they prefer traditional medicine to the scientific way. First, they try different herbal medicine to get relief from their illness. At the end, if the disease is getting worse, they visit health facilities. Participants mentioned high transportation cost, poor health seeking behaviours, inadequate food consumption and lack of TB awareness as reasons for low treatment adherence. The health facilities were inaccessible for the community. Most of them indicated that health facilities were too far to reach. In some health institution, right amount and combination of medication were not delivery on time and Diagnostic facilities for TB were reported to be inadequate.Conclusion: Poor treatment adherence, lack of TB awareness, stigma, inadequate food consumption, poor health care seeking behaviour and inaccessibility of health facility were identified as major reasons for death. To prevent death of TB patients all sectors such as education, health, and agriculture should work to address health education, infrastructures, nutritional supplementation needs of TB patients, caregivers and the community as a whole.".
• 01GQWXYG488AHP0BWMK0JNYXXM abstract "Background. Coinfection with malaria and typhoid fever is a major public health issue in developing countries. In endemic areas, including Ethiopia, people are at risk of acquiring both malaria and typhoid fever at the same time. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the magnitude of malaria-typhoid fever coinfection in febrile patients attending hospital at Southern Ethiopia. Methods. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out on 416 febrile patients attending Arba Minch General Hospital from 1(st) October to 30(th) December 2021. The data was collected using a pretested structured questionnaire. Capillary and Venus blood samples were collected for assessing malaria and typhoid fever, respectively. Blood smear, culture, and biochemical tests were performed based on standard parasitological and microbiological methods. The P-value <= 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. The magnitude of malaria, typhoid fever, and their coinfections was 26.2% (109/416), 6.5% (27/416), and 3.1% (13/416), respectively. Among the confirmed malaria cases, about 66% of infections were Plasmodium falciparum. The malariatyphoid fever coinfection showed a statistically significant association with a clinical presentation of a continuous pattern of fever (AOR = 5.84; 95% CI: 1.44-23.71, P = 0.014) and chills (AOR = 3.94; 95% CI: 1.04-14.89, P = 0.044). About 29.6% of Salmonella isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Conclusion. The total rate of coinfection with malaria and typhoid fever was comparable to that of previous studies. With the consideration of higher prevalence of drug resistance of Salmonella spp. and higher prevalence of malaria-typhoid fever coinfection, proper diagnostic procedure should be implemented for proper use of drugs.".
• 01GQWY7R0CJWV8S2MSWEMDJ2M0 abstract "Background. Major reasons for malnutrition, particularly among those who live in low- and middle-income countries, are physiological vulnerability and inadequate intake. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors among lactating mothers of Angecha District, Southern Ethiopia. Methods. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected lactating mothers in Angecha District from March to April 2017. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to assess the prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors among lactating mothers. Undernutrition was defined as the body mass index of less than 18.5 kg/m(2). A multivariable logistic regression model was fitted, and the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) at a p value less than 0.05 was used to determine a statistically significant association between predictors and outcome variables. Result. The prevalence of undernutrition among lactating mothers was 21.2% (95% CI: 17.52, 25.46). The odds of undernutrition were higher among lactating mothers in the younger age group (AOR 4.12 (95% CI: 1.25-13.63), compared to 36-49 years group), dietary diversity less than five food groups (AOR 2.4, 95% CI: 1.35-4.36), and not attending antenatal care (ANC) (AOR 2.90 (95% CI: 1.43-5.86), compared to those who attended ANC for 4 or more times). The odds of undernutrition among lactating women from 3rd quantile wealth index households reduced by nearly half (AOR 0.47, 95% CI: 0.23-0.98) compared to lactating mothers from 1st quantile wealth index households. Conclusion. Nearly one in every five lactating mothers was undernourished. Age, dietary diversity score, ANC visit, and wealth index were found to be the associated factors of undernutrition. Therefore, due attention should have to be given to increase the use of ANC.".
• 01GQWYF5A9VC3405E656J065ZR abstract "Background In rural areas of Ethiopia, 57% of births occur at home without the assistance of skilled birth attendants, geographical inaccessibility being one of the main factors that hinder skilled birth attendance. Establishment of maternity waiting homes (MWH) is part of a strategy to improve access to skilled care by bringing pregnant women physically close to health facilities. This study assessed barriers to MWHs in Arba Minch Zuria District, Southern Ethiopia. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was undertaken from February 01 to 28, 2019. Study participants were selected by computer-generated random numbers from a list of women who gave birth from 2017 to 2018 in Arba Minch Health and Demographic Surveillance System site. Data were collected using a pre-tested and interviewer-administered questionnaire. Stata software version-15 was used for data management and analysis, and variables with p-values <= 0.2 in bivariate analysis were considered for multivariable logistic regression analysis. Level of statistical significance was declared at a p-value < 0.05. Qualitative data were analyzed manually based on thematic areas. Results MWH utilization was found to be 8.4%. Wealth index (lowest wealth quintile aOR 7.3; 95% CI 1.2, 42), decisions made jointly with male partners (husbands) for obstetric emergencies (aOR 3.6; 95% CI 1.0, 12), birth preparedness plan practice (aOR 6.5; 95% CI 2.3, 18.2), complications in previous childbirth (aOR 3; 95% 1.0, 9), history of previous institutional childbirth (aOR 12; 95% CI 3.8, 40), residence in areas within two hours walking distance to the nearest health facility (aOR 3.3; 95% CI: 1.4, 7.7), and ease of access to transport in obstetric emergencies (aOR 8.8; 95% CI: 3.9, 19) were factors that showed significant associations with MWH utilization. Conclusions A low proportion of women has ever used MWHs in the study area. To increase MWH utilization, promoting birth preparedness practices, incorporating MWH as part of a personalized birth plan, improving access to health institutions for women living far away and upgrading existing MWHs are highly recommended.".
• 01GQYACGPWSX9R1N26KRGTDJ0A abstract "The etiology of stuttering is determined by a complex interaction of predisposing, precipitating, and persisting factors. Analogous, therapeutic intervention should be aimed at all of these elements. A cognitive behavioral approach offers a valid methodological framework for addressing overt stuttering behaviors, cognitive, and emotional processes. During this workshop we will present an overall cognitive behavioral framework, allowing the audience to gain in depth insight in why and how certain intervention strategies work, we will focus on the different intervention procedures, including how they should be selected to provide the client with an individually tailored treatment approach.".
• 01GQYCZX3Y5EMJQQ3TMQ9S82FY abstract "Tempérament est défini comme des différences individuelles déterminées génétiquement dans la réactivité et l'autorégulation (Rothbart, Ahadi, Hershey et Fisher, 2001). Au cours des dernières années, différentes publications ont mis l'accent sur son rôle de prédisposition ou de précipitation dans le bégaiement (e.g., Anderson, Pellowski, Conture, & Kelly, 2003; Jones, Choi, Conture, & Walden, 2014; Eggers, 2012, 2013; Eggers, De Nil, & Van Den Bergh, 2010, 2013). Des différences ont été constatées entre les enfants qui bégaient et les enfants qui ne bégaient pas. De plus, le tempérament de l'enfant (e.g., l’inhibition et la tolérance à la frustration) et la qualité de l'ajustement (la compatibilité entre les exigences environnementales et le tempérament de l'enfant) peut jouer un rôle clé dans le traitement du bégaiement. Cette conférence se concentrera sur a) un aperçu du concept de tempérament et récentes découvertes chez les enfants qui bégaient, b) les différentes façons de l’inclure dans le bilan diagnostic, et c) illustrations pratiques et thérapeutique pertinentes.".
• 01GQYGBD2F98RHP90PWM4FTWHP abstract "Background: Exposures to environmental contaminants in the food supply, especially mycotoxins may be linked to micronutrient deficiencies through their potential role in inducing inflammation and altering absorption. Children in Burkina Faso are chronically exposed to mycotoxins in the food chain. We aim at investigating the relationship between serum concentrations in Aflatoxins AFB1 and AFB2 and vitamin A (VA) status in Burkinabe children aged 36-59 mo. Methods: Two cohort surveys were conducted in western Burkina Faso on a total sample of 115 children aged 36-59 mo during the dry and the rainy seasons. Blood samples were collected to assess VA status (serum retinol concentrations using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography; total liver reserve [TLR] and total body stores [TBS] using the 13C-retinol isotope dilution method), inflammation indicators (alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, AGP and C-reactive protein, CRP) and AFB1 and AFB2 by Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the association of VA status with potential predictors such as aflatoxins, and demographic, anthropometric, dietary variables in STATA. Results: Mean serum retinol was 0.83±0.25 µmol/l. Median TLR and TBS was 0.75 mol/g liver (IQ25-IQ75: 0.52 - 1.08) and 430 mol (289.9 - 620.6), respectively. 28% had TLR >1.0 mol/g liver and none had VA deficiency. TLR was significantly associated with baseline weight-for-height z-score and serum β-carotene (p<0.05), while TBS was significantly associated with AGP. Neither AFB1 nor AFB2 was associated with VA status. Conclusion: No association was found between exposure to mycotoxins and VA status in children with no VA deficiency.".
• 01GQYGN2VMYM89BY0F6C5528EW abstract "Intervention in young children, but also in other age groups, ideally adheres to a broad-spectrum approach, in which all the components of the stuttering problem are addressed in a structured, methodological and evidence-based manner, and in which the unique clinical needs of clients and in a broader perspective, also their environments are being considered. In this age group, the chances on spontaneous recovery are reasonably high; making also the factors related to this recovery important beacons in clinical decision-making. During this workshop we will focus on these underlying principles of early intervention. Participants will gain insights in a) recent models of stuttering etiology and clinical implications, b) how to use recent insights in spontaneous recovery clinically, c) tailoring treatment to the individual needs of clients, d) the role of parents and the broader environment in treatment.".
• 01GQYGX36YEGGVS8Z8VBMZQQW2 abstract "The European Clinical Specialization Fluency (ECSF) consortium has been running specialization courses for qualified SLTs since 2008 with an annual intake of around 20 students. Currently more then 100 students from 23 EU and non-EU countries have graduated from the program. Members of this consortium are specialist therapists, researchers and lecturers working in the area of fluency disorders, drawn from 13 universities and colleges in 9 EU countries, along with two associate partners from Centers of Excellence for working the people with fluency disorders. The curriculum was developed to be compatible with the workload of an SLT and is therefore based on the principles of blended learning: a blend of face-to-face lecturing and open, flexible distance and e-forms of (computer-based) learning. The program (25 EU credits) is a well-designed combination of lectures, clinical practice and home assignments. Lectures are provided during two face-to-face intensive weeks across Europe scheduled during the academic year. These modules are combined with follow up ECSF coaching sessions and external mentoring sessions. Online self-assessment, preparatory reading and several assignments, both individual and group form an integral part of the course. Evaluation is based on permanent evaluation, portfolio, and specific evaluation moments. During this presentation we will a) elaborate the different criteria that guided the consortium in their decision making process in order to create an ideal learning curve and optimal learning environment for participants, b) discuss the both the feedback of students and lecturers, and c) discuss possible pitfalls.".
• 01GQZJRY3RJTZBFYHBF5MZ3NW0 abstract "Soft porous crystals, which are responsive to external stimuli such as temperature, pressure, or gas adsorption, are being extensively investigated for various technological applications. However, while substantial research has been devoted to stimuli-responsive metal-organic frameworks, structural flexibility in 3D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) remains ill understood, and is almost exclusively found in COFs exhibiting the diamondoid (dia) topology. Herein, we systemically investigate how the structural decoration of these 3D dia COFs & mdash;their specific building blocks and degree of interpenetration & mdash;as well as external triggers such as temperature and guest adsorption may promote or suppress their phase transformations, as captured by a collection of 2D free energy landscapes. Together, these provide a comprehensive understanding of the necessary conditions to design flexible diamondoid COFs. This study reveals how their flexibility originates from the balance between steric hindrance and dispersive interactions of the structural decoration, thereby providing insight into how new flexible 3D COFs can be designed.".
• 01GR0TQBM1XHYTPSVNDWTT5QSJ abstract "Background: Iron is an essential nutrient for the development and functioning of the brain. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to review the evidence from published randomized clinical trials to evaluate the effects of preventive iron supplementation on cognitive development and function among school age children. Method: PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane library were used to search for published articles. Included studies were randomized controlled trials evaluating effect of iron supplementation on cognition in school age children 6 – 12 years of age. Endnote, DistillerSR and Review Manager Software were used to identify duplicates, screening and data extraction, and data analysis. The outcome measurements were based on one of the cognitive domains: intelligence, memory, attention, concentration, or academic achievement. Result: A total of 6,599 records were identified using the five databases. Thirteen articles were included in this systematic review. From eleven studies that were included, five studies showed that iron supplementation increased significantly the intelligence of the children. Additionally, iron supplementation increased significantly the memory, and attention and concentration of children in four out of five studies that evaluated these domains. Iron supplementation significantly improved the school performance of children in only two studies (out of six studies). Overall, iron supplementation had significant effect on intelligence (standardized mean difference (SMD) 0.46, 95% confidence interval (95%CI): 0.19, 0.73), attention and concentration (SMD 0.45, 95%CI: 0.09, 0.80), and memory (SMD 0.45, 95%CI: 0.04, 0.69) of school children. However, iron supplementation did not have a significant effect on school achievement of the children (SMD 0.06, 95%CI: -0.15, 0.26). Conclusion: Iron supplementation improved intelligence, attention and concentration, and memory of school age children but did not affect school achievement. The systematic review and meta-analysis showed overall that iron supplementation remains an effective intervention that can affect the cognition of school-age children. Key words: Cognition, Iron deficiency, Iron supplementation, Randomized controlled trials, School-age children".
• 01GR0VXNXYPKQEW6TF2MD1M2D7 abstract "ObjectivesAscertain the radiographic prevalence and variation in characteristics of juvenile osteochondral conditions (JOC) in the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) of Australian Thoroughbred racehorse yearlings. Establish whether there are any significant associations with public auction sale results and racing performance. MethodsRetrospective evaluation of 1,098 yearling repository radiograph sets. Comparison of sales results and whole career racing performance of the case group with two control groups: maternal siblings (N = 397) and yearlings without PIP JOC (N = 391). Results6.3% of yearlings had at least one PIPJ JOC lesion with 4.8% having subchondral lucencies of the proximal phalanx (P1SC), 0.6% with subchondral lucencies of the middle phalanx (P2SC) and 0.8% with osteochondral fragmentation (OCF). P1SC were more prevalent in forelimbs and P2SC and OCF were more commonly located in the hindlimbs. 51% of PIPJ JOC were not identified on a lateromedial projection (LM). A significantly lower proportion of horses with OCF were successfully sold at public auction (p <= 0.05) but there was no significant difference in sales price between the case group and controls. A lower proportion of horses with PIPJ JOC made it to the racetrack to race, although this was not statistically significant. There was no significant difference in racing performance between the case group and controls, although there was a trend toward case horses earning lower career prize money and lower prize money per race (p <= 0.1). Lesions located in a dorsal or palmar/plantar location on the LM projection earned a lower average prize money per race (p <= 0.05) than those in a central location, and showed a trend toward earning lower total prize money (p <= 0.1) and number of places (p <= 0.1). There was no significant difference in performance for horses with lesions at the medial, axial or lateral aspects of the articular surface. Clinical importanceOverall, the findings of this study indicate that the presence of PIPJ JOC in radiographs of Thoroughbred yearlings should be attributed a low to moderate risk to future racing performance, however certain lesion characteristics may be associated with decreased performance.".
• 01GR0W84TC5AQV489HBG4RAPS3 abstract "An 18-year-old female Fjord horse presented with a history of recent progressive dysphagia, coughing and increased respiratory effort during exercise, which had not improved with administration of systemic antimicrobials. Upper airway endoscopy, radiography and computed tomography showed a soft tissue mass at the dorsal aspect of the larynx in the region of the proximal cervical oesophagus. Humane euthanasia was opted for and post-mortem, histological and immunohistochemical examination provided a definitive diagnosis of leiomyoma of the proximal oesophagus. Neoplasia, and more specifically a smooth muscle neoplasm, of the proximal cervical oesophagus has not previously been reported in horses.".
• 01GR0XF7TAJH8AYBP1MW7BAWHV abstract "Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), is a serious public health problem. Current treatment is restricted to two drugs, benznidazole and nifurtimox, displaying serious efficacy and safety drawbacks. Nucleoside analogues represent a promising alternative as protozoans do not biosynthesize purines and rely on purine salvage from the hosts. Protozoan transporters often present different substrate specificities from mammalian transporters, justifying the exploration of nucleoside analogues as therapeutic agents. Previous reports identified nucleosides with potent trypanocidal activity; therefore, two 7-derivatized tubercidins (FH11706, FH10714) and a 3 '-deoxytubercidin (FH8513) were assayed against T. cruzi. They were highly potent and selective, and the uptake of the tubercidin analogues appeared to be mediated by the nucleoside transporter TcrNT2. At 10 mu M, the analogues reduced parasitemia >90% in 2D and 3D cardiac cultures. The washout assays showed that FH10714 sterilized the infected cultures. Given orally, the compounds did not induce noticeable mouse toxicity (50 mg/kg), suppressed the parasitemia of T. cruzi-infected Swiss mice (25 mg/kg, 5 days) and presented DNA amplification below the limit of detection. These findings justify further studies with longer treatment regimens, as well as evaluations in combination with nitro drugs, aiming to identify more effective and safer therapies for Chagas disease.".
• 01GR0XTA2X71NX00W0P23A499F abstract "T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) is a rare and aggressive lymphatic cancer, often diagnosed at a young age. Patients are treated with intensive chemotherapy, potentially followed by a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Although prognosis of T-LBL has improved with intensified treatment protocols, they are associated with side effects and 10–20% of patients still die from relapsed or refractory disease. Given this, the search toward less toxic anti-lymphoma therapies is ongoing. Here, we targeted the recently described DNA hypermethylated profile in T-LBL with the DNA hypomethylating agent decitabine. We evaluated the anti-lymphoma properties and downstream effects of decitabine, using patient derived xenograft (PDX) models. Decitabine treatment resulted in prolonged lymphoma-free survival in all T-LBL PDX models, which was associated with downregulation of the oncogenic MYC pathway. However, some PDX models showed more benefit of decitabine treatment compared to others. In more sensitive models, differentially methylated CpG regions resulted in more differentially expressed genes in open chromatin regions. This resulted in stronger downregulation of cell cycle genes and upregulation of immune response activating transcripts. Finally, we suggest a gene signature for high decitabine sensitivity in T-LBL. Altogether, we here delivered pre-clinical proof of the potential use of decitabine as a new therapeutic agent in T-LBL.".
• 01GR0ZJRSRTEGJXNWWP1X7GSYS abstract "Silicon photonics (SiPh) is a disruptive technology in the field of integrated photonics and has experienced rapid development over the past two decades. Various high-performance Si and Ge/Si-based components have been developed on this platform that allow for complex photonic integrated circuits (PICs) with small footprint. These PICs have found use in a wide range of applications. Nevertheless, some non-native functions are still desired, despite the versatility of Si, to improve the overall performance of Si PICs and at the same time cut the cost of the eventual Si photonic system-on-chip. Heterogeneous integration is verified as an effective solution to address this issue, e.g. through die-wafer-bonding and flip-chip. In this paper, we discuss another technology, micro-transfer printing, for the integration of non-native material films/opto-electronic components on SiPh-based platforms. This technology allows for efficient use of non-native materials and enables the (co-)integration of a wide range of materials/devices on wafer scale in a massively parallel way. In this paper we review some of the recent developments in the integration of non-native optical functions on Si photonic platforms using micro-transfer printing.".
• 01GR10XW01V3T6XQ7JYVZJFAE3 abstract "Recent advances in electrical machines and energy storage technologies make electric vehicles (EVs) feasible replacements to conventional internal combustion engines. One of the main challenges of high speed electrical machines is providing maximum output power with minimum energy losses, weight, and volume. At high frequency operation, the conductors of AC electrical machines can suffer from skin and proximity effects. This results in high AC losses in the machine windings and can eventually lead to machine failure. In this paper, a novel design for a semi-stranded coil is proposed to limit these undesirable effects. Enabled by additive manufacturing (AM) technology, this sophisticated design is 3D printed using ultralight aluminum alloy. Finally, the AC performance of this coil is measured and compared with conventional single-strand copper coil at different frequency levels. It is found that the proposed design can effectively limit the eddy current losses in the high frequency domain.".
• 01GR12X4YKSPTRMY38RG2TBJAR abstract "Axons in the brain and peripheral nervous system are enveloped by myelin sheaths, which are composed of stacked membrane bilayers containing large fractions of cholesterol, phospholipids, and glycolipids. The oxygen availability to the nearby oxygen consuming cytochrome c oxidase in the mitochondria is essential for the well-functioning of a cell. By constructing a rate network model based on molecular dynamics simulations, and solving it for steady-state conditions, this work calculates the oxygen storage in stacked membranes under an oxygen gradient. It is found that stacking membranes increases the oxygen storage capacity, indicating that myelin can function as an oxygen reservoir. However, it is found that the storage enhancement levels out for stacks with a large number of bilayers, suggesting why myelin sheaths consist of only 10–300 membranes rather than thousands. The presence of additional water between the stacked bilayers, as seen in cancer cells, is shown to diminish myelin oxygen storage enhancement.".
• 01GR1322RC53GY3TAR351ZN4BP abstract "Recent waves of COVID-19 correlate with the emergence of the Delta and the Omicron variant. We report that the Spike trimer acts as a highly dynamic molecular caliper, thereby forming up to three tight bonds through its RBDs with ACE2 expressed on the cell surface. The Spike of both Delta and Omicron (B.1.1.529) Variant enhance and markedly prolong viral attachment to the host cell receptor ACE2, as opposed to the early Wuhan-1 isolate. Delta Spike shows rapid binding of all three Spike RBDs to three different ACE2 molecules with considerably increased bond lifetime when compared to the reference strain, thereby significantly amplifying avidity. Intriguingly, Omicron (B.1.1.529) Spike displays less multivalent bindings to ACE2 molecules, yet with a ten time longer bond lifetime than Delta. Delta and Omicron (B.1.1.529) Spike variants enhance and prolong viral attachment to the host, which likely not only increases the rate of viral uptake, but also enhances the resistance of the variants against host-cell detachment by shear forces such as airflow, mucus or blood flow. We uncover distinct binding mechanisms and strategies at single-molecule resolution, employed by circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants to enhance infectivity and viral transmission.".
• 01GR13NAEAYXX7GG5CCYEZH08D abstract "The cloud native paradigm is emerging as a pathway to developing applications for intrinsic operation on the cloud. This prompted application modularity, leveraging the adoption of the microservices architecture. Meanwhile, fog computing is emerging as a geo-dispersed cloud, bringing services closer to the end-user for localization and improved responsiveness. Transitioning to fog-native applications, i.e. managing microservice workflows over the fog, is a non-trivial challenge. On one hand, engineering workflows require awareness of the dependencies across microservices, as they impact the perceived quality of service. On the other hand, the heterogeneity of capacities, energy prices and supply, introduce challenges that can negate the sought advantages of the fog. This work proposes a novel algorithm based on Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers for intent-based workflow mapping and admission, iADMM. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated analytically and experimentally and compared to a baseline compute-network cost minimization alternative. Evaluation results show that iADMM achieves near optimal decisions in minimizing operational costs without violating workflow intents.".
• 01GR13PS8FZMJFPSNE6CA9T1S9 abstract "There is a trend towards extended periods of lay in the laying hen industry. Extended cycles without a moulting stage gives the opportunity to obtain more eggs from a single hen. However, appropriate management and care for older laying hens is needed. In this trial we assessed the prevalence of conditions in old laying hens with a focus on neoplastic diseases. In total 150 ISA Brown and 150 Dekalb white laying hens were selected at 86 weeks of age. Of each hen line, 75 hens were necropsied at 86 weeks of age; the other half were monitored for 44 weeks after which they were necropsied. At week 86, 15.3% of the hens suffered from a neoplasm, ISA Brown being the most affected. During the follow up period, 50 birds died because of a natural cause of which 20 hens showed signs of a neoplasms. At the end of the follow up period, 43% of the hens were affected by a neoplasm. Adenocarcinoma was the most prevalent neoplasm and equally distributed among both hen lines. Leiomyomas were most frequently observed in ISA brown hens. Among causes of death, 19.05% of ISA brown and 20.69% of Dekalb White was attributed to a neoplasm. Furthermore, link with ovarian activity and other pathologies were made with significant correlations between adenocarcinomas and inactive ovaries. In conclusion, this study shows that the prevalence of adenocarcinoma and leiomyoma is a factor to be considered in longer laying cycles with 1/5th of the mortality caused by these processes.".
• 01GR14095FJ4SD4PCXAK5TXAJT abstract "This article examines how the discursive tensions inherent to processes of categorisation play out in the credibility assessment of lesbian applications for international protection in Belgium. While most research has studied LGBTI applicants as an umbrella category, this article deals with lesbian applicants and the way in which their performance of sexual orientation is measured against normative categories and expectations of the asylum procedure. The article draws on an extended corpus of written judgments published by the Belgian Council for Alien Law Litigation. Using tools and concepts from institutional discourse studies, the analysis reveals how the asylum system is premised on normative and essentialising expectations of what kind of experience qualifies as ‘authentic’ lesbian experience, but also of how this experience ought to be expressed in order to be credible. It is concluded that a more intersectional approach to credibility assessment of asylum applications could mitigate essentialist categorisations and better respond to the individual needs and vulnerabilities of lesbian applicants.".
• 01GR14E08KYGMHDN0T169AQ2YG abstract "The effectiveness of sol-gel based treatments for the protection of concrete depends on their capacity to penetrate into the material pores. Optimization of sol formulation to achieve maximum penetration depth is not a straightforward process, as the influence of different physical properties of the sol varies with the pore size distribution of each concrete. Thus, a comprehensive experimental programme to evaluate this large number of materials would require a significant number of experiments. This manuscript describes an approach, using combined computational and experimental approach to design tailor-made impregnation products with opti-mized penetration depth on concrete or cementitious materials with different pore size distributions. First, a process-based numerical model, calibrated experimentally for one sol composition and several cementitious material samples with different pore structures is developed. The model calculates the penetration depth for a specific pore structure. The optimization process utilizes the probabilistic and non-parametric Gaussian Processes regression method Gaussian Processes at two steps; first to make the choice of the optimal experimental design, and second to make predictions of physical properties based on the obtained training points. In the final step, the penetration depth is calculated for each mix combination in defined parameter range. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated on three cases. In the first instance, we optimized the impregnation product for the maximum penetration depth without any restrictions. With another two cases, we impose the restrictions on the gelation time, i.e. the time in which the sol reacts to gel. The validation of the procedure has been made by the use of a blind validation and shows promising results. The impregnation product penetrated significantly deeper with a product selected by using the described procedure compared to the considered best product before this optimization. The proposed procedure can be applied to a wide range of cementitious materials based on their pore size distribution data. This offers significant advantage compared to purely experimental approaches, where a set of experiments is required for each considered material.".
• 01GR14SFVWGN8ER3T474WPN9FF abstract "Introduction Improving complementary feeding in Ethiopia requires special focus on dietary diversity. The Sustainable Undernutrition Reduction in Ethiopia (SURE) programme is a government-led multisectoral intervention that aims to integrate the work of the health and agriculture sectors to deliver a complex multicomponent intervention to improve child feeding and reduce stunting. The Federal Ministries of Health and Agriculture and Natural Resources implement the intervention. The evaluation aims to assess a range of processes, outcomes and impacts. Methods and analysis The SURE evaluation study is a theory-based, mixed methods study comprising impact and process evaluations. We hypothesise that the package of SURE interventions, including integrated health and agriculture behaviour change communication for nutrition, systems strengthening and multisectoral coordination, will result in detectable differences in minimum acceptable diet in children 6-23 months and stunting in children 24-47 months between intervention and comparison groups. Repeated cross-sectional household surveys will be conducted at baseline and endline to assess impact. The process will be assessed using observations, key informant interviews and focus group discussions to investigate the fidelity and dose of programme implementation, behavioural pathways of impact and contextual factors interacting with the intervention. Pathways of impact will also be explored through statistical analyses. Ethics and dissemination The study has received ethics approval from the scientific and ethical review committees at the Ethiopian Public Health Institute and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The findings will be disseminated collaboratively with stakeholders at specified time points and through peer-reviewed publications and presentations.".
• 01GR150EE269CQXAX6P4RYDRJA abstract "In this work, a two-step procedure to predict maximum (worst-case scenario) and minimum (best-case scenario) noise levels induced by bulk current injection (BCI) at the terminal sections of a wiring harness is presented. To this end, common mode (CM) and differential mode (DM) quantities are introduced by a suitable modal transformation, and equivalent modal circuits are derived, where CM (dominant mode) into DM (secondary mode) conversion is modelled by induced sources included into the DM circuit. The procedure initially foresees the solution of the CM circuit to provide input data for subsequent solution of the DM circuit. Such a two-step approach is then used to develop a probabilistic-possibilistic framework for computationally-efficient estimation of lower and upper boundaries to the variability of the noise voltages induced at the bundle terminations. To this end, random uncertainty affecting certain setup parameters is addressed through probability theory, whereas epistemic uncertainty is represented via possibility theory. Accuracy and computational efficiency of the proposed two-step method are assessed by examples involving seven and nineteen wire harnesses.".
• 01GR15238M7C0Y26VKD3Z1G3JR abstract "Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) affect millions of people in developing countries mainly due to dietary iodine deficiency and aggravating factors that affect the bioavailability of iodine in the body. Iodine deficiency disorder is one of the public health problems of Ethiopia. Recent findings show that both endemic and non- endemic areas have high goiter rates. Burie and Womberma districts are two of the endemic goiter areas in the country. The etiology of goiter in these areas is not fully studied so far. The objective of this cross-sectional community based study was to assess the magnitude and causes of goiter. The study was conducted in July 2010. The sample size was determined by assuming 50% prevalence of total goiter rate, 5% error, 95% confidence interval, design effect of 1(random) and 5% of non-response rate. A two-stagerandom sampling (sub-district and village) was used to select children aged 6-12 years and their biological mothers from10 randomly selected villages in each of the districts. Overall, 403 households participated in the study. The assessment was conducted using palpation of thyroid size, urinary iodine level determination, household level interview and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The study revealed a total goiter prevalence rate of 54% and 30.1% in children and their biological mothers, respectively. More than 64% of the children were severely iodine deficient. The major cause for goiter as revealed by urinary iodine level and concentration of iodized salt is dietary iodine deficiency. There are no goitrogenic foods such as cassava; however, goitrogenic chemicals such as Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) were widely used. The study areas are known for surplus produce of cereals, legumes and chilli. In order to reverse the problem, immediate and sustainable distribution of iodated salt/oil capsule, prohibition of direct application of pesticides on foods and awareness creation on adverse effects of IDD and benefits of iodine nutrition is highly recommended.".
• 01GR164SDZ3HQRQX446DZ076K8 abstract "Optical imaging devices such as the Video Plankton Recorder (VPR) harness unique capabilities to perform in situ observations and observe planktonic organisms in their natural environmental context. However, applying this technology in shallow and turbid coastal waters comes with a number of challenges. Depending on the research goal, methodological choices need to be made regarding the appropriate towing procedure and instrument settings, like magnification or field of view. In addition, limitations can be expected related to the physical characteristics of the water column, more specifically regarding suspended matter concentration and turbidity. To inform VPR users on the possibilities and limitations of the device in shallow and turbid coastal waters, this paper evaluates a number of specific deployment procedures in the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS). For three different towing procedures the practical feasibility, characteristics and output are assessed and the assets and liabilities for each of the tow types are discussed. A Z-shaped and a clover-shaped tow type are seen as best fit for detailed characterization of the plankton community of a limited geographical area. A straight tow type is more suitable for plankton studies over a larger area, with the potential to capture local plankton abundance peaks and to determine the relation with the spatial variation of the environmental conditions. The capacity of the various VPR magnification settings to capture specific plankton taxa or size groups, was tested during four straight line transects with different magnifications. The highest magnification can be used for organisms from 0.3 to 0.7 mm while the low magnification allows to observe larger organisms within the size range of 1.0 to 3.8 mm. Finally, the boundary conditions for the deployment of the VPR related to the turbidity of the water column were defined and the implications for deployment within the study area were investigated. This study shows that high turbidity values over 6.2 NTU inhibit the collection of useable data, complicating the VPR's application in many coastal and transitional waters.".
• 01GR16EZ6NJBDX1ERRN01JX9GE abstract "Offshore wind farms (OWFs) and their associated cables, foundations and scour protection are often constructed in soft -sediment environments. This introduction of hard substrate has been shown to have similar effects as artificial reefs by providing food resources and offering increased habitat complexity, thereby aggregating fish around the turbines and foundations. However, as most studies have focused their efforts on fish species that are typically associated with reef structures, knowledge on how soft sediment species are affected by OWFs is still largely lacking. In this study, we analysed the trophic ecology and condition of plaice, a flatfish species of commercial interest, in relation to a Belgian OWF. The combination of a stomach and intestine content analysis with the use of biomarkers (i.e. fatty acids and stable isotopes) identified a clear shift in diet with increased occurrences of typical hard-substrate prey species for fish in the vicinity of the foundations and this both on the short and the long term. Despite some condition indices suggesting that the hard substrate provides increased food availability, no clear increases of overall plaice condition or fecundity were found. Samples from within the wind farm, however, contained larger fish and had a higher abundance of females compared to control areas, potentially indicating a refuge effect caused by the cessation of fisheries activities within the OWF. These results suggest that soft-sediment species can potentially benefit from the presence of an OWF, which could lead to fish production. However, more research is still needed to further elucidate the behavioral ecology of plaice within OWFs to make inferences on how they can impact fish populations on a larger spatial scale.".
• 01GR17ZCND09RGRS945MPX75DC abstract "The current work presents a testing machine built from off-the-shelf components to test for conductive yarns’ (or textiles’) durability to repeated bending that can occur during general wear-and-tear or domestic washing procedures. The testing method is explained with an example and results, comparing two different conductive yarns weaved into polyester-based narrow fabric.".
• 01GR18QX1VM3M5T33SVBSN44B1 abstract "Pine wilt disease (PWD), caused by the parasitic nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, or pinewood nematode (PWN), is a serious threat to pine forests in Europe. Pinus pinaster is highly susceptible to the disease and it is currently the most affected European pine species. In this work, we investigated the role of small RNAs (sRNAs) in regulating P. pinaster-PWN interaction in an early stage of infection. After performing an artificial PWN inoculation assay, we have identified 105 plant microRNAs (miRNAs) responsive to PWN. Based on their predicted targets, part of these miRNAs was associated with roles in jasmonate-response pathway, ROS detoxification, and terpenoid biosynthesis. Furthermore, by comparing resistant and susceptible plants, eight miRNAs with putative functions in plant defence and resistance to PWN have been identified. Finally, we explored the possibility of bidirectional trans-kingdom RNA silencing, identifying several P. pinaster genes putatively targeted by PWN miRNAs, which was supported by degradome analysis. Targets for P. pinaster miRNAs were also predicted in PWN, suggesting a role for trans-kingdom miRNA transfer and gene silencing both in PWN parasitism as in P. pinaster resistance to PWD. Our results provide new insights into previously unexplored roles of sRNA post-transcriptional regulation in P. pinaster response and resistance to PWN.".
• 01GR1AVQ7TF09WB1GQ98803RKK abstract "The COVID-19 pandemic (and its aftermath) highlights a critical need to communicate health information effectively to the global public. Given that subtle differences in information framing can have meaningful effects on behavior, behavioral science research highlights a pressing question: Is it more effective to frame COVID-19 health messages in terms of potential losses (e.g., “If you do not practice these steps, you can endanger yourself and others”) or potential gains (e.g., “If you practice these steps, you can protect yourself and others”)? Collecting data in 48 languages from 15,929 participants in 84 countries, we experimentally tested the effects of message framing on COVID-19-related judgments, intentions, and feelings. Loss- (vs. gain-) framed messages increased self-reported anxiety among participants cross-nationally with little-to-no impact on policy attitudes, behavioral intentions, or information seeking relevant to pandemic risks. These results were consistent across 84 countries, three variations of the message framing wording, and 560 data processing and analytic choices. Thus, results provide an empirical answer to a global communication question and highlight the emotional toll of loss-framed messages. Critically, this work demonstrates the importance of considering unintended affective consequences when evaluating nudge-style interventions.".
• 01GR1BA3W2KVB75MHFSQEAPNZV abstract "In reservoir computing, semiconductor lasers with delayed feedback can efficiently solve difficult and time-consuming problems. The input data is optically injected into the laser. We show numerically that far better performance is observed using phase modulation of the injected field rather than intensity modulation.".
• 01GR1BHYFARW79QWBP6NH8K789 abstract "Even though deep neural networks (DNNs) achieve state-of-the-art results for a number of problems involving genomic data, getting DNNs to explain their decision-making process has been a major challenge due to their black-box nature. One way to get DNNs to explain their reasoning for prediction is via attribution methods which are assumed to highlight the parts of the input that contribute to the prediction the most. Given the existence of numerous attribution methods and a lack of quantitative results on the fidelity of those methods, selection of an attribution method for sequence-based tasks has been mostly done qualitatively. In this work, we take a step towards identifying the most faithful attribution method by proposing a computational approach that utilizes point mutations. Providing quantitative results on seven popular attribution methods, we find Layerwise Relevance Propagation (LRP) to be the most appropriate one for translation initiation, with LRP identifying two important biological features for translation: the integrity of Kozak sequence as well as the detrimental effects of premature stop codons.".
• 01GR1BNM2WDWR9GKXQ0XBGY7ZZ abstract "Pre-stimulus electroencephalogram (EEG) oscillations, especially in the alpha range (8-13 Hz), can affect the sensitivity to temporal lags between modalities in multisensory perception. The effects of alpha power are often explained in terms of alpha's inhibitory functions, whereas effects of alpha frequency have bolstered theories of discrete perceptual cycles, where the length of a cycle, or window of integration, is determined by alpha frequency. Such studies typically employ visual detection paradigms with near-threshold or even illusory stimuli. It is unclear whether such results generalize to above-threshold stimuli. Here, we recorded EEG, while measuring temporal discrimination sensitivity in a temporal-order judgement task using above-threshold auditory and visual stimuli. We tested whether the power and instantaneous frequency of pre-stimulus oscillations predict audiovisual temporal discrimination sensitivity on a trial-by-trial basis. By applying a jackknife procedure to link single-trial pre-stimulus oscillatory power and instantaneous frequency to psychometric measures, we identified a posterior cluster where lower alpha power was associated with higher temporal sensitivity of audiovisual discrimination. No statistically significant relationship between instantaneous alpha frequency and temporal sensitivity was found. These results suggest that temporal sensitivity for above-threshold multisensory stimuli fluctuates from moment to moment and is indexed by modulations in alpha power.".
• 01GR1BXAA21JNQ5FS8EPVY8SQX abstract "In-depth understanding of metabolite-mediated plant-nematode interactions can guide us towards novel nematode management strategies. To improve our understanding of the effects of secondary metabolites on soil nematode communities, we grew Arabidopsis thaliana genetically altered in glucosinolate, camalexin, or flavonoid synthesis pathways, and analyzed their root-associated nematode communities using metabarcoding. To test for any modulating effects of the associated microbiota on the nematode responses, we characterized the bacterial and fungal communities. Finally, as a proxy of microbiome-modulating effects on nematode invasion, we isolated the root-associated microbiomes from the mutants and tested their effect on the ability of the plant parasitic nematode Meloidogyne incognita to penetrate tomato roots. Most mutants had altered relative abundances of several nematode taxa with stronger effects on the plant parasitic Meloidogyne hapla than on other root feeding taxa. This probably reflects that M. hapla invades and remains embedded within root tissues and is thus intimately associated with the host. When transferred to tomato, microbiomes from the flavonoid over-producing pap1-D enhanced M. incognita root-invasion, whereas microbiomes from flavonoid-deficient mutants reduced invasion. This suggests microbiome-mediated effect of flavonoids on Meloidogyne infectivity plausibly mediated by the alteration of the abundances of specific microbial taxa in the transferred microbiomes, although we could not conclusively pinpoint such causative microbial taxa.".

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