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• 01GK1DVQTX2WNPNDT7P6V41TMR abstract "Protein complex formation and dynamic post-translational modifications are notoriously difficult to monitor at cellular resolution. Here, we developed a versatile modular toolbox of fluorescently labelled, artificial homo-oligomerizing peptide-tags (HOTag) that install interaction-dependent liquid-liquid phase-separation upon interaction between two proteins of interest. We deployed our novel toolbox for the in planta visualization of inducible, binary and ternary protein-protein interactions (PPIs), as well as specific phosphorylation, showing its great potential to become a robust standard technique to study PPIs and phosphorylation in plants. ".
• 01GK1DW92Z79VFPM3CCFMBCP7N abstract "Background: Because of the high prevalence of suicide, health-care professions students need training in recognition of clients' suicidal thoughts, assessment of suicide risk, and specific narrative techniques. This study explores health-care professions students' perceptions of and feedback on a simulation module on suicidal behavior. Methods: Thematic analysis was conducted on feedback from group interviews with participants. Results: Students valued the reassuring effect of a best practice video. The sense of reality in the simulation scenarios was highly appreciated. Although being filmed was stressful for some students, reviewing and discussing key moments in the recordings appeared a major advantage. Debriefing was essential to discuss and emotionally discharge the experiences of role players and observers. Conclusions: Simulation training for caregivers on suicidal behavior can be designed and evaluated on other mental health topics as well.".
• 01GK1E739AEC51R8M6YTXY3SZD abstract "Protein activities depend heavily on protein complex formation and dynamic post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation. Their dynamic nature is notoriously difficult to monitor in planta at cellular resolution, often requiring extensive optimization and high-end microscopy. Here, we generated and exploited the SYnthetic Multivalency in PLants (SYMPL)-vector set to study protein-protein interactions (PPIs) and kinase activities in planta based on phase separation. This technology enabled easy detection of inducible, binary and ternary protein-protein interactions among cytoplasmic, nuclear and plasma membrane proteins in plant cells via a robust image-based readout. Moreover, we applied the SYMPL toolbox to develop an in vivo reporter for SnRK1 kinase activity, allowing us to visualize tissue-specific, dynamic SnRK1 activation upon energy deprivation in stable transgenic Arabidopsis plants. The applications of the SYMPL cloning toolbox lay the foundation for the exploration of PPIs, phosphorylation and other post-translational modifications with unprecedented ease and sensitivity.".
• 01GK1EGSPEZJS4DZJ0RS65E8QV abstract "Plants take up the nitrogen necessary for their growth mainly in the form of nitrate. To cope with spatio-temporal fluctuations in NO3- availability in soils, these organisms have developed adaptation mechanisms specific to each situation. Plant N response involves several signaling pathways that depend on the N variation scenarios of the medium. Two major signaling pathways are studied in this thesis. The Primary Nitrate Response (or PNR) which corresponds to the rapid (within minutes) and nitrate-specific responses of the plant when provided with Nitrate. The Nitrogen Starvation response (or NSR) which corresponds to the slower response (within days) which makes it possible to overcome the lack of N in the medium. Although some molecular actors are known in each of the pathways (PNR and NSR); i) the NSR is significantly less well documented than the PNR, ii) nothing is known about the coordination of the 2 signaling pathways. During my thesis I was able to demonstrate that a subgroup of the GARP transcription factor family induced during PNR is directly involved in the regulation of NSR (repression of transport genes with a very high nitrate affinity). This provides both new NSR regulators and a coordination mechanism between the 2 signaling pathways. The phenotypes recorded for plants altered in this transcription factors family open up perspectives for crop biotechnological improvements because they have nitrate transport capacities far superior to wild plants.Results regarding the subcellular dual localization of HRS1 and the role of HRS1 in controlling the redox status of plants are presented and discussed in the context of the previously proposed PNR-NSR interaction model.".
• 01GK1FVQ406RCSCSEC0TRP20Y4 abstract "Background Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most common tick-borne disease in Europe and North America, yet its economic burden remains largely unknown. This study aimed to estimate the economic cost associated with the different clinical manifestations of LB in Belgium. Methods An incidence approach and societal perspective were used to estimate the total cost-of-illness for LB in Belgium. Costs were calculated for patients with erythema migrans (EM) or disseminated/late LB, including patients who developed post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). Direct medical, direct non-medical (transportation & paid help) and indirect non-medical costs (productivity losses) were included in the analysis. Ambulatory cost data were collected through a prospective cohort study from June 2016 to March 2020, in which patients with LB were followed up 6 to 12 months after diagnosis. Hospitalization costs were retrieved from the Minimal Clinical Data registry, a mandatory registry for all Belgian hospitals, linked to the Minimal Financial Data registry. Costs were expressed in 2019 euros. Results The total annual cost associated with clinical manifestations of LB in Belgium was estimated at euro5.59 million (95% UI 3.82-7.98). Of these, euro3.44 million (95% UI 2.05-5.48) or 62% was related to disseminated/late LB diagnoses and euro2.15 million (95% UI 1.30-3.26) to EM. In general, direct medical costs and productivity losses accounted for 49.8% and 46.4% of the total costs, respectively, while direct non-medical costs accounted for only 3.8%. The estimated mean costs were euro193 per EM patient and euro5,148 per disseminated/late LB patient. While patients with PTLDS seemed to have somewhat higher costs compared to patients without PTLDS, the number of patients was too small to have representative estimates. Conclusions We estimate the total annual direct medical costs, direct non-medical and indirect non-medical costs associated with LB to exceed euro5.5 million per year, almost evenly distributed between EM (40%) and disseminated/late LB (60%). EM costs 26 times less per patient but occurs also 16 times more frequently than disseminated/late LB. The cost burden remains limited by comparison to other infectious diseases due to the relative lower incidence.".
• 01GK1GQX1TEPWEXV6TM3VZX26S abstract "In this contribution, we propose a novel approach to rigorously model interconnect structures with an arbitrary convex polygonal cross-section and general, piecewise homogeneous, material parameters. A full-wave boundary integral equation formulation is combined with a differential surface admittance approach, invoking an extended form of the numerically fast Fokas method to construct the pertinent operator. Several examples validate our method and demonstrate its applicability to per-unit-of-length resistance and inductance characterization.".
• 01GK1J1Y8YW536B1W0ES2FVCZQ abstract "The research focuses on slurry abrasion and erosion of martensitic steels used in the mining and agricultural industries. A traditionally constructed slurry pot tester with corundum abrasives in slurry form was used for wear characterisation. Wear testing was performed on each specimen for 180 h. Every 20 h, pauses were taken to characterise the specimen size, weight, hardness, and surface roughness. The worn zone’s damage progression was studied using optical microscopy. As the test period rose, the mass loss due to the wear, which was governed by the impact angle of the slurry flow, followed a linear pattern. The impact of specimen orientation on the wear rate was more pronounced than that of abrasive flow velocity. High-speed video recordings highlighted the varied contact conditions that caused the wear mechanism to shift from abrasion to slurry erosion. Slurry abrasion was seen at the bottom of the specimen as a result of pure sliding conditions, while pitting was observed at the top of the specimen as a result of fatigue from particle impact. Studies of 3D surfaces demonstrated a decrease in wear rate while transitioning from the abraded zone, which witnessed polishing and minor hardness, to the pitting zone. The wear performance of the materials was rated, with tempered martensitic steel coming out on top.".
• 01GK1K4JWTFQR3E4J77WATD4VC abstract "Background: In the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding, endometrial ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that could be performed under general, regional or local anesthesia. Performing procedures in an office setting - with local anesthesia - has been proven to be beneficial for patient wellbeing and to reduce costs, considering fewer anesthetic complications, shorter hospital stays, shorter recovery time and fewer used operation room resources. A systematic review by Reinders et al. showed that a combination of either intra- or paracervical anesthesia with intrauterine injections was more effective at reducing pain compared with intra- or paracervical anesthesia alone or no local anesthesia at all. In our center, paracervical anesthesia and intrauterine injections for the fundal block are combined with premedication by oral painkillers. Our experience about the overall patient impression of the usage of local anesthesia in an office setting for endometrial ablation by Novasure (bipolar radiofrequency ablation) was evaluated. Methods: Implementation of local anesthesia for Novasure - in the peripheral center of Isala, Zwolle, The Netherlands - started first of February 2021. Data was collected until 31th of January 2021. All procedures were performed by the same gynecologist, supported by two doctors assistants. Patients were presented a printed evaluation form immediately after undergoing the procedure. They were asked to fill in the form during the 15 minutes recovery time post procedure time in which they rested, drank something, filled in the form and could go home afterwards. The form consisted of 8 questions, with a 10 point Likert scale (1 being totally not agree, 10 being totally agree). Results: In 11 months, 54 patients filled in the form, response rate 100%. A mean of 8.5 was given for “Sufficient information prior to the procedure” (distribution 3-10), 9.7 for “everything was clearly explained during the procedure” (7-10). Aftercare was scored a mean of 9.7 (7-10) and clarity of the follow-up 9.7 (7-10). In the case of pain, no side effects of the premedication, pain during and pain after the procedure were scored 9.6 (4-10), 1.7 (0-8) and 1.0 (8-4) respectively. A mean of 9.1 (1-10) women would recommend the Novasure under local anesthesia to a friend. Conclusions: By our experience, the implementation of local anesthesia by a combination of paracervical and intrauterine injections in an office setting for endometrial ablation by Novasure was well received. Essentials are: sufficient information prior to the procedure (adequate counseling about expectations and manner of anesthesia, patient folder) and premedication.".
• 01GK1P5KQ2EN8QSWT5MSGKAZQV abstract "The acritarch genus Radiosperma has been reported from plankton and sediments since the late 19th century, with suggested biological affinities ranging from invertebrate eggs to tintinnids. Here, the genus description is improved and its two species, Radiosperma corbiferum and Radiosperma textum, are redescribed. Radiosperma textum is shown to be a ciliate cyst related to Askenasia based on new SSU and LSU rRNA sequences. The spatiotemporal distribution and ecology of both species are discussed. The chemical composition is documented based on micro-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, new SSU and LSU rRNA sequences for several flask shaped ciliate cysts (Fusopsis, Strombidium) are also included in the analysis and the occurrence of fossilizable cysts in the ciliophoran clade is reviewed.".
• 01GK1P91XTH5YJ6RCQ1T166ZTJ abstract "In the stride toward the production of low-carbon-footprint commodity chemicals, the development of a complete wood biorefinery plays a pivotal role. The lignin fraction of wood can be depolymerized and demethoxylated mainly into 4-alkylphenols. These phenolic compounds can further catalytically be C-dealkylated within the H-ZSM-5 zeolite at relatively high temperatures and in the presence of steam, producing phenol and olefins. Experimentally, the dealkylation reaction was found to have two striking features: first, different reactants possess very different reactivity. 4-Ethylphenol (4-EP) is somehow less reactive than 4-n-propylphenol (4-n-PP), which is in turn much less reactive than 4-isopropylphenol (4-iso-PP). Second, cofeeding of steam in the reaction mixture was necessary to prevent rapid and reversible catalyst deactivation. Herein, a combination of static and dynamic density functional theory (DFT) simulations is used to unravel the molecular and mechanistic origin of these observations. Freeenergy profiles obtained from static calculations confirm the experimentally observed reactivity sequence, where our computations show that the secondary nature of the alkyl carbon involved in 4-iso-PP dealkylation strongly stabilizes the respective transition states. To investigate the effect of water on the mobility of the reactive species and their interaction with the active site, we investigated the diffusion of phenol along the H-ZSM-5 straight channel in the presence of water loadings from 0 to 3 molecules per zeolite unit cell. We show that water has a strongly beneficial effect in promoting desorption and diffusion of phenol away from the Bronsted acid site through competitive adsorption and by the formation of hydrogen bond chains with the diffusing phenol. This effect could lead to a shorter residence time inside the zeolite, preventing active site poisoning and condensation to bulkier biphenylether moieties.".
• 01GK1P9PDKJ9ZK4JF6YE3J5MWE abstract "A complex deposition process of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) thin films and coated conductors is usually optimized by concentrating on the crystalline quality of the material, thus getting the best possible critical temperature and self-field properties. However, most of the HTS power applications that are based on coated conductors act at high magnetic fields, and thus an alternative approach focusing on the formation of an optimal network of columnar flux pinning centers is more reasonable. Therefore, we systematically show how a lengthening of the deposition distance produces perfectly aligned and distinctly longer self-assembled BaZrO3 (BZO) nanorods within the YBa2Cu3O6+x (YBCO) matrix. This method unambiguously enhances in-field properties such as pinning force, critical current density, and its isotropy along the YBCO c axis. The experimental results, especially formation of the c peak where the relative length of the nanorod is a key issue, are confirmed by the vortex dynamics simulations. Finally, we present a semiquantitative model governing the formation of nanorods that explains the experimentally observed improved nanorod growth as a function of the deposition distance via the associated variation of the fractional partial pressure between atomic species within the laser plume.".
• 01GK1Q36Y364SXW9RS5ZEFQV6B abstract "Many groundbreaking therapies for the treatment of blindness require delivery of biologics or cells to the inner retina by intravitreal injection. Unfortunately, the advancement of these therapies is greatly hampered by de-livery difficulties where obstruction of the therapeutics at the inner limiting membrane (ILM) represents the dominant bottleneck. In this proof-of-principle study, we explore an innovative light-based approach to locally ablate the ILM in a minimally invasive and highly controlled manner, thus making the ILM more permeable for therapeutics. More specifically, we demonstrate that pulsed laser irradiation of ILM-bound indocyanine green (ICG), a clinically applied ILM dye, results in the formation of vapor nanobubbles which can disrupt the bovine ILM as well as the extraordinary thick human ILM. We have observed that this photodisruption allows for highly successful retinal delivery of model nanoparticles which are otherwise blocked by the intact ILM. Strikingly, this treatment is furthermore able of enhancing the efficacy of mRNA-loaded lipid nanoparticles within the bovine retina by a factor of 5. In conclusion, this study provides evidence for a light-based approach to overcome the ILM which has the potential to improve the efficacy of all retinal therapies hampered by this delivery barrier.".
• 01GK1TGQD81XGTAN3EWKDMPHHM abstract "Background and objectives : Defining the optimal moment to start renal replacement therapy (RRT) in acute kidney injury (AKI) remains challenging. Multiple randomized controlled trials (RCTs) addressed this question whilst using absolute criteria such as pH or serum potassium. However, there is a need for identification of the most optimal cut-offs of these criteria. We conducted a causal analysis on routinely collected data (RCD) to compare the impact of different pre-specified dynamic treatment regimes (DTRs) for RRT initiation based on time-updated levels of potassium, pH, and urinary output on 30-day ICU mortality. Design, setting, participants, and measurements : Patients in the ICU of Ghent University Hospital were included at the time they met KDIGO-AKI-stage ≥ 2. We applied inverse-probability-of-censoring-weighted Aalen–Johansen estimators to evaluate 30-day survival under 81 DTRs prescribing RRT initiation under different thresholds of potassium, pH, or persisting oliguria. Results : Out of 13,403 eligible patients (60.8 ± 16.8 years, SOFA 7.0 ± 4.1), 5622 (63.4 ± 15.3 years, SOFA 8.2 ± 4.2) met KDIGO-AKI-stage ≥ 2. The DTR that delayed RRT until potassium ≥ 7 mmol/l, persisting oliguria for 24–36 h, and/or pH < 7.0 (non-oliguric) or < 7.2 (oliguric) despite maximal conservative treatment resulted in a reduced 30-day ICU mortality (from 12.7% [95% CI 11.9–13.6%] under current standard of care to 10.5% [95% CI 9.5–11.7%]; risk difference 2.2% [95% CI 1.3–3.8%]) with no increase in patients starting RRT (from 471 [95% CI 430–511] to 475 [95% CI 342–572]). The fivefold cross-validation benchmark for the optimal DTR resulted in 30-day ICU mortality of 10.7%. Conclusions : Our causal analysis of RCD to compare RRT initiation at different thresholds of refractory low pH, high potassium, and persisting oliguria identified a DTR that resulted in a decrease in 30-day ICU mortality without increase in number of RRTs. Our results suggest that the current criteria to start RRT as implemented in most RCTs may be suboptimal. However, as our analysis is hypothesis generating, this optimal DTR should ideally be validated in a multicentric RCT.".
• 01GK1WJPJ81XNCRSR7XHC0MYRY abstract "ZBP1 is an interferon-induced cytosolic nucleic acid sensor that facilitates antiviral responses via RIPK3. Although ZBP1-mediated programmed cell death is widely described, whether and how it promotes inflammatory signaling is unclear. Here, we report a ZBP1-induced inflammatory signaling pathway mediated by K63- and M1-linked ubiquitin chains, which depends on RIPK1 and RIPK3 as scaffolds independently of cell death. In human HT29 cells, ZBP1 associated with RIPK1 and RIPK3 as well as ubiquitin ligases cIAP1 and LUBAC. ZBP1-induced K63- and M1-linked ubiquitination of RIPK1 and ZBP1 to promote TAK1- and IKK-mediated inflammatory signaling and cytokine production. Inhibition of caspase activity suppressed ZBP1-induced cell death but enhanced cytokine production in a RIPK1- and RIPK3 kinase activity-dependent manner. Lastly, we provide evidence that ZBP1 signaling contributes to SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine production. Taken together, we describe a ZBP1-RIPK3-RIPK1-mediated inflammatory signaling pathway relayed by the scaffolding role of RIPKs and regulated by caspases, which may induce inflammation when ZBP1 is activated below the threshold needed to trigger a cell death response.".
• 01GK1XD7DDEAM314N5CPPB9160 abstract "Pyrethroids are widely applied insecticides in agriculture, but their frequent use has provoked many cases of resistance, in which mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC), the pyrethroid target-site, were shown to play a major role. However, for the spider mite Tetranychus urticae, it has also been shown that increased detoxification contributes to resistance against the pyrethroid bifenthrin. Here, we performed QTL-mapping to identify the genomic loci underlying bifenthrin resistance in T. urticae. Two loci on chromosome 1 were identified, with the VGSC gene being located near the second QTL and harboring the well-known L1024V mutation. In addition, the presence of an L925M mutation in the VGSC of a highly bifenthrin-resistant strain and its loss in its derived, susceptible, inbred line indicated the importance of target-site mutations in bifenthrin resistance. Further, RNAseq experiments revealed that genes encoding detoxification enzymes, including carboxyl/choline esterases (CCEs), cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and UDP-glycosyl transferases (UGTs), were overexpressed in resistant strains. Toxicity bioassays with bifenthrin (ester pyrethroid) and etofenprox (non-ester pyrethroid) also indicated a possible role for CCEs in bifenthrin resistance. A selection of CCEs and UGTs were therefore functionally expressed, and CCEinc18 was shown to metabolize bifenthrin, while teturUGT10 could glycosylate bifenthrin-alcohol. To conclude, our findings suggest that both target-site and metabolic mechanisms underlie bifenthrin resistance in T. urticae, and these might synergize high levels of resistance.".
• 01GK1Y423FKTZSVQJG31CDDKQ8 abstract "Currently, synthetic dyes are widely used to colour textile materials. However, safer and more sustainable bio-based alternatives are currently being explored. In this context, by-products and wastes from agricultural value chains have been investigated as potential sources of natural dyes. Nutshell wastes are promising because they are abundant, contain interesting dye molecules such as quinones and are easier to handle because of their low moisture content. Hence, the present study aims at exploring the potential of the extracts from the shells of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale L.), coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) and macadamia nut (Macadamia integrifolia L.) to colour textile substrates. For this purpose, the nutshell colourants were extracted and then applied to wool fabrics. Then, the extracts were analysed for their total phenolic content using the Folin–Ciocalteu method; the extracts were qualitatively screened for the presence of quinone-based dye molecules. Next, the effect of the main dyeing parameters, such as pH and mordant concentrations, on K/S was assessed. After this, the dyeing kinetics, colourimetric properties, UV protection potential and environmental impact of using the dye were assessed. The phytochemical screening indicated the presence of phenolic compounds (within a range of 71.3 ± 1.7–1664.4 ± 7.7 mg GAE/100 g), confirming the presence of colouring compounds such as quinones. The dyeing process, at pH 3 for the cashew nut shell and pH 5 for the other nutshell extracts, gave the best K/S (0.6 ± 0.1–14.9 ± 1.0), while the mixed 1,2 order was the best model for describing dye wool adsorption. Also, a good resistance to washing (4–5), light (3–8) and staining (4–5) was achieved, even without the use of mordants. However, the use of mordants increased K/S and fastness properties. The nutshell extracts improved UV protection by up to 79%, with cashew nutshell extracts and FeSO4 mordants providing the best K/S and UV protection. Furthermore, the use of extract dye was about 60% environmentally friendlier compared with synthetic dyeing. Thus, the use of nutshell-based dyes can provide a clean and sustainable source of dyes that can be used to substitute for synthetic analogues.".
• 01GK210KPDCTC34136NRFWDSGC abstract "Matchfixing is heden ten dage een uiterst relevant topic. Hoewel algemeen geweten is dat matchfixing tuchtrechtelijk aangepakt kan worden door de relevante sportfederaties, kan dergelijk gedrag ook aanleiding geven tot strafrechtelijke vervolging. Volgens de – in aantal beperkte – literatuur over dit topic zijn passieve en actieve private omkoping (art. 504bis & 504ter Sw.) dé standaardbepalingen wat betreft de strafrechtelijke aanpak van matchfixing in België. In deze bijdrage worden de private omkopingsbepalingen verder toegelicht in het licht van matchfixing en wordt verduidelijkt waarom deze mogelijk niet geschikt zijn om alle bijzonderheden van de sportwereld en veruitwendigingen van matchfixing te omvatten.".
• 01GK22F1A36VK914CC5NJ5A6SJ abstract "Plastic waste derived from plastic dog poop bags (DPBs) could be considered a negligible source of plastic waste. However, it is estimated that this kind of waste contributes to 0.6% of the total plastic waste generated worldwide, and it is expected to increase in the following years. Plastic dog poop bags can be replaced with biodegradable and bio-based alternatives. These alternatives can biodegrade in various environments such as composting, soil, or water and thus allow for end-of-life management without the risk of contaminating the environment with microplastics. However, not all biodegradable bags are always compostable. In this study, we tested composting as the end-of-life management of selected biodegradable dog poop bags (i.e., prototypes of bags and commercially available bags). We analyzed the biodegradation of selected biodegradable plastic dog poop bags during the composting of green waste in laboratory composting reactors after 4 weeks and 90 days of composting. All the investigated DPBs decomposed 100% after 90 days of composting. However, the fresh compost obtained after the 90-day composting of green waste mixed with the investigated bags containing dog poop did not demonstrate high quality.".
• 01GK231F215ADTWG123GJ3FCKR abstract "Since the 20-ties of the last century the researchers worldwide have been working on poultry manure, including the properties, methods of managing and the impact on the natural environment. In particular, the issues related to gaseous emissions from poultry manure and the methods for mitigating these emissions predominated. In the current state of the art the fertilizing properties are known of poultry manure. Poultry manure is mainly used to land spreading on the field, pelletizing, combustion, and energy recovery, and as an additive to animal feed. Technological advancement has brought to the attention new aspects related to safe and efficient management of poultry manure such as the emerging pollutants identified in poultry manure (e.g., pharmaceuticals, pesticides or microplastics) and new methods for processing of poultry manure (e.g., to biochar in the process of pyrolysis) with other applications, including soil fertilization. In addition, the introduction of the harmonized fertilizing regulation in the European Union (EU 2018/1009 from July 16th, 2022; referred to as the Fertilizing Product Regulation) is expected to facilitate production of new fertilizing products from organic by-products and organic waste from agriculture and food processing. The revised and harmonized fertilizing regulations will facilitate the introduction of fertilizing products from organic waste into the market of the European Union. The presented doctoral dissertation addresses the problem related to the management of poultry manure and potentials for poultry manure based fertilizing products which can be used for fertilizing soil depleted of e.g., organic matter. The scope of the work included: (1) the analysis of the current state of the art through the literature review, (2) the analysis of the properties of poultry manure sampled from a cage breeding system, (3) laboratory processing of poultry manure through drying, pyrolyzing and composting, (4) the analysis of the properties of the obtained materials intended for soil fertilizing, (5) the analysis of C, N and P cycles during composting of poultry manure and (6) the analysis of the effects of the obtained soil enhancers on the soil properties and plant growth. In this dissertation special attention was paid to the analysis of biochar from poultry manure pyrolyzed at different temperatures and the application of poultry derived biochar for soil fertilization. The scope of the presented work is in line with the scientific discipline of environmental engineering, mining, and energy. It is expected that the obtained results will advance the state of the art in the area of producing, handling, managing and processing of poultry manure for soil fertilizing. The presented doctoral dissertation was carried out as a part of the joint PhD program between Częstochowa University of Technology (Politechnika Częstochowska, PCz) and University of Gent in the frame of the H2020 project: “Nutri2Cycle: Transition towards a more carbon and nutrient efficient agriculture in Europe” (Grant Agreement No. 773682, 2018-2023), coordinated by the University of Gent (Belgium).".
• 01GK2FE665DSWJV0HB5H7YKWND abstract "Our paper investigates interpreter-mediated communication as intercultural dialogue in psychotherapy and assessments of cognitive functioning. We rely on previously published data to demonstrate the characteristics of communication in this setting and point to challenges relating to the validity of the assessments and to the efficacy of therapy. Using analytic tools from Conversation Analysis and Discourse Analysis, we specifically investigate how interpretation affects the interactional trajectory of communication, how interpreters manage both cultural and epistemic differences between the primary participants, how they deal with potential threats to the patient's face and how they overall facilitate intercultural dialogue. We discuss concerns about the outcome of tests achieved in these circumstances and the challenges and potentials of interpretation in therapy.".
• 01GK2FSMMVMYR602FXMM86GEFV abstract "Creating and maintaining a positive therapist-client relationship is considered to be essential in achieving therapeutic success, whereas damage to this relationship and the inability to repair disaffiliative episodes may have detrimental effects. So far, very little research has focused on how the relationship between therapists and clients is accomplished and negotiated through talk. Drawing from research in conversation analysis/ CA, I examine a diverse corpus of video-taped psychotherapy sessions to explore the interactional practices that may be ‘typically’ used to forge and create potential shifts in relationships and affiliation. In this paper, I not only set out to illustrate the central role that talk and conduct plays in therapist-client relationship-building, but also how the relationship is an ongoing interactional achievement.".
• 01GK2MPNTN2ZCRNC6G89VB2ZRR abstract "Tackling algorithmic discrimination against persons with disabilities (PWDs) demands a distinctive approach that is fundamentally different to that applied to other protected characteristics, due to particular ethical, legal, and technical challenges. We address these challenges specifically in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) systems used in hiring processes (or automated hiring systems, AHSs), in which automated assessment procedures are subject to unique ethical and legal considerations and have an undeniable adverse impact on PWDs. In this paper, we discuss concerns and opportunities raised by AI-driven hiring in relation to disability discrimination. Ultimately, we aim to encourage further research into this topic. Hence, we establish some starting points and design a roadmap for ethicists, lawmakers, advocates as well as AI practitioners alike.".
• 01GK3M86N68A3BWD4VRH0DQ7NF abstract "Background The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children has raised public health concerns. This study aimed to design and evaluate a behaviour change intervention program to promote weight management among Tehranian preschoolers. Methods The PRECEDE-PROCEED model is one of the most popular models in health education used to develop and evaluate most educational interventions. In this one-group pre and post-pilot study, 13 mothers of preschoolers were recruited from preschools in Tehran (the capital of Iran), in August 2020. Mothers received a six-week educational intervention, including text messages and educational videos via WhatsApp, to increase their self-efficacy to overcome barriers changing their children's lifestyle. Mothers reported preschoolers' height and weight to assess Body Mass Index and filled out the Food Frequency Questionnaire, the Persian version of the children's health-related quality of life questionnaire, and demographic features. The "Children's physical activity and sedentary behaviors checklist," newly designed by the researchers, was also filled out by mothers. These behaviors were measured according to the minutes that children were involved in these activities in a day, and the days they spent in a week for them. All variables were measured at baseline, immediately after the intervention and three months later. Data analysis was performed using SPSS IBM statistics version 22. Friedman test was used to evaluate changes over time. Results The findings demonstrated that the mean BMI z-score stayed steady between baseline, immediately after the intervention and after three months (P = 0.60). Besides, after three months, the intervention programme led to a decrease in soft drink consumption (P = 0.001), and an increase in parental perception of their child's general health (P = 0.05), the parental concern regarding their child's emotional and physical health (P = 0.002) and minutes of physical activity per day (P = 0.02). However, fruit intake decreased (P = 0.01), and simple sugar, such as cube, increased (P = 0.03). Conclusion Results from this study are promising but should be interpreted with caution and should be replicated on a larger scale and compared with a control group to evaluate whether effects are maintained in a larger sample.".
• 01GK3RWXT98FGJFERRT7WF2NRF abstract "Introduction: Penile and genital surgery for congenital or acquired conditions is daily practice in reconstructive urology. These procedures, which carry the risk of disrupting nerves and blood vessels, may impair the genital sensation, and affect the capacity for sexual pleasure. Self-reported tools are needed to systematically assess the male genitalia before and after reconstructive surgeries in terms of genital sensation and sexual experience. Aim: This study validated the Dutch translation of the self-assessment of genital anatomy and sexual functioning (SAGASF-M) questionnaire and investigated the perceptions of healthy men regarding their genital anatomy and sensory function. Methods: Eight-hundred and eight sexually active men with a median age of 39 years (18-79 years) and no history of genital procedures other than circumcision filled out an online version of the questionnaire. Twenty-four participants were randomly recruited to confirm the responses of the SAGASF-M questionnaire by a clinical evaluation. Main outcome measures: The SAGASF-M questionnaire comprises of multiple-choice questions and clarifying illustrations asking men to rate their genital appearance, overall sexual sensitivity, and pain perception as well as the intensity and the effort to reach orgasm. Prespecified regions of the glans, penile shaft, scrotum, perineum, and anus are evaluated through this questionnaire. Results: Only slight variability in anatomical ratings was observed. Overall discrimination between different genital areas in terms of genital sensation was significant. The bottom of the glans or frenular area was rated the highest contributor to "Sexual pleasure", followed by the other regions of the glans and shaft. The same distribution was found for "Orgasm intensity" and "Orgasm effort". The anal region was generally rated the lowest. "Discomfort/Pain" was rated lower than any of the other sensory function indicators and the top of the glans and anal region were rated most likely to perceive this unpleasant sensation. Participants reported significantly more sexual pleasure and intense orgasms when stimulated by a sexual partner compared to self-stimulation. Homosexual and bisexual men reported a higher contribution of the perineal and anal regions in sexual pleasure and orgasm. No significant difference between circumcised and uncircumcised individuals regarding overall genital sensation could be found. Conclusion: The Dutch translation of the SAGASF-M questionnaire is a valuable and reliable tool for self-assessment of genital anatomy and sensation, providing a site-specific attribution of a patient's perceived sexual function. Further prospective research with this questionnaire could aid in the patient-centered improvement of genital surgery.".
• 01GK3TCQA4KDZB504HBDYCJYWE abstract "The fabrication of Yb3+, Tm3+ co-doped oxyfluorophosphate glass-based composites, with green persistent luminescence after being charged with near-infrared light, is demonstrated. The mechanism responsible for the green afterglow after near-infrared illumination is unveiled. The composite is prepared using a modified melting process to limit the evaporation of fluorine during melting. Intense (blue and ultraviolet) up-conversion emission is obtained by optimizing the Yb2O3 and Tm2O3 concentrations. A heat treatment promotes volume precipitation of Yb3+, Tm3+ co-doped CaF2 crystals. Although the intensity of the blue up-conversion emission from the Tm(3+1)G(4) level is lower in the highly Yb3+-concentrated glass-ceramic due to reverse energy transfer from Tm3+ to Yb3+, the heat treatment leads to an increase of the intensity of the emissions around 346 nm, 361 nm nm and 450 nm coming from the Tm3+1I6 and D-1(2) levels. By combining the Yb3+ and Tm3+ ions with SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy(3+)crystals, green afterglow can be obtained after charging with near-infrared light. (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.".
• 01GK3V4K2ARMZSFP0HPEN07CVC abstract "In comparative political science considerable debate remains on the role of ideology in local politics and, more specifically, whether the local political conflict can be structured along a “national” left-right dimension. A growing battery of empirical research underpins the relevance of left and right at the local level, but these studies are often conducted in the American context, in larger cities and from the perspective of the voters. In order to close these gaps in the literature this paper addresses the shape of the local political conflict by analyzing local party manifestos in Flanders (Belgium). By conducting a computational text analysis with Wordscores I will estimate local parties’ policy positions and whether these can be mapped on a general, economic and cultural left-right dimension in both small and large municipalities.".
• 01GK3ZQMS2WZ8G0913TKAN164R abstract "Purpose Having advanced cancer presents many challenges for patients and family caregivers. The FOCUS program is a psychoeducational nurse-led intervention, developed in the USA, to support dyads of patients with cancer and their family caregivers to live with the illness. The program includes a conversation manual and information resources for dyads. We aimed to develop a version of the program for dyads facing advanced cancer in six European countries. Method The Participatory and Iterative Process Framework for Language Adaptation (PIPFLA) was used to guide the translation of the program to the local contexts of Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK. In several rounds, potential program users (e.g., nurses, clinicians, patients, family caregivers) and researchers from all six countries reviewed program materials and advised on adaptations. Results The PIPFLA process resulted in one European version of the program in different languages (FOCUS +). The FOCUS + conversation manual is uniform across all countries. The main adaptations included additional attention to both family caregiver and patient needs; more emphasis on self-management, advance care planning, and shared responsibilities; discussing the dyad's outlook rather than optimism; addressing the role of nurses as educational rather than therapeutic; and more suggestions to refer dyads to health care professionals for specific care needs. The information resources for dyads were adapted to fit with local contexts. Conclusion The PIPFLA methodology is an efficient and effective framework to thoroughly translate and culturally adapt a complex USA-based program for use in six European countries in collaboration with end users.".
• 01GK3ZWST8S78WEJ4PXVZC2Q8B abstract "Introduction People with suspected Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) and their families experience a burdensome process while seeking a diagnosis. These challenges are problematic in the most common dementia syndromes, but they can be even more distressing in rarer, atypical syndromes such as rapidly progressive dementias (RPDs), which can be fatal within months from onset. This study is an examination of the diagnostic journey experience from the perspective of caregivers of people who died from the prototypic RPD, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (sCJD). Methods eIn this mixed-methods study, qualitative data were drawn from interviews with former caregivers of 12 people who died from sCJD. Chart review data were drawn from research and clinical chart data about the person with sCJD. Data were analyzed by a multidisciplinary research team using qualitative and descriptive statistical analysis. Results We identified 4 overarching themes that characterized the experience of the diagnostic journey in sCJD: clinician knowledge, clinician communication, experiences of uncertainty, and the caregiver as advocate. We also identified 4 phases along the diagnostic journey: recognition, the diagnostic workup, diagnosis, and post-diagnosis. Sub-themes within each phase include struggles to recognize what is wrong, complex processes of testing and referrals, delay and disclosure of diagnosis, and access to resources post-diagnosis. Conclusions Findings suggest that more work is needed to improve clinician diagnostic knowledge and communication practices. Furthermore, caregivers need better support during the diagnostic journey. What we learn from studying sCJD and other RPDs is likely applicable to other more common dementias.".
• 01GK404EN1H73T037GAQQK6EKF abstract "Objective: To explore a) to what extent patients with serious illness express emotional cues and concerns during advance care planning (ACP) conversations with their general practitioner (GP), b) the content of cues/concerns and c) GPs' responses to cues/concerns. Methods: Cues/concerns and GPs' responses in 20 conversations were coded using the Verona Codes (VR-CoDES and Verona Codes-P). A qualitative thematic analysis was used to identify overarching themes within the content of the cues/concerns. Results: A total of 216 cues/concerns were identified (range: 1-28; mean: 13) in 85% of conversations; with 85% of these being cues/implicit expressions of emotions. In 72% of responses, the GP provided space for the patient to elaborate on cues/concerns. The most common theme cues/concerns were expressed about was "the conse-quences of illness on quality of life and burdening others". Conclusion: Emotions were mainly communicated implicitly as cues and the content varied greatly. The amount of cues/concerns expressed show that ACP can evoke many emotions. Practice implications: GPs should be attentive to implicit expressions of emotions as these provide opportunities to engage patients in tailored ACP conversations. As patients expressed many cues/concerns, GPs are recommended to have recurrent conversations with patients and actively ask about diverse ACP topics.".
• 01GK407VF5ZS14VK94GZH5FKXF abstract "Aging, noise exposure, and ototoxic medications lead to cochlear synapse loss in animal models. As cochlear function is highly conserved across mammalian species, synaptopathy likely occurs in humans as well. Synaptopathy is predicted to result in perceptual deficits including tinnitus, hyperacusis, and difficulty understanding speech-in-noise. The lack of a method for diagnosing synaptopathy in living humans hinders studies designed to determine if noise-induced synaptopathy occurs in humans, identify the perceptual consequences of synaptopathy, or test potential drug treatments. Several physiological measures are sensitive to synaptopathy in animal models includ-ing auditory brainstem response (ABR) wave I amplitude. However, it is unclear how to translate these measures to synaptopathy diagnosis in humans. This work demonstrates how a human computational model of the auditory periphery, which can predict ABR waveforms and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), can be used to predict synaptic loss in individual human participants based on their measured DPOAE levels and ABR wave I amplitudes. Lower predicted synapse numbers were associated with advancing age, higher noise exposure history, increased likelihood of tinnitus, and poorer speech-in-noise perception. These findings demonstrate the utility of this modeling approach in predicting synapse counts from physiological data in individual human subjects.".
• 01GK40RJXFC6G279MBM1DMCCZ6 abstract "Teaching Point: Intraspinal azygos vein is an extremely rare anatomical variant; knowledge is important for correct imaging interpretation".
• 01GK41BVA77JDJ08CKD1CX479Z abstract "Background Shelter-in-place orders during the COVID-19 pandemic created unmet health-related and access-related needs among older adults. We sought to understand the prevalence of these needs among community-dwelling older adults. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of pandemic-related outreach calls to older adults between March and July 2020 at four urban, primary care clinics: a home-based practice, a safety net adult medicine clinic, an academic geriatrics practice, and a safety net clinic for adults living with HIV. Participants included those 60 or older at three sites, and those 65 or older with a chronic health condition at the fourth. We describe unmet health-related needs (the need for medication refills, medical supplies, or food) and access-related needs (ability to perform a telehealth visit, need for a call back from the primary care provider). We performed bivariate and multivariate analyses to examine the association between unmet needs and demographics, medical conditions, and healthcare utilization. Results Sixty-two percent of people had at least one unmet need. Twenty-six percent had at least one unmet health-related need; 14.0% needed medication refills, 12.5% needed medical supplies, and 3.0% had food insecurity. Among access-related needs, 33% were not ready for video visits, and 36.4% asked for a return call from their provider. Prevalence of any unmet health-related need was the highest among Asian versus White (36.4% vs. 19.1%) and in the highest versus lowest poverty zip codes (30.8% vs. 18.2%). Those with diabetes and COPD had higher unmet health-related needs than those without, and there was no change in healthcare utilization. Conclusions During COVID, we found that disruptions in access to services created unmet needs among older adults, particularly for those who self-identified as Asian. We must foreground the needs of this older population group in the response to future public health crises.".
• 01GK41S9WG83ZM7FSQWV7MA6N6 abstract "“Witty digressions and racy side plots need to be abridged” Translation and simplification in newspaper fiction In the 19th and 20th centuries, newspapers published large amounts of translated fiction. These so-called feuilletons or serialized stories were subject to a number of constraints due to the nature of the newspaper medium. This not only means they had to fit the newspaper’s format, but as they were serialized, stories and novels were divided up in episodes. As a result, abridged translations are not uncommon in periodicals. Not only is the choice of what is selected for translation revealing, but perhaps even more essential and telling are the deliberate choices to deselect certain texts. Leaving out parts of novels sets in motion a number of interventions to compensate for the abridged content: adding sentences to smooth transitions, restructuring plot elements, and highlighting distinct features all belong to the cut-and-pasting connected with media processes but are nevertheless not alien to the periodical translator’s toolbox. These practices of transediting relate to contemporary translation of news items (Schäffner 2012). Identifying text-surgical methods such as addition, substitution or deletion can help to understand the functionality of a translation for a given audience. In my paper I will therefore argue that simplification is at the very core of the numerous translations in periodicals. My research focuses on translations of Russian literature published in Dutch newspapers. Having compiled over 2.000 of those translations I can draw on a vast corpus testifying to transediting customs. The case of Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita in 1968 is exemplary. “Witty digressions and racy side plots need to be abridged”, translator Marko Fondse explained the deliberate choices he faced when preparing a feuilleton edition. Offering perspectives on the editing of translations designed for the daily consumption of literary texts and their cohabitation in the highly constrained environment of a newspaper, research on writing, translation and simplification can considerably benefit from incorporating periodical fiction into its research agenda. References Fólica, Laura, Diana Roig-Sanz & Stefania Caristia (eds.) 2020 Literary Translation in Periodicals: Methodological challenges for a transnational approach. (Benjamins Translation Library vol. 155) Amsterdam: Benjamins. O’Connor, Anne 2019 Translation in nineteenth-century periodicals. Materialities and modalities of communication. Translation and Interpreting Studies 14/2: 243-264. Özmen, Ceyda 2019 Beyond the Book: The Periodical as an ‘Excavation Site’ for Translation Studies. TranscUlturAl 11/1: 3-21. Philpotts, Matthew 2012 The Role of the Periodical Editor: Literary Journals and Editorial Habitus. Modern Language Review 107/1: 39-64. Schäffner, Christina 2012 “Rethinking Transediting.” Meta 57, 4: 866–883. Van Doorslaer, Luc 2011 The relative neglect of newspapers in translation studies research. In: Chalvin, Luc, e.a. (eds.), Between Cultures and Texts: Itineraries in Translation History, 45-54. Frankfurt: Peter Lang.".
• 01GK434J89STVSR27CAQ3BNP4E abstract "Road traffic simultaneously emits noise and air pollution. This relation is primarily assessed by comparing A-weighted noise levels (L-Aeq) and various air pollutants. However, despite the common local traffic source, L-Aeq and the various sets of air pollution show a lower correlation than expected. Prior work, using simultaneous mobile noise and air pollution measurements, shows that the spectral content of the noise explains the complex and highly nonlinear relation between noise and air pollution significantly better. The spectral content distinguishes between traffic volume and traffic dynamics, two relevant modifiers explaining both the variability in noise and air pollution emissions of the local traffic flow. In May 2011, the environmental agency in the Netherlands performed noise and air pollutant measurements near a major highway and included spectral noise. In the resulting report, the analysis of the traffic, the noise and a wide set of air pollutants only showed a strong correlation between noise and NO. In this work, this dataset is re-evaluated using the noise-related covariates, engine noise and cruising noise, defined in prior work. The modeling approach proves valid for most of the measured air pollutants except for the large PM fractions. Conclusion: the prior established methodology explains the complex interaction between traffic dynamics, noise emission and air pollution emissions for a wide variety of air pollutants. The applicability of the 'noise-as-a-traffic-proxy' approach is extended.".
• 01GK44929NT33AF0CYEYPHY1ZD abstract "Inclusive education has been recognized as the best principle and practice for addressing issues of equity and diversity. While the notion of inclusive education is present in policies and legislations worldwide (Artiles and Dyson, 2005), unsettling trends have been identified. This contribution attempts to address shortcomings of inclusive education, by analyzing inclusive education policies and legislation in three European countries: Italy, England and Flanders (Belgium). It shows how inclusive education is conceptually and discursively fragmented in the three contexts. The analysis also shows how inclusive education policies still rely on the medical model of disability, refusing to center the voices of multiply marginalized students, families and communities.".
• 01GK44AGQHJ1FT0XYQDKJ37XBS abstract "Background Little is known about the nature and intensity of palliative care needs of hospitalised older people. We aimed to describe the palliative care symptoms, concerns, and well-being of older people with frailty and complex care needs upon discharge from hospital to home, and to examine the relationship between palliative care symptoms and concerns, and well-being. Methods Cross-sectional study using baseline survey data of a pilot randomised controlled trial. Hospital staff identified patients (>= 70 years) about to be discharged home, with a clinical frailty score of 5 to 7 and complex needs based on physician-assessment. Patients completed structured interviews, using the Integrated Palliative Care Outcome Scale (IPOS), ICEpop CAPability measure for supportive care (ICECAP-SCM) and IPOS Views on Care quality of life item. We calculated descriptive statistics. Results We assessed 37 older people with complex needs (49% women, mean age 84, standard deviation 6.1). Symptoms rated as causing severe problems were weakness (46%) and poor mobility (40%); 75% reported that their family felt anxious at least occasionally. Of the 17 IPOS items, 41% of patients rated five or more symptoms as causing severe problems, while 14% reported that they were not severely affected by any symptom. 87% expressed feeling supported. There was a negative correlation between symptoms (IPOS) and well-being (ICECAP); r = -0.41. Conclusion We identified a large variety of symptoms experienced by older people identified as having frailty and complex needs upon hospital discharge. Many were severely affected by multiple needs. This population should be considered for palliative care follow-up at home.".
• 01GK44SQ8769HF91SPH2AC92EE abstract "Data on metabolic profiles of blood sampled at d 3, 6, 9, and 21 in lactation from 117 lactations (99 cows) were used for unsupervised k-means clustering. Blood metabolic parameters included β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), nonesterified fatty acids, glucose, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin. Clustering relied on the average and range of the 5 blood parameters of all 4 sampling days. The clusters were labeled as imbalanced (n = 42) and balanced (n = 72) metabolic status based on the values of the blood parameters. Various random forest models were built to predict the metabolic cluster of cows during early lactation from the milk composition. All the models were evaluated using a leave-group-out cross-validation, meaning data from a single cow were always present in either train or test data to avoid any data leakage. Features were either milk fatty acids (MFA) determined by gas chromatography (MFA [GC]) or features that could be determined during a routine dairy herd improvement (DHI) analysis, such as concentration of fat, protein, lactose, fat/protein ratio, urea, and somatic cell count (determined and reported routinely in DHI registrations), either or not in combination with MFA and BHB determined by mid-infrared (MIR), denoted as MFA [MIR] and BHB [MIR], respectively, which are routinely analyzed but not routinely reported in DHI registrations yet. Models solely based on fat, protein, lactose, fat/protein ratio, urea and somatic cell count (i.e., DHI model) were characterized by the lowest predictive performance [area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCROC) = 0.69]. The combination of the features of the DHI model with BHB [MIR] and MFA [MIR] powerfully increased the predictive performance (AUCROC = 0.81). The model based on the detailed MFA profile determined by GC analysis did not outperform (AUCROC = 0.81) the model using the DHI-features in combination with BHB [MIR] and MFA [MIR]. Predictions solely based on samples at d 3 were characterized by lower performance (AUCROC DHI + BHB [MIR] + MFA [MIR] model at d 3: 0.75; AUCROC MFA [GC] model at d 3: 0.73). High predictive performance was found using samples from d 9 and 21. To conclude, overall, the DHI + BHB [MIR] + MFA [MIR] model allowed to predict metabolic status during early lactation. Accordingly, these parameters show potential for routine prediction of metabolic status.".
• 01GK4821HD19439Z14B7TTA2RC abstract "Using the frameworks of 'social memory' and 'figure of memory', this paper argues in favour of Flower's hypothesis about the statue of Cornelia. She suggested the statue was placed in the Porticus Metelli to support a new elite alliance including the Metelli and Scipiones. This statue was used as a lieu de memoire and Cornelia as a figure of memory, transforming the memory of herself, her descent, and her sons. Social memory made it possible to erase incongruent elements of past and present. This way, the statue gained an important forward-looking quality, one claimed by Augustus.".
• 01GK485P46W1RMSQ9P3H2J576V abstract "The loss of the female praenomen is typically seen as yet another sign of the ‘Romanisation’ and demise of Late Etruscan culture. This development would have seen the Etruscan woman reduced from a prominent public personality to a role of secondary importance. However, a thorough examination of this onomastic element shows that its gradual disappearance differs greatly by locality in terms of timing and is strongly linked to the process of Latinisation. Three case studies are investigated – Chiusi, Tarquinia, and Volterra – each showing that this onomastic development is connected to shifts in epigraphic paradigms rather than institutional or social changes. While the change in which women were described in funerary contexts may have had real consequences for their social status, there are also reasons to assume an improvement in their position (e.g. a higher percentage of female epitaphs), painting a complex picture.".
• 01GK48QSYQSECDVTCN97AB0T2R abstract "This study applies a Markov switching error correction model to describe the single most important real exchange rate (Deutsche mark versus US dollar) over the flexible exchange rates period from 1973 to 2004. We show an alternative way of modelling non-linear adjustment to the purchasing power parity (PPP) besides standard threshold models. The model merges the two possible sources of non-linearity by additionally allowing the probability of a mean-reverting regime to increase with the distance from PPP. The interest rate differential as an additional determinant of real exchange rate behaviour in a Markov switching framework is introduced in the model. The study finds that the real dollar exchange rate during the post-Bretton Woods era is well described by a Markov switching error correction model with (PPP) as long-run equilibrium. There is one mean reversion regime where PPP and the interest parity condition are valid. Contrary, the second regime is characterised by persistent mean aversion, where a regime switch does not become more likely with increasing distance from PPP. The unconditional half-life of shocks is about 1.5 years.".
• 01GK495KRQTKCFBKG2RWER9XQ9 abstract "Background Reducing radiation dose to the hippocampus with hippocampal avoidance prophylactic cranial irradiation (HA-PCI) is proposed to prevent cognitive decline. It has, however, not been investigated whether hippocampal atrophy is actually mitigated by this approach. Here, we determined whether HA-PCI reduces hippocampal atrophy. Additionally, we evaluated neurotoxicity of (HA-)PCI to other brain regions. Finally, we evaluated associations of hippocampal atrophy and brain neurotoxicity with memory decline. Methods High-quality research MRI scans were acquired in the multicenter, randomized phase 3 trial NCT01780675. Hippocampal atrophy was evaluated for 4 months (57 HA-PCI patients and 46 PCI patients) and 12 months (28 HA-PCI patients and 27 PCI patients) after (HA-)PCI. We additionally studied multimodal indices of brain injury. Memory was assessed with the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R). Results HA-PCI reduced hippocampal atrophy at 4 months (1.8% for HA-PCI and 3.0% for PCI) and at 12 months (3.0% for HA-PCI and 5.8% for PCI). Both HA-PCI and PCI were associated with considerable reductions in gray matter and normal-appearing white matter, increases in white matter hyperintensities, and brain aging. There were no significant associations between hippocampal atrophy and memory. Conclusions HA-PCI reduces hippocampal atrophy at 4 and 12 months compared to regular PCI. Both types of radiotherapy are associated with considerable brain injury. We did not find evidence for excessive brain injury after HA-PCI relative to PCI. Hippocampal atrophy was not associated with memory decline in this population as measured with HVLT-R. The usefulness of HA-PCI is still subject to debate.".
• 01GK49HJMB5J5E25MCPEDDPKQV abstract "Rationale Compulsivity often develops during childhood and is associated with elevated glutamate levels within the frontostriatal system. This suggests that anti-glutamatergic drugs, like memantine, may be an effective treatment. Objective Our goal was to characterize the acute and chronic effect of memantine treatment on compulsive behavior and frontostriatal network structure and function in an adolescent rat model of compulsivity. Methods Juvenile Sprague-Dawley rats received repeated quinpirole, resulting in compulsive checking behavior (n = 32; compulsive) or saline injections (n = 32; control). Eight compulsive and control rats received chronic memantine treatment, and eight compulsive and control rats received saline treatment for seven consecutive days between the 10th and 12th quinpirole/saline injection. Compulsive checking behavior was assessed, and structural and functional brain connectivity was measured with diffusion MRI and resting-state fMRI before and after treatment. The other rats received an acute single memantine (compulsive: n = 12; control: n = 12) or saline injection (compulsive: n = 4; control: n = 4) during pharmacological MRI after the 12th quinpirole/saline injection. An additional group of rats received a single memantine injection after a single quinpirole injection (n = 8). Results Memantine treatment did not affect compulsive checking nor frontostriatal structural and functional connectivity in the quinpirole-induced adolescent rat model. While memantine activated the frontal cortex in control rats, no significant activation responses were measured after single or repeated quinpirole injections. Conclusions The lack of a memantine treatment effect in quinpirole-induced compulsive adolescent rats may be partly explained by the interaction between glutamatergic and dopaminergic receptors in the brain, which can be evaluated with functional MRI.".
• 01GK49PJF2KJZ4QFHPNRX1KZQJ abstract "Proteins tend to bury hydrophobic residues inside their core during the folding process to provide stability to the protein structure and to prevent aggregation. Nevertheless, proteins do expose some ‘sticky’ hydrophobic residues to the solvent. These residues can play an important functional role, e.g. in protein–protein and membrane interactions. Here, we first investigate how hydrophobic protein surfaces are by providing three measures for surface hydrophobicity: the total hydrophobic surface area, the relative hydrophobic surface area and—using our MolPatch method—the largest hydrophobic patch. Secondly, we analyze how difficult it is to predict these measures from sequence: by adapting solvent accessibility predictions from NetSurfP2.0, we obtain well-performing prediction methods for the THSA and RHSA, while predicting LHP is more challenging. Finally, we analyze implications of exposed hydrophobic surfaces: we show that hydrophobic proteins typically have low expression, suggesting cells avoid an overabundance of sticky proteins.".
• 01GK49T9CJSAQSXCJ1FE24Q8MW abstract "Protein networks are commonly used for understanding the interplay between proteins in the cell as well as for visualizing omics data. Unfortunately, most existing high-quality networks are heavily biased by data availability, in the sense that well-studied proteins have many more interactions than understudied proteins. To create networks that can help elucidate functions for the latter, we must start from data that are not affected by this literature bias, in other words, from omics data such as single cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) and proteomics. While networks can be inferred from such data through simple co-expression analysis, this approach does not work well due to high sparseness (many transcripts/proteins are not consistently observed in each cell/sample) and redundancy (many similar cells/samples are analyzed) of such data. We have therefore developed FAVA, Functional Associations using Variational Autoencoders, which deals with both issues by compressing these high-dimensional data into a dense, low-dimensional latent space. We demonstrate that calculating correlations in this latent space results in much improved networks compared to the original representation for large-scale scRNA-seq and proteomics data from the Human Protein Atlas, and from PRIDE, respectively. We show that these networks, which given the nature of the input data should be free of literature bias, indeed have much better coverage of understudied proteins than existing networks.".
• 01GK49YC3J5KHJFRX9SYKSMF86 abstract "A plethora of proteomics search engine output file formats are in circulation. This lack of standardized output files greatly complicates generic downstream processing of peptide-spectrum matches (PSMs) and PSM files. While standards exist to solve this problem, these are far from universally supported by search engines. Moreover, software libraries are available to read a selection of PSM file formats, but a light-weight package to parse PSM files into a unified data structure has been missing. Here, we present psm_utils, a Python package to read and write various PSM file formats and to handle peptidoforms, PSMs, and PSM lists in a unified and user-friendly Python-, command line-, and web-interface. psm_utils was developed with pragmatism and maintainability in mind, adhering to community standards and relying on existing packages where possible. The Python API and command line interface greatly facilitate handling various PSM file formats. Moreover, a user-friendly web application was built using psm_utils that allows anyone to interconvert PSM files and retrieve basic PSM statistics. psm_utils is freely available under the permissive Apache2 license at https://github.com/compomics/psm_utils.".
• 01GK4A0NKSS0Z5N0W08JT6Q93X abstract "Dataset acquisition and curation are often the hardest and most time-consuming parts of a machine learning endeavor. This is especially true for proteomics-based LC-IM-MS datasets, due to the high-throughput data structure with high levels of noise and complexity between raw and machine learning-ready formats. While predictive proteomics is a field on the rise, when predicting peptide behavior in LC-IM-MS setups, each lab often uses unique and complex data processing pipelines in order to maximize performance, at the cost of accessibility and reproducibility. For this reason we introduce ProteomicsML, an online resource for proteomics-based datasets and tutorials across most of the currently explored physicochemical peptide properties. This community-driven resource makes it simple to access data in easy-to-process formats, and contains easy-to-follow tutorials that allow new users to interact with even the most advanced algorithms in the field. ProteomicsML provides datasets that are useful for comparing state-of-the-art (SOTA) machine learning algorithms, as well as providing introductory material for teachers and newcomers to the field alike. The platform is freely available on https://www.proteomicsml.org/ and we welcome the entire proteomics community to contribute to the project at https://github.com/proteomicsml/.".
• 01GK4A2AAH4R0TA6JV9A4FTF5Y abstract "Using data from 183 public human data sets from PRIDE, a machine learning model was trained to identify tissue and cell-type specific protein patterns. PRIDE projects were searched with ionbot and tissue/cell type annotation was manually added. Data from physiological samples were used to train a Random Forest model on protein abundances to classify samples into tissues and cell types. Subsequently, a one-vs-all classification and feature importance were used to analyse the most discriminating protein abundances per class. Based on protein abundance alone, the model was able to predict tissues with 98% accuracy, and cell types with 99% accuracy. The F-scores describe a clear view on tissue-specific proteins and tissue-specific protein expression patterns. In-depth feature analysis shows slight confusion between physiologically similar tissues, demonstrating the capacity of the algorithm to detect biologically relevant patterns. These results can in turn inform downstream uses, from identification of the tissue of origin of proteins in complex samples such as liquid biopsies, to studying the proteome of tissue-like samples such as organoids and cell lines.".
• 01GK4A5WA8PC517BT1HK79F7RK abstract "Node embedding methods map network nodes to low dimensional vectors that can be subsequently used in a variety of downstream prediction tasks. The popularity of these methods has grown significantly in recent years, yet, their robustness to perturbations of the input data is still poorly understood. In this paper, we assess the empirical robustness of node embedding models to random and adversarial poisoning attacks. Our systematic evaluation covers representative embedding methods based on Skip-Gram, matrix factorization, and deep neural networks. We compare edge addition, deletion and rewiring attacks computed using network properties as well as node labels. We also investigate the performance of popular node classification attack baselines that assume full knowledge of the node labels. We report qualitative results via embedding visualization and quantitative results in terms of downstream node classification and network reconstruction performances. We find that node classification results are impacted more than network reconstruction ones, that degree-based and label-based attacks are on average the most damaging and that label heterophily can strongly influence attack performance.".
• 01GK4A9XE0P5536254B1NPVD5R abstract "Sanskrit is one of the most ancient attested Indo-European languages, and it has one of the oldest lexicographic traditions in the world. This chapter is organized as follows. The Introduction offers basic information about the chronology of, and the main texts in, Sanskrit. The first section of the Description outlines the characteristics of Sanskrit relevant for lexicography: its phonology and writing systems; its systems of alternation and morphemic variability; and the lexicographic status of its verbal prefixes (preverbs), which are treated differently by different dictionaries. The chapter then offers a brief overview of the history of Sanskrit lexicography, from the most ancient documented works onwards, nighaṇṭu and kośa, up to the bilingual dictionaries compiled within the Western lexicographic tradition during more recent centuries. The final sections deal with the constantly increasing number of digital text corpora and dictionaries of Sanskrit, as well as with further perspectives on the development of Sanskrit lexicography and online tools, and the role of Sanskrit institutions in India in these processes.".
• 01GK4BJYVVMQ4ZSN5HCB3GMM4P abstract "Within the bio-economy, more specifically within the bio-based industries, biomass feedstock – in contrast to fossil feedstocks in the fossil-based economy – is converted into the so-called bio-based products such as biosurfactants, bioplastics, pharmaceuticals, paper, textiles, and biofuels using either chemical or biological production methods or a combination thereof. In Europe a turnover of 60 billion EUR is associated with bio-based plastics and chemicals such as biosurfactants, and 40% of the global biosurfactant market turnover is associated with the European market. The growing use of bio-based surfactants in detergents, personal care products, and oilfield chemicals is fueling the growth of this market, which is driven, in many applications, by more stringent regulations and by an increasing consumer demand for “green and sustainable” products. Microbial biosurfactants are a biologically produced type of bio-based surfactants which are quickly evolving from a scientific curiosity to an industrial reality.".
• 01GK4D2Q3W26NRHQVG3PNTDH90 abstract "Human language without analogy is like a zebra without stripes. The ability to understand analogies, or to engage in relational reasoning, has been argued to be a key discontinuity between the cognitive abilities of human and non-human animals. Current studies have failed to robustly show that animals can perform more complex, relational discriminations, in part because such tests rely on linguistic or symbolic experiences, and therefore are not suitable for evaluating analogical reasoning in animals. We report on a methodological approach allowing for direct comparisons of analogical reasoning ability across species. We show that human participants spontaneously make analogical discriminations with minimal verbal instructions, and that the ability to reason analogically is affected by analogical complexity. Furthermore, performance on our task correlated with participants’ fluid intelligence scores. These results show the nuance of analogical reasoning abilities by humans, and provide a means of robustly comparing this capacity across species.".
• 01GK4D2Q3W26NRHQVG3PNTDH90 abstract "This dataset is supplemental to the iScience article "Relational Complexity Influences Analogical Reasoning Ability" Data analysis was conducted in Jamovi using the .omv file. The .csv file is the same data exported for convenience.".
• 01GK4FSJQC12PQT91VBPJCQYBQ abstract "Radar sensors have been shown to be capable of performing simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) tasks. However, single-chip mmWave radar sensors have received little attention because of their limited resolution. In this paper, we present a novel approach to obtain a robust ego-motion estimation of a UAV using a low power single-chip millimeter wave (mmWave) FMCW radar sensor. By using a novel method to match local radar signal descriptors, we are able to achieve a robust trajectory estimation. We then propose to optimise the trajectory by extracting loop closures from low-dimensional latent space descriptors. We validate our solution in an industrial IoT lab with a drone, but it can be applied more broadly in power contrained platforms.".
• 01GK4FTT4VEDEY630QBXRDBYTD abstract "Background Since 2009, Morocco has been implementing the Maternal Death Surveillance System (MDSS). The results obtained indicate significant regional variations in terms of implementation stage, completeness of maternal death reporting, and information use for action. The objective of this research is to better understand the contextual factors involved in the implementation process and use of MDSS, with a focus on the facilitators and barriers, as experienced by stakeholders in health regions. Methods Evaluation research was conducted in 2017 based on a descriptive qualitative study using semi-structured in-depth interviews, in four out of the twelve health regions of Morocco. A total of thirty-one in-depth interviews were held with members of regional committees of maternal death reviews (RC-MDR) and other key informant staff. Interviews focused on participants’ views and their experiences with the MDSS since the introduction in 2009. We conducted thematic analysis relied on inductive and deductive approaches. Applying the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research guided data analysis and reporting findings. Findings Engaging leadership at all health system levels, regular training of district and regional MDSS coordinators and supportive supervision at a national level were the most important MDSS implementation facilitators. Reported barriers were essentially related to the review system: Irregular review meetings, blame culture, high turn-over of RC-MDR members, lack of analytical capacity to inform the review process and formulate recommendations, finally limited accountability for recommendation follow-up. While financial incentives boosted MDSS adoption, they were nonetheless a substantial barrier to its sustainability. Conclusions The MDSS is a complex process that requires taking numerous steps, including the commitment of multiple stakeholders with varying roles as well as information sharing across health system levels. Contextual factors that influence MDSS implementation at the sub-national level are to be considered. Horizontal and vertical communication about MDSS goals and feedback is crucial to strengthen stakeholders’ commitment, hence improving quality and use of MDSS. Furthermore, health regions should place emphasis on making high-quality recommendations in partnerships between the regional management teams, RC-MDR members and external stakeholders.".
• 01GK4G50CZ8XDR274MRQ66PQHZ abstract "Parental separation leads to many changes in children's family life. Despite these changes, the perspective of children can be neglected during child custody and contact proceedings and amicable negotiations. Professionals wish to protect and shelter children from the court and shield them from the parental conflict. However, neglecting the child's perspective can harm the child's well-being. Therefore, this research investigates how child-friendly justice can be achieved in child custody and contact cases, by taking into account the child's best interests, the child's right to be heard, the child's right to maintain contact with both parents and the child's psychosocial well-being. The research incorporates interdisciplinary research, the perspective of family judges and children and offers recommendations to policy-makers and family judges.".
• 01GK4G8ATX6Y2BNY8JR8BFHNRY abstract "The present work aimed at investigating Zn alterations as a response to an inflammatory process in an in vitro human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell model mimicking aging process. Cells were subjected to acute inflammatory stress with and without Zn supplementation and the effects of such exposure were evaluated by studying alterations at the transcriptome level and in the Zn concentration and its isotopic composition using single-collector and multi-collector ICP-mass spectrometry, respectively. The in vitro RPE model strongly responded to pro-inflammatory events (caused using 100 U/mL Interleukin-1α) at the RNA level by inducing immune and cytokine responses, while Zn supplementation (100 µM Zn) partially attenuated the aforementioned inflammatory effects. Interestingly, the Zn isotope ratios were correlated with the transcriptome, as inflammation was demonstrated to lead to a lighter Zn isotopic composition. This change in the isotopic composition of Zn signaling inflammation, which could also be avoided by short-term zinc supplementation, is probably indicating the modulation of the cellular immune function via cytokine signaling.".
• 01GK4GH8SKZK32Q4VK2CCP2FPS abstract "In many fields, the sample volume available is the limiting factor for ultra-trace elemental analysis, and thus, the development of novel methods that can extract more information from lower sample amounts is a topic that deserves attention. In this work, the performance of a micro-flow injection system coupled to either (1) a traditional or (2) a high-efficiency sample introduction system has been evaluated for the analysis of liquid microsamples using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The figures of merit with each sample introduction system have been studied in a wide range of sample volumes and sample uptake rates. The use of a high-efficiency low-volume sample introduction system provided a > 4-fold enhanced sensitivity as compared to the traditional one, while the former setup was demonstrated being capable of accurately delivering volumes as low as 5 or 10 mu L to the ICP. Even for such low sample amounts, good linearity (> 0.9998) and repeatability (RSD down to 0.2%) were experimentally demonstrated, while matrix effects were lower with the high-efficiency sample introduction system. The use of an internal standard adequately corrected for changes in sample introduction conditions, allowing quantitative results to be obtained by using a single set of calibration data obtained at fixed operating conditions (sample volume and sample uptake rate), with a bias < 15% (typical acceptance criterion for clinical QC analysis). The set-up characterized was successfully applied to the analysis of microsamples of biological fluids (down to 0.4 mu L of sample volume). Tandem ICP-MS (ICP-MS/MS) was used to overcome spectral overlap (chemical resolution with a mixture of NH3/He) affecting the determination of six clinically relevant metals (Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, Ti and V) at ultra-trace concentration levels. No significant differences were found between the results obtained in this work and the reference values, even when using different sample introduction conditions for the measurement of calibration standards and samples.".
• 01GK4H358G382CHK420NSHWDRX abstract "We describe a method for detecting crossing pedestrians and, in general, any object that is moving perpendicular to the driving direction of the vehicle. This is achieved by combining video snapshots from multiple cameras that are placed in a linear configuration and from multiple time instances. We demonstrate that the proposed array configuration imposes tight constraints on the expected disparity of static objects in a certain image region for a given camera pair. These regions are distinct for different camera pairs. In that manner, static regions can generally be distinguished from moving targets throughout the entire field of view when analyzing enough pairs, requiring only straightforward image processing techniques. On a self-captured dataset with crossing pedestrians, our proposed method reaches an F1 detection score of 83.66% and a mean average precision (MAP) of 84.79% on an overlap test when used stand-alone, being processed at 59 frames per second without GPU acceleration. When combining it with the Yolo V4 object detector in cooperative fusion, the proposed method boosts the maximal F1 scores of this detector on this same dataset from 87.86% to 92.68% and the MAP from 90.85% to 94.30%. Furthermore, combining it with the lower power Yolo-Tiny V4 detector in the same way yields F1 and MAP increases from 68.57% to 81.16% and 72.32% to 85.25%, respectively.".
• 01GK4N32RKBVD89SBD0E089KKB abstract "Plant roots exhibit plasticity in their branching patterns to forage efficiently for heterogeneously distributed resources, such as soil water. The xerobranching response represses lateral root formation when roots lose contact with water. Here, we show that xerobranching is regulated by radial movement of the phloem-derived hormone abscisic acid, which disrupts intercellular communication between inner and outer cell layers through plasmodesmata. Closure of these intercellular pores disrupts the inward movement of the hormone signal auxin, blocking lateral root branching. Once root tips regain contact with moisture, the abscisic acid response rapidly attenuates. Our study reveals how roots adapt their branching pattern to heterogeneous soil water conditions by linking changes in hydraulic flux with dynamic hormone redistribution.".
• 01GK50KPKWW1WJDNM42TN9XGQM abstract "This article explores the reasons why seasonal patterns in historical grain prices series often deviated from the expected pattern of low prices post-harvest and gradually rising prices until the next harvest. We analyse eighteenth-century Flemish and northern Italian grain prices to focus on the role of storage technologies, alternative seasonal patterns in supply and demand, and particularly quality variation. We argue that quality was not consistent throughout the harvest year because (1) grain quality improved in store and (2) grain producers selected different qualities for sale at different times of the year. Consequently, seasonal patterns in grain prices were affected by (1) the quality of stored grain gradually improving, (2) the balance of old and new grain available for sale and (3) the dumping in the market of poor-quality old grain, not ordinarily sold, when a new, successful harvest was in sight. These factors mattered, in addition to supply-and-demand effects that varied between cereals and regions, depending on storage technologies and buyers' preferences.".
• 01GK51DN2SAWEK7ST8AX6660TG abstract "Introduction Engagement and training of community health workers (CHWs) have demonstrated their value in different conditions. Despite repeat epilepsy trainings of CHWs in Northern Rwanda, the treatment gap remained high. We hypothesized that effectiveness of CHWs on mobilization of patients living with epilepsy (PwE) could be improved using a validated tool for epilepsy screening. Methods CHWs associated with health centers (HCs) of Gataraga, Kimonyi and Karwasa attended a 1-day training on epilepsy and Limoges epilepsy screening questionnaire (Kinyarwanda version). Thereafter, CHWs screened households in their villages for persons with one or more positive answer. CHWs then accompanied positively screened persons to a consultation for clinical evaluation and diagnosis by neurologists, and demographic data were collected. CHW variables were collected retrospectively. Results A total of 1308 persons were screened positive by 281 CHWs. Clinical diagnosis of epilepsy was confirmed in 589 and in 93 additional unscreened PwE, presenting voluntarily at the consultation. Pre-intervention number of 48 PwE increased to 682 after, a 14.2-fold increase. The overall treatment gap amounted to 93.0%. The age distribution of male PwE preponderance at younger age inverted to females at older age. CHW characteristics showed non-significant differences within and across HCs. Logistic regression did not relate CHW age, gender, and experience to screening results. Discussion Equipping CHWs with a validated screening tool was effective in identifying and mobilizing PwE in a short time frame and offers opportunity for future scaling. Nonetheless, barriers to sustainability of care will need to be addressed before.".
• 01GK52J9V9QAH9P971H5DM3X8J abstract "Introduction: Depression is the most common psychiatric comorbidity for persons living with epilepsy. In Rwanda, the prevalence of epilepsy and depression are high, with 4,9% and 13.0% respectively. This prospective interventional study aimed to determine the prevalence and incidence of depression and the outcome of persons living with epilepsy (PwE) with depression attending the outpatient neurology department of a tertiary center. Methods: Persons living with epilepsy enrolled between February and June 2018 in a screening cohort with a 12-month follow-up. At every 3-month study visit, PwE were screened for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) questionnaire. Any positively screened subject was administered the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) to confirm the diagnosis and severity of depression. Subjects with moderate to severe depression (MSD), were started on treatment and were followed for another year. We describe the prevalence and incidence of depression, baseline characteristics, epilepsy and depression outcomes, and changes in PGI-C.Results: Of 572 PwE enrolled, 46 were diagnosed with MSD in a twelve-month period, resulting in an incidence of MSD of 32.7/1000 patient-years. The prevalence of any depression and MSD was 14.2% and 4.7%, respectively. Longer epilepsy duration and seizure status at baseline were associated with MSD. Significant improvements in PGI-C and seizure frequency were observed after treatment optimiza-tion.Conclusion: The use of PHQ-9 and HDRS proved successful in identifying depression in PwE. Combined treatment of epilepsy and depression resulted in improved outcomes, warranting the implementation of depression screening every six months in daily neurology practice.(c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).".
• 01GK5MBAWMEEW99PZ0X1Q59E3V abstract "Logistics outsourcing is a practice commonly used by firms to allow them to access capabilities that they lack internally. Although the main drivers of outsourcing in general are fairly well known, the question of what explains logistics outsourcing decisions within the UK pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, in particular, remains under-researched. Therefore, this study aims to bridge the aforementioned gap in the literature. We surveyed 49 drug manufacturers located in the UK using a web-based questionnaire. The data collected were analysed using logistics regression, exploratory factor analysis, and t-tests. We found that UK drug manufacturers regard improving quality and reliability and reducing logistics costs as the most significant reasons for outsourcing logistics services. We also found a direct positive relationship between the service provider's techno-commercial offerings and delivery performance, and the likelihood of being selected to provide these services. We further explored materials transportation, product delivery, research and development, and clinical trials, which are among the most frequently outsourced logistics activities in the UK pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. The study contributes to the wider literature on logistics outsourcing, and more specifically to that on the UK pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. Findings from this research can also be used to guide outsourcing practitioners’ decisions about the selection of logistics service providers. In addition, the study can help to enhance the service providers' understanding of why firms buy logistics services and which services they are likely to buy.".
• 01GK67Z5R95Y0RRV77SED244KT abstract "Coupled matrix-based kinetic Monte Carlo (CMMC) simulations are applied to obtain the residence time distribution (RTD) and molecular information (e.g. chain length distribution) per RTD slice for extrusion-based polymer modification and recycling.".
• 01GK67Z5R95Y0RRV77SED244KT abstract "Reactive extrusion (REX) is an important processing technique for polymer modification and mechanical/chemical recycling. In the present work, for the first time, a stochastic coupled macro-micro scale modeling framework is applied to jointly calculate the variation of the residence time distribution (RTD) and average polymer characteristics, selecting free radical induced grafting (FRIG) of polyethylene by maleic anhydride as REX case study. The convective macro-scale mass transfers are captured by a cascade of compartments defining a set of numerical parameters, capable (i) to benchmark with RTD's from limiting (ideal) cases of a continuous stirred tank reactor and a plug flow reactor and (ii) to span a broad range of expected extrusion RTD's displaying various degrees of mixing efficiencies. The micro-scale is embedded via recently developed coupled matrix-based kinetic Monte Carlo (CMMC) simulations, allowing to track per compartment the residence time and compositional/topological information per individual molecule, and upon coupling with the macro-scale to grasp the mixing of individual molecules between compartments. A successful model validation to literature extrusion RTD data is additionally included, delivering a process-driven correlation to obtain the macro-scale numerical parameters. The construction of such correlations opens the pathway to in silico design of REX for detailed (de)polymerization chemistries via stochastic solvers. It is shown that for the REX FRIG case study the RTD is rather broad and the grafting highly selective.".
• 01GK69769T73CEVV8SHJEJTYJ7 abstract "The relevance of kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) algorithms and modeling to obtain and tune detailed molecular information for (bio)chemical kinetic systems is growing. A bottleneck remains however the correct representation of time-dependent variations involving distributed species, specifically their reliable sampling with a minimization of the computational cost. The present work compares the performance of leading search methods as already studied at the level of an isolated propagation reaction, i.e. linear search, bisection, tetrasection, binary search tree, and quaternary tree, at the actual process level, complemented by the coupled array method and a direct linear search with no search over the cumulative sum of elements. Emphasis is on three (de)polymerization processes, namely free radical polymerization (FRP), nitroxide mediated polymerization (NMP), and depolymerization via radical unzipping in the context of chemical recycling. For illustration purposes, simplified reaction schemes are used only considering linear chains and constant average rate coefficients. Guidelines are formulated regarding the preference of a given search method depending on the maximal chain length and reaction conditions. For NMP, the most suitable method is the linear search, and for FRP, the quaternary tree. For depolymerization, the fastest method relies on the coupled array, offering an interesting trade-off between code complexity and performance gain. The present work allows researchers to better select the best data structures and best algorithms for studying the (bio)chemical processes of their interest with stochastic solvers.".
• 01GK698N14ET924021XRQ91VRR abstract "Psychology and neuroscience research have shown that fractioning operations among several individuals along a hierarchical chain allows diffusing responsibility between components of the chain, which has the potential to disinhibit antisocial actions. Here, we present two studies, one using fMRI (Study 1) and one using EEG (Study 2), designed to help understand how commanding or being in an intermediary position impacts the sense of agency and empathy for pain. In the age of military drones, we also explored whether commanding a human or robot agent influences these measures. This was done within a single behavioral paradigm in which participants could freely decide whether or not to send painful shocks to another participant in exchange for money. In Study 1, fMRI reveals that activation in social cognition-related and empathy-related brain regions was equally low when witnessing a victim receive a painful shock while participants were either commander or simple intermediary transmitting an order, compared with being the agent directly delivering the shock. In Study 2, results indicated that the sense of agency did not differ between commanders and intermediary, no matter whether the executing agent was a robot or a human. However, we observed that the neural response over P3 event-related potential was higher when the executing agent was a robot compared with a human. Source reconstruction of the EEG signal revealed that this effect was mediated by areas including the insula and ACC. Results are discussed regarding the interplay between the sense of agency and empathy for pain for decision-making.".
• 01GK6DRAA73EZ9R5ZXPYKF08YQ abstract "Multiple historical accounts (programme brochures and reviews) describe female Dada artists dancing with alienating, concealing masks and costumes at various Dada Soirees from 1916 to 1919. In her 'Three Dada dances' of 1916, writer, singer and performer Emmy Hennings' face was covered in a Cubist mask, attracting the spectator's attention by its frightening wide-open mouth and its radically deformed nose. In a similar and equally terrifying costume, interdisciplinary artist Sophie Taeuber performed her 'Abstract Dances' of 1917. Their complete disguise, which obscured all references to gender and individuality, suggested that both Hennings and Taeuber fully disappeared behind their unsettling body masks. However, investigating the physical body masks from a contemporary perspective places these historical Dada performances in a radical new light. In 'Cover to Uncover: Masked performance and gender in Emmy Hennings' and Sophie Taeuber's Dada dance', Sophie Doutreligne explores the abstract Dada masks through the metaphorical concept of masquerade. She considers Hennings' and Taeuber's Dada body mask as a second, gender-neutral skin to their (obviously) gendered bodies. Starting from this premise, Doutreligne investigates if and how these Dada artists applied their abstract body masks to effectively destroy the traditional gender constructions that contributed to the consummation of their bodies on stage. She argues that it was exactly by performing with and certainly not behind their grotesque Dada masks that these female artists successfully escaped from their erased position in a male dominated Dada art scene. Their de-gendered Dada body masks allowed them to explore deviating and desired scripts of womanhood through the medium of dance.".
• 01GK6GHKSDHZTM14W5SJVF2NQ3 abstract "Objectives The aims of this study were to determine owners' perception of their cats' quality of life (QoL), and whether there is a correlation with weight-loss variables, as well as to identify the main difficulties owners encounter during controlled weight loss in their obese cats. Methods The study was carried out as an e-questionnaire survey addressed to owners of cats starting a weight-loss programme. The e-questionnaire was provided at a single time point after the conclusion of the study (24 weeks). Results Nineteen completed questionnaires were included. Eighteen cats had a lower weight at the end of the weight-loss period, two of which had successfully reached their target weight. Mean weight loss was 13.84% body weight at a rate of 0.53% weight loss/week. Although the perceived QoL was not correlated with weight-loss variables (P >0.05), it increased over time, even in cats that did not reach their target weight, and was statistically correlated with increased activity (r = 0.73; P <0.01), mobility (r = 0.78; P <0.01) and play time (r = 0.61; P <0.01). The main difficulties encountered by owners were not giving (32%) or permitting the cat to eat extra food (26%). The main presumed difficulty for the cat was having its food decreased over time (53%). Most owners considered their cats happy (42%) and quite happy (53%) during the study, and no statistically significant correlations were found between the weight loss, food-seeking behaviour and stress parameters (P >0.05). Conclusions and relevance Although several difficulties were encountered throughout the study, increased QoL and energy levels in their cats were noticed by owners. A positive perspective on weight-loss programmes is important to keep owners motivated and achieve the target weight in their cats. Furthermore, this survey provides insights into the perceived difficulties of weight-loss regimens in cats.".
• 01GK6GTJD6WWAYXPY74JXB7HTD abstract "Fostering interoperability, Public Sector Bodies (PSBs) maintain datasets that should become queryable as an integrated Knowledge Graph (KG). While some PSBs allow to query a part of the KG on their servers, others favor publishing data dumps allowing the querying to happen on third party servers. As the budget of a PSB to publish their dataset on the Web is finite, PSBs need guidance on what interface to offer first. A core API can be designed that covers the core tasks of Base Registries, which is a well-defined term in Flanders for the management of authoritative datasets. This core API should be the basis on which an ecosystem of data services can be built. In this paper, we introduce the concept of a Linked Data Event Stream (LDES) for datasets like air quality sensors and observations or a registry of officially registered addresses. We show that extra ecosystem requirements can be built on top of the LDES using a generic fragmenter. By using hypermedia for describing the LDES as well as the derived datasets, agents can dynamically discover their best way through the KG, and server administrators can dynamically add or remove functionality based on costs and needs. This way, we allow PSBs to prioritize API functionality based on three tiers: (i) the LDES, (ii) intermediary indexes and (iii) querying interfaces. While the ecosystem will never be feature-complete, based on the market needs, PSBs as well as market players can fill in gaps as requirements evolve.".
• 01GK6M2N8M0607VMMGBSXQDSAE abstract "Samenwerking overheen organisatorische grenzen wordt steeds belangrijker. Dit gaat zowel over samenwerking tussen teams onderling, als tussen organisaties en bedrijven. De vierde industriële revolutie speelt hier een grote rol in. Deze start namelijk door digitale systemen die de fysieke wereld manipuleren te verbinden. De complexiteit van IT systemen stijgt enorm door de vergaande digitalisering van de maatschappij. Om deze complexiteit de baas te kunnen, wordt software steeds meer ontwikkeld als collaboratieve composities: verschillende componenten die samenwerken om één dienst te leveren. Applicaties zoals Netflix of Google bestaan uit honderden tot duizenden componenten die samenwerken om hun functionaliteit te voorzien. Dit proefschrift onderzoekt hoe software systeembeheerders kan helpen om collaboratieve composities te installeren en te beheren. Het stelt technieken en software voor die systeembeheerders de mogelijkheid geven om hun kennis in software te encapsuleren zodat ze deze kunnen delen en hergebruiken. Ook onderzoekt dit werk hoe huidige ontwikkelingen in het beheren van cloud applicaties kunnen toegepast worden op het beheer van applicaties die dichter bij gebruikers draaien, in de edge en de fog.".
• 01GK6M98660VD0YR555TT1S186 abstract "Background: For transgender persons, vocal difficulties related to gender-incongruence can have a major impact on psychosocial functioning. For trans women, hormonal treatment does not have a perceivable impact on the voice and feminization of the voice can be obtained through voice therapy or voice surgery. In 20% of the trans women seeking voice feminization, voice therapy is not preferred by the client or not completely satisfactory, and voice surgery is considered to increase the pitch of the voice. A review of the literature points out an urgent need of prospective studies investigating the outcomes and predictors of glottoplasty in trans women. Purpose: The main aim of this study is to determine the short-term and the long-term effect of glottoplasty on vocal, laryngeal, perceptual and patient related outcome measures using a prospective longitudinal study. Method: Twenty-one (ongoing study) trans women undergoing glottoplasty were included in this study. A voice assessment was conducted before surgery and 1 week, 1 month and 6 months after surgery. This consisted of acoustic parameters, aerodynamic measurements, determination of the voice range profile, the Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) and the Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI). Self-perception was assessed using the Voice Handicap Index (VHI), the Trans Woman Voice Questionnaire (TWVQ) and visual analogue scales (VAS). Results: There was a significant increase in the fundamental frequency (fo) 1 week, 1 month and 6 months after surgery. One week after surgery, there was a significant increase in jitter (%), shimmer (%), AVQI and Flow and a significant decrease in Ihigh and Irange. Self-perception significantly improved after surgery. Conclusion: As expected, glottoplasty leads to a significant increase in fo. This increase remained stable throughout the postoperative measurements. In the short term, there was a decrease in voice quality. Six months after glottoplasty a recovery in vocal quality was found.".
• 01GK6NZWKRW7F4HXW02572DPM6 abstract "Due to the current tightness in several labor markets around the globe there are more jobs available than ever before. This brings about countless employment opportunities, but also uncertainty and higher risks. Limited knowledge about the available job opportunities often results in considerable uncertainty for job seekers, especially for recent graduates. Since the risks of landing a low-quality job are similar to being unemployed and can hinder future career success, it is of utmost importance that job seekers find a fitting job. Although the ability to find a fitting job depends on a variety of factors, a key determinant that is controllable by individuals is job search behavior. Research has generally focused on the quantitative aspects of job search behaviors, operationalized as the time and effort that people spend on a number of job search activities. Research shows that job seekers who spend more time looking for a job receive more job offers, are more likely to find a job, and find a job faster. However, the effects are rather small, and job search quantity seems to be unrelated to employment quality. Thus, spending a lot of time on job search activities does not necessarily mean that the search is done effectively. Along these lines, several leading scholars have called for more research looking at job search quality. Many of these studies start from the idea that job seekers should search smarter, not harder. Although this seems obvious, empirical research is still scarce and fragmented. In this dissertation, we conceptualize job search quality as a multidimensional model consisting of four dimensions: goal establishment, planning, goal striving, and reflection. We set out to investigate the added value of job search quality, the outcomes of job search quality, the antecedents of job search quality, and how job search quality can be facilitated. To address these objectives, four empirical studies were conducted. Our studies show that (a) the four dimensions of job search quality show added value beyond job search intensity and metacognitive activities, (b) job search quality is positively related to several job search outcomes, including employment quality, (c) personality, attitudinal factors, and contextual factors were identified as antecedents for job search quality, and (d) job search quality can be facilitated by conducting a positive psychology intervention.".
• 01GK6P3012TVAWRRCK2C3G2X1X abstract "Stemveroudering gaat gepaard met anatomische en fysiologische veranderingen ter hoogte van het strottenhoofd. De stemplooien worden dunner en minder elastisch. Het is een gradueel proces met verschillende veranderingen op vlak van ademhaling, stemkwaliteit en stemmogelijkheden in verschillende stadia van het leven. Ook hormonale veranderingen spelen hierbij een rol. Deze studiedag bespreekt de kenmerken en gevolgen van de ouder wordende spreek- en zangstem. Er wordt ook dieper ingegaan op de stemoefeningen die effectief blijken te zijn voor de ouder wordende stem. Uit onderzoek blijkt namelijk dat zingen dat de stem “jonger” houdt.".
• 01GK6Q5K0DFKCYG2G5RD9Z54FX abstract "Background: Although intonation is often addressed in speech training for gender diverse individuals, the relationship between intonation and gender perception remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to collect speech samples from gender diverse individuals and examine differences in intonation parameters. In addition, the relationship between acoustic intonation parameters and gender perception was investigated. METHODS: Semi-structured speech samples of continuous speech were elicited from transgender, gender non-binary, and cisgender individuals (n=237) with a prosody protocol consisting of declarative sentences, yes/no questions, and question word questions. An objective acoustic analysis (PRAAT) was performed to determine and compare intonation parameters (general intonation shift, general pitch range, final intonation shift, pitch variation index) between groups. Correlational research was used to examine the relationship between acoustic intonation parameters and gender perception. Results: The four intonation parameters were significantly different between the groups in all types of sentences. The overall intonation shift, the final intonation shift and the pitch variation index were greatest in cis and trans women and smallest in cis and trans men. In addition, for the total group, a positive correlation was found for the overall intonation shift in yes/no questions. Among the different groups, a positive correlation with the "femininity scores" was found for the general intonation shift in trans women, the final intonation shift and pitch variation index in trans men, and the final intonation shift in gender non-binary persons. Conclusion: This study shows that acoustic intonation parameters are "speech markers" that distinguish between the groups of gender-diverse individuals. The prosody protocol is a standardized protocol and may be useful in clinical practice to objectively measure and monitor intonation during therapy. Finally, the results provided insight into therapy goals for intonation training. It should be noted that the study is still ongoing and therefore these are preliminary results. Additional analyses will be conducted after finishing data collection and the results will be ready to present at the conference in June.".
• 01GK6QJ30VKZT74SB2M9XM9GT4 abstract "Background: For transgender persons, vocal difficulties related to gender-incongruence can have a major impact on psychosocial functioning. For male-to-female transgender persons (trans women), hormonal treatment does not have a perceivable impact on the voice. Feminization of the voice can be obtained through voice therapy or voice surgery. In 20% of the trans women seeking voice feminization, voice therapy is not preferred by the client or not completely satisfactory, and voice surgery is considered to increase the pitch of the voice. A review of the literature points out an urgent need of prospective studies investigating the outcomes and predictors of glottoplasty in trans women. Purpose: The main aim of this study is to determine the short-term and the long-term effect of glottoplasty on vocal, laryngeal, perceptual and patient related outcome measures using a prospective cohort study. Method: Twenty one trans women undergoing glottoplasty were included in this study. A voice assessment was conducted before surgery and 1 week, 1 month and 6 months after surgery. This consisted of acoustic parameters, aerodynamic measurements, determination of the voice range profile, the Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) and the Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI). Self-perception was assessed using the Voice Handicap Index (VHI), the Trans Woman Voice Questionnaire (TWVQ) and visual analogue scales (VAS). Results: There was a significant increase in the fundamental frequency (fo) 1 week, 1 month and 6 months after surgery. One week after surgery, there was a significant increase in jitter (%), shimmer (%), AVQI and Flow and a significant decrease in Ihigh and Irange. Self-perception significantly improved after surgery. Conclusion: As expected, glottoplasty leads to a significant increase in fo. This increase remained stable throughout the postoperative measurements. In the short term, there was a decrease in voice quality. Six months after glottoplasty a recovery in vocal quality was found.".
• 01GK6S7TW363E3F74C2ZPA2313 abstract "Achtergrond: Stemoefeningen met een gedeeltelijke occlusie van het aanzetstuk (semi-occluded vocal tract, SOVT) zijn oefeningen die positieve effecten voor de stemkwaliteit kunnen teweegbrengen. Het nadeel bij veel van deze technieken is dat de oefeningen geen doorlopende spraak toelaten. Om doorlopende spraak toch te includeren in deze oefeningen en zo generalisatie naar spontane spraak te bevorderen, werd een variant op water resistance therapy (waarbij gefoneerd wordt door een resonantiebuis die eindigt in water; WRT) ontwikkeld: het stemmasker met een resonantiebuis in water. Doelstellingen: Het doel van deze studie was om de onmiddellijke effecten van het stemmasker met resonantiebuis in water op de objectieve en perceptuele stemkwaliteit na te gaan bij (toekomstige) professionele stemgebruikers (musical studenten). Methode: Een pretest-posttest randomized controlled trial werd uitgevoerd. Vierentwintig musical acteurs werden gerandomiseerd onderverdeeld in twee groepen: een stemmasker in water groep en een klassieke WRT groep. Beide groepen kregen 30 minuten stemoefeningen voorafgegaan en gevolgd door een uitgebreid stemonderzoek uitgevoerd door een geblindeerde onderzoeker. Resultaten: Een significante verbetering van de DSI werd gemeten in beide groepen. Een verbetering van de AVQI werd enkel genoteerd in de klassieke WRT groep. De proefpersonen zagen beide technieken als comfortabele stemopwarmingsoefeningen die de vocale inspanning verminderen tijdens spreken en zingen, met een lichte voorkeur voor het stemmasker. Conclusie: Beide SOVT technieken blijken effectief te zijn als vocale opwarmingsoefeningen voor (toekomstige) professionele stemgebruikers. De articulatorische vrijheid van het masker kan het fonatiecomfort verhogen en de praktische implementatie verbeteren van SOVT oefeningen in de dagelijkse stemopwarming van professionele stemgebruikers.".
• 01GK6SK87YAZ6CY7ZH323N1NYH abstract "We investigate the representation and complete representation classes for algebras of partial functions with the signature of relative complement and domain restriction. We provide and prove the correctness of a finite equational axiomatisation for the class of algebras representable by partial functions. As a corollary, the same equations axiomatise the algebras representable by injective partial functions. For complete representations, we show that a representation is meet complete if and only if it is join complete. Then we show that the class of completely representable algebras is precisely the class of atomic and representable algebras. As a corollary, the same properties axiomatise the class of algebras completely representable by injective partial functions. The universal-existential-universal axiomatisation this yields for these complete representation classes is the simplest possible, in the sense that no existential-universal-existential axiomatisation exists.".
• 01GK6ST21FMEM675DH4QS312ZM abstract "Surfactants are commonly used in biopharmaceutical formulations to stabilize proteins against aggregation. However, the choice of a suitable surfactant for a particular protein is decided mostly empirically, and their mechanism of action on molecular level is largely unknown. Here we show that a straightforward label-free method, saturation transfer difference (STD) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, can be used to detect protein-surfactant interactions in formulations of a model protein, interferon alpha. We find that polysorbate 20 binds with its fatty acid to interferon, and that the binding is stronger at pH closer to the isoelectric point of the protein. In contrast, we did not detect interactions between poloxamer 407 and interferon alpha. Neither of the two surfactants affected the tertiary structure and the thermal stability of the protein as evident from circular dichroism and nanoDSF measurements. Interestingly, both surfactants inhibited the formation of subvisible particles during long-term storage, but only polysorbate 20 reduced the amount of small soluble aggregates detected by size-exclusion chromatography. This proof-of-principle study demonstrates how STD-NMR can be employed to quickly assess surfactant-protein interactions and support the choice of surfactant in protein formulation.".
• 01GK6SVGJJ2CJD10KQH5FJ0YJ5 abstract "Fusion of ACE2 to IgM-Fc results in hexameric ACE2-IgM-Fc proteins with potent virus neutralization efficiency of patient-isolated SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 variants. Coronavirus infections are a world-wide threat to human health. A promising strategy to develop a broadly active antiviral is the use of fusion proteins consisting of an antibody IgG Fc region and a human ACE2 domain to which the viral spike proteins bind. Here we create antiviral fusion proteins based on IgM scaffolds. The hexameric ACE2-IgM-Fc fusions can be efficiently produced in mammalian cells and they neutralize the infectious virus with picomolar affinity thus surpassing monomeric ACE2-IgM-Fc by up to 96-fold in potency. In addition, the ACE2-IgM fusion shows increased neutralization efficiency for the highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant in comparison to prototypic SARS-CoV-2. Taken together, these multimeric IgM fusions proteins are a powerful weapon to fight coronavirus infections.".
• 01GK6SZHYVBN8R2E1A4QK0925J abstract "Background: Skin tears are a significant problem for patients and healthcare professionals. They can cause pain, impact quality of life, and become chronic and infected. The risk of skin tears is associated with dependence in daily life activities and with nursing interventions.Objectives: To examine which nursing interventions increase the risk of skin tears.Design: Systematic review. Data sources: The MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched in March 2022.Publication years: Publications included were from 2012 to 2022.Results: Seventeen articles were included in the final analysis reporting nursing interventions associated with the risk of skin tears. Hygiene with cold water and soap, not applying leave-on products to moisten/protect dehy-drated skin, and wearing short sleeves were found to be associated with skin tears. Transferring patients into and out of bed in a rough manner and wearing jewelry or long nails can increase the risk of skin tears. Removal of adhesive dressings or bandages can also cause skin tears.Conclusion: Nursing staff need to know which interventions put their patients at risk of skin tears and which interventions are recommended to prevent skin tears. Nursing care can affect the health of the patient's skin.".
• 01GK6W3FED1GYPATHY4NCEFZTD abstract "We investigate a non-classical version of linear temporal logic whose propositional fragment is Godel-Dummett logic (which is well known both as a superintuitionistic logic and a t-norm fuzzy logic). We define the logic using two natural semantics, a real-valued semantics and a bi-relational semantics, and show that these indeed define one and the same logic. Although this Godel temporal logic does not have any form of the finite model property for these two semantics, we show that every falsifiable formula is falsifiable on a finite quasimodel, which yields decidability of the logic. We then strengthen this result by showing that this Godel temporal logic is PSPACE-complete.".
• 01GK6YH2DWBFN4TX6P998JV0D6 abstract "We consider GTL, a variant of linear temporal logic based on Gödel-Dummett propositional logic. In recent work, we have shown this logic to enjoy natural semantics both as a fuzzy logic and as a superintuitionistic logic. Using semantical methods, the logic was shown to be PSPACE-complete. In this paper we provide a deductive calculus for GTL, and show this calculus to be sound and complete for the above-mentioned semantics.".
• 01GK6YQ935FT5BFTJ2MN1GBKCT abstract "The Trial of Intensive Blood Pressure Control in Older Patients with Hypertension (STEP trial) is a very recent major trial which sought to determine whether lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) targets are beneficial for older adults with arterial hypertension. The Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) was another ‘big impact’ trial that sought evidence regarding benefits and risks of strict blood pressure (BP) targets on cardiovascular outcomes. There are several similarities and differences between these two trials. The STEP trial allocated patients aged 60– 80 either to the intensive (SBP target: 110–130mmHg) or to the standard treatment (SBP target: 130–150mmHg) group. In a median follow-up of 3.3 years, intensive approach yielded a 26% relative risk reduction in primary cardiovascular composite outcome. Noteworthy, safety outcomes were not different among groups besides hypotension in the intensive arm. The SPRINT trial, which compared the benefit of SBP target <120mmHg with treatment to a target <140mm Hg in a same median follow-up period, demonstrated the same risk reduction, i.e. 25% lower risk of primary cardiovascular composite outcome with intensive approach. Unlike the STEP trial, the SPRINT, however, reported an increased risk of serious adverse events with intensive treatment; i.e. syncope, electrolyte disturbances and acute kidney injury in addition to hypotension. Both the STEP and the SPRINT should be interpreted with caution because most of the frail older adults (i.e. people having dementia, previous stroke, advanced stage renal disease) were excluded. In the STEP trial, the participants had a relatively young mean age (66.2 years) and low prevalence of co-morbidities (diabetes, 19%; cardiovascular disease, 6.3%; chronic kidney disease, 2.5%). Mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was 83mmHg. Body-mass index (BMI) was 26 kg/m2 suggesting that malnutrition was not a major issue neither was frailty. The SPRINT trial, similarly, comprised young-older adults (mean age, 68 years) and mostly individuals with overweight and a baseline DBP of 78mmHg, all suggesting low frailty prevalence. Considering the baseline characteristics of both trials, lower BP targets seem beneficial for healthy, fit older adults. Of note, physical frailty should not be overlooked while determining such strict thresholds and in order to avoid treatment-related harm, more flexible treatment targets should continue to be adopted in frail older people. SPRINT trial has an important plus value because, a further analysis for those aged 75 years or older has been conducted in which physical frailty was taken into account via gait speed and frailty index (FI). These analyses showed that, there was no significant benefit favouring the intensive approach in frail people, except a favourable result was obtained for FI when primary composite outcome and all-cause mortality were considered together (P¼0.02). Yet, FI is criticized as being more like a disease checklist, and a reliable frailty assessment can rather be made by adopting a phenotypic-not cumulative-model of frailty. As such, the results of the SPRINT should not be interpreted as an advantage of an intensive treatment of arterial hypertension compared to standard treatment in frail people. Another major difference that needs consideration is the BP measurement protocol. Namely, the SPRINT used automated office BP (AOBP) measurements, eliminated white-coat effect, and ended up with lower BP measurements than usually expected. This was important since SBP readings are consistently lower (approximately 5–15mmHg) with AOBP compared to conventional methods. Hence, it can be interpreted that the targets showing benefits in the SPRINT were equivalent to_126–136mmHg for conventional methods (where BP is measured by staff); that fits very well to the targets recommended by several current guidelines for older adults. Although both trials used validated ‘‘oscillometric’’ devices (Omron Healthcare, Model 907 in the SPRINT and Omron HBP-1100U in the STEP), allowed an at least five minutes resting before BPmeasurement and took an average of three measurements taken one minute apart, only the STEP trial performed office BP measurements not automatically but by a trained staff member in a research-protocol. This way of measurement is expected to give higher BP values than AOBP, which is reported as high as 7mmHg for SBP. It is remarkable that SBP obtained in the STEP trial (126.7mmHg SBP measured by staff-guided research office measurement protocol that is equivalent to 119.7mmHg SBP if AOBP technique would be used) was _2mmHg (1.8mmHg) lower than the SBP obtained in the SPRINT trial (a SBP 121.5mm Hg measured by AOBP). Hence, the results of the STEP trial suggest a beneficial effect of even lower SBP target in fit older adults. This finding is noteworthy and pointed out for the first time in this paper and should be taken into account. Indeed, the aim of the SPRINT investigators, i.e. providing an SBP <120mmHg in the intensive-arm, has been accomplished by the STEP group.".
• 01GK6YTQK1TT73AAWNMZA6GEMX abstract "There is a need for higher specific torque electric actuators in novel direct-drive robotic applications. Since the specific torque is inherently limited by material properties, designers have to look at novel materials to push the specific torque limit further. In this article, anodised aluminium foil is considered as an alternative to enamelled copper wire in a yokeless and segmented armature axial flux machine. This machine topology has a high specific torque and is particularly suited for an anodised aluminium foil winding. The DC resistance, thermal properties and eventually the specific torque of a prototype test case machine are compared for both winding materials. A 3D thermal finite element model is used to analyse the influence of the thermal interface between winding body and housing, and the influence of the cooling performance on the specific torque. To conclude, anodised aluminium foil winding offers a higher specific torque in direct-drive yokeless and segmented armature axial flux actuators where the winding body thermal resistance is dominant in the thermal path from heat source to heat sink. It is experimentally shown that for the prototype machine, the torque per kg active stator mass increases 13% through the use of anodised aluminium foil.".
• 01GK6ZEB3ZSHEBG4XP3AYQFHQV abstract "We prove that the finite representation property holds for representation by partial functions for the signature consisting of composition, intersection, domain and range and for any expansion of this signature by the antidomain, fixset, preferential union, maximum iterate and opposite operations. The proof shows that, for all these signatures, the size of base required is bounded by a double-exponential function of the size of the algebra. This establishes that representability of finite algebras is decidable for all these signatures. We also give an example of a signature for which the finite representation property fails to hold for representation by partial functions.".
• 01GK6ZQ6BR95R79BHRYF5BDJAV abstract "Disjoint union is a partial binary operation returning the union of two sets if they are disjoint and undefined otherwise. A disjoint-union partial algebra of sets is a collection of sets closed under disjoint unions, whenever they are defined. We provide a recursive first-order axiomatisation of the class of partial algebras isomorphic to a disjointunion partial algebra of sets but prove that no finite axiomatisation exists. We do the same for other signatures including one or both of disjoint union and subset complement, another partial binary operation we de fine.".
• 01GK7092GY2TBHPKZSAE1W7ZD3 abstract "In this article the electromagnetic and thermal performance of an axial flux permanent magnet machine with anodised aluminium foil as stator winding conductor material is analysed and compared to enamelled copper wire. The influence of the conductor material on the DC and AC winding losses, and the torque density is studied. Additionally, the influence of the motor housing convective heat transfer coefficient is examined. It can be concluded that the anodised aluminium foil winding offers an attractive alternative for copper wire, especially in low speed applications where the thermal resistance of the winding body is dominant in the thermal path from heat source to heat sink.".
• 01GK70A8TPAXP0GW1KP58BF9KN abstract "Subsurface is of prime importance for many geological and hydrogeological applications. Geophysical methods offer an economical alternative for investigating the subsurface compared to costly boreholes investigation methods. Geophysics provides a wide range of approaches that can models of the subsurface, traditionally by inversion process. Basically, there are two types of the inversion deterministic and stochastic inversion. The difference between them is the extent of uncertainty in their results. Deterministic inversion is very certain which have no ability to generate any uncertainty, on the other hand stochastic inversion are often very expensive. In this research Firstly, we tried to find out the effect of time and space discretization on the posterior models or on the uncertainty quantification of models generated in BEL1D. Secondly, we discussed the importance of prior selection and thirdly, we tried to quantify the salinity of the TDEM data taken in Vietnam south central province which have been facing saltwater intrusions problem for many years particularly in Binah Thuan province) by combining a new stochastic approach called Bayesian evidential learning 1D imaging (BEL1D) with SimPEG (an open-source python package for solving the electromagnetic forward and inverse problem) as a forward solver. BEL1D bypasses the inversion step by generating random samples from the prior model distribution (with predefined ranges for thickness, electrical conductivity, and salinity for the different layers). It then directly generates the corresponding data to learn a direct statistical relationship between data and model parameters. From this relationship, BEL1D can generate posterior models fitting the field observed data, without additional forward model computations, making it a very efficient way to stochastically solve the inverse problem. The output of BEL1D shows the range of uncertainty for subsurface models. It enables to identify which model parameters are sensitive and can thus be accurately estimated from TDEM data. In our case, it reveals the uncertainty on the depth of fresh saline interface as well as the total dissolved solid content of groundwater. The application of BELID together with SimPEG for stochastic TDEM inversion is a very efficient approach as it allows to estimate the uncertainty at a limited cost. We thus expect our approach to be also valuable for the inversion of airborne data sets. ".
• 01GK70H6NFRPC39FNCN6Y2SFGH abstract "For representation by partial functions in the signature with intersection, composition and anti-domain, we show that a representation is meet complete if and only if it is join complete. We show that a representation is complete if and only if it is atomic, but that not all atomic representable algebras are completely representable. We show that the class of completely representable algebras is not axiomatizable by any existential-universal-existential first-order theory. By giving an explicit representation, we show that the completely representable algebras form a basic elementary class, axiomatizable by a universal-existential-universal sentence.".
• 01GK70YPXN5HFF91KSBTYC8Q26 abstract "We define antidomain operations for algebras of multiplace partial functions. For all signatures containing composition, the antidomain operations and any subset of intersection, preferential union and fixset, we give finite equational or quasiequational axiomatisations for the representation class. We do the same for the question of representability by injective multiplace partial functions. For all our representation theorems, it is an immediate corollary of our proof that the finite representation property holds for the representation class. We show that for a large set of signatures, the representation classes have equational theories that are coNP-complete.".
• 01GK726FJTEF9JS51SVP68RTYR abstract "We work primarily with the Kripke frame consisting of two-dimensional Minkowski spacetime with the irreflexive accessibility relation ‘can reach with a slower-than-light signal’. We show that in the basic temporal language, the set of validities over this frame is decidable. We then refine this to PSPACE-complete. In both cases the same result for the corresponding reflexive frame follows immediately. With a little more work we obtain PSPACE-completeness for the validities of the Halpern–Shoham logic of intervals on the real line with two different combinations of modalities.".
• 01GK72QDC4VZ5YD01EARCTDNEB abstract "We prove the EXPTIME-hardness of the validity problem for the basic temporal logic on Minkowski spacetime with more than one space dimension. We prove this result for both the lightspeed-or-slower and the slower-than-light accessibility relations (and for both the irreflexive and the reflexive versions of these relations). As an auxiliary result, we prove the EXPTIME-hardness of validity on any frame for which there exists an embedding of the infinite complete binary tree satisfying certain conditions. The proof is by a reduction from the two-player corridor-tiling game.".
• 01GK749GM3YXYJXCNGP6M84YEM abstract "The construction of a free-standing stone wall was a significant occasion in Londinium's history, remarkable for the quantity of masonry used and for the continuing additions to the defences over at least three identifiable phases. Since the local geology in the London Basin does not offer suitable building stone, Londinium's walls offer an exceptional example by which to examine the logistics of construction and the transportation of materials in the context of Romano-British building projects. We examine the sources of the materials used, their transport and the scale of labour and investment involved in the construction of the Landward Wall using an energetics-based methodology. Finally, we provide new insights into Londinium's Landward Wall and the socio-economic and practical implications of its construction. Supplementary material is available online (https://doi.org/10.1017/S0068113X21000088) and comprises technical data related to the architectural energetics.".
• 01GK75TQV0T0PGS3B6FNWXTNQM abstract "We aim to push forward the agenda of the University as a part of an ecosystem of knowledge production addressing public problem-solving. With this framework in mind, addressing the concept of Engaged Learning at an early stage (such as the PhD level) has been thought most prudent in pushing forward this agenda. Though of course not every PhD researcher will go on to work in university or teaching roles, most of those who do enter those roles have completed a PhD. If given the tools before teaching even begins, it becomes easier to implement them into course material rather than re-working courses that were never envisioned to have such elements. Further, those who do not take up roles within academia may very well end up in positions where they can broker the role of Engaged Learning from the community perspective, which is equally necessary in this equation and has the potential to further spread the impact of Engaged Learning across Belgium and beyond. Our results will include reflections on the students’ expectations prior to the seminars and their evaluations thereafter. We have found that students desire to have more awareness of and connections with local communities in their research. While this is a good starting basis, there is still a need for more sustainable trainings in the future.".
• 01GK75VP787TRA63HAN6Y2YGWP abstract "This chapter explores the link between marble use in Roman domestic contexts and social ties through social network analysis. The use of imported marble as a decorative material is almost synonymous with elite status display in the Roman world. The importance of marble decoration in Roman domestic contexts is evident from the display of both real and painted imitation marble at sites around the Bay of Naples like Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae. Here, well-preserved pavements from the first century BCE to the first century AD feature marbles from all over the Mediterranean and Egypt’s Eastern Desert. Marble is a visual object –visibility is a central feature of its social significance, thus a key element in aiding its spread via social interaction. As such, this chapter seeks to understand to what extent and in what ways social relations impacted the spread of domestic marble decoration in the Roman town of Pompeii.".
• 01GK76WZKJ2K6CJJKSCC6NJRK0 abstract "À Rome, pendant les époques républicaines et impériales, alors qu’on assiste à un approvisionnement toujours croissant en matériaux de construction et en pierres décoratives neuves, une grande quantité de matériaux étaient également récupérés et traités pour être remployés. Cet article éclaire les aspects pratiques de ce recyclage, et notamment son organisation, les procédés mis en œuvre dans les grands projets de démontage et l’importance du recyclage dans l’économie urbaine de la construction.".
• 01GK7957YRDBTVVHMCBKC8VT7K abstract "The king protea (Protea cynaroides), an early-diverging eudicot, is the most iconic species from the Megadiverse Cape Floristic Region, and the national flower of South Africa. Perhaps best known for its iconic flower head, Protea is a key genus for the South African horticulture industry and cut-flower market. Ecologically, the genus and the family Proteaceae are important models for radiation and adaptation, particularly to soils with limited phosphorus bio-availability. Here, we present a high-quality chromosome-scale assembly of the P. cynaroides genome as the first representative of the Fynbos biome. We reveal an ancestral Whole-Genome Duplication (WGD) event that occurred in the Proteaceae around the late Cretaceous that preceded the divergence of all crown groups within the family and its extant diversity in all Southern continents. The relatively stable genome structure of P. cynaroides is invaluable for comparative studies and for unveiling paleopolyploidy in other groups, such as the distantly related sister group Ranunculales. Comparative genomics in sequenced genomes of the Proteales shows loss of key arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis genes likely ancestral to the Family, and possibly the Order. The P. cynaroides genome empowers new research in plant diversification, horticulture, and adaptation, particularly to nutrient-poor soils.".
• 01GK79CVGRB3X6EWSPYB7MNW5Q abstract "21 papers focus on modelling the costs of construction over the course of 2,500 years, from Bronze Age Greece to the early Middle Ages. They discuss both broader issues of methodology and particular case studies, with particular attention to the exploitation of raw materials (e.g. quarries), transport, and construction processes on building sites. From Concept to Monument: Time and Costs of Construction in the Ancient World celebrates Janet DeLaine’s seminal work on Roman architecture and construction. One of the foremost scholars of the last decades, her pioneering research has offered important insights not only into individual structures in central Italy but also into the processes involved in creating ancient buildings. Her approach has provided important conceptual frameworks that have allowed scholars to understand Roman buildings in their proper social and economic contexts. The volume collects papers from an international conference held in Janet’s honour at Wolfson College, Oxford, in January 2020. The various contributions focus on modelling the costs of construction over the course of 2,500 years, from Bronze Age Greece to the early Middle Ages. They discuss both broader issues of methodology and particular case studies, with particular attention to the effort needed in the different steps of architectural creation, such as the exploitation of raw materials (e.g. quarries), transport, and the construction processes on building sites. The papers not only cover a wide chronological and geographical area of the ancient world but also take up many of the themes explored by Janet throughout her career on Roman architecture, urbanism, building technologies, materials, and the principles of design. The wide range of papers reflects the scope and vibrancy of Janet’s scholarship on Roman architecture and her enormous contribution to the discipline.".
• 01GK7MCXNTPSYRJX8QAVFXV6TQ abstract "Biological samples containing DNA that is attributed to deceased relatives, can now undergo genetic testing at a reasonable cost due to revolutionary improvements in sampling, sequencing, and analytical techniques. This artifact DNA testing, or ‘artDNA’, includes genetic analysis of hair locks, stamps, envelopes with saliva traces or teeth. ArtDNA can reveal valuable information about a deceased relative or one’s genetic background, but it also presents novel ethical dilemmas and legal uncertainties for genetic researchers and commercial testing services. In this paper, we provide an analysis of some of the unique ethical and legal risks of such testing and provide needed recommendations for practitioners of private family artDNA testing. ArtDNA testing generates ethical and legal risks regarding the privacy and autonomy of deceased individuals, the rights of living relatives over their ancestor’s genetic information, and the rights of living persons to control their own genetic information. To mitigate these risks, practitioners can conduct certain preliminary testing to ascertain the identity of a DNA donor and estimate the time that has elapsed postmortem. Generally, the ethical and legal concerns will be higher when a shorter period has passed between the death of the DNA donor and the time of artifact DNA testing. Regardless, all artDNA testing present some risks, and practitioners should exercise professional judgement as necessary.".

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