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Shell colour luminance of Cuban painted snails, Polymita picta and Polymita muscarum (Gastropoda: Cepolidae)
No full textClimate change is a global environmental threat, directly affecting biodiversity. Terrestrial gastropods are particularly susceptible to alterations in temperature and humidity and have develop morph-physiological and behavioural adaptations in this regard. Shell colour polymorphism and its potential implication for thermoresistance constitute an unexplored field in Neotropical land snails. The variation in shell colour luminance is characterized in the threatened endemic Eastern Cuban tree snails Polymita picta and Polymita muscarum using digital tools; being able to discriminate shell luminance between colour morphs for both species, under different image-taking conditions. For P. muscarum, the albino morph presented the highest luminance values (152.7 ± 0.4); while the lowest values correspond to the brown morph with dark bands (112.9 ± 0.8). Otherwise, for P. picta, the morphs showing the highest luminance were yellow with a pink sutural band (112.8 ± 7.1) and pale yellow (112.6 ± 10.3) and the lowest luminance corresponded to the black morph (44.5 ± 1.2). The presence of dark bands decreased the luminance values regardless of their position in the shell, the morph and the species analysed. In general, the shells of P. muscarum have higher luminance than those of P. picta. Luminance variations demonstrate the ’indiscrete’ nature of this trait and highlight the complex interactions between evolutionary mechanisms and shell color polymorphism in Polymita. This supports the hypothesis that colour has adaptive value for thermoregulation, encompassing not only the background colour but also the coloration of the bands. The differences in the shell luminance in both species suggest a correlation with the geographical distribution and corresponding habitats. Based on our findings, yellowish morphs will be more resistant to future climatic conditions in their respective habitats on the island.VLIR-UOS Project: Valorization of Eastern Cuban biodiversity in a climate change scenario (Cuba-Belgium)S1 Table. Luminance of dorsal and ventral views in Polymita muscarum.
S2 Table. RGB components and luminance of the morphs used for light experiments.
S3 Table. RGB components and luminance of Polymita muscarum shells.
4 Table. RGB components and luminance of Polymita picta shells.
S1 Fig. Image processing diagram
The modern house: conservation and (re)use through the narrative approach
No full textPurpose
This paper acknowledges the limitations of conventional heritage conservation, where the reuse of iconic modern houses as museums or exhibits often sacrifices their original residential function. We explore four aspects of the narrative approach – significance, reversibility, expandability and craftsmanship – to assess its potential for preserving and allowing change over time in the modern house.
Design/methodology/approach
Four iconic modern houses are analysed in this study: Villa Tugendhat-Brno frozen as a museum house, Chabot Museum-Rotterdam refunctioned as an art museum, Haus Schminke-Löbau used as a guest house and Maison Guiette-Antwerpen still in use. Employing aspects of the narrative approach (Walter, 2020a, b), the analysis evaluates recent heritage management practices in preserving the building’s multifaceted history and associated perspectives.
Findings
The narrative approach in heritage conservation values the evolving significance of cultural heritage by recognising different perspectives and preserving the traces of past changes. It promotes sustainability by enabling adaptive reuse while preserving historical integrity by respecting past and future heritage. Despite its obvious weaknesses, such as potential subjectivity, the dilution of valuations and the loss of historic fabric, it particularly responds to the ephemeral nature and challenges of modernity.
Originality/value
The cross-case analysis of practical conservation approaches, encompassing varied strategies for conservation and adaptive reuse, offers valuable insights for theorizing the significance of modernist architecture for both the present and future.We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Hasselt University, Belgium, for their invaluable support
and resources that greatly contributed to the completion of this research. Additionally, we extend our
thanks to Bie Plevoets, Koenraad Van Cleempoel and the members of Trace Research Group for their
collaboration and insights
Semantic Music Production: A Meta-Study
No full textThis paper presents a systematic review of semantic music production, including a meta-analysis of three studies into how individuals use words to describe audio effects within music production. Each study followed different methodologies and stimuli. The SAFE project created audio effect plug-ins that allowed users to report suitable words to describe the perceived result. SocialFX crowdsourced a large data set of how non-professionals described the change that resulted from an effect applied to an audio sample. The Mix Evaluation Data Set performed a series of controlled studies in which students used natural language to comment extensively on the content of different mixes of the same groups of songs. The data sets provided 40,411 audio examples and 7,221 unique word descriptors from 1,646 participants. Analysis showed strong correlations between various audio features, effect parameter settings, and semantic descriptors. Meta-analysis not only revealed consistent use of descriptors among the data sets but also showed key differences that likely resulted from the different participant groups and tasks. To the authors' knowledge, this represents the first meta-study and the largest-ever analysis of music production semantics
Strategies for Advancing Near-Infrared Organic Light-Emitting Diodes: Innovations in Luminescent Materials, Device Architectures, Fabrication Methods, and Applications
No full textThis review focuses on recent advances in the efficient generation of near-infrared (NIR) light by organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Novel NIR-emissive materials-encompassing various modern upconversion mechanisms-are integrated with device design with an overview of various OLED fabrication techniques, emphasizing the importance of thermal stability and the role of inks and solvents in achieving uniform luminescent films. The impact of these factors on device fabrication, achievable wavelength range, and overall OLED output characteristics is discussed, as well as emerging applications of NIR emission in medicine and security. Further, ideas and (likely) overlooked factors for enhancing NIR-OLED performance are presented. By combining materials and engineering-based strategies, a broader perspective and valuable insights into the design of high-performance NIR-OLEDs are offered
Your Heart Can't See What Sneakers You Are Wearing Exercise Training Load in Endurance Athletes Is Inadequately Quantified in Sports Cardiology
No full textBackground: Training load may be an important factor underlying the (patho-)physiologic cardiovascular adaptations from endurance exercise. Yet, quantifying training load remains challenging due to the complexity of its components (Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type [FITT]). In this systematic review we evaluate how training load has been quantified in sports cardiology studies and provide recommendations for how this can be improved. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed and EMBASE up to October 2024. Studies involving "sports cardiology," "training load," and "endurance sport" were included. Data extraction included study characteristics, training load assessment methods, cardiovascular outcomes, and athlete profiles. Results: A total of 62 studies with 1,060,700 participants were included in our review. The majority of studies (59.7%) focused on exercise-induced cardiac remodelling, with other topics being cardiac arrhythmias (12.9%), cardiac autonomic adaptation (3.2%), exercise dose-response (6.5%), and coronary heart disease (17.7%). Training load was primarily quantified by questionnaires (58.1%), whereas heart rate monitoring, a more objective measure, was used in only 1.6% of the studies. All studies reported exercise type, but only 19.4% measured all FITT components. Conclusions: There is a lack of uniformity in the assessment of key FITT variables to quantify training load within the field of sports cardiology, with many studies relying on subjective or incomplete methods. As cardiology moves into the precision medicine era, researchers and clinicians should seek to obtain objective training load information from their athletes according to the FITT framework, and data from use of objective wearable devices represent the optimal way to do this.Funding
R.W. is supported a clinical research fellowship from the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO Vlaanderen).
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the staff of the KU Leuven library, especially Thomas Vandendriessche, for the advice and help
A Multimodal Patient-Centered Teleprehabilitation Approach for Patients Undergoing Surgery for Breast Cancer: A Clinical Perspective
No full textBreast cancer is the most common malignancy among women worldwide, and advances in early detection and treatment have significantly increased survival rates. However, people living beyond breast cancer often suffer from late sequelae, negatively impacting their quality of life. Prehabilitation, focusing on the period prior to surgery, is a unique opportunity to enhance oncology care by preparing patients for the upcoming oncological treatment and rehabilitation. This article provides a clinical perspective on a patient-centered teleprehabilitation program tailored to individuals undergoing primary breast cancer surgery. The proposed multimodal program includes three key components: patient education, stress management, and physical activity promotion. Additionally, motivational interviewing is used to tailor counseling to individual needs. The proposed approach aims to bridge the gap between diagnosis and oncological treatment and provides a holistic preparation for surgery and postoperative rehabilitation in breast cancer patients. The aim of this preparation pertains to improving mental and physical resilience. By integrating current evidence and patient-centered practices, this article highlights the potential for teleprehabilitation to transform clinical care for breast cancer patients, addressing both logistical challenges and holistic well-being.This work was supported by Kom op tegen Kanker [grant number ANI316]. K.M. is a predoctoral research fellow of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO; grant nr. 1SH6W24N). E.H. is a postdoctoral research fellow of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO; grant nr. 12AV224N). J.N. holds the Berekuyl Academy Chair in oncological rehabilitation, funded by the Berekuyl Academy, Hierden, the Netherlands, and awarded to the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. This work was also supported by the Strategic Research Program SRP90 (“Pain Never Sleeps: Unravelling the Sleep-Pain Interaction in Patients with Chronic Pain”) funded by the research council of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
Time-normalization approach for fNIRS data during tasks with high variability in duration
No full textAbstract
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is particularly suitable for measuring brain activity during motor tasks, due to its portability and good motion tolerance. In such cases, the trials’ duration may vary depending on the experimental conditions or the participant’s response, therefore a comparison of hemodynamic responses across repetitions cannot be properly performed. In this work, we present a MATLAB (R2023a) function (TaskNorm.m) developed for time-normalizing fNIRS data recorded during trials with different durations. It is based on a spline interpolation method that rescales the time -axis to the percentage of the trial with a fixed number of samples. This allows us to successively average across repetitions to obtain the mean hemodynamic responses and complete the standard data processing. The algorithm was tested on eight subjects (four with developmental coordination disorder, age: 9.78 ± 0.30 and four typically developing children, age: 9.02 ± 0.30) performing three different tasks. The results show that the TaskNorm function works as expected, allowing both a comparison and averaging of the data across multiple repetitions. The performance of the function is independent of the task or the pre-processing pipeline applied. The proposed function is publicly available and importable into the HomER3 package (v1.72.0), representing a further step in the ongoing standardization process of fNIRS data analysis.This research was partially funded by the Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Corrente 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 to E. Biffi)This research was partially funded by the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO) (grant number: 43498, year: 2020).Publicly available datasets were analyzed in this study. This data can be found here: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10124956, Zenodo. Both versions of TaskNorm.m are publicly available on Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10043158. The first version of the function is available as part of the HomER3 toolbox at https://github.com/BUNPC/Homer3/tree/master/FuncRegistry/UserFunctions (accessed on 21 December 2023).
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10.5281/zenodo.10124955
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This dataset is related to fNIRS data that were collected during three different motor/balance control tasks in eight children (4 children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and 4 typically developing (TD) children).
More specifically, the tasks performed are:
-alternate stair touching task, where the subject taps with the feet on a stool in front of them alternately with left and right foot as fast and as controlled as possible;
-leaning task, where the subject leans as far and as stable as possible sidewards while seated, without falling and keeping the feet on the ground;
-walking task, where the child walks 6 meters over level ground as fluently as possible.
All tasks are performed at a self-pace rithm (i.e they have all different durations) , therefore a time-normalization procedure is needed.
The details about data collection and processing and time-normalization are reported in the following manuscript: Falivene, A.; Johnson, C.; Klingels, K.; Meyns, P.; Verbecque, E.; Hallemans, A.; Biffi, E.; Piazza, C.; Crippa, A. Time-Normalization Approach for fNIRS Data During Tasks with High Variability in Duration. Sensors 2025
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10.5281/zenodo.10043157
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TaskNorm MATLAB function
Creators
Falivene, Anna1
Description
This function performs a time-scale normalization of fNIRS concentration data recorded during trial of different duration by means of spline interpolation method. Two version of the persent function were developed, which differer in the modalities of interpolation.
The proposed function is structured to be readable and importable into the homER3 open-source package by the user
Universal design als hefboom voor een inclusievere omgeving
No full textUniversal Design is een manier van ontwerpen waarbij het ontwerp zo veel als mogelijk toegankelijk is, begrepen en gebruikt kan worden door alle mensen, ongeacht hun leeftijd, fysieke maat, bekwaamheid of beperking. Een omgeving (gebouw, product of dienst in die omgeving) moet worden ontworpen om te voldoen aan de behoeften van alle mensen die er gebruik van willen maken, zonder dat er aparte aanpassingen nodig zijn voor mensen die anders zijn dan een doorsnee persoon. Het creëren van een context waarbij Universal design als leidend principe gebruikt wordt schept mogelijkheden voor een inclusievere samenleving. In deze workshop lichten we de concepten van Universal Design en Design Thinking toe. Via concrete oefeningen zullen deelnemers nadenken over deze strategieën zodat ze die zelf kunnen toepassen in hun eigen context. Annemie Spooren is assistant professor aan de UHasselt binnen de opleiding master in Ergotherapeutische Wetenschappen en master Revalidatiewetenschappen en Kinesitherapie. Haar onderzoek focust zich op persoonsgerichte en taakgerichte revalidatie bij personen met neurologische aandoeningen met aandacht voor human-centred design. Ze doceert het opleidingsonderdeel 'designing with people' binnen een interdisciplinaire context waarbij studenten worden opgeleid om via principes van universal design en design thinking een inclusieve omgevin
The Flemish Research Discipline Standard: Review and Update Procedure
No full textThis paper describes the procedures for reviewing the Flemish Research Discipline Standard (Vlaamse OnderzoeksDiscipline Standaard, VODS) 2018 and developing the updated VODS 2023. The background, scope, principles, and consultation process are described, and an overview of the key changes are presented. The scope of the review was to remain aligned with current research practices and international standards and remain appropriate for statistical and reporting purposes. The VODS 2023 includes new discipline codes that were not present in the previous version. Some codes have been decoupled or merged compared to the VODS 2018 version. Some codes have been removed in the VODS 2023 because they have become obsolete. A discussion is included on how to improve the review process for future updates.Flemish Government, under the Expertise Center for Research an