44227 research outputs found
Sort by
Het effect van financiële geletterdheid op financiële angst en de impact van leeftijd op deze relatie
No full textBeneficial effects of commercially available preparations of humic substances and mycorrhiza on growth and photosynthesis of sorghum and hemp cultivated on a metal(loid)-polluted field
No full textBackground and AimsMetal pollution in agricultural soils threatens global food security and reduces both the yield and quality of crops cultivated for non-food purposes. Biostimulants can support plant growth in such soils by mitigating the effects of pollution and enhancing biomass production. However, the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of biostimulants remain poorly understood.MethodsThe effects of humic substances (HS) alone or in combination with mycorrhiza (HS + M) on the growth, metal accumulation, photosynthesis, and selected stress markers in hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) and sorghum (Sorghum sudanense x bicolor) grown in a field polluted with Zn, Cd, Pb, and As was investigated.ResultsApplication of HS significantly increased the shoot fresh weight of both crops. However, only in sorghum was this increase correlated with higher CO2 assimilation rates, water use efficiency, and chlorophyll content. In general, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters remained unchanged in plants treated with biostimulants, indicating that the light phase of photosynthesis was unaffected. Similarly, no significant effects were found on the mineral profile, including pollutant concentrations, or lipid peroxidation levels (as a stress marker). PCA analysis revealed a higher level of lipid peroxidation in hemp, which was positively correlated with the contents of flavonols, anthocyanins, and sugars - components likely involved in oxidative stress mitigation.ConclusionThe application of biostimulants, specifically HS, represents a promising approach for improving crop yield and quality on metal(loid)-polluted agricultural soils, with potential implications for more sustainable agriculture and ecosystem services.This study was financially supported by the European Union ‘s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Grant Agreement No 101006873 (GOLD project – www.gold-h2020.eu). Additionally, KJT got a financial support from the Special Research Fund (BOF) of Hasselt University, Grant No BOF24BL06
Willingness to pay for remote and self-monitoring: Comparing patients and non-patients in gestational hypertensive care
No full textObjectives: Contingent valuation (CV) is widely used in health economics, as it enables the quantification of diverse benefits within a single monetary measure. However, a key methodological debate that remains underexplored is whether patients or non-patients should complete the CV task and how this choice may influence willingness to pay (WTP) estimates. This study aimed to investigate that question in the context of two home blood pressure (BP) monitoring approaches for pregnant women at risk of gestational hypertensive disorders, remote monitoring (RM) and patient self-monitoring (PSM). We also examined the role of patient status and treatment experience in shaping WTP. Methods: The WTP of 199 patients and 222 non-patients was examined using a CV survey, combining a payment card and open-ended question. Propensity score matching analysis with regression adjustment assessed WTP differences between patients and non-patients. Subgroup analyses explored whether these differences were driven solely by being a patient or also by home BP monitoring experience. Results: The mean WTP was 130 for RM and 85 for PSM. Patients exhibited a 31 higher WTP for RM compared to non-patients, a difference that was marginally significant at the 10 % level. This effect was driven by treatment experience status. We found no significant difference in WTP PSM between patients and non-patients. Conclusions: Simply being a patient does not affect WTP for home BP monitoring. When patients have treatment experience, this can increase WTP compared to non-patients, but not for approaches for which the potential benefits are apparent without experiencing them, like PSM.This study is supported by a grant from the Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds (BOF) (BOF reference: BOF22OWB03). The data collection of the patient sample was funded by Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (T004018N). The funder had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication
De impact van overmoed op de investeringsintentie in cryptoactiva, en de modererende rol van risicotolerantie
No full textWerken aan werkbaar werk: Een onderzoek naar werkdrukverlichting in het secundair onderwijs
No full textDe studie bij TISM Bree onderzoekt de toenemende werkdruk in het secundair onderwijs, veroorzaakt door administratieve lasten, digitalisering, veranderend leerlingengedrag en verschuivende onderwijsdoelstellingen. Het onderzoek, dat kwantitatieve en kwalitatieve methoden combineert, richt zich op interventies om werkdruk te verminderen zonder kwaliteitsverlies of werkverschuiving.
De resultaten tonen aan dat werkdruk vooral voortkomt uit administratieve taken, mentale belasting, een moeilijke werk-privébalans en beperkte inspraak van leerkrachten. Digitalisering biedt zowel kansen als uitdagingen, zoals verhoogde bereikbaarheid en verantwoordingsdruk. De werkdruk is de afgelopen tien jaar toegenomen door beleidshervormingen, dalende leerlingniveaus en de verschuiving naar competentiegericht onderwijs. Zowel beginnende als ervaren leerkrachten ervaren werkdruk, maar om verschillende redenen. De kern van het probleem ligt in een onevenwichtige werkorganisatie en beperkte professionele autonomie.
De voorgestelde strategieën hiervoor zijn:
Systemisch: Administratieve vereenvoudiging en betere communicatie tussen directie en leraren.
Technisch: Doelgerichte ICT-ondersteuning en duidelijke afspraken over digitale bereikbaarheid.
Pedagogisch: Samenwerking bevorderen, lesmateriaal delen en ondersteuning bieden in klasmanagement en differentiatie
Epistemic trust among youth and young adults with severe mental health illnesses during their transition to adulthood: A qualitative study
No full textEpistemic trust (ET), the capacity to accept information from others as relevant, reliable, and personally meaningful, is key to therapeutic change. While ET's role in clinical populations has been investigated, little is known about how it develops or recovers in therapy, especially during adolescence, a period marked by major psychological and relational transitions. This qualitative study explored how ET is built, challenged, and restored within therapeutic relationships in an outreach team for youth with severe mental health illnesses. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants aged 18–24 (50% female, Mage=20.92), all experiencing multiple complex psychiatric illnesses. Thematic analysis revealed five key themes: (1) therapist’s basic attitude, (2) therapist’s voice as a guide, (3) therapy as a safe space, (4) recognition as a unique person, and (5) rupture and repair. These findings highlight the role of therapeutic behaviors in fostering ET. Further longitudinal research is needed to understand how ET evolves and how it can be restored in patients who disengage from therapy
Implementing the basic nurse role within a structured care team on a Flemish hospital ward: a qualitative evaluation guided by normalisation process theory
No full textNaar aanleiding van de toenemende druk op het Belgische zorgsysteem werd het profiel van de basisverpleegkundige (niveau 5 van het Vlaams kwalificatiekader) wettelijk ingevoerd in 2023. Deze studie onderzocht hoe verpleegkundigen de introductie van dit nieuwe profiel ervaren binnen een gestructureerd zorgteam. Via een focusgroep in het Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg werden de ervaringen van vijf deelnemers geanalyseerd volgens de Normalisation Process Theory (NPT). De resultaten tonen aan dat de implementatie wordt bemoeilijkt door rolonduidelijkheid, gebrek aan vertrouwen, beperkte ondersteuning en onvoldoende voorbereiding. Vooral het ontbreken van duidelijke taakverdeling en communicatie leidde tot frustratie, inefficiëntie en negatieve evaluaties. De studie concludeert dat succesvolle integratie van de basisverpleegkundige nood heeft aan een helder wettelijk en organisatorisch kader, teamopleiding en sterke coördinatie. Duidelijke communicatie, leiderschap en training zijn cruciaal om dit nieuwe profiel effectief te verankeren in de zorgpraktijk
Developing low-energy Coulomb-excitation techniques for isomer power research
No full textNaarmate de wereldwijde energievraag toeneemt, bieden nucleaire batterijen een veelbelovende oplossing vanwege hun hoge energiedichtheid en lange operationele levensduur. Twee vragen zijn resterend voor succesvolle isomeer-energie: het identificeren van een pad waarop deze energie kan worden vrijgemaakt, en mechanismen om dit veilig en op vraag te doen. Deze thesis focust op het tweede, via low-energy Coulomb-excitation.
Protonen van 12 MeV werden gericht op een Gd-155 target. Een magnetische spectrograaf focusseerde deeltjes bij 20°, 25° en 30° op basis van magnetische rigiditeit. De laaggelegen, eerste aangeslagen toestand in Gd-155 (60 keV) werd onderzocht. Van 300.000 entries per hoek kwamen er 100.000 uit de grondtoestand. Theoretische modellering gebeurde met GEANT4 en de semi-klassieke code GOSIA.
Gedetailleerde data-analyse toonde overlappende pieken tussen de grondtoestand en aangeslagen toestanden bij alle hoeken, waardoor de onderzochte 60-keV-toestand niet kon worden geanalyseerd. De probabiliteit van de eerste aangeslagen toestand werd voorspeld te laag te zijn voor een zichtbare piek te doen ontstaan. Een staart van verstrooiing van intense elastische reacties, contaminaties en een hoge toestandsdichtheid bemoeilijkten het spectrum. De validatie van de GEANT4-simulatie komt overeen met de elastische piek, maar toont discrepanties bij inelastische verstrooiing. Een verbeterde positieresolutie kan worden bereikt met dunnere targets en lagere bundelenergieën. Gammaspectroscopie blijft een alternatief
Arrhythmia burden, symptoms and quality of life in female and male endurance athletes with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: a multicentre cohort study in Norway, Australia and Belgium
No full textObjectives To assess atrial fibrillation (AF) burden, symptoms and quality of life (QoL) in endurance athletes with paroxysmal AF. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting and participants Otherwise healthy endurance athletes with paroxysmal AF in Norway, Australia and Belgium. The current study presents baseline measurements collected before the intervention of a randomised controlled trial on effects of individually tailored training adaptation. Methods AF burden (percentage time in AF) was measured by insertable cardiac monitors (Confirm Rx, Abbott). AF-related symptoms and QoL were assessed using the Atrial Fibrillation Effect on QualiTy-of-Life Questionnaire (AFEQT) with any score 60 min. 13 athletes (30%) had AFEQT overall score 60 min were associated with reduced QoL (mean AFEQT score 78 vs 90, p=0.001 and 78 vs 90, p=0.001, respectively). There were large individual variations between the athletes concerning AF burden, symptoms and QoL. Conclusions Although most athletes were still competing, more than half had troublesome symptoms. One-third had reduced QoL, which was associated with higher AF burden and longer duration of AF episodes. Variations between the athletes highlight the need for individually tailored AF management in athletes with paroxysmal AF. Trial registration number NCT04991337.The Norwegian Health Association, Norway (grant no: not available) and Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, Norway (grant no: not available)
In-Depth Study of Degradation in Scalable Wide Bandgap Perovskite Cells
No full textPerovskite solar cells with a wide bandgap (WBG) perovskite absorber of 1.68 eV are fabricated and their performance evolution under accelerated stressing conditions are compared with 1.61 eV reference devices. The cells are processed entirely with scalable deposition methods, to guarantee their relevance for industrial application. Different stress tests, following the International Summit on Organic Photovoltaic Stability (ISOS) protocols, are performed, namely prolonged exposure to light (ISOS-L1), heat (ISOS-D2) and a combination of these (ISOS-L2). First, the ISOS-L1 test highlights the excellent stability of the chosen WBG composition, with minimal degradation after 60h. Secondly, the ISOS-D2 test led to a more significant degradation of the WBG cells, with only 80% efficiency retained after 95h. The main cause of degradation was found to be interface-related, specifically the formation of a charge transport barrier at the perovskite/electron transport layer interface, while the perovskite absorption properties remained unaffected by the stress test. Finally, the ISOS-L2 test led to an even faster degradation, with only 80% efficiency retained after 35h. There, the perovskite absorber itself was found to be significantly degraded due to the combined action of light and heat. Altogether, this study highlights the main degradation pathways in WBG perovskite cells while showing the importance of diversified and combined stresses in evaluating their stability.The authors gratefully thank Daniely Santos (UHasselt and imo-imomec) for her support in obtaining the XRD measurements. J P acknowledges the financial support by the Fonds Wetenschappelijke onderzoek (FWO) with Grant Number 1S01525N. A K, Y K, and T A acknowledge the financial support by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101147311 of the LAPERITIVO project and grant agreement No. 101120397 of the Approach project