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Paxillus involutus enhances drought resistance of Pinus sylvestris seedlings by improving photosynthetic rate and water use efficiency
No full textIntroduction Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) is an important tree species that is often regenerated through seedling establishment. The resistance of these seedlings to drought treatments and their recovery are essential to forest regeneration. The association with ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi such as Paxillus involutus has the potential to improve drought resistance and possibly recovery. Here, we conducted two experiments to evaluate the impact of P. involutus inoculation on growth and water use of pine seedlings under contrasting drought intensities.Methods In the first experiment, EcM fungal-inoculated and non-inoculated seedlings were subjected to well-watered (100% field capacity-control treatment) or low-watered (10% field capacity for 1 week-drought treatment) conditions, followed by a recovery phase in a semi-hydroponic cultivation system. In the second experiment, seedlings were initially subjected to well-watered or moderate water conditions (100 and 30% field capacity, respectively), followed by prolonged low-watered conditions (10% field capacity for 1 month), each followed by a recovery phase.Results In the first experiment, EcM fungal-colonized pine seedlings showed increased aboveground biomass, higher photosynthetic rates, water-use efficiency, and elevated nitrogen and phosphorus contents under low-water conditions. In the second experiment, a prolonged low-water regime reduced root colonization by the EcM fungus. During recovery, P. involutus-inoculated seedlings had an increase in ammonium assimilation under well-watered conditions and appeared to recover more efficiently, in particular from prolonged low-water conditions, with higher chlorophyll production, possibly due to increased nutrient availability and/or fungal demand.Discussion Our results suggest that the benefits of P. involutus depend on both water regime and drought duration: a short-term low-water regime (10% field capacity for 1 week) enhances EcM benefits, while under a moderate water regime (30% field capacity) the fungal effect was not evident. We conclude that P. involutus can confer significant benefits to pine seedlings, making it a valuable strategy for forest regeneration in temperate climates facing drought episodes.Funding
The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article. This work was financially supported by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO) – Belgium, in the frame of the BiodivERsA research program, under the Horizon 2020 ERA-NET COFUND scheme (project MixForChange).
Acknowledgments
We thank the Support en Méthodologie et Calcul Statistique (SMCS) of UCLouvain team, particularly Dr. Catherine Rasse, for the statistical advice and consultation. We thank the MOCA (Mineral & Organic Chemical Analysis) platform of the Earth & Life Institute of UCLouvain for the chemical analyses. We thank Mevrouw Nasrin Esteki for her help in the set-up of the experiment. We would also like to thank Joannès Guillemot and Nicolas Martin-StPaul for their advices and for sharing their knowledge
Defining abnormal flow-mediated slowing of brachial-radial pulse wave velocity, a noninvasive vasoreactivity test
No full textObjectives:Flow-mediated slowing (FMS) reflects macrovascular reactivity by quantifying the decline in brachial-radial pulse wave velocity (PWV) during reactive hyperaemia. We identified abnormal FMS response using normal values and integrative algorithms. Methods:In this cross-sectional, observational study, 408 community-dwelling individuals underwent FMS testing with 5 min of upper arm occlusion. FMS was assessed at 30 s intervals for 4 min postocclusion. From 76 healthy individuals, we extracted limits of normality for peak FMS, defining an abnormal peak response if PWV slowed by less than 9.4% (if = 60 years). Group-based trajectory modelling (GBTM) assigned participants to distinct FMS response groups. Multivariable regression identified clinical correlates of the FMS response groups. Results:Higher age correlated independently with less decline in PWV in the early phase (P <= 0.0076 for 0-30 s), whereas higher SBP and no beta blocker use were linked to less decline overall (SBP: P <= 0.048 for 0-210 s; beta blockers: P <= 0.014 for 0-180 s). Abnormal peak FMS was associated with higher SBP [adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.31, P = 0.0017) and less use of beta blockers (adjusted OR: 0.44, P = 0.041). A three-group GBTM model identified a low, moderate and high FMS response group. The risk for a low FMS response increased with age, SBP and no use of beta blockers (P <= 0.038 for all). Conclusion:Abnormal FMS response was linked to cardiovascular risk factors such as ageing, hypertension and beta blocker use. The FMS response patterns may enable qualitative interpretation of FMS tests, though validation against hard clinical outcomes is warranted.Ethical considerations: this study was approved by the Ethics Committee of UZ/KU Leuven (approval nos. S63118 and S65155). Consent to participate: all participants provided written informed consent before participating. Consent for publication: not applicable. Funding: the authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: this work was supported by the Internal Funds KU Leuven (grant number C24M/21/025), by the Research Foundation Flanders (grant numbers G0C5319N and T004420N), and by IMPETUS, a research program funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program (grant number 101058677). Data availability: data are available for secondary analyses upon reasonable request to the senior author
LLM-Matcher: A Name-Based Schema Matching Tool using Large Language Models
No full textWe present LLM-Matcher, an interactive name-based schema matching system that utilizes large language models (LLMs) to identify correspondences between source and target schema elements relying solely on their names and descriptions. This tool is specifically designed for restricted environments where instance-based schema matching is not possible, such as the healthcare domain where instance access is often prohibited. LLM-Matcher is based on an extensive experimental study, showing the capabilities of LLMs in the schema matching task. Our system is specifically tailored towards users with sufficient domain knowledge and offers an interpretable initial mapping that can be further refined by providing textual feedback. This feedback allows to rectify model misconceptions as well as improve the quality of schema element descriptions. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of LLM-Matcher, explores its application in the healthcare domain, allows users to gain additional insight into our experimental study, and outlines different steps showcased in the demonstration.S. Vansummeren was supported by the Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds (BOF) of Hasselt University under Grant No. BOF20ZAP02. This research received funding from the Flemish Government under the “Onderzoeksprogramma Artificiële Intelligentie (AI) Vlaanderen” programme. This work was supported by Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO) for ELIXIR Belgium (I002819N). The resources and services used in this work were provided by the VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center), funded by the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO) and the Flemish Government
Exercise-induced IL-15: A potential key to improving immune aging
No full textVeroudering leidt tot aanzienlijke veranderingen in het immuunsysteem, bekend als immunosenescentie, wat resulteert in een verhoogde kwetsbaarheid voor infecties, een verminderde effectiviteit van vaccins en een verhoogd risico op het ontstaan van kwaadaardige aandoeningen. Interleukine-15 (IL-15) is een belangrijke cytokine die antivirale en antibacteriële immuunresponsen reguleert via presentatie door monocyten en dendritische cellen, en door het aansturen van natural killer (NK)-cellen en T-cellen. Met het ouder worden kunnen verminderde IL-15-niveaus bijdragen aan de achteruitgang van de functie van NK-cellen en CD8+ T-cellen. Lichamelijke inspanning kan mogelijk helpen deze achteruitgang te beperken. Door te bewegen wordt er IL-15 geproduceerd als gevolg van inspanning. Dit onderzoek richt zich op hoe door inspanning geïnduceerde IL-15 de veroudering van het immuunsysteem in infectieuze omgevingen kan verbeteren. Mijn hypothese is dat IL-15 en zijn receptor, IL-15 receptor α (IL-15Rα), zullen worden opgereguleerd in de T-cellen, en dat type II spiervezels na inspanning bij oudere populaties de meeste IL-15 zullen uitdrukken. Om dit te testen, wordt de IL-15-expressie gemeten in verschillende typen spiervezels na inspanning bij jonge en oude muizen. Daarnaast zal met flowcytometrie de expressie van IL-15 en IL-15Rα in verschillende immuuncelpopulaties van beide leeftijdsgroepen worden vergeleken, na stimulatie met virale en bacteriële agentia
Exploring the Validity of the ESDUC Framework to Metropolitan Schools: A Delphi Approach
No full textContribution
A significant body of research on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has primarily focused on several key areas. These include the conceptualisation of ESD, its impact on the implementation of sustainability competences, especially the action competence among students, or the need for a pluralistic approach (see Boeve-de Pauw et al., 2015; Förster et al., 2019). Most of them concentrated on integrating ESD within higher education curricula (Bianchi, 2020). This research focuses on adapting ESD for the context of secondary education in metropolitan areas, which has been notably underexplored in academic research. Filling this gap by investigating the characteristics of holistic ESD tailored to urban settings is intriguing.
Therefore, the authors have explored the interconnected characteristics of ESD and urban education while finding common ground for secondary schools, in their previous conceptual review (Zenasni et al., 2024). These were merged into a conceptual framework, named ESDUC: Education for Sustainable Development in Urban Contexts. The ESDUC framework is designed to address the complex sustainability challenges facing secondary urban education. ESDUC consists of four essential building blocks with twelve interconnected characteristics (see numbers below) for ESD implementation into urban secondary school curricula, namely:
Competences: Equipping pupils with sustainability competences (1) helps developing sustainable attitudes and encourages ownership of a sustainable life through self-regulation skills (2). Teachers, too, must acquire ESD competences (3) to create a transformative learning environment. They should also possess intercultural competences (4) to embrace cultural diversity and integrate diverse perspectives on sustainability in their teaching.
Effective teaching strategies: for sustainability should foster a shift in values through a transformative (5) and culturally responsive learning approach (6) where teachers take into account cultural diversity. This approach should be tailored to the specific multicultural communities within urban schools, where the diverse global perspectives and experiences of pupils offer a unique opportunity for transformative learning. Transformative learning involves using materials and methods that encourage pupils to reflect on their values, and critically examine assumptions shaped by themselves and society, to ultimately develop their action competence for sustainability.
Community engagement:Increasing engagement with the community (7), pupils (8), and their parents (9), when addressing sustainability challenges, including place-based education (10), encompassing an affective connection to nature and other people.
School culture:Transforming school cultures toward a whole-school approach (11) involves embracing diversity (12) and integrating ESD transversally and intrinsically across various subjects, with the support of the entire school system.
This study extends the review by validating the framework through a Delphi approach, gathering expert consensus and expert validity on its content (relevance, and clarity), and addresses the following research questions:
To what extent do the experts validate the content of the ESDUC Framework?
Method
The Delphi method is a mixed-methods methodology designed to collect and organise expert opinions on a specific issue through a structured process that involves multiple rounds of anonymous questionnaires. Its main objective is to reconcile divergent viewpoints and reach a consensus among experts through feedback (Beiderbeck et al., 2021; Khodyakov et al., 2023). For this study, the authors recruited international researchers or professionals specializing in ESD with an interest in urban contexts and/or culturally-responsive education, ideally those collaborating with secondary school environments or contributing to the development of educational materials. This expert group was selected through purposive sampling and convenience sampling, which resulted in 37 international experts. The selection criteria for the expert panel included: - Expertise in ESD - Knowledge and/or expertise in urban contexts and/or Culturally Responsive Education - Work experience with secondary schools and/or developing educational materials By applying these criteria, the researchers aimed to create a representative expert panel capable of providing comprehensive insights into the research topic. The panel was invited to respond to the Delphi questions via an online softwaretool (Qualtrics), with a response window of two weeks. In this study, the Delphi technique encompasses the following 3 rounds: Round 1: Exploring In the initial round of this Delphi study, an online questionnaire was developed using software tool Qualtrics to assess experts' perceptions of the ESDUC Framework. The questionnaire was organised around the framework's key building blocks and utilised a four-point Likert scale. A descriptive analysis will then be performed to examine the demographic characteristics and educational backgrounds in detail. For the Likert scale questions, the average score will be calculated. The Delphi technique will be applied to analyse the quantitative data, using an 70% consensus threshold to evaluate agreement on specific statements among the participants. Round 2: Iteration and implementation Responses from round 1 that did not achieve 70% agreement will be returned to the experts, along with the original questions, to allow them to provide further clarification or additional details about their answers. Those open-ended question responses will be qualitatively analysed using theme analysis. Round 3: consolidation In the third round, participants will receive a comprehensive summary of the findings in a clear and accessible format, including the consensus statements and conclusions drawn from the qualitative data.
Expected Outcomes
The anticipated outcomes of this Delphi study hold significant importance for the educational landscape, particularly in the areas of ESD and urban education, as it will result in a validates framework. Additionally, This research holds particular value for urban secondary schools aiming to integrate ESD into their educational framework effectively, offering insights into effective strategies and potential areas of improvement. The data for this study will be gathered between February 25 and April 25, and the analysis will be conducted using quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings from this analysis (incl. the methodology and data analysis) are scheduled to be unveiled at ECER 2025.
References
Beiderbeck, D., Frevel, N., von der Gracht, H. A., Schmidt, S. L., & Schweitzer, V. M. (2021). Preparing, conducting, and analyzing Delphi surveys: Cross-disciplinary practices, new directions, and advancements. MethodsX, 8, 101401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2021.101401 Bianchi, G. (2020). Sustainability competences. Publications Office of the European Union. -https://doi.org/10.2760/200956. Boeve-de Pauw, J., Gericke, N., Olsson, D., & Berglund, T. (2015). The Effectiveness of Education for Sustainable Development. Sustainability, 7(11), 15693–15717. https://doi.org/10.3390/su71115693 Förster, R., Zimmermann, A. B., & Mader, C. (2019). Transformative teaching in higher education for sustainable development: Facing the challenges. GAIA Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 28(3), 324–326. https://doi. org/10.14512/gaia.28.3.18 Khodyakov, Dmitry, Sean Grant, Jack Kroger, and Melissa Bauman. 2023. RAND Methodological Guidance for Conducting and Critically Appraising Delphi Panels. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/tools/TLA3082-1.html. Zenasni, S., Kuppens, T. E., Vaesen, J., Surmont, J., & Stiers, I. (2024). Conceptualizing Education for Sustainable Development in Urban Secondary Schools. Education and Urban Society, 56(8): 976–1001. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124524123800
Cytoskeletal control in adult microglia is essential to restore neurodevelopmental synaptic and cognitive deficits
No full textExperimental and analytical assessment of the combined in-plane bending-shear behavior of timber frame walls
No full textAs timber buildings grow taller, understanding the mechanical behavior and robustness of multi-story timber structures is increasingly important. In Europe, Eurocode 5 governs their design but offers little guidance for failure scenarios. In particular, it lacks provisions for diaphragm walls under combined bending and shear forces that can occur during events like wall loss. This study investigates the behavior of such walls through experimental and analytical methods. An experimental campaign was conducted using eleven timber frame walls with OSB sheathing, fastened with either screws or staples. Five walls underwent four-point bending tests, two were tested under shear, and four experienced combined bending-shear loading. In the latter, a vertical preload was applied before monotonic shear loading to failure. Walls fastened with staples showed ductile failure with significant yielding, whereas walls fastened with screws exhibited brittle failure via screw tear-out. Shear failures primarily occurred at sheathing-to-framing connections in the lower rail. Under combined loading, increased vertical preload reduced shear capacity, displacement at failure, and force at yielding. The experiments supported an analytical model developed to estimate in-plane bending strength and maximum allowable shear load in combined loading scenarios. The model conservatively predicted the behavior of walls fastened with screws in bending but overestimated the strength of walls fastened with staples. For combined loading, the model provided a conservative estimate of maximum shear resistance.The authors acknowledge the work of Jan Leuraers, Dan Dragan, and Ricky Pereira, who helped perform the experiments. Secondly, the authors gratefully thank the Special Research Fund (BOF) of Hasselt University, Belgium for supporting this research. BOF reference: BOF22OWB18
Biomimetic-Engineered Hydrogels Prevent Orthodontic Root Resorption
No full textOrthodontically induced inflammatory root resorption (OIIRR) is one of the most common complications in dentistry. It is considered irreversible and harmful to tooth integrity. The narrow, irregular morphology and complex, layered structure of periodontal and periapical tissues, combined with a potentially bacteria-laden inflammatory environment, make treatment and prevention an immense challenge. This study presents a biomimetic-engineered thermoresponsive hydrogel with distinct physicochemical properties that serves as a biological scaffold to support the growth and differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs), while maintaining optimal flow for injectability and diffusion. Additionally, it provides strong antibacterial protection and excellent biocompatibility, allowing in vivo tracking of stem cells. Furthermore, it mimics the native stem cell niche, with slow-release rapamycin inducing autophagy and orchestrating cascades that modulate adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation, mechanical stress response, migration, redox homeostasis, inflammation, and stress adaptation. This enables encapsulated PDLSCs to thrive even in inflammatory, stressful environments, preventing excessive resorption in the periodontal-apical complex in an animal model. This innovative approach pioneers a new frontier in the prevention of root resorption, offering a potential game-changer for dentistry. The hydrogel design further opens exciting possibilities for regenerative treatments targeting other systemic inflammatory diseases.C.Z. was supported by the International Orthodontics Foundation Young Research Grants (EBM-E5992-IOF). The authors would like to thank Florian Hermans for generously sharing his experience in hydrogel and Eef Allegaert, Martine Pauwels, and Ben Mercelis for their outstanding technical assistance. The authors also acknowledge the support of BIOMAT, BIOMED, P&OM, OMFS‑IMPATH, M2S, CIT, and MTM research infrastructures. Animal care and housing were provided by Charles River Laboratories at the KU Leuven Biomedical Sciences Group and MoSAIC
Evaluation of Rolling Surveillance Methods in Context of Prior Aberrations: A Simulation Study With Routine Data From Low- and Middle-Income Countries
No full textSyndromic surveillance integrated into routine health management information systems could improve timely detection of disease outbreaks, particularly in low- and middle-income countries that have limited diagnostic data. This study evaluates the impact of prior anomalies referred to as "aberrations," such as historical outbreaks, that can distort "baseline data" on the accuracy of rolling surveillance methods that track ongoing disease trends. We assessed five widely used outbreak detection algorithms-EARS, Farrington, Holt-Winters, and two versions of the Weinberger-Fulcher model (negative binomial (WF NB) and quasipoisson (WF QP))-under simulation scenarios motivated by 5 years of acute respiratory infection data from Liberia. We evaluated seven data-generating mechanisms that cover a wide range of temporal and seasonal patterns. We assessed the accuracy of the outbreak detection algorithms under varied size and timing of outbreaks and aberrations. Accuracy was measured through sensitivity and specificity, with a joint assessment of both metrics using pseudo-ROC curves. Results showed that the introduction of aberrations reduced sensitivity in general, but the algorithms' relative performances were highly context-dependent. EARS and WF models demonstrated high sensitivity for detecting outbreaks when no recent aberrations were present. However, when aberrations occurred within the last year of baseline data, Holt-Winters-unless there was evidence of strong time trends-and WF QP maintained better overall balance between sensitivity and specificity. The Farrington algorithm exhibited strong sensitivity with recent aberrations but at the cost of lower specificity. These findings provide actionable insights and practical recommendations for implementing rolling surveillance in resource-constrained environments, emphasizing the need to consider historical data disturbances and rigorously evaluate sensitivity and specificity jointly.This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under grant F31AI172187. The funding was provided through the NIH F31Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to promote the development of the author’s doctoral dissertation research.
Acknowledgments
I am grateful to Dr. Rafael Irizarry and Dr. Marc Lipsitch, members ofmy thesis committee, for their invaluable guidance and insightful sugges-tions for the evaluation of the rolling surveillance methods. Additionally,I extend my gratitude to Partners In Health (PIH) Liberia for their ongo-ing partnership and for facilitating access to the data that motivated thesimulation study and its applications. This research was supported by theNational Institutes of Health (NIH) under grant F31AI172187. The fund-ing was provided through the NIH F31 Individual Predoctoral Fellowshipto promote the development of the author’s doctoral dissertation research