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Enabling Ultrasonic Spray Coating of Uniform and Compact 1.6 eV CsFAPbIBr Films for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells by Controlling the Wet-to-Dry Film Transition
No full textIn this study, uniform and compact ultrasonically spray-coated 1.6 eV CsFAPbIBr films were developed by precisely controlling the wet-to-dry film transition. Achieving both fast nucleation-essential for film compactness-and a smooth wet-to-dry transition to enhance uniformity is particularly challenging in the ultrasonic spray coating of perovskite (PSK). The rapid solvent evaporation via gas quenching, required for achieving fast nucleation, can induce fluid flows that disrupt the film's uniformity, especially in ultrasonic spray coating processes, where the wet film often exhibits thickness variations. Key parameters-including substrate temperature, N2 gun distance, natural drying time, nozzle path speed, and cosolvent ratio-were adjusted to control the wet-to-dry film transition and suppress unwanted fluid flows. These fluid flows are triggered by the impact of the N2 flow during gas quenching and are also potentially driven by surface tension gradients. The optimized conditions resulted in a uniform and pinhole-free PSK layer. Integrating the developed PSK film in a completely scalable device stack resulted in uniform performance across the sample's area. The devices showed reproducible power conversion efficiency (PCE) values centered around 17%.Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek [G0A1623N (ENGAGED)]; Researc
Pilot-scale reductive catalytic depolymerization of lignin: Challenges and guidelines
No full textThe valorization of renewable materials is critical to improving the circularity of the chemical industry. This Synergy article describes how lignin waste streams can be upgraded to valuable resources through reductive catalytic depolymerization. The article presents the challenges linked to the upscaling of this process and offers guidelines for performing the process in a successful and economic manner.The authors gratefully acknowledge support from the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE-JU) and its members under grant agreement no. 101112453 (COUNTLESS), funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the CBE-JU. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them
Level of Service Criteria for Urban Arterials with Heterogeneous and Undisciplined Traffic Streams
No full textAccurate evaluation of the prevailing traffic operations plays an important part in developing sustainable transport systems. This research examines the suitability of the level of service (LOS) criteria developed by the Indian and United States (US) Highway Capacity Manuals (HCM) for heterogeneous and undisciplined traffic streams and proposes new criteria using a data-driven approach. Traffic data were collected from a selected major arterial in Karachi, and fundamental diagrams were developed using these data. These fundamental diagrams and field-collected data were analyzed using the K-mean clustering approach to examine the actual traffic states at various LOS bands used in practice. Associating the field-measured volume-to-capacity ratio with the speed bands used for LOS analysis gives insights into actual traffic conditions at various LOS categories. The research shows that the volume-to-capacity ratio corresponding to the speed range for LOS A is about 0.45, which implies that the heterogeneous traffic moves with comparatively higher speeds despite an increase in traffic volume. The criteria for LOS were developed using the K-mean cluster analysis technique. The proposed values of LOS criteria for speed percentages are significantly higher than those reported in both the HCMs. This research highlights the need to develop separate LOS criteria for heterogeneous and undisciplined traffic for all transportation facilities. The development of such new criteria can provide researchers and engineers with a schematic for the effective and realistic evaluation of local traffic regimes.This paper is based on a project that received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No 101037193. Partial funding for this research is also arranged from Zayed University, UAE, under research grant No. R23081
How sample handling distorts telomere studies
No full textTelomere length (TL) is investigated as a biomarker for aging and disease-susceptibility, but
measurement using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) faces challenges in accuracy
and reproducibility. The potential impact of pre-analytical factors on TL measurements remains
underexplored. We evaluated the impact of delayed blood processing, a typical feature in population
studies. Blood samples from 35 adults were processed for buffy coat extraction either immediately or
kept at 4 °C and processed after three and seven days (total n=105). After processing, samples were
stored at -80 °C. Relative TL was measured via qPCR and expressed as T/S ratio. Strikingly, delayed
blood processing led to a significant increase in TL: the mean T/S ratio was 0.886±0.205 at day 0, rising
to 1.022±0.240 at day 3 (p=0.03) and to 1.190±0.205 at day 7 (p<0.001), corresponding to increases
of 15% and 34%, respectively. Notably, TL correlated inversely with DNA integrity. These findings
underscore the critical impact of delayed sample processing on TL measurements, emphasizing the
need for consistent pre-analytical protocols to ensure accurate and reliable research outcomes. The
impact of our findings is considerable as it may overshadow not only previously reported results but
also real biological differences in TL between studied groups of patients.This work is funded in part by the Research Foundation Flanders (grant number G072022N to JDB and grant
number 12X9623N to DSM)
Decision Maker Preferences in Surrogate-based Multi-Objective Optimization: A Survey
No full textMulti-objective optimization problems are highly relevant in practice, and algorithms to solve these types of problems abound in the literature. This survey focuses explicitly on surrogate-based algorithms that use the decision-maker's preference information to guide the search toward the most preferred areas of the Pareto front. Considering such preferences not only facilitates the decision-making process for the user but also helps the analyst to save expensive computational budget. The way in which user preference information is handled in the algorithms differs across publications. We classify them according to the type and timing of the preference information. We provide an overview of the state-of-the-art, highlight the most important shortcomings in the literature, and present promising directions for further research
Hierarchical Bi2WO6 embedded nanoporous thin films as photoanodes for PEC water splitting
No full textTo reach climate goals and reduce global warming, a critical challenge is to decarbonize the energy network and switch to renewable energy sources. However, the intermittent nature of renewable energy raises the need for sustainable methods to store large amounts of renewable energy. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting offers a promising solution to convert and store renewable energy as hydrogen. This work focuses on a nanoporous Bi2WO6 thin film as a stable, large bandgap protective photoanode for PEC water splitting. We synthesized Bi2WO6 microspheres and nanoflakes using a well-established hydrothermal method and produced nanoporous Bi2WO6 thin films using a citrato-complex aqueous solution-gel method. These films were modified by embedding them with Bi2WO6 microspheres or nanoflakes. Photoelectrochemical characterization shows comparable performance for all thin film types, with an onset potential of 0.2 V vs. RHE, a current density of 0.31 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE under 1.5 sun illumination, and stable operation for 1 hour. This performance is competitive with or superior to existing literature for nanoporous Bi2WO6 thin films. This paper demonstrates that the citratocomplex aqueous solution-gel method is a viable approach for fabricating high-quality nanoporous Bi2WO6 thin films for PEC applications, enhancing particle integration and surface attachment.This research was supported by the BE-HyFE project funded by the Federal Energy Transition Fund by FPS Economy (Belgium), as well as by Vlaamse Veerkracht. The authors also thank, PhD Candidates Ms. Nele Debusschere and Ms. Naomi Billiet for performing the XRD measurements, Dr. Ing. Saskia Hoekx for STEM analysis, Dr. Pieter Levecque for the discussions and guidance early on in the project, and Prof. Dr. Ir. Koen Vandewal for the advice on UV–VIS analysis of the thin films
Sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic health: Integrating the potential underlying molecular health aspects
No full textDuring the last decades, sedentary behaviour has been recognised as an interdependent risk factor for cardiometabolic health and premature mortality. Prolonged sedentary behaviour is associated with increased risks for chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as obesity, chronic respiratory diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and cancer due to disturbances in cardiometabolic health. However, despite the increased evidence supporting these associations, the underlying molecular mechanisms to the development of these NCDs remain largely unknown. In this review, we therefore discuss the existing evidence with regard to the potential underlying molecular mechanisms of sedentary behaviour-induced perturbations in cardiometabolic health. Here, various potential mechanisms related to carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, inflammation and micro-and macro vascular function will be outlined. In addition, we summarise the current evidence on various strategies to interrupt sedentary behaviour and their effects on cardiometabolic health outcomes, including insulin sensitivity, blood lipid profiles, and cardiovascular health. Finally, we highlight key research gaps in the field of sedentary behaviour in relation to the underlying molecular mechanisms
EDM-Research/DIMO_ObjectDetection: v1.0
No full textObject detection for the DIMO dataset. Uses the Mask-RCNN model. This is the official implementation of Analysis of Training Object Detection Models with Synthetic Data, published in BMVC: British Machine Vision Conference, 2022.
Source code for the following scientific publication:
Vanherle, B., Moonen, S., Van Reeth, F., and Michiels, N. (2022). Analysis of Training Object Detection Models with Synthetic Data. 33rd British Machine Vision Conference 2022, BMVC 2022, London, UK, November 21-24, 2022. Retrieved from https://bmvc2022.mpi-inf.mpg.de/0833.pdfPILS SBO: Product Inspection with Little Supervision. Flanders Make (Belgium). awardNumber:null. 02ndjfz59BOF Special Research Fund. Hasselt University. awardNumber:null. 10.13039/50110000955
Unlocking the potential of the EU Charter to ensure equal treatment and non-discrimination between children in childcare leave
No full textEU childcare leave law and policy have traditionally been shaped by concerns relating to gender equality and work-life balance. Conversely, the rights of the child remain largely marginalised in this context, which may result in unequal access to childcare leave among children. Against this normative backdrop, the present paper explores the meaning of equality and non-discrimination between children in relation to childcare leave. It argues for a robust and purposive application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights to ensure that children's rights are mainstreamed in all the acts of the EU institutions as well as those of the Member States when they are implementing EU law. In particular, Articles 20 and 21(1) are important to secure equal access to childcare leave for all children.This paper is the recipient of the first IDEAS-ELJ Best Paper Award, which included publication in the European Law Journal. The author wishes to express her sincere gratitude to the jury and the editorial board of the European Law Journal for this honour. In particular, she extends her thanks to Amandine Crespy, Chloé Brière and Karine Caunes for their support and recognition. The author is also deeply grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their constructive and insightful comments and suggestions, which have significantly contributed to the improvement of the revised manuscript