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Clinical validation of deep learning for real-time tissue oxygenation estimation using spectral imaging
No full textAccurate, real-time monitoring of tissue ischemia is crucial to understand tissue health and guide surgery. Spectral imaging shows great potential for contactless and intraoperative monitoring of tissue oxygenation. Due to the difficulty of obtaining direct reference oxygenation values, conventional methods are based on linear unmixing techniques. These are prone to assumptions and these linear relations may not always hold in practice. In this work, we present deep learning approaches for real-time tissue oxygenation estimation using Monte-Carlo simulated spectra. We train a fully connected neural network (FCN) and a convolutional neural network (CNN) for this task and propose a domain-adversarial training approach to bridge the gap between simulated and real clinical spectral data. Results demonstrate that these deep learning models achieve a higher correlation with capillary lactate measurements, a well-known marker of hypoxia, obtained during spectral imaging in surgery, compared to traditional linear unmixing. Notably, domain-adversarial training effectively reduces the domain gap, optimizing performance in real clinical settings
Living and learning as rhetorical engagement
No full textIn this contribution, I briefly discuss how our research program within the Culture & Education research group at Ghent University was—amongst others—inspired by the scholarly work of Andrew Stables and more specifically his turn toward literary and cultural theory as an essential and perhaps even foundational framework for educational studies. Starting from Stables’ seminal work Living and Learning as Semiotic Engagement: A new Theory of Education, I discuss how within our research we focus on rhetorical criticism as a primary model for knowledge and understanding. I briefly discuss the so-called rhetorical turn within the humanities and social sciences and then set out how we explore the pedagogical implications of an anthropological perspective on rhetoric, specifically in relation to and building on the work of Kenneth Burke. Although we do not in general work with theoretical conceptions of semiotics, and our work cannot be catalogued as EduSemiotics, I emphasize how Stables’ turn towards literary and cultural theory has also inspired us in our own turn towards rhetorical criticism as a framework for educational studies
Building with stone in the Bronze Age Aegean : towards a comprehensive terminology for building components and masonry types
No full textIn this paper, we present a terminology designed to define stone building components and masonry types characteristic of the Bronze Age Aegean. Drawing on evidence from 3rd and 2nd millen-nium BCE sites in mainland Greece, Western Turkey, and the Aegean islands, we seek to provide clear and consistent terms for describing stone architectural remains. We do so by exploring the vocabulary related to the procurement and working of stones as they result from the interaction of the builders with a specific geological context; by assigning precise names to regular and irregular stone building components with distinct shapes and dimensions; and by offering definitions for the masonry types in which these stones are assembled. The aim of developing this terminology is to support archaeologists in producing precise and consistent descriptions of architectural remains, thereby offering a more robust foundation for analysing building technologies and practices across the various regions of the Bronze Age Aegean
Organizational change in public organizations : the development of the organizational change capability measurement scale for public organizations
No full textPublic organizations are under constant pressure to reform: digitize services, cut red tape, or absorb new mandates; yet they lack a sector‑specific way to gauge how ready they are for change. Instruments built for private firms ignore public sector realities such as political oversight, statutory constraints, and the need to maintain legitimacy. This dissertation fills that gap by introducing and validating an Organizational Change Capability (OCC) Measurement Scale specifically for public organizations and by showing why a strong OCC matters for change success (CS).
The study pursues three linked objectives. First, it builds an integrative framework explaining how context, content, process, leadership, and outcomes interact during change in public organizations. Second, it develops a multi‑dimensional survey instrument with fifteen components and 77 items, that captures those capabilities in language meaningful to public managers. Third, it tests whether higher OCC scores actually translate into better change outcomes.
A sequential, five‑study design supports these aims. A systematic literature review (Study 1) distills two decades of public sector change research into a unified nomological network. Guided by this model, Study 2 follows thorough scale‑development steps: expert panels, cognitive interviews, pilot testing, and factor analysis. These steps help craft the OCC survey and confirm its reliability and validity. Study 3 demonstrates a clear positive link between OCC and the CS scale, using structural equation modelling. Study 4 tracks a real‑time military change program over two years, showing OCC scores can rise with concrete management actions such as clarifying cross‑unit responsibilities and trimming procedural delays. Study 5 revisits items dropped during scale refinement; by analyzing outlier items, the research adds a maturity lens, distinguishing basic from advanced capability levels.
This dissertation advances theory by conceptualizing OCC as a coherent, higher-order meta-capability in the public sector. The fifteen components empirically converge into a single latent construct that predicts Change Success, rather than operating as isolated practices. In addition, the study develops a structured nomological network for change in public organizations and provides an empirical operationalization of Dynamic Capabilities Theory in a public-sector context.
Practically, the dissertation delivers a validated, public-sector-specific measurement scale to assess OCC. Empirical results show that organizations with stronger OCC are more likely to achieve change objectives on time and to sustain performance improvements. The findings also indicate that change capability develops along a continuum, allowing organizations to diagnose their maturity level and to prioritize targeted actions.
In essence, the research underscores the importance of structured, data-driven approaches to change in public contexts, moving beyond intuition to informed action, and enabling governments to lead transformation with greater clarity, consistency, and success
Violence by association and participation : engaging in violence with violent co-offenders increases future violence
No full textThis study examines how violent co-offenders shape future offending trajectories, distinguishing between committing violence with a violent co-offender (direct exposure) versus associating with violent accomplices (indirect exposure). Using police data, we applied binary logistic regressions to a sample of Belgian offenders (N = 20,203) to examine the likelihood of general and violent reoffending. Our results show that having a violent co-offender significantly increases the likelihood of future offending, whereas nonviolent co-offenders have no pronounced impact. When the co-offense with a violent co-offender involved violence, the heightened likelihood of future offending was mitigated. Among reoffenders, prior violence is associated with future violent offenses, particularly for those with less severe violent offenses. Moreover, committing violence with a violent co-offender reinforces future violence for a large part of the sample (61% of offenders in T2). Overall, violent co-offenders influence future offending both directly and indirectly, with direct participation in violence emerging as a critical predictor of future violent behavior. These findings emphasize the need for further research and targeted interventions at key moments, such as after a violent co-offense
Datageletterdheid bij medewerkers van Vlaamse lokale besturen : een kwantitatieve analyse
No full text
Two small quantum building-blocks suffice
No full textTraditionally, classical reversible circuits are synthesized by means of Toffoli building-blocks. We propose a synthesis method based on two small quantum blocks: a single-qubit Negator gate and the two-qubit controlled square-root-of-Not gate
Growth and stability of Pt germanides on Ge and GeSn substrates
No full textIn the pursuit of high-quality contact materials for (opto)electronic devices, replacing Ni with Pt is explored
to offer a path towards more stable (stano)germanide contacts. In this study, we resolve the complex sequence
of Pt (stano)germanide phase formation through real-time probing of the elemental redistribution using
Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, complemented with X-ray diffraction, and the use of artificial neural
networks. The existence of the Pt3(Ge(Sn))2 phase is confirmed, forming simultaneously with PtGe(Sn). Both
Pt/Ge and Pt/GeSn systems follow the same phase sequence; however, the Pt/Ge system exhibits superior
thermal stability of the monogermanide and the Ge-rich phases throughout an extended temperature range, as
well as better morphological stability up to 600 °C, attributed to nucleation-controlled growth of the Ge-rich
phases. The metastable incorporation of 7.5% Sn in Ge modifies the thermodynamic and kinetic behavior of Pt
stanogermanide formation, as observed by the reduced compositional and morphological stability at elevated
temperatures