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La fabrique des sommets : une histoire environnementale des sommets des Vosges m\ue9ridionales (XIIIe-XVIIIe si\ue8cles)
No full textAbstract: The making of the summits. An environmental history of the summits of the Southern Vosges (13th - 18th century) The new paradigms of environmental history provide an opportunity to take a fresh look at an ancient historical object, the Vosges mountains, by focusing on their summits, areas that have long been considered marginal. They are key observatories of the economic, social and environmental phenomena at work. At the crossroads between the history of administrative knowledge and rural history, and incorporating a resolutely interdisciplinary methodology, this work highlights the existence of complex relationships within social agrosystems, based on an investigation conducted over a long period of time (13th to 18th centuries). An original corpus, comparing written and cartographic documents with data from field studies, enables to examine the relationship between societies and summits, and between human and non-human actors. By examining the changes and mutations in these relationships over a period marked by the emergence of a new relationship between Western societies and nature, we are able to contribute to French and international environmentalist productions, laying new foundations for understanding mid-mountain environments
Innovative diagnostic and therapeutic measures to improve multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) diagnosis and management in Conakry, Guinea
No full textAbstract: Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBc) posing a global health challenge, particularly with drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) detection and treatment. Indeed, despite global efforts, only about 43% of DR-TB cases are diagnosed and treated, with a 68% treatment success rate for the World Health Organization (WHO) 2021 cohort. This thesis aimed to enhance the diagnosis and management of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in Guinea by testing novel diagnostic approaches and improving therapeutic strategies. To achieve our objectives, we conducted two diagnostic studies and to therapeutic studies Chapter II explored face mask sampling (FMS) as a minimally invasive method for pulmonary TB diagnosis among symptomatic patients. FMS results, compared to sputum samples analyzed by the Xpert MTB/RIF and Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Classic and Xpert Ultra), showed moderate agreement (kappa value of 0.47), with overall low sensitivity (48.1%) but high specificity (95.7%). While Xpert Ultra yielded higher sensitivity than Xpert Classic (60.2% vs 38.0%), Xpert Classic had superior specificity (100% vs 90.6%). Following these mitigated results, we explored in Chapter III tongue swabbing (TS) with Xpert Ultra and in-house swab IS6110-qPCR as another minimally invasive diagnostic approach. In a prospective study, single TS showed lower sensitivity (88.5%) than sputum, although pooling swabs improved sensitivity to 93.8%. Furthermore, bacillary load of positive TS samples was not affected by the sampling order, and "MTB low" results were predominant for both single and pooled series of TS. Sample adequacy control via qPCR assay detected human mitochondrial DNA and thus confirmed the oral source of TS samples. In a retrospective analysis, the agreement between the in-house swab IS6110-qPCR and sputum-Xpert was high (k=0.91 for Xpert Classic and k=0.86 for Ultra). Chapter IV addressed MDR-TB treatment with a longer regimen (lasting 18-20 months) and a shorter regimen (9-11 months) outcomes in a post-Ebola setting. Results showed that patients on a shorter regimen were more likely to achieve successful treatment outcome (74.0% vs. 58.7%) and less likely to experience adverse events (loss to follow-up, death or treatment failure), with a two-fold increase in risk for those on a longer regimen (aOR: 2.5). In Chapter V, community supported self-administered TB treatment (CS-SAT) and active TB screening among household contacts were evaluated. CS-SAT achieved a 94.7% favorable outcome, exceeding the national target of 90%. Active household screening enabled the referral of 376 children for isoniazid preventive therapy and the detection of five pulmonary confirmed TB among household contacts. Our studies contributed to enhancing TB diagnosis and treatment. Findings suggest that further diagnostic studies using the new sampling approches are need for pulmonary TB diagnosis. Children and paucibacillary group patients should be prioritized for such studies. For MDR-TB treatment, shorter regimens should be prioritized. Additionally, enhancing the technical capacity of laboratories and medical services is crucial to ensure improved outcomes. Finally, community-supported TB treatment should be tailored to specific contexts and patient needs, to guarantee the continuity of the patient treatment
Het bestaan en de schadeloosstelling van morele schade
No full textAbstract: This dissertation examines the existence and the remedy of moral damage in Belgian extra-contractual liability law. Although damage, in a certain sense, is the most essential concept of extra-contractual liability law, it does not receive the same theoretical attention as the liability-generating fact and the requirement of a causal link. The concept of moral damage, as a specific form of damage, is no different in this regard. It has long been the domain of practice but has been equally underexposed in legal doctrine. This research begins with a clear conceptual framework. Damage is any lost benefit resulting from a change in the world. Moral damage is any negative feeling. From this conception, the first analysis focuses on how the existence and extent of moral damage should be determined. All categories of moral damage that regularly appear in practice are addressed. The main conclusion of the first part of this research is that many instances of moral damage overlap. Feelings, after all, are difficult to categorize. The second part of this research focuses on the remedy of moral damage. The duty to remedy means that those liable must eliminate the damage. This implies that the harmed party should, as much as possible, be placed in the position they would have been in had the liability-generating fact not occurred. However, stopping someone\u2019s negative feelings does not mean that their damage has entirely disappeared. A person carries their negative feelings from the past with them throughout their life. In the case of moral damage, the duty to remedy can therefore be divided into, primarily, two distinct obligations. On one hand, it is a duty to restore the damage by "healing" the harmed party, and on the other hand, it is a duty to compensate for the negative feelings from the past by providing some form of recognition. Compensation can take the form of money, but this is certainly not necessary. The liable party can also provide compensation in kind, for example, by offering an apology. A judicial declaration of liability could, in itself, provide sufficient recognition. If compensation is indeed provided in monetary terms, the judge faces the \u2013 thoroughly explored \u2013 difficult task of awarding a sum of money that corresponds to the extent of the suffered harm. This research sheds new light on the concept and treatment of moral damage in liability law. It offers a clear framework for understanding and assessing the complex nature of negative feelings, and emphasizes the need for a dual approach to compensation: restoration and compensation. This research contributes to a more nuanced and consistent approach to moral damage
Life stage-specific effects of thyroid hormone system disruption in the zebrafish embryo
No full textAbstract: Thyroid hormones (THs) play an important role in normal vertebrate development and in various crucial homeostatic processes. An increasing number of environmental pollutants are found to be able to interfere with the TH system, raising concern for both human and environmental health. The development of appropriate test methods to test for thyroid hormone system disruption (THSD) is, therefore, crucial. Currently, the environmental hazard assessment of THSD in the EU relies on amphibian testing while validated assays using fish are not yet available. A promising approach is the use of fish embryos. These life stages have been shown to be responsive to THSD. Importantly, fish embryos are non-protected animals until they are free-feeding under the European Directive. Use of fish embryos for chemical hazard assessment would, therefore, classify as a non-animal method. There are, however, still some remaining uncertainties surrounding the life stage-specific effects of THSD in fish as responsiveness of different endpoints can differ between life stages. The complexity of understanding life stage-specific effects of THSD arises from the fact that during embryonic development, the entire TH system is also forming and due to the presence of maternally deposited THs in the yolk. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to investigate the life stage-specific effects of THSD in zebrafish, as this is one of the most important model organisms in the current regulatory fish test guidelines. In order to investigate this, zebrafish embryos were exposed to chemicals with a well known THSD mechanism during different phases of embryonic development that corresponded to important phases in the development of the TH system and of apical THSD-responsive endpoints (such as swim bladder inflation and eye development). Overall, our work illustrates the importance of considering the life stage as well as the development of the TH system when assessing the effects of THSD in fish. The mechanistic insights gained in this research support the inclusion of THSD-responsive endpoints into existing fish (embryo) test guidelines and will aid in the interpretation of test results
Sovereign-bank risk coordination in the Economic and Monetary Union
No full textAbstract: The close integration of sovereign states and banks within the Economic and Monetary Union has prompted Member States and the EU to strengthen the coordination of risks related to their fiscal and financial health. Economic literature has extensively documented how these risks, collectively referred to as \u2018sovereign-bank risks\u2019, are transmitted between sovereigns and banks, yet the legal frameworks designed to coordinate them have largely been examined in isolation from the structural interdependencies between Member States and banks. This thesis bridges this gap through a systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of Economic and Monetary Union law in coordinating sovereign-bank risks. Building on the economic understanding of sovereign-bank risk transmission, this thesis argues that the law can be effective only if it aligns with the inherent lifecycle of sovereign-bank risks. The thesis analyses coordination at the accumulation, management, and resolution phases of the risk lifecycle by classifying legal frameworks, describing how they developed and function, and evaluating their capacity to prevent the build-up of unsustainable risks, facilitate balanced and timely liquidity support, and ensure orderly risk resolution. This analysis demonstrates that the law\u2019s effectiveness is hindered by its misalignment with the documented structural interdependencies, while partial harmonisation, discretionary authority, and external factors further constrain coordination at each phase. Accordingly, the thesis recommends enhancing the economic coherence of the law by implementing debt sustainability as a genuine precondition of liquidity support and restricting the scope of accompanying conditionality requirements. The thesis also recommends further reforms to strengthen the capacity of each coordination framework by addressing institutional constraints in governance structures, regulatory constraints from national discretions and partial harmonisation, and operational constraints affecting enforcement mechanisms and funding capacity
Synthesis of levulinic acid and derivatives from muconic acid
No full textAbstract: One of the major challenges of our time is the transformation of our petroleum based industry towards a more sustainable model based on other carbon sources. Indeed, the global warming combined with an ever growing world population make this matter more actual than ever. This has driven chemists to look into alternative feedstocks for the chemical industry, with non-edible biomass (e.g. lignocellulose from plant waste) being a particularly attractive candidate. In the so-called \u201cbiorefinery\u201d, this is transformed into "platform chemicals\u201d, which can subsequently be transformed into a broad range of other molecules with a wide variety of applications. Levulinic acid is named one of the key biorenewable platform molecules, with its derivatives spanning from solvents and biofuel additives, to pharmaceuticals and plasticizers. It is currently produced industrially from non-edible sugars such as xylan or cellulose. However, these methods are lacking as they require corrosive acid catalysts, suffer from rather low yields and experience char formation in the form of humins. It comes as no surprise that levulinic acid is currently only produced in small scales and that there is an ongoing search for new production methods from biorenewable feedstocks. \u200b \u200b In this PhD thesis, an alternative route to levulinic acid is explored, starting from another biorenewable platform chemical called muconic acid. This can be produced from lignocellulose through both chemical and biotechnological means. It was discovered that simply heating muconic acid in high-temperature pressurized water can efficiently form levulinic acid in high yields, without requiring additional reagents or complicated separations. This method was demonstrated to work on real bio-based feedstocks, such as pine wood and muconic acid produced by yeast fermentation of sugars. Furthermore, the method was successfully adapted for the direct synthesis of value-added levulinate esters
Effectiveness of a smartphone application for tinnitus treatment
No full textAbstract: Approximately one out of seven adults worldwide experiences tinnitus. It is estimated that a quarter of all patients experience tinnitus influenced by alterations in somatosensory afference from the neck and jaw. This is referred to as somatic or somatosensory tinnitus (ST). Multimodal physiotherapeutic treatment combining manual treatment and exercise therapy is a known treatment option for ST. However, to achieve optimal treatment response, patients should consistently and correctly perform daily home exercises. Motivating patients and giving them the necessary counselling remains challenging. Offering a blended physiotherapy program for ST, including a smartphone application, can potentially provide assistance to conquer these challenges. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the use of a smartphone application in a blended physiotherapy treatment program for Patients with ST. Methodology: The blended physiotherapy program was compared to standard physiotherapy care in a single blinded non-inferiority randomised controlled trial (RCT). Patients were included in the trial when diagnosed with ST by a multidisciplinary team. After baseline testing, all patients received 12 weeks of treatment and completed follow-up assessments at one and three months after the final treatment session. Patients were randomised using Qminim based on gender and tinnitus severity grade according to the tinnitus functional index (TFI) questionnaire. The experimental group received the blended physiotherapy program comprising six in-clinic physiotherapy sessions (once every two weeks) and an exercise and counselling program provided by a smartphone application. The control group received twelve weekly in-clinic physiotherapy sessions. The primary outcome measure is the change in TFI at one month follow-up. Secondly, the change in hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), neck bournemouth questionnaire (NBQ) and temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain screener was also considered. Results: The TFI scores of both the control and the experimental group decreased significantly over time (F=44,137; p<0,001; \u3c9\ub2 = 0,059). Significant differences were found in TFI scores between baseline and all follow-up moments in both groups (p<0.001). The comparison of the primary outcome (change in TFI score at one-month follow-up) between both groups confirmed non-inferiority of our experimental treatment compared to the control treatment (p=0.079). Likewise, the NBQ and HADS scores significantly improved in both groups between baseline and all follow-up moments (p<0.05). For the TMD pain screener, the same was noticeable for the total sample and the control group, but not for the intervention group. Conclusion: A blended physiotherapy treatment with a reduced number of in-clinic settings and the use of a smartphone application is as effective as standard care physiotherapy in reducing tinnitus distress for patients diagnosed with somatic tinnitus. Future research should look further into the characteristics of responders, the impact of accompanying complaints and the improvement of treatment adherence
De publieke handhaving van consumentenrecht in Belgi\ueb : een analyse van de juridische effectiviteit op basis van het EU-recht en rechtsvergelijking
No full textAbstract: De handhaving van Europees consumentenrecht in de lidstaten van de EU onderging het voorbije decennium verschillende vernieuwende impulsen door de rechtspraak van het Hof van Justitie van de EU en nieuwe EU-wetgeving. Vaak lag de nadruk op het verkrijgen van een toegenomen effecti-viteit van de nationale handhaving, waarbij vooral publieke handhaving ook steeds meer op de voorgrond treedt als een pertinent mechanisme. Dit proefschrift analyseert de effectiviteit van de publieke handhaving van het materieel consumentenrecht in Belgi\ueb. Eerst onderzoekt het proefschrift wat effectiviteit in het EU-recht inhoudt op basis van algemene beginselen in het EU-recht. Zo moet nationale handhaving naleving en rechtsbescherming bij con-sumentenbescherming nastreven. Sancties moeten voorts \u201cdoeltreffend, evenredig en afschrik-kend\u201d zijn, terwijl de beginselen van behoorlijk bestuur, de rechtszekerheids- en legaliteitsbeginse-len en het \u2018ne bis in idem\u2019-beginsel een belangrijke rol spelen om de effectiviteit te begrenzen. Binnen dat kader komt vervolgens de vernieuwende EU-wetgeving aan bod, met name de SCB-verordening, de Omnibusrichtlijn en de Richtlijn Representatieve Vorderingen. Onderzocht wordt welke functies publieke handhaving volgens dit EU-recht in de lidstaten vervult of zou moeten ver-vullen om de effectiviteit na te streven of te verhogen. Uit deze analyse blijkt dat publieke handhaving in het EU-recht een noodzakelijke complementaire functie heeft door voor afschrikking te zorgen bij overtreders, vooral bij inbreuken die vele consu-menten treffen. Op lidstaten rust dan weer een aanvullingsverplichting wanneer private handha-vingsmechanismen er niet in slagen om in naleving en rechtsbescherming te voorzien, met name door alternatieve handhavingsmechanismen te organiseren. Publieke handhaving kan \ue9\ue9n van die mechanismen zijn. Het snel en vroegtijdig optreden tegen inbreuken via bijzondere digitale bewa-rende maatregelen en zorgen voor compensatie van benadeelde consumenten zijn echter ver-plichte functies voor publieke handhaving bij grensoverschrijdende inbreuken. Nadien toetst het onderzoek de publieke handhaving in Belgi\ueb aan dat effectiviteitskader van het EU-recht, die strafrechtelijk van aard is. Bovendien vindt een rechtsvergelijking plaats met Neder-land en Finland omwille van hun alternatieve modellen, respectievelijk administratiefrechtelijke handhaving en publieke handhaving die via de burgerlijke rechtbanken verloopt. Als algemeen besluit geldt dat de publieke handhaving in Belgi\ueb grotendeels beantwoordt aan het effectiviteits-kader van het EU-recht, mits een aantal gerichte aanpassingen ge\uefnspireerd op de twee buiten-landse rechtsstelsels. Het betreft onder andere: de systematische publicatie van beslissingen, het versterken van zelfregulering bij reclame, het plaatsen van publieke handhaving van kredietrecht bij de FSMA, een openbaar register van oneerlijke bedingen, specifieke sanctionering van natuurlij-ke personen die geen onderneming zijn en een verdere inperking van gevangenisstraffen
Visual persuasion in non-profit advertising : investigating the roles of emotional arousal, empathy and credibility for intentions to donate
No full textAbstract: For non-profit advertisers choosing the most persuasive image is an essential strategic decision to attract attention and donors. The effectiveness of a donation advertisement depends on the persuasiveness of the visual or visual persuasion. This doctoral dissertation focuses on investigating visual persuasion and its effects on intention to donate or prosocial behavior in non-profit advertising. Study 1 (re)introduces the concept of visual persuasion by providing an overview of past publications and proposing a concept explication for its use in the context of donor advertising. The central idea is that visual persuasion in donor advertising is conceptually divided into different levels: emotional arousal, empathy and credibility. This new concept explication is expected to enhance the understanding of visual persuasion in donor advertising by providing ways to approach and measure it, both by researchers and non-profit advertisers. Study 2 reveals a robust negative linear relationship between valence and arousal in non-profit ad images at an aggregate level and individual level, which is different from commercial ad images. Furthermore, the findings shed light on the highly significant negative correlations between valence and intention to donate, and the highly significant positive correlations between arousal and intention to donate based on the valence classification of stimuli. Lastly, it has been found that arousal would play a mediating role in the relation between valence and intention to donate under three special conditions (targeting the female group at an aggregate level; selecting positively valenced images at an individual level; selecting negatively valenced images at an individual level). Study 3 tests how the valence match of images and texts in donor advertising affects prosocial behavior through the mediating role of different levels of emotional empathy (positive or negative). The results confirm the mediating role of negative empathy: Through the higher level of negative empathy, the combination of a negative emotional victim image and a negative emotional text is more effective in increasing prosocial behavior. However, the mediating role of positive empathy is not confirmed. These findings provide advice to advertisers on how to develop effective donation advertising strategies. Study 4 explores the underlying mechanisms of awareness of falsity\u2019s effects on intention to donate by relating it to credibility as a mediator. An empirical study contrasts three non-profit ad campaigns respectively including real images, AI-generated images without tag indications, and AI-generated images with tag indications. The findings uncover that the non-profit ad campaign including real images motivates the highest levels of intention to donate than the non-profit ad campaign including AI-generated images, with or without tag indications, explained by the highest levels of credibility. Conversely, the non-profit ad campaign including AI-generated images with tags motivates the lowest levels of intention to donate than the ad campaign including real images and that including AI-generated images without tags, explained by the lowest levels of credibility. In summary, these studies contribute to conceptually dividing visual persuasion into three measurable and touchable dimensions (emotional arousal, empathy and credibility), and explore the roles of these three dimensions of visual persuasion underlying the effects of visual images on intention to donate or prosocial behavior in non-profit advertising
The lodging house and the city : accommodating migrants in urban space, Antwerp, 1850-1914
No full textAbstract: This dissertation studies the lodging house sector and its relation to changes in migration and urbanisation in Antwerp during the late nineteenth century (ca. 1850-1914). Although omnipresent in the historical cityscape, the lodging house features only scarcely in the works of historians. This dissertation aims to fill in this gap. It argues that the lodging house functioned as a crucial link between two of the period\u2019s most impactful transitions: the urban transition and the mobility transition. The processes and social mechanisms that connected these two together, have often remained implicit. In this dissertation, the lodging house is treated both as an expression of these transition \u2013 and thus a peculiar historical phenomenon meriting an understanding of its own internal mechanisms \u2013 and a lens on them, a key site to investigate how such transformations reverberated in the lives of ordinary people. With this goal in mind, this thesis adopts an approach that is fundamentally spatial and relational across scales. This method is applied through novel digital tools like GIS-mapping and building biographies, to a broad variety of sources ranging from police documents, legislative texts, population and lodging registers, newspapers, and historical novels and imagery. The dissertation is structured around five chapters, which each deal with one of the main perspectives on the topic, namely: the city, control, housekeepers, lodgers, and finally the lodging house itself. As the city and its migrant flows expanded and diversified, so too did the lodging sector, but not uniformly. Growth was segmented across urban space, and the sector adopted varying functions for different migrant groups across neighbourhoods. The specialisation of the sector was not new in the nineteenth century, but both transitions did strengthen this trend. In this process, lodging houses appropriated important functions for the city, and its labour market especially. Through their flexibility, the lodging house constituted a crucial pivot in rhyming the inherent dynamism of urban migration and work with a relatively more static built urban space. In conclusion, this thesis shows that, for understanding processes of migrant and urban change in the nineteenth century, the lodging house can no longer be ignored