Institutional Repository Universiteit Antwerpen
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Down to the last drop : economic insights into drought mitigation in agriculture
No full textAbstract: Anthropogenic climate change is intensifying the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, with drought posing a particularly complex challenge. Agriculture, which depends heavily on water and soil resources, is one of the most vulnerable sectors and faces mounting risks of yield losses and economic damages. Yet drought risk management has long been dominated by reactive approaches, often resulting in untimely interventions and substantial costs. Proactive strategies, by contrast, hold the potential to reduce risks, limit damages, and generate co-benefits. However, their implementation remains limited, partly due to gaps in knowledge on their economic performance and on the factors influencing farmers\u2019 adoption decisions. This dissertation investigates how the uptake of proactive drought risk reduction in agriculture can be strengthened through improved economic assessments, evaluations of cost-effectiveness, and insights into farmers\u2019 willingness to adopt drought risk reduction measures. The focus lies on the Flanders region, Belgium, where extreme weather events have become increasingly frequent in recent years. The research develops a framework to enhance the reliability of economic evaluations and demonstrates the value of refining market-based methods to capture both direct and distributive effects of drought. It further compares reactive and proactive adaptation measures at a regional scale, showing that proactive strategies can outperform reactive responses in terms of cost-effectiveness, although results vary across local contexts and none of the investigated measures fully safeguard environmental flows during drought. Finally, the analysis of farmers\u2019 decision-making highlights that adoption could be driven less by financial incentives than by improvements in soil quality and reduced vulnerability to extreme weather. Taken together, the findings underscore the importance of combining robust economic evidence with a farmer-centred perspective. By offering a framework for reliable assessments, demonstrating the relative benefits of proactive measures, and identifying possible drivers of adoption, this dissertation advances knowledge on drought risk management in agriculture. It calls for regionally tailored and participatory approaches that align agronomic, economic, and ecological goals to strengthen resilience against future droughts
In sync or out of tune? Investigating intraparty opinion homogeneity between national leaderships and local representatives
No full textAbstract: Homogeneity of opinions is important for the cohesion and unity of political parties. While most research focused on homogeneity at the national level, we argue that opinion homogeneity between national parties and their local divisions matters too. We explore the level of homogeneity between national party leaderships and local representatives, and we identify a set of factors that arguably explains variance in levels of homogeneity. Analysing opinions on thirty policy proposals in Flanders, we find a notable amount of heterogeneity, with one in three issues showing discrepancy. Local party leaders exhibit a higher homogeneity than ordinary councillors, while experience is not related to ideological alignment. Issue ownership and issue salience enhance homogeneity. Municipality size positively affects homogeneity. Left-wing ideology seems related to homogeneity as well. This study lays groundwork for future research expanding to diverse political contexts and delving further into issue and party characteristics
Team teaching or solo teaching? Evidence from a crossover experiment on the effects of team teaching on student achievement
No full textAbstract: Team teaching\u2014an educational strategy in which multiple teachers collaboratively plan, deliver, and evaluate a lesson or lessons\u2014is frequently promoted as a more effective instructional method than solo teaching for improving student achievement. While past research highlights its benefits, recent reviews call for more experimental research. This study investigated the impact of team teaching by two general primary education teachers on student achievement and explored whether effects varied by outcome, student, or contextual characteristics. A total of 267 students from 16 classes in four schools participated in a crossover experiment where each student experienced both team-taught and solo-taught lessons. Multilevel explanatory item response modeling revealed that students had higher odds of correctly answering questions in the team-taught setting, though effect sizes were small (odds ratio = 1.31). The student-teacher ratio moderated these effects, with benefits decreasing in larger classes. These findings suggest that team teaching offers modest, context-dependent benefits
Building minds by solving problems : exploring computational thinking and STEM integration in vocational education
No full textAbstract: In today\u2019s rapidly evolving technological landscape, Computational Thinking (CT) and STEM education play a crucial role in preparing students for the demands of the modern workforce. While research on CT-STEM integration has predominantly focused on general education, limited attention has been given to its implementation in Vocational Education and Training (VET). This dissertation addresses this gap by exploring the integration of CT and STEM within VET through a comprehensive, multi-study approach. The research is structured around six studies, progressing from theoretical framework development to empirical validation of assessment instruments and practical implementation through a case study
Legal implications of neurotechnology : rethinking human rights to protect the mind
No full textAbstract: Rapid advancements in neurotechnology are increasingly challenging long-held assumptions about the freedom of the human mind. Innovations in neuroimaging and brain decoding technologies threaten mental privacy, while neurostimulation may undermine individuals\u2019 mental autonomy and impair their mental integrity. At the same time, these technologies offer the potential to enhance through self-directed mental interventions, arguably supporting mental autonomy. These dual capacities highlight the profound impact of neurotechnology on mental privacy, autonomy, and integrity, and underscore the urgent need for proactive legal responses. This dissertation explores the foundations of a regulatory framework capable of governing the responsible development and application of neurotechnology. It argues that international human rights law should serve as the normative basis for such a framework and investigates whether the current human rights architecture is equipped to address the emerging challenges posed by neurotechnological interference with the human mind. In its first part, the research maps the existing protections for the human mind within international human rights law. Although current protections are limited, often incidental, and not tailored to the specific emerging context of neurotechnology, a closer analysis reveals that fundamental protections are present. Particularly the freedom of thought constitutes a foundational safeguard for mental privacy and autonomy. When complemented by the rights to privacy and (mental) integrity, a rudimentary but promising framework for protecting the mind emerges. Nonetheless, this protection remains significantly underdeveloped and, in its current state, is insufficiently clear to address the complex challenges posed by modern neurotechnologies. To overcome this shortcoming, the dissertation advocates for an evolutive interpretation of existing human rights \u2013 one that responds directly to the specific threats introduced by neurotechnological intrusions. It proposes the development of a soft-law instrument to articulate and flesh out how the freedom of thought, the right to privacy and integrity, and other relevant human rights contribute to the safeguarding mental privacy, autonomy, and integrity. At the heart of this proposal lies the freedom of thought, which holds substantial potential as the backbone of a robust and future-proof normative framework. Clarifying the scope of this right, and its intersection with adjacent rights, is crucial for establishing a robust Rights of the Mind framework. Such a framework must be capable of distinguishing permissible mental interferences from those that constitute human rights violations. This is essential not only for the regulation of neurotechnology, but also for addressing other technological applications that may profoundly affect the privacy, autonomy and integrity of the human mind
Underneath the surface : advanced synchrotron techniques for the study of 17th century oil paint in three dimensions
No full textAbstract: In this PhD thesis the composition, morphology and degradation of 17th century paints was studied using state of the art synchrotron radiation (SR) based X-ray methods. The degradation of arsenic sulfide pigments was revealed by studying model systems of different complexity, by use of SR-based XANES and X-ray transmission tomography. Furthermore, several paint samples of \u2018The Night Watch\u2019 by Rembrandt van Rijn were visualized and semi quantified with 2D microscale techniques and in 3D by introducing SR-based X-ray ptychography and fluorescence nano-tomography. This allowed us to better understand how Rembrandt created \u2018The Night Watch\u2019, which materials he used and what the current condition of the painting is. The results include the finding of unexpected arsenic sulfide pigment in \u2018The Night Watch\u2019, the discovery of an unknown lead-containing impregnation layer underneath the ground layer, and the use of different types of smalt pigment (cobalt colored glass) containing paints for different areas of the painting
Marine bacteria in sea spray aerosols and their potential immunological effects on human health
No full textAbstract: Epidemiological studies have shown that living near the ocean is associated with better self-reported health, though the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This PhD research explores a less examined aspect: whether inhalation of sea spray aerosols (SSAs) confers potential immunological benefits, focusing on the effects of marine bacteria and endotoxins in SSAs on several immune receptors and transcription factors. To investigate this, we conducted studies focusing on two main areas: 1) analyzing bacterial communities in surf zone seawater and determining which bacteria are transferred to coastal air via SSAs, and 2) evaluating the immunological effects of bacteria and endotoxins in SSAs using human reporter cell models. These studies were carried out at the Marine Station Ostend (MSO) and a nearby recreational beach (within 1 km of MSO) in Ostend, Belgium. Our results demonstrated that bacterial communities in the surf zone seawater of the recreational beach under normal conditions (i.e., no distinct pollution and disease outbreaks) varied seasonally and were influenced by environmental factors such as chlorophyll a, net primary production, and seawater temperature. When wind speeds exceeded 4 m/s (indicating SSA production) and winds blew from the sea, aerosol samples collected on the rooftop of MSO contained more bacteria from local seawater. The composition of these bacterial communities also varied seasonally (spring and summer), influenced by temperature. Single, short-term exposure experiments using SSA-dominated samples revealed that total bacteria counts and endotoxins mildly activated Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), TLR2/6, and the transcription factors nuclear factor kappa B (NF-\u3baB) and interferon regulatory factor (IRF) in a dose-dependent manner. Pre-exposure to these SSA samples modulated the activation of TLR4, NF-\u3baB, and IRF by subsequent exposure to pro-inflammatory Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in a dose-dependent manner for endotoxin concentrations and total bacterial counts. Specifically, low levels of endotoxin inhibited TLR4 activation following E. coli LPS exposure, while low levels of total bacterial count showed neutral effects on NF-\u3baB activation and inhibited IRF activation. These findings deepen our understanding of bacteria in coastal air and suggest that inhalation of SSAs may modulate immune pathways, potentially offering immunological benefits. Further research is needed to evaluate SSA health effects across different particle properties, exposure modes, and immune responses, using primary human immune cells and cohorts to better understand their immunological impact and the mechanisms underlying SSA interactions with the human immune system
Forever temporary? Migration patterns of posted workers and their implications for free movement
No full textAbstract: Posting has become the most important channel of temporary intra-European labour mobility by far. This raises a fundamental question: do posted workers eventually transition into settled migrant workers? This paper uses comprehensive administrative data for Belgium, one of the most important receiving countries for posted workers in both relative and absolute terms. We examine posting trajectories in terms of their duration and frequency and assess whether, and under which conditions, posted workers seek more permanent settlement. We find that while a substantial numbers of posted workers reside in the destination country for extended periods of time, transitions from posting to settlement migration are in fact exceptional. Such transitions are more likely among workers with repeated and prolonged posting trajectories, particularly those with multiple postings, long cumulative durations, and fragmented careers across several employers. The main conclusion is that posting is a form of mobility that remains quite distinct from traditional labour migration. The situation of posted workers can be characterised as one of lasting temporariness
EHRM 13 februari 2024
No full textAbstract: Vrijheid van godsdienst of overtuiging \u2013 Religieuze uitingen \u2013 Dierenwelzijn \u2013 Onverdoofd slachte