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Chronique de législation pénale 2024/2
No full textLa présente chronique de législation pénale a été réalisée par une équipe de pénalistes, regroupés au sein du GREPEC (Groupe de recherche en matière pénale et criminelle) de l’UCLouvain Saint- Louis – Bruxelles. Elle ne prétend pas à l’exhaustivité, mais vise à informer le lecteur de la Revue des principales modifications intervenues en droit pénal et en procédure pénale et publiées au Moniteur belge entre le 1er juillet et le 31 décembre 2024. Elle tient compte également des circulaires du collège des procureurs généraux adoptées au cours de la même période
Les limites identitaires et attentionnelles de l’éducation morale par le dialogue philosophique
No full textCet exposé explore deux aspects de l'éducation morale - la motivation morale telle qu'ancrée dans l'identité, ainsi que l'attention éthique - que le dialogue philosophique n'est peut-être pas capable d'assurer à lui seul
The role of CDS spreads in explaining bond recovery rates
No full textWe introduce two novel indices built from CDS market data capturing the level and uncertainty information embedded in credit spreads aggregated by industry, and study their role in predicting bonds recovery rates. Analyzing 613 defaulted U.S. corporate bond issues from 2006 to 2019 and using a beta regression model, we find the cross-sectional mean and approximate entropy of CDS spreads aggregated at the sector level to be important predictors of the recovery rates distributions. In the classical beta regression model, both regressors are statistically significant and enhance the pseudo-R2 by up to 4%. Notably, a forward model selection procedure includes the sector-level regressor before well-known variables such as the bonds’ coupon rate or the American default rate. In addition, our sector-uncertainty regressor is the only significant uncertainty variable. These findings offer valuable insights for improving credit risk assessment methodologies and identifying key risk indicators of recovery rates before running prediction models
L'élaboration et la mise en oeuvre des subventions: égalité, légalité et autres actualités
No full textCette contribution explore les principes fondamentaux qui régissent l'octroi et la mise en oeuvre des subventions: la légalité, l'égalité et la transparence, en pointant quelques tendances récentes. La définition de la subvention et les notions apparentées, l'institutionnalisation de la subvention et la procédure d'octroi sont successivement abordées
Recombinant factor VIIa: new insights into the mechanism of action through product innovation.
No full textManagement of bleeding in persons with hemophilia and inhibitors involves treatment with bypassing agents, including recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa). Two rFVIIa products are commercially approved for use in the United States and the European Union. Eptacog alfa and eptacog beta share the same amino acid sequence but differ in posttranslational modifications. Although rFVIIa has been used to manage bleeding in persons with hemophilia and inhibitors for over 30 years, its mechanisms of action is still being studied. and studies have suggested that rFVIIa could promote hemostasis by (1) increasing tissue factor-dependent activation of factor (F)X (FX); (2) directly activating FX on the surface of activated platelets; and (3) downregulating protein C anticoagulant activity through binding to the endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR). Studies of rFVIIa and rFVIIa variants in murine models demonstrate that platelet-dependent activity is sufficient for hemostatic efficacy. Dosing levels required in clinical practice are most consistent with a platelet-dependent mechanism of action. However, models also suggest that pathways involving EPCR binding contribute to rFVIIa hemostatic activity. Eptacog beta displays increased platelet- and EPCR-dependent endothelial cell binding compared to eptacog alfa. Thus, the relative contribution of these mechanisms to the overall hemostatic efficacy of eptacog alfa and eptacog beta may differ. Further research is required to assess the clinical relevance of these differences. A better understanding of the mechanisms by which rFVIIa promotes hemostasis in patients will provide insights when evaluating clinical outcomes of safety and efficacy for innovative bypassing therapies
Pain-Related Quality of Life Outcomes in People With Haemophilia A Receiving Emicizumab: A Post Hoc Analysis of the HAVEN 1, 3 and 4 and STASEY Studies.
No full textINTRODUCTION: People with haemophilia A (PwHA) experience acute and chronic pain associated with reduced quality of life (QoL). AIMS: This post hoc analysis of pooled data from the HAVEN 1 (NCT02622321), 3 (NCT02847637), 4 (NCT03020160) and STASEY (NCT0319179) studies assessed the impact of emicizumab prophylaxis on pain-related QoL in PwHA. METHODS: PwHA received emicizumab during the four studies. In this analysis, pain was assessed using patient-reported responses to pain-specific questions from the Haem-A-QoL/Haemo-QoL-SF and the pain/discomfort dimension of the EQ-5D-5L. Responses were recorded at baseline and at regular intervals for up to 78 weeks following treatment initiation. Additional analyses evaluated the population with target joints at baseline, and the overall population stratified by age, factor (F)VIII inhibitor status and prior treatment. RESULTS: At the data cut-off, 504 PwHA had been treated across the four studies; 464 and 470 completed the Haem-A-QoL/Haemo-QoL-SF and the EQ-5D-5L, respectively. Improvements in pain-related QoL were observed by Week 13 of emicizumab prophylaxis and maintained through Week 78. In the overall population, responses of 'never/rarely' for 'my swellings hurt' and 'pain in joints' increased from 37.0% and 30.0% at baseline to 84.0% and 61.0% by Week 13, suggesting reductions in acute and chronic pain, respectively. Similar improvements were seen in the target joint population, and across all strata. Greater improvements were observed in younger versus older PwHA. CONCLUSION: Pain-related QoL improved with emicizumab prophylaxis regardless of target joints, age, FVIII inhibitor status or prior treatment. Haemophilia-specific assessments are needed to accurately capture and characterize pain in PwHA
Numerical assessment of flow uniformity and recirculation in a water electrolysis cell with knitted mesh and foam-like electrodes
No full textIn this work, single-phase Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to extract, based on a Residence Time Distribution (RTD) analysis, two representative parameters that allow to quantify electrolyte flow uniformity and flow recirculation in water electrolysis cells. This then allows to compare different cell geometries on the same ground. The optimum cell configuration is the one that homogenises the flow without generating recirculation of the electrolyte within the cell. In that case, we can take advantage of the whole surface area of the electrodes, without the risk of gas bubbles being trapped inside the cell. In a first step, several modifications of the injection channels are considered in a reference configuration using knitted mesh-type spacers as porous transport layer (PTL). Although this indeed results in some improvement in the flow behaviour, significantly better results are obtained by the use of foams as PTL: they increase the effective cell volume covered by the electrolyte and at the same time lower the risk of flow recirculation within the cell. Furthermore, keeping the foam’s pore size sufficiently large on the order of 3000 µm allows to limit the pressure drop across the cell
Socio-demographic differences in citizen' preferences for distributing a scarce, lifesaving resource: A case study using COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Belgium
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the period when safe and protective vaccines became available, presented an excellent opportunity to investigate public preferences regarding how to ration a scarce, life-saving resource. It is important to understand which distributive strategies are preferred but, as this is an inherently normative matter, also to which extent different socio-demographic groups hold different opinions. This study assesses the impact of socio-demographic characteristics on preferences for vaccine prioritization during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic at the moment when vaccines were not available yet. A representative sample of 2060 Belgians were asked to rank eight prioritization strategies. Based on the rankings, we clustered the eight strategies into five overarching groups. Then, we estimated the potential impact of respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics on their preferences towards these five strategies. The ranking exercise shows that the vulnerability strategy (i.e. chronically ill and elderly) is preferred most often (N = 1815) and the market strategy (i.e. individuals who come first or pay the most) by the fewest respondents (N = 116). Preferences for vaccine distribution vary among population subgroups. Women, older or retired individuals, residents of Flanders, those with a positive attitude towards vaccination efforts and/or high vaccination willingness, and those who prefer the government or scientists to decide upon prioritization were more likely to prefer a designated priority strategy (i.e. vulnerability strategy, workers strategy or spreaders). Furthermore, younger respondents, residents of Wallonia, and those previously infected by COVID-19 tended to favour a risk-independent prioritization strategy (i.e. lottery or market strategy) more than others. This study validates the appropriateness of the implemented rationing approaches, by supporting a phased approach in which first vulnerables were vaccinated. However, it also demonstrates that different subgroups had substantially different preferences and the population was in disagreement about what constitutes a fair rationing policy for a scarce, potentially lifesaving resource