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The impact of cellular intactness on the in vitro starch digestion and thickening potential of chickpea flour blends: An integrated approach
No full textLow chickpea consumption could be stimulated by incorporating chickpea-based flours in food products. Traditional milling of seeds disrupts their structure, producing an open-cell flour with high thickening, but also rapid starch digestion. Innovative cellular flours, containing intact cotyledon cells, show attenuated digestion, associated to health benefits, but have lower viscosifying potential. Flours with mixed microstructural properties could potentially provide nutritional benefits, while also thickening the product. Therefore, this study evaluated the impact of cellular intactness degree on the flour's digestive and techno-functional properties, enabling the development of dose-response relations, linking microstructural and functional properties. Whole open-cell and cellular chickpea flour, produced without isolating cells, were blended in various ratios, and flour-in-water dispersions were subjected to in vitro digestion and a rheological characterization. Including 25% intact cells did not substantially affect the amylolysis rate as compared to the open-cell flour, while increasing the proportion of cellular flour to 50 and 75% caused a significant decrease of 40 and 60%, creating a sigmoidal dose-dependent relation. Contrastingly, incorporation of 25% cellular flour caused an extensive decrease in viscosity and yield stress of 45 and 70%, respectively. A higher proportion of cellular flour decreased these parameters even further, resulting in a power model relation. This integrated, quantitative approach makes it possible to estimate the applicability of chickpea flours in products. When no viscosity increase is desired, a high proportion of cellular flour can be included, increasing the nutritional value. When high thickening is required, more open-cell flour is necessary, thereby reducing potential health benefits.sponsorship: VLAIO|HBC.2022.0686, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek|12A0225Nstatus: Publishe
Synthesis and Functionalization of Thiazolo[c]isothiazoles.
No full textThe chalcogen bonding ability of sulfur-containing rings has become a useful development tool in organic chemistry. The explored chemical space of fused thiazoles and isothiazoles is mostly limited to fusions with six-membered rings. Examples of 5,5-fused heteroaromatic scaffolds with multiple sulfur atoms are mostly limited to thiophene rings. This work describes the synthesis and broad functionalizability of building blocks for both thiazolo[5,4-c]isothiazoles and thiazolo[4,5-c]isothiazoles, including selective arylation and substitution. Their hydrogen and chalcogen bonding abilities are demonstrated.status: Published onlin
Empire by Proxy: Private Actors and De Facto Expansion of Sovereignty in History and Space
No full textOuter space is increasingly used to expand and entrench State power due to a legal framework that proclaims universal freedoms while enabling de facto domination by actors with existing capital and technological capacity. This dynamic is visible in the U.S.’ expanding space infrastructure and growing monopolisation of Low Earth Orbits (LEO), which has been greatly accelerated by its private enterprise and which threatens equal access for other space actors. This paper traces the historical and symbiotic relationship between States and private actors in appropriating extraterritorial areas and resources, and the role that international law played in enabling, legitimising and entrenching such practices. Drawing parallels with historical accounts of private-turned-public appropriation, it highlights how private actors were pivotal in extending and amplifying State power. It then examines how similar dynamics and colonial rhetoric have returned to be applied to outer space, where ongoing State practice and legal developments risk following a similar pattern of facilitating and entrenching domination by States with current space capacities.status: Published onlin
Burnout & Identity: A Multi-Study Investigation of Identity Processes in Burnout and Recovery
No full textIdentity work is the process whereby people create, fix, preserve, strengthen, or revise their identities. In this project, you will investigate the role of identity processes in the emergence of and the recovery from burnout. Three symptoms characterize a burnout syndrome: emotional exhaustion (i.e., chronic fatigue), cynicism (i.e., taking a distant attitude towards work and the people with whom one works), and reduced personal accomplishment (i.e., feelings of reduced efficiency). Burnout is a challenging yet quite common syndrome. In today's organizational contexts where work is a primary source of self-definition, it is especially important to understand how a pervasive experience like burnout may be interpreted by individuals, and how it can affect the way they see themselves. In this vein, this research seeks to unpack the psychological processes at play in burnout, and to understand how burnout may change people's identities in the short and long term (e.g., some people may change careers after burnout, others may reorganize some aspects of their non-work life etc.).status: Publishe
Lateralized visuotopic organization in the macaque superior colliculus revealed by fMRI
No full textThe superior colliculus (SC) integrates multisensory inputs from retinal, subcortical, and cortical regions within a map of visual space to support orienting and interactive behaviors. While early models suggested that the SC primarily represents peripheral space for target detection, recent evidence highlights its significant foveal representation, essential for precisely targeting objects. Using ultra-high-resolution phase-encoding fMRI and spatially localized stimuli, we mapped the visuotopic organization of the SC in six macaques up to 40° eccentricity. In addition to confirming previous findings, we identified consistent interhemispheric asymmetries in the fMRI signal. The left SC, unlike the right, displayed a clear eccentricity map with a smooth rostro-caudal progression of responses to stimuli of increasing eccentricity from the fovea to the periphery. Conversely, the right SC showed no evidence of a pronounced eccentricity map and, instead, it exhibited more prominent polar angle maps and spatially broader fMRI responses to peripheral stimuli compared to the left SC. These lateralized responses were consistent across stimulus types and imaging protocols and were mirrored only in the intraparietal sulcus, a major cortical input to the SC. The observed asymmetry may derive from differences in magnification factor, intercollicular or surround inhibition between the left and right SC. Regardless of the underlying mechanism, our results suggest that functional lateralization in nonhuman primates may be more prevalent than previously recognized.sponsorship: The authors thank C. Fransen, I. Puttemans, J. Helin, A. Hermans, C Ulens, S. Riyahi, S. Verstraeten, and M. Depaep, W Depuydt for technical and administrative support. This work was funded by the European Research Council (ERC LightUp under grant agreement 772953) and from the sub-project (bando a cascata) "SPARKS" (CUP D93C22000930002) to M.T.; received internal funds of the KU Leuven C14/21/111, IDN/20/016, C3/21/027; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek-Vlaanderen (FWO-Flanders) G0E0520N, G0C1920N to W.V.; PRIN 2022 (Grant ID: 2022NEE53Z) from the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) ; the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and #NEXTGENERATIONEU (NGEU) project "MNESYS" (PE00000006) - A Multiscale integrated approach to the study of the nervous system in health and disease (DN. 1553 11.10.2022) to L.B. W.V. received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe Programme, grant agreement no. 101147319 (EBRAINS 2.0 Project) . (European Research Council (ERC)|772953, European Research Council (ERC)|CUP D93C22000930002, KU Leuven|C14/21/111, KU Leuven|IDN/20/016, KU Leuven|C3/21/027, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek-Vlaanderen (FWO-Flanders)|G0E0520N, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek-Vlaanderen (FWO-Flanders)|G0C1920N, Ministry of University and Research (MUR)|2022NEE53Z, National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), NEXTGENERATIONEU (NGEU) project "MNESYS"|PE00000006, NEXTGENERATIONEU (NGEU) project "MNESYS"|1553 11.10.2022, European Union|101147319)status: Publishe
An Insight into the Relation of Spin-Polarization and Oxygen Evolution Enhancement with a Monolayer Chiral Covalent Organic Framework Model Catalyst
No full textManipulating the electron spin state through the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect provides a novel strategy for enhancing the activity and selectivity of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, developing a quantitative relationship between the CISS effect and the chirality-enhanced OER performance is difficult due to complex influencing factors. Herein, using a ligand exchange strategy, we developed a monolayer chiral covalent organic framework (mc-COF) model catalytic system with adjustable spin polarization (P = ∼49-72%), which allows the decoupling of the CISS effect from other influencing factors on the OER performance. A supralinear dependence between the spin polarization and chirality-enhanced OER performance is established. This confirms that the chirality-enhanced electrocatalytic performance is significantly amplified by spin polarization due to the CISS effect. Moreover, in situ measurements reveal that the CISS effect of mc-COFs optimizes the reaction pathway by aligning *OH spins parallel, suppressing H2O2 formation, facilitating spin-oriented intermediates (*OOH and *OO) at lower potentials, and accelerating *OOH-to-*O-O conversion.sponsorship: This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52473319, 22402147, 82302361, 52121002, U21A6002, and T2441002), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2022M722356, 2023M732601), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities. (National Natural Science Foundation of China|52473319, National Natural Science Foundation of China|22402147, National Natural Science Foundation of China|82302361, National Natural Science Foundation of China|52121002, National Natural Science Foundation of China|U21A6002, National Natural Science Foundation of China|T2441002, National Natural Science Foundation of China|2022M722356, National Natural Science Foundation of China|2023M732601, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities)status: Publishe
Tijd in Augustinus’ theologie: Een Pluri-disciplinaire studie van Augustinus’ visie op het fenomeen tijd
No full textAugustine has reflected on the theme of time throughout his life. He leaves us many descriptions and discussions about time, which are diverse and inconsistent. This research aims to contribute a consensus by working on the text and reconstructing the context. It will collect all time discussions of Augustine and establish a reference network. After this, it will reveal the reception of Augustine's time theory and its modern interpretations. Then the dissertation shall enter the theological context of discussion and present an extensive but specific discussion on time and its relationship with four themes: creation, knowledge, body and soul, ethics and deification. The first section mainly discuss the paradigm shift in Augustine's interpretation of Genesis. The second will lay its foundation on Confessiones and De Trinitate. The third base on Augustine's theory of the soul, while the last involves both individual and public aspects, thus reach the end of time: resurrection and the afterlife.status: Publishe
Serine/glycine synthese verslaving in acute lymfatische leukemie en de resulterende therapeutische mogelijkheden
No full textAcute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer. Despite the tremendous increase in overall survival in children, relapse and long-term toxic side-effects of the current therapies still remain major drawbacks. Whereas most healthy cells take up serine and glycine from their environment, some cancer cells activate endogenous serine/glycine production and become addicted to this pathway to support their proliferation. The host lab previously identified two genetics lesions (the RPL10 R98S mutation and NKX2- 1 transcription factor overexpression) that induce serine/glycine synthesis dependence in ALL, allowing delineation of patients benefiting therapeutics targeting this serine/glycine synthesis addiction. Moreover, the host lab discovered that the antidepressant sertraline inhibits serine/glycine synthesis enzyme SHMT1/2. Hence, we aim to improve current ALL therapy by exploring combination therapies of conventional chemotherapies or novel agents with sertraline in serine/glycine addicted ALL cell models and PDX mouse models, with the ultimate goal to target ALL cells more specifically, improve therapy efficacy and reduce toxicity, relapse and even therapy failure.status: Accepte
