34 research outputs found
The burden of viral hepatitis C in key subgroups in Belgium: targets for micro-elimination
No full textR. Bielen None Declared, S. Salomonsson None Declared, S. Toghanian None Declared, K. Venken None Declared, M. Hiver None Declared, A. Matthys None Declared, G. Hendrickx None Declared, M. Jadoul Consultant for MSD, Speaker Bureau of AbbVie, MSD, F. Nevens None Declared, G. Robaeys None Declared, J. Lazarus Grant/Research support from MS
The burden of viral hepatitis C in key subgroups in Belgium: targets for micro-elimination
No full textR. Bielen None Declared, S. Salomonsson None Declared, S. Toghanian None Declared, K. Venken None Declared, M. Hiver None Declared, A. Matthys None Declared, G. Hendrickx None Declared, M. Jadoul Consultant for MSD, Speaker Bureau of AbbVie, MSD, F. Nevens None Declared, G. Robaeys None Declared, J. Lazarus Grant/Research support from MS
Assessment of vascular haemodynamics : investigation of non-invasive and minimally invasive methods for assessment of vascular function at rest and during cardiovascular challenge
No full textPulse wave propagation in a model human arterial network: assessment of 1-D visco-elastic simulations against in vitro measurements
No full textThe accuracy of the nonlinear one-dimensional (1-D) equations of pressure and flow wave propagation in Voigt-type visco-elastic arteries was tested against measurements in a well-defined experimental 1:1 replica of the 37 largest conduit arteries in the human systemic circulation. The parameters required by the numerical algorithm were directly measured in the in vitro setup and no data fitting was involved. The inclusion of wall visco-elasticity in the numerical model reduced the underdamped high-frequency oscillations obtained using a purely elastic tube law, especially in peripheral vessels, which was previously reported in this paper [Matthys et al., 2007. Pulse wave propagation in a model human arterial network: Assessment of 1-D numerical simulations against in vitro measurements. J. Biomech. 40, 3476–3486]. In comparison to the purely elastic model, visco-elasticity significantly reduced the average relative root-mean-square errors between numerical and experimental waveforms over the 70 locations measured in the in vitro model: from 3.0% to 2.5% (p<0.012) for pressure and from 15.7% to 10.8% (p<0.002) for the flow rate. In the frequency domain, average relative errors between numerical and experimental amplitudes from the 5th to the 20th harmonic decreased from 0.7% to 0.5% (p<0.107) for pressure and from 7.0% to 3.3% (p<10−6) for the flow rate. These results provide additional support for the use of 1-D reduced modelling to accurately simulate clinically relevant problems at a reasonable computational cost
Heterogeneous and tissue-specific regulation of effector T cell responses by IFN-gamma during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection.
No full textIFN-γ and T cells are both required for the development of experimental cerebral malaria during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection. Surprisingly, however, the role of IFN-γ in shaping the effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell response during this infection has not been examined in detail. To address this, we have compared the effector T cell responses in wild-type and IFN-γ(-/-) mice during P. berghei ANKA infection. The expansion of splenic CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells during P. berghei ANKA infection was unaffected by the absence of IFN-γ, but the contraction phase of the T cell response was significantly attenuated. Splenic T cell activation and effector function were essentially normal in IFN-γ(-/-) mice; however, the migration to, and accumulation of, effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in the lung, liver, and brain was altered in IFN-γ(-/-) mice. Interestingly, activation and accumulation of T cells in various nonlymphoid organs was differently affected by lack of IFN-γ, suggesting that IFN-γ influences T cell effector function to varying levels in different anatomical locations. Importantly, control of splenic T cell numbers during P. berghei ANKA infection depended on active IFN-γ-dependent environmental signals--leading to T cell apoptosis--rather than upon intrinsic alterations in T cell programming. To our knowledge, this is the first study to fully investigate the role of IFN-γ in modulating T cell function during P. berghei ANKA infection and reveals that IFN-γ is required for efficient contraction of the pool of activated T cells
Abjection in the novels of Marlene Van Niekerk
No full textIncludes bibliographical references.In this thesis, three of Marlene van Niekerk's novels, translated from Afrikaans into English, are examined, with the focus on the representation of abjection in the texts under discussion.The theoretical point of departure of this study is Julia Kristeva's essay Powers of horror (1982), which addresses, in particular, the notion of abjection and how certain abject elements play a pivotal role in people's everyday lives. From a psychoanalytic perspective, abjection is viewed as a revolt against the mother and foregrounds particularly the influence of the maternal body over the subject. In this instance, the subject desires liberation from the hold of the maternal and seeks to subject the mother to abjection. Bodily fluids seeping out of the body, diseases, viruses, dirt and death (and in particular the corpse) are all elements that are encompassed in the concept of abjection. Manifestations of abjection in the form of the abject mother, abject spaces, abject bodies and the link between abjection and filth are comparatively analysed in the three texts. The thesis concludes by showing that Van Niekerk deliberately inscribes elements of the abject into her texts so as to transgress and deconstruct the norms associated with a patriarchal and racist society in South Africa. Van Niekerk also undermines the norms that underpin such a society: religious indoctrination, gender oppression and Othering. By writing her novel Triomf (1999) in a demotic register, Van Niekerk furthermore questions the prevalent assumptions about what is deemed proper language for writing a novel. Writing, for her, thus serves the purposes of abjecting, of rejecting the impositions of the symbolic order. Following the publication of her first collection of short stories, Die Vrou wat haar verkyker vergeet het [The woman who forgot her binoculars] in 1992, there was general consensus that the baroque nature of the language resulted in reader resistance to the text. This explains why she decided to write her first novel in the crude and obscene language of a low-class family, the Benades of Triomf
Geothermal Energy from the Main Karoo Basin (South Africa): An Outcrop Analogue Study of Permian Sandstone Reservoir Formations
No full textAbstractThe geothermal potential of the Main Karoo Basin has not been addressed in the past. A first assessment of Permian sandstone formations in the Eastern Cape Province, including down-hole temperature data from deep boreholes, and evaluation of groundwater temperature and heat flow values from literature leads to 3130 TWh (11.3 EJ) of power generation potential within the central and southern parts of the basin. The low permeability lithotypes may be operated as enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), depending on the fracture porosity in the deeper subsurface. In some areas auto-convective thermal water circulation might be expected and direct heat use becomes reasonable
Hemolab: a custom built diagnostic tool for non-invasive, synchronized recording and real-time monitoring of a Doppler spectrogram, an electrocardiogram and arterial tonometry
No full textAssessment of shrinkage and bond behaviour of high performance cement-based composites as a repair mortar
No full textThere is a need to develop innovative repair materials which can overcome the challenges of cement-based repair mortars being relatively prone to shrinkage effects. In practice, free shrinkage of repair mortar is often considered as an indicator for potential cracking and delamination of applied repair mortars due to restrained shrinkage effects. As it is hard to measure restrained shrinkage directly, a restraint factor (R) can be used to correlate both. This study investigates the shrinkage characteristics of strain-hardening cementitious composites (SHCC), making use of polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA), high-density poly-ethylene (HDPE), or short glass fibres, for the repair and strengthening of existing concrete structures. Along with drying shrinkage and autogenous shrinkage, restrained shrinkage has been characterized with respect to the concrete substrate. Furthermore, pull-off tests were performed to assess the bond properties of these repair mortars. The results show around 65% higher autogenous shrinkage in high strength SHCC mixes while there was a decrease in drying shrinkage compared to the reference mix. In contradiction to what was initially expected, an increase in fibre content from 1.5 to 2.0 vol% resulted in a significant increase in autogenous shrinkage, especially in the high strength SHCC mixes. The restraint factor for all repair mortars was determined and was found to be in the range of 0.82–0.94. The pull-off tests showed an overall excellent bond behaviour of all studied mortars
Socio-economic modernization and enduring language barriers: choosing a marriage partner in Flemish communities, 1821-1913
No full text© 2018, © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. In this article, we study how potentially conflicting forces of socio-economic modernization and enduring language barriers influenced one of the most intimate acts of social interaction: marriage. In the period during which Belgium underwent social and economic modernization–often thought to have diminished barriers between social groups, increasing the likelihood of social heterogamy–linguistic barriers remained strong. The intriguing question is, what happens if socio-economic modernization coincides with persistent linguistic cleavages. We will study this by looking at marriage formation in communities in the province of (contemporary) Flemish Brabant and the Brussels Capital Region. We ask: How large were the temporal and municipal variations in homogamy by social status in the period 1821–1913? And can modernization and the existence of linguistic divisions explain these variations? We use two types of data: couple data from civil registration records in Flemish Brabant 1821–1913 (N = 333,729), and, for some analyses, context data on the municipality at the time of marriage to a shorter period, 1859–1910, and thus a lower number of marriages (N = 270,151). We find that during modernization a shift took place from homogamy on fathers’ status to homogamy on groom’s status, and we find partial support for the effect of language barriers.sponsorship: This work was supported by the H2020 European Research Council [Advanced Grant, no: 230279, 2009-14 "Towards Open Societies"]. (H2020 European Research Council|230279, European Research Council (ERC)|230279)status: Publishe
