231 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
Accepting Optimally in Automated Negotiation with Incomplete Information (abstract)
No full textIntelligent SystemsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Acceptance conditions in automated negotiation
No full textIn every negotiation with a deadline, one of the negotiating parties has to accept an offer to avoid a break off. A break off is usually an undesirable outcome for both parties, therefore it is important that a negotiator employs a proficient mechanism to decide under which conditions to accept. When designing such conditions one is faced with the acceptance dilemma: accepting the current offer may be suboptimal, as better offers may still be presented. On the other hand, accepting too late may prevent an agreement from being reached, resulting in a break off with no gain for either party. Motivated by the challenges of bilateral negotiations between automated agents and by the results and insights of the automated negotiating agents competition (ANAC), we classify and compare state-of-the-art generic acceptance conditions. We focus on decoupled acceptance conditions, i.e. conditions that do not depend on the bidding strategy that is used. We performed extensive experiments to compare the performance of acceptance conditions in combination with a broad range of bidding strategies and negotiation domains. Furthermore we propose new acceptance conditions and we demonstrate that they outperform the other conditions that we study. In particular, it is shown that they outperform the standard acceptance condition of comparing the current offer with the offer the agent is ready to send out. We also provide insight in to why some conditions work better than others and investigate correlations between the properties of the negotiation environment and the efficacy of acceptance conditions.MediamaticsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Iterative Robust Experiment Design for MIMO System Identification via the S-Lemma
No full textOptimal input design plays an important role in system identification for complex and multivariable systems. A known paradox in input design is that the optimal inputs depend on the true but unknown system. The aim of this paper is to design inputs for multivariable systems that are robust to all system variations within a given continuous uncertainty set. In the presented approach, the robust design problem is cast as an infinite-dimensional min-max optimization problem, and tackled via the S-lemma in an iterative approximation scheme. Experimental results from a multivariable motion system show that the algorithm enables significant robustness improvements.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Team Jan-Willem van Wingerde
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 textInternal and external exploration for public service innovation-Measuring the impact of a climate for creativity and collaborative diversity on innovation
No full textPublic service innovation involves a process of creative exploration of new ideas, knowledge and perspectives. The article poses that creative exploration emerges from the combination of a climate for creativity that is active inside the organization, and collaborations with diverse actors that are present outside the organization. We test the effect of these conditions on innovation using data from the Australian Public Service. Our findings demonstrate that both a climate for creativity and collaborative diversity are positively related to innovation, yet a tipping point exists at which the positive effects of collaborative diversity on innovation turn negative.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (1244720N) This article has benefited from the interaction within the GOVTRUST Centre of Excellence (University of Antwerp, Belgium)
Wavelength‐Selective Organic Photodetectors
No full textSpectroscopic sensing combined with optical imaging is crucial with respect to today's ever-growing demand for instant analytical techniques to be incorporated in various handheld and wearable devices. Further miniaturization and integration of such types of sensors is critical and wavelength-selective organic photodetectors (OPDs) may provide the required technology. In this progress report, some early OPD applications and their potential are presented. Crucial device parameters such as the specific detectivity, external quantum efficiency, and dark current density of visible and near-infrared wavelength-selective pho-todetectors are compared and assayed to theoretical and semi-empirical limits. The different organic detector approaches include the use of inherently narrow-band absorbers as well as internally filtered and microcavity devices. Each of these strategies comes with its own specific material and device design criteria, around which material development and selection should be centered to move beyond the current state of the art. As OPD technology matures, device stability becomes important and is hence also briefly discussed. Via this perspective, it is aimed to provide the reader with critical insights into the device physics and chemistry of wavelength-selective OPDs, hereby providing leverage for new ideas to bring this technology to the market. The ORCID identification number(s) for the author(s) of this article can be found under https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202104060. manipulate the detection wavelength and transparency range. Additionally, organic photo-active materials can be deposited via thermal evaporation or from solution via inkjet printing, blade, or slot-die coating at ambient temperatures. [2] These mild depo-sition conditions allow increased flexibility in detector design on various substrates. This includes fabrication directly on complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) readout circuits, [3,4] as well as the use of polymer substrates for lightweight and flexible detectors. [5,6] To date, photodetectors employing organic semiconductors with optical gaps spanning the visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) range from 400 up to 2500 nm have been reported. [7-9] High-performance devices have been demonstrated in the VIS and significant research efforts now focus on OPDs with detection wavelengths beyond the silicon regime (> 1000 nm), which at this time requires costly inorganic materials which are not compatible with direct integration on CMOS readout circuits. [10-12] However, to be interesting for NIR applications, OPDs will need significant improvements in dark and noise currents as well as photon-to-electron conversion efficiencies. Furthermore, only a few studies exist on their long-term operational stability and degradation mechanisms. In this progress report, we discuss the status and recent progress in approaches to achieve wavelength-specific and tun-able OPDs. We focus on devices with an intrinsically narrow detection range and a rather simple device architecture and omit filtered broad-band detectors. For a full overview of the chemistry, physics, and technology of broad-band OPDs, we refer to several recent reviews. [5,8,13,14] The benefits of filter-less narrow-band OPDs are illustrated through a selection of recent proof-of-concept demonstrations. Progress in the physical and chemical methods to achieve narrow-band OPDs is reported and we discuss performance limits and how to improve the different performance parameters, including device stability. As such, we hope to provide the reader with critical insights and inspiration for the tailored design of organic semiconductors for innovative optical sensing applications. 2. Selected Proof-Of-Concept Demonstrations of Wavelength-Selective OPDs As opposed to inorganic semiconductors, organic materials can be designed to have a strongly peaked absorption centeredThe authors thank the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO Vlaanderen) for continuing financial support (projects G0D0118N, G0B2718N, and the Ph.D. scholarship of J.V. (1S50820N)), as well as the European Research Council (ERC, grant agreement 864625). The authors also thank S. Gielen for fruitful discussions and T. Vandermeeren for proofreading the manuscript
Altering Mechanical Properties to Improve Electrode Contacts by Organic Modification of Silica‐Based Ionogel Electrolytes for Sodium‐Ion Batteries
No full textThe author(s) would like to thank Johan Soogen and Koen Daniels for manufacturing the Teflon molds, Ude D. Hangen and Sergey Lemeshko from Bruker for nanoindentation tests, and Koen Van Vinckenroye for technical support. This research was made possible by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, project G053519N and 1S08921N) and the Special Research Fund (BOF) of Hasselt University (BOF20INCENT19). This work was further supported by Hasselt University and FWO Vlaanderen via the Hercules project AUHL/15/2 - GOH3816N
Advances in organic solar cells
No full textThe power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells has increased to values approaching 20% in recent years, largely driven by the development of new acceptor molecules. This special issue provides an overview of the recent advances in the field of organic photovoltaics with a focus on such non-fullerene acceptor materials. A current prominent research topic in the field is the investigation of the electro-optical properties of these non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) and their interactions with donor counterparts. Hasenburg et al. address charge transport in the NFA IT-4F using different techniques, such as space-charge-limited current measurements and molecular simulations. 1 Raab et al. investigate the film forming properties of one of the field-leading polymer:NFA blends, PM6:Y6, by in situ transmission measurements during the spin-coating process. With this method, they show that using the additive chloronaphthalene (CN) in the spin-coating solution leads to a vertical segregation and helps form an improved film morphology. 2 Pranav et al. investigate the non-halogenated sibling to Y6, namely Y5. They demonstrate by time-delayed collection field (TDCF) measurements that the reduced fill factor and photocur-rent are limited by a field-dependent free charge carrier generation in such blends. 3 Jungbluth et al. 4 present fundamental studies on the role of different intermolecular interactions and their impact on energy levels, supporting or hindering charge separation by investigating ZnPc and its fluorinated derivatives combined with C 60 in donor-acceptor solar cells. As Zhang et al. describe in their review, ternary blends based on NFAs constitute a promising avenue for high-efficiency photovoltaics. Here, the design rules, material selection , fabrication methods, and fundamental working principles are described. 5 Device fabrication considerations, including processing methods and appropriate selective contact layers, are also critical for the performance and scalability of NFA-based organic solar cells. Most NFAs are too large to be vacuum processed and will degrade in an evaporation process. Habib et al. demonstrate initial results on vacuum deposited organic solar cells based on the NFA BTIC-H. 6 In the article by Georgiou et al., the importance of selective contact layers to the organic active layer is demonstrated. By doping a SnO 2 layer with antimony combined with a PEI layer, they demonstrate an improved performance for P3HT:PCBM and also for a NFA solar cell, P3HT:IDTBR. 7 A perspective by Hong et al. describes the recent advances in the fabrication of organic solar cells based on low-toxicity or non-toxic solvents. The possibilty of large-scale and large-area production is an important consideration for the fabrication of commercial products. Currently, most devices are still prepared with halogen-containing solvents via spin-coating. While this delivers the best organic solar cell performance to date, eco-friendly methods that can be scaled to high-throughput production will be preferable for commercialization. 8 AUTHOR DECLARATIONS Conflict of Interest The authors have no conflicts to disclose
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