Search

Background: Augmented reality (AR) is receiving increasing interest as a tool to create an interactive and motivating learning environment. Yet, it is unclear how instructional support affects performance in AR. Objectives: This study sought to explore how varying the instructional support in AR can affect performance‐related behaviours of students with low cognitive abilities during assembly work. Methods: A total of 90 Belgian secondary school students repeatedly executed four different realistic assembly tasks. Three levels of instructional support (low, medium, and high) in AR as well as a control condition with paper instructions with a high level of detail were systematically varied across tasks and participants. Results and Conclusions: Multilevel regression analyses showed that AR instructions yielded lower assembly times and a lower perceived physical effort than paper instructions. Additionally, participants perceived tasks as less complex when given AR instructions with a high or a medium level of detail than when given a low level of detail. No effects of instructional support were established for other performance‐related behaviours, namely necessary assistance, error‐making, cognitive load, competence frustration, and stress. Effect sizes were small, at least among the instructional support conditions studied, yielding a limited base for adaptivity. Presumably, tailoring the instructional support in AR is only beneficial for highly complex tasks. The results might be useful for the design and implementation of AR in educational settings. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject matter: Augmented reality is knowing increased use in education.Little is known about how to design effective instructional support in augmented reality. What this paper adds: This study represents an initial insight into how to personalize instructional support.The impact of instructional support on augmented reality performance of students with low cognitive abilities was investigated.The study suggests that varying instructional support may lead to differences in performance outcomes. Implications for practitioners: How instructional support is constructed may affect augmented reality learning.The results may inform the design of effective augmented reality learning environments for students with special needs.How individual, contextual, and task‐specific characteristics moderate the effectiveness of instructional support should be further investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In phosphorites, the content and distribution of rare earth elements are linked to the environment of phosphogenesis. This paper focuses on the question of sources and processes controlling the rare earth element content of apatite from Belgian phosphorites formed during three major phosphogenic events in the Lower Palaeozoic, Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic. To constrain sources and processes, new data include petrological, mineralogical (including cathodoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy) and in situ trace element and Sr and O isotope analyses of apatite. Fluorapatite from Lower Palaeozoic P‐rich conglomerates has the greatest rare earth element enrichment. It is affected by metamorphism that led to deformation of apatite nodules and formation of garnet porphyroblast inclusions. The role of Fe‐oxyhydroxides in element scavenging is highlighted by some apatite nodules that maintain their primary middle rare earth element enrichment, while others are characterized by altered rare earth element patterns resulting from competition for these elements between co‐crystallizing minerals during deformation. A systematic shift towards lower δ18O and radiogenic Sr isotopic composition compared to contemporaneous seawater indicate interaction with 18O‐depleted meteoric fluids and a crustal component. By contrast, carbonate‐rich fluorapatite from the Late Cretaceous phosphatic chalk mostly keeps its primary trace element and isotopic signatures (close to seawater), although an external rare earth element addition is noted, as well as rare earth element redistribution induced by diagenetic alteration. Cenozoic carbonate fluorapatite nodules mostly present flat rare earth element patterns that are indicative of a detrital influence. Slight changes in rare earth element distribution are assigned to post‐depositional alteration, which also led to an increase in radiogenic Sr, with unchanged δ18O compared to seawater. The methodology followed here efficiently helps in deciphering the processes that modified the chemistry of apatite in the frame of major phosphogenic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a multi‐family therapy (MFT) group for adult outpatients with obsessive‐compulsive disorder and their family members. Since family accommodation (FA) is known to maintain OCD symptoms by preventing exposure and response prevention (ERP), reduction of FA is a major focus of the treatment. Furthermore, psychoeducation, conjoint ERP and (re)discovering resources and strengths of families are also important therapeutic foci of the family group. The organisation of MFT is explained and involvement of family is illustrated with clinical vignettes. Finally, some reflections about MFT are provided. On the basis of initial clinical impressions, MFT seems a promising approach. A clinical trial is currently underway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the governmental delineation of the speech‐language therapist (SLT) profession and in preservice SLT education, Flemish SLTs are considered as gatekeepers of the standard language in Flanders. Yet, most Flemish clients typically use a colloquial language style. Following earlier research on how teachers' language style affects teacher–student interactions, an SLT's strict adherence to standard Dutch may potentially evoke perceptions of inequality in their clients. As a result, Flemish SLTs may find themselves torn between on the one hand adhering to the standard language and on the other hand adapting to the sociolinguistic style of their client and establishing trust. In the present study, we explored SLTs' views on using standard/colloquial language varieties in their practice. Methods & Procedures: Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 Flemish SLTs who worked with children, adolescents and adults in special schools, private practices and hospitals. Interview transcripts were analysed with reflexive thematic analysis. Outcomes & Results: Analyses yielded three themes. Switching between styles was (1) triggered by client characteristics (age, style, therapeutic needs), and it was shaped by (2) the need for establishing trust and (3) a balance between the SLT's professional and personal identity. Notably, most SLTs described partially converging with their clients' colloquial style, effectively reconciling their professional identity as expert speakers with their personal identity as a colloquial language user. Conclusions & Implications: Despite consensus on the role of the SLT as gatekeeper of standard language, many SLTs felt that colloquial language also plays an important role as it bolsters therapeutic alliance and rehabilitation of functional communication. By implementing reflective mixed methods and integrating the client perspective, future studies should further examine how authentic style‐switching occurs and how various styles used by the SLT are evaluated by clients in different contexts. These findings may guide the development of style‐switching as a communicative strategy that can be addressed in preservice education. What this paper adds: What is already known on the subject: In Flanders, the existence of various (non‐)standard varieties of Dutch may evoke some tension regarding the preferred variety in a given context. Flemish teachers switch between standard language and colloquial language (style‐shifting), depending on the foregrounding of the transactional or relational nature of the context. Moving towards students' colloquial speech builds trust and perceptions of equality. Despite the importance of alliance in speech‐language therapy, little is known about how speech‐language therapists (SLTs) feel about using colloquial speech given that they are considered expert speakers. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: While 'talking properly' is part of the SLT's professional identity, many Flemish SLTs felt that strict adherence to the standard language variety hinders therapeutic alliance. While standard language was strongly associated with professionalism, strict adherence to standard language was used only when SLTs felt they had to prove their clinical competency or when language scaffolding was in the foreground. Partially converging with the clients' language use allowed SLTs to reconcile their professional identity as expert speaker with personal identity and authenticity. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: Both colloquial speech and standard speech serve a function in SLT practice. Therefore, switching between standard and colloquial speech needs further consideration as a communicative strategy rather than instilling in therapists an ideological, normative stance towards language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute and late toxicities in patients treated with (chemo)radiotherapy for head and neck cancer (HNC) is common and can negatively impact quality of life and performance. Performance status instruments measure the functional ability to perform daily life activities and are important tools in the oncologic population. Aims: Since Dutch performance status scales for the HNC population are lacking, we conducted this study to translate the Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer Patients (PSS‐HN) into Dutch (D‐PSS‐HN) and to validate this version. Methods & Procedures: The D‐PSS‐HN was translated into Dutch according to the internationally described cross‐cultural adaptation process. It was administered to HNC patients and together with the Functional Oral Intake Scale completed by a speech and language pathologist at five different time points during the first 5 weeks of (chemo)radiotherapy. Patients were asked each time to complete the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy and the Swallowing Quality of Life Questionnaire. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to calculate convergent and discriminant validity and the evolution of D‐PSS‐HN scores was assessed by means of linear mixed models. Outcomes & Results: A total of 35 patients were recruited and > 98% of the clinician‐rated scales were completed. Convergent and discriminant validity were demonstrated, with all correlations rs between 0.467 and 0.819, and between 0.132 and 0.256, respectively. The subscales of the D‐PSS‐HN are sensitive to detect changes through time. Conclusion & Implications: The D‐PSS‐HN is a valid and reliable instrument to assess performance status in patients with HNC treated with (chemo)radiotherapy. It is a useful tool to measure HNC patients' current diet level and functional abilities to perform daily life activities. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: Acute and late toxicities in patients treated with (chemo)radiotherapy for HNC are common and can negatively impact quality of life and performance. Performance status instruments measure the functional ability to perform daily life activities and are important tools in the oncologic population. However, Dutch performance status scales for the HNC population are lacking. Therefore, we translated the Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer Patients (PSS‐HN) into Dutch (D‐PSS‐HN) and validated this version. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: We translated the PSS‐HN and demonstrated its convergent and discriminant validity. The subscales of the D‐PSS‐HN are sensitive to detect changes through time. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: The D‐PSS‐HN is a useful tool to measure HNC patients' functional abilities to perform daily life activities. The tool can easily be used in clinical settings: since data collection duration is very short, this facilitates clinical (and research‐related) implementation of the scale. Patients' individual needs could be identified by using the D‐PSS‐HN, resulting in more appropriate approaches and (early) referrals if needed. Interdisciplinary communication could be facilitated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Belgium, an extensive corrosion program on a wide range of metals has been studied as candidate container material, which is considered in the geological disposal concept of high‐level radioactive waste or spent fuel. This paper presents an overview of the corrosion studies initiated by SCK CEN more than 40 years ago. The experiments conducted in these studies were conceived based on early disposal designs, that is, designs in which the radioactive waste was to be enclosed in a metallic overpack that would be directly emplaced in an argillaceous environment. A step‐wise approach was adopted consisting of laboratory screening studies, detailed studies, and demonstration tests. The screening studies included accelerated tests, conducted in a surface laboratory, and exposure tests carried out either in autoclaves or in the field in a surface clay quarry. The detailed studies involved both in situ and laboratory experiments. Gradually, the emphasis shifted from basic research to large‐scale integrated demonstration experiments enabling the simultaneous study of different parameters and/or processes and their coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aphasia can affect the communication between the person with aphasia (PWA) and the communication partner (CP). It is therefore necessary to support both the PWA and their CPs. Communication partner training (CPT) focuses on training communication between dyads of whom one person has aphasia. Although there is increasing evidence supporting CPT as an effective intervention to improve communication and reduce the psychosocial consequences of stroke, implementation in clinical practice remains limited. Aim: To understand the mechanisms behind the practice–evidence gap currently hindering CPT implementation, this study investigated the role of (1) education, (2) concept knowledge, (3) work setting and (4) clinical experience in CPT. Methods & Procedures: Flemish speech and language therapists (SLTs) clinically involved in aphasia rehabilitation were surveyed online regarding CPT. Statistical analyses include descriptive statistics to report survey results and non‐parametric group comparisons to investigate the role of the four variables on CPT. Outcomes & Results: In this study 72 SLTs were included, of whom 73.61% indicated they deliver CPT but of whom only 43.10% indicated CP presence during therapy. The most frequently identified barriers to CPT delivery were lack of time and CPT‐specific knowledge. Other barriers were lack of resources, work setting dependent factors, PWA or CP dependent factors, individual therapy to the PWA being of higher priority, existing CPT methods and interventions being perceived as unclear and feeling uncertain about CPT delivery. Concerning the role of the four variables on CPT delivery, neither education nor concept knowledge had a significant effect on CPT delivery. Work setting and clinical experience did, however, influence CPT delivery. More specifically, CPT delivery and CP presence were higher in the private practice (chronic phase) compared to the other three settings and experienced SLTs deliver CPT more often compared with less experienced SLTs. Conclusions & Implications: To reduce the practice–evidence gap, we suggest prioritising the two most frequently identified barriers, that is, lack of time and CPT‐specific knowledge. To overcome the time barrier in CPT, we propose implementing automated natural speech analysis to reduce the workload. To enhance CPT‐specific knowledge, speech and language therapy curricula should provide more in‐depth theory and hands‐on practice for CPT. In addition, increased awareness about CPT‐specific methods is needed to further support clinical practice. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: Communication partner training (CPT) is an effective intervention to improve communication and reduce the psychosocial consequences of stroke. Despite this evidence base, a current practice–evidence gap exists. What this study adds: This is the first study to characterise CPT delivery in a Flemish cohort of speech and language therapists (SLTs). In addition, on a more international perspective, few studies have investigated the role of education, concept knowledge, work setting and clinical experience in CPT. We found that neither education nor concept knowledge has a significant effect on CPT delivery. CPT delivery and communication partner presence are significantly higher in the private practice compared to the hospital, rehabilitation centre or nursing home settings. Experienced SLTs deliver CPT more often compared with less‐experienced SLTs. The two most prominent reported barriers include lack of time and CPT‐specific knowledge. What are the clinical implications of this work?: This study suggests reducing the practice–evidence gap by alleviating the main barriers identified, that is, lack of time and CPT‐specific knowledge. Time‐barriers can be addressed by implementing automated natural speech analyses. We additionally advocate for more in‐depth theory and hands‐on practice for CPT in speech and language therapy curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Usually in latent class (LC) analysis, external predictors are taken to be cluster conditional probability predictors (LC models with external predictors), and/or score conditional probability predictors (LC regression models). In such cases, their distribution is not of interest. Class‐specific distribution is of interest in the distal outcome model, when the distribution of the external variables is assumed to depend on LC membership. In this paper, we consider a more general formulation, that embeds both the LC regression and the distal outcome models, as is typically done in cluster‐weighted modelling. This allows us to investigate (1) whether the distribution of the external variables differs across classes, (2) whether there are significant direct effects of the external variables on the indicators, by modelling jointly the relationship between the external and the latent variables. We show the advantages of the proposed modelling approach through a set of artificial examples, an extensive simulation study and an empirical application about psychological contracts among employees and employers in Belgium and the Netherlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Assessing the speech production of multilingual children is challenging for speech‐language therapists (SLTs) around the world. Scientific recommendations to improve clinical practice are available, but their implementation has mostly been described in studies from English‐speaking countries. Aims: This survey aimed to describe the perspectives and practices of SLTs in assessing the speech production of multilingual children in French‐speaking Belgium. Methods & Procedures: An online survey was completed by 134 SLTs in French‐speaking Belgium. Outcomes & Results: SLTs predominantly used norm‐referenced assessment approaches, which are not recommended for use with multilingual children, and lacked necessary training and resources to implement recommended practices in the assessment of speech production of multilingual children. The shift towards more appropriate practices with multilingual children seems to be in its infancy among SLTs in French‐speaking Belgium. Some challenges identified by the SLTs were common to those in other countries and languages, such as the difficulty to distinguish between speech differences and speech disorders. Other challenges were specific to the French language and/or the Belgian context, such as the lack of appropriate tools in French. Conclusions & Implications: Action is required to improve clinical practice in assessing the speech production of multilingual children in French‐speaking contexts: better training for SLTs regarding linguistic diversity, more implementation research in the field of SLT, and advocacy for linguistic diversity with decision makers. What this paper adds: What is already known on this subject: Existing research indicates that assessing the speech production of multilingual children is challenging for speech‐language therapists (SLTs). Scientific recommendations for best practices have been published, and the shift to more appropriate assessment practices may be progressing differently across countries. SLTs' practices have been described in surveys, mostly conducted in English‐speaking countries. Although French is the fifth most spoken language in the world, data about SLTs' perspectives and practices in French‐speaking regions are scarce. What this study adds: The implementation of recommended practices in assessing multilingual children's speech production was limited among SLTs in French‐speaking Belgium. The norm‐referenced approach to assessment was predominant and few SLTs used recommended practices (e.g., criterion‐referenced measures, dynamic assessment, assessment of the child's speech production in the home language). Some challenges were identified that related specifically to practices in French‐speaking contexts (e.g., lack of French tools) and Belgian context (e.g., health policies unfavourable to multilingualism). These findings confirm that specific understanding of a situation is needed to develop context‐ and/or language‐specific solutions—and ultimately improve clinical practice. What are the clinical implications of this work?: SLTs in French‐speaking Belgium require specific training and support to provide appropriate assessment of speech production in multilingual children. Efforts to improve practices in French‐speaking contexts should focus on increasing understanding and consideration of cultural and linguistic diversity at all levels of the child's environment. Evidence‐based knowledge, assessment tools and multilingual resources are available to SLTs on websites in French and in English. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we revisit this well‐established linear relationship of person‐organisation, demands‐abilities, and needs‐supply fit with job satisfaction, commitment, and OCBs, and propose that this relationship may be linear for affective work outcomes but curvilinear for behavioural ones. We test this idea in a two‐wave sample of 212 employees, with measures taken 4 weeks apart. The results support the idea that the relationship between fit and behavioural outcomes can, indeed, be curvilinear. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of the nature of the relationship between fit and work outcomes by challenging the long‐held 'more fit is better' logic that pervades much of the PE fit research to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various research have been directed towards investigating the behaviour of political parties engaging in attacks. However, this topic has predominantly been studied in campaigning venues while focusing only on the attacker (parties that are attacking). This study contributes to the existing literature by (i) studying attack behaviour in the parliamentary venue, and (ii) analysing the interactions between both the attacker and the target. To this end, this paper uses longitudinal data on attacks during question time sessions in the parliaments (2010 to 2020) of Belgium, Croatia and the United Kingdom. More specifically, I investigate the conditions that make parties engage in mutual attacks. These conditions can be characterised along three dimensions: time (proximity to elections), status (government vs. opposition), and ideology (close vs. distant). The results confirm the overarching argument that: (i) more attacks in parliaments happen closer to election day; (ii) opposing parties are more likely to attack the government rather than vice‐versa; (iii) governing parties equally attack the opposition and themselves; and finally, (iv) the larger the ideological distance between parties, the more likely attacks happen (with mainstream parties engaging equally in attack behaviour compared to radical parties). As such, these findings contribute to our understanding of attack strategies between parties in regular day‐to‐day politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper brings a new perspective to the population growth implications of the low fertility levels of European countries. For years between 2009 and 2018, whether constant fertility, mortality, and net migration would generate long‐run population growth or population decrease is indicated simply and visually by comparison of the total fertility rate (TFR) to a migration‐adjusted replacement level. The results show that, when considered in combination with concurrent net migration and mortality, the population growth implication of low fertility varies between countries and over time. For Sweden, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the United Kingdom for all the years considered the fertility–mortality–migration combination is coherent with long‐run population growth. For the former two countries, long‐run population growth would be sustained by net migration at current levels even if fertility were to fall to very low levels. In contrast, for every Eastern European country and year considered, unchanged fertility–mortality–migration combination would lead to population decrease. The need for an alternative view of low fertility in terms of whether the TFR is above or below a migration‐adjusted replacement level and the need for a migration context‐specific view, as distinct from a universal best view, of the desirability of fertility level are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Big data research requires public support. It has been argued that this can be achieved by public involvement and engagement to ensure that public views are at the centre of research projects. Researchers should aim to include diverse communities, including seldom‐heard voices, to ensure that a range of voices are heard and that research is meaningful to them. Objective: We explored how researchers involve and engage seldom‐heard communities around big data research. Methods: This is a qualitative study. Researchers who had experience of involving or engaging seldom‐heard communities in big data research were recruited. They were based in England (n = 5), Scotland (n = 4), Belgium (n = 2) and Canada (n = 1). Twelve semistructured interviews were conducted on Zoom. All interviews were audio‐recorded and transcribed, and we used reflexive thematic analysis to analyse participants' experiences. Results: The analysis highlighted the complexity of involving and engaging seldom‐heard communities around big data research. Four themes were developed to represent participants' experiences: (1) abstraction and complexity of big data, (2) one size does not fit all, (3) working in partnership and (4) empowering the public contribution. Conclusion: The study offers researchers a better understanding of how to involve and engage seldom‐heard communities in a meaningful way around big data research. There is no one right approach, with involvement and engagement activities required to be project‐specific and dependent on the public contributors, researchers' needs, resources and time available. Patient and Public Involvement: Two public contributors are authors of the paper and they were involved in the study design, analysis and writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

City diplomacy is a rapidly growing and increasingly researched phenomenon, but to date most research has focused on major cities and eye‐catching city networks. This paper extends this literature by examining city diplomacy practices in Flanders, Belgium, a region defined by its many mid‐sized and smaller cities. Drawing on a combination of an exploratory survey and indepth interviews, five main themes are discussed: (i) internal organization, (ii) bilateral city diplomacy, (iii) multilateral city diplomacy, (iv) strategies and (v) motivations. We conclude that Flemish cities' city diplomacy broadly align with international trends, with their approaches increasingly centred on economic and financial motives. However, while some of the larger cities join a range of formal city networks to gain policy inspiration and international visibility, smaller cities' opportunities are much more limited and their main goal is often to get involved in projects that are funded by the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates different uses of the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) in national journal rankings and discusses the merits of supplementing metrics with expert assessment. Our focus is national journal rankings used as evidence to support decisions about the distribution of institutional funding or career advancement. The seven countries under comparison are China, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Norway, Poland, and Turkey—and the region of Flanders in Belgium. With the exception of Italy, top‐tier journals used in national rankings include those classified at the highest level, or according to tier, or points implemented. A total of 3,565 (75.8%) out of 4,701 unique top‐tier journals were identified as having a JIF, with 55.7% belonging to the first Journal Impact Factor quartile. Journal rankings in China, Flanders, Poland, and Turkey classify journals with a JIF as being top‐tier, but only when they are in the first quartile of the Average Journal Impact Factor Percentile. Journal rankings that result from expert assessment in Denmark, Finland, and Norway regularly classify journals as top‐tier outside the first quartile, particularly in the social sciences and humanities. We conclude that experts, when tasked with metric‐informed journal rankings, take into account quality dimensions that are not covered by JIFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dysarthria is a common symptom following stroke and represents an important cause of functional impairment in stroke patients. A better characterization of dysarthria could facilitate differential diagnosis and optimize healthcare service distribution. Aim: To determine the speech characteristics, dysarthria type and severity in the acute phase following ischemic stroke in a comprehensive stroke centre. Methods & Procedures: First‐ever ischemic stroke patients consecutively admitted to the Stroke Unit of Ghent University Hospital were included in this prospective clinical study between March 2018 and October 2019. All participants admitted to the Stroke Unit were screened for dysarthria by a speech–language pathologist within 72 h after admission. When dysarthria was identified, speech characteristics were evaluated via auditory–perceptual assessment and objective measurement of acoustic parameters. Dysarthria type was determined based on the Mayo Classification System. Severity of impairment was scored at function and activity level using the Radboud Dysarthria Assessment and the evaluation of speech intelligibility at sentence level using the Dutch Speech Intelligibility Assessment. In addition, dysarthria recovery was separately evaluated in all participants using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at hospital admission, day 3 ± 2 and day 7. Outcomes & Results: A total of 67 out of 151 participants (44%; mean age = 69 years; SD = 13; 28 females) were diagnosed with dysarthria in the acute phase following stroke. Standardized assessments were possible in 72% (48/67) of participants. Imprecise articulation of consonants, harsh voice quality and audible inspiration were the most frequent observed speech characteristics. The acoustic parameters maximum phonation time and maximum loudness deviated most from normative values. Unilateral upper motor neuron (UUMN) was the main dysarthria type present in 52% (25/48) of participants. A total of 58% (28/48) and 71% (34/48) of participants had no/minimal/mild difficulties at the functional and activity levels, respectively. Speech intelligibility was mildly impaired (median = 91%; IQR = 73–97). According to the NIHSS, sub‐item speech score at hospital admission, 46% (70/151) of participants had dysarthria, of which half recovered completely from their dysarthria within 1 week after stroke symptom onset. Conclusions & Implications: UUMN was the dominant dysarthria type, and the majority of participants had a mild dysarthria. Half the participants showed complete recovery within 1 week following symptom onset. The observed speech characteristics mainly reflect impairments in the subsystem's articulation, phonation and respiration. Objective measurements of acoustic parameters corroborate these findings. Future research should focus on longitudinal assessment to investigate recovery of symptoms and the long‐term impact of dysarthria on social participation. What this paper addsWhat is already known on the subjectThere are few data concerning the presentation of dysarthria following acute ischemic stroke. Moreover, previous research did not include objective measurements of speech characteristics and dysarthria severity. There was a need to determine prospectively speech characteristics, dysarthria type and severity in a stroke population using standardized assessments.What this paper adds to existing knowledgeThe findings of this study show a high prevalence of dysarthria following acute ischemic stroke. This study confirms previous findings that the speech of dysarthric patients following acute ischemic stroke was mostly characterized by imprecise articulation of consonants, a harsh voice quality and audible inspiration. The results of the objective measures confirm these findings. We added evidence that UUMN is the most prevalent dysarthria type in a stroke population, and that the majority of participants had mild dysarthria. A high rate of dysarthria recovery was seen in the first week following symptom onset.What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?The findings of this study contribute to the limited research performed regarding post‐stroke dysarthria. The results can help optimize the distribution of healthcare resources. The majority of participants have a mild dysarthria, making the identification of the specific needs of this group an important area of concern. The evaluation of impaired speech subsystems and characteristics, especially supplemented with objective measures of acoustic parameters, and the classification of the type and severity of dysarthria can be helpful to monitor early progress in the acute phase post‐stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on two examples of the introduction and use of COVID‐19 contact tracing apps in The Netherlands (CoronaMelder) and Belgium (Coronalert). It aims to offer a critical, sociotechnical perspective on tracing apps to understand how social, technical, and institutional dimensions form the ingredients for increasing surveillance. While it is still too early to gauge the implications of surveillance‐related initiatives in the fight against COVID‐19, the "technology theatre" put in place worldwide has already shown that very little can be done to prevent the deployment of technologies, even if their effectiveness is yet to be determined. The context‐specific perspective outlined here offers insights into the interests of many different actors involved in the technology theatre, for instance, the corporate interest in sociotechnical frameworks (both apps rely on the Google/Apple exposure notifications application programming interface). At the same time, our approach seeks to go beyond dystopian narratives that do not consider important sociocultural dimensions, such as choices made during app development and implementation to mitigate potential negative impacts on privacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Articulatory excursion and vocal intensity are reduced in many children with dysarthria due to cerebral palsy (CP), contributing to the children's intelligibility deficits and negatively affecting their social participation. However, the effects of speech‐treatment strategies for improving intelligibility in this population are understudied, especially for children who speak languages other than English. In a cueing study on English‐speaking children with dysarthria, acoustic variables and intelligibility improved when the children were provided with cues aimed to increase articulatory excursion and vocal intensity. While French is among the top 20 most spoken languages in the world, dysarthria and its management in French‐speaking children are virtually unexplored areas of research. Information gleaned from such research is critical for providing an evidence base on which to provide treatment. Aims: To examine acoustic and perceptual changes in the speech of French‐speaking children with dysarthria, who are provided with speech cues targeting greater articulatory excursion (French translation of 'speak with your big mouth') and vocal intensity (French translation of 'speak with your strong voice'). This study investigated whether, in response to the cues, the children would make acoustic changes and listeners would perceive the children's speech as more intelligible. Methods & Procedures: Eleven children with dysarthria due to CP (six girls, five boys; ages 4;11–17;0 years; eight with spastic CP, three with dyskinetic CP) repeated pre‐recorded speech stimuli across three speaking conditions (habitual, 'big mouth' and 'strong voice'). Stimuli were sentences and contrastive words in phrases. Acoustic analyses were conducted. A total of 66 Belgian‐French listeners transcribed the children's utterances orthographically and rated their ease of understanding on a visual analogue scale at sentence and word levels. Outcomes & Results: Acoustic analyses revealed significantly longer duration in response to the big mouth cue at sentence level and in response to both the big mouth and strong voice cues at word level. Significantly higher vocal sound‐pressure levels were found following both cues at sentence and word levels. Both cues elicited significantly higher first‐formant vowel frequencies and listeners' greater ease‐of‐understanding ratings at word level. Increases in the percentage of words transcribed correctly and in sentence ease‐of‐understanding ratings, however, did not reach statistical significance. Considerable variability between children was observed. Conclusions & Implications: Speech cues targeting greater articulatory excursion and vocal intensity yield significant acoustic changes in French‐speaking children with dysarthria. However, the changes may only aid listeners' ease of understanding at word level. The significant findings and great inter‐speaker variability are generally consistent with studies on English‐speaking children with dysarthria, although changes appear more constrained in these French‐speaking children. What this paper addsWhat is already known on the subjectAccording to the only study comparing effects of speech‐cueing strategies on English‐speaking children with dysarthria, intelligibility increases when the children are provided with cues aimed to increase articulatory excursion and vocal intensity. Little is known about speech characteristics in French‐speaking children with dysarthria and no published research has explored effects of cueing strategies in this population.What this paper adds to existing knowledgeThis paper is the first study to examine the effects of speech cues on the acoustics and intelligibility of French‐speaking children with CP. It provides evidence that the children can make use of cues to modify their speech, although the changes may only aid listeners' ease of understanding at word level.What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?For clinicians, the findings suggest that speech cues emphasizing increasing articulatory excursion and vocal intensity show promise for improving the ease of understanding of words produced by francophone children with dysarthria, although improvements may be modest. The variability in the responses also suggests that this population may benefit from a combination of such cues to produce words that are easier to understand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding human geography's development requires looking beyond high‐profile academic journals. Alternative publication circuits are spaces of experimentation and play an important role in the discipline's intergenerational reproduction. This paper narrates the 35‐year trajectory of AGORA Magazine, a Dutch–Flemish popular‐scientific early‐career publication focusing on a broad array of socio‐spatial issues. Uncovering AGORA's history guided by a network analysis of co‐occurring authors, we develop two main arguments. First, the affiliation network extracted from AGORA's archive separates the magazine's history into five eras. These periods provide a window to understand the transformations of Dutch and Flemish human geography and related disciplines during the past decades, critically reflecting the zeitgeist of research topics, approaches and ideologies. Second, we probe the value of AGORA as nursery institution for early‐career scholars, establishing myriad inter‐university and transnational connections. We conclude by assessing the value of 'second league' native‐language publications in the context of ongoing internationalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Neolithic flint mines across northern Europe during the transition between the fifth and fourth millennia BC show similarities in their dating, extraction methods and morphology, as do contemporary forms of monumentality such as causewayed enclosures, earthen long barrows and megalithic tombs during this period. Recent research has identified further similarities in the expressions of art motifs within the mines. While certainly found during different excavations, most of these motifs incised in chalk have not been reported on. Following archival analysis, this paper details these similarities in motifs that extend between sites in the UK, Denmark, Belgium and potentially Poland, and perhaps increasingly over time to other, non‐mining, sites. We argue that the practice of flint mining and incising of art motifs may indicate shared specific cultural beliefs at the beginning of the Neolithic in northern Europe that have not been previously recognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While European governments have pursued illegalized migrants for decades, the techniques through which they do so have taken a more radical turn since 2015. Focusing on the particular case of Belgium, this paper documents how its Federal government has increasingly tried to "police" migrants into the European refugee regime, while migrants and citizens have continued to resist these efforts through a series of "political" actions. Drawing on ethnographic work with the Brussels‐based Citizen Platform for the Support of Refugees, I pursue two aims: first, I demonstrate how the Belgian state has consciously produced a humanitarian crisis as part of a broader "politics of exhaustion"; and second, I explore the specific forms and types of humanitarian action that emerge from citizens' response to these policies. I do so by describing three moments in which these opposing logics of policing and politicization conjure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In forensic anthropology, sex estimation is a fundamental step in assessing individual biological profiles when analyzing human skeletons. Yet, current methods are not reliable enough to allow an accurate sex identification of highly fragmented, burnt, or subadult remains. This paper aims to investigate sexual dimorphism of the bony labyrinth on both identified subadult and adult individuals. The bony labyrinth is of particular interest for sex estimation since it is alleged to complete size and maturation pre‐pubertally and is located inside the petrous part of the temporal bone which protects it from taphonomic processes. The study was performed on 93 CT scans of identified individuals from two Belgian osteological collections (19–20th century) and from current pediatric images (Erasme hospital, Brussels). Linear and angular measurements were taken on 2D slices of right bony labyrinths. Intra‐ and interobservers error measurements were calculated. Statistical tests were used to unravel any morphological variations between subadult and adult bony labyrinths and to highlight differences between females and males, separately in subadults and adults. Linear discriminant functions were established by cross‐validation and tested on an independent sample from Belgium. Some measurements were significantly different between subadults and adults, and between females and males within both subadult and adult samples. Univariate functions achieved 72.7% in subadults and 68.4% in adults whereas multivariate equations increased accuracy respectively up to 84.9% and 78.4%. This study entails promising results to design a sex estimation method suitable for fragmented and/or subadult remains. Further metric approaches are needed to explore bony labyrinth sexual dimorphism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares national sustainability support schemes and sustainability requirements in four countries that import solid biomass for heat and power generation: Belgium, Denmark, the UK, and the Netherlands. The paper also reviews voluntary certification schemes for solid biomass that may be used to demonstrate sustainability compliance. In the absence of mandatory EU criteria for solid biomass, different national support schemes and sustainability requirements may present barriers to trade. This paper identifies some possibilities for harmonization and provides suggestions for policymakers for the improvement and alignment of national sustainability requirements. Ultimately the paper suggests establishing a harmonized certification scheme in the short term based on legislative requirements in the four countries and in voluntary initiatives. The proposed harmonized certification scheme may also reduce both implementation costs and complexity for biomass suppliers and generators. In the long term, the paper recommends binding criteria on sustainability requirements for solid biomass at EU level. © 2017 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the spatial patterns of concentration and dispersal of recently arrived refugees from Syria and Iraq in a country without stringent dispersal policies, Belgium. In order to capture both the mobility and the immobility of refugees, we propose the term "post‐arrival geographies" for these patterns. Drawing on data from the national population register, we demonstrate that many refugees move to urban and suburban locations after they have been granted refugee status. Through a comparison with the geographies of the Belgian asylum system and with the spatial distribution of Syrians and Iraqis who arrived earlier, we also explore some explanatory hypotheses for these post‐arrival geographies. The observation that dispersal takes place in Belgium in an indirect way ‐ through the location of asylum centres and local reception structures – makes us endorse pleas for more attention to institutional contexts and local settings in refugee studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes and tests a theoretical model to investigate the mechanism underpinning local social support exchange via online neighborhood networks (ONNs). We drew on community psychology, social support, and social media literature and used a survey conducted in the Dutch‐speaking part of Belgium among 561 ONN users (nfemales = 409; 72.9%) between 18 and 82 years old (Mage = 43.73; SDage = 15.37). We found that engaging in online neighboring behaviors was associated to both online and offline neighborhood sense of community. Subsequently, these provide access to perceived local social support and the intention to mobilize local social support online. The latter was predominantly explained via the path along online sense of community. ONNs facilitate local bridging behavior, connecting otherwise distinct local networks and ties. At the same time, online neighboring behaviors provide the normative context that supports the exchange process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The so‐called supercontainer concept is currently being considered as the reference design for the final disposal of vitrified high‐level radioactive waste and spent fuel in Belgium. It comprises a prefabricated Portland cement‐based buffer that completely surrounds a carbon steel overpack. In this highly alkaline environment (pH ~13.6), and under normal conditions (i.e., without the ingress of aggressive species), the carbon steel overpack will be protected by a passive oxide film, which is expected to result in very low uniform corrosion rates. Considering the long timescales applicable to waste disposal, determining accurate and reliable estimates of the uniform corrosion rate under anoxic conditions forms a very important part of the safety and feasibility strategy. It is also crucial to demonstrate that no other form of corrosion apart from uniform corrosion takes place. This paper presents the progress of the research that has been made since the LTC2016 Workshop (Toronto, Canada) on uniform corrosion, pitting corrosion and stress corrosion cracking behaviour of P355 QL2 grade carbon steel exposed to an artificial concrete pore water solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is the most favorite and original chemistry developed in your research group? MOMAP, abbreviated for MOlecular MAterials Property prediction package, wherein the key function is the thermal vibration correlation function (TVCF) formalism for excited state decay, allowing theoretical prediction of light‐emitting quantum efficiency and carrier mobility. MOMAP starts to be popular after its first launch in 2015. How do you get into this specific field? Could you please share some experiences with our readers? I was trained with theoretical condensed matter physics in Fudan University. At that time, physicists have strong interests in low‐dimensional system because the particular phenomenon has been predicted due to dimensionality. Conducting polymers have been quite a hot topic in the early 80's since exotic elementary excitations as soliton and polaron have been demonstrated in such systems. Then, the field more and more moved towards theoretical chemistry since the interest in physics was suddenly turned to high Tc superconductivity and fractional quantum Hall effect. My supervisor Prof. Xin Sun and I have kept the interests, ever since the beginning. So, after my PhD in Fudan university, I went to Belgium to work with Prof. Jean‐Luc Bredas, a known theoretical chemist working in the same field. It should be noted that the basic concepts derived from conducting polymers such as spin‐charge separation and fractional charge have been pivotal to understand the novel quantum phenomena such as strongly correlated electrons and topological excitations in novel quantum materials. But the field itself (organic and polymeric optoelectronics) has become interdisciplinary but predominantly chemistry research. And the theory part has expanded the theoretical chemistry scope. So, very naturally, I turned my self to be a theoretical chemist. How do you supervise your students? As for theoretical and computational chemistry group, it is imperial to develop their own computational methodology. Nevertheless, applicability is the value of methodology. Namely, the purpose of methodology is to be applied. Thus, it is equally important for the group to do application work, especially, to collaborate with experimental groups by using our own developed methods. So, all my students need to do computational work either to test the applicability of the methodology or to understand the structure‐property for the newly discovered experimental findings, or to clarify some debates in understanding the mechanism/processes. Some of the students have interests in math and physics and in writing program codes. They are stronly encouraged to develop methodology. I am lucky that I do have some excellent students with both motivation and solid math/physics background. I believe they will do better science than me in the future. And I hope they will also establish their own brand. I will be happy for that. But I am also very happy that the students coming to my group with little theory background but after a few years hard working, they can demonstrate important applications of quantum chemistry and lead to interesting findings by computational study, and they continue their academic career in computational chemistry. What is the most important personality for scientific research? Persistence! Chance will come (though only occasionally) to persistent people. Being smart is far from enough. What's your hobbies? What's your favorite book(s)? Swimming and music (Rock of the 60s). I like《上帝掷骰子吗?量子物理史话》by曹天元and all the books by Louis Cha (金庸). How do you keep balance between research and family? When you are young, say, before 40, you have to work very hard to establish yourself. Sacrificing family life seems inevitable. After that, it is easy to make a balance. Who influences you mostly in your life? My high school physics teacher influenced me most. At the time when GaoKao (高考) was not available, there was hardly any serious class education except my physics teacher. Under his guidance, I spent only 6 months to learn and master four years high school curriculum and got into college: in our school that time, less than 2% can get into college, let alone good university as Sun Yet‐sen University. This changed my life. What is your favorite journal(s)? The Journal of Chemical Physics, Physical Review B, the Journal of Physical Chemistry (Letters), and more and more, Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation. We theorists usually do not publish or recognize important work in general chemistry journal. Popular is not necessary important, especially for theoretical work. Most of the Nobel Prize works in physical or theoretical chemistry were published in J. Chem. Phys. or Chem. Phys. Lett. (with impact factors around 3). Could you please give us some advices on improving Chinese Journal of Chemistry? CJC is a general chemistry journal. Chemistry with broad interest should be the most important priority. Thus, methodology paper is usually of less audience unless it demonstrated broad applicability or possibilities to open new fields of applications. If you have anything else to tell our readers, please feel free to do so. Keeping in mind to do different science is the most important thing to do. "First" rather than "better" work is always the top priority. Excited state decay for complex molecules consists of one of the most challenging issues for theoretical chemistry. By virtue of fast Fourier transformation we developed a highly efficient thermal vibration correlation function formalism for the excited state radiative and non‐radiative decay rates, which transformed the conventional Fermi‐Golden Rule into a time‐dependent formalism and the time‐consuming exponential scaling summation over vibrational states has been converted to an N3 scaling matrix production algorithm combined with time integration. It allows vibration mode mixing (Duschinsky rotation) effect, pertinent for large and soft organic molecules. Another important feature is promoting‐ mode free, rendering this method quite general. By replacing the non‐adiabatic coupling prefactor with intermolecular electronic coupling term, the same formalism can be applied to modeling the carrier mobility in organic semiconductors (which is not discussed in this work). It has been implemented in a portable computational program package MOMAP, which has been successfully applied by many groups for the investigations of organic functional materials, for example, for fluorescent and phosphorescent emission, aggregation induced emission (AIE) phenomena, sensoring process for bilogical and environmental processes, coordinate compounds, thermally activated delayed fluorescence, as well as organic room temperature phosphorescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European societies struggle with the question of how to deal best with, and organize care for, those children who, for various reasons, need to be placed out of their home. In an attempt to protect these children, states organize different forms of care. Under the influence of testimonies of abuse and neglect, the image of residential care has become tainted and the placement of looked‐after children in foster families has become increasingly favoured. This evolution towards a manifest choice for foster care is defended as being more in "the interests of the child." However, the "best interests of the child" notion is applicable in decisions concerning substitute care in many different ways. During the last decade, the shift towards a child's perspective away from a family‐preservation perspective is noticeable. We argue in this paper that this focus on children's needs is at the expense of the rights and identity of the parents. Based on an analysis of 342 complaints concerning foster care reported to the Flemish Office of the Children's Rights Commissioner, we analysed which "alarming situations" are reported and highlight a number of pressing concerns from the perspective of parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration, especially under stressful circumstances, places pressure on parental capacities. At the same time, being part of a supportive family is of prime importance for the well‐being of migrating children and parents. In this paper, we highlight the impact of the living conditions in a collective asylum centre on asylum applicants' parenting experiences through in‐depth interviews with and participant observations among parents in a Belgian asylum centre. Differentiating between the influences of the organizational and physical environments of the centre, our results reveal that various organizational aspects limit parental agency and well‐being and often render parents powerless in raising and protecting their children. Their physical environment, consisting of a dilapidated building, is experienced as a nonwelcoming, dangerous environment that leaves insufficient opportunity to establish a safe and stable home. We conclude that there is almost no attention paid to asylum applicants' parental role within the collective reception facilities. Further, their individual parental responsibility is emphasized, whereas the difficult environment of the asylum centre in which they have to raise their children is not criticized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notions of citizenship and disability rights denote abstract, ambiguous, and contested principles, and realizing these ideas entails complexity in practice. This is particularly the case since the welfare state is no longer conceived as the principal provider of welfare services and resources in many European welfare states. In that vein, we critically analyze the underlying principles, rationales, values, and potential implications of the White Paper "Perspective 2020: a new support policy for disabled people" in Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium). We tease out which understanding of the disabled human subject is promoted by this so‐called innovative social policy and excavate how policy makers and a diversity of actors involved in the policy implementation process consider the provision of care and support. Our main argument entails that the welfare state should acknowledge and vindicate differentiated manifestations of interdependency rather than reinforcing a dichotomy that is based on notions of in/dependent human subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tillage is an important agricultural practice, influencing the physical, chemical and biological soil characteristics. In this paper the influence of various tillage systems combined with or without a cover crop under different nitrogen fertilization levels on silage maize yield and soil fertility was investigated. Based on a field trial in Bottelare (Belgium), during the period 2007–2015, it was concluded that for each tillage system higher nitrogen levels resulted in a higher yield. In addition, the highest yield was achieved for the conventional tillage system, the yield gain for mouldboard ploughing varied between 13% (2015) and 71% (2012) compared to zero tillage. In case reduced tillage was adopted, the yield loss compared to mouldboard ploughing varied between 6% (2013 and 2015) and 24% (2012). Furthermore, it seemed that the accumulated temperature during the growing season and rainfall around flowering were decisive in determining maize yield. Additionally, rainfall in the period 60 days post sowing was significantly negatively correlated with the yield from the zero tillage plots, whereas in case tillage was adopted no correlations with rainfall 60 days post sowing were detected. Concerning the soil organic carbon content and the amount of earthworms, no clear trends could be observed. Zero tillage resulted in high weed pressure and caused soil compaction. So, in this trial, under humid conditions, the less labor intensive zero tillage system did not result in competitive maize yields. In conclusion, reduced tillage methods offer opportunities for maize cultivation in Belgium. This method of farming resulted in a lower yield, however, the difference with mouldboard ploughing was not significant. Therefore, adopting a reduced tillage system can be seen as a valid alternative for ploughing as this tillage system ensures a sustainable environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The psychoanalytic treatment of psychotic patients is often difficult through a sole reliance on associative speech. Psychotic subjects might not be apt at pursuing the course of regression induced by associative speech or this regression might lead them to psychic areas where de‐symbolization is so extensive that only delusion or dissociation are available to them. A medium has often been suggested so that the representation of the drive and the formalization of infantile sexuality may unfold more safely and efficiently. Two modalities of use of a malleable medium will be considered in this paper: Gisela Pankow's clay modelling and psychoanalytic psychodrama as it has developed in France, Belgium and Switzerland since the end of the 1950s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data and metadata products based on intensive terrestrial gravity measurements covering the Belgian territory have been established compliant to the new ISO19115‐1 profile for gravity‐related data. A short historical introduction on gravity measurements on the Belgian territory is presented, starting with the first gravity measurement in 1892. This paper focuses on gravity data acquired after 1971, which marks the adoption of IGSN71 as a reference for the world network by the International Association of Geodesy (IAG). Next to a complete dataset containing all Belgian gravity data, the available gravity data were reduced to the corresponding measurement campaign, enabling determination of specific metadata (e.g. used gravimeter, tide system parameters, time of acquisition, etc.). New gravity and spirit levelling measurements were executed by the Royal Observatory Belgium and the National Geographic Institute (Federal Mapping Agency) to validate the g‐value at the historical reference base station 'Carte du Ciel' in Brussels. Taking into account the instrumental errors and the varying ground water content, the retrieved data are validated and approved for use in further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online and blended learning (OBL) is valued, but it also offers challenges. Literature indicates that OBL can enhance access to education and increase flexibility for students. However, the reported dropout rates indicate that student participation in OBL programmes is a concern. Scientifically valid knowledge about how factors that help students participate in OBL are related to student participation is necessary for quality improvement of OBL. This knowledge can help professionals determine what they need to improve in their institution and how to prioritize those improvements. In this study, we report on the validation of a quality instrument with indicators related to quality dimensions present in quality management frameworks and important success factors that aid student participation in OBL. These success factors are as follows: credibility, transparency, flexibility, accessibility, interactivity, personalization, and productivity. The partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS‐SEM) method is suitable for validating complex models in studies where predictive accuracy is important. According to adult students, all success factors, except flexibility, are important for aiding OBL participation. Adult students perceive that the quality dimensions of learning activities and student support (related to interactivity) deserve priority in improving participation in OBL in adult education. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject matter? Dropout rates indicate that student participation is a concern in online and blended learning.Existing institutional quality management frameworks report similar quality dimensions.Scholars investigated these dimensions and how they are related and student satisfaction.These studies do not address the question of how institutions can improve participation. What does this paper add to this? We validate a quality instrument with indicators related to factors that aid participation and quality dimensions.Knowledge about how these factors are related to participation is relevant for quality improvement.We assess the relations between the factors and the predictors for participation.The links of the indicators with quality dimensions informs quality improvement. What are the implications for practitioners? The quality instrument is sufficiently valid and reliable to use as a survey to assess quality.According to adult students most factors, except flexibility, are important for participation.The factor "interactivity" is the main predictor for participation.Improving the quality dimensions "design of learning activities" and "student support" need priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistics are, as the etymology of the term suggests (state-istics), intimately connected with the construction or administration of the nation-state. This paper addresses the genesis and development of the nation-state by studying one of the main instruments that states use to 'embrace' their populations, viz. population statistics. More particularly, the paper presents a critical analysis of the conceptual and 'scientific' representations of modes of belonging to the nation-state as produced in the Belgian (Queteletian) population censuses from the mid-nineteenth until the mid-twentieth century. It is shown how the analyses of the statisticians' interests, techniques and classification schemes shed light on the various ways in which inclusion in, or exclusion from, the Belgian nation-state have been articulated in its population censuses. It is argued that these shifting interests and classification schemes also inform us about the construction and administration of the contemporary nation-state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate cross‐Channel exchange of calcareous sandstone‐type whetstones derived from the Weald (Sussex, UK) in the Roman period. The presence of this particular type of whetstone at several Roman sites on the Continent – more specifically, in Belgium, France and the Netherlands – is reported for the first time. The morphology, geological provenance, petrographic characteristics and distribution patterns are discussed, based on a comparative analysis with archaeological and geological reference material. The geological analysis identifies a common geological source for the Continental finds: the very fine‐grained, thin‐bedded, flagstone‐like calcareous sandstone beds of the Lower Cretaceous Wealden Clay Formation. These sandstones were, most probably, extracted in the north‐western part of the Weald area. The distribution pattern of the archaeological material implies the importance of personal mobility, with potential military affinities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparing air service growth in Amsterdam and Brussels, this paper aims to understand how the strategies of airlines and public authorities allow certain medium-sized cities to succeed in exceeding their local market by connecting passengers, while others do not. In contrast to Brussels, Amsterdam has become one of the most air serviced European cities, reaching a highly disproportionate level of service given both its size and its airport catchment area. Amsterdam has reached its rank thanks to a successful, global hub-and-spokes strategy led by KLM and its partners. Such a success story would have been impossible without support from the State pursuing the expansion of numerous, liberal bilateral air service agreements and a regional development strategy which facilitated the expansion of Amsterdam Schiphol airport in the 1990s. Finally, this paper shows how public and corporate governances might be able to convert themselves to the rules of the market economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socio-ethnic stratification and segregation processes present in Flemish society are reflected in the everyday school environment. Pupils with a different socio-ethnic background than the dominant majority and middle class seem to be confronted with a lot of difficulties in this school system. The dominant meritocratic discourse frequently applies a deficit thinking perspective to frame educational success and failure, focusing on deficiencies originating outside of the school. In this paper we analyse newly collected survey data (N = 11,015 pupils) and a large amount of qualitative data (from pupils, parents, teachers, principals) to answer our two main research questions: (i) how is educational success/failure defined, and (ii) how is educational success/failure explained? The factor analyses as well as the qualitative analyses illustrate how the idea of meritocracy relates to individualistic features such as effort, merit and competence. However, the findings also reveal that this individualistic approach goes hand-in-hand with a focus on the family environment and 'culture' which seems to limit individual agency to a large extent. In these discourses, pupils, parents and even teachers are presented as being largely determined by their direct social environment with almost no regard for social inequalities within the educational system. The paper ends with a discussion on how processes of victimization and the denial of systemic bias, influence educational trajectories and proposes a different approach to multiculturalism and the appreciation of cultural background and specific family resources as positive elements in these trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dr Aarts has advisory board / consultancy honoraria from Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, MSD-Merck, Merck-Pfizer, Pierre Fabre, Sanofi, Astellas, Bayer. Prof vd Eertwegh has advisory relationships with Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Roche, Novartis, MSD, Pierre Fabre, Sanofi, Pfizer, Ipsen, Merck and has received research study grants not related to this paper from Sanofi, Roche, Bristol Myers Squibb, Idera and TEVA and has received travel expenses from MSD Oncology, Roche, Pfizer and Sanofi and has received speaker honoraria from BMS and Novartis. Dr Suijkerbuijk has advisory relationships with Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, MSD, Pierre Fabre, Abbvie and received honoraria from Novartis, MSD and Roche. [Extracted from the article]

Although intra-familial egg donation has been practiced for more than 15 years in several countries, little is known about family relationships in this family type. Framed within the new kinship studies, this article focuses on the experiential dimension of kinship in sister-to-sister egg donation families: how is kinship 'unpacked' and 'reconstructed' in this specific family constellation? Qualitative data analysis of interviews with receiving parents, their donating sisters and the donor children revealed six themes: (1) being connected as an extended family; (2) disambiguating motherhood; (3) giving and receiving as structuring processes; (4) acknowledging and managing the 'special' link between donor and child; (5) making sense of the union between father and donor; and (6) kinship constructions being challenged. This study showed the complex and continuous balancing of meanings related to the mother-child dyad, the donor-child dyad and the donor-father dyad. What stood out was the complexity of, on the one hand cherishing the genetic link with the child allowed by the sisters' egg donation, while, on the other, managing the meanings related to this link, by, for instance, acknowledging, downsizing, symbolising, and differentiating it from the mother-child bond. (A Virtual Abstract of this paper can be accessed at: ) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale, aims and objectives Questions posed at the point of care ( POC) can be answered using POC summarized guidelines. To implement a national POC information resource, we subscribed to a large database of POC summarized guidelines to complement locally available guidelines. Our challenge was in developing a sustainable strategy for adapting almost 1000 summarized guidelines. The aim of this paper was to describe our process for adapting a database of POC summarized guidelines. Methods An adaptation process based on the ADAPTE framework was tailored to be used by a heterogeneous group of participants. Guidelines were assessed on content and on applicability to the Belgian context. To improve efficiency, we chose to first aim our efforts towards those guidelines most important to primary care doctors. Results Over a period of 3 years, we screened about 80% of 1000 international summarized guidelines. For those guidelines identified as most important for primary care doctors, we noted that in about half of the cases, remarks were made concerning content. On the other hand, at least two-thirds of all screened guidelines required no changes when evaluating their local usability. Conclusions Adapting a large body of POC summarized guidelines using a formal adaptation process is possible, even when faced with limited resources. This can be done by creating an efficient and collaborative effort and ensuring user-friendly procedures. Our experiences show that even though in most cases guidelines can be adopted without adaptations, careful review of guidelines developed in a different context remains necessary. Streamlining international efforts in adapting international POC information resources and adopting similar adaptation processes may lessen duplication efforts and prove more cost-effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Text-to-speech technology can act as an important support tool in computer-based learning environments (CBLEs) as it provides auditory input, next to on-screen text. Particularly for students who use a language at home other than the language of instruction (LOI) applied at school, text-to-speech can be useful. The CBLE E-Validiv offers content in the LOI and one of six other languages. All content can be read aloud via text-to-speech. For students having a home language other than the LOI, the other language is set to their home language; students who use the LOI at home mostly have English or French available. This study aimed to determine fifth-grade students' use of bilingual text-to-speech and examine student characteristics related to this use ( n = 360). Multilevel hierarchical regression analyses show that particularly students having their home language available apply text-to-speech in their home language. However, their main focus remains on text-to-speech in the LOI. Students with a low self-assessed proficiency in their home language and those who often watch television and read books in the LOI use text-to-speech more in the LOI. Considerations for practice, the design of CBLEs with text-to-speech and future directions for research are discussed. Lay Description What is currently known about the subject? Text-to-speech (TTS) technology converts digital text to spoken language., Combining visual and auditory information extends working memory's capacity., TTS has potential to offer bilingual auditory support to language minority students., Learner characteristics may play a considerable role in the use of TTS., What does this paper add? Language minority students use TTS in the language of instruction and their home language., TTS in the home language is mainly applied as a support to strengthen understanding., Not being confident about the proficiency in the home language indicates a stronger focus on TTS in the language of instruction., Reading books and watching television in the language of instruction points to a stronger use of TTS in that language., What does this mean for practitioners? The computer-based learning environment can support students in meaning construction., TTS can assist language minority students both in the language of instruction and the home language., Students who are not confident in their home language need special attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To describe the spatial distribution of diseases, a number of methods have been proposed to model relative risks within areas. Most models use Bayesian hierarchical methods, in which one models both spatially structured and unstructured extra-Poisson variance present in the data. For modelling a single disease, the conditional autoregressive (CAR) convolution model has been very popular. More recently, a combined model was proposed that 'combines' ideas from the CAR convolution model and the well-known Poisson-gamma model. The combined model was shown to be a good alternative to the CAR convolution model when there was a large amount of uncorrelated extra-variance in the data. Less solutions exist for modelling two diseases simultaneously or modelling a disease in two sub-populations simultaneously. Furthermore, existing models are typically based on the CAR convolution model. In this paper, a bivariate version of the combined model is proposed in which the unstructured heterogeneity term is split up into terms that are shared and terms that are specific to the disease or subpopulation, while spatial dependency is introduced via a univariate or multivariate Markov random field. The proposed method is illustrated by analysis of disease data in Georgia (USA) and Limburg (Belgium) and in a simulation study. We conclude that the bivariate combined model constitutes an interesting model when two diseases are possibly correlated. As the choice of the preferred model differs between data sets, we suggest to use the new and existing modelling approaches together and to choose the best model via goodness-of-fit statistics. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the Kalman Filtered Double Constraint Method ( DCM-KF) as a technique to estimate the hydraulic conductivities in the grid blocks of a groundwater flow model. The DCM is based on two forward runs with the same initial grid block conductivities, but with alternating flux-head conditions specified on parts of the boundary and the wells. These two runs are defined as: (1) the flux run, with specified fluxes (recharge and well abstractions), and (2) the head run, with specified heads (measured in piezometers). Conductivities are then estimated as the initial conductivities multiplied by the fluxes obtained from the flux run and divided by the fluxes obtained from the head run. The DCM is easy to implement in combination with existing models (e.g., MODFLOW). Sufficiently accurate conductivities are obtained after a few iterations. Because of errors in the specified head-flux couples, repeated estimation under varying hydrological conditions results in different conductivities. A time-independent estimate of the conductivities and their inaccuracy can be obtained by a simple linear KF with modest computational requirements. For the Kleine Nete catchment, Belgium, the DCM-KF yields sufficiently accurate calibrated conductivities. The method also results in distinguishing regions where the head-flux observations influence the calibration from areas where it is not able to influence the hydraulic conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partnership has become a dominant concept in current thinking about the parent-professional relationship within a variety of interventions aimed at child welfare, including family support practice. However, despite the burgeoning policy and research attention, the meaning of partnership in practice remains unclear. Based on interviews with professionals in a family support intervention in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium), this paper offers an insight into professionals' daily interactions with parents. The analysis reveals a tension between professionals' commitment towards parents on the one hand, and the way professionals take up this commitment in an expert role on the other. Consequences for professionals' relationships in child and family welfare interventions are discussed, as well as some implications for the realization of proper partnerships that acknowledge the power imbalances that exist in such partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A conference paper about the health benefits of low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) is presented. The health benefits of LCS include weight gain prevention and its beneficial effects on oral and dental health and on post-prandial glucose and insulin in healthy individuals and diabetic patients. The results of several studies that examined the impact of LCS on people's health are also discussed.

This paper analyses the introduction of statistics in the field of gymnastics and its effect on the institutionalisation of physical education as a fully fledged academic discipline. Soon after Belgian independence, Adolphe Quetelet's research already resulted in large-scale anthropometric statistics – indeed, he developed an index that is still being used and is better known under the name of the body mass index. His insights were applied by promoters of gymnastics who wanted to make physical education more scientific. Thus, Clément Lefébure, director of theEcole Normale de Gymnastique et d'Escrimein Brussels, set up a comparative experiment (with pre- and post-test measurements) by which he intended to show that the ‘rational’ method of Swedish gymnastics produced much better results than the ‘empirical’ method of Belgian/GermanTurnen. Lefébure's experiment, which was cited internationally but which was also strongly contested by opponents, was one of the factors that led to Swedish gymnastics being officially institutionalised in 1908 at the newly founded Higher Institute of Physical Education of the State University of Ghent, the first institute in the world where students could obtain a doctoral degree in physical education. Although it rested actually on very weak scientific foundations, the bastion of Swedish gymnastics built in Belgium in that pre-war period collapsed only in the 1960s. From then on, sport science could develop fully within the institutes for physical education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A retrospective cross‐sectional study was carried out in Wallonia (the southern region of Belgium) in which a 20‐question breastfeeding (BF) module was included in an immunization survey. The purpose of this paper is to compare exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) prevalences and BF practices for mothers giving birth in Baby‐friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) and non‐BFHI maternity facilities. A total of 557 mothers responded to BF questions when their child was 18–24 months old; 26.7% of them delivered in a BFHI maternity facility. At discharge, a larger proportion of children were exclusively breastfed if they were born in a BFHI maternity facility (76.5% vs. 65.8%, p = .02). The median duration of EBF (15.0 vs. 12.9 weeks, p = .3), and the proportion of children exclusively breastfed at 5 months (16.8% vs 15.8%, p = 1.0) were similar in both groups. Few mothers knew that EBF was recommended for the first 6 months of life (28.6% in BFHI vs 23.1% in non‐BFHI, p = .2). For most groups of the population examined, the rates of BF tended to be higher in BFHI facilities, but many differences were not significant. More specifically, BFHI seemed to boost BF practices among mothers more likely to breastfeed, but the Initiative did not seem to trigger enhanced BF practices in mothers traditionally less likely to breastfeed (except for indifferent/negative partner's attitude and mothers of Belgian origin). Influencing the BF practices of mothers less likely to breastfeed requires a special attention with complementary actions in maternity facilities as well as in community services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invited for the cover of this issue is the group of Sophie Laurent from the University of Mons, Belgium. The cover image shows a blood vessel containing the bimodal probe reported in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]