Could Ghosts Explain the Quantum World?

Witten and Veneziano gave an important role for topological susceptibility ?. After their work, it was linked with ?’ mass, solving the U(1)A problem using the called Veneziano ghost K? that is an unphysical massless pole. Though, K? is gauge variant and non-perturbative. In an recent paper, Kharzeev and Levin try to establish a relationship between Veneziano ghost and color confinement. However, Dudal and Guimaraes showed that the result of Kharzeev and Levin breaks the perturbative BRST symmetry.

Physics

Diagnostic test to predict acquired TTP disease risk

Chemistry - Latron
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Can we color blue products naturally? Production of the natural blue dye phycocyanin by the cyanoba

Synthetic dyes are mainly used to color food, textiles and cosmetics, but their negative effect on human health and environment has led consumers’ attention to natural ones. Although it is easy to find natural alternatives for most of the colors, blue is a rare color in nature, making its substitution more challenging. Arthrospira (Spirulina) is a cyanobacterium that can be used as a source of a natural blue dye, phycocyanin. Phycocyanin is already used as a food colorant, but there is an increasing demand to broaden the scope of its applications to other industries too.

Biology

Sensing adhesive joint ageing

This project wants to contribute to the cumbersome process of optimizing the efficiency of artificial ageing testing of adhesive joints. The overall goal of this project is to enhance the useful data (amount and quality) which is obtained from artificial ageing testing by developing and validating a novel monitoring methodology. In term, this project will contribute in minimizing the number of costly ageing tests to be conducted in industry while maximizing the amount of extracted test data, necessary for predictive lifetime modelling.

Mechanical Engineering - Propolis

TECOL (Technology-Enhanced Collaborative Learning)

TECOL is a multipartner research project supporting collaborative and interactive learning during face-to-face and remote education. There are five living labs at KU Leuven campus Kortrijk: interactive lectures, collaborative learning spaces; multilocation learning, open learning centres and a collaborative learning platform. The aims of the project are twofold:on the educational level, TECOL aims at improving the effectiveness of instructional methods for collaborative learning, (peer) feedback and evaluation by making optimal use of the platform for interactive and collaborative learning. As regards research, TECOL focusses on the impact of different instructional methods and evaluates the effectiveness for learning, the perceived ease of use/usefulness and the actual use.

Research coordination
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Gene therapy for congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

Chemistry - Latron

The impact of changing food quality on host-parasite interactions

Changes in land use and climate have led to important shifts in natural ecosystems. It remains to be seen how organisms can cope with these changes. The main goal of my PhD research project was to focus on two interrelated case studies: (1) changes in food quality and (2) changes in infectious diseases.

Biology

Plant sterols: Can we make fat rich food healthy?

Phytosterols are plant based compounds with chemical structures similar to cholesterol and have nutritionally beneficial properties, more specifically a blood cholesterol lowering effect. In order to increase their lipid solubility and thus facilitate their incorporation into fat containing food products, phytosterols are esterified with fatty acids (FA) to obtain phytosterol esters. Addition of PE to fat (containing products) will undoubtedly influence the crystallization properties and in food industry this will lead to problems occurring during the production process or with the macroscopic properties of the end product. But despite this, Scientific publications on the influence of PE addition on the crystallization of edible fats are very much lacking and industrial practice relies on a trial and error approach. The objective of this doctoral research is thus to thoroughly study the influence of the addition of phytosterol esters on the crystallization behavior of edible fats both at the level of the equilibrium and at the level of the crystallization kinetics. The influence on primary crystallization, polymorphism, network formation and obtained macroscopic properties will be investigated. More specifically, the effect of phytosterol ester concentration, type of fatty acid esterified, type of phytosterol, type of ‘host’ fat to which the phytosterol esters are added and degree of undercooling of the host fat will be investigated.

Microbial and Molecular systems - Food&Lipids
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Optimal counterweight design for moving structures . Co-design of control and counterweights

The addition of counterweights to moving structures compensates the torques required to move this structure. The excess of torque can be used to move faster.

Mechanical Engineering - Propolis
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Linear groups and their symmetries.

The poster contains the simplest introduction to group theory ever, examples of applications of group theory and advanced results about linear groups. It contains a bit of everything!

Mathematics
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Heuristic optimization algorithms

What do archery and cluster detection have in common? Both should be approached with heuristic algorithms!

Computer Sciences - iTec / CODES
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Thermal modelling of nanoscale filled inorganic insulation materials

Interest is growing to use high performance nanomaterials in building applications for their superior thermal performance. The objective is to find the most appropriate distribution.

Materials Engineering - Propolis
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detection and control of predators in microalgal cultures

Research on how to detect and control grazers in microalgal cultivation systems.

Biology

Genotype-dependent gut microbiota drives resistance to toxic cyanobacteria in the water flea Daphnia

Eutrophication and climate change have caused a widespread occurrence of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) in lakes, ponds and reservoirs worldwide1,2. Due to the release of powerful toxins in the water, CyanoHABs pose severe threats on livestock and human health, causing diseases from gastrointestinal symptoms to liver cancer3. In aquatic ecosystems, cyanoHABs have a strong negative impact on zooplankton grazers, and through the food web, disrupt the whole freshwater community4. Deciphering the mechanisms underlying resistance to toxic cyanobacteria in these grazers is thus essential to predict how cyanoHABs can be prevented or controlled5. In the freshwater crustacean Daphnia, resistance is influenced by prior exposure to cyanobacteria6,7 and genotype8,9, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Through gut microbiota transplants, we here show that the gut microbiota plays a crucial role, and might mediate both genetic adaptation and acclimatization to cyanoHABs. Microbiota from resistant genotypes conferred a higher resistance to recipient Daphnia than microbiota from susceptible genotypes. Resistance to cyanobacteria in recipient Daphnia was not affected by the recipient genotype, but was strongly impacted by the donor genotype. This suggests that the Daphnia genotype acts indirectly on resistance to cyanobacteria, by shaping the gut microbiota. In addition, resistance was higher when donors were previously fed cyanobacteria, suggesting that gut microbiota responded to become more efficient in dealing with cyanobacteria after prior exposure. Next generation sequencing of 16S rDNA shows that resistance is associated with changes in microbiota structure: cyanobacterial exposure favored bacterial taxa involved in digestion of cyanobacterial cells10 and detoxification of cyanobacterial toxins11. Our results provide evidence that resistance to toxic cyanobacteria in Daphnia is driven by the gut microbiota, which might thus be an important mediator of the genetic mosaic of coevolution between toxic cyanobacteria and their grazers, and a key determinant of how freshwater ecosystems respond to climate warming.

Biology
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Review of Single-Subject Experimental Design (SSED) Meta-analyses

Because of the growing number of SSED meta-analyses and the advances in (meta)analytical approaches and methods, our findings of a systematic review of the literature between 1985 and 2015 indicate a large variety in procedures that are applied and the lack of consensus about the most appropriate methods, both for expressing the size of the effect in primary studies and for synthesizing these over studies. Despite the methodological advancements in SSED (meta-) analysis, a considerable number of meta-analyses still apply the simple methods instead of the more advanced methods. Some changes have taken place during 3 last decades in employing various effect size measures and applying different techniques for combining the results across primary studies, however the evolution in the use of advanced methods is rather slow.

Psychology and educational sciences - Methods
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A unique antibody screening platform based on Digital Microfluidics

Acquired Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (aTTP) is a rare microangiopathic disorder caused by the presence of anti-ADAMTS13 autoantibodies that without proper diagnosis and treatment leads to early patients’ dead. Rapid and sensitive assays are needed to improve aTTP diagnosis. This can be achieved by providing the antibody repertoire of each patient. Digital microfluidic (DMF) technology is an innovative technique where flowing of cells is digitally controlled and enables the development of automatic platforms. The aim of this project is to develop a microfluidic platform using DMF technology to detect single B cells expressing anti-ADAMTS13 and to identify the antibody repertoire of aTTP patients.

Chemistry - Latron
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The quest for teachers' professional competence

Psychology and educational sciences - instructie psychologie en technologie
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How to make good “data” dishes?

Data fusion learning has attracted significant attention in data integration and machine learning, which can enhance the learning performance by integrating information from different sources. Due to the rapid growth of data sources, different sources may not be relevant to each other, which asks for selecting data relevant to the target ?It would be very important and useful for enhancing learning performance by removing noisy and irrelevant data when we integrate multiple sources of data together.

Electrical Engineering - campus Kulak

The main goal of this project is the conception, development and evaluation of an adaptive learning environment, allowing (future) translators to evaluate and improve the quality of their translations by means of a learning environment that makes a (semi-)automated analysis of their translations tasks. The translation tasks will be adapted to the learner’s needs. The environment will be developed for the language combinations English - Dutch and French - Dutch.

Arts
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Incoming rear traffic detection on a smart bike

This project proposes research and development of a vision system, placed on a bicycle, which can automatically detect rear traffic and alert the cyclist of an incoming vehicle. In this way the cyclist doesn’t need to look behind him while cycling, which improves stability and safety. The vision algorithms can distinguish between incoming, retreating and parked vehicles. The algorithms are based on optical flow and the Lucas-Kanade algorithm, hence no training set is needed. A proof-of-concept was build using an Odroid XU4 microprocessor platform with a steer-mounted display. Subsequently, some field test were taken using the prototype, resulting in a combined accuracy of 77%.

Electrical Engineering - ReMi
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Real obligations at the edge between contracts and property

Some obligations are tied to a good or, more precisely, to a property right. Article 698 of the Civil Code (both Belgian and French), for instance, provides that the owner of a servient land can assume the obligation to execute works necessary for the servitude. Future owners of the servient land are automatically bound by this obligation. While the existence of obligations tied to aproperty right or ‘real obligations’ is accepted, uncertainty exists asto their regime, nature and foundation. Real obligations are said to ‘run with the land’: whoever holds the land will become the debtor of this obligation. The obligations are thus transferred together with the property right. However, will the former debtor of theobligation be freed by the transfer of the property right? And what happens when a current debtor renounces his property right? Is he then freed from his obligation, even from due obligations? Not only the regime of real obligations is unclear, so is their nature. Real obligations might actually be personal obligations as they consist of a duty in faciendo. Their regime however, seems to induce that they are a part of the property right. An inquiry into the nature, regime and foundation of real obligations is necessary. The research will not only be conducted in regard of Belgian law, but also in regard of French, Dutch and Scots law. The statutes in the latter two legal systems moreover recognise autonomous real obligations, subject to party autonomy.

Law
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The interface between symbolic and non-symbolic numbers investigated with behavioral and neuroimagin

The poster presents a PhD project, aiming at investigating the interplay between symbolic and non- symbolic number systems using both behavioral and neuroimaging techniques.

Psychology and educational sciences - Brain and Cognition
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How to manage a patient with acquired TTP? Identification of new prognostic biomarkers

Acquired TTP is a chronic disease which manifests in episodes where affected persons get very sick and need to be hospitalised. This condition limits their life-comfort as -at least theoretically - they always need to be prepared for such an episode. The goal of my research project is to identify biomarkers which, according to patient antibodies, predict when aTTP episode will occur, so the patients can prevent the relapse and their life-comfort increases. The biomarkers used to predict patients prognosis are some “special kind of antibodies” (anti-ADAMTS13 autoantibodies). The aim is to have an overview on the immunoprofile of aTTP patients based on these antibodies and afterwards to discriminate among different immunoprofiles linked to a different disease outcome.

Chemistry - Latron
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Anatomical adaptations to conflicting functional demands in the primate thumb

The development of bipedal locomotion marks the point in human evolution that freed our hands, which in turn resulted in unprecedented dexterity. This enhancement is largely due to the high mobility of the thumb, allowing modern humans to execute precise manual activities. Despite the importance to human evolution, knowledge on form-function relations of the thumb remains lacking. By comparing the anatomy and biomechanics of the TMC joint in species utilizing different locomotor strategies (bonobo, gibbon and baboon) we seek to contribute to the understanding of adaptations in primate thumb anatomy.

Development and Regeneration
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Resilient Embedded Software in a context of Functional Safety

The research aims to protect safety critical embedded sytems from erroneous bit-flips by implementing software fault tolerance. The main goals of the research are to develop new, better fault tolerance techniques, automate the implementation process and link the techniques to Functional Safety requirements. This work is supported by a research grant from the Televic HealthcareBaekeland program of the Flemish Agency for Innovation and Entrepreuneurship (VLAIO) in cooperation with Televic Healthcare NV, under grant agreement IWT 150696.

Computer Sciences - ReMi
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Ethnic and religious identity negotiations on Instagram

This study explores the way ethnic and religious identities are constructed via social media, in particular through lifestyle representations on Instagram. The emerging transnational Mipster movement, which has spurred debate in the Muslim community about modesty, is taken as a starting point for our focusgroups with Turkish-Flemish girls (N=26). The results confirm the hybrid identities of minority youth and a strong preference for Instagram (over Google and Facebook) for lifestyle and clothing inspiration. Friends, brands and influential bloggers are followed. Although a modest clothing style as found in the Arab world is aspired by most girls, the Flemish social context and retail market often prevent them from wearing the modest fashion they adore. Mipsters, and 'modern Turkish women', are mostly followed by younger teens and are both rejected and considered a first step towards a more religious and modest lifestyle. As a result, European minority blogsters are most widely followed and approved, offering girls lifestyle choices (like #OOTDs) that are within reach and bridge diverging norms within society. Influential bloggers on Instagram can become key agenda setters and endorsers for brands that tailor to the needs and values of the growing muslim consumer market.

Arts - Linguistics and Literature
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USolv-IT

USolv-IT is een digitaal oefenplatform voor leerkrachten, leerlingen en het hoger onderwijs met 12000 meerkeuzeoefeningen wiskunde, economie, fysica en chemie.

Mathematics
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Effectiveness of interactive and adaptive learning support for online educational videos.

Nowadays, the Internet offers numerous kinds of online videos, among which educational ones (e.g. MOOCs, flipped classroom, TED talks, but also numerous channels on YouTube). Those videos enable people to get instruction in a multitude of different subjects by themselves. This phenomenon usually involves more frequent contact with foreign languages via audiovisual input. Therefore, the easy availability of foreign online educational videos also enlarges the need to learn languages in order to understand videos’ content. Indeed, videos have for long been used to improve second language (L2) listening comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. However, learning a language through video is not an easy thing to do. One reason for that is that people do not pay enough attention, another reason is that people using this audiovisual input have different needs and backgrounds. A lot of researchers have already investigated the effects of different input enhancement techniques/learning supports in videos, such as full captioning in L1 or L2, glossaries, and keywords captioning, on learners’ vocabulary acquisition and listening comprehension. However, the results are far from univocal. It is still not clear which language should best be used in subtitles (L1, L2), whether glossaries in full captioning can help vocabulary acquisition and whether keywords captioning are more useful than full captioning. This PhD project will thus investigate the effectiveness (i.e. perceived usefulness, actual use and learning gains) of different input enhancement techniques. It focuses on investigating which language is most useful in subtitles for both content comprehension and vocabulary acquisition and whether full captioning with highlighted target words (FCHT) with(out) glossaries would be most effective than keywords captioning (KC) with(out) glossaries. Moreover, it will also study how leaners’ attention can be enhanced and directed towards vocabulary. Therefore, this project will not only make use of offline measures (e.g. vocabulary and listening comprehension tests), but also of online measures (e.g. eye-tracker, log files). Next to that, new input enhancement techniques/learning supports, such as pop-up quiz, will be set up in videos to complement the other ones and to check whether they help learners understand and learn. Finally, this project will focus on the adaptivity of these learning supports according to learners’ needs, attitudes and individual factors.

Arts - Linguistics and Literature

Wallpaper and crystallographic groups

What is the difference between wallpaper and crystals? Wallpaper is flat and crystals aren't. In fact, that's pretty much the only difference.

Mathematics
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Unraveling Thromboinflammation during Ischemic Stroke

Cardiovascular sciences - Latron
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Correlation between an inertial and a camera based motion capture system in the assessment of tempor

It has been established that results from a standard gait analysis conducted in a laboratory environment often didn’t correlate to the actual functionality and quality of life perceived by patients. New devices (e.g. inertial measurement units) have been developed this past decade, enabling us to assess patients outside a movement laboratory. The aim of this study: was to evaluate the agreement between an inertial and a camera based motion capture system in the assessment of temporal parameters of gait in the knee arthroplasty population

Rehabilitation Sciences
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Time to get real! Online learning environments to deal with a complex world.

According to the European Commission, a challenge in education is to prepare individuals for varied and unpredictable career paths in the future (Rethinking education, 2012). Learning environments should focus on domain-specific and domain-general competencies (e.g., entrepreneurship, foreign language acquisition, and critical thinking) to deal with ill-structured problems in the learning and workplace context. The present PhD project will focus on online learning environments for complex learning. More particularly, it will focus on (1) the design of the learning environments (e.g., instructional design principles), (2) learner characteristics (e.g., prior knowledge), and (3) the interaction between the former two aspects (e.g., tool use) to explain differences in complex learning acquisition, on the one hand, and to develop adaptive, more effective online learning environments for complex learning, on the other hand.

Psychology and educational sciences - Education and training
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Software Strategies to Counter Soft-Errors in Programmable Embedded Systems

Programmable Embedded Systems form the cornerstone for the rising challenges in the next industrial revolution of cyber physical systems where everything gets connected, data is interchanged and decisions are made by programmable controllers. Application areas are mobility, manufacturing, smart energy consumers, health and elderly care. This implies a more frequent use of such systems in applications requiring high reliability in harsh environments. The rise in electronics significantly increases the probability of all kinds of disturbances, which is amplified by the decreasing intrinsic immunity. An important innovation in this research project, next to the optimization of the software design and automated test procedures, is the inclusion of software solution in the system, making it fault resistance or tolerant, which leads to a cost efficient solution in many situations. Such software solution is rarely applied, mainly because they are not widely known and need further research for effective implementation. A key objective of this research is to design and produce better and more reliable electronics with a lower development cost and a shorter time-to-market.

Computer Sciences - ReMi
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Which manifolds admit an expanding map or an Anosov diffeomorphism?

If you don't understand a single word of the title, then this poster is made for you! The poster explains every word of the title by using many examples and pictures. If you read until the end, you will even understand a very recent result in mathematics. In brief it describes certain deformations of objects and the main problem is to understand which ones can be deformed in this way.

Mathematics
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Antibodies: what is their role in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura?

Towards personalized medicine as therapy of the future for the rare and life threatening disease thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP).

Chemistry - Latron
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Microalgae. Food of the future?

The objective of this project is to enrich fruit and vegetable based products with healthy and vegetarian omega-3 fatty acids derived from microalgae and to examine the oxidative stability of these products.

Microbial and Molecular systems - Food&Lipids
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Research introduction

Research introduction

Research coordination
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The interplay between microalgal biology and flocculation: the influence of cell surface properties

We aim to investigate the interplay between algal biology and flocculation to understand the fundamental mechanisms behind microalgal flocculation. Cell properties such as size, surface charge/density, and chemical composition of cell-associated organic matter differ between species, strains and culture conditions and this affects flocculation. We aim to understand these interactions and we want to link this to flocculation as a harvesting process.

Biology
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Can we use water flea Daphnia as a novel model to study cancer-related processes like hypoxia-induce

Cancer cells have developed diverse mechanisms to escape from the primary tumor locus and move into other tissues. One of these escape techniques is called epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition or shortly EMT. EMT is a reversible process in which cancer cells loose their epithelial characteristics (polarity and non-migratory) and become mobile mesenchymal cells. This mechanism can be triggered by several stimuli e.g. a reduced level of oxygen in the tumor microenvironment or hypoxia. Most data on EMT are based on in vitro experiments. The exact EMT underpinnings in multicellular organisms are still a matter of debate as complex animal models for EMT are lacking. Here, we suggest invertebrate Daphnia magna as a novel model system in the study of hypoxia-induced EMT.

Biology
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Tensor Models for Real-time Applications

Tensor decompositions model higher-order data. Because tensors are often not static in practice, algorithms are designed to quickly update their decompositions.

Electrical Engineering - campus Kulak

Impact of form- and meaning-focused instruction on L2 lexical acquisition. A behavioural and neurolo

We will compare the impact of three types of instruction on L2 learners’ lexical acquisition, as measured by explicit tests, psycholinguistic measurements and neurological indices.

Arts - iTec
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Multilevel meta-analytic models for single-case experimental data

Multilevel modeling is a flexible statistical method to combine single-case experimental data study results to come to precise estimates of when there is an effect, for which cases and under which conditions.

Psychology and educational sciences - Methods
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Investigating neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in blood vessels

We are studying how VWF and platelets contribute to neutrophil extracellular trap formation in small blood vessels and how this affects disease outcome

Cardiovascular sciences - Latron
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From parasite to ecosystem - The potential of Daphnia-parasite coevolution to affect fundamental eco

Despite the increasing consensus that parasites can have pronounced ecosystem level effects, their role in ecosystem functioning is still largely understudied. This research project aims at obtaining insights in the potential of host-parasite coevolution as an important evolutionary process underlying eco-coevolutionary dynamics. We aim to study how this eco-coevolutionary dynamics affect fundamental ecosystem functions, more in particular primary productivity and nutrient recycling in freshwater ecosystems. We focus on Daphnia magna, a keystone species in pelagic water systems, and multiple parasite species. We will (1) quantify the degree to which parasites may drive these ecosystem processes, (2) unravel the particular role of ecological and coevolutionary dynamics and their interaction, and (3) develop predictive mathematical models to explore possible scenarios for eco-coevolutionary dynamics.

Biology
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Building blocks of mathematics performance

In this poster I present an overview of my work. During my PhD, I investigated which basic numerical processing tasks (e.g. comparing two numbers) is most predictive for math performance. In my postdoc, I started to focus on the neurocognitive development of symbolic numbers and their relations to math performance. Recently, I set up some interventions studies and also focus on social and emotional factors contributing to math performance, next to the math-specific and general cognitive ones.

Psychology and educational sciences - Brain and Cognition
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The role of GARP in the immune response against cancer

The role of GARP on regulatory T cells in cancer will be investigated using mouse models. We hypothesize that depletion of GARP will lead to a longer healthy state.

Chemistry - Latron
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The use of Present-day English nominal and verbal gerunds: a multifunctional comparative analysis

This project focuses on the Present-day English use of nominal and verbal gerunds. While their formal features have been thoroughly described, the specific functional niche that both gerund types fill remains unclear. This project aims to trace the functional motivations behind the Present-day English speaker's choice for either a nominal or verbal gerund by means of quantitative, corpus-based analyses.

Arts - Linguistics and Literature
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Statistics in behavioral sciences

This poster gives an overview of the major research lines and some finished and current projects

Psychology and educational sciences - Education and training

In Vlaanderen Vlaamsch! Translation and transfer practices in 19th-century Belgium

This research studies the wide range of translation and transfer techniques in Flemish translations of French legislative and administrative texts in 19th-century Belgium. One of the main aims is to assess the influence of these practices in the emergence of multilingual citizenship in Belgium.

Arts - CHIR
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TETRA Project: “E-guide towards optimized adhesive bond design in structural applications”

The aim was to transfer knowledge regarding adhesive joining to industry, which was done by creating an E-guide, validated with the completion of 7 user cases.

Mechanical Engineering - Propolis
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Instructional design of online learning environments

This research track deals with the design and evaluation of online learning by means of the four-component instructional design model (4C/ID).

Psychology and educational sciences - iTec
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Enrichment of textual & audio-visual content

This research track focuses on the automated analysis and annotation of textual content as well as on the use and effectiveness of annotated audio-visual content in order to support effective (second/foreign) language learning.

Psychology and educational sciences - iTec
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New tensor decomposition models and methods for data array processing

We develop a coupled and incomplete tensor decomposition framework that can model some (multi-way) data arrays with local low-rank or missing data structures.

Electrical Engineering - campus Kulak
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Towards monitoring of food intake using smart devices

Up to 15% of home-bound adults aged over 65 are malnourighed and 45% are at risk. Self-monitoring solutions are time-consuming and often incomplete. This work presents an automatic way of determining the activity of daily living of food intake using a smart wearable device in the form of glasses.

Computer Sciences - ReMi
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Research statistics @Kulak and Bruges/Ostend

Research statistics @Kulak and Bruges/Ostend

Research coordination
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Detecting Defects using Lock-in Vibrothermography through Local Defect Resonance

Exploiting the use of ultrasonic waves as an activation mechanism and thermal physics as a visualisation tool in oder to detect defects in materials

Physics

'Can one hear the shape of a drum?'

This poster provides all the information needed to understand the title and the answer to the posed question. Also, a mathematical generalisation is given.

Mathematics
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How healthy people can contribute to curing autoimmune diseases

Chemistry - Latron
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Researching an evidence-based thumb splint design for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the thumb

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the thumb is a debilitating disease which results in pain and reduced mobility of the thumb. It occurs in 20% of the world’s population, especially in postmenopausal women. Patients are no longer able to write, open jars, tie their shoelaces… with a great impact on their independence.

Development and Regeneration
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Electromagnetic Interference - Risk Management

EMI still gains importance, especially in safety-critical systems where failures can be disastrous. But how do we keep those devices working correctly…?

Computer Sciences - ReMi
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Multilevel meta-analytic models for group comparison data

This study describes the application of multilevel models for analyzing meta-analytic data when there are several indicators per study.

Psychology and educational sciences - Methods
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E-learning analytics & adaptive learning

This research track involves the collection, mining, and analysis of large data sets of learning behaviour in order to provide the learner, teacher, or policy maker with (automated) support for making informed decisions in learning environments.

Psychology and educational sciences - iTec
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Make Tests Deterministic Again

An Actor reacts upon receiving concurrent messages. However when receiving multiple messages the order is not guaranteed. If there is a dependency upon the order in which the messages are received, this might lead to unexpected behavior, which is difficult to test. The Deterministic State Space Exploration (DSSE) algorithm allows to extract information of a single test run and discover new paths in a deterministic way. We developed a tool, the Marshal actor, which intercepts messages sent by Actors and resends these to explore all paths in the state space of a test generated by the DSSE algorithm

Computer Sciences - ReMi
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Combining exact and non-exact methods for solving Combinatorial Optimization Problems

In the field of combinatorial optimization, exact and non-exact approaches all have its own pros and cons. Combining two solving approaches to get the best out of both worlds is a promising direction which has been receiving lots of attention. In this research, we aim to introduce a non-exact approach to a problem solver which uses exact methods.

Computer Sciences - iTec / CODES
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opzoek naar een remedie voor contractuele wanprestatie

Law
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Composition and functionality of the Daphnia magna microbiome

The animal body forms a habitat for a diverse and dynamic symbiotic microbial community, also called the microbiome. This microbiome can significantly influence the health and fitness of its host by helping with digestion, acquisition of nutrients and protection against pathogens and toxic substances. Both the composition of the microbiome and its relationship with the host is often context dependent.The net effect of the microbiome on host fitness can thus be positive (mutualistic), neutral (commensal) or negative (parasitic), dependent on environmental circumstances. We use the waterflea Daphnia magna as an experimental model system for investigating the context dependency of host-microbiota interactions.

Biology
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Nominal and verbal gerunds in Present-day English: Aspectual features and nominal status

This project zooms in on the particular aspectual value of Present-day English nominal and verbal gerunds.

Arts - Linguistics and Literature
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Waves@Kulak

Physics

Technology-enhanced learning at ITEC

At Kulak, an interdisciplinary team within the research group ITEC focuses on the design, development, and evaluation of technologies for formal and informal learning (online courses, games, video, ...), with a particular emphasis on data-driven personalisation. This research is conducted in close collaboration with partners in industry and society.

Psychology and educational sciences - iTec
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Development of a transducer phased array system for the UPS setup

It is possible to characterize new materials and find defects via the UPS method. The goal of the research is to develop an improved setup via simulations.

Physics

Rats in the language classroom

A psycholinguistic study on automatization of second language grammar in ecologically valid settings.

Arts - iTec
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On the largest multilinear singular values of higher-order tensors

Let $\sigma_n$ denote the largest mode-$n$ multilinear singular value of an $I_1\times\dots \times I_N$ tensor $\mathcal T$. We prove that $$\sigma_1^2+\dots+\sigma_{n-1}^2+\sigma_{n+1}^2+\dots+\sigma_{N}^2\leq (N-2)\|\mathcal T\|^2 + \sigma_n^2,\quad n=1,\dots,N.$$ We also show that at least for third-order cubic tensors the inverse problem always has a solution. Namely, for each $\sigma_1$, $\sigma_2$ and $\sigma_3$ that satisfy \begin{equation*} \sigma_1^2+\sigma_2^2\leq \|\mathcal T\|^2 + \sigma_3^2,\quad \sigma_1^2+\sigma_3^2\leq \|\mathcal T\|^2 + \sigma_2^2,\quad \sigma_2^2+\sigma_3^2\leq \|\mathcal T\|^2 + \sigma_1^2,\\ \end{equation*}% and the trivial inequalities $\sigma_1\geq \frac{1}{\sqrt{n}}\|\mathcal T\|$, $\sigma_2\geq \frac{1}{\sqrt{n}}\|\mathcal T\|$, $\sigma_3\geq \frac{1}{\sqrt{n}}\|\mathcal T\|$, there always exists an $n\times n\times n$ tensor whose largest multilinear singular values are equal to $\sigma_1$, $\sigma_2$ and $\sigma_3$. We also show that if the equality $\sigma_1^2+\sigma_2^2= \|\mathcal T\|^2 + \sigma_3^2$ holds, then $\mathcal T$ is necessarily equal to a sum of multilinear rank-$(L_1,1,L_1)$ and multilinear rank-$(1,L_2,L_2)$ tensors and we give a complete description of all its multilinear singular values. We establish a connection with honeycombs and eigenvalues of the sum of two Hermitian matrices. This seems to give at least a partial explanation of why results on the joint distribution of multilinear singular values are scarce.

Electrical Engineering - campus Kulak

Emergence and evolution of translation policies in Belgium: an interdisciplinary inquiry into multil

This interdisciplinary project investigates the emergence of translation policies in 19th-century Belgium by studying the interplay between the three interrelated components management, practices and beliefs.

Arts - CHIR
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Embedded Programming

The EP task force focuses on detecting and reducing software errors earlier in the development process of embedded software.

Computer Sciences - ReMi
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Casting a NET on ischemic stroke

Identifying the role of NETs in ischemic stroke.

Cardiovascular sciences - Latron
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Do you know what's in a Stroke Blood Clot

Researchers suspect that failure of stroke therapy is most likely related to the blood clot. This project aims at unraveling the composition of stroke blood clots.

Cardiovascular sciences - Latron
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Next level hand reading: does the shape of your thumb predict future joint diseases?

n/a

Development and Regeneration

The immunoprofile of acquired TTP patients as a predictive tool

Chemistry - Latron
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Mining Biomedical Interaction Data

Development of novel data mining methods that search for patterns in large biomedical interaction datasets.

Public Health and Primary Care

Keeping them at (near?) distance? Education the so-called "évolués" in the former Belgian Congo dur

Thesis: évolués were seen as unequal partners; they were treated as big children [cf. the distribution of Cartes de mérite civique(1948) and the system of Immatriculation(1952)], who had to be grateful for the gradual development of their personality. Such an approach –quantitatively as well as qualitatively–was not able to shape the mental space for autonomy and independence. On the contrary, it contributed to continue, even in the postcolonial period, the patronizing tone of the leaders. They took over the spatial, institutional, social and cultural structures of colonialism •Method: reading everyday reality(“normality”) through the propaganda (“normativity”) of the iconographic sources (films/photos); confrontation with interviews and egodocuments(such as biographic and autobiographic material) •Expected results: a better understanding of the processes of cultural hibridity by describing and analyzing the effects of colonial education

Psychology and educational sciences - CHIR

Free foaming within the extrusion process

The foaming process of extruded polymers is modelled by applying material and process boundary conditions. The aim is to understand and optimize the foaming process!

Materials Engineering - Propolis
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Total approach in hybrid joining Case study: Jonckheere subcontracting

Controlling the mechanical properties of the joint (such as dampening) is one of the advantages of a hybrid joint which uses the combination of an adhesive joint and a mechanical joint.

Mechanical Engineering - Propolis
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Gene therapy to cure a bleeding disorder

In this research project we want to develop a gene therapy to cure von Willebrand disease, a common inherited bleeding disorder.

Cardiovascular sciences - Latron
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Variability of the structural elastic properties of bonded cylinders

Nominally identical structures exhibit some variability. This research studies the propagation of variability from construction to the mechanical properties

Mechanical Engineering - Propolis
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Access-To-Medicines Supply Chain Design: A Stakeholder Framework

Many rigorous models have been developed to support the design of humanitarian supply chains. Supply chains supportive of Access to Medicines (ATM), like vaccine supply chains impose considerable additional challenges on this design process. We embed these models in a broader stakeholder based framework. This will substantially enhance the societal and human impact of the ATM supply chain service delivery. This broader base of stakeholders will deliver a balanced set of Key Performance Indicators, against which the new design options or scenarios will be evaluated. These scenarios will be the outcome of an iterative design and modelling process moderated by a group of key stakeholders. Subsequently, a multi-criteria ranking method will reveal a shortlist of championing scenarios. Finally, a group decision process will decide on the final supply chain design choice. Moreover, the acceptance and buy-in of the (re)designed supply chain will be much more evident for all stakeholders involved. The main purpose of this research is to present a general framework for ATM supply chain design which constitutes a stakeholder’s framework encapsulating a rigorous modelling approach.

Business and Economics - Operations management

Tiny Dancing Bubbles in Radiotherapy

Tiny gas-filled bubbles have the potential to improve cancer treatment by extending radiation dose measurements in radiotherapy.

Physics
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Theoretical & Numerical Study of Contact Nonlinearity

Interaction of ultrasonic waves with imperfect interfaces, and, in particular, with interfaces between rough surfaces in contact will result in the generation of nonlinear phenomena, mainly caused by nonlinear clapping and stick-slip behavior. The occurrence of contact nonlinearity is extremely interesting as it can be considered as a fingerprint of crack-like discontinuities. In this research, a theoretical study is performed and realistic numerical models are developed in order to obtain a better understanding of contact nonlinearity, and to explore its potential to offer new tools for non-destructive testing and evaluation of materials.

Physics

Harvest yield estimation of fruit tree orchards with an autonomous unmanned helicopter (drone)

This is a doctoral research project in which an autonomous rotary UAV is designed, constructed and flight tested for close-range inspection of fruit orchards and vineyards by flying autonomously through the narrow corridors in between trees. A special configuration combining large lift and small control rotors allows the vehicle to maximally utilize the limited width of the corridors while attaining longer endurance and/or carrying more payload. The autonomous control is performed by intelligently combining data from several sensors to safely navigate the fruit tree corridors. Sideward looking cameras capture the individual fruit and advanced image processing algorithms estimate the harvest yield.

Mechanical Engineering - Propolis

Human bio-artificial muscle

The main goal of this project is the development of in vitro human skeletal muscle tissue. There are several applications for these organoids such as replacement of damaged or lost skeletal muscle tissue and expanding fundamental knowledge of tissue engineering. Existing techniques involve culturing and differentiation of myogenic (stem) cells on natural or synthetic scaffolds. In our lab, human muscle progenitor cells are engineered in a 3D hydroggel and grown in a custom-made mold with 2 attachment points, serving as artificial tendons. The resulting muscle organoids consist of aligned multinucleated myofibers and can be electrically and mechanically stimulated. However, the size of the muscle constructs is limited, due to the lack of vasculature which is needed for proper tissue perfusion. In this project, we evaluate strategies for vasculogenesis: the formation of blood vessel networks in vitro. Therefore muscle progenitor cells are co-cultured with endothelial cells to form vascularized bio-artificial muscle.

Development and Regeneration

Democracy and education

My current principal research interets are concerned with the relationship between democracy and education, focussing on two themes. The first theme is on the spread of flamingant, anti-modern ideas. A second theme involves the study of historical processes of naturalization and integration.

Psychology and educational sciences - CHIR
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