Journal articles on the topic 'A due (Exhibition) (Brussels, Belgium)'

Deel 2: In de slagschaduw van Rodenbach (1897-1909)De periode 1897-1909 staat zowel voor Hugo Verriest als voor August Vermeylen in het teken van Albrecht Rodenbach. Aanleiding was biografische notitie die in het christendemocratische weekblad De Nieuwe Tijd van Verriest verschenen was (oktober 1897), en door Vermeylen overgenomen in Van Nu en Straks. Deze tekst consolideerde definitief de vriendschap tussen beide protagonisten van de Vlaamse beweging. De dood van dichter Guido Gezelle (27 november 1899) bracht hen nog dichter bij elkaar.Een klein meningsverschil omtrent het drama Starkadd van Alfred Hegenscheidt vormde geen hinderpaal. De activiteiten in de volgende jaren werden in klimmende mate gewaardeerd: de samenwerking in het nieuwe tijdschrift Vlaanderen (1903-1907) en hun gemeenschappelijk verzet tegen de Instructions van het Belgisch episcopaat (1906) met betrekking tot de taalregeling in het middelbaar en hoger onderwijs in Vlaanderen.Inmiddels was Verriest lid geworden van de Koninklijke Vlaamsche Academie voor Taal- en Letterkunde. Hij heeft daar herhaaldelijk in openbare toespraken gepleit voor de Vlaamse zaak. Naar aanleiding van 75 jaar België en de Wereldtentoonstelling in Luik in 1905 gaf Vermeylen aan de universiteit een belangrijke conferentie (in het Frans) over de betekenis van de Vlaamse letterkunde sedert 1830. Verriest kreeg daar een eminente plaats in toebedeeld.Toppunt van de samenwerking in deze tweede periode werd de Rodenbach-herdenking in Roeselare op 22 augustus 1909. Het enthousiasme van Vermeylen voor de jonge studentenleider was zo groot geworden dat hij het absoluut wou overdragen aan de vrijzinnige Brusselse studenten.________Part 2: In the shadow cast by Rodenbach (1897-1909)For both Hugo Verriest and August Vermeylen, the period of 1897-1909 was characterised by Albrecht Rodenbach. The reason was the biographical note that had appeared in Verriest’s Christian Democratic weekly De Nieuwe Tijd (The New Times) (October 1897), and which Vermeylen had reproduced in Van Nu en Straks (From now and later). This text definitively consolidated the friendship between the two protagonists of the Flemish Movement. The death of the poet Guido Gezelle (on 27 November 1899) brought them even closer together. A small difference of opinion about the tragedy Starkadd by Alfred Hegenscheidt did not constitute an obstacle. The activities in the following years received a growing appreciation: the collaboration in the new periodical Vlaanderen (Flanders) (1903-1907) and their joint opposition against the Instructions from the Belgian diocese (1906) in reference to the rules governing the use of languages in secondary and higher education in Flanders. Meanwhile Verriest had become a member of the Royal Flemish Academy for Language and Literature. He repeatedly advocated the Flemish cause there in public discourses. At the occasion of the 75 years of existence of Belgium and the World exhibition in Liège in 1905, Vermeylen gave an important conference (in French) at the university about the significance of Flemish literature since 1830. He assigned a key role to Verriest in this conference. The pinnacle of their collaboration during this second period was to be the Rodenbach memorial service in Roeselare on 22 August 1909. Vermeylen’s enthusiasm for the young student leader had grown so much, that he was determined to transfer it to the liberal Brussels’ students.

Born in Korea, Ji Sun Sjögren grew up in Belgium where she was adopted by her Swiss mother and Swedish father at around the age of two. In ‘A ghost in my country’ ( Adoption & Fostering 20:2, 1996), Ji Sun gave a moving personal account of transracial adoption and the disturbing feelings of being ‘caught between two worlds’. That original testimony was inspired by the experience of visiting her native Korea for the first time, aged 26, when she was invited to to exhibit at an international art exhibition. This follow-up account tells of another, quite different journey to Korea when, after an intensive search, Ji Sun finally met up with her birth parents. Like ‘A ghost in my own country’, it is written in collaboration with her adoptive father, Eric Sjögren, who is a journalist living in Brussels.

The Kingdom of Belgium is a Federation in terms of its territorial and administrative structure. Federalism in Belgium has a number of specific features, since it is based on the principles of division not only on the national and administrative principle, but also on linguistic. The main contradictions within the nation-state are related to the interaction of Walloon (French-speaking) and Flemish (speaking Dutch and its dialects) communities. The current situation in the country has developed as a result of a number of state reforms carried out in the second half of the XX — early XXI century. At present, the crisis in Belgium remains unresolved, primarily due to the imbalance in the economic development of the regions and the growing conflicts in this regard and the special status of bilingual Brussels. The situation is complicated by the presence of a German-speaking community in the state. The article assesses the prospects for the development of the situation in Belgium in terms of the transformation of the system of federalism in the country.

Industrial heritage reflects the development track of human production activities and witnessed the rise and fall of industrial civilization. As one of the earliest countries in the world to start the Industrial Revolution, Belgium has a rich industrial history. Over the past years, a set of industrial heritage renewal projects have emerged in Belgium in the process of urban regeneration. In this paper, we introduce the basic contents of the related terms of industrial heritage, examine the overall situation of protection and renewal in Belgium. The industrial heritage in Belgium shows its regional characteristics, each region has its representative industrial heritage types. In the Walloon region, it is the heavy industry. In Flanders, it is the textile industry. In Brussels, it is the service industry. The kinds of industrial heritages in Belgium are coordinate with each other. Industrial heritage tourism is developed, especially on eco-tourism, experience tourism. The industrial heritage in transportation and mining are the representative industrial heritages in Belgium. There are a set of numbers industrial heritages are still in running based on a successful reconstruction into industrial tourism projects. Due to the advanced experience in dealing with industrial heritage, the industrial heritage and the city live together harmoniously.

Industrial heritage reflects the development track of human production activities and witnessed the rise and fall of industrial civilization. As one of the earliest countries in the world to start the Industrial Revolution, Belgium has a rich industrial history. Over the past years, a set of industrial heritage renewal projects have emerged in Belgium in the process of urban regeneration. In this paper, we introduce the basic contents of the related terms of industrial heritage, examine the overall situation of protection and renewal in Belgium. The industrial heritage in Belgium shows its regional characteristics, each region has its representative industrial heritage types. In the Walloon region, it is the heavy industry. In Flanders, it is the textile industry. In Brussels, it is the service industry. The kinds of industrial heritages in Belgium are coordinate with each other. Industrial heritage tourism is developed, especially on eco-tourism, experience tourism. The industrial heritage in transportation and mining are the representative industrial heritages in Belgium. There are a set of numbers industrial heritages are still in running based on a successful reconstruction into industrial tourism projects. Due to the advanced experience in dealing with industrial heritage, the industrial heritage and the city live together harmoniously.

If more widely deployed, small-scale cogeneration could increase energy efficiency in Europe. Of the two main commercially available technologies—the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and the micro Gas Turbine (mGT)—the ICE dominates the market due to its higher electrical efficiency. However, by transforming the mGT into a micro Humid Air Turbine (mHAT), the electrical efficiency of this cycle can increase, thus enhancing its operational flexibility. This paper presents an in-depth policy and economic assessment of the the ICE, mGT and mHAT technologies for dwellings based in Spain, France and Belgium. The hourly demands of average households, the market conditions and the subsidies applicable in each region are considered. The aim is twofold: to evaluate the profitability of the technologies and to assess the cogeneration policies in place. The results show that only the ICE in Brussels is economically viable, despite all units providing positive energy savings in all locations (except mHAT in Spain). Of the three different green certificate schemes offered in Belgium, Brussels is the one leading to the best outcome. Spain awards both capital and operational helps, although auto-consumption is not valued. The same applies to the complex French feed-in tariff. Conclusively, with the current policies, investing in small-scale cogeneration is in general not attractive and its potential efficiency gains remain unveiled.

"Social Europe Days” is a collaborative four-day international seminar held yearly near Brussels, Belgium, by a network of ten European universities from eight different countries. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the seminar had to be offered virtually and redesigned. The final design included synchronous and asynchronous activities, informal and formal interactions, and a focus on empathy for the existential problems faced by participating students and faculty during the pandemic. This article describes the design challenges, the design choices and decisions that led to the virtual seminar design, and reflections based on lead faculty notes, member checking, and student evaluations.

Molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) is a dental enamel pathology responsible for unfavorable functional and aesthetic implications. The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence, dental anxiety, and quality of life related to oral health in children with MIH. In 14 schools in Brussels, Belgium, 290 children aged 8 to 9.5 answered Children’s Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) and Child-Oral Impact on Daily Performance (C-OIDP) questionnaires to assess dental anxiety and quality of life related to oral health (OHRQoL). Oral examinations allowed us to detect MIH according to standardized criteria. The MIH prevalence was 18.6%. The Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth index (DMFT index) of MIH patients was significantly higher than non-MIH patients (p < 0.001), mainly due to more restored teeth. There was no significant association between MIH and dental anxiety or OHRQoL. Caries in the deciduous dentition was significantly associated with impaired quality of life. The MIH prevalence in Brussels is comparable to other European countries. MIH had no significant impact on dental anxiety and OHRQoL in this sample. The dynamic nature of MIH lesions requires early diagnosis and management to limit the evolution of the severity of the lesions and their implications. It is possible that older age groups may present more symptoms, however, this would require a longitudinal study.

<p>The article delves into the complex world of exhibition architectures, those whose destiny is reduced to be mounted, exposed and dismantled in a short period of time. A process that allows a quick experience of architecture, bounded in time, and whose experimentation gives rise to the birth of new concepts. The text focuses on the German Pavilion designed by Mies van der Rohe for the Brussels World’s Fair of 1934, his only unbuilt ephemeral architecture due to the political uniqueness of the moment. Now, criticism and the archive allow us to reinterpret its contribution to the history of architecture.</p>

Several reforms were brought into force in Belgium in the last twenty years. First of all, Belgium has become a federal state with its typical characteristics of assymetry and complexity: it consists of three regions and three communities which do not coincide completely. The federalisation process has led to linguistic agreements between the Flemish and the French community taking largely into account the specific situation of Brussels. Also budgettary agreements concerning the financing of the communities and the regions are a product ofthe federalisation process. In these decades Belgian government has also significantly taken care of its public finances: The deficit has decreased and Belgium now finds itself in the European average but it has given Belgium governments a hard time. Today Belgium has reached the objectives necessary to participate at the european monetary union.Fundamental changes in society have put ethical questions on the political agenda. This has led to arrangements in one way or another on subjects like abortion and made discussions on euthanasie and the use of soft drugs at least possible.Last but not least new rules were adopted concerning democracy and the functioning of political parties. Especially the way political parties will befinanced has been take care of but also measures increasing equality between men and women and procedures for more direct democracy. The reform of the judiciary has been tackled.These changes put forward that the role of the party leaders altered considerably. At the interface of political convictions and the management ot the state, the position is loaded multifunctionally due to the several levels of policymaking and the various ways of political expression. "One bas to strive for the ideal without overlooking the real".

Our research aims at unveiling the various drivers that can have an impact on urban densification. Unlike the usual logistic modelling techniques, our study considers multi-level built-up densities ranging from low to high built-up density. The commonly used dataset for a number of present studies is based on raster images. Our study uses vector-based cadastral data to create maps for the years 2000, 2010 and 2020 in order to better trace densification. Furthermore, our study addresses the situation of a metropolitan area, Brussels, that spreads over three different regions that are developing independent land-planning policies. Since the state reform of 1993, Belgium has undergone a significant political transformation with a decentralization of land-planning policies from the state level to regional authorities. This reform allowed a progressive divergence of planning policies between the three regions, i.e., Flanders, the Brussels Capital Region and Wallonia. According to our findings, all the controlling factors exhibit distinct variation over all their density classes for the three regions. This may be due to differences in socioeconomic, territorial, and regulatory factors. For Flanders and the Brussels Capital Region, slope and distance to roadways are the most significant drivers explaining densification, whereas densification in Wallonia is predominantly influenced by land-use policies, especially the zoning regime. These results highlight the impact of considering cross-regional divergences in the implementation of planning policies at the metropolitan level, especially in those metropolitan areas that are expanding into different regions with divergent planning policies.

Introduction: Paternal perinatal depression (PPND) occurs in 10% of fathers, which implies an important burden for families and public health services. A better understanding of the population awareness on the topic is essential to adequately identify and adequately support these cases. Objective: This study aims to investigate the awareness, knowledge, and attitudes of the Brussels and Flemish-Brabant population in Belgium towards PPND, using the validated Depression in Dads (DDads) questionnaire. Methods: A two-strands descriptive study was conducted in the Brussels’ Capital Region and in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium between March-May 2020 and March-May 2021. The sample included 314 adults, aged 18-65 years, Flemish speaking, and living in the previously cited provinces. The DDads Questionnaire was administered online via LimeSurvey© (an encrypted and secured online data collection service) due to the COVID-19 social distancing measures. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS 28.0 SPSS© Statistics for Windows©. Ethical approval was obtained from the Brussels’ University Hospital and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) committees. Results: In the case of respondents, anxiousness was the most frequently cited mental health problem as experienced by men during their partners’ pregnancy (82.4%) and during the postnatal period (68.4%). Although well recognized as mental health issue, and as a general health concern, paternal depression had low recognition by respondents, and it was considered by 37.3% of them as being “normal” during the process of fatherhood. New personality traits such as (withdrawal, avoidance, isolation, indecision, or irritability, amongst others) were regarded as a common symptom of PPND by 64.6% of respondents. When asked about best ways of coping -in the case of paternal depression- non-pharmacological approaches were mostly preferred. In the case of experiencing PPND, the main advice was to ask for support from informal networks (family or friends) whilst professional support from the mental health services was suggested only as a secondary option. Over 70% of respondents believed that paternal depression requires from a specialized treatment though. Only 39.2% of the respondents agreed that all men should be screened for depression symptoms during pregnancy, and 43.0% of participants agreed that those symptoms should also be checked after delivery. Conclusion: Attitudes towards PPND appeared to be diverse. PPND and perinatal mental health terms seem to be poorly understood. A clear need to increase awareness concerning men’s mental health during pregnancy (of their partners) and PPND is patent. Better awareness may help fathers in difficulty to be identified earlier, for them to be better attended during this process, and to decrease PPND rates and ultimately improve perinatal mental health.

Abstract Background International electives benefit training of medical residents due to exposure to an increased scope of pathologies, improved physical examination skills, communication across cultural boundaries and more efficient resource utilization. Currently there is no mechanism for Belgian surgical residents to participate in international training opportunities and little research has addressed the international mobility of Belgian residents. The goal of this study was to examine the attitudes of Belgian residents towards international training among surgical residents. Methods An anonymous, structured electronic questionnaire was sent to a cohort of Belgian residents, including surgical residents, by e-mail and social media. Results In total, 342 respondents filled out the questionnaire out of a total of 5906 Belgian residents. The results showed that 334 of the residents came from Flanders (10.8%) and 8 came from French-speaking Brussels and Wallonia (0.28%). Surgical specialties represented 46% of respondents and included surgical, obstetric and anaesthesiology residents. The majority (98%) were interested in an international rotation, both in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and in high-income countries. A total of 84% were willing to conduct an international rotation during holidays and 91% would participate even when their international stay would not be recognised as part of their residency training. A minority (38%) had undertaken an international rotation in the past and, of those, 5% went to an LMIC. Conclusion The majority of surgical residents consider an international rotation as educationally beneficial, even though they are rarely undertaken. Our survey shows that in order to facilitate foreign rotations, Flemish universities and governmental institutions will have to alleviate the regulatory, logistical and financial constraints.

It is well known that analysis using transmission electron microscopes (TEM) yields very high resolution images of thin specimens. However, the applicability of TEM analysis is not universal due to the requirement that a high internal vacuum is required. This high vacuum precludes the TEM study of living specimens or specimens in a gas or liquid environment. In order to tackle this problem, L. Marton of Universite Libre in Brussels, Belgium was the first to design an environmental cell (E-cell) in 1935 that was sealed in the tip of a TEMsample holder [1]. Marton's design included two 0.5 μm aluminum foils as upper and lower windows sandwiching a biological sample to sustain a living environment. The electron transparent windows permitted the confined biological objects to be imaged in TEMmode. Since then, environmental TEM (E-TEM) has received increasing attention from biological scientists and eventually from materials scientists as well.

Abstract. In Belgium, only rain gauge time series have been used so far to study extreme rainfall at a given location. In this paper, the potential of a 12-year quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) from a single weather radar is evaluated. For the period 2005–2016, 1 and 24 h rainfall extremes from automatic rain gauges and collocated radar estimates are compared. The peak intensities are fitted to the exponential distribution using regression in Q-Q plots with a threshold rank which minimises the mean squared error. A basic radar product used as reference exhibits unrealistic high extremes and is not suitable for extreme value analysis. For 24 h rainfall extremes, which occur partly in winter, the radar-based QPE needs a bias correction. A few missing events are caused by the wind drift associated with convective cells and strong radar signal attenuation. Differences between radar and gauge rainfall values are caused by spatial and temporal sampling, gauge underestimations and radar errors. Nonetheless the fit to the QPE data is within the confidence interval of the gauge fit, which remains large due to the short study period. A regional frequency analysis for 1 h duration is performed at the locations of four gauges with 1965–2008 records using the spatially independent QPE data in a circle of 20 km. The confidence interval of the radar fit, which is small due to the sample size, contains the gauge fit for the two closest stations from the radar. In Brussels, the radar extremes are significantly higher than the gauge rainfall extremes, but similar to those observed by an automatic gauge during the same period. The extreme statistics exhibit slight variations related to topography. The radar-based extreme value analysis can be extended to other durations.

On june 13th, the Belgian voters had to choose their representatives in four assemblies: the European Parliament, the Chamber of Representatives, the Senate, and the Regional Council of either the Flemish, the Walloon or the Brussels Capital regions accordingly.Thus these elections made it possible to measure possible differences in the results a same list obtained in the different polls. These differences could be observed for some lists, but not for all and were essentially due to the personality of certain candidates rather than to a political will to differentiate, with the exception perhaps of the Ecologists, who traditionally perform better in European elections.These elections also saw an increased use of computer based voting: some 44 % of the registered voters had to express their choice via a computer screen. As a consequence one observed a sensitive drop in "blank and spoilt" ballots.The elections have been characterized by several phenomena. First, there was a marked decline, amounting to some 10 % of the votes, in the support for the parties of the outgoing majority: christian democrats and socialists. In losing each somewhat less than 5 %, they have both hit their historical low and together no langer hold a simpte majority in Parliament.The liberal family bas become the largest in Belgium, which had never accured since the introduction of the single vote system (1919). This first position was conquered more through the decline in the results of the socialists and the christian democrats than via a true advance of the liberals. Though the Flemish component of the liberals progressed by 1.14 %, the French-speaking wing receded by 0.13 %.The overall winners of the elections are the ecologists who on the whole climb from 8. 44 % to 14.36 %. This progression is ho wever proportionately much more marked for the French-speaking component (Ecolo) than for the Flemish part (Agalev). Ecolo bas become the thirdmost important party of Wallonia and the second one in Brussels, whereas Agalev remains the fifth party in Flanders.The extremist parties have had diverging results. The extreme left remains altogether very marginal in Belgium (about 1 %) , whereas the extreme right appears to be a typically Flemish phenomenon. Indeed, the Vlaams Blok increases its share of votes by 3 .12 % and with 15.31 % has become the third party in Flanders and thereby even surpasses somewhat the result obtained by the VN.V in 1939.The French-speaking extreme right suffered a decline due among others to internal divisions and only stands for 4.09 % in Wallonia and 4 % in Brussels. As a consequence of these results the composition of the assemblies has changed drastically. To constitute a government holding a simpte majority in the Chamber of Representatives, one needs at least three political families (i.e. 6 parties) or two families and the support of another party (5 parties). In the Flemish parliament, one needs either a three party coalition, but necessarily comprising the CVP, or a four party coalition to obtain a majority. In the Walloon parliament, a two party coalition is only possible if the PS participates.In Brussels, the Vlaams Blok, although passing from 2 to 4 seats, bas not succeeded in paralysing the functioning of the institutions as this party didn't obtain the majority in the Flemish group.Opinion polls held before the elections had forecast the direction in which votes would shift, but not the extent. The dioxine crisis bas reinforced this shift and has undoubtedly accentuated the progression of the ecologist lists.

Abstract. In the '90s, the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) of Belgium started to replace its conventional ''manual'' meteorological network by automated weather stations (AWSs). The meteorological measurement network is now fully automated. RMI counts 18 AWSs that made automated observations centrally available in our headquarters in Uccle, Brussels to internal as well as external users. Due to the large increase in the data amount associated with the automation, quality assurance (QA) procedures are being automated. However, human operators continue to play an essential role in the data validation processes. This contribution describes our newly developed semi-automatic quality control (QC) of 10-min air temperature data. After an existence test, the data are checked for limits consistency, temporal consistency and spatial consistency. At the end of these automated checks, a decision algorithm attributes a flag to each particular data. Each day the QC staff analyzes the preceding day observations in the light of the quality flags assigned by automated QA procedures during the night. It is the human decision whether or not a value is accepted.

Abstract The scope of this paper is to make a review of the good practices of active mobility measures implemented by big European cities to face the changing travel patterns and the social distancing requirement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Active mobility good practices were gathered by 50 postgraduate students and they were categorized by the authors. 50 European cities were reported, of which four (4) were examined further as the most reported ones. These were the following: Paris, France; Milan, Italy; Brussels, Belgium; and Berlin, Germany. This does not mean that these cities are the best performing in active mobility, as there could be cities that already had adequate active mobility performance, and other factors interfere, such as the brand name of each city. The most reported good practice was the temporary pop-up bicycle lanes, also applied in Thessaloniki, Greece. Another good practice is the expansion of pedestrianization and the speed limit of 30 km/h. Athens, Thessaloniki, and other Greek cities have a lot to learn from the experience of the other European cities, and this paper is an attempt of knowledge transfer. It seems that the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic has become an excellent opportunity for the promotion of active mobility in Europe that should not be left unexploited.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced social isolation affecting all areas of life. It also affected the functioning of schools and universities. Many countries have introduced full or partial distance learning. The aim of the study was to assess the level of physical activity and student mood of the Faculty of Physiotherapy of the Academy of Physical Education in Wrocław (Poland) and students of the Faculty of Health of the ODISSE University in Brussels (Belgium) after a year of the study conducted in a mixed mode due to contact restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and checking which of the analyzed factors increases the risk of depression to the greatest extent. Material and methods: 297 students from the 2nd to 4th year of full-time studies took part in the observation. The academic year 2020/2021 was assessed. Physical activity was assessed using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) recommended for this type of analysis by WHO. The GPAQ questionnaire enables the assessment of activity performed at work, movement, and leisure time and assesses the time of sitting or resting in a supine position. The Beck Depression Inventory was used to assess mental health. The subjects also completed a questionnaire concerning selected somatic features and describing their living conditions in the previous year. Results: In the group of Polish students, classes conducted in a completely remote mode accounted for about 50%, while in the group of Belgian students, about 75%. In the described period, 19% of students from Poland and 22% of students from Belgium were infected with COVID-19. The median of the results of the Beck Depression Scale in both groups was lower than 12 points (7 points in the AWF group and 8 points in the ODISSE group, respectively). A detailed analysis showed that in both study groups, more than 30% of students received results showing a depressed mood. A total of 19% of the surveyed students of the University of Physical Education and 27% of the ODISSE students were characterized by a result indicating mild depression. The results of the GPAQ questionnaire show that the total physical activity, including work/study, recreation, and mobility was 16.5 h a week for students from Poland and 7.4 h a week for students from Belgium. Conclusions: Both groups of subjects reached all the thresholds recommended by the WHO as a sufficient level of weekly physical activity. A group of students of the Faculty of Physiotherapy of the University of Physical Education in Wrocław was characterized by more than twice as high (statistically significant) level of weekly physical activity as compared to the group of participants from the ODISSE University in Brussels. In both study groups, more than 30% of students experienced a lowered mood of varying intensity. It is necessary to monitor the mental state of students and, in the event of obtaining control results at a similar level, to implement psychological assistance for willing participants.

In Belgium the European elections and those for the regional councils were held on the same day. The elections of June 13th 2004 deserve a threefold analysis. First a comparison can be made with the results obtained five years ago for the same assemblies. lt shows that in Flanders the socialist party has progressed but that this advance was mainly due to the constitution of a cartel with one faction - Spirit - of the defunct Volksunie. The christian democrats made headway, their progress being enhanced by the contribution of N-VA, the other faction stemming from the Volksunie. The liberals declined fairly markedly as did the green party but to a lesser extent than in the elections for the federal parliament. The June 2004 elections saw above all progress for the extreme right Vlaams Blok, which has become the second biggest party of Flanders with 24 pct of the vote. In the Walloon provinces the socialists progress most thereby increasing the gap separating them from the liberals. The christian democrats advance somewhat while the green party Ecolo declines substantially. The parties of the far right gain support and reach 8.73 pct of the vote. In Brussels the socialist advance is very marked allowing this party to conquer first place to the detriment of the liberals who are in decline. The progress made by frenchspeaking christian democrats is significant.A second approach for the analysis consists in comparing the results of the regional elections with those of the European ones. The differences are slight and rnainly due to the popularity of the candidates. In Belgium there was no "eurosceptic" or "sovereignty" list. The third angle consists in comparing the 2004 results with the ones of the parliamentary elections of 2003. One then observes in Flanders a decline of the socialists, a significant fall in support for the liberals and a progression of the christian democrats. But the main development remains the progression of the Vlaams Blok which gains more than 6 pct compared to its good result of 2003. In the Walloon provinces, the socialists remain at their 2003 level but increase their positive gap with regard to the liberals who are in decline. The christian democrats advance by some 2 pct whereas Ecolo recovers a small part of its 2003 loss. The parties of the far right gain some 1.5 pct. In Brussels, the most noteworthy developrnent is the progress of the frenchspeaking socialists who take over the first place from the liberals.In genera!lthese elections are characterised by a reinforcement of the far right to the detriment of the centre parties and by a status quo of the aggregate consisting of socialists and greens, but to the benefit of the former.

Background Nursing homes (NH) for the elderly have been particularly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic mainly due to their hosted vulnerable populations and poor outbreak preparedness. In Belgium, the medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) implemented a support project for NH including training on infection prevention and control (IPC), (re)-organization of care, and psychosocial support for NH staff. As psychosocial and mental health needs of NH residents in times of Covid-19 are poorly understood and addressed, this study aimed to better understand these needs and how staff could respond accordingly. Methods A qualitative study adopting thematic content analysis. Eight focus group discussions with direct caring staff and 56 in-depth interviews with residents were conducted in eight purposively and conveniently selected NHs in Brussels, Belgium, June 2020. Results NH residents experienced losses of freedom, social life, autonomy, and recreational activities that deprived them of their basic psychological needs. This had a massive impact on their mental well-being expressed in feeling depressed, anxious, and frustrated as well as decreased meaning and quality of life. Staff felt unprepared for the challenges posed by the pandemic; lacking guidelines, personal protective equipment and clarity around organization of care. They were confronted with professional and ethical dilemmas, feeling ‘trapped’ between IPC and the residents’ wellbeing. They witnessed the detrimental effects of the measures imposed on their residents. Conclusion This study revealed the insights of residents’ and NH staff at the height of the early Covid-19 pandemic. Clearer outbreak plans, including psychosocial support, could have prevented the aggravated mental health conditions of both residents and staff. A holistic approach is needed in NHs in which tailor-made essential restrictive IPC measures are combined with psychosocial support measures to reduce the impact on residents’ mental health impact and to enhance their quality of life.

2056 Background: Glioblastoma represents the most aggressive primary brain tumor in adults, and less than 5% of patients survive 5 years from diagnosis. Factors influencing this long-term survival are poorly understood. Methods: In cooperation with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) in Brussels, Belgium, more than 20 clinical sites in the US, Europe and Australia have registered patients with centrally confirmed glioblastoma who survived ≥ 5 years, collecting clinical data including therapy and quality of life-related factors, as well as biospecimens allowing to analyse molecular and immunological parameters. Results: At the cut-off of December 31, 2018, 392 patients were registered, of which 232 had glioblastoma confirmed by central pathology review; 59 dropped out due to histology other than glioblastoma. Glioblastomas were isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wildtype in 70.7% and had a positive O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promotor methylation status in 75.9%. Median age at diagnosis was 52 years (range: 21-77 years). There was enrichment for patients with gross total resection. Further analyses are ongoing. Conclusions: In a comprehensive effort, the consortium funded by the US Brain Tumor Funders’ Collaborative characterizes factors modulating long-term survival in glioblastoma in a unique large patient cohort. Clinical trial information: NCT 03770468.

Abstract Due to the heritage value of historical buildings, the external facade can often not be modified. Therefore, heritage buildings require interior insulation when undergoing an energy renovation. However, interior retrofitting drastically changes the hygrothermal behaviour of a wall and can potentially cause moisture-related problems. Besides an interior retrofit, a changing climate might also trigger some of these damage mechanisms since parameters such as temperature and precipitation will change over time. It is proven that hygrothermal models can provide relevant insights into the risk of deterioration associated with these damage phenomena. Heat, Air and Moisture (HAM) tools are commercially available but rarely used in the building industry to study deterioration risks. Translating research into practical tools and guidelines is a challenge across the whole field of building renovation. This paper aims to tackle that challenge, by means of creating a hygrothermal risk assessment tool based on 48,384 HAM-simulations for the climate of Brussels, Belgium. Seven different performance criteria are addressed and discussed: freeze-thaw damage, mould growth, wood rot, corrosion, moisture accumulation, salt efflorescence and bio-colonisation. Subsequent to a sensitivity analysis, the study further investigates how these results can be translated into practice, providing building practitioners the most suitable insights and recommendations.

Certification aims at ensuring food quality and safety, as well as confirming other beneficial credence attributes, such as local origin and sustainability. In order to explore the visibility and credibility of such certification labels functioning in the European Union, a study was conducted among residents of two EU Member States, Poland and Belgium. Face-to-face questionnaire-based interviews and focus group interviews were conducted among 701 adults living in Warsaw and Brussels—the capital cities of these countries. Almost 44% of Belgian respondents and 33% of Polish respondents considered certified foods as being of better quality compared to unlabeled products. Focus group interviews demonstrated that Belgian consumers had more extensive knowledge and a higher level of trust in certified foods compared to Warsaw inhabitants. Our findings suggest that certificates are moderately important factors of food choice due to the wide variety of certificates, leading to consumer confusion, a lack of label uniformity, greenwashing, limited visibility and availability at points of sale, consumer price sensitivity and the prioritization of other factors. These constraints can be alleviated by introducing food labeling standards and regulations. Increasing consumer awareness and the availability and affordability of certified foods can also boost the demand for sustainable products in the region.

Substrates from fibrous materials are widely used in packaging applications and are produced in high quantities on roll-to-roll production lines. The anisotropic material behavior presents a demanding situation for the process control of the converting step. In this work, the influence of moisture and temperature on the mechanical properties of coated and uncoated fiber-based substrates and the influence of other material properties were investigated. The change of moisture content in relation to the surrounding temperature and relative humidity was investigated for different products. The hygroexpansion in dependence of the humidity is measured in machine and cross direction. The changes in the mechanical properties of the different materials due to changes in moisture content were investigated by tensile testing. The material behavior was highly responsive to the surrounding humidity and, thus, the material’s moisture content. A relative humidity between 60% and 70% showed the influence on the material properties most clearly. The presented work showed an influence of the coating on the moisture content for higher grammages. The effect of bleaching was also investigated. Bleaching decreases the potential for moisture absorption and, therefore, influences the moisture content and properties such as hygroexpansion. Coatings influence the hygroexpansion in an anisotropic manner. Coating and bleaching also influence the tensile properties of fiber-based materials. This article is an expanded version of a talk given at the 14th European Coating Symposium, 6–9 September 2021, Brussels, Belgium.

AbstractFrom 1816 lithographic businesses began to develop in Western Europe. Use was made of a printing technique, lithography - based on the repellent working of water and fat - which was catching on especially in Germany and France. The Low Countries remained behind: early in 1818 only small lithographic printing offices were to be found in Brussels, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. At about that time the Frenchman MJ.V. Duval de Mercourt, calling himself an architect, presented himself in the Netherlands. Stimulated by the Dutch envoy at the court of Paris, Baron Fagel, he requested King William I to be permitted to found lithographical offices in The Hague and Brussels and to call himself Royal Lithographer. This was permitted by Royal Decree of 16 July 1818. Added to it was, highly unusually, that the establishment of Duval was greeted with approval, and that the hope was expressed that he might succeed in his attempts. The background of all this was the industrialisation policy that was pursued more in particular by the king himself. Indeed, Duval set about his business with great expectations and fervour. Probably he officially opened a - for Dutch standards - large lithographic printing office which consisted of at least two presses, which he called the Lithographie Royale'. He focused in particular on government commissions and especially on making autographs of written documents which up to that time had to be copied by hand. This technique, where writing was done with fat ink on prepared paper, after which the text was transferred to the stone and printed, seemed a godsend indeed. This autographic technique also had the king's interest: for, would it not be possible to introduce it and subsequently discharge clerks at the ministries? The future seemed to favour Duval, but alas, reality was different. It appeared that government as well as private institutions would provide him with hardly any work, possibly because of his high prices. It is also remarkable that some ministries did not want to have anything to do with this new printing method. After half a year he was already threatened with financial downfall, also through a loss he had personally suffered and the downward turn of the Dutch economy. The king then intervened with a number of measures in favour of Duval, of which the most important was that he was allowed to work for the Ministry of Water Management. An attempt was also made to accommodate him at the Algemeene Landsdrukkerij in The Hague, a government printing office with a monopoly on all government printed matter. The directors, however, confirmed letterpress printers, did not believe in this new printing technique which, according to them, could have no future because it would always be more expensive than their own beautiful printing. Because the locations of the ministries were changing between The Hague and Brussels about every half year, Duval was forced to follow the Ministry of Water Management to Brussels and to found a lithographic printing office there as well. Although he was supplied with more work there, he appeared to be at the end of his tether half way through 1819 due to a lack of financial resources. His financial situation was such that he was even refused a government advance because it was feared that he would not be able to reimburse it. Thereafter he was forced to make a disadvantageous contract with a private person, after which he left for The Hague, a destitute man. Although work from the Ministry of Water Management was also given to him there, things continued to go downhill for him. He now also lost his premises in The Hague so that he could no longer accept commissions. True, some time later a new place was found, but he had to agree that his co-worker, D. Abrahams, was to be appointed as his partner. Halfway through 1820 there arrived at last a reply to the many petitons and pleas he had sent to the king. This was, however, negative, because it was feared that a financial contribution from the government might slow down the downfall of his enterprise, but would not prevent it. Even damages were not granted because he was supposed to have given a false impression of things. He then left first to go to Brussels and later on to France, leaving his lithographic printing office in The Hague to Abrahams. The latter succeeded in getting the enterprise off to a good start within a few years, notably by making lithographs and trading in lithographs and sheet music, the main aim of the business. From about 1823 the number of commissions for lithographs increased, with a marked improvement in the quality of his work. This resulted in an honourable mention in the second industry exhibition held in the Netherlands in the summer of 1825. During this exhibition he was appointed first lithographer at the Algemeene Landsdrukkerij! This was because the king had intervened anew in the field of lithography and persevered against the advice of his minister in having an autographic printing office there, an office that was to be closed in 1832 due to lack of work and with great losses. The Lithographic Royale subsequently stopped its activities after Abrahams had received a compensation in his salary for it. Finally, the lithographic activities in The Hague were continued by his brother, A.M. Abrahams, on a modest scale.

The urban built environment concentrates due to the growing urbanization trend, triggering construction and renovation works in urban areas. Although construction works often revitalize cities upon completion, the associated logistics activities engender a significant financial and environmental footprint if not handled appropriately. Cities have the largest potential to reduce negative impacts through requirements on construction logistics. However, today, there is a lack of knowledge within cities on how to set such demands and how to involve and manage the numerous and varying stakeholders in these processes. This paper presents a participatory decision-making framework for the governance of urban construction logistics on economic, environmental and societal levels, building further on the Multi-Actor Multi-Criteria Analysis (MAMCA). The framework was then implemented on a use case in the dense urban Brussels-Capital Region (Belgium), gathering a wide variety of stakeholders in the context of a sustainable Construction Logistics Scenario (CLS) evaluation. Special attention was paid on the identification of implementation barriers and the role of governments to facilitate the introduction and city-wide roll-out of novel CLS. Findings show how different processes are site-, actor- and condition-specific, thereby delivering a common built object which is often based on different motivations and concerns. The study proposes a flexible, replicable and upscalable framework both from an inter- and intracity perspective, which can serve to support (1) the management of processes and CLS, (2) the management of people and the community, and (3) the project and city, in the context of multi-level governance.

Abstract ‘Aging in place’ has been one of the key goals for policymakers in the last 20 years, often translated into policies of deinstitutionalization. Due to the high costs of residential care, the home has re-emerged as a key site for the provision and consumption of care and support. Several critiques of this evolution have been formulated, including the challenges ageing in place might represent for older people, leading to reduced quality of life, and the need to consider low quality of older people’s houses, meaning that older people’s homes might not be the “best” places to age. However, what has received too little attention in the whole “aging in place” discourse is the end-of-life. This symposium addresses this by illustrating that we cannot talk about ageing in place without talking about dying in place. The authors present research on how dying, death, loss and bereavement might be included in the ageing-in-place policy and practice: Doran sets the stage with a critical reflection of ageing in place and the need to reflect on joining up ageing in place and end-of-life theory and practice. Smetcoren reports on the development of a ‘maison de mourance’ in a ‘co-housing and co-caring’ project in Brussels. Dury discusses consolation spaces in Flanders and how they decrease the taboo on death, grief and loss in the neighborhood. And Stegen reports on the caring neighbourhood-movement in Belgium and how some orient themselves to becoming part of a worldwide network of ‘compassionate communities’.

Urban areas pay increasing attention to new construction and infrastructure works, mainly due to the rapid global rise in urbanisation. In the long run, these works have a positive correlation with the economic and social attractiveness of cities. Construction strongly relies on logistics activities, which cannot be neglected in the environmental equation. An important aspect in tackling the negative effects of construction logistics (CL) lies in understanding the source and mitigation potential of the impacts incurred. However, currently, limited robust impact assessments are available for this sector. Given the lack of these rigorous assessments, it is difficult to evaluate the environmental criteria concerned, especially when comparing innovative CL solutions. In this paper, we present a holistic sustainability assessment framework designed for CL activities based on life cycle approaches, which covers four main iterative steps: (1) goal and scope definition, (2) data identification and availability, (3) scenario and setup evaluation and (4) environmental impact assessment. To measure both the off-site and on-site CL impact, two distinct and complementary methodologies are used: External Cost Calculations and Life Cycle Assessment. The framework was implemented on a pilot case in the Brussels-Capital Region (Belgium). It provides a holistic view of CL impacts for policy evaluations and implementations on the project, portfolio or city level. The results show that off-site zero-emission construction vehicles are the way forward if cities want to achieve environmental goals by 2035. However, market readiness for high-capacity vehicles must be considered. Otherwise, the positive effects on air pollution, climate change and noise are offset by a saturation of the road transport network and its associated congestion and infrastructure damage costs.

AbstractIntroductionDuring a refugees’ mass-gathering incident in Kos Island, Greece, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF; Brussels, Belgium) teams provided emergency medical care. A case report of the event focusing on difficulties encountered by the interpreters during triage and emergency response was prepared.MethodsData collected during the event were reviewed from the patient’s register and qualitative interviews were obtained from the MSF interpreters involved in the response. In addition, a description of the event and a literature review were included.ResultsTotal consultations were 49 patients, mainly from Syria, with an average age of 25 years. During triage, 20 patients were tagged green with only minor injuries; 11 patients were tagged yellow, mostly due to heat exhaustion, but also a hypertensive crisis, a diabetic, a pregnant woman with abdominal pain, and a peptic ulcer exacerbation. The remaining 18 patients were tagged red and diagnosed with heat syncope, except from a case of epileptic seizures and an acute chest pain patient. Interpreters were insufficient in number to accompany each doctor and every nurse providing care during the event. In addition, they were constantly disturbed by both refugees and fellow medical team members demanding their service. Interpreters had to triage and prioritize where to go and for whom to interpret.ConclusionInterpreters are an integral part of a proper refugee reception system. They should be included in authorities planning where mass gatherings of refugees are expected. Appropriate training may be needed for interpreters to develop skills useful in mass gatherings and similar prehospital settings in order to better coordinate with the medical team.AlexakisLCPapachristouABaruzziCKonstantinouA. The use of interpreters in medical triage during a refugee mass-gathering incident in Europe. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(6):684–687.

Abstract. The Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) is employed as an intercomparison tool for validating TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) satellite NO2 retrievals against high-resolution Airborne Prism EXperiment (APEX) remote sensing observations performed in June 2019 in the region of Antwerp, a major hotspot of NO2 pollution in Europe. The model is first evaluated using meteorological and chemical observations in this area. Sensitivity simulations varying the model planetary layer boundary (PBL) parameterization were conducted for a 3 d period in June 2019, indicating a generally good performance of most parameterizations against meteorological data (namely ceilometer, surface meteorology, and balloon measurements), except for a moderate overestimation (∼ 1 m s−1) of near-surface wind speed. On average, all but one of the PBL schemes reproduce the surface NO2 measurements at stations of the Belgian Interregional Environmental Agency fairly well, although surface NO2 is generally underestimated during the day (between −4.3 % and −25.1 % on average) and overestimated at night (8.2 %–77.3 %). This discrepancy in the diurnal evolution arises despite (1) implementing a detailed representation of the diurnal cycle of emissions (Crippa et al., 2020) and (2) correcting the modeled concentrations to account for measurement interferences due to NOy reservoir species, which increases NO2 concentrations by about 20 % during the day. The model is further evaluated by comparing a 15 d simulation with surface NO2, NO, CO, and O3 data in the Antwerp region. The modeled daytime NO2 concentrations are more negatively biased during weekdays than during weekends, indicating a misrepresentation of the weekly temporal profile applied to the emissions obtained from Crippa et al. (2020). Using a mass balance approach, we determined a new weekly profile of NOx emissions, leading to a homogenization of the relative bias among the different weekdays. The ratio of weekend to weekday emissions is significantly lower in this updated profile (0.6) than in the profile based on Crippa et al. (2020; 0.84). Comparisons with remote sensing observations generally show a good reproduction of the spatial patterns of NO2 columns by the model. The model underestimated both APEX (by ca. −37 %) and TROPOMI columns (ca. −25 %) on 27 June, whereas no significant bias is found on 29 June. The two datasets are intercompared by using the model as an intermediate platform to account for differences in vertical sensitivity through the application of averaging kernels. The derived bias of TROPOMI v1.3.1 NO2 with respect to APEX is about −10 % for columns between (6–12) × 1015 molec. cm−2. The obtained bias for TROPOMI v1.3.1 increases with the NO2 column, following CAPEX=1.217Cv1.3-0.783 × 1015 molec. cm−2, in line with previous validation campaigns. The bias is slightly lower for the reprocessed TROPOMI v2.3.1, with CAPEX=1.055CPAL-0.437 × 1015 molec. cm−2 (PAL). Finally, a mass balance approach was used to perform a crude inversion of NOx emissions based on 15 d averaged TROPOMI columns. The emission correction is conducted only in regions with high columns and high sensitivity to emission changes in order to minimize the errors due to wind transport. The results suggest that emissions increase over Brussels–Antwerp (+20 %), the Ruhr Valley (13 %), and especially Paris (+39 %), and emissions decrease above a cluster of power plants in western Germany.

Radiotherapy (RT) is an essential part of breast cancer (BC) treatments. Unfortunately, heart exposure to radiation can also impair the long-term survival of patients. Our study aimed to quantify the oncological benefit and the cardiovascular (CV) risk associated with modern RT in a real-world cohort of BC patients. Our descriptive study enrolled BC patients who received adjuvant RT. Ten-year overall survival (OS) was estimated using Predict® version 2.1 (National Health Service, London, UK). The basal risk of CV events was estimated using the American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) CV score. Treatment volumes and mean cardiac doses were obtained from RT treatment plan records. The increased risk of CV events due to RT was estimated using a model proposed by Darby. The risk of acute myocardial infarction or stroke mortality was estimated using HeartScore® (European Society of Cardiology, Brussels, Belgium). A total of 256 BC patients were included in the study. The average age of patients was 57 years old (range: 25–91); 49.6% had left BC. The mean cardiac dose was 166 cGy (interquartile range (IQR) 94–273); the estimated hazard ratio (HR) for CV disease was HR 1.12 (confidence interval (CI) 1.04–1.24). The estimated baseline 10-year CV risk was 5.6% (0.2 to 51.2); CV risk increased by 0.9% (range 0.02–35.47%) after RT. The absolute risk of 10-year mortality from CV disease was 2.5% (0.1–9); RT was associated with an estimated 4.9% survival benefit (3.73–6.07) against BC death and a 0.23% (0.17–0.29) estimated increase in CV mortality. Modern RT decreased 10-year BC mortality by 4% but increased CV mortality by 0.2% in this cohort. Our findings encourage the implementation of personalized adjuvant RT treatments that balance risks and benefits to improve long-term BC patient survival.

Abstract Context: In young women, some treatments for cancer or other conditions (such as sickle cell anemia) may give rise to primary ovarian insufficiency. Ovarian transplantation is one of the available options for fertility preservation, with highly variable pregnancy rates. Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate markers of ovarian reserve and ovarian function in women up to 7 yr after orthotopic ovarian transplantation. Secondary objectives were to assess the relationship between markers of ovarian reserve and pregnancy rate along with the duration of ovarian function. Design: This was a prospective cohort study in 10 women, with a mean follow-up of 2.5 yr. Setting: The study was conducted at a university hospital in Brussels, Belgium. Patients: Patients included 10 women who were about to receive or had previously received gonadotoxic treatment. In seven women cryopreservation of ovarian tissue was performed before starting treatment. Subsequently autografts were orthotopically transplanted in these women. Three women, who had already developed primary ovarian insufficiency due to treatment, underwent orthotopic transplantation of ovarian allograft tissue originating from their human leukocyte antigen-compatible sisters. Main Outcome Measures: Serum concentrations of FSH, LH, estradiol, inhibin B, and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) were measured. Results: On average, first menses took place after 4.7 months. Duration of graft functioning varied from 2 to more than 60 months. FSH concentrations remained elevated, whereas estradiol levels normalized and AMH was low to undetectable. Inhibin B varied among women and was not associated with the duration of ovarian function (hazard ratio 0.966, 95% confidence interval 0.881–1.059). Two spontaneous pregnancies occurred. Endocrine characteristics were not significantly different in these women. Conclusions: Low AMH and inhibin B concentrations may suggest decreased ovarian reserve in women after ovarian transplantation. AMH and inhibin B levels may not be associated with the duration of ovarian graft function or probability to achieve a pregnancy.

Even though eco-efficiency (EE) is already applied to various energy systems, so far, no study investigates in detail the hourly, marginal and seasonal impacts of a decentralized energy system. This study assesses the hourly EE of the Research Park Zellik (RPZ), located in the Brussels metropolitan area for 2022 composed of photovoltaic installations, wind turbines and batteries. A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) to identify the carbon footprint (CF) and a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) calculation is conducted. An existing design optimization framework is applied to the RPZ. Consumption data are obtained from smart meters of five consumers at the RPZ on a one-hour time resolution for 2022 and upscaled based on the annual consumption of the RPZ. As the EE is presented as the sum of the CF and the LCOE, a lower EE corresponds to an economically and environmentally preferable energy system. In a comparative framework, the developed method is applied to two different case studies, namely, (i) to an energy system in Vega de Valcerce in Spain and (ii) to an energy system in Bèli Bartoka in Poland. The average EE of the RPZ energy system in 2022 is 0.15 per kWh, while the average EE of the Polish and Spanish energy systems are 1.48 and 0.36 per kWh, respectively. When analyzing four selected weeks, both the LCOE and CF of the RPZ energy system are driven by the consumption of the Belgian electricity grid mix. In contrast, due to the very low LCOE and CF of the renewable energy sources, in particular wind turbines, the RPZ energy system’s EE benefits and lies below the EE of the Belgium electricity grid mix.

Objectives—The aim of the present study was to characterize the clinical phenotype of patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) with non-identified antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in comparison with that of patients with pSS with negative ANA, positive typical ANA (anti-Ro/SSA and/or La/SSB) and positive atypical ANA. Methods—We conducted an observational, retrospective monocentric study at the Erasme University Hospital (Brussels, Belgium). Two hundred and thirty-three patients fulfilling the 2002 American–European Consensus Group criteria for pSS were included in this study. The patients were subdivided according to their ANA profile and demographics. The clinical and biological data of each subgroup were compared. Moreover, the relationships between these data and the ANA profiles were determined by multiple correspondence analysis. Results—In our cohort, 42 patients (18%) presented a non-identified ANA-positive profile. No statistically significant difference could be observed between non-identified ANA patients and ANA-negative patients in terms of age and/or ESSDAI score at diagnosis. There were significantly more frequent articular manifestations, positive rheumatoid factor (RF), and the use of corticosteroids in anti-Ro/SSA-positive patients compared to ANA-negative (p ≤ 0.0001) and non-identified ANA-positive patients (p ≤ 0.01). However, a significantly higher proportion of RF positivity and corticosteroid treatment was observed in non-identified ANA-positive patients compared to ANA-negative patients (p < 0.05). Conclusions—For the first time to our knowledge, our study has characterized the clinical phenotype of patients with pSS with non-identified ANA at diagnosis. The non-identified ANA-positive patients featured mostly a clinical phenotype similar to that of the ANA-negative patients. On the other hand, the non-identified ANA-positive patients were mainly distinguished from the ANA-negative patients by a greater proportion of RF positivity and the need for corticosteroid use due to articular involvement.

Abstract. Compound drought and heatwave (CDHW) events can result in intensified damage to ecosystems, economies, and societies, especially on a warming planet. Although it has been reported that CDHW events in the winter season can also affect insects, birds, and the occurrence of wildfires, the literature generally focuses exclusively on the summer season. Moreover, the coarse temporal resolution of droughts as determined on a monthly scale may hamper the precise identification of the start and/or end dates of CDHW events. Therefore, we propose a method to identify CDHW events on a daily scale that is applicable across the four seasons. More specifically, we use standardized indices calculated on a daily scale to identify four types of compound events in a systematic way. Based on the hypothesis that droughts or heatwaves should be statistically extreme and independent, we remove minor dry or warm spells and merge mutually dependent ones. To demonstrate our method, we make use of 120 years of daily precipitation and temperature information observed at Uccle, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Our method yields more precise start and end dates for droughts and heatwaves than those that can be obtained with a classical approach acting on a monthly scale, thereby allowing for a better identification of CDHW events. Consistent with existing literature, we find an increase in the number of days in CDHW events at Uccle, mainly due to the increasing frequency of heatwaves. Our results also reveal a seasonality in CDHW events, as droughts and heatwaves are negatively dependent on one another in the winter season at Uccle, whereas they are positively dependent on one another in the other seasons. Overall, the method proposed in this study is shown to be robust and displays potential for exploring how year-round CDHW events influence ecosystems.

Abstract. Sentinel-5 Precursor (S-5P), launched in October 2017, carrying the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) nadir-viewing spectrometer, is the first mission of the Copernicus Programme dedicated to the monitoring of air quality, climate, and ozone. In the presented study, the TROPOMI tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) level-2 (L2) product (OFFL v1.03.01; 3.5 km × 7 km at nadir observations) has been validated over strongly polluted urban regions by comparison with coincident high-resolution Airborne Prism EXperiment (APEX) remote sensing observations (∼ 75 m × 120 m). Satellite products can be optimally assessed based on (APEX) airborne remote sensing observations, as a large amount of satellite pixels can be fully mapped at high accuracy and in a relatively short time interval, reducing the impact of spatiotemporal mismatches. In the framework of the S-5P validation campaign over Belgium (S5PVAL-BE), the APEX imaging spectrometer has been deployed during four mapping flights (26–29 June 2019) over the two largest urban regions in Belgium, i.e. Brussels and Antwerp, in order to map the horizontal distribution of tropospheric NO2. For each flight, 10 to 20 TROPOMI pixels were fully covered by approximately 2700 to 4000 APEX measurements within each TROPOMI pixel. The TROPOMI and APEX NO2 vertical column density (VCD) retrieval schemes are similar in concept. Overall, for the ensemble of the four flights, the standard TROPOMI NO2 VCD product is well correlated (R = 0.92) but biased negatively by −1.2 ± 1.2 × 1015 molec cm−2 or −14 ± 12 %, on average, with respect to coincident APEX NO2 retrievals. When replacing the coarse 1∘ × 1∘ the massively parallel (MP) version of the Tracer Model version 5 (TM5) a priori NO2 profiles by NO2 profile shapes from the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) regional chemistry transport model (CTM) ensemble at 0.1∘ × 0.1∘, R is 0.94 and the slope increases from 0.82 to 0.93. The bias is reduced to −0.1 ± 1.0 × 1015 molec cm−2 or −1.0 ± 12 %. The absolute difference is on average 1.3 × 1015 molec cm−2 (16 %) and 0.7 × 1015 molec cm−2 (9 %), when comparing APEX NO2 VCDs with TM5-MP-based and CAMS-based NO2 VCDs, respectively. Both sets of retrievals are well within the mission accuracy requirement of a maximum bias of 25 %–50 % for the TROPOMI tropospheric NO2 product for all individual compared pixels. Additionally, the APEX data set allows the study of TROPOMI subpixel variability and impact of signal smoothing due to its finite satellite pixel size, typically coarser than fine-scale gradients in the urban NO2 field. For a case study in the Antwerp region, the current TROPOMI data underestimate localized enhancements and overestimate background values by approximately 1–2 × 1015 molec cm−2 (10 %–20 %).

Abstract Abstract 4292 Introduction Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the most common type of childhood cancer in East Asian, Caucasians and in the United States. Previous studies have shown poorer survival from childhood ALL among Asian compared to Caucasian populations. The US National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program from 1998 to 2008 showed that poorer prognosis waseven observed in East Asian children living in the United States, compared to non-Hispanic Whites. This finding is interesting in that Asian ethnic groups are not socioeconomically disadvantaged in the United States relative to non-Hispanic whites as shown by US Census data. Aim The primary goal of this study was to compare the outcome of Belgian and Vietnamese children with ALL, treated with the same protocol (French acute lymphoblastic leukemia protocol FRALLE). Patients and Methods The Belgian series included 107 patients (aged less than 19 at diagnosis) followed at Cliniquesuniversitaires Saint-Luc (UCL), Brussels, Belgium between 2001 and 2011. The Vietnamese series included 166 patients from Blood Transfusion and Hematology Hospital, University of Medicine Pham Ngoc Thach (UPNT) at Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam (aged less than 16 at diagnosis) and followed between 2005 and 2011. Clinical andbiologicalvariables and survival rates were compared using Cox Proportional Hazards Regression model. The association between clinicaland biological variables and both adverse drug reactions and relapse free survival were analyzed using Log-Binomial Regression model. All statistical analysis was performed using the ‘Epi’ and the ‘Survival’ package of the R 2.15.0 software. Results The two populations were comparable regarding age at diagnosis, sex ratio, initialwhite blood cell count, cytogenetic and steroid responsiveness at day 8. A higher prevalence of L2 type-ALL according to the FAB classification was found in Vietnamese children (81.3 % L2 in Vietnam vs 44.9% in Belgium). Vietnamese patients had a significantly lower survival than Belgian patients (p<0.001) (figure 1). In the multivariate analysis model, relative risk of death for Vietnamese children was 2.61 (95% CI= 1.03–6.65) (p = 0.04). Compared to the Belgian cohort, Vietnamese children had a lower relapse free survival (figure 2) and a higher relativerisk of relapse of 3.01 (95% CI = 1.53–5.93). They also disclosed a higher incidence of methotrexate-related grade 3 or 4 side effects (36.2% vs 5.6%). Conclusions Compared to Caucasians treated with the same protocol, a poorer overall survival was confirmed in children with ALL treated in Vietnam. Relapse free survival was lower and adverse reaction rate higher among Vietnamese children. Racial differences in pharmacogenetics of drugs as well as additional factors such as social status, lack of antibiotic prophylaxis or delayed access to care due to remoteness may explain these observations. Appendix Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

On May 23-24 2019 the Transport Research Days (TRDs) of BIVEC-GIBET, the Benelux Interuniversity Association of Transport Researchers, took place in Ghent (Belgium). What then was common practice -- going to a conference, present your paper, and interact with people face-to-face on campus – is now, due to COVID-19, something we all again look very much forward to. The TRDs are organized biannually and offer young and established scholars from the three Benelux Countries an opportunity to present their research findings to an informed audience of transport, mobility, and logistics researchers. It is already the 8th time that the TRDs have been organized. Previous editions were held in Hasselt (2005), Rotterdam (2007), Brussels (2009), Namur (2011), Luxembourg (2013), Eindhoven (2015), Liège (2017), and Ghent (2019). And also the venue for the 9th TRD has been decided: Delft (2021). In May 2019 the TRDs were organized by the Social and Economic Geography (SEG) Research Group of the Geography Department of Ghent University. The conference theme, although general enough to welcome various mobility- and transport-related disciplines, centred around moving forward towards more sustainability mobility and transport through smart systems. In 12 different sessions devoted to Safety, Travel behaviour, Traffic flows, Freight, Climate, Accessibility, Route choice, Pricing, Cars, Ports/airports, and Travel data, the best of current transport, mobility and logistics research in the Benelux-countries was presented. The set of full papers can be found in Witlox (2019). Yes, BIVEC-GIBET keeps its tradition and still publishes (in paper form) its proceedings… Another tradition is to go for a special issue of a journal, and we are very happy that European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research (EJTIR) agreed to host such a SI. In total we received eight papers, three of which, after review, have been accepted. By coincidence, all three accepted papers stem from Dutch researchers. And all three are of high relevance in today’s ongoing pandemic of the coronavirus disease, although neither of the three papers refers to COVID-19 because the research was conducted prior to the pandemic.

Abstract Abstract 4816 The objective of this study was to determine the efficiency of the neonatal screening program for SCD which was implemented in 1994 in few maternities and extended in 2003 to all maternities in Brussels. It is a systematic screening performed on liquid cord blood. Affected children are referred to a specialized center. We reviewed 146 medical records of patients with SCD born in Belgium and prospectively followed from the time of their diagnosis in three Brussels' Academic Centers. The study was approved by each local ethical committee and informed consent of each patient was received. Data were collected from the time of diagnosis of SCD (either done by neonatal screening or when a clinical event led to the diagnosis) until December 31, 2007. We focused on the subgroup of patients older than 3 years of age at December 31, 2007 and those were divided into two groups: those diagnosed by the neonatal screening (NS) and those diagnosed later (no NS). The incidence of major events (first septicemia, first stroke, first episode of severe anemia, first hospitalization and its duration, and death) was compared. Among the total population studied, 89 patients were diagnosed through the NS and 57 were not (no NS). While among those older than 3 years of age at the time of evaluation, 55 (median age 6.7 year, range: 3–16) and 49 (median age 11.2 year, range: 4–27) patients were in the NS or no NS group, respectively. The median age at diagnosis for the no NS cohort is 1 year (range: 1–6). The follow-up of the NS and no NS cohort account for 301.5 and 473.8 patient-years, respectively. Most of the patients were homozygous for Hb S (Hb SS) (82% in NS group and 94% in no NS group). Incidence of a first episode of septicemia was similar in both groups (10.9% in NS group versus 12.3% in no NS group). The median age at the time of sepsis was 27.6 months and 10 months in the NS and no NS group, respectively (Table 1). All the patients from the NS group were on penicillin prophylaxis versus 40 % in the no NS group. The main pathogen remained Streptococcus pneumoniae and there were no resistant strain despite regular prophylaxis.Table 1:Data on first septicemia in the non neonatal screening groupPatientAge at diagnosisAge at septicemiaProphylaxisPathogen13 m12 mYesSt. pneumoniae226 m3 mNoSt. pneumoniae310 m16 mYesSalmonella42 m14 mNoSt. pneumoniae511 m1 dNoSt.β hemol gr A61 m26 mYesSt. pneumoniae Incidence of stroke was 1.8% (1/55; 3.2 y.o.) in the NS cohort compared to 8.2% (4/49; 2.8, 5.3, 8.0 and 18.8 y.o.) in the no NS cohort. All the patients were Hb SS. The unique patient from the NS group was previously treated with Hydroxyurea (HU) for repeated vaso-occlusive crisis. 2 were also under HU prior to stroke for the same reason. Ischemic cerebral lesions were observed on MRI for all, except for the NS group patient. There was no significant difference either in the incidence of the first episode of severe anemia or the first hospitalization defined in term of number of days of hospitalization for both groups. Two deaths occurred in the NS cohort in the very early childhood (septicemia in one and acute severe anemia for the other). These deaths are attributable to no compliance to antibio-prophylaxis in the first patient and poor follow-up in the second one. Furthermore these deaths happen in the very early period after neonatal screening has been initiated. No death occurred in the NS group since 12 years probably due to better parents' education and comprehensive care. One death was observed in the no NS group (sudden rupture of cerebral aneurysm). In conclusion, neonatal screening program is feasible, safe and appropriate to detect SCD. It enables early diagnosis and therefore early treatment, and could improve both morbidity and eventually mortality of SCD. Although the relative small size of our study and the bias due to unreported early deaths by infection or severe anemia in the no NS group before the diagnosis of SCD has been done, our results are very encouraging: neonatal screening delays the age of the first severe infection and might reduce the incidence of early neurological complications. It also underlines the better outcome with improvement of parental education and comprehensive care. These data emphasize the need to continue neonatal screening for SCD in Brussels and to extend it to all Belgian maternities. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

♦ Background Growing concern over the limited capacity of the peritoneal dialysis (PD) system has revived interest in continuous flow peritoneal dialysis (CFPD), a modality in which continuous circulation of PD fluid is maintained at a high flow rate using two separate catheters or one dual-lumen catheter. The CFPD regimen contrasts the “inflow/outflow” regimen, which requires specific times devoted to filling and draining the peritoneum via a single-lumen catheter. Historical data established CFPD capabilities in providing higher solute clearance and ultrafiltration rate (UFR) using either an open loop system with a single pass of fresh PD fluid, or various external purifications of the spent dialysate. ♦ Objective To compare, in patients with various peritoneal transport patterns, fluid and solute removal achieved during a standardized program of CFPD versus two control schedules: nightly intermittent peritoneal dialysis (NIPD) and nightly tidal peritoneal dialysis (NTPD). This study focused on small solute clearances and UFR using only isotonic PD solution (Dianeal PD1 1.36%; Baxter Healthcare, Castlebar, Ireland). The model of fresh dialysate, single pass, was used to optimize solute gradients and to characterize the impact of a continuous flow regimen on peritoneal transport characteristics. ♦ Methods In a crossover trial, 4-hour CFPD sessions were performed at a fixed dialysate flow rate (100 mL/minute) in 5 patients being treated with automated PD. A hemofiltration monitor (BM25; Baxter Healthcare, Brussels, Belgium) was adapted to the CFPD technique. The peritoneal cavity was filled through a temporary second catheter and simultaneously drained using the permanent peritoneal access. Fluid and solute removal were compared to data obtained from a control period based on 8-hour sessions of NIPD or NTPD using 13 L of isotonic dialysate. ♦ Results High-flow CFPD enhanced the diffusive transport coefficient compared with the alternative flow regimen in patients ranging from low to high transporters. Weekly creatinine clearance increased from 36.9 L (22.3 – 49.6 L) and 37.3 L (27.5 – 45.0 L) with NIPD and NTPD respectively, to 74.9 L (42.3–107.5 L) with CFPD. Mean UFR was 2.44 mL/min with CFPD versus 0.92 and 0.89 mL/min with NIPD and NTPD respectively. The mass transfer area coefficient (MTAC) of creatinine with CFPD was 2.5-fold that obtained from the peritoneal equilibration test data. ♦ Conclusion Our results confirm that CFPD is highly effective in increasing fluid and solute removal. Furthermore, consistent with historical data, our findings indicate that the enhanced solute transfer is not due only to steeper solute gradients, but also depends on increased MTAC in a wide range of peritoneum transport characteristics.

Abstract The results of the IFM 95-01 trial comparing MP to Dexamethasone-based regimens were consistent with the fact that the standard MP remained the reference treatment for patients (pts) older than 65 years with multiple myeloma (MM) (Blood2003;102,147a). In May 2000, the IFM designed a new trial, IFM 99-06, for pts aged 65–75 years, comparing standard MP (12 courses at 6 weeks intervals) to MP-THAL (same MP, THAL at the maximum tolerated dose but ≤400 mg/day, stopped at the end of MP) and a MEL100-based treatment (intermediate-dose MEL procedure developped by the Italian MM study group); VADx2, cyclophosphamide 3g/m2 for stem cells collection, 2 courses of MEL100. IFM99-06 is planned to randomize 500 pts, according to a 3 (MP) - 2 (MP-THAL) - 2 (MEL100) allocation, and schedules two main comparisons ; MP vs MP-THAL and MP vs MEL100. The primary end point is overall survival. In the absence of clear toxicity data for MP-THAL and MEL100 in elderly MM pts, in the setting of a large randomized study, two interim analyses were planned, after the enrollment of 200 (40%) and 350 (70%) pts (followed at least 4 months), to be reviewed by an independent expert review committee (R.Schots / B.Van Camp, Brussels, Belgium ; M. Boccadoro, Torino, Italy ; S.Chevret, Paris-St-Louis, France). The first interim analysis was performed during the first months of 2003 (reference date for analysis January 2, 2003 ; 200 pts enrolled between May, 2000 and June, 2002). The experts considered that (i) the adverse events were as expected with the treatments used (ii) no clear-cut advantage or disadvantage of either MP-THAL or MEL100 over MP was observed according to the statistical rule of the first interim analysis (iii) the trial should pursue as planned. Following a request of the french regulatory agency AFSSAPS, we were asked to look rapidly at some thalidomide toxicities and at the feasability of MEL100. The incidence of deep veinous thrombosis (DVT) was 6%, 9% and 3.5% for MP, MP-THAL and MEL100, respectively (no toxic death due to DVT). Peripheral neuropathy was observed in 25% of MP-THAL pts (14/57 pts, at a median time of 12 months). MEL100 was feasible ; approximately 80% of the pts received the cyclophosphamide and 65% received the 2 MEL100 treatments. No toxic death was noted among 74 courses of MEL100 (39 pts). The second interim analysis, performed on 350 pts (382 pts enrolled on August 1, 2004) is in progress during July/August 2004 (date of point June 1, 2004). Results of the second interim analysis will be presented at the meeting.

The ionosphere is one of the largest error sources in GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) applications and can cause up to several meters of error in positioning. Especially for single-frequency users, who cannot correct the ionospheric delay, the information about the state of the ionosphere is mandatory. Dual- and multi-frequency GNSS users, on the other hand, can correct the ionospheric effect on their observations by linear combination. However, real-time applications such as autonomous driving or precision farming, require external high accuracy corrections for fast convergence. Mostly, this external information is given in terms of grids or coefficients of the vertical total electron content (VTEC). Globally distributed GNSS stations of different networks, such as the network of the International GNSS Services (IGS), provide a large number of multi-frequency observations which can be used to determine the state of the ionosphere. These data are used to generate Global Ionosphere Maps (GIM). Due to the inhomogeneous global distribution of GNSS real-time stations and especially due to the large data gaps over oceanic areas, the global VTEC models are usually limited in their spatial and spectral resolution. Most of the GIMs are mathematically based on globally defined radial basis functions, i.e., spherical harmonics (SH), with a maximum degree of 15 and provided with a spatial resolution of 2.5 ° × 5 ° in latitude and longitude, respectively. Regional GNSS networks, however, offer dense clusters of observations, which can be used to generate regional VTEC solutions with a higher spectral resolution. In this study, we introduce a two-step model (TSM) comprising a global model as the first step and a regional model as the second step. We apply polynomial and trigonometric B-spline functions to represent the global VTEC. Polynomial B-splines are used for modelling the finer structures of VTEC within selected regions, i.e., the densification areas. The TSM provides both, a global and a regional VTEC map at the same time. In order to study the performance, we apply the developed approach to hourly data of the global IGS network as well as the EUREF network of the European region for St. Patrick storm in March 2015. For the assessment of the generated maps, we use the dSTEC analysis and compare both maps with different global and regional products from the IGS Ionosphere Associated Analysis Centers, e.g., the global product from CODE (Berne, Switzerland) and from UPC (Barcelona, Spain), as well as the regional maps from ROB (Brussels, Belgium). The assessment shows a significant improvement of the regional VTEC representation in the form of the generated TSM maps. Among all other products used for comparison, the developed regional one is of the highest accuracy within the selected time span. Since the numerical tests are performed using hourly data with a latency of one to two hours, the presented procedure is seen as an intermediate step for the generation of high precision regional real-time corrections for modern applications.

In de historiografie werd het aandeel van het Vlaamse socialisme in de Vlaamse beweging lang miskend. Rond 1970 toonde onderzoek aan hoe het Vlaamse socialisme, ondanks een beperkt aantal volksvertegenwoordigers (drie in 1900 ten opzichte van 23 Waalse en 5 Brusselse) de taalwetten verdedigden. Na een frontale botsing met Waalse partijgenoten werd de taalkwestie in de unitaire Belgische Werkliedenpartij (°1885) in 1909 een vrije kwestie. Intussen vorderde het onderzoek. Dat maakte een nieuwe synthese mogelijk. Het opzet werd breder. In een eerste deel werd de partij doorgelicht als vertrekpunt naar communautaire tegenstellingen: een socialistisch reformisme en attentisme, het besluitvormingsproces, de interactie tussen centraal bestuur/federaties/ parlementsfractie, de ongelijkmatige economische ontwikkeling en de politieke vertaling ervan, het interne taalgebruik. Zoals elders vereenzelvigde de BWP zich steeds meer met het nationale vaderland. Brusselse, Vlaamse en Waalse socialisten vulden dit echter anders in.In een tweede deel staan de communautaire spanningen zelf centraal. Aanvankelijk leek het er op dat Vlamingen en Walen als Belgen taalkundig naar elkaar konden groeien. Dat veronderstelde gelijkheid en wederkerigheid. Het streefdoel werd dan ofwel een veralgemeende tweetaligheid ofwel een officiële eentaligheid van beide taalgebieden. Dat gebeurde niet. Na 1900 ging het Vlaamse socialisme tot de voorhoede van de Vlaamse beweging behoren, terwijl het Waalse socialisme de leiding van de Waalse beweging overnam. Dat was een complex proces. Voor de analyse ervan werd vertrokken van de argumenten die de Gentse leider Anseele in 1911 gebruikte om zijn afwachtend standpunt te verduidelijken: de Vlaamse kwestie als hoofd- of bijzaak, de toegenomen sterkte van de Vlaamse beweging, het beginselprogramma van de partij, het gevaar voor de eenheid van het Vlaamse socialisme én voor de eenheid van het Belgische socialisme.Wat alle partijgenoten bond, was een emotionele en rationele identificatie, gericht op de strijd voor politieke gelijkheid via het afdwingen van algemeen enkelvoudig stemrecht. Maar secundair botsten toenemende regionalismen. Het Vlaamse socialisme verscherpte de taalstrijd als aspect van de klassenstrijd tegen de francofone dominantie, die de emancipatie van de arbeiders bemoeilijkte. De eis tot ‘culturele autonomie’ (Otto Bauer!) vond ingang: zelfbeschikking over een Nederlandstalig onderwijs van laag tot hoog. Het Waalse socialisme duldde steeds minder de negatie van het programma door voortdurend aan de macht blijvende katholieke regeringen sinds 1884. Die steunden op Vlaanderen, terwijl in Wallonië een antiklerikale meerderheid van liberalen en socialisten bestond. De superioriteit van het Frans in België in vraag stellen of de kennis van het Nederlands aan Walen opleggen, werd geïnterpreteerd als een bijkomende discriminatie. Desnoods werd met bestuurlijke scheiding gedreigd. Toch werden in de partij mogelijkheden tot een vergelijk gezocht. België bestond uit twee volken met eigen culturele rechten. Breekpunt bleef hoe men wilde omgaan met ‘taalminderheden’ in beide landsgedeelten en hoe men die wilde definiëren.________‘Frenemies’? Communitarian tensions in the Socialist Party until 1914The contribution of Flemish socialism to the Flemish Movement has long been misunderstood in the historiography. Around 1970, research demonstrated how Flemish socialism, despite a limited number of representatives in parliament (three in 1900, in contrast to 23 from Wallonia and 5 from Brussels) defended the language laws. After a major clash with Walloon fellow party members, the language question became a free question within the Belgian Workers’ Party (*1885). In the meantime, the research kept advancing. This made a new synthesis possible. The framework became broader. In the first wave, the party was studied as a point of departure toward communitarian oppositions: a socialist reformism and ‘wait-andsee’ attitude, the decision-making process, the interaction between the central committee, federations, and the parliamentary group, uneven economic development and the political consequences thereof, internal language use. As elsewhere, the BWP identified more and more with the national fath-erland. Brussels, Flemish and Walloon socialists each understood this very differently.In the second wave, the communitarian tensions themselves take center stage. Originally, it seemed that Flemings and Walloons could grow toward one another linguistically as Belgians. This presupposed equality and reciprocity. The goal of struggle became either a general bilingualism or an official monolingualism for both language regions. That did not happen. After 1900, Flemish socialism belonged to the vanguard of the Flemish Movement, while Walloon socialism took over the leadership of the Walloon Movement. This was a complex process. The analysis of it took as a starting point the arguments that the Ghent leader Anseele used in 1911 in order to clarify his ‘wait-and-see’ point of view: the Flemish question as main or side question, the increasing strength of the Flemish Movement, the party manifesto, the concern for the unity of Flemish social-ism and for the unity of Belgian socialism.What bound all party members together was an emotional and rational identification with each other, built on the struggle for political equality through the demand for single universal suffrage. But growing regionalisms clashed under the surface. Flemish socialism increasingly emphasized the language struggle as an aspect of the class struggle against French-speaking domination, which hindered the emancipation of the workers. The demand for ‘cultural autonomy’ (Otto Bauer!) found purchase: self-determination of a Dutch-language education, from top to bottom. Walloon socialism grew more and more impatient of not being able to realise its program, due to the unbroken chain of Catholic governments in power since 1884. These governments found their support in Flanders, while an anticlerical majority of liberals and social-ists existed in Wallonia. Questioning the superiority of French in Belgium, or imposing the knowledge of Dutch on Walloons, was interpreted as another form of discrimination. If necessary there was the threat of administrative separation. Nevertheless, the party still looked for possibilities for compromise. Belgium consisted of two peoples, each with their own cultural rights. The sensitive point remained how one wanted to handle ‘linguistic minorities’ in both parts of the country, and how one wanted to define them.

Abstract Abstract 4821 Background: Red cell exchange transfusion is frequently used in the management of patients with sickle cell disease either electively or therapeutically to maintain an hemoglobin S (Hb S) level < 30–50%. This target is often difficult to maintain. In order to assess the effects of chronic partial exchange transfusion (CPET) a) on level of Hb and Hb S, b) on iron overload c) the need for chelation, d) on risk of long term adverse events and e) clinical outcome, we analyzed the data of sickle cell disease patients treated by long term CPET in our center. Methods/subjects: In the cohort of 163 SCD patients followed at University Children's Hospital at Brussels (Belgium), 10 benefit from CPET. Main reasons for CPET were neurologic disease (4), frequent ACS (3), previous severe hepatic cholestasis (2), leg ulcer (1) and pulmonary hypertension (1). The median age at start of treatment was 13 years (range 4 –19). These patients (6 males and 4 females) account for 248 exchanges during a median follow-up of 20 months (range 6– 36). These exchanges are until now performed manually and the volume exchanged is calculated taking into account the Hb level and the last HbS percentage. It is usually between 30 and 40 ml/kg BW. Except if severe anemia occurs, the goal of these exchanges is to keep a constant hematocrit level. All patients had a full red cell phenotype performed and received blood matched for ABO, Rhesus, Kell and Duffy antigens systems. The estimation of iron balance (iron intake- iron removed) was calculated yearly. Results: The pre-exchange Hb value was 9.5 g/dl (median; range: 7.7–10.9 g/dl) and the mean post value was 9.4/dl (range: 8.4– 11.1 g/dl). These values are not statistically different (p> 0.05). The majority of patients (9/10) are reached an HbS < 50% when measured 3–5 weeks after PET (just before the next procedure) with a median HbS value of 40% (range: 30–54). At start of CPET program, the median ferritin level was 439 ng/ml (range: 80 – 1704). Five patients had already a ferritin > 500 ng/mL due to numerous previous transfusions. At last evaluation, the median ferritin did not change significantly and was 531 ng/ml (range 84– 3840). The two patients with ferritin higher than 1000 ng/ml start chelation with good result for one. One The mean annual net RBC load were 1.72 ml RBC/kg/yr provided approximately 1.85 mg of iron/kg/yr. Individual data are given in table 1. CPET-treated patients exchanged showed clinical improvement with disappearance of SCD crisis and related complications. The procedure was well tolerated by most patients, and adverse effects were limited to mild hypotension (3/10). No autoimmune hemolysis or allo-immunisation was documented in this cohort. All children remained negative for HIV and hepatitis C virus infections. Conclusion: Manual CPET seems to be safe to prevent middle-term iron overload and the need of elation therapy in most of patients. CPET can therefore be recommended for SCD patients who required decreased in Hb S levels either prophylactically or therapeutically. Manual are safe, effective and easy to use when mechanized exchanges are not possible for technical reasons. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Climate change induced sea-level rise (SLR) is on its increase globally. Regionally the lowlands of China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and islands of the Malaysian, Indonesian and Philippine archipelagos are among the world’s most threatened regions. Sea-level rise has major impacts on the ecosystems and society. It threatens coastal populations, economic activities, and fragile ecosystems as mangroves, coastal salt-marches and wetlands. This paper provides a summary of the current state of knowledge of sea level-rise and its effects on both human and natural ecosystems. The focus is on coastal urban areas and low lying deltas in South-East Asia and Vietnam, as one of the most threatened areas in the world. About 3 mm per year reflects the growing consensus on the average SLR worldwide. The trend speeds up during recent decades. The figures are subject to local, temporal and methodological variation. In Vietnam the average values of 3.3 mm per year during the 1993-2014 period are above the worldwide average. Although a basic conceptual understanding exists that the increasing global frequency of the strongest tropical cyclones is related with the increasing temperature and SLR, this relationship is insufficiently understood. Moreover the precise, complex environmental, economic, social, and health impacts are currently unclear. SLR, storms and changing precipitation patterns increase flood risks, in particular in urban areas. Part of the current scientific debate is on how urban agglomeration can be made more resilient to flood risks. Where originally mainly technical interventions dominated this discussion, it becomes increasingly clear that proactive special planning, flood defense, flood risk mitigation, flood preparation, and flood recovery are important, but costly instruments. 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Abstract This article examines the display of two sculptures of medieval figures at the Great Exhibition in 1851. Those sculptures – Carlo Marochetti’s Richard Coeur de Lion and Eugène Simonis’ Godefroid de Bouillon – both honoured figures remembered as crusaders, and are better known in their permanent bronze versions that stand today in London and Brussels respectively. However, it is often overlooked that both works appeared at the exhibition, with Marochetti displaying his work on behalf of England, and Simonis exhibiting his on behalf of Belgium. Their appearance in 1851 stimulated a multi-faceted national rivalry, evidently encompassing both the two sculptors and the respective heads of state, Victoria and Leopold I of the Belgians. Drawing from written evidence and visual culture, this article traces the shared history of the sculptures at the Great Exhibition, before exploring contemporary responses to their appearance there. Its findings contribute to scholarly debates over the status of the Great Exhibition as either a peace congress or the catalyst for international competition, as well as to discussions over the cultural impact of the medieval past in the nineteenth century.