Near Real-time Privacy Protection: Automated Location-dependent Video Blurring in UAV live-streams

In today’s world, privacy is becoming a major concern, especially with the use of drones for surveillance and recreational purposes. This paper presents a novel approach to privacy protection in UAV live-streaming by introducing an automated video blurring system that operates in near real-time, replacing time-consuming operations in the post-processing stage. Our method leverages the Scale Invariant Feature Transform algorithm to match live footage with a pre-constructed aerial template image, enabling the blurring of private properties in near real-time, allowing our UAV greater freedom of mobility whilst preserving the privacy of residents at ground level. This solution aligns with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), balancing utility and privacy rights. This proposed framework has the potential to significantly aid the UAV industry by providing a practical tool for privacy preservation during aerial surveys and recreation drone flights.The authors express their sincerest gratitude to the BOF/BILA program of UHasselt for funding this research

All-inorganic CsPbI2Br perovskite solar cells with thermal stability at 250 8C and moisture-resilience via polymeric protection layers

All-inorganic perovskites, such as CsPbI2Br, have emerged as promising compositions due to their enhanced thermal stability. However, they face significant challenges due to their susceptibility to humidity. In this work, CsPbI2Br perovskite is treated with poly(3-hexylthiophen-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) during the crystallization resulting in significant stability improvements against thermal, moisture and steady-state operation stressors. The perovskite solar cell retains similar to 90% of the initial efficiency under relative humidity (RH) at similar to 60% for 30 min, which is among the most stable all-inorganic perovskite devices to date under such harsh conditions. Furthermore, the P3HT treatment ensures high thermal stress tolerance at 250 degrees C for over 5 h. In addition to the stability enhancements, the champion P3HT-treated device shows a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.5% compared to 12.7% (reference) with the stabilized power output (SPO) for 300 s. In addition, the P3HT-protected perovskite layer in ambient conditions shows similar to 75% of the initial efficiency compared to the unprotected devices with similar to 28% of their initial efficiency after 7 days of shelf life.ProperPhotoMile; Spanish Ministry of Science and Education; AE

Building Rings (I Grind, I Sand)

The installation Building Rings (I Grind, I Sand) features both the rings ground and sanded from clay blocks and the dust released during their making. Also included are four sentences from the research text I Grind, I Sand that describes the overwhelming process of making from a sensory perspective, ultimately culminating in a reciprocal pursuit of a correspondance between material and maker. “I put on my safety glasses and mentally recharge for another day of sensory overload. I grind, I sand. I feel the stone’s robustness as the diamond wheel slowly carves through the fired clay, I perceive its fragility when a splinter jumps off the edge. I smell the dust invading my skin’s pores, stone chips crunch under my shoes. Gradually, the brick’s potential becomes more visible, and the robust angular stone morphs into a forceful undulating figure.” — from I Grind, I Sand, research text, 202

Endometrium-derived organoids from cystic fibrosis patients and mice as new models to study disease-associated endometrial pathobiology

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a life-shortening genetic disorder, caused by mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein that regulates ion and fluid transport in epithelial tissue. Female CF patients face considerable fertility challenges, with higher prevalence of deficient fertility compared to healthy women. Not much is known about the underlying causes. In particular, the pathobiology of the endometrium, the uterus' inner lining essential for pregnancy and expressing fluctuating CFTR levels during the menstrual cycle, is unexplored in CF. To address this gap, we developed organoid models from CF patient endometrium. The organoids recapitulated CF characteristics and revealed molecular and pathway differences in cycle-recapitulating hormone responses compared to healthy endometrial organoids. Furthermore, specific functional aberrations were restored by CFTR modulator treatment. To further complement human organoid models for unraveling endometrial pathobiology in CF, we also developed organoids from a genetic CF mouse model that were also found to recapitulate CF characteristics. Moreover, single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis of the CF mouse uterus revealed molecular traits in the endometrium similar to the human CF endometrium (as evidenced by its organoid model). Our study provides new endometrium models to advance our understanding of CF-associated endometrial pathobiology, particularly regarding menstrual cycle aberrations that impact fertility. This research is timely since improved CF therapeutics result in increased life expectancy, allowing more CF patients to consider starting a family.This work was supported by a joint grant from the Fund Alphonse-Jean Forton (King Baudouin Foundation) and Belgian CF patient association (2023-J1810150-232650). E. De Pauw (11E9321N), S. De Vriendt (1S00823N), C. Bueds (1129323 N) are supported by a PhD Fellowship from the Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO) Vlaanderen. M. Wei is supported by a PhD grant from China Scholarship Council. M.M. Ensinck (1282925 N) and F. Hermans (1226325 N) are supported by a Postdoctoral Fellowship from FWO

Technical and Societal Requirements for Handling of Personal Data on Wearable Devices

Global trends towards personalized healthcare is driving the desire for non-invasive, continuous, ubiquitous monitoring of individuals' health status. Wearable devices such as activity trackers generate ever more personal data and become a part of the data economy. These sensors systems transmit the data commonly to a smartphone and further to the cloud of a service provide via an app which acts as a gateway. Even though edge and fog computing, low latency as well as the optimization of the duty cycle can reduce the energy required for transmission, it still remains to be a major part of power consumption. Therefore, the wearable ecosystem requires the design and development of a framework for sharing sensitive data in a sustainable and ethical manner

Scanning Electron Microscopy Reveals New Ultrastructural Features in Metacercariae of Clinostomum cutaneum (Digenea: Clinostomidae) Infecting Oreochromis niloticus (Actinopterygii: Cichlidae) in Kenya

Citation: Shigoley, M.I.; Kmentová, N.; Ndegwa, D.M.; Topi´cTopi´c, M.; Thys, K.J.M.; Vanhove, M.P.M. Scanning Electron Microscopy Reveals New Ultrastructural Features in Metacercariae of Clinostomum cutaneum (Digenea: Clinostomidae) Infecting Oreochromis niloticus (Actinopterygii: Cichlidae) in Kenya. Abstract: Clinostomum is a genus of parasitic trematodes found worldwide, infecting a wide range of hosts, including freshwater fishes, snails, birds and occasionally humans. In this study, clinostomid metacercariae were collected from Nile tilapia raised in fish farms in the Upper Tana River region, Kenya. The prevalence of infection was 17.2%, with metacercariae infecting the skin, gills and buccal cavity of the fish. Using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and molecular methods targeting both nuclear ribosomal (ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2) and mitochondrial (COI) regions, the metacercariae were identified as C. cutaneum, C. phalacrocoracis, C. tilapiae and Euclinostomum heterostomum. The three species of Clinostomum have previously been reported to infect fish or piscivorous birds in Kenya, while this is the first report of E. heterostomum in this country. SEM analysis revealed new ultrastructural features of C. cutaneum, including an excretory pore surrounded by minute spiny papillae, an everted cirrus and dome-shaped papillae on the tegumental area around the genital pore. The cirrus lacked basal papillae, showing morphological variation between the adult and metacercarial stages. Our study, therefore, provides new insights into the phenotypic identification of flukes that may be pathogenic to fishes and humans and, therefore, of scientific and practical importance.Funding: This research was funded by the Special Research Fund (BOF) of Hasselt University, grant number BOF22DOCLI04, and Hasselt University International and Intersectoral mobility funding—2024 to M.I.S. This work was supported by the AfroWetMaP project of the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (4255-FED-tWIN-G3 program, Prf-2022-049). Acknowledgments: The authors sincerely thank Ralph Appy (Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, California, USA) for the great help in scanning electron microscopy and Edward Njagi, Gilbert Kosgei, Gathua Joseph and Justus Ochong’ (Ichthyology section, National Museums of Kenya) for supplying field equipment and the storage of tissue samples