Alluvial gold mining in the Belgian Ardenne in the Late Roman Empire

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Non-isocyanate polyurethanes: perspectives as biomaterials

peer reviewedPolyurethanes (PUs) are used in many applications, including in the medical sector (e.g., breast implants, vascular access and cardiac assist devices) due to their remarkable mechanical performances combined with proven in vivo biocompatibility. However, their industrial synthesis from toxic isocyanate precursors poses environmental and health concerns. With regulations increasingly restricting the isocyanate use, exploring greener alternatives has become imperative. Extensive research of health-friendlier synthesis processes triggered the emergence of a new family of PUs called Non-Isocyanate Polyurethanes (NIPUs). Recent developments have shown that NIPUs are already competitive with PUs, for example in the adhesives and coatings field, and new opportunities emerged in biomedical applications. This review highlights recent breakthroughs regarding NIPUs development, emphasizing their appealing properties for biomedical applications as well as their biocompatibility. By shedding light on the close relationship between their peculiar structure and specific properties, we highlight the potential of NIPUs to engineer biomaterials and we position them as unprecedented options for the design of future medical devices

Assessing Forest Degradation in the Congo Basin: The Need to Broaden the Focus from Logging to Small-Scale Agriculture (A Systematic Review)

peer reviewedWhile the methods for monitoring deforestation are relatively well established, there is still no compromise on those for forest degradation. We propose here a systematic review on studies about forest degradation in the Congo Basin. Our analysis focused on seven key anthropogenic causes of forest degradation. Shifting agriculture emerged as the most significant driver, accounting for 61% ± 28.58% (mean ± SD) of canopy opening, 73.16% ± 16.88% aboveground carbon loss, and 30.37% ± 30.67% of tree species diversity loss over a 5–60-year period. Our analysis reveals a significant disconnect. Only 29% of the reviewed studies address this driver, while over 64% focus primarily on the consequences of industrial timber harvesting. Despite its comparatively minor contribution to degradation, with effects range from only 8.98% ± 13.63% of canopy opening, 14.79% ± 22.21 aboveground carbon loss, and 4.27 ± 21.07 tree species diversity loss over 1–20 years. Indeed, most of the methods focus on detecting changes in canopy structure associated with forest logging over a short period (0–5 years). These illustrate the need for a shift in focus in scientific research towards innovative methods, which can be developed over time, to monitor the various impacts of all causes of forest degradation

DC-operated Josephson junction arrays as a cryogenic on-chip microwave measurement platform

peer reviewedProviding radio frequency (RF) signals to circuits working in cryogenic conditions requires bulky and expensive transmission cabling interfacing specialized RF electronics anchored at room temperature. Superconducting Josephson junction arrays (JJAs) can change this paradigm by placing the RF source and detector inside the chip. In this work, we demonstrate that DC-biased JJAs can emit signals in the C-band frequency spectrum and beyond. We fabricate reproducible JJAs comprised of amorphous MoGe or NbTiN superconducting islands and metallic Au weak links. Temperature, magnetic fields, applied currents, and device design are explored to control the operation of the RF sources, while we also identify important features that affect the ideal source behavior. Combined with the proven ability of these JJAs to detect microwave radiation, these sources allow us to propose a fully DC-operated cryogenic on-chip measurement platform that is a viable alternative to the high-frequency circuitry currently required for several quantum applications

From cellular perturbation to probabilistic risk assessments.

peer reviewedChemical risk assessment is evolving from traditional deterministic approaches to embrace proba­bilistic methodologies, where risk of hazard manifestation is understood as a more or less probable event depending on exposure, individual factors, and stochastic processes. This is driven by advancements in human stem cells, complex tissue engineering, high-performance computing, and cheminformatics, and is more recently facilitated by large-scale artificial intelligence models. These innovations enable a more nuanced understanding of chemical hazards, capturing the complexity of biological responses and variability within populations. However, each technology comes with its own uncertainties impacting on the estimation of hazard probabilities. This shift addresses the limitations of point estimates and thresholds that oversimplify hazard assessment, allowing for the integration of kinetic variability and uncertainty metrics into risk models. By leveraging modern technologies and expansive toxicological data, probabilistic approaches offer a comprehensive evaluation of chemical safety. This paper summarizes a workshop held in 2023 and discusses the technological and data-driven enablers, and the challenges faced in their implementation, with particular focus on perturbation of biology as the basis of hazard estimates. The future of toxico­logical risk assessment lies in the successful integration of these probabilistic models, promising more accurate and holistic hazard evaluations.Understanding chemical risks is key to public health. Traditional risk assessments rely on fixed safety margins and animal tests, which can miss complex human responses. Probabilistic risk assessment uses advanced tools – human stem cells, organ‑on‑chip systems, and AI – to estimate the likelihood of harm across different scenarios. By modeling individual variability (genetics, exposures) and quantifying uncertainty, it provides nuanced risk estimates rather than binary “safe/unsafe” labels. This approach increases transparency, shows confidence intervals, and reduces animal testing by integrating human‑relevant data. Challenges include defining harm thresholds, integrating diverse datasets, and gaining regulatory acceptance. Workshops like the 2023 CAAT-ONTOX meeting in Italy highlighted how measuring biological perturbations (e.g., molecular or cellular changes) informs probability of adverse outcomes. As technologies and data improve, probabilistic methods promise more realistic, protective chemical safety evaluations that reflect real‑world human diversity

Neural and behavioral entrainment to auditory rhythmic perturbations in persons with cerebellar impairment.

peer reviewedThe cerebellum plays a key role in temporal processing, as demonstrated by sensorimotor synchronization paradigms. This study extends findings by investigating behavioral and neural adaptation to unpredictable auditory perturbations. Sixteen persons with cerebellar impairment and sixteen healthy controls performed a listening (60 seconds) and a finger-tapping task (465 seconds) to a metronome set at 1.67 Hz: the first 60 seconds were without perturbations, followed by 40 perturbations (±10% period changes). Event-related frequency adjustments (ERFA) were derived from finger-tapping and electroencephalography recordings, yielding 3 event-related frequency adjustments: one behavioral and two neural (perceptual and sensorimotor components). Mean behavioral adaptation to the perturbations was similar in both groups (P < 0.001). Neural tracking was evident in the sensorimotor component but not in the perceptual component in both groups, for both positive (P = 0.005) and negative (P = 0.003) directions. Neural tracking was significantly reduced in persons with cerebellar impairment compared to healthy controls, particularly in response to negative perturbation in the sensorimotor component (P = 0.02). Persons with cerebellar impairment demonstrates spared yet dissociative adaptation with intact behavioral yet hindered neural dynamics. The results suggest parallel yet distinct mechanisms for processing covert and overt responses underlying sensorimotor adaptation. Findings indicate a potential use of spared behavioral adaptation mechanisms in the rehabilitation of persons with cerebellar impairment through rhythm-based interventions

Parasitism as a Long-Lasting Interaction-First Evidence From Paleozoic Corals

peer reviewedThe peak of reef development in the middle Paleozoic (Silurian-Devonian) resulted in a dense network of interactions between corals and their symbionts. Due to their skeletonization, fossil corals and sponges preserved past interspecific relationships very effectively. Macrosymbionts of typical Paleozoic reef builders-corals and stromatoporoid sponges were traditionally interpreted as their commensals or parasites, despite their unclear systematic affinities. While the interpretations of parasitism were mostly based on alterations of the host's skeleton, one of the important features of parasitism, its long duration, remained unevidenced so far. Here we report on a Middle Devonian (approx. 395 Ma) alveolitid coral (Anthozoa: Tabulata), Mariusilites sp. (from Ardennes, Belgium), hosting numerous extracellular metazoan endosymbionts (Torquaysalpinx sp.) and displaying growth banding. The host (coral) growth banding allows an estimate of its growth rate as 3-4 mm per year, and as a result, the duration of the interaction appeared to be at least more than a year. The long duration of the interaction, together with the host's skeletal modification, suggests that these endosymbionts were parasites. This is the first case where the duration (longevity) of the parasitism can be determined in the hosting Paleozoic bioconstructing organisms. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Des adultes en formation : les caractéristiques personnelles comme obstacle

peer reviewedLes politiques publiques poussent les individus à s’insérer dans l’emploi, notamment en passant par la formation professionnelle. Cet article s’intéresse plus particulièrement aux barrières à l’entrée et au maintien en formation des adultes sans emploi qui sont bénéficiaires d’allocations de chômage ou d’allocations d’insertion, ou sans revenu. La technique des récits de vie a permis de récolter l’expérience et le vécu de quarante adultes, ayant suivi une formation professionnelle préqualifiante, pour saisir leurs parcours de formation, leurs conditions de vie, les obstacles rencontrés et les leviers mobilisés. L’analyse montre que les barrières sont différentes selon que l’on se situe en amont ou pendant la formation et que certains profils sont plus exposés aux barrières, alors que d’autres mobilisent plus aisément des ressources pour compenser les obstacles. Les perceptions subjectives des conditions de vie et des obstacles influencent la manière dont l’individu va agir et réagir, notamment pour mobiliser des ressources personnelles, de son environnement et de l’action publique