Ethnic Minorities Rewarded: Ethnostratification on the Wage Market in Belgium

Several previous researches have confirmed the hypothesis of ethnostratification, which holds that the labour market is divided into different ethnic layers. While people of a European origin are over-represented in the top layers (the primary market), people with non-European roots and/or nationalities are more concentrated in bottom layers (the secondary market). Relative to the primary market, this secondary market is characterized by a higher chance of unemployment, lower wages, poorer working conditions and greater job insecurity. This paper deals with a very important condition of work: the wage. Does origin have an impact on the level of wage? We make a distinction between nine origin groups: Belgians, North en West Europeans, South Europeans (from Greece, Spain, Portugal), Italians, East Europeans, Moroccans, Turks, Sub Sahara Africans and Asians. The first part of this article briefly describes the database used for the analyses and presents a few general figures for the total Belgian population. In the second part we examine the impact of origin on wage levels. For each origin group we will give an overview of the average daily wages and the partition over the wage classes. For the “weaker” populations, gender and age are taken into account. Finally, by means of a regression analysis, we will examine the influence of origin while controlling a few other variables that may influence the wage level.Origin, Wage Levels and Distributions, Ethnostratification, Valuable Database

Introduction to opportunities and pitfalls in functional mass spectrometry based proteomics

With the advent of mass spectrometry based proteomics, the identification of thousands of proteins has become commonplace in biology nowadays. Increasingly, efforts have also been invested toward the detection and localization of posttranslational modifications. It is furthermore common practice to quantify the identified entities, a task supported by a panel of different methods. Finally, the results can also be enriched with functional knowledge gained on the proteins, detecting for instance differentially expressed gene ontology terms or biological pathways. In this study, we review the resources, methods and tools available for the researcher to achieve such a quantitative functional analysis. These include statistics for the post-processing of identification and quantification results, online resources and public repositories. With a focus on free but user-friendly software, preferably also open-source, we provide a list of tools designed to help the researcher manage the vast amount of data generated. We also indicate where such applications currently remain lacking. Moreover, we stress the eventual pitfalls of every step of such studies. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Computational Proteomics in the Post-Identification Era. Guest Editors: Martin Eisenacher and Christian Stephan.acceptedVersio

Risk factors for deterioration of renal function after coronary artery bypass grafting

Abstract Objective: Various definitions of impairment of renal function after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are used in the literature. Depending on the definition, several risk factors are identified. We analysed our data to determine the risk factors for postoperative deterioration of the creatinine clearance of 10% or more. Methods: All patients undergoing isolated coronary surgery in a single centre between January 1998 and December 2007 are included. Clinical data, including demographics and renal risk factors, were prospectively collected in our database. The most recent preoperative serum creatinine level and the maximum serum creatinine level within the first week postoperatively were used to calculate the creatinine clearance. A deterioration of 10% or more was considered to be an endpoint for this study. Results: In 10 098 out of a total of 10 626 patients, the preoperative as well as the postoperative creatinine clearance could be calculated. In 1053 patients, the deterioration of the creatinine clearance was 10% or more. We could identify the following risk factors: advanced age, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peripheral vascular disease, emergency operation, previous cardiac surgery, low preoperative haemoglobin level, high preoperative C-reactive protein level, perioperative myocardial infarction, re-exploration and the number of blood transfusions. Conclusions: Risk factors for the deterioration of renal function after revascularisation have been confirmed in this study. In addition, we found peripheral vascular disease, previous cardiac surgery, low preoperative haemoglobin, increased preoperative C-reactive protein level, perioperative myocardial infarction and the number of blood transfusions to be risk factors that have not been described earlier

Ten years of expropriations and evictions in the Brussels North Quarter (1965‑1975): what are the legacies today?

At the end of the 1960s, the urban area of Brussels underwent a modernisation process which deeply transformed certain neighbourhoods. Ten years earlier, Expo 58, the North-South junction and the construction of the state administrative district had already brought modernist architecture to Brussels. The enthusiasm generated by these projects, the very weak reactions on behalf of those who were affected and the strong growth of the Golden Sixties (1960‑1970) kindled a will among certain local politicians, town planners and architects to pursue the large-scale modernisation of the city. Due to the promise of a significant increase in wealth, a coalition of interests was established with money lenders and the destruction of entire neighbourhoods was organised. This led to the appearance of the urban struggles in Brussels such as those in the Marolle and the North Quarter. The former was a victory and allowed the neighbourhood to be saved. The latter, however, was not able to prevent the destruction of 53 ha of urban fabric and the eviction of more than 3 000 families. A comparative analysis of these two events allows a better understanding of the multiple stakes, the strategies of urban stakeholders and the effects of these struggles on the emergence of a new urban and civic “conscience”.Fin des années soixante, l’agglomération bruxelloise fut l’objet d’un processus de modernisation qui transforma profondément certains quartiers. Dix années plus tôt, l’Expo 58, la jonction Nord-Midi et la construction de la Cité administrative avaient déjà fait pénétrer l’architecture moderniste à Bruxelles. L’enthousiasme que ces projets suscitèrent, les très faibles réactions de ceux qui devaient les subir et la forte croissance des Golden Sixties (1960‑1970) firent éclore chez certains politiciens locaux, urbanistes et architectes, une volonté de poursuivre à grande échelle la modernisation de la ville. Grâce à la promesse d’un enrichissement important, une coalition d’intérêts se mit en place avec des bailleurs de fonds, et la destruction de quartiers entiers fut organisée. Ceci suscita l’éclosion de luttes urbaines à Bruxelles dont celle de Marolle et celle du Quartier Nord. La première fut victorieuse et permit de sauvegarder le quartier. La seconde, par contre, n’a pas pu empêcher la destruction de 53 hectares de tissu urbain et l’éviction de plus de 3 000 familles. Une analyse comparative de ces deux événements permet de mieux saisir les enjeux multiples, les stratégies des acteurs urbains et les conséquences qu’eurent ces luttes sur l’émergence d’une nouvelle “conscience” urbaine et citoyenne.Eind jaren zestig werd de Brusselse agglomeratie gemoderniseerd. Bepaalde wijken werden ingrijpend verbouwd. Tien jaar eerder had de modernistische architectuur haar intrede in Brussel al gedaan met Expo ’58, de NoordZuidverbinding en de bouw van het Rijksadministratief Centrum. Het enthousiasme dat die projecten teweegbrachten, de zeer zwakke reacties van degenen die er het slachtoffer van waren en de sterke economische groei in de Golden Sixties (1960‑1970) brachten bepaalde lokale politici, stedenbouwkundigen en architecten op het idee om de modernisering van de stad op grote schaal voort te zetten. Het uitzicht op grof geldgewin bracht hen ertoe een belangenvereniging op te richten met geldschieters en de afbraak van hele wijken werd georganiseerd. Dat leidde tot stedenbouwkundige strubbelingen in Brussel, waaronder de strijd in de Marollen en in de Noordwijk. De eerste strijd werd gewonnen en de wijk bleef bestaan. In de tweede strijd daarentegen moesten de bewoners het onderspit delven: 53 ha stadsweefsel werd met de grond gelijkgemaakt en meer dan 3 000 gezinnen werden uit hun woning gezet. Een vergelijkende analyse van die twee gebeurtenissen geeft een duidelijker beeld van wat er allemaal op het spel stond, van de strategieën van de stedelijke actoren en van de gevolgen van die strijd, namelijk het ontstaan van een nieuw stedenbouwkundig “bewustzijn” met burgerinspraak

De hedendaagse erfenis van tien jaar onteigeningen en uitzettingen in de Brusselse Noordwijk (1965‑1975)

Eind jaren zestig werd de Brusselse agglomeratie gemoderniseerd. Bepaalde wijken werden ingrijpend verbouwd. Tien jaar eerder had de modernistische architectuur haar intrede in Brussel al gedaan met Expo ’58, de NoordZuidverbinding en de bouw van het Rijksadministratief Centrum. Het enthousiasme dat die projecten teweegbrachten, de zeer zwakke reacties van degenen die er het slachtoffer van waren en de sterke economische groei in de Golden Sixties (1960‑1970) brachten bepaalde lokale politici, stedenbouwkundigen en architecten op het idee om de modernisering van de stad op grote schaal voort te zetten. Het uitzicht op grof geldgewin bracht hen ertoe een belangenvereniging op te richten met geldschieters en de afbraak van hele wijken werd georganiseerd. Dat leidde tot stedenbouwkundige strubbelingen in Brussel, waaronder de strijd in de Marollen en in de Noordwijk. De eerste strijd werd gewonnen en de wijk bleef bestaan. In de tweede strijd daarentegen moesten de bewoners het onderspit delven: 53 ha stadsweefsel werd met de grond gelijkgemaakt en meer dan 3 000 gezinnen werden uit hun woning gezet. Een vergelijkende analyse van die twee gebeurtenissen geeft een duidelijker beeld van wat er allemaal op het spel stond, van de strategieën van de stedelijke actoren en van de gevolgen van die strijd, namelijk het ontstaan van een nieuw stedenbouwkundig “bewustzijn” met burgerinspraak.Fin des années soixante, l’agglomération bruxelloise fut l’objet d’un processus de modernisation qui transforma profondément certains quartiers. Dix années plus tôt, l’Expo 58, la jonction Nord-Midi et la construction de la Cité administrative avaient déjà fait pénétrer l’architecture moderniste à Bruxelles. L’enthousiasme que ces projets suscitèrent, les très faibles réactions de ceux qui devaient les subir et la forte croissance des Golden Sixties (1960‑1970) firent éclore chez certains politiciens locaux, urbanistes et architectes, une volonté de poursuivre à grande échelle la modernisation de la ville. Grâce à la promesse d’un enrichissement important, une coalition d’intérêts se mit en place avec des bailleurs de fonds, et la destruction de quartiers entiers fut organisée. Ceci suscita l’éclosion de luttes urbaines à Bruxelles dont celle de Marolle et celle du Quartier Nord. La première fut victorieuse et permit de sauvegarder le quartier. La seconde, par contre, n’a pas pu empêcher la destruction de 53 hectares de tissu urbain et l’éviction de plus de 3 000 familles. Une analyse comparative de ces deux événements permet de mieux saisir les enjeux multiples, les stratégies des acteurs urbains et les conséquences qu’eurent ces luttes sur l’émergence d’une nouvelle “conscience” urbaine et citoyenne.At the end of the 1960s, the urban area of Brussels underwent a modernisation process which deeply transformed certain neighbourhoods. Ten years earlier, Expo 58, the North-South junction and the construction of the state administrative district had already brought modernist architecture to Brussels. The enthusiasm generated by these projects, the very weak reactions on behalf of those who were affected and the strong growth of the Golden Sixties (1960‑1970) kindled a will among certain local politicians, town planners and architects to pursue the large-scale modernisation of the city. Due to the promise of a significant increase in wealth, a coalition of interests was established with money lenders and the destruction of entire neighbourhoods was organised. This led to the appearance of the urban struggles in Brussels such as those in the Marolle and the North Quarter. The former was a victory and allowed the neighbourhood to be saved. The latter, however, was not able to prevent the destruction of 53 ha of urban fabric and the eviction of more than 3 000 families. A comparative analysis of these two events allows a better understanding of the multiple stakes, the strategies of urban stakeholders and the effects of these struggles on the emergence of a new urban and civic “conscience”

Transfusion of red blood cells: the impact on short-term and long-term survival after coronary artery bypass grafting, a ten-year follow-up.

Transfusion of red blood cells (RBC) and other blood products in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. We retrospectively analyzed data of patients who underwent an isolated coronary bypass graft operation between January 1998 and December 2007. Mean follow-up was 1696±1026 days, with exclusion of 122 patients lost to follow-up and 80 patients who received 10 units of RBC. Of the remaining patients, 8001 (76.7%) received no RBC, 1621 (15.2%) received 1–2 units of RBC, 593 (5.7%) received 3–5 units and 220 (2.1%) received 6–10 units. The number of transfused RBC was a predictor for early but not for late mortality. When compared to expected survival, survival of patients not receiving any blood product was better, while survival of patients receiving >3 units of RBC was worse. Transfusion of RBC is an independent, dose-dependent risk factor for early mortality after revascularization. Compared to expected survival, receiving no RBC improves patient long-term survival, whereas receiving three or more units of RBC significantly decreases patient survival

MSWEP : 3-hourly 0.25° global gridded precipitation (1979-2015) by merging gauge, satellite, and reanalysis data

Current global precipitation (P) datasets do not take full advantage of the complementary nature of satellite and reanalysis data. Here, we present Multi-Source Weighted-Ensemble Precipitation (MSWEP) version 1.1, a global P dataset for the period 1979-2015 with a 3hourly temporal and 0.25 degrees ffi spatial resolution, specifically designed for hydrological modeling. The design philosophy of MSWEP was to optimally merge the highest quality P data sources available as a function of timescale and location. The long-term mean of MSWEP was based on the CHPclim dataset but replaced with more accurate regional datasets where available. A correction for gauge under-catch and orographic effects was introduced by inferring catchment-average P from streamflow (Q) observations at 13 762 stations across the globe. The temporal variability of MSWEP was determined by weighted averaging of P anomalies from seven datasets; two based solely on interpolation of gauge observations (CPC Unified and GPCC), three on satellite remote sensing (CMORPH, GSMaP-MVK, and TMPA 3B42RT), and two on atmospheric model reanalysis (ERA-Interim and JRA-55). For each grid cell, the weight assigned to the gauge-based estimates was calculated from the gauge network density, while the weights assigned to the satellite-and reanalysis-based estimates were calculated from their comparative performance at the surrounding gauges. The quality of MSWEP was compared against four state-of-the-art gauge-adjusted P datasets (WFDEI-CRU, GPCP-1DD, TMPA 3B42, and CPC Unified) using independent P data from 125 FLUXNET tower stations around the globe. MSWEP obtained the highest daily correlation coefficient (R) among the five P datasets for 60.0% of the stations and a median R of 0.67 vs. 0.44-0.59 for the other datasets. We further evaluated the performance of MSWEP using hydrological modeling for 9011 catchments (< 50 000 km(2)) across the globe. Specifically, we calibrated the simple conceptual hydrological model HBV (Hydrologiska Byrans Vattenbalansavdelning) against daily Q observations with P from each of the different datasets. For the 1058 sparsely gauged catchments, representative of 83.9% of the global land surface (excluding Antarctica), MSWEP obtained a median calibration NSE of 0.52 vs. 0.29-0.39 for the other P datasets. MSWEP is available via http://www.gloh2o.org

Nonlinear optical transformation of the polarization state of circularly polarized light with holographic-cut cubic crystals

n/

compomics-utilities: an open-source Java library for computational proteomics

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The growing interest in the field of proteomics has increased the demand for software tools and applications that process and analyze the resulting data. And even though the purpose of these tools can vary significantly, they usually share a basic set of features, including the handling of protein and peptide sequences, the visualization of (and interaction with) spectra and chromatograms, and the parsing of results from various proteomics search engines. Developers typically spend considerable time and effort implementing these support structures, which detracts from working on the novel aspects of their tool.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In order to simplify the development of proteomics tools, we have implemented an open-source support library for computational proteomics, called compomics-utilities. The library contains a broad set of features required for reading, parsing, and analyzing proteomics data. compomics-utilities is already used by a long list of existing software, ensuring library stability and continued support and development.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>As a user-friendly, well-documented and open-source library, compomics-utilities greatly simplifies the implementation of the basic features needed in most proteomics tools. Implemented in 100% Java, compomics-utilities is fully portable across platforms and architectures. Our library thus allows the developers to focus on the novel aspects of their tools, rather than on the basic functions, which can contribute substantially to faster development, and better tools for proteomics.</p