High voltage implanted RESURF p-LDMOS using BICMOS technology

The hgh voltage DMOST based on BICMOS technology[l] are becoming more attractive because of its easy integration with bipolar and CMOS devices. Its process is required to be as compatible as possible with the BICMOS technology. This paper presents a complementary RESURF[2] p-LDMOS in whch the ni buried layer is used for the first time, as an effective substrate and the field implant is introduced to modify the drift charges. The implant conditions in t h ~ csa se, particularly the placements, will be studied

The 1980 earthquake in southern Italy: rescue of trapped victims and mortality.

A retrospective survey was undertaken on the health effects of the 1980 earthquake in southern Italy. The study population included 3619 people living in 7 villages situated near the epicentre of the disaster. The overall casualty rate (dead and injured) was 19.7%. Nearly all the deaths (192/202) occurred among trapped people who died before they could be rescued. Eighty per cent of all the trapped people were extricated within 2 days, mostly without the use of sophisticated means. The probability of survival decreased sharply, the longer the time before extrication. The crude mortality during the 18 months following the earthquake was 19.0 per thousand among the injured people who received treatment, and 14.1 per thousand among non-injured people. After age standardization, there was no significant difference between these two figures and the expected mortality figures for the Italian population in normal times (14.4 per thousand). These results stress the importance of providing rescue activities in the first 48 hours after the impact. Strengthening the self-reliance of the community in disaster preparedness is suggested as the best way to improve the effectiveness of relief operations. In disaster-prone areas, training and education in methods of rescue should be an integral part of any primary health care programme

Investigating the highest melting temperature materials : a laser melting study of the TaC-HfC system

TaC, HfC and their solid solutions are promising candidate materials for thermal protection structures in hypersonic vehicles because of their very high melting temperatures (\u3e4000 K) among other properties.  The melting temperatures of slightly hypostoichiometric TaC, HfC and three solid solution compositions (Ta1−xHfxC, with x = 0.8, 0.5 and 0.2) have long been identified as the highest known. In the current  research, they were reassessed, for the first time in the last fifty years, using a laser heating technique.  They were found to melt in the range of 4041–4232 K, with HfC having the highest and TaC the lowest.  Spectral radiance of the hot samples was measured in situ, showing that the optical emissivity of these compounds plays a fundamental role in their heat balance. Independently, the results show that the melting point for HfC0.98, (4232 ± 84) K, is the highest recorded for any compound studied until now

L’agenciarisation de la politique d’immigration et d’asile face aux enjeux de la « crise des réfugiés » en Méditerranée

Sous l’effet de la combinaison inédite de facteurs politiques, économiques et sociaux, la Méditerranée est de ces lieux où l’histoire s’est, au cours des dernières décennies, emballée. C’est dans ce contexte que la « mer du milieu » est devenue l’épicentre de ce que l’on désigne par la formule très approximative de « crise des migrants ». Ces mouvements telluriques n’en sont probablement qu’à leurs prémices. La force d’évocation négative du syntagme suffit pourtant à éclairer la mise en tension de l’Union et des États qui la constituent. Confrontée à un défi dont on mesure qu’il met à l’épreuve l’unité même de l’Union, celle-ci a fait le choix, somme toute classique, de la novation institutionnelle. Pour anticiper, canaliser et gérer ces flux humains, elle s’est dotée en 2004 de Frontex, devenue l’Agence européenne de gardes-frontières et gardes-côtes. Cette évolution est la déclinaison dans le domaine migratoire d’une dynamique dont l’objet est de moderniser l’action publique afin d’en renforcer, dit-on, l’efficacité. On entre ainsi dans un monde où la qualité des institutions s’apprécie à l’aune de leur « performance » sans être certain que leur aptitude à respecter les droits fondamentaux compte au nombre des indicateurs pertinents. Au fond, la question est posée de savoir si l’Union est parvenue à trouver un point d’équilibre acceptable par l’ensemble de ses membres entre les impératifs de sauvegarde inhérents à sa qualité même d’espace démocratique et l’attractivité d’un éden que les damnés de la terre sont prêts à rejoindre quoi qu’il en coûte. S’affranchissant des analyses exclusivement disciplinaires, cet ouvrage nous fait pénétrer au cœur des contradictions qui minent le processus d’agenciarisation appréhendé au prisme de la « crise des migrants en Méditerranée »

The V471A polymorphism in autophagy-related gene ATG7 modifies age at onset specifically in Italian Huntington disease patients

The cause of Huntington disease (HD) is a polyglutamine repeat expansion of more than 36 units in the huntingtin protein, which is inversely correlated with the age at onset of the disease. However, additional genetic factors are believed to modify the course and the age at onset of HD. Recently, we identified the V471A polymorphism in the autophagy-related gene ATG7, a key component of the autophagy pathway that plays an important role in HD pathogenesis, to be associated with the age at onset in a large group of European Huntington disease patients. To confirm this association in a second independent patient cohort, we analysed the ATG7 V471A polymorphism in additional 1,464 European HD patients of the “REGISTRY” cohort from the European Huntington Disease Network (EHDN). In the entire REGISTRY cohort we could not confirm a modifying effect of the ATG7 V471A polymorphism. However, analysing a modifying effect of ATG7 in these REGISTRY patients and in patients of our previous HD cohort according to their ethnic origin, we identified a significant effect of the ATG7 V471A polymorphism on the HD age at onset only in the Italian population (327 patients). In these Italian patients, the polymorphism is associated with a 6-years earlier disease onset and thus seems to have an aggravating effect. We could specify the role of ATG7 as a genetic modifier for HD particularly in the Italian population. This result affirms the modifying influence of the autophagic pathway on the course of HD, but also suggests population-specific modifying mechanisms in HD pathogenesis

Identification of genetic variants associated with Huntington's disease progression: a genome-wide association study

Background Huntington's disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene, HTT. Age at onset has been used as a quantitative phenotype in genetic analysis looking for Huntington's disease modifiers, but is hard to define and not always available. Therefore, we aimed to generate a novel measure of disease progression and to identify genetic markers associated with this progression measure. Methods We generated a progression score on the basis of principal component analysis of prospectively acquired longitudinal changes in motor, cognitive, and imaging measures in the 218 indivduals in the TRACK-HD cohort of Huntington's disease gene mutation carriers (data collected 2008–11). We generated a parallel progression score using data from 1773 previously genotyped participants from the European Huntington's Disease Network REGISTRY study of Huntington's disease mutation carriers (data collected 2003–13). We did a genome-wide association analyses in terms of progression for 216 TRACK-HD participants and 1773 REGISTRY participants, then a meta-analysis of these results was undertaken. Findings Longitudinal motor, cognitive, and imaging scores were correlated with each other in TRACK-HD participants, justifying use of a single, cross-domain measure of disease progression in both studies. The TRACK-HD and REGISTRY progression measures were correlated with each other (r=0·674), and with age at onset (TRACK-HD, r=0·315; REGISTRY, r=0·234). The meta-analysis of progression in TRACK-HD and REGISTRY gave a genome-wide significant signal (p=1·12 × 10−10) on chromosome 5 spanning three genes: MSH3, DHFR, and MTRNR2L2. The genes in this locus were associated with progression in TRACK-HD (MSH3 p=2·94 × 10−8 DHFR p=8·37 × 10−7 MTRNR2L2 p=2·15 × 10−9) and to a lesser extent in REGISTRY (MSH3 p=9·36 × 10−4 DHFR p=8·45 × 10−4 MTRNR2L2 p=1·20 × 10−3). The lead single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TRACK-HD (rs557874766) was genome-wide significant in the meta-analysis (p=1·58 × 10−8), and encodes an aminoacid change (Pro67Ala) in MSH3. In TRACK-HD, each copy of the minor allele at this SNP was associated with a 0·4 units per year (95% CI 0·16–0·66) reduction in the rate of change of the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) Total Motor Score, and a reduction of 0·12 units per year (95% CI 0·06–0·18) in the rate of change of UHDRS Total Functional Capacity score. These associations remained significant after adjusting for age of onset. Interpretation The multidomain progression measure in TRACK-HD was associated with a functional variant that was genome-wide significant in our meta-analysis. The association in only 216 participants implies that the progression measure is a sensitive reflection of disease burden, that the effect size at this locus is large, or both. Knockout of Msh3 reduces somatic expansion in Huntington's disease mouse models, suggesting this mechanism as an area for future therapeutic investigation

Mededeling over een bijeenkomst van de Commission du contentieux

Vliegende BladenBijzondere collectiesAdministration communale de Gand. Gand, le 26 juillet 1887. Ordre du jour: Prétentions par l'Etat au sujet de la voirie urbaine à l'occasion de l'agrandissement de l'enceinte de la station.Oud plaatsnummer BIB.VLBL.FI.C.190/7Chemin de fer : chemins de fer de Gand : Gar du sud, 1837-188

'Zodat mijn verbanning tegelijk jouw straf is.' Bloei, verval en migratie van wetenschap in de Republiek en de Spaanse Nederlanden

The Rise, Decline and Migration of Science in the Dutch Republic and the Spanish NetherlandsScience in the Southern and Spanish Netherlands flourished in the sixteenth century, whereas the hey-day of science in the Northern Netherlands (or the Dutch Republic) took place from the mid-seventeenth century onwards. The massive migration from South to North, especially after the fall of Antwerp in 1585, is seen as the link between those two periods of prosperity. Scientific progress in the North was only possible at the cost of scientific decline in the South. At least this is the traditional hypothesis, which can be summed up as ‘continuity-in-a-more-suitable-environment’. This view is to be found in the historiography from the nineteenth century onwards up until the present day. Although the traditional view is highly probable, in this article we have tried to unravel and modify it. For the most part, we have targeted our adjustments to coincide with the so-called periods of rise and decline. Firstly, the decline in the Spanish Netherlands did not start immediately after the fall of Antwerp and secondly, there is not much continuity to be found between the times of prosperity in the two areas

Blessing or Curse for Congruence?:How interest groups affect congruence between citizens and elected representatives

This article examines the role of interest mobilization in strengthening or weakening congruence between elected representatives and citizens on EU policy issues. It argues that the relationship between public opinion, interest groups and elected politicians can be theorized as a selective transmission process. We expect interest groups to strengthen congruence between citizens and elected representatives who share their ideological views. To test our hypotheses we conducted a content analysis of statements made in eight European news outlets on a sample of 13 policy issues and combined this with Eurobarometer polls. Our results indicate that elected representatives from leftist parties are more congruent with left-wing voters when civil society mobilizes, while the prevalence of corporate lobby groups strengthens congruence between rightist politicians and their constituents. These findings contribute to our understanding of the role of interest groups in political representation and democratic governance.publishedVersio

Criteria-analyse, discipline ecologie en landschap

Laboratory of General Botany and Nature Management and the Geographical Institute, sous la supervision de Prof. L. Triest and Prof. M. Van Molle, VUB, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgiqueinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe