Numerical modelling of wave penetration in Ostend Harbour

The initial Ostend harbour entrance at the North Sea coast of Belgium is being modified and extended with two new rubble-mound breakwaters. Through an integrated study of the wave penetration in Ostend harbour, the waves are being acquired by prototype measurements and physical and numerical modelling is carried out. Two numerical models are used. SimWave is a numerical model based on Nwogu’s extended Boussinesq equations. The second numerical model is MILDwave, a mild-slope wave propagation model based on the equations of Radder and Dingemans. The present study concentrates on applications of the numerical models, throughout the different design stages and construction phases of the new breakwaters

(Architectural) measures to control wave overtopping inside harbours

One of the weak zones in the safety of the coastal city Oostende, Belgium, are the quays in the inner harbour which are rather low. A storm wall is an easy and effective measure to reduce wave overtopping and prevent the city from flooding. The location of this storm wall (close by the quay wall (2m) versus further away from the quay wall (15m)), and architectural alternatives for better integration in the setting have been studied at Ghent University. This paper summarizes the results

ER stress in antigen‐presenting cells promotes NKT cell activation through endogenous neutral lipids

CD1d-restricted invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells constitute a common glycolipid-reactive innate-like T-cell subset with a broad impact on innate and adaptive immunity. While several microbial glycolipids are known to activate iNKT cells, the cellular mechanisms leading to endogenous CD1d-dependent glycolipid responses remain largely unclear. Here, we show that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in APCs is a potent inducer of CD1d-dependent iNKT cell autoreactivity. This pathway relies on the presence of two transducers of the unfolded protein response: inositol-requiring enzyme-1a (IRE1α) and protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK). Surprisingly, the neutral but not the polar lipids generated within APCs undergoing ER stress are capable of activating iNKT cells. These data reveal that ER stress is an important mechanism to elicit endogenous CD1d-restricted iNKT cell responses through induction of distinct classes of neutral lipids

Kofman (Sarah). Nietzsche et la métaphore

Gysens-Gosselin M. Kofman (Sarah). Nietzsche et la métaphore. In: Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire, tome 53, fasc. 1, 1975. Antiquité — Oudheid. pp. 269-271

Kofman (Sarah). Nietzsche et la métaphore

Gysens-Gosselin M. Kofman (Sarah). Nietzsche et la métaphore. In: Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire, tome 53, fasc. 1, 1975. Antiquité — Oudheid. pp. 269-271

L'architecture du temple de Qasr Rabba (Jordanie). Considérations préliminaires aux fouilles

Calzini Gysens Jacqueline, Marino Luigi. L'architecture du temple de Qasr Rabba (Jordanie). Considérations préliminaires aux fouilles. In: Topoi, volume 9/2, 1999. pp. 849-856

Implementing a high-throughput arrayed CRISPRi screening platform to identify functional lncRNAs

Technological advances in RNA-sequencing revealed that the human genome is pervasively transcribed, resulting in the production of thousands of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Several lncRNAs are now recognized as key components of diverse physiological processes. However, molecular genetics lacks a more comprehensive view of lncRNome functionality and the mechanisms through which lncRNAs operate. Current high-throughput approaches to study lncRNA function (i.e. pooled CRISPR library screens) are typically limited to a single cellular phenotype or dedicated molecular reporter based on which functional candidates are selected. Here we present a scalable platform enabling serial cellular and molecular phenotyping to catalog lncRNA functions in a high-throughput and arrayed approach using CRISPR interference (CRISPRi). We applied PCR, in vitro transcription and bead-based purification for high-throughput production of single gRNAs in 96-well plate format. Using lipid-based transfection, sgRNAs were delivered to HEK293T cells stably expressing a deficient Cas9 protein fused to repressive complexes (dCas9-KRAB-MeCP2). Cells were monitored in real-time using the Incucyte platform to quantify growth, proliferation and apoptosis. After 48 hours, cells were lysed and RNA-sequencing libraries were generated directly from crude cell lysates, followed by shallow RNA-sequencing to infer the molecular phenotype associated to each condition. A proof-of-concept screen including 10 sgRNAs for 20 lncRNA targets demonstrated the feasibility of our approach, revealing differentially expressed genes and pathways upon lncRNA knockdown. Subsequently, we have initiated the systematic silencing of over 300 lncRNAs through this platform in order to characterize their associated cellular and molecular phenotypes. Additional dCas9-KRAB-MeCP2 models are being generated to probe the functionality of the long non-coding transcriptome in various disease-relevant model systems