The Belgian labour market during and after the crisis

The article looks at the impact that the 2008-2009 recession had on the Belgian labour market and, whilst taking account of the varying severity and duration of the economic downturn, draws a comparison with other European countries. More specifically, the consequences are investigated with regard to the adaptation of volume of labour and labour costs, and also the composition of employment. The analysis for Belgium shows that the crisis was accompanied by a less than proportional contraction in the volume of labour, resulting in a fall in labour productivity. The reduction in the volume of labour was only partly reflected in the trend in employment as the use of measures aimed at limiting working time, with a considerable fall in the number of hours worked per employee as a result, was accompanied by considerable labour hoarding. In general terms, the crisis did not result in a fall in the activity rate, but there is a major risk of discouragement among low-skilled young people. The increase in long-term unemployment points in turn to the threat of a rise in structural unemployment, which may adversely affect the potential for growth in the economy. The crisis did not have a moderating effect on the trend in hourly labour costs. After allowing for the productivity trend, the labour cost handicap, expressed in unit labour costs, narrowed temporarily with respect to the three neighbouring countries, but an increase in this handicap was once again posted in 2010.labour hoarding, long-term unemployment, labour productivity, labour cost handicap, hysteresis

Working time and forms of employment in Belgium

The article discusses developments over the past two decades in regard to working time and alternative forms of employment, placing the trends seen in Belgium in an international perspective. It also examines whether the Belgian regulations on this subject are stricter than those in the other EU-15 countries. For the Belgian working population, the usual working time averaged 37 hours per week in 2004, whereas in 1983 it was a little over 40 hours. There are wide variations within the EU-15. Belgian working time is somewhat shorter than the average for the EU-15, and that also applies to employees. The average working time ascertained for the various countries is influenced by the employment structure. After adjustments for that factor, the differences are definitely smaller, and working time in Belgium is roughly the same as the EU-15 average. The decline in average working time and the increased dispersion which have emerged over the years are inevitably connected with the growing use of part-time working and other alternative forms of employment such as temporary work, employment during non-standard hours, overtime working, variable working hours and home working. In many cases this satisfies a genuine preference on the part of the persons concerned, e.g. those seeking a better balance between work and family life. However, since these forms of employment are more common among risk groups such as women, older workers, the young and the low-skilled, there is a danger of further segmentation of the labour market. On the demand side of the labour market, the alternative forms of employment give employers a range of instruments which are conducive to a flexible production process.working time, part-time employment, temporary work, overtime, flexibility

Phase separation phenomena in solutions of polysulfone in mixtures of a solvent and a nonsolvent: relationship with membrane formation

The phase separation phenomena in ternary solutions of polysulfone (PSf) in mixtures of a solvent and a nonsolvent (N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and water, in most cases) are investigated. The liquid-liquid demixing gap is determined and it is shown that its location in the ternary phase diagram is mainly determined by the PSf-nonsolvent interaction parameter. The critical point in the PSf/DMAc/water system lies at a high polymer concentration of about 8% by weight. Calorimetric measurements with very concentrated PSf/DMAc/water solutions (prepared through liquid-liquid demixing, polymer concentration of the polymer-rich phase up to 60%) showed no heat effects in the temperature range of −20°C to 50°C. It is suggested that gelation in PSf systems is completely amorphous. The results are incorporated into a discussion of the formation of polysulfone membranes

Making things louder : amplified music and multimodality

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.This thesis looks at the use of electronic amplification at concerts of music. A broad introduction, constituting both a technological and a musical history, precedes a literature review that identifies the topic as under-researched in musical, technological and critical discourse. Proceeding from that broad approach which covers the first three chapters the analytical focus is narrowed by applying key concepts from social semiotic multimodal discourse analysis, as developed by amongst others Gunther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen and rooted in the work of linguist Michael Halliday. In addition, elements of the work of sociologist Erving Goffman are explored; notably his use of ‘decorum’, the ‘participation framework’ and ‘production formats’. Amplification is treated as a semiotic mode; the different meaning potentials of the use of technology are outlined and contrasted with the notion of reproduction technology as a neutral channel. Questions of the relation between original (or acoustic, ie the sound that is amplified) and the amplified sound are analysed using the concept of linguistic modality, so as to investigate how notions of musical truth such as authenticity or fidelity, are encoded in expressions. Music is considered as social action, and this encompasses both the music itself and the musical experience in which it is embedded. In social semiotics making meaning is an activity, and technological practices form an integral part of this. The final chapter therefore interrogates matters of agency in relation to the use of amplification and its use in musical performances

The induced path function, monotonicity and betweenness

The induced path function $J(u, v)$ of a graph consists of the set of all vertices lying on the induced paths between vertices $u$ and $v$. This function is a special instance of a transit function. The function $J$ satisfies betweenness if $w \\in J(u, v)$ implies $u \\notin J(w, v)$ and $x \\in J(u, v)$ implies $J(u, x \\subseteq J(u, v)$, and it is monotone if $x, y \\in J(u, v)$ implies $J(x, y) \\subseteq J(u, v)$. The induced path function of aconnected graph satisfying the betweenness and monotone axioms are characterized by transit axioms.betweenness;induced path;transit function;monotone;house domino;long cycle;p-graph

A rationale for the preparation of asymmetric pervaporation membranes

Pervaporation is carried out primarily with homogeneous membranes. An improvement in permeation rate can be achieved by using asymmetric or composite membranes. In order to maintain a high selectivity, very dense top layers are needed. The formation of asymmetric pervaporation membranes will be discussed in terms of the model proposed by our group: formation of the top layer by gelation; formation of the porous sublayer by liquid-liquid phase separation followed by gelation of the concentrated polymer phase. To obtain very dense top layers the following factors are important: the ratio of nonsolvent inflow and solvent outflow, polymer concentration, location of the liquid-liquid demixing gap, and location of the gel region. Asymmetric membranes have been prepared by varying these factors, and the obtained membranes have been tested on ethanol/water mixtures

Gait and electromyographic analysis of patients recovering after limb-saving surgery

Contains fulltext : 123683.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access

Dutch survey pyrrolizidine alkaloids in animal forage

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are secondary plant metabolites produced by a number of plants from the Asteraceae (Compositae), Boriginaceae and Fabaceae (Leguminosae) families. Many of these alkaloids have been shown to be highly toxic, causing hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD), liver cirrhosis and ultimately death. PAs may have also mutagenic and carcinogenic potential. Amongst livestock, cattle and horses are especially susceptible to the toxic effects of the PAs. Humans may also be at risk by the consumption of milk of livestock fed with PA-contaminated forage. At RIKILT - Institute of Food Safety a (semi)quantitative method based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the determination of PAs in animal feeds has been developed and validated. This method comprises 40 macrocyclic PAs (including tertiary amines and N-oxides) representative for ragwort species. The method has been used for the analysis of 147 forage samples collected in 2006-2008

Calcium signalling links MYC to NUAK1

NUAK1 is a member of the AMPK-related family of kinases. Recent evidence suggests that NUAK1 is an important regulator of cell adhesion and migration, cellular and organismal metabolism, and regulation of TAU stability. As such, NUAK1 may play key roles in multiple diseases ranging from neurodegeneration to diabetes and metastatic cancer. Previous work revealed a crucial role for NUAK1 in supporting viability of tumour cells specifically when MYC is overexpressed. This role is surprising, given that NUAK1 is activated by the tumour suppressor LKB1. Here we show that, in tumour cells lacking LKB1, NUAK1 activity is maintained by an alternative pathway involving calcium-dependent activation of PKCα. Calcium/PKCα-dependent activation of NUAK1 supports engagement of the AMPK-TORC1 metabolic checkpoint, thereby protecting tumour cells from MYC-driven cell death, and indeed, MYC selects for this pathway in part via transcriptional regulation of PKCα and ITPR. Our data point to a novel role for calcium in supporting tumour cell viability and clarify the synthetic lethal interaction between NUAK1 and MYC