The evolution of the Upper Ordovician to Silurian basin in the Condroz Inlier and the Brabant Massif from a litho- and biostratigraphical point of view

Twelve years ago Verniers et al. (2002a) summarized what was known at the time about the Cambrian to Middle Devonian basin evolution and deformation history of Belgium, eastern England and surrounding areas east of the Midlands Microcraton. The combination of the data concerning the basin development, stratigraphy, sedimentology, subsidence history, magmatism, tectonic deformation and metamorphism led the authors to define three megasequences, each megasequence being characterized by a different geodynamic setting. In the present study only the third megasequence, starting in the middle Katian, is considered. This megasequence is heralded by the first signs of the collision, or better docking, of Avalonia and the continent Baltica. During the middle Silurian, these two continents collide with Laurentia. A counterclockwise rotation of the Midlands Microcraton with respect to the Lake District from the Caradoc (Sandbian-middle Katian) to the Emsian led to the convergence of the Midlands Microcraton and the Lüneberg-North Sea Microcraton, resulting in the Brabantian orogeny and the Anglo-Brabant Deformation Belt. Stratigraphical data of the Condroz Inlier during the third megasequence are restricted, especially those for the Silurian part, this in contrast with our knowledge of the Brabant Massif. The data concerning the Condroz Inlier are mainly based on studies dating from the first half of the previous century. Some years ago, Vanmeirhaeghe (2006b), in his PhD study, revised the lithostratigraphy of the Ordovician and parts of the lower Silurian of the Condroz Inlier in combination with a biostratigraphy using chitinozoans. Detailed field observations of the lithofacies in the Condroz Inlier led to the reconsideration of the lithostratigraphical units present in the inlier. Biostratigraphical analysis mainly with chitinozoans, but also with graptolites and brachiopods, allowed to place the lithostratigraphical units in the chronostratigraphy. Once the stratigraphy of the Condroz Inlier was established, correlation with the Brabant Massif became possible. During megasequence 3 the sediments of the Condroz Inlier were deposited on the shelf, but the location of the sedimentation on the shelf changed through time. During the same megasequence sedimentation of the Brabant Massif starts with shelf deposition, but slope conditions prevail during the Silurian with deposition of turbidites. The thickness of the lithostratigraphical units generally increases through the Llandovery with thick deposits starting from the upper Telychian. The basin of the Brabant Massif begins to deepen already in the upper Katian and we prefer to place the start of the development of the foreland basin at the onset of the deepening in the upper Katian. From the lower Telychian on oxic-anoxic changes in the stratigraphical column of the Condroz Inlier are noted. From the upper Telychian on to the end of the Wenlock anoxic sedimentation takes place almost continuously, with deposition of dark grey, finely laminated mudstone; oxic intervals are limited. Such mudstone, known as laminated hemipelagites, have already been recorded from the Brabant Massif and are here described for the first time from the Condroz Inlier

qBase relative quantification framework and software for management and automated analysis of real-time quantitative PCR data

Although quantitative PCR (qPCR) is becoming the method of choice for expression profiling of selected genes, accurate and straightforward processing of the raw measurements remains a major hurdle. Here we outline advanced and universally applicable models for relative quantification and inter-run calibration with proper error propagation along the entire calculation track. These models and algorithms are implemented in qBase, a free program for the management and automated analysis of qPCR data

Modelling the primary drying step for the determination of the optimal dynamic heating pad temperature in a continuous pharmaceutical freeze-drying process for unit doses

In the pharmaceutical industry, traditional freeze-drying of unit doses is a batch-wise process associated with many disadvantages. To overcome these disadvantages and to guarantee a uniform product quality and high process efficiency, a continuous freeze-drying process is developed and evaluated. The main differences between the proposed continuous freeze-drying process and traditional freeze-drying can be found firstly in the freezing step during which the vials are rotated around their longitudinal axis (spin freezing), and secondly in the drying step during which the energy for sublimation and desorption is provided through the vial wall by conduction via an electrical heating pad. To obtain a more efficient drying process, the energy transfer has to be optimised without exceeding the product and process limits (e.g. cake collapse, choked flow). Therefore, a mechanistic model describing primary drying during continuous lyophilisation of unit doses based on conduction via heating pads was developed allowing the prediction of the optimal dynamic power input and temperature output of the electric heating pads. The model was verified by experimentally testing the optimal dynamic primary drying conditions calculated for a model formulation. The primary drying endpoint of the model formulation was determined via in-line NIR spectroscopy. This endpoint was then compared with the predicted model based endpoint. The mean ratio between the experimental and model based predicted drying time for six verification runs was 1.05 +/- 0.07, indicating a good accordance between the model and the experimental data

Preferences of patients with advanced lung cancer regarding the involvement of family and others in medical decision-making

Objective: To explore the preferences of competent patients with advanced lung cancer regarding involvement of family and/or others in their medical decision-making, and their future preferences in case of loss of competence. Methods: Over 1 year, physicians in 13 hospitals in Flanders, Belgium, recruited patients with initial non-small-cell lung cancer, stage IIIb or IV. The patients were interviewed with a structured questionnaire every 2 months until the fourth interview and every 4 months until the sixth interview. Results: At inclusion, 128 patients were interviewed at least once; 13 were interviewed 6 consecutive times. Sixty-nine percent of patients wanted family members to be involved in medical decision-making and this percentage did not change significantly over time. One third of these patients did not achieve this preference. Ninety-four percent of patients wanted family involvement if they lost competence, 23% of these preferring primary physician control over decision-making, 41% shared physician and family control, and 36% primary family control. This degree of preferred family involvement expressed when competent did not change significantly over time at population level, but did at individual level; almost half the patients changed their minds either way at some point during the observation period. Conclusions: The majority of patients with lung cancer wanted family involvement in decision-making, and almost all did so in case of future loss of competence. However, as half of the patients changed their minds over time about the degree of family involvement they wanted if they lost competence, physicians should regularly rediscuss a patient's preferences

Visual search for featural singletons: No top-down modulation, only bottom-up priming.

The present study investigated the effect of top-down knowledge on search for a feature singleton (a "pop-out target"). In a singleton detection task, advance cueing of the dimension of upcoming singleton resulted in cueing costs and benefits (Experiment 1). When the search for the singleton stayed the same but only the response requirements were changed, advance cueing failed to have an effect (Experiments 2 and 3). In singleton search only bottom-up priming plays a role (Experiments 4 and 5). We conclude that expectancy-based, top-down knowledge cannot guide the search for a featural singleton. Bottom-up priming that does facilitate search for a featural singleton cannot be influenced by top-down control. The study demonstrates that effects often attributed to early top-down guidance may represent effects that occur later in processing or represent bottom-up priming effects. © 2006 Psychology Press Ltd

Robust TOA-Based UAS Navigation under Model Mismatch in GNSS-Denied Harsh Environments

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) is the technology of choice for outdoor positioning purposes but has many limitations when used in safety-critical applications such Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Unmanned Autonomous Systems (UAS). Namely, its performance clearly degrades in harsh propagation conditions and is not reliable due to possible attacks or interference. Moreover, GNSS signals may not be available in the so-called GNSS-denied environments, such as deep urban canyons or indoors, and standard GNSS architectures do not provide the precision needed in ITS. Among the different alternatives, cellular signals (LTE/5G) may provide coverage in constrained urban environments and Ultra-Wideband (UWB) ranging is a promising solution to achieve high positioning accuracy. The key points impacting any time-of-arrival (TOA)-based navigation system are (i) the transmitters’ geometry, (ii) a perfectly known transmitters’ position, and (iii) the environment. In this contribution, we analyze the performance loss of alternative TOA-based navigation systems in real-life applications where we may have both transmitters’ position mismatch, harsh propagation environments, and GNSS-denied conditions. In addition, we propose new robust filtering methods able to cope with both effects up to a certain extent. Illustrative results in realistic scenarios are provided to support the discussion and show the performance improvement brought by the new methodologies with respect to the state-of-the-art

Response Selection modulates Visual Search Within and Across Dimensions.

In feature search tasks, uncertainty about the dimension on which targets differ from the nontargets hampers search performance relative to a situation in which this dimension is known in advance. Typically, these cross-dimensional costs are associated with less efficient guidance of attention to the target. In the present study, participants either had to perform a feature search task or had to perform a nonsearch task, that is, respond to a target presented without nontargets. The target varied either in one dimension or across dimensions. The results showed similar effects both in search and nonsearch conditions: Preknowledge of the target dimension gave shorter response times than when the dimension was unknown. Similar results were found using a trial-by-trial cueing. It is concluded that effects that typically have been attributed to early top-down modulation of attentional guidance may represent effects that occur later in processing. Copyright 2005 by the American Psychological Association