Local state–society relations in Flanders (Belgium)

In the Belgian contribution in this volume, the following networks of local state–society relations are considered: youth councils, municipal commissions on spatial planning, local action groups, local mobility commissions and local housing consultations. These five networks offer a good overview of the broad spectrum of local state–society relations in Belgium. Youth councils and local action groups are seen as collaborative local state–society networks. They have both an advisory and a more collaborative role towards local government. The municipal commissions on spatial planning and the local mobility commissions are seen as delegated types of network, given their more formal role and position, while the local housing consultations are considered as a ceremonial type of network

A Weibull-count approach for handling under- and overdispersed longitudinal/clustered data structures

© 2018 SAGE Publications. A Weibull-model-based approach is examined to handle under- and overdispersed discrete data in a hierarchical framework. This methodology was first introduced by Nakagawa and Osaki (1975, IEEE Transactions on Reliability, 24, 300–301), and later examined for under- and overdispersion by Klakattawi et al. (2018, Entropy, 20, 142) in the univariate case. Extensions to hierarchical approaches with under- and overdispersion were left unnoted, even though they can be obtained in a simple manner. This is of particular interest when analysing clustered/longitudinal data structures, where the underlying correlation structure is often more complex compared to cross-sectional studies. In this article, a random-effects extension of the Weibull-count model is proposed and applied to two motivating case studies, originating from the clinical and sociological research fields. A goodness-of-fit evaluation of the model is provided through a comparison of some well-known count models, that is, the negative binomial, Conway–Maxwell–Poisson and double Poisson models. Empirical results show that the proposed extension flexibly fits the data, more specifically, for heavy-tailed, zero-inflated, overdispersed and correlated count data. Discrete left-skewed time-to-event data structures are also flexibly modelled using the approach, with the ability to derive direct interpretations on the median scale, provided the complementary log–log link is used. Finally, a large simulated set of data is created to examine other characteristics such as computational ease and orthogonality properties of the model, with the conclusion that the approach behaves best for highly overdispersed cases.status: publishe

Lung exposure to nanoparticles modulates an asthmatic response in a mouse model

The aim of this study was to investigate the modulation of an asthmatic response by titanium dioxide (TiO₂) or gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) in a murine model of diisocyanate-induced asthma. On days 1 and 8, BALB/c mice received 0.3% toluene diisocyanate (TDI) or the vehicle acetone-olive oil (AOO) on the dorsum of both ears (20 μL). On day 14, the mice were oropharyngeally dosed with 40 μL of a NP suspension (0.4 mg·mL⁻¹ (∼0.8 mg·kg⁻¹) TiO₂ or Au). 1 day later (day 15), the mice received an oropharyngeal challenge with 0.01% TDI (20 μL). On day 16, airway hyperreactivity (AHR), bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cell and cytokine analysis, lung histology, and total serum immunoglobulin E were assessed. NP exposure in sensitised mice led to a two- (TiO₂) or three-fold (Au) increase in AHR, and a three- (TiO₂) or five-fold (Au) increase in BAL total cell counts, mainly comprising neutrophils and macrophages. The NPs taken up by BAL macrophages were identified by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Histological analysis revealed increased oedema, epithelial damage and inflammation. In conclusion, these results show that a low, intrapulmonary doses of TiO₂ or Au NPs can aggravate pulmonary inflammation and AHR in a mouse model of diisocyanate-induced asthma.status: publishe