Improving soil moisture profile reconstruction from ground-penetrating radar data: a maximum likelihood ensemble filter approach

The vertical profile of shallow unsaturated zone soil moisture plays a key role in many hydro-meteorological and agricultural applications. We propose a closed-loop data assimilation procedure based on the maximum likelihood ensemble filter algorithm to update the vertical soil moisture profile from time-lapse ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data. A hydrodynamic model is used to propagate the system state in time and a radar electromagnetic model and petrophysical relationships to link the state variable with the observation data, which enables us to directly assimilate the GPR data. Instead of using the surface soil moisture only, the approach allows to use the information of the whole soil moisture profile for the assimilation. We validated our approach through a synthetic study. We constructed a synthetic soil column with a depth of 80 cm and analyzed the effects of the soil type on the data assimilation by considering 3 soil types, namely, loamy sand, silt and clay. The assimilation of GPR data was performed to solve the problem of unknown initial conditions. The numerical soil moisture profiles generated by the Hydrus-1D model were used by the GPR model to produce the "observed" GPR data. The results show that the soil moisture profile obtained by assimilating the GPR data is much better than that of an open-loop forecast. Compared to the loamy sand and silt, the updated soil moisture profile of the clay soil converges to the true state much more slowly. Decreasing the update interval from 60 down to 10 h only slightly improves the effectiveness of the GPR data assimilation for the loamy sand but significantly for the clay soil. The proposed approach appears to be promising to improve real-time prediction of the soil moisture profiles as well as to provide effective estimates of the unsaturated hydraulic properties at the field scale from time-lapse GPR measurements

Attending school after treatment for a brain tumor: Experiences of children and key figures

Reintegration into school is a milestone for childhood brain tumor survivors, as well as for their parents, teachers, and healthcare providers. We explored their experiences following the school re-entry by conducting semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis resulted in four main themes: "school performance," "psychosocial well-being," "support and approach," and "communication and collaboration." Children were pleased to return to school despite confrontation with adverse outcomes. Parents, teachers, and healthcare providers identified current and future concerns and challenges, as well as opportunities for academic and personal development. Their experiences highlight the importance of coordinated and systematic follow-up in close collaboration with healthcare providers

Estimation of root water uptake parameters by inverse modeling with soil water content data

In this paper we have tested the feasibility of the inverse modeling approach to derive root water uptake parameters (RWUP) from soil water content data using numerical experiments for three differently textured soils and for an optimal drying period. The RWUP of interest are the rooting depth and the bottom root length density. In a first step, a thorough sensitivity analysis was performed. This showed that soil water content dynamics is relatively insensitive to RWUP and that the sensitivity depends on the texture of the considered soil. For medium-fine textured soil, the sensitivity is particularly low due to relatively high unsaturated hydraulic conductivity values. These ones allow a “compensating effect” to occur, i.e., vertical unsaturated water fluxes overshadowing in some way the root water uptake. In a second step, we analyzed the well-posedness of the solution (stability and nonuniqueness) when only RWUP are optimized. For this case, the inverse problem is clearly ill-posed except for the estimation of the rooting depth parameter for coarse and the very fine textured soils. In a third step, we addressed the case where RWUP are estimated simultaneously with additional parameters of the system (i.e., with soil hydraulic parameters). For this case, our study showed that the inverse problem is well-posed for the coarse and very fine textured soils, allowing for the estimation of both RWUP of interest provided that a powerful global optimization algorithm is used. On the contrary, the estimation of RWUP is unfeasible for medium-fine textured soil due to the “compensating effect” of the vertical unsaturated water flows. In conclusion, we can state that the inverse modeling approach can be applied to derive RWUP for some soils (coarse and very fine textured) and that the feasibility is strongly improved if the RWUP are simultaneously optimized with additional parameters. Nevertheless, more detailed research is needed to apply the inverse modeling approach to real cases for which additional issues are likely to be encountered such as soil heterogeneity and root dynamics

Framework for assessing sustainability levels in Belgium agricultural systems - SAFE

Sustainability is now regarded as a crucial property of agricultural systems and its evaluation has become a main challenge for scientists, policy makers and farmers. In the last decade, different sets of indicators have been designed both at national and international levels. Meanwhile, more practical environmental impact assessment (EIA) tools have been developed at the farm level . However, none of these indicator sets can be used at both levels. Further, most of these initiatives focus only on environmental aspects of sustainability and do not take socio-economic aspects into consideration. Indicator selection does not always fit in a consistent and comprehensive framework, although there is a strong need to integrate sustainability indicators in order to facilitate comparison and assessment. Finally, few of these works relate to Belgian agriculture, which up til now lacked a tool for assessing the sustainability of its farms. This project aims at providing a framework for assessing sustainability levels in Belgian agricultural systems (SAFE) that overcomes the deficiencies mentioned above. This is achieved by: 1. Considering the concept of agricultural sustainability in a holistic manner – SAFE accounts for all three pillars of sustainability (environmental, economic & social). 2. Developing (a) a consistent approach for defining sustainability principles and criteria and (b) a core list of sustainability indicators identified through a standardized selection procedure. The ‘SAFE selection procedure’ is a flexible scientific process that builts on knowledge and experience of numerous experts. 3. Ensuring that the tool remains as easy as possible to interpret and thus to use, thanks to the integration procedure of sustainability indicators and the graphic expression of the results. 4. Building on a generic methodology. Though the set of selected indicators presented in this report is specific to the Belgian agricultural context, the method developed for the construction of the SAFE tool can be transferred for assessing sustainability levels in other geographical (Europe, world, …) and sectorial contexts. In particular, principles and criteria defined in SAFE have a universal value. 5. Taking action at three spatial levels, depending on the scale of application: (1) parcel (2) farm or (3) watershed for surface water-related issues, landscape/ecosystem for some soil and biodiversity related issues, and administrative units (region, state) for some environmental as well as for some socio-economic issues

Framework for assessing sustainability levels in Belgium agricultural systems - SAFE

Sustainability is now regarded as a crucial property of agricultural systems and its evaluation has become a main challenge for scientists, policy makers and farmers. In the last decade, different sets of indicators have been designed both at national and international levels. Meanwhile, more practical environmental impact assessment (EIA) tools have been developed at the farm level . However, none of these indicator sets can be used at both levels. Further, most of these initiatives focus only on environmental aspects of sustainability and do not take socio-economic aspects into consideration. Indicator selection does not always fit in a consistent and comprehensive framework, although there is a strong need to integrate sustainability indicators in order to facilitate comparison and assessment. Finally, few of these works relate to Belgian agriculture, which up til now lacked a tool for assessing the sustainability of its farms. This project aims at providing a framework for assessing sustainability levels in Belgian agricultural systems (SAFE) that overcomes the deficiencies mentioned above. This is achieved by: 1. Considering the concept of agricultural sustainability in a holistic manner – SAFE accounts for all three pillars of sustainability (environmental, economic & social). 2. Developing (a) a consistent approach for defining sustainability principles and criteria and (b) a core list of sustainability indicators identified through a standardized selection procedure. The ‘SAFE selection procedure’ is a flexible scientific process that builts on knowledge and experience of numerous experts. 3. Ensuring that the tool remains as easy as possible to interpret and thus to use, thanks to the integration procedure of sustainability indicators and the graphic expression of the results. 4. Building on a generic methodology. Though the set of selected indicators presented in this report is specific to the Belgian agricultural context, the method developed for the construction of the SAFE tool can be transferred for assessing sustainability levels in other geographical (Europe, world, …) and sectorial contexts. In particular, principles and criteria defined in SAFE have a universal value. 5. Taking action at three spatial levels, depending on the scale of application: (1) parcel (2) farm or (3) watershed for surface water-related issues, landscape/ecosystem for some soil and biodiversity related issues, and administrative units (region, state) for some environmental as well as for some socio-economic issues

Emergency treatment of a ruptured huge omphalocele by simple suture of its membrane

Background: The rupture of a huge omphalocele is an emergency that threatens the newborn baby’s life. It constitutes a therapeutical concern in the absence of prosthesis especially in developing countries. Methods: We are reporting herein the case of a newborn baby that we managed in emergency successfully thanks to a simple treatment. Results: It was a huge omphalocele, ruptured during delivery, in a male newborn baby. We conducted a simple and conservative surgical treatment without prosthesis, which consisted of reconstruction of the omphalocele’s membrane by closing it with absorbable suture materials. The suture of the omphalocele’s membrane was followed by treatment with the Grob’s method. This treatment saved the newborn baby’s life. The total skinning was obtained after 3 months. Conclusions: In case of rupture of huge omphalocele in absence of prosthesis, it is better to suture the membrane, and continue the treatment according to the Grob’s method; the residual disembowelment can be repaired later. Keywords: Ruptured omphalocele, Huge omphalocele, Grob’s method, Developing countries Backgroun

Short-term perspectives of parents and teachers on school reintegration of childhood brain tumour survivors

OBJECTIVE: To discover short-term changes in perspectives of parents and teachers of childhood brain tumour survivors on school reintegration, in order to reveal similarities and differences between them over time. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents and teachers of five children at the start and the end of a 1-year period following the child\u27s school re-entry. RESULTS: Thematic analysis of data resulted in three main themes: \u27the child\u27s performance and wellbeing\u27, \u27the school\u27s attitude and approach\u27 and \u27communication and working together\u27. Parental concerns about child-specific changes and the school\u27s approach to the child could either decrease or increase over time. Teachers remained focused on assessing their pupil\u27s learning potential and finding ways of appropriate support. Their different perspectives on communication and working together became more pronounced. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes the importance of clear communication and collaboration, coordinated follow-up and availability of healthcare professionals during the child\u27s school reintegration

The research landscape of tuberous sclerosis complex-associated neuropsychiatric disorders (TAND)-a comprehensive scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)-associated neuropsychiatric disorders (TAND) is an umbrella term for the behavioural, psychiatric, intellectual, academic, neuropsychological and psychosocial manifestations of TSC. Although TAND affects 90% of individuals with TSC during their lifetime, these manifestations are relatively under-assessed, under-treated and under-researched. We performed a comprehensive scoping review of all TAND research to date (a) to describe the existing TAND research landscape and (b) to identify knowledge gaps to guide future TAND research. METHODS: The study was conducted in accordance with stages outlined within the Arksey and O'Malley scoping review framework. Ten research questions relating to study characteristics, research design and research content of TAND levels and clusters were examined. RESULTS: Of the 2841 returned searches, 230 articles published between 1987 and 2020 were included (animal studies = 30, case studies = 47, cohort studies = 153), with more than half published since the term TAND was coined in 2012 (118/230; 51%). Cohort studies largely involved children and/or adolescents (63%) as opposed to older adults (16%). Studies were represented across 341 individual research sites from 45 countries, the majority from the USA (89/341; 26%) and the UK (50/341; 15%). Only 48 research sites (14%) were within low-middle income countries (LMICs). Animal studies and case studies were of relatively high/high quality, but cohort studies showed significant variability. Of the 153 cohort studies, only 16 (10%) included interventions. None of these were non-pharmacological, and only 13 employed remote methodologies (e.g. telephone interviews, online surveys). Of all TAND clusters, the autism spectrum disorder-like cluster was the most widely researched (138/230; 60%) and the scholastic cluster the least (53/200; 27%). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the recent increase in TAND research, studies that represent participants across the lifespan, LMIC research sites and non-pharmacological interventions were identified as future priorities. The quality of cohort studies requires improvement, to which the use of standardised direct behavioural assessments may contribute. In human studies, the academic level in particular warrants further investigation. Remote technologies could help to address many of the TAND knowledge gaps identified