A critical investigation of the epistemological, familial and spiritual invisibility of spiritual black lesbian and bisexual women in the Belgian LGBT rights framework

This dissertation investigates the epistemological, familial and spiritual invisibility of spiritual Black lesbian and bisexual women in the Belgian LGBT rights framework. By studying the intersection of black female homosexuality and spirituality in the Belgian context, the dissertation contributes to Black lesbian feminism, womanism and the study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans rights liberation frameworks in the Belgian context. It argues that a one-dimensional focus on sexuality, the law, secularism and citizenship creates intersectional invisibility for spiritual Black lesbian and bisexual women in Belgium. It proposes intersectional normfare as a lens to challenge invisibility in frameworks of liberation. Intersectional normfare draws on intersectionality and lawfare and challenges a one-dimensional focus on sexuality, the law, secularism and citizenship by • Articulating other aspects than the sexuality of spiritual Black lesbian and bisexual women' s intersectional identity that affect their lived experience, • Addressing intersecting norms found in language, culture, history, religion, political ideology and traditions that produce their epistemological, familial and spiritual invisibility based on intersectional identity and how these norms create conflicts ideas of being • Recognising how intersecting levels of norm production reinforce invisibility for spiritual Black lesbian and bisexual women in Belgium. Using a scotoma methodology, the research exposes blind spots in our vision for liberation. A scotoma methodology is a mixed method consisting of literature studies, legal case studies before domestic and European courts, autoethnographic research based on observations and lived experience of the researcher, and information found on websites, newspaper articles, archival material, memoirs, and translation. It relies on the nation of relationality to expose some of the critical issues that remain invisible and perpetuate epistemological, familial, and spiritual invisibility for spiritual Black lesbian and bisexual women across space and time

The state of MIIND

MIIND (Multiple Interacting Instantiations of Neural Dynamics) is a highly modular multi-level C++ framework, that aims to shorten the development time for models in Cognitive Neuroscience (CNS). It offers reusable code modules (libraries of classes and functions) aimed at solving problems that occur repeatedly in modelling, but tries not to impose a specific modelling philosophy or methodology. At the lowest level, it offers support for the implementation of sparse networks. For example, the library SparseImplementationLib supports sparse random networks and the library LayerMappingLib can be used for sparse regular networks of filter-like operators. The library DynamicLib, which builds on top of the library SparseImplementationLib, offers a generic framework for simulating network processes. Presently, several specific network process implementations are provided in MIIND: the Wilson–Cowan and Ornstein–Uhlenbeck type, and population density techniques for leaky-integrate-and-fire neurons driven by Poisson input. A design principle of MIIND is to support detailing: the refinement of an originally simple model into a form where more biological detail is included. Another design principle is extensibility: the reuse of an existing model in a larger, more extended one. One of the main uses of MIIND so far has been the instantiation of neural models of visual attention. Recently, we have added a library for implementing biologically-inspired models of artificial vision, such as HMAX and recent successors. In the long run we hope to be able to apply suitably adapted neuronal mechanisms of attention to these artificial models

Crisis performance predictability in supply chains

It is widely acknowledged that supply chain ‘glitches’ may have detrimental effects on company per

Alternatives for reductionist approaches to comparative Bantu grammar

Studies on most domains of comparative Bantu grammar are typically confronted with a huge amount of data and complex, interacting dimensions of variation. They tend to involve an initial methodological step of reducing this variation by classifying constructions, grammatical properties or entire languages into a finite set of types. This paper argues against such reductionist approaches to linguistic evidence and illustrates several methodological alternatives, one of which is here introduced as the scenario-based approach. I will argue that these alternative approaches are at least as good in managing data and finding generalisations as the reductionist approach, but that they give more reliable results and are better at discovering variation.Les études portant sur la plupart des domaines de la grammaire bantoue comparée sont généralement confrontées à une énorme quantité de données et à des dimensions de variation complexes et interactives. Elles tendent à induire une étape méthodologique initiale de réduction de cette variation en classant les constructions, les propriétés grammaticales ou les langues entières dans un ensemble fini de types. Cet article s'oppose à ces approches réductionnistes des données linguistiques et illustre plusieurs alternatives méthodologiques, dont l'une est présentée ici comme l'approche basée sur des scénarios. Je soutiens que ces approches alternatives sont au moins aussi efficaces pour gérer les données et trouver des généralisations que l'approche réductionniste, mais qu'elles donnent des résultats plus fiables et permettent de mieux mettre en lumière la variation

Lesion Eccentricity Plays a Key Role in Determining the Pressure Gradient of Serial Stenotic Lesions:Results from a Computational Hemodynamics Study

Purpose: In arterial disease, the presence of two or more serial stenotic lesions is common. For mild lesions, it is difficult to predict whether their combined effect is hemodynamically significant. This study assessed the hemodynamic significance of idealized serial stenotic lesions by simulating their hemodynamic interaction in a computational flow model. Materials and Methods: Flow was simulated with SimVascular software in 34 serial lesions, using moderate (15 mL/s) and high (30 mL/s) flow rates. Combinations of one concentric and two eccentric lesions, all 50% area reduction, were designed with variations in interstenotic distance and in relative direction of eccentricity. Fluid and fluid–structure simulations were performed to quantify the combined pressure gradient. Results: At a moderate flow rate, the combined pressure gradient of two lesions ranged from 3.8 to 7.7 mmHg, which increased to a range of 12.5–24.3 mmHg for a high flow rate. Eccentricity caused an up to two-fold increase in pressure gradient relative to concentric lesions. At a high flow rate, the combined pressure gradient for serial eccentric lesions often exceeded the sum of the individual lesions. The relative direction of eccentricity altered the pressure gradient by 15–25%. The impact of flow pulsatility and wall deformability was minor. Conclusion: This flow simulation study revealed that lesion eccentricity is an adverse factor in the hemodynamic significance of isolated stenotic lesions and in serial stenotic lesions. Two 50% lesions that are individually non-significant can combine more often than thought to hemodynamic significance in hyperemic conditions. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.).</p