Belgium: Political Developments and Data in 2022

peer reviewedAbstractThe De Croo I Cabinet had to deal in 2022 with major issues related to international (war in Ukraine), European (energy supply) and national (inflation, social crisis and community problems) issues events. Given the coalition of parties that support the government, the policies developed by the government have sometimes taken a long time to be negotiated, decided, and implemented. In addition, the composition of the government had to be changed for various reasons, among others the vigorous opposition of the two main parties in Parliament (VB—Vlaams Belang—and N‐VA—Nieuw‐Vlaamse Alliantie)

Poly(L-lactide) Epimerization and Chain Scission in the Presence of Organic Bases

peer reviewedOrganocatalysis for polymer chemistry has become a subject of significant interest in the last two decades. In this contribution, we have studied the evolution of the microstructure of poly(L-lactide) in solution in toluene at 105 °C in the presence of various organocatalysts. Weak bases such as triethylamine and DMAP (4-dimethylaminopyridine) lead to a low extent of epimerization and a chain scission reaction. The DBU (1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene) amidine induces in turn important extents of both epimerization (up to 37% D-stereoisomer formation) and chain scission. This has been tentatively attributed to a nucleophilic mechanism. Cinchona alkaloids lead to only a modest amount of epimerization. Phosphazene bases are in turn rather active, especially for high catalytic loadings (>1 mol %). The chain scission observed in this case is proposed to occur via a base-catalyzed hydrolysis mechanism. Finally, it is shown that combining an organic base with an acid can lead to a synergistic effect regarding notably the chain scission reaction

No. 7 - The Future of International Trade: An American Perspective

Organized and sponsored by the Dean Rusk Center for International Law and Policy and the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, along with the Business Law Society and Graduate Business Association, The Future of International Trade was a daylong conference exploring issues related to the business aspects of international trade, future challenges for trade, and the future of multilateral trade negotiations. Ambassador Demetrios Marantis, deputy U.S. trade representative, served as the keynote speaker for the event

Instability zones for satellites of asteroids. The example of the (87) Sylvia system

We study the stability of the (87) Sylvia system and of the neighborhood of its two satellites. We use numerical integrations considering the non-sphericity of Sylvia, as well as the mutual perturbation of the satellites and the solar perturbation. Two numerical models have been used, which describe respectively the short and long-term evolution of the system. We show that the actual system is in a deeply stable zone, but surrounded by both fast and secular chaotic regions due to resonances. We then investigate how tidal and BYORP effects modify the location of the system over time with respect to the instability zones. Finally, we briefly generalize this study to other known triple systems and to satellites of asteroids in general, and discuss about their distance from mean-motion and evection resonances.Comment: 25 pages, 11 figures. Submitted to Icaru

DU Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Works: Abstracts

Abstracts from the DU Undergraduate Showcase

Synbiotic approach restores intestinal homeostasis and prolongs survival in leukaemia mice with cachexia

Cancer cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome that includes muscle wasting and inflammation. As gut microbes influence host immunity and metabolism, we investigated the role of the gut microbiota in the therapeutic management of cancer and associated cachexia. A community-wide analysis of the caecal microbiome in two mouse models of cancer cachexia (acute leukaemia or subcutaneous transplantation of colon cancer cells) identified common microbial signatures, including decreased Lactobacillus spp. and increased Enterobacteriaceae and Parabacteroides goldsteinii/ASF 519. Building on this information, we administered a synbiotic containing inulin-type fructans and live Lactobacillus reuteri 100-23 to leukaemic mice. This treatment restored the Lactobacillus population and reduced the Enterobacteriaceae levels. It also reduced hepatic cancer cell proliferation, muscle wasting and morbidity, and prolonged survival. Administration of the synbiotic was associated with restoration of the expression of antimicrobial proteins controlling intestinal barrier function and gut immunity markers, but did not impact the portal metabolomics imprinting of energy demand. In summary, this study provided evidence that the development of cancer outside the gut can impact intestinal homeostasis and the gut microbial ecosystem and that a synbiotic intervention, by targeting some alterations of the gut microbiota, confers benefits to the host, prolonging survival and reducing cancer proliferation and cachexia

Seven features of safety in maternity units: a framework based on multisite ethnography and stakeholder consultation

Background: Reducing avoidable harm in maternity services is a priority globally. As well as learning from mistakes, it is important to produce rigorous descriptions of ‘what good looks like’. Objective: We aimed to characterise features of safety in maternity units and to generate a plain language framework that could be used to guide learning and improvement. Methods: We conducted a multisite ethnography involving 401 hours of non-participant observations 33 semistructured interviews with staff across six maternity units, and a stakeholder consultation involving 65 semistructured telephone interviews and one focus group. Results: We identified seven features of safety in maternity units and summarised them into a framework, named For Us (For Unit Safety). The features include: (1) commitment to safety and improvement at all levels, with everyone involved; (2) technical competence, supported by formal training and informal learning; (3) teamwork, cooperation and positive working relationships; (4) constant reinforcing of safe, ethical and respectful behaviours; (5) multiple problem-sensing systems, used as basis of action; (6) systems and processes designed for safety, and regularly reviewed and optimised; (7) effective coordination and ability to mobilise quickly. These features appear to have a synergistic character, such that each feature is necessary but not sufficient on its own: the features operate in concert through multiple forms of feedback and amplification. Conclusions: This large qualitative study has enabled the generation of a new plain language framework—For Us—that identifies the behaviours and practices that appear to be features of safe care in hospital-based maternity units