SAFE-ICE: research, innovation and business support for a low-carbon economy

The SAFE-ICE Cluster unites 20 partners from the coastal regions adjoining the Channel and the North Sea, of France, England, Belgium and the Netherlands. The mix of partners highlights the group’s triple helix approach to exploring key issues from multiple perspectives with universities, public bodies and private organisations all being represented. The SAFE-ICE Cluster work is set within a backdrop of various European policies and strategies and an evolving market

Test-retest reliability of questionnaires regarding attitudes and beliefs toward noise, hearing loss and hearing protector devices in young adults

Context: Young people expose themselves to high noise levels during leisure activities, and might thus be at risk of acquiring hearing-related problems. Therefore, information regarding risk-taking behavior is necessary to prevent future hearing problems and to optimize future preventive campaigns. Aim: This study evaluated the test–retest reliability of the Youth Attitude to Noise Scale (YANS) and beliefs about hearing protection and hearing loss (BAHPHL) instrument. Settings and Design: Forty-three young adults between 18 and 29 years filled in a questionnaire at two test moments. Materials and Methods: The YANS and BAHPHL instrument were used to evaluate the attitudes toward noise, hearing loss, and hearing protection. Each participant completed the retest within 21–55 days after the first administration of the questionnaire. Results: Paired Student’s t-tests showed no significant differences in mean scores between test and retest for both the entire YANS and BAHPHL instrument as well as their factors. Furthermore, a good agreement between test and retest scores was seen by Bland–Altman analyses. Intraclass correlation coefficients were above 0.70 for the entire YANS and the factor related to youth culture as well as for the entire BAHPHL and all the factors of the BAHPHL instrument, except for the factor related to the severity of the consequences of hearing loss. Conclusion: Reliable test–retest measurements of the YANS and BAHPHL instrument can be performed. Hence, these questionnaires can be used in longitudinal studies to explore young adults’ changes in attitudes toward noise, hearing loss, and hearing protection, with or without an educational intervention

On the Hydrodynamic Equilibrium of a Rod in a Lattice Fluid

We model the behavior of a big (Brazil) nut in a medium of smaller nuts with a stochastic asymmetric simple exclusion dynamics of a polymer-monomer lattice system. The polymer or `rod' can move up or down in an external negative field, occupying N horizontal lattice sites where the monomers cannot enter. The monomers (at most one per site) or `fluid particles' are moving symmetrically in the horizontal plane and asymmetrically in the vertical direction, also with a negative field. For a fixed position of the rod, this lattice fluid is in equilibrium with a vertical height profile reversible for the monomers' motion. Upon `shaking' (speeding up the monomers) the motion of the `rod' dynamically decouples from that of the monomers resulting in a reversible random walk for the rod around an average height proportional to log N.Comment: 19 pages, 2 figure

SAFE-ICE: recherche, innovation et soutien aux entreprises dans une économie bas carbone

Le cluster SAFE-ICE réunit 20 partenaires provenant des régions côtières de la Manche et de la mer du Nord, de France, d’Angleterre, de Belgique et des Pays-Bas. Le mélange de partenaires souligne l’approche en « triple hélice » du groupe pour explorer les questions clés à partir de points de vue multiples avec les universités, les pouvoirs publics et les organisations privées, tous étant représentés. Le travail du cluster SAFE-ICE se situe dans un contexte de politiques et de stratégies européennes diverses et d’un marché en évolution

SAFE-ICE: onderzoek, innovatie en bedrijvenondersteuning in een koolstofarme economie

De SAFE-ICE -cluster verenigt 20 partners uit Frankrijk, België, het Verenigd Koninkrijk en Nederland die actief zijn in de kustregio’s langs het Kanaal en de Noordzee. Deze mix van partners is een afspiegeling van de drievoudige helix-benadering die SAFE-ICE hanteert om de hoofdthema’s te onderzoeken vanuit het perspectief van de universiteiten, openbare instellingen en privé-organisaties die allen vertegenwoordigd zijn in de cluster. Het werk van SAFE-ICE situeert zich in de context van verschillende Europese beleidsplannen en – strategieën en een evoluerende marktomgeving

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae variability : current trends and proposed terminology for genomic classification

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae) is the aetiologic agent of enzootic pneumonia in swine, a prevalent chronic respiratory disease worldwide. Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is a small, self-replicating microorganism that possesses several characteristics allowing for limited biosynthetic abilities, resulting in the fastidious, host-specific growth and unique pathogenic properties of this microorganism. Variation across several isolates of M. hyopneumoniae has been described at antigenic, proteomic, transcriptomic, pathogenic and genomic levels. The microorganism possesses a minimal number of genes that regulate the transcription process. Post-translational modifications (PTM) occur frequently in a wide range of functional proteins. The PTM by which M. hyopneumoniae regulates its surface topography could play key roles in cell adhesion, evasion and/or modulation of the host immune system. The clinical outcome of M. hyopneumoniae infections is determined by different factors, such as housing conditions, management practices, co-infections and also by virulence differences among M. hyopneumoniae isolates. Factors contributing to adherence and colonization as well as the capacity to modulate inflammatory and immune responses might be crucial. Different components of the cell membrane (i.e. proteins, glycoproteins and lipoproteins) may serve as adhesins and/or be toxic for the respiratory tract cells. Mechanisms leading to virulence are complex and more research is needed to identify markers for virulence. The utilization of typing methods and complete or partial-gene sequencing for M. hyopneumoniae characterization has increased in diagnostic laboratories as control and elimination strategies for this microorganism are attempted worldwide. A commonly employed molecular typing method for M. hyopneumoniae is Multiple-Locus Variable number tandem repeat Analysis (MLVA). The agreement of a shared terminology and classification for the various techniques, specifically MLVA, has not been described, which makes inferences across the literature unsuitable. Therefore, molecular trends for M. hyopneumoniae have been outlined and a common terminology and classification based on Variable Number Tandem Repeats (VNTR) types has been proposed

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae variability: Current trends and proposed terminology for genomic classification

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae) is the aetiologic agent of enzootic pneumonia in swine, a prevalent chronic respiratory disease worldwide. Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is a small, self‐replicating microorganism that possesses several characteristics allowing for limited biosynthetic abilities, resulting in the fastidious, host‐specific growth and unique pathogenic properties of this microorganism. Variation across several isolates of M. hyopneumoniae has been described at antigenic, proteomic, transcriptomic, pathogenic and genomic levels. The microorganism possesses a minimal number of genes that regulate the transcription process. Post‐translational modifications (PTM) occur frequently in a wide range of functional proteins. The PTM by which M. hyopneumoniae regulates its surface topography could play key roles in cell adhesion, evasion and/or modulation of the host immune system. The clinical outcome of M. hyopneumoniae infections is determined by different factors, such as housing conditions, management practices, co‐infections and also by virulence differences among M. hyopneumoniae isolates. Factors contributing to adherence and colonization as well as the capacity to modulate inflammatory and immune responses might be crucial. Different components of the cell membrane (i.e. proteins, glycoproteins and lipoproteins) may serve as adhesins and/or be toxic for the respiratory tract cells. Mechanisms leading to virulence are complex and more research is needed to identify markers for virulence. The utilization of typing methods and complete or partial‐gene sequencing for M. hyopneumoniae characterization has increased in diagnostic laboratories as control and elimination strategies for this microorganism are attempted worldwide. A commonly employed molecular typing method for M. hyopneumoniae is Multiple‐Locus Variable number tandem repeat Analysis (MLVA). The agreement of a shared terminology and classification for the various techniques, specifically MLVA, has not been described, which makes inferences across the literature unsuitable. Therefore, molecular trends for M. hyopneumoniae have been outlined and a common terminology and classification based on Variable Number Tandem Repeats (VNTR) types has been proposed.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

2BALANCE : a cognitive-motor dual-task protocol for individuals with vestibular dysfunction

INTRODUCTION: Aside from primary vestibular symptoms such as vertigo and dizziness, persons with vestibular dysfunction frequently express cognitive and motor problems. These symptoms have mainly been assessed in single-task setting, which might not represent activities of daily living accurately. Therefore, a dual-task protocol, consisting of the simultaneous performance of cognitive and motor tasks, was developed. This protocol assesses cognitive and motor performance in general, as well as cognitive-motor interference in specific. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The motor component of the 2BALANCE protocol consists of a static and dynamic postural task. These motor tasks are combined with different cognitive tasks assessing visuospatial cognition, processing speed, working memory and response inhibition. First, test-retest reliability will be assessed with an interval of 2 weeks in a group of young adults. Second, the 2BALANCE protocol will be validated in persons with bilateral vestibulopathy. Finally, the protocol will be implemented in persons with unilateral vestibular loss. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The 2BALANCE project aims to elucidate the impact of vestibular dysfunction on cognitive and motor performance in dual-task setting. This protocol represents everyday situations better than single-task protocols, as dual-tasks such as reading street signs while walking are often encountered during daily activities. Ultimately, this project could enable individualised and holistic clinical care in these patients, taking into account single as well as dual-task performance. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The current study was approved by the ethics committee of Ghent University Hospital on 5 July 2019 with registration number B670201940465. All research findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and presented at vestibular as well as multidisciplinary international conferences and meetings. TRIALS REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04126798, pre-results phase