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Labey E, Fonteyn F, Wilmot A, El Amouri S, Gjurova A, De Cock W, De Wael F (2023) Shaping utopia through law: how the law does (not) provide an answer to societal challenges. 210 p
Keywords: ME2 Book as editor or co-editor; Law; Government and Law
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“Surface modification of mesostructured cellular foam to enhance hydrogen storage in binary THF/H₂, clathrate hydrate”. Kummamuru NB, Ciocarlan R-G, Houlleberghs M, Martens J, Breynaert E, Verbruggen SW, Cool P, Perreault P, Sustainable energy &, fuels , 1 (2024). http://doi.org/10.1039/D4SE00114A
Abstract: This study introduces solid-state tuning of a mesostructured cellular foam (MCF) to enhance hydrogen (H-2) storage in clathrate hydrates. Grafting of promoter-like molecules (e.g., tetrahydrofuran) at the internal surface of the MCF resulted in a substantial improvement in the kinetics of formation of binary H-2-THF clathrate hydrate. Identification of the confined hydrate as sII clathrate hydrate and enclathration of H-2 in its small cages was performed using XRD and high-pressure H-1 NMR spectroscopy respectively. Experimental findings show that modified MCF materials exhibit a similar to 1.3 times higher H-2 storage capacity as compared to non-modified MCF under the same conditions (7 MPa, 265 K, 100% pore volume saturation with a 5.56 mol% THF solution). The enhancement in H-2 storage is attributed to the hydrophobicity originating from grafting organic molecules onto pristine MCF, thereby influencing water interactions and fostering an environment conducive to H-2 enclathration. Gas uptake curves indicate an optimal tuning point for higher H-2 storage, favoring a lower density of carbon per nm(2). Furthermore, a direct correlation emerges between higher driving forces and increased H-2 storage capacity, culminating at 0.52 wt% (46.77 mmoles of H-2 per mole of H2O and 39.78% water-to-hydrate conversions) at 262 K for the modified MCF material with fewer carbons per nm(2). Notably, the substantial H-2 storage capacity achieved without energy-intensive processes underscores solid-state tuning's potential for H-2 storage in the synthesized hydrates. This study evaluated two distinct kinetic models to describe hydrate growth in MCF. The multistage kinetic model showed better predictive capabilities for experimental data and maintained a low average absolute deviation. This research provides valuable insights into augmenting H-2 storage capabilities and holds promising implications for future advancements.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)
DOI: 10.1039/D4SE00114A
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Finizola e Silva M, Cools J, Cools J, Van Passel S (2024) A systematic review identifying the drivers and barriers to the adoption of climate-smart agriculture by smallholder farmers in Africa. 1356335–14
Abstract: Climate change impact, food security concerns, and greenhouse gas emissions are pressuring agricultural production systems in developing countries. There is a need for a shift toward sustainable food systems. One of the concepts introduced to drive this shift is climate-smart agriculture (CSA), endorsed by international organizations to address multifaceted challenges. Despite widespread attention and support, the adoption of CSA among African farmers remains low. This systematic literature review aims to shed light on the factors influencing CSA adoption amongst African farmers. Within the articles identified as relevant, over 50 CSA practices and more than 40 factors influencing CSA adoption were distinguished. These influencing factors can be categorized as personal, farm- related, financial, environmental, and informational. The focus of this review is to identify and explain the overall impact (positive, negative, or mixed) of these factors on CSA adoption. Overall, many factors result in mixed effects, only some factors have an unambiguous positive or negative effect on CSA adoption. For instance, educational level emerges as a key personal factor, positively impacting CSA adoption, along with positive influences from farmers’ experience and farm size among farm-related factors. Financial factors reveal distinct patterns, with income from farming and access to credit positively influencing adoption, while off-farm income exhibits a negative effect. Environmental factors, though less researched, indicate positive impacts related to changes in rainfall patterns, temperature, and droughts. Lastly, informational factors consistently exhibit a positive effect on CSA adoption, with training, access to extension, group memberships, climate information, and CSA awareness playing crucial roles. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers seeking to enhance CSA adoption in Africa, offering a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted dynamics at play.
Keywords: Administrative Services; A3 Journal article; Economics; Engineering sciences. Technology; Engineering Management (ENM)
DOI: 10.3389/FREVC.2024.1356335
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Ramirez-Rojas I (2024) Underground connections : the interplay between tropical rainforest trees and soil microbial communities. 205 p
Abstract: Tropical rainforests host an exceptional biodiversity and play a fundamental role in the regulation of global climatic cycles. Soil fungi and bacteria are key players in the transformation and processing of nutrients in terrestrial ecosystems while having an essential role as tree mutualists or antagonists. Still, there are gaps in our understanding of the main variables driving soil microbes on these forests and it is unclear how future climate change scenarios may impact soil microbes and further affect the ecosystem. In this thesis, we first explored the drivers of the microbial community composition in two pristine forests in French Guiana by using amplicon DNA sequencing. The neighboring tree species were found to be a crucial factor influencing the fungal and bacterial community composition at our sites regardless of the season. Additionally, within the environmental factors explored, soil moisture, phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) availability were consistently the main soil properties controlling the composition of soil microbial communities. Secondly, as increased nutrient deposition due to anthropogenic activities are expected to affect tropical forests ecosystems N and P availability, a factorial N and P nutrient addition experiment in the same sites was used to assess the effects of changes in the soil nutrient stoichiometry on the soil microbial communities. These results showed that after 3 years of nutrient additions, the bacterial and fungal community composition was affected by both the N and P additions. Besides, the fungal community composition had a stronger response to the nutrient addition, especially when P was added. Moreover, when the nutrient addition effect was assessed in bacteria and fungi with different life strategies, we found different nutrient optima between them. Furthermore, to study the effect of the connection to an existing mycorrhizal mycelium on tree seedlings, I established a mycelium exclusion experiment. Interestingly, we could not detect an effect of the mycorrhizal mycelium exclusion on the seedling N uptake, performance, or fungal community composition in roots after one year. All together this work provides a deeper understanding of the factors influencing the soil microbial communities on these lowland tropical forests, demonstrating that the tree community composition exerts a higher influence on the soil microbial community composition than previously expected. Moreover, our results show that the fungal and bacterial community composition and its relationship with trees in the vicinity is highly dependent on the ecosystem nutrient availability.
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Plant and Ecosystems (PLECO) – Ecology in a time of change
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Li L (2023) Untangling microbial community assembly in rainforest and grassland soils under increasing precipitation persistence. 179 p
Abstract: Climate change is causing alterations in precipitation patterns, leading to adverse ecological consequences in many ecosystems. Recently, an increasingly persistent weather pattern has emerged, characterized by lengthening the duration of alternating dry and wet periods, which is more complex than exclusively drought or increasing precipitation. It is currently unclear how soil microbial communities respond to these new regimes in relation to their interactions with plants, especially in precipitation-sensitive ecosystems, such as tropical rainforests and grasslands. In this thesis, we explored responses of soil bacterial and fungal communities to increasing weather persistence in rainforests and grasslands, using high throughput sequencing technology. We firstly investigated the resistance and resilience of microbial communities to prolonged drought in a mature seasonal tropical rainforest which experiences unusually intensive dry seasons in the current century. Through excluding rainfall during and after the dry season, a simulated prolongation of the dry season by five months was compared to the control. Our results indicate that as rain exclusion progressed, the microbial communities increasingly diverged from the control, indicating a moderate resistance to prolonged drought. However, when the drought ceased, the composition and co-occurrence patterns of soil microbial communities immediately recovered to that in the control, implying a high resilience. To further investigate the ecological roles of soil microbial communities in response to increasing weather persistence, we set up grassland mesocosm experiments. In these experiments, precipitation frequency was adjusted along a series, ranging from 1 to 60 consecutive days alternating of dry and wet periods, while keeping the total precipitation constant. Our results show that microbial community assembly tended to be more stochastic processes at intermediate persistence of dry and wet alternations while more deterministic processes dominated at low and high persistence within 120 days regime exposure. Moreover, more persistent precipitation reduced the fungal diversity and network connectivity but barely impacted that of bacterial communities. The prior experiences of persistent weather events for one year caused legacy effects. The soil microbial legacy induced by soil microbial communities subjected to prior persistent weather events was more enduring in subsequent fungal communities than bacterial communities, likely due to slower growth of fungi compared to bacteria. However, a minor effect of soil microbial legacy was observed on plant performance. In addition, we kept the grassland mesocosm experiment for two growing seasons. The effects of precipitation persistence on soil microbial communities increased in the second year. The dissimilarities of microbial communities between the first and second year were less with more persistent precipitation, potentially resulting in more vulnerable microbial communities, due to some taxa disappearing and a reduction in functional redundancy under more persistent weather. To conclude, our findings provide a comprehensive theoretical understanding of soil microbial communities in response to the current and future climate change, drawing from both natural and experimental systems. It helps in predicting and managing the impacts of future climate change on ecosystems mediated by microbial communities. Additionally, the findings of microbe-mediated legacy effects on grassland ecosystems can provide practical guidance for their application in agriculture, specifically for using an inoculum to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Integrated Molecular Plant Physiology Research (IMPRES); Plant and Ecosystems (PLECO) – Ecology in a time of change
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Montiel FN (2024) Voltage against illicit drug trafficking : capabilities of electrochemical fingerprinting to detect illicit drugs. 256 p
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Pharmacology. Therapy; Engineering sciences. Technology; Antwerp Electrochemical and Analytical Sciences Lab (A-Sense Lab)
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“Why, how, when, and for whom does digital disconnection work? A process-based framework of digital disconnection”. Vanden Abeele MMP, Vandebosch H, Koster EHW, De Leyn T, Van Gaeveren K, de Segovia Vicente D, Van Bruyssel S, van Timmeren T, De Marez L, Poels K, DeSmet A, De Wever B, Verbruggen M, Baillien E, Communication theory 34, 3 (2024). http://doi.org/10.1093/CT/QTAD016
Abstract: Digital disconnection has emerged as a concept describing the actions people take to limit their digital connectivity to enhance their well-being. To date, evidence on its effectiveness is mixed, leading to calls for greater consideration of why, how, when, and for whom digital disconnection works. This article responds to these calls, presenting a framework that differentiates four key harms that contribute to experiences of digital ill-being (time displacement, interference, role blurring, and exposure effects). Using these four harms as a starting point, the framework explains: (1) why people are motivated to digitally disconnect; (2) how specific disconnection strategies (i.e., placing limits on time, access, channels, and contents, interactions and features) may help them; and for whom (3) and under which conditions (when) these strategies can be effective.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Mass communications; Media, ICT and interpersonal relations in Organisations and Society (MIOS)
DOI: 10.1093/CT/QTAD016
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“2-D rotational invariant multi sub band Schrödinger-Poisson solver to model nanowire transistors”. Sels D, Sorée B, Groeseneken G, 14th International Workshop on Computational Electronics, 85 (2010)
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT);
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“2D semiconductors at the Leuven pulsed field facility”. Bogaerts R, de Keyser A, van Bockstal L, van der Burgt M, van Esch A, Provoost R, Silverans R, Herlach F, Swinnen B, van de Stadt AFW, Koenraad PM, Wolter JH, Karavolas VC, Peeters FM, van de Graaf W, Borghs G, Physicalia magazine 19, 229 (1997)
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
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“3D reconstruction of a Ni51Ti49 alloy with precipitates by FIB-SEM alice-and-view”. Cao S, Tirry W, Schryvers D, Materia Japan 46, 803 (2007)
Keywords: A3 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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“65th birthdays of W. Owen Saxton, David J. Smith and Dirk Van Dyck / PICO 2013 From multislice to big bang”. Lichte H, Dunin-Borkowski R, Tillmann K, Van Aert S, Van Tendeloo G Amsterdam (2013).
Keywords: ME3 Book as editor; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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“Accurate measurements of atomic displacements in La0.9Sr0.1MnO3 thin films grown on a SrTiO3 substrate”. Geuens P, Lebedev OI, van Dyck D, Van Tendeloo G s.l., page 1133 (2000).
Keywords: H3 Book chapter; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab
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Lobato I (2014) Accurate modeling of high angle electron scattering. Antwerpen
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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Amin-Ahmadi B (2015) Adanced TEM investigation of the elementary plsticity mechanisms in palladium thin films at the nano scale. Antwerpen
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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Goris B (2014) Advanced electron tomography : 3 dimensional structural characterisation of nanomaterials down to the atomic scale. Antwerpen
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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“Aerosol synthesis of nanostructured, ultrafine fullerene particles”. Joutsensaari J, Ahonen PP, Tapper U, Kauppinen EI, Pauwels B, Amelinckx S, Van Tendeloo G, (1999)
Keywords: P3 Proceeding; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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Li B (2012) Aharonov-Bohm effect in semiconductor quantum rings. Antwerpen
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
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“Analysis of nonconducting materials by dc glow discharge spectrometry”. Bogaerts A, Schelles W, van Grieken R Wiley, Chichester, page 293 (2003).
Keywords: H3 Book chapter; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); AXES (Antwerp X-ray Analysis, Electrochemistry and Speciation)
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“The application of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in the research of inorganic colorants in stained glass windows and parchment illustrations”. Fredrickx P, Wouters J, Schryvers D Archetype, London, page 137 (2003).
Keywords: H3 Book chapter; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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“Artificial atoms and molecules”. Partoens B, Peeters FM, Physicalia magazine 24, 29 (2002)
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
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“Atomen tellen”. Van Aert S, Batenburg J, Van Tendeloo S, Nederlands tijdschrift voor natuurkunde (1991) 77, 292 (2011)
Keywords: A3 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab
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“Atomic scale characterization of supported and assembled nanoparticles”. Pauwels B, Yandouzi M, Schryvers D, Van Tendeloo G, Verschoren G, Lievens P, Hou M, van Swygenhoven H, , B8.3 (2001)
Keywords: P3 Proceeding; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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“Atomic scale modeling of supported and assembled nanoparticles”. Zhurkin E, Hou M, van Swygenhoven H, Pauwels B, Yandouzi M, Schryvers D, Van Tendeloo G, Lievens P, Verschoren G, Kuriplach J, van Peteghem S, Segers D, Dauwe C, , B8.2 (2001)
Keywords: P3 Proceeding; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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Yusupov M (2014) Atomic scale simulations for a better insight in plasma medicine. Antwerpen
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
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Komendová, L (2013) Characteristic length scales and vortex interactions in two-component superconducting systems. Antwerpen
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
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d' Hondt H (2011) Characterization of anion deficient perovskites. Antwerpen
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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Kirilenko D (2012) Characterization of graphene by electron diffraction. Antwerpen
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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Wiktor C (2014) Characterization of metal-organic frameworks and other porous materials via advanced transmission electron microscopy. Antwerpen
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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Leroux F (2012) Characterization of soft-hard matter composite materials by advanced transmission electron microscopy. Universiteit Antwerpen, EMAT, Antwerpen
Keywords: Doctoral thesis; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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“Charge ordering and phase transitions in perovskite manganites: correlation with CMR properties”. Hervieu M, Martin C, Van Tendeloo G, Mercey B, Maignan A, Jirak Z, Raveau B s.l., page 179 (2000).
Keywords: H3 Book chapter; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
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