KU Leuven

Geodesic Ability in Unidimensional IRT Models: A Geometric Perspective on Parametrization Invariance

Abstract Psychometric models use latent variables to quantify psychological traits, but statistical and substantive inferences based on these variables may depend on how the latent scale is parametrized. Consequently, the same fitted model can yield qualitatively different conclu...

On the modelling of oblique firehose instabilities in regularised kappa plasmas using ALPS

In situ measurements in space plasmas indicate that the velocity distributions of charged particles are not in thermal equilibrium, deviating from a standard Maxwellian mainly due to anisotropies and suprathermal populations which enhance high-energy tails. Although the standard...

Patient Risk Factors for Incidental Pathology After Uterovaginal Surgery for Apical Prolapse: Systematic Review and Global Expert Consensus Statements

Abstract Introduction and Hypothesis Uterus preservation is increasingly used for uterovaginal prolapse (U-POP) repair despite ongoing concerns regarding future uterine, cervical, and adnexal pathology. We evaluated incidental pathology rates, associated risk factors, and created...

Integrating Forecasting and Inventory Decisions at IKEA Food

The paper proposes a novel approach that jointly optimises demand forecasting and inventory decisions for IKEA Food restaurants. Using a ‘bound-and-shave’ method, optimal thawing quantities are estimated, taking into account uncertain demand and the sharing of ingredients between...

Digital Agency Tools: A Way to Buffer the Negative Effects of Excessive Phone Use?

In times of ubiquitous smartphone use, most users adopt one or more self-imposed rules regarding their device usage, also known as voluntary digital disconnection. Drawing on the Integrative Model of Mobile Media Use and Need Experiences (IM³UNE), this study provides empirical ev...

Stoichiometric Epitaxial Strontium Titanate Thin Films on Silicon by High-Temperature Sr Segregation

Abstract Thin-film strontium titanate (SrTiO3, STO) layers grown on silicon require accurate stoichiometry and single-crystalline order to exploit their functional properties optimally. Oxide molecular beam epitaxy can provide an epitaxial interface, but suffers from source oxida...

Primary school pre-service teachers' ability to understand and use dashboard data and associations with their data literacy knowledge, beliefs and experience

Teacher dashboards can support instructional decision-making, but teachers often struggle to interpret dashboard data. This study examines pre-service teachers' situation-specific skills for using dashboards, including perceiving relevant data, interpreting information, and makin...

Unraveling impact and processes in healthcare chaplaincy. A quasi-experimental study in Belgium

This article reflects on the complexity of evaluating impact of chaplaincy and suggest unraveling processes and outcomes of healthcare chaplaincy. Our quasi-experimental study in Belgium aims to gain insight into the impact of hospital chaplaincy on inpatients’ internal processes...

Understanding driver deviations from intended routes under social routing recommendations in navigation apps

To understand drivers’ route choice behavior under social routing recommendations, this study investigates data from a mobile navigation app that captures drivers’ stated route intentions before trips and their actual trajectories during trips. An inconsistency can occur when dri...

Last-Passage Percolation and Product-Matrix Ensembles

Abstract We introduce and study a model of directed last-passage percolation in planar layered environment. This environment is represented by an array of random exponential clocks arranged in blocks, for each block the average waiting times depend only on the local coordinates w...

Bacterial orbital infection leading to orbital exenteration: a case series

Orbital exenteration (OE) secondary to infection is rare. This case series reports 3 cases and aims to elucidate the possible underlying etiopathogenesis. A retrospective data analysis was performed of patients who underwent an OE and subsequently received an orbital prosthesis f...

Standards for practical management of drug hypersensitivity reactions to intravenous drugs and proactive early allergy involvement before referral: A WAO Statement

Hypersensitivity reactions to intravenous therapies—including antibiotics, chemotherapeutics, biologics, anesthesia agents, and contrast media—pose significant challenges in acute care settings. These reactions often occur outside the purview of allergy specialists, leading to de...

Development and validation of a parsimonious AI-based mortality risk score for heart failure

Abstract Risk stratification in heart failure (HF) supports clinical decisions, yet existing tools face adoption barriers: conventional scores show modest discrimination and depend on specialised tests (i.e., echocardiography), while artificial intelligence (AI) models require ri...

Revising the Teacher Affiliative Practices Scale (TAP‐S): Development and Validation of General and Specific Student‐Reported Versions in Secondary Education

ABSTRACT Current measures of teacher−student relationships (TSRs) often emphasize relational constructs (e.g., trust, liking) but overlook specific teacher behaviors that foster these relationships. In particular, there is limited research on how TSRs are built and maintained in...

Smoking habits, smoking cessation, and stigma in a population-based lung cancer screening pilot study in Belgium: a focus group study

Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) can reduce lung cancer mortality, but implementation depends on understanding how individuals at increased risk experience screening, smoking cessation and stigma. This study explored smoking habits, cessation experie...

Atlas of cell types and regulatory elements underlying human facial diversity

Abstract Human genetic diversity generates an astonishing variety of facial shapes, and craniofacial anomalies rank among the most common birth defects. Identifying the cellular mechanisms that mediate the genome’s influence on facial variation remains a challenge. Here we create...

Discrete time survival analysis machine learning models for IVF prognosis across multiple cycles

Abstract STUDY QUESTION Can discrete time survival analysis machine learning (ML) methods provide reliable and accurate predictions of cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) for patients both at diagnosis (pre-treatment) and after the first cycle of treatment (post-treatment)? SUMMARY...

Sport, exercise, and physical activity in children with cardiovascular disease. A Clinical Consensus Statement of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC) of the ESC, the Association of Cardiovascular Nursing & Allied Professions (ACNAP) of the ESC, and the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC)

Regular physical activity offers numerous benefits to children's health and well-being and is essential for reducing cardiovascular risk in children with cardiovascular disease. Despite increasing evidence supporting its benefits, many young patients remain insufficiently active...

The gene-regulatory evolution of the human skeleton

Abstract Skeletal modifications were central to human evolution, enabling adaptations for bipedalism, large cranial vaults and childbirth 1 . Despite their importance, the genetic changes that gave rise to the unique human form remain mostly unknown 2 . Here we systematically map...

Leveraging joint-specific phenotypes for genome-wide association studies and SNP heritability estimation of equine osteochondrosis and fetlock osteochondral fragments

Equine osteochondrosis (OC) and fetlock osteochondral fragments are prevalent developmental joint disorders caused by failure of the growing skeleton, often leading to intra-articular fragments that require arthroscopic surgery and impose substantial economic and animal welfare b...