UCLouvain

Who mimics nature? Disciplinary asymmetry in biomimetic and bioinspired research teams

Abstract Biomimetics is generally viewed as inherently interdisciplinary, yet the disciplinary composition of biomimetic research teams has not been systematically quantified. We analysed 74 407 biomimetics-related publications from the past two decades and classified 436 010 aut...

Premedication practices prior to neonatal laryngoscopy: a nationwide observational study in Belgian NICUs

Intubation or less invasive surfactant administration (LISA) in neonates both require laryngoscopy, a stressful and painful procedure. This study aimed to document premedication practices before laryngoscopy in Belgium and explore reasons for absence of premedication. Sub-analysi...

Early-stage leaf litter decomposition of miombo tree species is more strongly driven by leaf litter chemistry than by charcoal-induced disturbance in forests around Lubumbashi, DR Congo

Litter decomposition is a key ecosystem process because it regulates carbon storage and nutrient availability, yet it remains poorly documented in miombo woodlands. This study assessed how leaf litter quality affects decomposition rates and whether these effects are modified by c...

From Norms to Behavior: Examining the Mechanisms of Change in a Social Norms Anti-Bullying Intervention Among Early Adolescents

Social norm interventions offer a promising approach to bullying prevention, yet the mechanisms through which they operate remain unclear. Using a parallel mediation structural equation model, this study examined potential mediators of a classroom-based social norms intervention...

Lorentz-equivariance without limitations

Lorentz Local Canonicalization (LLoCa) ensures exact Lorentz-equivariance for arbitrary neural networks with minimal computational overhead. For the LHC, it equivariantly predicts local reference frames for each particle and propagates any-order tensorial information between them...

Entropic Phase Separation in Polymer–Vitrimer Melts

Abstract Traditional plastics demand a choice between durability (thermosets) and reprocessability (thermoplastics). Vitrimers are a recent class of polymer network combining both of these qualities. Their increased cost of production can be offset by mixing them with a tradition...

Evolution and Controls of the Large-Scale Surface Freeze-Back Onset in Siberian Permafrost Regions with the ERA5-Land Reanalysis

Permafrost is a defining feature of the Arctic and sub-Arctic environments. The extent of the permafrost region accounts for about a quarter of the Northern Hemisphere’s terrestrial surface. While most research on permafrost has focused on the summer season—when the active layer...

Synergism Between Krameria lappacea (Dombey) Burdet & B.B.Simpson Extracts and Gentamicin Against Gram-Positive Bacteria

Background: Combination therapy is increasingly explored as an alternative approach to manage bacterial infections and limit the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Building on traditional medicinal knowledge, this study aimed to investigate the potential synergistic antibacteria...

Curriculum development in midwifery education: a systematic literature review

Midwifery has undergone a significant transformation in recent decades, evolving from vocational training to university-based education. Despite international recommendations supporting competency-based education and professional regulation, little is known about how midwifery cu...

Accelerated lowland thermokarst development revealed by UAS photogrammetric surveys in the Stordalen mire, Abisko, Sweden

Organic matter decomposition in permafrost soils depends on factors such as soil pH, temperature, and redox conditions. Over lowland permafrost soils, these conditions are shaped by microtopography, which evolves with physical degradation, i.e., lowland thermokarst development. A...

Delivering the EU Safe Hearts Plan: the essential role of laboratory medicine in cardiovascular health

Abstract The European Union Safe Hearts Plan provides an opportunity to strengthen cardiovascular prevention, early detection, treatment, and monitoring across Europe. This EFLM position paper argues that laboratory medicine must be recognized as a central component of its implem...

Antibiotic-Impregnated Bone Grafts in the Masquelet Technique Reduce the Risk of Persistent Infection at Early Follow-up

OBJECTIVES: To compare antibiotic-impregnated composite bone grafts (AIBG) with the standard autologous cancellous bone graft for reconstruction of infected segmental bone defects (ISBD) using the induced membrane technique (IMT). DESIGN: Retrospective study of prospectively coll...

Unlocking the agroecological transition in intensive farming systems

A system-wide transformation of dominant intensive farming and food systems is strongly needed to address their high sanitary, environmental, and social costs. Here we argue that simultaneously addressing lock-ins across the entire food system is essential to enable such a transf...

Villous Architecture in Colorectal Adenomas: Molecular Pathogenesis, Epithelial Plasticity, and Malignant Risk

Villous morphology is routinely used to stratify risk in conventional colorectal adenomas, yet it remains largely interpreted as a visual histological descriptor. This review proposes a different view: villous architecture is a graded, spatially organized epithelial state that li...

Open Borders, Restrained Change: How Group Permeability Shapes Intergroup Evaluations and Social Hierarchy

Building on Social Identity Theory (SIT), the dimensional compensation model (DCM) suggests that people rely on the Big Two dimensions of social evaluation to manage their group identity: members of low (high) status groups compensate their relative lower (higher) standing compet...

Investigating wake reproduction of a model-scale wind turbine: experimental measurements versus large eddy simulation with actuator line

Accurate modeling of wind turbine wakes is essential for understanding turbine performance, wake interactions, and structural loading in wind energy applications. This work presents a combined experimental and numerical investigation addressing key gaps in model-scale wind turbin...

Why Metrics Matter in Thyroid Eye Disease

Importance Advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of thyroid eye disease (TED) provide an opportunity to use novel, targeted therapeutic agents. However, our capacity to assess the efficacy and indications for the new agents is potentially limited by the clinical me...

Droughts in western Central Europe and associated atmospheric circulation patterns since 1844

Droughts in western Central Europe have major impacts on agriculture, ecosystems, and society, yet their long-term variability and drivers remain poorly understood. This study investigates drought variability over the past 180 years and its link to atmospheric circulation. Three...

Focal and Steerable Temporal Interference Stimulation of the Human Left Posterior Insula: A Proof-of-Concept Validation Using Intracranial Recordings in a Human Cadaver

The insular cortex, especially its posterior subdivision, is a key hub for interoceptive, somatosensory, and nociceptive processing, making it a compelling target for neuromodulation. However, its depth within the lateral sulcus makes it difficult to reach selectively with conven...

Rehabilitation and the post-intensive care syndrome across the recovery continuum: a narrative review

Purpose Improved survival from critical illness has produced a growing population of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors with new or worsened physical, cognitive, and mental-health impairment, defined as post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), and frequent distress among families/ca...