Vrije Universiteit Brussel Research Articles

Inter-professional Perinatal Simulation training: A valuable educational model to improve competencies amongst student midwives in Brussels, Belgium

Simulation training is a powerful and evidence-based teaching method for students and healthcare professionals. The described educational model of Inter-professional Perinatal Simulation training is the result of a collaborative project with the Erasmus University College Brussels, the Medical School of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the University Hospital Brussels. This model enhances student midwives to acquire competencies in all fields of midwifery according to national and European legislation and to the International Confederation of Midwives Global Standards for Midwifery Education. In our educational program, simulation training enhanced the achievement of decision-making and inter-professional communication competences.

Multispectral, Hyperspectral, and Polarimetric Imaging Technology

1School of Automation, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, Shanxi 710072, China 2Department of Electronics and Informatics (ETRO), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium 3Department of Computer Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul 143-747, Republic of Korea 4Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China 5Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei 10608, Taiwan 6Remote Sensing Signal and Image Processing Laboratory (RSSIPL), University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Baltimore, MD 21201, USA

Normal Radiographic Anatomy of the Donkey Foot from Birth to 2 Years of Age

Reasons for performing studyNormal radiographic anatomy of the juvenile donkey foot has not been reported previously.ObjectivesTo provide a radiographic survey of the anatomical development of the donkey foot from 0 to 2 years of age.Study designRadiographic survey.MethodsThe right front foot of 9 donkey foals born in the spring of 2012, housed and fed in the same conditions, were radiographed every month for the first 6 months of age and every 3 months for the following 18 months. Latero‐medial radiographs with and without barium markers at the coronary band and anterior‐posterior radiographs of both front feet were obtained during weightbearing. Radiographs were obtained at 55 kV and 3 mAs with mobile x‐ray equipment (Gierth RHF 200 ML, Examion DR810).ResultsThe distal physis of the metacarpus (McIII) was closed at the mean age of 17.8 months (SD: 11.5, 21). The proximal physis of the proximal phalanx was closed at the mean age of 15.5 months (SD: 11.5, 21). The distal physis appeared as a clear radiolucent line at 2 weeks of age and was still visible subtly at 24 months. The proximal physis of the middle phalanx was closed at the mean age of 10.7 months (SD: 11.5, 19). The distal physis was visible at birth but closed at 4 days.ConclusionsBased on our results, it seems that physes close at an older age in the donkey foal than in the horse.Ethical animal research: The study was approved by the Ethics committee of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium. (VUB/14‐272‐2). Owners gave informed consent for their horses' inclusion in the study. Source of funding: The authors acknowledge Vtrade Belgium for the logistic assistance. Competing interests: None declared.

Studying temporal and spatial variations of groundwater-surface water exchange flux for the Slootbeek (Belgium) using the LPML method

(1) Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, Brussels, Belgium (canibas@vub.ac.be, mhuysman@vub.ac.be), (2) Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Environmental Modeling Unit, Mol, Belgium (uwe.schneidewind@vito.be), (3) Ghent University, Department of Soil Management, Ghent, Belgium, (4) Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Department of Fundamental Electricity and Instrumentation, Brussels, Belgium (Gerd.Vandersteen@vub.ac.be), (5) Flinders University, School of the Environment, Adelaide, Australia (okke.batelaan@flinders.edu.au)

Mould insert fabrication of a single-mode fibre connector alignment structure optimized by justified partial metallization

For mass production of multiscale-optical components, microstructured moulding tools are needed. Metal tools are used for hot embossing or injection moulding of microcomponents made of a thermoplastic polymer. Microstructures with extremely tight specifications, e.g. low side wall roughness and high aspect ratios are generally made by lithographic procedures such as x-ray lithography or deep proton writing. However, these processes are unsuitable for low-cost mass production. An alternative manufacturing method of moulding tools has been developed at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). This article describes a mould insert fabrication and a new replication process for self-centring fibre alignment structures for low loss field installable single-mode fibre connectors, developed and fabricated by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in collaboration with TE Connectivity. These components are to be used in fibre-to-the-home networks and support the deployment and maintenance of fibre optic links. The special feature of this particular fibre connector is a self-centring fibre alignment, achieved by means of a through hole with deflectable cantilevers acting as micro-springs. The particular challenge is the electroforming of through holes with a centre hole diameter smaller than 125 µm. The fibre connector structure is prototyped by deep proton writing in polymethylmethacrylate and used as a sacrificial part. Using joining, physical vapour deposition and electroforming technology, a negative copy of the prototyped connector is transferred into nickel to be used as a moulding tool. The benefits of this replication technique are a rapid and economical fabrication of moulding tools with high-precision microstructures and a long tool life. With these moulding tools low-cost mass production is possible. We present the manufacturing chain we have established. Each individual manufacturing step of the mould insert fabrication will be shown in this report. The process reliability and suitability for mass production was tested by hot embossing.

Within the Bachelor of Science (Midwifery) Course: A day of Hi-Fi simulation midwifery emergencies

Simulation training is a powerful and evidence-based teaching method for students and healthcare professionals. The described educational model of Inter-professional Perinatal Simulation training is the result of a collaborative project with the Erasmus University College Brussels, the Medical School of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the University Hospital Brussels. This model enhances student midwives to acquire competencies in all fields of midwifery according to national and European legislation and to the International Confederation of Midwives Global Standards for Midwifery Education. In our educational program, simulation training enhanced the achievement of decision-making and inter-professional communication competences.

BINSTAR: a new binary stellar evolution code

We provide a detailed description of a new stellar evolution code, BINSTAR, which has been developed to study interacting binaries. Based on the stellar evolution code STAREVOL, it is specifically designed to study low- and intermediate-mass binaries. We describe the state-of-the-art input physics, which includes treatments of tidal interactions, mass transfer and angular momentum exchange within the system. A generalised Henyey method is used to solve simultaneously the stellar structure equations of each component as well as the separation and eccentricity of the orbit. Test simulations for cases A and B mass transfer are presented and compared with available models. The results of the evolution of Algol systems are in remarkable agreement with the calculations of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) group, thus validating our code. We also computed a large grid of models for various masses (2 ≤ M/M⊙ ≤ 20) and seven metallicities (Z = 0.0001, 0.001, 0.004, 0.008, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03) to provide a useful analytical parameterisation of the tidal torque constant E2, which allows the determination of the circularisation and synchronisation timescales for stars with a radiative envelope and convective core. The evolution of E2 during the main sequence shows noticeable differences compared to available models. In particular, our new calculations indicate that the circularisation timescale is constant during core hydrogen burning. We also show that E2 weakly depends on core overshooting but is substantially increased when the metallicity becomes lower.

Is the replacement strategy, as it exists today in the EU for cosmetics, the way forward ?

During our daily life, we are exposed to a variety of chemical substances and products including cosmetics and their ingredients. When they are brought on the EU market, they must be safe for human health. This safety is traditionally guaranteed through quantitative risk assessment which is not only based on human exposure data, but in particular on testing results derived from experimental animals, assessing both local and whole organism systemic toxicity. For local and short-term toxicity, the development of 3R (Refinement, Reduction and Replacement)—alternative methods had some important success. A number of toxicological endpoints, including skin corrosion, skin irritation, eye irritation, skin sensitization, phototoxicity, dermal absorption, acute toxicity, and in vitro genotoxicity/mutagenicity testing could be covered, although not all with replacement and stand-alone alternatives (EU 2010). Refinement and reduction are, for example at the basis of the local lymph node assay (LLNA), used for skin sensitization testing; for eye irritation only some screening tests for strong irritants are available. For long-term and systemic toxicity testing, consuming in fact the largest number of experimental animals, nearly no alternatives are available and the time required for their scientific development is a huge question mark. Exactly here lies the problem! In the EU, the cosmetic legislation was made the most stringent one of the world by bringing in a rigid time frame through testing and marketing bans (EU 1976 amended by EU 2003). This political decision has positive and negative sides. Positive is the fact that over the last years the number of efforts, made by all stakeholders involved (academic world, industry, animal welfare, and legislative bodies) substantially improved. Also collaboration towards a common goal gained importance and financial resources in the field became more available. A negative outcome, however, is that this politically driven initiative does not take into account the scientific feasibility of the timely and complex development of alternatives to guarantee human safety. Personally spoken, I see as one of the most limiting factors for further progress in the cosmetic field, the way Europe sticks to replacement methods only. This deliberate choice ‘‘kills’’ reduction and refinement efforts. As such, progress made in the practical application of tiered approaches combining in vitro and in vivo methodology, and of read across and weight of evidence strategies, is ignored to a major extend. This is difficult to accept as these strategies became internationally accepted to come to a more balanced risk assessment and at the same time save animal lives. Also very recently, a panel of European experts reported on the current status and future prospects of non-animal methods for cosmetic testing (Adler et al. 2011, this issue). They concluded that specific timelines were impossible to give for these areas in which most animals are consumed, namely for reproductive toxicity, repeated dose toxicity, carcinogenicity, and toxicokinetics. Interesting to note is that they also concluded that significant advances were made in reducing the number of animals in tests by refinement strategies and by the use of nonanimal methods alongside animal tests. From March 2013, however, this is no longer possible. V. Rogiers (&) Department of Toxicology, Center for Pharmaceutical Research, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium e-mail: vrogiers@vub.ac.be

The Electric Endeavour: Engineering formation through SYNECTRIC electric race car development

The Erasmus University College Brussels (EHB) and its partner the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) constitute the University Association Brussels (UAB), developing a common integrated policy towards the creation of a university space within the capital of Europe. In this framework, the Master degree curricula at EHB, including the industrial engineering curriculum at the IWT department, are now in a phase of academization, which means the introduction of a research-based academic culture necessary to grant academic Master degrees. One of the main challenges with reforming the contemporary higher education landscape remains the transition from traditional ex-cathedra teaching to a more student-centered education sphere focused on the creation of competences. Although the acquisition of a sound theoretical knowledge will always remain the base foundation of the education of the intellectual, the introduction of projectoriented curriculum elements is a key factor in creating a learning environment allowing acquiring and exercising a wide array of skills and competences, including non-cognitive ones, to bene t the industrial and societal deployment of the engineer. The industrial engineer, as formed by EHB in a four year curriculum (three bachelor years and one master year), shall in fact be a polyvalent, operative intellectual, who is able to implement innovative solutions and to solve problems occurring in industrial practice. The involvement of master students in a multidisciplinary project is a premier occasion to create a learning environment enabling student personal development in such direction, including teamwork dynamics. The choice of an electrically propelled competition vehicle as pedagogical project presents several key bene ts. Not only concerns it a subject which greatly appeals to students and which has a large potential for dissemination and student attraction, but it also presents an occasion to enlighten students towards the philosophy of electric transportation which represents the key solution for future sustainable mobility. In urban traffic, due to their bene cial effect on environment, electric vehicles are an important factor for improvement of traffic and more particularly for a healthier living environment. But also when performance is what it is aimed for, electric traction presents substantial environmental and technical bene ts compared with legacy technologies. The introduction of this environmental consciousness enhances the curriculum and contributes to the formation of morally and socially responsible industrial engineers, which is a major bene t for their own personal development as well as for society as a whole. The current project is aimed at the realization of a hybrid electric formula-type vehicle, based on a "Predator" class car body. This type of vehicle is used for competitions in Italy, albeit with a legacy drive train, and presents a versatile platform to implement new drive train technologies.

Hepatic Circulation

Hepatic Circulation

Research evaluation per discipline: a peer-review method and its outcomes

This paper describes the method for ex-post peer review evaluation per research discipline used at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and summarizes the outcomes obtained from it. The method produces pertinent advice and triggers responses - at the level of the individual researcher, the research team and the university's research management - for the benefit of research quality, competitivity and visibility. Imposed reflection and contacts during and after the evaluation procedure modify the individual researcher's attitude, improve the research teams' strategies and allow for the extraction of general recommendations that are used as discipline-dependent guidelines in the university's research management. The deep insights gained in the different research disciplines and the substantial data sets on their research, support the university management in its policy decisions and in building policy instruments. Moreover, the results are used as a basis for comparison with other assessments, leading to a better understanding of the possibilities and limitations of different evaluation processes. The peer review method can be applied systematically in a pluri-annual cycle of research discipline evaluations to build up a complete overview, or it can be activated on an ad hoc basis for a particular discipline, based on demands from research teams or on strategic or policy arguments.

Deep proton writing: a rapid prototyping polymer micro-fabrication tool for micro-optical modules

One of the important challenges to deploying the emerging breed of nanotechnology components is interfacing them with the external world, preferably accomplished with low-cost micro-optical devices. In our labs at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), we are therefore focusing on the continuous development of a rapid prototyping technology for the fabrication of micro-optical modules. In this technology, which we call deep proton writing (DPW), we bombard polymer samples with swift protons, which will result after chemical processing steps in high quality micro-optical components. The strength of the DPW micro-machining technology is the ability to fabricate monolithic building blocks that include micro-optical and mechanical functionalities which can be precisely integrated into more complex photonic systems. The DPW technology is furthermore compatible with low-cost mass-replication techniques such as micro-injection moulding and hot embossing. In this paper we give an overview of the process steps of the technology and the characteristic qualities we can expect from the components made by DPW. The general overview of the technology is followed by three case studies of different micro-optical components that were fabricated at our labs: (i) two-dimensional fibre connectors, (ii) out-of-plane couplers for optical waveguides embedded in printed circuit boards (PCBs), (iii) intra multi-chip-module (MCM) level optical interconnection via free space optical modules.

Disability evaluation in chronic fatigue syndrome: associations between exercise capacity and activity limitations/participation restrictions.

In an attempt to examine whether impairments in cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with daily functioning in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), this study addresses the correlations between exercise capacity and activity limitations/participation restrictions. Prospective observational study. An outpatient tertiary care, chronic fatigue clinic at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium. Seventy-seven patients fulfilling the 1994 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) case definition for CFS. All patients filled in the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Activities and Participation Questionnaire (CFS-APQ) and performed a maximal exercise stress test on a bicycle ergometer. Heart rate was monitored continuously by use of an electrocardiograph. Metabolic and ventilatory parameters were measured through spirometry. A statistically significant correlation between the score obtained with the CFS-APQ and the body weight-adjusted peak oxygen uptake (Spearman rho = -0.32; p = 0.005), functional aerobic impairment (rho = 0.33; p = 0.004), workload/body weight (rho = -0.30; p = 0.009), exercise duration (rho = -0.30; p = 0.008), and the percentage of target heart rate achieved (rho = -0.33; p = 0.004) was observed. The correlations between the remaining exercise capacity parameters and the scores obtained with the CFS-APQ all indicated a trend towards association (0.01 <p<0.05). These results suggest a moderate association between exercise capacity and activity limitations/participation restrictions in patients with CFS. The observed correlations lack strength to predict activity limitations/ participation restriction based on exercise capacity parameters. Disability evaluation in CFS should therefore encompass both exercise capacity testing and measurements at the activity/participation dimension.

Gulf War Veterans

Jo Nijs is affiliated with the Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Physical Eductaion and PhysicalTherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (V.U.B.), Belgium; and the Division of Occupational and Physical Therapy,Department of Health Sciences, Hogeschool Antwerpen, BelgiumGarth L. Nicolson is affiliated with The Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA 92647, USA

Endoscopic diagnosis and closure of a bronchopleural fistula

Pediatric PulmonologyVolume 11, Issue 3 p. 280-282 Case Report Endoscopic diagnosis and closure of a bronchopleural fistula† Anne Malfroot MD, Anne Malfroot MD Departments of Pediatrics, Pediatric Pulmonology and CF Clinic, Academisch Kinderziekenhuis, University of Brussels, Brussels, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorFrank van Tussenbroek MD, Frank van Tussenbroek MD Department of Medical Imaging, Section of Interventional Radiology, Academisch Kinderziekenhuis, University of Brussels, Brussels, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorGuido van Nooten MD, Guido van Nooten MD Department of Thoracic and Heart Surgery, Academisch Kinderziekenhuis, University of Brussels, Brussels, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorDr. Isi Dab MD, Corresponding Author Dr. Isi Dab MD Departments of Pediatrics, Pediatric Pulmonology and CF Clinic, Academisch Kinderziekenhuis, University of Brussels, Brussels, BelgiumDepartment of Pediatrics, Respiratory and Cystic Fibrosis Clinic, Academisch Kinderziekenhuis, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Laarbeeklaan 101, B-1090 Brussels, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this author Anne Malfroot MD, Anne Malfroot MD Departments of Pediatrics, Pediatric Pulmonology and CF Clinic, Academisch Kinderziekenhuis, University of Brussels, Brussels, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorFrank van Tussenbroek MD, Frank van Tussenbroek MD Department of Medical Imaging, Section of Interventional Radiology, Academisch Kinderziekenhuis, University of Brussels, Brussels, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorGuido van Nooten MD, Guido van Nooten MD Department of Thoracic and Heart Surgery, Academisch Kinderziekenhuis, University of Brussels, Brussels, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorDr. Isi Dab MD, Corresponding Author Dr. Isi Dab MD Departments of Pediatrics, Pediatric Pulmonology and CF Clinic, Academisch Kinderziekenhuis, University of Brussels, Brussels, BelgiumDepartment of Pediatrics, Respiratory and Cystic Fibrosis Clinic, Academisch Kinderziekenhuis, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Laarbeeklaan 101, B-1090 Brussels, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this author First published: 1991 https://doi.org/10.1002/ppul.1950110316Citations: 3 † Presented at the 1990 Meeting of the European Paediatric Respiratory Society (EPRS), London, September, 1990. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Citing Literature Volume11, Issue31991Pages 280-282 RelatedInformation