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During the Belgian winter and spring season 2022-2023, we investigated the potential of used paper tissue (UPT) as a noninvasive sampling method for the diagnosis of acute respiratory infections. Screening for respiratory pathogens was done using an in-house developed respiratory panel for simultaneous detection of 22 respiratory viruses and seven nonviral pathogens. The method allowed the identification and typing of respiratory pathogens in symptomatic individuals, as well as in collective samples taken at a community level. Pathogens that were identified in nasal swabs could also be detected in concurrent UPT from the same patient. In all cases that tested positive on an antigen-detection rapid diagnostic test, the corresponding virus could be detected in UPT. The collection of UPT could be useful in epidemiological surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and other coronaviruses, as well as other respiratory pathogens such as influenzavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, entero/rhinoviruses including EV-D68, parainfluenzaviruses, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Multiple respiratory pathogens could be detected in UPTs of collectivities, confirming its applicability for community testing. This is especially interesting for screening in nursing homes, centers for the disabled, schools or other settings were taking nasal or nasopharyngeal samples is cumbersome., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The aim of this study was to explore the note-taking experiences of university students using paper-based (non-electronic) and paperless (electronic) resources. By means of a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, the note-taking experiences of 18 students from an international program at a university in Belgium were examined throughout a semester. In order to document these students' practices with paper-based and paperless resources, four data collection methods were used: (a) in-depth interviews (b) observations (c) focus group discussions and (d) document analysis of students' lecture notes. The results showed that students experience note-taking as a complex phenomenon in which lived body, lived human relations, lived space and lived time come into play, and in which they try to find a balance between multiple engagements, between autonomy and authority, between attention and distraction, and between being original and mirroring others. This struggle for balance occurs irrespective of which medium (paper-based or paperless) they choose to use. These results provide an in-depth view of the phenomenon, and also highlight the complexity of the note-taking experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides are among the major environmental hazards with large-scale socio-economic and environmental impacts that jeopardize socio-economic wellbeing in mountainous regions. Landslides are due to the interaction of several complex factors such as local or regional geology, geomorphology, topography, and seismic motions. The goal of this study is to review published articles on causes and effects of landslides in Central Asia throughout 2000–2020. In line with this goal, we have collected (using Scopus database), reviewed, and analyzed 79 papers published during 2000–2020. Our results revealed an increasing number of landslide studies in Central Asia during the period under investigation, with authors from Belgium dominating in the published outcomes (28% of total), followed by authors from Central-Asian countries. After then, the paper analyses the mostly applied models and frequently identified driving conditions and triggers of landsliding, such as aspect, altitude, soil types, precipitation, earthquakes and human interventions. Geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) had not commonly been used in the papers between 2000 and 2010, and they have progressively been applied in landslide studies in Central Asia in the last decade. According to our analysis, geotechnical, geophysical and statistical methods were preferably used for the landslide studies in Central Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This visual investigation begins with an image from the photographic album of a border delimitation mission on the Angolan/Congolese (DRC) frontier. The image shows a lunch at the Portuguese camp on October 5, 1914. Sitting at the table are six white men - three commanding officers for, each colonial ppwer, Portugal and Belgium. Standing at the the back of the construction that serves as a dining room, is a black servant. His head, merged into the background, is invisible. From the original glass negative, it was possible to retrieve this man's features. The image was printed, cut up and reworked in various manners including collage, drawing and photography, originating the short animation O Festim (the Feast, 2021) and a web-based experiment, Daemonicycles. The work intends to reflect upon history and colonialism, considering power dynamics, cosmology and culture and the enduring phantoms that haunt us still today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how local actors set the sustainability agenda. By relying on the economies of worth, we explain how actors dwell upon multiple worlds to evaluate what is valuable, what is not valuable, and to promote their views. Empirically, we draw evidence from the Walloon region in Belgium, by investigating how multiple actors discuss their views in an attempt to set a sustainability agenda. We outline the multiple worlds that actors refer to during their interaction, the moments of critiques and how a compromise is shaped where the green world is given a significant prominence. Furthermore, we identify a set of mechanisms that facilitated the multi-actor interaction to shape a collective compromise as a continuous process. Points for practitioners: (1) Local governments play a crucial role in sustainability policies due to their proximity to local communities, enabling the development of tailored solutions, and direct engagement with citizens to address local environmental and social challenges. (2) Agenda-setting in local sustainability policies is intricate and frequently contentious due to the diverse values, interests, and preferences of all involved stakeholders. (3) Drawing on Boltanski and Thévenot's orders of worth theory, this paper offers researchers and practitioners an approach to unpack and understand the varied values, interests, and preferences of all involved stakeholders. (4) This paper identifies and elucidates three mechanisms (reflection, engagement, and alteration) that facilitate interactions among stakeholders, allowing them to reach a compromise on a shared sustainability agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to examine if and how the reclassification of platform workers from self-employment status to employment status can provide them with adequate social security protection. Little is known about how this transition would guarantee platform workers adequate social protection within the social protection scheme for employees. National social security schemes, in particular income replacement benefit schemes, often (still) depart from the standard employment relationship, leading to lower protection for atypical work forms. Platform workers combine several of the characteristics of atypical forms of work, such as low earnings, irregular working patterns and working. Integrating platform workers into employee social security schemes faces additional challenges due to the online nature of their work, algorithmic management, high levels of unpaid labor, and employer identification difficulties. This paper focuses on unemployment protection, as EU Member States struggle to provide adequate protection for workers with irregular work patterns and income fluctuations, in the case of (short term) income replacement benefits. By constructing nine ideal work patterns reflective of diverse nature of platform work and current practices among platform work, we analyse how different types of 'employed' platform workers may fare within the legislation of three EU countries (Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands). This approach allows us to assess the applicability of unemployment protection to different working patterns among 'employed' platform workers, considering formal, effective, and adequate access to unemployment schemes as outlined in the Council Recommendation on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed (2019). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of Greta Thunberg, the Swedish 'flygskam' (flight shame) movement, and school strikes for climate: the context for apprehending environmental affairs changed significantly in 2018, enabling the construction of a new environmental discourse of which practices of eco-shaming and emotions of eco-shame are visible expressions. This paper conceptualizes this 'eco-shaming' discourse by exposing the complex set of constituents underpinning it. It demonstrates how the eco-shaming discourse embodies a conception of the environment as public good and how it relies on the idea of shared but differentiated responsibilities in caring for the environment. As such, the paper adds the eco-shaming discourse as an eleventh environmental discourse to the ones famously identified in The Politics of the Earth. The paper then compares the eco-shaming discourse with other environmental discourses and discusses its implications for environmental politics. The paper draws upon a specific methodological application of discourse analysis that gives emotion a place it usually lacks in environmental discourse analysis. The empirical analysis includes text documents (n = 2155) from three societal domains (media, policy, and advocacy) in Belgium. This paper contributes theoretical and empirical knowledge on eco-shaming, environmental discourses, policymaking, as well as methodological insights on how to acquire such knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Internet use has a high environmental footprint that is often overlooked by end users. This paper contributes to limiting the negative environmental footprint of Information Technology (IT) use by understanding the relationship between environmental concerns and use of IT amongst users who are aware of the environmental footprint of IT use. Second, the paper argues that taking environmental concerns into account in technology acceptance studies is relevant, even in studies concerning ordinary IT (i.e. IT not commonly classified as "green" technology). Design/methodology/approach: The authors conduct two vignette-based surveys in two different countries: the USA and Belgium. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is used to analyse the effect of environmental concerns on the intention to use the webcam during online meetings and binary logistic regression is used to analyse the relationship between environmental concerns and reported actual use of webcams. Findings: The higher the respondents' environmental concerns, the higher their intention to use internet systems in a more environmentally responsible way, provided the respondents are aware of the environmental footprint of internet system use. Moreover, the higher the respondents' environmental concerns, the more likely they are to use internet systems in a more environmentally responsible way. Originality/value: This study is the first to distinguish "Greening of IT Use" from "Greening of IT" and "Greening by IT" and to show that environmental concerns has an impact on the way end users (intend to) use internet systems, provided the users are aware of the environmental footprint of that use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paperwork has always been a central part of bureaucratic work. Over the last few years, bureaucratic procedures have become increasingly standardised and digitalised. Based on interviews and ethnographic fieldwork within welfare offices in Switzerland and Belgium, we reflect on the way evidence is constructed within social policy and cases built for or against noncitizen welfare recipients in order to show how paper truths are established and challenged. The focus on digital practices within public policy implementation highlights how it contributes to enhanced control mechanisms on the implementation level and how migration law continues to guide welfare governance for noncitizens. This allows targeting of the most marginalised groups, whose rights to access state support are institutionally impeded. Through database information flows, official forms, paper reports and face-to-face meetings, we further show how a hybrid form of bureaucratic work emerges, where direct contact with the client is still key, yet highly influenced by standardisation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Do-it-yourself technologies such as 3D printing offer interesting opportunities for creating custom-made assistive devices for people with disabilities. Although these opportunities are increasingly acknowledged, it remains unclear how 3D printing technology should be implemented in assistive devices delivery processes. OBJECTIVE: In three separate action research projects carried out in Belgium, Italy and The Netherlands, workflows were designed and evaluated that incorporate 3D printing as a standard option for providing clients with suitable assistive devices. METHODS: In this paper we describe and compare the three workflows that were conceived simultaneously, yet independently from each other. RESULTS: Based on the evaluations of these workflows, and the experiences of the researchers who developed the workflows, we provide recommendations for implementing 3D printing as a common approach in assistive device delivery processes in practice. Most importantly, designing and manufacturing should be done by means of a client-centered co-creation process by interdisciplinary teams of clinicians, clients, and 3D printing experts. We provide several recommendations for facilitating and supporting collaborations within such teams. CONCLUSIONS: The three workflows presented in this paper are strikingly similar and therefore provide a convincing starting point for interdisciplinary design teams who wish to embark on 3D printing custom-made assistive devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development in the field of energy and the growing demand for sustainable energy, gas–electric integrated energy systems are attracting attention as an emerging energy supply method. At the same time, with the deep application of information technology, the cyber–physical interactions of gas–electric integrated energy systems are increasingly enhanced. To this end, first, the reliability assessment indices of a gas–electric integrated energy system, which comprehensively considers the interactions between cyber–physical and different energy sources, are established in this paper to quantitatively assess the reliability level of the system under different fault and failure conditions. Second, to solve the reliability optimization problem, a comprehensive reliability enhancement optimization model is constructed in this paper, which targets the sum of the total penalties of the failure rate and average repair time modification. The impact of the cyber systems on the gas–electric integrated energy systems is transformed into a modification of the failure rate and the average repair time, and the model is solved by an adaptive Gaussian particle swarm optimization algorithm. Finally, the applicability and superiority of the adaptive Gaussian particle swarm optimization algorithm to the reliability optimization of the gas–electricity integrated energy system are verified by conducting simulation tests on the gas–electricity integrated energy system coupled with an 8-node distribution system and the 11-node natural gas system in Belgium. Furthermore, the effects of cyber systems and cyber-attacks on system reliability optimization are also analyzed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method and the rationality of the newly defined reliability indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The assessment of primary care organizations is considered to be essential for improving care. However, the assessments' acceptability to professionals poses a challenge. Developing assessment programmes in collaboration with the end-users is a strategy that is widely encouraged to make interventions better targeted. By doing so, it can help to prevent resistance and encourage adherence to the assessment. This process, however, is rarely reported. This paper aims to fill this gap by describing the process of the co-production of an assessment programme for community health centres (CHCs) affiliated to the Federation of Community Health Centres (FCHC) in French-speaking Belgium. Methods: We conducted a documentary study on the co-production of the assessment programme before carrying out semi-structured interviews with the stakeholders involved in its development. Results: CHCs in French-speaking Belgium are increasing in number and are becoming more diverse. For the FCHC, this growth and diversification pose challenges for the meaning of CHC (an identity challenge) and what beneficiaries can expect in terms of the quality of organizations declaring themselves CHC (a quality challenge). Faced with this double challenge, the FCHC decided to develop an assessment programme, initially called Label, using participatory action research. During the co-production process, this initial programme version was abandoned in favour of a new name "DEQuaP". This new name embodies new objectives and new design regarding the assessment programme. When studying the co-production process, we attributed these changes to two controversies. The first concerns how much and which type of variety is desired among CHCs part of the FCHC. The second concerns the organization of the FCHC in its capacity as a federation. It shed light on tensions between two professional segments that, in this paper, we called "political professionalism" and "pragmatic professionalism". Conclusions: These controversies show the importance of underlying challenges behind the development of an assessment programme for CHCs. This provided information about the evolution of the identity of multidisciplinary organizations in primary care. Issues raised in the development of this assessment programme also show the importance of considering assessment methods that reflect and embody the current realities of these organizations and the way of developing these assessment methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a recently developed Operational Forecast Platform (OFP) for prevailing sea conditions at very important ports worldwide (Accu-Waves). The OFP produces reliable high-resolution predictions of wave characteristics in and around ocean ports. Its goal is to support safer navigation, predict possible port downtime, assist vessel approaching, enhance management of towing services, and bolster secure ship maneuvering in busy ports around the globe. Accu-Waves OFP is based on integrated, high-resolution wave modelling over the continental shelf and in coastal areas that incorporates data from global- and regional-scale, open-sea wave and ocean circulation forecasts as boundary conditions. The coupling, nesting, calibration, and implementation of the models are reported and discussed in this paper, concerning 50 selected areas near and inside significant port basins. The detailed setup of the Accu-Waves OFP and its sub-system services is also provided regarding three-day forecasts at three-hourly intervals. The validation of the wave forecast system against in situ observations from wave buoys in coastal areas of the USA, Belgium, and Spain, as well as other model predictions by established OFPs, seems very promising, with performance skill scores ranging from adequate to very good. An exceptional case of stormy seas under severe marine weather conditions with very high wave maxima (>10 m) in the port of Algeciras is further discussed, confirming the good performance of the Accu-Waves OFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the intersection of cultural processes and immigration in parental understanding of adolescent mental health and mental health seeking behaviors among African immigrants in Western countries. The present study examines the perspectives of Congolese immigrant parents on adolescent mental health in Brussels, Belgium, and Raleigh, North Carolina, USA – two geographic regions with relatively large Congolese migrant populations. This study highlights a needed understanding of cultural and acculturative context in shaping the beliefs of Congolese immigrants and explores potential barriers of seeking health services. Additionally, it recognizes health issues among this underrepresented and underserved population. Design/methodology/approach: Fifteen Congolese immigrant parents, eight in the USA and seven in Belgium, participated in structured qualitative interviews using an adapted version of Kleinman Questions and behavioral scenarios on depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. Interviews were audio recorded, and participants were assigned pseudonyms to de-identify responses. English interviews were transcribed verbatim by a trained team of undergraduate research assistants, and French interviews were transcribed verbatim by the first author and a graduate research assistant. Following transcription, the first and second authors used a rapid analytic approach (Hamilton, 2013). The first and second authors conducted a matrix analysis to observe thematic patterns. Findings: Parents interpreted adolescent behavior to be more problematic when the scenarios were overtly outside of their cultural realm of values and beliefs. Parents preferred methods of intervention through religious practices and/or family and community efforts rather than seeking mental health services in their host countries as a secondary option. The authors' findings provide an understanding of the values and beliefs of this underrepresented demographic, which may be useful to guide health professionals on how to support this community in a culturally responsive way. Research limitations/implications: Limitations to the current study include the structured nature of the interview guide that did not allow for in-depth qualitative exploration. Interviewed participants had lived in their host countries for more than 10+ years. Thus, the authors' findings are not reflective of new immigrants' experiences. Parents' perspectives were likely shaped by exposure to Western beliefs related to support for mental health (e.g. knowledge of psychologists). Future studies should focus on recent refugees due to exposure to traumatic events and experiences reflective of the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC's) current socio-political situation, and how these are understood in the context of adolescent mental health. Further, due to the hypothetical nature of the scenarios, the authors cannot be sure that participants would engage in the identified approaches with their children. Additionally, hearing from the youth's perspective would provide a clearer insight on how mental health and seeking professional help is viewed in a parent–child relationship. Finally, the data for this study were collected in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the authors cannot speak directly to Congolese refugee and immigrant experiences during this significant historical period, given the rise in mental health concerns in refugee populations more broadly (Logie et al., 2022), the authors' findings speak to how parents may have responded to increased mental health symptoms and point to additional barriers that these populations may have faced in accessing support. The authors' study emphasizes the need for dedicating resources and attention to this population, especially the development of culturally tailored messaging that invites community members to support the mental health needs of their community. Practical implications: The authors' findings provide important implications for mental health professionals. This study provides a clearer understanding of how Congolese immigrant parents view mental health and help-seeking within their cultural frame. Although parents may seek professional help, a distrust of mental health services was expressed across both cohorts. This suggests that mental health professionals should acknowledge potential distrust among this population and clarify their role in supporting the mental health of adolescent immigrants. Clinicians should inquire about familial cultural beliefs that are parent- and child-centered and modify their interventions to fit these belief structures. Originality/value: This paper addresses the gap in knowledge about mental health perspectives of Sub-Saharan African immigrant populations, specifically those from the DRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers' reflexivity usually focuses on the spatiality and sociality of their ethnographic fieldwork. As a result, the temporal context of their positionality, whereby their various identities interact with one another at different research phases, is often overlooked. This paper adopts an agentic intersectional approach and draws from our separate studies of Thai migrant women in Belgium and Hong Kong to unpack the temporality of the power dynamics between study participants and us (the researchers). Through this reflexive exercise, we identify three salient aspects: first, different identities of the researchers intersect at each phase of the study; second, researchers are dependent on gatekeepers and study participants, notably during the data-gathering phase; and third, the changing researcher–participant dynamics throughout the research process are embedded in broader relations of power that encompass social institutions and migrant/ethnic networks. Hence, researchers' self-discipline and constant awareness of positionality are of utmost importance for achieving well-situated knowledge (re)production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evolution is a unifying theme in biology and its understanding is essential to address sustainability problems. However, many people across the world do not understand evolution. Textbooks are among the most widely used educational resources and the way they depict evolution may greatly impact students' scientific literacy in evolution. In this paper we investigate which evolution concepts are addressed in European science textbooks, from the 1st to the 9th grade. A content analysis using the 'Framework for the Assessment of school Curricula on the presence of Evolutionary concepts", was performed on textbooks from eight European countries: Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Slovenia. At least two experienced coders per country independently analysed the texts, images and activities, discussed the results and reached a final consensus. Results: Our results show that textbooks lack or rarely address concepts considered important for evolution understanding, notably the processes driving evolution and their daily life implications, limiting opportunities for education for sustainability. Conclusions: We recommend that science textbooks emphasize evolution and its processes since the first school years. This recommendation is particularly relevant for the analysed textbooks from Cyprus and Belgium, that cover less than 45% of the concepts important to evolution literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating a welcoming environment is high on policy makers' agendas to attract highly educated migrants. It is unclear, however, which factors contribute to migrants' feelings of being welcome in the host country. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by exploring the factors influencing highly educated migrants' feelings of being welcome in the host country. We develop a conceptual framework that differentiates between the host country's institutional (e.g., public services for migrants) and societal (e.g., tolerance, friendliness) incorporation capacity and the migrants' personal incorporation capacity (e.g., personality traits). The study follows a mixed methods research design using survey data (n = 391) and serial interviews (wave1: n = 67; wave2: n = 49) with highly educated migrants in the Euregio Meuse‐Rhine, a cross‐border region between the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that all three indicators of the incorporation capacity framework contribute to migrants' feelings of being welcome in the host country. The societal incorporation capacity emerges as most important in the analysis. Lastly, interview findings emphasise the importance of language across all incorporation capacity dimensions. The paper contributes to the literature on high‐skilled migration, and particularly on high‐skilled migrants' experiences in the host country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The widespread integration of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled personalization has sparked a need for a deeper understanding of its transformative potential. To address this, this study aims to investigate the mental models held by consumers from diverse cultures regarding the impact and role of AI-enabled personalization in their lives (i.e. individual well-being) and in society (i.e. societal well-being). Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses the theories-in-use approach, collecting qualitative data via the critical incident technique. This data encompasses 487 narratives from 176 consumers in two culturally distinct countries, Belgium and Pakistan. Additionally, it includes insights from a focus group of six experts in the field. Findings: This research reveals that consumers view AI-enabled personalization as a dual-edged sword: it may both extend and restrict the self and also contribute to an affluent society as well as an ailing society. The particular aspects of the extended/restricted self and the affluent/ailing society that emerge differ across respondents from different cultural contexts. Originality/value: This cross-cultural research contributes to the personalization and well-being literature by providing detailed insight into the transformative potential of AI-enabled personalization while also having important managerial and policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper brings a new perspective to the population growth implications of the low fertility levels of European countries. For years between 2009 and 2018, whether constant fertility, mortality, and net migration would generate long‐run population growth or population decrease is indicated simply and visually by comparison of the total fertility rate (TFR) to a migration‐adjusted replacement level. The results show that, when considered in combination with concurrent net migration and mortality, the population growth implication of low fertility varies between countries and over time. For Sweden, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the United Kingdom for all the years considered the fertility–mortality–migration combination is coherent with long‐run population growth. For the former two countries, long‐run population growth would be sustained by net migration at current levels even if fertility were to fall to very low levels. In contrast, for every Eastern European country and year considered, unchanged fertility–mortality–migration combination would lead to population decrease. The need for an alternative view of low fertility in terms of whether the TFR is above or below a migration‐adjusted replacement level and the need for a migration context‐specific view, as distinct from a universal best view, of the desirability of fertility level are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Aging is a growing public health concern for people, organizations, and governments. The current study was undertaken to provide insights into the global research output on geriatric nursing. Methods. A bibliometric study was implemented using the WoS database for the period from 1900 to 2020. Various tools and measures were used to analyze and visualized. Results. The search strategy found 4923 papers. The oldest paper was written by Beverly C. Andre in 1953. As team size increases, so does the number of citations. The USA was the active country and the highest number of coauthors. New York University was an active institution. Stig Karlsson was the most active author in Geriatric Nursing with 28 articles from Sweden, followed by Koen Milisen and Sandman, with 26 articles each from Sweden and Belgium. The most frequent words in this field were depression, malnutrition, education, Alzheimer's disease, and dementia. The latest research themes in this field were COVID-19, interprofessional locomotive syndrome, emergency nursing, and public health. The most influential papers were specified. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society was the most active journal. Conclusions. Geriatric nursing is a rooted field and has received special attention in the last decade. Policymakers, especially in developing countries, should pay attention to geriatric nursing as a specialty of nursing to solve aging issues they would face considering the increasing elderly population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our paper investigates Belgian young peoples' discussions about climate change, specifically how they distance themselves from various dimensions related to climate issues. The study includes a pluridisciplinary analysis combining sociological, linguistic and semiotic approaches to process textual data collected in 2022 from six focus groups organised within local youth associations. This study focuses on 33 socially and economically diverse young people who joined a youth club. The paper explores the strategies employed by the respondents to distance themselves from climate change issues. It sheds light on various aspects related to climate distancing: How young people embody their vision of climate change through voice-switching, how societal norms and beliefs influence them, how they perceive the global impact of the changes, and how education plays a role in the issue of climate change. The study highlights the barriers, paradoxes and conflicts that hinder young people's active involvement in addressing climate change. It goes on to propose a set of recommendations aimed at transforming these barriers into actionable steps that can drive positive change. By identifying and addressing the contributing factors to climate distancing, this research offers potential pathways for empowering young people to become more engaged in the fight against climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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When conducting a postal survey, a traditional recommendation is to use paper postage stamps instead of an automated postage system, to make sure that invitations have a more personal and attractive appearance. In this research note, we investigate whether this traditional recommendation is still valid. In the autumn of 2020, a postal survey was conducted among high-school teachers in Belgium strictly adhering to the Dillman protocol. The overall response rate was 43.4%. Invitations with a real paper postage stamp had a three-percentage points higher response rate (44.9% versus 41.8%), but this difference proved not to be significant. There are no significant gender or age differences between the groups. In addition, the presence or absence of a paper stamp did not influence the respondents' choice for answering the questionnaire online or on paper, as those who received a stamped envelope were equally likely to choose the online answering tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archived seismograms recorded in the 20th century present a valuable source of information for monitoring earthquake activity. However, old data, which are only available as scanned paper-based images should be digitised and converted from raster to vector format prior to reuse for geophysical modelling. Seismograms have special characteristics and specific featuresrecorded by a seismometer and encrypted in the images: signal trace lines, minute time gaps, timing and wave amplitudes. This information should be recognised and interpreted automatically when processing archives of seismograms containing large collections of data. The objective was to automatically digitise historical seismograms obtained from the archives of the Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB). The images were originallyrecorded by the Galitzine seismometer in 1954 in Uccle seismic station, Belgium. A dataset included 145 TIFF images which required automatic approach of data processing. Software for digitising seismograms are limited and many have disadvantages. We applied the DigitSeis for machine-based vectorisation and reported here a full workflowof data processing. This included pattern recognition, classification, digitising, corrections and converting TIFFs to the digital vector format. The generated contours of signals were presented as time series and converted into digital format (mat files) which indicated information on ground motion signals contained in analog seismograms. We performed the quality control of the digitised traces in Python to evaluate the discriminating functionality of seismic signals by DigitSeis. We shown a robust approach of DigitSeis as a powerful toolset for processing analog seismic signals. The graphical visualisation of signal traces and analysis of the performed vectorisation results shown that the algorithms of data processing performed accurately and can be recommended in similar applications of seismic signal processing in future related works in geophysical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of the legal rhythms and temporalities of migration on the specific temporalities of family life, under conditions of enforced temporariness. It apprehends enforced temporariness as a mode of governance infused with chronopolitics, which – by producing specific experiences of time – deprives migrants of the right/capacity to lead their family lives according to their plans and aspirations. Through a focus on highly qualified third-country nationals holding temporary visas in Belgium, it shows that these experiences of time result from the friction between the institutional timescale of administrative procedures and policies, and migrants' everyday and biographic timescales. Starting from the administrative timescales of highly-skilled migrants, the paper describes the existing Belgian migration legislation, with a focus on administrative procedures. It then explores the specific experiences of time those procedures generate, by highlighting different kinds of friction migrants experience as well as their effects. It presents some of the ways these migrants cope with them, and concludes by highlighting the fruitfulness of applying a friction lens to the study of intersecting timescales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media platforms can play a pivotal role in shaping public opinion during times of crisis and controversy. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a large amount of dubious information being shared online. In Belgium, a crisis emerged during the pandemic when a soldier (Jürgen Conings) went missing with stolen weaponry after threatening politicians and virologists. This case created further division and polarization in online discussions. In this paper, we develop a methodology to study the potential of coordinated spread of incorrect information online. We combine network science and content analysis to infer and study the social network of users discussing the case, the news websites shared by those users, and their narratives. Additionally, we examined indications of bots or coordinated behavior among the users. Our findings reveal the presence of distinct communities within the discourse. Major news outlets, conspiracy theory websites, and anti-vax platforms were identified as the primary sources of (dis)information sharing. We also detected potential coordinated behavior and bot activity, indicating possible attempts to manipulate the discourse. We used the rapid semantic similarity network for the analysis of text, but our approach can be extended to the analysis of images, videos, and other types of content. These results provide insights into the role of social media in shaping public opinion during times of crisis and underscore the need for improved strategies to detect and mitigate disinformation campaigns and online discourse manipulation. Our research can aid intelligence community members in identifying and disrupting networks that spread extremist ideologies and false information, thereby promoting a more informed and resilient society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through historical and anthropological inquiry, this paper addresses the issue of memory antagonisms involving cultural landscapes in the context of a former mining region: the Belgian Black Country. This region, which became increasingly industrialized in the 19th century through the massive development of coal mining and steel industry, subsequently experienced deindustrialization, and now finds itself mobilized in a process of 'post-industrial' mutation. The paper is divided into two parts. In the first part, it examines how the landscapes inherited from industry, and in particular the slag heaps of the coalfield, have over time become repositories of a working-class memory, through the living and working practices of the communities surrounding the mines. It also documents the various representations attached to these landscape objects, whose contradictions echo the oppositions between capital and labor that have marked the development of industrial capitalism. The second part of the paper, which focuses on the present situation, examines how these representations are remobilized in the valorization processes that are initiated by different actors, in the context of a 'post-industrial' urban transition strategy that seeks to produce a unified and pacified historical narrative. We'll be looking at how historical conflicts still permeate the representations of these landscapes, the question of their conservation, and their possible future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to parenthood exacerbates gender inequality in couples' division of paid work. While this is widely documented for general populations, in particular, potential underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon remain un(der)explored for couples with different migration backgrounds. Hence, this paper examines how women's pre-birth relative wage potential affects the gender division of paid work after the transition to parenthood in Belgium among native, Southern-European and non-European origin couples. Our results show that, among all couples, the division of paid work is more gender-equal after childbirth when women's wage potential is higher than or similar to that of their male partner. However, there is substantial variation by couples' migration background and relative wage potential in partners' gender division of paid work and the extent to which it changes after parenthood. These findings suggest that both normative and institutional factors moderate the impact of partners' relative resources on couples' division of paid work after parenthood, particularly among non-European origin couples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining communities often rely on tourism as a vehicle for post-mining territorial development. Sometimes, these expectations of the locals are justified by the natural setting and/or the well-preserved industrial heritage; however, these potential tourist destinations are disadvantaged primarily by their image, often associated with decay in the perception of travellers. In this paper, we treat travellers as stakeholders, able to decisively influence the image of a destination by uploading content (photos, reviews and ratings) on Google Maps and TripAdvisor, and we emphasise that user-generated content should be considered when shaping the tourism development strategies. Taking as case studies three former mining regions trying to capitalise on their tourist potential—Jiu Valley and Ștei, in Romania and La Louvière, in Belgium—this article proposes a method for assessing the image of the destination, also aiming to identify those aspects that require improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The BELSAR dataset consists of high-resolution multitemporal airborne mono- and bistatic fully-polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data in L-band, alongside concurrent measurements of vegetation and soil biogeophysical variables measured in maize and winter wheat fields during the summer of 2018 in Belgium. Its collection was funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) to address the lack of publicly-accessible experimental datasets combining multistatic SAR and in situ measurements. As such, it offers an opportunity to advance the development of SAR remote sensing science and applications for agricultural monitoring and hydrology. This paper aims to facilitate its adoption and exploration by offering comprehensive documentation and integrating its multiple data sources into a unified, analysis-ready dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Previous research has explored euthanasia's ethical dimensions, primarily focusing on general practice and, to a lesser extent, psychiatry, mainly from the viewpoints of physicians and nurses. However, a gap exists in understanding the comprehensive value-based perspectives of other professionals involved in both somatic and psychiatric euthanasia. This paper aims to analyze the interplay among legal, medical, and ethical factors to clarify how foundational values shape the ethical discourse surrounding euthanasia in both somatic and psychiatric contexts. It seeks to explore these dynamics among all healthcare professionals and volunteers in Belgium. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 Dutch-speaking healthcare workers who had encountered patients requesting euthanasia for psychiatric conditions, in Belgium, from August 2019 to August 2020. Qualitative thematic analysis was applied to the interview transcripts. Findings: Participants identified three pivotal values and virtues: religious values, professional values, and fundamental medical values encompassing autonomy, beneficence, and non-maleficence, linked to compassion, quality care, and justice. These values interwove across four tiers: the patient, the patient's inner circle, the medical realm, and society at large. Irrespective of their euthanasia stance, participants generally displayed a blend of ethical values across these tiers. Their euthanasia perspective was primarily shaped by value interpretation, significance allocation to key components, and tier weighting. Explicit mention of varying ethical values, potentially indicating distinct stances in favor of or against euthanasia, was infrequent. Conclusion: The study underscores ethical discourse's central role in navigating euthanasia's intricate landscape. Fostering inclusive dialogue, bridging diverse values, supports informed decision-making, nurturing justice, and empathy. Tailored end-of-life healthcare in psychiatry is essential, acknowledging all involved actors' needs. The study calls for interdisciplinary research to comprehensively grasp euthanasia's multifaceted dimensions, and guiding policy evolution. While contextualized in Belgium, the implications extend to the broader euthanasia discourse, suggesting avenues for further inquiry and cross-cultural exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the association between women's relative employment positions and the transition to parenthood, focusing on women of Maghrebi, Turkish, and Southern European origin in Belgium. Whereas gender specialization is associated with higher chances of entering parenthood in the older literature, the economic preconditions to parenthood have shifted and more recent studies indicate that couples where both partners work are more likely to start a family. However, whereas this shift has been extensively studied among majority populations, we lack insight into whether similar patterns can also be found among population subgroups with a migration background. This paper uses Belgian census data from 2011–2015 to explore how women's relative employment positions are linked to the likelihood of entering parenthood and whether this association varies by women's age, generation, and origin of the male partner. The results indicate that couples in which both partners are employed are more likely to enter parenthood regardless of migration background. However, the results for women of Maghrebi or Turkish background suggest that single-earner couples and couples where both partners are unemployed delay entry into parenthood to a similar extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. This paper highlights the importance of taking into account the evaluation of the strength properties of limestone rock in the Ben Azzouz quarry. The purpose is to achieve optimum blasting quality based on the information on petro-physical and mechanical characteristics of the rock. Methodology. Models have been developed to estimate physico-mechanical properties of limestone rock. The models are based on the results of many laboratory tests by petro-physical and mechanical methods. Statistical analysis was performed on simple and multiple regression equations. Findings. Linear regression models have a higher estimated success rate, as expected. The best model for estimating the compressive strength of the rock (UCS, Uniaxial Compression Strength) based on simple regression is the model containing P-Velocity as an independent variable with a coefficient of determination R² of 0.81 and P-value = 0.000000003. Originality. To benefit from the enormous reserves in the quarry of Ben Azouz, knowing that there is no evaluation of the physico-mechanical characteristics of the rock, a set of the tests in the rock mechanics laboratory of polytechnic faculty of Mons in Belgium was carried out and limestone rock strength was estimated. Practical value. to Solid understanding of the physical and mechanical characteristics of the rock mass and the mechanism of blasting the rock is an essential step that must be taken gradually according to the development of mining works with the aim of minimizing the disadvantages in blasting and obtaining an optimal effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human geographers have analyzed the co-constitutive relationship between race, gender and sexualities across different spaces and social contexts and have called for intersectional approaches in discussions of identities, power and space. This article applies an intersectional framework to the processes of sexualization, racialization and exoticization that shape the daily lives and erotic/romantic encounters experienced and narrated by participants to two different projects: gay and bisexual men from a North African background living in Belgium; Italian gay men living in England; non-White gay men living in Italy. By discussing qualitative data collected during interviews with these men, and through a continued dialogue about this data between the authors, the paper explores both the effects of these processes on the lives of participants, and the strategies they enact to navigate their social worlds. The focus is on two elements, central to participants' narratives: the specificity of the intersectional experience of encountering men who expect a specifically gendered and racialized performance based on 'roughness' and 'wildness', and the capitalization on these exoticizing and racializing images to increase one's desirability on the dating/hook-up scene and everyday social and work life. By highlighting these elements, this paper shows the importance of applying an intersectional approach to analyses of the entanglements of racialization and sexualization in order to complicate linear accounts of these processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Augmented reality (AR) is receiving increasing interest as a tool to create an interactive and motivating learning environment. Yet, it is unclear how instructional support affects performance in AR. Objectives: This study sought to explore how varying the instructional support in AR can affect performance‐related behaviours of students with low cognitive abilities during assembly work. Methods: A total of 90 Belgian secondary school students repeatedly executed four different realistic assembly tasks. Three levels of instructional support (low, medium, and high) in AR as well as a control condition with paper instructions with a high level of detail were systematically varied across tasks and participants. Results and Conclusions: Multilevel regression analyses showed that AR instructions yielded lower assembly times and a lower perceived physical effort than paper instructions. Additionally, participants perceived tasks as less complex when given AR instructions with a high or a medium level of detail than when given a low level of detail. No effects of instructional support were established for other performance‐related behaviours, namely necessary assistance, error‐making, cognitive load, competence frustration, and stress. Effect sizes were small, at least among the instructional support conditions studied, yielding a limited base for adaptivity. Presumably, tailoring the instructional support in AR is only beneficial for highly complex tasks. The results might be useful for the design and implementation of AR in educational settings. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject matter: Augmented reality is knowing increased use in education.Little is known about how to design effective instructional support in augmented reality. What this paper adds: This study represents an initial insight into how to personalize instructional support.The impact of instructional support on augmented reality performance of students with low cognitive abilities was investigated.The study suggests that varying instructional support may lead to differences in performance outcomes. Implications for practitioners: How instructional support is constructed may affect augmented reality learning.The results may inform the design of effective augmented reality learning environments for students with special needs.How individual, contextual, and task‐specific characteristics moderate the effectiveness of instructional support should be further investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Belgium, the mandatory inspection of field crop, orchard and vineyard sprayers was already started up in 1995. Furthermore the inspection of horticultural/ornamental sprayers, soil-disinfection machines and fogging equipment was implemented respectively in 2011, 2014 and 2023 (Figure 1). So Belgium can look back on more than 28 years of experience with the inspection of sprayers (Declercq et al., 2009 and Declercq et al., 2018). At the end of the eighties, the execution of voluntary inspections was started up to gain the necessary experience. It soon became clear that a number of thoughtful choices had to be made at the start of the mandatory inspections. In order to guarantee the impartiality, professionalism and efficiency of the inspections, a centralized organization and implementation by region was chosen. Furthermore, the analytical inspection method (mainly based on pressure and nozzle flowrate measurements) was chosen because of the mobility of the test equipment that could be used. The benefits of the Belgian system are obvious. There are only ten experienced inspectors and two regional contact points for the inspection of all Belgian sprayers, and the inspections are carried out efficiently and at a fair price. The two regional Belgian inspection services are also accredited according to ISO17020, guaranteeing the highest quality standard of the inspections that are carried out. Until now, all horticultural and ornamental sprayers (ISO 16122-4) have been inspected four times (three year cycle). The inspections were started up with a “light” inspection protocol, and the protocol was adapted throughout the different cycles based on the experiences from the inspection services. The “light” start-up protocol allowed owners to gradually adapt their sprayers to the inspection requirements or -if necessary- replace their existing sprayer. This paper presents the actual inspection results from the horticultural and ornamental pesticide application equipment and the evolution of the defects throughout the different inspection cycles. Furthermore some obstacles that were encountered and solved will be discussed. Finally, there is still some PAE that is hard to inspect completely due to its specific usage or construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a healthcare context, the success of a fire safety procedure in a real-life emergency mainly depends on staff decisions and actions. One of the factors influencing staff decision-making is their training. In most healthcare facilities, safety educators use slide-based lectures as a training tool. Virtual Reality (VR) is gaining fire safety community attention for being an interesting training tool. However, few studies have assessed the effectiveness of VR-based fire safety training simulators compared with a slide-based lecture. The present research proposes a novel non-immersive VR-based training for healthcare fire safety education. This paper describes the prototyping steps required to develop a non-immersive VR serious game (SG) to train the staff of Vincent Van Gogh (VVG) hospital in Belgium. The paper finally validates the VR SG comparing its effectiveness against slide-based lecture training. 78 staff from VVG hospital in Belgium participated in this study. They were divided into two groups: Group A was trained using a slide-based lecture, and Group B was trained using the VR SG. The results indicated that the VR SG was more effective than the slide-based lecture in terms of knowledge acquisition and retention and in terms of self-efficacy increment in short and long terms than the slide-based lecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute and late toxicities in patients treated with (chemo)radiotherapy for head and neck cancer (HNC) is common and can negatively impact quality of life and performance. Performance status instruments measure the functional ability to perform daily life activities and are important tools in the oncologic population. Aims: Since Dutch performance status scales for the HNC population are lacking, we conducted this study to translate the Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer Patients (PSS‐HN) into Dutch (D‐PSS‐HN) and to validate this version. Methods & Procedures: The D‐PSS‐HN was translated into Dutch according to the internationally described cross‐cultural adaptation process. It was administered to HNC patients and together with the Functional Oral Intake Scale completed by a speech and language pathologist at five different time points during the first 5 weeks of (chemo)radiotherapy. Patients were asked each time to complete the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy and the Swallowing Quality of Life Questionnaire. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to calculate convergent and discriminant validity and the evolution of D‐PSS‐HN scores was assessed by means of linear mixed models. Outcomes & Results: A total of 35 patients were recruited and > 98% of the clinician‐rated scales were completed. Convergent and discriminant validity were demonstrated, with all correlations rs between 0.467 and 0.819, and between 0.132 and 0.256, respectively. The subscales of the D‐PSS‐HN are sensitive to detect changes through time. Conclusion & Implications: The D‐PSS‐HN is a valid and reliable instrument to assess performance status in patients with HNC treated with (chemo)radiotherapy. It is a useful tool to measure HNC patients' current diet level and functional abilities to perform daily life activities. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: Acute and late toxicities in patients treated with (chemo)radiotherapy for HNC are common and can negatively impact quality of life and performance. Performance status instruments measure the functional ability to perform daily life activities and are important tools in the oncologic population. However, Dutch performance status scales for the HNC population are lacking. Therefore, we translated the Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer Patients (PSS‐HN) into Dutch (D‐PSS‐HN) and validated this version. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: We translated the PSS‐HN and demonstrated its convergent and discriminant validity. The subscales of the D‐PSS‐HN are sensitive to detect changes through time. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: The D‐PSS‐HN is a useful tool to measure HNC patients' functional abilities to perform daily life activities. The tool can easily be used in clinical settings: since data collection duration is very short, this facilitates clinical (and research‐related) implementation of the scale. Patients' individual needs could be identified by using the D‐PSS‐HN, resulting in more appropriate approaches and (early) referrals if needed. Interdisciplinary communication could be facilitated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the governmental delineation of the speech‐language therapist (SLT) profession and in preservice SLT education, Flemish SLTs are considered as gatekeepers of the standard language in Flanders. Yet, most Flemish clients typically use a colloquial language style. Following earlier research on how teachers' language style affects teacher–student interactions, an SLT's strict adherence to standard Dutch may potentially evoke perceptions of inequality in their clients. As a result, Flemish SLTs may find themselves torn between on the one hand adhering to the standard language and on the other hand adapting to the sociolinguistic style of their client and establishing trust. In the present study, we explored SLTs' views on using standard/colloquial language varieties in their practice. Methods & Procedures: Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 Flemish SLTs who worked with children, adolescents and adults in special schools, private practices and hospitals. Interview transcripts were analysed with reflexive thematic analysis. Outcomes & Results: Analyses yielded three themes. Switching between styles was (1) triggered by client characteristics (age, style, therapeutic needs), and it was shaped by (2) the need for establishing trust and (3) a balance between the SLT's professional and personal identity. Notably, most SLTs described partially converging with their clients' colloquial style, effectively reconciling their professional identity as expert speakers with their personal identity as a colloquial language user. Conclusions & Implications: Despite consensus on the role of the SLT as gatekeeper of standard language, many SLTs felt that colloquial language also plays an important role as it bolsters therapeutic alliance and rehabilitation of functional communication. By implementing reflective mixed methods and integrating the client perspective, future studies should further examine how authentic style‐switching occurs and how various styles used by the SLT are evaluated by clients in different contexts. These findings may guide the development of style‐switching as a communicative strategy that can be addressed in preservice education. What this paper adds: What is already known on the subject: In Flanders, the existence of various (non‐)standard varieties of Dutch may evoke some tension regarding the preferred variety in a given context. Flemish teachers switch between standard language and colloquial language (style‐shifting), depending on the foregrounding of the transactional or relational nature of the context. Moving towards students' colloquial speech builds trust and perceptions of equality. Despite the importance of alliance in speech‐language therapy, little is known about how speech‐language therapists (SLTs) feel about using colloquial speech given that they are considered expert speakers. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: While 'talking properly' is part of the SLT's professional identity, many Flemish SLTs felt that strict adherence to the standard language variety hinders therapeutic alliance. While standard language was strongly associated with professionalism, strict adherence to standard language was used only when SLTs felt they had to prove their clinical competency or when language scaffolding was in the foreground. Partially converging with the clients' language use allowed SLTs to reconcile their professional identity as expert speaker with personal identity and authenticity. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: Both colloquial speech and standard speech serve a function in SLT practice. Therefore, switching between standard and colloquial speech needs further consideration as a communicative strategy rather than instilling in therapists an ideological, normative stance towards language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) industry has announced an ambitious decarbonization roadmap to 2050 to keep its place as a reference product in the future market of building materials. AAC raw materials are contributing to a large share of the CO2 footprint of AAC and need to be carefully assessed. Lime is today an essential raw material in the production of AAC and will remain so in the future as, unlike some other raw materials, it cannot be interchanged by a less carbon‐intensive alternative. Lime is essential in the formation of Tobermorite and provides the alkaline conditions required for the formation of the hydrogen bubbles structuring the mineral foam. Lime is produced by the calcination of limestone (CaCO3) releasing carbon dioxide (CO2). The CO2 footprint of lime is considerable, and the production process is considered hard‐to‐abate. Today roughly two‐thirds of the CO2 is inherent to the production process while only one‐third of the CO2 is due to the required fuel. Lhoist has developed a Carbon Action 2030 plan with a range of low‐carbon and carbon‐neutral lime solutions. The approach is based on the principle of three pillars: Avoiding, Reducing, and Compensating with a pipeline of effective carbon reduction initiatives behind each pillar. The paper will provide a status update on the key projects in Belgium, France, and Germany. The transformation to low‐carbon lime has triggered projects in energy improvement, sustainable fuels, the usage of hydrogen, kiln electrification, oxyfuel kilns, carbon capture, and storage as well as CO2 utilization. Once the CO2 is captured during the production of lime, the carbonation of the AAC will lead to a carbon‐negative building material. Our roadmap will position Lhoist as a preferred partner for the AAC industry in the future. Our lime product portfolio ranging from Level|Blue™ to Level|Green™ will support the AAC industry to consolidate and develop its referential position in the building materials industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the contradictory effects of pro-homeownership policies on inequalities through the case of Belgium. While the literature describes high homeownership rates as levellers of wealth inequalities, this paper finds, using national microdata from ECHP and EU-SILC, that different mechanisms underlying homeownership growth have had contradictory effects on economic inequalities, even in the absence of a housing crisis or increase in income inequalities. Inequalities in the weight of rental costs have risen for newly contracted rental agreements in the last decade, while wealth inequalities are rising because of an increasingly exclusive mortgage-credit market. Current measurements of wealth inequalities are based on the distribution of net wealth, thereby missing the evolution of the difference between mean wealth and no wealth and the dynamic nature of wealth accumulation. Therefore, inequalities are rising in Belgium as poorer renters are increasingly constrained by rental costs when they are increasingly excluded from accessing homeownership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deliberative minipublics—participatory processes combining civic lottery with structured deliberation—are increasingly presented as a solution to address a series of problems. Whereas political theory has been prolific in conceiving their contributions, it remains unclear how the people organizing minipublics in practice view their purposes, and how these conceptions align with the theory. This paper conducts a thematic analysis of the reports of all the minipublics convened in Belgium between 2001 and 2021 (n = 51) to map whether and how justifications coincide with the theory. The analysis reveals an important gap: minipublics are in practice predominantly presented as contributions to policymaking, while more deliberative functions remain peripheral. Some common practical purposes also remain under-theorized, in particular their capacity to bridge the gap between citizens and politics. This desynchronization, combined with a plethora of desired outcomes associated with minipublics, indicates the creation of a minipublic bubble which inflates their capacity to solve problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various research have been directed towards investigating the behaviour of political parties engaging in attacks. However, this topic has predominantly been studied in campaigning venues while focusing only on the attacker (parties that are attacking). This study contributes to the existing literature by (i) studying attack behaviour in the parliamentary venue, and (ii) analysing the interactions between both the attacker and the target. To this end, this paper uses longitudinal data on attacks during question time sessions in the parliaments (2010 to 2020) of Belgium, Croatia and the United Kingdom. More specifically, I investigate the conditions that make parties engage in mutual attacks. These conditions can be characterised along three dimensions: time (proximity to elections), status (government vs. opposition), and ideology (close vs. distant). The results confirm the overarching argument that: (i) more attacks in parliaments happen closer to election day; (ii) opposing parties are more likely to attack the government rather than vice‐versa; (iii) governing parties equally attack the opposition and themselves; and finally, (iv) the larger the ideological distance between parties, the more likely attacks happen (with mainstream parties engaging equally in attack behaviour compared to radical parties). As such, these findings contribute to our understanding of attack strategies between parties in regular day‐to‐day politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many European countries, one needs a permanent address to be entitled to social rights. To address this minimum prerequisite, mechanisms for administrative inclusion are in place for persons experiencing homelessness, such as the reference address in Belgium. This paper disentangles the non-take-up mechanisms behind this reference address by drawing on interviews with professionals. Our evidence suggests this is a minimum minimorum of social protection, albeit it can reflect and reinforce exclusion of the beneficiaries. This article contributes to the debate on the entitlement and non-take-up of rights, and the possibility of an administrative address that includes the most excluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]