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The REpowerEU plan prioritizes combining electrification with low-carbon hydrogen for a green energy shift. However, uncertainties surrounding the future hydrogen market and its supply costs impede the establishment of its value chain. Without definite plans for hydrogen production and infrastructure, investing in low-carbon hydrogen industrial processes is risky. Simultaneously, the absence of solid market interest poses challenges in deploying a hydrogen backbone. In recent years, European gas Transmission System Operators (TSOs) in Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany, have introduced various roadmaps for their prospective national hydrogen network. Despite the infrastructure proposals, detailed quantitative scenario analysis for the future hydrogen supply chain is still missing. This paper presents a hydrogen infrastructure model that employs Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) for investment and operational cost optimization at detailed spatiotemporal resolution. A regionalization method is proposed to allocate the potential hydrogen consumption in different industrial sectors across various clusters within a country, represented as the prospective hydrogen demand nodes. The model assesses extreme supply scenarios to examine the robustness of the resulting network infrastructure and compare the system-levelized cost of hydrogen. A real-life case study focusing on the potential Belgian hydrogen supply chain showcases the model's capabilities and outputs. • Regionalization of the industrial hydrogen consumption derived from a national-scale energy system model. • MILP cost optimization model for hydrogen infrastructure design. • Comparative analysis of diverse extreme low-carbon hydrogen supply scenarios. • In-depth case study focusing on the prospective Belgian hydrogen backbone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a commonly used color developer in thermal paper. In this application, BPA is present in its free, unbound form and can be readily released, making thermal paper a potential source for human exposure. In this study, BPA was determined in 44 thermal paper samples collected in Belgium. BPA was detected in all the samples; 73% of the samples had concentrations between 0.9% and 2.1% (between 9 and 21mg BPA/g paper), while the remaining 27% of the samples had concentrations below 0.01% (0.1mg BPA/g paper). The BPA concentrations measured in thermal paper were comparable with those reported in other international studies. Since thermal paper is a feedstock for paper recycling processes, contamination of other “BPA-free” papers can occur. An estimation of human exposure through thermal paper results in a median intake of 445ng BPA/day for the general population, which corresponds to an exposure of 6.4ng/kg bw/day for a person of 70kg. The exposure of those people who come occupationally in contact with thermal paper can be much higher. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper introduces a Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA) on present and future scenarios of different energy storage technologies comprising hydrogen and batteries: Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), Hydrogen Energy Storage System (H 2 ESS), and Hybrid Energy Storage System (HESS). These three configurations were assessed for different time horizons: 2019, 2022 and 2030, under both on-grid and off-grid conditions. For 2030, a sensitivity analysis under different energy scenarios was performed, covering other trends in on-grid electric consumption and prices, CO 2 taxation and the evolution of hydrogen technology prices from 2019 until 2030. The selected case study is the Research Park Zellik (RPZ), a CO 2 -neutral sustainable Local Energy Community (LEC) in Zellik, Belgium. The software HOMER (Hybrid Optimisation Model for Electric Renewable) has been selected to design, model and optimise the defined case study. The results showed that BESS was the most competitive when the electric grid was available among the three possible storage options. Additionally, HESS was overall more competitive than H 2 ESS-only, regardless of the grid connection mode. Finally, as per HESS, hydrogen was proved to play a complementary role when combined with batteries, enhancing the flexibility of the microgrid and enabling deeper decarbonisation by reducing the electricity bought from the grid, increasing renewable energy production and balancing toward an island operating mode. • Assessment of hybrid energy storage systems for future energy scenarios. • Sensitivity analysis with different technical, economic, and environmental KPIs. • Analysis of the effects of the connection and capacity access to the electric grid. • Application to a real case study: a CO2-neutral Local Energy Community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides an in-depth analysis of the potential role of hydrogen (H 2) in the Belgian transport sector in the context of sustainable and environmentally friendly growth. This paper starts by examining the energy-climate roadmap and the emission mitigation programme defined by the Belgian federal government in the context of environmental sustainability. Then, the Belgian situation is critically evaluated in light of the needs for H 2 fuel in the transport sector, as well as issues about a roadmap on environmental considerations for a sustainable future, while preserving the country's economic stakes. There are several key advances in this direction, especially as H 2 is seen as one of the best viable options for sustained development, unlike other possibilities. This paper also highlights some limitations that make it difficult to accelerate the transition to a sustainable H 2 energy future. Although there are many interests in favour of an advanced and non-polluting transport system, there are differing views on the approach to be taken in political decision-making at national level. Therefore, this study will help public authorities to better integrate environmental and sustainability issues in the context of a transition to a comprehensive hydrogen economy in the current transport sector. • An in-depth analysis of hydrogen's role in the Belgian transport sector is presented. • Considerations of sustainable and environmentally friendly growth are addressed. • It highlights the constraints and barriers to the full development of H 2 in Belgium. • There is no unified national public policy for hydrogen development. • Policies should prioritise R&D, training and social empowerment of hydrogen energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Since heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) is a disease that exposes the individual from birth onwards to severe hypercholesterolemia with the development of early cardiovascular disease, a clear consensus on the management of this disease in young patients is necessary. In Belgium, a panel of paediatricians, specialists in (adult) lipid management, general practitioners and representatives of the FH patient organization agreed on the following common recommendations. [1.] Screening for HeFH should be performed only in children older than 2 years when HeFH has been identified or is suspected (based on a genetic test or clinical criteria) in one parent. [2.] The diagnostic procedure includes, as a first step, the establishment of a clear diagnosis of HeFH in one of the parents. If this precondition is satisfied, a low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level above 3.5mmol/L (135mg/dL) in the suspected child is predictive for differentiating affected from non-affected children. [3.] A low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet should be started after 2 years, under the supervision of a dietician or nutritionist. [4.] The pharmacological treatment, using statins as first line drugs, should usually be started after 10 years if LDL-C levels remain above 5mmol/L (190mg/dL), or above 4mmol/L (160mg/dL) in the presence of a causative mutation, a family history of early cardiovascular disease or severe risk factors. The objective is to reduce LDL-C by at least 30% between 10 and 14 years and, thereafter, to reach LDL-C levels of less than 3.4mmol/L (130mg/dL). Conclusion: The aim of this consensus statement is to achieve more consistent management in the identification and treatment of children with HeFH in Belgium. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Municipalities in Wallonia use different prices and pricing units for waste. • We use a panel model to estimate price elasticities for organic and residual waste. • Pricing of residual waste is critical to reduce residual waste and encourage sorting. • Weight-based pricing is effective in reducing the quantities of residual waste. Waste pricing is important to encourage households to reduce their waste and to increase sorting and recycling. Pricing instruments include differentiated prices for the waste fractions collected and the choice of an appropriate pricing unit (volume, weight, levy). In this paper, we test the effectiveness of those different instruments using an original and complete dataset from Wallonia (the southern region of Belgium), covering 10 years and all the 262 municipalities of the region. Our approach is to estimate the sensitivity of households' production of residual and organic waste to prices i.e., the price elasticities, using sophisticated econometric techniques to control for the endogeneity of prices. For residual waste, we show a significant own-price elasticity, which is higher when organic waste is not collected at the curbside. For organic waste, we found an important and significant cross-price elasticity, but a limited own-price elasticity. Hence, the privileged instrument to encourage waste reduction and sorting should be the price of residual waste. Finally, we show that the weight-based pricing system contributes substantially to the reduction of residual waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the first to calculate welfare, measured by the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), for the EU-15 countries in a standardized and comparable way. This paper does so by building on a case study for Belgium by Van der Slycken and Bleys (2023) that puts forward a "2.0 methodology" with two distinct ISEWs that deal with cross-time and cross-boundary issues. Both welfare and GDP per capita improved in the EU-15 between 1995 and 2018. Yet, there is an important divergence between welfare and GDP: over time experiential welfare per capita and the per capita benefits and costs of present activities improved by respectively 10,5% and 13,4%, which is less than one third and half of the growth in GDP per capita that grew by 32,4%. These welfare trends are mainly driven by individual consumption growth, the shadow economy and welfare losses from income inequality, which compensated about half of the welfare gains of the former two categories. The gap between welfare and GDP diverged especially after the financial crisis when welfare started stagnating. At the end of the studied period, the EU-15 had already recovered from the financial crisis from a GDP perspective, but not from a welfare view. Since welfare in 2018 was less than 2% lower than the period-maximum, there is no conclusive evidence in favor of the threshold hypothesis at the level of the EU-15. However, the fact that welfare levels in nine countries are more than 5% lower than their peak values signals a clear threshold for these countries. Yet, welfare can be increased beyond previous peaks with postgrowth policies that focus on social and ecological welfare. • Two variants of the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare with distinct time and boundary choices are compiled for the EU-15. • From 1995 to 2018, GDP per capita grew by 32,4% while welfare per capita only increased by 10,5% and 13,4%. • Welfare and GDP increasingly diverged, especially after the financial crisis when welfare started stagnating. • By 2018, the EU-15 had already recovered from the financial crisis from a GDP perspective, but not from a welfare view. • A majority of the EU-15 countries has a clear welfare threshold point with 2018-values being lower than period maxima. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Belgium nuclear phase-out plan is analyzed. • A multivariate model through time-series analyses is implemented over the 1974–2019 period. • We develop and apply an innovative partial differential equations (PDE) algorithm. • Time-series and machine learning findings demonstrate suggests that the nuclear phase-out might neither adversely impact the economy's growth nor threaten the emission reduction target in the long-run. By 2025, Belgium will phase-out nuclear power. Unassessed so far, this policy reform may modify the economic and environmental channels through which energy and society interfere in this country. In this paper, we investigate whether this structural energy change may adversely impact the growth of the Belgian economy (i) and its ability to meet its long-term greenhouse gas emission targets (ii). A multivariate model comprising production factors (labor, capital, and exports), nuclear and renewable energy uses, total primary energy supply, economic growth, and CO 2 emissions from the power and heating sector is combined with real time-series data spanning the 1974–2019 period. The analysis consists in sequentially assessing two distinct nexuses (energy-economy and energy-economy-environment) over reduced- and augmented frameworks (excluding and including nuclear energy), and through a two-stage empirical strategy: time-series econometric estimations (Toda-Yamamoto causality test, Impulse Response Functions (IRFs), and the Auto-Regressive Distributed Lags (ARDL) and Machine Learning (ML) experiments with a Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) algorithm. For robustness purposes, we conduct two seminal tests which relate to dynamic predictive processes (T-Mat and Verticality tests). Besides confirming the time-series findings, our ML results highlight the necessity to timely manage the process of nuclear phase-out, along with a progressive deployment of installed renewable energy capacity. This should avoid additional economic costs, energy security threats, and undermining of climate targets. In doing so, this study combines macro-level nexus investigations with the politics and institutional determinants of nuclear energy reliance and seeks to bring inclusive knowledge on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Assessment of solid–liquid separation techniques applied to three digestate types. • Analysis of climate impact, energy use, and cost of digestate management scenarios. • Climate impact mainly from field application of end products and storage. • Treatment of liquid fraction has a major effect on climate impact and cost. • Integrated approach to support decision making for higher sustainability of biogas sector. In this paper, we performed technology assessment and systems analysis of primary digestate processing techniques to provide a comprehensive analysis of their environmental and cost performance. We compiled more than 100 observations from large-scale biogas plants and considered digestate based on manure, crops and agro-wastes, and food waste under the geographical contexts of Sweden and Belgium. Centrifuge, screw press, and rotary drum were identified as suitable primary processing techniques. We analyzed the climate impact, energy use, and operational cost of digestate management under these scenarios: no processing , partial processing (solid–liquid separation) and full processing (solid–liquid separation followed by ammonia stripping). As expected, the suitable digestate processing varied with the context, transport was often the most critical cost factor, and emissions from storage reduced the climate savings from the use of biofertilizers. However, treating liquid fraction became a main contributor to cost and climate impact under the Belgian conditions. Consequently, the possibility for local application of liquid fraction as biofertilizer could prevent costs and impacts associated with its further treatment. The main novelty of this work is in its integrative and comprehensive approach toward the choices and impacts of primary processing of digestate. We tried to bridge many individual case studies, drew from experiences of biogas plants in different geographical contexts, assessed suitable processing techniques for different digestate types, and analyzed the environmental impacts and cost of digestate management from a life cycle perspective. We believe that such integrated approaches would help decision-making for increased sustainability of the biogas sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate photovoltaic (PV) power forecast is crucial for carbon neutrality. Current researches on PV power forecast mainly focus on using temporal information from single PV station, and the spatial information in multiple PV power stations are often neglected. To address this problem, this paper introduces Moran index to verify the spatial autocorrelation of PV power for the first time, uses Granger causality test and transfer entropy to reveal the spatial information gain in PV power forecast for the first time, and proposes a novel spatial–temporal probabilistic PV forecast method using deep Graph Gated Recurrent Unit (GraphGRU) network-based spatial–temporal multi-task learning and Kernel Density Estimation (KDE). Deep GraphGRU combines the advantages of Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) in spatial feature extraction and the advantages of Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) network in temporal feature extraction, and thus has strong ability to extract spatial–temporal information in historical data of multiple different PV power stations. Through GraphGRU, temporal dependency information extracted from historical data of multiple PV stations can promote each other to improve the forecast accuracy of each PV stations. KDE is used for estimating the joint probabilistic density function and giving the spatial–temporal probabilistic confidence interval of PV power. Experiments were performed in the five-year actual PV power data from 11 provinces of Belgium and the three-year solar irradiation data from 12 places in China to verify the superiorities of the proposed method. Comparison with conventional spatial–temporal and temporal forecast methods show that the proposed GraphGRU-based spatial–temporal forecast method can extract the spatial–temporal information from multiple PV power stations well and significantly outperform conventional temporal forecast methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Belgium is known for its traditional lambic beer productions, obtained through spontaneous fermentation and maturation in wooden barrels. Lambic beer is also used to make fruit lambic beers, such as Kriek beer. Despite fruit beer being an old beer type, dating back to the second half of the seventeenth century, no research has been performed on lambic beer-fruit co-fermentation processes. Further, these beers get competition from market-driven, sweet, (fruit-)flavored ones without the co-fermentation step. This paper will first discuss a new, general fruit beer classification, going from sour fruit beers produced through co-fermentation to sweet ones without a co-fermentation step. Second, a state-of-the-art of the scarce literature on the microbiology and metabolomics of lambic beer-fruit co-fermentation processes will be given. [Display omitted] • The extended beer classification system encompasses a wide variety of beers. • New beer types with unconventional ingredients necessitate definition/classification. • The fruit beer classification facilitates discernment between sour and sweet beers. • A fruit beer co-fermentation step differentiates nonsweet and sweet fruit beers. • Scarce literature on fruit beers necessitates additional research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we describe and apply a method probing into linguistic (in)directness in complaint tweets. The sample analyzed consists of French-language Twitter complaint interactions, half of which are between the SNCF (the French National Railway company) and its customers and half between the SNCB (the Belgian National Railway company) and its customers. The aim of this paper is two-fold: first, we present and test a methodology that measures the explicitness (or linguistic (in)directness) of complaints, which, we argue, in line with Decock and Depraetere (2018), must be differentiated from perceived (im)politeness or perceived face-threat. Linguistic (in)directness is analyzed in the complete complaint situation, that is, in the first tweet as well as in the ensuing interaction. Secondly, as the sample shows differences in the realization of complaints in two linguistically close communities, we put forward some hypotheses concerning the relative impact of cultural differences and the companies' response strategy. • We analyze complaint components and how they are linguistically realized. • We differentiate complaint (in)directness and perceived (im)politeness. • Twitter complaints vary in their degree of linguistic (in)directness. • We explore the impact of response strategy on Twitter complaint interaction. • Twitter complaint realizations in French are different in Belgium and France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hazelnuts were an important foodstuff for Early to Mid-Holocene (Mesolithic) hunter-gatherers all over North-western and Central Europe, mainly thanks to their high fat content, the fact that they are easy to collect and process and produce high areal yields. Based on an extensive and well-dated dataset of charred hazelnut shells, collected on Mesolithic camp-sites from the western Scheldt basin (W Belgium), in this paper the availability of this food resource is studied. Unlike other North(west) European regions, the decline in the exploitation and consumption of hazelnuts in the Scheldt basin appears to start early, from the mid-Boreal period onwards. The available high-resolution pollen and anthracological records indicate that this is presumably related to the rapid and substantial expansion of oak, creating a shady environment which was less favourable for hazel. This paper further examines the impact as well as the possible response of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to this drastic change in subsistence resources, which arose on top of other challenges during the Boreal, such as increased drought and forest fires, abrupt cooling around 9.3 ka and the possible influx of groups from the adjacent drowning North Sea basin. Human responses possibly ranged from increased mobility, over intensified exploitation of other edible plants to increased fish consumption. The paper ends with emphasizing the importance of high-resolution paleoecological studies on a local/regional level as well as the systematic fine-meshed recovery of plant remains, such as charred hazelnut shells, from archaeological sites. • Hazelnuts were an important food resource during the Mesolithic. • Hazelnut consumption in the Scheldt basin dropped drastically in the mid-Boreal. • This is earlier compared to other areas within NW Europe. • Hazel was outcompeted by the rapid expansion of oak. • Hazel decline might have led to a reduced fat intake and associated health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is seen as a key technology to reduce the environmental impact and net power consumption of buildings. The integration of PV into building components, such as façade, window, roof or shading elements, leads to a distributed generation over the building envelope with a profound impact on the electrical installation. Designing the electrical system with string inverters and a possible wide variety of module sizes and technologies is a challenging task. To overcome this issue, Module-Level Converters (MLCs) can be used. A supplementary benefit is that the consequences of partial shading can strongly be reduced. This paper investigates whether the current generation of MLCs is suited for embedment in facade BIPV modules. The PV output is categorized and compared to the input parameters of the converters. Besides the discrepancy between the physical dimensions of the converters and the desired installation location, thermal and electrical measurements on a prototype BIPV curtain wall element reveal that daily energy losses can be as high as 50% due to thermal overload when used in a moderate climate such as Belgium. The paper concludes by discussing further standardization of BIPV module-level converters. • Evaluation of BIPV curtain wall elements using different PV technologies. • Evaluation of BIPV MLCs from electrical, thermal and dimensional point-of-view. • Thermal auto-shutdown can lead to daily energy losses of more than 50%. • Standardization and BIPV as a new market segment for MLCs is discussed. • Modules with high output voltage are most suited for frame-integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental concepts are performative in that they help create the environment they describe. This paper explores the performativity of the ecosystem services concept in the field of integrated water management in Flanders (northern Belgium). The data was collected from 23 in-depth interviews with professionals in the field, conducted in two rounds with a five-year interval and complemented with on-site observations of practices applying the concept. Results indicate that ecosystem services was only marginally performative on its own, and rather was seen as a 'co-performative concept' that – in conjunction with existing concepts – could accelerate the envisioned integration process through promoting initiatives, mobilising stakeholders, shaping orientation, creating win-win situations, and more. Yet, despite these aspirations, the concept has in general failed to perform as expected. Many perceived ecosystem services as an academic concept, too complex for practical application. Common strategies were either to adapt the concept to fit one's professional context or to create a new practical context (a stakeholder workshop, for example) where the concept could function. The paper goes on to discuss the more general implications of the (pseudo-)malleability and context-dependence of the ecosystem services concept. • ES works as a co-performative concept in support of policy integration. • The co-performativity of ES goes together with greater context dependence. • ES works best in an arrangement which ensures its functioning in real-world. • Selective interpretation of ES easily gives rise to distrust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving carbon neutrality is probably one of the most important challenges of the 21st century for our societies. Part of the solution to this challenge is to leverage renewable energies. However, these energy sources are often located far away from places that need the energy, and their availability is intermittent, which makes them challenging to work with. In this paper, we build upon the concept of Remote Renewable Energy Hubs (RREHs), which are hubs located at remote places with abundant renewable energy sources whose purpose is to produce carbon-neutral synthetic fuels. More precisely, we model and study the Energy Supply Chain (ESC) that would be required to provide a constant source of carbon-neutral synthetic methane, also called e-NG (electric Natural Gas) or e-methane (electric methane), in Belgium from an RREH located in Morocco. To be carbon neutral, a synthetic fuel has to be produced from existing carbon dioxide (CO 2) that needs to be captured using either Direct Air Capture (DAC) or Post Combustion Carbon Capture (PCCC). In this work, we detail the impact of three different carbon sourcing configurations on the price of the e-methane delivered in Belgium. Our results show that sourcing CO 2 through a combination of DAC and PCCC is more cost-effective, resulting in a cost of 146 €/MWh for e-methane delivered in Belgium, as opposed to relying solely on DAC, which leads to a cost of 158 €/MWh. Moreover, these scenarios are compared to a scenario where CO 2 is captured in Morocco from a CO 2 emitting asset that allow to deliver e-methane for a cost of 136 €/MWh. • Model energy supply chain from Morocco to Belgium for electric methane; • Explore three CO2 sources for electric methane synthesis; • Analyse the pros and cons of each CO2 source on price and energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the imperative nature of addressing climate change, the energy transition is currently underway, prompting the recognition of its urgency. Energy system optimisation models have emerged as crucial tools to assist policymakers in formulating laws and regulations that facilitate the transition towards carbon neutrality. While numerous models have been developed to explore various scenarios and define long-term objectives, only a few models focus on optimising the specific pathway to achieve these objectives. Many existing models lack the necessary time resolution to capture the integration of intermittent renewable energies; or are not open-source, creating a challenge in terms of transparency and reproducibility. This paper introduces EnergyScope Pathway, an open-source and documented model that addresses these limitations. It specifically optimises investment strategies for the whole-energy system over a 30-year period, or more, and optimising its hourly operation. This approach allows for a comprehensive evaluation of the effective integration of intermittent renewable energy sources. The model has a concise and efficient formulation, enabling its execution on personal laptops within approximately 15 min. By applying the model to the case study of Belgium, which presents challenges due to limited potential for renewable energy, we illustrate the importance of four pillars: energy efficiency, renewable energies, sector coupling, electrification and imports. The result pave the way to a new and incremental tool to support decision makers. In comparison to non open-source models, we verified the model's results with similar studies and found consistency in terms of technico-economic estimations. • Linear formulation of an optimisation model to represent a whole energy system transition pathway with an hourly resolution. • Short computational time, 15 min on a personal laptop • Quantify the pillars of the transition: efficiency, renewable energies and sector coupling. • Offers a new and incremental tool to support decision-makers in the energy transition. • Comparison of different approach to represent the transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental and climatic conditions of the Late Pleistocene of Southern Belgium are here determined for the final part of Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) and for MIS 2 on the basis of a study of rodent assemblages. This paper provides a synthesis of several sets of environmental and climatic data from Late Pleistocene sites, all of which are located in southern Belgium. One has previously been published (Caverne Marie-Jeanne), and seven are unpublished (Cavernes de Goyet, Trou des Nutons, Trou du Frontal, Trou de Chaleux, Grotte la Chefalize, Trou du Chêne, and Trou du Sureau). The habitat weighting and quantified ecology methods are applied to rodent material housed in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS, Brussels), and previous radiocarbon dates are updated, in order to reconstruct past environments. Among all the sites under analysis, the quantified ecology method shows that Trou de Chaleux corresponds to the coldest temperatures and lowest precipitation. Trou de Chaleux, with a chronology between ca. 15,964–14,014 cal yr B.P., could probably be placed in Greenland Stadial 2 (GS2) or Heinrich Event 1 (HE1). It has a rodent assemblage associated with a predominance of open dry and rocky formations, the most abundant species being the collared lemming and the narrow-headed vole. These data are found to coincide with previous studies carried out on the large-mammal, herpetofaunal, and avifaunal associations of the site, as well as on small-mammal associations from other sites in southern Belgium with similar chronology, such as Grotte Walou. Taken together, this indicates that these latest Pleistocene intervals in southern Belgium were characterized by harsh climatic and environmental conditions. In contrast, the other assemblages under study yielded much more heterogeneous results, frequently inconsistent with an attribution to the Pleistocene. This is likely to be a result of their admixture with Holocene material due to recent intrusions. • Manuscript provides an environmentally synthesis of eight Belgian Late Pleistocene sites. • Rodent's assemblages are used to reconstruct Late Pleistocene environment and climate. • 14C dating from the analysed sites have been calibrated in other to update them. • Heinrich Event 1 has been identified with the rodent's assemblage of Trou de Chaleux. • Rodent's data fits the previous published macromammals, herpetofauna and avifauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power-to-gas facilities consume surplus renewable electricity generation to produce alternative gases, such as green hydrogen. They can be injected into, and transported by the gas network for further use, which is a promising way toward a low-carbon energy system. However, injecting alternative gases into the gas systems can adversely affect the gas composition and the lifespan of components (e.g., gas pipelines), and may threaten the reliability of the entire integrated electricity and gas systems (IEGS) in the long term. To address this issue, this paper proposes a long-term reliability evaluation method for IEGS with distributed hydrogen injections. First, new reliability indices are proposed to evaluate both gas adequacy and gas interchangeability under uncertainties. Then, a multi-state reliability model of the pipeline is developed to characterize the corrosion evolution and hydrogen embrittlement in the long term. A contingency management scheme (CMS) is devised to minimize load curtailments and gas interchangeability deviations under component failures. Moreover, several reformulation techniques are tailored to convexify the original two-stage mixed-integer nonlinear CMS optimization problem. An analytical reliability evaluation method embedded with a system state reduction technique is designed to evaluate the long-term reliability of the IEGS more efficiently. Finally, the IEEE 24 bus Reliability Test System and the practical Belgium gas system are used to validate the proposed method. The numerical results show that the injection of alternative gas could jeopardize the reliability of the studied IEGS by 39.73% in the long term. However, we have observed a critical time window (the 8th–9th year), in which if we conduct the inline inspection and maintenance more frequently, the reliability could be improved by up to 53.31%. These results suggest that the injection of alternative gas is beneficial, but should be carefully regulated to maintain the reliability of IEGS. • Impacts of hydrogen injections on long-term reliability of energy system. • Novel reliability indices to measure the expected gas quality under uncertainties. • Efficient reliability models of system components considering hydrogen injections. • Contingency regulation with varying gas compositions. • A fast analytical reliability evaluation method embedded with scenario reduction techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design and safety assessments of geological disposals of heat-emitting radioactive waste require accurate evaluation of the thermal conductivity of the host medium. This paper presents a new approach to evaluate the anisotropic thermal conductivity of Boom Clay, a clayey layer that is studied as a potential host medium in Belgium by ONDRAF/NIRAS. The present approach is based on an inverse analysis of two in situ heater tests (the small-scale ATLAS IV Heater test and the large-scale PRACLAY Heater test) carried out in the HADES underground research facility (URF). The inverse analysis is performed by using the absolute error function and tolerant error-based method based on temperatures measured from 60 sensors across the two tests (i.e., from 29 sensors during the 900-day heating and cooling phase in the ATLAS IV Heater test and from 31 sensors during the nearly 7-year heating phase in the PRACLAY Heater test). In addition, thousands of numerical modeling cases are applied for both tests. The objective is to estimate a reasonable range of thermal conductivity variation that is characteristic of the entire host clay. Finally, a thermal conductivity range (λ h , λ v) = (1.55–1.95, 1.10–1.25) W/(m⋅K) is identified for the Boom Clay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the drone-borne dosimetry performed in two separate case studies. Two drone measurements were performed using a reference dose-rate detector measuring the ambient dose equivalent rate. A first flight was used to obtain reference measurements using a cesium-137 point source and flying at multiple speeds and different heights. A second flight was performed above the D1 radium storage of Umicore in Olen, Belgium. The main goal of this flight was to perform a scanning pattern over the area to create a dose-rate map. After the flights, we used historic measurements and a dose-rate model verified by Monte Carlo simulations using Penelope (2018) to verify the dose-rates measurements performed by the drone. Finally, we used the findings from both flights to provide recommendations regarding drone measurements using dose-rate detectors. • Dose-rate detector time constants should be kept at a minimum. • Flight altitude should be as low as safely possible. • Flight speeds should be as low as battery capacity permits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent transport equity literature has proposed a sufficientarian approach to transport planning, according to which all individuals would be entitled to a minimum level of accessibility deemed adequate or sufficient. The implementation of this approach would require the adoption of an accessibility standard as a key performance indicator guiding transport investments, land use planning and service provision. While accessibility measures are increasingly operationalised in professional practice, the adoption of actual accessibility standards is rare. In this paper, we explore the barriers for adopting explicit accessibility standards and identify conditions within which such standards could be acceptable to practitioners and policymakers. The paper draws on interviews with professionals in three city-regions in Sweden, complemented with interviews with practitioners from the Flanders region in Belgium and from the UK. We find that authorities are hesitant to define and measure accessibility and that where definitions and performance indicators exist, there is a lack of agreement within and across authorities. The prospect of introducing a standard across the board without attaching any conditions comprises a further reason for shying away from standard-setting. The (dis)integration of transport and land use and complicated administrative and governance structures are described as a further barrier, while demand responsive transport is in some cases considered a panacea to all accessibility problems, making it possible to avoid setting standards. Our findings suggest that standards for minimum accessibility could gain political support if their reach is clearly circumscribed, and their benefits are clearly understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Research Questions: Cannabis Social Clubs (CSCs) are associations of cannabis users that collectively organize the cultivation and distribution of cannabis. As this middle ground supply model has been active in Belgium for over a decade, this paper aims to examine CSCs' supply practices, noting any shifts from previously reported features of the model.Methods: We draw on interviews with directors of seven currently active Belgian CSCs (n = 21) and their cannabis growers (n = 23). This data was complemented by additional fieldwork, as well as a review of CSCs' key internal documents.Results: Most Belgian CSCs are formally registered non-profit associations. One of the Belgian CSCs has developed a structure of sub-divisions and regional chapters. The Belgian CSCs supply cannabis to members only, and in some cases only medical users are admitted. CSCs rely on in-house growers, ensuring supply in a cooperative and closed-circuit way, despite changes to the distribution methods The associations are relatively small-scale and non-commercially driven. The introduction of formal quality control practices remains challenging.Discussion: As the CSC model is often included in discussions about cannabis policy, but remains in most cases driven by self-regulatory efforts, it is important to take stock of how CSCs' supply function has been implemented in practice - as doing so will improve our understanding of the model and of the wider range of cannabis 'supply architectures'. This paper highlights the continuity and changes in CSC practices, noting the emergence of several different variants of the CSC model, which are classified in a first CSC typology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A 40,000 t/y or larger MPW process is economic; 20% internal rate of return (IRR). • The pyrolysis oil price and plant throughput show largest sensitivity on the IRR. • The accurancy of the cost estimate is ±15% i.e. "Definite Estimate". • Cost estimates to ±15% require more effort than factored estimates. • The accurancy of a cost estimate should always be stated. Pyrolysis has been identified as an ideal process to recycle mixed plastic waste (MPW). This study investigates the economics of a 40,000 t/y MPW pyrolysis process, called PlastPyro, located in Belgium, to an accuracy of ±15% i.e. "Definite Estimate". The process uses molten metal in a direct heat treatment process to pyrolyse the waste. An internal rate of return (IRR) of 20% strongly indicates that a 40,000 t/y PlastPyro plant is financially attractive for private investors. The capital expenditure (CAPEX) is estimated to be €20.1 m or €26.1 m if the cost of capital is included. The operating expenditures (OPEX) of the plant are estimated €3.4 m per year. The sensitivity analysis shows six main variables having major impacts on the financial returns of a PlastPyro plant: (1) the addressable volume and quality of plastic waste, (2) the feedstock costs, (3) the capital and operating expenditures, (4) the revenues from the sale of the produced pyrolysis oil (P-oil), (5) the tipping fees and (6) the potential to co-locate a PlastPyro plant with a waste plastic sorting facility. For example, the 15-year low P-oil revenue price of €210/t results in an IRR of 20%; but on the 6th of March 2020 the P-oil price may have achieved €227/t, resulting in an IRR of 37%. The paper also shows that a reliable supply of MPW is available, and that reliable, accessible markets for the P-oil are available. Finally, cost estimates should state their accuracy and usually factorial cost estimates are not accurate enough to state the IRR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses three uses of modal split indicators, and illustrates how it evolved from a technical, intermediate step in transport analysis, over a measure of transport system efficiency to a symbolic urban sustainable mobility indicator. A framework which includes 11 factors is presented and applied to the different uses of the modal split indicator. Besides the comparison of the three main uses of modal split in research and practice, this contribution focuses on a citizen science project (Straatvinken) in the region of Flanders, Belgium. In this project thousands of citizens carry out traffic counts. While the project was initially set up to monitor modal split targets in the urban area of Antwerp, the emphasis shifted towards street liveability. This is visible in the fact that the citizen science project added a narrative-based liveability survey to capture experiences with and evaluations of the liveability at street level. The case illustrates that citizen science is, besides a tool to address data gaps, also an approach to increase the validity of indicators. The reason is that citizen science, which seems to be underexplored in transport studies, differs in what gets measured, how it is measured and why. This approach has proven to provide a fine-grained, integrated assessment of street-level changes in the composition and intensity of the traffic and their effects on the perceived liveability. We argue that it strengthens and complements traditional modal split measurements at the regional or urban level, which typically rely on the modelling of individual mobility behaviour based on household travel surveys. Traditional approaches allow observing broad trends in mobility choices at the regional level, but they do not provide insights in how those individual choices translate into effects at street level. Although often initiated out of certain sustainability concerns, existing modal split models do not reveal how an observed modal shift at the regional level affects the perceived liveability or sustainability at street level. • A framework is presented to compare different uses of modal split indicators. • Modal split is regularly used as an urban sustainability indicator. • Citizen science deserves more attention in transport research and policy. • The validity of modal split indicators is not clear. • The concept of liveable streets corresponds well with citizen concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Chemical Process Industry (CPI) only hydrogen production from steam methane reforming produces more greenhouse gas emissions than light olefins production. Various solutions have been proposed to reduce the CO2 emissions from olefins production. It is not clear which solution is best, particularly when you consider other sustainability factors. In this paper we report the results of our cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of three highly promising solutions: a so-called low-emission steam cracking furnace, the electrically driven RotoDynamic reactor (RDR), and a blue hydrogen-fired furnace. Life cycle inventory data is obtained from a first principles model for steam cracking, validated with industrial data, and combined with data obtained from process simulation. Our study shows that if the electrical supply is grey then the RDR-based cracking process has a 41% higher impact on climate change than the reference base case, a conventional plant with state-of-the-art furnaces. The low-emission furnace is only 7.2% higher. When using a mixed electrical grid, like Belgium's, the climate change impact for the RDR is 1.5% higher and the low emission furnace is 6.6% lower. With a grid that uses fully renewable power generation the RDR solution is an impressive 27% lower than the base case and the low-emission furnace 17% lower. We also analysed the impact of firing the furnaces with blue hydrogen from (a) a conventional steam-methane reformer and (b) an innovative gas-heated reformer: both (a) and (b) using carbon capture and storage (CCS). The climate change impact is reduced by 8% and 18% respectively compared to the base case. Since the blue hydrogen solution uses very little electricity, the climate change impact is insensitive to the method of electrical power generation. • Prospective LCA of 3 promising steam cracking concepts has been performed. • RotoDynamic reactor results in 27% lower carbon footprint if powered by a "green" grid. • Low-emission furnace has a 16% lower carbon footprint in a "green" grid. • Low-emission furnace is preferable if the case of "grey" or mixed grid. • "Blue" hydrogen combustion allows a reduction of carbon footprint up to 18%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial inputs have replaced crop rotations for fertility and pest management in input-intensive agriculture, resulting in a high number of crop sequence permutations and negative impacts on ecosystems and human health. Strengthening diversified and agronomically optimised crop sequences is critical to promoting sustainable practices. Comprehensive crop sequence diagnosis methods play an important role in evaluating and improving current crop sequence practices. However, recent literature has focused on annual crops, leading to biased results in crop sequence analysis for organic farming and livestock regions, where multiannual temporary fodder crops are a key aspect of crop sequences. This paper extends two methods of crop sequence analysis by including multiannual temporary fodder crops. By applying these generalised methods to a case study in the beef grassland regions of Belgium, using IACS crop data from 2015 to 2020, we reveal significant differences in the agronomic quality of the crop sequences across the territory and between organic and non-organic fields. In contrast to the existing literature, the inclusion of multiannual temporary fodder crops highlights the prevalence of high diversity and high agronomic quality sequences in livestock farming regions. Maize monoculture (of low agronomic quality), temporary grasslands (associated with high quality crop sequences) and organic certification are the main drivers of crop sequence quality in the regions studied. • We used IACS crop data to assess crop sequences in grassland regions. • Farmers do not follow cyclic crop rotations. • Grassland regions show a high share of crop sequences of high agronomic quality. • Multiannual temporary crops play a key role in crop sequence agronomic quality. • Crop sequences certified organic have higher diversity and agronomic quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Performance of a mCHP PEMFC system hybridized to a gas condensing boiler is modelled. • Simple daily and monthly models are provided with only the total heat demand as input. • A Logarithmic correlation between thermal efficiency and heat demand is demonstrated. • PEMFC load factor, heat demand stability and operating temperatures improve the fit. • Models are based on yearly field-test data and can be used in building simulations. The energy transition brings focus on cogeneration systems, even at residential levels. One of the latter systems consists in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) combined with a gas condensing boiler and a 220L domestic hot water tank. The system, fed by natural gas, is designed to provide the heat demands of residential houses and to participate locally in the electrical production thanks to the PEMFC of nominal constant power of 0.75kW el (and 1.1kW th). The boiler, sized for peak heat demands, can be chosen between four rated power versions from 11.4 to 30.8kW th. The machine is never electrically driven. This study has developed daily (and monthly) performance models of the system based on field-test results of two machines installed and monitored in Belgium for the whole year 2020. All models only require daily (or monthly) heat demands of the building as inputs but more elaborated (and accurate) models have been established considering operating temperatures and the demonstrated ability of the machine to modulate its heat rate output in real onsite applications. Finally, this paper has demonstrated that the daily PEMFC load factor (its daily electrical production) has a significant influence on the daily performance and therefore on the goodness of fit of the models. Unfortunately, the demonstrated PEMFC load factor is unexpectedly low for the monitored dwellings, probably due to the high level of complexity of the hybridization between the components of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the potential impact of smart urban technologies used in smart city projects on three dimensions of urban sustainability (economic, environmental and social). Although the literature notes that smart urban technologies and their capabilities are potential saviours when it comes to urban and sustainability challenges in cities, there is a lack of studies exploring the impact of smart urban technologies on urban sustainability. Thus, we address this literature gap by conducting structural topic modelling on smart city projects retrieved from the Smart Territory call for projects. In these projects, city managers' report extensively on how smart urban technologies can support urban sustainability. Our results show nine groups of smart urban technologies that will support at least two urban sustainability dimensions. Smart mobility systems can support all three dimensions of urban sustainability. Technology benefits will be realised by smart urban technology capabilities and through the involvement of the city's community in the use of technology. • City managers may adopt smart urban technologies to achieve urban sustainability goals. • The results link different urban sustainability impacts to different smart urban technologies. • This paper provides a list of smart urban technologies that will support at least two urban sustainability dimensions. • Results provide a basis to measure smart urban technologies' impacts through different sustainability indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to operationalize a relational approach to the study of port-city interfaces. A relational approach allows for the analysis of how actors are connected, transact, and assign meaning and value to regional development. Much of the literature on port-city interfaces has primarily focussed on late 20th - century transformation processes at the urban waterfront. This fails to appreciate the often-continued presence of port activity within cities and falls short in understanding how the development agendas of port cities are relationally constituted. In this paper, first we argue that the port-city interface is a relational geometry through which heterogeneous flows of actors, assets, and structures are coupled. Second, we present an analytical framework capable of operationalizing such relational approach. The contemporary relational geometries in the bio-based sectors within the port cities of Amsterdam and Ghent are taken as starting points. Analysing these reveal how different coupling mechanisms result in particular development trajectories of the port city, setting the scene for future coupling mechanisms. This paper concludes with a discussion on the value of a relational approach to the study of port-city interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Belgium, Cannabis Social Clubs (CSCs) collectively organize the cultivation and distribution of cannabis for the personal use of their members. In this paper we seek to improve understanding of the motivations and practices of cannabis growers operating within CSCs, shedding light on the cultivation process.Methods: We draw on data gathered through face-to-face semi-structured interviews with the directors of seven active Belgian CSCs (n = 21) and CSC growers (n = 23). These data are complemented by additional fieldwork and a review of policies relating to CSCs', including bylaws and growing protocols.Findings: The Belgian CSCs rely on single and multiple in-house grower arrangements. Most CSC growers had been cultivating cannabis prior to joining their current CSC, albeit growing in different contexts (non-commercial and commercial). The CSC growers discussed both ideological and pragmatic motives for operating within a CSC. Cultivation took place indoors and followed organic practices. Despite their small-scale (20 plants on average), the grow sites used specialized equipment. The growers reported receiving financial compensation to cover production costs.Conclusion: This paper offers new insights into a particular sector of domestic cannabis cultivation - CSC growers and their practices within those collectives - which has not been studied previously. The Belgian CSCs have decentralized production among small-scale grow sites, at a size comparable to that found in other small-scale cultivation studies. In terms of motivations and practices, CSC growers share some features typically ascribed to small-scale cannabis cultivators. At the same time, CSC growers seemed particularly engaged with the CSC model and willing to adhere to the (self-)regulated practices developed by the organizations. This had implications for the way cultivation was organized and for the role of the grower within the CSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of a large metropolitan infrastructure, like other megaprojects, requires advanced technical expertise, capacity to manage complex procedures and planning processes as well as capacity to deal with conflicting interests. For the case of megaprojects, overestimation of benefits and underestimation of costs and risks is a common problem all over the world, leading to the ‘survival of the unfittest’ (Flyvbjerg, 2009). The main causes were identified in the optimism bias, strategic misrepresentation, path dependency leading to lock-in and poor oversight; however, the ‘survival’ of these causes is still unclear. For this purpose, the survival of the unfittest megaprojects is re-conceptualised into a proper cognitive-evolutionary framework. By introducing an innovative taxonomy of policy knowledge, this paper aims to argue that a specific policy community can ‘survive’ by strategically using a ‘cognitive monopoly’ of some of the relevant policy knowledge for megaprojects. Based on the case of the new ‘Watermael – Schuman – Josaphat’ rail junction in Brussels, findings show the critical role played by the Federal Ministry for Communications thanks to a long-standing and context-specific know-how on underground works. While missing knowledge was outsourced and instrumentally used to overcome potential lock-in, the Ministry was able to build the only new large metropolitan infrastructure of Belgium during a period of high uncertainty due to decentralisation. The paper concludes discussing the effects of preserving this policy knowledge as well as negative issues related to this ‘cognitive monopoly’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing of Land Surface Temperature (LST) generally requires atmospheric parameters and the emissivity (∊) of the target to be estimated. The atmospheric up- and downwelling radiances and transmittance can be accurately modelled using radiative transfer models and profiles of relative humidity and temperature, either measured by radiosonde probes or retrieved from assimilating weather models. The estimation of ∊ is a large source of uncertainty in the resulting LST product, and there are various approaches using multi-angle observations, multispectral optical or multispectral thermal infrared imagery. In this paper, the estimation of LST from the Thermal InfraRed Sensor (TIRS) on board Landsat 8 is evaluated using more than 6 years of in situ temperature measurements from a network of 14 Autonomous Weather Stations (AWS) in Belgium. ∊ is estimated from concomitant atmospherically corrected imagery from the Operational Land Imager (OLI) using two new neural network approaches trained on ECOSTRESS spectra, and an established NDVI based method. Results are compared to using ∊ = 1 and the ASTER Global Emissivity Dataset. LST retrievals from L8/TIRS perform well for all emissivity data sources for >500 matchups with AWS subsoil temperature measurements: Mean Differences 0.8–3.7 K and unbiased Root Mean Squared Differences of 2.9–3.5 K for both B10 and B11. The use of unity emissivity gives the best results in terms of MD (0.8 K) and unb-RMSD (3 K). Similar ranges of unb-RMSD are found for >500 matchups with broadband radiometer temperatures (2.6–3.1 K), that have lower absolute MD values (−2.2–0.6 K). For the radiometer temperatures, both the neural net approaches gave lowest MD, in the best case ± 0.1 K. The present investigation can hence recommend the neural nets to derive ∊ for the retrieval of LST over the AWS in Belgium. Using published matchup results from other authors however, no single source of ∊ data performed better than ∊ = 1 , but this could be due to their low number of matchups. Further efforts for estimating representative pixel average emissivities are needed, and establishing a denser in situ measurement network over varied land use, with rather homogeneous land cover within a TIRS pixel, may aid further validation of a per pixel and per scene ∊ estimates from multispectral imagery. AWS data seems valuable for evaluation of satellite LST, with the advantage of a much lower cost and higher potential matchup density compared to conventional radiometers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Despite increased attention for MaaS, well-designed pilot studies are rare. • Results from an exploratory MaaS pilot study (100 participants) are presented. • Findings suggest MaaS mainly complements car possession and car use. • Interrelation between MaaS and private car is bound to be complex. Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) has received widespread attention over the past couple of years amongst scholars, businesses, policymakers and mainstream media. Most coverage is oriented towards its possible gains for traveling individuals and the travel industry, while still lacking conceptual clarity and sufficient detail about its potential acceptance by the general public. This leads to varying perspectives on what MaaS precisely is and will be in the near future. In this study, we reflect upon the relationship between MaaS use and private car ownership, based on insights gained from a MaaS pilot study organized mid-2017 in Ghent (Belgium). This exploratory pilot study targeted 100 car-owning participants (i.e., Ghent University employees) and explored how these motivated people can replace or significantly reduce car use in return for a monthly mobility budget which they could spend on MaaS services. The study reveals that most respondents were apt to explore MaaS services (especially public transport and car sharing services), but a clear reduction of private car use remained difficult in a real-life setting. Despite being highly motivated to reduce car use and being given incentives, participants faced considerable difficulties in bypassing their personal car, especially for (non-repetitive) leisure trips. By drawing parallels with a similar debate in the transport literature from a couple of decades ago, we suggest that MaaS should be regarded as a complement – rather than a substitution – of private car use in the near future. The relationship between MaaS use and car ownership might in reality be more complex than generally acknowledged. In addressing these parallels, the paper opens up new critical questions for MaaS research in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 18 different stakeholder needs have been identified. • Stakeholder perceive societal, environmental, regulatory and techno-economic needs. • Environmental needs are important to institutional and communal actors. • Time and market dependent variables have to be integrated into ELFM assessment. • Five types of uncertainties are introduced and discussed. Landfill owners, governmental institutions, technology providers, academia and local communities are important stakeholders involved in Enhanced Landfill Mining (ELFM). This concept of excavating and processing historical waste streams to higher added values can be seen as a continuation of traditional landfill mining (LFM) and seems to be an innovative and promising idea for potential environmental and societal benefits. However, ELFM's profitability is still under debate, and environmental as well as societal impacts have to be further investigated. This study provides a first step towards an anticipatory approach, assessing ELFM through stakeholder integration. In the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with various stakeholders, involved in a case study in Flanders, Belgium. Participants were selected across a quadruple helix (QH) framework, i.e. industrial, governmental, scientific, and local community actors. The research comprises 13 interviews conducted with an aim to elicit stakeholder needs for ELFM implementation using a general inductive approach. In total 18 different stakeholder needs were identified. The paper explains how the stakeholder needs refer to the different dimensions of sustainability, which groups of stakeholders they primarily affect, and what types of uncertainty could be influenced by their implementation. The stakeholder needs are structured into societal, environmental, regulatory and techno-economic needs. Results show additional economic, environmental, and societal aspects of ELFM to be integrated into ELFM research, as well as a need for the dynamic modeling of impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on Smart Cities lacks of research on how actors understand and appropriate the Smart City. This paper questions in an innovative way their appropriations of the phenomenon. Smart City is considered as an instrument, following the theory of Lascoumes and Le Galès (2007). Is the Smart City a functional instrument: a kind of evidence and a pragmatic solution at disposal or a public policy instrument: not neutral, provoking debates and influencing policies? An empirical analysis is carried on based on a survey among 193 Belgian actors active in the domain. The results show that the Instrument theory is relevant to analyse the actors' appropriation, which do not follow a homogeneous trend. In fact, each actor follows his own logics which will be interesting to study. • The Instrument theory is relevant to study the Smart City appropriation by actors. • Statistical treatments based on a study of 193 Belgian actors confirm this approach. • Actor's appropriation follows a partition between functional and public policy instrument. • Actors do not fit into one or the other category of instrument in a monolithic way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different mycobacterial species are encountered in bovine medicine. The fastidiously growing mycobacteria (Mycobacterium bovis as the cause of bovine tuberculosis, and Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis , MAP, as the cause of paratuberculosis) are well known and targeted in eradication/control or monitoring programs in different countries, whereas the rapidly growing species is only rarely identified from bovine disease. The latter have occasionally been reported as the cause of bovine clinical mastitis, but recent reports are scarce. In this study, Mycolicibacterium smegmatis (basonym Mycobacterium smegmatis) was identified as cause of granulomatous, relapsing clinical mastitis in 2 cows from one Belgian dairy herd. Milk, blood, and fecal samples were collected, as well as tissue samples after the cows were culled. Serological analysis conducted on milk and serum samples resulted in positive reactions for MAP, but negative for Mycobacterium bovis. Production of IFN-γ showed sensitization with mycobacteria or similar organisms, other than M. bovis , in one cow. Detection of MAP by bacteriological culture and IS 900 -based quantitative PCR on milk and feces remained negative. In conclusion, this paper describes M. smegmatis as a cause of bovine clinical mastitis in Belgium and suggests cross-reactivity of the intramammary M. smegmatis infection with routinely used serological tests for MAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parameter estimation, using historical observed data, is an important part of the environmental modeling. The uncertainty in the parameter estimation limits the applications of environmental models. In this paper, the influence of limited and uncertain calibrated data on the performance of the parameter estimation are systematically investigated. For this purpose, synthetic observations with a given uncertainty and frequency are used to estimate the model parameters of a conceptual water quality (WQ) model of the River Zenne, Belgium. Bayesian inference using Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling is adopted to simultaneously perform the automatic calibration and the uncertainty analysis. The results highlight the critical roles of measurement frequency and uncertainty in the model calibration. We found that the effect of the measurement uncertainty on the parameter estimation is significant when the calibrated data points are limited (e.g. monthly data). The research findings can be used to support measurement prioritization and resource allocation. • Historical observed data is required for calibration. • Measurement error and limited data frequency result in parameter uncertainty. • The results highlight the critical roles of measurement error and frequency in the calibration. • The effect of the measurement uncertainty is significant when the calibrated data are limited. • The research findings can be used to support measurement prioritization and resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest from the research and policy community in the circular economy (CE) is growing. This research describes how the potential for a circular economy in open economies can be estimated by using different assessment methods. Methods and indicators have been selected that have a relevance for one or more of the public policy objectives for circular economy: Openness Index, economic structure, Balassa Index, value chain analysis, substitution potential of Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) strategies, waste treatment scenarios based on physical and hybrid Input-Output (IO) analysis. These methods differ in scope and degrees of complexity and are used at different assessment levels. The potential for a circular economy in this paper is assessed by evaluating the contribution to the public policy objectives for CE: resource efficiency, reduction of dependency on materials, competitiveness, creation of domestic jobs, reduced Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Results obtained by these methods are shown for Belgium and, in some cases, compared to the results of other countries to illustrate the differences between economies. CE activities (in response to public policy objectives) will enhance the ongoing trend of reducing the share of primary sectors in economies. The openness of an economy is expressed as the ratio of sum of import and export and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Imported products add to the potential of domestic closed-loop circular initiatives like re-use, repair, remanufacture, recycling, but this will require knowledge about composition and spare part availability. Exported products are no longer available for these domestic CE initiatives, reducing the domestic potential for CE and the domestic export activity is vulnerable to CE activities abroad. Especially the increasing geographical distance in trade complicates the practical and legal barriers to close the loop. In open economies, both global and domestic substitution effects due to new circular economy policy initiatives are important to consider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Present a new tool in transport policy and human resource management. • Introduce innovative mixture-amount modelling to field of transport research. • Design of an efficient mixture-amount choice experiment with equal amount per set. • Testing model specification and estimation procedure for mixture-amount experiments. • Current company car owners are hardly interested in bicycles or public transport. The mobility budget is considered a promising new tool in remuneration and transport policy in Belgium, especially due to its potential of shrinking the company car fleet and lowering car use. Because revealed preference data were scarce in the context of the mobility budget, we conducted a stated preference study to examine the potential outcomes of the introduction of the mobility budget. A challenge in our study is that it required the respondents to choose between mixtures of remunerations for different total budget amounts. In other words, the study was a mixture-amount stated preference study, which involved modeling challenges as well as experimental design challenges. In this paper, we therefore introduce advanced mixture-amount regression models in the choice modeling literature and present a generic method to set up mixture-amount stated preference studies to collect suitable data. Our case-study data comes from an online questionnaire administered to employees at 12 large companies in Belgium (n = 817). For our choice data, a second-order polynomial mixture model in combination with a quadratic effect for the amount led to the most suitable utility function. Our results indicate that current company car users prefer additional days off, income or a car. The bicycle, pedelec and public transport options are disregarded by most employees. Based on our results, we call for a critical reflection on the current system of company cars and reimbursements in Belgium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Comprehensiveness can be interpreted based on the conclusiveness of safety statements. • Comprehensiveness thus requires the quantification of residual uncertainty about risk. • In this regard, probabilistic approaches appear more suitable than others. The comprehensiveness of scenarios for the safety assessment of nuclear waste repositories has been studied from many perspectives. In this paper, we offer a generalized interpretation thereof through an explicit quantification of residual uncertainty, which makes it possible to derive conclusive statements about the safety of the repository. To support the operational evaluation of comprehensiveness, we develop a probabilistic methodology which uses set inclusion to capture epistemic uncertainties and propagates these in Bayesian networks to obtain bounds on the probability that the reference safety threshold is violated. We also present analyses which can help in achieving comprehensiveness and describe a novel algorithm for the efficient selection of computer-simulation inputs. The methodology is illustrated with a case study on a near-surface repository in Belgium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Simulating wind power systems at 10 min resolution results in remarkable errors. • The total self-sufficiency is overestimated with an error range of 0.06–3.6%. • The battery utilization is underestimated with an error range of 7.5–44.7%. • The higher the battery capacity, the lower the total self-sufficiency error. • The C rate limit is the most decisive factor impacting the battery utilization error. In simulating renewable energy systems (RES), researchers tend to focus on the modeling methodology, but less on the impact of data on the obtained results and associated conclusions. Yet, results may be particularly dependent on the data resolution. RES studies on that impact of data resolution mostly consider households with PV systems, leaving industrial sites and wind power systems out of scope. In this paper, we consider a system comprising a medium-sized wind turbine, a high power battery and an industrial load, connected to a distribution grid. Wind and load power were measured concurrently in real time at 1 s resolution for 2 months in summer 2017, at two locations in Belgium. We performed two simulations, one using the real time data at 1 s resolution and the other using the same power data averaged over 10 min intervals. We compared both simulations to calculate three metrics: total self-sufficiency error, battery utilization error and instantaneous self-sufficiency error. We repeated the analysis using different settings in terms of battery capacity, battery C rate limit and load ratio. We conclude that: (i) total self-sufficiency, in all cases, is overestimated, ranging between 0.06 and 3.6%, with errors decreasing for higher battery capacity, (ii) battery utilization is always underestimated with errors ranging between 7.5 and 44.7%, primarily depending on the C rate limit, and (iii) there is a clear correlation between instantaneous self-sufficiency error and instantaneous ratio of the averaged load and wind power, with errors exceeding 100% when the ratio ranges in 0.5–2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spy Cave is one of the most iconic Pleistocene sites yielding two adult Neanderthal skeletons recovered in the 19th century. The cave is located in Belgium and is one of the most important sites for human evolution in European context. The remains of Spy definitively influenced the concept of Neanderthals as archaic fossil humans in relation to modern human populations. This paper shows the results of the taphonomic study of these human remains to investigate the cause of death of the two individuals, and why they occurred at this site, specifically whether they were buried. Excavation in the 19th century lacked some of the present-day methodology of excavation, and there is little information about context, but we have examined the taphonomic modifications of the bones of the two skeletons in comparison with the putative faunal remains found in the cave. Several hypotheses have been proposed for the Spy human remains, from human cannibalism to intentional funerary burials. We will try to clarify the possible cause of death and propose the most congruent hypothesis in the taphonomic context of these human remains, from accidental death due to falling limestone blocks to interpersonal violence. • Spy Cave is one of the most iconic Neanderthal sites with two adult skeletons. • Discovered in 1866, various hypotheses were proposed: burial, cannibalism, accident. • We clarify the possible cause of death based on taphonomic and forensic criteria. • The most feasible: interpersonal violence followed by accidental falling blocks. • This case may appear as the first perfect crime naturally hidden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Job accessibility as an indicator for employment has been studied widely. • Existing studies fail to capture job seekers' individual labor-market opportunities. • The study proposes an accessibility-based predictive model for long-term unemployment. • Various inequities in long-term unemployment exist in Flanders, Belgium. • The results have important ramifications for transport and spatial planning policies. In no research domain has the application of accessibility been so vital as in the area of linking disadvantaged individuals to job opportunities. The inability to reach locations of employment and, therefore, partake in paid labor is considered to have severe consequences on an individual's economic security and quality of life as well as society's general level of welfare. Unfortunately, existing studies on job accessibility primarily apply aggregate measures that aim to link the population group of active, employed workers to pre-existing job locations. As a result, they fail to capture the person-specific labor-market opportunities for those individuals who are actually unemployed as well as the degree to which accessibility to opportunities is related to actual employment rates. The proposed paper answers this limitation by constructing a predictive model for long-term unemployment for job seekers in Flanders, Belgium, dependent on their access by private and public transport to job openings that correspond to their individual preferences and competences. In addition to accessibility, the predictive capacity was determined for various socio-demographics such as age, gender, migration background, educational background and preferred job type. The proposed regression model shows that job accessibility is negatively related to long-term unemployment. In addition, various inequities in long-term unemployment exist for the selected case study. Especially job seekers with a migration background and with higher age (55 years or older) have significantly higher probabilities of remaining unemployed. A conditional inference regression tree indicates that the most disadvantaged groups have a two to three times higher probability of being long-term unemployed. Moreover, higher accessibility levels prove to only benefit those who already are in a more advantaged position. These findings have important ramifications for policies focusing on improving employment rates, as they allow to specifically address those areas of research where major gains can be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) is rapidly progressing worldwide, and energy efficiency is an important indicator for both the economy and the environment. It is necessary to verify whether EVs are more energy efficient than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. However, studies have yet to evaluate the energy efficiency of EVs using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach. To fill this research gap, this paper evaluated the energy efficiency of EVs for road passenger transportation using a slacks-based measure (SBM) approach in six European countries from 2012 to 2018. EVs have been separated from the entire transport sector and compared to ICE vehicles. In the case of EVs that use electricity as fuel, the primary energy supply must be used as energy input to reflect conversion loss during power generation. The primary energy supply was calculated by applying the power generation efficiency of each country for use as an energy input to reflect conversion loss. EVs were more energy efficient than ICE vehicles in four out of six countries but less energy efficient in two countries. Based on the measured slack results, the potential energy savings were quantified, and the main factors in reducing energy efficiency were identified. • The energy efficiency of EVs for road passenger transportation was analyzed. • A SBM model based on DEA was used for this analysis for the first time. • Primary energy supply was used as an input to reflect the energy conversion loss. • EVs were more efficient than ICE vehicles in Belgium, Germany, Norway, and the UK. • Large labor force (Greece) and energy consumption (Italy) led to low EV efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PS-InSAR in the hydromechanical modelling of ground subsidence. • Ground subsidence related to the compaction of an overexploited deep aquifer system. • Hydromechanical numerical modelling of the compaction of an aquifer system. • PS-InSAR key to characterise in space and time large-scale, long-term subsidence. • PS-InSAR key to improve the calibration of hydromechanical parameters of the ground. Until the advent of remote sensing techniques, the study of regional subsidence was hampered by the rarity and sparsity of field measurements of ground displacement, which led to a significant uncertainty regarding the representativeness of the calibration data used in the modelling of these phenomena and the reliability of derived predictions. This paper explores the unique potential of Persistent Scatterer Interferometry with Synthetic Aperture Radar (PS-InSAR) in the hydromechanical modelling of a large-scale, long-term subsidence occurring in the provinces of West- and East-Flanders, Belgium, related to the overexploitation of the deep aquifer system in the region. PS-InSAR has been used, not only to describe and characterise the ground subsidence and identify representative locations, but also to calibrate the hydromechanical parameters of the ground and validate the results of a numerical model. PS-InSAR has proven to be essential to improve the calibration and reach a set of parameters (i) coherent with the hydrogeology of the study area, (ii) coherent between different deforming zones and (iii) able to reproduce the dynamics of the observed ground subsidence. Thus, PS-InSAR enables to accurately reproduce, understand and simulate the compaction of an aquifer system and, ultimately, design adequate and optimised management policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines pain, illness and medicine metaphors as used in consultations between chronic pain patients and anaesthesiologists, physiotherapists and psychologists in a Belgian pain clinic. As metaphors frame and highlight aspects of understanding and experiences of life events, including illness, they can provide insight in how health professionals and patients construct illness, pain and medicine in interaction. 16 intake consultations (collected in Belgium in April–May 2019) between 6 patients and 4 health professionals were qualitatively coded twice ATLAS. TI by a team of 3 coders, using an adjusted form of the Metaphor Identification Procedure. Each metaphor was labelled for source domain, target domain and speaker. A number of metaphors that have been previously documented in past research were frequent in our data too, such as journey and machine metaphors, although sometimes also used differently, like war metaphors. Our data set also contained many few-used and sometimes more novel metaphors, such as ILLNESS IS A YO-YO. Many metaphors highlight particular aspects of living with and talking about chronic pain, such as its duration and persistent presence, a lack of agency and feelings of powerlessness, and a dualistic perspective on body and mind. The metaphors used by health professionals and patients give insight in the lived experience of having and treating chronic pain. In this way, they can contribute to our understanding of patients' experiences and challenges, how they recur in clinical communication, and how they are related to wider discourses on health, illness and pain. • Metaphors are key in framing illness experiences such as living with chronic pain. • In a Belgian pain clinic, conventional metaphors such as journey metaphors are used. • But also more novel metaphors like ILLNESS IS A YOYO are crucial in consultations. • Metaphors point to the pain's persistence, a lack of agency, and mind-body dualism. • They give insight in the lived experience of chronic pain in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat exposure, particularly when co-occurring with extreme humidity levels, is amongst the most pronounced and challenging extreme weather conditions in European dairy production. Since these conditions are expected to increase in magnitude and frequency due to climate change, it is crucial to better understand the actual impact under managed production within the European dairy farm population. In this paper, we estimate the impact of heat stress, i.e. hot and humid weather conditions on milk quantity and quality in Flanders, a high intensity dairy production region in Belgium. The novelty of our approach is twofold. First, we provide insights in the non-linear response of dairy production (quantity and quality) to extreme heat using farm-level production data. Second, using data from the entire population of farmers in Flanders, and covering 6 years (N = 178.843), our results provide a maximum of representativeness and allows to infer on economic relevance of the effects. We use monthly milk deliveries within the grazing season for the period 2009 to 2014, which we match with temperature and humidity conditions at the barn-level. Using fixed effects regression, we particularly focus on heat shocks, i.e. the deviations from the average climate at the barn location, on production shocks, i.e. deviations from the average production of the barn. We use non-linear restricted cubic splines regression to estimate the response of milk quality and quantity to hourly temperature-humidity (THI) exposure. We find reductions of milk quantity and protein contents under hot and humid conditions, while milk fat content appears unaffected. These results are in contrast to earlier findings of heat exposure on dairy production in two ways. First, we find the critical temperature-humidity threshold above which production is affected to be substantially higher than in earlier/experimental studies. Second, not all quality components are affected by these conditions. We conclude that under managed conditions, farmers seem to be partly able to adapt their production to moderate heat exposure. Our results deliver important implications for policy makers and agricultural practitioners. While we find that farmers seem to be able to cope with moderate heat conditions, milk quality and quantity drop under extreme heat conditions. These impacts are economically relevant. [Display omitted] • Extreme weather conditions increasingly challenge agricultural production. • We investigate effects of extreme heat in Belgian dairy production using farm-level data covering 6 years (N = 178.843). • We find that extreme temperature and humidity affect milk quality and quantity. • The identified effects of heat stress in dairy production are of large economic relevance. • Farmers and policy makers need to develop strategies to cope with more exposure to extreme weather. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a case study – conducted within the European FP7 project “4FUN” – focusing on exposure of pre-school children to lead resulting from past emissions by non-ferrous smelters in Belgium (Northern Campine area). Exposure scenarios were constructed and simulated with the MERLIN-Expo tool to estimate external Pb exposure as well as the Pb body burden in children living in the vicinity of the former industrial sites as compared to children living in adjacent areas and a reference area. Simulations were run for several scenarios ranging from very simple to rather complex in order to study the effect of different simulation approaches (e.g., deterministic vs. probabilistic, individual vs. aggregated population exposure) and different exposure scenarios (e.g., with vs. without considering local food consumption or time activity patterns) on the model outcomes (predicted concentrations of Pb in environmental and human matrices). This paper discusses the two most complex scenarios, namely exposure at the aggregated population level and at the individual level for a random sub-sample of subjects, respectively. In the final and most realistic exposure scenario, simulating individual lead exposure, model predictions were shown to be higher than the biomonitoring data. Blood Pb levels in children, irrespective of the area they lived in, were overpredicted by MERLIN-Expo with a factor of about 2 on average. The model predictions for individual children overlap with the prediction interval calculated by MERLIN-Expo based on population averages, demonstrating the use of probabilistic approaches in risk assessment. While these results constitute a first verification of the model performance of MERLIN-Expo dealing with inorganic pollutants in a complex real-world exposure scenario and a demonstration of the robustness of the modelling tool, further validation and benchmarking efforts are required for a larger number of inorganic pollutants and different exposure settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the post-Fukushima stress tests performed in Belgium, Filtered Containment Venting Systems (FCVS) are foreseen to be installed on Belgian Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) as ultimate means to cope with slow pressurizations of the containments that could occur during potential Severe Accidents (SA). The present paper discusses the methodology supporting the definition of the FCVS main design parameters and associated safety criteria. This methodology, developed by Tractebel Engineering and accepted by the Belgian nuclear Safety Authorities, followed a series of subsequent steps starting with the definition of the safety referential applicable to the FCVS and leading to the identification of a reference sequence, namely the Complete Station BlackOut (CSBO). Then, key parameters for the FCVS design were defined (e.g. pressure range, venting flow, stored decay heat, stored mass, Decontamination Factors (DF)) along with the associated safety criteria. Several of them were assessed through a well-defined set of supporting calculations. This set included both best estimate representative cases as well as conservative bounding cases performed with state-of-the-art SA codes. The SA codes used were first of all the MELCOR 1.8.6 code and, subsequently, the ASTEC V2.0 code (CPA/IODE modules), considering a chaining methodology. The aim of this approach was to take advantage of the iodine chemistry models features in the CPA/IODE modules of ASTEC to calculate the iodine speciation in the containment and in the FCVS, without having to run a full scope ASTEC calculation. In conclusion, appropriate values for the safety criteria of each design parameters were assessed. In particular, the ones related to the minimum DF relied on a marginal gain approach to cope with the large uncertainties existing when performing dedicated radiological evaluations. Finally, the next steps of this continuous safety assessment of the FCVS that are foreseen to be installed on Belgian NPPs are highlighted at the end of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]