University of Antwerp

About: University of Antwerp is a education organization based out in Antwerp, Belgium. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 16682 authors who have published 48837 publications receiving 1689748 citations. The organization is also known as: Universiteit Antwerpen & UAntwerp.

Standardization of preanalytical aspects of cerebrospinal fluid biomarker testing for Alzheimer's disease diagnosis: a consensus paper from the Alzheimer's Biomarkers Standardization Initiative.

Abstract: Background Numerous studies show that the cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers total tau (T-tau), tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 (P-tau 181P ), and amyloid-β (1-42) (Aβ 1–42 ) have high diagnostic accuracy for Alzheimer's disease. Variability in concentrations for Aβ 1–42 , T-tau, and P-tau 181P drives the need for standardization. Methods Key issues were identified and discussed before the first meeting of the members of the Alzheimer's Biomarkers Standardization Initiative (ABSI). Subsequent ABSI consensus meetings focused on preanalytical issues. Results Consensus was reached on preanalytical issues such as the effects of fasting, different tube types, centrifugation, time and temperature before storage, storage temperature, repeated freeze/thaw cycles, and length of storage on concentrations of Aβ 1–42 , T-tau, and P-tau 181P in cerebrospinal fluid. Conclusions The consensus reached on preanalytical issues and the recommendations put forward during the ABSI consensus meetings are presented in this paper.

Epidemiology of traumatic brain injuries in Europe: a cross-sectional analysis.

Abstract: Summary Introduction Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are a major medical and socioeconomic problem. We aimed to estimate the hospital-based incidence, population-wide mortality, and the contribution of TBI to injury-related mortalities in European countries, and to provide European summary estimates for these indicators. Methods For this cross-sectional analysis, we obtained population data from Eurostat for hospital discharges and causes of death in European countries in 2012. Outcomes of interest were TBIs that required hospital admission or were fatal. We calculated age-adjusted hospital discharge rates and mortality rates and extrapolated data to 28 European Union countries and all 48 states in Europe. We present between-country comparisons, pooled age-adjusted rates, and comparisons with all-injury rates. Findings In 2012, 1 375 974 hospital discharges (data from 24 countries) and 33 415 deaths (25 countries) related to TBI were identified. The pooled age-adjusted hospital discharge rate was 287·2 per 100 000 (95% CI 232·9–341·5) and the pooled age-adjusted mortality rate was 11·7 per 100 000 (9·9–13·6). TBI caused 37% (95% CI 36–38) of all injury-related deaths in the analysed countries. Extrapolating our results, we estimate 56 946 (95% CI 47 286–66 099) TBI-related deaths and 1 445 526 (1 172 996–1 717 039) hospital discharges occurred in 2012 in the European Union (population 508·5 million) and about 82 000 deaths and about 2·1 million hospital discharges in the whole of Europe (population 737 million). We noted substantial between-country differences. Interpretation TBI is an important cause of death and hospital admissions in Europe. The substantial between-country differences observed warrant further study and suggest that the true burden of TBI in Europe has not yet been captured. Rigorous epidemiological studies are needed to fully quantify the effect of TBI on society. Despite a great degree of consistency in data reporting across countries already being achieved, further efforts in this respect could improve the validity of between-country comparisons. Funding European Union, FP7.

The Mass Media's Political Agenda-Setting Power: A Longitudinal Analysis of Media, Parliament, and Government in Belgium (1993 to 2000)

Abstract: Do mass media determine or codetermine the political agenda? Available answers on this question are mixed and contradictory. Results vary in terms of the type of political agenda under scrutiny, th...

Tuning of the electronic and optical properties of single-layer black phosphorus by strain

Abstract: Using first principles calculations we showed that the electronic and optical properties of single-layer black phosphorus (BP) depend strongly on the applied strain. Due to the strong anisotropic atomic structure of BP, its electronic conductivity and optical response are sensitive to the magnitude and the orientation of the applied strain. We found that the inclusion of many body effects is essential for the correct description of the electronic properties of monolayer BP; for example, while the electronic gap of strainless BP is found to be 0.90 eV by using semilocal functionals, it becomes 2.31 eV when many-body effects are taken into account within the ${G}_{0}{W}_{0}$ scheme. Applied tensile strain was shown to significantly enhance electron transport along zigzag direction of BP. Furthermore, biaxial strain is able to tune the optical band gap of monolayer BP from 0.38 eV (at $\ensuremath{-}8%$ strain) to 2.07 eV (at 5.5%). The exciton binding energy is also sensitive to the magnitude of the applied strain. It is found to be 0.40 eV for compressive biaxial strain of $\ensuremath{-}8%$, and it becomes 0.83 eV for tensile strain of 4%. Our calculations demonstrate that the optical response of BP can be significantly tuned using strain engineering which appears as a promising way to design novel photovoltaic devices that capture a broad range of solar spectrum.

Carbon accumulation in European forests

Abstract: European forests are intensively exploited for wood products, yet they also form a sink for carbon. European forest inventories, available for the past 50 years, can be combined with timber harvest statistics to assess changes in this carbon sink. Analysis of these data sets between 1950 and 2000 from the EU-15 countries excluding Luxembourg, plus Norway and Switzerland, reveals that there is a tight relationship between increases in forest biomass and forest ecosystem productivity but timber harvests grew more slowly. Encouragingly, the environmental conditions in combination with the type of silviculture that has been developed over the past 50 years can efficiently sequester carbon on timescales of decades, while maintaining forests that meet the demand for wood. However, a return to using wood as biofuel and hence shorter rotations in forestry could cancel out the benefits of carbon storage over the past five decades. European forests are intensively exploited for wood products, yet they are also a potential sink for carbon. European forest inventories combined with timber harvest statistics from sixteen European countries show that between 1950 and 2000 forest biomass increased faster than the amount of timber harvests. Silviculture, which has developed over the past 50 years, can efficiently sequester carbon on timescales of decades, while maintaining forests that meet the demand for wood.