Lirias

Binary and multiple stellar systems hosting evolved stars provide unique laboratories for studying the coupled evolution of stellar structure, mass loss, tidal interactions, and orbital dynamics. During the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) phase, stars undergo intense pulsation-enhanced, dust-driven winds that expel a substantial fraction of their envelope. This mass loss not only governs the late e…

The intensification of climate concerns has prompted governments to adopt increasingly varied regulatory and market-based instruments intended to reduce emissions while preserving economic growth. This dissertation investigates how such environmental and climate policies affect market outcomes including firm valuation, strategic behavior, and innovation, across both international and domestic set…

This doctoral dissertation examines the governance of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) through the lens of the responsible sourcing paradigm, focusing on how governance instruments interact with the socio-political, territorial, and socio-material realities of mineral production. Using the Global Production Networks (GPN) framework, combined with insights from political economy, criti…

This project is situated on the crossroads between law, morality, economics, ethics and theology. Through an analysis of the shifting early modern economic, legal and political context, it examines changing ideas within legal and moral theological thought related to situations of economic dominance (then known as 'monopolia'). An analysis of over 500 primary sources lays out the basic framework o…

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a pivotal role in CRC progression, with immune cell density and spatial distribution—particularly of CD8⁺ T cells—being critical for prognosis. The Immunoscore, which quantifies CD3⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell densities in the tumor core (TC) and invasive margin (IM), has shown superior prognostic value over traditional tumor-node-metastatic (TNM) staging. However, it …

This PhD research investigates piezoelectric-based acoustic streaming micropumps for integrated microfluidic applications. The work focuses on the design, modeling, fabrication, and experimental validation of two MEMS-based acoustic actuation platforms: interdigitated transducer (IDT)-based surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices and piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) arrays. Th…

This dissertation examines the relationship between interiority and socio-aesthetic coherence in the semiprivate concert culture of Brussels during the fin de siècle (c. 1880-1914). The study originates from the observation that the concept of interiority was paramount in fin-de-siècle thinking about both musical listening and the private domestic sphere. Within the context of late-nineteenth-cen…

The focus of this dissertation is twofold. On the one hand it is situated in the field of research of the dialectic between literature/culture and science in modernity. As part of the larger MDRN research project 'Literary Knowledge', this thesis seeks to understand the nature of literature as not just a knowledge reproducer, but as an active transformer, a textual laboratory which dealt with asp…

<!--ScriptorStartFragment--> Arboviruses, transmitted by arthropods such as mosquitoes, represent an increasing global health threat due to climate change, global mobility and vector expansion. Despite their growing impact, effective antiviral and preventive strategies remain limited. Infection is initiated when an infected mosquito inoculates the virus into the skin, where interactions between t…

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a medical imaging modality measuring the in vivo processes of cells and molecules using radiotracers. Compared to other medical imaging techniques, PET still suffers from limited spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. One key factor to resolution degradation is the distance the emitted positron travels before annihilating with an electron. This distanc…

In order to counter the rising threat of antimicrobial resistance, there is an urgent need for novel antimicrobial strategies that are less prone to resistance evolution. In the case of Salmonella, the increasing levels of antibiotic resistance have led to high infection and mortality rates, especially in developing countries such as Egypt. Therefore, we aim to develop a novel antimicrobial strat…

status: Accepted

status: Published

status: Published

The main goal of this thesis is to reduce the energy consumption of massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) systems, while maintaining the quality of service the user expects. This goal is addressed by allowing hardware components in the base station that consume a lot of power to operate in more energyefficient regimes. Traditionally, these components are operated conservatively to avoid s…

Origen was a third-century Christian theologian who believed that the Christian life was aimed at perfection and that everyone had the capacity to become perfect. Although his works are replete with references to the idea of perfection, to date, no thorough, in-depth analysis of Origen's understanding of perfection exists. Besides being a theologian, Origen was also an active pastor in the church…

Construction projects are characterized by a high degree of complexity and a large number of involved parties, such as clients, contractors, subcontractors, architects, and engineers. Effective cooperation between these actors is crucial to complete the project in a high-quality and timely manner. This need for cooperation is best captured through a network perspective. Therefore, the first part …

Scaphoid fractures are the most common carpal fractures and are frequently treated using percutaneous scaphoid fixation (PSF), a minimally invasive procedure performed under fluoroscopic guidance. However, fluoroscopy provides only two-dimensional views of a complex three-dimensional wrist anatomy and exposes patients and staff to ionizing radiation. In addition, intraoperative manipulation can i…

Social scientists often examine the relationships between two or more latent variables or constructs, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is the state-of-the-art for doing so. When comparing these structural relations among many groups, they likely differ across the groups. However, it is equally likely that some groups share the same relations and that clusters of groups emerge in terms of th…

status: Accepted