Transboundary hydraulic modelling of extreme floods in the Meuse River

in The Wise Find Pleasure in Water (2013)

Detailed inundation modelling was conducted along a 100 km long transnational section of the Meuse River (in Belgium and The Netherlands), using very similar models for the whole computation (2D unsteady ... [more ▼]

Detailed inundation modelling was conducted along a 100 km long transnational section of the Meuse River (in Belgium and The Netherlands), using very similar models for the whole computation (2D unsteady models). As a result, damping of the flood waves could be quantified and the possible relevance of using a steady-state approach could be assessed. The new detailed 2D hydraulic simulations have demonstrated that only a very limited damping of the flood waves occurs along the simulated reaches. From the perspective of the variation in peak discharge, the study concludes that running the hydraulic model in steady mode makes perfectly sense. Nonetheless, the steady computations lead to extensive overestimations of the inundated extent and of the stored volume in the floodplains. The 2D unsteady model constitutes also a tool of primary interest, which is readily available to design and evaluate protection measures for flood-prone areas such as in the city of Liege. [less ▲]

An intervention study on physical activity and cognitive functioning in people with Parkinson’s disease

Poster (2013)

The neural correlates of recollection and familiarity during aging

in Journal of Psychophysiology (2013), 27(Suppl 1), 48

The role of memory traces quality in directed forgetting: A comparison of young and elderly participants using the item procedure

Conference (2013)

Impacts of future floods and low flows on the economy in the Meuse basin

in Dewals, Benjamin; Fournier, Maïté (Eds.) Transboundary Water Management in a Changing Climate (2013)

Climate change in Western Europe is projected to result in more humid winters and drier summers. Further, the sverities of floods and low flows are assumed to increase in the future. The impacts of these ... [more ▼]

Climate change in Western Europe is projected to result in more humid winters and drier summers. Further, the sverities of floods and low flows are assumed to increase in the future. The impacts of these events could lead to adverse consequences on the economy. Given this framework, within the AMICE project, the impacts of future floods and low flow will be analyzed. A flood risk analysis in the Meuse basin is conducted taking into account future climate scenarios. Further, the impacts of future droughts and low flows are analyzed for the economic sectors energy production, agriculture and navigation. [less ▲]

Texts, Languages & Information Technology in Egyptology. Introduction

in Polis, Stéphane; Winand, Jean (Eds.) Texts, Languages & Information Technology in Egyptology. Selected papers from the meeting of the Computer Working Group of the International Association of Egyptologists (Informatique & Égyptologie), Liège, 6-8 July 2010 (2013)

A short introduction to the volume "Texts, Languages & Information Technology in Egyptology. Selected papers from the meeting of the Computer Working Group of the International Association of ... [more ▼]

A short introduction to the volume "Texts, Languages & Information Technology in Egyptology. Selected papers from the meeting of the Computer Working Group of the International Association of Egyptologists (Informatique & Égyptologie), Liège, 6-8 July 2010". [less ▲]

Allocating Taxing Powers within the European Union

Book published by Springer (2013)

- Addresses key issues for the allocation of taxing powers in the European Union - Looks at fundamental questions of direct taxation - Covers a broad range of aspects such as limited tax liability, losses ... [more ▼]

- Addresses key issues for the allocation of taxing powers in the European Union - Looks at fundamental questions of direct taxation - Covers a broad range of aspects such as limited tax liability, losses or transfer pricing The contributions to this volume try to overcome the traditional approach of the judicature of the European Court of Justice regarding the application of the fundamental freedoms in direct taxation that is largely built on a non-discrimination test. In this volume, outstanding authors cover various aspects of the national and international tax order when European law meets domestic taxation. This includes testing traditional pillars of income taxation – ability-to-pay, source and residence, abuse of law, arm’s length standard – with respect to their place in the emerging European tax order as well as substantial matters of co-existence between different tax systems that are not covered by the non-discrimination approach such as mutual recognition, cross-border loss compensation or avoidance of double taxation. The overarching goal is to flesh out the extent to which a substantive “allocation of taxing powers” within the European Union is on its way to a convincing overall framework and to stretch the discussion “beyond discrimination”. [less ▲]

High-resolution reconstruction of atmospheric deposition of trace metals and metalloids since AD 1400 recorded by ombrotrophic peat cores in Hautes-Fagnes, Belgium

in Environmental Pollution (2013), 1

The objective of our study was to determine the trace metal accumulation rates in the Misten bog, Hautes-Fagnes, Belgium, and assess these in relation to established histories of atmospheric emissions ... [more ▼]

The objective of our study was to determine the trace metal accumulation rates in the Misten bog, Hautes-Fagnes, Belgium, and assess these in relation to established histories of atmospheric emissions from anthropogenic sources. To address these aims we analyzed trace metals and metalloids (Pb, Cu, Ni, As, Sb, Cr, Co, V, Cd and Zn), as well as Pb isotopes, using XRF, Q-ICP-MS and MC-ICP-MS, respectively in two 40-cm peat sections, spanning the last 600 yr. The temporal increase of metal fluxes from the inception of the Industrial Revolution to the present varies by a factor of 5 to 50, with peak values found between AD 1930 and 1990. A cluster analysis combined with Pb isotopic composition allows the identification of the main sources of Pb and by inference of the other metals, which indicates that coal consumption and metallurgical activities were the predominant sources of pollution during the last 600 years. [less ▲]

The evaluation of singing voice accuracy: A comparison between subjective and objective methods

in Journal of Voice (2013), 27(2), 2591-5

Objective: Vocal accuracy of a sung performance can be evaluated by two methods: acoustic analyses and subjective judgements. Acoustic analyses have been presented as a more reliable solution but both ... [more ▼]

Objective: Vocal accuracy of a sung performance can be evaluated by two methods: acoustic analyses and subjective judgements. Acoustic analyses have been presented as a more reliable solution but both methods are still used for the evaluation of singing voice accuracy. This paper presents a first time direct comparison of these methods. Methods: 166 untrained singers were asked to sing the popular song « Happy Birthday ». These recordings constituted the database analyzed. Acoustic analyses were performed to quantify the pitch interval deviation, the number of contour errors and the number of tonality modulations for each recording. Additionally, eighteen experts in singing voice or music rated the global pitch accuracy of these performances. Results: A high correlation occurred between acoustic measurements and subjective rating. The total model of acoustic analyses explained 81% of the variance of the judges’ scores. Their rating was influenced by both tonality modulation and interval deviation. Conclusions: This study highlights the congruence between objective and subjective measurements of vocal accuracy within this first time comparison. Our results confirm the relevance of the pitch interval deviation criterion in vocal accuracy assessment. Furthermore, the number of tonality modulations is also a salient criterion in perceptive rating and should be taken into account in studies using acoustic analyses. [less ▲]

The first Upper Paleolithic human remains from Belgium: Aurignacian, Gravettian and Magdalenian fossils at the “troisième caverne” of Goyet

Poster (2013)