Projects
Multivariate Decomposition Finite Element Method for Elliptic PDEs with Random Diffusion Coefficients KU Leuven
We develop a multivariate decomposition finite element method (MDFEM) for solving elliptic PDEs with random diffusion coefficients where the diffusion coefficient is parameterized by a countably infinite number of random variables and an appropriate system of functions. We consider two models of parametric diffusion coefficients: uniform and lognormal.
We show that the MDFEM reduces the computational complexity of estimating the expected ...
Deterministic seismic hazard assessment in the Belgian Campine basin at the Mol/Dessel site: From seismic source to site effect KU Leuven
The objective of this PhD is to perform a deterministic seismic hazard assessment in comparison with existing probabilistic hazard assessments for the specific case of the Mol-Dessel site, which comprises different nuclear industries. In the rare case of a large earthquake, these might pose a threat to population and environment.
The expected results will consist in ground motion response spectra at the ground surface of the Mol-Dessel ...
Adaptive Direct Search for Single- and Multi-Objective Black-Box Optimization KU Leuven
With the growth of computational power in the last decades, the penetration of numerical methods in engineering workflows has drastically increased. Advanced design and analysis programs have become standard tools in the engineering practice. Concurrently, the state of the art in numerical optimization has also been steadily advancing. Given the close interconnection between engineering and optimization, it is no surprise that the trend ...
Settling with Waters. A Landscape Urbanism Investigation in the Sabana de Bogotá KU Leuven
In Bogotá, as in other Latin-American cities, housing demand is increasing daily, while the overall housing shortage remains an unresolved problem. Hence, flood prone areas along the Bogotá river are more and more under urbanization pressure, amongst others by low-cost housing projects, while these areas simultaneously are required in view of flooding, which promise to increase with the predictions of climate change. The dissertation ...
On the long-term footprint of pediatric critical illness and how this is affected by acute macronutrient restriction KU Leuven
Children are admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) when they acutely need vital organ support to avoid imminent death. Although most of the children need intensive care for only a few days and most of them seemingly recover well from the acute insult, many of them are confronted with long-term consequences after critical illness as observed years after hospital discharge. This legacy, which remains largely unexplained, broadly ...
The chicken cerebellum as a model to study the impact of monocarboxylate transporter 8 deficiency on early brain development KU Leuven
Thyroid hormones (THs) have been characterised as important regulatory factors of vertebrate brain development. As such, they contribute to a wide variety of neurodevelopmental processes that depend on adequate TH levels as well as a correct timing of TH access to distinct neural cells in order to obtain a fully functional brain. This strict regulation of local TH availability is the result of a complex interplay between TH transporters ...
A Cultural Psychological Approach to Acculturation KU Leuven
In the current research program, I further develop and empirically test a cultural psychological approach to acculturation. This approach centers on the notion of ‘cultural fit’ – i.e., the extent to which an individual’s pattern of psychological functioning is similar to the typical pattern of others in the socio-cultural context. I start from the cultural psychological insights that people are socially ‘wired’ to fit their socio-cultural ...
Feasibility of bioresorbable cranio-maxillofacial applications KU Leuven
Currently titanium plates are the state-of-the-art solution for orthognathic and reconstructive cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) surgery. Up to 10 percent of these plates need revision surgery due to infection or implant failure [1]. Also, surgeons would prefer an implant solution that disintegrates once its function has been completed and the bone has healed. Therefore, the aim of this research project is to evaluate the feasibility of ...
The effect of pelvic floor muscle training on bowel symptoms after low anterior resection for colorectal cancer KU Leuven
Colorectal cancer is a serious heath problem in industrialized countries. Worldwide it is the second most common cancer in women and the third in men. Approximately 35% of these tumors originated in the rectum. There are several treatment strategies for rectal cancer, depending on the location and the stage of the tumor. Since amny years, low anterior resection (LAR) of the rectum with total mesorectal excision (TME) is the gold standard for ...