Thesis defense

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, characterized by the buildup of plaque within the arterial walls causing blood vessel narrowing, and is the primary cause of many cardiovascular diseases. Two of the main surgical treatments for atherosclerosis include synthetic vascular grafting and intravascular stenting. However, these treatments face many problems and need to be improved to reduce the number of people facing disability.

“Form follows function” reflects an established principle in biology, which states that the structure of biological tissues and organs is closely linked to their in vivo functioning. Therefore, histology, or the structural study of biological tissues at the microscale, is crucial to fully understand tissue functioning, and to assess the implications of pathologies on its microstructure and the outcome of treatments. The current golden standard comprises classical 2D histology, in which the tissue is embedded, sectioned, and then microscopically assessed.

Le Recteur de l’Université catholique de Louvain fait savoir que

Joseph Vaessen

soutiendra publiquement sa dissertation pour l’obtention du grade de Doctorat en sciences politiques et sociales

Le travail volontaire. De sa codification juridique à ses expériences vécues. Étude comparée de trois organisations en Belgique.

Résumé

In biomechanics, spine modelling allows the calculation of intervertebral efforts. The latter reflect the combined effect of spine geometry, spine kinematics and muscle forces. Although the geometry and kinematics of the spine are well known, the estimation of muscle forces is still one of the major challenges in spine modelling. For their quantification, hybrid approaches may be a good opportunity to consider the individual muscle strategy, thanks to electromyography (EMG) signals from an upfront experiment as input to the model.

The imperative of reliability of biomedical implants is crucial to ensure their long-term functionality, thereby reducing the need for additional, sometimes invasive, surgical interventions. In this context, growing rods used to correct scoliosis in growing children face challenges related to a high fatigue failure rate. Similarly, future generations of stents designed to restore blood flow in arteries must overcome potentially rough surface conditions while ensuring effective deployment without failure.

Mid-air gesture recognition by ultra-wide band radar echoes for manipulating multimedia objects towards cross-context transfer

Le Recteur de l'Université catholique de Louvain fait savoir que

Farah Daniela Mugrabi Otero

soutiendra publiquement sa dissertation pour l'obtention du titre de Docteur en sciences économiques et de gestion

“Macroprudential Policies: Pursuing Effective Coordination in an Evolving Financial Landscape”

Abstract

The primary goal of this PhD thesis has been to identify countries where land and water constraints could prompt the import of hydrogen or its derived carriers instead of relying on domestic production based on inland renewable resources. Except for Trinidad and Tobago, where hydrogen production from solar panels can lead to water scarcity, the assumed scenarios for hydrogen demand do not create water scarcity anywhere in the world if water scarcity is not already present.