Leefmilieu Brussel

The Soil Monitoring Law gives some freedom to the Member States in the choice of the methodology for the measurement of the soil descriptors. For the setup of the soil monitoring in Flanders (Belgium) possible measurement methods have to be evaluated based on their scientific value, cost and practical feasibility. Also alignment with measurement methods in other European Member States and, if relevant, validated transfer functions to link to the reference methodology, are to be considered during this selection process.Commissioned by Department Omgeving of the government of Flanders, the selection process is taking place from January to July 2026 in two phases. Soil biodiversity will be included in this project, but methods for soil contamination are not. In the first phase, extensive information is gathered for each soil descriptor regarding the reference method, CEN method, and alternative methods. This will include aspects such as replicability, current use in Flanders, practical implications for sampling and logistics, synergies with other soil descriptors and methods in other member states, the existence of validated transfer functions, environmental and health considerations, and more. This information will assist in the selection of the most appropriate method for every soil descriptor by the steering committee. If a final selection cannot be made, an alternative may be considered as well.In the second phase, one or more scenarios for soil sampling, sample preparation and analysis will be developed based on the combination of all selected most appropriate methods (and possible alternatives). Based on the scenario(s), implementation packages and sub-packages will be defined that can be carried out by a sampling team or laboratory. Prices for these (sub)packages will be requested to minimum three laboratories.At the conference, an overview of the status and progress of the selection process of the methodology for soil monitoring in Flanders will be provided.

Abstract Mission-oriented innovation policy (MOIP) aims to address major societal challenges. Although this approach has received much attention in academia and public policy in recent years, there is still significant uncertainty about how MOIPs are intended to address those challenges and what makes them work or fail. In this article, we advance a theory of action of MOIPs, drawing on the influential work of Mariana Mazzucato and the experiences in the design and implementation of the EU missions. By outlining the key building blocks of MOIPs and how they are interconnected, the theory of action provides an integrated perspective on how MOIPs are expected to contribute to solving persistent societal problems. In our discussion, we reflect on possible explanations for gaps between theory and practice; how our theory of action relates to existing MOIP frameworks; and to what extent the theory of action is transferable to other contexts.

<title>Abstract</title> <italic>Aedes albopictus</italic> , commonly known as the Asian tiger mosquito, is an invasive species of significant public health concern due to its ability to transmit dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Since arriving in Europe in the late 1970s, this mosquito species has progressively expanded its range, with Belgium marking an important step in its northward spread. The increasing frequency of its introduction raises the urgent question of whether <italic>Ae. albopictus</italic> could become permanently present in the country. This study investigates the potential for the establishment of <italic>Ae. albopictus</italic> populations in Belgium using a mechanistic model and assessing the likelihood of successful establishment based on simulated introduction events. Our results indicate that the probability of establishment is highest in Flanders, particularly under scenarios of early and multiple introductions during the summer months, even though the interannual climatic variability still plays a major role in contributing to the establishment success. The establishment of <italic>Ae. albopictus</italic> in Belgium would introduce new epidemiological risks, as the species could facilitate the transmission of non-native viruses during particularly warm summers. While the transmission windows may remain limited compared to Mediterranean regions, continued introductions and climate change could expand these periods, increasing the likelihood of local outbreaks.

BackgroundEvidence regarding early interventions based on the Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions framework, such as the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), suggests efficacy for autistic children. However, the effectiveness of ESDM across diverse cultural contexts remains under-researched.ObjectiveTo assess the effectiveness of ESDM compared with treatment as usual (TAU) on overall development in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).MethodThis parallel, randomised controlled trial, using a modified Zelen design, was conducted in five Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in France and Belgium. A total of 180 children aged 19–36 months, who met autism criteria and were referred by community professionals, were randomly assigned to either receive 12-hour weekly ESDM+TAU or TAU alone. The primary outcome was the change in developmental quotient (DQ) on the Mullen Scale of Early Learning, assessed blindly from baseline to 24 months post randomisation.FindingsFrom September 2015 to March 2019, 180 children were randomly assigned to either ESDM+TAU (n=61, girls=21.7%) or TAU alone (n=119, girls=15.4%). Three children dropped out immediately after randomisation. Compared with TAU alone, children in the ESDM+TAU group did not significantly improve global DQ (endpoint mean difference 3.82 (95% CI −1.25 to 8.89), p=0.14).Conclusions and clinical implicationsOur findings suggest that ESDM+TAU cannot be universally recommended for young children with ASD. Further research is required to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of ESDM and identify subgroups that may benefit more, thereby guiding optimal implementation strategies.Trial registration numberNCT02608333.

This work introduces the MUlti-modal MUlti-class Change Detection (MUMUCD) dataset, which comprises 70 globally distributed georeferenced bitemporal pairs obtained by multiple space-borne sensors. Acquisitions over heterogenous terrains (e.g., urban, rural, forests, deserts) for the period 2019-2024 are processed to create the first large scale curated dataset combining Synthetic Aperture Radar (Sentinel-1), multispectral (Sentinel-2) and hyperspectral (PRISMA) data with ancillary information. Provided with a resampled image resolution of 10 m and a size of 1536×1536 square pixels, MUMUCD allows to extract several thousands non-overlapping patches with size 128×128 square pixels, enabling data-intensive machine learning (ML) applications. Seasonality plays a critical role in the analysis of environmental data, so we carefully selected scenes representing all times of the year and a variety of geographical contexts relevant to key impact sectors, taking also into account the availability of PRISMA acquisitions. While scenes with low cloudiness are prioritized, cloudy pixels are not excluded as different data combinations (e.g., SAR/optical) can be exploited to mitigate the atmospheric effects. Beyond coregistered data, we include surface elevation, land cover and binary change maps obtained by processing the Dynamic World dataset, based on the provided multispectral data. Benchmarking of machine and deep learning algorithms indicates that the provided labels should be augmented to get the most out of the multiple modalities. MUMUCD is meant to fill a research gap by offering multi-sensor and task-oriented data, which make it ideal to fine-tune standard and foundational ML models for a variety of tasks, and even unique when these tasks involve change detection or hyperspectral measurements.

Dans cet article, nous abordons les enjeux croisés de précarité et de dépendance à la voiture en Région bruxelloise en analysant la possession automobile des ménages au prisme de leur niveau de privation. Nous mobilisons pour ce faire l’« Enquête sur les revenus et les conditions de vie » (SILC). Nous construisons ainsi une typologie des ménages définie selon les arbitrages qu’ils ont effectués entre les coûts et les bénéfices de la possession d’une voiture. Nous nous intéressons, en particulier, aux caractéristiques socio-économiques des ménages motorisés qui se trouvent en situation de privation. Sur cette base, nous pouvons évaluer le stress économique que la voiture induit sur le budget des ménages et poser des hypothèses quant aux configurations familiales et professionnelles qui impliquent une forte dépendance automobile, même dans un contexte urbanisé comme celui de la Région bruxelloise.