Autophagy, the major lysosomal pathway for the degradation and recycling of cytoplasmic materials, is increasingly recognized as a major player in endothelial cell (EC) biology and vascular pathology. Particularly in solid tumors, tumor microenvironmental stress such as hypoxia, nutrient deprivation, inflammatory mediators, and metabolic aberrations stimulates autophagy in tumor‐associated blood vessels. Increased autophagy in ECs may serve as a mechanism to alleviate stress and restrict exacerbated inflammatory responses. However, increased autophagy in tumor‐associated ECs can re‐model metabolic pathways and affect the trafficking and surface availability of key mediators and regulators of the interplay between EC and immune cells. In line with this, heightened EC autophagy is involved in pathological angiogenesis, inflammatory, and immune responses. Here, we review major cellular and molecular mechanisms regulated by autophagy in ECs under physiological conditions and discuss recent evidence implicating EC autophagy in tumor angiogenesis and immunosurveillance.

The challenge of the Coronavirus Pandemic Preparedness project was to explore gaps in the way Belgium addressed the COVID-19 pandemic as a path forward for learning how to be better prepared in the probable event of a future pandemic. A pandemic is more than just a health crisis; well-intentioned efforts to contain an epidemic resulted in mental health problems, an economic downturn and the impairment of learning, among other issues. To understand a complex or "wicked" problem, such as a pandemic, we deployed a transdisciplinary approach, engaging experts and stakeholders from a variety of fields. At the end of March 2021, we organised an online co-creation workshop on behalf of the transdisciplinary research team at the Institute for the Future (1), inviting societal actors to participate in a multilevel brainstorming discussion. The purpose of the workshop was to identify deeper causes underlying the gaps in Belgian pandemic preparedness, building upon earlier work of the research team. We engaged stakeholders from different sectors of society in interactive exercises to verify and challenge the work of the research team. As a result, our team unearthed plausible missing elements within the deeper causes underlying the Belgian lack of preparedness for the pandemic. The majority of gaps identified by the stake holders could be traced to deeper causes interwoven in our society's fabric. Some key areas where improvement was suggested were greater political willingness to tackle more complex problems, an expansion of transdisciplinary knowledge and education across our institutions and trust-building among citizens, government and the scientific community. Our findings are summarised and presented in a short video output. These findings can be taken up to formulate future objectives for pandemic preparedness in Belgium. This can in turn serve to create a more resilient and sustain- able society.

The anodic dissolution of lithium in LiClO,-ethylene carbonate solutions is complicated by the formation of a film on the electrode effecting a decrease of its activity. This film is not the normal product of the anodisation of lithium metal but is the product of a chemical reaction with the solvent or traces of water in the electrolyte. Anodic dissolution at higher current densities results in a partial breakdown of the film which accounts for an increase of the standard exchange current density from 1,47f0,25 mA/cm2 to 3,28f0,64 mA/cm2 at 40°C.The anodic dissolution of lithium in organic electrolytes is of considerable importance for the development of high energy batteries [l, 21.Most of the investigations previously published were performed with lithium electrodes in LiCIO,-propylene carbonate (PC) solutions [3, 4, 5, 61.In this work some results on the anodic dissolution of lithium in LiCIO,-ethylene carbonate (EC) solutions are reported. A study of the kinetics of the solid lithium electrode in these electrolytes has not been published so far though their use in high energy batteries has been described recently [7, 81. EXPERIMENTAL EC (UCB) was vacuum distilled at 1-2 mm of mercury and only the middle fraction (-60%) was used for the experiments. The solvent was dried by allowing it to stand for several days over molecular sieves (Merck 5A) which were previously dried at 250°C for 24 h in vacuum. LiC104 (Fluka, <0,5% water) was dried at 200°C for 24 h in vacuum, molten under an argon atmosphere at 280°C and a stream of dry chlorine gas was passed through it, until the melt became completely clear. After solidification the salt was promptly transferred to a dry box where all subsequent operations were carried out. Solutions stored in the presence of lithium metal contained< 40 ppm water as determined by Karl Fischer titration in an apparatus exposed to the air.Electrodes were prepared by pressing lithium metal (Merck, 1 % Na) in cylindrical teflon holders and chipping off to expose fresh surfaces prior to each measurement. Three such electrodes served as test, reference and counter electrodes. Bias potentials between different electrodes were very low, generally not exceeding a few tenths of a millivolt.Graphite electrodes of spectroscopic purity (National Carbon Company) were used to study the electrochemical decomposition of the solvent.

Ebola virus disease is a deadly disease with mortality rates ranging from 25% to 90%. The previous outbreak in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) posed extra challenges since it took place in a war-torn region. The roots of this conflict can be traced back to the beginning of colonization (at the end of the 19th century) and have led to struggles concerning land tenure and local identity. The political and socioeconomic situation further complicated an adequate Ebola virus outbreak response. Early efforts and control strategies taken by the DRC Ministry of Health, supported by the WHO, UN peacekeepers and a number of humanitarian aid organizations eventually resulted in the tenth Congolese outbreak being controlled. However, medical NGOs encountered many obstacles, ranging from mistrust by the local population, to an unsafe working environment, lack of infrastructure, etc. This paper identifies building trust as one of the key ele ments for NGOs to optimize cooperation with the local population. Our data, gathered from semi-structured interviews, showed that establishing a relationship of trust with affected people and their communities is a crucial step in the Ebola virus outbreak response. This includes building a better comprehension by medical care workers of the local dynamics and cultural affinities. Therefore, we created a questionnaire to be used by medical aid organizations to increase their understanding of the local situation from an anthropological perspective. Such an understanding will contribute to building trust between the local community and medical aid organizations working in the field. This will hopefully enable them to anticipate future problems, and do their job in a more profound and comprehensive way, incorporating the local community as a partner for success. We have summarized our conclusions in a small 10-minute video.