Ghent University

The global cost of schizophrenia: a health economic modelling study

Abstract Background Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder that leads to substantial disability, impaired quality of life, and reduced life expectancy. In addition to its profound impact on affected individuals, the disorder places a considerable financial burden on heal...

Hydration‐Gated Photoinduced Electron Transfer in BODIPY Dyes

ABSTRACT Fluorescent probes based on photoinduced electron transfer (PET) are widely used to image intracellular environments. Here we report donor–acceptor dyads based on the BODIPY chromophore in which PET is selectively activated upon hydration. Replacing fluorine groups at bo...

Stoichiometric Epitaxial Strontium Titanate Thin Films on Silicon by High-Temperature Sr Segregation

Abstract Thin-film strontium titanate (SrTiO3, STO) layers grown on silicon require accurate stoichiometry and single-crystalline order to exploit their functional properties optimally. Oxide molecular beam epitaxy can provide an epitaxial interface, but suffers from source oxida...

Tuning intracellular immunity by Nodamura virus B2 protein enhances self-amplifying RNA activity

Abstract Self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) offers a powerful approach for vaccine development, as its replicative nature within cells provides prolonged antigen expression together with self-adjuvanticity. However, its potency is often limited by innate immune responses, particularly t...

Mapping current evidence and knowledge gaps in gestational diabetes mellitus in Vietnam and Vietnamese diaspora: a scoping review

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is an increasing public health concern among Vietnamese women. However, evidence across Vietnam and Vietnamese diaspora populations remains fragmented. Reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guideline, this scoping review mapped available e...

Advancing Automated Fire Safety Code Compliance: Automatic Annotation of BIM Door Elements

Automated code compliance checking often faces challenges due to insufficient semantic information in Building Information Modeling (BIM) models, particularly during the early design stages, when only basic geometrical and alphanumerical information may be available. This study e...

Soil acidity, cation balance, exchangeable potassium status and cation retention capacity under K-bearing rock dust–organic amendment systems in a tropical Alfisol of southwestern Nigeria

Abstract Soil acidity and weak cation-holding conditions reduce nutrient-use efficiency in highly weathered tropical soils and constrain progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2, 12 and 15. This study evaluated the 14-day soil chemical response to locally sourced p...

Mercury cycling during the last glacial period in Arctic Lake El'gygytgyn, NE Russia

ABSTRACT Tectonic processes play a key role in the global mercury (Hg) cycle on geological timescales, by mobilising Hg from deep Earth reservoirs to the surface. These natural fluxes also introduce a dynamic component to the terrestrial Hg cycle that can interact with other envi...

The gene-regulatory evolution of the human skeleton

Abstract Skeletal modifications were central to human evolution, enabling adaptations for bipedalism, large cranial vaults and childbirth 1 . Despite their importance, the genetic changes that gave rise to the unique human form remain mostly unknown 2 . Here we systematically map...

Leveraging joint-specific phenotypes for genome-wide association studies and SNP heritability estimation of equine osteochondrosis and fetlock osteochondral fragments

Equine osteochondrosis (OC) and fetlock osteochondral fragments are prevalent developmental joint disorders caused by failure of the growing skeleton, often leading to intra-articular fragments that require arthroscopic surgery and impose substantial economic and animal welfare b...

Co-option of a tendon-associated osteogenic program drives the evolutionary plasticity of intermuscular bones in teleosts

Intermuscular bones (IBs) are critical yet poorly understood evolutionary specializations. These bones exhibit considerable morphological variability, proposed as adaptations to teleost diversification; however, the explicit adaptive and evolutionary mechanisms remain unresolved....

No evidence for a link between maternal aggression and inhibitory control across generations in domestic canaries

Maternal aggression (MA) towards offspring represents an early-life social stressor and has been linked to long-term behavioural differences. Yet, the cognitive mechanisms underlying its expression and potential intergenerational transmission remain unclear. We tested whether MA...

Enhancing Solubility Predictions of Plastic Additives in Depolymerization Solvents Using Quantum Chemical Conformer Analysis and COSMO-RS

Abstract The success of recycling plastics by means of depolymerization requires the selective purification of regenerated monomers from complex mixtures. This can be assisted by accurate prediction of the phase behavior of large, flexible, and multifunctional additive molecules,...

Decoding the Cellular Response to Methylthioadenosine Uncovers Novel Targets for Chronic Liver Disease

Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 3 (PFIC3), caused by MDR3 deficiency (MDR2 in mice), is a lethal pediatric liver disease characterized by early-onset persistent cholestasis, progressive fibrosis, cirrhosis, and eventual liver failure. MDR3 is a phosphatidylchol...

An integrated diagnosis of agricultural groundwater over-abstraction in a Lake Urmia tributary catchment

Groundwater over-abstraction in agricultural catchments is not only a hydrological decline problem; it is also a management problem shaped by crops, wells, incentives and institutional capacity. This study develops an integrated diagnosis for the Siminehrood catchment, a major ag...

Active, explorative, and infected: a meta‐analysis of individual variation in behaviour and parasitism

Behavioural variation among individuals strongly influences how individuals interact with their environment and, consequently, their exposure to parasites. Parasite infections, in turn, can alter host behaviour by imposing energetic costs or manipulating hosts to enhance transmis...

Balancing trade-offs in circular medical device design: a case study on laparoscopic devices

Abstract This study explores how circular design principles can be applied to single-use laparoscopic staplers to improve their carbon footprint without compromising critical requirements such as safety, performance, and financial feasibility. Using a research-through-design appr...

From Nahda to Naksa: Some Marxist Perspectives on the Arab National Question

This article examines the trajectory of Arab nationalism through a Marxist lens, analyzing its historical emergence, political ascendancy, and eventual decline. It posits the Palestinian question as central to the development of Arab nationalist consciousness and anti-imperialist...

A homozygous hypomorphic FBN1 splice region variant in domestic cats with Marfan syndrome

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an autosomal dominant connective tissue disease caused by variants in the fibrillin 1 ( FBN1 ) gene. While common in humans, spontaneous animal models are rarely reported. We present the first phenotypic and molecular characterization of MFS in domestic c...

Alcohol-attributable mortality and years of life lost in Belgium: 2013–2022

Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for premature death and disability worldwide, contributing to a wide range of chronic diseases, injuries, and social harms. While many countries have reported declines in alcohol-related harm, Belgium continues to face high levels of consumpti...