University of Antwerp

Irradiating Suspensions: Blue Light-Driven Isomerization of cis,cis - to trans,trans -Muconic Acid with High Productivities at Low Iodine Catalyst Loading

Abstract Muconic acid is an important biorenewable platform molecule that exists in several diene (i.e., cis,cis-, cis,trans-, trans,trans-) as well as lactone (i.e., muconolactone and muconodilactone) isomers. While cis,cis-muconic acid is the isomer obtained via biosynthetic as...

The next generation of maternal vaccines: scientific advances, regulatory readiness, and strategic planning in Europe

With the recent approval of maternal RSV vaccines and late-phase trials underway for a GBS vaccine, Europe is entering a new era of maternal immunisation. Yet scientific progress is outpacing pregnancy-specific evidence and preparedness for equitable implementation. Pregnant wome...

Energy expenditure of bonobos across their locomotor repertoire

Unlike quadrupedal mammals, primates use diverse locomotor modes adapted to arboreal environments. Such diversity of movements challenges allometric models, which underestimate energetic costs by focusing on steady-state walking. To address this, we combined ethological and biome...

An Atomic-Scale Chemical Switch for Oxide Ferroelectricity

Abstract Interfacial chemistry offers new opportunities for designing ferroelectric materials, yet their coupling with intrinsic polarization remains largely unexplored. Here, we synthesize ferroelectric BiFeO3 nanoparticles with {100} facets covered by a Bi2FeO6-x Aurivillius-li...

Corporate sustainability reporting and double materiality in the European construction sector: an extended systematic mapping review

Purpose This study aims to examine how double materiality is conceptualized within academic literature following the introduction of the European Union (EU)’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), with a specific focus on the construction sector. Design/methodology...

In Situ Analysis of Chiral Gold Nanorod Growth by Nanofluidic Liquid-Phase Electron Microscopy

Abstract Chiral gold nanoparticles exhibit unique chiroptical properties, but their integration into plasmonic devices requires an understanding of the formation of chiral features and controlling their growth on substrates. Here, we combine microfluidic synthesis and liquid-phas...

Developing COLLAT: Initial validation of a multidimensional collocation awareness assessment using signal detection and Rasch modeling

Research on multiword expressions—including collocations, idioms, and lexical bundles—has advanced substantially; however, most assessments focus on accuracy- and knowledge-oriented measures rather than the awareness processes underlying that knowledge. This article reports the d...

Disproportionate systolic blood pressure response relative to oxygen consumption identifies a high-risk haemodynamic phenotype in arterial hypertension

OBJECTIVES: Conventional definitions of hypertensive response to exercise (HRE) rely on absolute systolic blood pressure (SBP) thresholds, which do not account for the metabolic demand driving the pressor response and show inconsistent association with pathophysiology and prognos...

Nature and Hiding: Comparative Phenomenology of a Sāṃkhya Philosophy Through Heraclitus

This article examines the concept of prakṛti in Sāṃkhya philosophy, comparing it with the notion of nature in Heraclitus’ thought. The analysis focuses on Heraclitus’ famous fragment DK B123 which is interpreted as an expression of the continual becoming of nature, whose essence...

The distribution of Arabic action nouns in text production

Abstract The study examines grammatical differences between Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Palestinian Arabic (PA) in narrative and expository text production by adult PA native speakers. Specifically, we examine the distribution of action nouns to probe whether they can differ...

Shared patterns of human milk composition link mammary gland function to infant growth

The mammary gland produces nutrient-rich human milk (HM), yet how mammary functional state shapes HM composition and infant outcomes remains poorly understood. We used HM multi-omics - metabolomics, proteomics, micronutrients, macronutrients, and HM oligosaccharides - across 1,54...

Alcohol-Related Emergency Department Visits of Young Adults in a University City in the Netherlands

Objectives This study aimed to examine the incidence and characteristics of alcohol-related emergency department (ED) visits in young adults compared with older age groups. Methods A retrospective electronic health record study of patients aged ≥18 years with an alcohol-related E...

Who mimics nature? Disciplinary asymmetry in biomimetic and bioinspired research teams

Abstract Biomimetics is generally viewed as inherently interdisciplinary, yet the disciplinary composition of biomimetic research teams has not been systematically quantified. We analysed 74 407 biomimetics-related publications from the past two decades and classified 436 010 aut...

European joint programme HBM4EU - Bridging science and policy: experiences and lessons learned from the key partners in the scientific steering of the initiative

The European Joint Programme HBM4EU was established to address politically relevant questions on chemical risks to public health through a targeted human biomonitoring research programme. Running from 2017 to 2022, it was co-financed by the EU's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovati...

Effects of list composition and task demands on interlingual homograph processing in unbalanced trilinguals

Abstract We investigated how list composition (pure vs. mixed) and task demands (lexical decision vs. go/no-go) affect interlingual homograph (IH) processing in Dutch–English–French unbalanced trilinguals. Across six experiments with English (L2) as the target language, participa...

Bandwidth-Limited Critical Currents in Electrically Tunable Moire Bands

Abstract Moiré superlattices host narrow minibands whose bandwidth governs correlated and topological phases. Here, we demonstrate that the bandwidth also sets the critical current for the onset of out-of-equilibrium transport. In bilayer graphene aligned to hexagonal boron nitr...

Premedication practices prior to neonatal laryngoscopy: a nationwide observational study in Belgian NICUs

Intubation or less invasive surfactant administration (LISA) in neonates both require laryngoscopy, a stressful and painful procedure. This study aimed to document premedication practices before laryngoscopy in Belgium and explore reasons for absence of premedication. Sub-analysi...

Interplay of soil characteristics and elevation influences performance of widespread plant species in the Himalaya

The climate change–driven reshuffling of floristic elements has recently gained attention, yet the mechanistic bases of these shifts remain poorly understood. Here, we examined how variation in soil chemical characteristics associated with an elevational gradient influences the e...

May we tighten the screws? An experiment on public acceptance of pressure during police interrogations

Abstract Purpose Many countries have vague limits on how much pressure police may use during interrogations. This leaves room for tactics that increase the risk of false confessions, such as lying about the evidence. Public opinion seems to oppose ‘friendly questioning’, which ma...

TNFR2 agonist treatment differentially affects neuropathology and neuroimmune responses in male and female 3xTg-AD mice

Neuroinflammation is a central contributor to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression, with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) playing a key regulatory role as a master pro-inflammatory cytokine. While therapies inhibiting total TNF-α have produced inconsistent results and adverse...