One of the effects of climate change is the phenomenon of desertification, a process that occurs in semi-arid and arid areas and causes land degradation as well as vegetation loss. Due to the lack of resources, vegetation self-organizes to sustain itself by forming large-scale spatial patterns.

Including modelling as part of software development appears to have various benefits.

Assessing the risks of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) solely on the basis of experimental assays is time-consuming, resource intensive, and constrained by ethical considerations (such as the principles of the 3Rs of animal testing). The adoption of computational toxicology in this field is a high p…

One of the key limitations of the direct imaging of exoplanets at small angular separations are quasi-static speckles that originate from evolving non-common path aberrations (NCPA) to which the primary adaptive optics system is inherently blind. The main focus of this thesis is the development and…

This thesis explores how electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy can be used to investigate key biochemical processes.

Promotores: G. Persoon, R. Schefold

Promotoren: R. Tijdeman, A.K. Lenstra, Co-promotor: H.J.J. te Riele

We strive to address the challenge of constructing a modeling language to write software which can take advantage of recent hardware developments (multicore, cloud) without compromising in its abstraction levels.

Control of infectious diseases poses continuous challenges for human health.

A sustainable resource management is an essential aspect to satisfy the current human needs without compromising the needs of future generations.

Promotores: A.H. Meijer, H.P. Spaink

The name ‘Jambi flora’ refers to fossil plants found as part of a rock formation from the Early Permian (296 million years old), located in the Jambi Province of Sumatra, Indonesia.

Promotores: P. Stevenhagen, A. Enge Co-Promotor: T.C. Streng

In this thesis we investigate cosmology and the large scale structure of the Universe using cosmological simulations.

During post-embryonic development into adults, animals face an environment that fluctuates constantly. For example, in nutrient availability, temperature, and osmolarity (e.g., salt concentration).

The unit residue group, to which the present thesis is devoted, is defined using the norm-residue symbol, which Hilbert introduced into algebraic number theory in 1897.

Promotor: T. Hankemeier, Co-promotor: T.H. Reijmers

Materials with strongly correlated electrons show some of the most mysterious and exotic phases of quantum matter, such as unconventional superconductivity, quantum criticality and strange metal phase.

The plant hormone auxin plays a central role in the growth and development of plants. Auxin acts in a concentration dependent manner and polar cell-to-cell transport of this hormone determines its distribution in the tissues of plants. This polar auxin transport is mediated by several families of auxin…

Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) is an ubiquitous part of oil refining that ensures that fuels are cleaned of impurities and environment release of pollutants such as SOx and NOx gasses are minimized.

In this Ph.D. thesis, we characterized two novel upstream regulators of JUB1, HB40, and HB22, in Arabidopsis thaliana. In Chapter 2, we described functions of HB40 in modulating growth and development via the regulation of JUB1 and GA inactivation genes GA2OXs.

In this thesis, I study the formation of large-scale structure and the physics of particle acceleration at large scales (~Mpc).

Natural vanilla flavor is one of the most important in the world. However, the cost of this flavor is expensive. Production of this flavor by alternative methods, could reduce the cost.

Promotores: Prof.dr. E.F. van Dishoeck, Prof.dr. C.P. Dullemond

Complex Organic Molecules (COMs) have been detected in objects across different stages of stellar evolution.

In my research, I used a comparative wood anatomical approach to address wood evolution of the (largely) tropical flowering plant families Apocynaceae and Sapotaceae.

We study the interplay of topology and geometry with chirality for several passive and active systems, employing both analytical and numerical methods.

Prof.dr. J. Memelink

Promotor: Prof.dr. P.G.L. Klinkhamer, Co-Promotor: T.J. de Jong

Promotor: Prof.dr. C.W.J. Beenakker

This thesis describes the synthesis and biological evaluation of TLR2/6, TLR4, TLR7/8 and TLR9 ligands, of which the activity can be conditionally controlled.

Promotor: J.G.E.M. Fraaije, Co-Promotor: A. Kros

Dr. Helen Pluut heeft een artikel gepubliceerd in het gerenommeerde tijdschrift Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes (OBHDP). Dit in samenwerking met Remus Ilies (National University of Singapore), Petru Curşeu (Open Universiteit en Babeş-Bolyai University) en Yukun Liu (University of…

In this thesis, I focused on studying the above- and belowground interactions of J. vulgaris from a plant-soil feedback (hereafter, PSF) perspective. I investigated the temporal variation of negative PSF and examined the effects of root-associated bacteria on plant performance and aboveground herbiv…

Promotor: Prof.dr. A. Doelman, Co-promotor: V. Rottschäfer

Promotor: J.P. Abrahams, Co-promotor: T. Grüne

Promotor: H.P. Spaink, Co-Promotor: A.H. Meijer

Phospholipase A/acyltransferase 3 (PLAAT3) and PLAAT4 are enzymes involved in the synthesis of bioactive lipids. Despite sequential and structural similarities, the two enzymes differ in activity and specificity.

Promotor: Prof.dr. J.N. Kok, Co-promotor: A.J. Knobbe

Cancer is considered the silent pandemic of the 21st century and the second leading cause of death worldwide.

The function of TLRs in innate immunity has aroused worldwide attention soon after its discovery. Because of the broad functions of TLR2 in innate immunity, the drive for the development of TLR2-targeted vaccines or therapeutic treatments has accelerated in the last decades.

Neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), are increasing in prevalence due to the aging population. Despite extensive study, these diseases are still not fully understood and the lack of personalised treatment options that can target the cause of the diseases, rather than the symptoms,…

Promotor: Prof.dr. M. Danhof

Promotor: Prof.dr. M. Danhof, Co-Promotor: J. de Jongh

Promotor: Prof.dr. P.G.L Klinkhamer, Co-promotor: K. Vrieling

Promotor: Prof.dr. T.H.W. Bäck

Dark matter is one of the biggest mysteries of the Universe. Its properties cannot be explained with the known laws of physics and elementary particles.

This thesis describes the use of a combined approach of computational and experimental techniques to gain novel insights to understand the glycosylation reaction and its reactive intermediates.

Every organisms in the tree of life faces the same challenge: the length of its DNA exceeds the volume of the cell it needs to fit in. Several strategies have evolved to solve this problem, one of them being the expression of proteins that bind and organize the DNA.

Promotor: J.N. Kok, P.E. Slagboom Co-promotor: J.F.J. Laros