Presents a novel philosophical account of psychedelic experiences, arguing that they can be induced by means other than psychedelics — such as meditation and yoga.

Een belangrijke uitdaging in de neurowetenschappen is het begrijpen hoe neuronen in honderden onderling verbonden hersengebieden sensorische input integreren met eerdere verwachtingen om bewegingen te initiëren en beslissingen te nemen.

Studies naar perceptuele besluitvorming presenteren dezelfde stimulus doorgaans herhaaldelijk tijdens een experimentele sessie, maar negeren de volgorde van deze observaties, waarbij wordt uitgegaan van een onrealistische stabiliteit van beslissingsstrategieën tijdens proeven. Maar zelfs ‘stabiel’,…

Elke dag nemen we vele beslissingen; van wat we eten tot hoe we de wereld om ons heen interpreteren. Over het algemeen gingen onderzoekers ervan uit dat een belangrijk onderdeel van ons besluitvormingsproces, namelijk het beslissingscriterium, stabiel blijft. Er zijn echter steeds meer aanwijzingen…

Voor wie geïnteresseerd is in de relatie tussen neuro-cognitieve en biologische factoren enerzijds en leren, gedrag en emoties anderzijds.

Nauwkeurig emoties van anderen herkennen is een essentiële sociale vaardigheid, die relevant is voor het omgaan met de sociale wereld vanaf de kindertijd. Het vermogen van kinderen om dit te doen is een mijlpaal in hun sociaal-emotionele ontwikkeling en wordt geassocieerd met een aantal belangrijke…

Mensen met een licht verstandelijke beperking (LVB) bevinden zich dikwijls in een soort niemandsland. Door de diversiteit van hun problemen doen deze mensen een beroep op uiteenlopende hulpverleningsinstanties van waaruit ze weer worden doorverwezen. Hierdoor krijgen ze vaak niet de ondersteuning die…

Promotor: V. Vitelli, Co-promotor: J. Paulose

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), one of the largest families of membrane proteins, are responsive to a diverse set of physiological endogenous ligands including hormones and neurotransmitters.

The objective of this study was to investigate the expression and function of GRHL2 in different breast cancer subtypes.

The human body consists of hundreds, perhaps thousands of different types of cells, each with different morphologies and functions, despite having the same genome.

Carbon dioxide capture and utilization technologies are necessary to create a truly circular economy. The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to formate is an appealing carbon utilization method as it can be performed at room temperature and pressure, it only requires two electrons, and it has…

Op 16 december 2021 verdedigde Lisanne van Houten het proefschrift 'Flexing the Slot Regime'. Het promotieonderzoek is begeleid door prof.dr. P. Mendes de Leon en prof. L. Pierallini (Luiss University Of Rome).

Promotor: E.F. Smets, Co-promotor: J. Geml

The research described in this thesis focused on identifying novel drug targets and synergistic combinations for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a virulent subtype of breast cancer with a dismal prognosis and limited therapeutic options.

This thesis describes the development and optimization of the first molecular tools to study the enzyme PLA2G4E.

The stratum corneum is the outermost skin layer and consists of dead cells embedded in a lipid matrix.

Plant exudates appeared long time ago in the history line of life in the early Devonian. They are typical saps produced by specialized cells.

Antibiotic resistance, caused by widespread use of antibiotics, leads to bacterial infections that are difficult, if not impossible, to treat and is a major worldwide health concern.

The sequence-dependence of biomolecular interactions involving nucleic acids and proteins is essential for numerous processes inside the cell. Insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms have been obtained using various biochemical and biophysical methods on two different levels — bulk and sin…

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. Metastasis, the process by which cancer cells spread to other parts of the body, makes treatments less effective. It is important to unravel the mechanism of metastasis.

Galaxies in the local Universe fall into two main categories of spirals and ellipticals. In this Thesis, we explore the structural evolution of galaxies into this bimodal distribution.

In this thesis, deep learning is studied from a statistical perspective. Convergence rates for the worst case risk bounds of neural network estimators are obtained in the classification, density estimation and linear regression model.

Traditionally, vaccines are administered intramuscularly using conventional hypodermic needles, which cause pain and distress. Microneedles are very short needles (smaller than 1 mm) that are practically invisible to the naked eye.

Streptomyces are filamentous bacteria that produce more than two-thirds of known antibiotics.

Synthesis and application of chemical biology tools to study immunomodulatory signaling lipids.

The endocannabinoid receptors CB1R and CB2R are involved in a plethora of processes, and consequently are involved in many pathological conditions. Their wide distribution makes the CBRs both an interesting therapeutic target and hard to study.

Promotor: Prof.dr. T. Hankemeier, Co-promotor: Theo Reijmers

As a non-invasive genetic method, eDNA based approaches have become an important component of ecologists' and environmental managers' toolkits for biomonitoring in conservation and an increasingly important source of ecological knowledge.

Despite the fact that gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are one of the most studied nanoparticles, there is still a necessity for new approaches allowing for effective protective coating to enable wider use of GNPs in biomedical applications.

Promotores: J. Zaanen, A. Parnachev

The research described in this thesis shows that hypercholesterolemia, a well-established risk factor for atherosclerosis, can impact skin lipid pool and barrier function already at young age. In the field of atherosclerosis, we showed that the small peptide Lyp-1 can be used as a targeting molecule…

The CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2), a member of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily, is widely involved in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. However, no drugs for this receptor have made it to the pharmaceutical market yet.

This thesis aims to enhance our understanding of galaxies by testing theoretical models of galaxy formation against observations, particularly in the cases of extreme systems which have been found to have an excess of baryonic mass in their central regions, in the form of either supermassive black holes…

Plants are colonized by an astounding number of microorganisms that can provide different life-support functions, including nutrient acquisition and protection against (a)biotic stresses like drought or pathogen attack.

Promotores: Prof.dr. H.P. Spaink & Prof.dr. P.C.W. Hogendoorn Co-promotor: Dr. M.J.M. Schaaf

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

A modern ship design process is subject to a wide variety of constraints such as safety constraints, regulations, and physical constraints.

Due to their central physiological roles in living organisms, retaining beta-glycosidases have been the subject of tremendous research efforts to examine their structure/function relation using numerous biophysical and biochemical approaches.

This thesis advances our understanding of lipid uptake, a vital first step in lipid metabolism, by developing innovative click chemistry-based tools to study how immune cells internalize lipids.

The lysosomal β-glucosidase named glucocerebrosidase (GCase) is a retaining β-glucosidase that hydrolyzes the glycosphingolipid glucosylceramide (GlcCer) to ceramide and glucose at acid pH.

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: M.K. Richardson, Co-Promotor: F. Witte

Promotor: Prof.dr. J.P. Abrahams, Co-Promotor: N.S. Pannu

Streptomyces are prolific producers of enzymes and secondary metabolites, including more than 50% of all clinical antibiotics. This makes them highly attractive for medical, biotechnological, and industrial purposes.

Atherosclerosis is the most important underlying process that drives cardiovascular disease, and is characterized by an accumulation of cholesterol which triggers an inflammatory response in the vessel wall.

Promotor: S.M. Verduyn Lunel, Co-Promotor: O.W. van Gaans

All life on earth contains DNA, which is used to store biological information. Organisms compact their DNA in order for it to fit inside their cell(s).

Streptomyces are bacteria abundant in soil that participate in diverse and complex interactions. These bacteria are the main producers of the antibiotics we currently use in the clinic.

Streptomyces present a valuable platform for natural product discovery. Lugdunomycin is a novel angucycline-derived polyketide from Streptomyces sp QL37, with unprecedented skeleton and antimicrobial activity.