In this thesis unconventional tools based on fluidic interfaces were developed to study the surface and interfacial chemistry of graphene, to characterize the intrinsic properties of graphene, to disentangle the effects of substrate and of the environmental factors, and to improve handling protocols…

Innovation plays an essential role in firms' competitiveness and long-term success. It varies from different types, ranging from run-of-the-mill innovation that brings incremental changes to existing technologies to radical innovation that breaks from existing trajectories.

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.

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

Promotores: G. Persoon, R. Schefold

This thesis describes a study from both a theoreticaL and an experimental point of view.

Ferritin is a spherical metalloprotein, capable of storing and releasing iron in a controllable way. It is composed of a protein shell of about 12 nm and within its cavity, iron is stored in a mineral form.

Glucocorticoids are potent anti-inflammatory drugs widely used clinically to treat various inflammatory and immune conditions. However, two main clinical problems limit their use. GCs trigger severe side effects and they induce acquired glucocorticoid resistance, especially during chronic systemic treatment…

Death in all types of melanomas is generally caused by metastasis. Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common intraocular melanoma, there are currently no (patient-derived) animal models that faithfully recapitulate metastatic dissemination of UM.

This thesis describes biochemical investigations of glucocerebrosidase (GBA), the lysosomal β- glucosidase that is deficient in Gaucher disease (GD).

Promotor: H.S. Overkleeft, Co-promotor: M. van der Stelt

In this thesis we study products of linear error correcting codes.

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

Cardiovascular diseases are among the most frequent causes of death in the world. The main underlying pathology of cardiovascular diseases is the development of atherosclerosis in the medium and large-sized arteries.

Promotor: P.J.J. Hooykaas, Co-Promotor: E.J. van der Zaal

Promotores: Prof.dr. J. Aarts, Prof.dr. J.M. van Ruitenbeek

Cardiovascular disease is a major global burden and atherosclerosis is the main underlying pathological process.

A convolutional neural network (CNN) is a biologically inspired algorithm, highly capable at processing images and videos.

By training with virtual opponents known as computer generated forces (CGFs), trainee fighter pilots can build the experience necessary for air combat operations, at a fraction of the cost of training with real aircraft.

In the first part, we introduce a new condition, called toric-additivity, on a family of abelian varieties degenerating to a semi-abelian scheme over a normal crossing divisor.

This dissertation focused on computational methods based on first principles calculations using the Density Functional Theory (DFT) framework. Emphasis was laid on affordable methods that can provide a tradeoff between computational expense and accuracy.

Promotor: T. Hankemeier, Co-Promotores: T. Reijmers, L. Coulier

Acute cardiovascular clinical events such as myocardial infarction and cerebral stroke represent the major cause of death in Western societies. These pathologies are primarily resulting from atherosclerosis, a progressive condition characterized by the accumulation of lipids, immune cells, and fibrous…

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

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).

This thesis describes the role of pollution, specifically neonicotinoid insecticides, as an actor of the ongoing biodiversity decline.

The increasing competition in the automotive industry requires the tailored, swift development of technologically sophisticated vehicles. Therefore, the computationally expensive state-of-the-art simulation technologies are combined with optimization algorithms. An example of a real-world optimization…

Metals surfaces form a group of effective catalysts for the reaction of small molecules such as hydrogen (H2).

In condensed matter systems electron-electron interactions, negligible in everyday metals, can dramatically alter the electronic behavior of the system. Examples of such altered behavior include high-temperature superconductivity and modulation of the electron density.

The database research community has made tremendous strides in developing powerful database engines that allow for efficient analytical query processing.

Solute carrier (SLC) transporters are a large and diverse class of relatively understudied transmembrane proteins.

The following report discusses a survey on the topic of the Sustainable Development Goals that was distributed among researchers at Leiden University in the month of November 2021.

This dissertation consists of two parts, each of which considers a different research area related to random interval maps. In the first part we are interested in random interval maps that are critically intermittent.

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

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

Gibbs measures, as used in Statistical Mechanics, have a definition that is remarkably similar to the definition ofg-measures, used in dynamical systems.

The development of new environmentally sound technologies is seen as a key route towards achieving sustainability.

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

Inactivating mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes predispose to several types of cancer.

Galaxies form and evolve through close interaction with their surroundings. As a result, the heavy elements ('metals') that are synthesized in stars, are found both inside and outside galaxies.

Promotor: Prof.dr. M.L. van Hecke, Co-Promotor: V. Vitelli

Promotor: J. Zaanen

Promotores: C. J. ten Cate; M. A. Ainslie. Co-promotor: W. Slabbekoorn

This thesis studies the geometry of representation varieties and character stacks. These are spaces parametrizing the representations of a finitely generated group, typically the fundamental group of a compact manifold, into an algebraic group G.

Model based approaches, integrating physiological parameters or linking exposure with response, are powerful tools to quantify and evaluate the impact of genetic differences that are reflected as variability of drug exposure and/or clinical response(s). This thesis “Pharmacogenomics in Drug Development: …

Promotor: S.J. Edixhoven

“Temminck’s Order” is the scientific biography of Coenraad Jacob Temminck (1778–1850), a Dutch naturalist and the first director of ’s Rijks Museum van Natuurlijke Historie in Leiden.

Ice, the solid state of water, plays an important role on our planet as well as the entire universe.Despite the fact that an individual water molecule has a very simple structure, its chemical bonding in the solid phase can be surprisingly complex.

With the help of quantum mechanics, digital quantum hardware may be able to tackle some of the problems that are too difficult for ordinary computers. But despite these expectations and the ongoing effort of the research community, reliable quantum computers are not yet realized in a lab setting.

The key characteristic of active matter is the motion of an emergent collection (such as a flock of birds), which is driven by the consumption of energy by its active components (i.e. individual birds).