Microbial rhodopsins are photosensitive pigments implemented in the growth and adaptation of a large population of microorganisms.

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.

Bacteria are highly complex and diverse organisms that have adapted to survive in ecological niches ranging from the most extreme to the most heterogeneous environments.

Given the accelerating appearance of antimicrobial resistance, there is an urgent need for more fundamental research into novel antibiotic strategies. The work in this thesis helps to address this global problem by developing new antibiotic compounds, inspired by the antibacterial mechanisms of the…

Stellar feedback is a crucial ingredient in the evolution of galaxies.

Plant diversity is essential for us and our planet as it sustains the stability of our ecosystems, provides vital materials and food to us and supports many ecosystem services.

Promotor: J.N. Kok, Co-promotor: M.S. Lew

Understanding how galaxies form, interact, and evolve comes largely from comparing theory predictions with observational data. Numerical simulations of galaxies provide the most accurate approach to testing the theory, as they follow the non-linear evolution of gas and dark matter in great detail and…

Promotor: Peter Stevenhagen

An Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) is a highly luminous region at the center of a galaxy, powered by the accretion into a supermassive black hole and emitting energy from radio waves to gamma rays, often outshining the host galaxy.

Dr. Joris Larik analyseert het zwaarbevochten akkoord tussen de EU en het VK in het Nederlands Juristenblad.

Promotores: Prof.dr. C.A.J. Knibbe, Prof.dr. M. Danhof, Prof.dr. K. Allegaert (Leuven)

Promotor: G.A. van der Marel, Co-promotor: D.C. Codée

Promotores: T.H.W. Bäck, A. Plaat, Co-promotor: F.J. Verbeek

Mechanical forces are known to play an important role in bacterial colonies. In this dissertation, we study the self-organization at various stages of growing bacterial colonies, and focus on the mechanical effects of cell growth.

Promotor: A.W. van der Vaart

This thesis is is made of three parts. The first part describes a generalization of the Chabauty's method, that can be used to determine the rational points of a curve such that s+g>r+1, where g is the genusof the curve, r is the rank of the Mordell-Weil group of the jacobian of the curve and s is…

The theoretical explanation of cosmic acceleration is nowadays one of the biggest puzzles in cosmology.

Light-Harvesting Complex II (LHCII) is responsible for light absorption and excitation energy transfer in plants and photosynthetic algae, while in high light it undergoes conformational changes by which it quenches excitations to prevent photodamage.

A large diversity of exoplanetary systems has been found, but it is still unclear what drives this diversity.

In meta-analysis, heterogeneity often exists between studies. In such cases, it is essential to investigate the sources of heterogeneity and understand the relationship between effect size and study characteristics (i.e., moderators).

In this work, we attempt to answer the question:

Fungal infections pose a significant threat to individuals with compromised immune systems and despite advancements in diagnosis and treatment, they continue to jeopardize patient’s health.

Lipid signaling is an essential biological event/process in a plethora of pathophysiological conditions. The underlying idea of this thesis is that many of the roles and the complex interplay of the individual signaling lipids in inflammatory processes and related conditions in health and disease is…

Bacteria have the ability to alter their morphology in order to adapt to changing environments.

Promotores: Prof.dr. F.S. de Boer, Prof.dr. J.J.M.M. Rutten (Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen)

Transplantation of labial salivary glands to the eyelids for patients with dry eye appears to give excellent results clinically.

Promotor: R.D. Gill, F. Taroni

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.

Promotor: A. Achúcarro, Co-Promotor: J.W. van Holten

Quantum computing is an emerging technology, which holds the potential to simulate complex quantum systems beyond the reach of classical numerical methods.Despite recent formidable advancements in quantum hardware, constructing a quantum computer capable of performing useful calculations remains challenging.In…

Scattering of light in the presence of nano-structured materials, i.e. with features in the order of the wavelength of the light or smaller, reveals details of how light interacts with matter at the nanoscale.

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.

Promotor: J. Schaye

Mycorrhizas are symbiotic associations between soil fungi and most plant species.

Carbohydrates are present on the surface of bacteria making them suitable antigen candidates for vaccine development. This thesis deals with the synthesis of two carbohydrate-based components; the capsular polisaccharide of S. aureus type 5 and teichoic acids from staphilococci and enterococci speci…

Heart failure is a major health care problem with high mortality.

Promotor: T. Schmidt, Co-Promotor: B.E. Snaar-Jagalska

To study how planetary systems come into existence we study much younger systems still in formation.

Promotor: Prof.dr. J.N. Kok

DNA carries various forms of information. Out of these forms of information the most well-known is classical genetic information.

Promotor: M.T.M. Koper, Co-Promotor: L.B.F. Juurlink

Promotor: K. Kuijken, Co-Promotor: H. Hoekstra

The plant hormone auxin regulates plant growth and development through polar cell-to-cell transport-generated maxima and minima. PIN FORMED (PIN) auxin efflux carriers determine the direction of this auxin flow through their asymmetric placement on the plasma membrane (PM).

In 2018, the number of mobile phone users will reach about 4.9 billion. Assuming an average of 5 photos taken per day using the built-in cameras would result in about 9 trillion photos annually.

In astronomy, the interpration of observations and measurements plays a crucial role: we rely purely and fundamentally on the information that reaches us as observers. And 80% of all matter in the universe is undetectable directly.

Mechanical metamaterials are carefully engineered materials whose properties are controlled by their structure, not by their composition, which allows using metamaterials to study and control physical effects in detail⁠.

This thesis pioneers diatom molecular identification and quantification through genome-scale methods, with four key aims: (i) reviewing DNA/RNA sequencing methods in aquatic biomonitoring to highlight their strengths and limitations;

The effects of anthropogenic noise on interactions between predators and their prey are still little understood.

In this dissertation, the synthesis and characterization of a series of iron complexes based on different ligand platforms are described.