The aim of this thesis was to study phage infection in Streptomyces, focused on cell wall-deficient cells. Bacteriophages (or phages in short) attach to the cell wall of bacteria after which they replicate and lyse the host cell.

The European Council and the European Commission have a similar role in agenda setting. Both place issues on the EU agenda. However, these institutions have distinct designs. They have different political attributes (the European Council has considerably more political authority) and information-processing…

This thesis investigates the evolution and fate of gaseous exoplanets, which are continuously shaped by stellar activity across both short and long timescales.

This thesis focuses on amyloid proteins, a class of proteins that convert into amyloid fibrils.

Promotor: G. A. van der Marel, Co-promotor: D. V. Filippov

The largest structures in the Universe are clusters of galaxies. Each can contain hundreds to thousands of galaxies.

Sheltering is an immediate human need and determines well-being andhealth.

In this thesis, I investigated the neurogenetic properties of Neotropical bat species. Bats represent the second largest mammalian order (Chiroptera) in the world, with Neotropical bats constituting about 13% of the total number of bat species.

Quantum computers are a proposed fundamentally new type of computer. They aim to perform some computations much faster than previously possible by exploiting phenomena at the quantum scale, called superposition and entanglement.

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

Promotor: Prof.dr. A.G.G.M. Tielens, Prof.dr. C. Dominik (UvA)

In dit interdisciplinaire onderzoeksprogramma werken onderzoekers uit vijf verschillende disciplines met elkaar samen. Zij stellen zich hieronder (in het Engels) aan u voor.

Studying the impact of urbanisation on the respiratory health of past Dutch populations (1200-1850 CE).

Migratie en criminaliteit staan maatschappelijk volop in de schijnwerpers. Binnen het instituut voor Strafrecht en Criminologie heeft onderzoek op dit terrein zich de laatste jaren sterk ontwikkeld. Het begrip Crimmigratie staat daarbij centraal.

De leerstoel Democratische Vertegenwoordiging in het Koninkrijk richt zich op de politieke relaties tussen Europees Nederland en de zes Caribische eilanden in het Koninkrijk; de zogenaamde Koninkrijksrelaties. In het kader van de leerstoel doet Prof. dr. Wouter Veenendaal onderzoek naar de kwaliteit…

In this dissertation (titled: Exploring the Synergies between Transfer in Reinforcement Learning and Procedural Content Generation) we explore how the two research fields named in the title, namely Transfer in Reinforcement Learning (TRL) and Procedural Content Generation (PCG) can synergize togethe…

Optimally solving real-world expensive Black-Box Optimization (BBO) problems w.r.t. real-world constraints, such as wall-clock time and computational costs, is extremely difficult and tedious.

Promotores: W. Th. F. den Hollander, M.O. Heydenreich

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).

This thesis describes how to scale down concepts of macroscopic mechanical metamaterials to the thermal scale using a system of flexibly-linked colloids.

Promotor: B. van de Water

This PhD-thesis presents a study on micron-sized particles, so-called colloids. By controlling the chemical and physical properties of these particles, such as the interparticle interaction and the particles’ shape, colloids can act as building blocks that self-assembly into larger structures.

Promotores: R. Cramer, A.K. Lenstra, Co-Promotor: B.M.M. de Weger

In november 2020 is het Engelstalige boek ‘Financial Collateral; Law and Practice’ verschenen. Het boek is gepubliceerd door Oxford University Press en geredigeerd en geschreven door professor Matthias Haentjens. Voorts hebben meegeschreven Anthony Zacaroli (High Court, Chancery Division), Yael Diamant…

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.

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: G.P. van Wezel

Promotores: Wim Jiskoot; Ferry Ossendorp

The next generation of high-contrast imaging instruments on space-based observatories requires sophisticated wavefront sensing and control in addition to a high-performance coronagraph.

In human cells, a meter-long DNA is condensed inside a micrometer-sized cell nucleus. Simultaneously, the genetic code must remain accessible for its replication and transcription to functional proteins.

Cell-based medicinal products (CBMPs), such as CAR T cells, are highly complex biopharmaceutical products offering various treatment options for serious illnesses such as cancer or autoimmune diseases.

The chemical and structural heterogeneity of toxoid vaccines makes their analysis challenging. However, detailed insights on a molecular level can be obtained by mass spectrometry.

Statistical considerations guide the design and implementation of the experiments that scientists perform. For instance, in a clinical trial about a the efficacy of a treatment, its effect in a certain minimum amount of patients has to be observed in order to make confident assertions about the efficacy…

Promotores: Prof.dr. P.M. Brakefield, Prof.dr. B.J. Zwaan (Wageningen Universiteit)

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.

The filamentous bacteria Streptomyces are widespread inhabitants of terrestrial soils.

Promotores: G. Persoon, R. Schefold

Control of infectious diseases poses continuous challenges for human health.

Promotor: Roeland M.H. Merks

The genetic information of all living organisms is contained in their DNA. Cells modify the degree of DNA compaction by epigenetics, which largely determines what genes are read out and which genes are transcriptionally silent.

Promotor: Prof.dr. D. Bouwmeester

The experiments described in this thesis employ local lentiviral knockdowns in brain areas of female zebra finches followed by behavioural assays consisting of preference and Go/Nogo tasks.

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.

Gendergerelateerd geweld is een urgent maatschappelijk probleem dat jaarlijks het leven van vele mensen ingrijpend raakt. De ernst en complexiteit ervan vereisen een doordachte én professionele aanpak — met oog voor slachtoffers, daders, de context én het systeem.

Research

Kunst en vrije tijd, Kunst en vrije tijd

The main aim of this thesis was to unravel the signaling and regulatory networks that drive tumor cell migration during breast cancer metastasis.