We have examined sequences from the ligand-binding domain of the nicotinic acetyl choline receptor (nAChR) in 148 vertebrate species. We are in interested in this receptor because the α-neurotoxins of many venomous snakes binds to this receptor in its location at the neuromuscular junction in all ve…

We developed the bitterling as a unique, well-studied model organism in the area of the evolutionary ecology of brood parasitism. The bitterling-mussel relationship, interspecific mussel host preference, and mussel gill structure are studied in detail, to help understand the developmental adaptation…

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

Prof.dr. J. Memelink

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).

Promotor: Prof.dr. B. van de Water

Plants and their pollinators form complex interaction networks. Within these networks, species differ widely in the number of species they interact with.

By growing in a soil plants change the biotic and abiotic properties of the soil in which they grow.

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.

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…

Anthropogenic noise negatively affects wildlife in a wide range of taxonomic groups.

In populations with a seed-bank, individuals can temporarily become dormant and refrain from reproduction until they can become active again. The repository of all dormant individuals in the population is called the seed-bank. Seed-banks are observed in many taxa, including plants, bacteria and other…

There is a need for alternative methods to replace, reduce and refine (3R) animal experimentation. Combining experimental data from high-throughput in vitro studies with in silico modeling is a promising approach to unravel the effect of chemicals on living cells and to gain a better understanding of…

Explaining treatment response variability between and within patients can support treatment and dosing optimization, to improve treatment of individual patients.

Promotor: Prof.dr. M.A.G.J. Orrit

Hoe meer we leren over een (neuro-)psychologische of lichamelijke aandoening en de hieraan gerelateerde gedragsfactoren, hoe beter we deze niet alleen kunnen signaleren, maar ook behandelen. Het is dus belangrijk dat recente inzichten over (neuro-)psychologische problemen en daaraan gerelateerde gedragsfactoren…

Om de juiste klinische beslissingen te nemen of effectieve diagnostische testen en behandelingen te kunnen ontwikkelen, is het belangrijk om de onderliggende mechanismen van een aandoening of een bepaald gedrag te begrijpen.

The clinical potential of applying synthetic lethality to cancer treatment is famously demonstrated by the BRCA1/PARP1 paradigm: a tumor specific defect in BRCA1 – a component of the DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway homologous recombination (HR) – results in a remarkable sensitivity to PARP1…

On a structural level, the properties featured by a majority of mechanical metamaterials can be ascribed to the finite number of soft internal degrees-of freedom allowing for low-energy deformations.

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.

Tuberculosis is a major global health problem caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, claiming more than a million lives annually.

Promotie

Cardiovascular diseases are still a major concern for the global health.

In June 2024, the University of Groningen organizes a summer school, titled "Things that Matter". The Summer School explores challenges in digitizing source materials, questioning distinctions between physical and digital copies. It delves into the impact of virtual collections and criteria for digitization,…

Het voorgestelde project evalueert hoe de kwetsbaarheid van migrantenmannen en -vrouwen werd geconstrueerd in politieke, publieke en mediadiscoursen, en hoe verschillen in de geconstrueerde kwetsbaarheid van invloed waren op de beslissing om te migreren, het migratieproces en het daaropvolgende vest…

Op 11 juni 2020 verdedigde Sabine Witting haar proefschrift 'Child Sexual Abuse in the Digital Era: Rethinking Legal Frameworks and Transnational Law Enforcement Collaboration'. Het promotieonderzoek is begeleid door promotoren prof.mr. J.J. Sloth-Nielsen en prof.dr.mr. S. van der Hof.

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (AMT) has abundantly been used for scientific research for identifying valuable traits.

Promotor: Prof.dr. H.P. Spaink, Co-promotor: Dr. B.E. Snaar

In de serie tafelgesprekken ‘Van kluis naar kussen’ krijgt de kijker een blik achter de schermen van de Bijzondere Collecties. In deze speciale uitzending staat de zomertentoonstelling 'Books that made History' van de Universitaire Bibliotheken Leiden en het Rijksmuseum van Oudheden centraal. In de…

A neurocognitive investigation of the development of social performance monitoring in youth growing up in stressful versus non-stressful environments

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.

In this thesis, we study systems of electrons in which strong correlations give rise to emergent exotic physics.

Promotor: Prof.dr. J.A. Bouwstra, Co-promotor: A. El Ghalbzouri

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

As a contribution to the changing legislation and evolving societal attitudes concerning environmental issues, this project aims to enhance and manipulate the plants’ own natural defense mechanisms against western flower thrips (WFT).

Organisms often need to adapt more efficiently and devise new strategies for surviving difficult ecological circumstances.

The zebrafish is a promising vertebrate model organism in early drug discovery and development.

Plant-microbe interaction resulted in different physio/chemical responses by host plant and interacting rhizobacteria.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide.

Het belangrijkste doel is het onderzoeken van de mogelijkheid om het lichaam te leren een soortgelijke fysiologische (autonome, neuro-endocriene of immuunsysteem) en fysieke (b.v. desensibilisatie van hardnekkige lichamelijke symptomen) reactie te laten vertonen op placebomedicatie als op actieve medicatie…

Promotor: H.J.M. de Groot

Promotie

We have studied shape with a particular focus on the zebrafish model system. The shape is an essential appearance of the phenotype of a biological specimen and it can be used to read out a current state or response or to study gene expression.

This thesis presents the systematics, epidermal defense, and bioprospecting of wild orchids.

Als een nieuwe methode is ontwikkeld om een (neuro-)psychologische aandoening of hieraan gerelateerde gedragsfactoren te herkennen en te behandelen, kan deze nog niet direct in de klinische praktijk worden ingezet. Eerst moet de methode geëvalueerd worden, bij voorkeur in gerandomiseerde, gecontroleerde…

Bacteria often experience external challenges, such as changes in environmental conditions or attacks by bacteriophages.

Promotor: G.R. de Snoo, W. Kustiawan, Co-promotor: H.H. de Iongh

For questions and suggestions regarding the series, please contact prof. dr. Olaf van Vliet or dr. Max van Lent