Heterogeneous catalysis is one of the fundamental processes of modern life, being common in industrial refinery and hydrogen vehicles, all the way to the living cell. The dissociation of H2 on Cu(111) is an important benchmark system for studying heterogeneous catalysis, with a large and varied amount…

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Promotor: Prof.dr. H.J.M de Groot, Co-Promotor: A. Alia

Projecten van de afdeling Environmental Biology

Promotor: Prof.dr. G.R. de Snoo, Prof.dr. G.A. Persoon, Co-promotor: H.H. de Iongh

Promotor: C.J. ten Cate, Co-promotor: H.W. Slabbekoorn

The overall objectives of my thesis are to investigate the dynamics of the sorghum root microbiome and to explore the beneficial effects of the root microbiome on sorghum growth and stress tolerance.

Positieve verwachtingen kunnen het gevoel van jeuk beïnvloeden en placebo-effecten oproepen, terwijl negatieve verwachtingen nocebo-effecten bij jeuk kunnen veroorzaken. Er zijn aanwijzingen dat placebo-effecten ook kunnen optreden wanneer mensen weten dat zij een placebo innemen. Er is weinig bekend…

In this thesis, a system pharmacology approach, integrating metabolomics, pharmacology and chemical biology, was applied to understand and modulate the endocannabinoid system across different model systems (cells, zebrafish, mice and humans).

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.

This thesis describes how different colours of light affect various aspects of the growth and development of Arabidopsis and tomato plants⁠.

This thesis examines the impacts and challenges of water use of electric power system. This thesis found that there are large differences in water use of electricity technologies, with hydropower and thermal power being two large water users.

We showed that constitutive and inducible chemical and morphological defenses against Western flower thrips differ between tomato and chrysanthemum plants.

Curved single crystals provide variable, but well-defined surface structures.

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

Promotores: H. Schiessel, G.T. Barkema

The external tissues of plants and animals are colonized by microbial communities termed microbiota. When organisms are exposed to environmental pollutants, these substances will therefore encounter microbiota at the exposure interface.

To limit the effects of climate change, global average temperature since pre-industrial measurements are to be kept well below 2 °C preferably even at 1.5 °C.

This thesis is devoted to an in-depth examination of the various effects of disorder in the cuprate high-temperature superconductors.

Novel entities may pose risks to humans and the environment. The small particle size and relatively large surface area of micro- and nanoparticles (MNPs) make them capable of adsorbing other novel entities, leading to the formation of aggregated contamination.

In this thesis we investigate cosmology and the large scale structure of the Universe using cosmological simulations.

Promotor: M. Danhof Co-promotor: O.E. Della Pasqua

We explored the Universe using weak gravitational lensing, a phenomenon that occurs when light from distant galaxies is bent by the gravitational fields of closer cosmic objects, much like how a lens distorts light.

Actinobacteria are well known for the production of bioactive natural products, many of which have applications in the fields of human, animal and plant health. Subject of this thesis are the anthracyclines, glycosylated aromatic polyketides with potent anticancer activity.

Sound is everywhere in the marine environment and hearing is therefore a very important for stimuli for fish. They use sound for orientation and communication, during migration, aggregation and spawning, but also for detection of prey and predators.

Promotor: Prof.dr. H.J.A. Rottgering

Aangespoeld plastic onderzoeken of het verzorgen van gewonde wilde dieren: vrijwilligers zijn onmisbaar in het beschermen van de natuur. Toch blijft hun waardevolle kennis nog te vaak onbenut, concludeert promovendus Liselotte Rambonnet.

In this course, you will learn about sustainability and staying with the environmental boundaries of our planet. You will gain an understanding of the effects of growing affluence and population growth, the key challenges we are facing, and ways to influence your direct environment.

Tot wel 50% van de mensen met de ziekte van Parkinson ontwikkelt na verloop van tijd cognitieve achteruitgang; deze studie onderzoekt het gebruik van ‘oefeneffecten’ op neuropsychologische tests als een vroege voorspeller van cognitieve achteruitgang.

Optical cavities are useful tools to enhance the interaction between light and matter, which is important to make good quantum emitters. However, it turns out that the cavities themselves (without any quantum emitters) are already interesting objects to study.

The aim of this thesis was to develop aluminium salt-based nanoparticles that may ultimately be used as adjuvant in human vaccines.

The aim of this thesis is to present novel techniques for proving cryptographic schemes secure against quantum adversaries. Most results are within the context of an idealized model called the ‘quantum random-oracle model’.

Promotor: Prof.dr. A.P. IJzerman, Co-Promotor: L.H. Heitman

Welke rol spelen stress en angst bij de vorming van nocebo hyperalgesie?

How were the Russians, under early modern conditions, able to incorporate this distant, undeveloped and, because frequent nomadic attacks, dangerous territory? And what role did the Kolyvan-Voskresensk plants play in this process?

Trigonostemon Blume is a plant genus in the family Euphorbiaceae comprising 59 species.

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

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

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is a major cereal crop that millions of subsistence farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) rely on. However, the scourging impact of the root parasitic weed Striga (Striga hermonthica, a.k.a. “witch-weed”) has remained a major constraint hampering the productivity of sorghum in…

Promotor: Prof.dr. P.G.L Klinkhamer, Co-promotor: K. Vrieling

Solar energy harnessed by plants and algae has great potential to be converted into biofuels for future generations.

Plants, are sessile organisms, have developed strategies to adapt to changes in their environment, in part by altering their growth and development.

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

The name ‘Jambi flora’ refers to fossil plants found as part of a rock formation from the Early Permian (296 million years old), located in the Jambi Province of Sumatra, Indonesia.

This thesis describes the functional analysis of the Arabidopsis AHL15 gene.

Natural vanilla flavor is one of the most important in the world. However, the cost of this flavor is expensive. Production of this flavor by alternative methods, could reduce the cost.

My PhD thesis investigates the ecological significance of resistance against drought-induced air bubble formation inside the water conduits of plants (embolism), and the plasticity and functional aspects of stem anatomical traits in woody and herbaceous species.

Aspergillus niger is an important industrial producer of organic acids and enzymes producing large amounts of spent fungal biomass.

Supervisor: P.J.J. Hooykaas