This dissertation deals with design and characterization of functional structures for scattering of electromagnetic waves. An abundance of these structures can be found in nature, such as the structural coloration in the feathers of a peacock, the scales of butterflies and the shell of scarab beetles. Human design of structures providing specific interactions with electromagnetic waves have a long

"Doing business", being the layman expression for "performing economic transactions", seems organised along a few logical principles. This text is about organisation in general and the vertical coordination of economic transactions in particular. Transaction cost theory, as provided by Oliver E. Williamson (1975, 1985, 1996), is used as the theoretical framework. The operationalisation of transact

microRNAs (miRNAs) are 20-24 nucleotides small, single-stranded, non-coding RNAs. They associate with Argonaute (AGO) proteins and exert their function by inhibition or degradation of messenger RNAs. A single miRNA can target hundreds of genes and one gene can be targeted by several miRNAs, hereby giving rise to a complex post-transcriptional network. In the brain, hundreds of miRNAs are expressed

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignancy of plasma cells. Genome-wide association studies have shown that variation at 5q15 influences MM risk. Here, we have sought to decipher the causal variant at 5q15 and the mechanism by which it influences tumorigenesis. We show that rs6877329 G > C resides in a predicted enhancer element that physically interacts with the transcription start site of ELL2. The r

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death, and there is great interest in understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis and progression of individual tumors. We used systems-level approaches to analyze the genome-wide transcriptome of the protein-coding genes of 17 major cancer types with respect to clinical outcome. A general pattern emerged: Shorter patient su

Objective: To investigate Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) and its impact on daily life activities during 1 year of follow-up in early systemic sclerosis (SSc). Method: Fourteen SSc patients with a median disease duration of 2 years were enrolled in the study. Every 7 weeks the patients completed a 7 day diary documenting the frequency and duration of RP attacks, the activity causing the attack, and how

A mechanistic understanding of Aβ aggregation and high-resolution structures of Aβ fibrils and oligomers are vital to elucidating relevant details of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease, which will facilitate the rational design of diagnostic and therapeutic protocols. The most detailed and reproducible insights into structure and kinetics have been achieved using Aβ peptides produced by reco

To meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) on sustainable production and consumption (goal 12), the construction sector should be considered a key area to improve efficient use of natural resources (goal 12.2) and reduce waste generation (goal 12.5). With buildings being more energy efficient during their use phase, the relative importance of embodied energy and natural resourc

STUDY QUESTION Does an intensive weight reduction programme prior to IVF increase live birth rates for infertile obese women? SUMMARY ANSWER An intensive weight reduction programme resulted in a large weight loss but did not substantially affect live birth rates in obese women scheduled for IVF. WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN Among obese women, fertility and obstetric outcomes are influenced negatively wit

Circular business models are foreseen to contribute to enabling prolonged lifetimes of products and components through successive cycles of reuse, repair, remanufacturing and closing material loops. To realize economic viability and resource efficiency savings from a circular business model, early consideration and integrated planning of the product lifecycle and value creation architectures at th

Fires have influenced atmospheric composition and climate since the rise of vascular plants, and satellite data have shown the overall global extent of fires. Our knowledge of historic fire emissions has progressively improved over the past decades due mostly to the development of new proxies and the improvement of fire models. Currently, there is a suite of proxies including sedimentary charcoal

This paper analyses how the “alpha male” of the tourism academy tribe is imagined in celebratory contexts. The tradition is interesting from a gender perspective, in that the majority of celebratory portraits found in tourism research journals are those of male scholars. Whether this is regarded as a coincidence or a consequence of the resilience of a glass ceiling, it is interesting to investigat

Tin oxides are semiconductor materials currently attracting close attention in electronics, photovoltaics, gas sensing, and catalysis. Depending on the tin oxidation state - Sn(IV), Sn(II), or intermediate - the corresponding oxide has either n- or p-type natural conductivity, ascribed to oxygen or metal deficiency in the lattice. Such crystalline imperfections severely complicate the task of esta