Projects

This thesis is devoted to developing post-Ugi transformations involving gold-catalyzed dearomative ipso-cyclization as a key sequence for the construction of natural or drug-like complex small molecules in two operational steps. The first step is the Ugi-4CR, which can generate diversity and the first stereogenic center, while the second step, the efficient gold triggered dearomative cascade reaction, delivers diverse complex ...

In a biomimetic approach,we aim to create hierarchical multi-functionalone-, two- and three-dimensional structures with controlled long-range order through self-assembly of multifunctional rodlike nanoparticles. To achieve this, we will modify the surface of ribbon-like cellulose nanocrystals at their three distinct surface functionalities: primary and secondary hydroxyl groups on the lateral surfaces and aldehydes at the extremities. These ...

When Sir James Frazer published his seminal work 'The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion' in 1894, he marshalled two volumes of ethnographic and comparative religious field notes to explain the puzzling ritual of Arician Diana in Roman antiquity. But do these field notes and ritual interpretations support the conclusion that Frazer proposed? This dissertation investigates Frazer's claim by using script- and event-based knowledge ...

Around the middle of the sixteenth century, the idea arose in Catholic circles that the Protestant claim to having the Scriptures on their side, could only be countered by a Catholic return to a more Bible-based theology and preaching. This insight was confirmed during the humanistically inspired fifth session of the Council of Trent (1546), giving rise to the flourishing of biblical studies everywhere in Catholic Europe. The period 1550-1650 ...

In recent years, food industry has shown a high interest in clean label foods, which are produced with more organic, natural, and transparent formulations and the use of less invasive processing technologies. Fresh or ‘not from concentrate fruit juices as natural and health-oriented beverages, have gained increasing market value around the world, particularly in developed countries. For these juices, browning, cloud losses, and flavor changes ...

Despite all research efforts over the past decades, cancer remains one of the main causes of death worldwide. With the results reported in this thesis, I give my contribution to fundamental research on cancer by both proposing a novel drug delivery system (DDS), which presented several advantages compared to the existing nanocarriers and by introducing innovative spectroscopic methods for cancer-related investigations.

Polymeric surface ...

Dental adhesives are materials most often used in daily dental practice, especially because of their primary bonding property to tooth tissue as a principal function for several adhesive restorative and luting procedures. In light of their further optimization, the newest generation of dental adhesives, being referred to as universal adhesives (UAs), cannot only be used to bond to tooth tissue (enamel/dentin), optionally in either a self-etch ...

Introduction Perianal fistulizing Crohn’s disease (pCD) develops in 20% and recurs in 30% of Crohn’s disease (CD) patients and typically follows a relapsing and remitting course. (1) The natural course of the disease is highly unpredictable. Most data are derived from outdated population-based studies and historical series. (2-5) After a mean duration of 10 years, 51% of patients with pCD are in stable remission, 9% have persistent drainage ...

When administering a drug, it is the desire of the clinician to reach a serum concentration in the patient that is in the target window: both safe (not too high) and efficacious (not too low). As absorption, distribution, metabolization and elimination of drugs differ widely among individuals, it is sometimes not possible to find a single dose that will work in every individual. The dose for these compounds is determined through Therapeutic ...