Search Results (280)
Unravelling the molecular mechanisms of plant-pathogen interactions in grapevine and potato through functional analysis
Plants are constantly exposed to various environmental stressors. Pathogen infections causing disease can affect economically important crops and impact global food production. To counter disease development and spread, it is imperative that we acquire a thorough knowledge of its pathogenesis, as well as of the mechanisms underlying plant immune response. …
Electron microscopy of titanium oxynitride supported iridium based electrocatalysts
We are speeding full throttle towards a climate catastrophe and we have only until 2030 to take action to avoid the most devastating and unimaginable consequences. The lack of political and corporate will to change the status quo of “business as usual” is causing mass protests and civil disobedience globally. …
Characterization of plant viromes using different viral nucleic acids enrichment strategies and high-throughput sequencing platforms
Plant viruses are very important plant pathogens, causing economic losses by infecting cultivated plants, causing diseases, and consequently reducing crop quality and quantity. In recent years, the development of high throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies has dramatically broadened the possibilities for plant virus research and diagnostics, enabling the discovery of new …
Study of inconsistencies in health risk assessment: the role of assessment context in decision analysis aimed at their reduction
The area of risk assessment continues to be challenged by foundational issues that limit its potential to inform public health decisions. This doctoral work improves our understanding of the interaction between science and public and environmental health policy by addressing specific challenges in risk assessment within and for decision-making. The …
Metrology of mercury measurements in the air
Atmospheric mercury (Hg) plays an important role in the biogeochemical Hg cycle. Hg species in the atmosphere are present in very low concentrations. While gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) is relatively inert, gaseous oxidized (GOM) and particulate-bound (PBM) mercury are highly reactive. These characteristics of atmospheric Hg species make the speciation …
Annotation of semi-polar organic contaminants by using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and machine learning
Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), representing a subgroup of organic compounds of natural or synthetic origin, and their degradation and transformation products (TPs), with potentially harmful effects on humans, biota, and the environment, are the eco-exposome (EE) constituents of utmost importance. Their identification, quantification, and continued investigation into their environmental …
Atmospheric pressure plasma jet deposition of nanoparticles and its applications
Atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasma jets in material processing have received substantial attention in the past two decades and are still in the developing stage with a growing interest in material synthesis and surface processing. The main opportunities of these techniques are their potential cost reductions in apparatus and handling. Because …
Low-Pressure Plasma Functionalisation of Fluoropolymers
In the present thesis, the problem of the functionalisation of fluoropolymers was addressed. As chemical methods for the functionalisation of fluoropolymers apply environmentally harmful chemicals, the research was directed to low-pressure non-equilibrium radiofrequency (RF) inductively coupled plasmas of environmentally friendly gasses. The research was focused on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), the most …
Investigating the early molecular events following exposure of lung cells to nanoparticles using advanced optical microscopies
The potential toxicity of nanoparticles in our environment and consumer products is currently determined by costly and timely animal-based testing, which limits the rate of nanoparticle testing, causing a desperate need for alternative testing strategies. A promising alternative – mechanism-based prediction – employs a set of high-throughput cell-based tests that …
Diversity of viruses infecting tomato and weed plants in agroecosystems
Viruses, satellite viruses, viroids, virusoids, and satellite nucleic acids (herewith, referred to collectively or in part as ‘viruses’) comprise the virosphere and are perhaps the most diverse and abundant, yet still under-sampled, microbes on Earth. They are primarily regarded as pathogens or parasites of their eukaryotic or prokaryotic hosts. In …