| 1. |
- Clausen, Thomas Mandel, et al.
(författare)
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A simple method for detecting oncofetal chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycans in bladder cancer urine
- 2020
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Ingår i: Cell Death Discovery. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-7716. ; 6:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Proteoglycans in bladder tumors are modified with a distinct oncofetal chondroitin sulfate (ofCS) glycosaminoglycan that is normally restricted to placental trophoblast cells. This ofCS-modification can be detected in bladder tumors by the malarial VAR2CSA protein, which in malaria pathogenesis mediates adherence of parasite-infected erythrocytes within the placenta. In bladder cancer, proteoglycans are constantly shed into the urine, and therefore have the potential to be used for detection of disease. In this study we investigated whether recombinant VAR2CSA (rVAR2) protein could be used to detect ofCS-modified proteoglycans (ofCSPGs) in the urine of bladder cancer patients as an indication of disease presence. We show that ofCSPGs in bladder cancer urine can be immobilized on cationic nitrocellulose membranes and subsequently probed for ofCS content by rVAR2 protein in a custom-made dot-blot assay. Patients with high-grade bladder tumors displayed a marked increase in urinary ofCSPGs as compared to healthy individuals. Urine ofCSPGs decreased significantly after complete tumor resection compared to matched urine collected preoperatively from patients with bladder cancer. Moreover, ofCSPGs in urine correlated with tumor size of bladder cancer patients. These findings demonstrate that rVAR2 can be utilized in a simple biochemical assay to detect cancer-specific ofCS-modifications in the urine of bladder cancer patients, which may be further developed as a noninvasive approach to detect and monitor the disease.
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| 2. |
- Greve, Jan, 1951-, et al.
(författare)
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The impact of society on management control systems
- 2017
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Management. - : Elsevier. - 0956-5221 .- 1873-3387. ; 33:4, s. 253-266
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study is to investigate whether certain configurations of management controls dominate in certain societies (socio-cultural contexts) and whether the effectiveness of a given archetype of management control systems (MCSs) varies depending on the socio-cultural setting the society in which it operates. The study focuses on three socio-cultural groups and the corresponding institutional contexts (an Anglo-Saxon group, a Central European group, and a Northern European group) and three MCS archetypes (delegated bureaucratic control, delegated output control, and programmable output control). We use unique data from a cross-national, interview-based survey encompassing 610 strategic business units from nine countries (seven European countries plus Canada and Australia). The idea that firms tend to adapt MCSs to the socio-cultural context does not gain empirical support in this study. No significant differences in the distribution of MCSs between the three socio-cultural groups are noted. However, we do find that programmable output control has a more positive impact on effectiveness in Anglo-Saxon cultures, while delegated output control has a more positive impact on effectiveness in Northern Europe. Taken together these findings indicate that distinct differences between societies make a particular MCS design more appropriate in a given society, but where such differences are not dramatic (as in the present case), multiple MCS designs can be found in the same society.
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| 3. |
- Hey, Tobias, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of direct membrane filtration and direct forward osmosis as concepts for compact and energy-positive municipal wastewater treatment
- 2018
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Ingår i: Environmental Technology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0959-3330 .- 1479-487X. ; 39:3, s. 264-276
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Municipal wastewater treatment commonly involves mechanical, biological and chemical treatment steps to protect humans and the environment from adverse effects. Membrane technology has gained increasing attention as an alternative to conventional wastewater treatment due to increased urbanization. Among the available membrane technologies, microfiltration (MF) and forward osmosis (FO) have been selected for this study due to their specific characteristics, such as compactness and efficient removal of particles. In this study, two treatment concepts were evaluated with regard to their specific electricity, energy and area demands. Both concepts would fulfil the Swedish discharge demands for small- and medium-sized wastewater treatment plants at full scale: (1) direct MF and (2) direct FO with seawater as the draw solution. The framework of this study is based on a combination of data obtained from bench- and pilot-scale experiments applying direct MF and FO, respectively. Additionally, available complementary data from a Swedish full-scale wastewater treatment plant and the literature were used to evaluate the concepts in depth. The results of this study indicate that both concepts are net positive with respect to electricity and energy, as more biogas can be produced compared to that using conventional wastewater treatment. Furthermore, the specific area demand is significantly reduced. This study demonstrates that municipal wastewater could be treated in a more energy- and area-efficient manner with techniques that are already commercially available and with future membrane technology.
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| 4. |
- Lundby, Carsten, et al.
(författare)
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Physiological, biochemical, anthropometric, and biomechanical influences on exercise economy in humans
- 2017
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. - : Wiley. - 0905-7188. ; 27:12, s. 1627-1637
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Interindividual variation in running and cycling exercise economy (EE) remains unexplained although studied for more than a century. This study is the first to comprehensively evaluate the importance of biochemical, structural, physiological, anthropometric, and biomechanical influences on running and cycling EE within a single study. In 22 healthy males (VO(2)max range 45.5-72.1mLmin-1kg-1), no factor related to skeletal muscle structure (% slow-twitch fiber content, number of capillaries per fiber), mitochondrial properties (volume density, oxidative capacity, or mitochondrial efficiency), or protein content (UCP3 and MFN2 expression) explained variation in cycling and running EE among subjects. In contrast, biomechanical variables related to vertical displacement correlated well with running EE, but were not significant when taking body weight into account. Thus, running EE and body weight were correlated (R-2=.94; P<.001), but was lower for cycling EE (R-2=.23; P<.023). To separate biomechanical determinants of running EE, we contrasted individual running and cycling EE considering that during cycle ergometer exercise, the biomechanical influence on EE would be small because of the fixed movement pattern. Differences in cycling and running exercise protocols, for example, related to biomechanics, play however only a secondary role in determining EE. There was no evidence for an impact of structural or functional skeletal muscle variables on EE. Body weight was the main determinant of EE explaining 94% of variance in running EE, although more than 50% of the variability of cycling EE remains unexplained.
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| 5. |
- Malmi, Teemu, et al.
(författare)
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Culture and management control interdependence : An analysis of control choices that complement the delegation of authority in Western cultural regions
- 2020
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Ingår i: Accounting, Organizations and Society. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 0361-3682 .- 1873-6289.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study examines the influence of cultural regions on the interdependence between delegation of authority and other management control (MC) practices. In particular, we assess whether one of the central contentions of agency theory, that incentive contracting and delegation are jointly determined, holds in different cultural regions. Drawing on prior literature, we hypothesise that the MC practices that operate as a complement to delegation vary depending on societal values and preferences, and that MC practices other than incentive contracting will complement delegation in firms in non-Anglo cultural regions. Using data collected from 584 strategic business units across three Western cultural regions (Anglo, Germanic, Nordic), our results show that the interdependence between delegation and incentive contracting is confined to Anglo firms. In the Nordic and Germanic regions, we find that strategic and action planning participation operate as a complement to delegation, while delegation is also complemented by manager selection in Nordic firms. Overall, our study demonstrates that cultural values and preferences significantly influence MC interdependence, and suggests that caution needs to be taken in making cross-cultural generalisations about the complementarity of MC practices.
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| 6. |
- Malmi, Teemu, et al.
(författare)
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Culture and management control interdependence: An analysis of complementary control choices to delegation in Western cultural regions
- 2020
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Ingår i: Accounting, Organizations and Society. - : Elsevier BV. - 0361-3682. ; 86
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study examines the influence of cultural regions on the interdependence between delegation of decision rights and other management control (MC) practices. In particular, we assess whether one of the central contentions of agency theory, that incentive contracting and delegation are jointly determined, holds in different cultural regions. We argue that the MC practices that operate as a complement to delegation vary depending on societal values and preferences, and that MC practices other than incentive contracting will complement delegation in firms in non-Anglo cultural regions. Using data collected from 584 strategic business units across three Western cultural regions (Anglo, Germanic, Nordic), our results show that the interdependence between delegation and incentive contracting is confined to Anglo firms. In the Nordic and Germanic regions, we find that strategic and action planning participation operate as a complement to delegation, while delegation is also complemented by manager selection in Nordic firms. Overall, our study demonstrates that cultural values and preferences significantly influence MC interdependence, and suggests that caution needs to be taken in making cross-cultural generalizations about the complementarity of MC practices.
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| 7. |
- Malmi, Teemu, et al.
(författare)
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The use of management controls in different cultural regions: An empirical study of Anglo-Saxon, Germanic and Nordic practices
- 2016
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Ingår i: 10th conference on new directions in management accounting, Brussels, Belgium, December 14-16, 2016. - 2295-1717.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study addresses cultural differences in management control practices in Anglo-Saxon (Australia, Canada), Germanic (Austria, parts of Belgium, Germany), and Nordic firms (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden). Unique data is collected by structured interviews from 688 SBUs in these countries. Anglo SBU managers delegate decision rights to their subordinates more extensively than managers do in Germanic and Nordic SBUs. At the same time they establish more multidimensional reporting lines and involve subordinates in crossfunctional tasks in guiding subordinate behavior to a larger extent than their peers in Germanic and Nordic regions. Anglo-Saxon SBUs involve subordinates to strategic planning activities more intensively, but their plans are less comprehensive and specific than those of their counterparts in Germanic and Nordic regions. In performance measurement and evaluation, Anglo-Saxon SBUs perceive compensation as important purpose, whereas Germanic and Nordic SBUs emphasize attention direction and learning. Budgets and performance measurement systems are used interactively to a larger extent by Anglo-Saxon and Germanic compared to Nordic SBUs. Rewards are based on achievement of financial targets more in Anglo than in Germanic SBUs. Reward and compensation in Anglo SBUs is more subjective, individual based and relies also on non-financial rewards to a larger extent than in Germanic and Nordic SBUs. Regarding cultural controls, Anglo SBUs value recruitment within organization more highly than Nordic SBUs and Anglo SBUs use various socialization practices to a larger extent than Germanic and Nordic SBUs do. Implications of these and other findings for both theory development and practice are discussed.
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| 8. |
- Nielsen, Tobias, et al.
(författare)
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Pathways to sustainable plastics – A discussion brief
- 2018
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Rapport (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- The growing attention to the negative side-effects of our use of plastics has led to numerous calls for changing the current plastics system. However, there is lack of coherent and systematic assessments of how and in what direction the plastics system should change to become more sustainable. This discussion brief explores five potential pathways: Bio-based, Biodegradable, Recycled, Fewer types and Reduced use. Each pathway is assessed in terms of the promise it makes, what it entails and how it has been criticized. With a growing number of voices on the need for sustainable plastics, this discussion brief provides an overview of the opportunities and challenges of the pathways that can potentially take us there. The diversity and complexity of the system, as well as the lack of clear direction for what is a more sustainable plastics system, make it difficult to govern. Furthermore, there is no history of building an institutional capacity and expertise in, for example, government and research around policy and governance for plastics. Plastics is a critical material for sustainability in many areas (e.g. food, water and energy), but policies are needed to reduce the use of fossil feedstock, increase circularity and resource efficiency, and prevent leakage to the environment.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
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