| 1. |
- Abitbol, Tiffany, et al.
(författare)
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Isolation of Mixed Compositions of Cellulose Nanocrystals, Microcrystalline Cellulose, and Lignin Nanoparticles from Wood Pulps
- 2023
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Ingår i: ACS Omega. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2470-1343. ; 8:24, s. 21474-21484
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- From a circular economyperspective, one-pot strategies for theisolation of cellulose nanomaterials at a high yield and with multifunctionalproperties are attractive. Here, the effects of lignin content (bleachedvs unbleached softwood kraft pulp) and sulfuric acid concentrationon the properties of crystalline lignocellulose isolates and theirfilms are explored. Hydrolysis at 58 wt % sulfuric acid resulted inboth cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and microcrystalline celluloseat a relatively high yield (>55%), whereas hydrolysis at 64 wt% gaveCNCs at a lower yield (<20%). CNCs from 58 wt % hydrolysis weremore polydisperse and had a higher average aspect ratio (1.5-2x),a lower surface charge (2x), and a higher shear viscosity (100-1000x).Hydrolysis of unbleached pulp additionally yielded spherical nanoparticles(NPs) that were <50 nm in diameter and identified as lignin bynanoscale Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and IR imaging.Chiral nematic self-organization was observed in films from CNCs isolatedat 64 wt % but not from the more heterogeneous CNC qualities producedat 58 wt %. All films degraded to some extent under simulated sunlighttrials, but these effects were less pronounced in lignin-NP-containingfilms, suggesting a protective feature, but the hemicellulose contentand CNC crystallinity may be implicated as well. Finally, heterogeneousCNC compositions obtained at a high yield and with improved resourceefficiency are suggested for specific nanocellulose uses, for instance,as thickeners or reinforcing fillers, representing a step toward thedevelopment of application-tailored CNC grades.
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| 2. |
- Álvarez-Asencio, Rubén, et al.
(författare)
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Nanomechanical properties of human skin and introduction of a novel hair indenter
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of The Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials. - : Elsevier. - 1751-6161 .- 1878-0180. ; 54, s. 185-193
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The mechanical resistance of the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of skin, to deformation has been evaluated at different length scales using Atomic Force Microscopy. Nanomechanical surface mapping was first conducted using a sharp silicon tip and revealed that Young’s modulus of the stratum corneum varied over the surface with a mean value of about 0.4 GPa. Force indentation measurements showed permanent deformation of the skin surface only at high applied loads (above 4 μN). The latter effect was further demonstrated using nanomechanical imaging in which the obtained depth profiles clearly illustrate the effects of increased normal force on the elastic/plastic surface deformation. Force measurements utilizing the single hair fiber probe supported the nanoindentation results of the stratum corneum being highly elastic at the nanoscale, but revealed that the lateral scale of the deformation determines the effective elastic modulus.This result resolves the fact that the reported values in the literature vary greatly and will help to understand the biophysics of the interaction of razor cut hairs that curl back during growth and interact with the skin.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Andersson Ersman, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Electrochromic Displays Screen Printed on Transparent Nanocellulose-Based Substrates
- 2023
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Ingår i: Advanced Photonics Research. - : John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. - 2699-9293.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Manufacturing of electronic devices via printing techniques is often considered to be an environmentally friendly approach, partially due to the efficient utilization of materials. Traditionally, printed electronic components (e.g., sensors, transistors, and displays) are relying on flexible substrates based on plastic materials; this is especially true in electronic display applications where, most of the times, a transparent carrier is required in order to enable presentation of the display content. However, plastic-based substrates are often ruled out in end user scenarios striving toward sustainability. Paper substrates based on ordinary cellulose fibers can potentially replace plastic substrates, but the opaqueness limits the range of applications where they can be used. Herein, electrochromic displays that are manufactured, via screen printing, directly on state-of-the-art fully transparent substrates based on nanocellulose are presented. Several different nanocellulose-based substrates, based on either nanofibrillated or nanocrystalline cellulose, are manufactured and evaluated as substrates for the manufacturing of electrochromic displays, and the optical and electrical switching performances of the resulting display devices are reported and compared. The reported devices do not require the use of metals and/or transparent conductive oxides, thereby providing a sustainable all-printed electrochromic display technology.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Badal Tejedor, Maria, 1986-, et al.
(författare)
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AFM Colloidal Probe Measurements Implicate Capillary Condensation in Punch-Particle Surface Interactions during Tableting
- 2017
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Ingår i: Langmuir. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0743-7463 .- 1520-5827. ; 33:46, s. 13180-13188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Adhesion of the powders to the punches is a common issue during tableting. This phenomenon is known as sticking and affects the quality of the manufactured tablets. Defective tablets increase the cost of the manufacturing process. Thus, the ability to predict the tableting performance of the formulation blend before the process is scaled-up is important. The adhesive propensity of the powder to the tableting tools is mostly governed by the surface-surface adhesive interactions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) colloidal probe is a surface characterization technique that allows the measurement of the adhesive interactions between two materials of interest. In this study, AFM steel colloidal probe measurements were performed on ibuprofen, MCC (microcrystalline cellulose), α-lactose monohydrate, and spray-dried lactose particles as an approach to modeling the punch-particle surface interactions during tableting. The excipients (lactose and MCC) showed constant, small, attractive, and adhesive forces toward the steel surface after a repeated number of contacts. In comparison, ibuprofen displayed a much larger attractive and adhesive interaction increasing over time both in magnitude and in jump-in/jump-out separation distance. The type of interaction acting on the excipient-steel interface can be related to a van der Waals force, which is relatively weak and short-ranged. By contrast, the ibuprofen-steel interaction is described by a capillary force profile. Even though ibuprofen is not highly hydrophilic, the relatively smooth surfaces of the crystals allow "contact flooding" upon contact with the steel probe. Capillary forces increase because of the "harvesting" of moisture - due to the fast condensation kinetics - leaving a residual condensate that contributes to increase the interaction force after each consecutive contact. Local asperity contacts on the more hydrophilic surface of the excipients prevent the flooding of the contact zone, and there is no such adhesive effect under the same ambient conditions. The markedly different behavior detected by force measurements clearly shows the sticky and nonsticky propensity of the materials and allows a mechanistic description.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Badal Tejedor, Maria, 1986-, et al.
(författare)
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Milling induced amorphisation and recrystallization of α-lactose monohydrate
- 2018
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Ingår i: International Journal of Pharmaceutics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-5173 .- 1873-3476. ; 537:1-2, s. 140-147
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Preprocessing of pharmaceutical powders is a common procedure to condition the materials for a better manufacturing performance. However, such operations may induce undesired material properties modifications when conditioning particle size through milling, for example. Modification of both surface and bulk material structure will change the material properties, thus affecting the processability of the powder. Hence it is essential to control the material transformations that occur during milling. Topographical and mechanical changes in surface properties can be a preliminary indication of further material transformations. Therefore a surface evaluation of the α-lactose monohydrate after short and prolonged milling times has been performed. Unprocessed α-lactose monohydrate and spray dried lactose were evaluated in parallel to the milled samples as reference examples of the crystalline and amorphous lactose structure. Morphological differences between unprocessed α-lactose, 1 h and 20 h milled lactose and spray dried lactose were detected from SEM and AFM images. Additionally, AFM was used to simultaneously characterize particle surface amorphicity by measuring energy dissipation. Extensive surface amorphicity was detected after 1 h of milling while prolonged milling times showed only a moderate particle surface amorphisation. Bulk material characterization performed with DSC indicated a partial amorphicity for the 1 h milled lactose and a fully amorphous thermal profile for the 20 h milled lactose. The temperature profiles however, were shifted somewhat in the comparison to the amorphous reference, particularly after extended milling, suggesting a different amorphous state compared to the spray-dried material. Water loss during milling was measured with TGA, showing lower water content for the lactose amorphized through milling compared to spray dried amorphous lactose. The combined results suggest a surface-bulk propagation of the amorphicity during milling in combination with a different amorphous structural conformation to that of the amorphous spray dried lactose. The hardened surface may be due to either surface crystallization of lactose or to formation of a low-water glass transition.
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| 10. |
- Badal Tejedor, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Tablet mechanics depend on nano and micro scale adhesion, lubrication and structure
- 2015
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Ingår i: International Journal of Pharmaceutics. - : Elsevier. - 0378-5173 .- 1873-3476. ; 486:1-2, s. 315-323
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tablets are the most convenient form for drug administration. However, despite the ease of manufacturing problems such as powder adhesion occur during the production process. This study presents surface and structural characterization of tablets formulated with commonly used excipients (microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), lactose, mannitol, magnesium (Mg) stearate) pressed under different compaction conditions. Tablet surface analyses were performed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), profilometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The mechanical properties of the tablets were evaluated with a tablet hardness test. Local adhesion detected by AFM decreased when Mg stearate was present in the formulation. Moreover, the tablet strength of plastically deformable excipients such as MCC was significantly decreased after addition of Mg stearate. Combined these facts indicate that Mg stearate affects the particle-particle bonding and thus elastic recovery. The MCC excipient also displayed the highest hardness which is characteristic for a highly cohesive material. This is discussed in the view of the relatively high adhesion found between MCC and a hydrophilic probe at the nanoscale using AFM. In contrast, the tablet strength of brittle materials like lactose and mannitol is unaffected by Mg stearate. Thus fracture occurs within the excipient particles and not at particle boundaries, creating new surfaces not previously exposed to Mg stearate. Such uncoated surfaces may well promote adhesive interactions with tools during manufacture.
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| 11. |
- Bergenstråhle, Malin, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
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Force Pulling of Single Cellulose Chains at the Crystalline Cellulose-Liquid Interface : A Molecular Dynamics Study
- 2009
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Ingår i: Langmuir. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0743-7463 .- 1520-5827. ; 25:8, s. 4635-4642
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pulling single cellulose molecules from a crystalline cellulose surface has been modeled by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the experimental procedure used in atomic force microscopy (AFM). Specifically, the aim of the study was to investigate cellulose interactions at desorption. Simulations were performed in both water and the organic solvent cyclohexane. Moreover, the effects of initial octamer conformation and orientation with respect to the surface chains were studied. A strong effect from the solvent was observed. In cyclohexane, normal forces of 200-500 pN and energies of 43.5 +/- 6.0 kJ/mol glucose unit were required to pull off the octamer. The normal forces in water were substantially lower, around 58 pN, and the energies were 18.2 +/- 3.6 kJ/mol glucose unit. In addition, the lateral components of the pull-off force were shown to provide information on initial conformation and orientation. Hydrogen bonds between the octamer and surface were analyzed and found to be an important factor in the pull-off behavior. Altogether, it was shown that MD provides detailed information on the desorption processes that may be useful for the interpretation of AFM experiments.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Fall, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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Hybrid Materials of Nanocellulose and Graphene
- 2019
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Ingår i: <em>International Conference on Nanotechnology for Renewable Materials 2019</em>. - : TAPPI Press. ; , s. 1069-1080
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)
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| 15. |
- Fallqvist, Björn, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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Experimental and computational assessment of F-actin influence in regulating cellular stiffness and relaxation behaviour of fibroblasts
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of The Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials. - : Elsevier. - 1751-6161 .- 1878-0180. ; 59, s. 168-184
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In biomechanics, a complete understanding of the structures and mechanisms that regulate cellular stiffness at a molecular level remain elusive. In this paper, we have elucidated the role of filamentous actin (F-actin) in regulating elastic and viscous properties of the cytoplasm and the nucleus. Specifically, we performed colloidal-probe atomic force microscopy (AFM) on BjhTERT fibroblast cells incubated with Latrunculin B (LatB), which results in depolymerisation of F-actin, or DMSO control. We found that the treatment with LatB not only reduced cellular stiffness, but also greatly increased the relaxation rate for the cytoplasm in the peripheral region and in the vicinity of the nucleus. We thus conclude that F-actin is a major determinant in not only providing elastic stiffness to the cell, but also in regulating its viscous behaviour. To further investigate the interdependence of different cytoskeletal networks and cell shape, we provided a computational model in a finite element framework. The computational model is based on a split strain energy function of separate cellular constituents, here assumed to be cytoskeletal components, for which a composite strain energy function was defined. We found a significant influence of cell geometry on the predicted mechanical response. Importantly, the relaxation behaviour of the cell can be characterised by a material model with two time constants that have previously been found to predict mechanical behaviour of actin and intermediate filament networks. By merely tuning two effective stiffness parameters, the model predicts experimental results in cells with a partly depolymerised actin cytoskeleton as well as in untreated control. This indicates that actin and intermediate filament networks are instrumental in providing elastic stiffness in response to applied forces, as well as governing the relaxation behaviour over shorter and longer time-scales, respectively.
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| 16. |
- Gamstedt, E. Kristofer, et al.
(författare)
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Characterization of interfacial stress transfer ability of particulate cellulose composite materials
- 2011
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Ingår i: Mechanics of materials. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-6636 .- 1872-7743. ; 43:11, s. 693-704
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Composites with cellulose reinforcements are steadily gaining increased use. The stress transfer ability between reinforcement and polymer matrix has a strong influence on mechanical properties like strength and fracture toughness. This work presents a method to assess the stress transfer ability between cellulose and polymer matrix from a model material with cellulose spheres embedded in a polymer matrix. Such a material show smaller variability compared with composites based on natural cellulose fibres, and is less cumbersome than single fibre tests with regard to interfacial characterization. Measured elastic moduli of particulate composites is compared with predicted values from a micromechanical model based on a composite sphere assembly in a self-consistent scheme with only a spring constant of an imperfect interface as fitting parameter expressed in Pa/m. This interface parameter is identified through inverse modelling and used to quantify stress-transfer ability of cellulose/polylactide and cellulose/polystyrene composite interfaces. A higher degree of interfacial interaction was found for the former. This ranking was corroborated by adhesive force measurements using a micrometre sized cellulose sphere attached to the end of a cantilever in an atomic force microscope. With the model microstructure of a cellulose-sphere composite, an interfacial efficiency parameter can be backed out from stiffness measurements to be used in e.g. ranking of different fibre surface treatments and choice of matrix in the development of stronger natural-fibre composites.
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| 17. |
- Hellgren, Niklas, et al.
(författare)
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Electronic structure of carbon nitride thin films studied by X-ray spectroscopy techniques
- 2005
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Ingår i: Thin Solid Films. - : Elsevier BV. - 0040-6090 .- 1879-2731. ; 471:02-jan, s. 19-34
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Magnetron-sputtered carbon nitride thin films with different structures and compositions were analyzed by X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS and UPS), near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS), as well as X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES). In all techniques, the carbon spectra are broad and featureless with little variation depending on growth conditions. The nitrogen spectra, on the other hand, show more distinct features, providing a powerful tool for structural characterization. By comparing the experimental spectra with calculations on different model systems, we are able to identify three major bonding structures of the nitrogen-N1: nitrile (C equivalent to N) bonds; N2: Pyridine-like N, i.e., N bonded to two C atoms; and N3: graphite-like N, i.e., N bonded to three C atoms as if substituted in a graphitic network, however, possibly positioned in a pentagon and/or with sp(3) carbon neighbors. The presence of N2 and N3 are best detected by XPS, while N1 is better detected by NEXAFS. The calculated XES spectra also give good indications how valence band spectra should be interpreted. Films grown at the higher temperatures ( greater than or equal to 350 degreesC) show a pronounced angular dependence of the incoming photon beam in NEXATS measurements, which suggests a textured microstructure with standing graphitic basal planes, while amorphous films grown at low temperatures show isotropic properties.
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
- Kvarnung, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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Ataxia in Patients With Bi-Allelic NFASC Mutations and Absence of Full-Length NF186
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Genetics. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-8021. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The etiology of hereditary ataxia syndromes is heterogeneous, and the mechanisms underlying these disorders are often unknown. Here, we utilized exome sequencing in two siblings with progressive ataxia and muscular weakness and identified a novel homozygous splice mutation (c.3020-1G > A) in neurofascin (NFASC). In RNA extracted from fibroblasts, we showed that the mutation resulted in inframe skipping of exon 26, with a deprived expression of the full-length transcript that corresponds to NFASC isoform NF186. To further investigate the disease mechanisms, we reprogrammed fibroblasts from one affected sibling to induced pluripotent stem cells, directed them to neuroepithelial stem cells and finally differentiated to neurons. In early neurogenesis, differentiating cells with selective depletion of the NF186 isoform showed significantly reduced neurite outgrowth as well as fewer emerging neurites. Furthermore, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of patient-derived neuronal cells revealed a lower threshold for openings, indicating altered Na+ channel kinetics, suggesting a lower threshold for openings as compared to neuronal cells without the NFASC mutation. Taken together, our results suggest that loss of the full-length NFASC isoform NF186 causes perturbed neurogenesis and impaired neuronal biophysical properties resulting in a novel early-onset autosomal recessive ataxia syndrome.
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| 20. |
- López-Guajardo, A., et al.
(författare)
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Regulation of cellular contractile force, shape and migration of fibroblasts by oncogenes and Histone deacetylase 6
- 2023
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-889X. ; 10
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The capacity of cells to adhere to, exert forces upon and migrate through their surrounding environment governs tissue regeneration and cancer metastasis. The role of the physical contractile forces that cells exert in this process, and the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. We, therefore, aimed to clarify if the extracellular forces that cells exert on their environment and/or the intracellular forces that deform the cell nucleus, and the link between these forces, are defective in transformed and invasive fibroblasts, and to indicate the underlying molecular mechanism of control. Confocal, Epifluorescence and Traction force microscopy, followed by computational analysis, showed an increased maximum contractile force that cells apply on their environment and a decreased intracellular force on the cell nucleus in the invasive fibroblasts, as compared to normal control cells. Loss of HDAC6 activity by tubacin-treatment and siRNA-mediated HDAC6 knockdown also reversed the reduced size and more circular shape and defective migration of the transformed and invasive cells to normal. However, only tubacin-mediated, and not siRNA knockdown reversed the increased force of the invasive cells on their surrounding environment to normal, with no effects on nuclear forces. We observed that the forces on the environment and the nucleus were weakly positively correlated, with the exception of HDAC6 siRNA-treated cells, in which the correlation was weakly negative. The transformed and invasive fibroblasts showed an increased number and smaller cell-matrix adhesions than control, and neither tubacin-treatment, nor HDAC6 knockdown reversed this phenotype to normal, but instead increased it further. This highlights the possibility that the control of contractile force requires separate functions of HDAC6, than the control of cell adhesions, spreading and shape. These data are consistent with the possibility that defective force-transduction from the extracellular environment to the nucleus contributes to metastasis, via a mechanism that depends upon HDAC6. To our knowledge, our findings present the first correlation between the cellular forces that deforms the surrounding environment and the nucleus in fibroblasts, and it expands our understanding of how cells generate contractile forces that contribute to cell invasion and metastasis. Copyright © 2023 López-Guajardo, Zafar, Al Hennawi, Rossi, Alrwaili, Medcalf, Dunning, Nordgren, Pettersson, Estabrook, Hawkins and Gad.
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| 21. |
- Majee, Subimal, 1984-, et al.
(författare)
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Highly Conductive Films by Rapid Photonic Annealing of Inkjet Printable Starch–Graphene Ink
- 2021
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Ingår i: Advanced Materials Interfaces. - : John Wiley and Sons Inc. - 2196-7350. ; 9:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A general formulation engineering method is adopted in this study to produce a highly concentrated (≈3 mg mL−1) inkjet printable starch–graphene ink in aqueous media. Photonic annealing of the starch–graphene ink is validated for rapid post-processing of printed films. The experimental results demonstrate the role of starch as dispersing agent for graphene in water and photonic pulse energy in enhancing the electrical properties of the printed graphene patterns, thus leading to an electrical conductivity of ≈2.4 × 104 S m−1. The curing mechanism is discussed based on systematic material studies. The eco-friendly and cost-efficient approach presented in this work is of technical potential for the scalable production and integration of conductive graphene inks for widespread applications in printed and flexible electronics.
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| 22. |
- Maya-Gonzalez, Carolina, et al.
(författare)
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Occurrence of cancer in Marfan syndrome: Report of two patients with neuroblastoma and review of the literature
- 2024
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Ingår i: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS PART A. - 1552-4825 .- 1552-4833.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an autosomal dominant connective tissue disorder caused by pathogenic variants in FBN1, with a hitherto unknown association with cancer. Here, we present two females with MFS who developed pediatric neuroblastoma. Patient 1 presented with neonatal MFS and developed an adrenal neuroblastoma with unfavorable tumor genetics at 10 months of age. Whole genome sequencing revealed a germline de novo missense FBN1 variant (NP_000129.3:p.(Asp1322Asn)), resulting in intron 32 inclusion and exon 32 retention. Patient 2 was diagnosed with classic MFS, caused by a germline de novo frameshift variant in FBN1 (NP_000129.3:p.(Cys805Ter)). At 18 years, she developed high-risk neuroblastoma with a somatic ALK pathogenic variant (NP_004295.2:p.(Arg1275Gln)). We identified 32 reported cases of MFS with cancer in PubMed, yet none with neuroblastoma. Among patients, we observed an early cancer onset and high frequency of MFS complications. We also queried cancer databases for somatic FBN1 variants, finding 49 alterations reported in PeCan, and variants in 2% of patients in cBioPortal. In conclusion, we report the first two patients with MFS and neuroblastoma and highlight an early age at cancer diagnosis in reported patients with MFS. Further epidemiological and functional studies are needed to clarify the growing evidence linking MFS and cancer.
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
- Mizuno, Hiroyasu, et al.
(författare)
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Friction measurement between polyester fibres using the fibre probe SPM
- 2006
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Ingår i: Australian journal of chemistry (Print). - 0004-9425 .- 1445-0038. ; 59, s. 390-393
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An SPM has been used to measure frictional interactions between two crossed fibres for the first time. The preparation of the surfaces is briefly described, but the crucial element is that the fibre attached to the AFM cantilever is glued parallel to the long axis. The fibres consist of polyester and frictional forces were measured both in air and solutions of cationic surfactant C(14)TAB. The friction coefficients reduce markedly with increasing concentration of surfactant which is ascribed to the formation of a boundary lubricating film between the surfaces. On removal of the solution, the subsequent friction coefficient in air was reduced by more than a factor of two compared to its value before immersion.
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| 25. |
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| 26. |
- Nordgren, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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Studies of heat transfer and furnace temperature uniformity during combustion of oil and wood using oxygen enrichment technology
- 2011
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Ingår i: Swedish-Finnish Flame Days 2011.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In many combustion applications a switch from fossil to renewable fuels, e.g. from fueloil to wood powder, may result in a reduction of production capacity in the boiler,furnace or kiln. Oxygen enrichment of the combustion air can be used to improve thethermal efficiency of practical combustors, i.e. reduce heat losses and promote fuelsavings. In addition, oxygen enrichment can reduce NOx emissions and also facilitateCO2 scrubbing and capture processes in such systems. In this work, flame characteristicsand furnace temperature profiles during oxygen enriched combustion were studied whenoxygen was added to the combustor at different enrichment levels by the use of a lance.The experiments were carried out in a pilot-scale furnace fired with (i) wood powder and(ii) heavy fuel oil (no.5). The results show that for the wood flame, the average furnacetemperature becomes higher and the furnace temperature profile becomes more flat.Thus, compared to conventional air combustion, there are smaller differences betweennear-burner and back-end temperatures as oxygen is added to the process. For the oilflame, as oxygen was added to the process, a higher average furnace temperature wasobserved along with a distinct shift in furnace peak temperature towards the central partsof the furnace, creating a relatively strong temperature gradient towards the back-end ofthe furnace. Comparing the two flames, the furnace temperature profile of the oxygenenriched wood flame becomes more flat compared to the oxygen enriched oil flame. Thisis interpreted as an effect of differences in overall fuel reactivity, in which the oil, being aliquid fuel, ignites and burns faster than the solid fuel wood powder. The results found inthis work shows that the burner that was used, being designed for conventional aircombustion by feeding of air through the primary, secondary and tertiary air vanes, couldhandle the changes in aerodynamics caused by the reduced air flows. The general resultsfrom this work are useful for furnace and kiln applications in which a more controllableflame and process temperature is required, e.g. in a lime kiln where a fuel switch fromfossil fuels to biomass is considered.
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| 27. |
- Nordgren, Niklas, et al.
(författare)
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Adhesion and nanotribology of biofibres
- 2010
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Ingår i: International Conference on Nanotechnology for the Forest Products Industry 2010. - 9781618390011 ; , s. 183-220
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)
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| 28. |
- Nordgren, Niklas, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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Adhesion Dynamics for Cellulose Nano-Composites
- 2009
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Ingår i: ACS applied Materials & Interfaces. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1944-8252 .- 1944-8244. ; , s. 2098-2103
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The efficiency of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) as a matrix polymer for cellulose nano-composites has been investigated at the macromolecular contact level using atomic force microscopy (AFM) in colloidal probe configuration. Model cellulose micro-spheres grafted with PCL were prepared via ring-opening polymerization (ROP). Force measurements between the functionalized particles revealed the adhesion to be highly dependent on contact time due to a diffusion controlled mechanism. Moreover, an increase of the temperature to 60 °C (close to Tm for the PCL-graft) greatly enhanced the adhesion at the polymer-polymer interface demonstrating the importance of entanglements in the annealing of composite materials.
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| 29. |
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| 30. |
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
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| 33. |
- Nordgren, Niklas, 1975-
(författare)
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Interfacial Properties of Biomacromolecular Model Systems: Surface Forces and Nanotribology
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The nanotribology, adhesion and related interfacial properties of biomacromolecular systems have been studied. The aim was to elucidate the role of physisorbed and chemically grafted bio-polymers implicated as mediators for cellulose based processing and material design. To that end, model surfaces were prepared and characterized by the versatile techniques quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) in colloidal probe mode. A prerequisite for the latter in conducting quantifiable force and friction measurements lies in obtaining accurate values for the cantilever spring constants. An investigation of various recently proposed calibration methods shows that they return essentially the same result, but that the route of Sader et al. is the least strenuous and indeed most reliable. A novel approach for determining the required frictional detector sensitivity is proposed. Cellulose model surfaces with varying morphology were evaluated. For a given surface roughness the adsorption of xyloglucan, a nonionic polysaccharide, leads to a consistent decrease in the friction coefficients for all cellulose substrates, demonstrating that the effects on friction arising from either roughness or chemistry can be decoupled. Moreover, xyloglucan grafts on gold show biological enzymatic accessibility, and their native affinity towards cellulose is retained, even in an extended brush conformation. Chitosan, a cationic polysaccharide is also found to mediate lubrication and adhesion of cellulose in a solvent dependent manner, though the mechanisms are unlike those of xyloglucan. At low pH the most efficient lubrication is achieved due to highly charged chitosan species extending out in the aqueous media, forming a highly hydrated cushion. Conversely, at high pH the deswelling of the layer results in higher friction. The same trend is observed between synthetic dual-responsive polyionic grafts on gold where the polymer charge is decisive for the friction properties. Above the lower critical solution temperature where the grafts are fully collapsed and display an attractive force, the friction is slightly reduced due to a nanoscopic flattening at the interface. Finally, polymer grafts as matrix compatibilizers for bio-degradable cellulose based nano-composite applications were evaluated. Adhesion is greatly promoted by chain entanglements. The effect displays a dynamic diffusion based dependence of which the rate is significantly enhanced at a higher temperature close to the melting point of the polymeric layer. No such adhesion benefit was obtained between ungrafted cellulose and the matrix material.
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| 34. |
- Nordgren, Niklas, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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Mediation of the Nanotribological Properties of Cellulose by Chitosan Adsorption
- 2009
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Ingår i: Biomacromolecules. - USA : American Chemical Society. - 1525-7797 .- 1526-4602. ; 10:3, s. 645-650
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cellulosic model surfaces functionalized with chitosan, a naturally occurring cationic biomacromolecule, by in-situ adsorption have been studied with an atomic force microscope (AFM) in colloidal probe configuration. The interaction forces on approach and separation, as well as the nanotribological properties, were shown to be highly pH-dependent and a significant difference in the behaviour was seen before and after chitosan adsorption. In general, all forces on approach showed a highly repulsive interaction at shorter distances due to deformation of the probe. At high pH, before chitosan adsorption, a long-range electrostatic repulsion was observed, consistent with DLVO theory. However at low pH no electrostatic contribution was found before adsorption probably due to charge neutralization of carboxyl groups. After chitosan adsorption, repulsive forces acting over a much longer distance than predicted by DLVO theory were present at low pH. This effect was ascribed to chain extension of the chitosan species of which the magnitude and the range of the force increased dramatically with higher charge at low pH. In all cases, a typical saw-tooth patterned adhesion was present with pull-off events occurring at different separations. The frequency of these events after chitosan adsorption was greatly increased at longer distances. Additionally, the adsorbed chitosan markedly reduced the friction where the largest effect was a 7-fold decrease of the friction coefficient observed at low pH.
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| 35. |
- Nordgren, Niklas, et al.
(författare)
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Nanobiocomposite Adhesion : Role of Graft Length and Temperature in a Hybrid Biomimetic Approach
- 2013
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Ingår i: Biomacromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1525-7797 .- 1526-4602. ; 14:4, s. 1003-1009
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cellulose microspheres bearing poly(e-caprolactone) grafts of different molecular weights were investigated to evaluate the effect of graft length on the interfacial properties. Surface force and friction measurements were performed using an atomic force microscope in colloidal probe mode. The maximum interaction distance and adhesion is dependent on the temperature and the time in contact via a diffusion controlled mechanism. The effects are highest for the longer grafts, and molecular weight thresholds were found to lie between 21 and 34 kDa at 25 degrees C and between 9 and 21 kDa at 40 degrees C. The interpenetration of the graft into a matrix leads to "hidden length contributions to adhesion, analogous to those in natural biocomposites. The nanotribology results display Amontonian behavior, and the friction force at zero applied load is higher at the graft graft interface than for a bare cellulose sphere interacting with the graft. These results clearly demonstrate the benefits of the grafted polymer layer on the adhesion, toughness, and resistance nanobiocomposites.
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| 36. |
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| 37. |
- Nordgren, Niklas, et al.
(författare)
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Oncogene induced stiffening of living cells
- 2015
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Ingår i: Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 0065-7727. ; 249
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 38. |
- Nordgren, Niklas, 1975-
(författare)
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Probing Interactions between Bio-Fibre Components
- 2007
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- I den här avhandlingen har atomkrafts mikroskopi (AFM) och kvartskristall mikrovåg med dissipation (QCM-D) används för att undersöka interaktioner i bio-fiber modell system av cellulosa och xyloglukan (XG); en naturligt förekommande polysackarid viktig för tillväxt av träd och andra växter. Dessutom har det avgörande momentet av friktionskrafts-kalibrering studerats för att erhålla noggranna och kvantitativa resultat med kolloidal prob AFM. Fyra olika cellulosa modell ytor med varierande morfologi har utvärderats med kolloidal prob AFM. De normala ytkrafterna för alla undersökta substrat var kvalitativt likadana. Däremot, för en given ytråhet leder adsorption av XG till en konsekvent reduktion av friktions-koefficienterna för alla ytor, vilket antyder att effekten på friktion av antingen ytråhet eller kemi kan separeras. För att kunna undersöka interaktionen mellan enbart cellulosa och xyloglukan ändmodifierades först XG enzymatiskt med en tiol grupp. Dessa makromolekyler ympades sedan till guld, där de bildade ett tiol-bundet borst-liknande lager. QCM-D experiment bekräftade att det ympade lagret var biologiskt tillgängligt för enzymatisk nedbrytning genom användning av växtenzymet endo-xyloglukanas TmNXG1. Friktions-koefficienterna för den orörda ympningen och den enzymexponerade visade samma trend med ytråheten som i fallet med cellulosaytorna. Adhesions mätningar på denna modellyta visade att den ursprungliga specificiteten mellan xyloglukan och cellulosa bevarades. Ett antal AFM kantilevrar har kalibrerats med olika tekniker för att erhålla både normal- och friktionsfjäder-konstanter med mål att utvärdera den relativa noggrannheten mellan de olika metoderna. Överensstämmelsen var god mellan teknikerna för att bestämma fjäder konstanterna i normalled. Något högre avvikelse mellan teknikerna för att bestämma torsions fjäder konstanterna förekom. Men denna avvikelse leder inte till kvantitativt olika resultat och baserat på behändighet borde den termiska tekniken av Sader et al. tillämpas. Vidare har det viktiga momentet att kalibrera fotodetektorn behandlats, och en ny teknik föreslås för att bestämma detektor-känsligheten genom att kombinera olika metoder. Slutligen beräknades en konverterings faktor, som gör det möjligt att utföra kalibrering av kantilevern i luft, men att själva friktionsmätningen sedan kan utföras i vätska.
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| 39. |
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| 40. |
- Nordgren, Niklas, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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Top-Down Grafting of Xyloglucan to Gold Monitored by QCM-D and AFM: Enzymatic Activity and Interactions with Cellulose
- 2008
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Ingår i: Biomacromolecules. - USA : American Chemical Society. - 1525-7797 .- 1526-4602. ; 9:3, s. 942-948
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study focuses on the manufacture and characterisation of model surfaces consisting of end grafted xyloglucan (XG), a naturally occurring polysaccharide, onto a gold substrate. The now well-established XET-technology was utilised for enzymatic incorporation of a thiol moiety at one end of the xyloglucan backbone. This functionalised macromolecule was subsequently top-down grafted to gold, forming a thiol-bonded xyloglucan brush-like layer. The grafting was monitored in-situ with QCM-D and a significant difference in the adsorbed/grafted amount between unmodified xyloglucan and the thiol-functionalised polymer was observed. The grafted surface was demonstrated to be accessible to enzyme digestion using the plant endo-xyloglucanase TmNXG1. The nanotribological properties towards cellulose of the untreated crystal, brush modified surface and enzyme exposed surfaces were compared with a view to understanding the role of xyloglucan in friction reduction. Friction coefficients obtained by the AFM colloidal probe technique using a cellulose functionalised probe on the xyloglucan brush showed an increase of a factor of two after the enzyme digestion and this result is interpreted in terms of surface roughness. Finally, the brush is shown to exhibit binding to cellulose despite its highly oriented nature.
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| 41. |
- Nordgren, Niklas, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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Tunable Nanolubrication between Dual-Responsive Polyionic Grafts
- 2009
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Ingår i: Nano letters (Print). - USA : American Chemical Society. - 1530-6984 .- 1530-6992. ; 9:8, s. 2984-2990
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study reports on a direct approach of quantitatively probing the nanotribological response of chemically end-grafted polyions. A combination of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), in the now well established colloidal probe mode was utilized to investigate the stimuli-induced lubrication behavior between poly-2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (PDMAEMA) grafts on gold. Force and friction measurements showed reversible transitions of up to an order of magnitude difference induced by varying the solvent conditions. The greatly enhanced lubrication observed at low pH was attributed to the formation of a repulsive, highly charged, hydrated cushion. At high pH the friction was significantly increased. The system turned attractive above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) with a small friction reduction interpreted as nanoscopic flattening at the interfacial boundary.
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| 42. |
- Nordqvist, Petra, et al.
(författare)
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Plant proteins as wood adhesives : Bonding performance at the macro- and nanoscale
- 2013
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Ingår i: Industrial crops and products (Print). - : Elsevier BV. - 0926-6690 .- 1872-633X. ; 44, s. 246-252
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Soy protein isolate and wheat gluten were studied to evaluate their wood bonding performance. A multiscale approach was employed, combining tensile shear strength measurements, optical microscopy, and adhesion measurements at the nanoscale using atomic force microscopy. Tensile shear strength measurements were performed on beech wood substrates bonded with either dispersions of soy protein isolate or wheat gluten to investigate bond strength and water resistance. The results reveal a significant difference in bond strength between the plant proteins. Soy protein isolate is superior to wheat gluten, especially regarding water resistance, both under acidic and alkaline conditions. Cross sections of the wood substrates were examined by optical microscopy to study protein penetration and bond line thickness. The results indicate that a proper bond can be obtained using lower amount of soy protein isolate than wheat gluten. Atomic force microscopy in colloidal probe mode was used to investigate nanoscale adhesion between cellulose and solvent cast protein films. The results show that adhesion between the plant proteins and the wood component is important for the bonding performance. Further, it is shown that the results from atomic force microscopy and tensile shear strength measurements display the same trend demonstrating that the bonding properties translates well spanning regimes from the macro- to the nanoscale. The presented multiscale approach is shown to have great potential and may be used in the future to predict properties at different length scales in the design and formulation of new bioadhesives.
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| 43. |
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| 44. |
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| 45. |
- Olszewska, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Non-ionic assembly of nanofibrillated cellulose and polyethylene glycol grafted carboxymethyl cellulose and the effect of aqueous lubrication in nanocomposite formation
- 2013
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Ingår i: Soft Matter. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1744-683X .- 1744-6848. ; 9:31, s. 7448-7457
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- facile route to significantly lower the frictional forces between cellulose nanofibrils (NFC) has been presented. The concept is based on the surface modification of NFC by adsorption of polyethylene glycol grafted carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-g-PEG) via non-ionic interactions. The adsorption was studied using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). The changes in viscoelastic properties of the adsorbed layers, upon changes in pH were evaluated and attributed to the conformation of CMC. Surface forces and frictional properties of NFC films were examined using the AFM colloidal probe technique and were shown to be highly pH dependent. A significant difference in behaviour was observed upon the surface modification of NFC. After adsorption of CMC-g-PEG, repulsive forces were acting over a much longer distance than predicted by DLVO theory. This was ascribed to the CMC-g-PEG chain extension, the effect of which was even more pronounced at higher pH due to the deprotonation of carboxyl groups on CMC. A higher anionic charge resulted in increased water content and swelling of the layer. Additionally, the adsorption of CMC-g-PEG onto NFC films markedly increased the lubrication by the reduction of the friction coefficient by 65% and 88% at pH 4.5 and pH 7.3, respectively.
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| 46. |
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| 47. |
- Pettersson, Torbjörn, et al.
(författare)
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Comparison of different methods to calibrate torsional spring constant and photodetector for atomic force microscopy friction measurements in air and liquid
- 2007
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Ingår i: Review of Scientific Instruments. - : AIP Publishing. - 0034-6748 .- 1089-7623. ; 78:9, s. 093702-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A number of atomic force microscopy cantilevers have been exhaustively calibrated by a number of techniques to obtain both normal and frictional force constants to evaluate the relative accuracy of the different methods. These were of either direct or indirect character-the latter relies on cantilever resonant frequencies. The so-called Sader [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 70, 3967 (1999)] and Cleveland [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 64, 403 (1993)] techniques are compared for the normal force constant calibration and while agreement was good, a systematic difference was observed. For the torsional force constants, all the techniques displayed a certain scatter but the agreement was highly encouraging. By far the simplest technique is that of Sader, and it is suggested in view of this validation that this method should be generally adopted. The issue of the photodetector calibration is also addressed since this is necessary to obtain the cantilever twist from which the torsional force is calculated. Here a technique of obtaining the torsional photodetector sensitivity by combining the direct and indirect methods is proposed. Direct calibration measurements were conducted in liquid as well as air, and a conversion factor was obtained showing that quantitative friction measurements in liquid are equally feasible provided the correct calibration is performed.
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| 48. |
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| 49. |
- Porsch, Christian, et al.
(författare)
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Thermo-responsive cellulose-based architectures : tailoring LCST using poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylates
- 2011
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Ingår i: POLYMER CHEMISTRY. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1759-9954 .- 1759-9962. ; 2:5, s. 1114-1123
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is a growing interest in designing advanced macromolecular architectures applicable for instance in drug delivery systems. Employing cellulose in these systems is particularly favorable due to attractive properties such as biocompatibility and low price. Additionally, thermo-responsive polymers of poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylates are promising in this field owing to their biocompatibility and non-toxicity. In the present study, amphiphilic thermo-responsive homo- and copolymers of oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (OEGMA(300)) and di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (DEGMA) were synthesized via ARGET ATRP. Both linear copolymers of DEGMA/OEGMA(300) as well as comb architectures with copolymers of DEGMA/OEGMA(300) grafted from hydroxypropyl cellulose were produced. The lower critical solution temperature of the linear copolymers was readily tailored by altering the monomer feed ratio. The grafting of the thermo-responsive polymers from hydroxypropyl cellulose resulted in a consistent decrease of the lower critical solution temperature compared to the linear analogues; however, interestingly the ability to tune the transition temperature remained. Moreover, the amphiphilic comb architectures formed polymeric micelles with low critical micelle concentrations. Consequently, these advanced architectures combine the favorable properties of hydroxypropyl cellulose with the interesting thermo-responsive and stealth properties of poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylates, and may, therefore, find potential applications in biomedicine.
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| 50. |
- Rathje, Li-Sophie Z., et al.
(författare)
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Oncogenes induce a vimentin filament collapse mediated by HDAC6 that is linked to cell stiffness
- 2014
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 111:4, s. 1515-1520
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Oncogenes deregulate fundamental cellular functions, which can lead to development of tumors, tumor-cell invasion, and metastasis. As the mechanical properties of cells govern cell motility, we hypothesized that oncogenes promote cell invasion by inducing cytoskeletal changes that increase cellular stiffness. We show that the oncogenes simian virus 40 large T antigen, c-Myc, and cyclin E induce spatial reorganization of the vimentin intermediate filament network in cells. At the cellular level, this reorganization manifests as increased width of vimentin fibers and the collapse of the vimentin network. At nanoscale resolution, the organization of vimentin fibers in these oncogene-expressing cells was more entangled, with increased width of the fibers compared with control cells. Expression of these oncogenes also resulted in up-regulation of the tubulin deacetylase histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) and altered spatial distribution of acetylated microtubules. This oncogene expression also induced increases in cellular stiffness and promoted the invasive capacity of the cells. Importantly, HDAC6 was required and sufficient for the structural collapse of the vimentin filament network, and was required for increased cellular stiffness of the oncogene-expressing cells. Taken together, these data are consistent with the possibility that oncogenes can induce cellular stiffness via an HDAC6-induced reorganization of the vimentin intermediate filament network.
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