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- Assefa, Getachew, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental assessment of building properties — Where natural and social sciences meet : the case of EcoEffect
- 2007
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Ingår i: Building and Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0360-1323 .- 1873-684X. ; 42:3, s. 1458-1464
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The EcoEffect method of assessing external and internal impacts of building properties is briefly described. The external impacts of manufacturing and transport of the building materials, the generation of power and heat consumed during the operation phase are assessed using life-cycle methodology. Emissions and waste; natural resource depletion and toxic substances in building materials are accounted for. Here methodologies from natural sciences are employed. The internal impacts involve the assessment of the risk for discomfort and ill-being due to features and properties of both the indoor environment and outdoor environment within the boundary of the building properties. This risk is calculated based on data and information from questionnaires; measurements and inspection where methodologies mainly from social sciences are used. Life-cycle costs covering investment and utilities costs as well as maintenance costs summed up over the lifetime of the building are also calculated.The result presentation offers extensive layers of diagrams and data tables ranging from an aggregated diagram of environmental efficiency to quantitative indicators of different aspects and factors. Environmental efficiency provides a relative measure of the internal quality of a building property in relation to its external impact vis-à-vis its performance relative to other building properties.
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- Esmaily, Hamideh M, et al.
(författare)
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Does an outcome-based approach to continuing medical education improve physicians' competences in rational prescribing?
- 2009
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Ingår i: Medical teacher. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0142-159X .- 1466-187X. ; 31:11, s. E500-E506
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Continuing medical education (CME) is compulsory in Iran, and traditionally it is lecture-based, which is mostly not successful. Outcome-based education has been proposed for CME programs. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of an outcome-based educational intervention with a new approach based on outcomes and aligned teaching methods, on knowledge and skills of general physicians (GPs) working in primary care compared with a concurrent CME program in the field of "Rational prescribing". Method: The method used was cluster randomized controlled design. All GPs working in six cities in one province in Iran were invited to participate. The cities were matched and randomly divided into an intervention arm for education on rational prescribing with an outcome-based approach, and a control arm for a traditional program on the same topic. Knowledge and skills were assessed using a pre- and post-test, including case scenarios. Results: In total, 112 GPs participated. There were significant improvements in knowledge and prescribing skills after the training in the intervention arm as well as in comparison with the changes in the control arm. The overall intervention effect was 26 percentage units. Conclusion: The introduction of an outcome-based approach in CME appears to be effective when creating programs to improve GPs' knowledge and skills.
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- Gode, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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A novel sulfonated dendritic polymer as the acidic component in proton conducting membranes
- 2006
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Ingår i: Solid State Ionics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-2738 .- 1872-7689. ; 177:7-8, s. 787-794
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present study involves the synthesis of sulfonated poly(3-ethyl-3-(hydroxymethyl)oxetane), sPTMPO, by end-capping the hydroxy-groups in the PTMPO with 1,4-butane sultone. A series of the polymer with different degrees of substitution was investigated. Furthermore, the subsequent use of the sulfonated PTMPO as the acidic component in proton conducting membranes was explored. The membranes were prepared by either a) mixing the partly sulfonated PTMPO with hexamethoxymethyl melamine (HMMM) to form cross-links by ether formation between the methylol groups on HMMM and the remaining hydroxyl groups on the hyperbranched polyether or b) using the sulfonated polyether in conjunction with a pyridine functionalised polysulfone, PSU-pyridine, to produce acid-base blend membranes. Membrane properties such as proton conductivity, water uptake and mechanical properties are discussed.
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- Gustavsson, M. T., et al.
(författare)
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Modification of cellulose fiber surfaces by use of a lipase and a xyloglucan endotransglycosylase
- 2005
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Ingår i: Biomacromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1525-7797 .- 1526-4602. ; 6:1, s. 196-203
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A strategy for the modification of cellulose fiber surfaces was developed that used the ability of Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) to acylate carbohydrates with high regioselectivity, combined with the transglycosylating activity of the Populus tremula x P. tremuloides xyloglucan endotransglycosylase 16A (PttXET16A). Xyloglucan oligosaccharides (XGOs) prepared from tamarind xyloglucan were acylated with CALB as a catalyst and vinyl stearate or gamma-thiobutyrolactone as acyl donors to produce carbohydrate molecules with hydrophobic alkyl chains or reactive sulfhydryl groups, respectively. The modified XGOs were shown to act as glycosyl acceptors in the transglycosylation reaction catalyzed by PttXET16A and could therefore be incorporated into high M-r xyloglucan chains. The resulting xyloglucan molecules exhibited a high affinity for cellulose surfaces, which enabled the essentially irreversible introduction of fatty acid esters or thiol groups to cellulose fibers.
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- Hedin, Eva M. K., et al.
(författare)
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Implications of surface charge and curvature for the binding orientation of Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase on negatively charged or zwitterionic phospholipid vesicles as studied by ESR spectroscopy
- 2005
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Ingår i: Biochemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0006-2960 .- 1520-4995. ; 44:50, s. 16658-16671
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The triglyceride lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase (TLL) binds with high affinity to unilamellar phospholipid vesicles that serve as a diluent interface for both lipase and substrate, but it displays interfacial activation on only small and negatively charged such vesicles [Cajal, Y., et al. (2000) Biochemistry 39, 413-423]. The productive-mode binding orientation of TLL at the lipid-water interface of small unilamellar vesicles (SUV) consisting of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyi-sn-glycero-3-phosphati-dylglycerol (POPG) was previously determined using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy in combination with site-directed spin-labeling [Hedin, E. M. K., et al. (2002) Biochemistry 41, 1418514196]. In our investigation, we have studied the interfacial orientation of TLL when bound to large unilamellar vesicles (LUV) consisting of POPG, and bound to SUV consisting of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylsn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (POPC). Eleven single-cysteine TLL mutants were spin-labeled as previously described, and studied upon membrane binding using the water soluble spin-relaxation agent chromium(III) oxalate (Crox). Furthermore, dansyl-labeled vesicles revealed the intermolecular fluorescence quenching efficiency between each spin-label positioned on TLL, and the lipid membrane. ESR exposure and fluorescence quenching data show that TILL associates closer to the negatively charged PG surface than the zwitterionic PC surface, and binds to both POPG LUV and POPC SUV predominantly through the concave backside of TLL opposite the active site, as revealed by the contact residues K74C-SL, R209C-SL, and T192C-SL. This orientation is significantly different compared to that on the POPG SUV, and might explain the differences in activation of the lipase. Evidently, both the charge and accessibility (curvature) of the vesicle surface determine the TLL orientation at the phospholipid interface.
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- Hult, Annika, et al.
(författare)
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Blood group genotype analysis for the quality improvement of reagent test red blood cells
- 2005
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Ingår i: Vox Sanguinis. - : Wiley. - 1423-0410 .- 0042-9007. ; 88:4, s. 265-270
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and Objectives Reagent red blood cells (RBCs) for antibody detection should express certain important antigens as a double dose, that is, the donors must be homozygous for the corresponding alleles. Traditionally, dose is determined by serological typing and known allele frequencies. However, RHD zygosity cannot be predicted serologically owing to the absence of an antithetical antigen, and FY zygosity is confounded by two variant haplotypes, FY*0 and FY*X. Furthermore, lack of reagents hampers our ability to type for some clinically important antigen pairs such as Do(a)/Do(b). Materials and Methods Genomic DNA was isolated from reagent RBC samples. Established, validated methods were used to determine the RHD, FY, and DO genotypes. Results Three of 52 D+ samples gave results that differed from the predicted genotype: two presumed (RR1)-R-1 samples and an (RR2)-R-2 sample were shown to be R(1)r" and R(2)r', respectively. Five of 59 samples that were from presumed homozygotes for either FY*A or FY*B were heterozygous, together with either FY*X (three samples) or FY*0 (two samples). Seventy-five samples tested for DO were DO*A/A (n = 14), DO*A/B (n = 39), or DO*B/B (n = 22). Conclusions The results show that serologically determined RhD and Duffy phenotypes of reagent RBCs are unreliable and that antigens we thought were represented as a double dose were single dose. The addition of Dombrock genotyping provides information which is useful in antibody identification. We conclude that selected genotype analyses are a valuable quality assurance measure to ensure that reagent RBCs comply with national and international recommendations for test sensitivity.
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- Hult, G.T.M, et al.
(författare)
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What Drives Performance in Globally Focused Marketing Organizations? A Three-Country Study
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of International Marketing. - : SAGE Publications. - 1069-031X .- 1547-7215. ; 15:2, s. 58-85
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In marketing, compared with other organizational dimensions such as leadership, culture, structure, and processes, relatively scant attention has been devoted to the effect of strategy on firm performance, especially in the global context. Rapid globalization of markets, along with ever-increasing dynamic demands on the marketing organization, necessitates a new examination. This article reports on a study that examines the role of strategy and other organizational forces on the performance of globally focused marketing organizations headquartered in Norway, Sweden, and the United States. The general findings indicate that (1) the constructs of leadership, strategy, and culture precede the globally focused marketing organization's structure; (2) strategy precedes structure; and (3) organizational structure and processes influence marketing and financial performance. Many relationships appear to be consistent across countries, and some are uniquely tied to the home-country markets.
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- Park, S., et al.
(författare)
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Focusing mutations into the P. fluorescens esterase binding site increases enantioselectivity more effectively than distant mutations
- 2005
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Ingår i: Chemistry and Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1074-5521 .- 1879-1301. ; 12:1, s. 45-54
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rational design of enzymes with improved properties, such as enantioselectivity, usually focuses mutations within the substrate binding site. On the other hand, directed evolution of enzymes usually targets the entire protein and discovers beneficial mutations far from the substrate binding site. In this paper, we propose an explanation for this discrepancy and show that a combined approach-random mutagenesis within the substrate binding site-is better. To increase the enantioselectivity (E) of a Pseudomonas fluorescens esterase (PFE) toward methyl 3-bromo-2-methylpropionate, we focused mutagenesis into the substrate binding site at Trp28, Val121, Phe198, and Val225. Five of the catalytically active mutants (13%) showed better enantioselectivity than wild-type PFE. The increases in enantioselectivity were higher (up to 5-fold, reaching E = 61) than with mutants identified by random mutagenesis of the entire enzyme.
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- Pitois, C., et al.
(författare)
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Lanthanide-cored fluorinated dendrimer complexes : synthesis and luminescence characterization
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of Luminescence. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-2313 .- 1872-7883. ; 111:4, s. 265-283
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Eu3+-. Tb3+- and Er3+-cored dendrimer complexes were prepared by self-assembly of three fluorinated dendrons, each with a carboxylate anion focal point, around the lanthanide ion. Energy transfer from the peripheral fluorinated phenyl moieties of the dendrons to the lanthanide cation was evidenced spectroscopically for Eu3+- and Tb3+-cored dendrimer complexes in solution. The excitation of perfluorinated aromatic groups was found to decay with ca. 0.7 ns and a longer decay time 10-13 ns was related to the coordination at the Ln(3+) focal point. Luminescence from the lanthanide core decays with lifetime in the range 1-1.5ms over a wide concentration range (mu M-mM), similar to the luminescence decay time of the corresponding acetate ion complexes in D2O. The main quenching mechanism of the lanthanide emission appears to be due to vibrations among surrounding C-H bonds of the intermediate shell of the flexible dendrimer scaffold. Antenna effect and energy harvesting from the surface of the dendrimer and transfer to the core was the main mechanism for luminescecnce in the dendrimer complexes with lanthanide cations.
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- Takwa, Mohamad, et al.
(författare)
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Lipase Catalyzed HEMA Initiated Ring-Opening Polymerization : In Situ Formation of Mixed Polyester Methacrylates by Transesterification
- 2008
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Ingår i: Biomacromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1525-7797 .- 1526-4602. ; 9:2, s. 704-710
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) was used as initiator for the enzymatic ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ω-pentadecalactone (PDL) and ∈-caprolactone (CL). The lipase B from Candida antarctica was found to catalyze the cleavage of the ester bond in the HEMA end group of the formed polyesters, resulting in two major transesterification processes, methacrylate transfer and polyester transfer. This resulted in a number of different polyester methacrylate structures, such as polymers without, with one, and with two methacrylate end groups. Furthermore, the 1,2-ethanediol moiety (from HEMA) was found in the polyester products as an integral part of HEMA, as an end group (with one hydroxyl group) and incorporated within the polyester (polyester chains acylated on both hydroxyl groups). After 72 h, as a result of the methacrylate transfer, 79% (48%) of the initial amount of the methacrylate moiety (from HEMA) was situated (acylated) on the end hydroxyl group of the PPDL (PCL) polyester. In order to prepare materials for polymer networks, fully dimethacrylated polymers were synthesized in a one-pot procedure by combining HEMA-initiated ROP with end-capping using vinyl methacrylate. The novel PPDL dimethacrylate (>95% incorporated methacrylate end groups) is currently in use for polymer network formation. Our results show that initiators with cleavable ester groups are of limited use to obtain well-defined monomethacrylated macromonomers due to the enzyme-based transesterification processes. On the other hand, when combined with end-capping, well-defined dimethacrylated polymers (PPDL, PCL) were prepared.
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- Westlund, Robert, et al.
(författare)
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Grafting liquid crystalline polymers from cellulose substrates using atom transfer radical polymerization
- 2007
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Ingår i: Soft Matter. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1744-683X .- 1744-6848. ; 3:7, s. 866-871
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Immobilizing liquid crystalline polymers on cellulose generates new possibilities of accomplishing addressable/ responsive bio-based substrates. In this paper we report on our first steps to combine the electro-optic properties of liquid crystals with the versatility of paper as a displaying substrate. Electric current or magnetic fields can be used to manipulate the orientation of liquid crystals and thereby change the appearance and the properties of the material. Atom transfer radical polymerization ( ATRP) can be used successfully to graft polymers from solid substrates in a controlled manner. In this study it is shown that the grafting of a liquid crystalline monomer, 11-(4'-cyanophenyl-4 ''-phenoxy) undecyl acrylate, onto cellulose by ATRP is possible, and that thicker films can be obtained by using PMA as a spacer in between the cellulose and the liquid crystalline block. The cellulose fibers become highly hydrophobic subsequent to grafting and the liquid crystalline polymer possesses mesophases accessible for further processing.
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- Yazer, Mark H., et al.
(författare)
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Investigation into A antigen expression on O-2 heterozygous group O-labeled red blood cell units
- 2008
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Ingår i: Transfusion. - : Wiley. - 1537-2995 .- 0041-1132. ; 48:8, s. 1650-1657
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: There are two principal types of group O alleles; deletional alleles feature 261delG leading to nonfunctional truncated protein. Nondeletional alleles have the consensus guanosine at residue 261. The major nondeletional allele, O-2, encodes full-length protein with Gly268Arg. While reports vary, O-2 has been proposed to encode weakly functional A-glycosyltransferase (GTA). The main objective of this study was to evaluate if GTA activity is detectable in O-2 donors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Donor samples from Pittsburgh and Lund were ABO typed by automated methods. DNA was extracted from 779 group O donors whose red blood cells (RBCs) were available for transfusion. ABO genotyping identified those with O-2 alleles. The following tests were performed on randomly selected O-2 samples (number): adsorption-elution with anti-A (3), flow cytometry (15), plasma enzyme activity (4), and attempts to convert group O RBCs to A (2) with O-2 plasma and titration of plasma anti-A/-A(1) (3). RESULTS: Forty O-2-heterozygous donors were identified (5.1%). Adsorption-elution and sensitive flow cytometry did not reveal A antigens on O-2 RBCs. Plasma enzyme analysis failed to show GTA activity above baseline; O-2 plasma was unable to add measurable A antigens to O RBCs. Titers of anti-A/-A(1) appeared reduced in O-2 plasma but did not cause ABO typing discrepancies. No immediate hemolysis or adverse reactions were reported following transfusion of O-2 RBCs to six evaluable group O recipients. CONCLUSIONS: Other than lower plasma anti-A titers, GTA activity was not found in these O-2 samples. Neither automated blood grouping discrepancies nor clinical problems related to transfusing these O-2 units were observed.
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