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This research focused on investigating and comparing the cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of RRR-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (TPGS, with that of alpha-tocopheryl succinate (α-TS). Both TPGS and α-TS are water-soluble forms of vitamin E with important clinical applications. Cytotoxicity assays with RAW 264.7 and LNCaP cells incubated overnight with TPGS or α-TS at concentrations ≥ 12.4 μM suggest that α-TS is more cytotoxic than TPGS. Macrophages were found to be more sensitive than LNCaP cells when treated with similar concentrations of α-TS. For both cell lines, most of the TPGS or α-TS taken up remained esterified after 24 hours. Our results suggest that cell death was due to TPGS and/or α-TS and not alpha-tocopherol. A para-hydroxyanilide of α-TS (p-HATS) that could be used to distinguish between cellular TPGS and α-TS was studied. It was found that p-HATS can be detected electrochemically and that it is hydrolyzed to α-TOH.

Water availability and arable lands are increasingly limiting resources in many parts of the U.S., particularly in semi-arid and arid regions. As a means of addressing food and fuel demands associated with burgeoning population growth, highly productive and water-use efficient crops need to be identified. One potential crop, Agave, merits consideration and evaluation due to its putative capability to provide sustenance and energy despite growing in water-limited regions and on marginal soils. However, little is known regarding the productivity these succulent plants will have under growing conditions of the Southwest, where high concentrated saline soils are abundant, and water is often limited. The objectives of these studies were to determine the effects of high levels of salinity and different volumetric water content levels (VWC) on plant growth, biomass accumulation, and nutrient uptake. I used a hydroponic study to compare the effects of four salinity treatments (0.5, 3, 6, and 9 dS m-1) on productivity of four Agave species (Agave parryi, Agave utahensis ssp. kaibabensis, Agave utahensis ssp. utahensis, and Agave weberi). In a second study, an automated irrigation system was established to examine four pre-determined VWC threshold set-points and simulated a gradient of well-watered to drought conditions, to evaluate how A. weberi would respond to varying levels of water availability. Salinity concentrations did not significantly affect root and plant dry weight accumulation in A. weberi, but all other agave plants experienced less biomass accumulation under high saline conditions (>6 dS m-1). Seedlings of A. utahensis were two times more likely to die in the two highest saline treatments (6 and 9 dS m-1) than the two lower treatments (0.5 dS m-1 and 3 dS m-1). Calcium, Mg, S, Mn levels decreased in both A. parryi and A. weberi at higher salinity levels. Agave weberi was able to tolerate salinity, but it also experienced lower biomass production ≤3 dS m-1. In the water-stress study, Agave weberi plants experienced a decrease of 2.11 g as compared to plants in the highest treatment. Plants in the intermediate VWC treatments had similar dry mass values as those in the highest treatment, which suggests that this species could have moderately high yields under limited water conditions, and consequently should be evaluated as a potential bioenergy crop for semi-arid regions, such as the U.S. Southwest. Agave shows considerable potential to be grown in arid and semi-arid regions that are moderately high in salinity and have limited water availability. Indeed, the cultivation of Agave as a crop appears to be a viable option for many areas of the Southwest. While some of the Agave species evaluated were quite productive under moderate salt and water stress, it is uncertain if growth will be significantly reduced if under these stress conditions for periods longer than 3 months.

For too many of us, the implications of a worldwide pandemic unfolded in graduated stages of understanding that seemed too sluggish for the opponent we faced. For too many of us, even those of us in health care, the unfolding was terrifying; we felt blindsided and unprepared. If coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were a bully picking a fight, they got the first punch in before we even raised a fist. Now, many rounds in, health care teams will have an opportunity to deploy a new weapon against COVID-19. Vaccines are coming. We do not know when, who will pay for them, or the logistical aspects (e.g., storage and administration). We do not even know how effective they will be. Moreover, we must plan for mass vaccination in a chaotic and politically charged context that bears little resemblance to the ones with which we have experience. Nevertheless, in this fight, vaccines could be our winning blow. We are getting better at working with unknowns and in disrupted environments during COVID-19. We have some time to prepare, and we have some extant knowledge and experience in vaccine distribution and uptake. Health care teams can use these to best their adversary, and we can and should begin now. The aim of this article is to discuss how to mobilize interprofessional teams within systems of care to engage best practices in vaccine dissemination and uptake in the unique COVID-19 context. We begin by discussing challenges to dissemination and uptake and then provide solutions using our experiences in the primary care system.

Previous studies have claimed a deadlock between fuel producers, airlines and policymakers when it comes to the market uptake of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). This report investigates the market from a stakeholder perspective, including producers, distributors, purchasers and logistic holders. Obstacles in terms of market maturity are identified as mainly the price gap between Conventional Aviation Fuel (CAF) and SAF. This is due to many things, whereas one being the detachment between travellers and the usage of SAF. It is also the current blend restriction of a maximum of 50 %, as well as extensive and expensive certification processes. Currently, there are few, but a lack of policies and incentives directed towards SAF and a lack of coherency between those that exist and are being implemented. Stakeholders agree that there is a need for developing these, as well as a need for additional financial support during stages of developing production facilities. When it comes to procurement of SAF, stakeholders agree upon that flexibility within different areas are advantageous for the market uptake of SAF, and in most regards, the procurement made by Swedavia is indeed flexible. An important aspect identified in the analysis of Swedavia’s procurement is the use of a business model which reduces the price gap between CAF and SAF for airlines and enabling Swedavia to claim the CO2 reduction of corporate travel. Multiple corporates joined the previous procurement of SAF for corporate travel, and Swedavia holds great opportunities to continue to contribute to the market uptake of SAF by expanding the concept. Multiple opportunities also lie in expanding the business concept to reach all travellers. Concluding, it is established that the current route, mainly referring to the procedure of procurement, is effective and carries great opportunity for further implementation and development. / <p>2021-06-04</p>

Wood is a widely used construction material that has many advantageous properties, and some drawbacks. These drawbacks are mainly associated with the porous vascular structure of wood that makes it a high water-absorbent material. In addition, wood’s properties alter substantially with respect to the moisture content. Amongst the treatment techniques that limit the water uptake capacity of wood, vacuum-aided impregnation has exhibited promising results. However, little research has explored the effect of key parameters (such as the vacuum pressure) on the effectiveness of the impregnation. This study aims to optimize the performance of SiO2 impregnation of spruce wood under vacuum pressures. The main objective of this research is to overcome wood’s weakness by reducing its water uptake capacity through a vacuum-aided impregnation technique and study its effect on the physico-mechanical properties of wood under dry and saturated conditions. The study was conducted in two parts. In the first part, wood samples underwent impregnation under atmospheric and three vacuum pressures. Density measurements, water uptake tests, microscopy examination, thermogravimetric analysis, and dynamic mechanical analysis were conducted on non-treated and SiO2-treated samples. Quantitative and qualitative analyses demonstrated that SiO2 impregnation performed under -90 kPa was able to effectively enhance the wood’s properties compared to the other conditions. The SiO2 impregnation under high vacuum pressure demonstrated an effective increase in the density of the wood and achieved a significant reduction in the water uptake capacity. The analysis of the wood’s viscoelastic properties revealed that SiO2 impregnation under atmospheric and vacuum conditions triggered two different reinforcing mechanisms: a solid film, causing stick-slip oscillation, and particle diffusion, causing particle-particle and particle-lumen wall friction, respectively. For the second part, characterization methods such as Impact test, DMA, SEM, EDS, Porosity, and SAXS tests were conducted on non-treated and -90 kPa treated spruce wood samples in dry, saturated, and submerged states in order to reveal the synergistic effect of the SiO2 impregnation pressure and water uptake on the wood’s properties. The results showed that high vacuum impregnation pressure has a significant positive reinforcing effect on the wood’s properties. It increased the impact resistance of wood in dry and saturated conditions. A high vacuum impregnation was able to overcome the softening effect of water and caused a significant increase in the Storage modulus by strengthening the wood’s vascular structure, which accordingly increased the wood’s capacity to absorb energy. High vacuum impregnation was also able to counteract the plasticizing effect of water and significantly increased the Loss modulus by increasing the internal friction in the wood with the diffusion of the nanoparticles in the wood’s cell walls and vascular structure. This phenomenon increased the wood's capacity to absorb and dissipate energy under dry and submerged conditions.

99mTecknetium-tetrofosmin är ett radiofarmaceutiskt medel som används vid myokardscintigrafi för att bedöma myokardperfusionen genom att avbilda vänsterkammarens blodflöde. Radiofarmakat uppvisar ett lågt myokardiellt upptag på endast 1,2%, där majoriteten av resterande radiofarmaka rensas ut genom levern och utsöndras via gallsystemet. Det extrakardiella upptaget i buken kan minska bildkvalitén, dölja defekter och försämra diagnostisk noggrannhet. GE StarGuide är en SPECT/CT-kamera utrustad med avancerad detektorteknologi som möjliggör fokuserad fotoninsamling, vilket bidrar till högre bildupplösning. Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka effekten av bukupptag vid bedömning av vänsterkammarens blodfördelning vid myokardscintigrafi med hjälp av SPECT/CT-kameran StarGuide. För att uppnå detta användes en thoraxmodell med ett fantomhjärta och en slang som simulerade bukupptag. Slangen fylldes med varierande aktivitetskoncentrationer och avståndet mellan slangen och fantomhjärtat varierades systematiskt. Vårdpersonal inom området bedömde sedan om bildomtagning var nödvändig, baserat på bildkvalitén och effekten av bukupptaget. Resultatet från studien indikerar en kvalitativ och kvantitativ påverkan av bukupptag vid bedömning av blodfördelningen i vänsterkammaren för de olika undersökta aktivitetskoncentrationerna och avstånden. Däremot observerades ingen statistisk signifikant skillnad mellan aktivitetskoncentrationerna vad gäller den kvantitativt påverkan. Vidare studier krävs för att validera dessa fynd och ge nya riktlinjer för att optimera användningen av StarGuide inom den nuklearmedicinska verksamheten. / 99mTechnetium-tetrofosmin is a radiopharmaceutical agent used for myocardial perfusion scintigraphy to assess myocardial perfusion by imaging the left ventricular bloodflow. The agent exhibits a low myocardial uptake of only 1,2%, with the majority of the agent being cleared through the liver and excreted via the biliary system. The extracardiac uptake in the abdomen can reduce image quality, conceal defects, and compromise diagnostic accuracy. The GE StarGuide is a SPECT/CT-camera equipped with advanced detector technology that allows for focused photon collection, thus contributing to improved image resolution. The objective of the present phantomstudy was to investigate the effect of abdominal uptake on the assessment of blood distribution in the left ventricle during myocardial perfusion scintigraphy using the SPECT/CT-camera StarGuide. To acieve this, a thorax model containing a phantomheart was used, with a tube simulating abdominal uptake. The tube was filled with varying activity concentrations, and the distance between the tube and the phantomheart was systematically varied. Healthcare professionals within the field then assessed whether image retakes were necessary based on the image quality and the impact of the abdominal uptake. The results of the study indicated that there is a qualitative and quantitative effect of extracardiac uptake on the assessment of left ventricular blood distribution for the different activity concentrations and distances examined, however, no statistically significant difference was observed between the activity concentrations quantitatively. Further investigations are needed to validate these findings and provide guidance for optimizing the use of the StarGuide camera in nuclear medicine practice.

Lipid structures, such as liposomes or micelles, are of high interest as an approach to support the transport and delivery of active agents as a drug delivery system. However, there are many open questions regarding their uptake and impact on cellular metabolism. In this study, lipid structures were assembled as a supported lipid bilayer on top of biopolymer-coated microcarriers based on the Layer-by-Layer assembly strategy. The functionalized microcarriers were then applied to various human and animal cell lines in addition to primary human macrophages (MΦ). Here, their influence on cellular metabolism and their intracellular localization were detected by extracellular flux analysis and immunofluorescence analysis, respectively. The impact of microcarriers on metabolic parameters was in most cell types rather low. However, lipid bilayer-supported microcarriers induced a decrease in oxygen consumption rate (OCR, indicative for mitochondrial respiration) and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR, indicative for glycolysis) in Vero cells. Additionally, in Vero cells lipid bilayer microcarriers showed a more pronounced association with microtubule filaments than polymer-coated microcarrier. Furthermore, they localized to a perinuclear region and induced nuclei with some deformations at a higher rate than unfunctionalized carriers. This association was reduced through the application of the microtubule polymerization inhibitor nocodazole. Thus, the effect of respective lipid structures as a drug delivery system on cells has to be considered in the context of the respective target cell, but in general can be regarded as rather low.

Excess nitrogen (N) from terrestrial landscapes poses environmental challenges as it moves via surface runoff and groundwater flows into aquatic ecosystems. Managing and anticipating the environmental challenges associated with these altered N inputs from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems requires a deep understanding of how N is biogeochemically transformed, retained, and/or transported in streams and rivers. Here, I used long-term data on surface stream and groundwater chemistry as well as discharge to determine the main sources of N and estimate the N mass balance of a 1.4 km boreal stream reach. The goal was to evaluate daily net uptake or production rates of different N forms (ammonium - NH4-N, nitrate NO3-N and dissolved organic N - DON) throughout the seasons, and assess physical and chemical factors that may drive changes in net processing. The mass balances analysis revealed distinct patterns in net uptake among N forms. Notably, there was clear evidence of NH4-N and DON uptake (removal) in the stream, while NO3-N processing patterns showed neither clear uptake nor production. Further, variation in net uptake for NH4-N and DON was positively related to stream DOC, DOC:DIN, and C:N ratios, indicating that carbon rich conditions promoted greater N demand in this ecosystem. By comparison, variations in net NO3-N uptake or production at the reach scale were only weakly correlated with these carbon rich conditions. Finally, I assessed these patterns within the nutrient processing domains (NPDs) framework to characterize the behavior/character of the study reach. Accordingly, during the open water season, the stream reach acted mostly as a consumer for both NH4-N and DON, while on many dates it acted as a weak enhancer for NO3-N. These findings contribute to the broader understanding of N dynamics in boreal stream ecosystems and emphasize the complex interplay among organic and inorganic N forms, carbon dynamics, and nutrient processing in these environments. This knowledge is crucial for effective environmental management and conservation efforts in the region.