The effect of perceived control on the decision to withdraw from an organization in an inequitable situation

This project attempts to explain impulsive behavior which is described here as behavior that cannot be explained by a rational thought process. There will be a concentration on the direct relationship between perceptions of equity and the intention to quit

Adipose tissue-derived stem cells and their application in bone and cartilage tissue engineering

The adipose tissue was considered a reserve of energy until the ’80s, when it was found that this tissue was involved in the metabolism of sex steroids such as estrogens. From then on, the importance attributed to this tissue radically changed as it was then considered an active organ, involved in important functions of the human body. In 2001, for the first time, the existence of stem cells within this tissue was reported, and since then, this tissue has been gaining an increased importance as a stem cell source for a wide range of potential applications in cell therapies and=or tissue engineering and regenerative medicine strategies, mainly due to its wide availability and easy access. This manuscript provides an overview on adipose stem cells (i.e., adipose tissue–derived stem cells, ASCs) considering the tissue of origin, the niche of the ASCs, and their phenotype in all aspects. In this paper it is also discussed the markers that have been used for the characterization of these cells, their differentiation properties, and their immunological reactivity, reporting studies from 2001 until this date. The ASCs are also compared with bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs), until now considered as the gold standard source of stem cells, underlining the common characteristics and the differences between the stem cells obtained from these two sources, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of their potential use in different applications. Finally, this review will also focus on the potential application of ASCs in tissue engineering applications, particularly in the regeneration of bone and cartilage, commenting on the progress of this approach and future trends of the field.T. Rada thanks the European Marie Curie EST Project (Alea Jacta Est) for the Ph. D. fellowship. The authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the partial financial support through funds from POCTI and/or FEDER programs and to the European Union funded STREP Project HIPPOCRATES (NMP3-CT-2003-505758) and the European NoE EXPER-TISSUES (NMP3-CT-2004-500283)

Modern day monitoring and control challenges outlined on an industrial-scale benchmark fermentation process

This paper outlines real-world control challenges faced by modern-day biopharmaceutical facilities through the extension of a previously developed industrial-scale penicillin fermentation simulation (IndPenSim). The extensions include the addition of a simulated Raman spectroscopy device for the purpose of developing, evaluating and implementation of advanced and innovative control solutions applicable to biotechnology facilities. IndPenSim can be operated in fixed or operator controlled mode and generates all the available on-line, off-line and Raman spectra for each batch. The capabilities of IndPenSim were initially demonstrated through the implementation of a QbD methodology utilising the three stages of the PAT framework. Furthermore, IndPenSim evaluated a fault detection algorithm to detect process faults occurring on different batches recorded throughout a yearly campaign. The simulator and all data presented here are available to download at www.industrialpenicillinsimulation.com and acts as a benchmark for researchers to analyse, improve and optimise the current control strategy implemented on this facility. Additionally, a highly valuable data resource containing 100 batches with all available process and Raman spectroscopy measurements is freely available to download. This data is highly suitable for the development of big data analytics, machine learning (ML) or artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms applicable to the biopharmaceutical industry

Modern day monitoring and control challenges outlined on an industrial-scale benchmark fermentation process

This paper outlines real-world control challenges faced by modern-day biopharmaceutical facilities through the extension of a previously developed industrial-scale penicillin fermentation simulation (IndPenSim). The extensions include the addition of a simulated Raman spectroscopy device for the purpose of developing, evaluating and implementation of advanced and innovative control solutions applicable to biotechnology facilities. IndPenSim can be operated in fixed or operator controlled mode and generates all the available on-line, off-line and Raman spectra for each batch. The capabilities of IndPenSim were initially demonstrated through the implementation of a QbD methodology utilising the three stages of the PAT framework. Furthermore, IndPenSim evaluated a fault detection algorithm to detect process faults occurring on different batches recorded throughout a yearly campaign. The simulator and all data presented here are available to download at www.industrialpenicillinsimulation.com and acts as a benchmark for researchers to analyse, improve and optimise the current control strategy implemented on this facility. Additionally, a highly valuable data resource containing 100 batches with all available process and Raman spectroscopy measurements is freely available to download. This data is highly suitable for the development of big data analytics, machine learning (ML) or artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms applicable to the biopharmaceutical industry

Uute mikro-mesopoorsete karbiididest sünteesitud süsinikmaterjalide valmistamine ning karakteriseerimine kõrge energia- ja võimsustih edusega elektrilise kaksikkihi kondensaatori elektroodimaterjalina

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone.Viimaste aastate geopoliitiliste kriiside taga on tihti võitlus piiratud energiaressursside üle. See on oluline, kuid kindlasti mitte ainus põhjus, miks on järjest rohkem hakatud rääkima energiajulgeolekust ning moodsate tehnoloogiate kasutuselevõtust selle saavutamiseks. Need moodsad tehnoloogiad põhinevad suuresti päikesest ja tuulest elektrienergia tootmisele, mida omakorda on vaja kombineerida erinevate energiasalvestusseadmetega. Paraku on vajalike energiamuundurite ning suure erimahtuvuse ja erivõimsusega energiasalvestite konstrueerimine ilma konkurentsivõimeliste ja efektiivsete superkondensaatoriteta äärmiselt keeruline. Kommertsiaalsed superkondensaatorid on viimasel aastakümnel teinud suure arenguhüppe ning nende kasutamine kasvab kiiresti. Siiski ei ole superkondensaatorite hinna ja kvaliteedi suhe piisavalt hea, et rakendada neid massiliselt elektrivõrkudes taastuvenergeetika efektiivsemaks muutmise nimel. Kuigi väga suure soovi korral saaks kogu maailm juba täna minna üle taastuvale ning mittereostavale energeetikale, oleks selle hind kõrge ning inimesed pole valmis seda investeeringut tegema. Superkondensaatorite hinna ja kvaliteedi suhte parandamiseks on võimalik kas muuta tootmist odavamaks või oluliselt parandada seadmete elektrokeemilisi omadusi ning tõsta nende kvaliteeti. Üheks olulisimaks komponendiks superkondensaatoris on poorne kõrge eripinnaga elektrood, mille füüsikaline morfoloogia ja omadused määravad suuresti ka lõppprodukti karakteristikud nagu võimsus, mahtuvus ja eluiga. Selle tõttu on uute ning superkondensaatorites paremini käituvate elektroodimaterjalide väljatöötamine äärmiselt oluline. Tartu Ülikooli keemia instituudis on viimastel aastatel intensiivselt uuritud eriliste omadustega mikropoorse süsinikmaterjali sünteesi karbiididest ning selle kasutamist superkondensaatorite elektroodina. Me oleme võimelised üsna lihtsate meetoditega sünteesima väga unikaalsete füüsikaliste ja keemiliste omadustega süsinikmaterjale. Käesoleva doktoritöö raames valmistati uudseid süsinikmaterjale erinevatest karbiididest kõrgtemperatuurse halogeenimise meetodil. Esialgu teostati materjalidele erinevad füüsikalised mõõtmised mille käigus saadi parem arusaam nende morfoloogiast, kristallilisusest ja keerukast poorsest struktuurist. Seejärel valmistati süsinikmaterjalidest superkondensaatori elektroodid ning teostati põhjalikud elektrokeemilised mõõtmised ja analüüs. Töö käigus saadud tulemuste põhjalikumal analüüsil leiti mitmeid selgepiirilisi korrelatsioone, kuidas materjalide erinevad füüsikalised karakteristikud mõjutavad superkondensaatori elektrokeemilisi omadusi. Selle tulemusel leiti, millised sünteesitud materjalid sobivad superkondensaatori elektroodideks paremini ning milliseid füüsikalisi parameetreid peaks eriti silmas pidama, kui otsida uusi hea hinna ja kvaliteedi suhtega materjale superkondensaatorite elektroodide valmistamiseks.The geopolitical crises in recent years are often triggered by fights over limited energy resources. This is one of many reasons why it is becoming more and more important to invest in energy security and modern technologies. The latter are largely based on harvesting the energy of the sun and wind, which have to be backed up by various energy storage devices. The production of the necessary energy converter systems as well as high energy and power density storage systems is very difficult without competitive and efficient supercapacitors. In the last decade the commercial supercapacitors have made a great leap forward and their use is growing rapidly. However, their price-performance ratio is still not good enough to implement them on a large scale in electricity networks to make renewable energy more stable. If in great need, the world could meet its energy need from renewable resources even now. However, the price for this is still too high for the economically thinking mankind. To improve the price-performance ratio of supercapacitors there are two options: either lower the cost of production or significantly improve the electrochemical properties of supercapacitors. One of the key components in a supercapacitor is the porous electrode with a very high specific surface area. The morphology and physical characteristics of the electrode determine the supercapacitors electrochemical properties such as power density, capacity and lifetime. For these reasons, it is very important to develop new and better electrode materials for supercapacitors. In the Institute of Chemistry in University of Tartu a lot of work has been done in recent years to study unique carbon materials and their applicability to be used as supercapacitor electrodes. By fairly simple synthesis methods, we are capable of producing carbon materials with exceptional physical and electrochemical properties. In this work new carbon materials were produced from various carbides by means of high-temperature halogenation. Initially, these materials were physically characterized to better understand their morphology, crystallinity and complex porous structure. Thereafter the carbons were roll-pressed into supercapacitor electrodes and electrochemically analyzed. Clear correlations were established between the electrochemical and physical characteristics of the carbon materials synthesized. As a result, it was determined which materials were better suited for supercapacitor electrodes and which of the physical parameters should be especially kept in mind, when designing new materials for supercapacitors electrodes with a good price-performance ratio

Nanocarriers for effective delivery of benznidazole and nifurtimox in the treatment of chagas disease: A review

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) constitute a group of infectious diseases prevalent in countries with tropical and subtropical climate that affect the poorest individuals and produce high chronic disability associated with serious problems for the health system and socioeconomic development. Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis is included on the NTDs list. However, even though this disease affects more than 10 million people, mostly in Latin America, causing the death of over 10,000 people every year, only two drugs are approved for its treatment, benznidazole and nifurtimox. These antiparasitic agents were developed almost half a century ago and present several biopharmaceutical disadvantages such as low aqueous solubility and permeability limiting their bioavailability. In addition, both therapeutic agents are available only as tablets and a liquid pediatric formulation is still lacking. Therefore, novel pharmaceutical strategies to optimize the pharmacotherapy of Chagas disease are urgently required. In this regard, nanotechnological approaches may be a crucial alternative for the delivery of both drugs ensuring an effective pharmacotherapy although the successful bench-to-bedside translation remains a major challenge. The present work reviews in detail the formulation and in-vitro/in-vivo analysis of different nanoformulations of nifurtimox and benznidazole in order to enhance their solubility, dissolution, bioavailability and trypanocidal activity.Fil: Arrua, Eva Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Departamento de Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Seremeta, Katia Pamela. Universidad Nacional del Chaco Austral; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Bedogni, Giselle Rocio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Departamento de Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Okulik, Nora Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Chaco Austral; ArgentinaFil: Salomon, Claudio Javier. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Departamento de Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Recent advances in candidate-gene and whole-genome approaches to the discovery of anthelmintic resistance markers and the description of drug/receptor interactions

Anthelmintic resistance has a great impact on livestock production systems worldwide, is an emerging concern in companion animal medicine, and represents a threat to our ongoing ability to control human soil-transmitted helminths. The Consortium for Anthelmintic Resistance and Susceptibility (CARS) provides a forum for scientists to meet and discuss the latest developments in the search for molecular markers of anthelmintic resistance. Such markers are important for detecting drug resistant worm populations, and indicating the likely impact of the resistance on drug efficacy. The molecular basis of resistance is also important for understanding how anthelmintics work, and how drug resistant populations arise. Changes to target receptors, drug efflux and other biological processes can be involved. This paper reports on the CARS group meeting held in August 2013 in Perth, Australia. The latest knowledge on the development of molecular markers for resistance to each of the principal classes of anthelmintics is reviewed. The molecular basis of resistance is best understood for the benzimidazole group of compounds, and we examine recent work to translate this knowledge into useful diagnostics for field use. We examine recent candidate-gene and whole-genome approaches to understanding anthelmintic resistance and identify markers. We also look at drug transporters in terms of providing both useful markers for resistance, as well as opportunities to overcome resistance through the targeting of the transporters themselves with inhibitors. Finally, we describe the tools available for the application of the newest high-throughput sequencing technologies to the study of anthelmintic resistance

Cellular Imaging in Regenerative Medicine, Cancer and Osteoarthritis

In this thesis we showed different methods to label cells for cellular imaging to determine their role in diagnosis and therapy of various diseases