Translocating the blood-brain barrier using electrostatics

Copyright © 2012 Ribeiro,Domingues, Freire,Santos and Castanho. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in other forums, provided the original authors and source are credited and subject to any copyright notices concerning any third-party graphics etc.Mammalian cell membranes regulate homeostasis, protein activity, and cell signaling. The charge at the membrane surface has been correlated with these key events. Although mammalian cells are known to be slightly anionic, quantitative information on the membrane charge and the importance of electrostatic interactions in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics remain elusive. Recently, we reported for the first time that brain endothelial cells (EC) are more negatively charged than human umbilical cord cells, using zeta-potential measurements by dynamic light scattering. Here, we hypothesize that anionicity is a key feature of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and contributes to select which compounds cross into the brain. For the sake of comparison, we also studied the membrane surface charge of blood components—red blood cells (RBC), platelets, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).To further quantitatively correlate the negative zeta-potential values with membrane charge density, model membranes with different percentages of anionic lipids were also evaluated. From all the cells tested, brain cell membranes are the most anionic and those having their lipids mostly exposed, which explains why lipophilic cationic compounds are more prone to cross the blood-brain barrier.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia — Ministério da Educação e Ciência (FCT-MEC, Portugal) is acknowledged for funding (including fellowships SFRH/BD/42158/2007 to Marta M.B. Ribeiro, SFRH/BD/41750/2007 to Marco M. Domingues and SFRH/BD/70423/2010 to João M. Freire) and project PTDC/QUI-BIQ/119509/2010. Marie Curie Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (European Commission) is also acknowledged for funding (FP7-PEOPLE-2007-3-1-IAPP, Project 230654)

Drivers and Barriers for Inland Waterway Transportation

Inland waterway transportation (IWT) in Sweden could be a substitute for road transports with the prospects of improving the environmental performance. Sweden currently has no systematic strategies or policies for transports on inland waterways (IWW), and despite available capacity the waterways are barely utilized. In the Netherlands, for example, the IWW capacity is embedded in the transport system and utilized to a large extent. For a successful modal shift it is important to understand the drivers and barriers for the shift and develop strategies to leverage the drivers and mitigate the barriers. This study aims to identify drivers and barriers for IWT based on successful benchmark cases in the Netherlands. Furthermore, based on the learning from these benchmarks the study aims to point out strategic actions for Sweden regarding IWT. The data for this study was collected from IWT organizations, shippers and local administrations in the Netherlands. The results showed that main drivers for IWT are congestion relief, cost reduction and lower environmental impact. On the other hand, main barriers are slow pace of development, high investment costs and poor hinterland connectivity. For a successful modal shift in Sweden, it is crucial to prepare governmental support, a change in stakeholders’ mindset, decisive attitude to modal shift process and a strong long-term perspective

An environmentally friendly company is just like any ordinary company; it thrives for success

Purpose: To explore whether the view on Business Models and Value Creation, can explain the lack of Venture Capital investments in green start-ups, by examining how green start-up Entrepreneurs, and Venture Capitalist investors, view these two factors. Theoretical framework: The aim of this thesis is to address some of the key knowledge gaps in research available today, regarding why there is a lack of investments within the green start-up sector. By applying Behavioral Finance as a tool when examining Entrepreneurs and Venture Capitalist Investors view on certain factors, the goal is to receive a better understanding of the reasoning behind the investor’s decision-making. This case study will concentrate on the two factors, Value Creation, and Business Models, and together with Behavioral Finance these three theories will build up the theoretical framework of this thesis to find answer to the research questions and purpose. Methodology: This study is a qualitative case study of the view on Business Models and Value Creation with elements of an adductive approach. A theoretical framework was developed and compared to the empirical findings from eight semi-structured in-depth interviews. Results: To summarize the results, Venture Capitalist Investors view Value Creating and Business Models of green start-ups differently, but a general theme is that investors tend to be aiming more for Profit Maximization. On the other hand, green start-up Entrepreneurs view Value Creation and Business Models out of a Shared Value perspective, but realize the importance of building up an attractive track record. Behavioral Finance can to some extent function as a good tool and theory for explaining the underinvestment in green start-ups. A Skepticism towards the green start-up sector was described by several of the interviewees. The skepticism was grounded in a lack of “success stories” and track record within the green start-up sector and therefore the findings of this case study indicate that the view on green start-ups is to some extent damaged by several bad historical results, previous weak return on investment and lack of strong track records.An exploring study of why there is a lack of investments in the green start-up sector For a long time, a transition to an environmental sustainable society has been on the agenda, now more than ever. In late 2015 the UN chief Ban Ki Moon stressed the importance, describing their UN initiative: “Trillions of dollars in public and private funds are to be redirected towards the Sustainable Development Goals, creating huge opportunities for responsible companies to deliver solutions.” 1 Yet there is a lack of investments in the green start-up sector. A qualitative case study has been made to explore the reasoning behind why green-startups have not yet become successful and attractive on the global market. There is a growing positivity towards building up a sustainable and environmental friendly world. However, an absence of investments has been identified within the green start-up sector. While there are not enough investments, there are not uncommon to find articles in most prominent papers and media with messages such as: “Companies that invest in Sustainability do better financially.” 2 To understand this situation, Entrepreneurs and Venture Capital investors have been interviewed with the purpose to explore whether their view on the Business Models and Value Creation, can explain the lack of Venture Capital investments in green start-ups. After having interviewed green start-up entrepreneurs and investors, several key findings were found. A skepticism towards the green start-up sector was described by several of the interviewees. The skepticism was based on a lack of “success stories” and track record within the green start-up sector. The findings of this case study indicate that the view on green start-ups is to some extent damaged by several bad historical results and previous weak return on investment. One of the most apparent findings is how different entrepreneurs and investors view the creation of value. In general, investors tend to aim more for Profit Maximization, while on the other hand, green start-up Entrepreneurs view Value Creation out of a Shared Value perspective. A Shared Value perspective means that you invest or/and create business models that support long term solutions for the society. An other important key finding is that the Pension Fund´s view on Value Creation can be one of the main reasons as to why there is a lack in green start-up investments. This study is too small to confirm any patterns or leave any certain answers. However, the lack of investments is still a fact. An explanation can be the skepticism towards green start-ups the interviewees indicate, not to be a regular start-up. Therefore, my suggestion is to continue to work on the understanding of green start-ups and illustrate and prove that “an environmentally friendly company is just like any ordinary company; it thrives for success”. 1 Ki- Moon, B. (2015, 26 Sep) Secretary- General's remarks at the United Nations Private Sector Forum. Unites Nations. Accessed, 2016-05-15: http://www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=9020 2 Gerrit, H. (2012, 19 Sep). Companies that Invest in Sustainability Do Better Financially. Harvard Business Review. Accessed, 2016-05-15: https://hbr.org/2012/09/sustainable-investing-time-t

Resource management in the Amazon : Norway´s role in the Amazon

B-D

Interactive Video Tutorials from Scratch: Experiences and Lessons Learned Six Years On

In 2014, Austin Peay State University’s (APSU) Woodward Library developed an online, interactive video tutorial for the American Psychological Association (APA) Style Guide. APSU’s College of Education (CoE) approached the library about creating a tutorial similar to an existing video, Plagiarism: Making the Right Choices, for use in their upper division and graduate level courses. Through a collaborative process using content previously in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, the library generated a script, storyboards, and eventually a full video. Now, how best to engage the students with the assessment? The existing Plagiarism tutorial did not quite live up to the expectations of the CoE. The old tutorial simply presented a video, then followed the video with a ten-question quiz. Instead, they wanted the quiz to be more interactive and present each question immediately following the material being presented in the video itself. The library’s IT Analyst developed a system utilizing YouTube’s Player API to pause the video, present the question, and then resume the video after the question was answered. This resulted in a truly interactive experience that showed an improvement over the PowerPoint presentation previously given to students. In the intervening years, we have learned many lessons about how to best reach students, meet usability needs, serve professors, and combat technological issues. We will provide insights into hardships, shortcuts, and the excellent adoption and results we have seen from the use of this style of interactive video tutorial, regardless of topic

McDonald\u27s Collegiate Invitational

https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/cwu_track_field/1106/thumbnail.jp