Unraveling the Second-Hand Clothing Industry

This master's thesis investigates the dynamics of the Second-Hand Clothing (SHC) trade between the Global North (GN) and Global South (GS), focusing on the rewear, reuse, and recycling initiatives exemplified by a case study of H&M's Let’s Close the Loop campaign. The study delves into the environmental- and social impacts of SHC importation in the GS, particularly exploring the sustainability of SHC in Ghana and Kenya, major importers in the SHC trade. Through analysis of sustainability reports and interviews, the research aims to uncover how H&M addresses and mitigates associated risks with collected used clothing. Additionally, this study incorporates perspectives from actors involved with SHC in Ghana and Kenya to shed light on local responses to SHC disposal. The findings reveal contradictions in H&M's claims of circularity and sustainability, upholding certain narratives around SHC through the campaign. The implications for development and natural resource management are significant as the findings also highlight some social- and environmental consequences. Including, financial instability for sellers with many facing debt due to declining quality and unpredictable sales. Additionally, SHC imports have undermined local textile industries and culture, while contributing to significant environmental harm through textile waste, pollution, and overburdened landfills. The disposal of unsellable clothing from the Global North not only disrupts local economies but also exacerbates ecological degradation, creating a worsening crisis. Interview findings and reports also exposes broader systematic maintenance of waste colonialism through the SHC trade. These insights underscore the need for critical examination of H&M's sustainability initiatives and broader implications within the SHC industry

Synthesis of Fluorine-18 Functionalized Nanoparticles for use as in vivo Molecular Imaging Agents

Nanoparticles containing fluorine-18 were prepared from block copolymers made by ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Using the fast initiating ruthenium metathesis catalyst (H_2IMes)(pyr)_2(Cl)_2Ru=CHPh, low polydispersity amphiphilic block copolymers were prepared from a cinnamoyl-containing hydrophobic norbornene monomer and a mesyl-terminated PEG-containing hydrophilic norbornene monomer. Self-assembly into micelles and subsequent cross-linking of the micelle cores by light-activated dimerization of the cinnamoyl groups yielded stable nanoparticles. Incorporation of fluorine-18 was achieved by nucleophilic displacement of the mesylates by the radioactive fluoride ion with 31% incorporation of radioactivity. The resulting positron-emitting nanoparticles are to be used as in vivo molecular imaging agents for use in tumor imaging

Kiri G. Fr. Müller'ile

Ihre, Johan, 1707-1780, rootsi keeleteadlaneMüller, Gerhard Friedrich, 1705-1783, ajaloolane, Peterburi TA liige, 1728-1730 ja 1754-1765 Peterburi TA sekretärKirjutab oma Glossariumi väljaandest ja Codex Argentes'e uuest väljaandes

Shell cross-linked polymeric micelles as Camptothecin nanocarriers for anti-HCV therapy

A suitable carrier for camptothecin to act as therapy against the hepatitis C virus is presented. The carrier relies on an amphiphilic hybrid dendritic–linear–dendritic block copolymer, derived from pluronic F127 and bis-MPA dendrons, that forms micelles in aqueous solution. The dendrons admit the incorporation of multiple photoreactive groups that allow the clean and effective preparation of covalently cross-linked polymeric micelles (CLPM), susceptible of loading hydrophilic and lipophilic molecules. Cell-uptake experiments using a newly designed fluorophore, derived from rhodamine B, demonstrate that the carrier favors the accumulation of its cargo within the cell. Furthermore, loaded with camptothecin, it is efficient in fighting against the hepatitis C virus while shows lower cytotoxicity than the free drug

Understanding specific and nonspecific toxicities: a requirement for the development of dendrimer-based pharmaceuticals

Dendrimer conjugates for pharmaceutical development are capable of enhancing the local delivery of cytotoxic drugs. The ability to conjugate different targeting ligands to the dendrimer allows for the cytotoxic drug to be focused at the intended target cell while minimizing collateral damage in normal cells. Dendrimers offer several advantages over other polymer conjugates by creating a better defined, more monodisperse therapeutic scaffold. Toxicity from the dendrimer, targeted and nonspecific, is not only dependent upon the number of targeting and therapeutic ligands conjugated, but can be influenced by the repeating building blocks that grow the dendrimer, the dendrimer generation, as well as the surface termination. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website .Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/69178/1/79_ftp.pd

Double-degradable responsive self-assembled multivalent arrays-temporary nanoscale recognition between dendrons and DNA

This article reports self-assembling dendrons which bind DNA in a multivalent manner. The molecular design directly impacts on self-assembly which subsequently controls the way these multivalent nanostructures bind DNA-this can be simulated by multiscale modelling. Incorporation of an S-S linkage between the multivalent hydrophilic dendron and the hydrophobic units responsible for self-assembly allows these structures to undergo triggered reductive cleavage, with dithiothreitol (DTT) inducing controlled breakdown, enabling the release of bound DNA. As such, the high-affinity self-assembled multivalent binding is temporary. Furthermore, because the multivalent dendrons are constructed from esters, a second slow degradation step causes further breakdown of these structures. This two-step double-degradation mechanism converts a large self-assembling unit with high affinity for DNA into small units with no measurable binding affinity-demonstrating the advantage of self-assembled multivalency (SAMul) in achieving highly responsive nanoscale binding of biological targets