Determination of surface-accessible acidic hydroxyls and surface area of lignin by cationic dye adsorption

A new colorimetric method for determining the surface-accessible acidic lignin hydroxyl groups in lignocellulose solid fractions was developed. The method is based on selective adsorption of Azure B, a basic dye, onto acidic hydroxyl groups of lignin. Selectivity of adsorption of Azure B on lignin was demonstrated using lignin and cellulose materials as adsorbents. Adsorption isotherms of Azure B on wheat straw (WS), sugarcane bagasse (SGB), oat husk, and isolated lignin materials were determined. The maximum adsorption capacities predicted by the Langmuir isotherms were used to calculate the amounts of surface-accessible acidic hydroxyl groups. WS contained 1.7-times more acidic hydroxyls (0.21 mmol/g) and higher surface area of lignin (84 m2/g) than SGB or oat husk materials. Equations for determining the amount of surface-accessible acidic hydroxyls in solid fractions of the three plant materials by a single point measurement were developed. A method for high-throughput characterization of lignocellulosic materials is now available

Urgent EMS managed out-of-hospital delivery dispatches in Helsinki

Background: The aim of this study was to examine Helsinki Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and hospital records to determine the incidence and possible complications of out-of-hospital deliveries managed by EMS in Helsinki. Methods: We retrospectively analysed all urgent ambulance dispatches relating to childbirth in Helsinki from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2014 with further analysis of hospital records for the out-of-hospital deliveries. Patients were divided in to two groups: those who delivered before reaching hospital and those who did not deliver before reaching hospital and differences between groups were analysed. Deliveries with gestational age of at least 22 + 0 weeks were considered as births in statistical analysis as this is the current national practice. Results: There were 799 urgent dispatches during the study period. In 102 (12.8 %) of these delivery took place before reaching the hospital. The incidence of EMS managed out-of-hospital delivery was found to be 3.0/1000 births. The annual number of out-of-hospital deliveries attended by EMS increased from 15 in 2010 to 28 in 2014. No stillbirths were reported. Neither maternal or perinatal deaths nor major maternal complications were noted in the study population. Discussion: Out-of-hospital deliveries represent a small minority of EMS calls and remain a challenge to maintaining professional capabilities. Small sample size might have limited the ability of the study to pick up rare complications. Conclusions: The amount of out-of-hospital deliveries in Helsinki increased during the five-year study period. There were no maternal or perinatal mortality or major complications resulting in long-term sequelae associated with the EMS-managed out-of-hospital births.Peer reviewe

Conceptualising the systemic activities of intermediaries in sustainability transitions

This article contributes to the literature on sustainability transitions, innovation systems, and eco-innovation by addressing conceptual challenges regarding the systemic activities of intermediaries. Specifically, the article addresses a research gap pertaining to the ways in which the systemic activities of (eco-)innovation intermediaries can be conceptualised and empirically demonstrated. Empirically, the paper examines selected intermediaries in the context of support systems for eco-innovators in three regions across Finland, Germany, and Sweden. Drawing from our empirical findings and the literature on intermediaries, we conceptualise three system levels within which intermediation occurs: (i) in-between entities in a network, (ii) in-between networks of entities, and (iii) in-between actors, networks, and institutions. Our discussion suggests a heterogeneity of roles that individual intermediaries take at multiple system levels, complementing an emerging, more nuanced perspective of intermediaries in sustainability transitions. Thus, we suggest the term systemic intermediation for describing the system-level activities of intermediaries

When is there a sustainability case for CSR? Pathways to environmental and social performance improvements

Little is known about when corporate social responsibility (CSR) leads to a sustainability case (i.e., to improvements in environmental and social performance). Building on various forms of decoupling, we develop a theoretical framework for examining pathways from institutional pressures through CSR management to sustainability performance. To empirically identify such pathways, we apply fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to an extensive dataset from 19 large companies. We discover that different pathways are associated with environmental and social performance (non)improvements, and that pathways to success and failure are for the most part not symmetrical. We identify two pathways to improved environmental performance: an exogenous and an endogenous one. We find two pathways to improved social performance that both involve integrating social responsibility into the core business. Pathways to nonimprovements are multiple, suggesting that failure can occur in a number of ways, while there are only a few pathways to sustainability performance improvements

Ympäristöklusterin tutkimusohjelman loppuarviointi

Vuodesta 1997 vuoteen 2009 kestäneen ympäristöklusterin tutkimusohjelman tavoitteena oli etsiä uusia keinoja säästää ympäristöä, luoda innovaatioita ihmisen ja ympäristön hyvinvoinnin edistämiseksi sekä tehostaa tutkijoiden, elinkeinoelämän, viranomaisten ja rahoittajien yhteistyötä. Tärkeänä tavoitteena oli myös tuottaa tietoa ympäristöhallinnolle politiikkatoimenpiteiden suunnittelua ja päätöksentekoa varten. Tässä julkaisussa esitellään ympäristöklusterin tutkimusohjelman tuloksia ja vaikuttavuutta vuosina 2003–2009. Arvioinnissa kiinnitetään huomiota ohjelmalle asetettujen tavoitteiden toteutumiseen, ohjelman vaikutuksiin sekä sen asemaan suhteessa toiminta- ja tutkimusympäristöön. Lopuksi esitetään suosituksia ympäristöalan tutkimustoiminnan kehittämisestä ja tutkimusrahoituksesta tulevina vuosina

Safety, biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of 18 F-rhPSMA-7.3 in healthy adult volunteers

This first-in-human study investigated the safety, biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of the novel 18F-labeled radiohybrid prostate-specific membrane antigen (rhPSMA) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent, 18F-rhPSMA-7.3. Methods: Six healthy volunteer subjects (3 males, 3 females) underwent multiple whole-body PET acquisitions at scheduled time points up to 248 minutes after the administration of 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 (mean activity 220; range, 210-228 MBq). PET scans were conducted in three separate sessions and subjects were encouraged to void between sessions. Blood and urine samples were collected for up to 4 hours post-injection to assess metabolite-corrected radioactivity in whole blood, plasma and urine. Quantitative measurements of 18F radioactivity in volumes of interest (VOIs) over target organs were determined directly from the PET images at 8 time points and normalized time-activity concentration curves were generated. These normalized cumulated activities were then inputted into the OLINDA/EXM package to calculate the internal radiation dosimetry and the subjects' effective dose. Results: 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 was well tolerated. One adverse event (mild headache, not requiring medication) was considered possibly related to 18F-rhPSMA-7.3: because of the temporal association with 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 injection, a causal relationship could not be excluded. The calculated effective dose was 0.0141 mSv/MBq when using a 3.5-hour voiding interval. The organs with the highest absorbed dose per unit of administered radioactivity were the adrenals (mean absorbed dose, 0.1835 mSv/MBq), the kidneys (mean absorbed dose, 0.1722 mSv/MBq), the submandibular glands (mean absorbed dose, 0.1479 mSv) and the parotid glands (mean absorbed dose, 0.1137 mSv/MBq). At the end of the first scanning session (mean time, 111 min post-injection), an average of 7.2% (range, 4.4-9.0%) of the injected radioactivity of 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 was excreted into urine. Conclusion: The safety, biodistribution and internal radiation dosimetry 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 are considered favorable for PET imaging