Glyceraldehyde as an efficient chemical crosslinker agent for the formation of chitosan hydrogels

The rheological changes that occur during the chemical gelation of semidilute solutions of chitosan in the presence of the low‐toxicity agent glyceraldehyde (GCA) are presented and discussed in detail. The entanglement concentration for chitosan solutions was found to be approximately 0.2 wt.% and the rheological experiments were carried out on 1 wt.% chitosan solutions with various amounts of GCA at different temperatures (25 \ub0C and 40 \ub0C) and pH values (4.8 and 5.8). High crosslinker concentration, as well as elevated temperature and pH close to the pKa value (pH ≈ 6.3–7) of chitosan are three parameters that all accelerate the gelation process. These conditions also promote a faster solid‐like response of the gel‐network in the post‐gel region after long curing times. The mesh size of the gel‐network after a very long (18 h) curing time was found to contract with increasing level of crosslinker addition and elevated temperature. The gelation of chitosan in the presence of other chemical crosslinker agents (glutaraldehyde and genipin) is discussed and a comparison with GCA is made. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) results reveal structural changes between chitosan solutions, incipient gels, and mature gels

The UV Dose Used for Disinfection of Drinking Water in Sweden Inadequately Inactivates Enteric Virus with Double-Stranded Genomes

Irradiation with ultraviolet light (UV) at 254 nm is effective in inactivating a wide range of human pathogens. In Sweden, a UV dose of 400 J/m2 is often used for the treatment of drinking water. To investigate its effect on virus inactivation, enteric viruses with different genomic organizations were irradiated with three UV doses (400, 600, and 1000 J/m2), after which their viability on cell cultures was examined. Adenovirus type 2 (double-stranded DNA), simian rotavirus 11 (double-stranded RNA), and echovirus 30 (single-stranded RNA) were suspended in tap water and pumped into a laboratory-scale Aquada 1 UV reactor. Echovirus 30 was reduced by 3.6-log10 by a UV dose of 400 J/m2. Simian rotavirus 11 and adenovirus type 2 were more UV resistant with only 1-log10 reduction at 400 J/m2 and needed 600 J/m2 for 2.9-log10 and 3.1-log10 reductions, respectively. There was no significant increase in the reduction of viral viability at higher UV doses, which may indicate the presence of UV-resistant viruses. These results show that higher UV doses than those usually used in Swedish drinking water treatment plants should be considered in combination with other barriers to disinfect the water when there is a risk of fecal contamination of the water

Cumulative Risk, Age at Onset, and Sex-Specific Differences for Developing End-Stage Renal Disease in Young Patients With Type 1 Diabetes: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to estimate the current cumulative risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) due to diabetic nephropathy in a large, nationwide, population-based prospective type 1 diabetes cohort and specifically study the effects of sex and age at onset. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In Sweden, all incident cases of type 1 diabetes aged 0-14 years and 15-34 years are recorded in validated research registers since 1977 and 1983, respectively. These registers were linked to the Swedish Renal Registry, which, since 1991, collects data on patients who receive active uremia treatment. Patients with years duration of type 1 diabetes were included (n = 11,681). RESULTS During a median time of follow-up of 20 years, 127 patients had developed ESRD due to diabetic nephropathy. The cumulative incidence at 30 years of type 1 diabetes duration was low, with a male predominance (4.1% [95% CI 3.1-5.3] vs. 2.5% [1.7-3.5]). In both male and female subjects, onset of type I diabetes before 10 years of age was associated with the lowest risk of developing ESRD. The highest risk of ESRD was found in male subjects diagnosed at age 20-34 years (hazard ratio 3.0 [95% CI 1.5-5.7]). In female subjects with onset at age 20-34 years, the risk was similar to patients diagnosed before age 10 years. CONCLUSIONS The cumulative incidence of ESRD is exceptionally low in young type 1 diabetic patients in Sweden. There is a striking difference in risk for male compared with female patients. The different patterns of risk by age at onset and sex suggest a role for puberty and sex hormones

Brain Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Regulates Arterial Blood Flow, Heart Rate, and Insulin Sensitivity

OBJECTIVE— To ascertain the importance and mechanisms underlying the role of brain glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 in the control of metabolic and cardiovascular function. GLP-1 is a gut hormone secreted in response to oral glucose absorption that regulates glucose metabolism and cardiovascular function. GLP-1 is also produced in the brain, where its contribution to central regulation of metabolic and cardiovascular homeostasis remains incompletely understood

Wages in high-tech start-ups - do academic spin-offs pay a wage premium?

Due to their origin from universities, academic spin‐offs operate at the forefront of the technological development. Therefore, spin‐offs exhibit a skill‐biased labour demand, i.e. spin‐offs have a high demand for employees with cutting edge knowledge and technical skills. In order to accommodate this demand, spin‐offs may have to pay a relative wage premium compared to other high‐tech start‐ups. However, neither a comprehensive theoretical assessment nor the empirical literature on wages in start‐ups unambiguously predicts the existence and the direction of wage differentials between spin‐offs and non‐spin‐offs. This paper addresses this research gap and examines empirically whether or not spin‐offs pay their employees a wage premium. Using a unique linked employer‐employee data set of German high‐tech start‐ups, we estimate Mincer‐type wage regressions applying the Hausman‐Taylor panel estimator. Our results show that spin‐offs do not pay a wage premium in general. However, a notable exception from this general result is that spin‐offs that commercialise new scientific results or methods provide higher wages to employees with linkages to the university sector – either as university graduates or as student workers