BackgroundFrom 2012–2015, the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and of Pediatrics at the University of Copenhagen conducted a project, “Internationalization at Home ”, offering clinical teaching in English. The project allowed international students to work with Danish speaking students in a clinical setting. Using semi-quantitative questionnaires to 89 clinicians about use of English and n

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments were conducted on cyclic and linear polymers of racemic and l-lactides (PLA) with the goal of comparing chain configurations, scaling, and effective polymer–solvent interactions of the two topologies in acetone-d6 and THF-d8. There are limited reports of SANS results on cyclic polymers due to the lack of substantial development in the field until

This work demonstrates the first continuous, stable, and safe operation of organometallic reactions in flow under ambient conditions with high moisture tolerance and clogging resistance. The addition of deep eutectic solvents (DESs), such as glyceline (choline chloride/glycerol) and reline (choline chloride/urea), overcomes the previous limitations associated with the need for cryogenic conditions

Mixtures of sulfobetaine based lipids with phosphocholine phospholipids are of interest in order to study the interactions between zwitterionic surfactants and the phospholipids present in cell membranes. In this study we have investigated the structure of mixed monolayers of sulfobetaines and phosphocholine phospholipids. The sulfobetaine used has a single 18-carbon tail, and is referred to as SB

In this work we present a novel, low temperature and green method for atom-efficient solvothermal synthesis of crystalline, micelle templated cerium IV oxide (ceria) from a type IV deep eutectic solvent (DES) comprising a hydrated cerium containing metal salt, cerium(iii) nitrate hexahydrate (Ce(NO3)3·6H2O), and a hydrogen bond donor, urea, in a molar ratio of 1 : 3.5. Self-assembled nanostructure

The replacement of plastic microbeads with biodegradable alternatives is essential due to the environmental persistence of plastics and their accumulation within the human food chain. Hypothesis: Cellulose microbeads could be such alternative, but their production is hindered by the high viscosity of cellulose solutions. It is expected that this viscosity can be harnessed to induce filament thinni

The production of sub-10 µm cellulose microbeads via membrane emulsification using isoporous membranes is reported here for the first time. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) membranes, with defined interpore distances, pore diameters and straight-through pores were fabricated via photolithography. A dispersed phase of 8 wt% cellulose solution was extruded through the membrane pores, forming, due to she

The extensive use of antibiotics over the last decades is responsible for the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms that are challenging health care systems worldwide. The use of alternative antimicrobial materials could mitigate the selection of new MDR strains by reducing antibiotic overuse. This paper describes the design of enzyme-based antimicrobial cellulose beads contai

Our recently developed ensilication approach can physically stabilize proteins in silica without use of a pre-formed particle matrix. Stabilisation is done by tailor fitting individual proteins with a silica coat using a modified sol-gel process. Biopharmaceuticals, e.g. liquid-formulated vaccines with adjuvants, frequently have poor thermal stability; heating and/or freezing impairs their potency

In this work, we investigated the effect of adding surfactant mixtures on the rheological properties of TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibril (OCNF) saline dispersions. Three surfactant mixtures were studied: cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB)/sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), which forms wormlike micelles (WLMs); cocamidopropylamine oxide (CAPOx)/SDS, which forms long rods; and CAPB/sodium lauroyl sarcosina

Surface hydrophobization of cellulose nanomaterials has been used in the development of nanofiller-reinforced polymer composites and formulations based on Pickering emulsions. Despite the well-known effect of hydrophobic domains on self-assembly or association of water-soluble polymer amphiphiles, very few studies have addressed the behavior of hydrophobized cellulose nanomaterials in aqueous medi

Over recent years, there has been a rapid development of membrane-mimetic systems to encapsulate and stabilize planar segments of phospholipid bilayers in solution. One such system has been the use of amphipathic copolymers to solubilize lipid bilayers into nanodiscs. The attractiveness of this system, in part, stems from the capability of these polymers to solubilize membrane proteins directly fr

The effect of the filler size on the structural and mechanical properties of an attractive fibrillated network composed of oxidised cellulose nanofibrils (OCNF) in water was investigated. Silica nanoparticles with a diameter of ca. 5 nm (SiNp5) and and ca. 158 nm (SiNp158) were chosen as non-interacting fillers of the OCNF network. These filler sizes were chosen, respectively, to have a particle s

Activated carbons are promising sorbents that have been heavily investigated for the physisorptive storage of hydrogen. The industrial process for production of activated carbons is finely tuned and requires a reliable and uniform feedstock. While the natural biopolymer lignin, a byproduct of several industries, has received increasing interest as a potentially sustainable and inexpensive activate

Rheological properties of hydrogels composed of TEMPO-oxidised cellulose nanofibrils (OCNF)-starch in the presence of cationic surfactants were investigated. The cationic surfactants dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were used to trigger gelation of OCNF at around 5 mM surfactant. As OCNF and DTAB/CTAB are oppositely charged, an electrostatic attract

Bacteriophage material (M13, wild-type) deposited as a film onto a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate (6 μm thick with a 20 μm diameter laser-drilled microhole) has been investigated for ion conductivity and ionic current rectification effects for potential applications in membranes. The M13 aggregate membrane forms under acidic conditions (in aqueous 10 mM acids) and behaves like a micr