Tallinn University of Technology

About: Tallinn University of Technology is a education organization based out in Tallinn, Estonia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: European union & Computer science. The organization has 3688 authors who have published 10313 publications receiving 145058 citations. The organization is also known as: Tallinn Technical University & Tallinna Tehnikaülikool.

A Framework for Managing Post-disaster Housing Reconstruction☆

Abstract: The built environment is becoming progressively more complex and dynamic. These changes impose growing challenges on construction professionals in terms of disaster risk reduction. Construction innovations also have the potential to positively contribute to promoting disaster resilience and mitigating climate change. This initial investigation of the case studies from the literature focuses on the development of a general framework for the effective organisation and management of post-disaster housing reconstruction. The framework developed enables data collection for further investigative studies in order to improve management practices in future housing reconstruction programmes.

From Customer-, to Actor-, to Stakeholder Engagement: Taking Stock, Conceptualization, and Future Directions:

Abstract: Despite the significant strides made in the customer engagement literature, the need to understand any marketing actor’s engagement (vs. merely the customer’s) is increasingly recognized. Therefore...

Zn(II) ions co-secreted with insulin suppress inherent amyloidogenic properties of monomeric insulin.

Abstract: Insulin, a 51-residue peptide hormone, is an intrinsically amyloidogenic peptide, forming amyloid fibrils in vitro. In the secretory granules, insulin is densely packed together with Zn(II) into crystals of Zn(2)Insulin(6) hexamer, which assures osmotic stability of vesicles and prevents fibrillation of the peptide. However, after release from the pancreatic beta-cells, insulin dissociates into active monomers, which tend to fibrillize not only at acidic, but also at physiological, pH values. The effect of co-secreted Zn(II) ions on the fibrillation of monomeric insulin is unknown, however, it might prevent insulin fibrillation. We showed that Zn(II) inhibits fibrillation of monomeric insulin at physiological pH values by forming a soluble Zn(II)-insulin complex. The inhibitory effect of Zn(II) ions is very strong at pH 7.3 (IC(50)=3.5 microM), whereas at pH 5.5 it progressively weakens, pointing towards participation of the histidine residue(s) in complex formation. The results obtained indicate that Zn(II) ions might suppress fibrillation of insulin at its release sites and in circulation. It is hypothesized that misfolded oligomeric intermediates occurring in the insulin fibrillation pathway, especially in zinc-deficient conditions, might induce autoantibodies against insulin, which leads to beta-cell damage and autoimmune Type 1 diabetes.