Biobased chemicals for mining industry

Abstract. Bio-based chemicals, green chemistry and bioeconomy are emerging trends both in the mining industry and in society in general. This thesis is a literature review, and the aim of this thesis is to review and evaluate promising biobased chemicals for the mining industry. The main interest is in biobased chemicals on industrial scale. Environmental impact of the mining industry is significant and biobased chemicals may decrease the negative impact. Biobased chemicals are part of green chemistry and bioeconomy. These issues among with environmental aspect are growing trends in mining industry and in society in general. Scientists have suggested that there are promising biobased chemicals for mining industry, especially for concentration. Some of the biobased chemicals are promising alternatives for fossil-based chemicals, either fully or partly. However, further research is necessary in order to increase the use of biobased chemicals in mining industry.Biopohjaiset kemikaalit kaivosteollisuudessa. Tiivistelmä. Biopohjaiset kemikaalit, vihreä kemia ja biotalous ovat nousevia trendejä sekä kaivosteollisuudessa että yhteiskunnassa yleisesti. Tämä työ on kirjallisuuskatsaus, joka keskittyy biopohjaisten kemikaalien käyttömahdollisuuksiin kaivosteollisuudessa. Tavoitteena on erityisesti tarkastella biopohjaisia kemikaaleja, joiden on mahdollista korvata fossiilipohjaisia kemikaaleja osaprosesseissa. Kaivosteollisuudella on suuret vaikutukset ympäristöön, ja biopohjaiset kemikaalit ovat yksi mahdollisuus ympäristövaikutusten pienentämisessä. Tutkijat ovat esittäneet, että jotkut biopohjaiset kemikaalit pystyisivät korvaamaan fossiilipohjaiset kemikaalit kaivosteollisuudessa, erityisesti rikastuskemikaaleina. Biopohjaiset kemikaalit pystyisivät toimimaan rikastuskemikaaleina yksinään tai seoksena kaupallisten fossiilipohjaisten kemikaalien kanssa, joten niiden käyttö on mahdollista myös teollisessa mittakaavassa. Lisätutkimusta kuitenkin vaaditaan, jotta biopohjaisista kemikaaleista saadaan pysyvä osa kaivosteollisuutta

Den orena revisionsberättelsens betydelse - Vilka är konsekvenserna för ett företag som får en oren revisionsberättelse?

Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka konsekvenserna för ett företag som uppvisar en oren revisionsberättelse. Metod: Kvalitativ metod har använts för att uppfylla uppsatsens syfte. Primärdata har samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med representanter från var och en av intressegrupperna, kreditgivare, skatteverket och ekobrottsmyndigheten. Teori: För att besvara frågeställningen tas utgångspunkt i den institutionella teorin. Resultatredovisning: Totalt har sju intervjuer genomförts med representanter från var och en av intressegrupperna samt med revisorer. Svaren presenteras utifrån: Intressenters användning av revisionsberättelsen, Olika typer av anmärkningar, Konsekvenserna av en oren revisionsberättelse och Förändringar i revisionsbarättelsen. Slutsats: Samtliga intervjuade intressegrupper anser att en oren revisionsberättelse är allvarlig för ett företag. Kreditgivare, skatteverket och ekobrottsmyndigheten reagerar dock olika beroende på vilken typ av anmärkning företaget får. En anmärkning kan leda till att ett företag får sämre finansieringsmöjligheter, har större risk att utsättas för skatterevision samt större risk att bli anmälda för ekonomisk brottslighet. Ett företag som visar upp en oren revisionsberättelse flera år i rad kommer med största sannolikhet få problem att fortsätta sin verksamhet

Cryo-EM structure of ssDNA bacteriophage ΦCjT23 provides insight into early virus evolution

Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s).The origin of viruses remains an open question. While lack of detectable sequence similarity hampers the analysis of distantly related viruses, structural biology investigations of conserved capsid protein structures facilitate the study of distant evolutionary relationships. Here we characterize the lipid-containing ssDNA temperate bacteriophage ΦCjT23, which infects Flavobacterium sp. (Bacteroidetes). We report ΦCjT23-like sequences in the genome of strains belonging to several Flavobacterium species. The virion structure determined by cryogenic electron microscopy reveals similarities to members of the viral kingdom Bamfordvirae that currently consists solely of dsDNA viruses with a major capsid protein composed of two upright β-sandwiches. The minimalistic structure of ΦCjT23 suggests that this phage serves as a model for the last common ancestor between ssDNA and dsDNA viruses in the Bamfordvirae. Both ΦCjT23 and the related phage FLiP infect Flavobacterium species found in several environments, suggesting that these types of viruses have a global distribution and a shared evolutionary origin. Detailed comparisons to related, more complex viruses not only expand our knowledge about this group of viruses but also provide a rare glimpse into early virus evolution.Peer reviewe

Diminished coagulation capacity assessed by calibrated automated thrombography during acute Puumala hantavirus infection

Coagulation abnormalities are associated with Puumala-virus-induced hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (PUUV-HFRS). We evaluated the coagulation capacity of plasma during acute PUUV-HFRS by measuring thrombin generation using calibrated automated thrombography (CAT). The study cohort comprised 27 prospectively collected, consecutive, hospital-treated patients with acute PUUV infection. Blood samples were drawn in the acute phase and at the control visit approximately 5 weeks later. To evaluate thrombin generation, the lag time of initiation, endogenous thrombin potential (ETP), and peak and time to peak thrombin concentration were assessed by CAT in platelet poor plasma without corn trypsin inhibitor. Plasma levels of d-dimer, fibrinogen and prothrombin fragments (F1 + 2) were also evaluated. When the acute phase was compared with the control phase, ETP was decreased (median 1154 nmol/l/min, range 67-1785 vs. median 1385 nmol/l/min, range 670-1970; P <0.001), while the lag time was prolonged (median 3.8 min, range 2.1-7.7 vs. median 2.9 min, range 2.0-4.1; P <0.001). Low ETP correlated with low peak thrombin concentration (r = 0.833, P <0.001). Prolonged time to peak associated with the lag time (r = 0.78, P <0.001). ETP was associated with thrombocytopenia (r = 0.472, P = 0.015) and weakly with fibrinogen level (r = 0.386, P = 0.047). The measured CAT parameters did not associate with d-dimer and F1 + 2 levels. Decreased ETP together with low peak and prolonged lag time indicate decreased plasma potential for thrombin generation in vitro. Together with low platelet count and enhanced fibrinolysis, this further refers to altered blood coagulation and increased propensity toward bleeding in acute PUUV-HFRS. Copyright (C) 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

The impact of the duration of the palliative care period on cancer patients with regard to the use of hospital services and the place of death : a retrospective cohort study

Background In order to avoid unnecessary use of hospital services at the end-of-life, palliative care should be initiated early enough in order to have sufficient time to initiate and carry out good quality advance care planning (ACP). This single center study assesses the impact of the PC decision and its timing on the use of hospital services at EOL and the place of death. Methods A randomly chosen cohort of 992 cancer patients treated in a tertiary hospital between Jan 2013 -Dec 2014, who were deceased by the end of 2014, were selected from the total number of 2737 identified from the hospital database. The PC decision (the decision to terminate life-prolonging anticancer treatments and focus on symptom centered palliative care) and use of PC unit services were studied in relation to emergency department (ED) visits, hospital inpatient days and place of death. Results A PC decision was defined for 82% of the patients and 37% visited a PC unit. The earlier the PC decision was made, the more often patients had an appointment at the PC unit (> 180 days prior to death 72% and <14 days 10%). The number of ED visits and inpatient days were highest for patients with no PC decision and lowest for patients with both a PC decision and an PC unit appointment (60 days before death ED visits 1.3 vs 0.8 and inpatient days 9.9 vs 2.9 respectively, p <0.01). Patients with no PC decision died more often in secondary/tertiary hospitals (28% vs. 19% with a PC decision, and 6% with a decision and an appointment to a PC unit). Conclusions The PC decision to initiate a palliative goal for the treatment had a distinct impact on the use of hospital services at the EOL. Contact with a PC unit further increased the likelihood of EOL care at primary care.Peer reviewe

Assessing the utilization of the decision to implement a palliative goal for the treatment of cancer patients during the last year of life at Helsinki University Hospital : a historic cohort study

Background: To avoid aggressive treatments at the end-of-life and to provide palliative care (PC), physicians need to terminate futile anti-cancer treatments and define the palliative goal of the treatment in time. This single center study assesses the practices used to make the decision that leads to treatment with a palliative goal, i.e., the PC decision and its effect on anti-cancer treatments at the end of life. Material and methods: Patients with a cancer diagnosis treated in tertiary hospital during 1st January 2013 - 31st December 2014 and deceased by the end of 2014 were identified in the hospital database (N = 2737). Of these patients, 992 were randomly selected for this study. The PC decision was screened from patient records, i.e., termination of cancer-specific treatments and a focus on symptom-centered PC. Results: The PC decision was defined in 82% of the patients during the last year of life (49% >30 days and 33%Peer reviewe

Development of otology specific outcome measure : Ear Outcome Survey-16 (EOS-16)

Purpose: An important outcome measure of patient care is the impact on the patient's health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Current ear-specific HRQoL instruments are designed for one diagnosis and emphasize different subdivisions such as symptoms, hearing problems, psychosocial impact, and the need for care. The optimal length of the recall period has not been studied. For these reasons, a new survey is needed that would cover most chronic ear diseases. Methods: A preliminary 24-item survey (EOS-24) was created. Untreated adult patients (included n = 186) with one of seven different chronic otologic conditions from all university hospitals in Finland were recruited to respond to EOS-24 and the 15D general HRQoL instrument. The recruiting otologists evaluated the severity of the disease and the disability caused by it. A control group was recruited. Based on the patients' responses in different diagnosis groups, the items were reduced according to pre-defined criteria. The resulting survey was validated using a thorough statistical analysis. Results: The relevance and necessity of the original 24 items were thoroughly investigated, leading to the exclusion of 8 items and the modification of 1. The remaining 16 items were well-balanced between subdivisions and were useful in all seven diagnosis groups, thus constituting the final instrument, EOS-16. The most suitable recall period was three months. Conclusions: EOS-16 has been created according to the HRQoL survey guidelines with a versatile nationwide patient population. The survey has been validated and can be used for a wide range of chronic ear diseases as a HRQoL instrument. (C) 2021 PLA General Hospital Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. Production and hosting by Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Ltd.Peer reviewe

Virus found in a boreal lake links ssDNA and dsDNA viruses

Viruses have impacted the biosphere in numerous ways since the dawn of life. However, the evolution, genetic, structural, and taxonomic diversity of viruses remain poorly understood, in part because sparse sampling of the virosphere has concentrated mostly on exploring the abundance and diversity of dsDNA viruses. Furthermore, viral genomes are highly diverse, and using only the current sequence-based methods for classifying viruses and studying their phylogeny is complicated. Here we describe a virus, FLiP (Flavobacterium-infecting, lipid-containing phage), with a circular ssDNA genome and an internal lipid membrane enclosed in the icosahedral capsid. The 9,174-nt-long genome showed limited sequence similarity to other known viruses. The genetic data imply that this virus might use replication mechanisms similar to those found in other ssDNA replicons. However, the structure of the viral major capsid protein, elucidated at near-atomic resolution using cryo-electron microscopy, is strikingly similar to that observed in dsDNA viruses of the PRD1-adenovirus lineage, characterized by a major capsid protein bearing two beta-barrels. The strong similarity between FLiP and another member of the structural lineage, bacteriophage PM2, extends to the capsid organization (pseudo T = 21 dextro) despite the difference in the genetic material packaged and the lack of significant sequence similarity.Peer reviewe