Ensiling as a method to preserve energy crops and to enhance the energy yields

Effects to ethanol: Storing with additives increased the yield of sugars in enzymatic hydrolysis. Water soluble sugars well preserved. Some cellulose hydrolysed during ensiling. Storing altered the structure of the substrate? Suffered from acid formation when no additives were supplied. Effects to methane: Storing with or without additives increased methane yield. Formed acids were utilized, as well as the preserved water soluble sugars. Prolonged storing seemed to decrease methane yields

Oppimisympäristöt A1-kielen opetuksen mahdollistajina vuosiluokilla 1–2

This article presents how teachers implement early foreign language (FL) teaching in first and second grades in Finnish primary schools. The purpose of the research was to gather information on how different kinds of learning environments are being used in FL teaching. The participants planned and conducted their own teaching development projects. Their reports of the projects were collected during spring 2020, and they also included information on how the teachers conducted remote teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Altogether 10 reports written by general class teachers and FL teachers were analyzed using qualitative content analysis with a theory-oriented framework. The results show that teachers implement functional language teaching methods in various learning environments. Use of digital learning materials has become more essential during the remote teaching period. The study provides valuable insights into the use of learning environments in early foreign language teaching in Finland.</p

Evaluation of preservation methods for improving biogas production and enzymatic conversion yields of annual crops

BACKGROUND: The use of energy crops and agricultural residues is expected to increase to fulfil the legislative demands of bio-based components in transport fuels. Ensiling methods, adapted from the feed sector, are suitable storage methods to preserve fresh crops throughout the year for, for example, biogas production. Various preservation methods, namely ensiling with and without acid addition for whole crop maize, fibre hemp and faba bean were investigated. For the drier fibre hemp, alkaline urea treatment was studied as well. These treatments were also explored as mild pretreatment methods to improve the disassembly and hydrolysis of these lignocellulosic substrates. RESULTS: The investigated storage treatments increased the availability of the substrates for biogas production from hemp and in most cases from whole maize but not from faba bean. Ensiling of hemp, without or with addition of formic acid, increased methane production by more than 50% compared to fresh hemp. Ensiling resulted in substantially increased methane yields also from maize, and the use of formic acid in ensiling of maize further enhanced methane yields by 16%, as compared with fresh maize. Ensiled faba bean, in contrast, yielded somewhat less methane than the fresh material. Acidic additives preserved and even increased the amount of the valuable water-soluble carbohydrates during storage, which affected most significantly the enzymatic hydrolysis yield of maize. However, preservation without additives decreased the enzymatic hydrolysis yield especially in maize, due to its high content of soluble sugars that were already converted to acids during storage. Urea-based preservation significantly increased the enzymatic hydrolysability of hemp. Hemp, preserved with urea, produced the highest carbohydrate increase of 46% in enzymatic hydrolysis as compared to the fresh material. Alkaline pretreatment conditions of hemp improved also the methane yields. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present work show that ensiling and alkaline preservation of fresh crop materials are useful pretreatment methods for methane production. Improvements in enzymatic hydrolysis were also promising. While all three crops still require a more powerful pretreatment to release the maximum amount of carbohydrates, anaerobic preservation is clearly a suitable storage and pretreatment method prior to production of platform sugars from fresh crops

Infrasound Does Not Explain Symptoms Related to Wind Turbines

Some individuals have reported various symptoms that they have intuitively associated with infrasound from wind turbines. Scientific evidence on the potential association or studies focusing directly on the health effects of wind turbine infrasound are lacking. This research project aimed at assessing whether wind turbine infrasound has harmful effects on human health. A questionnaire study, sound measurements, and provocation experiments were conducted. In the questionnaire study, symptoms intuitively associated with wind turbine infrasound were relatively common within 2.5 km from the closest wind turbine and symptom spectrum was broad. Many of the symptomatic respondents associated their symptoms also with vibration or electromagnetic field from wind turbines. In measurements, infrasound levels were similar to the levels occurring typically in urban environments. The captured sound samples with the highest infrasound levels and amplitude modulation values were used in the double blinded provocation experiments. The participants who had previously reported wind turbine infrasound related symptoms were not able to perceive infrasound in the noise samples and did not find samples with infrasound more annoying than those without previous wind turbine infrasound related symptoms. Further, wind turbine infrasound exposure did not cause physiological responses in either participant group.This publication is part of the implementation of the Government Plan for Analysis, Assessment and Research (tietokayttoon.fi). The content is the responsibility of the producers of the information and does not necessarily represent the view of the Government

Acrebol, a novel toxic peptaibol produced by an Acremonium exuviarum indoor isolate

Aims: To identify a toxin and its producer isolated from woody material in a building where the occupants experienced serious ill health symptoms. Methods and Results: Hyphal extracts of an indoor fungus, identified as the cycloheximide-tolerant species Acremonium exuviarum, inhibited motility of boar spermatozoa (EC50 5 ± 2 lg of crude solids ml)1) and caused cytolysis of murine neuroblastoma cells (MNA) and feline fetal lung cells (FL). The responsible substances were purified and identified as two structurally similar, heatstable, novel, toxic peptaibols, 1726 Da and 1740 Da, respectively, with amino acid sequences of Acetyl-Phe-Iva ⁄ Val-Gln-Aib-Ile-Thr-Leu-Aib-Pro-Aib-Gln- Pro-Aib-(X-X-X)-SerOH and Acetyl-Phe-Iva ⁄ Val-Gln-Aib-Ile-Thr-Leu-Val-Pro- Aib-Gln-Pro-Aib-(X-X-X)-SerOH. Purified acrebol inhibited motility of boar sperm, depleted ATP half-content in 1 day (EC50 of 0Æ1 lg ml)1, 60 nmol l)1) depolarised the mitochondria after 2 days, but did not affect the cellular content in NADH. This indicates mitochondrial toxicity. Plate-grown biomass of A. exuviarum BMB4 contained 0Æ1–1% (w ⁄ w) of acrebol, depending on the culture medium. Conclusions: Acrebol paralysed the energy generation of mammalian cells suggesting that mitochondria were its target of action. Significance and Impact of the Study: Acremonium exuviarum, as an indoor fungus, is potentially hazardous to health because of the toxic peptaibols that it produces.Peer reviewe