Technologies and environmental impacts of ground heat exchangers in Finland

Finland is one of the northernmost countries utilizing ground source heat pumps (GSHPs). In this north European country, GSHPs’ operating conditions are characterized by the cold climate, and hard, crystalline bedrock. Environmental risks and technical problems with ground heat exchangers (GHEs) have been much discussed, but the frequency of complications has not been previously studied in Finland. This article examines the types and construction practices of GHEs, and the range of problems in GHEs experienced by the practitioners. The data was collected through a questionnaire study among Finnish GSHP practitioners, and thematic interviews of Finnish heat pump experts. Borehole heat exchangers (BHEs) proved to be the most popular GHE type in Finland with a share of 85%. The questionnaire responses indicate that the most common complications in BHEs are connected to collapsed boreholes, and artesian or otherwise abundant water yields. Also, issues relating to heat transfer fluids, drilling through multiple aquifers, and design errors are discussed.</p

Ground source heat pumps and environmental policy - The Finnish practitioner's point of view

Since the 1970s energy crises, and increasingly in recent years, ground source heat pumps have attracted large interest as an instrument for energy conservation. Rapid growth of the industry has raised questions about the environmental benefits and costs of heat pumps. Governments have designed policies to both promote and regulate the industry. This study concentrates on the development of the ground source heat pump industry in Finland, and on national policies and regulations concerning the industry. The focus is on practitioners' responses to heat pump legislation, a topic so far overlooked by researchers, but also the users' perspective is considered. The study is based on interviews and questionnaire responses from heat pump professionals, heat pump statistics, and literature. Six sectors of legislation and environmental policy are considered: the regulation of ozone depleting substances and greenhouse gases in refrigerants, qualification requirements imposed on the ground source heat pump industry, the permission procedure for ground loop heat exchangers, legislation on groundwater protection, requirements and incentives for heat pump efficiency and labelling, and public funding and subsidies for the industry. The results show that policies have an important role in the development of the industry, and that quality aspects deserve more attention in policies regarding e.g. GSHP training and planning permissions. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Essential Domains of Anaplasma phagocytophilum Invasins Utilized to Infect Mammalian Host Cells

Anaplasma phagocytophilum causes granulocytic anaplasmosis, an emerging disease of humans and domestic animals. The obligate intracellular bacterium uses its invasins OmpA, Asp14, and AipA to infect myeloid and non-phagocytic cells. Identifying the domains of these proteins that mediate binding and entry, and determining the molecular basis of their interactions with host cell receptors would significantly advance understanding of A. phagocytophilum infection. Here, we identified the OmpA binding domain as residues 59 to 74. Polyclonal antibody generated against a peptide spanning OmpA residues 59 to 74 inhibited A. phagocytophilum infection of host cells and binding to its receptor, sialyl Lewis x (sLex-capped P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1. Molecular docking analyses predicted that OmpA residues G61 and K64 interact with the two sLex sugars that are important for infection, α2,3-sialic acid and α1,3-fucose. Amino acid substitution analyses demonstrated that K64 was necessary, and G61 was contributory, for recombinant OmpA to bind to host cells and competitively inhibit A. phagocytophilum infection. Adherence of OmpA to RF/6A endothelial cells, which express little to no sLex but express the structurally similar glycan, 6-sulfo-sLex, required α2,3-sialic acid and α1,3-fucose and was antagonized by 6-sulfo-sLex antibody. Binding and uptake of OmpA-coated latex beads by myeloid cells was sensitive to sialidase, fucosidase, and sLex antibody. The Asp14 binding domain was also defined, as antibody specific for residues 113 to 124 inhibited infection. Because OmpA, Asp14, and AipA each contribute to the infection process, it was rationalized that the most effective blocking approach would target all three. An antibody cocktail targeting the OmpA, Asp14, and AipA binding domains neutralized A. phagocytophilumbinding and infection of host cells. This study dissects OmpA-receptor interactions and demonstrates the effectiveness of binding domain-specific antibodies for blocking A. phagocytophilum infection

A molecular-based identification resource for the arthropods of Finland

To associate specimens identified by molecular characters to other biological knowledge, we need reference sequences annotated by Linnaean taxonomy. In this study, we (1) report the creation of a comprehensive reference library of DNA barcodes for the arthropods of an entire country (Finland), (2) publish this library, and (3) deliver a new identification tool for insects and spiders, as based on this resource. The reference library contains mtDNA COI barcodes for 11,275 (43%) of 26,437 arthropod species known from Finland, including 10,811 (45%) of 23,956 insect species. To quantify the improvement in identification accuracy enabled by the current reference library, we ran 1000 Finnish insect and spider species through the Barcode of Life Data system (BOLD) identification engine. Of these, 91% were correctly assigned to a unique species when compared to the new reference library alone, 85% were correctly identified when compared to BOLD with the new material included, and 75% with the new material excluded. To capitalize on this resource, we used the new reference material to train a probabilistic taxonomic assignment tool, FinPROTAX, scoring high success. For the full-length barcode region, the accuracy of taxonomic assignments at the level of classes, orders, families, subfamilies, tribes, genera, and species reached 99.9%, 99.9%, 99.8%, 99.7%, 99.4%, 96.8%, and 88.5%, respectively. The FinBOL arthropod reference library and FinPROTAX are available through the Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility (www.laji.fi) at https://laji.fi/en/theme/protax. Overall, the FinBOL investment represents a massive capacity-transfer from the taxonomic community of Finland to all sectors of society.</p