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Mitigation of global warming, energy security and industrial competitiveness urge the energy-intensive pulp and paper industry (PPI) to transform energy use practices. This study investigates how the PPI has responded to the need for the energy transition in the 2000s. Finland and Sweden as forerunners of energy-efficient operation and decarbonization of the PPI are used as target countries. Understanding of changes in energy consumption is complemented using decomposition analysis (Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index Method) and the energy efficiency index approach. Analysis of companies’ investments in energy technologies is used for explaining changes in energy production. Evidence of significant development towards the more sustainable operation of the PPI was found. Energy consumption per produced unit has decreased, i.e., energy efficiency has improved. Fossil fuels have been partially replaced with bio-based alternatives. Thus, the CO2 intensity has decreased substantially. The generation of renewable electricity has increased in both countries. Examples of Finland and Sweden indicate that the PPI has great potential to contribute to CO2 emission reduction worldwide in the future as energy efficiency can be further improved, and the share of fossil fuels can be decreased increasing the use of biofuels and self-generated green electricity at least in kraft pulp mills.

A wide variety of biomass is available all around the world. Most of the biomass exists as a by-product from manufacturing industries. Pulp and paper mills contribute to a higher amount of these biomasses mostly discarded in the landfills creating an environmental burden. Biomasses from other sources have been used to produce different kinds and grades of biomaterials such as those used in industrial and medical applications. The present review aims to investigate the availability of biomass from pulp and paper mills and show sustainable routes for the production of high value-added biomaterials. The study reveals that using conventional and integrated biorefinery technology the ample variety and quantity of waste generated from pulp and paper mills can be converted into wealth. As per the findings of the current review, it is shown that high-performance carbon fiber and bioplastic can be manufactured from black liquor of pulping waste; the cellulosic waste from sawdust and sludge can be utilized for the synthesis of CNC and regenerated fibers such as viscose rayon and acetate; the mineral-based pulping wastes and fly ash can be used for manufacturing of different kinds of biocomposites. The different biomaterials obtained from the pulp and paper mill biomass can be used for versatile applications including conventional, high performance, and smart materials. Through customization and optimization of the conversion techniques and product manufacturing schemes, a variety of engineering materials can be obtained from pulp and paper mill wastes realizing the current global waste to wealth developmental approach.

In this paper, we present a system for automatic evaluation of the quality of a question paper. Question paper plays a major role in educational assessment. The quality of a question paper is crucial to fulfilling the purpose of the assessment. In many education sectors, question papers are prepared manually. A prior analysis of a question paper might help in finding the errors in the question paper, and better achieving the goals of the assessment. In this experiment, we focus on higher education in the technical domain. First, we conducted a student survey to identify the key factors that affect the quality of a question paper. The top factors we identified are question relevance, question difficulty, and time requirement. We explored the strategies to handle these factors and implemented them. We employ various concepts and techniques for the implementation. The system finally assigns a numerical quality score against these factors. The system is evaluated using a set of question papers collected from various sources. The experimental results show that the proposed system is quite promising.

Maturity of vermicomposted end products obtained from citronella bagasse (CB) and a mixture of citronella bagasse and paper mill sludge (CB + PMS) was determined employing the epigeic earthworm species Eisenia fetida. Two of the primary biological indicators—enzyme assay and germination index—were used for evaluation of vermicompost maturity. The enzyme assay includes the changes in dehydrogenase and urease activities in the final products. The test for germination index was performed on two economically important plant species Abelmoschus esculentus and Solanum melongena. The results revealed a significant increase in dehydrogenase and urease activities in the vermicompost samples over the raw materials and traditional compost. The enhancement was recorded 215.63–225.63% in dehydrogenase and 149.89–249.31% for urease in the end products obtained after 45 days of experimental trials. Further, the higher values of germination index in the vermicompost treatments as against the control confirm the suitability and stability of the vermicomposted final products.

In society, there is widespread and growing acceptance of the value of cooperation between industry and universities being collaborative Research and Development (R&D) domain and industrial policy the fuel of knowledge-based economies. In this paper, different domains of cooperation between the University and Industry as well as their generated benefits for each partner are identified. These benefits have been assigned to each domain of cooperation, showing a large number of benefits associated to collaborative R&D. Leading us to make a statement - collaborative R&D is the key cooperation domain for sustainable long-term university-industry partnerships. Suggestions are given about how to continue this research study.

Background The implementation of an electronic health record (EHR) with structured and standardized recording of patient data can improve data quality and reusability. Whether and how users perceive these advantages may depend on the preimplementation situation. Objective To determine whether the influence of implementing a structured and standardized EHR on perceived EHR use, data quality, and data reuse differed for users working with paper-based records versus a legacy EHR before implementation. Methods We used an electronic questionnaire to measure users' perception before implementation (2014), expected change, and perceived change after implementation (2016) on three themes. We included all health care professionals in two university hospitals in the Netherlands. Before jointly implementing the same structured and standardized EHR, one hospital used paper-based records and the other a legacy EHR. We compared perceptions before and after implementation for both centers. Additionally, we compared expected benefit with perceived benefit. Results We received 7,611 responses (4,537 before and 3,074 after implementation) of which 5,707 (75%) were from professionals reading and recording patient data. A total of 975 (13%) professionals responded to both before and after implementation questionnaires. In the formerly paper-based center staff perceived improvement in all themes after implementation. The legacy EHR center experienced deterioration of perceived EHR use and data reuse, and only one improvement in EHR use. In both centers, for half of the aspects at least 45% of responders experienced results worse than expected preimplementation. Conclusion Our results indicate that the preimplementation recording practice impacts the perceived effect of the implementation of a structured and standardized EHR. For almost half of the respondents the new EHR did not meet their expectations. Especially legacy EHR centers need to investigate the expectations as these might be different and less clear cut than those in paper-based centers. These expectations need to be addressed appropriately to achieve a successful implementation.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of mobile video-guided home exercise program and standard paper-based home exercise program. Methods: Eligible participants were randomly assigned to either experimental group with mobile video-guided home exercise program or control group with home exercise program in a standard pamphlet for three months. The primary outcome was exercise adherence. The secondary outcomes were self-efficacy for exercise by Self-Efficacy for Exercise (SEE) Scale; and functional outcomes including mobility level by Modified Functional Ambulatory Category (MFAC) and basic activities of daily living (ADL) by Modified Barthel Index (MBI). All outcomes were captured by phone interviews at 1 day, 1 month and 3 months after the participants were discharged from the hospitals. Results: A total of 56 participants were allocated to the experimental group [Formula: see text] and control group [Formula: see text]. There were a significant between-group differences in 3-months exercise adherence (experimental group: 75.6%; control group: 55.2%); significant between-group differences in 1-month SEE (experimental group: 58.4; control group: 43.3) and 3-month SEE (experimental group: 62.2; control group: 45.6). For functional outcomes, there were significant between-group differences in 3-month MFAC gain (experimental group: 1.7; control group: 1.0). There were no between-group differences in MBI gain. Conclusion: The use of mobile video-guided home exercise program was superior to standard paper-based home exercise program in exercise adherence, SEE and mobility gain but not basic ADL gain for patients recovering from stroke.

The thriving development of the paper industry leaves behind a great amount of pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS), which constitutes a considerable source of pollution. Experts estimate that...

This paper presents a broadband, simple, re-useable and low-cost approach for noninvasive sweat monitoring using a passive microwave circuit and a cellulose filter paper as a superstrate. The proposed sensor is composed of filter paper with the ability to absorb the sample liquid under test (LUT) placed on top of a coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line. Various samples of sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions with concentrations in the range of 0.01-2 mol/L and models of artificial sweat are used to test the proposed sensor. The difference in transmission coefficient (S21) between dry and wet states is used to determine the concentrations of tested solutions in the band of 1-6 GHz. The sensor detects concentrations as low as 0.01 mol/L (0.58 g/L) and quantities as low as 137 μL with a maximum sensitivity of 46.7 dB/g/L. The proposed sensor presents a simple approach to sample and characterize liquids with enhanced sensitivity and consistent performance using microwave signals.

Waste-to-energy or value-added products have been increasingly considered in many pulp and paper mills (PPMs) worldwide. However, developing appropriate conversion technologies is a major challenge in transforming PPMs wastes into biofuels or value-added biomaterials. In the present study, a long-term (320 d) anaerobic digestion of primary sludge of a thermomechanical pulp mill (TMP) was carried out for the first time in a thermophilic anaerobic membrane bioreactor (ThAnMBR). Effect of organic loading rate (OLR) in the range of 2.5–6.8 kg-COD/m3 d and hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 3–8 d on the process performance was investigated. Under various OLRs, stable biogas productions were obtained, and the best results were achieved with lower OLR (2.5 kg-COD/m3 d) and higher HRT (8 d), at biogas yields of 189 L biogas/kg MLSS fed. However, it was found that biogas production and sludge biomass degradation decrease when the organic loading rate increases. The proportion of sludge reduction ranged from 28.9 to 46.7% depending on the applied OLRs. Despite varying OLRs, stable membrane performance was obtained, where the required membrane flux was easily maintained during the reactor operation. In this study, also the properties of digestate and membrane permeates were studied under different operating conditions, and they fluctuated to some extent with OLR. ThAnMBR is a promising new technology for pulp and paper mill primary sludge treatment.