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The aim of this study was to examine which topic- and learning-related knowledge and motivational beliefs predict the use of specific deep-level learning strategies during an independent learning task. Participants included 335 Estonian fourth- and sixth-grade students who were asked to read about light processes and seasonal changes. The study was completed electronically. Topic-related knowledge was assessed via an open question about seasonal changes, and learning-related knowledge was assessed via scenario-based tasks. Expectancies, interest, and utility values related to learning astronomy and using deep-level learning strategies were assessed via questions based on the Situated Expectancy-Value Theory. Deep-level learning strategies (using drawings in addition to reading and self-testing) were assessed while completing the reading task. Among topic-related variables, prior knowledge and utility value--but not interest or expectancy in learning astronomy--were related to using deep-level learning strategies. Among learning-related variables, interest and utility value of effective learning--but not metacognitive knowledge of learning strategies or expectancy in using deep-level learning strategies--were related to using deep-level learning strategies. This study confirms that it is not enough to examine students' knowledge and skills in using learning strategies with general or hypothetical questions, instead, it is of crucial importance to study students in real learning situations.

"Manor and violence in the folklore collections of the late 19th century". The folklore collected during the collection campaigns of the last decades of the 19th century contains a significant amount of material concerning the relationship between peasants and those connected to manors. In this article, I focus on one particular aspect of these texts: the depiction of violence directed from the manor towards the peasants. I examine the topic from two perspectives. Firstly, I apply the framework proposed by Gyanendra Pandey (2014), who distinguishes between three kinds of violence: (1) violence intended to maintain societal order; (2) wild, uncontrollable violence associated with marginalized groups; and (3) trivial or overlooked violence. I explore how these three types of violence manifest in my material and how they interconnect. Secondly, I analyze these texts, which originate from oral sources and were written down by individuals with limited formal education, within the context of contemporary public discourse (such as newspapers, history writing, literature, etc.) on manor-related violence. I investigate the parallels and discrepancies between these public writings and archival texts. Regarding the first perspective, it can be said that the writers often depict the violence executed by landlords as wild, while the right to enact violence for maintaining order is attributed to the Tsar. Additionally, the writers employ various rhetorical techniques to stress that trivial violence was also present. As for the connection to public writings, it is evident that the authors of these texts are familiar with them but sometimes alter or reinterpret them.

A novel dicoumarol-based copolyester was synthesized via a one-step polycondensation reaction using titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) as a catalyst. The copolyester was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy (1H and 13C), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the surface morphology before and after degradation. The synthesized copolyester exhibited toxicity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells, with an IC50 value of 62.5 μg/mL, and demonstrated potential as a drug carrier with a consistent drug-release rate. The combination of dicoumarol, itaconic acid, and 1,12-dodecanediol in the copolyester enhances its biomedical capabilities, with dicoumarol providing anticancer properties, itaconic acid offering biocompatibility and mechanical stability, and 1,12-dodecanediol ensuring structural integrity and responsiveness. This study presents the first example of a dicoumarol-substituted copolyester, which was thoroughly characterized and shown to have promising biocompatibility for targeted anticancer therapy. The synthesis of this novel copolyester from renewable sources highlights the growing interest in sustainable materials for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications, particularly in drug delivery and tissue engineering for cancer treatment.

The study aims to examine students' awareness and reported use of learning strategies as well as their effectiveness for word recognition using a word list memorization task. The sample included 1039 Grade 2, 1069 Grade 4, 832 Grade 6, and 3752 Grade 9 students (aged 8-15 years) from 272 Estonian schools. More students in higher grades reported using abstract grouping than students in lower grades. Students' evaluations of rehearsal and perceptual grouping were loaded onto theoretically expected factors, and evaluative statements tended to have similar meaning across all grades. Grade 9 students tended to evaluate abstract grouping higher and rehearsal lower than students in lower grades. Reported use of abstract grouping was related to higher word-recognition scores in Grades 4 and up; this trend was not evident in Grade 2. The word-list memorization task is one possibility to assess memorization strategies in basic school, and it can provide useful information to plan activities supporting students' development of effective usage of strategies.

Abstract In this work, iron‐ and nitrogen‐doped carbide‐derived carbon and carbon nanotube (CDC/CNT) composites are prepared and used as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts in acidic conditions. Three different approaches are taken to mix iron and nitrogen precursors, namely iron(II) acetate and 1,10‐phenanthroline, with the nanocarbon materials. The doping is done via high‐temperature pyrolysis. The success of doping is proved by several physicochemical methods indicating that iron is atomically dispersed. The Fe−N−C catalyst materials possess similar textural properties with high specific surface area and plenty of pores in different sizes. The evaluation of the ORR activity using the rotating (ring−)disk electrode method shows that the prepared Fe−N−C materials have very similar and good electrocatalytic performance in acidic media and low yield of H2O2 formation. This excellent ORR performance of the Fe−N−C catalyst materials is attributed to the presence of Fe−Nx and pyridinic‐N moieties, as well as a feasible porous structure.

This study aimed to investigate students’ metacognitive knowledge and reported use of surface and deep learning strategies. It also explored the extent to which students recall their teachers’ recommendations for learning strategies and the relationship between these recollections and students’ knowledge and reported use of strategies. A scenario-based questionnaire was used to set a learning goal in the area of biology. Students’ metacognitive knowledge was assessed through perceived effectiveness and reported use of learning strategies. Additionally, open-ended questions allowed students to recall and report recommendations given by their teachers. We used person-centered methods to explore whether different types of recollections were related to reported strategy use. Among students who recollected that their teachers have recommended deep learning strategies, it was typical to value deep strategies higher than surface strategies and report using deep strategies. Also, it was atypical among those students to value surface level strategies and not use deep strategies.

The objective of this research was to identify which learning strategies pre and in-service teachers (N = 340) recommend to students in two hypothetical learning situations, in order to examine how teachers evaluate students’ learning strategies, and to study relations between recommendations and evaluations. Among the recommended and evaluated learning strategies, four tapped deep learning, and two tapped surface learning. Results showed that teachers mainly recommended either deep-learning strategies or a combination of deep and surface-learning strategies. Teachers gave better evaluations of deep-learning strategies compared to surface-learning strategies. Differences in evaluations of surface-learning strategies and interleaving were found between teachers who recommended only deep-learning strategies and those who recommended both types of strategies.

The cost-effective production of commercially important biopolymers, such as chitosan, has gained momentum in recent decades owing to its versatile material properties. The seasonal variability in the availability of crustacean waste and fish waste, routinely used for chitosan extraction, has triggered a focus on fungal chitosan as a sustainable alternative. This study demonstrates a cost-effective strategy for cultivating an endophytic fungus isolated from Pichavaram mangrove soil in a pineapple peel-based medium for harvesting fungal biomass. Chitosan was extracted using alkali and acid treatment methods from various combinations of media. The highest chitosan yield (139 ± 0.25 mg/L) was obtained from the pineapple peel waste-derived medium supplemented with peptone. The extracted polymer was characterized by FTIR, XRD, DSC, and TGA analysis. The antioxidant activity of the fungal chitosan was evaluated using DPPH assay and showed an IC50 value of 0.22 mg/L. Subsequently, a transparent chitosan film was fabricated using the extracted fungal chitosan, and its biodegradability was assessed using a soil burial test for 50 days. Biodegradation tests revealed that, after 50 days, a degradation rate of 28.92 ± 0.75% (w/w) was recorded. Thus, this study emphasizes a cost-effective strategy for the production of biopolymers with significant antioxidant activity, which may have promising applications in food packaging if additional investigations are carried out in the future.

Self-regulation forms the rudiments for children's academic achievement and socialization. Although one's executive control and verbal skills are needed in both of the core aspects for academic performance: processing to regulate one's own learning and behavior, young students' cognitive capacity for that is still immature influencing the "right response" execution. This longitudinal study investigates children's deviant self-regulation, aggression, in two reciprocal relations: (1) individual cognitive factors; and (2) classroom-contextual factors. Results show the persistence of aggression over time; in aggressive students also lower verbal and executive function skills in Grade 6, while no classroom-contextual relations were detected. This indicates the need to identify as early as possible the pupils performing poorly in cognitive tasks in order to implement specific scaffold-interventions to enhance their processing skills -- fundamental for efficient executive control. By doing so, we can prevent possible later complications and improve those pupils' basic functions early on to regulate their learning and execute appropriate behavior. Human cognition is an entire and interdependent system enabled by our undivided mental mechanism needed for making relevant conclusions as well as shaping appropriate behavior to become a responsibly thinking and dignified member of society.

The aim of this study was to explore how pre- and in-service teachers (N = 346) evaluate different learning strategies for six scenarios, and how they justify their answers. Results showed that teachers mostly evaluate strategies found to be effective in previous empirical studies as more effective and they can provide proper scientific justifications, though some justifications included misconceptions. Teachers were most confused when comparing interleaving versus blocking and retrieval versus concept mapping. Configural frequency analysis showed that justifications were generally, but not always, consistent with evaluations. These findings refer to the importance of examining teacher knowledge both with evaluations and with open-end questions. Misconceptions identified by justifications comprise useful information for planning teacher-training courses.

Letters are a means of communication with people who are far away. As such, letters are always intended to create intersubjective space common to the sender and receiver of the letter. The intersubjectivity can be created in different ways; for example, alluding to shared memories, using shared idioms or inserting direct addresses into the letters. Ideally the exchange of letters is symmetrical, but the reality tends to be nonideal – letters go missing, one partner is more passive and there can be a hierarchical relationship between the sender and the receiver. This asymmetricity, however, does not diminish the potential intersubjectivity of any particular letter. The article focuses on intersubjectivity in the letters sent by a farmer and folklore collector Jaan Saalverk (1874–1932) to Jakob Hurt. In 1888 Hurt started widespread folklore collecting campaigns; he published appeals in several newspapers and with the help of these hoped to build up a dense network of local collectors. The campaign lasted until Hurt’s death in 1907, and during this time about a thousand people stepped in. Saalverk participated in the campaign in 1896–1905 and he was one of the most prolific co-workers of Hurt from Jüri parish. As in most cases the organizers of the campaigns and the local collectors did not meet in person, the collecting campaigns can be considered as epistolary events – people who participated had to be able to use the postal system and know how to address other people in epistolary exchanges. In this article I do not cover everything that was sent by Saalverk to Hurt but, taking a narrower focus, study one special genre – the letters sent by him. Letters were not an obligatory part of collecting campaigns and there were collectors who never sent a letter to Hurt. However, most of the collectors wrote letters on several occasions. Some were added to collected materials and commented on them, some were sent in between collections; most of the letters dealt with collecting activity, but there were plenty of those that addressed other issues. The folklore collecting campaigns provide quite a special epistolary context. One aspect to be noted is social hierarchy – Hurt was a parson and had a university degree, while most of the collectors were farmers, that is, had considerably lower social standing. Besides, the communication took place on the borderline between private and public spheres – letters sent by collectors were private, but Hurt often quoted them in his public reports. This context of epistolary communication was marked by asymmetry – collectors always wrote more than Hurt. In his letters to Hurt, Saalverk touches upon several issues that can be found in the letters of other collectors as well. He writes about the importance of collecting for the nation and for himself, about his concerns over the value of his contribution and the prejudices that people from his area have towards folklore collecting. While he dwells on the importance of collecting, he seems to feel empowered by perceiving it as part of the modern world (opposed to drinking and fighting as non-modern ways to spend one’s free time); but considering the prejudices of local people he seems to be puzzled and not so confident anymore. A special trait of Saalverk’s letters is the devices he uses to create an intersubjective space between himself and Hurt. He does not use the most common device of folklore collectors – metaphorical language that Hurt employs in public texts about folklore collecting. Saalverk relies on direct addresses – in most of his letters, there is a plea for Hurt to send him a private letter and explain to him the importance of folklore collecting so that Saalverk could cite these ideas to refute the prejudices of local people. These pleas are connected to two different intersubjective spaces at once. On the one hand, they try to break the substantial asymmetry of the communication in this context, on the other hand Saalverk seems to hope that if he succeeds in creating real intersubjectivity between himself and Hurt, it would help him to solve problems he is having in the intersubjective space between himself and people around him.

We explored two methods for synthesizing Pd nanoparticles using three different carbide-derived carbon (CDC) support materials, one of which was nitrogen-doped. These materials were studied for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in 0.1 M KOH solution, and the resulting CDC/Pd catalysts were characterized using TEM, XRD, and XPS. The citrate method and the polyol method using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a capping agent were employed to elucidate the impact of the support material on the final catalyst. The N-doping of the CDC material resulted in smaller Pd nanoparticles, but only in the case of the citrate method. This suggests that the influence of support is weaker when using the polyol method. The citrate method with CDC1, which is predominantly microporous, led to a higher degree of agglomeration and formation of larger particles in comparison to supports, which possessed a higher degree of mesoporosity. We achieved smaller Pd particle sizes using citrate and NaBH4 compared to the ethylene glycol PVP method. Pd deposited on CDC2 and CDC3 supports showed similar specific activity (SA), suggesting that the N-doping did not significantly influence the ORR process. The highest SA value was observed for CDC1/Pd_Cit, which could be attributed to the formation of larger Pd particles and agglomerates.

The berry pomace could be a potential source for food applications due to its high content of polyphenols, but also dietary fiber, PUFAs and pectin. This is the first study that aims to compare the total dietary fiber (TDF), protein, fat, mineral, pectin and fatty acid content of the following 16 different pomace samples of Sorbus aucuparia L. cultivars (cvs): ‘Likernaja’, ‘Burka’, ‘Alaja Krupnaja’, ‘Granatnaja’, ‘Rubinovaja’, ‘Bussinka’, ‘Vefed’, ‘Angri’, ‘Krasnaja’, ‘Solnechnaja’, ‘Sahharnaja’, ‘Oranzevaja’, ‘Kubovaja’, ‘Moravica’, ‘Rosina’ and ‘Rossica’, in order to find new natural materials for valorization. The contents of pectin and dietary fibers were analyzed using the respective Megazyme enzymatic kits. The TDF content was the highest in the pomace samples of hybrid cvs ‘Granatnaja’ (63.04% dry mass DM), ‘Burka’ (64.52% DM), ‘Rubinovaja’ (65.66% DM) and ‘Likernaja’ (67.17% DM). The pomace of hybrid cv ‘Rubinovaja’ was distinguished from other samples by its high protein content, cv ‘Alaja Krupnaja’ by its high pectin content and cv ‘Oranzevaja’ by its high fat content, which were 7.58% DM, 8.39% DM and 7.47% DM, respectively. The pomace of cv ‘Sahharnaja’ possessed the highest average macro-element content (1.56 g/kg DM). The average fatty acids profile was characterized by a high content of linoleic acid (51.94%), oleic acid (20.55%) and palmitic acid (12.96%). The lowest n6/n3 ratio was found in the hybrid cv ‘Alaja Krupnaja’ (6.70%). The data obtained demonstrate that the pomaces of certain cultivars of rowanberry contain significant amounts of valuable components, which can be used in functional food and cosmetic applications.

This study examined the effects of a teacher-led learning-strategy intervention program on fourth-grade students' reported use and perceived effectiveness of rehearsal and comprehension-oriented learning strategies. During 18 program units, teachers taught about learning and various learning strategies, including visualisation, elaboration and categorisation. Strategies were practised in math, language and science classes. Participants were comprised of 82 fourth-grade students in the intervention group and 387 fourth-grade students in the control group. Students' reported use and perceived effectiveness of learning strategies were assessed before and at least 4 months after intervention using a web-based word-memorisation task and associated reflection questions. The intervention group tended to use more comprehension-oriented learning strategies in post-tests, and the intervention group also showed an increase in perceived effectiveness of comprehension-oriented learning strategies. Still, rehearsal was evaluated as the most effective strategy in both the control group and the intervention group. Explanations for these findings and possible future directions are discussed.

The focus in the development of catalysts doped with transition metals aims to replace platinum group metal catalysts in fuel cells. However, these non-precious metal catalysts exhibit limited performance in acidic environment for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to issues such as metal agglomeration and the subsequent loss of active sites. Herein, we synthesised catalysts doped with iron and nitrogen on a composite material consisting of carbide-derived carbon (CDC) and graphene (G), employing an additional nitrogen source dicyandiamide (DCDA), denoted as FeN-CDC/G/DCDA. Our physico-chemical analysis unveiled that the inclusion of DCDA was effective in mitigating metal agglomeration during the synthesis process and increasing the presence of Fe-Nx sites in the catalysts. Notably, the FeN-CDC/G/DCDA catalyst exhibited enhanced ORR activity in acid media with half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.76 V, surpassing the performance of the FeN-CDC/G catalyst, which had an E1/2 value of 0.70 V. Furthermore, the rotating ring-disk electrode results indicated a reduced formation of hydrogen peroxide when employing the FeN-CDC/G/DCDA catalyst. The findings from this study represent a significant step towards the development of efficient catalysts for fuel cells, underscoring the pivotal role of additional nitrogen doping and its positive impact on the ORR performance.

Background: Most previous studies of teaching styles and reading skills have been cross-sectional. Longitudinal research is needed to clarify the direction of effects. The present longitudinal study examined the degree to which differences in teaching styles in the third grade predict the sixth-grade reading performance. The consistency of the findings was addressed by comparing results across students in two countries (Finland and Estonia). Methods: A total of 1,057 students (50.9% boys) were followed from the third to sixth grade. Teaching styles of third-grade teachers (N = 70) were examined as predictors of the development of reading (i.e., third-grade to sixth-grade reading fluency and comprehension). Results: Five patterns of third-grade teaching practices were found across two countries: "child-centred style," "teacher-directed style," "child-dominated style," "extreme child-centred style," and "mixed child-centred" and "teacher-directed style (mixed teaching style)." The mixed teaching style and the child-centred style in the third grade were related to the greatest increases in reading fluency from the third to sixth grade, over and above the contribution of age, gender and maternal education. Conclusions: The findings underscore the importance of the flexible use of child-centred and teacher-directed practices, which are both linked to the development of reading fluency during late primary school years.

Several studies have shown that apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) in the daily diet are healthy due to their rich content of phytochemicals. The aim of this study was to compare the content of polyphenols in the peels, flesh, seeds and leaves of five apple cultivars (âAntonovkaâ, âÅkeröâ, âCortlandâ, âKarksi renettâ and âKristaâ) grown in Estonia. Of the 21 collected cultivars, these five were selected on the basis of their rich or distinct chemical composition according to the LC-DAD-MS/MS data. In addition, the weight of the fruit, the number of seeds in the fruit and the weight of the seeds were determined. A total of 33 compounds were detected in the peels, 23 in the flesh, 11 in the seeds, and 25 in the leaves. They belong to four groups: 1) flavon-3-ols (quercetin and its derivatives), 2) dihydrochalcones (phloretin and its derivatives), 3) flavan-3-ols (catechin, epicatechin and oligomers), and 4) esters formed between caffeic acid and L-quinic acid (chlorogenic acid). Based on the data presented in this article, the leaves contained the highest measured total polyphenol content (TPGA). The peels contained high amounts of all the major polyphenolic groups mentioned. The apple flesh lacked flavon-3-ols and the seeds flavon-3-ols and flavan-3-ols. In the peels, the major polyphenols were quercetin galactoside (3â342 mg/100 g), procyanidin B1 (18â179 mg/100 g), and (epi)catechin trimer (28â200 mg/100 g); in the flesh chlorogenic acid (77â298 mg/100 g); in the seeds phloridzin (466 mg/100 g in âCortlandâ); and in the leaves chlorogenic acid (147â446 mg/100 g) and quercetin glycosides, especially quercetin rhamnoside (242â350 mg/100 g), quercetin galactoside (39â334 mg/100 g) and quercetin glucoside (91â321 mg/100 g).

The article looks at nature references in texts written in the 1890s by two men born in the middle of the 19th century: namely, the autobiographical writings of farmer and school teacher Paulus Paurmann (1850–1903), and the diary of miller Märt Siipsen (1846–1916). Paurmann and Siipsen can be called vernacular literati – despite their poor education they were eager to participate in the modern literary sphere as both readers and writers. Both men depended on nature in their livelihood – this combined with their interest in contemporary literary matters makes them good examples of the spread of modern ideas about nature among the lower social classes. The influence of these ideas can manifest in at least three different ways: (1) as an interest in modern scientific ideas; (2) as a wish to shape nature – plant new species, apply new technologies; (3) by using nature (as well as poetic language stemming from nature) to express one’s identity, to position oneself with respect to modern identity markers. In Siipsen’s text we can see two different ways of positioning oneself in relation to nature: passive (religious) and active (practical). In some passages he states that everything which happens in nature depends on God, whereas in others he describes attempts at designing his surroundings by adding new plants and birds. The relationship between the two remains ambiguous. Paurmann has written two autobiographies. The earlier one uses a lot of descriptions of and metaphorical references to nature and its composition adheres to the poetics of sentimental chapbooks; the latter one is written in plain language and barely mentions nature at all. That is to say, references to nature in his writings depend on the chosen poetic language. In conclusion, we can see that both men have incorporated into their writings certain new ideas about nature that were disseminated in the written discourse at the time. Siipsen mostly describes new ways of designing one’s farmyard, whereas Paurmann turns to poetic uses of nature.

The aim of the study was to analyse literacy instruction activities and their associations with the reading performance of first graders in Estonia and Finland, two countries that share similar orthographies and educational systems but differ in the onset of formal reading instruction. The contents of 33 Literacy lessons in first grade spring were analysed and students' (N[subscript EST] = 415, N[subscript FIN] = 154) reading performance was assessed in first grade autumn and spring. The results showed that there were more similarities than differences between the countries in literacy instruction activities, but some country-specific interaction effects were found between students' reading performance and contents of the instruction. Especially the slopes of reading performance development among Finnish beginning readers differed from the other readers in both countries with respect to the content of literacy instruction. The results highlight the importance of responsiveness to students' needs in early school years literacy instruction.

Uuringu eesmärk on teada saada, kuidas õpetajad (N = 659) ja õpilased (N = 4888) hindavad erinevate õpistrateegiate tõhusust. Varasemad väikese valimiga uuringud on näidanud, et õpetajate ja õpilaste teadlikkus tõhusatest ja mittetõhusatest õpistrateegiatest on erinev, seega on teemat oluline uurida põhjalikumalt suurema valimiga. 2021. aastal viidi läbi üle-eestiline Õpetajauurimus 2021 ning järgmisel aastal Õpilasuurimus 2022. Uuringu käigus paluti õpetajatel ja õpilastel hinnata erinevate õpistrateegiate tõhusust nelja õpistsenaariumi kontekstis. Tulemustest selgus, et põhikooliõpetajad hindavad sügavat õppimist toetavaid õpistrateegiaid kõrgemalt kui põhikooliõpilased, kuid gümnaasiumis õpetajate ja õpilaste hinnangute vahel erinevust ei ole. Nii põhikoolis kui gümnaasiumis hindavad õpetajad pindmist õppimist toetavaid õpistrateegiaid madalamalt kui õpilased. Mõningaid erinevusi leiti ka konkreetsete õpistrateegiate tõhususe hinnangutes. Õppeainetest ning õpetajate staažist ei sõltunud, kuidas õpetajad õpistrateegiate tõhusust hindavad. Kokkuvõttes selgus, et nii õpetajate kui ka õpilaste teadmised uuringus kasutatud õpistrateegiatest olid pigem head. Õpetajate puhul kinnitab see varasemalt leitut ning õpilaste puhul saadi teada, et ka nemad hindavad kõrgemalt sügavat õppimist toetavaid õpistrateegiaid. Summary

Abstract A Pt‐free cathode catalyst is necessary for proton‐exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) to enable the widespread use of these environmentally friendly energy conversion devices at affordable price. Herein, a pyrolyzed electrospun carbon nanofibre (CNF) catalyst is prepared embedded with cobalt(II) phthalocyanine and iron(II) phthalocyanine compounds to provide the transition metal N4‐macrocyclic complex‐derived sites (MNX) possessing better electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. The physical characterisation showed the nanofibrous structure of catalyst with rough surface texture and considerable amount of N, Fe, and Co. The D−MN4−CNF−IL−A catalyst prepared using ionic liquid as a porogen displayed the best electrocatalytic activity for O2 electroreduction proceeding via 4e− pathway in 0.5 M H2SO4 electrolyte solution with the ORR onset and half‐wave potential of 0.83 and 0.71 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), respectively.

Abstract Data on the clinical validity of DNA copy number variants (CNVs) in spermatogenic failure (SPGF) is limited. This study analyzed the genome-wide CNV profile in 215 men with idiopathic SPGF and 62 normozoospermic fertile men, recruited at the Andrology Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Estonia. A two-fold higher representation of > 1 Mb CNVs was observed in men with SPGF (13%, n = 28) compared to controls (6.5%, n = 4). Seven patients with SPGF were identified as carriers of microdeletions (1q21.1; 2.4 Mb) or microduplications (3p26.3, 1.1 Mb; 7p22.3-p22.2, 1.56 Mb; 10q11.22, 1.42 Mb, three cases; Xp22.33; 2.3 Mb) linked to severe congenital conditions. Large autosomal CNV carriers had oligozoospermia, reduced or low-normal bitesticular volume (22–28 ml). The 7p22.3-p22.2 microduplication carrier presented mild intellectual disability, neuropsychiatric problems, and short stature. The Xp22.33 duplication at the PAR1/non-PAR boundary, previously linked to uterine agenesis, was detected in a patient with non-obstructive azoospermia. A novel recurrent intragenic deletion in testis-specific LRRC69 was significantly overrepresented in patients with SPGF compared to the general population (3.3% vs. 0.85%; χ2 test, OR = 3.9 [95% CI 1.8–8.4], P = 0.0001). Assessment of clinically valid CNVs in patients with SPGF will improve their management and counselling for general and reproductive health, including risk of miscarriage and congenital disorders in future offspring.

In order to improve the economic competitiveness of bioenergy carriers and biochemicals, they must be produced from low-cost or no-cost feedstock and at a reduced operational expenses. In that regard, this study focused on understanding the techno-economic feasibility of using pulp sludge as a low-cost alternative feedstock to forestry biomass in torrefaction. Economic feasibility of further integrating pulp sludge torrefaction with anaerobic digestion to produce energy, biomethane and volatile fatty acids (VFA) was also studied. The operational expenses were around 8.2 and 2.04 M€ and the minimum selling price of torrefied pellets was 407 and 189 €/t for forestry biomass torrefaction and pulp sludge torrefaction respectively. In case of integrated approaches, VFA production showed higher economic feasibility with a torrefied pellets selling price of 163 €/t compared with biomethane production (213 €/t). The biomethane and VFA selling price can be reduced by 90 and 64% compared with current market price at torrefied pellets selling price of 260 €/t. Sensitivity analysis revealed that, moisture content of the sludge is the main influencing parameter on the overall economic feasibility of the pulp sludge torrefaction. The environmental analysis showed that pulp sludge torrefaction has higher emissions compared with forestry biomass torrefaction.