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The demand for rare and precious metals (RPMs), e.g. gold, is increasing, as these are used in the ever-increasing amount of electronics needed for technological development and digitalization. Due to their rarity, virgin mining of RPMs is becoming more difficult and expensive. At the same time, over 62 Mt of e-waste is created globally each year. The high concentration of gold and other RPMs in e-waste makes it an excellent source for recycling. Unfortunately, current recycling methods need to separate the different metals and the current pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes also create toxic pollutants, large amounts of wastewater and require highly corrosive substances. Here we present a new method for gold removal for the purpose of recycling, using only water and high-intensity focused ultrasound to induce material erosion through cavitation. An 11.8 MHz ultrasonic transducer is used to first image the sample to locate gold-coated pads on discarded printed circuit boards (PCBs) and subsequently to remove only the gold layer. We demonstrate that the gold removal can be controlled by the number of transmitted ultrasonic bursts and that the energy efficiency is optimal when only minute amounts of the nickel layer beneath are also removed. Removing solely the gold layer also decreases the need for further processing steps. This greener gold removal method for e-waste is therefore well aligned with, and contributing to, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

This paper explores the environmental impacts of retaining or replacing buildings by extending the consequential replacement framework (CRF) for life-cycle assessment (LCA) from individual buildings towards the urban scale. It addresses a gap in previous studies by examining the broader consequences of building-level retention or replacement decisions in the built environment, namely greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from associated infrastructure construction. The case study, which is located in Finland, investigates alternative ways to densify a growing city, some of which can be achieved within the urban structure, while others require greenfield construction elsewhere in the city. The results reveal that refurbishing and extending already existing buildings is worthwhile in terms of GHG emissions, even if some of the additional floor area targeted in densification were to be built on a greenfield site. After 50 years, the accumulated GHG emissions of scenarios that develop existing buildings are 0.2–12% less than those from replacement scenarios, depending on whether the targeted densification is minor or major and the amount of infrastructure construction involved. This is primarily due to the 11–35% smaller upfront embodied GHG emissions of refurbishment compared with new construction—which 50 years do not offset. Policy relevance This paper reinforces the notion from previous research that developing the existing building stock holds major emission-savings potential, even more so than replacement with energy-efficient new build. It highlights the potential contribution of existing building stocks in low-emission city development, even in growing city contexts. The case study results challenge the common belief in urban planning that if replacement involves densification, it must be a more low-emission alternative than retention, and conversely, if retention leads to greenfield construction, it must be higher in emissions than replacement. Low-emission urban planning should base its conclusions on urban LCA. This paper introduces an infrastructure-extended CRF that accounts for building retention and replacement scenarios, ensuring methodological robustness. The approach is essential for policymakers to base their decisions on evidence and prioritise low-emission development alternatives. Which policymakers hold power over such decisions and which instruments are suitable to pursue these goals depend on the context.

ABSTRACT In recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), off‐flavours accumulated in fish muscle tissue can be problematic in terms of consumer acceptance and the reputation of farmed fish products. Off‐flavours often give fish earthy, muddy, or other undesirable flavours. Typically, off‐flavours are removed during a depuration period in which fish are fasted and held in clean water. Unfortunately, this causes additional costs and delayed sales, while fish lose weight and show a decrease in lipid content. First, we studied fish growth in a partial RAS (PRAS) where the conditions are very similar to those in depuration with a water exchange rate of 4000 L kg−1 feed, compared to RAS with a 650‐L water kg−1 feed. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was reared in both systems. Our aim was to combine the benefits of a higher water exchange rate: the lack of need for biofilters and a lower accumulation of off‐flavours while obtaining stable rearing conditions. Additionally, we studied the effects of moderate feeding and H2O2 addition during depuration. The fish grew faster in a PRAS than in a RAS when fed ad libitum. Thirteen off‐flavour compounds were found in the fish flesh and 11 in the circulating water. The H2O2 addition led to decreased levels of off‐flavours in the tank water and in fish muscle. The results showed no significant differences in off‐flavours between the fed and not‐fed systems, showing that moderate feeding did not prevent a good depuration result. However, the lipid content and the overall fish weight were higher in the fed systems, which suggests more effective depuration. Increased depuration efficiency can be an important tool when considering ways to improve the profitability of production.

Abstract Research‐based knowledge is essential for effective conservation and restoration of threatened aquatic species and habitats. Here, our aim was to gather this knowledge on the lake‐dwelling grayling (Thymallus thymallus), typically a riverine fish. Such atypical populations are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts, including fishing pressure, climate change, eutrophication and waterway construction, some of which affect especially the early life stages. However, there is little information available to guide management and conservation of grayling in lakes. Accordingly, we assessed characteristics of the nursery areas in the threatened grayling population of Lake Puruvesi (eastern Finland). In particular, we used beach seines in two consecutive years to sample lakeshore sites (including islands) that were a priori presumed suitable for grayling. We assessed the occurrence of grayling fry (larvae and post‐larvae

Previous research has focused on analysing crash reduction potential of active safety technology in at-fault passenger cars, but only a few studies have examined counterparties' possibilities to avoid collisions by using advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). This study quantified the incidence of fatal not-at-fault passenger car crashes that current ADAS (up to SAE level 2) would be unable to avoid. We used data taken from in-depth investigated fatal crashes in which a passenger car was involved, that car having been first registered during the period 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2017 in Finland. The evaluation of unavoidable crashes consisted of two evaluation rounds. The preliminary evaluation round identified potential active safety systems that could have operated in the studied cases. In the following round, we made a five-level case-by-case analysis including a time headway analysis in order to evaluate the possibilities for crash avoidance. The crash data included 63 fatal crashes, of which five were excluded because the death was due to a sudden illness attack. The remaining 58 crashes were classified as follows: probably unavoidable (n = 51), avoidable (n = 3), and unclear (n = 4). The crash incidence of the unavoidable not-at-fault party crashes was 0.67–0.73 fatal crashes per billion kilometers and 14–15 fatal crashes per million registration years. The results indicate that current active safety systems may be able to prevent not-at-fault party fatal crashes only in a few cases and that the driver's role in road safety remains important despite the deployment of the active safety systems.

This dataset contains the material volumes, masses, and intensities for a total of 45 residential building cohorts in Finland from the 1940s to the 2010s. The specific building types included are one dwelling houses and blocks of flats. The data were drawn from representative case buildings and their derivatives. The data are primarily based on construction drawings, complemented by other documents such as bills of materials. The source material was mainly obtained from the archives of the building inspection authority of the city of Vantaa, Finland. Material volumes were derived from the construction drawings either directly from annotations or, when needed, by further measurements made based on the same material. For minor lacks of information in the original documents, documents of similar buildings and literature were consulted. A total of 26 buildings were inventoried directly. For each included combination of building type, construction decade, and bearing material these were the ones with the most common façade material. In addition, 19 buildings with the second most common façade material were formed based on these to represent the 45 cohorts. Material masses, and by extension intensities, were calculated based on the recorded volumes and typical densities of construction materials used in Finland. The material volumes, masses, and intensities per material and in total are presented as three spreadsheet tables, along with a description sheet, on three corresponding hierarchical levels of aggregation: per representative building, per vertical building level (foundations, basement, first storey, etc.), and per building part (floor, exterior walls, interior walls, etc.). Furthermore, they are distinguished between the building structure and complementary building components (windows and doors). The data can be used in academic, policy related, and practical investigations of the building stock, such as in evaluating the material consumption consequences of different spatial planning strategies on various levels or estimating the materials embedded in the built environment and their potential for capitalisation in the circular economy.

A recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) aims to achieve fish production with negligible discharge into the environment. RASs have been applied for fish production in several countries, but nitrate removal is often a limiting factor for production increases. In this study, a pilot-scale RAS (10 tons of fish/year) was connected to a water treatment field which consisted of a denitrifying woodchip bioreactor (9 m × 14 m) filled with birch woodchips (Betula pendula), a constructed wetland (7.5 m × 6 m), and sand infiltration (16 m × 31 m) to achieve high water quality with low-maintenance treatment units. In the constructed wetland, a perennial common reed (Phragmites australis) was used in a well-drained soil for nutrient re-use. Concentrations of different elements, diluted anions, and selected hydrocarbons were monitored and quantified. Some Mn leaching occurred during the sand infiltration stage. However, Mn concentrations decreased towards the end of the experiment. Concentrations of total-Fe increased up to 2.75 mg L−1 and Mn up to 5 mg L−1 in the sand infiltration stage of the water treatment field, probably due to anoxic conditions and leaching of fine particles. This type of process design offers effective but low-maintenance treatment of circulating water. HIGHLIGHTS Passive water treatment was sufficient for treating recirculating water.; Elevated concentrations of Mn and Fe were found after sand filtration.; The concentrations of anions were low in the water treatment field.; Glucose and fructose of woodchip-origin were found at low levels in water.;

Abstract Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE) and bleeding are serious and potentially fatal complications of surgical procedures. Pharmacological thromboprophylaxis decreases the risk of VTE but increases the risk of major post-operative bleeding. The decision to use pharmacologic prophylaxis therefore represents a trade-off that critically depends on the incidence of VTE and bleeding in the absence of prophylaxis. These baseline risks vary widely between procedures, but their magnitude is uncertain. Systematic reviews addressing baseline risks are scarce, needed, and require innovations in methodology. Indeed, systematic summaries of these baseline risk estimates exist neither in general nor gynecologic surgery. We will fill this knowledge gap by performing a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the procedure-specific and patient risk factor stratified risk estimates in general and gynecologic surgeries. Methods We will perform comprehensive literature searches for observational studies in general and gynecologic surgery reporting symptomatic VTE or bleeding estimates. Pairs of methodologically trained reviewers will independently assess the studies for eligibility, evaluate the risk of bias by using an instrument developed for this review, and extract data. We will perform meta-analyses and modeling studies to adjust the reported risk estimates for the use of thromboprophylaxis and length of follow up. We will derive the estimates of risk from the median estimates of studies rated at the lowest risk of bias. The primary outcomes are the risk estimates of symptomatic VTE and major bleeding at 4 weeks post-operatively for each procedure stratified by patient risk factors. We will apply the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach to rate evidence certainty. Discussion This series of systematic reviews, modeling studies, and meta-analyses will inform clinicians and patients regarding the trade-off between VTE prevention and bleeding in general and gynecologic surgeries. Our work advances the standards in systematic reviews of surgical complications, including assessment of risk of bias, criteria for arriving at the best estimates of risk (including modeling of the timing of events and dealing with suboptimal data reporting), dealing with subgroups at higher and lower risk of bias, and use of the GRADE approach. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42021234119

A simple flow chemistry microreactor with an electrospray ionization tip for real time mass spectrometric reaction monitoring is introduced. The microreactor was fabricated by a laser-based additive manufacturing technique from acid-resistant stainless steel 316L. The functionality of the microreactor was investigated by using an inverse electron demand Diels-Alder and subsequent retro Diels-Alder reaction for testing. Challenges and problems encountered are discussed and improvements proposed. Adsorption of reagents to the rough stainless steel channel walls, short length of the reaction channel, and making a proper ESI tip present challenges, but the microreactor is potentially useful as a disposable device.

Background The molecular mechanisms mediating postnatal loss of cardiac regeneration in mammals are not fully understood. We aimed to provide an integrated resource of mRNA, protein, and metabolite changes in the neonatal heart for identification of metabolism‐related mechanisms associated with cardiac regeneration. Methods and Results Mouse ventricular tissue samples taken on postnatal day 1 (P01), P04, P09, and P23 were analyzed with RNA sequencing and global proteomics and metabolomics. Gene ontology analysis, KEGG pathway analysis, and fuzzy c‐means clustering were used to identify up‐ or downregulated biological processes and metabolic pathways on all 3 levels, and Ingenuity pathway analysis (Qiagen) was used to identify upstream regulators. Differential expression was observed for 8547 mRNAs and for 1199 of 2285 quantified proteins. Furthermore, 151 metabolites with significant changes were identified. Differentially regulated metabolic pathways include branched chain amino acid degradation (upregulated at P23), fatty acid metabolism (upregulated at P04 and P09; downregulated at P23) as well as the HMGCS (HMG‐CoA [hydroxymethylglutaryl‐coenzyme A] synthase)–mediated mevalonate pathway and ketogenesis (transiently activated). Pharmacological inhibition of HMGCS in primary neonatal cardiomyocytes reduced the percentage of BrdU‐positive cardiomyocytes, providing evidence that the mevalonate and ketogenesis routes may participate in regulating the cardiomyocyte cell cycle. Conclusions This study is the first systems‐level resource combining data from genomewide transcriptomics with global quantitative proteomics and untargeted metabolomics analyses in the mouse heart throughout the early postnatal period. These integrated data of molecular changes associated with the loss of cardiac regeneration may open up new possibilities for the development of regenerative therapies.

We present new records of noteworthy aphyllophoroid fungi, mainly polypores and corticioids in Finland. The following 19 rare or infrequently collected species are presented with notes on their substrates: Amylocorticium subsulphureum, Antrodiella parasitica, Ceraceomyces sulphurinus, Clavaria atroumbrina, Clavaria rosea, Gloeophyllum carbonarium, Hyphodontia flavipora, Junghuhnia fimbriatella, Lindtneria chordulata, Odonticium septocystidia, Peniophorella guttulifera, Perenniporia tenuis, Postia immitis, Repetobasidium vile, Resinicium pinicola, Sidera vulgaris, Tomentella coerulea, Trechispora laevis and Xylodon pruni. We also list 41 aphyllophoroid fungi as new to some sections of the boreal vegetation zone in Finland.

An ageing population is accompanied by an increased number of older adults living with HIV. So far, our knowledge regarding the life experiences of older adults living with HIV is still poor and under researched. The purpose of this study is to present new knowledge by interviewing nine Finnish HIV-positive individuals of 50 years of age and older. The data were analysed by inductive content analysis. Living with HIV is shaped by unique personal life experiences. These experiences played an important role on how the interviewees assessed their lives and their future as HIV positive individuals. Most of the participants reacted negatively to their HIV-positive diagnosis. However, throughout time they had found meaning in their lives and had developed a degree of positive attitude towards life and future which was articulated in terms of a good overall balanced life. Since caring is the tenor of the nursing profession, nurses should be able to identify and implement methods for assessing how successfully older adults living with HIV age and intervene in an informed way whenever needed.

Incapacitating and irritating agents produce temporary disability persisting for hours to days after the exposure. One can be exposed to these agents occupationally in industrial or other working environments. Also general public can be exposed in special circumstances, like industrial accidents or riots. Incapacitating and irritating agents discussed in this review are chloropicrin and capsaicinoids. In addition, we include sulfur mustard, which is an old chemical warfare agent and known to cause severe long-lasting injuries or even death. Chloropicrin that was used as a warfare agent in the World War I is currently used mainly as a pesticide. Capsaicinoids, components of hot pepper plants, are used by police and other law enforcement personnel as riot control agents. Toxicity of these chemicals is associated particularly with the respiratory tract, eyes and skin. Their acute effects are relatively well known but the knowledge of putative long-term effects is almost non-existent. Also, mechanisms of effects at cellular level are not fully understood. There is a need for further research to get better idea of health risks, particularly of long-term and low-level exposures to these chemicals. For this, exposure biomarkers are essential. Validated exposure biomarkers for capsaicinoids, chloropicrin and sulfur mustard do not exist so far. Metabolites and macromolecular adducts have been suggested biomarkers for sulfur mustard and these can already be measured qualitatively, but quantitative biomarkers await further development and validation. The purpose of this review is, based on the existing mechanistic and toxicokinetic information, to shed light on the possibilities for developing biomarkers for exposure biomonitoring of these compounds. It is also of interest to find ideas for early effect biomarkers considering the need for studies on subchronic and chronic toxicity.