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Purpose: Sustainability is one of the major key terms in our modern globalized world affected by such different but nevertheless closely interrelated issues like prosperity of worldwide trade, globally-spanning supply chains, the growing social gap and the threatening effects of climate change. The paper shows how responsible citizenship and reflective critical thinking as well as a deeper understanding of these complex interdependencies can be conveyed in a systematic way to a group of international business students in form of a one-week block seminar course in the CEMS Master-in-International-Management (MIM) program.Design/methodology/approach: The paper includes a discussion of proven course design, general key skills fostered, didactic approaches and methods employed along with feedback mechanisms and evaluation results demonstrating clearly its impact on student’s mind sets afterwards.Findings: Based on the discussions with our students and post-course reflective reports it turned out, that for many of them their perception of sustainability issues and of their own behaviour has changed during this single week because of the topics dealt with in our course.Practical implications: A well thought-out didactic approach and extraordinary commitment and dedication by the instructors is inevitable to ensure the success of such a course.Original/value: This paper explains in a compact way, how sustainability issues in global supply chain management can be tackled successfully even in such time restricted one-week block seminar. Purpose: Sustainability is one of the major key terms in our modern globalized world affected by such different but nevertheless closely interrelated issues like prosperity of worldwide trade, globally-spanning supply chains, the growing social gap and the threatening effects of climate change. The paper shows how responsible citizenship and reflective critical thinking as well as a deeper understanding of these complex interdependencies can be conveyed in a systematic way to a group of international business students in form of a one-week block seminar course in the CEMS Master-in-International-Management (MIM) program.Design/methodology/approach: The paper includes a discussion of proven course design, general key skills fostered, didactic approaches and methods employed along with feedback mechanisms and evaluation results demonstrating clearly its impact on student’s mind sets afterwards.Findings:Based on the discussions with our students and post-course reflective reports it turned out, that for many of them their perception of sustainability issues and of their own behaviour has changed during this single week because of the topics dealt with in our course.Practical implications: A well thought-out didactic approach and extraordinary commitment and dedication by the instructors is inevitable to ensure the success of such a course.Original/value: This paper explains in a compact way, how sustainability issues in global supply chain management can be tackled successfully even in such time restricted one-week block seminar.

Abstract In this study we present a fast and inexpensive method for the estimation of methane-producing archaea with a culture-based method using most probable number (MPN) counting of the metabolic product methane.

We combined profiling of the bloom-forming and potentially toxigenic cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens using a multiparameter probe equipped with a phycoerythrin sensor (in vivo fluorometry, IVL) in Lake Mondsee, Austria, with flow cytometric live analyses of discrete samples taken from several depths in the upper 20 m of the water column. Results obtained by IVL and acoustic flow cytometry (AFC) were compared to microscopic analyses of integrated (0-21 m) water samples using fixed material. This comparison was made because the integrated samples are used for the Austrian monitoring programme according to the EU Water Framework Directive. We demonstrate that AFC provides quantitative analyses of the filaments of P. rubescens that are significantly correlated to IVF and microscopic analyses, allowing rapid (within hours) and more precise calculation of P. rubescens biomass than estimates derived from IVL. Our analysis shows that vertically integrated water samples provide unreliable information on the concentration of P. rubescens in the upper surface waters and on the peak concentration of P. rubescens within the water column. We conclude that the protocol that we developed is superior to the current monitoring practice.

After the consumption of fruit, the concentration of methanol in the human body increases by as much as an order of magnitude. This is due to the degradation of natural pectin (which is esterified with methyl alcohol) in the human colon. In vivo tests performed by means of proton‐transfer‐reaction mass spectrometry show that consumed pectin in either a pure form (10 to 15 g) or a natural form (in 1 kg of apples) induces a significant increase of methanol in the breath (and by inference in the blood) of humans. The amount generated from pectin (0.4 to 1.4 g) is approximately equivalent to the total daily endogenous production (measured to be 0.3 to 0.6 g/day) or that obtained from 0.3 liters of 80‐proof brandy (calculated to be 0.5 g). This dietary pectin may contribute to the development of nonalcoholic cirrhosis of the liver.

Abstract The very low heating load of deep renovated buildings following standards such as EnerPHit, and the limited space in renovation create the need for compact heating systems. An innovative heating and ventilation system - consisting of an exhaust air to supply air heat pump combined with a heat recovery ventilation unit, both integrated into a prefabricated timber frame facade - was developed and installed in a flat during the renovation of a multi-family house in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The system and the flat were monitored for the complete heating season 2016/2017. This paper presents: (a) an analysis of the monitoring data, (b) the development and validation of the models of the system and the flat, and (c) the results of the dynamic simulations that were performed for further system optimisation. Inside the flat, good thermal comfort and indoor air quality conditions were achieved. The monitored SPF of the system was 2.8. Simulation results showed that with the optimised system and control, there can be an electricity savings of 25%. The developed system has the potential to be cost-effective due to prefabrication and low heating capacity. It represents a compact solution with moderate energy performance, appropriate for minimally disruptive renovations.

Anaerobic fungi (AF, phylum Neocallimastigomycota) are best known for their ability to efficiently break down lignocellulosic biomass. Their unique combination of mechanical and enzymatic attacks on recalcitrant plant structures bears great potential for enhancement of the anaerobic digestion (AD) process. Although scientists in this field have long agreed upon the potential of AF for biotechnology, research is only recently gaining traction. This delay was largely due to difficulties in culture-dependent and culture-independent analysis of those high-maintenance organisms with their still unknown complex growth requirements. In this review, we will summarize current research efforts on bioaugmentation with AF and further point out, how the lack of basic knowledge on AF nutritional needs hampers their implementation on an industrial scale. Through this, we hope to further kindle interest into basic research on AF in order to advance their stable integration into biotechnological processes.

Abstract The technological concept ensuring highly efficient co-digestion of by-products from the production of biodiesel and sewage sludge was examined. Rapeseed cakes (RC) 1–5% addition to waste activated sludge (WAS) 95–99% in digesters, positively influenced the degree of biodegradation of organic matter and the quantity and quality of the biogas produced. Under the optimal conditions (HRT = 20–22 days), the co-digestion mixtures (WAS + microwave disintegration + RC) generated double the amount of biogas, containing approximately 10–12% more CH4, than the samples which had the sewage sludge only. Under these conditions, the biogas yield increased by approximately 48–82% depending on the co-substrate used and was further improved via the introduction of microwave pre-treatment. After testing at the pilot scale, this method could be considered as a sustainable alternative to conventional methods for WAS and RC treatment.

According to predicted changes in climate, waterlogging events may occur more frequently in the future during autumn and winter at high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. If excess soil water coincides with the process of cold acclimation for plants, winter survival may potentially be affected. The effects of waterlogging during cold acclimation on stomatal aperture, relative water content, photochemical activity of photosystem II, freezing tolerance and plant regrowth after freezing were compared for two prehardened overwintering forage grasses, Lolium perenne and Festuca pratensis. The experiment was performed to test the hypothesis that changes in photochemical activity initiated by waterlogging-triggered modifications in the stomatal aperture contribute to changes in freezing tolerance. Principal component analysis showed that waterlogging activated different adaptive strategies in the two species studied. The increased freezing tolerance of F. pratensis was associated with increased photochemical activity connected with stomatal opening, whereas freezing tolerance of L. perenne was associated with a decrease in stomatal aperture. In conclusion, waterlogging-triggered stomatal behavior contributed to the efficiency of the cold acclimation process in L. perenne and F. pratensis.