bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NEETIČNOST ILI FINANSIJSKA NEPISMENOST U IZVJEŠTAJIMA NEZAVISNIH REVIZORA
Authors: Slijepčević Vitomir
Published: November 2021

Jedan od najznačajnijih finansijskih izvještaja na domaćem i svjetskom finansijskom tržištu, a koji značajno utiče na odluku investitora o ulaganju novca u banke ili druge privredne subjekte, predstavlja izvještaj nezavisnog revizora. Ekonomski prostor Republike Srpske i Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine, a posebno njen bankarski sektor, je područje koje je posebno interesantno investitorima iz zemlje i iz inostranstva. Zato finansijski izvještaj o obavljenoj eksternoj reviziji finansijskih izvještaja mora biti urađen u skladu sa načelima i standardima revizije, profesionalno i etički. Cilj rada je prikazati kakvu sliku investitorima šalju izvještaji eksternih, nezavisnih revizora, o jednoj banci kroz period od pet posljednjih godina njenog rada. Shodno tome nameće se i osnovno pitanje ovog istraživanja: „Da li se radi o finansijskoj nepismenosti ili neetičnosti? U odgovoru na postavljeni cilj istraživanja koristiće se osnovne metode naučnog istraživanja, a čijom primjenom će se vršiti obrada, analiza i sinteza, te apstrakovanje i provjera dobijenih rezultata. Rezultati sprovedenog istraživanja pokazuju odsustvo profesionalne etike u sastavljanju finansijskih izvještaja. Revidirani izvještaji za četiri poslovne godine šalju pozitivnu sliku investitorima, deponentima i državi o poslovanju Bobar banke a. d. Bijeljina, a revidirani izvještaj za 2013. godinu predstavlja osnovu za preduzimanje niza mjera nadležnih organa, a što na kraju rezultira bankrotom banke. Sprovedeno istraživanje pokazuje da sprovođenje revizija banaka mimo zakonodavne regulative, računovodstvenih standarda, standarda finansijskog izvještavanja, pravila, procedura i kodeksa profesionalne etike dugoročno šteti banci, akcionarima, revizorskim kućama, deponentima, investitorima, zaposlenim i društvenoj zajednici u cjelini.
DEVELOPING CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS TO ASSIGNING QUESTIONS- ALWAYS EXAMINE’S ALL IN LIFE. - WHY?
Authors: Stankov Sanja , Rakić Aleksandar , Bajić Jasmina
Published: November 2021

Why are the media important? The role of the media is to send messages; they are those who have taken on a public role to provide information to citizens, to explain, analyze, interpret in various ways, however, the problem is that critical thinking is lost to events and information, but it is news they only make it without any analysis, but always so that the citizen has the minimal basis for something to conclude about the quality and objectivity of this information. Whether it’s a marketing or media industry, this paper aims to present subtle and non-so-subtle tactics of mass manipulation that affect our conscious and unconscious mind that affects our thinking and behavior.
A neural circuit for flexible control of persistent behavioral states
Authors: Ji Ni , Madan Gurrein K , Fabre Guadalupe I , Dayan Alyssa , Baker Casey M , Kramer Talya S , Nwabudike Ijeoma , Flavell Steven W
Published: November 2021

To adapt to their environments, animals must generate behaviors that are closely aligned to a rapidly changing sensory world. However, behavioral states such as foraging or courtship typically persist over long time scales to ensure proper execution. It remains unclear how neural circuits generate persistent behavioral states while maintaining the flexibility to select among alternative states when the sensory context changes. Here, we elucidate the functional architecture of a neural circuit controlling the choice between roaming and dwelling states, which underlie exploration and exploitation during foraging in C. elegans. By imaging ensemble-level neural activity in freely moving animals, we identify stereotyped changes in circuit activity corresponding to each behavioral state. Combining circuit-wide imaging with genetic analysis, we find that mutual inhibition between two antagonistic neuromodulatory systems underlies the persistence and mutual exclusivity of the neural activity patterns observed in each state. Through machine learning analysis and circuit perturbations, we identify a sensory processing neuron that can transmit information about food odors to both the roaming and dwelling circuits and bias the animal towards different states in different sensory contexts, giving rise to context-appropriate state transitions. Our findings reveal a potentially general circuit architecture that enables flexible, sensory-driven control of persistent behavioral states.
About Tatiana Vladykina
Authors:   State Museum of the History of Religion, St Petersburg, Mutina Anna
Published: November 2021

How can we measure the success of a scholar or a folklorist? By the quantity of publications in the index databases? By the shelves full of books and fieldwork notebooks? By the amount of terabytes of photographs and recordings of conversations and songs? By the number of under- and postgraduate students who defended their dissertations under her supervision? By the recognition of their colleagues? By official awards, titles and certificates of merit?
NFAD: fixing anomaly detection using normalizing flows
Authors: Ryzhikov Artem , Borisyak Maxim , Ustyuzhanin Andrey , Derkach Denis
Published: November 2021

Anomaly detection is a challenging task that frequently arises in practically all areas of industry and science, from fraud detection and data quality monitoring to finding rare cases of diseases and searching for new physics. Most of the conventional approaches to anomaly detection, such as one-class SVM and Robust Auto-Encoder, are one-class classification methods,i.e., focus on separating normal data from the rest of the space. Such methods are based on the assumption of separability of normal and anomalous classes, and subsequently do not take into account any available samples of anomalies. Nonetheless, in practical settings, some anomalous samples are often available; however, usually in amounts far lower than required for a balanced classification task, and the separability assumption might not always hold. This leads to an important task—incorporating known anomalous samples into training procedures of anomaly detection models. In this work, we propose a novel model-agnostic training procedure to address this task. We reformulate one-class classification as a binary classification problem with normal data being distinguished from pseudo-anomalous samples. The pseudo-anomalous samples are drawn from low-density regions of a normalizing flow model by feeding tails of the latent distribution into the model. Such an approach allows to easily include known anomalies into the training process of an arbitrary classifier. We demonstrate that our approach shows comparable performance on one-class problems, and, most importantly, achieves comparable or superior results on tasks with variable amounts of known anomalies.
Determining the Impact of Platelet-rich Plasma Therapy on Short-‎term Postoperative Outcomes of Pediatric ‎Tonsillectomy Patients in Egypt
Authors: Saad Hadeer Abd El-moneim , Mandour Mahmoud Fawzy , Behery Abo-Bakr Salah , Sheleb Walaa Abou
Published: November 2021

Background: Tonsillectomy is considered one of the most common major operations performed in pediatric population. Unfortunately, tonsillectomy is often associated with severe pain that may delay the patient discharge and influence his ability to return to the normal daily activities together with a 2–4% risk of hemorrhage. Among promising healing promoting agents is Platelet-rich plasma (PRP). It is considered as a potential adjuvant therapy improving the healing of surgical wounds and contains multiple growth and healing factors that are released upon their activation.

Methods: This was a prospective randomized controlled study carried on forty patients who underwent tonsillectomy alone or adenotonsillectomy. In each patient, PRP was used on one side " test side " and other side was used as a control. The test side was randomly allocated in all patients, so the results will be of the 40 patients, total sides 80, (test side 40; 20 right side and 20 left side).

Results: Our results revealed that mucosal healing was noted to be better in PRP treated side, particularly on 5th and 10th post-operative day, with documented less incidence of secondary post-operative hemorrhage. Pain scores were less on the PRP treated side through the post-operative period, but were statistically significant only on the 5th day postoperative.

Conclusions: The preliminary results from this study, supported by literature, have revealed that PRP was beneficial in the amelioration of post-tonsillectomy pain, improvement of healing and bleeding risk in pediatric tonsillectomy patients.
Synthesis, Characterization and Biological Evaluation of some Novel Substituted Indole-Coumarin Derivatives as Potential Antibacterial and Antifungal Agents
Authors: Vawhal Pallavi Kishor , B. Jadhav Shailaja
Published: November 2021

Aim: In the present work, we have designed and synthesized indole-fused coumarin derivatives as potential antibacterial and antifungal agents.

Place and Duration of Study: The present work was carried out at PEA's Modern college of Pharmacy, Sector 21, Yamunanagar, Nigdi- 411044 between the duration of January-2021 to May-2021.

Methodology: The in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activity was performed by disc diffusion method. The antibacterial activities were tested using agar nutrient medium against Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that are representative types of gram-positive and gram-negative organisms respectively. The anti-fungal activity of all the compounds were determined on potato dextrose agar medium against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. Clotrimazole 100 μg/ml was used as a standard and DMF was used as control.

Results: It was observed that all the compounds were sensitive to the gram +ve bacteria. Compound 2c, 2e, and 2f were sensitive to gram –ve bacteria. Compounds 2a, 2b, and 2f were sensitive to both the fungal strains while all the derivatives were sensitive to Candida albicans.

Conclusion: From present investigation it has been observed that compound 2f was sensitive against gram +ve, gram –ve, and both the strains of fungal strains. Structurally, compound 2f possess aldehyde functional group at indole nucleus. Therefore, from present study we have concluded that compound 2f is a lead molecule for the further development of potential antibacterial and antifungal agents.
A boca da mulher no poema Psiu de Augusto de Campos
Authors: Bomfim Monalisa Medrado
Published: November 2021

A poesia concreta possui um período de considerável militância política que podemos identificar como: fase participante (1960-1966). Nesse trabalho, enfocaremos a análise de Psiu (1966), poema-cartaz de Augusto de Campos que chama a atenção por possuir forte tom político, o qual nos propomos a interpretar pelo viés das lutas feministas. Esse recorte é sugerido pelo próprio poema, que apresenta, no centro do círculo que o constitui, uma boca feminina sensual que pede silêncio. Na nossa leitura, esse silêncio pode ser relacionado com a repressão do regime ditatorial brasileiro, mas também pode ser o silenciamento das lutas feministas durante a ditadura ou ainda o silenciamento histórico imposto às mulheres como classe social.
"Restaurantes, Bares e Motéis, é por esses lugares que como": expressões linguísticas de duplo sentido (alimentação e sexualidade) que atravessam questões de gênero em canções brasileiras
Authors: Souza Marcela Rocha de , Veller Salete
Published: November 2021

A alimentação é um aspecto que caracteriza determinada cultura dentro de um processo sócio-histórico cultural. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa, em uma perspectiva multidisciplinar,  é analisar expressões linguísticas sobre alimentação que carregam sentidos relacionados à sexualidade em canções brasileiras. De natureza teórica e abordagem qualitativa, esta pesquisa toma por base a modalidade principal análise de conteúdo, cujo corpus de análise foi organizado com canções da cultura brasileira que apresentam verbos de ação como comer, lamber, chupar, provar, saborear etc. Os resultados da  pesquisa indicam que, nas canções selecionadas, tais expressões linguísticas marcam uma relação de gênero em que o eu feminino é visto e tratado como um objeto, coisificado em uma condição de passividade nas relações sociais. Conclui-se com base nos resultados que as canções de diferentes estilos mais populares, com uma linguagem mais simples e com expressões linguísticas do senso comum, pode estar contribuindo para reforçar relações de gênero muito próximas àquelas inseridas no modelo patriarcal pelo qual se constituiu a sociedade brasileira.
Mãe Maré, o mangue vai acabar? Processos de produção de subjetivação e política da mariscagem
Authors: Vasconcelos Michele de Freitas Faria de , Rocha Yasmin Adriane Mendonça da , Santos Sandra Raquel de Oliveira
Published: November 2021

O artigo é resultado de uma pesquisa que se gesta por dentro do projeto de extensão Fortalecimento Sociopolítico das Marisqueiras de Sergipe, parte do Programa de Educação Ambiental com Comunidades Costeiras (PEAC-SE). Este estudo germina-se, assim, por meio de um agenciamento com mulheres do Movimento das Marisqueiras de Sergipe (MMS), de outros movimentos sociais e da Universidade; por meio de um processo de habitação de um território coletivo, em defesa de territórios de vida tradicionais e da vida das mulheres, em particular, da vida das marisqueiras, que veem seus territórios existenciais cotidianamente ameaçados por empreendimentos capitalistas. A pesquisa, de inspiração etnográfica e cartográfica, utilizando-se dos procedimentos do diário de campo e gravação em áudio de rodas de conversa, mira nos processos de invenção da vida cotidiana das mulheres no mundo do mangue, com ênfase nas táticas e estratégias de reexistência por elas protagonizadas. A perspectiva é de pesquisar com mulheres marisqueiras, conhecer seus modos de vida que se tecem num território híbrido entre cidade, campo e mangue; como enfrentam adversidades e conflitos (com o estado, a sociedade, seus companheiros, etc.); como produzem sentidos para suas experiências, individual e coletivamente, em particular as que decorrem da construção do movimento social e, com ele, de redes de cuidado, solidariedade e ajuda mútua, invenções de si e de mundos correlatos, ampliando em ato sentidos para a palavra mulher e para o trabalho artesanal.
Sofrimento, família e homossexualidade: Um estudo com estudantes universitários do Recôncavo da Bahia
Authors: Soliva Thiago Barcelos , Da Silva Deise Queiroz , Silva Marcus Vinicius Silva Santiago , Damasceno Marcos Vinicius Nery
Published: November 2021

Este estudo busca analisar a produção de narrativas sobre sofrimento, violências e silêncios relacionados à gestão da homossexualidade na trajetória de vida de jovens gays estudantes universitários da UFRB, universidade presente na região do Recôncavo da Bahia. O foco analítico recaiu sobre as relações familiares e a forma como esses jovens manejam seus projetos de vida em meio a dinâmicas de violência e tentativas de silenciamento de suas sexualidades. Os dados produzidos para a construção desse trabalho foram obtidos por meio de entrevistas em profundidade realizadas com jovens de 18 a 30 anos, que se autoidentificam como gays, e são estudantes da UFRB.
Decolonialidade e interseccionalidade: Perspectivas para pensar a infância
Authors: Salva Sueli , Schütz Litiéli Wollmann , Mattos Renan Santos
Published: November 2021

Este artigo tem como objetivo refletir sobre ser criança em contexto da educação infantil, considerando a emergência do pensamento decolonial, gênero e interseccionalidade. Apresenta dados de duas pesquisas alicerçadas em princípios da etnografia e pesquisa com crianças, a partir da observação participante e da descrição das interações e brincadeiras, assim como ações docentes. Autores como Abramowicz e Oliveira, Faria, Finco, Walsh entre outros/as compõem o substrato teórico. Pretende-se pensar o protagonismo infantil como um ato político com a lógica de desenvolver a perspectiva de ação no mundo das crianças como atos de microrrevoluções.
INFÂNCIAS DECOLONIAIS, INTERSECCIONALIDADES E DESOBEDIÊNCIAS EPISTÊMICAS
Authors: Rodrigues de Sousa Chaveiro Maylla Monnik , Simões Minella Luzinete
Published: November 2021

O presente artigo tem como objetivo refletir sobre as articulações entre os seguintes conceitos: infâncias, decolonialidade, interseccionalidade e desobediência epistêmica. O artigo se fundamenta epistemologicamente em algumas perspectivas teóricas interdisciplinares e decoloniais, e a metodologia se baseou na observação participante em marchas e encontros de valorização da estética negra entre 2014 e 2019 em nove capitais do Brasil. Em um primeiro momento, sintetizamos articulações teóricas entre o pensamento decolonial e as noções de infâncias segundo Jens Qvortrup e Renato Noguera. Posteriormente, discutimos infâncias em perspectivas interseccionais. Por fim, destacamos que a estética dos cabelos crespos em movimento é capaz de oferecer condições simbólicas e subjetivas para que se desenvolvam novas perspectivas de resistência aos campos ideológicos do racismo, com o protagonismo das crianças negras, por meio da desobediência epistêmica.
Evaluation of parameters affecting gamma passing rate in patient‐specific QAs for multiple brain lesions IMRS treatments using ray‐station treatment planning system
Authors: Salari Elahheh , Parsai E. Ishmael , Shvydka Diana , Sperling Nicholas Niven
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Using intensity‐modulated radiosurgery (IMRS) with single isocenter for the treatment of multiple brain lesions has gained acceptance in recent years. One of the challenges of this technique is conducting a patient‐specific quality assurance (QA), involving accurate gamma passing rate (GPR) calculations for small and wide spread‐out targets. We evaluated effects of parameters such as dose grid and energy on GPR using our clinical IMRS plans.

Methods

Ten patients with total of 40 volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans were created in Raystation (V.8A) treatment planning system (TPS) for the Varian Edge Linac using 6 and 10 flattening filter‐free (FFF) beams and planned dose grids of 1 mm and 2 mm resulting in four plans with 6–10 targets per patient. All parameters and objectives except dose grid and energy were kept the same in all plans. Next, patient‐specific QAs were measured evaluating GPR with 10% threshold, 3%/3 mm objective, and an acceptance criterion of 95%. Modulation factors (MF) and confidence intervals were calculated. Two modes of measurements, standard density (SD) and high density (HD), were used.

Results

Generally, plans computed with 1 mm dose grid have higher GPRs than those with 2 mm dose grid for both energies used. The GPRs of 6 FFF plans were higher than those of 10 FFF plans. GPR showed no noticeable difference between HD and SD measurements. Negative correlation between MF and GPR was observed. The HD pass rates fall within the confidence interval of SD.

Conclusion

Calculated dose grid should be less than or equal to one‐third of distance to agreement, thus 1 mm planned dose grid is recommended to reduce artifacts in gamma calculation. GPR of SD and HD measurement modes is almost the same, which indicates that SD mode is clinically preferable for performing patient‐specific QAs. According to our results, using 6 FFF beams with 1 mm planned dose grid is more accurate and reliable for dose calculation of IMRS plans.
Interface Modeling via Tailored Energy Band Alignment: Toward Electrochemically Stabilized All‐Solid‐State Li‐Metal Batteries
Authors: Kim Heebae , Im Changik , Ryu Seokgyu , Gong Yong Jun , Cho Jinil , Pyo Seonmi , Yun Heejun , Lee Jeewon , Yoo Jeeyoung , Kim Youn Sang
Published: November 2021

Interfacial instability between Li‐metal anode (LMA) and inorganic solid‐state electrolyte (SSE) is a critical issue in all‐solid‐state Li‐metal batteries (ASSLBs). Previous studies have focused on interface modification methodology to achieve long‐term cycling stability in ASSLBs. However, strategy establishment without an in‐depth understanding of the LMA–SSE interface is limited to a phenomenological solution. Also, the fact that rechargeable batteries are operated by behavior of charges inside electric field is frequently overlooked. Here, it is demonstrated for the first time that interface modeling based on energy band theory does effectively overcome the intrinsic vulnerability of SSE to LMA. The interfacial deterioration, due to undesirable electron transport from LMA to the SSE surface, is precluded by a titanium compound self‐induced interlayer (TSI), which forms an interfacial energy barrier. The Li symmetric cell with a TSI successfully maintains its constant overpotential over 1000 cycles and the significantly reduced impedance, whereas the cell having no interface modification exhibits erratic voltage profiles and is easily failed by repetitive charge–discharge process. This newly introduced approach is an informative tool to substantially reinforce the fundamental understanding of interfacial phenomena in all‐solid‐state batteries. Furthermore, rigorous stability requirements of automotive applications are expected to be fulfilled by the innovative interface modification.
In‐Memory Realization of Eligibility Traces Based on Conductance Drift of Phase Change Memory for Energy‐Efficient Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Lu Yingming , Li Xi , Yan Bonan , Yan Longhao , Zhang Teng , Song Zhitang , Huang Ru , Yang Yuchao
Published: November 2021

Reinforcement learning (RL) has shown outstanding performance in handling complex tasks in recent years. Eligibility trace (ET), a fundamental and important mechanism in reinforcement learning, records critical states with attenuation and guides the update of policy, which plays a crucial role in accelerating the convergence of RL training. However, ET implementation on conventional digital computing hardware is energy hungry and restricted by the memory wall due to massive calculation of exponential decay functions. Here, in‐memory realization of ET for energy‐efficient reinforcement learning with outstanding performance in discrete‐ and continuous‐state RL tasks is demonstrated. For the first time, the inherent conductance drift of phase change memory is exploited as physical decay function to realize in‐memory eligibility trace, demonstrating excellent performance during RL training in various tasks. The spontaneous in‐memory decay computing and storage of policy in the same phase change memory give rise to significantly enhanced energy efficiency compared with traditional graphics processing unit platforms. This work therefore provides a holistic energy and hardware efficient method for both training and inference of reinforcement learning.
Contract farming and the adoption of sustainable farm practices: Empirical evidence from cashew farmers in Ghana
Authors: Dubbert Caroline , Abdulai Awudu , Mohammed Sadick
Published: November 2021

Contract farming has been shown to increase agricultural productivity and thus welfare of farmers in developing countries. However, studies that look at the potential environmental effects of contract farming remain quite scanty. This is however crucial, since contract farming may contribute to intensification in cultivation of the contracted crops, in terms of area and the intensity of inputs used. This study investigates the impact of participation in contract farming on sustainable farm practices, using a marginal treatment effects (MTEs) approach to account for potential selection bias and heterogeneity across households. The empirical results show significant heterogeneity in the effects of contract farming on the intensity of sustainable farm practice use. In particular, farmers with high propensity to participate in contract farming tend to have low probabilities of using sustainable farm practices. The findings of this study not only provide new insights into the heterogeneous effects of contract farming, but also entry points for further research to address the dual challenge of agriculture to produce sufficient food, while reducing the adverse impact on the environment.
Organic fertigation system in saline‐sodic soils: A new paradigm for the restoration of soil health
Authors: Kumar Chitranjan , Ramawat Naleeni , Verma Aditya Kumar
Published: November 2021

A continuous decline in soil organic C (SOC) and an increase in salt‐affected areas are a challenge to future sustainability. We searched on the scientific databases of Web of Science, Scopus (Elsevier) database, and Google. We reviewed 101 studies of the last 25 yr with the following keywords: drip irrigation, fertigation system, liquid biochar, liquid organic, organic fertigation, saline‐sodic soils, and salinization. Our objectives were to identify knowledge gaps to direct future organic research and assess the effect of organic amendments on meeting the plant's N, P, and K requirements in saline‐sodic soils. The review showed that organic fertigation systems reduce salt concentration in irrigation water and inhibit glutamine synthetase by N‐fixing diazotrophs. The system increases photosynthetic activities in plants, microbial biomass C, bacterial colonization, plant–mycorrhizal association, and phospholipid‐derived fatty acids from microbes. It increases essential soil nutrients, including SOC; increases salt/water stress tolerance; and reduces Na+ ion toxicity in plants by regulating abscisic acid pathways in saline‐sodic soils. It creates a conducive environment for phosphatase, dehydrogenase, urease, protease, α‐amylase, and gibberellins. This review sketches the role of silicic acid, salicylic acid, and liquid organics in plant growth mechanisms: enhanced photosynthesis, increased salt/water tolerance, and reduced Na+ toxicity. It suggests novel strategies to develop a task force to promote a community–corporate farming system to adopt cost‐effective green technologies for bioresource regeneration, diverse market production, and social capital generation. We develop a synergy between organic fertigation system and community–corporate farming to bring much‐needed agricultural sustainability.
Additivity of the mechanical properties for acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene resins
Authors: Zhang Huan , Ding Fang , Liu Tingli , Liu Lunyang , Li Yunqi
Published: November 2021

Acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS) resins have broad applications in automotive, transportation, and electronic industry attributed from their steadily tunable mechanical properties though varying compositions. It arises a question whether the additivity principle is applicable in their composition‐mechanical properties relationship. Here, we evaluated the applicability of the additivity principle for Young's modulus (YM), tensile strength (TS), and elongation at break (EB), based on a collection of 360 ABS resins from literatures and commercial products. We found that more than 90% of resins satisfy the additivity principle for YM and TS. While for EB, it varied from 14% to 100% depending on the combinations (A + B + S, AB + S, A + BS, or AS + B) and the contributed weights by mass, molar, or volume fractions. The majority of nonadditive resins have EB less than 20%, where the presence of the agglomeration of rubber phases, incompatible internal phases, cracks for those less ductile ABS resins are widely used qualitative and apparent reasons for the non‐predictable EB and the failure for the additivity principle. We then construct a classification model to distinguish the additive from nonadditive resins for EB, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) only achieves a fair value of 0.84. It further reveals that the fraction of acrylonitrile and butadiene, processing temperature, the length of spline, and the strain rate in the tensile test are important factors responsible for the failure of the additivity for EB. This study provides a quantitative reference to manipulate the mechanical properties for ABS resins beyond empirical evaluations.
Degeneracy in the nervous system: from neuronal excitability to neural coding
Authors: Kamaleddin Mohammad Amin
Published: November 2021

Degeneracy is ubiquitous across biological systems where structurally different elements can yield a similar outcome. Degeneracy is of particular interest in neuroscience too. On the one hand, degeneracy confers robustness to the nervous system and facilitates evolvability: Different elements provide a backup plan for the system in response to any perturbation or disturbance. On the other, a difficulty in the treatment of some neurological disorders such as chronic pain is explained in light of different elements all of which contribute to the pathological behavior of the system. Under these circumstances, targeting a specific element is ineffective because other elements can compensate for this modulation. Understanding degeneracy in the physiological context explains its beneficial role in the robustness of neural circuits. Likewise, understanding degeneracy in the pathological context opens new avenues of discovery to find more effective therapies.
Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Ursolic Acid Ester Derivatives
Authors: Pereira Vinicius Viana , Pereira Nara Rúbia , Pereira Rafael César Gonçalves , Duarte Lucienir Pains , Takahashi Jacqueline Aparecida , Silva Roqueline Rodrigues
Published: November 2021

Infections caused by microorganisms are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and natural products continue to be important sources for the discovery of new antimicrobial agents. Ursolic acid is a triterpene with known antibacterial action, being naturally found in plants, such as Jaracanda oxyphylla and Jacaranda caroba (Bignoniaceae). Ursolic acid derivative esters have revealed potential biological activities, such as antitumor, antiviral, and antibacterial activity. In this study, sixteen esters (1‐16) were synthesized from ursolic acid using DIC/DMAP and characterized by infrared (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐ and 13C‐NMR) and mass spectrometry. All ursolic acid esters were evaluated against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and the yeast Candida albicans. Six compounds are herein described for the first time (3, 9, 11, 13, 14 and 16) with yields up to 91.6 %. Compounds 11 (3β‐(3,4‐dimethoxybenzoyl)ursolic acid) and 15 (3β‐nicotinoylursolic acid) displayed promising antifungal activity, with inhibition of C. albicans growth of 93.1 and 95.9 %, respectively.
Crown Ether Host‐Guest Molecular Ferroelectrics
Authors: Zhang Yun‐Fang , Di Fang‐Fang , Li Peng‐Fei , Xiong Ren‐Gen
Published: November 2021

In recent years, molecular ferroelectrics have received great attention due to their low weight, mechanical flexibility, easy preparation and excellent ferroelectric properties. Among them, crown‐ether‐based molecular ferroelectrics, which are typically composed of the host crown ethers, the guest cations anchored in the crown ethers, and the counterions, are of great interest because of the host‐guest structure. Such a structure allows the components to occur order‐disorder transition easily, which is beneficial for inducing ferroelectric phase transition. Herein, we summarized the research progress of crown ether host‐guest molecular ferroelectrics, focusing on their crystal structure, phase transition, ferroelectric‐related properties. In view of the small spontaneous polarization and uniaxial nature, we outlook the chemical design strategies for obtaining high‐performance crown‐ether‐based molecular ferroelectrics. This minireview will be of guiding significance for the future exploration of crown ether host‐guest molecular ferroelectrics.
A Series of Polyoxometalate‐Viologen Photochromic Materials for UV Probing, Amine Detecting and Inkless and Erasable Printing
Authors: Ying Jun , Jin Liang , Sun Chen‐Xi , Tian Ai‐Xiang , Wang Xiu‐Li
Published: November 2021

In this work, by using two kinds of viologen ligands three POM‐based Compounds were obtained under hydrothermal conditions, namely [AgI(bmypd)0.5(β‐Mo8O26)0.5] (1) (bmypd ⋅ 2Cl=1,1′‐[Biphenyl‐4,4′‐bis(methylene)]bis(4,4′‐bipyridyinium)dichloride), [AgI2(bypy)4(HSiW12O40)2] ⋅ 14H2O (2) and [AgI(bypy)(γ‐Mo8O26)0.5] (3) (bypy⋅Cl=1‐Benzyl‐4,4′‐bipyridyinium chloride). The structures were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT–IR), Powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and single crystal X‐ray diffraction. Compounds 1–3 show excellent photochromic ability with fast photoresponse under the irradiation of ultraviolet light with different degrees of color changes. So compounds 1–3 can be used as visible ultraviolet detectors. Compounds 1–3 also possess photoluminescence properties with fast and excellent fluorescence quenching effect. Compounds 1–3 also can be used as inkless and erasable printing materials with suspensions of 1–3 applied to filter paper. Compounds 1–3 can also produce color changes in amine vapor environment, especially in an NH3 atmosphere. Compounds 1–3 can be used as organic amine detectors.
Enantiomeric separation of racemic amlodipine by sequential fractional crystallization through formation of diastereomeric salt solvates and co‐crystals of solvate‐like compounds with specific structure — A tandem resolution
Authors: Bánhegyi Dorottya Fruzsina , Szolcsányi Dóra , Madarász János , Pálovics Emese
Published: November 2021

A new resolution method of racemic amlodipine has been developed. The racemic compound is reacted in a suitable solvent with 0.25‐mol equivalent of (R,R)‐tartaric acid. After the decomposition of the diastereomeric salt, the remaining racemic fraction is precipitated with half‐equivalent of fumaric acid, and the pure amlodipine enantiomer is obtained. A quarter equivalent of the same resolving agent, (R,R)‐tartaric acid has been also added to the mother liquor to obtain the other enantiomer. The advantage of this method is that both of the enantiomers of amlodipine could be obtained with high enantiomeric excess with the same resolving agent. The racemic excess can also be isolated and re‐resolved. Achiral reagents (urea and thiourea) have been added to the resolving agent. These neutral additives are incorporated as co‐crystals in the structure of the diastereomeric salts. The used solvate‐former solvents and achiral additives are structurally similar, and their presence can enable the fractional separation of the diastereomers. In addition, the racemate, the enantiomers, and some intermediate salts with high diastereomeric excess obtained in the resolution process of amlodipine have been also subjected to thermal (DSC, TG/DTA‐EGA‐MS, and ‐FTIR), analytical (FTIR spectroscopic), and structural (XRD) comparisons, which indicate that the key‐intermediate crystalline diastereomeric salts—as solvates and co‐crystals—inherit a kind of structural similarity from their related additives—solvents (DMF, DMAA, and DMSO) or (thio)ureas, respectively.
Efficient preparation of stereopure amphiphilic 1,2‐amino alcohols by using preparative enantioselective HPLC
Authors: Kanai Hayato , Yamada Kuniyo , Kodama Koichi , Ishida Yasuhiro
Published: November 2021

Chiral amphiphiles are useful for controlling the structures and properties of supramolecular assemblies, but their stereocontrolled synthesis is generally difficult, because their long alkyl chains tend to bring unfavorable effects on the solubility, reactivity, and crystallinity of molecules. Typical examples are amphiphilic 1,2‐amino alcohols (S)‐1 and (1S,2S)‐2 developed by our group, which were known to serve as chiral reaction media for controlling the stereochemistry of asymmetric photoreactions. We previously developed synthetic schemes for these 1,2‐amino alcohols, but their synthetic efficiencies were unsatisfactory (13 steps with 2% overall yield for (S)‐1; eight steps with 8% yield for (1S,2S)‐2). As the main reason of such low efficiencies, the stereocontrolling methods we previously employed (diastereomer‐salt crystallization for (S)‐1; stereoselective reactions for (1S,2S)‐2) were not ideal. Here, we report highly improved synthetic schemes for (S)‐1 and (1S,2S)‐2 based on the enantioselective high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation of intermediates in preparative scales. Compared with the previous schemes, the new schemes are advantageous in fewer number of steps, higher overall yield, and lower risk of racemization (seven steps with 15% overall yield for (S)‐1; seven steps with 26% overall yield for (1S,2S)‐2).
The Photoinduced Electrocyclization Reaction of Triphenylamine (TPA) in Sustainable and Confined Micellar Solutions: A Steady‐State and Laser Flash Photolysis Approach
Authors: Sanmartín Rocío A. , Salum María L. , Protti Stefano , Mella Mariella , Bonesi Sergio M.
Published: November 2021

The irradiation of triphenylamine (TPA) under homogeneous (cyclohexane, acetonitrile and methanol) and micellar [sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) and polyethylene glycol monododecyl ether (Brij‐P35)] conditions has been investigated through a combined steady‐state and time‐resolved spectroscopic approach. Photolysis of TPA at 254 nm in different media afforded N‐phenylcarbazole (N−PhCA) as the main photoproduct, and when the photoreaction of TPA was carried out in micellar solution the relative rate of formation of N−PhCA was found to be faster than in homogeneous media due to the environmental confined and hydrophobic micellar core. On the other hand, the transient N‐phenyl‐4a,4b‐dihydrocarbazole (DHC0) was detected and fully characterized via laser flash photolysis. Finally, the location of TPA within the hydrophobic core of the micelle was investigated by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analyses.
Identification of the designer steroid 17β‐hydroxy 5α‐androst‐1‐en‐3‐one cypionate in an injectable liquid
Authors: Griffin Kelsey M. , Lorenz Lisa M. , Flurer Rick A.
Published: November 2021

In the screening of an injectable liquid marketed for body building, a steroid resembling 1‐testosterone was found. The compound of interest was isolated using HPLC‐UV detection coupled to an analytical scale fraction collector and subsequently characterized using HRAM‐MS, NMR spectrometry, and GC‐MS. The designer steroid was identified as 17β‐hydroxy 5α‐androst‐1‐en‐3‐one cypionate, an analog of 1‐testosterone that had not been reported.
Carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis of morphine from opium and heroin samples originating in the four major heroin producing regions
Authors: Thompson Robert A. , Morello David R. , Panicker Sini , Toske Steven G. , Li Li
Published: November 2021

The forensic analysis of stable isotopes is a valuable tool to geo‐source natural or semisynthetic drugs such as cocaine and heroin. The present study describes a novel methodology to isolate morphine from opium for isotopic analysis. Furthermore, this isotopic data from regional sources is corroborated with morphine data obtained from seized heroin (deacetylated to morphine) from the same regions. All five primary alkaloids of opium, namely, morphine, codeine, thebaine, noscapine, and papaverine, were quantified using high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array (PDA) detector before the preparative experiment to gather a complete major alkaloidal profile. Morphine fractions of authentic opium submissions from Mexico, South America, Southwest Asia, and Southeast Asia were isolated and collected using preparative high performance liquid chromatography, and the collected morphine samples were subsequently analyzed by isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Carbon and nitrogen isotope data are presented. The data demonstrate that nitrogen ratios are capable of differentiating samples from Mexico and South America while carbon ratios are able to distinguish Southwest Asian samples from other source regions. Analogous results have routinely been observed (as part of Heroin Signature Program analysis) for morphine obtained from deacetylated authentic heroin samples from the same source regions. The results suggest that the poppy growing region has a greater influence on the carbon and nitrogen isotope values than the heroin manufacturing processes employed. When utilized in conjunction with existing signature methodologies, carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio data can enhance the ability to geo‐source heroin.
Trade‐off between flight capability and reproduction in Acridoidea (Insecta: Orthoptera)
Authors: Chang Huihui , Guo Xiaoqiang , Guo Shuli , Yang Nan , Huang Yuan
Published: November 2021

In many insect taxa, there is a well‐established trade‐off between flight capability and reproduction. The wing types of Acridoidea exhibit extremely variability from full length to complete loss in many groups, thus, provide a good model for studying the trade‐off between flight and reproduction. In this study, we completed the sampling of 63 Acridoidea species, measured the body length, wing length, body weight, flight muscle weight, testis and ovary weight, and the relative wing length (RWL), relative flight muscle weight (RFW), and gonadosomatic index (GSI) of different species were statistically analyzed. The results showed that there were significant differences in RWL, RFW, and GSI among Acridoidea species with different wing types. RFW of long‐winged species was significantly higher than that of short‐winged and wingless species (p < .01), while GSI of wingless species was higher than that of long‐winged and short‐winged species. The RWL and RFW had a strong positive correlation in species with different wing types (correlation coefficient r = .8344 for male and .7269 for female, and p < .05), while RFW was strong negatively correlated with GSI (r = −.2649 for male and −.5024 for female, and p < .05). For Acridoidea species with wing dimorphism, males with relatively long wings had higher RFW than that of females with relatively short wings, while females had higher GSI. Phylogenetic comparative analysis showed that RWL, RFW, and GSI all had phylogenetic signals and phylogenetic dependence. These results revealed that long‐winged individuals are flight capable at the expense of reproduction, while short‐winged and wingless individuals cannot fly, but has greater reproductive output. The results support the trade‐off between flight and reproduction in Acridoidea.
Functional diversity and habitat preferences of native grassland plants and ground‐dwelling invertebrates in private gardens along an urbanization gradient
Authors: Braschler Brigitte , Gilgado José D. , Rusterholz Hans‐Peter , Buchholz Sascha , Zwahlen Valerie , Baur Bruno
Published: November 2021

Urbanization is occurring around the globe, changing environmental conditions and influencing biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Urban domestic gardens represent a small‐grained mosaic of diverse habitats for numerous species. The challenging conditions in urban gardens support species possessing certain traits, and exclude other species. Functional diversity is therefore often altered in urban gardens. By using a multi‐taxa approach focused on native grassland plants and ground‐dwelling invertebrates with overall low mobility (snails, slugs, spiders, millipedes, woodlice, ants, rove beetles), we examined the effects of urbanization (distance to city center, percentage of sealed area) and garden characteristics on functional dispersion, functional evenness, habitat preferences and body size. We conducted a field survey in 35 domestic gardens along a rural–urban gradient in Basel, Switzerland. The various groups showed different responses to urbanization. Functional dispersion of native grassland plants decreased with increasing distance to the city center, while functional dispersion of ants decreased with increasing percentage of sealed area. Functional evenness of ants increased with increasing distance to the city center and that of rove beetles decreased with increasing percentage of sealed area. Contrary to our expectation, in rove beetles, the proportion of generalists decreased with increasing percentage of sealed area in the surroundings, and the proportion of species preferring dry conditions increased with increasing distance to the city center. Body size of species increased with distance to city center for slugs, spiders, millipedes, ants, and rove beetles. Local garden characteristics had few effects on functional diversity and habitat preferences of the groups examined. Our study supports the importance of using multi‐taxa approaches when examining effects of environmental change on biodiversity. Considering only a single group may result in misleading findings for overall biodiversity. The ground‐dwelling invertebrates investigated may be affected in different ways from the more often‐studied flying pollinators or birds.
Core‐shell Hierarchical Enzymatic Biosensor Based on Hyaluronic Acid Capped Copper Ferrite Nanoparticles for Determination of Endocrine‐disrupting Bisphenol A
Authors: Sanko Vildan , Şenocak Ahmet , Oğuz Tümay Süreyya , Çamurcu Taşkın , Demirbas Erhan
Published: November 2021

A novel enzymatic electrochemical biosensor (mCuF/PANI‐nf/HA/Lacc/GCE) was designed for detection of bisphenol A (BPA). The copper ferrite nanoparticles was obtained by co‐precipitation and its surface was modified with ‐NH2 functional organosilane. Polyaniline nanofibers were also synthesized by cyclic voltammetry and characterized by FTIR, XRD, TGA, SEM and TEM, respectively. Then, it was crosslinked with hyaluronic acid as an immobilization matrix for Laccase to adhere to surface of the modified copper ferrites. Cyclic and differential pulse voltammetries were used to evaluate the electrochemical performances of the biosensor, which has a LOD value of 5.40 nM and a LOQ value of 16.20 nM in the 0.01–7.50 μM linear working range. The biosensor was successfully applied for determination of BPA in seawater, canned water and milk samples with recoveries ranging from 96.0 % and 100.7 %. In addition, accuracy of the voltammetric determination method in the real samples was carried out by HPLC and spike/recovery test. The layer‐by‐layer surface modification strategy of the designed mCuF/PANI‐nf/HA/Lacc/GCE biosensor opens a new perspective on both BPA determination and using biopolymer in the structure of enzymatic electrochemical biosensors.
The atypical startup characteristics of a pump as turbine
Authors: Zhang Yu‐Liang , Zhao Yan‐Juan
Published: November 2021

A generalized Euler equation of pump as turbine is derived, and the transient hydraulic performance of a centrifugal pump as turbine during an atypical startup period is measured. Meanwhile, the dimensionless analysis and the additional theoretical head calculation are also conducted. It is found that the transient characteristics of pump as turbine during atypical startup period mainly come from the rotational acceleration effect, rather than the flow inertia effect. The final stable values of dimensionless flowrate coefficient and dimensionless head coefficient are both closely related to the steady rotating speed and flowrate after startup process, but the dimensionless power coefficient is not remarkably related to them. In an atypical startup, the impact phenomena occur in both flowrate curve and outlet static pressure curve. At the same steady rotating speed, the larger the steady flowrate is, the more serious the flowrate impact is. Under the same steady flowrate, the lower the steady rotating speed is, the more remarkable the static pressure impact at the outlet is.