Successive Steps Research Articles

Fundraising as a Resource-Raising Tool for Religious Organizations

Abstract. Introduction. The church is an important component of social life, trusted by many Ukrainians. Ukraine is a democratic country and promotes the development of religion and religious organizations, protects their interests if their activities are carried out within the limits of the law and do not violate public order. The state does not interfere in the activities of religious organizations and does not finance their activities. The stable financial position of religious organizations is a guarantee of their successful activity. Insufficient funding or lack of other necessary resources pushes religious organizations to look for new modern and effective financial support tools. Fundraising is such a tool, which helps to attract funding from various sources and implement important projects and initiatives. Purpose. The purpose of the article is a comprehensive analysis of fundraising as an effective tool for attracting additional resources for financing social and charitable projects of religious organizations. Results. Based on the results of the research, the main types of fundraising have been classified, the main principles on which the fundraising process is based have been analyzed, and the successive stages of its implementation have been considered. The key elements of fundraising that affect the success of project implementation have also been proposed. The foreign experience of attracting resources by religious organizations using the practice of fundraising for the implementation of targeted projects and financing of activity costs has been studied. The main advantages and further prospects of the spread of fundraising as an effective factor for the successful development of domestic religious organizations have been argued. The research methods used in the work are: analytical, structural and detailing methods. Conclusions. Fundraising is a modern and effective tool for attracting resources for financing or implementing social projects of non-profit religious organizations. Today, Ukraine is taking gradual, successful steps in the direction of popularizing fundraising.

Molecular Orientation-Regulated Bioinspired Multilayer Composites with Largely Enhanced Mechanical Properties.

Natural nacre's hierarchical brick-and-mortar architecture motivates intensive studies on inorganic platelet/polymer multilayer composites, targeting mechanical property enhancement only by two strategies: optimizing the size and alignment of inorganic platelets and improving the interfacial interaction between inorganic platelets and polymers. Herein, a new strategy of polymer chain orientation to enhance the property of bioinspired multilayered composites is presented, which facilitates more stress to be transferred from polymer layers to inorganic platelets by simultaneous stiffening of multiple polymer chains. To this end, bioinspired multilayer films consisting of oriented sodium carboxymethyl cellulose chains and alumina platelets are designed and fabricated by three successive steps of water evaporation-induced gelation in glycerol, high-ratio prestretching, and Cu2+ infiltration. Regulating the orientation state of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose leads to a large enhancement of mechanical properties, including Young's modulus (2.3 times), tensile strength (3.2 times), and toughness (2.5 times). It is observed experimentally and predicted theoretically that the increased chain orientation induces failure mode transition in the multilayered films from alumina platelet pull-out to alumina platelet fracture because more stress is transferred to the platelets. This strategy opens an avenue toward rational design and manipulation of polymer aggregation states in inorganic platelet/polymer multilayer composites and allows a highly effective increase in modulus, strength, and toughness.

Anti-Amyloid Monoclonal Antibodies are Transformative Treatments that Redefine Alzheimer's Disease Therapeutics.

Two anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies (MABs)-lecanemab (Leqembi®) and aducanumab (Aduhelm®)-have been approved in the USA for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies are the first disease-modifying therapies for AD that achieve slowing of clinical decline by intervening in the basic biological processes of the disease. These are breakthrough agents that can slow the inevitable progression of AD into more severe cognitive impairment. The results of trials of anti-amyloid MABs support the amyloid hypothesis and amyloid as a target for AD drug development. The success of MABs reflects a relentless application of neuroscience knowledge to solving major challenges facing humankind. The success of these transformative agents will foster the development of more anti-amyloid MABs, other types of anti-amyloid therapies, treatments of other targets of AD biology, and new approaches to therapies for an array of neurodegenerative disorders. Monoclonal antibodies have side effects and, during the period of treatment initiation, patients must be closely monitored for the occurrence of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) and infusion reactions. A successful first step in the development of disease-modifying therapy for AD defines desirable features for the next phase of therapeutic development including less frequent ARIA, more convenient administration, and greater efficacy. Unprecedented agents make new demands on patients and care partners, clinicians, payers, and health care systems. Collaboration among stakeholders is essential to take advantage of the therapeutic benefits offered by these agents and to make them widely available. Monoclonal antibodies usher in a new era in AD therapy and define a new landscape of what is possible for therapeutic development for neurodegenerative disorders.

Comparing Spanish-Style and Natural Fermentation Methods to Valorise Carolea, Nocellara Messinese and Leccino as Table Olives

This paper presents the results of the transformation into table olives of drupes belonging to three Italian cultivars: Carolea, Leccino and Nocellara Messinese, widely used for virgin olive oil production, by using the two most common methods to produce fermented table olives: the Spanish-style method (SS) and the natural fermentation (NF). The most suitable drupes as table olives due to their flesh-to-pit ratio and high-weight fruits were Nocellara Messinese olives. From the results obtained, it was highlighted that fermentation must be improved by using a selected starter culture that can drive the fermentation by rapid acidification. In fact, the long time required by NF results in a lower pH close to the hygienic safety limit but not low enough to be considered as a stable product, while the fast fermentation obtained by treating the olives with lye solution resulted in pH values that were too high. The sugar content in all table olives was almost null, and the sensory evaluation showed that SS olives were less bitter than NF olives. Moreover, NF olive-flesh samples showed a higher amount of healthy phenolic compounds than SS olives, whose phenolic content was drastically affected by the alkaline treatment and the successive washing steps.

Impacts of sublethal concentrations of 17 α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) on growth, reproductive performance, and survival in red cherry shrimp Neocaridina davidi (Crustacea, Atyidae) during consecutive spawnings

This study was conducted for the first time to investigate the long-term impacts of sublethal concentrations of 17 α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) on growth, survival, and reproductive performances in a model shrimp, the red cherry (Neocaridina davidi), females during five successive spawning steps for 7.5 months. Females were distributed in eighteen aquariums and continuously exposed to EE2 at six nominal concentrations of 0 (control), 0.02, 0.2, 2, 20, and 200 μg/L. Growth indices increased up to 0.2 μg/L and then sharply declined up to 200 μg/L. Most reproductive indices significantly decreased at levels > 0.02–0.2 μg/L with increasing EE2 levels. The highest absolute, relative, and actual fecundity values were recorded in the control, with the lowest value at 200 μg/L. With increasing EE2 levels, mean egg volume showed an increasing trend from the third spawning event onwards. Except for the time required to reach the first spawning, inter-spawning intervals considerably decreased with increasing EE2 levels at > 0.2 μg/L, especially from the third spawning stage onwards. Survival of exposed females significantly decreased with increasing EE2 levels. Unlike the body size, the juvenile's survival rates in all exposed treatments were considerably lower than the control. Females at concentrations 0.02–0.2 μg/L gained more body weight and length but produced fewer eggs with lower hatching percentages during five consecutive spawns. The results suggest that EE2 depending on the concentrations can cause unbalanced growth, reduce reproductive performances, especially from the third stage of spawning onwards, and reduce survival rates in brooders and subsequent offspring. In terms of growth, survival, and reproductive indices over successive spawns in ecotoxicology studies, the concentrations of 0.02–0.2 μg/L can be considered as chronic levels, but higher levels may have detrimental effects.

Magnetic and structural properties of biogenic magnetic nanoparticles along their production process for use in magnetic hyperthermia

Iron-oxide nanoparticles synthesized by magnetotactic bacteria can be used in cancer treatment by means of magnetic hyperthermia. In order to study the structural properties of samples through the successive steps of their production from cultivated magnetotactic bacteria to coated magnetosomes, and their effect on magnetic properties, we performed a combination of (cryo-)Transmission Electron Microscopy observations and magnetic hysteresis as well as First-Order Reversal Curve diagrams at low temperature. The anisotropy of magnetic interactions was investigated by recording field-cooled FORC diagrams with a measuring field either parallel or perpendicular to the field-cooling direction. The results from the various techniques are in very good agreement. We found that magnetosomes in magnetotactic bacteria are arranged in chains and have magnetic properties typical of stable single-domain aligned particles. Extracted magnetosomes form clusters of interacting maghemite particles with some remaining chains, while purified magnetosomes are solely arranged in clusters. Finally, magnetosomes coated with 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) are still organized in clusters but with less magnetostatic interactions than in purified magnetosomes, while magnetosomes coated with citric acid tend to recover a chained structure forming loops. The main features observed on the FORC diagrams are consistent with the various arrangement observed. Lastly, hyperthermia properties were measured for the two coated samples and we found that magnetosomes coated with citric acid display a higher Specific Absorption Rate and therefore hold a better potential for biomedical applications.

The Interaction of Slaughtering, Drying, and Defatting Methods Differently Affects Oxidative Quality of the Fat from Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae.

The interrelation effect of slaughtering, drying, and defatting methods of BSFL on the oxidative quality of the derived fat was studied. Blanching and freezing were compared as slaughtering methods, followed by oven or freeze-drying for drying and mechanical pressing or SFE for defatting. The oxidative state and stability of the extracted fat and defatted meals were monitored immediately after their production, using peroxide value (PV) and Rancimat test, and over 24 weeks of storage. Slaughtering and drying methods had an independent effect on PV, with freezing and freeze-drying being the best methods. Mechanical pressing and SFE were comparable and superior to conventional hexane defatting. Interactions were observed between slaughtering and defatting, drying and defatting, and between all three factors. Generally, freeze-drying combined with any of the slaughtering and defatting methods resulted in the lowest PVs, with mechanical pressing being preferred. Freeze-drying plus mechanical pressing also produced the most stable fats during storage according to the evolution of PV, while the combination of blanching and SFE produced the least stable. A significant correlation was found between the PV at 24 weeks and the antioxidant activity of the fats. Contrary to storage assays, in accelerated Rancimat assays, freeze-dried samples were the least stable, which was partially attributed to the significant correlation with the acid values of the samples. Defatted meals followed a similar pattern to the extracted fat, except for worse oxidation for SFE defatting. Therefore, the different processing methods of slaughtering, drying, and defatting of BSFL differently affect lipid oxidation, with interactions between such successive steps.

Boosting the Acidic Oxygen Reduction Activity of p‐Block Single‐Atomic Catalyst via p–p Orbital Coupling and Pore Engineering

Atomically dispersed main group element single‐atom catalysts (SACs) have recently attracted increasing attention in electrocatalysis. However, their performances in acidic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) remain unsatisfactory owing to the suboptimal coordination environment, limited mass transfer, and active site exposure. Herein, a series of p‐block Sn SACs with hierarchical pore structures are prepared by a dual melting salt‐mediated soft template method. By deliberately regulating the pore structures, highly exposed Sn active sites with N/O coordination are obtained, which endow SnN3O‐50 with exceptional ORR performances, especially in acidic medium. The half‐wave potential of SnN3O‐50 is up to 0.816 V, with a loss of only 15 mV after 10 000 potential cycles. Furthermore, the peak power densities of the fuel cell and zinc–air battery assembled using SnN3O‐50 as cathodes reach 502 and 173.5 mW cm−2, respectively, demonstrating great potential for practical applications. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the N/O coordination of Sn induces localization of 5p electrons, which leads to strong coupling with the p orbit of O2. Meanwhile, the presence of defects synergistically regulates the adsorption of reaction intermediates, thereby optimizing the free energy of the four successive ORR steps.

Testing the key processes that accelerate outer radiation belt relativistic electrons during geomagnetic storms

Since the discovery of the Earth’s radiation belts in 1958, it has always been a challenge to determine the dominant physical mechanisms, whether local acceleration by chorus or inward radial diffusion, that leads to outer radiation belt relativistic electron flux enhancements. In this study, we test a chain of processes with several potential successive steps that is believed to accelerate outer belt relativistic electrons. By performing correlation analysis of different part of this chain, including the geomagnetic condition, evolution of source and seed electron fluxes, chorus wave activity, and maximum fluxes (jmax) of relativistic electrons, we aim to identify the critical steps that lead to acceleration of MeV electrons. Based on 5-years of Van Allen Probes observations, our results confirm the repeatable response of both source and seed electrons to the storms, showing a significant flux enhancement during the main phase of storms, followed by either a gradual decay or flux persistence at a stable level. However, it is the intense and prolonged occurrence of substorms that contributes to the long-lasting existence of both source and seed electrons, which is also strongly associated with the jmax of relativistic electrons. The significant correlation (Correlation Coefficient, CC∼0.8) between the seed electron fluxes and jmax reveal that the prolonged and pronounced seed electrons are the prerequisite for the significant flux enhancement of relativistic electrons regardless of the acceleration mechanism. The slightly smaller CC (∼0.5–0.7) between source electron fluxes and jmax of relativistic electrons indicates that while local acceleration by chorus wave plays an important role to accelerate relativistic electrons to jmax, other mechanisms such as inward radial diffusion are still needed in this process. The CC between the source electrons and the chorus wave amplitude increases with increasing levels of substorms, showing (CC)max of ∼0.8, which further supports the crucial role of chorus waves in accelerating the relativistic electrons during intense substroms.

Computational Study on Ni−Al Bimetal‐Catalyzed Twofold C−H Annulation Reaction: Mechanism, Origin of Selectivity, and Role of SPO Ligand

AbstractDensity functional theory calculations have been performed to probe the reaction mechanism of the recently reported twofold C−H annulation of arylformamides with alkynes by Ni−Al bimetallic catalysis. The main pathway consisted of the formyl C−H activation, phenyl C−H activation, migratory insertion, and reductive elimination steps in succession. The desired annulation product was found to be the equilibrium‐controlled product, while the minor hydrocarbamoylation product was the kinetics‐controlled product. Calculated free‐energy profiles indicated that the annulation and hydrocarbamoylation pathways could intersect with each other and merge into a mechanism unity, in which the reaction system entered the hydrocarbamoylation pathway in early stage and switched to the annulation pathway afterwards via suitable transition states. The modified mechanism picture demonstrated the phenyl C−H activation step to be the rate‐determining step with a free‐energy barrier of 27.7 kcal/mol. However, this barrier was only 19.4 kcal/mol on the basis of a single annulation pathway, which could not satisfactorily agree with the experimental conditions and kinetic isotope effects. In addition, the crucial role of the bifunctional secondary phosphine oxide ligand in promoting the reactivity and selectivity was elucidated in detail.

SK Forceps: New Monopolar Electrosurgical Forceps Designed Specifically for Blepharoptosis Surgery.

The electrode tips of conventional monopolar forceps are relatively blunt, complicating the delicate detachment manipulations required for blepharoptosis repair. This study describes the SK forceps, which is a new monopolar electrosurgical forceps we specifically designed for blepharoptosis surgery. The electrode tips in our design were engineered to be as fine as possible. The SK forceps can cut tissues with the electrode tips in contact in the closed position and coagulate bleeding while clasping the blood vessels. When inactivated, the SK forceps can perform similar manipulations to regular surgical forceps. Surgeons holding the nonactivated SK forceps in one hand and regular forceps in the other benefit from greatly improved maneuverability at every step of the procedure. Incision and dissection procedures performed with the SK forceps result in a surgical field with minimal bleeding because the forceps can simultaneously perform hemostasis and incision, which is a characteristic of a high-frequency electrosurgical unit. However, when unexpected bleeding is encountered in the operative field, the SK forceps can clamp the injured vessels and coagulate the bleeding more rapidly and confidently compared with the needle-type monopolar electrodes without switching instruments. Our design allows surgeons to perform successive procedural steps without switching instruments. This characteristic makes the SK forceps a beneficial instrument for blepharoptosis surgery.

Research on MPPT control strategy based on the Perturbation observation method

About traditional disturbance observation of larger changes in the external environment, the need for successive change step length, thus slow convergence speed of the shortcomings, based on traditional disturbance observation method, will be the main factors influencing the photovoltaic battery power curve (temperature, light intensity) is introduced into the control strategy of, when external conditions change dramatically, the method can directly reach the optimal duty ratio near, in this way, the slow convergence speed of the traditional perturbation observation method is effectively improved, and the dynamic tracking performance is optimized. In Matlab/Simulink, the improved control strategy model is built to verify that the improved control strategy can significantly improve the convergence speed and efficiency of the photovoltaic power generation system under the working condition of large changes in temperature and external illumination intensity.

Purification and Characterization of a Novel D-Galactose Binding Lectin from Seeds of Meizotropis buteiformis.

The main aim of the present study is to find out the novelty and characteristics of a lectin purified from the plant Meizotropis buteiformis. Lectins are proteins that possess the ability to specifically bind glycans of glycoconjugates. Plants are considered rich sources of lectins and the determination of sugar specificity of a purified plant lectin is an important aspect in order to evaluate its potential area of application. In the present study, a novel D-Galactose specific lectin is purified from Meizotropis buteiformis through affinity chromatography and examined for its various physical and biochemical characteristics. The objective of the present study is to purify a novel lectin up to its homogeneity from the seeds of Meizotropis buteiformis and characterization of its various physical and biochemical properties. The lectin was purified by simple successive steps of lectin extraction, ammonium sulphate fractionation, and affinity chromatography. Activity of the purified lectin was determined by hemagglutination assay. Some physicochemical parameters of the purified protein were also determined along with identification of protein by LC-MS/MS and the spectra analysis using Mascot sequence matching software (Matrix Science) with the NCBI database. From the current investigation, it was found that the purified lectin has a native molecular weight of 75 kDa. Among the various sugars and sugar derivatives tested, lactose and D-galactose were found to be potent inhibitors of its activity. Its optimum pH range was found to be from 6.5 to 7.5 and also it exhibited full activity at a temperature from 0ºC to 50ºC. The purified lectin does not show any effects on its activities for metal ions tested. The protein view report of the LC-MS/MS result analysis showed a 50% sequence similarity with that of the lectin beta-chain of the Butea monosperma. In the present study, a novel D-Galactose specific lectin is purified from Meizotropis buteiformis by affinity chromatography using Sepharose 4B. The purified lectin is found to be heterodimeric and metal ion independent. The LC-MS/MS results suggested that the purified lectin has not been reported earlier.

Metabolic flux enhancement from the translational fusion of terpene synthases is linked to terpene synthase accumulation

The end-to-end fusion of enzymes that catalyse successive steps in a reaction pathway is a metabolic engineering strategy that has been successfully applied in a variety of pathways and is particularly common in terpene bioproduction. Despite its popularity, limited work has been done to interrogate the mechanism of metabolic enhancement from enzyme fusion. We observed a remarkable >110-fold improvement in nerolidol production upon translational fusion of nerolidol synthase (a sesquiterpene synthase) to farnesyl diphosphate synthase. This delivered a titre increase from 29.6 mg/L up to 4.2 g/L nerolidol in a single engineering step. Whole-cell proteomic analysis revealed that nerolidol synthase levels in the fusion strains were greatly elevated compared to the non-fusion control. Similarly, the fusion of nerolidol synthase to non-catalytic domains also produced comparable increases in titre, which coincided with improved enzyme expression. When farnesyl diphosphate synthase was fused to other terpene synthases, we observed more modest improvements in terpene titre (1.9- and 3.8-fold), corresponding with increases of a similar magnitude in terpene synthase levels. Our data demonstrate that increased in vivo enzyme levels – resulting from improved expression and/or improved protein stability – is a major driver of catalytic enhancement from enzyme fusion.

Superhydrophobic coatings from macromolecular fluorinated silica nanoparticles through START polymerization and “grafting onto” strategy

Fluorinated substances are often introduced to enhance the hydrophobicity of surfaces of various materials. In this work, fluorinated macromolecular coupling agents (AB)nA-b-PIPMSAm are prepared via successive step transfer-addition and radical-termination (START) polymerization and photocontrolled iodine-mediated reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) at room temperature, which is then decorated on the surface of silica nanoparticles followed by iodine removal for preparing iodine-free macromolecular fluorinated silica nanoparticles (macro-F-SiNPs-I). Superhydrophobic coatings were produced simply by spin coating of the macro-F-SiNPs-I onto glass or dip coating on cotton substrates. The effect of a variety of parameters on surface superhydrophobicity, such as the solvent for spinning coating, concentration of macro-F-SiNPs-I, size of silica nanoparticles and chemical structures of (AB)nA-b-PIPMSAm, were studied in detail, and the superhydrophobic surfaces with water contact angle (WCA = 172.6°) could be facilely achieved under optimum conditions. In addition, the resultant macro-F-SiNPs-I coatings are quite stable against acidic (pH = 1), basic (pH = 13) or high salty solutions, and their excellent superhydrophobic performance was also confirmed by self-cleaning and oil/water separation experiments, which displayed fascinating promise in practical applications on a large scale.

History effects in the creep of a disordered brittle material

We study the creep behavior of a disordered brittle material (concrete) under successive loading steps, using acoustic emission and ultrasonic sensing to track internal damage. The primary creep rate is observed to follow a (Omori-type) power-law decay in the strain rate, the number of acoustic emission events, as well as the amplitudes of the ultrasonic beams, supporting a brittle-creep mechanism. The distribution of acoustic emission event energies is observed to have a scale-free power-law distribution instead of a truncated one expected for a system approaching a critical point at failure. The main outcome is, however, the discovery of unexpected history effects that make the material less prone to creep when it has been previously deformed and damaged under primary creep. With the help of a progressive damage model implementing thermal activation, we interpret this as an aging-under-stress phenomenon: During an initial creep step at relatively low applied stress, the easy-to-damage sites are exhausted first, depleting the excitation spectrum at low stress gap values. Consequently on reloading, although previously damaged, the primary creep restarts but the material creeps (and damages) less than it would under the same stress but without precreeping. Besides shedding a new light on the fundamental physics of creep of disordered brittle materials, this has important practical consequences in the interpretation of some experimental procedures, such as stress-stepping experiments.

Distinct cortico-muscular coupling between step and stance leg during reactive stepping responses.

Balance recovery often relies on successful stepping responses, which presumably require precise and rapid interactions between the cerebral cortex and the leg muscles. Yet, little is known about how cortico-muscular coupling (CMC) supports the execution of reactive stepping. We conducted an exploratory analysis investigating time-dependent CMC with specific leg muscles in a reactive stepping task. We analyzed high density EEG, EMG, and kinematics of 18 healthy young participants while exposing them to balance perturbations at different intensities, in the forward and backward directions. Participants were instructed to maintain their feet in place, unless stepping was unavoidable. Muscle-specific Granger causality analysis was conducted on single step- and stance-leg muscles over 13 EEG electrodes with a midfrontal scalp distribution. Time-frequency Granger causality analysis was used to identify CMC from cortex to muscles around perturbation onset, foot-off and foot strike events. We hypothesized that CMC would increase compared to baseline. In addition, we expected to observe different CMC between step and stance leg because of their functional role during the step response. In particular, we expected that CMC would be most evident for the agonist muscles while stepping, and that CMC would precede upregulation in EMG activity in these muscles. We observed distinct Granger gain dynamics over theta, alpha, beta, and low/high-gamma frequencies during the reactive balance response for all leg muscles in each step direction. Interestingly, between-leg differences in Granger gain were almost exclusively observed following the divergence of EMG activity. Our results demonstrate cortical involvement in the reactive balance response and provide insights into its temporal and spectral characteristics. Overall, our findings suggest that higher levels of CMC do not facilitate leg-specific EMG activity. Our work is relevant for clinical populations with impaired balance control, where CMC analysis may elucidate the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.

Promotion effects of FeCu co-doping on Co3O4-based catalysts for linear α-olefins to alcohols

For the preparation of alcohols from linear α-olefins, Cu or/and Fe doped Co3O4 catalysts were synthesized using two processes and their structural and catalytic properties were studied. Using microwave-assisted and hydrothermal (HT) crystallization processes, doped Co3O4 with the rod-like morphology and the lamellar morphology were obtained, respectively, and the two morphology both showed the dominantly exposed Co3O4 (111) and (220) planes which were related to the successive hydroformylation and hydrogenation steps of olefins. With microwave-assisted process, Cu doped Co3O4 dramatically improved the hydroformylation reactivity of 1-octene. FeCu or NiCu co-doped Co3O4 raised nonanol selectivity and the promotion of FeCu co-doping was better. At 150 °C and 7 MPa for 4 h reaction, 2Fe2Cu-Co3O4(nFe:nCu:nCo = 2:2:100) exhibited 1-octene conversion of 99.82% and nonanol selectivity of 50.80%. With HT crystallization process, 2Fe2Cu-Co3O4-HT displayed 1-octene conversion of 99.69% and nonanol selectivity of 67.87% under 150 °C, 7 MPa for 5 h reaction. The effects of reaction temperature, pressure, time and catalyst dosage on the activity were discussed. At the set reaction conditions, 2Fe2Cu-Co3O4-HT exhibited high activity for C6 ∼ C12 olefins converting to C7 ∼ C13 alcohols. The roles of Cu or/and Fe doping and the effects of the exposed crystal planes of Co3O4 were revealed by characterizations.

Functional Restoration of Desertified, Water-Limited Ecosystems: The Israel Desert Experience

Ecological restoration has recognized explicitly the recovery of ecosystem functions. The emphasis on ecosystem functions in restoration efforts can be defined as functional restoration. Functional restoration, i.e., rehabilitation of ecosystem functions, is particularly applicable to highly degraded landscapes such as desertified areas, where restoration to the original state is impossible. This review paper produced a general conceptual model of the fundamental processes that regulate ecosystem functions in water-limited ecosystems. The Israeli Negev Desert was used as a case study to test the model results in the field. We developed general guiding principles for functional restoration of degraded landscapes that integrate functional restoration methods and include four successive steps: (1) identifying the fundamental processes that regulate ecosystem functions in alternative states; (2) detecting drivers leading to degraded states; (3) functional restoration: changing the state of the degraded landscape; and (4) monitoring the impact of the restoration effort and assessing its success in terms of ecosystem services. Our case study, the Negev, provided us with insights on how to reverse desertification in water-limited systems by restoring source–sink networks as a subset of functional restoration. The four suggested steps of functional restoration are essential for ecosystem recovery in the Anthropocene.

Investigating the Mechanism of the Catalytic Intramolecular Aza-Wittig Reaction Involved in the Synthesis of 2-Methylbenzothiazole from the Perspective of Bonding Evolution Theory

AbstractBonding evolution theory has been used at the density functional theory level [ωB97X-D exchange-correlation functional, 6-311G(d,p) basis set, and solvent (toluene) effects with polarizable continuum model] to unravel the reaction mechanism of the intramolecular aza-Wittig reaction of 2-(acetylthio)phenyl isocyanate (1) catalyzed by 3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-phospholene 1-oxide (2) to form 2-methylbenzothiazole (3). The reaction involves four steps (transition states) corresponding to (1) the formation of a cycloadduct (O–C then P–N bonds), (2) a decarboxylation leading to the formation of an iminophosphorane, and (3) an intramolecular [2+2] cycloaddition (N–C then P–O bonds) followed by (4) a retro [2+2] cycloaddition (cleavage of the P–N then O–C bonds) to get the product and regenerate the catalyst. Step 1 is the rate-determining step with an activation Gibbs free enthalpy of 21 kcal mol–1 and it is favored with respect to a competitive pathway leading to the formation of another cycloadduct (P–C then O–N bonds). The whole reaction is exergonic with a Gibbs free energy decrease of 31 kcal mol–1, associated with the liberation of a CO2 molecule and the formation of the aromatic benzothiazole. Following the scale of Domingo, the successive steps of the reaction have a polar nature.