Weak Cooperativity Research Articles

Origin of complexity in haemoglobin evolution.

Most proteins associate into multimeric complexes with specific architectures1,2, which often have functional properties like cooperative ligand binding or allosteric regulation3. No detailed knowledge is available about how any multimer and its functions arose during historical evolution. Here we use ancestral protein reconstruction and biophysical assays to dissect the origins of vertebrate hemoglobin (Hb), a heterotetramer of paralogous α and β subunits, which mediates respiratory oxygen transport and exchange by cooperatively binding oxygen with moderate affinity. We show that modern Hb evolved from an ancient monomer and characterize the historical “missing-link” through which the modern tetramer evolved–a noncooperative homodimer with high oxygen affinity, which existed before the gene duplication that generated distinct α and β subunits. Reintroducing just two post-duplication historical substitutions into the ancestral protein is sufficient to cause strong tetramerization by creating favorable contacts with more ancient residues on the opposing subunit. These surface substitutions dramatically reduce oxygen affinity and even confer weak cooperativity, because of an ancient structural linkage between the oxygen binding site and the multimerization interface. Our findings establish that evolution can produce new complex molecular structures and functions via simple genetic mechanisms, which recruit existing biophysical features into higher-level architectures.

The occupational attractiveness of the built environment and the roles of individualism and collectivism: a hidden source of conflict and gender imbalance?

The success of built environment projects is closely dependent on strong collective cooperation. Yet abundant anecdotal and academic evidence attests to weak collective cooperation within the industry. To date, no research in the built environment has investigated either the individual-level differences in individualism/collectivism that affect cooperativeness, or how gender may interact with these individual-level traits. In this research we seek to make a positive contribution by using the individual rather than organization as the unit of analysis. We first test the possibility that the built environment may in fact attract uncooperative individuals who are more individualistic than collectivist with respect to two specimen subsectors, i.e. construction management and architecture. At the same time we also employ a nuanced distinction between horizontal and vertical facets of individualism/collectivism, and assess potential interactions with gender. Using individual-level data (N=548), we find that both the architecture and construction management subsectors are occupationally attractive to individuals from opposing ends of the horizontal and vertical individualism/collectivism spectrums, and that these traits interact with gender. We argue that our findings both expose an individual-level source of poor collective cooperation in the built environment industry, and underscore the need to address persistently low female recruitment and retention rates.

Analysis of the Global Situation of COVID-19 Research Based on Bibliometrics

Background: With the rapid worldwide spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have contributed several important advancements. The WHO and countries with severe outbreaks have developed Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines. Here, we analyze the current transformation and application of scientific research to global epidemic prevention and control. Methods: With a bibliometric clustering algorithm, we described and analyzed current COVID-19 research from the perspectives of international cooperation, interdisciplinary cooperation, and research hotspots. Using the Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines of the WHO, the United States and China as examples, we assess and compare diagnosis and treatment methods and evaluate the transformation of scientific results from basic research to application. Scientific research results not yet incorporated into these guide lines are summarized to encourage updating and improvement by applying scientific research to prevention and control. Findings: COVID-19 research has fostered interdisciplinary cooperative research, and the current results are mainly concentrated on virus origin, epidemiological characteristics, clinical research, and diagnosis and treatment methods. These results provide strong support for treatment plan formulation. Due to the ongoing publication of new research, Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines are constantly improving. Comparison of the medical guidelines from the WHO, the United States, and China shows common references and different emphases. Some of the contents lack scientific support, research gaps remain, and some results have not yet been incorporated into the guidelines. Interpretation: The current research is still in the preliminary exploration stage, and there are some problems, such as weak international cooperation, unbalanced interdisciplinary cooperation, and lack of coordination between research and application. Therefore, countries around the world need to improve the International Public Health Emergency Management System and prepare for major public health emergencies in the future. Funding Statement: This work was supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2019M662373), The Spatiotemporal Epidemiology of COVID-19 (No.2020SFXGFY02-2). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Phase transitions in the edge/concurrent vertex model

ABSTRACT Although it is well known that some exponential family random graph model (ERGM) families exhibit phase transitions (in which small parameter changes lead to qualitative changes in graph structure), the behavior of other models is still poorly understood. Recently, Krivitsky and Morris have reported a previously unobserved phase transition in the edge/concurrent vertex family (a simple starting point for models of sexual contact networks). Here, we examine this phase transition, showing it to be a first-order transition with respect to an order parameter associated with the fraction of concurrent vertices. This transition stems from weak cooperativity in the recruitment of vertices to the concurrent phase, which may not be a desirable property in some applications.

Can We Predict Patients’ Cooperation During Phacoemulsification Surgery Under Topical Anesthesia?

Topical anesthesia (TA) may accompany more discomfort for some patients during cataract surgery. We aimed to evaluate the potential factors that can be used for predicting patient’s cooperation during phacoemulsification surgery under TA. One hundred sixty consecutive cases that were candidate for phacoemulsification surgery were enrolled in this prospective study. Patients’ sex, age, place of residence (urban or rural), education level (literate and illiterate) and physical examination variables (visual acuity, reaction to eye drop, cooperation during tonometry, and reaction to press on the lacrimal sac before surgery) evaluated. Patients’ cooperation during surgery was classified as successful (good and satisfactory) or failed (weak) groups. In this study, 103(64.4%) cases showed good or satisfactory cooperation, and others had weak cooperation. There was no correlation between patients’ cooperation during surgery and sex (P=0.2), age (P=0.7), place of residency (P=0.3), and education level (P=0.3). The successful group showed a higher rate of non-reaction to eye drop (P=0.0001), good cooperation during tonometry (P=0.0001), non-reaction to press on lacrimal sac (P=0.0001), and lower visual acuity (P=0.045). In the multi-logistic regression, non-reaction to eye drop (OR=66.4), good cooperation during tonometry (OR=21.2, good vs. bad and OR=7.2, satisfactory vs. bad), lower visual acuity (OR=7, <0.1 vs. 0.1-0.4 d) are the significant predictors for the success of TA. This study showed that some ocular examination tests before surgery (visual acuity, reaction to eye drop, cooperation during tonometry, and reaction to press on the lacrimal sac) could predict patients’ cooperation during phacoemulsification surgery under TA. © 2019 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved. Acta Med Iran 2019;57(7):412-415.

Existence of least energy positive solutions to Schrödinger systems with mixed competition and cooperation terms: the critical case

In this paper we investigate the existence of solutions to the following Schrodinger system in the critical case $$\begin{aligned} -\Delta u_{i}+\lambda _{i}u_{i}=u_{i}\sum _{j = 1}^{d}\beta _{ij}u_{j}^{2} \text { in } \Omega , \quad u_i=0 \text { on } \partial \Omega , \qquad i=1,\ldots ,d. \end{aligned}$$Here, $$\Omega \subset {\mathbb {R}}^{4}$$ is a smooth bounded domain, $$d\ge 2$$, $$-\lambda _{1}(\Omega ) 0$$ for every i, $$\beta _{ij}=\beta _{ji}$$ for $$i\ne j$$, where $$\lambda _{1}(\Omega )$$ is the first eigenvalue of $$-\Delta $$ with Dirichlet boundary conditions. Under the assumption that the components are divided into m groups, and that $$\beta _{ij}\ge 0$$ (cooperation) whenever components i and j belong to the same group, while $$\beta _{ij}<0$$ or $$\beta _{ij}$$ is positive and small (competition or weak cooperation) for components i and j belonging to different groups, we establish the existence of nonnegative solutions with m nontrivial components, as well as classification results. Moreover, under additional assumptions on $$\beta _{ij}$$, we establish existence of least energy positive solutions in the case of mixed cooperation and competition. The proof is done by induction on the number of groups, and requires new estimates comparing energy levels of the system with those of appropriate sub-systems. In the case $$\Omega ={\mathbb {R}}^4$$ and $$\lambda _1=\cdots =\lambda _m=0$$, we present new nonexistence results. This paper can be seen as the counterpart of Soave and Tavares (J Differ Equ 261:505–537, 2016) in the critical case, while extending and improving some results from Chen and Zou (Arch Ration Mech Anal 205:515–551, 2012) and Guo et al. (Nonlinearity 31:314–339, 2018).

"Diamond Stage" in Sino-Croatian Relations

By borrowing an ad hoc concept 'diamond stage' uttered by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during his visit to Croatia in April 2019 to describe a new stage in Sino-Croatian bilateral relations, this article sets to analyse the reasons behind this flattering diplomatic designation. It departs from the context of weak, historically distant and asymmetrical Sino-Croatian cooperation (SCC), giving, firstly, a short account on historical relations between China and Croatia and, secondly, relying on small state power scholarship in IR, depicting the opening and advancing of SCC. While categories of state size, geographical proximity, bilateral history and relational capacity are relatively pointless given the previous track of SCC, the dynamics of decreasing asymmetry between a small state and a big power helps to understand the recent upcoming of a new, 'diamond' stage in bilateral relations. Therefore, the article proposes several features as particularly relevant for understanding decreased asymmetry in SCC.

Halogen-bonded haloamine trimers - modelling the X3 synthon.

Halogen-halogen bonded haloamine trimers serve as model systems for the X3 synthon present in numerous crystal structures and in two-dimensional self-assembled nanoarchitectures. Halogen bonds forming the synthon are often considered to display cooperativity. Synergy effects were previously found for halogen-halogen bonded bromoamine and iodoamine tetramers. In the present study comparison between haloamine cyclic trimers and tetramers is made. The cooperativity occurring in bromoamine and iodoamine clusters is significantly weaker in the case of the trimers. The present study demonstrates that the bromoamine and iodoamine trimers display weaker cooperativity due to a smaller number of synergy components in comparison to the corresponding tetramers of stronger cooperativity. Moreover, the halogen-halogen interactions in bromoamine and iodoamine dimers with the geometries of the corresponding trimers and tetramers are examined using energy decomposition analysis methods (supermolecular, canonical EDA and SAPT) and the Kohn-Sham molecular orbital model. The results of the analysis indicate that although the interaction energy values for the dimers of the different spatial arrangement are very close to each other, their origin is substantially different. For pairs with the geometry of the trimers orbital interactions and electrostatic attraction are both weaker than for the corresponding dimers with the geometry of the tetramers. This is especially important because both donor-acceptor interactions and electrostatic attraction were previously proven to be responsible for cooperative effects occurring in the bromoamine and iodoamine tetramers.

Medicine and State Violence

During the last decades, in different places and under different circumstances, some physicians and other health professionals have supported state violence. The Holocaust is a prime example for how doctors can cooperate with the state to plan, give ideological support to and implement violent policies. As a consequence of the Industrial Revolution, people gained access to health promotion and health protection, not as an achievement of the welfare state, but as a tool necessary to maintain healthy and more productive workers. Gradually, all social strata, employees and their relatives gained access to health coverage. Physicians as a group increased in number and changed the structure of their profession by establishing a symbiotic relationship with the state. Between the state and the medical class, different models of cooperation can be distinguished. In general, we can affirm that with the implementation of a public health system, greater interdependence among the state and the medical class was established. In the case of authoritarian or totalitarian regimes, the support of the medical class for violent policies depends on the degree of previous cooperation. National Socialist Germany and the Soviet Union are two striking examples of totalitarian states in which strong public health systems and subsequent close cooperation between the medical class and the state can be observed. In both countries, violent state policies were quickly accepted and integrated into medical practice. Practices such as forced sterilization, murder of patients or experimentation with prisoners were prevalent under National Socialism. The abuse of psychiatry as tool for exerting power was common in the Soviet Union. South American dictatorships constitute examples of totalitarian states with weak previous cooperation between the medical class and the state, as they did not have strong public health systems. In those countries, support for state violence can be found, such as participation of health care professionals in torture or abduction of babies, but cooperation was not as strong as in Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. In other cases in which no strong previous relationship existed between medicine and the state, authoritarian regimes were not accompanied by medical support for violence, such as in the case of the Rwandan genocide or in Cambodia, where doctors were persecuted and murdered based on their membership of the bourgeois class.

Regional Policy for Disaster Risk Management in Developing Countries Within the Sendai Framework: A Systematic Review.

The recently concluded World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) in Sendai, Japan and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (SFDRR) have set renewed priorities for disaster risk reduction (DRR) for the next 15 years. This framework is the main guiding instrument for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) within the scope of sustainable development and the eradication of poverty. Disaster management policies and practices should be based on an understanding of risks, not just on an ideological level. Gap and key challenges identified include Still weak coordination, cooperation and linkages among the sectors related to DRR, Lacks of skills in loss assessment and post disaster needs, lack of strategic research agenda, absence of consensus regarding terminology, and limited coordination between stakeholders. The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of why disaster risk reduction efforts undertaken by regional policy often fail to improve future disaster responses. These findings can be used to help guide to improve regional policy in disaster risk reduction processes. This research is a systematic review study by collecting articles that are relevant to International Journal of Disaster Risk Science. From the analysis, we found that all four priorities for action in the Sendai Framework are relevant to Disaster Risk Management (DRM) field as follows: 1). Understanding disaster risk; 2). Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk; 3). Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience and 4). Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Tetranuclear [FeII2FeIII2]2+ molecular switches: [FeII(bik)2(N–)2] spin-crossover complexes containing [FeIII(Tp)(CN)3]– metalloligands as N-donor

Three novel mixed valence cyanide-bridged {FeIII2FeII2} square complexes were obtained through the self-assembling of [FeIII(Tp)(CN)3]- or [FeIII(Tp*)(CN)3]− cyanido building blocks with the in situ formed [FeII(bik)2(S)2] complex (Tp = hydrotris (pyrazol-1-yl)borate, Tp* = hydrotris (3,5-dimethyl-pyrazol-1-yl)borate, bik = bis(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)ketone, S = solvent). The structures of these three complexes (2, 3 and 4) are reminiscent of that of our previously published square complex {[FeIII(Tp)(CN)3]2 [FeII(bik)2]2}·[FeIII(Tp)(CN)3]2·18H2O·4CH3OH (1). They consist of cyanide-bridged square dicationic complexes, ClO4− (2 and 3) or BF4− (4) counterions and solvate molecules. The FT-IR cyanide stretching vibrations observed at νCN ≈ 2145–60 cm−1 are typical of {FeIII–CN–FeII} moieties. The investigation of the magnetic properties of 2 reveals the occurrence of spin-crossover centered at T1/2 = 227 K. The χMT variation, ca. 7 cm3 mol−1 K, reflects the complete spin-state change occurring on both {FeII(bik)(–NC)2} moieties (–NC represents the cyanido building blocks). The Slichter–Drickamer model leads to a weak cooperativity factor, Γ = 1.6 kJ mol−1 (with Γ < 2RT1/2), which reflects the gradual spin-state change. This is in agreement with the molecular structure of 2, which does not present significant intermolecular interactions. The calculated enthalpy and entropy variations associated with the spin-state equilibrium are ΔH = 24 kJ mol−1 and ΔS = 105 J K−1 mol−1. In contrast, 3 and 4 show only partial spin-crossover in the accessible temperature range (2–400 K) as the T1/2 are shifted toward higher temperatures (ca. T1/2 > 400 K). Although no photomagnetic effect is observed for 3, compound 4 shows a moderate increase in the magnetization upon irradiation at low temperature. This phenomenon is ascribed to the light-induced excited spin-state trapping (LIESST) effect. Interestingly, the complex 2 also shows a remarkable LIESST effect, which is observed with different laser lights covering the visible and near-infrared range. The resulting χMT value obtained in the photoinduced state suggests the occurrence of a ferromagnetic interaction inside the {FeIII–CN–FeII} units. Trois nouveaux complexes carrés {FeIII2FeII2} à pont cyanure et à valence mixte ont été obtenus par auto-assemblage des précurseurs cyanurés [FeIII(Tp)(CN)3]− ou [FeIII(Tp*)(CN)3]− et du complexe cationique [FeII(bik)2(S)2] formé in situ (Tp = hydrotris (pyrazol-1-yl)borate, Tp* = hydrotris (3,5-dimethyl-pyrazol-1-yl)borate, bik = bis(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)cétone, S = solvant). Les structures de ces trois complexes (2, 3 et 4) sont similaires à celle du complexe {[FeIII(Tp)(CN)3]2[FeII(bik)2]2}[FeIII(Tp)(CN)3]2·18H2O·4CH3OH (1) préalablement publié. Elles sont constituées de complexes carrés dicationiques à pont cyanure, de contre-ions ClO4− (2 and 3) ou BF4− (4) et de molécules de solvant. Les vibrations d’élongation des cyanures, observée en spectroscopie IR à νCN ≈ 2145–60 cm−1, sont caractéristiques d'unités {FeIII–CN–FeII}. L’étude des propriétés magnétiques de 2 révèle un équilibre de spin centré à T1/2 = 227 K. La variation du produit χMT, ca. 7 cm3 mol−1 K, traduit une conversion de spin complète sur chacune des unités {FeII(bik)(–NC)2} du carré (–NC représente le complexe précurseur cyanuré). L'analyse des données par le modèle de Slichter–Drickamer conduit à un faible facteur de coopérativité, Γ = 1.6 kJ mol−1 K (with Γ < 2RT1/2), en accord avec un changement d’état de spin graduel. Ces données sont en accord avec la structure de 2 qui ne montre pas d'interactions intermoléculaires notables. Les valeurs des variations d'enthalpie et d'entropie associées à la conversion de spin sont ΔH = 24 kJ mol−1 et ΔS = 105 J K−1 mol−1. Au contraire de 2, les composés 3 and 4 présentent seulement une conversion de spin partielle dans le domaine de température exploré (2–400 K), avec des valeurs T1/2 déplacées vers les hautes températures (ca. T1/2 > 400 K). Tandis qu'on n'observe pas d'effet photomagnétique pour 3 et seulement un faible effet dans 4, le composé 2 présente une forte augmentation de son aimantation sous irradiation à basse température. Cet effet est dû au piégeage photo-induit d'un état excité de spin (effet « LIESST », Light-Induced Excited Spin-State Trapping). Il est observé avec différentes sources laser couvrant le spectre visible et le proche infrarouge. Les valeurs de χMT obtenues dans l’état photo-induit suggèrent la présence d'une interaction ferromagnétique au sein de la paire {FeIII–CN–FeII}.

Engineering Order and Cooperativity in a Disordered Protein.

Structural disorder in proteins arises from a complex interplay between weak hydrophobicity and unfavorable electrostatic interactions. The extent to which the hydrophobic effect contributes to the unique and compact native state of proteins is, however, confounded by large compensation between multiple entropic and energetic terms. Here we show that protein structural order and cooperativity arise as emergent properties upon hydrophobic substitutions in a disordered system with non-intuitive effects on folding and function. Aided by sequence-structure analysis, equilibrium, and kinetic spectroscopic studies, we engineer two hydrophobic mutations in the disordered DNA-binding domain of CytR that act synergistically, but not in isolation, to promote structure, compactness, and stability. The double mutant, with properties of a fully ordered domain, exhibits weak cooperativity with a complex and rugged conformational landscape. The mutant, however, binds cognate DNA with an affinity only marginally higher than that of the wild type, though nontrivial differences are observed in the binding to noncognate DNA. Our work provides direct experimental evidence of the dominant role of non-additive hydrophobic effects in shaping the molecular evolution of order in disordered proteins and vice versa, which could be generalized to even folded proteins with implications for protein design and functional manipulation.

Asthma patients\u2019 perception on their care pathway: a qualitative study

Because of insufficient asthma control in many patients, the collaboration between stakeholders is regarded as a promising strategy to improve asthma outcomes. This study explored the perceptions of French adult asthma patients on their care pathway. We conducted a qualitative study based on the interviews of 30 asthma patients aged 18–40 years, recruited in French primary care. We performed a thematic analysis of the data collected, using the NVivo software. According to the patients, the stakeholders involved in asthma management included those visible to healthcare professionals (patient, general practitioner, specialist(s), pharmacist, physiotherapist, family and friends) and those concealed by the patients (complementary and alternative practitioners); other stakeholders, such as nurses and occupational physicians, were not involved. Asthma management at diagnosis and follow-up phases proved to be unstructured, and were associated with poor patient education. This was supported by patients’ ambivalence (in relation to illness and treatments), poor communication between patients and healthcare professionals (lack of listening and use of inappropriate vocabulary by physicians, underreporting of alternative medicine use by patients) and weak cooperation between professionals (limited to interaction between the general practitioner and the specialist, either pulmonologist or allergist). Asthma management would probably benefit from a more coordinated care pathway at each phase of the disease that is consistent with the expectations and goals of the patients. It should be based on improved organization (involvement of other healthcare professionals and the patient as partners) and processes (regular follow-up, specific tools such as peak flow meter or action plan).

Sustainability Indicators: Monitoring Cross-County Water Cooperation in the Nzoia River Basin, Kenya

Kenya Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) Impact Report indicates a stagnation in water coverage at 55 percent, for the last three years, contrary to the 2015 target of 80 percent. One main reason for the stagnation is weak cross-county cooperation between hydrologically interdependent governments. WASREB has little guidance on what indicators to use to enhance cross-county water cooperation. Through literature review, we assess whether the UN-Water methodology for assessing Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 6.5.2 would provide useful guidelines. Based on the literature review outcomes, we design a water policy game known as Nzoia WeShareIt. After that, we play seven-game sessions in four county governments (Busia, Bungoma, Kakamega, and Trans Nzoia), on 11–22 July 2016. We use the in-game and post-game questionnaire data to measure learning outcomes on interdependence and cooperation. The findings indicate that Nzoia WeShareIt policy game as a form of experiential learning increased understanding on the value of cross-county cooperation. The study constitutes a practical guideline to WASREB and a quick reference tool to be explored when designing indicators to monitor cross-county cooperation. We also propose a mixed method approach that incorporates team interdependence indicators as distinct and separate indicators from cooperation. Moreover, we recommend strengthening SDG 6.5.2 indicator to measure transboundary water cooperation inputs, processes and outcomes.

The Exploration and Practice for the Mode of School-Enterprise Cooperative Education of “Promoting Education through Industry and Integrating Industry and Education”—A Case Study of Shanghai Publishing and Printing College

School-enterprise cooperation, as the name suggests, is a cooperative model established by schools and enterprises. The cooperation between schools and enterprises is conducive to the win-win development of enterprises and schools. In recent years, although the cooperation between schools and enterprises has been developed rapidly, there are also some problems, such as the weak cooperation and the large cultural differences between schools and enterprises and the imperfect policies and regulations, which hindered the further development of school-enterprise cooperation. Shanghai Publishing and Printing College has accumulated relatively rich experiences in the process of school-enterprise cooperation, and gradually formed a useful reference to solve the problems in the process of school-enterprise cooperation. According to the need of research, this paper will adopt case study method.

Research on Health Cooperation Features of the 'Belt and Road' Countries in the Perspective of Complexity Theory - A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis

Background The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a systematic program that promotes the establishment of the human community of shared destiny. However, the lack of an explicit understanding of the difference among the Belt and Road nations impedes the precise health cooperation. This study aims to analyze the factors influencing health cooperation and recognize these countries' characteristics. Methods According to the Complexity Theory and literature retrievals, major influential factors of international health cooperation were identified and are employed in the two-step clustering in SPSS 22.0 to organize these countries for the recognition of their features. Findings According to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) health index and Human Development Index (HDI) level, cooperation level and country risk rating, diplomatic association and numbers of health cooperation mechanisms, a total of 62 countries are classified into three categories: 16 have few health needs, weak cooperation foundation, and low cooperation risk; 22 possess high health needs, good cooperation relationship, yet high cooperation risk; the remaining 24 nations are featured with general health needs and cooperation relation, good cooperation foundation, and low cooperation risk. Interpretation The cooperative features can be identified by SDG Health Index, HDI Level, Cooperation Degree, Country Risk Rating, Diplomatic Relationship, and the number of established health mechanisms. According to their different health needs, cooperative foundation, cooperation risk, and bilateral relationship, health cooperation should be separately initiated. Funding: National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, International Health Exchange and Cooperation Center. Declaration of Interest: We declare no competing interests.

Analysis cluster of palm processing industry in Indonesia

The purposes of this research are: 1) to analyze profile of palm processing cluster from upstream up to downstream in various regions in Indonesia; 2) to analyze strength, weakness, threats, and opportunity in palm processing industry, moreover to identify the role of existing various institutions in palm processing industry cluster in steering palm processing industry development; 3) to formulate the policy of palm processing cluster to encourage agricultural development. Data used in this research is secondary data that obtained from related institutions. Data is analyzed descriptively and quantitatively, utilizing frequency of distribution’s table, crosstable, and SWOT analysis. The result of this research concludes that Indonesia has big potential to palm processing industry, particularly in upstream industry. This thing can be seen from wide of area and palm production, which are owned. From the region side, majority wide of the area and palm production in Sumatera, from wide of area’s viewpoint is approximately 63.26% in Sumatera region, from production’s viewpoint is approximately 68.71%. In the meantime, from the downstream product, palm-processing industry in Indonesia is still limited. Less or more 100 products derived from palm in Indonesia, are only able producing 23 kinds of derived products, meanwhile in Malaysia almost reaching out 70 varieties. Keywords: Palm processing industry, cluster, SWOT analysis INTRODUCTION Until this time palm is still one of plantation crops, which is notable for national economy, especially as income source, availability of job vacancy, and contributing foreign exchange. In some regions in Indonesia, palm constitutes one of main activities that expected as stimulus of economy of those regions. This condition cannot be separated from the ability of Indonesia, from the availability of landside, as well as agro-climatology that will enable constantly evolved of palm (Ministry of Economy, 2011). To encourage the development of palm from upstream up to the downstream, then the government builds palm processing industry cluster in both Sumatera and Kalimantan. Of the four industries built, three of them are in Sungai Mangkei Sumatera Utara, Dumai, and Kuala Enok Riau. As a cluster, need to group of enterprises from upstream up to downstream which is related each other so require collaboration or partnership among of the enterprises in a cluster. However, many researches to industry cluster can be concluded there is still weak cooperation or partnership from the existing of various parts in the cluster (Djamhari, 2006 and Nugroho, 2008). Utilizing assumption as stated in Tona et al (2013) concludes that the partnership among of enterprises group in palm processing industry cluster has not effective yet, ranging from upstream up to downstream in Jambi

Weak interactions and cooperativity effects on disiloxane: a look at the building block of silicones

ABSTRACTThe behaviour of disiloxane 1 towards a set of Lewis acids (LA) and Lewis bases (LB) forming complexes through its oxygen and silicon atoms, respectively, was studied at the MP2/aug′-cc-pVTZ level of theory, exploring a wide variety of non-covalent interactions. Disiloxane is a moderate electron acceptor and a good electron donor, exhibiting in the latter case binding energies up to almost −100 kJ/mol with BeCl2. Cooperativity effects were also analysed by looking at ternary 1:LA:LB complexes. Shorter intermolecular distances than in the corresponding binary complexes and a negative contribution of the three-body term to the binding energy indicate that the non-covalent interactions allowed by disiloxane through its acid and basic centres cooperate between them to reinforce both donor–acceptor pairs. These effects are particularly strong in complexes involving beryllium and triel bonds, but are also relevant for complexes containing hydrogen bonds.

CHALLENGES FOR THE VEGETABLE SUBSECTOR DEVELOPMENT IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

The Republic of Macedonia has approximately 260 ha of agricultural cultivable area under glasshouses, but the exploitation of the facilities ranges between 75-80%, of their total capacity, leaving around 20-25 % of the facilities not being used. The area cultivated under plastic tunnels is not precisely known, but it is estimated between 4000 and 6000 ha dedicated for cultivation of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and cabbage. The open field production is gradually decreasing especially for production of tomatoes, cucumber and peppers due to lower productivity and increased problems with diseases. For other vegetables (melons, potatoes and onions) open production and strong seasonal aspects are dominating. The ex-Yugoslavia, considered as one market, traditionally has been and is still the largest consumer of the Macedonian fresh product. The position of Macedonian vegetable exporters in these markets is under threat for several reasons: market requirements shifting towards EU standards, related to the arrival of modern retail operations. The large producers are using local or international help which is very costly. There are no available financial instruments that stimulate the farmers to invest in new technologies and production, and the limited profits, mainly that the primary producers are making. High cost of input (energy) for production (energy is app.70% of the cost of the product) and the weak organization and cooperation of the stakeholders (vertical cooperation, horizontal cooperation and small sized production) are also significant challenges that should be dealt with in future. However, the biggest problem that causes weakness in this subsector is the limited Governmental and local investment in research. Due to that, there are no local producers of quality seeding material that causes higher cost of inputs and uncertainness of the quality of materials.

Концептуальные подходы к формированию лесопромышленных кластеров в России

World experience shows the effectiveness of the creation of clusters in various industries. A lot of work and research domestic and foreign scholars and practitioners are dedicated to study and development of mechanisms of realization of industrial policy. The article analyzes the main indicators of the forest industry and forestry in Tomsk region in recent years, the basic provisions are revealed, Factors determining the development trends of the industry are analyzed. The authors identified the major systemic problems hindering the progressive development of forest sector in Tomsk region, including low level of development of periodic yield, the lack of transport and economically available forest resources, inadequate production structure and export of forest products, financial situation of enterprises of the sector, insufficient staffing, weak territorial cooperation of the enterprises and organizations. The article defines the objective conditions for creation of timber industry cluster in Tomsk region, goals, objectives and directions of sustainable development of the forest sector in Tomsk region on the basis of cluster approach are identified. Among the main areas that determine competitiveness of products and possibility of increasing the efficiency of forest management, the following issues are highlighted: development of deep processing of wood through the use of low-grade wood and wood waste, development of transport infrastructure in forests, improving human potential, expanding the range of manufactured timber enterprises in the cluster of products and implementation of joint projects. The conclusions can provide theoretical basis for further research in the field of economic security and development of timber processing complex and forestry. Obtained results can be used both by researchers in further research work to explore issues of cluster development of timber industry and regional authorities and business structures functioning in the sphere of forest industry.