Enzymatic oligomerization and polymerization of arylamines: state of the art and perspectives

The literature concerning the oxidative oligomerization and polymerization of various arylamines, e.g., aniline, substituted anilines, aminonaphthalene and its derivatives, catalyzed by oxidoreductases, such as laccases and peroxidases, in aqueous, organic, and mixed aqueous organic monophasic or biphasic media, is reviewed. An overview of template-free as well as template-assisted enzymatic syntheses of oligomers and polymers of arylamines is given. Special attention is paid to mechanistic aspects of these biocatalytic processes. Because of the nontoxicity of oxidoreductases and their high catalytic efficiency, as well as high selectivity of enzymatic oligomerizations/polymerizations under mild conditions-using mainly water as a solvent and often resulting in minimal byproduct formation-enzymatic oligomerizations and polymerizations of arylamines are environmentally friendly and significantly contribute to a "green'' chemistry of conducting and redox-active oligomers and polymers. Current and potential future applications of enzymatic polymerization processes and enzymatically synthesized oligo/polyarylamines are discussed

The influence of human factor on student satisfaction in higher education institutions

Due to constantly increasing competition in the higher education market, customer or user satisfaction should be made the focal point of all higher education institutions. Creating happier, satisfied customers, whether they are students, their parents, donors, professors or employers, should be the primary objective which will also contribute to the quality of the educational institutions. In line with that, this paper aims to show the extent to which human factor (as a tool of marketing mix) and all elements associated with it, affect student satisfaction in higher education institutions. The survey was conducted on a sample of 703 respondents, i.e. students of four faculties which are part of the University Business Academy in Novi Sad. A questionnaire created specially for research purposes was used as an instrument for data collection. The analysis of collected data included correlation and regression analysis. The obtained results indicate a statistically significant correlation between the human factor and the satisfaction of students in higher education institutions. The paper touches upon the impact of each element on the satisfaction of students. Such analysis provides us with important indicators in terms of specific elements of human factor which should be improved if we want to improve the overall satisfaction of students in higher education institutions. Finally, the paper outlines possible conclusions and recommendations for further research on the basis of the obtained results

Autochthonous and international grape varieties grown in Serbia - Phenolic and elemental composition

The phenolic and elemental profiles of Serbian autochthonous grape varieties ‘Smederevka’ and ‘Plovdina’ were studied and compared with some international varieties. Total phenolic content and radical scavenging activity were highest in seeds of ‘Plovdina’, and in ‘Smederevka’ skins, which also had the highest contents of ferulic, chlorogenic and caffeic acids (16.0, 1.44 and 0.98 mg/kg, respectively). Protocatechuic acid was quantified only in the seeds of these varieties. Untypically for Vitis vinifera L. species, the presence of malvidin 3,5-O-dihexoside was found in the skins of ‘Vranac’ and ‘Muscat Hamburg’. In ‘Plovdina’ skins among the anthocyanins, hexosides of peonidin and delphinidin were prevalent. ‘Plovdina’ grapes had lower quantities of Al, Ni and Na in comparison to the other varieties intended for white wine production. Significant correlations among the most abundant elements, such as K, P, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Cu, and Zn, pointed to potential positive interactions. For elements that have toxicological reference values, the health risk assessment was calculated for adults and children, and suggested that all samples were safe for human consumption