Electroless deposition of Fe-Ni alloys from acidic and alkaline solutions using hypophosphite as a reducing agent

The deposition of Fe–Ni alloys from acidic and alkaline solutions, using hypophosphite as a reducing agent, is studied in this work. The experimental results confirm the autocatalytic nature of this process. The composition of alloys is practically independent of the temperature deposition. Fe–Ni alloys produced from acidic solutions contained less than 1% Fe. The amount of Fe in Fe–Ni alloys produced from alkaline solutions was estimated to be about 15 %. The deposition of Fe–Ni alloys was significantly faster in the alkaline than in the acidic solutions, due to more pronounced hydrolysis of Fe(II) and Ni(II) ions under the alkaline conditions. The Fe–Ni alloys produced from both acidic and alkaline solutions contain phosphorus and as such have amorphous structure. © 2019 Serbian Chemical Society. All rights reserved

MEDITERRANEAN COOPERATION AND THE POSITION OF NEW EUROPEAN STATES

Mediteranska suradnja razmotrena je ovdje u kontekstu stvaranja euromediteranske zone. Europska unija razvija različite oblike suradnje s mediteranskim zemljama ne-članicama, ugovorom o povezivanju (Association Agreements) ili ugovorom o suradnji (Cooperation Agreements). Nove europske države, nastale raspadom bivših socijalističkih federacija, pokazuju zanimanje za mediteransku suradnju, iako prema njoj imaju različit odnos. Njihov se interes temelji na činjenici da mediteranska suradnja nije standardizirana i da ima slabo razvijene institucionalne okvire. To olakšava povremeno uključivanje i suradnju u skladu s vlastitim interesima. S obzirom na uključivanje i ulogu novih država, autorica razlikuje 2 tipa suradnje: a) autonomnu regionalnu suradnju, koja nije poticajna za nove države (npr. balkanske); b) povremenu, specijaliziranu i disperziranu suradnju, koja može privući zemlje srednje i istočne Europe.Mediterranean cooperation is dealt with in the context of the creation of the Euromediterranean zone. European Union has been developing various modes of cooperation with non-member Mediterranean countries by signing Association Agreements or Cooperation Agreements. The new European states, created after the disintegration of former socialist federations demonstrate interest for the Mediterranean cooperation, though they tend to have different attitudes towards it. Their interest is solely based on the fact that the Mediterranean cooperation has not been standardized and that it has a poorly developed institutional framework. To these countries this enables and facilitates to tune in from time to time, when it suits their purposes. Regarding the role of the new states, the author distinguishes between two types of cooperation: (a) autonomous regional cooperation, which is not beneficial for the new states (e.g. those on the Balkans) and (b) occasional, specialized and dispersed cooperation which might attract the countries of Central and Eastern Europe

CENTRAL EUROPE: CULTURAL FICTION OR POLITICAL REALITY?

Razumijevanje Srednje Europe kao zasebne europske regije temelji se na povijesnom i kulturnom naslijeđu Mitteleurope i na oživljavanju srednjoeuropskog identiteta 80-ih godina. Regionalna suradnja unutar Srednje Europe počela se razvijati potkraj 80-ih i početkom 90-ih godina, poglavito u okviru slijedećih inicijativa i institucija: Pentagonala/Srednjoeuropska inicijativa (sada je napuštena), Višegradska grupa i Srednjoeuropski sporazum o slobodnoj trgovini - CEFTA. Te obrasce suradnje podupire Europska unija, a oni su u skladu s njezinom strategijom proširenja, koja se sada zasniva na diferenciranoj integraciji i pretpostavlja jačanje ekonomske i monetarne te obrambene unije. Europska unija nastoji povezati srednjoeuropsko područje s baltičkim zemljama, prije nego sa zemljama jugoistočne Europe, koje se razmatraju kao poseban slučaj, što se pokriva strategijom obnove mira. Srednja Europa područje je nejednakog razvoja i vrlo različitih kultura i naroda. Teško ju je razmatrati kao strukturirano europsko područje. EU usmjerava svoju pažnju na određen broj zemalja koje tvore “raskršće različitih područ ja integracije”, a u tom se smislu Srednja Europa može najbolje razumjeti kao razvojni i prijelazni projekt koji bi mogao stvoriti novu vrstu diferenciranih odnosa između država i kultura koje obuhvaća, te između tih država i Europske unije. Usmjeravanje pažnje na Srednju Europu može pretvoriti to područje u središnji projekt europskog razvoja.Understanding Central Europe as a particular European region is based on historical and cultural heritage of the Mitteleuropa and on the revival of the Central European identity in the 80ies. The Central European regional cooperation has been promoted in the late 80ies and early 90ies, particularly through the following cooperation schemes: Pentagonale/Central European Initiative (now dissolved), the Vishegrad Group and the Central European Free Trade Agreement - CEFTA. These schemes have been supported by the European Union and they fit its strategy of widening that is now based on the differentiated integration, which implies strengthening of economic and monetary union and defence union. The European Union tends to link Central European region to the Baltic countries, rather than connect it with the South Eastern Europe, which is regarded as a special case, covered by the peace restoration strategy. Central Europe is a region of uneven development and very diversified cultures and peoples. It is therefore difficult to treat it as a structured European region. EU focuses on a number of states that form “the intersection of different areas of integration”, and in this respect Central Europe may be best understood as a development and transformation project that might create a new type of differentiated relationships among states and cultures within Central Europe and between Central Europe and the European Union. Focusing on Central Europe may turn the region into the central project of European development

Plant growth promoting Halomonas from roots of halophytes as a strategy to improve crop resistance to soil salinity

Increased soil salinity has numerous negative effects on plant growth and poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity worldwide. The diversity of endophytic bacterial communities found in various indigenous halophytes such as Salicornia europaea, Suaeda maritima, and Camphorosma annua, may reveal beneficial bacteria with various plant growthpromoting (PGP) properties. Members of Halomonas, the largest genus of the family Halomonadaceae, are rod-shaped, gram-negative, moderately halophilic bacteria that have been increasingly isolated from various saline environments, including halophyte tissues. As part of the halophytic microbiota, halotolerant plant growth-promoting endophytic bacteria can contribute to plant host growth, productivity, and fitness under abiotic and biotic stresses. The use of halotolerant PGP bacteria represents a good alternative strategy to mitigate the effects of salt stress in crops and to recover saline soils. The aim of this study was to isolate halotolerant bacteria from halophyte roots, and evaluate their PGP ability and their effect on germination parameters of selected crops. The endophytic bacterial communities in the roots of halophytes from natural saline soil in Slano Kopovo (Serbia) were analyzed using culture-dependent techniques. The genus Halomonas was the predominant among the halotolerant root-associated bacteria of analyzed halophytes. We have isolated seven Halomonas sp. strains, six of which were closely related (>99,86% similarity) to Halomonas songnenensis, a moderately halophilic bacterium from saline and alkaline soils. Obtained isolates were tested at different sodium chloride concentrations for a range of PGP traits at different concentrations of sodium chloride. The selected strains were used to inoculate seeds iand monitor of the germination process of barley, sunflower, and wheat under conditions of elevated salinity. Most of the isolates tolerate the NaCl concentration up to 18% and showed multiple PGP features with some of them retained even in the presence of additional salt concentrations. The germination test results showed that Halomonas seed inoculation positively affected barley germination parameters in conditions with and without added salt. The observed traits can be further exploited to improve plant growth and augment the salt tolerance of agricultural production on saline soils

Plant growth promoting Halomonas from roots of halophytes as a strategy to improve crop resistance to soil salinity

soil salinity has numerous negative effects on plant growth and poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity worldwide. The diversity of endophytic bacterial communities found in various indigenous halophytes such as Salicornia europaea, Suaeda maritima, and Camphorosma annua, may reveal beneficial bacteria with various plant growthpromoting (PGP) properties. Members of Halomonas, the largest genus of the family Halomonadaceae, are rod-shaped, gram-negative, moderately halophilic bacteria that have been increasingly isolated from various saline environments, including halophyte tissues. As part of the halophytic microbiota, halotolerant plant growth-promoting endophytic bacteria can contribute to plant host growth, productivity, and fitness under abiotic and biotic stresses. The use of halotolerant PGP bacteria represents a good alternative strategy to mitigate the effects of salt stress in crops and to recover saline soils. The aim of this study was to isolate halotolerant bacteria from halophyte roots, and evaluate their PGP ability and their effect on germination parameters of selected crops. The endophytic bacterial communities in the roots of halophytes from natural saline soil in Slano Kopovo (Serbia) were analyzed using culture-dependent techniques. The genus Halomonas was the predominant among the halotolerant root-associated bacteria of analyzed halophytes. We have isolated seven Halomonas sp. strains, six of which were closely related (>99,86% similarity) to Halomonas songnenensis, a moderately halophilic bacterium from saline and alkaline soils. Obtained isolates were tested at different sodium chloride concentrations for a range of PGP traits at different concentrations of sodium chloride. The selected strains were used to inoculate seeds iand monitor of the germination process of barley, sunflower, and wheat under conditions of elevated salinity. Most of the isolates tolerate the NaCl concentration up to 18% and showed multiple PGP features with some of them retained even in the presence of additional salt concentrations. The germination test results showed that Halomonas seed inoculation positively affected barley germination parameters in conditions with and without added salt. The observed traits can be further exploited to improve plant growth and augment the salt tolerance of agricultural production on saline soils.Book of abstract: ICGEB WORKSHOP; Trends in microbial solutions for sustainable agriculture, 13 – 15 September 2023. Belgrade, Serbi

Open Cultural Spaces in Search of New Frontiers

Crossing cultural borders opens up a new creativity, new expectations and new emptiness that provoke fear and existential nausea. Are we lost forever, in a specific historical time, in a specific culture, or in a specific geographical location? Are we forgotten in transitions, translations and intercultural misunderstandings? Are we bound to remain foreigners forever? In order to provide some answers, we hurriedly establish new borders and define new relations between the recently-established entities, a new creativity or a new understanding and knowledge that can help us to survive the confrontation with a limitless nihility. In the age of globalisation, an increased effort to position cultural creativity and cultural identification within the local, now multicultural and largely redefined context, is strongly felt. How does this affect people and societies? What are the limits of transgressions between cultures and different cultural values? How can the new cultural identities be redefined? The answers to these questions can turn out to be very different, but they seem to be confined to at least two already discernible directions: cultural hybridisation (García Canclini) and the emergence of virtual cultures that promote de-standardised identities

Design, simultation and modeling in engineering within selected problems

U radu se razmatraju izabrane problematike, uz primenu nekoliko softverskih alata u oblastima tehnike: kvantne elektronike, građevine, arhitekture i dr. Različite oblasti imaju specifične zahteve, a odgovori na njih mogu biti i od opštijeg interesa. U primeni informacionih tehnologija, razvijenih za navedene oblasti, izabrani su problemi koji su obrađeni postojećim softverskim alatima. Poseban osvrt je dat na unapređenje edukacije inženjera, primenom savremenih računarskih resursa i savremenih tehnologija

Synthesis, structural characterization and biological evaluation of dinuclear gold(III) complexes with aromatic nitrogen-containing ligands: antimicrobial activity in relation to the complex nuclearity

Dinuclear gold(III) complexes {[AuCl3](2)(mu-4,4'-bipy)} (1) and {[AuCl3](2)(mu-bpe)} (2) with bridging aromatic nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ligands, 4,4'-bipyridine (4,4'-bipy) and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane (bpe), were synthesized and characterized by NMR (H-1 and C-13), UV-vis and IR spectroscopic techniques. The crystal structure of 1 was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, while the DFT M06-2X method was applied in order to optimize the structures of 1 and 2. A detailed mechanistic study was performed using the same DFT approach in order to shed light on the disparate coordination modes of the presently investigated N-heterocyclic ligands and the monocyclic pyrazine, which contains two nitrogen atoms within one ring, toward the AuCl3 fragment. The investigation of the solution stability of 1 and 2 in DMSO revealed that both complexes were sufficiently stable in this solvent at room temperature. Complexes 1 and 2, along with K[AuCl4] and the N-heterocyclic ligands used for their synthesis, were evaluated by in vitro antimicrobial studies against a panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and the fungus Candida albicans. In most cases, complexes 1 and 2 have higher antibacterial activity than K[AuCl4] (MICs for 1 and 2 were in the range 3.9-62.5 mu g mL(-1)), while both of the N-heterocycles did not affect the bacterial growth at concentrations up to 500 mu g mL(-1). On the other hand, the antifungal activity of these two complexes against C. albicans was moderate and lower than that of K[AuCl4]. In order to determine the therapeutic potential of 1 and 2, their antiproliferative effect on the normal human lung fibroblast cell line MRC5 and embryotoxicity on zebrafish (Danio rerio) have also been evaluated. To the best of our knowledge, complexes 1 and 2 are the first examples of dinuclear gold(III) complexes with aromatic six-membered heterocycles containing two nitrogen atoms as bridging ligands

Synthesis, structural characterization and biological evaluation of dinuclear gold(III) complexes with aromatic nitrogen-containing ligands: antimicrobial activity in relation to the complex nuclearity

Dinuclear gold(III) complexes {[AuCl3](2)(mu-4,4'-bipy)} (1) and {[AuCl3](2)(mu-bpe)} (2) with bridging aromatic nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ligands, 4,4'-bipyridine (4,4'-bipy) and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane (bpe), were synthesized and characterized by NMR (H-1 and C-13), UV-vis and IR spectroscopic techniques. The crystal structure of 1 was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, while the DFT M06-2X method was applied in order to optimize the structures of 1 and 2. A detailed mechanistic study was performed using the same DFT approach in order to shed light on the disparate coordination modes of the presently investigated N-heterocyclic ligands and the monocyclic pyrazine, which contains two nitrogen atoms within one ring, toward the AuCl3 fragment. The investigation of the solution stability of 1 and 2 in DMSO revealed that both complexes were sufficiently stable in this solvent at room temperature. Complexes 1 and 2, along with K[AuCl4] and the N-heterocyclic ligands used for their synthesis, were evaluated by in vitro antimicrobial studies against a panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and the fungus Candida albicans. In most cases, complexes 1 and 2 have higher antibacterial activity than K[AuCl4] (MICs for 1 and 2 were in the range 3.9-62.5 mu g mL(-1)), while both of the N-heterocycles did not affect the bacterial growth at concentrations up to 500 mu g mL(-1). On the other hand, the antifungal activity of these two complexes against C. albicans was moderate and lower than that of K[AuCl4]. In order to determine the therapeutic potential of 1 and 2, their antiproliferative effect on the normal human lung fibroblast cell line MRC5 and embryotoxicity on zebrafish (Danio rerio) have also been evaluated. To the best of our knowledge, complexes 1 and 2 are the first examples of dinuclear gold(III) complexes with aromatic six-membered heterocycles containing two nitrogen atoms as bridging ligands