GEOECOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF LOCAL SURROUNDINGS FOR THE PURPOSES OF RECREATIONAL TOURISM

The paper presents geoecological evaluation of the city of Loznica for the purposes of sports and recreational tourism based on quantitative method of diversity, V-Wert Method. Using the GIS tool by the quantitative method, the criteria of natural components (relief, forest, water surface and climate) are evaluated for the analyzed area. In the proposed method, the climate factor was supplemented by the analysis of the bioclimatic index Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). When the evaluation was completed, the final results were obtained based on which the degrees of convenience of different parts of the analyzed area have been presented. Out of the total analyzed surface, which amounts to 705 km2, favorable surfaces comprise 21 km2 (2.98%), and very favorable surfaces comprise 33 km2, i.e. 4.68% of the territory. The largest area consists of conditionally favorable terrains — 333 km2 (47.23%). Since one of the basic strategic priorities of the City of Loznica is improvement and development of sports and recreational tourism, the aim of this analysis is to emphasize the potential of the mentioned area in terms of general suitability of the terrain for the development of this type of tourism

Crystal structure of trans-diaqua-bis(methyl methylcarbamohydrazonothioato-κ2 N,N′) nickel(II) iodide semihydrate, C6H22N6O2NiS2I2·0.5H2O

C6H23I2N6NiO2.50S2, monoclinic, C2/c (no. 15), a = 8.2282(4) Å, b = 21.9200(7) Å, c = 11.4906(4) Å, β = 109.451(4)°, V = 1954.19(14) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt (F) = 0.0322, wRref (F 2) = 0.1113, T = 295

A Demonstration Project for the Utility of Kinect-Based Educational Games to Benefit Motor Skills of Children with ASD

Motor disorders often accompany autism spectrum disorder (ASD), although they are not included in its diagnostic criteria. Slower motor development is evident in early childhood in this population, making early motor skills intervention advisable. As educational games and modern technology can represent new forms of treatment, this study evaluated four Kinect-based visuo-motor games called Fruits that were specially designed for this research. We sought to test whether children with ASD would show behavior changes during their game play and whether any effects would generalize to another game called Rackets. The study included 10 elementary school children with ASD, aged 9-13 years, who were divided into (a) an experimental group (n = 5) who, in addition to standard treatment, played Fruits once a week for a 5-week period and Rackets both before and after the 5-week period and (b) a control group (n = 5) who received only standard treatment during this period and also played Rackets before and after it. We found significant improvements in gross motor skills and successful generalization of acquired skills among children in the experimental group relative to the control group. The experimental group also showed an increase in positive emotions and a decrease in loss of attention while playing the games. These preliminary findings indicate a motor skill benefit for children with ASD who play Kinect-based educational games, but further research is needed to replicate and expand these findings with larger participant samples

Polymeric Copper(II) Complexes with a Newly Synthesized Biphenyldicarboxylic Acid Schiff Base Ligand—Synthesis, Structural and Thermal Characterization

The newly synthesized biphenyldicarboxylic acid Schiff base and its complexes with Cu(II) were synthesized, and their spectroscopic and structural analysis was performed. The reaction of the ligand and copper(II) acetate in different solvents resulted in the formation of two solvatomorphic complexes, one with MeOH, and the other with DMF molecules, in the crystal lattice. The differences in the results of the thermal analysis could be explained by the different polarities of the solvents present. SC-XRD analysis revealed that the ligand is coordinated as a dianion, in a pentadentate manner, through two phenoxide oxygen atoms, two azomethine nitrogen atoms, and with the oxygen atom of one carboxylate functioning as a bridge that connects the monomeric units. The coordination polyhedron was described with several parameters obtained from different methods of calculation. The presence of different solvents in the crystal structure results in differences in the H-bond networks, and an overall different crystal packing of the structural units in the obtained complexes

Polymeric Copper(II) Complexes with a Newly Synthesized Biphenyldicarboxylic Acid Schiff Base Ligand—Synthesis, Structural and Thermal Characterization

The newly synthesized biphenyldicarboxylic acid Schiff base and its complexes with Cu(II) were synthesized, and their spectroscopic and structural analysis was performed. The reaction of the ligand and copper(II) acetate in different solvents resulted in the formation of two solvatomorphic complexes, one with MeOH, and the other with DMF molecules, in the crystal lattice. The differences in the results of the thermal analysis could be explained by the different polarities of the solvents present. SC-XRD analysis revealed that the ligand is coordinated as a dianion, in a pentadentate manner, through two phenoxide oxygen atoms, two azomethine nitrogen atoms, and with the oxygen atom of one carboxylate functioning as a bridge that connects the monomeric units. The coordination polyhedron was described with several parameters obtained from different methods of calculation. The presence of different solvents in the crystal structure results in differences in the H-bond networks, and an overall different crystal packing of the structural units in the obtained complexes

Synthesis, Characterization, and Impact of Water on the Stability of Postmodified Schiff Base Containing Metal–Organic Frameworks

In this study, the synthesis of a Schiff base containing metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) of the UiO-67 family has been investigated. MOFs featuring free amine groups were successfully synthesized under mild solvothermal conditions using 2-amino-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid and 2,2′-diamino-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid as bridging ligands, resulting in MOFs with amine groups covalently linked to the bridging ligands. Both types of functionalized MOFs were post-synthetically modified with 4-formylbenzonitrile that resulted in imine formation. All the obtained compounds were characterized by PXRD, TGA, DTA, BET, NMR, and FTIR spectroscopy, while stability in water was monitored with SEM, EDS, and UV–VIS spectroscopy

Synthesis, Characterization, and Impact of Water on the Stability of Postmodified Schiff Base Containing Metal–Organic Frameworks

In this study, the synthesis of a Schiff base containing metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) of the UiO-67 family has been investigated. MOFs featuring free amine groups were successfully synthesized under mild solvothermal conditions using 2-amino-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid and 2,2′-diamino-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid as bridging ligands, resulting in MOFs with amine groups covalently linked to the bridging ligands. Both types of functionalized MOFs were post-synthetically modified with 4-formylbenzonitrile that resulted in imine formation. All the obtained compounds were characterized by PXRD, TGA, DTA, BET, NMR, and FTIR spectroscopy, while stability in water was monitored with SEM, EDS, and UV–VIS spectroscopy

Nanomaterial with High Antimicrobial Efficacy-Copper/Polyaniline Nanocomposite

This study explores different mechanisms of antimicrobial action by designing hybrid nanomaterials that provide a new approach in the fight against resistant microbes. Here, we present a cheap copper-polyaniline (Cu-PANI) nanocomposite material with enhanced antimicrobial properties, prepared by simple in situ polymerization method, when polymer and metal nanoparticles are produced simultaneously. The copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) are uniformly dispersed in the polymer and have a narrow size distribution (dav = 6 nm). We found that CuNPs and PANI act synergistically against three strains, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans, and resulting nanocomposite exhibits higher antimicrobial activity than any component acting alone. Before using the colony counting method to quantify its time and concentration antimicrobial activity, different techniques (UV-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscope, field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry) were used to identify the optical, structural, and chemical aspects of the formed Cu-PANI nanocomposite. The antimicrobial activity of this nanocomposite shows that the microbial growth has been fully inhibited; moreover, some of the tested microbes were killed. Atomic force microscopy revealed dramatic changes in morphology of tested cells due to disruption of their cell wall integrity after incubation with Cu-PANI nanocomposite