Photoelectrochemical response of carbon dots (CDs) derived from chitosan and their use in electrochemical imaging

International audienceWe report a direct photoelectrochemical response from low cost carbon dots (CDs) prepared from chitosan via a solvothermal method. The carbon dots were covalently linked to an indium tin oxide (ITO) surface through a self-assembled silane monolayer. We attribute the photocurrent of the ITO–silane–CD surface to a photogenerated electron-transfer process by CDs under illumination with a wavelength of 420 nm to 450 nm. The self-assembled monolayer of CDs was used for ac-photocurrent imaging of the surface with micron scale lateral resolution. This discovery opens up new applications for CDs as biocompatible, light-addressable electrochemical sensors in bioanalytical and bioimaging applications

New Approach to Unsymmetrical 1,3- and 1,4-Diazatriphenylene Derivatives Through Intramolecular Oxidative Cyclodehydrogenation

The research was financially supported by the Russian Science Foundation (Project № 16-13-10435). NMR spectra and elemental analyses were covered by Program of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Рroject № 18-3-3-12)

Crowdsourcing Fungal Biodiversity : Revision of Inaturalist Observations in Northwestern Siberia

The paper presents the first analysis of crowdsourcing data of all observations of fungi (including lichens) and myxomycetes in Northwestern Siberia uploaded to iNaturalist.org to date (24.02.2022). The Introduction presents an analysis of fungal diversity crowdsourcing globally, in Russia, and in the region of interest. Materials and methods describe the protocol of uploading data to iNaturalist.org, the structure of the crowdsourcing community. initiative to revise the accumulated data. procedures of data analysis, and compilation of a dataset of revised crowdsourced data. The Results present the analysis of accumulated data by several parameters: temporal, geographical and taxonomical scope, observation and identification efforts, identifiability of various taxa, species novelty and Red Data Book categories and the protection status of registered observations. The Discussion provides data on usability of crowdsourcing data for biodiversity research and conservation of fungi, including pros and contras. The Electronic Supplements to the paper include an annotated checklist of observations of protected species with information on Red Data Book categories and the protection status, and an annotated checklist of regional records of new taxa. The paper is supplemented with a dataset of about 15 000 revised and annotated records available through Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The tradition of crowdsourcing is rooted in mycological societies around the world, including Russia. In Northwestern Siberia, a regional mycological club was established in 2018, encouraging its members to contribute observations of fungi on iNaturalist.org. A total of about 15 000 observations of fungi and myxomycetes were uploaded so far, by about 200 observers, from three administrative regions (Yamalo-Nenetsky Autonomous Okrug, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, and Tyumen Region). The geographical coverage of crowdsourcing observations remains low. However. the observation activity has increased in the last four years. The goal of this study consisted of a collaborative effort of professional mycologists invited to help with the identification of these observations and analysis of the accumulated data. As a result, all observations were reviewed by at least one expert. About half of all the observations have been identified reliably to the species level and received Research Grade status. Of those, 90 species (195 records) represented records of taxa new to their respective regions: 876 records of 53 species of protected species provide important data for conservation programmes. The other half of the observations consists of records still under-identified for various reasons: poor quality photographs, complex taxa (impossible to identify without microscopic or molecular study). or lack of experts in a particular taxonomic group. The Discussion section summarises the pros and cons of the use of crowdsourcing for the study and conservation of regional fungal diversity, and summarises the dispute on this subject among mycologists. Further research initiatives involving crowdsourcing data must focus on an increase in the quality of observations and strive to introduce the habit of collecting voucher specimens among the community of amateurs. The timely feedback from experts is also important to provide quality and the increase of personal involvement.Peer reviewe

Fluorometric Determination of Chloramphenicol in Aqueous Solutions Using Derivatives of 9h-Carbazole

На сегодняшний день задачей экологического мониторинга является детектирование следовых количеств антибиотиков в объектах окружающей среды и продуктах питания. Настоящее исследование посвящено сравнительной оценке возможности применения замещенных и незамещенных карбазолов для флуорометрического определения хлорамфеникола в водно-органических растворах. Показано закономерное изменение интенсивности флуоресценции, обусловленное процессами взаимодействия исследуемых флуорофоров с аналитом. Наиболее перспективным соединением для аналитического применения является ацетиленпроизводное карбазола, продемонстрировавшее в широком линейном диапазоне (0,1-25 мкМ) высокую чувствительность Ksv=105425 M-1 с пределом обнаружения 2,8 мкМ.Today, the task of environmental monitoring is to detect trace amounts of antibiotics in environmental objects and food. The present study is devoted to a comparative assessment of the possibility of using substituted and unsubstituted carbazoles for the fluorometric determination of chloramphenicol in aqueous organic solutions. A regular change in the fluorescence intensity caused by the processes of interaction of the studied fluorophores with the analyte is shown. The most prospects compound for analytical use is the acetylene derivative of carbazole, showing in a wide linear range (0,1-25 μM) a high sensitivity of Ksv=105425 M-1 with a detection limit 2,8 μM

The EAEU as Perceived by the Western Scientific and Expert Community (Bibliographic Essay)

In the context of the ongoing crisis in EU-Russia relations, the search for new formats of economic dialogue becomes particularly relevant. With the assistance of the Eurasian Economic Commission, various platforms are being created to explore the possibilities for cooperation between the EAEU and the EU in the areas of trade, investment, convergence of technological standards, etc., with the participation of leading experts and business circles. However, despite the gradual growth of interest in issues of Eurasian economic integration within the Western scientific and expert community, skepticism regarding the EAEU still prevails. The EAEU itself is mostly seen as a political project initiated by Russia and unable to bring real economic benefits to its member countries. US and European observers dwell on unequal economic opportunities of the EAEU countries, insufficient mutual trade and mixed consequences of the transition to common customs tariffs for Kazakhstan and Armenia. Moreover, in many European publications the EAEU is perceived not as a possible economic partner of the EU, but as its geopolitical competitor. Most experts conclude that cooperation between the EU and the EAEU is either impossible or possible only on a limited scale. Nevertheless, the attitude of Western experts towards the EAEU is gradually changing. Integration processes in the Post-Soviet space are increasingly viewed through the prism of the theory of new regionalism. It is noted that the EAEU, as well as another project in Eurasia - the Silk Road Economic Belt, may become an alternative to Western models of integration. Over the past four years, besides economic costs, Eurasian integration has also brought certain dividends to its members, which, however, do not always lie on the surface and are often of a political nature. In this regard, some European experts and scholars (although they still constitute a minority), mainly from Germany and Austria, admit that it is counterproductive for the EU to ignore the EAEU, and advocate for cooperation between them