Lexical Neologisms and Potential Words in the Letters by A.P. Chekhov

The article focuses on the process of neologism emergence in the Russian language and speech in the second half of the 19 th century inferred in the letters of A.P. Chekhov. The content of the terms lexical neologism and potential word is determined. The latter is considered in a systematic aspect, from the point of view of the possibility of eliminating lacunae in the lexical composition, which was intensively formed during the period under study. The object of the analysis is those potential words that were in demand among some particular native speakers. The structural types of neologisms, the time of their appearance in the language (speech), the word-forming potential of the productive bases are identified, and the semantics of the derivatives is analyzed. The reasons for neologism emergence in the language system have been determined, including lacunae in the lexical and word-building systems and communicative need for their filling; building new words or changes in lexeme semantics; inserting neologisms in derivational processes. The class of abstract nouns is noted to be actively replenished, and productive word-formation models are claimed to be realized by rooted and potential lexemes. The epistolary heritage of A.P. Chekhov is of great value as material for the "Dictionary of the Russian Language of the 19 th Century", focused on the reflection of not only linguistic, but also speech facts

Fe-Si biominerals in the Vilyuchinskie hot springs, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia

The micromorphological structure of microbial mats (biomats) from the hot springs of the Vilyuchinskaya hydrothermal system, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, were investigated. The Vilyuchinskie hot springs had a discharge temperature of 55–56°C and Na-Ca-HCO3-type waters rich in silicic and boric acids. Water and biomats had high concentrations of Fe, Mn, Sr, and As. Enumeration of total bacterial abundance (TBA) demonstrated a low density of bacterial populations. However, the fractions of metabolically active bacteria and respiring iron-oxidizing bacteria in the hot-spring water were high, comprising 68 and 21% of TBA, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDX) showed that unicellular rod-shaped bacteria about 5-μm long predominated in the brown biomats. The mineral capsules of these bacteria contained large amounts of Fe and Si. Extracellular and intracellular particles were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Fe-oxidizing bacteria were isolated from the biomats on agar plates with selective medium. Therefore, it can be concluded that microorganisms inhabiting the biomats of the Vilyuchinskie hot springs are essential for the deposition of Fe-minerals at neutral pH. [Int Microbiol 2004; 7(3):193–198

Metal distribution in first flush in highway runoff of one of the busiest motorway junctions in the UK

© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2023. This is an open access article published under a creative commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1039/D2EW00919FAlthough the ‘first flush’ phenomenon has been extensively studied, there is still a niche remaining for a further contribution to this topic. The work reported in this paper addresses the challenges connected with the first flush from junction 24 of the M1 motorway in the UK. The event monitoring indicated that such factors as ADWP, rainfall intensity plus the catchment cleanliness and the loss of roughness, acting in combination, are the key factors in determining the presence of pollutants in the first flush. In addition, this study has also helped us to better understand the mechanism of iron release due to the presence of anaerobic and aerobic conditions – it showed the greatest proportion of its mass (73.6%), compared to other pollutants, in the first 30% of the runoff volume, which would suggest that the local conditions of the catchment can confound such a simple theory as that of pollutant dilution. The unexpectedly high presence of dissolved iron could be attributed to dissolved organic carbon, humic substances and anaerobic microbial activity.This research was supported by Loughborough University

Rainwater quality analysis for its potential recovery: a case study on its usage for swimming pools in Poland

© 2023 The Authors. Published by MDPI. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3390/su152015037This paper describes the possibility of using rainwater for filling artificial swimming pools in Poland. The overall purpose of this study is to understand whether the quality of rainwater collected from roofs would be suitable for use in the swimming pools without any additional treatment. The rainwater samples were collected from five areas in the Silesian region and analysed for a number of physico-chemical parameters. The results show that the content of nitrates met Polish standards, whereas the standards set for pH and turbidity would only be met after the water had undergone the treatment process which takes place in every swimming pool installation. The paper further compares rainwater data from this study with the corresponding data for drinking water and groundwater. It shows that the content of ammonia, some metals (Ni, Cr and Mn) and a semimetal are in line with the parameters used for drinking water and are a lot lower compared to those set for groundwater. However, the results indicated some possible consequences which might be harmful for swimming pool users. These include the adverse effects of zinc and other organic micropollutants which are classified as contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). These may form dangerous byproducts in the presence of the chlorine, the use of which is required by the standards to be applied for swimming pool disinfection purposes.This research was funded by NATIONAL CENTRE FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, grant number LIDER13/0126/2022

Enzymatic C–C-Coupling Prenylation: Bioinformatics – Modelling – Mechanism – Protein-Redesign – Biocatalytic Application

The functional role of isoprenoids and especially enzymatic prenylation in nature and human application is briefly covered, with the focus on bioinformatical, mechanistical and structural aspects of prenyltransferases and terpene synthases. These enzymes are as yet underrepresented but perspectively useful biocatalysts for C–C couplings of aromatic and isoprenoid substrates. Some examples of the successful use in chemoenzymatic synthesis are given including an application for the otherwise difficult synthesis of Kuhistanol A. Computational structure-based site-directed mutagenesis can be used for rational enzyme redesign to obtain altered substrate and product specificities, which is demonstrated for terpene cyclases

Adsorptive removal of arsenic from drinking water using KOH-modified sewage sludge-derived biochar

© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clwat.2024.100022This paper reveals a green chemistry approach to remove arsenic (As+3) from water using potassium hydroxide (KOH) modified sewage sludge-derived biochar (SSDB-KOH). Characterisation of the morphology, particle size and composition of the SSDB-KOH pre- and post-adsorption confirmed porous and heterogenous surface favouring adsorption. At ambient temperature (20 °C), the SSDB-KOH dose of 20 g/l achieved 98 % arsenite removal at nearly neutral solution pH (8). This compared favourably with pristine SSDB, where the performance was limited to 41.6 % removal. The enhanced arsenite adsorption of SSDB-KOH was informed by several mechanisms, including ionic interactions, pore filling and metal-pi interactions. The experimental data fits closely with the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, revealing monolayer adsorption and the chemical interaction between adsorbents and the adsorbate. The spontaneous and endothermic nature of the process was confirmed by the negative value of ΔG and the positive value of ΔH, respectively. The performance of the biochar was evaluated for four-cycle regeneration. Finally, a cost analysis was performed to demonstrate the economic feasibility of using SSDB-KOH to remove arsenic from water.Accepted versio

The effect of dose, settling time, shelf life, storage temperature and extractant on Moringa oleifera Lam. protein coagulation efficiency

© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enmm.2024.100919The study explores green chemistry to purify drinking water using Moringa oleifera (MO) Lam. seeds. This is done by investigating the coagulation efficiency of MO seed extracts for treating moderately turbid water. The research reveals the influence of various factors such as dose, settling time, shelf life, storage temperature, and extractant (water and 1 M NaCl solution) on the coagulation efficiency of MO Lam. protein. The MO seed protein extracts (MOPE) dissolved in tap water, and 1 M NaCl solution was characterised for their performance at ambient temperature and 4 ℃. Within 3 h of MOPE treatment, the turbidity reduced by 90–93 % without significantly altering pH and total dissolved solids (TDS) or electrical conductivity (EC) of the treated water samples. Although the dose rate was found to increase with the storage time, the optimum Moringa oleifera dose was 30–50 mg/l. Overall, the refrigerated MOPE in NaCl offered an extended shelf life, exhibiting good coagulation for up to 7 days compared to 3–4 days for the non-refrigerated variant.Accepted versio

A picture of medically assisted reproduction activities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe

STUDY QUESTION: How did coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) impact on medically assisted reproduction (MAR) services in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic (March to May 2020)? SUMMARY ANSWER: MAR services, and hence treatments for infertile couples, were stopped in most European countries for a mean of 7 weeks. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: With the outbreak of COVID-19 in Europe, non-urgent medical care was reduced by local authorities to preserve health resources and maintain social distancing. Furthermore, ESHRE and other societies recommended to postpone ART pregnancies as of 14 March 2020. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A structured questionnaire was distributed in April among the ESHRE Committee of National Representatives, followed by further information collection through email. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: The information was collected through the questionnaire and afterwards summarised and aligned with data from the European Centre for Disease Control on the number of COVID-19 cases per country. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: By aligning the data for each country with respective epidemiological data, we show a large variation in the time and the phase in the epidemic in the curve when MAR/ART treatments were suspended and restarted. Similarly, the duration of interruption varied. Fertility preservation treatments and patient supportive care for patients remained available during the pandemic. LARGE SCALE DATA: N/A. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Data collection was prone to misinterpretation of the questions and replies, and required further follow-up to check the accuracy. Some representatives reported that they, themselves, were not always aware of the situation throughout the country or reported difficulties with providing single generalised replies, for instance when there were regional differences within their country. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The current article provides a basis for further research of the different strategies developed in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Such conclusions will be invaluable for health authorities and healthcare professionals with respect to future similar situations.peer-reviewe

Altimetry for the future: Building on 25 years of progress

In 2018 we celebrated 25 years of development of radar altimetry, and the progress achieved by this methodology in the fields of global and coastal oceanography, hydrology, geodesy and cryospheric sciences. Many symbolic major events have celebrated these developments, e.g., in Venice, Italy, the 15th (2006) and 20th (2012) years of progress and more recently, in 2018, in Ponta Delgada, Portugal, 25 Years of Progress in Radar Altimetry. On this latter occasion it was decided to collect contributions of scientists, engineers and managers involved in the worldwide altimetry community to depict the state of altimetry and propose recommendations for the altimetry of the future. This paper summarizes contributions and recommendations that were collected and provides guidance for future mission design, research activities, and sustainable operational radar altimetry data exploitation. Recommendations provided are fundamental for optimizing further scientific and operational advances of oceanographic observations by altimetry, including requirements for spatial and temporal resolution of altimetric measurements, their accuracy and continuity. There are also new challenges and new openings mentioned in the paper that are particularly crucial for observations at higher latitudes, for coastal oceanography, for cryospheric studies and for hydrology. The paper starts with a general introduction followed by a section on Earth System Science including Ocean Dynamics, Sea Level, the Coastal Ocean, Hydrology, the Cryosphere and Polar Oceans and the ‘‘Green” Ocean, extending the frontier from biogeochemistry to marine ecology. Applications are described in a subsequent section, which covers Operational Oceanography, Weather, Hurricane Wave and Wind Forecasting, Climate projection. Instruments’ development and satellite missions’ evolutions are described in a fourth section. A fifth section covers the key observations that altimeters provide and their potential complements, from other Earth observation measurements to in situ data. Section 6 identifies the data and methods and provides some accuracy and resolution requirements for the wet tropospheric correction, the orbit and other geodetic requirements, the Mean Sea Surface, Geoid and Mean Dynamic Topography, Calibration and Validation, data accuracy, data access and handling (including the DUACS system). Section 7 brings a transversal view on scales, integration, artificial intelligence, and capacity building (education and training). Section 8 reviews the programmatic issues followed by a conclusion

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049