40 years of the Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of SB RAS

Information on the organization and activities of the Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of the Krasnoyarsk Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences is presented. Its scientific directions are highlighted, the results of fundamental scientific and applied research, participation in the creation of technologies for deep processing of mineral and organic resources of Siberia, hydrocarbons and biomass, organization of the development of the scientific potential of the region, international cooperation are noted.

Pronounced uptake and metabolism of organic substrates by diatoms revealed by pulse-labeling metabolomics

Diatoms contribute as a dominant group of microalgae to approximately 20 per cent of the global carbon fixation. In the plankton, these photosynthetic algae are exposed to a plethora of metabolites, especially when competing algae are lysed. It is well established that diatoms can take up specific metabolites, such as vitamins, amino acids as nitrogen source, or dimethylsulfoniopropoionate to compensate for changes in water salinity. It is, however, unclear to which extent diatoms take up other organic resources and if these are incorporated into the cells metabolism. Here, we ask about the general scope of uptake of metabolites from competitors. Using labeled metabolites released during lysis of algae grown under a 13CO2 atmosphere, we show that the cosmopolitan diatom Chaetoceros didymus takes up organic substrates with little bias and remarkable efficiency. The newly developed pulse label/ mass spectrometry metabolomics approach reveals that polarity and molecular weight has no detectable influence on uptake efficiency. We also reveal that the taken-up pool of metabolites is partly maintained unaltered within the cells but is also subject to catabolic and anabolic transformation. One of the most dominant phytoplankton groups is thus substantially competing with other heterotrophs for organic material, suggesting that the observed absorbotrophy may substantially impact organic material fluxes in the oceans. Our findings call for the refinement of our understanding of competition in the plankton.

Two triterpenoids from Rubus fraxinifolius leaves and their tyrosinase and elastase inhibitory activities

Numerous therapeutic compounds have been isolated from naturally abundant organic resources, which may offer economical and sustainable sources of compounds with safe and efficacious biological activities. In the cosmetics industry, natural compounds with anti-aging activities are eagerly sought. Thus, we prepared various extracts from Rubus fraxinifolius leaves and used enzyme inhibition assays to isolate compounds with protective effects against skin aging. Two triterpenoids were isolated from Rubus fraxinifolius Poir. leaves. The structures were characterized by spectroscopic analyses (LC-ESI-MS, 1D/2D NMR) and comparison to reported data. Compound 1 and 2 were determined as 2,3-O-ethyleneglycol, 19-hydroxyurs-12-en-23,28-dioic acid and 2,3-O-propanediol,19-hydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid. Methanol extract and isolates were assessed for their inhibitory effects on elastase and tyrosinase. Compounds 1 and 2 inhibited elastase with IC50 122.199 µg/mL and 98.22 µg/mL, and also inhibited tyrosinase with IC50 207.79 µg/mL and 221.51 µg/mL, respectively. The molecular docking proved that both compounds have affinities toward the enzymes.

Review on Status of Organic Farming

Organic agriculture started much more recently in thousands of years ago, Agriculture almost equal share of the farming systems of crop production and characterizes the key issues of Ethiopian economy. The quality of organic resources and their fertilizer equivalence are the main criteria to be judged for effective utilization of the organic resources for soil fertility improvement and promotion of agricultural products both in quantity and quality.Organic agriculture is production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. The evaluation of organic matter in soils depends on type and nature of organic source. Organic agriculture in the extent to which African farmers certified yields (more than 50% higher than local yield averages). The export main products produced are cotton, sesame and coffee, followed by cocoa, dried fruits, frozen fruit/pulp, fresh mainly tropical fruit and spices. Ethiopia is famous as the origin of coffee and is the largest producer in Africa. Forest coffee has the advantage that it originates from an organic and shaded production area - a quality increasingly important for coffee drinkers worldwide coffee cultivation systems, superior quality and organic in nature. Certified-organic farmers will generally require a higher price to compensate for the costs of inspection, certification and the major source of foreign exchange and thus account more than half of the value of total export. Total number of 12 forest coffee cooperatives in remote areas of southwestern Ethiopia were certified according to Fairtrade, organic (EU standard) and Utz Certified standards. The common understanding of agricultural production in all types of organic agriculture is managing the production capacity of an agro-ecosystem. Pesticides and fertilizers are damaging human health and polluting the surrounding environment and thus violating the sustainability of ecosystem.

A Sustainable Agriculture: Organic Farming: A Review

Agriculture is the backbone of India’s economy and agriculture employs more than 70% of the country’s people. With the continued use of fertilizers and their negative environmental repercussions, the farming community is becoming more aware of alternative agriculture systems, such as organic farming. Organic farming is a natural farming technique that meets society’s food and nutrition demands while not diminishing natural resources. Thus, by combining organic resources with high-yielding varieties and technologies, the country was able to enhance not only its food excess, but also its environmental pollution, pesticide toxicity and agricultural production sustainability. Organic farming also feeds crops with macronutrients and micronutrients, as well as improving the physical, chemical and biological qualities of the soil. In organic farming, pest and disease management alternatives rely mainly on preventive measures rather than curative treatments, which are based on environmentally safer management strategies. The priority has been placed on maintaining the ecosystem’s health, allowing plants to become resistant to insect pests and illnesses.

Cowpea Response to Two Organic Fertilizers in the Nord Sudan Zone of Burkina Faso

The Intensification of cowpea production is a priority because of its role in household income generation and its contribution to food security. To evaluate the effect of organic fertilizers on cowpea productivity, a dispersed block experiment design was set up in Saria in the semi-arid zone of Burkina Faso during the 2017 and 2018 cropping seasons. The combination of Biodeposit (Agro and Elixir) and Organova were used alone or in combination with mineral fertilizer. The results showed that during the two years, the highest cowpea grain yields were obtained with the Organova + the recommended mineral fertilizer and Biodeposit Agro + the recommended mineral fertilizer. The combination of organic fertilizers and recommended mineral fertilizer resulted in a 45% and 59% increase respectively with Organova and Biodeposit (Agro + Elixir). These two fertilizers then have the same effects on cowpea productivity. In the semi-arid zone where there is competition for organic resources, organic fertilizers can be used in combination with mineral fertilizer to improve cowpea productivity.

Simple methodological approach for assessing microbial mineralization rates in an aqueous anaerobic medium

The aim of this study was to propose and discuss a simple manometric method to quantify the emission rates of gases resulting from the microbial anaerobic mineralization of organic resources, as leaves, thin branches, and macrophyte detritus. The proposed method can be used under laboratory conditions. The method consists of using a water pressure gauge attached to the reaction flask. The incubations were prepared with samples of water from Paranapanema River and Typha domingensis, the experiment lasted 9.8 months. The procedures for preparing the incubations are presented in detail, as well as the calculations for the conversion of the volumetric measurement into carbon mass (i.e., daily rate of carbon gas emissions). According to the results obtained from T. domingensis mineralization assays it was possible to demonstrate that, numerous events related to mineralization could be adequately addressed (e.g., the heterogeneous detritus composition). The results of this method were quite convergent with those obtained in kinetic experiments (used as a reference) after the 30th mineralization day, suggesting the use of this method mainly for medium- and long-term experiments. As exemplified by T. domingensis incubations, this method is particularly valuable for the systemic comparison of the several organic resources mineralization and for the primary measurement of the main parameters involved (e.g., reaction rates constants). This method combined with other short-term experiments can greatly improve the understanding of the cycling of organic resources in aquatic environments.

Analysis and Forecast of Marketing Strategies and PR in the Condition of the Coronavirus Pandemic

The current coronavirus crisis is forcing many companies to adjust their strategies and marketing plans. It would be a big mistake to abandon promotion altogether, because for the market, a crisis is not a destruction, but a changing environment. Who will be able to adapt to change and most importantly — to prepare for the next stage, success awaits. But we must act carefully and with a view to the future. Thus, the aim of the article is to identify the role of marketing strategies and PR during coronavirus, analyze the advantages and disadvantages of existing marketing strategies, as well as to develop a mechanism for selecting the most successful of them. It is investigated that the increase of online purchases leads to an increase in the impact of in-app advertising, more developed logistics in the regions; consumers also prefer remote methods of product selection more often than personal shopping. It is determined that non-standard vector for improving the brand reputation are educational or commercials. It is also investigated that socially-oriented marketing successfully replaces part of traditional communications; however, the proportion of routine interactions still requires routine audience work practices. Socially-oriented topics should include: communication about the internal structure of the company and measures to adapt to the conditions, assistance and special conditions for its employees; publications on external prosocial, such as donations; use of the platform as a training platform, dissemination of educational material; manifestation of sectoral solidarity. It is considered that thematic strategies optimally fit into anti-crisis procedures. It is determined that a more tolerant attitude to the private sector allows to level the negative with less effort and produce an organic positive through communication with people; the population spends more time and effort on consumption and content creation, but is oversaturated with dry and pragmatic formats. It has been investigated that search engine promotion supports the position of the site for the sake of filling the marketing funnel, not just conversions; the combination of channels reduces the cost of context and targeting, allowing you to clearly specify the audience and spend organic resources only on the target segment.

Energy Use in the Sugar Industry in Colonial Taiwan (1895–1945)

This paper discusses energy use in the Taiwanese sugar industry under Japanese colonial rule (1895–1945) and reconsiders the “unilinear energy shift” from organic resources to fossil resources. Although the sugar industry could obtain much of its energy from bagasse, it had to procure supplementary energy sources, such as firewood and coal from energy markets. Furthermore, technological improvements made by the sugar industry resulted in increased demand for these supplementary energy sources. Companies improved supply by increasing the range of procurement options according to the fluctuation of relative prices between resources or by improving procurement methods through negotiating with seller and transporter, and they lowered demand through the introduction of energy-saving technologies. As a result of each company pursuing the “optimal energy mix” in response to its own business environment (corporate culture, location, and management strategy), energy consumption did not converge on coal as a single source but diversified.