From the Discovery of Extremozymes to an Enzymatic Product: Roadmap Based on Their Applications

With the advent of the industrial revolution, the use of toxic compounds has grown exponentially, leading to a considerable pollution of the environment. Consequently, the development of more environmentally conscious technologies is an urgent need. Industrial biocatalysis appears as one potential solution, where a higher demand for more robust enzymes aims to replace toxic chemical catalysts. To date, most of the commercially available enzymes are of mesophilic origin, displaying optimal activity in narrow ranges of temperature and pH (i.e., between 20°C and 45°C, neutral pH), limiting their actual application under industrial reaction settings, where they usually underperform, requiring larger quantities to compensate loss of activity. In order to obtain novel biocatalysts better suited for industrial conditions, an efficient solution is to take advantage of nature by searching and discovering enzymes from extremophiles. These microorganisms and their macromolecules have already adapted to thrive in environments that present extreme physicochemical conditions. Hence, extremophilic enzymes stand out for showing higher activity, stability, and robustness than their mesophilic counterparts, being able to carry out reactions at nonstandard conditions. In this brief research report we describe three examples to illustrate a stepwise strategy for the development and production of commercial extremozymes, including a catalase from an Antarctic psychrotolerant microorganism, a laccase from a thermoalkaliphilic bacterium isolated from a hot spring and an amine-transaminase from a thermophilic bacterium isolated from a geothermal site in Antarctica. We will also explore some of their interesting biotechnological applications and comparisons with commercial enzymes.

Equivalent method for obtaining concrete age on the basis of electrical resistivity

Concrete age is the time since the moment water is added to the cement, and the age of concrete comprehensively reflects the physical properties of the concrete when curing under standard conditions. For concrete under nonstandard conditions, its physical properties are directly related to both its age and temperature history. The equivalent age of concrete is the time at which concrete under nonstandard conditions reaches the same state as concrete under standard conditions. Most equivalent methods, such as the Nurse-Saul function and the Arrhenius function, are based on a maturity index. However, the accuracy of these methods breaks down when the curing temperature range is wide. In this paper, the electrical resistivity of concrete is used as the index to determine the equivalent age of concrete. This method is based on the assumption that concrete with the same mixture proportions has the same electrical resistivity when the maturity of the concrete is the same, regardless of the curing history. The proposed method is advantageous because it can be performed in real time and is nondestructive. To constantly measure the electrical resistivity of concrete, an automatic data acquisition system is developed to monitor the electrical resistivity of concrete and reduce the error caused by polarization as much as possible. Then, a model for predicting the electrical resistivity of concrete under different curing temperatures is proposed to conveniently calculate the equivalent coefficient. Finally, the results calculated by the proposed equivalent method are compared with those of the standard method (Nurse-Saul equation), and the results of the proposed model are found to be more reasonable.

Education for Sustainable Development in an Unstable World

The widespread simplistic understanding of the concept of sustainable development (SD) and the strategy of education for sustainable development (ESD) is poorly compatible with the increasing natural and social instability of the world. In fact, SD and ESD allow you to quickly navigate in a crisis. The core of the SD concept is a conscious refusal of a person or society from any actions that may complicate life in the future. The ESD strategy is not limited to explaining environmental problems to the population and possible ways to solve them. ESD is designed to contribute to the intellectual development of wide sections of the population – the ability to foresee the consequences of their actions, the ability to independently find solutions to any problems, the skills of advanced self-organization and self-education. ESD is based on an ‘initiative learning model’, and not on the completeness and accuracy of the reproduction of knowledge and skills, which have long been considered central to education. The ability to acquire any knowledge and skills on your own is the main thing in the initiative learning model. Searching for your own solutions, and not memorizing ready-made ones, allows you to get used to acting independently in nonstandard conditions, which is necessary in an unstable world. The transition to the initiative learning has long been brew, The transition to the initiative learning model (ILE) has long been brew and even partially taking place, but too slowly. Initiative learning takes longer than reproductive learning, so it is difficult to fully implement it without changing traditional education. This is the main reason for the failure of attempts to introduce initiative learning model over the centuries. According to the initiative learning model, which is the basis of ESD, education is becoming continuous and lifelong. At the same time, the reduction in the number of compulsory educational sections occurs with the simultaneous expansion of curricula and the freedom of students to choose courses, sections and tasks that they study in depth. The assimilation of knowledge becomes mosaic, but this deficiency is fully compensated by the depth of the acquired knowledge and the desire to independently fill their gaps.

Influencia de la velocidad en las asas recicladas de polietileno de alta densidad probada con un método adaptado específico industrial

This article studies the influence of the tensile speed when testing plastic products used to transport containers that may contain various liquids (drinking water, windshield fluid, cleaning agents, etc.). This case study was conducted on certain parts, generally called "handles", which are basically plastic items obtained largely from recycled technological waste resulting from the injection process of various packaging related to the food industry polyethylene caps and lids more precisely. During the handling and transport process, these parts are subjected to various static stresses, therefore, a minimum mechanical resistance is required. Fatigue stress has not been performed due to a limited number of duty cycles. To determine these quality characteristics, multiple measurements of tensile strength and elongations were performed at different traction speeds, measurements that have been validated on the market for several years. We have observed that testing speed over 500 mm/min is not necessary because the tensile strength values do not vary significantly. These results are very important in determining the constructive form of these products and the methods for validating quality indicators. Also, we have proposed to identify a method able to assess the mechanical performance of the product used in nonstandard conditions. The study can be used for a much wider range of similar applications in the plastics industry.

Problems of protection of human rights in criminal procedure under the conditions of pandemic

The object of this research is the relations on protection of human rights in criminal procedure justice in under the conditions of pandemic. The subject of this research is analysis of the activity of law enforcement and judicial systems in the country’s current situation. The proliferation of coronavirus infection in the Russian Federation generated pervasive problems in this area. Recommendations contained in the Decisions of the Presidium of the Supreme Court and the Presidium of the Council of Judges of the Russian Federation of March 18, 2020 and April 8, 2020 did not clarify the law enforcement practice, which led to ambiguity in the interpretation of certain provisions of these documents. The situation that formed in the country as a result of COVID-19 pandemic requires rationalization of a number of issues on the protection of human rights in nonstandard conditions of the work of judicial and law enforcement systems. Information from the open sources published on the Internet served as the foundation for this research. The conducted analysis is valuable for understanding the current situation, as well as for making appropriate decisions that are instrumental for the future. Based on the acquired results, the makes recommendations aimed at improvement of separate institutions of criminal law and criminal procedure law, namely Institution of the statute of limitations, institution of the suspension of proceedings in a criminal case. The scientific novelty consists in the exact wording of indicated recommendations on amending the current criminal procedure legislation.

Perceived Versus Real Swimming Skills of Adolescents under Standard and Challenging Conditions: Exploring Water Competencies as an Approach to Drowning Prevention

In this study, we compared adolescents’ actual (expert assessed) front crawl swimming skills to their self-assessment in two conditions: in standard swimming (wearing a swimsuit and goggles) and in a simulated risk scenario (swimming in plain clothes without goggles). We postulated that education focused on water competencies is fundamental in preventing drownings. Experts evaluated the skills of 21 female and 21 male adolescents in both standard and challenging conditions. All were low-skilled swimmers aged 14–15 years. Participants were asked to self-assess their skills before and after each trial. Boys and girls covered the same distance in both trials. Their self-assessment did not change regardless of the difficulty of the conditions. Girls assessed themselves more accurately than boys. However, boys who underestimated their skills showed greater ability to utilise the experience gained from performing the task for a more accurate self-assessment. In conclusion, adolescents should be educated in total water competencies, and not merely in swimming skills. For girls, “water readiness” is thought to broaden their ability to adapt their swimming skills to nonstandard conditions. Aquatic education for boys should focus on developing self-reflection in order to create a long-lasting responsibility using their own swimming skills.

Reconstructing the time since death using noninvasive thermometry and numerical analysis

The early postmortem interval (PMI), i.e., the time shortly after death, can aid in the temporal reconstruction of a suspected crime and therefore provides crucial information in forensic investigations. Currently, this information is often derived from an empirical model (Henssge’s nomogram) describing posthumous body cooling under standard conditions. However, nonstandard conditions necessitate the use of subjective correction factors or preclude the use of Henssge’s nomogram altogether. To address this, we developed a powerful method for early PMI reconstruction using skin thermometry in conjunction with a comprehensive thermodynamic finite-difference model, which we validated using deceased human bodies. PMIs reconstructed using this approach, on average, deviated no more than ±38 minutes from their corresponding true PMIs (which ranged from 5 to 50 hours), significantly improving on the ±3 to ±7 hours uncertainty of the gold standard. Together, these aspects render this approach a widely applicable, i.e., forensically relevant, method for thermometric early PMI reconstruction.