Hydrogen Bonding in Natural and Unnatural Base Pairs—A Local Vibrational Mode Study

In this work hydrogen bonding in a diverse set of 36 unnatural and the three natural Watson Crick base pairs adenine (A)–thymine (T), adenine (A)–uracil (U) and guanine (G)–cytosine (C) was assessed utilizing local vibrational force constants derived from the local mode analysis, originally introduced by Konkoli and Cremer as a unique bond strength measure based on vibrational spectroscopy. The local mode analysis was complemented by the topological analysis of the electronic density and the natural bond orbital analysis. The most interesting findings of our study are that (i) hydrogen bonding in Watson Crick base pairs is not exceptionally strong and (ii) the N–H⋯N is the most favorable hydrogen bond in both unnatural and natural base pairs while O–H⋯N/O bonds are the less favorable in unnatural base pairs and not found at all in natural base pairs. In addition, the important role of non-classical C–H⋯N/O bonds for the stabilization of base pairs was revealed, especially the role of C–H⋯O bonds in Watson Crick base pairs. Hydrogen bonding in Watson Crick base pairs modeled in the DNA via a QM/MM approach showed that the DNA environment increases the strength of the central N–H⋯N bond and the C–H⋯O bonds, and at the same time decreases the strength of the N–H⋯O bond. However, the general trends observed in the gas phase calculations remain unchanged. The new methodology presented and tested in this work provides the bioengineering community with an efficient design tool to assess and predict the type and strength of hydrogen bonding in artificial base pairs.

Aproximación a las fuentes para la reconstrucción del paisaje de Zacatena en el Antiguo Régimen (siglos XV-XVIII)

Situado en medio de la llanura manchega, el Parque Nacional de Las Tablas de Daimiel es uno de los pocos enclaves de nuestro país en los que se desarrolla el ecosistema de tablas fluviales. Durante la época preindustrial el lugar fue conocido como la Real Dehesa de Zacatena y fue propiedad de la Orden de Calatrava y de la Monarquía Hispánica. Dada su potencialidad económica, la conservación del lugar fue una de las principales preocupaciones de sus gestores. Gracias a ello, se custodian en los archivos numerosos testimonios que nos informan acerca del nivel de protección que, desde siglos atrás, se dio a Zacatena. El estudio conjunto de todas esas fuentes permite reconstruir de una manera muy fidedigna el paisaje natural de la dehesa, su extensión y evolución a lo largo del tiempo. Se trata de cuestiones de primer orden, que, en última instancia, permiten conocer uno de los principales pilares del enclave: su patrimonio natural, base a su vez de la rica herencia cultural y arquitectónica de la que es garante el lugar.

EVALUATION OF EFFECTS OF CORRECTIVE EXERCISES ON PES PLANOVALGUS IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Introduction: The foot forms the natural base of the human body bearing all its weight. Over the course of a person's life, the foot ensures the contact of the body with the terrain and creates the basic support during dynamic activities such as walking or running, especially on uneven terrain. (Véle, 2006) Objectives: The aim of the research was to verify the effects of targeted corrective exercises on healthy foot development in preschool children. Methods: The research was conducted from September 2018 to March 2019. The research sample consisted of 105 probands (59 preschool girls and 46 preschool boys), out of whom 7.62% had the physiological position of the arch on the right foot during baseline measurements. The average age of probands was 5 years. The measured parameters were the foot arch height without and with a load. Measurements were taken before and after rehabilitation intervention. Results: The statistical analysis of the results confirmed the positive effect of rehabilitation treatment in all monitored variables on statistically significant diference in terms of an elevation in the foot arch (p <0.005) and the influence of risk factors contributing to the development of researched foot deformities. The obtained data were processed into tables and graphs and subsequently evaluated. Conclusion: Our study has shown that the most effective is the active exercise strengthening. The affected muscles maintain the foot arch as well as the whole posture.

Seaweed - An Eco-friendly Alternative of Agrochemicals in Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture demands the use of our natural resources to enhance production and productivity without depleting the natural base along with a vision to preserve them for our future generation. The effect of modern agriculture driven by agrochemicals has raised serious concern about the health and wellbeing of our environment and humans as well. The growth of the population and shrinking resources has created the need for searching new technology and resources to balance between feeding and preserving the environment. Researchers are nowadays more focussed towards trying and testing new products to reduce our dependency on agrochemicals. Among the various alternatives, Seaweed has drawn the attention of many researchers due to its unique properties and abundant availability. They are nowadays used to increase the yield by enhancing the nutrient uptake by the plant. This can reduce excessive fertilizer application for yield enhancement. Seaweed extracts are also showing effective response against various pest and diseases. This property can also play a very important role in reducing our dependency on harmful chemicals for pest control.

Oxidative amidation by Cu(ii)–guanidine acetic acid immobilized on magnetized sawdust with eggshell as a natural base

Copper(ii)–guanidine acetic acid complex was immobilized on the surface of magnetized raw waste sawdust (SD) as an abundant natural biopolymer and employed as an efficient and recoverable catalyst in oxidative amidation reaction, while waste eggshell (ES) powder was used as a low-cost solid base.

Students' landscaping preferences for open spaces for their campus environment

This study seeks to find appropriate landscape patterns of campus based on students’ preferences. A photo questionnaire containing scenes of different types of campus landscapes was distributed among 200 students in University of Tabriz, Iran. The results emphasized the importance of vegetation, seating areas and water features of campuses. Also, students prefer open spaces consisting of lawn and grass (M = 3.31, S.D. = 1.00). Students also prefer a campus, which has a natural base, landscape elements and seating places, while the least preferred (M = 2.96, S.D. = 0.89) scenes comprise a large amount of hardscape. Students had a different preference for landscaping of open study area and leisure time place where the studying area should be designed with vertical natural elements. Shading trees and benches were also highlighted as very important furniture for these places. In terms of spatial organization, the content analysis revealed that these areas should be open and spacious. Places for leisure time need to be decorated with informal landscape design for creating a pleasant view. Designing a landscape with various forms will make these places more pleasant. Scenes of curved paths and colourful plants for these places showed a positive association with student socialization activities.