Naphthenic Acids: Formation, Role in Emulsion Stability, and Recent Advances in Mass Spectrometry-Based Analytical Methods

Naphthenic acids (NAs) are compounds naturally present in most petroleum sources comprised of complex mixtures with a highly variable composition depending on their origin. Their occurrence in crude oil can cause severe corrosion problems and catalysts deactivation, decreasing oil quality and consequently impacting its productivity and economic value. NAs structures also allow them to behave as surfactants, causing the formation and stabilization of emulsions. In face of the ongoing challenge of treatment of water-in-oil (W/O) or oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions in the oil and gas industry, it is important to understand how NAs act in emulsified systems and which acids are present in the interface. Considering that, this review describes the properties of NAs, their role in the formation and stability of oil emulsions, and the modern analytical methods used for the qualitative analysis of such acids.

Hermeneutics of Aristotle and Hermeneutics of Sophists in Terms of Dialogue Philosophy. Part II. From Sophists to Modernity

The article considers the logical and philosophical doctrine of sophists, which, according to some modern researchers, was more philosophical than their ancient critics recognized. A comparison of the provisions of Aristotle's hermeneutics with preserved fragments of Protagoras and Gorgias shows that the doctrine of sophists was a kind of holistic philosophy, which anticipated the philosophy of dialogue of the XX century. Despite the fact that the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle tried to overcome the relativism and anti-ontologism of the doctrine of sophists, some elements of its dialogism were preserved in subsequent philosophy in dialectics and rhetoric. The first thing you should pay attention to is the difference between the dialogical form of the presentation of philosophy in Plato and dialogue as the fundamental basis of thinking that we find among sophists. The dialogism preserved in the dialectic of Plato and the rhetoric of Aristotle is more a technical method of convincing the interlocutor than a hermeneutical basis, which it is in the philosophy of dialogue and in the method of Socratic discussion. The linguistic turn that occurred in the philosophy of the 20th century includes not only an increased interest in language and accuracy of expression. No less important is the new formulation of the question of the nature of the language. Is language a tool for the formulation of thought as Aristotle believed and followed by representatives of modern analytical philosophy, or does it have its own fundamental status, as representatives of the philosophy of dialogue believe? In this context, it is very important for the philosophy of dialogue to find in the thinking of the pre-Socratics those predecessors who already charted the paths for modern thought two and a half thousand years ago. The second part of the article discusses the forms of the dialogic thinking that have survived in philosophy after the sophists and the role of the sophists' hermeneutics in the formation of modern philosophy of dialogue.

LEARNING INNOVATION OF INSTRUMENTAL ANALYSIS LAB WORK FOR IMPROVING STUDENTS NEW LITERACIES AND LEARNING MOTIVATION IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Background: The COVID-19 outbreak has changed education dramatically. Teaching and learning are undertaken remotely and on digital platforms. Therefore, learning innovation needs to be carried out to keep and maintain the learning objectives. Unfortunately, some courses are challenging to carry out remotely, such as Instrumental analysis labwork. This chemistry labwork involves using modern analytical instrumentation, such as HPLC, AAS, and GC. Aim: In this study, an innovation of an online learning model of instrumental analysis labwork for chemistry students was carried out. The innovation aims to provide authentic and motivational experiences for students while learning remotely. Methods: The first innovation was carried out by verification experiments using an interactive virtual pH meter and visible spectrophotometer. The second was carried out by designing a creative project-based experiment. The experiment determined the concentration of colored solutions by utilizing digital cameras or smartphones and color image analysis software as a substitute for a visible spectrophotometer. The implementation of experiments with interactive virtual media was intended to introduce various analytical instrumentations. In addition, this also trained the students in processing and interpreting experimental data. Meanwhile, the project-based experiments were intended to prepare students to design and apply an experiment, then analyze and report the results creatively. Results and Discussion: The authentic assessment resulted in data literacy, technological literacy, and human literacy having high and very high criteria, namely 89%, 95%, and 95%, respectively. Meanwhile, students abilities in designing projects and processing data need to be improved. Conclusions: In general, the learning innovation developed is proven to increase the learning motivation of all students.

Visual analytics for enterprise financial project management

As practice shows, one of the modern, effective methods for analyzing various data is visualization. It is currently widely used in solving problems of analyzing initial data in multiple fields of human activity ? scientific research, design work, financial monitoring, etc. However, the human brain is designed so that the graphical display allows one to perceive and understand some features of quantitative data, and some quantitative tasks can be best performed. The article reveals a set of tasks for managing financial projects and the resulting visual methods of analytics. The application of a systematic approach to the management of financial projects and the solution to the visualization of complex data analytics problems is considered. A diagram of the implementation of the stages of data visualization for analysis by specialists and project management is presented. It is proposed to use modern tools for computer data processing and visualization using cross-sectional data, detailing and structuring large amounts of data. The importance of modern analytical software is noted, which allows visualizing financial analytics using various models or combining them in the shortest possible time.

PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF EGG SHELL BHASMA BY USING MODERN ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES

Calcium is one of the essential elements for living beings. As a supplement, it is used to treat Calcium deficiencies due to a calcium deficient diet. In Rasaratnasamuchchaya Calcium bhasma (Eggshell bhasma) is included as a rich calcium supplement. There is a need for work on the determination of the percentage of Calcium in the eggshell and its limit of acceptance. Easy absorption of bhasma in the body is possible when its preparation is carried out in an acidic medium. Lemon juice is one of the acidic mediums employed for this purpose at pH 2.4. The eggshell powder is subjected to five calcination cycles to convert it into the Bhasma. Analysis of Eggshell Bhasma has been done by various modern analytical techniques to determine its exact chemical compositions. Various instrumental methods like XRD, FTIR, and SEM have been incorporated for analysis of raw materials, intermediates as well as final products. The calcium carbonate present in eggshells is in calcite form. In the present work, structural and chemical characterization of eggshell bhasma was carried out to develop an analytical profile of it.

Preliminary Physiochemical Evaluation of Nagaradi Ointment: An Ayurvedic Formulation

Plants serve as a very rich source of bioactive molecules, which are used to treat various acute and chronic diseases in Ayurveda. Medicinal plant materials are formulated into various types of Ayurvedic medicine either by ancient or modern methods where standardization plays a pivotal role for authentication. Standardization confirms the identity, quality and purity of drugs. WHO has set up various parameters to evaluate the crude drugs and their finished products. Now a day’s application of several modern analytical techniques has become inevitable for evaluating quality, safety and efficacy of the polyherbal Ayurvedic formulations. Out of several formulations available in Ayurveda, Anjana is considered as unique in Shalakya Tantra due to its various forms (which are prepared by different ways). This article is about the formation of Nagaradi Anjana as ointment which can be taken as a form of Raskriyanjana. Most of the ingredients of Nagaradi ointment are Chakshushya i.e., good for eyes and also have Kaphashamak properties. That is why they are useful in ocular diseased conditions which have dominance of Kapha dosha like Kaphaja Abhishyanda. Keeping all these points in view, the present study has been undertaken with the aim to make the Ayurvedic formulation in the form of Raskriya Anjana or ointment, from the herbal drugs, mentioned in Astanga Sangrah, an Ayurvedic classical text and to develop the physiochemical profile of it. The eye ointment was prepared by using vaseline as base which is mixed with powdered Ghana Satva of the herbal drugs.

Melville's Wisdom

This book explores the manner in which Herman Melville responds to the spiritual crisis of modernity by using the language of the biblical Old Testament wisdom books to moderate contemporary discourses on religion, skepticism, and literature. Melville’s work is an example of how romantic literature fills the interpretive lacuna left by contemporary theology. This book argues that attending to Melville’s engagement with the wisdom books (Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes) can help us understand a paradox at the heart of American modernity: the simultaneous displacement and affirmation of biblical language and religious culture. In wisdom, which addresses questions of theology, radical skepticism, and the nature of evil, Melville finds an ethos of critical inquiry that allows him to embrace the acumen of modern analytical techniques such as higher biblical criticism, while salvaging simultaneously the spiritual authority of biblical language. Wisdom for Melville constitutes both object and analytical framework in this balancing act. Melville’s Wisdom joins other works of postsecular literary studies in challenging its own discipline’s constitutive secularization narrative by rethinking modern, putatively secular cultural formations in terms of their reciprocity with religious concepts and texts. The book foregrounds Melville’s sustained, career-spanning concern with biblical wisdom, its formal properties, and its knowledge-creating potential. By excavating this project from Melville’s oeuvre, Melville’s Wisdom shows how he seeks to avoid the spiritually corrosive effects of suspicious reading while celebrating truth-seeking over subversive iniquity.