Reductive evolution of chloroplasts in non-photosynthetic plants, algae and protists.

Chloroplasts are generally known as eukaryotic organelles whose main function is photosynthesis. They perform other functions, however, such as synthesizing isoprenoids, fatty acids, heme, iron sulphur clusters and other essential compounds. In non-photosynthetic lineages that possess plastids, the chloroplast genomes have been reduced and most (or all) photosynthetic genes have been lost.

Corrigendum: Marital Satisfaction, Sex, Age, Marriage Duration, Religion, Number of Children, Economic Status, Education, and Collectivistic Values: Data from 33 Countries.

[This corrects the article on p. 1199 in vol. 8, PMID: 28785230.

Problematic issues of air protection during thermal processes related to the energetic uses of sewage sludge and other waste. Case study: Co-combustion in peaking power plant.

Currently, it is necessary to deal with issues related to the emissions as there is a constantly increasing interest in combusting sludge from sewage treatment plants in the boilers for wood. An analysis of the energetic importance of the combustion of sewage sludge has already been carried out, but the effects of various treatments of the sludge are not always clear, e.g.

RUDO: A Home Ambient Intelligence System for Blind People.

The article introduces an ambient intelligence system for blind people which besides providing assistance in home environment also helps with various situations and roles in which blind people may find themselves involved. RUDO, the designed system, comprises several modules that mainly support or ensure recognition of approaching people, alerting to other household members' movement in the flat, work on a computer, supervision of (sighted) children, cooperation of a sighted and a blind person (e.g.

Logical Entropy and Logical Mutual Information of Experiments in the Intuitionistic Fuzzy Case.

In this contribution, we introduce the concepts of logical entropy and logical mutual information of experiments in the intuitionistic fuzzy case, and study the basic properties of the suggested measures. Subsequently, by means of the suggested notion of logical entropy of an IF-partition, we define the logical entropy of an IF-dynamical system. It is shown that the logical entropy of IF-dynamical systems is invariant under isomorphism.

Quantifying the Performances of DFT for Predicting Vibrationally Resolved Optical Spectra: Asymmetric Fluoroborate Dyes as Working Examples.

This article aims at a quantitative assessment of the performances of a panel of exchange-correlation functionals, including semilocal (BLYP and PBE), global hybrids (B3LYP, PBE0, M06, BHandHLYP, M06-2X, and M06-HF), and range-separated hybrids (CAM-B3LYP, LC-ωPBE, LC-BLYP, ωB97X, and ωB97X-D), in predicting the vibrationally resolved absorption spectra of BF-carrying compounds. To this end, for 19 difluoroborates as examples, we use, as a metric, the vibrational reorganization energy (λ) that can be determined based on the computationally efficient linear coupling model (a.k.

Ecotoxicity of Concretes with Granulated Slag from Gray Iron Pilot Production as Filler.

This paper focuses on research concerning the ecotoxicological properties of granulated slag from the pilot production of gray iron with red mud addition and concrete composites with the application of this slag. Red mud is a hazardous waste generated in the production of aluminium oxide. Negative ecotoxicological tests are, therefore, one of the basic prerequisites for the ability to use granulated slag from gray iron pilot production.

The role of physique, strength and endurance in the achievements of elite climbers.

Purpose: The primary aim of this study is to determine the principal somatic and motor determinants for elite climbers.

Methods: Twenty climbers were examined [age: 28.5±6.

The early postnatal blood flow characteristics in the superior mesenteric and coeliac arteries in late preterm neonates.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate intestinal blood flow changes within the first 72 h in the late preterm infants in comparison with the healthy term neonates.

Methods: In this prospective study, we analyzed Doppler flow velocity waveforms of superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and coeliac trunc (TC) in 20 late preterm and 20 term infants at the age of 2, 24, and 72 h.

Results: Significant end-diastolic velocity (end-diastolic velocity (EDV)) rise up to 24 h was documented in all patients (late preterm: -9.

On the Possibility of an Early Evolutionary Origin for the Spliced Leader Trans-Splicing.

Trans-splicing is a process by which 5'- and 3'-ends of two pre-RNA molecules transcribed from different sites of the genome can be joined together to form a single RNA molecule. The spliced leader (SL) trans-splicing is mediated by the spliceosome and it allows the replacement of 5'-end of pre-mRNA by 5'(SL)-end of SL-RNA. This form of splicing has been observed in many phylogenetically unrelated eukaryotes.

Calculations of n→π* Transition Energies: Comparisons Between TD-DFT, ADC, CC, CASPT2, and BSE/GW Descriptions.

Using a large panel of theoretical approaches, namely, CC2, CCSD, CCSDR(3), CC3, ADC(2), ADC(3), CASPT2, time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT), and BSE/evGW, the two latter combined with different exchange-correlation functionals, we investigate the lowest singlet transition in 23 n→π* compounds based on the nitroso, thiocarbonyl, carbonyl, and diazo chromophores. First, for 16 small derivatives we compare the transition energies provided by the different wave function approaches to define theoretical best estimates. For this set, it surprisingly turned out that ADC(2) offers a better match with CC3 than ADC(3).

Prevalence of Conventional Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes in Slovakia.

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a major health problem and the leading cause of death and disability in Slovakia. This is the first study to describe the prevalence rate of conventional cardiovascular risk factors in patients hospitalized for ACS.

Methods: Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and cigarette smoking were documented in 1,567 cases (mean age, SD: 66.

Hexacarbonyls of Mo, W, and Sg: Metal-CO Bonding Revisited.

Calculations of the first bond dissociation energies (FBDEs) and other molecular properties of M(CO), where M = Mo, W, and Sg, have been performed using a variety of nonrelativistic and relativistic methods, such as ZORA-DFT, X2c+AMFI-CCSD(T), and Dirac-Coulomb density functional theory. The aim of the study is to assist experiments on the measurements of the FBDE of Sg(CO). We have found that, different from the results published earlier, the metal-CO bond in Sg(CO) should be weaker than that in W(CO).

The Relations between Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Exposure and 1-OHP Levels as a Biomarker of the Exposure.

Background And Aim: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the products of incomplete combustion or pyrolysis of various organic materials. Their ubiquity in the environment leads to measurable levels of exposure. However, the exposure varies strongly between different regions in Europe.

Exploring the Solvatochromism of Betaine 30 with Ab Initio Tools: From Accurate Gas-Phase Calculations to Implicit and Explicit Solvation Models.

Betaine 30 is known for the extraordinary solvatochromism of its visible absorption band that goes from λ=882 nm in tetrachloromethane to λ=453 nm in water (Δλ=-429 nm). This large blueshift partly originates from a dramatic decrease of the dipole moment upon excitation. Despite several decades of research, experimental works still disagree on the exact value of the excess dipole moment, the orientation of the dipole moment of the excited-state, the role and amplitude of the change of the polarisability upon excitation as well as on the gas-phase excitation energy.

Medicinal Value and Taxonomy of the Tinder Polypore, Fomes fomentarius (Agaricomycetes): A Review.

The tinder polypore, Fomes fomentarius, is a wood-decaying macrofungus well known for its potential use in a wide range of biotechnological applications. The existence of 3 distinct internal transcribed spacer lineages/sublineages among its strains has been clearly established. Sublineage A1 consists of strains isolated from North America, whereas sublineage A2 consists of strains only from Europe.

Environmental analysis of waste foundry sand via life cycle assessment.

The aim of this manuscript is to provide an environmental assessment of the creation and use of waste foundry sand (WFS) via an LCA in a foundry for grey cast iron. A life cycle impact assessment was carried out using SimaPro 8. This environmental analysis assessed the impact of creating waste foundry sand (WFS) in a foundry, Hronec (Slovakia, Central Europe).

Corrigendum: The Associations of Dyadic Coping and Relationship Satisfaction Vary between and within Nations: A 35-Nation Study.

[This corrects the article on p. 1106 in vol. 7, PMID: 27551269.

An intact plastid genome is essential for the survival of colorless Euglena longa but not Euglena gracilis.

Euglena gracilis growth with antibacterial agents leads to bleaching, permanent plastid gene loss. Colorless Euglena (Astasia) longa resembles a bleached E. gracilis.

The Associations of Dyadic Coping and Relationship Satisfaction Vary between and within Nations: A 35-Nation Study.

Objective: Theories about how couples help each other to cope with stress, such as the systemic transactional model of dyadic coping, suggest that the cultural context in which couples live influences how their coping behavior affects their relationship satisfaction. In contrast to the theoretical assumptions, a recent meta-analysis provides evidence that neither culture, nor gender, influences the association between dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction, at least based on their samples of couples living in North America and West Europe. Thus, it is an open questions whether the theoretical assumptions of cultural influences are false or whether cultural influences on couple behavior just occur in cultures outside of the Western world.

Development of the fast, simple and fully validated high performance liquid chromatographic method with diode array detector for quantification of testosterone esters in an oil-based injectable dosage form.

Counterfeit steroids are available on the black market, ultimately to consumers who believe they are buying a legitimate pharmaceutical item from the labeled company. In many cases, counterfeit steroids can contain lower doses or some products can be overdosed. This can unwittingly expose users to a significant health risks.

On the physical origins of interaction-induced vibrational (hyper)polarizabilities.

This paper presents the results of a pioneering exploration of the physical origins of vibrational contributions to the interaction-induced electric properties of molecular complexes. In order to analyze the excess nuclear relaxation (hyper)polarizabilities, a new scheme was proposed which relies on the computationally efficient Bishop-Hasan-Kirtman method for determining the nuclear relaxation contributions to electric properties. The extension presented herein is general and can be used with any interaction-energy partitioning method.

Synthesis and Photophysical Properties of Novel Donor-Acceptor N-(Pyridin-2-yl)-Substituted Benzo(thio)amides and Their Difluoroboranyl Derivatives.

The unprecedented N-pyridin-2-yl substituted benzo(thio)amides were prepared and subsequently converted into the cyclic difluoroboranyl (BF2) derivatives. Mass spectrometry, multinuclear NMR, IR, and elemental analysis confirmed the structure of these compounds. UV/vis and fluorescence spectroscopy as well as first-principle calculations were used to study their properties.

Solvatochromic Shifts in UV-Vis Absorption Spectra: The Challenging Case of 4-Nitropyridine N-Oxide.

4-Nitropyridine N-oxide is a well-known molecular probe for which the experimental UV/vis absorption spectrum has been measured in a large number of solvents. Previous measurements and their analyses suggest a dominant role of the solvent hydrogen-bond donation (HBD) capability in the solvatochromic shifts measured for the absorption spectra. Herein, we analyze these solvatochromic effects using a series of complementary approaches, including empirical solvent parameters, high-level calculation of the excited-state dipole and polarizability, several flavors of the polarizable continuum model, as well as dynamics using an effective fragment potential (EFP) description of the solvent molecules.