Iron-catalyzed depolymerizations of end-of-life silicones with fatty alcohols

AbstractDuring the last decades, polymers became one of the major materials in our society and a future without polymers is hardly imaginable. However, as negative issue of this success enormous amount of end-of-life materials are accumulated, which are mainly treated by landfill storage, thermal recycling or down-cycling. On the other hand, feedstock recycling can be an interesting option to convert end-of-life polymers to high quality polymers, via depolymerization reactions to low-molecular weight building blocks and subsequent transformation via polymerization reactions. In this regard, we present herein the depolymerization of polysiloxanes (silicones) applying fatty alcohols as depolymerization reagents. In more detail, in the presence of catalytic amounts of simple iron salts, low-molecular weight products with the motif R(OSiMe2)mOR (R = alkyl, m = 1–2) were attained. Remarkably, the reaction of R(OSiMe2)mOR with water showed the formation of new cyclic siloxanes, which are useful starting materials for long-chain silicones, and the corresponding fatty alcohol as side product, which can be directly reused in subsequent depolymerization reactions. Importantly, a recycling of the silicones and a straightforward recycling of the depolymerization reagent are feasible

Positional differences in some physiological parameters obtained by the incremental field endurance test among elite handball players

The purpose of the study was to assess assumed differences in some physiological parameters, obtained by an incremental intermittent running field test 30–15IFT, among elite handball players to get an insight into the specifics of aerobic capacity profiles of players in different playing positions. Twenty-four elite male handball players were tested using the Cosmed K4 portable telemetry system. The following parameters were analysed: running velocity, heart rate, oxygen uptake, relative oxygen uptake, pulmonary ventilation breath-by-breath, at the three points—lactate threshold (LT), onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA), and at the peak velocity achieved on the test (v30–15IFT). Additionally, blood lactate concentration was analysed at v30–15IFT. The players were divided in three groups based on their playing positions: eight backcourt players, eight wing players and eight pivot players. In terms of both the statistically significant and non-significant differences, the wings achieved slightly different results in comparison to the backcourt players and pivots. The wings reached a statistically significant higher velocity at the LT than the players of the other two groups and a significantly higher velocity than the pivots at the OBLA. At all the three points,wings presented the highest HR values, meaning they can operate at higher intensities still within the aerobic work zone. This would probably allow wing players to longer persist in handball game

Construcción y convalidación de la Prueba de comprensión emocional dentro del marco del modelo de emociones de Roseman

Rosemanov strukturalni model emocija pretpostavlja da se svaka situacija procjenjuje na temelju sedam relevantnih dimenzija (neočekivanost, željenost, motivacija, vjerojatnost, uzročnost, kontrolabilnost i tip problema) te da se poznavanjem procjena na svakoj dimenziji može točno odrediti emocija koja će se javiti u određenoj situaciji. Osnovni je cilj provedenog istraživanja bio konstruirati i validirati Test razumijevanja emocija na temelju postavki Rosemanova modela. Kombinacijom je procjena na tih sedam dimenzija definirano 14 emocija. Svaka je emocija opisana trima situacijama, što je rezultiralo Testom razumijevanja emocija od 42 čestice. Analiza testa pokazala je da se neke emocije jasno prepoznaju u opisanim situacijama i odabir odgovora ispitanika sukladan je onom koji proizlazi iz teorijskih postavki. Neke emocije međutim nije moguće jasno prepoznati i kod tih su situacija ispitanici u većini slučajeva birali odgovor koji nije u skladu s teorijski točnim odgovorom. Prema dobivenim rezultatima Test razumijevanja emocija ima nešto lakši prosječan indeks lakoće i zadovoljavajuću pouzdanost unutarnje konzistencije. Rezultati pokazuju da i ispitanici i eksperti na temelju tako definiranih dimenzija mogu razumjeti koja će se emocija javiti u određenoj situaciji. Povezanost je Testa razumijevanja emocija i Testa rječnika emocija umjereno visoka i statistički značajna.According to Roseman\u27s model of emotion, every situation is being evaluated against seven different dimensions of appraisal (unexpectedness, situational state, motivational state, probability, agency, control potential, problem type). If we know all of these seven dimensions of appraisal, we can predict which emotion will be elicited in a specific situation. The main goal of this research was to construct and validate Test of Emotional Understanding. We used these different appraisal components to define 14 different emotions. Every emotion was described within 3 situations, which resulted in Test of Emotional Understanding with 42 items. According to our results, some emotions can be easily recognized in described situations, and subjects chose answers according to expectations of the theory. Some emotions are not so easily recognized, and for those items, subjects chose answers that differ from the model. The test has above average P-value, which means it is slightly easier, and a good coefficient of internal reliability. According to our results, both subjects and experts can accurately determine which emotion would be elicited in described situations. Correlation between Test of Emotional Understanding and Vocabulary Emotion Test is moderately high and statistically significant.El modelo estructural de emociones de Roseman supone que todas las situaciones se valoran a base de siete dimensiones relevantes (imprevisión, afán, motivación, probabilidad, causalidad, controlabilidad y tipo de problema) y que con saber valorar cada dimensión se puede definir exactamente qué emoción se manifestará en cierta situación. El objetivo principal de la investigación fue construir y validar la Prueba de comprensión emocional a base de las hipótesis del modelo de Roseman. Combinando las hipótesis en estas siete dimensiones se definió 14 emociones. Cada emoción fue descrita con tres situaciones, lo que resultó con la Prueba de comprensión emocional de 42 partículas. El análisis de la prueba demostró que algunas emociones se reconocen más claro en situaciones descritas y que la repuesta elegida por los examinados es acorde con aquella derivada de los supuestos teóricos. Sin embargo, algunas emociones son difíciles de reconocer claramente y en estas situaciones, en la mayoría de los casos, los examinados elegían la respuesta que no es acorde con los supuestos teóricos. Según resultados obtenidos, la Prueba de comprensión emocional tiene un índice medio de dificultad un poco más fácil y una fiabilidad de consistencia interior satisfactoria. Los resultados demuestran que tanto los examinados, como los expertos, a base de las categorías así definidas, pueden entender qué emoción se manifestará en cierta situación. La relación entre la Prueba de comprensión emocional y la Prueba de vocabulario emocional es moderadamente alta y estadísticamente importante

Development of a comprehensive open access “molecules with androgenic activity resource (MAAR)” to facilitate risk assessment of chemicals

The increasing prevalence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and their potential adverse effects on human health underscore the necessity for robust tools to assess and manage associated risks. The androgen receptor (AR) is a critical component of the endocrine system, playing a pivotal role in mediating the biological effects of androgens, which are male sex hormones. Exposure to androgen-disrupting chemicals during critical periods of development, such as fetal development or puberty, may result in adverse effects on reproductive health, including altered sexual differentiation, impaired fertility, and an increased risk of reproductive disorders. Therefore, androgenic activity data is critical for chemical risk assessment. A large amount of androgenic data has been generated using various experimental protocols. Moreover, the data are reported in different formats and in diverse sources. To facilitate utilization of androgenic activity data in chemical risk assessment, the Molecules with Androgenic Activity Resource (MAAR) was developed. MAAR is the first open-access platform designed to streamline and enhance the risk assessment of chemicals with androgenic activity. MAAR’s development involved the integration of diverse data sources, including data from public databases and mining literature, to establish a reliable and versatile repository. The platform employs a user-friendly interface, enabling efficient navigation and extraction of pertinent information. MAAR is poised to advance chemical risk assessment by offering unprecedented access to information crucial for evaluating the androgenic potential of a wide array of chemicals. The open-access nature of MAAR promotes transparency and collaboration, fostering a collective effort to address the challenges posed by androgenic EDCs

Introduction to a Culturally Sensitive Measure of Well-Being: Combining Life Satisfaction and Interdependent Happiness Across 49 Different Cultures

How can one conclude that well-being is higher in country A than country B, when well-being is being measured according to the way people in country A think about well-being? We address this issue by proposing a new culturally sensitive method to comparing societal levels of well-being. We support our reasoning with data on life satisfaction and interdependent happiness focusing on individual and family, collected mostly from students, across forty-nine countries. We demonstrate that the relative idealization of the two types of well-being varies across cultural contexts and are associated with culturally different models of selfhood. Furthermore, we show that rankings of societal well-being based on life satisfaction tend to underestimate the contribution from interdependent happiness. We introduce a new culturally sensitive method for calculating societal well-being, and examine its construct validity by testing for associations with the experience of emotions and with individualism-collectivism. This new culturally sensitive approach represents a slight, yet important improvement in measuring well-being

Transfer von Modellversuchsergebnissen – ein Beispiel aus dem Förderschwerpunkt Berufsbildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung

Im Artikel wird am Beispiel der Berufsbildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung dargestellt, wie Modellversuchsergebnisse dauerhaft in die Bildungspraxis überführt werden können. Hierbei zeigt sich, dass es neben einer für alle relevanten Partner überzeugenden und tragfähigen Innovation vor allem auch auf die Passung zu vorhandenen Strukturen und Ordnungen ankommt. (DIPF/Orig.

Test of Understanding Emotions: Construction and Validation within Roseman's Model of Emotions

According to Roseman's model of emotion, every situation is being evaluated against seven different dimensions of appraisal (unexpectedness, situational state, motivational state, probability, agency, control potential, problem type). If we know all of these seven dimensions of appraisal, we can predict which emotion will be elicited in a specific situation. The main goal of this research was to construct and validate Test of Emotional Understanding. We used these different appraisal components to define 14 different emotions. Every emotion was described within 3 situations, which resulted in Test of Emotional Understanding with 42 items. According to our results, some emotions can be easily recognized in described situations, and subjects chose answers according to expectations of the theory. Some emotions are not so easily recognized, and for those items, subjects chose answers that differ from the model. The test has above average P-value, which means it is slightly easier, and a good coefficient of internal reliability. According to our results, both subjects and experts can accurately determine which emotion would be elicited in described situations. Correlation between Test of Emotional Understanding and Vocabulary Emotion Test is moderately high and statistically significant

The Relationship Between Pitching Mechanics, Shoulder Injury and Pain in Collegiate Baseball Pitchers

Baseball is one of the most beloved sports in the United States. Little League baseball alone supports over 200,000 teams each year in addition to numerous high school, college, minor league and professional baseball teams. The component of pitching is important to study because it is one of the most dynamic and fastest human motions in all of sports. Pitching requires a complex coordination of the feet, legs, trunk and upper extremity in order to generate a high velocity of the ball. Since such a large amount force is generated, the shoulder undergoes maximal stress during a pitch because the shoulder muscles are transferring that force onto the ball. Each year, overhead activities, such as pitching, are the cause of many injuries to the shoulder. Rotator cuff tears, labral lesions, biceps tendonitis and shoulder impingement are the most common injuries caused by the overhead throwing motion. Previous research has debated if improper pitching mechanics cause acute pain or if overuse of the shoulder is the primary cause of shoulder pain. Understanding the proper biomechanics, effective use of pitching counts, phases of pitching, and the effect of different pitches on the shoulder can help to reduce injury because this knowledge enables pitchers and coaches to be more aware of the causes of potential shoulder injuries. The purpose of this research study is to discover whether abnormal shoulder pitching mechanics causes shoulder pain in collegiate baseball pitchers