Coleoborers in Bambusa sp. in the Southern Amazon

Bamboo (Bambusa sp.) is a grass species with high potential for exploitation, however, this raw material is easily attacked by xylophagous agents such as Coleoptera. The objective of this study is thus to analyse the presence of wood-boring beetles associated with Bambusa sp. in Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso, Brazil. The study was carried out in a bamboo plantation, from August 2016 to July 2017. Two models of ethanolic traps were used, PET Santa Maria and ESALQ-84. Three families of wood-boring beetles were observed in this study: Bostrichidae, Cerambycidae and Curculionidae. 2,144 individuals were identified, belonging to 19 species, in four subfamilies and 11 tribes, and the species Xyleborus affinis was the most frequently collected. Thus, this study constitutes an important contribution to the knowledge of coleoborers associated with bamboo plantations, with the registration of the occurrence of species, as well as contributing to the knowledge of the entomofauna associated with species cultivated in the Southern Amazon.

Geochemical and Hydrothermal Alteration Patterns of the Abrisham-Rud Porphyry Copper District, Semnan Province, Iran

In this study, the zonality method has been used to separate geochemical anomalies and to calculate erosional levels in the regional scale for porphyry-Cu deposit, Abrisham-Rud (Semnan province, East of Iran). In geochemical maps of multiplicative haloes, the co-existence of both the supra-ore elements and sub-ore elements local maxima implied blind mineralization in the northwest of the study area. Moreover, considering the calculated zonality indices and two previously presented geochemical models, E and NW of the study have been introduced as ZDM and BM, respectively. For comparison, the geological layer has been created by combining rock units, faults, and alterations utilizing the K-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm. The rock units and faults have been identified from the geological map; moreover, alterations have been detected by using remote sensing and ASTER images. In the geological layer map related to E of the study area, many parts have been detected as high potential areas; in addition, both geochemical and geological layer maps only confirmed each other at the south of this area and suggested this part as high potential mineralization. Therefore, high potential areas in the geological layer map could be related to the mineralization or not. Due to the incapability of the geological layer in identifying erosional levels, mineralogy investigation could be used to recognize this level; however, because of the high cost, mineralogy is not recommended for application on a regional scale. The findings demonstrated that the zonality method has successfully distinguished geochemical anomalies including BM and ZDM without dependent on alteration and was able to predict erosional levels. Therefore, this method is more powerful than the geological layer.

Soviet and Post-Soviet Marxism: Braving the Challenges of the Technological Revolution

The article is devoted to the study of the Soviet and post-Soviet Marxists’ views on the problem of technical and economic transformations. The stages in the development of Soviet thought in this matter are systematized, and the potential of applying the authors’ key ideas in the context of the challenges brought in by modern technological shifts is shown. With regard to the period after the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the emphasis is on the developments of researchers belonging to the post-Soviet school of critical Marxism, as well as colleagues acting in an active dialogue with this focus area. What is emphasized is the high potential of the Marxist tendency in further studies of the contradictions of the economic system caused by technological transformations.

Targeting of Regulators as a Promising Approach in the Search for Novel Antimicrobial Agents

Since the discovery of penicillin in the first half of the last century, antibiotics have become the pillars of modern medicine for fighting bacterial infections. However, pathogens resistant to antibiotic treatment have increased in recent decades, and efforts to discover new antibiotics have decreased. As a result, it is becoming increasingly difficult to treat bacterial infections successfully, and we look forward to more significant efforts from both governments and the scientific community to research new antibacterial drugs. This perspective article highlights the high potential of bacterial transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulators as targets for developing new drugs. We highlight some recent advances in the search for new compounds that inhibit their biological activity and, as such, appear very promising for treating bacterial infections.

Demonstration and Assessment of Purification Cascades for the Separation and Valorization of Hemicellulose from Organosolv Beechwood Hydrolyzates

Hemicellulose and its derivatives have a high potential to replace fossil-based materials in various high-value-added products. Within this study, two purification cascades for the separation and valorization of hemicellulose and its derived monomeric sugars from organosolv beechwood hydrolyzates (BWHs) were experimentally demonstrated and assessed. Purification cascade 1 included hydrothermal treatment for converting remaining hemicellulose oligomers to xylose and the purification of the xylose by nanofiltration. Purification cascade 2 included the removal of lignin by adsorption, followed by ultrafiltration for the separation and concentration of hemicellulose. Based on the findings of the experimental work, both cascades were simulated on an industrial scale using Aspen Plus®. In purification cascade 1, 63% of the oligomeric hemicellulose was hydrothermally converted to xylose and purified by nanofiltration to 7.8 t/h of a xylose solution with a concentration of 200 g/L. In purification cascade 2, 80% of the lignin was removed by adsorption, and 7.6 t/h of a purified hemicellulose solution with a concentration of 200 g/L was obtained using ultrafiltration. The energy efficiency of the cascades was 59% and 26%, respectively. Furthermore, the estimation of specific production costs showed that xylose can be recovered from BWH at the cost of 73.7 EUR/t and hemicellulose at 135.1 EUR/t.

Application of Integrated Far-Field Diversion Technology in Multistage Acid-Fracturing: Lesson Learnings from Unconventional Field North Kuwait

The unconventional Bahrah field is a high potential field which poses several challenges in terms of hydrocarbon flow assurance through highly heterogeneous tight carbonate intervals with poor reservoir quality and curtailed mobility. Due to this, the field development strategies have prioritized well completion using horizontal acid fracturing technology over vertical wells. During fracturing, the acid system tends to form highly conductive channels in the formation. Most of the fluid will flow into the path of least resistance leaving large portions of the formation untreated. As a result, the fracturing treatment options dwindle significantly, thus reservoir stimulation results are not optimum in each stage. Achieving complete wellbore coverage is a challenge for any acid frac treatment performed in long lateral with variations in reservoir characteristics. The multistage acid fracturing using Integrated Far-field Diversion (IFD) is performed using selective openhole completion, enabling mechanical annular segmentation of the wellbore using swellable packers and sliding sleeves. The mechanical as well as chemical diversion in IFD methodology is highly important to the overall stimulation success. The technique includes pumping multiple self-degrading particle sizes, considering the openhole annular space and wide presence of natural fractures, followed by in-situ HCL based crosslinked system employed for improving individual stage targets. A biomodal strategy is employed wherein larger particles are supplemented with smaller that can bridge pore throats of the larger particles and have the desired property of rigidity and develop a level of suppleness once exposed to reservoir conditions. The IFD diversion shifts the fracture to unstimulated areas to create complex fractures that increase reservoir contact volume and improving overall conductivity. This paper examines IFD in acid fracturing and describes the crucial diversion strategy. Unlike available diverters used in other fields, the particulates are unaffected at low pH values and in live acids. Proper agent selection and combination with in-situ crosslink acid effectively plug the fracture generated previously and generate pressure high enough to initiate another fracture for further ramification. The optimization and designing of the IFD diversion in each stage plays a key role and has helped to effectively plug fractures and realize segmentation. Concentration of diversion agents, volume of fluid system and open-hole stage length sensitivity plays vital role for the success of this treatment. The application of IFD methodology is tuned as fit-for-purpose to address the unique challenges of well operations, formation technical difficulties, high-stakes economics, and untapped high potential from this unconventional reservoir. A direct result of this acid fracturing treatment is that the post-operation data showed high contribution of all fractured zones along the section in sustained manner. Furthermore, this methodology can be considered as best practice for application in unconventional challenges in other fields.

Options to Improve the Mechanical Properties of Protein-Based Materials

While bio-based but chemically synthesized polymers such as polylactic acid require industrial conditions for biodegradation, protein-based materials are home compostable and show high potential for disposable products that are not collected. However, so far, such materials lack in their mechanical properties to reach the requirements for, e.g., packaging applications. Relevant measures for such a modification of protein-based materials are plasticization and cross-linking; the former increasing the elasticity and the latter the tensile strength of the polymer matrix. The assessment shows that compared to other polymers, the major bottleneck of proteins is their complex structure, which can, if developed accordingly, be used to design materials with desired functional properties. Chemicals can act as cross-linkers but require controlled reaction conditions. Physical methods such as heat curing and radiation show higher effectiveness but are not easy to control and can even damage the polymer backbone. Concerning plasticization, effectiveness and compatibility follow opposite trends due to weak interactions between the plasticizer and the protein. Internal plasticization by covalent bonding surpasses these limitations but requires further research specific for each protein. In addition, synergistic approaches, where different plasticization/cross-linking methods are combined, have shown high potential and emphasize the complexity in the design of the polymer matrix.

ABC Cost Driver Framing and Altering the Balance of Power in Customer-Supplier Negotiations

This study examines how activity-based costing (ABC) cost driver framing affects suppliers’ ability to increase their bargaining power when facing powerful customers. Results of an experiment show that suppliers with high potential to contribute to increasing joint profits are able to increase their power and earn a higher share of joint profits than suppliers with low contribution potential. However, providing suppliers with externally framed cost drivers (cost drivers represented as customers’ activities) instead of internally framed cost drivers (cost drivers represented as suppliers’ own activities) reduces their ability to utilize contribution potential as a source of power. Analyses of negotiators’ behavior show that suppliers with high contribution potential and internally framed cost drivers use more integrative tactics to increase joint profits, allowing them to earn higher shares of joint profits. This study shows that the how firms frame cost drivers affects negotiators’ ability to improve joint profits and negotiation power.