ARCHITECTURE AND CERAMIC MATERIALS, DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TIME: CERAMIC TILES AND CERAMIC ROOF TILES

Ceramic tiles and roof covers have been used in construction of architectonic structures from the earliest times. Their relatively simple production, as well as acceptable cost, contributed to the mass usage of these products.The paper presents a review of ceramic tiles and roof tiles, by laying out their development, shapes, physical properties and usage through history in various climates and time periods.The aim of the paper is understanding the importance of use and development of these products in architecture. 

Bezbednost turista i posetilaca na manifestacijama u urbanim sredinama

Turizam je postao globalni fenomen i važan izvor prihoda za mnoge zemlje i regije. Industrija događaja (manifestacija) postala je jedan od glavnih turističkih sektora i ostvarila značajan ekonomski doprinos turističkoj industriji. Sektor putovanja i turizma generisao je 7,6 triliona US $ (10,2% globalnog BDP) i 292 miliona radnih mesta u 2016. godini, što je jednako 1 od 10 mesta u globalnoj ekonomiji. Ovaj sektor ostvaruje 6,6% ukupnog svetskog izvoza i skoro 30% ukupnog svetskog izvoza usluga. U budućnosti se očekuje njegov dalji rast, tako da bi u 2027. godini doprineo razvoju 380 miliona radnih mesta i daljem razvoju svetske ekonomije. Atraktivni elementi su važni pokretači na putovanjima i na delu su kako u prirodnim tako i u urbanim sredinama. Turističke manifestacije predstavljaju važan povoljan činilac u privlačenju turista i sastavni su deo turističkog potencijala. U ponudi turističkih destinacija sve je više posebnih manifestacija, čije je osmišljavanje i izvođenje uslovljeno strateškim razlozima, pre svega ekonomske prirode. Uloga manifestacija u turističkoj poželjnosti destinacije značajna je i zbog njihovih turističkih, društvenih i kulturnih funkcija, kao i uloge u lokalnom i regionalnom razvoju. Smatra se da se pozitivni učinci manifestacija ispoljavaju kroz: dodatno zapošljavanje lokalnog stanovništva, izgradnju i adaptaciju objekata, povećanje prihoda mesta domaćina, jačanje konkurentnosti i podizanje kvaliteta ponude, povećanje publiciteta i izgradnju imidža mesta/manifestacije i drugo. U Srbiji manifestacioni turizam, koji je Strategijom razvoja turizma do 2015. godine istaknut kao prosperitetna vrsta turizma, na značaju dobija tek početkom sadašnjeg veka. Od tada su manifestacije istaknute kao mogući nosioci razvoja turizma pojedinih destinacija, odnosno pojedine su prepoznate kao potencijalni brend turizma Srbije (EXIT u Novom Sadu, Sabor trubača u Guči, Beer Fest u Beogradu i druge svetkovine). Istraživanjima je utvrđeno da se u Srbiji godišnje održi oko 2.000 manifestacija različitog karaktera i ranga. Osim popularnosti na domaćem tržištu, neki od događaja imaju potencijal i na međunarodnom tržištu, gde su već do sada stekli određen stepen popularnosti. Masovna okupljanja na otvorenom ili u salama, opuštena atmosfera, želja i potreba za novim iskustvom i druženjem sastavni su činioci doživljaja na manifestacijama. Upravo velika koncentracija ljudi na jednome mestu, kao i smanjen nivo opreznosti samih posetilaca na manifestacijama mogu biti meta terorističkih napada. Takođe, posetioci manifestacija su izloženi delovanju i nekih drugih negativnih pojava: džeparenja, krađe, zaraze, prevare prilikom menjanja novca, ponuda psihoaktivnih supstanci i drugih nevolja. Svetski ekonomski forum je za potrebe veće bezbednosti putovanja izradio priručnike koji se bave postupcima tokom krize i posle krize, zasnovane na najboljim praksama i iskustvima destinacija koje su se sretale sa pojedinim krizama (politički prevrati, terorizam, pandemije, katastrofe u okruženju). Cilj rada je da ukaže koliko su turističke manifestacije bile izložene pojavama koje ugrožavaju bezbednost i sigurnost posetilaca generalno. Istraživanje se bavi i prisustvom ugrožavajućih elemenata na turističkim manifestacijama u Srbiji. Autori su koristili metodologiju primenjivu u društvenim naukama. U istraživanju bezbednosti na domaćim manifestacijama korišćen je anketni upitnik koji je primenjen na festivalu Green Love u Novom Sadu među posetiocima ovog zbivanja. Uzorak je obuhvatio 120 ispitanika, pretežno mlađih od 29 godina. Zadatak istraživanja je bio da utvrdi na koji način mladi posetioci percipiraju bezbednost manifestacije i koje su to mere koje su ocenili kao dobre, a koje kao slabe. Većina ispitanika smatra da se nisu osećali ugroženo na festivalu ni na koji način (72%). Takođe, 82% ispitanika nisu prisustvovali nasilju na festivalu. U slučaju potrebe pružanja pomoći nekoj osobi većina bi prišla da pomogne. Piće koje se prodaje ocenjeno je kao potpuno bezbedno. Elementi koji su slabije ocenjeni odnose se na potrebu većeg broja lica koja vrše obezbeđenje u sali, ispred sale bi trebao da bude veći broj medicinskih radnika, kao i veći broj pripadnika policije. Takođe, za bolje tehničko funkcionisanje festivala ispitanici smatraju da bi trebalo obezbediti veći broj ulaza u salu, bolju ventilaciju u toku festivala, kao i veći broj protivpožarnih aparata u sali. Cilj rada je da ukaže koliko su turističke manifestacije izložene pojavama koje ugrožavaju bezbednost i sigurnost posetilaca generalno i koja su neka od rešenja koja se u svetu preduzimaju radi povećanja bezbednosti. Istraživanje se bavi i prisustvom elemenata koji narušavaju bezbednost na festivalu Green Love u Novom Sadu, a na osnovu percepcije samih posetilaca festivala. Zadatak istraživanja je bio da utvrdi na koji način mladi posetioci percipiraju bezbednost manifestacije i koje su mere ocenili kao dobre, a koje kao loše. Autori su koristili metodologiju primenjivu u društvenim naukama (anketni upitnik). Rezultati istraživanja mogu pomoći organizatorima manifestacije da unaprede bezbednost kako bi se posetioci osećali još više sigurno. Proaktivan pristup bezbednosti na festivalu omogućiće veće zadovoljstvo posetilaca, bržu izgradnju brenda i dugoročan kontinuitet održavanja same manifestacije. Generalno, rezultati pokazuju da bezbednost turistâ predstavlja vodeći faktor konkurentnosti kako manifestacije tako i same turističke destinacije

The Paštrovska House of the Montenegrin Coastal Area: Example of Sustainable Building in Traditional Architecture

The subject of this research is the Paštrovska house type of the Montenegrin coast. It is a part of the cultural heritage as a manifestation of individual housing, whose formation was affected by historical, sociological, climatic and other factors. It represents a collection of all the artifacts of material, social and spiritual culture, created throughout the centuries, to the present day. In this paper are analyzed climatic, topological and sociological factors as well as the used materials which affected the formation of this type of coastal house. The goal of this paper is to establish which of the mentioned factors had the greatest effect on this, in many respects, special kind of traditional sustainable architecture of the Adriatic coastline

ARCHITECTURE AND CERAMIC MATERIALS, DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TIME: ADOBE AND BRICK

The fired earth products are from the dawn of time very readily used as a building material in architecture. Regardless of the geographical area, or era, both adobe and bricks have been often used because they are easy and cheap to manufacture.The paper provides the review of adobe and brick use, from the earliest times until nowadays. The evolution of their production, forms, physical properties and ways of their usage on the structures are presented.The goal of the paper is an analysis of development of use of these products which will certainly remain in use for many years to come.

The Linkage between Traditional Food and Loyalty of Tourists to the Rural Destinations

Gastronomy tourism can be regarded as a travel to a destination for cultural purposes with experiences of unique and traditional foods at the destination. Based on this, the main hypothesis is set. It follows that traditional food is one of the main reasons for loyalty of tourists. The paper is based on empirical research carried out amongst 328 foreign tourists from eight countries who visited six traditional farm houses (Salaši) in rural destination of Vojvodina (Serbia) in August 2015. The purpose of the study is to investigate the role and importance of traditional food in tourist satisfaction and the extent to which traditional food affects positive attitude and loyalty of the tourists about the rural destination. Analysis of the findings revealed that the traditional food is the attribute that most affected the overall rural tourism experience in Vojvodina (Serbia). It is concluded in the paper that traditional food is important contributor to tourist satisfaction and that satisfied tourists are always pleased to return to a destination

Exploring the relationship between blood toxic metal(oid)s and serum insulin levels through benchmark modelling of human data: Possible role of arsenic as a metabolic disruptor

The major goal of this study was to estimate the correlations and dose-response pattern between the measured blood toxic metals (cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni))/metalloid (arsenic (As)) and serum insulin level by conducting Benchmark dose (BMD) analysis of human data. The study involved 435 non-occupationally exposed individuals (217 men and 218 women). The samples were collected at health care institutions in Belgrade, Serbia, from January 2019 to May 2021. Blood sample preparation was conducted by microwave digestion. Cd was measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry (GF-AAS), while inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to measure Hg, Ni, Cr and As. BMD analysis of insulin levels represented as quantal data was done using the PROAST software version 70.1 (model averaging methodology, BMD response: 10%). In the male population, there was no correlation between toxic metal/metalloid concentrations and insulin level. However, in the female population/whole population, a high positive correlation for As and Hg, and a strong negative correlation for Ni and measured serum insulin level was established. BMD modelling revealed quantitative associations between blood toxic metal/metalloid concentrations and serum insulin levels. All the estimated BMD intervals were wide except the one for As, reflecting a high degree of confidence in the estimations and possible role of As as a metabolic disruptor. These results indicate that, in the case of As blood concentrations, even values higher than BMD (BMDL): 3.27 (1.26) (male population), 2.79 (0.771) (female population), or 1.18 (2.96) μg/L (whole population) might contribute to a 10% higher risk of insulin level alterations, meaning 10% higher risk of blood insulin increasing from within reference range to above reference range. The obtained results contribute to the current body of knowledge on the use of BMD modelling for analysing human data

Odnosi silvijevog kanala sa okolnim delovima mozga i lobanje mereni anatomski i magnetnom rezonancom

Introducton/Objective: Insufficiency of relevant anatomic data and great neurological and neurosurgical significance were the reasons for this study with scientific and practical implications. The purpose was to determine, at the transverse in situ section of the head, the position and relations of the sylvian aqueduct of the mesencephalon by measuring its distances from particular brain and calvaria structures. Also, the aim was to determine the same distances according to axial sections by using MRI. Methods: The material consisted of twenty autopsy human heads. The section of the head was made at the level of the tentorial hiatus and the midbrain. After that, we measured the distances between the cerebral aqueduct and a) posterior border of the optic chiasm, b) upper border of the dorsum sellae, c) terminal bifurcation of the basilar artery, d) beginning of the straight sinus, e) internal occipital protuberance, f ) tentorial edge (lateral from the aqueduct), and g) internal surface of the calvaria (lateral to the aqueduct). We determined the same distances by the MRI system. The measurements were made in 37 subjects. Results: The numerical data obtained by this study will be of benefit to neurosurgeons in choosing a surgical approach to the contents of the incisural space, and to neurologists for the exact localization of the lesion and interpretation of certain signs and symptoms. Conclusion: The results of a detailed examination of the sylvian aqueduct position and relations have shown that the use of MRI is the morphometric method of choice, because it is more precise for all the parameters monitored than in situ measurements.Uvod/Cilj: Nedostatak odgovarajućih anatomskih podataka i veliki neurološki i neurohirurški značaj su bili razlozi za pokretanje ove studije sa naučnim i praktičnim značajem. Cilj rada je bio da se, na poprečnom preseku glave, odrede položaj i odnosi Silvijevog kanala srednjeg mozga merenjem razdaljina do određenih struktura mozga i lobanje. Takođe, cilj je i da se odrede iste razdaljine korišćenjem poprečnih preseka magnetne rezonance (MR) glave. Metode rada: Materijal su činili preseci 20 glava dobijeni tokom rutinske obdukcije. Preseci glave i mozga su pravljeni u nivou zjapa šatora malog mozga i srednjeg mozga. Merili smo rastojanja između Silvijevog kanala i a) zadnje ivice optičke raskrsnice, b) gornje ivice leđnog dela hipofizne jame, v) završne račve bazilarne arterije, g) početka pravog sinusa, d) unutrašnje potiljačne kvrge, đ) ivice tentorijuma (upolje od kanala srednjeg mozga) i e) unutrašnje površine krova lobanje (upolje od kanala srednjeg mozga). Merili smo iste razdaljine korišćenjem MR. Merenje je obavljeno na 37 osoba. Rezultati: Numerički podaci dobijeni ovom studijom biće od koristi neurohirurzima u pronalaženju hirurškog pristupa sadržaju prostora između slobodnih ivica tentorijuma, kao i neurolozima za preciznu lokalizaciju lezija i interpretaciju nekih znakova i simptoma. Zaključak: Rezultati detaljnog proučavanja položaja i odnosa Silvijevog kanala pokazali su da je korišćenje MR morfometrijska metoda izbora jer je mnogo preciznije za sve posmatrane parametre od merenja tokom obdukcije

Emerging links between cadmium exposure and insulin resistance: Human, animal, and cell study data

Recent research has helped clarify the role of cadmium (Cd) in various pathological states. We have demonstrated Cd involvement in pancreatic cancer, as well as the bioaccumulation of Cd in the pancreas. Bioaccumulation and increased toxicity suggest that Cd may also be involved in other pancreas-mediated diseases, like diabetes. Cd falls into the category of "hyperglycemic" metals, i.e., metals that increase blood glucose levels, which could be due to increased gluconeogenesis, damage to β-cells leading to reduced insulin production, or insulin resistance at target tissue resulting in a lack of glucose uptake. This review addresses the current evidence for the role of Cd, leading to insulin resistance from human, animal, and in vitro studies. Available data have shown that Cd may affect normal insulin function through multiple pathways. There is evidence that Cd exposure results in the perturbation of the enzymes and modulatory proteins involved in insulin signal transduction at the target tissue and mutations of the insulin receptor. Cd, through well-described mechanisms of oxidative stress, inflammation, and mitochondrial damage, may also alter insulin production in β-cells. More work is necessary to elucidate the mechanisms associated with Cd-mediated insulin resistance

Impacts of Courtyard Envelope Design as an Important Architectural Parameter for Energy Savings

When designing facilities with lower energy consumption, the most crucial parameter is the correct choice of location. The terrain configuration has a distinct influence on the organization of the urban plan and the building design. It largely determines the microclimate, especially the temperature level, direction, and wind speed. The subject of this paper is the analysis of courtyard configuration as a dominant parameter in architectural design and energy savings. The courtyard is an open area that is tied to a specific building. It is usually surrounded by walls, other buildings, or a fence. The courtyard's dimensions significantly affect the project's development and the location's microclimatic characteristics. The courtyard's proportions and configuration directly affect the building's shape, so it is essential to consider the advantages and disadvantages of different influential parameters adequately. The influence of solar radiation on heat gains is evident, while it also increases the energy demand of buildings with different shapes and proportions of yards. Through an overview of various architectural aspects, the paper provides guidelines that can be useful to designers and spatial planners to form and select adequate courtyards for the buildings

Bioinformatics online support for bioactive substances cytotoxicity testing and their statistical analysis

Preclinical in vitro/in vivo testing is the first step in discovery of anticancer medicines, among others evaluation of cytotoxic activity of bioactive substances (BAS) on various human normal and cancer cell lines. Cytotoxicity expressed as IC50 value (a dose that inhibits 50% of cell growth) is one of the most commonly used parameter for comparable analysis of activity between different substances. This study includes examination of number of BAS and their results for cytotoxic activity obtained in the Laboratory for cell and molecular biology (LCMB) that require various statistical and computational techniques for proper effective analysis. In order to improve experimental data analysis, make it faster, more effective, error proof with secure online data repository, a Web application with LCMB IC50 database was developed as a useful research tool acting as a leverage for scientific data processing requirements. Analysis includes cytotoxic effects of chemical and natural BAS (IC50 values) on HCT-116, SW-480, MDA-MB-231, and MRC-5 cell lines. Generally, it can be concluded that BAS of different origin, chemical or natural, have various cytotoxic effects and cause different cell line sensitivity, which is presented and discussed. This paper presents developed SQL database-centric Web application with remote user-friendly data management for a biology researcher user type profile. Data processing in this article can be useful for a further overlook and testing of cytotoxic substances.Publishe