Methodological framework for shrinking cities case study research: northwest region of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Urban shrinkage is an increasingly global phenomenon that equally affects large cities and small towns, as a result of complex social, economic and spatial changes, thereby causing the emergence of the so-called shrinking cities. This paper presents a model for the analysis of shrinking cities tailored to the needs of research in circumstances of insufficiently developed statistical systems for monitoring the complex structure of changes affecting cities. The model is based on an analysis of international research projects focused on this research problem, analysis of the legislative framework in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and analysis of available data. The proposed model is tested on the territory of northwest B&H (Republic of Srpska - RS) and aims at mapping, analysis and typological classification of shrinking cities. It is assumed that the process of urban shrinkage is more prevalent than that of urban growth, and that most of the cities and towns in northwest B&H (RS) are faced with this problem, which is considerably more acute when it comes to small and medium-sized towns of this region

Modeliranje kretanja deformabilnog tela u fluidu i primena u biomedicinskom inženjeringu

Kardiovaskularni sistem je jedan od najvažnijih sistema u ljudskom organizmu. Istraživanja strujanja krvi su klinički veoma značajna zbog mogućnosti poboljšane dijagnostike bolesti, planiranja odgovarajućih preventivnih mera, analize transporta lekova itd. Ove pojave se teško eksperimentalno ispituju i zbog toga u ovoj oblasti numeričke simulacije mogu da doprinesu dobijanju mnogo novih i korisnih informacija. U okviru ovog rada predstavljen je kompletan numerički model koji uspešno simulira trodimenzionalno strujanje krvi kroz krvne sudove u ljudskom organizmu. Ovo je pokazano na nekoliko primera, gde je modelirano strujanje krvi kroz ljudsku aortu, karotidnu i koronarnu arteriju. Takođe, predstavljen je numerički model koji simulira kretanje crvenih krvnih zrnaca i sfernih čestica kroz kompleksne geometrijske domene, kao što su mali krvni sudovi sa stenozom, bifurkacijom, kao i kroz mikrofluidne čipove za separaciju kancer ćelija, ali i kroz realne domene dobijene eksperimentalnim snimanjem protoka krvi kroz posebnu vrstu ribe, tzv. zebra ribu. S obzirom da jedan ovakav softver za naučne simulacije zahteva mnogo računarskih resursa i da izvršavanje jedne simulacije traje dosta dugo, prilikom implementacije numeričke metode posebna pažnja posvećena je tehnikama paralelizacije. Kompjuterski program je razvijan tako da pored rada na standardnim PC računarima, može da se izvršava i na kompjuterskim klasterima sa velikim brojem procesora, kao što su Tesla superkompjuteri, koje proizvodi svetska kompanija NVIDIA. Postignuta su značajna ubrzanja razvijenog softvera, tako da se numeričke simulacije mogu izvršavati za samo nekoliko minuta, naspram par sati koliko je potrebno za izvršavanje iste simulacije na standardnom PC računaru, što omogućava praktično interaktivno praćenje kretanja deformabilnih tela u realnom vremenu. Zbog numeričke metode koja dosta realno oslikava uslove u ljudskom organizmu, velike tačnosti koja je pokazana kroz poređenje sa eksperimentalnim rezultatima i brojnim drugim rešenjima iz literature, kao i zbog brzog izvršavanja na kompjuterskim klasterima, koje je omogućeno paralelizacijom, numerička metoda predstavljena u ovom radu i razvijeni softver imaju veliki potencijal kada je reč o praktičnoj primeni u simulacijama realnih problema u biomedicinskom inženjeringu.Cardiovascular system is one of the most important systems in human organism. Investigation of blood flow is clinically very relevant due to the possibility of improved diagnostic of diseases, planning of appropriate preventive measures, analisys of drug transport etc. Experimental investigation of these phenomena is difficult and therefore numerical simulation can contribute to the acquisition of manu new and useful information. Within this dissertation a complete numerical model is presented, that is capable of simulating three-dimensional blood flow through the blood vessels in human organism. This is demonstrated on several examples, where blood flow through human aorta, carotid and coronary arteries is modelled. Also, numerical model that simulates solid-fluid interaction is presented and this model is used to simulate motion of red blood cells and spherical particles through complex geometric domains, such as small blood vessels with stenosis and bifurcation, as well as microfluidic chips for cancer cell separation and real domains obtained by experimental recording of blood flow through a specific type of fish, so called zebrafish. This type of software for numerical simulation requires a lot of computer resources and the execution of one simulation lasts quite long. Therefore, during the implementation of the numerical method, special attention was dedicated to parallelisation techniques. The software was developed such that beside execution on standarad PC computer, it is possible to execute the program on computer clusters with large number of processors, such as Tesla supercomputers, that are manufactured by the world known company NVIDIA. Significant speed-ups were obtained and numerical simulation can now be executed in several minutes, instead of several hours, which was the case when the same simulation was executed on standard PC computer. This enables interactive tracking of motion of deformable bodies in real time. Due to the numerical method that describes the conditions in human organism quite realistically, big accuracy of the solutions that was demonstrated through the comparison with experimental results and other results presented in literature and fast program execution on computer clusters that is enabled with parallelisation, the numerical model that is presented in this dissertation and the developed software have a great potential when it comes to practical application in modeling real phenomena in biomedical engineering

RANKING FACTORS THAT AFFECT SATISFACTION AND MOTIVATION OF EMPLOYEES USING THE PIPRECIA METHOD

Motivating employees is a crucial factor in the use and development of human resources and their focus on achieving organizational goals, increasing satisfaction, retaining quality people, encouraging creativity, and eliminating all forms of counterproductive behavior. Through a series of activities, managers can increase individual development needs, making the objective situation more demanding. Through the example of the generation we paid attention to, Generation Y (1981 - 2000) is often called Millennials and Generation Z, which enters the labor market as the youngest, after millennials. The task of human resource managers is to make each member feel involved in organizational culture in the right way and to feel valued. Therefore, a multicriteria approach based on the application of PIvot has been applied in this paper Pair-wise Relative Criteria Importance Assessment - PIPRECIA method. A detailed review of the literature defines a list of factors and relevant subfactors evaluated by three Generation Y decision-makers and three Generation Z decision-makers. The obtained results are relevant and authoritative, thus unequivocally confirming the usefulness and applicability of the proposed approach

Urban shrinkage in a 'shrinking' serbia - the approach to a global phenomenon in a local context

The initial purpose of this research was to understand the basic patterns of urban shrinkage in Serbia. Urban shrinkage, a common phenomenon in post-socialist countries, is a novelty, albeit very present in Serbia today. Despite presenting a huge challenge for the future of the country, it has not been studied sufficiently at any level. To understand this situation, the first "task" would certainly be to identify which cities in Serbia can be considered as shrinking in a local context. The research will focus on this issue through the development of four models of shrinking cities in Serbia according to globally based factors of urban shrinkage. The aim of the paper is to clarify the potential of their use and to explore the possible locally-based factors of urban shrinkage

Urban Design Competition and Megaprojects in a Context of Identity of Cultural Heritage: Case Study Belgrade`s Riverfronts

Industrial heritage sites that have lost their original function represent significant and valuable cultural heritage which is a part of the urban memory and material evidence of the past, with whose decay a city is losing a part of its history. This paper deals with the problem of preserving identity of industrial heritage sites in the process of sustainable urban regeneration. More precisely, paper deals with the problem of preserving tangible as well as intangible attributes of industrial heritage identity within a context of contemporary projects of urban regeneration. The significance of this problem lies within the contradiction between the industrial heritage sites as places intended for new urban functions in accordance with strategies of contemporary urban development and the industrial heritage sites as places with the inherited spatial, functional and cultural values important to the community. Therefore, the main planning task of sustainable regeneration is finding the balance between preservation and change of industrial heritage sites. In planning practice these changes are most often driven by economic and environmental interests, while cultural values as active components of material culture and urban memory of citizens are neglected. On the other hand, this problem arises from the ambiguous notion of industrial heritage identity, as well as from the lack of appropriate planning tools for identifying and analysing identity attributes that are valuable to preserve. The aim of this paper is to draw attention to the complexity of identity of industrial heritage stemming from the various tangible as well as intangible values of cultural heritage. The paper advocates for using the concept of place as a framework for identifying and investigating identity attributes of industrial heritage sites which contribute to decision making in the initial phase of planning process. The planning treatment of industrial heritage identity in the process of riverfronts regeneration is analysed on the example of urban design competitions and megaprojects in Belgrade. The riverfront regeneration has been initiated through a series of urban plans, projects and design competitions. Some of these plans are located within two planned urban megaprojects: “Danube port” and “Belgrade on water”. Analysis show that the imbalance between the ambitions of the city (authorities, professional associations) and current economic capabilities (overscale, expensive, not considering implementation in phases) is one of the main problems for the implementation of the plans and projects

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SOFT NEUROLOGICAL SIGNS IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SUBTYPE OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

Background: The objective of the study was to investigate neurological deficit in schizophrenia and to compare soft neurological signs in positive and negative subtypes of schizophrenia. Subjects and methods: 66 patients with schizophrenia were evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale to classify the subtype of schizophrenia: positive subtype (36 patients) and negative subtype (30 patients), all of which were entering into remission. To examine the neurological soft signs we compared scores on the Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES) for positive and negative subtype. Results: The negative subtype of schizophrenia showed significantly higher neurological soft signs in comparison to the positive subtype, with reduced functioning in the sensory integration and motor coordination subscale as well as the other subscale. Conclusion: The main finding in this study indicates that patients with schizophrenia have neurological impairment, and that the negative subtype has significantly higher neurological impairment than the positive subtype. The results further support the significance of the soft neurological signs as a possible marker of different subtypes of schizophrenia

Toksičnist ivermektina

Uvod i cilj. Ivermektin je antiparazitik efikasan protiv širokog spektra parazita koji se kori- sti u veterinarskoj i humanoj medicini. Pružaoci zdravstvenih usluga i istraživači trenutno pre- ispituju već odobrene lekove u pokušaju da leče pacijente obolele od bolesti Covid-19, a iver- mektin je pokazao izvesna antivirusna svojstva. Cilj ovog rada bio je da se razmotri upotreba ivermektina u terapiji Covid 19 bolesti sa posebnim osvrtom na toksične efekte ivermektina. Metode. Vršen je detaljan pregled dostupne literature koja se tiče upotrebe ivermektina u svrhu lečenja Covid 19 bolesti. Rezultati. SZO je savetovala da ivermektin treba da se koristi samo u okviru kliničkih is- pitivanja, a ne kao deo rutinske kliničke prakse. Nakon medijskih izveštaja i publikacija o upotrebi ivermektina, EMA je pregledala najnovije objavljene dokaze iz laboratorijskih studija, opservacionih studija, kliničkih ispitivanja i meta-analiza. Laboratorijske studije su otkrile da ivermektin može da blokira replikaciju SARS-CoV-2 virusa ali u mnogo većim koncentracijama od onih koje se postižu sa trenutno odobrenim dozama. Zbog primene visokih doza leka radi postizanja adekvatnog efekta ne može se isključiti pojava toksičnih efekata ivermektina. Neki od zabeleženih simptoma trovanja bili su gastrointestinalni poremećaji, konfuzija, ataksija, slabost, hipotenzija, poremećaji vida. Usled velike potražnje i nedostatka leka za humanu upotrebu, pacijenti često posežu za veterinarskim lekovima što je takođe rezultovalo toksič- nim efektima usled predoziranja i reakcijama na neaktivne sastojke leka koji nisu odobreni za humanu upotrebu. Zaključak. U cilju prevencije neadekvatne primene ivermektina i razvoja toksičnih efekata kod pacijenata u doba pandemije korona virusa veoma je važno informisanje i adekvatno savetovanje opšte populacije vezano za pravilnu upotrebu ovog leka

Zeolite pretreatment accomplishes partial brain radioprotective role by reducing iron and oxidative / nitrosative stress in rats

The aim of our study was to test the effect of subacutely applied micronized zeolite [micronized clinoptilolite (MZC)] on brain status of iron (Fe), reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS, RNS), and radioprotective role against brain oxidative/nitrosative stress (OS/NS) initiated by single ionizing radiation of 2 or 10Gray (Gy). Wistar rats on normal (n=18) and 5% MZC supplemented diet (n=18), during 4 weeks, were internally subdivided into 3 subgroups (6 rats in each subgroup), with one of subgroup remaining as a control, and the other two subjected to single ionizing radiation of 2Gy or 10Gy. Thus, we had groups on normal diet: C – controls, 2Gy and 10Gy; and on 5% MZC supplemented diet: MZC, MZC+2Gy and MZC+10Gy. Concentrations of nitrates (a final RNS metabolite) and superoxide anion radical (O2 •-) (an initial ROS) were measured in homogenates of selective vulnerable brain regions (cerebellum, hippocampus and forebrain cortex), while Fe was determined in whole brain of rats. Results documented a significant drop of Fe in MZC and MZC+2Gy/10Gy groups; decrease of O2 •- and nitrate in MZC group; almost equal drop of O2 •- , in 2Gy and MZC+2Gy groups; and nitrate increase in 10Gy and MZC+10Gy groups. We confirmed that subacute MZC pretreatment contributes to partially accomplished brain radioprotective effect in rats exposed to single radiation dose of 2Gy and 10Gy, probably due to reduced OS/NS and Fe

Numerical and Biological Modeling Approach in the Analysis of the Cancer Viability and Apoptosis

Biomedicine is a multidisciplinary branch of science that requires a clear approach to the study and analysis of various life processes necessary for a deeper understanding of human health. This research focuses on the use of numerical simulations with the aim of an improved comprehension of cancer viability and apoptosis during treatment with commercial chemotherapeutic agents. In recent times, the usage of numerical models was successfully applied to predict the behavior of tumors. This study includes a wide range of numerical results that have been obtained by examining cell viability in real-time, determining the type of cell death and the genetic factors that control these processes. The results of the in vitro test were used to develop a numerical model that provides a new perspective on the proposed problem. In this study, colon, and breast cancer cell lines (HCT-116 and MDA-MB-231), as well as healthy lung fibroblast cell line (MRC-5) were treated with commercial chemotherapeutic agents. The obtained results showed a decrease in viability and the occurrence of predominantly late apoptosis upon treatment, as well as a strong correlation between parameters. A mathematical model was developed and used to gain a better understanding of the investigated processes. This method can accurately simulate the behavior of cancer cells and reliably predict their growth.Book of abstract: 4th Belgrade Bioinformatics Conference, June 19-23, 202