Network theory approach for data evaluation in the dynamic force spectroscopy of biomolecular interactions

Investigations of molecular bonds between single molecules and molecular complexes by the dynamic force spectroscopy are subject to large fluctuations at nanoscale and possible other aspecific binding, which mask the experimental output. Big efforts are devoted to develop methods for effective selection of the relevant experimental data, before taking the quantitative analysis of bond parameters. Here we present a methodology which is based on the application of graph theory. The force-distance curves corresponding to repeated pulling events are mapped onto their correlation network (mathematical graph). On these graphs the groups of similar curves appear as topological modules, which are identified using the spectral analysis of graphs. We demonstrate the approach by analyzing a large ensemble of the force-distance curves measured on: ssDNA-ssDNA, peptide-RNA (system from HIV1), and peptide-Au surface. Within our data sets the methodology systematically separates subgroups of curves which are related to different intermolecular interactions and to spatial arrangements in which the molecules are brought together and/or pulling speeds. This demonstrates the sensitivity of the method to the spatial degrees of freedom, suggesting potential applications in the case of large molecular complexes and situations with multiple binding sites

EXAMPLES OF LCA METHODOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION IN STEEL INDUSTRY

Steel industry kept pace with actual trends for environmental protection in many ways – through different technological improvements considering environment protection, important share of recycling in the steel production, design of so called “eco-steels”, materials designed according to recent environmental directives and legislatives, etc. In the frame of steel production monitoring, LCA methodology is very important for obtaining an accurate environmental picture of a process, due to the fact that the process should be evaluated over its entire life cycle. A number of tools and methodologies have been developed in recent years to assess the potential environmental impacts associated with a product, process or activity during its entire life cycle. The examples of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) are used by large steel industrial companies as potentially helpful tool for improving the production processes, efficiency of resource utilization and significantly reduction of waste generation and emissions are presented in this paper

Autoimmune Neuromuscular Disorders

Autoimmune neuromuscular disorders affecting peripheral nerves, neuromuscular junction or muscle have a wide clinical spectrum with diverse pathogenetic mechanisms. Peripheral nervous system may be targeted in the context of complex immune reactions involving different cytokines, antigen-presenting cells, B cells and different types of T cells. Various immunomodulating and cytotoxic treatments block proliferation or activation of immune cells by different mechanisms attempting to control the response of the immune system and limit target organ injury. Most treatment protocols for autoimmune neuromuscular disorders are based on the use of corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulins and plasmapheresis, with cytotoxic agents mostly used as steroid-sparing medications. More recently, development of specific monoclonal antibodies targeting individual cell types allowed a different approach targeting specific immune pathways, but these new treatments are also associated with various adverse effects and their long-term efficacy is still unknown

Experimental analysis and FEM modelling of a cutting tool vibrations

Presented in this paper is a comparative analysis of vibrations, measured during machining process and modelled by FEM. Moreover, microscopic structure of chip cross section was analyzed in order to establish the frequency of lamellae generation and its influence on the total level of vibrations of the cutting tool. Based on the results thus obtained, a method was proposed which allows determination of tool wear degree through separation of reliable indicators from the high-frequency spectrum of the measured vibration signals. This investigation showed that the change of chip segmentation frequency significantly influences the output vibration signal within the high-frequency spectrum, and is a function of tool wear degree

EKSTRAKCIJA I ANALIZA KONDENZIRANIH TANINA CASTANEA SATIVA MIIL.

Proanthocyanidins, also known as condensed tannins are widespread in woody plants, but are also found in certain forages. Castanea sativa Mill. are exploited for various purposes, but a little is known about potential of this species and possible application in diet and therapy. The parts of chestnut such as: seed, peeled seed, brown seed shell, red internal seed shell, leaves, catkin, spiny bur, as well as the new and old chestnut bark were extracted with 50% ethanol as an extragents. Contents of total phenolics and total flavonoids were measured by application of the standard colorimetric assay. The total condensed tannins content estimated was highest in red internal seed shell 15.29%CE (vanillin assay) and 3.12%CT (acid butanol assay). Also high content of total phenolic compounds and condensed tannins had extracts of catkin, brown seed shell of chestnut and new chestnut bark. Extracts of C. sativa Mill. can be a potential resource of natural tannins with possible application in diet and therapy.Proantocijanidini, poznati kao kondenzirani tanini su jako rasprostranjeni u drvenastim biljkama, a pronađeni su i u hrani. Castanea sativa Mill. se dosta koristi za različite namjene, međutim malo je poznat njegov potencijal i moguća primjena u dijeti i terapiji. Dijelovi kestena kao što su; cijeli plod, srž ploda, vanjska smeđa kora ploda, crvena unutrašnja kora ploda, list, resa, ježura, kao i nova i stara kora drveta su ekstrahirani primjenom 50% etanola kao ekstragensa. Sadržaj ukupnih fenola i flavonoida je određen primjenom standardnih kolorimetrijskih testova. Sadržaj ukupnih kondenziranih tanina je najviši u crvenoj unutrašnjoj kori 15,29%CE (vanilin test) i 3,12%CT (kiseli butanolni test). Visok sadržaj ukupnih fenolnih tvari i kondenziranih tanina je određen u ekstraktima rese, vanjske smeđe kore i nove kore drveta. Ekstrakti C. sativa Mill. mogu biti potencijalna sirovina koja sadrži prirodne tanine sa mogućom primjenom u dijeti i terapiji

Identifikovanje karakteristika difuzije kroz gleđno tkivo zuba mačke oštećenog resorptivnim procesom

Various factors have been suggested in the pathogenesis of feline resorptive lesions, such as periodontal disease, dietary factors, mechanical stress, developmental tooth defects, breed and viral disease, although none of these factors have been definitively proven to be the direct cause. It was recently published that normally enamel in cats is significantly thinner at the cemento-enamel junction, and both enamel and dentine are significantly less mineralized than elsewhere on the tooth. However, it is still unclear what anatomical features of the tooth surface are associated with a predisposition for resorptive lesions, and what is the initiating cause for the clastic activity afterwards. The present study was undertaken with the aim to describe enamel properties of transport and distribution of organic molecules in intact feline teeth and teeth affected with resorptive lesions. The results indicate that damaged enamel is prone to a greater bilateral diffusion process, leading to continuous disruption of the enamel structure. Also, teeth that are subjected to occlusal stress are at greater risk of destruction because micro fractures produce disarrangements in feline dental tissue diffusion homeostasis. The relationship between these features with feline dental resorptive lesions requires further studies.U patogenezi dentalnih resorptivnih lezija u mačaka pominju se različiti etiološki faktori kao što su oboljenja parodontalnih tkiva, faktori načina ishrane, mehaničko opterećenje, defekti nastali u toku razvoja zuba i virusna oboljenja. Ni za jedan od navedenih faktora do sada nije potvrđeno da je direktan uzročnik lezija. Nedavno je objavljeno da je gleđ u mačaka na gleđno-cementnoj granici značajno tanja od ostale gleđi, kao i da su gleđ i dentin tog područja mnogo manje mineralizovani nego na ostalim delovima zuba. Ipak nije potvrđeno da li postoje i posebni anatomski delovi zuba koji imaju predispoziciju za nastajanje resorptivnih lezija i šta je inicijalni faktor za kasnije aktiviranje odontoklasta. Istraživanje je sprovedeno sa ciljem da se ispita distribucija i transport organskih molekula intaktne gleđi zuba mačke i gleđi koja je zahvaćena resorptivnim procesom. Rezultati istraživanja prikazuju da je oštećena gleđ podložnija intenzivnijem bilateralnom procesu difuzije, koja dovodi do kontinualnog oštećivanja strukture gleđi. Zubi koji su izloženi okluzalnom opterećenju su takođe pod većim rizikom od propadanja jer mikropukotine koje nastaju usled koncentracije napona uzrokuju poremećaj homeostaze dentalnih tkiva. Utvrđivanje povezanosti faktora difuzije i mehaničkog opterećenja zahteva dodatna istraživanja

Stages of flower bud development in Iris pumila and between-habitat morphological differences

Previous studies revealed significant phenotypic plasticity and between-population differentiation in flower morphometric traits of Iris pumila in response to environmental variability between natural shade and exposed habitats. Since these habitats differed in flowering times as well, in this work we investigated at which stages of flower bud development differences between open and shaded habitats start to appear. Our analysis detected several groups of trait development patterns through the I. pumila bud development in two contrasting habitats, with stem length being the most suitable trait for application in further analyses of so-called “shade avoidance syndrome���

The concept of integrated recreation and possibilities of implementation in development of Serbian cities

Ова дисертација се бави истраживањем савременог развоја рекреације и њене улоге у урбаном развоју. У контексту трагања за новим обрасцима развоја, којима би се омогућило превазилажење проблема дезинтеграције урбане структуре, рекреација се преиспитује као интегративни урбани садржај који је као такав препознат у урбаној теорији. Фокус рада је на урбаној рекреацији, дакле оној која се одвија у граду и одражава урбане стилове живота. Пажња је усмерена на истраживање феномена "интегрисане рекреације" за који се претпоставља да значајно увећава могућности за рекреацију у савременом граду. Овај феномен је резултат укључивања рекреације у различите процесе производње простора. Реч је о процесима који, поред традиционалних нормативно-дистрибутивних политика развоја рекреације у јавном сектору, реализују рекреативне садржаје и просторе у савременом граду као средство развоја града. Циљ овог истраживања је био да утврди основе и испита могућности коришћења рекреације као средства повезивања урбане структуре, као и да омогући примену стечених знања у усмеравању развоја градова Србије. Будући да феномен интегрисане рекреације није укључен у постојећи концепт развоја рекреације у Србији, претпоставка о промени улоге рекреације у развоју савремених градова је условила да се, у складу са налазима истраживања, редефинише и концепт рекреације у урбаном развоју у Србији. Због тога је и истраживање било подељено у два дела. У првој фази су објашњене околности појаве феномена интегрисане рекреације, систематизоване карактеристике савремене провизије садржаја и простора рекреације, и на основу теоријског дефинисања рекреације као интегративног урбаног садржаја испитиване могућности коришћења рекреације као средства повезивања урбане структуре. Испитивање карактеристика интегрисане рекреације и њеног интегративног потенцијала у савременом граду било је засновано на жељи да се препознају...This thesis explores the contemporary urban recreation and its use as a tool for urban development. Based on integrative capacity of recreation as an urban activity, the aim of the research was to examine possibilities to use this asset in development of Serbian cities. Since the existing concept of recreation development in Serbia doesn‟t acknowledge its possible use as a tool for urban development, thesis aims to redefine the concept of recreation so that it can be implemented in Serbian context. For that reason the research was organized on two levels. At the first level the integrative role of recreation was examined through research in urban theory and in the fields of psychology, sociology and geography of leisure. Integrative capacity of urban recreation was defined through concepts of leisure experience, encounter and practice and as such operationalized as fluid, focal and porous integrative practice. Different possibilities for activating integrative potential of urban recreation were identified for autonomous and integrated forms of urban recreation. The occurrence and spreading of the phenomena of integrated recreation is then explained and its integrative capacity explored through comparative analysis of eight concepts of development through recreation: „city of fun“, „fantasy city, „tourist city“, „experience city“, „city of play“, „healthy/active city“, „green city“ and „creative city“. The aim was to identify possibilities and constraints of each mode of urban development. The characteristics of each concept of development through recreation were mapped on hypothetical model of contemporary city so that a new „landscape of integrated recreation“ can be identified. The results have proved that various developent paths enabled recreation to function as an integrative tool for urban development at different levels, in various forms and on many locations in the city. These results formed the basis for redefining a concept of recreation in Serbia and for developing a model for integrating urban structure through development of..