Comparative examination of the serological response to bluetongue virus in diseased ruminants by competitive and double recognition enzime-linked immunosorbent assays

ΔΕΝ ΔΙΑΤΙΘΕΤΑΙ ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗBluetongue (BT) is a viral non-contagious disease of ruminants which is transmitted by insects of the genus Culicoides. In recent years, BT has been a serious threat to livestock and to the economies of European countries. In Serbia the disease appeared for the first time in 2001, and after a 12 year period of freedom, it broke out again in 2014. Considering the actuality of this infectious disease, especially the need for prompt and rapid diagnostics, the aim of this paper was to determine the possibility of detecting the serological response in sheep and cattle with manifested clinical signs of the disease using two different methods: double recognition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (sELISA) and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). A total of 105 blood serum samples of cattle and sheep, which had exhibited clinical signs of BT during 2014, were taken for examination from a serum bank. Out of 74 blood serum samples of sheep and 31 blood serum samples of cattle, 52 samples of sheep and 18 samples of cattle tested positive using sELISA, while 50 samples of sheep and 18 samples of cattle gave positive reactions with cELISA. The results confirm the high sensitivity of sELISA which detected 4% more seropositive sheep in comparison with cELISA. Using Cohen’s kappa statistical analysis, almost perfect agreement was determined between the results (k>0,81) obtained by cELISA and sELISA

Comparative anatomical investigation of five Artemisia L. (Anthemideae, Asteraceae) species in view of taxonomy

Comparative anatomical analysis of vegetative organs has been conducted on Artemisia campestris L., A. absinthium L., A. arborescens L., A. judaica L. and A. herba-alba Asso, using light microscopy, in order to examine the most important anatomical features and to find new valid taxonomic characters. Results have shown that general root, stem and leaf anatomical features and nonglandular and glandular trichomes are shared by all species. However, some characters (parenchyma sheath, which surrounded vascular bundle and extended to both epidermises, subepidermal collenchyma and the absence of secretory canals in the leaves) link together A. absinthium and A. arborescens from the same section. Some characters, as periderm and lignified pith parenchyma cells (A. campestris and A. arborescens), nonendodermal secretory canals in root cortex (A. absinthium and A. judaica) and secretory canals in the leaf phloem (A. judaica and A. herba-alba), connect species belonging to different sections. Moreover, some characters could be considered as species-specific, nonendodermal secretory canals in the root secondary phloem, triangular leaf shape on the cross section and secretory canals in the leaf parenchyma for A. campestris, secretory canals in the stem pith for A. absinthium, crystals in the pith parenchyma cells for A. arborescens and the absence of root secretory canals for A. herba-alba. Given results revealed qualitative characters, on the basis of which the studied species are anatomically distinguishable between each other, provide valuable features for better species identification and contribute to the anatomy of the genus Artemisia

[Comparison of socio-demographic characteristics of patients with PTSD in the four countries of former Yugoslavia following the war].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the socio-demographic characteristics of survivors who presented for treatment in therapeutic centers in the four Balkan countries involved in the study by summarizing the results of STOP study ("Treatment Seeking and Treatment Outcomes in People Suffering from PTSD Following the War and Migration in the Balkans"). STOP study was performed in the following countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina (specialized center Sarajevo), Croatia (centers in Zagreb and Rijeka), Serbia and Montenegro (center in Belgrade), Germany (center in Dresden) and United Kingdom (center in London). METHODS: The authors applied a socio-demographic questionnaire in patients with PTSD who presented for treatment in the centers. RESULTS: The authors present the differences among the socio-demographic characteristics of survivors who presented for treatment in therapeutic centers in the four Balkan countries involved in the study according to: gender, status (refugee, war veterans, refugee and war veteran, civilian), ethnic background, employment status, marital status and household monthly net income. CONCLUSIONS: Comparative statistical analysis of data obtained through interviews in four countries shows significant differences across the centers concerning socio-economic characteristics of the patients

Methods Included:Standardizing Computational Reuse and Portability with the Common Workflow Language

A widely used standard for portable multilingual data analysis pipelines would enable considerable benefits to scholarly publication reuse, research/industry collaboration, regulatory cost control, and to the environment. Published research that used multiple computer languages for their analysis pipelines would include a complete and reusable description of that analysis that is runnable on a diverse set of computing environments. Researchers would be able to easier collaborate and reuse these pipelines, adding or exchanging components regardless of programming language used; collaborations with and within the industry would be easier; approval of new medical interventions that rely on such pipelines would be faster. Time will be saved and environmental impact would also be reduced, as these descriptions contain enough information for advanced optimization without user intervention. Workflows are widely used in data analysis pipelines, enabling innovation and decision-making for the modern society. In many domains the analysis components are numerous and written in multiple different computer languages by third parties. However, lacking a standard for reusable and portable multilingual workflows, then reusing published multilingual workflows, collaborating on open problems, and optimizing their execution would be severely hampered. Moreover, only a standard for multilingual data analysis pipelines that was widely used would enable considerable benefits to research-industry collaboration, regulatory cost control, and to preserving the environment. Prior to the start of the CWL project, there was no standard for describing multilingual analysis pipelines in a portable and reusable manner. Even today / currently, although there exist hundreds of single-vendor and other single-source systems that run workflows, none is a general, community-driven, and consensus-built standard

Reconstructed Malacothermometer July Paleotemperatures from the Last Nine Glacials over the South-Eastern Carpathian Basin (Serbia)

In this study, the compiled malacological record of the two most important loess–palaeosol sequences (LPS) in Serbia was used to reconstruct the Malacothermometer July Paleotemperature (MTJP) of the last nine glacials. The sieved loess samples yielded shells of 11 terrestrial gastropod species that were used to estimate the MTJP. Veliki Surduk (covering the last three glacial cycles) and Stari Slankamen (covering the last fourth to ninth glacial cycle) LPSs previously lacked the malacological investigations. After the sieving, a total of 66,871 shells were found, from which 48,459 shells were used for the estimation of the MTJP. Through the studied period, the reconstructed MTJP was ranging from 14.4 °C to 21.5 °C. The lowest temperature was recorded during the formation of the loess unit L5, equivalent to the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 12. The second-coldest summers were occurring during the MIS 16 glacial. Although the warmest glacial was L8 (MIS 20) according to MTJP, these July temperatures might be overestimated due to only two samples from the poorly preserved L8 unit. The malacological material derived from the loess units at Veliki Surduk and Stari Slankamen LPSs showed great potential for July temperature reconstruction, as the comparison with other regional records showed similar climate changes. Further work is necessary to validate the age scale of the oldest samples, and a higher resolution sampling could lead to more detailed July temperature fluctuations, as was shown for the youngest glacial in this study. Likewise, estimating the July temperature using different proxies (e.g., pollen) from the same LPSs could be used to confirm the observed climate trends

Discrete Continuities: Generative Design Explorations of Spatial Structures in Architecture

This paper contributes to the research in the field of generative computational design of discrete assemblies and their implementations in constructing spatial structures in architecture. Works and research on discrete architecture and architectural ontology suggest that the considerable promise for a complex, open-ended, adaptable architecture could be a digital form of assembly based on parts. In this study, the topic of compositions made of discrete elements is researched from the perspective of the creative process. Respectively, the paper explores the possibility of using generative systems based on graph grammar formalism in the creation of adaptable spatial configurations in an architectural context. We tested this approach through design research in which a computational generative system was used as an embedded system for formal explorations. Starting from the specification of discrete elements/modules and their inherent attributes, then the definition of the composition rules and constraints, we applied the graph grammar formation procedure which, by a random selection of the modules and rules on each iteration of the additive process, generated a variety of complex spatial structures. The emergent discrete continuities exhibit new and unanticipated detail, materiality, structure, functionality, and aesthetics inherent to the design process augmented by human-machine interaction. The structural performance of these structures was evaluated using software based on the Finite Element Method (FEM), while the constructability was tested through the construction of small-scale prototypes. This theme enabled us to study specific design methodology, as well as to investigate the potential of digitally intelligent architecture.Изазови са којима се архитектонско пројектовање суочава у дигиталној ери подразумевају повећање комплексности пројеката и захтевима за примену за ефикасних пројектантских методама и алата. Овај рад доприноси истраживањима у области генеративног рачунског пројектовања дискретних склопова и њиховој примени у изградњи просторних структура у архитектури. Дискретна архитектура је приступ који се односи на рачунарско манипулисање дискретним елементима архитектонских објекта који су репрезентовани у форми вишезначних, адаптибилних и скалабилних дигиталних података. Дискретна архитектура користи предности дигиталне економије и аутоматизације како би допринела демократизацији производње и повећању доступности, препознајући потенцијалне економске, социјалне и културне импликације. Истраживања и пројекти орјентисани на тему дискретне архитектуре и архитектонске онтологије указују на потенцијале које нуде комплексне, прилагодљиве архитектоничне структуре који настају као резултат дигиталног склапања елемената. У оквиру овог рада, тема композиција од дискретних елемената истражује кроз креативни процес. С тим у вези, рад испитује могућност употребе генеративних система заснованих на формализму граматике графова у стварању прилагодљивих просторних конфигурација у архитектонском контексту. Приступ је тестиран коришћењем методе истраживања кроз пројекат у коме се рачунски генеративни систем користи као уграђени систем за истраживања форме просторних структура. Као генеративна процедура у истраживању се користи граматика графа. У овој процедури полазећи од спецификације дискретних елемената / модула и њихових атрибута, затим дефиниције правила и ограничења њихове композиције, стохастички алгоритам случајним одабиром модула и правила на свакој итерацији адитивног процеса генерише различите просторне структуре. Просторне структуре од дискретних елемената генерисане на овај начин поседују особину емергенције, континуитета, али и нови ниво материјалности, детаља, структуре, функционалности и естетике који су својствени процесу пројектовања који је заснован на интеракцији дизајнера и рачунара. Структурне перформансе композиција оцењене су помоћу софтвера заснованог на Методи коначних елемената (МКЕ), такође конструкција је у одређеној мери проверена и кроз израду прототипа у малој размери. Предметно истраживање је омогућило проверу специфичне пројектантске методологије, као и испитивање потенцијала дигитално интелигентне архитектуре.Поглавље објављено у тематском зборнику међународног значаја ”Уметност и наука у примени: искуство и вивзија” (”Art and Science Applied: Experinece and Vision") чији су уредници Весна Круљац и Бојан Јокић, а које чини селекција радова презентованих на скупу SmartArt 2021 одржаном септембра 2021 године у САНУ у Београду. https://smartart-conference.rs/thematic-proceedings

Leaf micromorphology, antioxidative activity and a new record of 3-deoxyamphoricarpolide of relict and limestone endemic Amphoricarpos elegans Albov (Compositae) from Georgia

We examined for the first time the leaf micromorphology, phytochemistry and biological activity of the rare and stenoendemic Amphoricarpos elegans Albov (Compositae) from Georgia. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the presence of glandular trichomes on the leaves, which appeared as glandular dots that are considered the main sites of biosynthesis and accumulation of sesquiterpene lactones. Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy analyses, we identify and characterized 3-deoxyamphoricarpolide, a known sesquiterpene lactone for the genus Amphoricarpos Vis. Regarding chemotaxonomic significance, 3-deoxyamphoricarpolide represents a link between Balkan and Caucasian species of the genus. The antioxidative capacity of different leaf extracts, obtained using a Soxhlet extractor, was evaluated by two radical scavenging assays: DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical and the 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS), and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were also determined. The highest antioxidative activity and the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents were detected in the methanol fraction, as a result of the contribution of not only phenols, but probably also lactones. The considerable antioxidative potential indicates possible applications in pharmacy and medicine

Piecewise linear approximations for the static-dynamic uncertainty strategy in stochastic lot-sizing

In this paper, we develop mixed integer linear programming models to compute near-optimal policy parameters for the non-stationary stochastic lot sizing problem under Bookbinder and Tan's static-dynamic uncertainty strategy. Our models build on piecewise linear upper and lower bounds of the first order loss function. We discuss different formulations of the stochastic lot sizing problem, in which the quality of service is captured by means of backorder penalty costs, non-stockout probability, or fill rate constraints. These models can be easily adapted to operate in settings in which unmet demand is backordered or lost. The proposed approach has a number of advantages with respect to existing methods in the literature: it enables seamless modelling of different variants of the above problem, which have been previously tackled via ad-hoc solution methods; and it produces an accurate estimation of the expected total cost, expressed in terms of upper and lower bounds. Our computational study demonstrates the effectiveness and flexibility of our models.Comment: 38 pages, working draf