Co-generation potentials of municipal solid waste landfills in Serbia

Waste management in Serbia is based on landfilling. As a result of many years of practice, a large number of municipal waste landfills has been created where landfill gas has been generated. Landfill gas, which is essentially methane (50- 55%), and CO2 (40-45%) (both green-house gases), have a great environmental impact which can be reduced by using landfill gas in cogeneration plants to produce energy. The aim of this paper is to determine economic and environmental benefits from such energy production. For that purpose, the database of cogeneration potentials of 51 landfills in Serbia was created. Amount of landfill gas generated at each municipal landfill was calculated by applying a first order decay equation which requires the data about solid waste production and composition and about some landfill characteristics. For all landfills, which have over 100,000 m3 each, a techno-economic analysis about building a combined heat and power plant was conducted. The results have shown, that the total investment in 14 combined heat and power plants with payback period of less than 7 years amounts 11,721,288 €. The total nominal power of these plants is 7 MW of electrical power and 7.9 MW of thermal power, and an average payback period is about 61 months. In addition, using landfill biogas as energy source in proposed plants would reduce methane emission for 161,000 tons of CO2 equivalent per year

The maternal leucocytes in thrombophilia and hypothyroidism and their influence on fetal cells

© 2020, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. The literature data show that thrombophilia and maternal dysfunction of thyroid gland during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, placental abruption, hy-pertensive disorders and fetal growth retardation. It was shown that thyroid hormones and hypercoagulable states influence onto a leucocyte activity. The aim of this study has been to investigate maternal leucocytes changes and their correlation with frequency of fetal cells micronuclei in pregnant women with thrombophilia and hypothyroidism. The samples of blood and amniotic fluid were collected from healthy pregnant women and pregnant women with inherited thrombophilia and hypothy-roidism (16-18 weeks of gestation). Hematological characteristics were determined by using standard hematological methods. The frequency of micronuclei was determined in fetal cells after amniocentesis by using standard cytogenetic methods. The results of this study showed significant higher levels of β-hCG, number of monocytes and eosinophils in blood of pregnant women with thrombophilia. A large number of eosinophils was documented in blood of pregnant women with hypothyroidism. Increased percentage distribution of eosinophils and basophils is shown in both investigated groups of pregnant women. The increased fetal cells micronuclei frequency and their correlation with percentage distribution of eosinophils and basophils were indicated in pregnant women with hypothyroidism. The obtained results suggest that an increased percentage of eosino-phils and basophils in pregnant women with hypothyroidism contribute to a formation of micronuclei in fetal cells

Experimental and artificial neural network approach for forecasting of traffic air pollution in urban areas: The case of subotica

In the recent years, artificial neural networks have been used to predict the concentrations of various gaseous pollutants in ambient air, mainly to forecast mean daily particle concentrations. The data on traffic air pollution, irrespective of whether they are obtained by measuring or modeling, represent an important starting point for planning effective measures to improve air quality in urban areas. The aim of this study was to develop a mathematical model for predicting daily concentrations of air pollution caused by the traffic in urban areas. For the model development, experimental data have been collected for 10 months, covering all four seasons. The data about hourly concentration levels of suspended particles with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm (PM10) and meteorological data (temperature, air humidity, speed and direction of wind), measured at the measuring station in the town of Subotica from June 2008 to March 2009, served as the basis for developing an artificial neural networks based model for forecasting mean daily concentrations of PM10

Assessment of plastic flows and stocks in Serbia using material flow analysis

Material flow analysis was used to assess the amounts of plastic materials flows and stocks that are annually produced, consumed, imported, exported, collected, recycled, and disposed in the landfills in Serbia. The analysis revealed that approximately 269,000 tons of plastic materials are directly disposed in uncontrolled landfills in Serbia without any pretreatment, and that significant amounts of these materials have already accumulated in the landfills. The substantial amounts of land-filled plastics represent not only a loss of valuable recourses, but also pose a serious treat to the environment and human health, and if the trend of direct plastic land-filling is continued, Serbia will face with grave consequences

The effects of valsartan on cardiac function and pro-oxidative parameters in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat heart

© 2020, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. Diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, while cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The renin–angiotensin– aldosterone system controls renal, cardiovascular, adrenal function and regulates fluid and electrolyte balance as well as blood pressure. Because of his role, inhibition of renin-angiotensin-aldosteron system is another therapy approach that reduces the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In this study, our goal was to evaluate effect of valsartan,as inhibitor of angiotensin II receptor type 1, on cardiac tissue and function, with focus on cardiodynamic and oxidative stress. The present study was carried out on 20 adult male Wistar albino rats (8 week old and with body masses of 180-200 g). Rats were divided randomly into 2 groups (10 animals per group). Healthy animals treated with 1 μM of valsartan and streptozotocin-induced diabetic animals perfused with 1 μM of valsartan 4 weeks after the induction of diabetes. Our results demonstrated that acute application of valsartan has different effect on cardiodynamics in rat heart of diabetic and healthy animals but did not improve cardiac function in hy-perglycemia-induced changes. A challenge for further investi-gations are studies with chronic or acute administration, alone or in combination with other angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor in various models of diabetes

Distributed/virtual manufacturing system cell: an experimental installation

The main objectives of the “Distributed/Virtual Manufacturing System (D/V MS) Cell” project are: (1) The development of Tele-services technologies and organisation for the production planning and control functions; (2) The development of permanent high performance laboratory facilities that enable development and demonstration of D/V MS design and control, i.e., global distribution of production planning and control functions; (3) The development of an abstract environment, i.e., a virtual environment for design and real time control of manufacturing systems, or one of its elements, independent of the physical implementations. The D/V MS Cell satisfies the defined hierarchical distributed control model The Hardware System of the D/V MS Cell is composed by: (1) Machine tool cell: CNC milling machine, external sensors and actuators, interface computer with communications links, (2) Machine cell: Two machine simulators, PLC, sensors and actuators, computer based local controller, (3) Robot cell: Robot SCORBOT ER-VII, artificial vision system, conveyor system, computer based local controller, (4) Control centre: Video projector, computer based remote controller, computer based real time video and audio system. The Software System of the D/V MS Cell is composed by: (1) Applications for Human-Computer Interface (HMI): Interfaces for machine tool and robot programming and control, interface for production planning and control, (2) Computer-Machine Interface, via RS-232C, (3) Computer-Computer Interface, for communications via Internet. The hardware structure of the (D/V MS) Cell is already implemented and interfaces for machine tool programming and control are developed (software system). The operation of the complete system is planned for the year 1999

Genetička divergentnost divljih populacija Mačijeg repa (Phleum pratense L.)

The collection consisted of 10 autochthonous populations of timothy, originated from eastern, western and south-eastern Serbia was investigated. Several morphological traits and dry matter yield were measured. Significant differences between populations were detected by analysis of variance of two-year results. The highest average within population variability was determined for the dry matter yield per plant (CV 85.08%). The highest variability was, also, determined for the number of tillers (CV 64.88%), while the lowest variability was determined for time of heading (CV 5.8%). The highest dry matter yield per plant was measured in the population of Crni Vrh, Rendara and Nerađe locality. Also, these populations had high average values for the other studied traits.Na kolekciji od 10 autohtonih populacija mačijeg repa poreklom iz istočne, zapadne i jugoistoične Srbije proučavane su morfološke osobine i produktivnost suve materije. Na osnovu dvogodišnjih rezultata analizom varijanse su utvrđene značajne razlike između ispitivanih populacija. Prosečno najveća unutarpopulacijska varijabilnost je zabeležena za prinos suve materije po biljci (85,08%). Visoka varijabilnost je zabeležena i za broj izdanaka po biljci (64,88%), dok je najmanje variranje utvrđeno za vreme klasanja (5,8%). Najveći prinos suve materije po biljci utvrđen je za populacije poreklom sa lokaliteta Crni Vrh, Rendara i Nerađe. One su takođe pokazale visoke prosečne vrednosti i za ostale ispitivane osobine

Clinical decision-making style preferences of European psychiatrists : Results from the Ambassadors survey in 38 countries

Background While shared clinical decision-making (SDM) is the preferred approach to decision-making in mental health care, its implementation in everyday clinical practice is still insufficient. The European Psychiatric Association undertook a study aiming to gather data on the clinical decision-making style preferences of psychiatrists working in Europe. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional online survey involving a sample of 751 psychiatrists and psychiatry specialist trainees from 38 European countries in 2021, using the Clinical Decision-Making Style - Staff questionnaire and a set of questions regarding clinicians' expertise, training, and practice. Results SDM was the preferred decision-making style across all European regions ([central and eastern Europe, CEE], northern and western Europe [NWE], and southern Europe [SE]), with an average of 73% of clinical decisions being rated as SDM. However, we found significant differences in non-SDM decision-making styles: participants working in NWE countries more often prefer shared and active decision-making styles rather than passive styles when compared to other European regions, especially to the CEE. Additionally, psychiatry specialist trainees (compared to psychiatrists), those working mainly with outpatients (compared to those working mainly with inpatients) and those working in community mental health services/public services (compared to mixed and private settings) have a significantly lower preference for passive decision-making style. Conclusions The preferences for SDM styles among European psychiatrists are generally similar. However, the identified differences in the preferences for non-SDM styles across the regions call for more dialogue and educational efforts to harmonize practice across Europe.Peer reviewe

Preeclampsia – Prediction and monitoring factors

© 2019, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, usually characterized by hypertension and proteinuria. Despite high incidence of preeclampsia the pathophysiological basis of preeclampsia is still not clear and there are a number of mechanisms and signaling pathways that intertwine. It is very important to develop specific and reliable predictive algorithms in order to enable early initiation of therapy due to facts that incidence of preeclampsia has upward trend and that cause adverse maternal and fetal outcome. Some of the most commonly used methods for prediction of preeclampsia include uterine artery Doppler velocimetry, determination of some microRNA, such as miR-210, and assessment of various pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors from blood. Angiogenic factors that possibly have most important role in pathogenesis of preeclampsia are vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placental growth factor (PlGF), which promote angiogenesis, and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt1) and soluble form of endoglin (s-Eng), which exhibit anti-angiogenic properties. Aggravating circumstance is that preeclampsia has heterogeneous origin, and due to this fact, the value of individual markers can vary significantly. There is a constant tendency for creating comprehensive algorithm for prediction of preeclampsia which would be sufficiently specific and sensitive, and in the same time cheap and available. In that sense, new clinical studies are needed to show the most effective combination of parameters in the predeclampsia prediction