Use of force tracking systems during natural catastrophes

The flood that engulfed Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Croatia in 2014 imposed a need to establish a more efficient system of command and control over involved units and departments. The complexity of the situation, as well as the composition and cooperation between various forces in the field gave rise to consider the applying of modern systems of command and control. The paper presents the basic characteristics of modern information system of command and control that are currently in use in the armed forces and civilian power structures of developed countries. Using historical method and the chronology is seen development of Blue Force Tracking, Tactical Ground Reporting i GeoSuite systems. By analyzing and comparing these systems we have come to conclusions on their advantages and disadvantages. At the end, there are the suggestions for the development of its own system

Implementation of geographic information system in military terrain assessment

Geographic Information System1 has made a great leap in the last two decades. On the one hand, it becomes widely used in various fields of the society. On the other hand, terrain plays significant role in the military activities of all kinds. It must be accounted for during planning and preparation of military operations. This article explores application of GIS in military terrain assessment. The proper Intelligence Preparation of the Battle space2 in the real situation would require taking into consideration many factors including terrain, weather, population, enemy, etc. However, the focus of this work is on plain terrain analysis with the aim to examine one. For this purpose, a Model in ArcGIS Desktop Model Builder has been made, which results in raster showing several classes of terrain. The method used in the analysis is a Weighted Suitability Analysis3. The results of WSA indicate that the terrain in the area of interest is favorable for movement of up to one mechanized division. Definition and classification to define terms and recognized interaction among them has been used

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis

Background: Descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) is an acute, serious, septic disease which results from a complication of oropharyngeal infection. The disease requires a prompt diagnosis and radical surgical treatment to reduce high mortality (40%). The optimal form of mediastinal drainage remains controversial. The reason for publishing this report is both the fact that DNM is very rare and our experience preferring thoracotomy as an optimal approach to treating the disease. Case report. We reported a 34-years-old woman with DNM. The disease began as a peritonsillar abscess. After a bilateral double pleural drainage the disease worsened. In order to achieve radical mediastinal debridement and drainage, we carried out posterolateral right thoracotomy. We also had to perform left thoracotomy because of massive bleeding caused by septic erosion. There were no more reoperations. Conclusion. Aggressive surgical treatment, regardless the localization and the extent of changes is the key to success in the treatment of patients with necrotizing mediastinitis

Thoracic surgery in solving enormous elevation of the left hemidiaphragm

Background. Acquired elevation of the diaphragm is mostly the result of phrenic nerve paralysis, some of thoracic and abdominal patological states, and also some of neuromuscular diseases. Surgical treatment is rarely performed and is indicated when lung compression produces disabilitating dyspnea, and includes plication of diaphragm. The goal of this case report has been to show completely documented diagnostic procedures and surgical treatment one of rare pathological condition. Case report. A 62-year-old patient was admitted to our clinic because of surgical treatment of the enormous elevation of the left hemidiaphragm. After thoracotomy and plication of the bulging diaphragm, lung compression did not exist any more and mediastinum went back in the normal position. Conclusion. Elevation of the diaphragm rarely demands surgical correction. When it is complicated with lung compression and disabilitating dyspnea, surgical treatment has extremely useful functional effect

Konzervacioni status makrofitske vegetacije u kopovima šljunka u plavnom području donjeg toka reke Drine

Human-made aquatic habitats, such as gravel pit lakes could be alternative habitats and biodiversity refugia for aquatic biota. The aim of this study was to determine conservation value of gravel pit lakes in the Drina river floodplain using rarity and naturalness of aquatic macrohytes. Conservation value was calculated for 14 lakes. The obtained results showed that the analyzed gravel pits along the Drina River represent an optimal habitats for rare and endangered macrophytic flora

Towards UAV Assisted Monitoring Of An Aquatic Vegetation Within The Large Rivers – The Middle Danube

UAV technologies provide a time- and cost-efficient framework for a variety of environmental monitoring domains. It also increases data resolution and provides new insights into observed objects and phenomena, especially within the difficult-to-access and complex for monitoring aquatic habitats. The objective of this study was to develop UAV-based acquisition and GIS-based image processing guidelines for aquatic macrophyte detection and monitoring in large temperate rivers. According to the European standard CEN EN -14184:2014, the assessment of aquatic macrophytes should be performed using the transect approach. Large rivers, such as the Danube, represent an exception and should be evaluated using 1km transects. Therefore, seven transects of the Middle Danube in Serbia were simultaneously surveyed using traditional field methods and novel UAV technology. UAV images were acquired using RGB and multispectral cameras carried by a fixed-wing drone. The images were processed and orthomosaics were classified using Object Based Image Analysis (OBIA), to create digital GIS maps of the river transects. During the traditional monitoring approach, the relative abundance of 22 macrophyte species was recorded along the transects. Using the UAV technology and OBIA approach eight macrophyte classes were distinguished based on dominant macrophyte taxa or plant life form traits. Aquatic macrophytes were 'almost perfectly' distinguished from the orthomosaics, achieving a high classification accuracy of 96 % / 88 % / 0.84 for RGB and 94 % / 97 % / 0.95 Producers /Users accuracy/Kappa index for the multispectral approach. Individual macrophyte classes accuracy varied between 0.5 and 1 Kappa and were generally higher for the multispectral imagery approach. Although the resolution of the taxonomic data is lower, UAV monitoring provided the necessary spatial context of macrophytes distribution and absolute area occupied by macrophytes. It also provided information on the diversity and distribution of habitats along the river. Therefore, the UAV-assisted monitoring approach described in this study can be effectively integrated into macrophyte monitoring during large river expeditions such as the JDS

Predicting Retention Effects of a Riparian Zone in An Agricultural Landscape: Implication for Eutrophication Control of the Tisza River, Serbia

We explored the long-term influence of land use in the riparian zone on the water quality of the Tisza River, as a model of a non-wadeable lowland river located in a temperate, predominantly agricultural landscape. The analysis was based on a comparison of water quality variables between three river sites having contrasting, but constant land use patterns (in 500 m upstream radius) during the study period (2006-2019). While the first river site was characterized primarily by forests, the second and the third were dominated by urban and agricultural areas respectively. The variables which showed a significant difference between the pairs of sampling sites were oxygen saturation, nitrite nitrogen, total nitrogen, and orthophosphates. In contrast to urban and agricultural land, riparian forests showed a positive long-term influence on the river water quality. Natural and seminatural forests and shrubs had a favorable long-term influence on nutrient concentrations and oxygen regime of the Tisza River. However, the retention effects of orthophosphates and nitrite/nitrate content here were relatively low, demonstrating the limited performance of riparian buffers as a main or only management option in the Pannonian landscape, as the agricultural hotspot of Central and Eastern Europe. In conclusion, the riparian buffer assessment design applied in this study may be successfully used in pre-restoration monitoring, prior to the construction of buffer strips

Surgical treatment of war posttraumatic pleural empyemas

Background/Aim. Posttraumatic pleural empyema is the most frequent septic complication of the thoracic penetrating war injuries. Surgical treatment used to be based on the experience gained in the treatment of parapneumonic empyema, the most frequent empyema, and used to be favored the pleural drainage until the nineties of the last century. Thoracotomy and decortication was performed in case of drainage failure, in early chronic phase, 4-6 weeks after injury. The aim of this study was to emphasize the necessity of different surgical approaches in the treatment of this disease which is based on the different pathophisyology of posttraumatic and other sorts of empyema. Also, to recommend on the basis of the surgical treatment results, early decortication as better method in the treatment of this septic complication. Methods. In the period between September 1991-June 1999. 1 303 thoracic injures were surgically treated. There were 1 117 penetrating injures with 675 dominant thoracic injures, and 442 thoracic injures as the following ones. In 59 (5.3%) injured people raised posttraumatic empyema (PET). The patients were divided into the groups with early and late decortications regarding the interval between the injury and the surgical treatment. Almost all the patients sustained this complication in various periods before the admittance to the hospital. Surgical treatment efficiency of early and late decortication was analyzed on the basis of perioperative and postoperative study parameters and analyzing postoperative complications. Results. Thoracotomy and decortication were performed in 46 (78%) injured patients with post traumatic pleural empyema while only 13 (22%) injured patients were successfully treated for this septic complication with drainage procedures. This study proved that there were in the group with early decortications lesser intra and postoperative blood loss, duration of operation was shorter as well as febrile postoperative period. In this group, also, hospitalization was shorter and with lesser complications. Conclusion. The obtained results showed that thoracotomy and decortication should be done as early as possible in patients, not later than two weeks after the injury

The role of invasive hydrophytes in structuring macrophyte assemblages in the newly‑formed gravel pit lakes

Newly‑formed aquatic habitats, such as gravel pit lakes in river floodplains are usually colonised by macrophyte species few years following the gravel extraction. Together with native species, invasive hydrophytes may also create stable stands and therefore affect vegetation composition. The aim of this study was to determine the potential influence and correlation between the total cover of invasive macrophyte species and macrophyte vegetation metrics (Shannon diversity index, species richness, total macrophyte cover, number of macrophyte functional groups, number of charophyte taxa and relative charophyte cover) in gravel pit lakes along the Drina River floodplain (Serbia). Field research was carried out on 49 survey sectors, distributed at 14 newly‑formed gravel pit lakes (5‑10 years after the final gravel extraction), during the summer months of 2015 and 2016. Vegetation data was collected in accordance with the Pan‑European standard for the sampling of macrophyte vegetation in lakes, using the UKTAG LEAFPACS (Lake Assessment Methods, Macrophyte and Phytobenthos). Invasive aquatic plants were recorded on 12 gravel pit lakes, including 38 surveyed sectors, with the relative cover value of up to 20 %. Three alien hydrophytes were recorded: Elodea canadensis Michx, Elodea nuttallii (Planchon) St John and Vallisneria spiralis L. The most frequent and abundant one was Vallisneria spiralis, which was recorded on 31 surveyed sectors. Apart from the relative charophyte cover and the number of macrophyte functional groups, which showed no correlation, all other macrophyte metrics showed weak to moderate positive correlation with the relative cover of invasive species. This finding suggests that the establishment of macrophyte vegetation may not be significantly affected by invasive species at this early successional stage

The role of hydrological regime in structuring macrophyte assemblages in gravel pit lakes along the Drina river floodplane (Serbia)

Hydrological regime plays an important role in structuring macrophyte vegetation in highly connected fl oodplain lakes, such as gravel pit lakes connected to the main river channel. If the dominant hydrological drivers are known, an optimal selection of gravel excavation location, relative to the main river channel, may create favorable hydrological conditions for aquatic biota. The aim of this study was to determine the most significant and relevant hydrological variables for structuring macrophyte assemblages in newly formed gravel pit lakes along the lower course of the Drina River. Field research was carried out on 49 survey sectors (14 gravel pit lakes), during the summer months of 2015 and 2016. Vegetation data was collected in accordance with the Pan-European standard for the sampling of macrophyte vegetation in lakes, using the UKTAG LEAFPACS (Lake Assessment Methods, Macrophyte and Phytobenthos). Hydrological variables (frequency, duration and amplitude of the flooding events during the 4-year period prior to the vegetation survey) for each lake were extracted from the Republic Hydrometeorological Services according to the relative shore height to the Badovinci water-level station on the Drina River. The role of hydrological variables in structuring macrophyte assemblages was tested using partial Canonical Correspondence Analysis, while Generalized Linear Model was performed to test the ability of selected hydrological attributes to predict the macrophyte quantitative metrics (Shannon diversity index, species richness, total macrophyte cover, number of macrophyte functional groups, number of charophyte taxa and relative charophyte cover). The analyses showed that species richness, Shannon diversity index, total macrophyte cover and number of macrophyte functional groups were negatively predicted by the frequency of flooding events during the summer seasons in the past 4-year period. However, these macrophyte indices, including the number of charophyte taxa and the relative charophyte cover, were positively correlated with the frequency of flooding events during the spring periods. These results suggest that the frequency of fl ooding periods during vegetation season may affect macrophyte vegetation structure by direct biomass removal. However, the frequency of spring flooding events influences the water trophic conditions which may increase macrophyte diversity and richness.7th Balkan Botanical Congress (7BCC), 10–14 September 2018, Novi Sad, Serbia, [https://botanicaserbica.bio.bg.ac.rs/arhiva/pdf/2018_42_2_1_full.pdf