Zapotrzebowanie polskich sieci franczyzowych na usługi doradcze

Rozwój rynku franczyzy powoduje, że przedsiębiorstwa działające w oparciu o taki model biznesu poszukują możliwości wzrostu. Celem artykułu jest wskazanie potrzeb doradczych sieci franczyzowych, co ma pomóc zdiagnozować kierunki rozwoju samych sieci oraz oferowanego im doradztwa. Na podstawie badań autorzy zidentyfikowano także trzy specjalistyczne obszary doradcze, które powinny zyskiwać w przyszłości na znaczeniu

Safety in social and urban restoration context of today’s cities

Since the beginning of the 21st century we have been faced with new, totally different and complex questions regarding safety in cities. Today, we are not focused anymore on regular fighting against criminal problems; cities are overwhelmed by all threats, from natural disasters, poverty and misery to the processes of migration. The goal of this paper is to study the cause and stimuli and to do some analysis for further research. The goal will be to make resilient cities where we consider safety the most important factor. Phenomena which we find in the cities, even if they could not be presumed or planned, will be further investigated. Poverty in cities is something we already fight against, but it is an indicator of future instability and crime. Development of disaster resilient communities is an element which has already been worked on globally. By identifying factors of urban renovation, experts should be open to explore the concepts which bring new ideas about urban resistance enforcements. While concept of instable or “zero tolerance” is defined as sensitive to stressors, anti-fragilities are connected with generation of positive answers to damage. Constant estimation needs to be focused on advantages and weaknesses of unexpected events. When it comes to migrations, guidelines should follow the American model – almost two centuries of co-existence. It should be pointed out that there is an active political and professional will to create a healthy, strong, and mixed settlement. By multicultural enforcement in public places during urban regeneration and transformation, we should take into account both local interest, public, private and the new ones

Supplementary data for article: Novkovic, L.; Trmcic, M.; Rodic, M.; Bihelovic, F.; Zlatar, M.; Matovic, R.; Saicic, R. N. Synthesis of Endoperoxides by Domino Reactions of Ketones and Molecular Oxygen. RSC Advances 2015, 5 (120), 99577–99584. https://doi.org/10.1039/c5ra13476e

Supplementary material for: [https://doi.org/10.1039/c5ra13476e]Related to published version: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2000

Synthesis of endoperoxides by domino reactions of ketones and molecular oxygen

Domino reactions of ketones with molecular oxygen in the presence of potassium hydroxide and potassium t-butoxide afford cyclic hydroperoxy acetals (3,5-dihydroxy-1,2-dioxanes). Mixed endoperoxides can also be obtained in a three-component reaction of two ketones and oxygen.Supplementary material: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/3442

Machine Learning Successfully Detects Patients with COVID-19 Prior to PCR Results and Predicts Their Survival Based on Standard Laboratory Parameters in an Observational Study

Introduction: In the current COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians require a manageable set of decisive parameters that can be used to (i) rapidly identify SARS-CoV-2 positive patients, (ii) identify patients with a high risk of a fatal outcome on hospital admission, and (iii) recognize longitudinal warning signs of a possible fatal outcome. Methods: This comparative study was performed in 515 patients in the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Specialty Voivodeship Hospital in Zgierz, Poland. The study groups comprised 314 patients with COVID-like symptoms who tested negative and 201 patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection; of the latter, 72 patients with COVID-19 died and 129 were released from hospital. Data on which we trained several machine learning (ML) models included clinical findings on admission and during hospitalization, symptoms, epidemiological risk, and reported comorbidities and medications. Results: We identified a set of eight on-admission parameters: white blood cells, antibody-synthesizing lymphocytes, ratios of basophils/lymphocytes, platelets/neutrophils, and monocytes/lymphocytes, procalcitonin, creatinine, and C-reactive protein. The medical decision tree built using these parameters differentiated between SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative patients with up to 90–100% accuracy. Patients with COVID-19 who on hospital admission were older, had higher procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, and troponin I levels together with lower hemoglobin and platelets/neutrophils ratio were found to be at highest risk of death from COVID-19. Furthermore, we identified longitudinal patterns in C-reactive protein, white blood cells, and D dimer that predicted the disease outcome. Conclusions: Our study provides sets of easily obtainable parameters that allow one to assess the status of a patient with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the risk of a fatal disease outcome on hospital admission and during the course of the disease

Development of iminosugar-based glycosidase inhibitors as drug candidates for SARS-CoV-2 virus via molecular modelling and in vitro studies

We developed new iminosugar-based glycosidase inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2. Known drugs (miglustat, migalastat, miglitol, and swainsonine) were chosen as lead compounds to develop three classes of glycosidase inhibitors (α-glucosidase, α-galactosidase, and mannosidase). Molecular modelling of the lead compounds, synthesis of the compounds with the highest docking scores, enzyme inhibition tests, and in vitro antiviral assays afforded rationally designed inhibitors. Two highly active α-glucosidase inhibitors were discovered, where one of them is the most potent iminosugar-based anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent to date (EC90 = 1.94 µM in A549-ACE2 cells against Omicron BA.1 strain). However, galactosidase inhibitors did not exhibit antiviral activity, whereas mannosidase inhibitors were both active and cytotoxic. As our iminosugar-based drug candidates act by a host-directed mechanism, they should be more resilient to drug resistance. Moreover, this strategy could be extended to identify potential drug candidates for other viral infections

Structural characterization of bio-modified epoxy resin by using MALDI-TOF

Polymers and polymer composites have wide application in every industrial field, and are a subject of continuous research from different scientific aspects [1,2]. However, most commercial polymers are oil refinery based products. Recently, due to a growing concern for oil depletion, researchers have been focused on modification of polymers, as well as reinforcements [3,4]. Epoxy resin is the most commonly used adhesive that can be improved with fiber or particle reinforcements, or by using chemical modifiers. Modifying agents from renewable resources show potential in replacing oil-based compounds, because of their abundance, low price and heterogeneous structure that offers number of reactive groups [5]. In our research, honey was used as a bio-based modifier for diglycidyl ether of bisphenolA (DGEBA) based epoxy resin, with the aim of investigating structural changes. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry [6] was used as a powerful technique that is able to reveal presence of functional groups and modified epoxy resin structure. In this manner, successful chemical modification of epoxy resin was confirmed, which further opened the path for the investigation of honey potential as epoxy modifying agent.9. Simpozijum "Hemija i zaštita životne sredine" sa međunarodnim učešćem : Knjiga izvoda ; 4-7. jun 2023; Kladovo, Srbija9th Symposium Chemistry and Environmental Protection with international participation : Book of Abstracts ; 4-7th June 2023 ; Kladovo, Serbi

Supplementary data for article: Novkovic, L.; Trmcic, M.; Rodic, M.; Bihelovic, F.; Zlatar, M.; Matovic, R.; Saicic, R. N. Synthesis of Endoperoxides by Domino Reactions of Ketones and Molecular Oxygen. RSC Advances 2015, 5 (120), 99577–99584. https://doi.org/10.1039/c5ra13476e

Supplementary material for: [https://doi.org/10.1039/c5ra13476e]Related to published version: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2000

Hypoxia affects the expression of SOX genes and induction of neural differentiation of human embryonal carcinoma NT2/D1 cells

The family of SOX genes encodes proteins that display properties of both classical transcription factors and architectural components of chromatin. During development of nervous system, as well as adult neurogenesis, SOX transcription factors govern diverse cellular processes such as maintaining the multipotency of neural stem cells, cell proliferation, cell fate decision, migration as well as terminal differentiation of neurons. Despite their well-known function in development and brain homeostasis, the expression and role of these genes in pathology- induced neural stem cell plasticity is poorly understood. Reduction in oxygen supply or ischemia are involved in various pathological conditions, such as stroke, traumatic brain injury and cardiac arrest, which promotes neurogenesis, angiogenesis, cell proliferation and other cell mechanisms for survival under the stress. The aim of the present study was to analyze the expression of SOX genes during in vitro neurogenesis following chemical hypoxia. Neuronal differentiation of human pluripotent embryonal carcinoma stem cell line NT2/D1 was used as an in vitro model system for studying the process of human neurogenesis. Depending on different concentration, RA directed the differentiation of NT2/D1 cells into neurons with a different phenotype. The effect of stress caused by hypoxia on the properties of pluripotent cells as well as the induction of neural differentiation was monitored in vitro by culturing NT2/D1 cells in the presence of cobalt chloride, a chemical inducer of hypoxia. The results of the analysis showed that the effect of hypoxia on the expression of SOX2 and OCT4 proteins involved in maintaining the pluripotency of cells depends on the duration of action of cobalt chloride. After short-term exposure of the cells, an increase in the levels of expression of SOX2 and OCT4 proteins was detected, while long-term treatment of the cells led to a decrease in the expression of these proteins. Furthermore, results showed that depending of duration of cobalt chloride treatments, the level of expression of miR-21 in undifferentiated NT2/D1 cells significantly changed. In addition, long-term pretreatment of pluripotent cells with cobalt chloride resulted in increased expression levels of SOX2, SOX3 and GAD67 proteins in neural progenitors induced for 7 days in the presence of, either low or high concentration of retinoic acid, indicating that hypoxia causes increased efficiency of NT2/D1 cell neural differentiation. Damage of brain tissue caused by reduction of oxygen and/or blood flow to the tissue is the leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of disability in humans. Our results contributes to the research focused on discovering the roles of SOX TFs and their gene targets in ischemia related pathologies, making them promising biomarkers and potential targets for future diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.BOOK OF ABSTRACTS: 10th JUBILEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RADIATION IN VARIOUS FIELDS OF RESEARCH Jun 13-17, 2022, Herceg Novi - Montenegr

Canine babesiosis in different seasons - a fertile ground for multiple questions

Background: Canine babesiosis is a disease with a seasonal character. We have previously observed that in Belgrade, the capital of the Republic of Serbia, 60% of cases with the acute-phase response (APR) give a notable maximum between mid- February and May, the so-called “high season”. The other two peak seasons with less pronounced maxima are in winter, from January to mid-February, and in autumn, from October to December. Objectives: Based on clinical observations, we postulate that dogs infected with B. canis in the “high season” develop a more intense APR than dogs in the other two seasons. Material and Methods: To test this hypothesis, we compare the relative parasite load and the level of acute-phase proteins and reactants, their indexes (calculated as a combination of concentrations of fast and slow positive, and fast and slow negative acute phase reactants), as well as the concentration of coagulation factors, complete blood count, and biochemistry among dogs that developed the disease in the autumn, winter, and “high season”. Results: The relative parasite load is the lowest, and APR Indexes are the highest in dogs infected in “high season”. These findings are accompanied by relatively low creatinine and urea, implying that dogs in “high season” had hemodilution, thus further suggesting short incubation. Unlike other acute-phase proteins, fibrinogen showed the lowest concentration in “high season”. Conclusion: Future research will help unveil the connection between more intense APR and relatively low parasite load and fibrinogen concentration