Spatiotemporal profile of emission from oscillating dc micro discharges

The axial light distributions in parallel-plate dc microdischarges in argon show similar behavior to large scale discharges. Between the low-current Townsend mode and the high current glow mode exists a large region of currents where different oscillations appear and the dynamic Volt-Ampere characteristic shows hysteresis behavior. During the oscillations the maximum peak intensity moves closer to the cathode, which is characteristic for the abnormal glow regime even though the average current is considerably smaller.Comment: submitted to: IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., Spec. Issue on Images in Plasma Sc

Axial light emission and Ar metastable densities in a parallel plate dc micro discharge in steady state and transient regimes

Axial emission profiles in a parallel plate dc micro discharge (feedgas: argon; discharge gap d=1mm; pressure p=10Torr) were studied by means of time resolved imaging with a fast ICCD camera. Additionally, volt-ampere (V-A) characteristics were recorded and Ar* metastable densities were measured by tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS). Axial emission profiles in the steady state regime are similar to corresponding profiles in standard size discharges (d=1cm, p=1Torr). For some discharge conditions relaxation oscillations are present when the micro discharge switches periodically between low current Townsend-like mode and normal glow. At the same time the axial emission profile shows transient behavior, starting with peak distribution at the anode, which gradually moves towards the cathode during the normal glow. The development of argon metastable densities highly correlates with the oscillating discharge current. Gas temperatures in the low current Townsend-like mode (T= 320-400K) and the high current glow mode (T=469-526K) were determined by the broadening of the recorded spectral profiles as a function of the discharge current.Comment: submitted to Plasma Sources Sci. Techno

Стари Грци : портрет једног народа : [представљање књиге на Трибини Библиотеке САНУ, Београд, 8. новембра 2011. године]

Стари Грци : портрет једног народа / Иван Јордовић. – Београд : Балканолошки институт САНУ : Завод за уџбенике, 2011. Говорили: академик Никола Тасић, проф. др Слободан Г. Марковић, проф. др Данијела Стефановић и проф. др Иван Јордовић. У Београду, уторак 8. новембар 2011. у 13.00 часов

Long-term Effects of Oxidative Stress in Volleyball Players

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of long-term training on elite female volleyball players and to determine parameters that could discriminate them according to the level of oxidative stress-associated adaptation. Fifty-four elite female volleyball players were divided into 3 groups (1: below-average training experience lt 8.0 years, 2: average training experience between 8.0 and 10.5 years and 3: above-average training experience > 10.5 years). The measured parameters were reactive oxygen metabolites, biological anti-oxidative potential, superoxide anion, malondialdehyde, advanced oxidation protein products, lipid hydroperoxides, paraoxonase activity, superoxide-dismutase activity and sulphydryl groups. Multiple discriminant analysis of the oxidative stress status parameters between the three groups of athletes indicated a statistically significant difference (Wilks' lambda=0.458, X-2=35.898, p=0.031). The most important discriminant variables, superoxide-dismutase and superoxide anion, were the best indicators of differences between groups with different training experience. The significantly higher values were found in Group 3 compared with Group 1 in superoxide-dismutase activity (141 +/- 32 vs. 86 +/- 46; p=0.002), sulphydryl groups (p=0.031), and reactive oxygen metabolites (p = 0.042). The significantly lower superoxide anion was found between Group 3 and Group 1 (377 +/- 187 vs. 1183 +/- 905; p=0.001). Oxidative stress status parameters adequately discriminated 68.5% of athletes with different training experience

The role of a pharmacist in prevention and detection of OTC drug interactions: Nominal group technique

Introduction: Nowadays number of newly approved OTC medicines continuously increases, which can make certain difficulties in drug dispensing process. This fact particularly relates to drug-drug interactions-problems due to lack of data and insufficient of knowledge about the interactions. Aim: To identify the problems pharmacists face when dispensing OTC drugs and to recommend concrete ideas and methods for improving system for detecting OTC drugs interactions. Participants and method: The study was carried out in accordance with methodological principles of nominal group technique. Two meetings of nominal group were conducted, enrolling pharmacists employed in public pharmacies. During the meetings, moderator imposed aset of questions to participants, who gave answers in the form of individual statements. In order to examine agreement of the participants about the individual statements, at the end of both sessions the statements were rated on a Likert's scale. Meetings were recorded and audio recordings later used for qualitative analysis. Results: Nine pharmacists of both sex (7/2 females/males) participated in this study. Average age of the participants was 25.0±1.0 years. During nominal group meetings, participants presented 30 statements on 7 research questions, and after the second meeting agreement was reached about 29 of them. Qualitative analysis of data indicated three categories of statements: (1) pharmacists' knowledge of OTC drugs interactions, (2) problems pharmacists face when dispensing OTC drugs and (3) options of improving system for prevention and detection of OTC drugs interactions. Conclusion: For adequate prevention of potential OTC drugs interactions it is necessary to make guidelines with recommendations referring to proper dispensing procedure and to use regularly available online interaction checkers

Data security in mobile healthcare

Introduction/purpose: The digitization of healthcare has gained particular importance in the years since the emergence of COVID-19 and also has become one of the primary goals of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. Telemedicine is a good solution when the patient cannot come to a healthcare facility. Mobile healthcare applications are already widely used, but in both fields the important challenge is data security. The aim of this paper is to review solutions for data security in mobile healthcare from the technical side and possible challenges in the process of digitization of the healthcare system in Serbia. Methods: This review is based on current papers in this area, on the available relevant literature and the authors' many years of experience in this field. Experiences in the process of digitization of healthcare in Serbia are based on available articles and regulations. Finally, possible challenges are presented from the authors' perspective based on everything presented in the field of data security in mobile healthcare. Results: The analysis of the papers reviewed from the point of view of data security showed that users are often ready to sacrifice their privacy for the sake of convenience provided by mobile applications. Conclusion: Based on the review of the papers and clear data security requirements that include the presented safeguards, one of the main tasks of the entire community is to raise awareness of information security and awareness of the need for cyber hygiene of each individual, which is the basis for the safe use of e-health services

Low Prevalence of Lactase Persistence in Bronze Age Europe Indicates Ongoing Strong Selection over the Last 3,000 Years

Lactase persistence (LP), the continued expression of lactase into adulthood, is the most strongly selected single gene trait over the last 10,000 years in multiple human populations. It has been posited that the primary allele causing LP among Eurasians, rs4988235-A [1], only rose to appreciable frequencies during the Bronze and Iron Ages [2, 3], long after humans started consuming milk from domesticated animals. This rapid rise has been attributed to an influx of people from the Pontic-Caspian steppe that began around 5,000 years ago [4, 5]. We investigate the spatiotemporal spread of LP through an analysis of 14 warriors from the Tollense Bronze Age battlefield in northern Germany (∼3,200 before present, BP), the oldest large-scale conflict site north of the Alps. Genetic data indicate that these individuals represent a single unstructured Central/Northern European population. We complemented these data with genotypes of 18 individuals from the Bronze Age site Mokrin in Serbia (∼4,100 to ∼3,700 BP) and 37 individuals from Eastern Europe and the Pontic-Caspian Steppe region, predating both Bronze Age sites (∼5,980 to ∼3,980 BP). We infer low LP in all three regions, i.e., in northern Germany and South-eastern and Eastern Europe, suggesting that the surge of rs4988235 in Central and Northern Europe was unlikely caused by Steppe expansions. We estimate a selection coefficient of 0.06 and conclude that the selection was ongoing in various parts of Europe over the last 3,000 years

Horizontal acquisition of multiple mitochondrial genes from a parasitic plant followed by gene conversion with host mitochondrial genes

Background: Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is relatively common in plant mitochondrial genomes but the mechanisms, extent and consequences of transfer remain largely unknown. Previous results indicate that parasitic plants are often involved as either transfer donors or recipients, suggesting that direct contact between parasite and host facilitates genetic transfer among plants. Results: In order to uncover the mechanistic details of plant-to-plant HGT, the extent and evolutionary fate of transfer was investigated between two groups: the parasitic genus Cuscuta and a small clade of Plantago species. A broad polymerase chain reaction (PCR) survey of mitochondrial genes revealed that at least three genes (atp1, atp6 and matR) were recently transferred from Cuscuta to Plantago. Quantitative PCR assays show that these three genes have a mitochondrial location in the one species line of Plantago examined. Patterns of sequence evolution suggest that these foreign genes degraded into pseudogenes shortly after transfer and reverse transcription (RT)- PCR analyses demonstrate that none are detectably transcribed. Three cases of gene conversion were detected between native and foreign copies of the atp1 gene. The identical phylogenetic distribution of the three foreign genes within Plantago and the retention of cytidines at ancestral positions of RNA editing indicate that these genes were probably acquired via a single, DNA-mediated transfer event. However, samplings of multiple individuals from two of the three species in the recipient Plantago clade revealed complex and perplexing phylogenetic discrepancies and patterns of sequence divergence for all three of the foreign genes. Conclusions: This study reports the best evidence to date that multiple mitochondrial genes can be transferred via a single HGT event and that transfer occurred via a strictly DNA-level intermediate. The discovery of gene conversion between co-resident foreign and native mitochondrial copies suggests that transferred genes may be evolutionarily important in generating mitochondrial genetic diversity. Finally, the complex relationships within each lineage of transferred genes imply a surprisingly complicated history of these genes in Plantago subsequent to their acquisition via HGT and this history probably involves some combination of additional transfers (including intracellular transfer), gene duplication, differential loss and mutation-rate variation. Unravelling this history will probably require sequencing multiple mitochondrial and nuclear genomes from Plantago