Language in Video Games: A Tool for Virtual Characterization of Characters in Role-Playing Games

Video games provide an interesting and scientifically largely unexplored virtual space that reflects the popular culture of today, as well as its most frequent stereotypes. Since language is an essential factor of presentation and communication within video games, it is an easy target for categorization and stereotyping. A quantitative and qualitative study into sociolinguistic stereotypes was conducted within the virtual environment of the game Guild Wars 2. The quantitative method involved the analysis of linguistic characteristics of three races from the game that had the most clear-cut linguistic variations – the Standard English accent of the sylvari race, and the vocabulary differences between the asura and the skritt race based on the amount of nouns, verbs and adjectives used within the analyzed sample. The qualitative method involved interviewing six players that actively play the game in order to provide better insight into players' perception and observation of aforementioned races and their linguistic variations, as well as any negative and positive opinions they have of them. The results have confirmed the presence of these linguistic variations among the races; furthermore, the interviews have shown that the players create their opinions of these races and attribute positive and negative values to them based on their real-life stereotypes towards these linguistic variations – namely, they attributed higher prestige to the sylvari race and an overall positive opinion based on their Received Pronunciation, as well as judging the asura race as the more intelligent race than the skritt based on their larger vocabulary and language proficiency

An analysis of research into urban flora and vegetation in Southeast Europe

In the last two decades, the number of research articles focused on urban ecosystems in Europe has increased significantly. However, the cities investigated are very unevenly distributed, and most of the studies are focused on Central Europe. The aim of this analysis was to provide a realistic insight into the results of previous research into the urban flora and vegetation of Southeast Europe. The analysis covers a total of 149 articles, classified according to the topic and concept of research. The rates of exploration of urban flora and vegetation vary considerably across the countries of Southeast Europe. The floristic approach was the most common. Although some countries of Southeast Europe have a significant number of floristic studies (e.g. Serbia and Croatia with more than 20 each), their urban flora is still insufficiently explored compared to other European regions. Also, the use of different methodologies makes it impossible to compare results in an adequate way and draw relevant conclusions. Unlike the studies in most of Europe, with a broader spatial framework and uniform methodology, in Southeast Europe they usually referred to individual cities, specific habitats or certain parts of the cities. Hence, including Southeast Europe in large-scale studies would be beneficial

EFFECT OF EARLY BERRY THINNING AND GIRDLING ON GRAPE QUALITY OF CV. VICTORIA

The research was carried out at University of Belgrade Faculty of Agriculture experimental station “Radmilovac” on table grape Victoria cv with aim to improve grape quality and with consideration the introduction of these ampelographic measures in regular grapevine growing. The research included two treatments of berry thinning (thinning bunch tip - BtT and first lateral wink -BtW), girdling (G) and control (C). Combined effect of berry thinning and girdling were not examined. The following features were examined: fertility and yield, bunch and berry dimensions, bunch and berry structure, sugar content and total acidity. The thinning treatments did not have significant effect on uvometric parameters and grape quality, but they improved the yield by 41.7% (BtW) and 51.4% (BtT) in comparison to the control. It can be explained by bad fruit set influenced by unfavourable meteorological conditions during flowering in control treatment. Berry thinning achieves a better fruit set. Berry thinning should be applied as a regular ampelographic measure according to weather conditions during flowering phonological stage. Results confirm the positive influence of girdling. The yield was increased by 88,34% compared to control, berries had a higher diameter (for about 1mm with respect to control), fruit set and bunch mass were in higher level against other treatments, sugar content (17,00%), total acidity (5,75 g/L) were improved too. Girdling can be introduced as a regular ampelographic measure in the table cultivars vineyards, in order to obtain higher yields and better quality of table grape

Upotreba recikliranog PET-a ((Poli) etilen-tereftalat) za vezivanje armature

Recycling has an important role in modern production and in environment preservation. Introduction of recycled PET ((Poly) Ethylene-terephthalate) as straps for reinforcement bars in concrete construction elements can help these important issues. By using an experimental method it is shown that PET straps made with minimal investment, on site and with manual production can replace ‘annealed’ wire as element for connection of reinforcement bars. An overview of some regulation and procedures is presented and used for eligibility assessment of the proposed straps made of recycled material. Also an overview of commonly used connections is given so it can be compared with the proposed ones.Reciklaža zauzima sve važniju ulogu u modernoj proizvodnji i očuvanju životne sredine. Uvođenje recikliranog PET-a ((Poli) Etilen-tereftalat) kao veze za armaturne šipke u betonskim konstruktivnim elementima može doprineti ovim važnim ciljevima. Korišćenjem eksperimentalne metode pokazano je da ovakve veze načinjene od recikliranog PET-a, uz minimalne investicije, napravljene na licu mesta i ručnom izradom mogu zameniti “paljenu”žicu kao element kojim se ostvaruje konekcija između armaturnih šipki. Dat je i kratak pregled nekih propisa i procedura koje su korišćene za procenu predloženih veza od navedenog recikliranog materijala. Takođe je dat i pregled najčešće korićenih veza kako bi moglo da se napravi poređenje sa predloženim rešenjem

Dietary habits of Serbian preschool and schoolchildren with regard to food of animal origin

The goal of this study was to explore attitudes and habits of Serbian preschool and school children in consumption of meat products, milk and milk products, eggs and egg products and honey and bee products. The survey was conducted on a sample of 227 children, divided into three different age groups: preschool (ages 4-6), primary school I-IV grade (ages 7-11) and primary school V-VIII grade (ages 12-15). The results showed that all examined groups of children consumed meat products, milk and milk products, eggs and egg products, and honey and bee products. In all groups of children, the most frequently consumed food (among our food category choices) was dried ham (consumed by 19.64% of preschool children; 23.75% of schoolchildren from I-IV grade; 19.74% of schoolchildren from V-VIII grade). Fewer preschool children consumed sterilized milk compared to children of school age. The results showed that in all three groups of children, the most commonly consumed milk products were yoghurt (from 12.20 to 15.29% of children consumed these) and sour cream (from 11.57 to 12.74% of children consumed this), while kefir was the least-consumed product. In addition, there was no difference in consumption of boiled or fried eggs in the examined groups of children, while the consumption of egg products (mayonnaise) was higher in the group of preschool children than in the group of schoolchildren from V-VIII grade. Preschool children consumed honey 14.99% more often than schoolchildren from I-IV grade, and 14.49% more often than did schoolchildren from grade V-VIII

Pouzdanost kompjuterizovanih kefalometrijskih predviđanja rezultata hirurške korekcije mandibularnog prognatizma

Introduction. A successful treatment outcome in dentofacial deformity patients commonly requires combined orthodontic-surgical therapy. This enables us to overcome functional, aesthetic and psychological problems. Since most patients state aesthetics as the primary motive for seeking therapy, cephalometric predictions of treatment outcome have become the essential part of treatment planning, especially in combined orthodontic-surgical cases. Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of computerized orthognathic surgery outcome predictions generated using the Nemotec Dental Studio NX 2005 software. Methods. The sample of the study consisted of 31 patients diagnosed with mandibular prognathism who were surgically treated at the Hospital for Maxillofacial Surgery in Belgrade. Investigation was done on lateral cephalograms made before and after surgical treatment. Cephalograms were digitized and analyzed using computer software. According to measurements made on superimposed pre- and postsurgical cephalograms, the patients were retreated within the software and the predictions were assessed by measuring seven angular and three linear parameters. Prediction measurements were then compared with the actual outcome. Results. Results showed statistically significant changes between posttreatment and predicted values for parameters referring to lower lip and mentolabial sulcus position. Conclusion. Computerized cephalometric predictions for hard-tissue structures in the sagittal and vertical planes, as well as the VTO parameters, generated using the Nemotec Dental Studio NX 2005 software are reliable, while lower lip and mentolabial sulcus position predictions are not reliable enough.Uvod. Radi postizanja što boljih krajnjih rezultata, osobe sa dentofacijalnim deformitetima najčešće se leče kombinovanom ortodontsko-hirurškom terapijom. Na taj način rešavaju se funkcionalni, estetski i psihološki problemi. Kako najveći broj pacijenata navodi estetsku promenu kao primarni motiv lečenja, kefalometrijsko predviđanje ishoda je važan deo planiranja terapije, posebno kod složenih slučajeva. Cilj rada. Cilj rada je bio da se proceni preciznost i pouzdanost predviđanja ishoda hirurške korekcije mandibularnog prognatizma razvijenih u okviru kompjuterskog softvera Nemotec Dental Studio NX 2005. Metode rada. Ispitan je 31 pacijent s mandibularnim prognatizmom koji je operisan na Klinici za maksilofacijalnu hirurgiju Stomatološkog fakulteta Univerziteta u Beogradu. Istraživanje je izvedeno na profilnim teleradiogramima snimljenim pre i posle hirurške intervencije. Nakon digitalizacije snimaka izvršena je kompjuterizovana kefalometrijska analiza. Na osnovu merenja određenih horizontalnih i vertikalnih rastojanja na preoperacionim i postoperacionim radiogramima, urađena je simulacija hirurških korekcija i na njima izmerena vrednost sedam angularnih parametara i tri linearna parametra, čija je vrednost upoređena s vrednostima na postoperacionim radiogramima. Rezultati. Ustanovljene su statistički značajne razlike između postoperacionih i predviđenih vrednosti za parametre koji govore o položaju donje usne i mentolabijalnog sulkusa. Zaključak. Kompjuterizovana kefalometrijska predviđanja položaja čvrstotkivnih struktura u sagitalnoj i vertikalnoj ravni, kao i VTO parametara, dobijena u okviru korišćenog programa su pouzdana, dok su predviđanja položaja donje usne i mentolabijalnog sulkusa nedovoljno pouzdana

The Behavior of Some Sweet Cherry Cultivars on Mazzard Rootstock on Heavy and Acidic Soil

Over 60% Serbian soils are heavy, shallow and acidic, especially in west part of this country. Basically, Serbian fruit production is mainly represented in these conditions which are not favorable for intensive fruit growing. However, repair of these soils is a long and very expensive process. Regarding to this, one of the real ways to overcome this problem faster and cheaper is to grow tolerant fruit genotypes on adequate rootstock in order to sustainable and economically justified production. Therefore, from 2008 to 2015, we investigated behavior of eight sweet cherry cultivars on Mazzard rootstock on heavy and acidic soil, i.e. their tree vigor, productivity and fruit quality attributes under high density planting system (1,250 tree ha‒1). Results showed that ‘New Star’ generally had the highest tree vigor, yield per tree and hectare, fruit thickness, sphericity, flesh rate and ripening index values. ‘Sunburst’ had the lowest tree vigor alongside with ‘Stark Hardy Giant’ (‘SHG’), and the highest cumulative yield and yield efficiency. ‘Summit’ had the highest fruit width and the poorest yield per tree, cumulative yield and yield efficiency, whereas ‘Lapins’ had the lowest fruit weight and all three fruit dimensions. The highest fruit weight and fruit width was found in ‘June Early’, and soluble solids content (SSC) and titratable acidity (TA) in ‘Hedelfinger’. The lowest SSC was observed in ‘June Early’ and TA in ‘Stark Hardy Giant’. The best financial result was shown by ‘New Star’ and the poorest by ‘Summit’

Procena dinamičke nestabilnosti kolena kod povrede zadnje ukrštene veze pomoću trodimenzionalnog OptiTrack sistema

Uvod: Koleno je jedinstven zglob u ljudskom telu po tome što je najveći zglob, najsloženije anatomske građe sa vrlo kompleksnom biomehanikom. Pokreti u zglobu su jako složeni i sastoje se u osnovi iz translacije i rotacije, a mogući su u sve tri ravni prostora. Određeni su kako geometrijom zglobnih površina tako i mekotkivnim omotačem zgloba. Primenom novih tehničkih dostignuća, pre svega tehnika snimanja i praćenja pokreta tela i zglobova, pruža nam se mogućnost da proučavamo biomehaniku koleno na jedan nov način. Metodologija: Cilj ove studije je da se korišćenjem OptiTrack sistema, koji se sastoji od specijalizovanih infracrvenih kamera visoke preciznosti i klasifikacionih algoritama, izmere mikro pokreti u kolenu, koji nastaju kao posledica nedostatka zadnjeg ukrštenog ligamenta. Odabrani su pacijenti koji imaju povredu zadnje ukrštene veze jednog kolena. Upoređuje se biomehanika povređenog kolena, sa zdravim zglobom suprotne strane i sa istim kolenom nakon hirurške intervencije. Rezultati: U ovoj seriji od 16 pacijenata bilo je 13 muškaraca i 3 žene, prosečne starosti 28.6 godina. Upoređujući obrasce pokreta dobijene OptiTrack sistemom kod zdravog i povređenog zgloba jasno je da je šema pokreta poremećena. Izražena je zadnja nestabilnost prikazana kroz zadnje pomeranje tibije kao i povećana spoljašnja rotacija tibije u fazi oslonca kod nestabilnog zgloba. Koristeći Vilkoksonov test, dokazano je da postoji statistički značajna razlika između zdravog i bolesnog kolena, u pogledu anteriorno-posteriorne translacije i interno-eksterne rotacije. Nakon hirurške intervencije rezultati merenja su pokazali da je biomehanika zgloba vraćena u fiziološke granice. Zaključak: Rezultati ove studije su jasno pokazali dinamičku nestabilnost koja nastaje u kolenu sa oštećenim zadnjim ukrštenim ligamentom, a koja se može objektivno izmeriti OptiTrack sistemom. Operativnim lečenjem ove povrede, pokreti kolena se vraćaju u normalne granice kao kod zdravog zgloba.Introduction: The knee is a unique joint in the human body because it is the largest joint, with the most complex anatomy and very complex biomechanics. The movements in the knee are very complicated and consist essentially of translation and rotation and are possible in all three levels of space. They are determined by the geometry of the articular surfaces and by the soft tissue of the joint. By applying new technical achievements, primarily the technique of recording and monitoring movements of the body and joints, we are able to study the biomechanics of the knee in a new way. Methodology: The aim of this study is to measure the micro-movements in the knee, which result from the lack of the posterior cruciate ligament using the OptiTrack system, which consists of specialized high precision infrared cameras and classification algorithms. Patients who have a rupture of posterior cruciate ligament of one knee were selected. The function of тhe biomechanics of an injured knee is compared with a healthy joint on the opposite side and with the same knee after surgery. Results: In this 16-patient series, there were 13 males and 3 females, with an average age of 28.6 years. Comparing patterns of motion obtained with the OptiTrack system in a healthy and injured knee, it is clear that the scheme of the movement is disturbed. The posterior instability was expressed through the posterior displacement of the tibia in the support phase of walking, as well as the increased external rotation of the tibia in the support phase in the unstable joint. Using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, it has been shown that there is a statistically significant difference between healthy and diseased knee, in terms of anterior-posterior translation and internal-external rotation. After surgical intervention, the results of the measurement showed that the biomechanics of the joints were in normal physiological limits. Conclusion: The results of this study clearly demonstrated the dynamic instability that occurs in the knee with posterior cruciate ligament rupture that can be objectively measured by the OptiTrack system. Operative treatment of this knee injury returns movements of the joint in the normal limits as in a healthy one