The Religious Heritage in the War of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995)

Este artículo presenta el resumen del trabajo fin del máster “Cultura de Paz, Conflictos, Educación y Derechos Humanos” que hice en el “Instituto de la Paz y los Conflictos” en Granada. El tema principal del trabajo son conflictos religiosos en la Guerra de Bosnia y Herzegovina (1992-1995) y el papel de la religión como tal en el conflicto. Los conflictos balcánicos son bien conocidos y por ahora bastante analizados, pero los autores españoles nunca han analizado el componente religioso del conflicto. El fin de este trabajo es dar a conocer el papel que jugó la religión en dicha guerra de un modo profundo, aprovechando la ventaja de la autora de conocer la literatura en las lenguas balcánicas, así como las circunstancias históricas y políticas de los países balcánicos. He llegado a la conclusión que la Guerra de Bosnia y Herzegovina tuvo un componente religioso importante, siendo la primera vez que se estudia el tema de los conflictos religiosos, pero desde la investigación para la paz, siendo este el aporte más valioso del trabajo.This article presents the summary of the master’s thesis, which I undertook at the Institute for Peace and Conflicts in Granada for the course “Culture of Peace, Conflicts, Education and Human Rights”. The focus of my master’s thesis is religious conflicts in the War of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995) and the role of religion in the conflict. The Balkan conflicts are well-known and until now have been quite analysed, but Spanish authors have never analysed the religious component of the conflict. Taking advantage of having in-depth knowledge of Balkan languages, literature about the issue, historical and political circumstances of the Balkan countries, the goal of this research work is to introduce Spanish readers, in a much more in-depth way, to the role that religion played in the War of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I have concluded that the War of Bosnia and Herzegovina had an important religious component and bearing in mind that this kind of peace investigation has never been developed before, this can be considered as an important contribution of this research work

Retrofitting of multifamily housing: life-cycle costing aspects

This Life-Cycle Costing (LCC) analysis deals with the feasibility of measures taken to improve thermal performance of building envelope in order to reduce energy demands for space heating. LCC analysis is carried out on one exemplary apartment in multifamily buildings with recently refurbished facades in Karaburma, a settlement in Belgrade. Results of the analysis show that by improving properties of envelope with poor thermal U value, the reduction of electricity consumed for heating in Belgrade climate is 28 %. Considering Serbian system for electricity charging, reduction of monthly costs for electricity can be doubled

Identification of a rare p.G320R alpha-1-antitrypsin variant in emphysema and lung cancer patients

The alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) gene is highly polymorphic, with more than 100 genetic variants identified of which some can affect A1AT protein concentration and/or function and lead to pulmonary and/or liver disease. This study reports on the characterization of a p.G320R variant found in two patients, one with emphysema and the other with lung cancer. This variant results from a single base-pair substitution in exon 4 of the A1AT gene, and has been characterized as P by isoelectric focusing. Functional evaluation of the A1AT p.G320R variant was through comparing specific trypsin inhibitory activity in two patients with pulmonary disorders, carriers of the p.G320R variant, and 19 healthy individuals, carriers of normal A1AT M variants. Results showed that specific trypsin inhibitory activity was lower in both emphysema (2.45 mU/g) and lung cancer (2.07 mU/g) patients than in carriers of the normal variants (range 2.51-3.71 mU/g). This rare A1AT variant is associated with reduced functional activity of A1AT protein. Considering that it was found in patients with severe pulmonary disorders, this variant could be of clinical significance

La herencia religiosa en la Guerra de Bosnia y Herzegovina (1992-1995)

Este artículo presenta el resumen del trabajo fin del máster “Cultura de Paz, Conflictos, Educación y Derechos Humanos” que hice en el “Instituto de la Paz y los Conflictos” en Granada. El tema principal del trabajo son conflictos religiosos en la Guerra de Bosnia y Herzegovina (1992-1995) y el papel de la religión como tal en el conflicto. Los conflictos balcánicos son bien conocidos y por ahora bastante analizados, pero los autores españoles nunca han analizado el componente religioso del conflicto. El fin de este trabajo es dar a conocer el papel que jugó la religión en dicha guerra de un modo profundo, aprovechando la ventaja de la autora de conocer la literatura en las lenguas balcánicas, así como las circunstancias históricas y políticas de los países balcánicos. He llegado a la conclusión que la Guerra de Bosnia y Herzegovina tuvo un componente religioso importante, siendo la primera vez que se estudia el tema de los conflictos religiosos, pero desde la investigación para la paz, siendo este el aporte más valioso del trabajo

Optimization of preparation conditions of poly(ε-caprolactone) microspheres for controlled release of carbamazepine

Poly (ε-caprolactone), PCL, is an aliphatic polyester suitable for controlled drug release due to its biodegradability, biocompatibility, non-toxicity and high permeability to many therapeutic drugs. This study investigates the effect of the preparation parameters on the size and the morphology of the PCL microspheres and on the release profile of carbamazepine from these microspheres. The PCL microspheres were prepared using oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion solvent evaporation method with the poly(vinyl alcohol), PVA, as the emulsion stabilizer. The influence of the stirring rate applied during the emulsion formation, the homogenization time and the emulsifier concentration on diameter and size distribution of the microspheres was analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The initial emulsion was formed applying high stirring rates of 10000, 18000 and 23000 rpm, for homogenization times: 5, 10 and 15 min. The diameter was strongly influenced by the stirring rate, and the average particle size decreased from 9.2 to 2.8 ìm with the increase of the stirring rate. Increasing the amount of PVA in the water phase from 0.2 to 1 mass% improved stabilization of the oil droplets and led to a slight decrease of the average particle diameter. Drug-loaded microspheres were prepared by the same technique using different amounts of carbamazepine (10 and 15 mass%), under given conditions (1.0 mass% PVA, stirring rate of 18000 rpm for a period of 5 min of emulsion formation). Additionally, microspheres were prepared by applying low stirring rate of 1000 rpm with 10 and 15 mass% of the drug. The SEM analysis showed that microspheres created with 18000 rpm stirring rate, had average diameters of 3-4 ìm, and the microspheres prepared with 1000 rpm stirring rate were larger than 100 ìm. It was also observed that, in the case of the large microspheres, carbamazepine was deposited on their surfaces, while the small microspheres had smooth surfaces without observable drug crystals. The encapsulation efficiency and the release behaviour of the carbamazepine were examined using high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet spectroscopy (HPLC-UV). The drug encapsulation efficiencies were in the range from 69 to 81%, and were increasing with the increase of the amount of carbamazepine in both series. In vitro release experiments were carried out in the phosphate buffer solution (pH 7) at 37°C. The release rate was influenced by the microspheres size and morphology. The larger microspheres released more carbamazepine (85-95%) compared to the small ones (50-65%) for the same period. This behavior was attributed to the different drug distribution in the PCL matrix. Different mathematical models were used to describe drug release kinetics. It was concluded that the mechanism of the carbamazepine release from the microspheres was diffusion-controlled, independent on the type of microspheres. The kinetic parameters showed that the release of carbamazepine was slower from the smaller microspheres, probably as a result of more even distribution of the drug in the polymer matrix.Cilj ovog rada je ispitivanje uticaja uslova dobijanja mikrosfera biodegradabilnog poli(ε-kaprolaktona) tehnikom otparavanja rastvarača iz emulzije, na veličinu i raspodelu veličina mikrosfera. Polazne emulzije rastvora polimera u vodi formirane su pri velikim brzinama mešanja tokom formiranja emulzije u opsegu od 10000 do 23000 o min-1, radi dobijanja mikrosfera malih prečnika. Varirana je brzina mešanja prilikom formiranja emulzije, dužina trajanja emulgovanja velikim brzinama mešanja i udeo stabilizatora emulzije, poli(vinil alkohola). Veličina i raspodela veličina polimernih mikrosfera određivana je skenirajućom elektronskom mikroskopijom. U polimerne mikrosfere inkapsuliran je lek karbamazepin iz grupe antiepileptika i određivana je efikasnost inkapsulacije, kao i profil otpuštanja leka u puferskom rastvoru metodom tečne hromatografije sa UV spektroskopijom. Takođe je izučavana kinetika otpuštanja karbamazepina korišćenjem različitih modela s ciljem ispitivanja mehanizma otpuštanja leka iz mikrosfera dobijenih pri različitim uslovima

Esterase and peroxidase isoforms in different stages of morphogenesis in Fritillaria meleagris L. in bulb-scale culture

Morphogenesis in vitro is a complex and still poorly defined process. We investigated esterase and peroxidase isoforms detected in bulb scale, during Fritillaria meleagris morphogenesis. Bulbs were grown either at 4 degrees C or on a medium with an increased concentration of sucrose (4.5\%) for 30 days. After these pre-treatments, the bulb scales were further grown on nutrient media that contained different concentrations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and kinetin (KIN) or thidiazuron (TDZ). Regeneration of somatic embryos and bulblets occurred at the same explant. The highest numbers of somatic embryos and bulblets were regenerated on the medium containing 2,4-D and KIN (1 mg/L each), while morphogenesis was most successful at a TDZ concentration between 0.5 and 1 mg/L. Monitoring of esterases and peroxidases was performed by growing bulb scales on a medium enriched with 2,4-D and KIN or TDZ (1 mg/L), and the number and activity of isoforms were followed every 7 days for 4 weeks. In control explants, six isoforms of esterase were observed. Three isoforms of peroxidase were not detected in the control bulb scale, which has not begun its morphogenesis process. 2015 Academie des sciences. (C) Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development {[}ON173015, OI 172048