Dobbs in the EU

EU leaders and institutions have reacted strongly to the US Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs, which overturned Roe v. Wade and held that the right to abortion was not consitutionally protected. Shortly after the decision was made public, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning Dobbs, and calling for the right to abortion to be included in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Including a right to abortion in the Charter may take years, and may never happen, as amendments to the Charter will require the ratification by each Member State. The impulse behind the resolution is, however, entirely justified. Despite the fact that Member States have overall liberalized their legal regimes regulating abortion, many legal and informal obstacles still remain on the ground. Rather than seeing Dobbs as an ‘American phenomenon’, as a specific, historically-situated product of the ongoing US ‘culture wars,’ it should serve as a reminder that the right to abortion remains fragile in the European Union, too

Malformation of eye pupil in nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes) from a wild population

Herpetology Notes (2017), 10: 229-23

Od Hrvatske do Transilvanije: Rat, migracija i prilagodbene strategije na primjeru obitelji Perušić (15. – 17. stoljeće)

The article gives the history of the noble Croatian family of Perušić, following the life and career of its main male representatives across three generations, from its emergence in sources in the mid-15th century up until its extinction in the male line in 1603. All three men – Gaspar (Gašpar) the Elder, Gaspar the Younger, and Matthew (Mate) – had primarily military careers, leading cavalry units and fighting either the Turks or other Christian nobles in civil wars which burdened Croatia, Slavonia, Hungary, and Transylvania from the late 15th to the early 17th century. Gaspar the Elder was the vice-ban of Croatia-Dalmatia and is a relatively well-known figure in Croatian historiography, while the lives of his son and grandson are thoroughly researched for the first time in this article. Gaspar the Younger, initially a supporter of the Habsburgs, was fighting the Ottomans in Croatia until 1532, with significant success, and was later engaged in civil strife in Slavonia, changing the sides he supported several times. He finally opted for King John Zápolya around 1538 and migrated to Zápolya’s realm, settling finally in Transylvania, where he gained many estates and served several de jure and de facto rulers, including another fellow Croat – the bishop of Oradea, George Martinuzzi (Juraj Utišenović Martinušević). His son Matthew, the last male member of this line of the Perušić family, spent his lifetime as a military commander for various Transylvanian rulers, almost always joining the winning side in the conflict and gaining the house in the informal capital – Alba Iulia. He died in a battle in 1603, survived by his sisters’ (Catherine’s and Anna’s) descendants.U članku se prikazuje povijest plemenite hrvatske obitelji Perušić kroz pregled života i karijere njezinih vodećih muških predstavnika u tri generacije, počev od prve pojave u izvorima sredinom 15. stoljeća pa sve do izumiranja muške linije u Transilvaniji 1603. godine. Sva trojica čelnika obitelji – Gašpar Stariji, Gašpar Mlađi i Mate – bili su mahom karijerni vojnici koji su vodili konjaničke i pješačke postrojbe, boreći se dijelom protiv Osmanlija, a dijelom protiv drugih kršćanskih plemića u građanskim ratovima koji su se odvijali u Hrvatskoj, Slavoniji, Ugarskoj i Transilvaniji od konca 15. do početka 17. stoljeća. Gašpar Stariji bio je hrvatsko-dalmatinski banovac u vrijeme banova Matije Gereba, Ladislava Egervarskog, Ivana Bota i Emerika Derenčina, a vjerojatno i neku godinu nakon Krbavske bitke. Obnašao je također i druge dužnosti – porkulaba i kaštelana u Rmnju, kaštelana u Bjelaju, Ostrovici Bužanskoj i Perušiću te bužanskog župana i ujedno vojskovođe. Nakon Krbavske bitke nastojao je organizirati obranu, a čini se da je pred kraj života prenio svoju djelatnost u okolicu Zadra, možda upravo u Perušić Benkovački. Umro je u Zadru 1507. Njegov stariji sin Gašpar Mlađi kretao se isprva u krugu knezova Kurjakovića Krbavskih i izvorno je bio pristaša Habsburgovaca. Borio se s Osmanlijama u Hrvatskoj barem od 1525. do 1532. godine, sa značajnim uspjehom, premda je 1525. bio nakratko zarobljen u Bagu (današnjem Karlobagu). Od 1529. je bio uvučen u građanski rat u Slavoniji, više puta mijenjajući stranu koju je podupirao (Ferdinand Habsburški, zagrebački biskup Šimun Erdődy, Ludovico Gritti, Ivan Zapolja). Dugo je uživao povjerenje Nikole Jurišića i u svim je sukobima predvodio konjicu. Konačno se opredijelio za kralja Ivana Zapolju oko 1538. i trajno odselio na istok. Do 1550. je boravio u sjevernom Banatu (točnije u Cenadu), a kasnije je prešao u Transilvaniju/Sedmogradsku, gdje je stekao brojna imanja (uglavnom u Bihorskoj županiji), služeći nekolicinu de jure i de facto vladara Zapoljinih teritorija, uključujući još jednog istaknutog Hrvata – velikovaradinskog biskupa Jurja Utišenovića Martinuševića. Sudjelovao je u ubojstvu Franje Bebeka u Erdeljskom Biogradu (Alba Iulia) 1558. godine, po naredbi kraljice Izabele. Smatra se da je bio oženjen kćerkom Bartaka Utišenovića, a zna se da je imao barem troje djece – kćeri Katarinu i Anu te sina Matu (možda iz više brakova). Katarina je bila udana za Stjepana Tamásija, a zatim za Stjepana iz znamenite transilvanijske obitelji Losonczi Bánffy, a Ana za Ivana iz obitelji Harinnai Farkas (postoji mogućnost da se kasnije preudala). Gašparov sin Mate, posljednji muški član ove grane obitelji Perušića, proveo je svoj život u vojnoj službi različitih transilvanijskih vladara (predstavnika obitelji Báthory, vlaškog gospodara Mihaja Hrabrog, Mojsija Székelya i dr.), gotovo uvijek se pridružujući pobjedničkoj strani u čestim sukobima. Postao je kapetan transilvanijskoga dvorskog pješaštva 1599. godine, a zbog zasluga mu je dodijeljena kuća u sjedištu Transilvanijske kneževine, Erdeljskom Biogradu. Tijekom vremena je, pored starih obiteljskih, stekao i nove posjede u sekeljskom sjedištu (szék) Odorhei/Udvarhely te u županijama Dăbâca/Doboka, Cluj/Kolozs i Alba/Fehér. Brak sa Sofijom Thorny zaključio je prije 1598. godine, ali nije ostavio potomstvo. Poginuo je u bitci blizu Brașova 1603. godine, boreći se na strani Mojsija Székelya (koji je također poginuo) protiv vlaškog vladara Radua Șerbana. Nadživjeli su ga potomci njegovih sestara Katarine i Ane

Variation of clutch characteristics in population of Eastern Hermann's tortoises (Testudo hermanni boettgeri Gmelin 1789)

We present here information on some fecundity parameters in local population of Eastern Hermann’s tortoise situated in the area of Kunovica, at the outskirts of the city of Niš. The data were collected in the field and in 97% were based on reconstruction of number and dimensions of eggs in destroyed nests what influenced on quality of information. Only two of 78 nests recorded from 2010 to 2014 were found intact. Other 76 clutches were found destroyed and therefore only some fecundity parameters were measurable, while the others were reconstructed by using formulas proposed in the relevant literature. On the basis of collected data we estimated average clutch size of Hermann’s tortoises in Kunovica as four eggs what was lower than in populations from Greece. However, the most of calculated egg dimensions (e.g. maximal width, volume and mass) were higher than in populations from Greece and France

Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 and mechanisms of MEN1 gene inactivation in endocrine and non-endocrine tumor tissues.

Multipla endokrina neoplazija tip 1 (MEN1) je nasledni tumorski sindrom koji se u svom klasičnom obliku karakteriše pojavom primarnog hiperparatiroidizma (PHPT), neuroendokrinih tumora pankreasa (pNET) i pituitarnih adenoma (PA). Gen odgovoran za nastanak sindroma jeste MEN1 gen koji kodira protein menin, ubikvitarno eksprimirani protein koji učestvuje u brojnim ćelijskim procesima. Germinativna mutacija u MEN1 genu i gubitak heterozigotnosti (GH) govore u prilog tumor-supresorske uloge menina u ovim tumorima. Uprskos ubikvitarnoj ekspresiji menina, za MEN1 je karakteristična predilekcija za endokrine organe. Ipak, ni svi endokrini organi nemaju istu predispoziciju za nastanak tumora. Iako je GH očekivani mehanizam inaktivacije, izvesni stepen heterogenosti među tumorima postoji i u pogledu inaktivacije gena. Razlozi ovakve tkivne specifičnosti nisu razjašnjeni. Cilj studije: Cilj ove doktorske disertacije jeste da se ispitaju kliničke, patohistološke i genetske karakteristike pacijenata sa MEN1 sindromom, kao i analiza inaktivacije MEN1 gena u endokrinim i neendokrinim tumorima ovih pacijenata. Materijal i metode: retrospektivno su analizirane genetičke, kliničke i patohistološke karekteristike 102 uzastopna pacijenta sa MEN1 sindromom (prosečna starost 41,1 18,7 godina, od 3 do 72 godine, žene 68,6%, muškarci 31,4%). Direktno sekvenciranje i MLPA MEN1 gena sprovedeno je kod svih pacijenata. Gubitak genskog materijala 11q13 ispitivan je na 30 različitih uzoraka MEN1 tumora od 10 ispitanika. Rezultati: Analizirano je 75 indeksnih pacijenata i njihovih 27 srodnika koji su pripadali 31 različitoj porodici. PHPT je nađen kod 70/88, (79,5%), PA kod 59/88 (67%) a pNET kod 27/88 (30.7 %) pacijenata. Četrnaest (20,9%) pacijenata je bilo asimptomatsko. Mutacija u MEN1 genu je nađena kod 53,3% (40/75) indeksnih slučajeva, odnosno 65,7% u ukupnom broju ispitanika. Većina pacijenata su bile žene, ali je ovo naročito bilo izraženo među MEN1-negativnim pacijentima (86% odn. 59% kod nosilaca, p<0.01)...Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is an autosomal dominant heritable cancer syndrome characterized by the occurrence of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (pNET) and pituitary adenoma (PA). The gene responsible for MEN1 is MEN1 tumor suppressor gene which encodes menin, ubiquitously expressed scaffold protein, influencing various cellular processes. The coexistence of heterozygous germline mutation in MEN1 gene, and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in tumor tissues, demonstrates tumor suppressor role of menin in these tumors. Despite ubiquitous expression of menin, there is strong tissue specificity for endocrine tissue, but some endocrine organs are more frequently affected than other. Although LOH is an expected mechanism of gene inactivation in tumor-suppressor genes, there is heterogeneity in types of gene inactivation among tumors. The aim of the study: The aim of this doctoral thesis is to examine clinical, pathohistological and genetic characteristics of patients with MEN1 syndrome, and to analyze mechanisms of inactivation of MEN1 gene in endocrine and non-endocrine MEN1 tumors in these patients. Materials and methods: Genetic, clinical and histopathological features were analyzed in a retrospective study of 102 consecutive patients with MEN1 (mean age 41,1 18,7 years, range 3 – 72, females 68,6%, males 31,4%). Direct sequencing and MLPA of MEN1 gene were performed in all patients. The presence of 11q13 loss was examined in 30 different MEN1 tumors belonging to 10 patients. Results: We have analyzed 75 index cases and 27 family members, belonging to 31 different families. PHPT was found in 70/88, (79,5%), PA in 59/88 (67%) and pNET in 27/88 (30.7 %) patients. Fourteen (20,9%) patients were asymptomatic..

Ermüdungs- und Heilungseigenschaften von Asphalt

This thesis, consisting of 7 peer-reviewed international journal publications is devoted to the investigation of fatigue and recovery properties of asphalt materials. Concerning the cracking mechanisms, the effects of both cracking in asphalt mixture and cracking at layers’ interface were considered. Since several test types are available for determination of asphalt mixture fatigue resistance, there is no consensus between researchers about the appropriate fatigue test. Considering the stress controlled test mode, it was found that uniaxial tension-compression test is the most reliable for evaluation of the asphalt mixture fatigue resistance. Furthermore, a new fatigue procedure was introduced, able to overcome the shortcomings if only a single test temperature is considered for the fatigue evaluation process (cp. EN 12697-24). This procedure allows a plausible evaluation of the asphalt mixture fatigue performance considering wide temperature range, with a marginally increased laboratory effort. Recovery potential of asphalt mixtures was addressed based on the concept of dissipated energy. The influence of several internal and external factors (bitumen polymer modification, ageing condition, binder content, degree of compaction and rest period duration) on recovery properties of asphalt mixtures was investigated. In order to overcome large scattering of the experimental results and consequently an erroneous evaluation of asphalt mixture recovery potential, a new recovery index was introduced. Moreover, the recovery potential of a specific asphalt mixture was investigated in detail, taking into consideration biasing effects such as nonlinearity and self-heating, observed during cyclic loading. Considering various asphalt mixtures and tack coats, the influence of test temperature and compressive normal stress on layers’ interface fatigue behaviour was determined. Based on this preliminary work, optimal test parameters were proposed, allowing a successful fatigue evaluation of the layers’ interfaces. Additionally, the comparison between results from the proposed cyclic shear fatigue procedure and results from monotonic shear test was performed. It was found that the resulting shear strength from monotonic shear test can be used only as a rough indicator for long term interface bonding performance, because not all research and field experience could be reflected in the test results.Diese Dissertation, bestehend aus 7 internationalen Peer-Review Publikationen, widmet sich der Untersuchung der Ermüdungs- und Heilungseigenschaften von Asphalt. Hinsichtlich der Rissmechanismen wurden die Effekte der Rissbildung, sowohl im Asphalt, selbst als auch an der Grenzfläche zwischen den Asphaltschichten untersucht. Mit Hilfe der Auswertung, der während eines Ermüdungsversuchs dissipierten Energie, erfolgte der Vergleich der gängigen spannungsgeregelten Ermüdungstestmethoden. Es wurde festgestellt, dass sich der einaxiale Zug-Druck-Wechselversuch sehr gut für die Beurteilung des Ermüdungswiderstandes von Asphalt eignet. Weiterhin wurde das Problem der normgemäßen Analyse des Ermüdungsverhaltens (vgl. EN 12697-24) bei einer einzigen Prüftemperatur beleuchtet. Ein neues Ermüdungskonzept wurde entwickelt, das eine plausible Bewertung des Ermüdungswiderstandes von Asphalt über den gesamten Gebrauchstemperaturbereich mit einem geringfügig erhöhten Laboraufwand ermöglicht. Die Bestimmung der Heilungseigenschaften von Asphalt erfolgte auf der Grundlage des Konzepts der dissipierten Energie. Die Einflussgrößen unterschiedlicher Prüfvariablen (Bindemittelgehalt, Verdichtungsgrad, Lastpausendauer, Alterungszustand, Bindemittelsorte) auf die Heilungseigenschaften wurden analysiert. Weiterhin wurde ein neuer Index zur vergleichenden Bewertung des Heilungsvermögens entwickelt, der eine Reduzierung der materialbedingten Streuung im Prüfergebnis ermöglicht. Schließlich erfolgte eine detaillierte Untersuchung des Heilungspotentials, wobei die bei der zyklischen Belastung beobachteten Nebeneffekte Nichtlinearität und Selbsterwärmung von der eigentlichen Materialheilung isoliert wurden. Unter Berücksichtigung verschiedener materialspezifischen Parametern wurde der Einfluss der Prüftemperatur und Normalspannung auf den Ermüdungswiderstand der Grenzfläche zwischen den Asphaltschichten bestimmt. Es wurden die optimalen Prüfparameter vorgeschlagen, mit denen eine bestmögliche Ermüdungsbewertung des Schichtenverbundes erfolgen kann. Anschließend konnte mit Hilfe des Vergleichs der Ergebnisse aus zyklischen und monotonen Scherversuchen festgestellt werden, dass die Scherkraft aus dem monotonen Scherversuch nur als grober Indikator für die Bestimmung der Lebensdauer des Schichtenverbundes herangezogen werden kann