Multi-Criteria Decision-Making in the Implementation of Renewable Energy Sources

The consideration of renewable energy sources as sources for the production of electricity, demands an approach that would enable an analysis which comprehends various factors and stakeholders. The Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE), as a mathematical model for multi-criteria decision-making, is one of the ideal methods used when it is necessary to rank scenarios according to specific criteria, depending on whom the ranking is applied. This chapter presents various scenarios whose ranking is done according to defined criteria and weight coefficients for each of the stakeholders. This model recognized and accepted according to the theory of decision-making could be used as a tool for so-called stakeholder value approach

Increased il-33 and il-17 in colorectal carcinoma patients with severe disease

© 2020, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents one of the most common cancers. It is frequently diagnosed at advanced stages, indicating on need for new diagnostic markers. The aim of this study was to determine systemic and fecal values of IL-17 and IL-33 in patients with CRC and the relationship with clinicopathological aspects of disease. The blood samples and feces liquid fraction of 50 patients with CRC were analyzed. Serum and fecal levels of IL-33 and IL-17 were measured using sensitive enzyme-linked immu-nosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Fecal levels of Il-33 and IL-17 were increased in CRC patients with poor tumor tissue differentiation. Serum IL-33 and fecal IL-17 were increased in patients with presence of lung/liver metastasis or peritoneal carcinomatosis, respec-tively, while enhanced fecal IL-33 was detected only in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis. Positive correlation between IL-33 and IL-17 values in sera and feces, respectively was also observed. We believe that increased local values of IL-33 and IL-17, reflected trough higher fecal concentration, in CRC patients with poor tumor tissue differentiation and with presence of lung/liver metastasis or peritoneal carcinomatosis may be considered as a sign of the tumor’s malignant progression and, consequently, of a poor prognosis for patients

DOES SPECIALIZATION IN KARATE AFFECT REACTION TIME IN SPECIFIC KARATE KUMITE SITUATIONS?

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of karate specialization on the reaction time in specific karate kumite situations. In order to maximize the ecological validity of experimental set-up, we used our recently proposed and evaluated video-based method (Mudric et al., 2015). Within this method, the reaction time is calculated from the kinematic parameters recorded on both offensive action stimuli and defensive action responses. The results obtained from three groups of subjects (i.e., karate kumite, karate kata and beginners) indicate significant differences in reaction time between the beginners and both specialized karate groups. There were also prominent but not significant differences between the karate kumite and karate kata. These findings suggest that particular sport specialization could improve reaction time of an athlete in specific sport situations

Viral Infection in Renal Transplant Recipients

Viruses are among the most common causes of opportunistic infection after transplantation. The risk for viral infection is a function of the specific virus encountered, the intensity of immune suppression used to prevent graft rejection, and other host factors governing susceptibility. Although cytomegalovirus is the most common opportunistic pathogen seen in transplant recipients, numerous other viruses have also affected outcomes. In some cases, preventive measures such as pretransplant screening, prophylactic antiviral therapy, or posttransplant viral monitoring may limit the impact of these infections. Recent advances in laboratory monitoring and antiviral therapy have improved outcomes. Studies of viral latency, reactivation, and the cellular effects of viral infection will provide clues for future strategies in prevention and treatment of viral infections. This paper will summarize the major viral infections seen following transplant and discuss strategies for prevention and management of these potential pathogens

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN URBAN AREAS IN CORRELATION WITH OVERPOPULATION

The contemporary economy paradigm is globalization. This paper contains the interdisciplinary expertise on the innovative solutions of sustainable development of urban areas and cleaner environment. Due to inequality between the developed and undeveloped parts on the regions and countries, big migrations are happening. The result is recognized in overcrowded cities. Concentration of people on small areas produces serious negative consequences on the environment and the quality of the life. This paper aims to point out innovative models of cities from the perspective of sustainable development. New population migrations, relating to their elementary and civilization needs require better solutions. Holistic concept of blue green cities is the latest and the most advanced stage in sustainable development for urban areas. Different renewable energy implementation models and principals of circular economy up to zero waste are researched in this manuscript, representing support of the main idea of blue green cities

Possible role of TGF-B pathways in schizophrenia

© 2016, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All Rights Reserved. The phenomenological uniqueness of each patient with schizophrenia is determined by complex symptomatology, particularly the overlapping of symptoms and their prominence in certain phases of this mental disorder. Establishing biological markers is an important step in the further objectivisation and quantification of schizophrenia. Identifying the cytokine profiles that precede a psychotic episode could direct the strategies for relapse prevention and be useful in predicting disease progression and treatment response. In the context of inflammation, TGF-β exerts potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive functions by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokine synthesis, but it can also have pro-inflammatory functions through its stimulatory effects on inflammatory 17 cells. It has been shown that the T helper cell type-1 and type-17 responses are reduced and type-2 response is increased in patients with schizophrenia. Both data from the literature and our results also indicate the presence of an anti-inflammatory response through production of the TGF-β regulatory cytokine. A meta-analysis of plasma cytokine alterations suggested that TGF-β is the state marker for acute exacerbation of schizophrenia, and we showed that TGF-β can also be a valuable marker for psychosis. Hyperactivity of TGF-β signalling pathways in schizophrenia may be both a neuroprotective mechanism and a possible therapeutic target

A STUDY OF THE USE OF MIXED REALITY FOR CAPTURING HUMAN OBSERVATION AND INFERENCES IN PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENTS

Augmented and mixed reality is already considered as needful technology of the modern production systems. It is primarily employed to virtualize proper digital content, mainly related to 3D objects, into the human visual field allowing people to visualize and understand complex spatial shapes, their mutual relations, and positioning. Yet, the huge potential of the technology is waiting to be revealed in its usage for collecting and recording human observations and inferences about the context of the production environment. Its bi-directional interface makes it the most direct and the most efficient knowledge capturing means to date. The paper presents the challenges and benefits that come from the usage of a conceptual interface of an mixed reality application that is designed to collect data, semantics and knowledge about the production context directly from the man-in-process. As a production environment for the development, implementation, and testing of mixed reality applications for this purpose, various processes for the assembly and maintenance of medium-voltage equipment were used

IL-33/ST2 axis in innate and acquired immunity to tumors

Interleukin-33, a ligand for ST2/T1, has an important role in allergy, autoimmunity and inflammation. The role of IL-33/ST2 axis in cancer is not elucidated. Using metastatic breast cancer model we provide evidence that lack of ST2 signaling led to reduced tumor growth and metastasis and enhanced anti-tumor immunity

Agrobiološka i tehnološka svojstva sorte Frankovka u uslovima severne Kosovske Mitrovice

Results of the investigation of agrobiological traits and technological properties of the vine cultivar Frankovka are presented in this paper. The investigation was carried out in North Kosovska Mitrovica, nearby the Church of St. Dimitrios. The vineyard was established in 2005. Planting distance was 2.5 x1m. Weather conditions were favorable for development of the cultivar Frankovka. The study was aimed to observe important agrobiological traits of the cultivar Frankovka, as well as possibility growing and spreading in the conditions of North Kosovska Mitrovica. On the basis of the obtained results it can be concluded that the cultivar Frankovka has shown positive agrobiological and technological properties in the conditions of North Kosovska Mitrovica.U radu se prikazuju rezultati istraživanja agrobioloških i tehnoloških svojstava sorte frankovka u uslovima severne Kosovske Mitrovice.Ispitivanja su obavljena na potesu vinogradi u severnoj Kosovskoj Mitrovici.Vinograd je podignut 2005. godine i nalazi se u fazi rastuće rodnosti.Razmak sađenja iznosi 2.5 x 1 m .U periodu ispitivanja vladali su povoljni meteorološki uslovi za rastenje i razviće sorte frankovke. Cilj ispitivanja je bio da se provere važnija agrobiološka i tehnološka svojstva sorte frankovke i mogućnost njenog gajenja i širenja u uslovima severne Kosovske Mitrovice. Rezultati ispitivanja ukazuju da na području severne Kosovske Mitrovice postoje povoljni agroekološki uslovi za normalno gajenje sorte frankovke i postizanje karakterističnog kvaliteta grožđa i vina