Influence of cement replacement with limestone filler on the properties of concrete

This paper presents an experimental research of one type of green concrete in which Portland cement was replaced with two types of limestone filler of the same origin and mineralogical composition, but with a different fineness of particles. Ten concrete mixtures were designed in which 0%, 15%, 30% and 45% (by mass) of cement were replaced with filler. The water to cement ratio for each mixture was constant (w/c=0.54), and the water to powder ratio was decreasing with increasing cement replacement. Particle size distribution was selected using Funk and Dinger, as well as using Fuller's model. The results showed that it is possible to increase the compressive strength of concrete by reducing 45% of cement, but further research should be focused on improving the workability

Alcohol abuse and alcohol depen

Abstract Alcoholism results from an interplay between genetic and environmental factors, and is linked to brain defects and associated cognitive, emotional, and behavioral impairments. A confluence of findings from neuroimaging, physiological, neuropathological, and neuropsychological studies of alcoholics indicate that the frontal lobes, limbic system, and cerebellum are particularly vulnerable to damage and dysfunction. An integrative approach employing a variety of neuroscientific technologies is essential for recognizing the interconnectivity of the different functional systems affected by alcoholism. In that way, relevant experimental techniques can be applied to assist in determining the degree to which abstinence and treatment contribute to the reversal of atrophy and dysfunction. Keywords Alcoholism . Frontal lobes . Limbic system . Cerebellum . Right hemisphere Alcoholic beverages contain ethanol, a psychoactive drug with relaxant and euphoric effects, consumed by people throughout the world. In general, the effects of alcohol intoxication follow a biphasic time course as the initial feelings of relaxation and exuberance give way to hangover, exhaustion, and depression, or vomiting and loss of consciousness in cases of higher doses (Nagoshi and Wilson 1989). Criteria for classifying someone as an alcoholic vary Risky drinking patterns for men are defined as consuming more than 14 drinks per week, or more than four drinks in a single day at least once a month; for women, the limits are more than seven drinks per week and three drinks per da

Efikasnost detoksikujućeg agensa kod T-2 toksikoze brojlera

This investigation was conducted in order to investigate the efficacy of the detoxifying agent Mycofix® Plus (MP) in the prevention and/or alleviation in vivo adverse effects of T-2 toxin in broilers. In addition, the adsorbing potential of MP was estimated in vitro. Mean degradation levels of T-2 toxin with MP in vitro, as measured by HPTLC, varied from 26.06 to 31.02 % and the adsorption ability was elevated in acidic environment (pH 3). In vivo trial was performed on 160 one day old 'Ross' broiler chicks and lasted for 21 days. Birds were divided into 4 equal groups as follows: Group 1 - negative control; Group 2 - positive control - 2 ppm T-2 toxin; Group 3 - 2 ppm T-2 toxin+2 kg/t MP; Group 4 - 2 kg/t MP. Broilers fed the diet containing 2 mg/kg of T-2 toxin without MP developed typical T-2 toxicosis. Birds that were fed the diet containing both T-2 and MP had better performances and no oral ulcerations as the dominant sign of T-2 toxicosis were observed. Histopathological examination of tissues originating from birds fed the diet containing T-2 toxin revealed degenerative changes in the oral and small intestine mucosa, necroses of enterocytes and hepatocytes, as well as depletion of lymphocytes in the bursa Fabricii. Immunohistochemical examination also revealed negative effects of T-2 toxin on cells proliferation in intestineal and bile duct mucosa, as well as on lymphocytes from bursa Fabricii. The macroscopic and microscopic structure of the liver, intestine and bursa Fabricii of broilers fed a diet containing T-2 toxin and MP was mostly preserved. Cutaneous basophile hypersensitivity reaction was weaker in broilers fed mixtures containing 2 mg/kg T-2 toxin.U cilju ispitivanja efikasnosti detoksikujućeg agensa Mycofix® Plus (MP) na preveniranje ili ublažavanje štetnih efekata T-2 toksikoze kod brojlera izvedena su ispitivanja u in vitro uslovima, kao i in vivo ogled. Prosečne vrednosti degradacije T-2 toksina od strane MP u in vitro uslovima, ustanovljene HPTLC metodom, su iznosile 26,06 do 31,02 %, pri čemu je konstatovana veća sposobnost adsorpcije ovog toksina u kiseloj sredini (pH 3). In vivo ogled je bio postavljen na 160 jednodnevnih brojlera provenijencije 'Ross', podeljenih u 4 eksperimentalne grupe sa po 40 jedinki u svakoj i trajao je 21 dan. Praćenjem zdravstvenog stanja, kliničke slike i proizvodnih rezultata, kod brojlera koji su u hrani dobijali umešan T-2 toksin u količini od 2 mg/kg, konstatovani su karakteristični simptomi za T-2 toksikozu. Kod brojlera koji su uz toksin, hranom dobijali iMP, konstatovani su zaštitni efekti u vidu izostanka ulceracija u usnoj duplji i boljih proizvodnih rezultata u odnosu na brojlere koji su dobijali samo T-2 toksin. Patohistološkim ispitivanjima uočeni su negativni efekti T-2 toksina u svim ispitivanim organima u vidu degenerativnih promena na sluzokoži usne duplje i tankog creva, nekroza enterocita i hepatocita kao i deplecija limfocita u Fabricijevoj burzi. Imunohistohemijskim ispitivanjima uočeni su negativni efekti T-2 toksina na proliferativnu aktivnost ćelija mukoze creva, žučnih kanala i limfocita u Fabricijevoj burzi. Kod brojlera koji su putem hrane dobijali T-2 toksin i adsorbens MP, zapaža se uglavnom očuvana makroskopska i mikroskopska struktura jetre, creva i Fabricijeve burze. Reakcija kožne preosetljivosti na PHA je bila slabija kod brojlera koji su hranom dobijali samo T-2 toksin

Medical Waste Management: the Law and Its Application

Gospodarenje medicinskim otpadom, koji po svojim svojstvima može biti opasan i/ili inertan, u Hrvatskoj je regulirano trima temeljnim pravnim aktima: Zakonom o otpadu, Pravilnikom o vrstama otpada te Naputkom o postupanju s otpadom koji nastaje pri pružanju zdravstvene zaštite. Uz njih još su i Zakon o prijevozu opasnih tvari i Zakon o otrovima akti koji podupiru provedbu ovih propisa. Slijedom razvoja suvremenih cjelovitih sustava za gospodarenje otpadom razvijen je i cjeloviti sustav za gospodarenje medicinskim otpadom koji se zasniva na hijerarhijskome načinu postupanja s otpadom, i to od kontrole mjesta nastanka do mjesta konačne dispozicije. Prioritet je svakako izbjegavanje nastanka otpada, tj. smanjenje potencijala otpada, međutim to nije uvijek moguće, stoga je otpad potrebno sortirati, primjereno predobraditi, na poseban način transportirati, konačno obraditi te ostatke prikladno deponirati. Konačna metoda obrade mora biti ona koja će proizvesti najmanji rizik za ljudsko zdravlje i okoliš. Provođenjem cjelovitog sustava gospodarenja otpadom velike količine otpada mogle bi se zbrinuti u okviru tehnološkog i komunalnog otpada, čime bi zbrinjavanje opasnoga medicinskog otpada zahtijevalo manja financijska sredstva. Svaki od ovih koraka zakonski je definiran i opisan, međutim njegovo je provođenje najveći problem. U lancu od mjesta nastanka u zdravstvenim ustanovama pa sve do konačne dispozicije nailazimo na neprimjereno rukovanje, nepoštivanje propisa o ambalaži, pa sve do obrade u postrojenjima bez uporabne dozvole. Nema potpunih podataka o količinama i tokovima medicinskog otpada, ali ni sustava državne kontrole putem sanitarne inspekcije. Poseban su problem lokacije za konačno odlaganje, tj. nedostatak sanitarnih odlagališta. Hrvatska je potpisnica međunarodnih konvencija o nadzoru prekograničnog prometa opasnog otpada i njegovu odlaganju (Baselska konvencija). U okviru projekta CARDS započeta je izrada analize stupnja usklađenosti zakonodavstva RH s pravnom stečevinom EU-a za područje gospodarenja otpadom.Medical waste management in Croatia is regulated by three fundamental legal acts: Waste Act, Ordinance on Waste Types and Directive on Manipulation of Waste Generated in Health Care. The implementation of these acts and waste management in general are also supported by Transport of Hazardous Materials Act and Toxic Substances Act. Modern trends in waste management promote an integral approach also called “waste chain”. This integral approach to medical waste management is based on hierarchical structuring of waste management structure from the point at which the waste is produced to its final disposal. Priority is always given to reducing the amount and the harmfulness of waste by replacing harmful materials with those that are not, but where this is not possible, waste management includes reduction by sorting and separating, pretreatment on site, safe transportation, final treatment and sanitary disposal. Methods of choice for the final treatment should be the least harmful for human health and environment. Integral medical waste management could greatly reduce quantities of medical waste and consequently financial strains. Even though Croatian regulations define and cover all steps in the waste management chain their implementation is one of the country’s greatest issues. Improper practice is seen from waste production in healthcare institutions to the final disposal, and includes handling, sorting, use of containers, or treatment in incinerators. Information on quantities, type and flow of medical waste are inadequate, just as sanitary control. In addition, Croatia lacks locations for sanitary landfills. Croatia has signed international conventions on the supervision and control of transfrontier waste shipments. Within the CARDS project, Croatia has started to harmonise its laws with acquis communitaire related to waste management. Although waste management is one of the priorities defined within the National Environment Action Plan, Croatia still has not made a strategy for waste management

Hazardous Medical Waste Management as a Public Health Issue

Opasni medicinski otpad zahtijeva posebne metode obrade i konačnog odlaganja. Najveći proizvođači opasnoga medicinskog otpada su bolnice koje još uvijek ne primjenjuju postojeću legislativu i naputke o postupanju s medicinskim otpadom. Samo jedna bolnica u Hrvatskoj ima dozvolu za spaljivanje infektivnoga medicinskog otpada, no neke bolnice bez dozvole i u neadekvatnim uređajima ili postrojenjima samostalno spaljuju opasni otpad. Zdravstvene ustanove skladište i velike količine staroga medicinskog otpada, većinom farmaceutskog, infektivnog, citostatike i kemijski otpad. Istraživanja na području toksikologije tvari koje iz otpada mogu doći u kontakt s ljudima, životinjama i biljem temelje se na laboratorijskim ispitivanjima djelovanja polutanata na životinjske organizme i fiziološke procese. Kako svijet sve više postaje svjestan problema vezanih uz otpad, uključujući njegove zdravstvene aspekte, potrebne su i studije izloženih populacija ljudi. U Hrvatskoj bi se trebao izgraditi i uspostaviti uređen sustav gospodarenja medicinskim i opasnim otpadom te otpadom općenito, uz implementaciju postojeće legislative u cijelom ciklusu gospodarenja otpadom, od proizvođača otpada do obrade i završnog odlaganja.The amount of waste produced is connected with the degree of a country’s economic development; more developed countries produce more waste. This paper reviews the quantities, manipulation and treatment methods of medical waste in Croatia, as well as hazardous potentials of medical waste for human health. Medical waste must be collected and sorted in containers suitable for its characteristics, amount, means of transportation and treatment method in order to prevent contact with environment and to protect people who are working with waste. Hazardous medical waste in Croatia is largely produced by hospitals. Even though only one hospital has a licence to incinerate infectious medical waste, many other hospitals incinerate their hazardous waste in inappropriate facilities. Healthcare institutions also store great amounts of old medical waste, mostly pharmaceutical, anti-infectious, and cytostatic drugs and chemical waste. Data on waste treatment effects on human health are scarce, while environmental problems are covered better. Croatian medical waste legislation is not being implemented. It is very important to establish a medical waste management system that would implement the existing legislation in all waste management cycles from waste production to treatment and final disposal

Different immobilization methods of soybean hull peroxidase on macroporous glycidyl methacrylate copolymers

Wastewater treatment is a current and important environmental issue. Phenolic compounds most of which are toxic and many even carcinogens, found in various polluted waters are non-biodegradable and present a serious health hazard. Enzymatic treatment, using peroxidase and H2O2, provides a highly selective and efficient alternative to current phenol removal methods, with low energy requirements and minimal environmental impact. Soybean hull peroxidase (SHP) isolated from soybean hulls, which are inexpensive agricultural waste products, offers a cheap source of crude enzyme available for various applications. In this study we used macroporous glycidyl methacrylate based copolymers with various surface characteristics and mean pore size diameter ranging from 40-200 nm as carriers and compared two different immobilization methods for SHP – glutaraldehyde and periodate. Our results demonstrate that SHP immobilization with both methods is influenced by the pore size of the carrier matrix with both the specific activity of the immobilized enzyme and immobilization yeald increased with pore size. Glutaraldehyde immobilization method proved to be substantially better than periodate with the highest specific activities obtained 22.8 U/g and 3.4 U/g of carrier respectively. Thermal stability at 85°C and stability in 80% dioxane solution indicate a stabilization of the immobilized enzyme compared to the free form. Although having the same pH optimum, immobilized enzyme operates over a broader pH range. Obtained biocatalyst shows an increased specific activity, higher thermal and organic solvent stability and operates over wider pH range and it’s suitable for wastewater treatment

Uticaj prihrane na prinos i komponente kvaliteta semena uljane repice

Oilseed rape is an agronomically important species grown for seed that contains 40-48% oil and 18-25% proteins. Oilseed rape has high demands for nitrogen. The research was performed on four varieties of oilseed rape (Banaćanka, Valeska, Slavica and Express) developed at Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad, during vegetative seasons 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. During vegetation, top dressing was applied with different amounts of KAN: control (0 kg N ha-1), 50 kg N ha-1, 100 kg N ha-1, 150 kg N ha-1 and the N quantity determination were performed applying the balancing method (also known as N-min method). Yield, 1000-seed weight, seed germination, oil and protein content were determined after harvest. Yield and seed germination depended on seed production year. 1000-seed weight depended on seed production year and genotype. Oil and protein content in seed depended on production year, genotype and amount of the N-fertilizer applied by top dressing.Uljana repica je značajna uljana biljka. Ona se gaji zbog semena koje sadrži 40-48% ulja i 18-25% belančevina. Uljana repica je azotofilna biljka. Ispitivanja su izvršena na četiri sorte uljane repice (Banaćanka, Valeska, Slavica i Express) proizvedene u vegetacionim sezonama 2007-2008. i 2008-2009. U toku vegetacionog perioda izvršena je prihrana različitim količinama KAN-a: kontrola (0 kg N ha-1), 50 kg N ha-1, 100 kg N ha-1, 150 kg N ha-1 a na osnovu balansne metode određena je količina azota (Nmin metoda). Nakon žetve utvrđeni su prinos semena, masa 1000 semena, klijavost semena, sadržaj ulja i sadržaj proteina u semenu. Prinos semena i klijavost semena su zavisili od godine proizvodnje. Masa 1000 semena je zavisila od godine proizvodnje i genotipa. Sadržaj ulja i proteina u semenu je zavisio od godine proizvodnje, genotipa i primenjenih količina azota u prihrani

Supplementary data for the article: Spasojević, D.; Zmejkoski, D.; Glamočlija, J.; Nikolić, M.; Soković, M.; Milošević, V.; Jarić, I.; Stojanović, M.; Marinković, E.; Barisani-Asenbauer, T.; et al. Lignin Model Compound in Alginate Hydrogel: A Strong Antimicrobial Agent with High Potential in Wound Treatment. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents 2016, 48 (6), 732–735. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2016.08.014

Supplementary material for: [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2016.08.014]Related to published version: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2364

Modulation of functional characteristics of murine peritoneal macrophages by dehydrogenate polymer from coniferyl alcohol and alginate

The dehydrogenate polymer from coniferyl alcohol (DHP; a lignin model compound) in alginate hydrogel (ALG) has been shown to exert a strong antibacterial activity. To broadens a spectrum of potential DHP/ALG application, we aimed this study to evaluate the immunomodulatory activity of DHP/ALG. DHP and ALG were tested separately and in mixture (1:2 w/w) for their impact on in vitro production of cytokines (IL-6, IL-12, and IL-10) and reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen (RNS) species by resident (RMs) and thioglycolate-elicited (TGMs) peritoneal macrophages of BALB/c mice. RMs and TGMs were stimulated (48h) with ALG and DHP in concentrations previously shown to be non-cytotoxic (up to 50 and 25 μg/ml, respectively). DHP/ALG promotes simultaneous production of inflammatory (IL-6, IL-12) and regulatory cytokines by RMs in a positive dose-dependent manner. Production of inflammatory cytokines was stimulated by ALG, while an increase in IL-10 production positively correlated to the concentration of DHP. ALG also stimulated the production of IL-12 by TGMs, which was mirrored in the outcome of ALG/DHP stimulation. The significant increase in the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) due to DHP and/or ALG stimulation was recorded in TGMs, while a slight increase in MPO activity in RMs was recorded only upon stimulation with the higher amount of ALG. ALG in a positive dose-dependent manner stimulated the production of ROS and RNS by both RMS and TGMs. In all cases, except ROS production by RMs, the impact of ALG stimulation was mirrored in the outcome of ALG/DHP stimulation. Our results suggest that DHP/ALG exerts an immunomodulatory activity that could complement already reported antimicrobial activity and warrants further investigation on the use of DHP/ALG in the treatment of infectious diseases

Uticaj zamene cementa krečnjačkim filerom na svojstva betona

U radu su prikazana eksperimentalna ispitivanja jedne vrste zelenih betona kod kojih je Portland cement zamenjen sa dve vrste krečnjačkog filera istog porekla i mineraloškog sastava, a različite finoće mliva. Projektovano je deset mešavina kod kojih je 0%, 15%, 30% i 45% (maseno) cementa zamenjeno filerom. Vodocementni faktor bio je konstantan (w/c=0.54), dok je vodopraškasti opadao sa povećanjem procenta zamene. Izbor granulometrijskog sastava čestica izvršen je pomoću Fankovog i Dingerovog, kao i pomoću Fulerovog modela. Rezultati su pokazali da je moguće povećanje čvrstoće betona pri pritisku uz smanjenje 45% cementa, ali da buduća istraživanja treba usmeriti ka poboljšanju obradljivosti.This paper presents an experimental research of one type of green concrete in which Portland cement was replaced with two types of limestone filler of the same origin and mineralogical composition, but with a different fineness of particles. Ten concrete mixtures were designed in which 0%, 15%, 30% and 45% (by mass) of cement were replaced with filler. The water to cement ratio for each mixture was constant (w/c=0.54), and the water to powder ratio was decreasing with increasing cement replacement. Particle size distribution was selected using Funk and Dinger, as well as using Fuller's model. The results showed that it is possible to increase the compressive strength of concrete by reducing 45% of cement, but further research should be focused on improving the workability