Direct Potentiometric Method for Human Stress Determination

The application of platinum redox electrode for potentiometric determination of salivary amylase activity as a stress biomarker is described. The candidates were divided into two groups, physical activity – medium intensity exercise (ten candidates), and psychical activity – student exam (thirteen candidates). The experimental data were compared with an adapted theoretical model where the sensor and analyte properties were optimized using Solver and the least-squares criterion to fit a theoretical curve into the experimental data set. It was found that, in both groups, the salivary amylase activity had increased after exposure to stress activities. For physical stress, the salivary amylase activity increase was found to be up to 699 %, with a potential difference between the trained and “untrained” candidates’ dependence; and for psychical stress, the salivary amylase activity increase was dispersed in a range from 117 % to 1201 %. Proposed methodology offers a fast and inexpensive way to determine salivary amylase activity and stress levels in humans

Numerical Analysis of Power System Electromechanical and Electromagnetic Transients based on the Finite Element Technique

This paper presents a novel technique for numerical analysis of electromagnetic transients and electromechanical oscillations in a power system. The proposed method is based on the finite element method (FEM). The finite element technique so far used for numerical analysis of continuum field problems here has been adopted to analyse electromagnetic and electromechanical transients in a power system. According to the finite element technique in the field problem, where the region of interest is divided into finite elements, in the proposed method power system is also divided into electric power system (finite) elements. Each finite element (generator, transformer, transmission line, load etc.) is characterized by a system of governing differential equations. Using generalized trapezoidal rule, also known as thetamethod for time integration, the system of differential equations of each electric power system (finite) element can be transformed to the system of algebraic equations for every time step. Once when a system of algebraic equations of each electric power system element is obtained, assembly procedure has to be done. The main contribution of the proposed approach is in an assembly procedure. With the proposed approach, in case of any disturbances in power system or in a part of power system, nodal voltage and branch currents will be obtained, as well as all other interesting variables. The proposed method will be tested on the example of the single-phase short circuit in the power system

Evaluation of grain yield and its components of some experimental, registered and commercial ZP maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids

The grain yield and its components of eighteen experimental, one registered and two commercial maize hybrids were examined in six different environments. The main objectives were to identify the best performing experimental and registered hybrids and to select appropriate hybrids for approving and commercialization. Based on the results, many decisions are made. Experimental hybrid Exp.15 is submitted for testing to the Variety Commission of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia. This hybrid, as a high-yielding and a stable one, could enrich the assortment of registered mediumlate maize hybrids in Serbia. First year of its testing for the purpose of being registered is going to be 2020. Further, registered hybrid ZP 685 is suggested for commercialization as one of the best performing in present study. In addition, the goal of this study was also identification of the superior inbred lines for use in future breeding programs. Inbred lines L1 (BSSS) and L4 (Independent heterotic group) are chosen for crossing with an aim to create a new origin population - source for deriving new recombinant inbred lines. Cross L1 x L4 will be a part of maize breeding program at Maize Research Institute “Zemun Polje” in 2020. Lines L1 and L4 are also suggested for crossing with all others Lancaster lines from MRIZP (which are not parental components of tested hybrids) for deriving new experimental F1 hybrids. As well, Lancaster lines L5, L6 and L7 should be crossed between themselves for creating new origin populations for deriving new recombinant Lancaster inbred lines. Hybrid Sister 1 had very high and stable grain yield and as such it is the most cost effective for seed production

Vulnerability to natural disasters in Serbia: spatial and temporal comparison

The frequency of natural disasters and the extent of their consequences at a global level are constantly increasing. This trend is partially caused by increased population vulnerability, which implies the degree of population vulnerability due to high magnitude natural processes. This paper presents an analysis of vulnerability to natural disaster in Serbia in the second half of the twentieth and the early twenty-first century. Vulnerability changes were traced on the basis of demographic–economic indicators derived from statistical data for local government units (municipalities) provided by the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. Calculations were performed in the geographical information system environment. The results of the study show that spatial and temporal vulnerability variations are causally correlated with changes in the selected components. Significant rise of vulnerability is related to urban areas, while lower values are characteristic for other areas of Serbia; this is primarily a consequence of different population density

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Genetic analysis of inheritance of maize quantitative traits using diallel and generation mean methods

U ovom istraživanju ispitivana je genetička osnova nasleđivanja važnih agronomskih osobina kukuruza upotrebom različitih biometrijskih metoda. Poljski ogledi su postavljeni tokom 2011. i 2012. godine na tri lokacije: Zemun Polje, Pančevo i Bečej. Šest inbred linija koje su ukrštene međusobno bez recipročnih kombinacija dajući 15 hibrida su upotrebljene kao materijal za primenu dialelne analize. Većina linija su male visoko značajne vrednosti OKS i PKS za ispitivane osobine što je omogućilo da se identifikuju linije kao izvori poželjnih alela za dalji rad. Linija ZPL6 se istakla kao dobar kombinator za većinu ispitivanih osobina. Odnos OKS/PKS je ukazao na veću važnost gena sa dominatnim efektom na nasleđivanje prinosa zrna, visine biljke i klipa, dok je za dužinu klipa, broj redova zrna i broj listova veći značaj imali geni sa aditivnim delovanjem. Analiza genetičke varijanse je ukazala na veći značaj dominantnih komponenti H1 i H2 u odnosu na aditivnu (D) osim za broj redova zrna u obe i broj listova iznad klipa u 2012. godini. Za analizu proseka generacija izabrano je 3 hibrida iz dialelne analize koji su delili jednog zajedničkog roditelja (ZPL6). Stvoreno je šest različitih generacija svakog hibrida P1, P2, BC1, BC2, F2 i F1 čime je omogućeno ispitivanje dvogenske epistaze u nasleđivanju ispitivanih osobina. Visoko značajne vrednosti epistaze su utvrđene za najveći broj osobina što se može objasniti time što je ispitivani materijal elitnog porekla i nastao kroz nekoliko ciklusa selekcije. Za broj redova zrna u 2011. godini nije pronađena epistaza. Za veći broj osobina (prinos zrna, visina biljke, visina klipa..) su utvrđene značajne vrednosti epistaze između dominatnih gena duplikatnog tipa koja je redukovala osnovne genske efekte...In this study the genetic basis of inheritance of important agronomic traits of maize was examined using different biometric methods. Field trials were conducted during two years 2011 and 2012 on three locations: Zemun Polje, Pančevo and Bečej. Six inbred lines were crossed with each other without reciprocal combination giving 15 hybrids that were used as material for the application of diallel analysis. Most of the lines exhibited highly significant GCA and SCA values for the examined traits which made it possible to identify the lines that could be used as sources of desirable alleles. Inbred line ZPL6 showed to be a good combiner for most of the studied traits. The GCA / SCA ratio pointed at the greater importance of genes with dominant and epistatic effect on the inheritance of grain yield, plant and ear height, while for the ear length, kernel row number and leaf number, genes with additive effects were of greater importance. The analysis of genetic variance indicated a greater importance of the dominant components H1 and H2 compared to the additive (D) for most traits except for the number of kernel rows in both years, and the leaf number above the ear in year 2012. For the generation mean analysis three hybrids from the diallel crosses sharing a common parent (ZPL6) were selected. Six different generations of each hybrid was created: P1, P2, BC1, BC2, F2 i F1 enabling testing the existence of two-gene epistasis in the inheritance of the traits investigated. Highly significant values of epistasis were found for most of the traits which could be explained by the fact that the investigated material is of elite origin and was created through several cycles of selection. For the number of kernel rows in 2011 no epistasis was found..

Genetic analysis of inheritance of maize quantitative traits using diallel and generation mean methods

U ovom istraživanju ispitivana je genetička osnova nasleđivanja važnih agronomskih osobina kukuruza upotrebom različitih biometrijskih metoda. Poljski ogledi su postavljeni tokom 2011. i 2012. godine na tri lokacije: Zemun Polje, Pančevo i Bečej. Šest inbred linija koje su ukrštene međusobno bez recipročnih kombinacija dajući 15 hibrida su upotrebljene kao materijal za primenu dialelne analize. Većina linija su male visoko značajne vrednosti OKS i PKS za ispitivane osobine što je omogućilo da se identifikuju linije kao izvori poželjnih alela za dalji rad. Linija ZPL6 se istakla kao dobar kombinator za većinu ispitivanih osobina. Odnos OKS/PKS je ukazao na veću važnost gena sa dominatnim efektom na nasleđivanje prinosa zrna, visine biljke i klipa, dok je za dužinu klipa, broj redova zrna i broj listova veći značaj imali geni sa aditivnim delovanjem. Analiza genetičke varijanse je ukazala na veći značaj dominantnih komponenti H1 i H2 u odnosu na aditivnu (D) osim za broj redova zrna u obe i broj listova iznad klipa u 2012. godini. Za analizu proseka generacija izabrano je 3 hibrida iz dialelne analize koji su delili jednog zajedničkog roditelja (ZPL6). Stvoreno je šest različitih generacija svakog hibrida P1, P2, BC1, BC2, F2 i F1 čime je omogućeno ispitivanje dvogenske epistaze u nasleđivanju ispitivanih osobina. Visoko značajne vrednosti epistaze su utvrđene za najveći broj osobina što se može objasniti time što je ispitivani materijal elitnog porekla i nastao kroz nekoliko ciklusa selekcije. Za broj redova zrna u 2011. godini nije pronađena epistaza. Za veći broj osobina (prinos zrna, visina biljke, visina klipa..) su utvrđene značajne vrednosti epistaze između dominatnih gena duplikatnog tipa koja je redukovala osnovne genske efekte...In this study the genetic basis of inheritance of important agronomic traits of maize was examined using different biometric methods. Field trials were conducted during two years 2011 and 2012 on three locations: Zemun Polje, Pančevo and Bečej. Six inbred lines were crossed with each other without reciprocal combination giving 15 hybrids that were used as material for the application of diallel analysis. Most of the lines exhibited highly significant GCA and SCA values for the examined traits which made it possible to identify the lines that could be used as sources of desirable alleles. Inbred line ZPL6 showed to be a good combiner for most of the studied traits. The GCA / SCA ratio pointed at the greater importance of genes with dominant and epistatic effect on the inheritance of grain yield, plant and ear height, while for the ear length, kernel row number and leaf number, genes with additive effects were of greater importance. The analysis of genetic variance indicated a greater importance of the dominant components H1 and H2 compared to the additive (D) for most traits except for the number of kernel rows in both years, and the leaf number above the ear in year 2012. For the generation mean analysis three hybrids from the diallel crosses sharing a common parent (ZPL6) were selected. Six different generations of each hybrid was created: P1, P2, BC1, BC2, F2 i F1 enabling testing the existence of two-gene epistasis in the inheritance of the traits investigated. Highly significant values of epistasis were found for most of the traits which could be explained by the fact that the investigated material is of elite origin and was created through several cycles of selection. For the number of kernel rows in 2011 no epistasis was found..

Microcarriers for Controlled Local Delivery of Mupirocin: Preparation and Characterisation

Mupirocin-loaded microparticles (MP) were designed to control drug release at the skin surface assuring that drug remains localized at the application site and does not unnecessarily enter into the systemic circulation [1]. [...