Horse skeletal remains from equestrian grave at necropolis Ušće near Obrenovac

Tokom septembra 2009. godine, na nalazištu Ušće kod Obrenovca, u okviru zaštitnih arheoloških iskopavanja istražena je kasnoantička nekropola. Tom prilikom otkriven je konjanički grob, koji je pokretnim arheološkim materijalom (delovi pojasa pokojnika i konjske opreme) datovan u vreme Drugog avarskog kaganata (VIII vek). Skeletni ostaci konja pripadali su jedinki muškog pola, starosti 7 do 8 godina. Na osnovu dimenzija skeleta utvrđeno je da su proporcije i rast životinje bili uobičajeni za populaciju konja na prostoru Panonske nizije tokom avarske dominacije. Na postkranijalnom skeletu uočene su patološke promež koje su bile posledica jahanja. Životinja je korišćena u tu svrhu najverovatnije pre završetka telesnog rasta, odnosno od subadultnog doba.During archaeological excavations of the late antiquity necropolis Ušće in September 2009, a horseman burial from the Late Avar period (VIII century) was investigated. Archaeozoological analyses were performed on the skeletal remains of the horse in order to determine the individual's age, sex, withers height and other metric analyses, also taking into account taphonomy and pathological changes. Skeletal remains belonged to a male, age from 7 to 8 years, with withers height of 139.7 cm. Traces of decomposition on osteological material in the grave no. 7 are the result of changes in the pH values of sediment. Observing pathological changes on the skeletal remains, four different diseases of the skeletal system were discovered: two kinds of spondylosis were detected on the spinal column, spondylosis ankylopoetica and spondylosis chronica deformans; desmoiditis ossificans ligamentum interosseum on the metapodials and ossificatio cartilaginis ungulae on the third phalanges of the front and hind limbs. These diseases are the result of chronic inflammation of ligaments and cartilage, caused by intensive riding over a long period of time

Aktivni monitoring i detekcija oštećenja armirano betonskih konstrukcija primenom piezoelektričnih agregata

This dissertation is focused on the development of methods for the damage detection and localization in concrete structures. This research is an attempt to meet the requirements of monitoring and non-destructive testing and assessment (NDI / P) of structures, as well as to reduce the current shortcoming in methods for monitoring the condition of concrete structures. The research gives numerical procedures for modeling the damage detection in linear reinforced concrete (RC) elements, starting from the model of piezoelectric smart aggregates (PZT PA) and further to the models of wave propagation. Verification of numerical models based on experimentally obtained results was performed, as well as parametric analysis of the change in RMSD (root mean square deviations) of the damage index in relation to individual parameters. For plate concrete elements, detection was performed using the existing two-dimensional damage index based on numerical simulations. For the damage localization, a hybrid method based on energy approach, time of propagation of the incoming wave from the actuator to the sensor as well as discrete wavelet signal transformation has been developed. A hybrid approach has been developed for the general shape of the concrete element, arbitrary number and position of PZT actuators / sensors, and arbitrary shape and position of damage. The mentioned hybrid approach was verified through experimental and numerical research on models with one and two damaged points. For 3D damage detection in concrete structres, a three-dimensional (3D) damage index based on a one-dimensional (1D) RMSD damage index has been developed. The 3D damage index was calculated for different damage cases, based on the results obtained by numerical simulations. A hybrid method developed for plate elements has been extended to 3D damage localization. A hybrid method for spatial damage localization was verified on parallelepiped samples/models by comparing experimental and numerical results. The obtained results indicate that the methods for damage detection and localization are very efficient for linear and plate concrete elements, while in the case of 3D concrete structures, further elaboration of the presented method is necessary. All methods presented in the doctoral dissertation have been numerically tested and some have been experimentally verified. The main aim of the development of the aforementioned methods for the damage detection and localization is to enable the use of PZT actuators/sensors for structural health monitoring of concrete structures over time

Палеопаразитологија: увод у проучавање паразитских инфекција код људи и животиња у прошлости

У раду су представљени методолошки оквири палеопаразитологије, као и могућности за истраживања и примену лабораторијских анализа у археолошким истраживањима код нас. Палеопаразитологија (Археопаразитологија) је научна дисциплина која за предмет истраживања има појаву, ширење и нестајање паразитских инфекција кроз проучавање остатака паразита у палеонтолошким и археолошким контекстима. Палеопаразитологију одликује снажна интердисциплинарност, јер њен скуп практичног и теоријског знања прожима се у неколико научних дисциплина, као што су: медицина, биологија, ентомологија, археологија, антропологија, географија, генетика и молекуларна биологија. У ширем смислу, ова дисциплина спада у групу биоархеолошких и микробиолошких дисциплина. Проучавање древних паразита пружа нове погледе на живот у прошлости кроз утврђивање образаца болести у древним популацијама, сазнања о еволуцијском ширењу заразних болести, нивосанитарних услова, реконструкцију древне исхране, а може помоћи и у реконструкцији професионалне активности људи у прошлости. Почетак палеопаразитологије везује се за откриће јаја Schistosoma haematobium у бубрежном ткиву египатских мумија из 20. династије, датованих око 1250. до 1100. године пре нове ере. Публикујући ове налазе 1910. године, пионир палеопатологије Марк Арманд Руфер (1859–1917) поставио је темеље за развој нове биоархеолошке дисциплине. Међутим, већа пажња овој дисциплини посвећена је тек од 80-тих година 20. века, док је значајан напредак постигнут последњих деценија развојем методолошког приступа теренског узорковања, лабораторијских протокола, порастом броја налаза и публикованих резултата. Ова истраживања пружају могућности за нова сазнања и скупове података о свакодневном животу у прошлости. На територији Србије истраживања паразитских инфекција и њихов утицај на здравствени статус људи и животиња у прошлости на самом су почетку

Arheozoologija istorijskih perioda: razvoj discipline u Arheološkom institutu

Prema definiciji, arheozoologija je naučna disciplina koja za predmet istraživanja ima životinjske ostatke sa arheoloških nalazišta. Njen cilj je razumevanje odnosa između čoveka i životne sredine, sa posebnim fokusom na odnos čoveka i životinja. Upotrebom različitih metoda izučavanja interakcije između ljudi i životinja, arheozoologija daje odgovore na bitna pitanja vezana za proces pripitomljavanja, strategiju uzgoja domaćih i lova divljih životinja, način pripremanja i transportovanja hrane, deponovanje ostataka, kao i društveno-ritualnu ulogu životinja. Arheozoologiju karakteriše interdisciplinarni pristup, jer analiza životinjskih ostataka zahteva, pored znanja iz arheologije, i ona iz oblasti biologije, ekologije i veterinarske medicine. Uz to, ona obuhvata širok spektar teorijskih i praktičnih veština (Reitz, Wing 1999: 1; Стојановић, Булатовић 2013: 13)

Improvement of Information Retrieval Systems by Using Hidden Vertical Search

The exponential growth of the number of documents in digital libraries and on the Web calls for very intensive development of retrieval systems. One possible architectural approach to IRS, an architecture with hidden verticals, is proposed in this paper. In IRS with hidden verticals, documents from the searched corpus are stored into a predefined set of classes. The user's query is classified before the search, and searching is done only within the corresponding class. The performance of the proposed system is compared to the performance of standard IRS (that contains a unique inverted index) and IRS with cluster pruning (in which searching corpus is clustered and query is compared to the clusters' centroids first, then search is done only in the most similar cluster). Search time in the proposed system is 7.9 times shorter than in the standard IRS and 1.7 times shorter than in the system with cluster pruning. The precision of the proposed system is 2.59 times higher than the precision of the standard IRS, and 1.68 times better compared to the IRS with cluster pruning. The recall of the proposed system is 1.09 times smaller than the recall of the standard IRS, but it is 1.28 times better than the recall of the IRS with cluster pruning. Based on the above results, we can say that proposed approach reduces search time and increases search precision with a minimal reduction in recall

Food worthy of kings and saints: fish consumption in the medieval monastery Studenica (Serbia)

The paper focuses on fish consumption and long-distance fish trade in the medieval monastery Studenica in Serbia, from the perspective of archaeozoology and historical evidence. Medieval written sources on the subject suggest that fish was available primarily to particular social classes - the royalty, nobles and monasteries. Preserved muniments indicate that during the 13th-15th centuries the majority of distinguished monasteries had their own fishing ponds, fishing grounds and their own fishermen. Fish consumption occupied an important role in monastic contexts, both in Christian religious practices (e.g. Lent) and in celebrations commemorating the Virgin Mary and the monastery founder, during which high-quality fish was obtained from greater distances. The ichthyoarchaeological remains discussed in this paper originate from waste deposition areas within and outside of the ramparts of the Studenica Monastery, accumulated during the 14th and the first half of the 15th century. Apart from the remains of the species available more or less locally Weis catfish [Silurus giants Linnaeus, 1758], carp [Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758], pike [Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758]), the faunal assemblage contained the remains of migratory sturgeons (beluga [Huso huso Linnaeus, 1758], Russian sturgeon [Acipenser gueldenstaedtii Brandt & Ratzeburg, 1833], stellate sturgeon [Acipenser stellatus Pallas, 1771]) most likely transported from the Danube area, about 200 km away as the crow flies. Skeletal element distribution, butchering traces and size estimations (of beluga in particular) indicate that large specimens (c. 2-3.6 m in total length) were brought whole to the monastery, possibly dried or salted. Their occurrence is an additional indicator of long-distance fish trade recorded in muniments, and it offers new insights into economic, social and religious practices in medieval Eastern Orthodox monasteries

Evaluation of toothbrush contamination

Background/Aim: Toothbrushes are one of the main means of cleaning teeth and maintaining oral hygiene, but toothbrushes are also potential reservoir of microorganisms, including pathogens. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the oral health, oral hygiene awareness and assess the degree of contamination of toothbrushes among students attending Secondary Medical School. Material and Methods: Sixty students (32 boys, 28 girls; mean age ≅ 15,7±2,1) attending highschool were randomly selected for this study. Each student included in the study filled out a questionnaire regarding his/her life habits and oral hygiene. Clinical examinations were initiated in order to determine the DMFT, as well as the CIP, CIT, CIA and CPITN indexes, based of which the assessment of oral health status was performed. One stack of fiber was collected from each toothbrush used by the participantes in the study, and than prepared for further microbiological sampling. Results: Only 11% of the students had the awareness of potential sources of toothbrushes contamination. The average value of DMFT was 3,2 (%D = 22,5; %M = 4,96; %F = 72,5). A statistically significant difference in comparison of the CPITN index and subjects' response to the professional plague removal in the last 12 months was identified (χ2 = 13,55; p= 0,033). Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Micrococcus species and Streptococcus salivarius were most commonly present microorganisms. In most cases, G-positive bacilli or cocci were isolated, while the presence of Candidae albicans was identified in four samples. Conclusions: Raising the awareness of dental hygiene through the oral health education may improve better plaque control and subsequently the oral health. Hands-on training how to maintain the oral hygiene are not expensive and more over they are easy to be organized can be useful in oral heath promotion

The economy of the early Byzantine metropolis Caričin grad: archaeozoological approach

Predmet istraživanja ove doktorske disertacije su ekonomski obrasci i strategije u načinu uzgoja i eksploatacije životinja u kratkom životu ranovizantijskog Caričinog grada kroz arheozoološku perspektivu. Zbog svoje specifičnosti, kratkog trajanja i obima istraženosti, Caričin grad predstavlja jedno od najznačajnijih nalazišta za razumevanje romejske civilizacije na prostoru severnog Ilirika. Sistematsko sakupljanje životinjskih ostataka prilikom arheoloških istraživanja, kao i veličina uzorka, takođe su razlozi odabira ovog lokaliteta za rad na prvoj velikoj arheozoološkoj studiji iz ranovizantijskog perioda na prostoru severnog Ilirika. S obzirom da ranovizantijski period predstavlja vreme tranzicija i transformacija između kasne antike i ranog srednjeg veka na pomenutom prostoru, rezultati analize životinjskih ostataka sa Caričinog grada upoređeni su sa dostupnim podacima iz literature za rimski period i srednji vek u cilju praćenja eventualnih promena. Glavni cilj ove doktorske disertacije bio je utvrđivanje ekonomskih obrazaca u pogledu eksploatacije životinja u različitim delovima grada. Faunalni materijal analiziran u ovoj studiji potiče iz kula Akropolja, istraženog dela naselja na severnoj padini u Gornjem gradu, naselja u jugozapadnom delu Donjeg grada i sonde u severoistočnom podgrađu. Dobijeni rezultati ukazuju da su na svim lokacijama u gradu sa kojih potiče faunalni materijal, ekonomski najznačajnije vrste mali preživari (ovce i koze) i domaće svinje, dok se na osnovu zastupljenosti fetalnih kostiju i kostiju jako mladih jedinki ovce/koze i domaće svinje u faunalnom materijalu iz naselja u Gornjem gradu i naselja u Donjem gradu, može zaključiti da su ove životinje uzgajane unutar bedema Caričinog grada. Na osnovu starosnih struktura i paleopatoloških promena koje su nastale kao posledica eksploatacije životinja za rad, zaključuje se da su goveče, ekvidi (konji, magarci i mule) i kamile gajeni prvenstveno za rad, dok su goveda gajena i za druge proizvode, kao što je mleko, a samo su povremeno korišćene za meso jedinke mlađe od tri godine, tačnije između druge i treće godine života kada je količina mesa najveća i najboljeg kvaliteta. Lov je predstavljao sporednu granu privređivanja u Caričinom gradu. Pored toga što su jelen i divlja svinja najzastupljenije divlje vrste, veliki diverzitet divljači ukazuje više na oportunistički pristup lovu nego strateški. Analiza prostorne distribucije životinjskih ostataka, prvenstveno ostataka riba i to dunavskih i mediteranskih, ukazuje na razlike u ishrani između stanovnika Akropolja i naselja u Gornjem gradu s jedne strane i stanovnika u naselju u Donjem gradu s druge strane, na osnovu čega se uviđa društveno raslojavanje na Caričinom gradu. Na osnovu veličine i procentualne zastupljenosti ekonomski najznačajnijih domaćih vrsta, utvrđeno je da se strategija uzgajanja i upotrebe životinja na Caričinom gradu menja u odnosu na rimski period. Tokom rimskog perioda gajene su krupnije rase domaćih životinja i goveče je predstavljalo najznačajniju vrstu, dok se u 6. veku na Caričinom gradu uzgajaju male lokalne rase domaćih životinja, a ovca i koza predstavljaju ekonomski najznačajnije vrste. Caričin grad je u pogledu stočarstva i eksploatacije životinja predstavljao samostalnu ekonomsku jedinicu koja je obezbeđivala osnovne potrebe u smislu hrane i to dobrim delom unutar i u neposrednoj blizini grada. Na ovakav ekonomski obrazac upućuju i preliminarni rezultati arheobotaničkih istraživanja. Takav način privređivanja posebno je važan za opstanak u kriznim vremenima. Sa druge strane, nalazi egzotičnih vrsta životinja ukazuju da su stanovnici Caričinog grada tokom većeg dela trajanja života u njemu imali dinamičnu komunikaciju sa drugim, udaljenim krajevima Carstva

Animal remains from medieval fortress Gradina-Trešnjevica near Ivanjica

Životinjske kosti pronađene u srednjovekovnom utvrđenju Gradina-Trešnjevica kod Ivanjice, podignutom u drugoj polovini XIV veka, predstavljaju ostatke hrane, na šta ukazuje veliki broj tragova kasapljenja, kao i starost ubijenih životinja. Stanovnici ovog utvrđenja su u ishrani najviše koristili meso ovaca i koza, a zatim goveda i svinja. Kosti jelena, zeca, srne i divlje svinje svedoče da se i meso divljači ponekad nalazilo na trpezi.In this paper the results of archaeozoological analysis of animal remains collected during excavations of the medieval fortress Gradina-Trešnjevica (second half of the 14th century) near Ivanjica are presented. The aim of this study was the reconstruction of diet, strategy of using different animal species by the fort inhabitants, and comparing differences in animal husbandry in relation to other medieval sites in the territory of Serbia. Nine species were identified (table 1). Domestic animals include: sheep (Ovis aries), goat (Capra hircus), cattle (Bos taurus), pig (Sus domesticus) and chicken (Gallus domesticus), and the wild: deer (Cervus elaphus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and hare (Lepus europeus). Domestic animals outnumber wild (97% NISP). Caprines (sheep and goats) are the most frequent taxa at Gradina-Trešnjevica (51%), followed in abundance by domestic cattle (27%) and domestic pigs (16%). Caprines also played a major role in the economy of fortress Ras (Blažić 1999a: 440), while in rural settlements cattle are economically most important species (Blažić 1995: 343-344). The age structure of sheep/goats, domestic cattle and domestic pig based on the state of fusion of the epiphyses of postcranial skeleton is shown in Figure 1. Slaughter of cattle was focused on individuals between 24 and 42 months of age. The age profile of pig indicates that besides individuals mostly slaughtered were those between 12 and 36 months of age, pigs younger than 12 months were also exploited. On the other hand, majority of caprines are older than 36 months indicating that besides meat exploitation, they were also herded for milk and wool (sheep) production. Arhaeozoological study of the sample from the fortress Gradina-Trešnjevica provided important information concerning distribution of various animal species and ways of their exploitation. However, in order to gain insight into animal husbandry strategies and possible links with contemporary indigenous breeds of domestic animals, it is necessary to include larger number of medieval sites in archaeozoological researches

Bone skates from the medieval site of Crkveno Brdo (Serbia)

The paper presents the results of the analysis of six worked bones discovered during archaeological excavations of the medieval settlement at the site of Crkveno Brdo. The site is located in the municipality of Senta, in the vicinity of the village of Gornji Breg, at a distance of about 1.5 km to the south-west of the village centre. During the archaeological excavations in 2019, part of the settlement dated from the 11th to the 13th century was excavated. Additionally, the existence of cultural layers, dated in a wider chronological range between the 11th and the 15th century, was revealed. The results of the analysis of the worked bones indicate that bones of the most important economic species, mainly horse and cattle, were used as a raw material between the 11th and the 13th century. Out of the total number of finds, five specimens represent skates with identical macro and micro traces of manufacturing and use, while the sixth finding can be interpreted as a pointed tool with rough production traces