The design of local ductility for reinforced concrete elements by eurocode 8 - confinement effectiveness factor

This paper is focused on the effects of confinement of the reinforcement reinforced concrete sections, i.e. in the way that the transverse reinforcement affects the improvement of the characteristics of both the material and the affected zone of the element. The practical meaning of the confinement effectiveness factor from the expression of Eurocode 8 was explained. Size of the part of element that is effectively confined by the stirrups is estimated on examples of differently reinforced circular and square sections of the column by analysis of the three-dimensional presentation of effectively confined concrete sections. The connection between confinement effectiveness factor by Eurocode 8 and real effective concrete core is established

Uticaj načina žetve i dorade na životnu sposobnost semena soje

Organic viability of soybean seed for three soybean varieties - elite (Bosa, ZPS 015 and Nena) depending on methods of manipulation with seeds during harvesting and processing phase were determined in this paper. Trial was conducted in Zemun Polje during 1999; manual and mechanized harvesting or processing methods were applied. Seed germination was tested using ISTA methods (Standard method and Cold test). Following parameters were evaluated: germination viability, germination, rate-speed of emergence, length of hypocotile and main root Rate-speed of emergence was based on number of emerged plants per day. Length of hypocotile or root and percent of germination determined vigour index. Based on obtained results it maybe concluded that methods of seed manipulation during harvesting or processing phase were influenced on soybean seed quality parameters evaluated. Ways of seed manipulation - methods evaluated were influenced organic viability of soybean seed by decreasing germination viability, total germination and length of main root.U radu je ispitivana životna sposobnost semena tri sorte soje-elite (Bosa, ZPS 015 i Nena) u zavisnosti od načina manipulisanja semenom u toku žetve i dorade. Seme je proizvedeno u Zemun Polju u 1999. godini, a žetva i dorada su obavljene ručno i mašinski. Za ispitivanje klijavosti korišćene su ISTA metode (standardna i Cold test). Ispitivani su sledeći parametri: energija klijanja, klijavost, brzina nicanja, dužina bipokotila i primarnog korena. Krzina nicanja utvrđena je na osnovu broja izniklih biljaka po danu. Indeks vigoroznosti je determinisan na osnovu dužine hipokotila i korena i procenat klijavosti. Na osnovu dobijenih rezultata može se zaključiti da su načini manipulisanja semenom u toku žetve i dorade uticali na ispitivane parametre kvaliteta semena soje. Načini manipulisanja semenom i metode ispitivanja uticali su na životnu sposobnost semena soje smanjivanjem urednosti energije klijanja, klijavosti i dužine primarnog korena

Efikasnost bakar-citrata u zaštiti vinove loze od bolesti

The control of Plasmopara viticola and Botrytis cinerea, two of the most dangerous pathogens on grapevine, requires frequent treatments with chemicals based on weather conditions. Numerous applications of fungicides have resulted in developing fungicide resistance. Active ingredients based on copper have been used very successfully for a long time to protect grapevines against these pathogens. Application of a copper citrate formulation with high degree dissociation at a very low concentration (1%) was evaluated in field trials. The efficacy of two concentrations of copper citrate, 0.5 and 1.0%, were tested against P. viticola on grapevine in three locations, and against B. cinerea in two locations during 2018. Our results demonstrated that the concentration of 1.0% copper citrate was highly effective against P. viticola (87.4%) and B. cinerea (63.7%), compared to standard treatment (90.6 and 53.1%), under a high level of infection.Zaštita vinove loze od prouzrokovača plamenjače vinove loze - Plasmopara viticola i sive truleži - Botrytis cinerea, je vrlo kompleksna i zahteva primenu većeg broja hemijskih tretmana, u skladu sa vremenskim uslovima. Učestala primena fungicida uslovljavala je pojavu rezistentnih izolata patogena na fungicide. Različite forme bakarnih jedinjenja primenjuju se u zaštiti vinove loze dugi niz godina prilično uspešno. Primena bakar-citrata - formulacije sa visokim stepenom disocijacije u niskoj koncentraciji (1,0%) ispitivana je u poljskim uslovima. Efikasnost dve koncentracije bakar-citrata - 0.5 i 1.0% je testirana u suzbijanju P. viticola i B. cinerea na vinovoj lozi na tri (dva) lokaliteta, tokom 2018 godine. Naši rezultati pokazuju da je ispitivana koncentracija od 1,0% bakar-citrata ispoljila zadovoljavajući efekat na P. viticola (87,4%) i B. cinerea (63,7%) u odnosu na primenjene standarde (90,6% i 53,1%) u uslovima visokih zaraza

Prevalence of Bovine herpesvirus type 4 in aborting dairy cows

Bovine herpesvirus type 4 (BHV-4) is related to many different conditions: infertility, postpartal metritis, vulvovaginitis, mastitis, encephalitis, calf pneumonia, keratoconjunctivitis, cutaneous lesions, digital dermatitis and abortion. In this study a retrospective PCR examination of 100 extracted DNA samples from aborting cows was performed in order to determine: prevalence of BHV-4 in abortive cattle, whether coinfections BHV-4 with other abortifacient pathogens are present in the same sample and to determine the month of gestation when BHV-4 associated abortions were detected. Out of 100 examined samples, the BHV-4 genome was detected in 21 samples (21%). In two samples we detected coinfection of BHV-4 with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and in one with Neospora caninum. Most of the BHV-4-associated abortions were detected during the seventh month of gestation. It was concluded that an active BHV-4 infection was present among cows that aborted on the farms examined. The high prevalence of the BHV-4 genome in abortion material suggests that this virus may have cause the abortions. Further studies and examinations are needed to establish causative connection between presence of BHV-4 and abortion

An approach to agile management of virtual student teams in smart environment development

This paper studies the problem of coordination and supervision of virtual teams and their capabilities. The goal is to develop a model suitable for managing virtual student teams specialized in the development of smart environments. The developed model is based on SAFe and DevOps, which when combined provide us with a framework for the evaluation of team capabilities in an academic environment. Additionally, DevOps principles can be more efficiently leveraged through an agile methodology to provide students with a better understanding of continuous value delivery. Through the application of the proposed model, virtual student teams gained practical experience in self-organization and virtual team management while being efficiently monitored and guided through the project lifecycle. Virtual student teams were likewise encouraged to be more agile, as this change in mindset is imperative in business, and as such must also be adopted in academic environments. By incorporating best practices of the corporate environments into the existing curriculum, we have proven that by adopting the proposed model these changes can be feasibly incorporated to the satisfaction of both the students and their future employers

Open architecture control system for three axes parallel kinematics milling machine

U radu je prikazano konfigurisanje sistema otvorene arhitekture za upravljanje troosnom mašinom sa paralelnom kinematikom. Na realnoj mašini je testiran softver i hardver, koji može da se koristi i za višeosno upravljanje mašina alatki i industrijskih robota. Ostvareno je upravljanje servo motorima na mašini, na PC platformi pod Linux operativnim sistemom.This paper gives a methodology for configuring of open architecture control system for three axes parallel kinematics milling machine. Software and hardware which can be used for control of multi axes machine tool and industrial robots is tested on real machine. The control of servo drives is carried out using PC based platform and Linux operating system

Oxidative Stress in Patients before and after On-Pump and Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Relationship with Syntax Score

Objective. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) represents the significant source of increased oxidative stress (OS). We aimed to follow the OS status parameters (i.e., ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide anion, prooxidantantioxidant balance (PAB), total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), and superoxide-dismutase (SOD)) change through the predefined study times in two different surgical procedures, i.e., cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). Additionally, we aimed to investigate those OS status parameters in specific study times according to SYNTAX score (SS), an established angiographic score for evaluating the extensity and severity of coronary artery disease. Patients and Methods. A total of 107 patients that were planned to undergo CABG were included (i.e., 47 patients in OPCAB and 60 patients in CPB group). Blood samples were taken at 6 time intervals: before surgery (t1), immediately after intervention (t2), 6 h (t3), 24 h (t4), 48 h (t5), and 96 h after termination of the operation (t6). Results. IMA levels were higher in CPB than that in OPCAB baseline and rose in CPB group in t2 point. TOS decreased in both study groups, compared to baseline values, but without statistical significance. Superoxide anion and PAB significantly increased in t3-t6 study times, in both groups. MDA significantly increased only in CPB group in t5 and t6 interval. MDA was significantly higher in CPB group compared to OPCAB in t6 study point. CPB patients had significantly lower TAS compared to OPCAB patients at the beginning and in t2 and t3 study points. They also had significantly lower SOD activities compared to OPCAB, baseline, and in several study points. Moreover, TAS, SOD, and TAS/TOS ratio were significantly lower, whereas PAB and TOS/TAS were significantly higher in patients with high SS compared to corresponding groups. SOD activity, IMA, and TAS level were the best predictors of high SS. Conclusion. CPB patients were in more severe ischemia baseline than OPCAB group and IMA rose in CPB patients immediately after the surgery end, but not later. Also, the antioxidant status was significantly lower, whereas the prooxidant status was significantly higher in patients with high SS compared to corresponding groups. SOD activity, IMA, and TAS level were the best predictors of CAD (as determined with SS), showing that SOD and IMA had very good discriminatory capability towards higher SS status

Echocardiography-based Left Ventricle Cardiac Hypertrophy Simulations

Clinical scenarios can be evaluated using numerical modeling of the cardiac cycle prior to experimental or clinical application. Changes in wall thickness, displacement fields, and general cardiac function are all affected by hypertrophy. In our study, we calculated the effects of eccentric and concentric hypertrophy and monitored changes in ventricular thickness and shape. Concentric hypertrophy results in thicker walls, while eccentric hypertrophy results in thinner walls. Passive stresses were calculated using recently established material modals based on Holzapfel’s work. Our modeling approach is based on composite shell finite elements, allowing easier and more efficient modeling compared to traditional 3D finite elements. A left ventricular model was constructed using echocardiographic images. Our modeling technology is based on accurate patient-specific geometries and realistic constitutive curves, so it can be used as the basis for real-world applications. Our model can be used to test medical hypotheses about the development of hypertrophy in healthy and diseased hearts under the influence of different conditions and factors.Book of abstract: 4th Belgrade Bioinformatics Conference, June 19-23, 202

SGABU computational platform for multiscale modeling:Bridging the gap between education and research

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In accordance with the latest aspirations in the field of bioengineering, there is a need to create a web accessible, but powerful cloud computational platform that combines datasets and multiscale models related to bone modeling, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and tissue engineering. The SGABU platform may become a powerful information system for research and education that can integrate data, extract information, and facilitate knowledge exchange with the goal of creating and developing appropriate computing pipelines to provide accurate and comprehensive biological information from the molecular to organ level. METHODS: The datasets integrated into the platform are obtained from experimental and/or clinical studies and are mainly in tabular or image file format, including metadata. The implementation of multiscale models, is an ambitious effort of the platform to capture phenomena at different length scales, described using partial and ordinary differential equations, which are solved numerically on complex geometries with the use of the finite element method. The majority of the SGABU platform's simulation pipelines are provided as Common Workflow Language (CWL) workflows. Each of them requires creating a CWL implementation on the backend and a user-friendly interface using standard web technologies. Platform is available at https://sgabu-test.unic.kg.ac.rs/login. RESULTS: The main dashboard of the SGABU platform is divided into sections for each field of research, each one of which includes a subsection of datasets and multiscale models. The datasets can be presented in a simple form as tabular data, or using technologies such as Plotly.js for 2D plot interactivity, Kitware Paraview Glance for 3D view. Regarding the models, the usage of Docker containerization for packing the individual tools and CWL orchestration for describing inputs with validation forms and outputs with tabular views for output visualization, interactive diagrams, 3D views and animations. CONCLUSIONS: In practice, the structure of SGABU platform means that any of the integrated workflows can work equally well on any other bioengineering platform. The key advantage of the SGABU platform over similar efforts is its versatility offered with the use of modern, modular, and extensible technology for various levels of architecture.</p