OD PREOKUPIRAJUĆEG VEZIVANJA DO DEPRESIJE: SERIJSKI MEDIJACIJSKI MODEL NA UZORKU ŽENA

Existing studies have confirmed the existence of a connection between depressive symptoms and insecure attachment, an undeveloped ability to mentalize, social anxiety and rumination, as well as their increasingly more frequent presence in the population of women. However, none of the studies have analyzed the mutual relations between the aforementioned phenomena. In this study we tested a multiple serial mediation model in which a preoccupied attachment style has an effect on depressive symptoms among women, mediated by the ability to mentalize one’s own state of mind, social anxiety and a tendency towards rumination, successively, in that order. The research was carried out on a geographical cluster sample and included 1258 working-age adults, respondents from 37 urban and rural locations, 20 administrative districts of Serbia, from which a sample of women was extracted (N= 791). The Relationships Questionnaire – RQ (Bartholomew and Horowitz, 1991), the Mentalization Scale – MentS (Dimitrijević et al., 2015), the Scale of Social Anxiety (Tovilović, 2004) and the Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire – RTSQ; Brinker and Dozois, 2009) were all used in the study. The results have indicated that there is a significant specific indirect effect of the preoccupied attachment style on depression mediated by all three mediators sequentially (estimated indirect effect=.004, boot-strapped 95% CI=.002 - .007), suggesting that the preoccupied attachment style has an effect on depression by leading to a decrease in the ability to mentalize one’s own state of mind, which increases social anxiety, in turn leading to an increase in rumination, which ultimately leads to depression. These findings could be of importance for the treatment of a specific group of female patients with a preoccupied attachment style who suffer from depression.Postojeće studije potvrdile su postojanje povezanosti između simptoma depresije i nesigurnog vezivanja, nerazvijene sposobnosti za mentalizaciju, socijalne anksioznosti i ruminacije, kao i njihovu sve češću prisutnost u ženskoj populaciji. Ipak, nijedna studija nije analizirala uzajamne odnose između navedenih pojava. U ovom istraživanju testirali smo višestruki serijski medijacijski model u kojem preokupirajući stil vezivanja ima učinak na simptome depresije kod žena, kojima posreduju sposobnost mentalizacije vlastitog stanja uma, socijalna anksioznost i sklonost ruminaciji, redom i tim redoslijedom. Istraživanje je provedeno na geografskom klasterskom uzorku i uključilo je 1258 radno sposobnih odraslih osoba, ispitanika iz 37 urbanih i ruralnih lokacija iz 20 upravnih okruga Srbije, iz kojeg je izdvojen uzorak žena (N=791). U istraživanju su korišteni Upitnik o odnosima – The Relationship Questionnaire (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991), Upitnik za procjenu mentalizacije – the Mentalization Scale - MentS (Dimitrijević et al., 2015), Skala socijalne anksioznosti – the Scale of Social Anxiety (Tovilović, 2004) i Skala ruminativnog stila mišljenja – the Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire – RTSQ (Brinker & Dozois, 2009). Rezultati ukazuju da postoji značajan specifični neizravni učinak preokupirajućeg stila vezivanja na depresiju kojem posreduju sva tri medijatora redom (procijenjeni neizravni učinak =,004, samodopunjavanje 95% CI=,002 - ,007), što ukazuje da preokupirani stil vezivanja ima učinak na depresiju jer vodi do smanjivanja sposobnosti mentalizacije vlastitog stanja uma, što povećava socijalnu anksioznost, te zatim vodi do povećane ruminacije i naposljetku do depresije. Ovi zaključci mogli bi biti od važnosti za liječenje specifične grupe pacijentica s preokupiranim stilom vezivanja koje boluju od depresije

The influence of tip sonication on structural and morphological properties of graphene

Although ultrasound is frequently used to disperse carbon nanomaterials in suitable solvents, the propagation of high-amplitude ultrasonic vibrations from the tip sonicator was found to be aggressive and has the potential to break down graphene sheets. Here, the effects of tip sonication time on structural and morphological properties of two types of graphene (graphene oxide and electrochemically exfoliated graphene) was investigated by UV-vis spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy. It was found that the structural composition of the graphene was not affected by ultrasounds emitted from the tip sonicator even for the prolonged period of sonication (60 min). Microscopy analysis showed an increased portion of smaller graphene sheets in the sonicated samples for both types of graphene as a result of graphene sheet fragmentation caused by tip sonication

Badlands in volcano-clastic rocks: examples from Serbia and Hungary

Badlands can develop under different climatic conditions ranging from arid to humid on materials that have a specific combination of physico-chemical properties depending on their mineralogical composition. Mostly these materials are fine-grained terrigenous, lacustrine or marine sediments of different age. However, badlands can also form in volcano-clasitc materials, and Cappadocia badlands in Turkey is the most prominent example. Less known in the literature are two sites also developed in this type of sediments: Đavolja Varoš, on Radan Moutain in SE Serbia and the Kazár badlands in NW Hungary. The Đavolja Varoš badlands, 0.7 km2 in size is formed by the intensive development of rills and gullies on slopes built from thick volcano-clastic material. The initial relief is reduced only to sharp ridges between adjacent gullies. This badland is developed in dacito-andesitic poorly-consolidated poorly-sorted tuffs. The weathering processes are intense and governed by high intensity precipitation and prolonged drying periods. The reddish earth pyramids built of these erodible materials are protected by the cap rock. Loss of balance and fall of the protective cap rock accelerates the erosion. The smaller Kazár badlands covering the area of 1ha are developed in rhyolitic poorly-consolidated highly porous tuffs. Rills and gullies are the dominant geomorphic processes and the weathering is dominated by freeze-thaw processes. At the Kazár badlands earth pyramids are not protected with the cap rock and weathering, disintegration and sheet wash erosion intensively shape the landscape. Although the materials differ slightly in composition, both being poorly sorted, clay-size rich materials make them sensitive to erosion, proving once more the importance of material composition, in this case namely grain size including sorting and mineralogical composition, for badlands development and future evolution

The Principles of Protection and Improvement of Historic Urban Areas Implemented in the Plan of Detailed Regulation of the Old Core of Zemun

Spatial cultural-historical units are the oldest urban spaces which, with their urban and architectural heritage and cultural levels, certify about the history of the city through all phases of its existence. Continuity is an important determinant for understanding the evolution of each settlement. The Old Core of Zemun in its contemporary shape was already created, by the end of the 18th century. It represents a unique urban phenomenon, expressed through the variety of shapes, contents and meaninigs, because of which it was proclaimed the spatial, cultural-historical unit of great significance for the Republic of Serbia. Protecting the historic centre of Zemun means his adaptation to the needs of modern life, with full respect of its essence, structure and history. It can only be realized within the framework of spatial arrangement and urban planning. The task of modern urban planning is to preserve the traditional values of the city which have to be recognized, properly read and interpreted by cultural messages, according to the new requirements, techniques and technologies. The Plan of Detailed Regulation of the Old Core of Zemun defined concept of urban renewal and reconstruction of the historical core of Zemun. The development opportunities of this space have been defined in the direction of quality transformation of space that implies protection of the character of the existing tissue, preservation and improvement of public space, conservation of land division, horizontal and vertical regulation, autochthonous architecture, revitalisation of the existing and redefining new purposes for buildings and space with exceptional cultural-historical, architectural-urban and ambient values, as well as protection of vistas, silhouette and town skyline. The historical core of Zemun, as a multi-layer city organism, has been treated through the interdisciplinary conversation and planning procedure of revitalisation and reconstruction of the limited scope, which is necessary to resolve the actual contradictions of life, expressed between the heritage and modern needs. The Plan is the basis for future transformation of existing building fund according to the contemporary principles of protection and improvement the urban heritage

ANALYTICAL APPROACH IN ESTIMATING ERROR PERFORMANCE OF PARTIALLY COHERENT PSK RECEIVER OVER KAPPA-MU FADING

In this paper, a novel analytical expression for the symbol error probability (SEP) of M-ary Phase-Shift Keying (MPSK) signal transmission is derived, by using the Fourier series method (FSM). The signal is transmitted over k-m fading channel. The hardware imperfections in PSK demodulator are taken into consideration, and  are presented through the phase noise described by Tikhonov distribution. Based on the derived SEP expression, numerical results are presented and discussed. It is illustrated that the existence of phase noise leads to the irreducible SEP floor which degrades  the system performance to a large extent

Dysregulation of BDNF and PI3K/Akt signaling in the brain of female Wistar-Kyoto rats exposed to chronic mild stress

Background: The neurobiology underlying depression has not yet been fully identified, but is thought to result from molecular and cellular abnormalities that interact with genetic and environmental factors. Depression is twice as prevalent in women as in men, however, females remain underrepresented in preclinical research. In addition to the neurotransmission theory of depression, the inflammatory processes and the disrupted signaling pathways also play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of depression. The WKY rat strain has long been established as a model of depression. These rats demonstrate an exaggerated response to stress compared to other strains. WKY strain fail to respond to chronic antidepressant treatment after exposure to chronic mild stress (CMS) and considered to be nonresponsive to antidepressant drugs. The hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are thought to be an important regions for depression. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) play a vital role in the pathophysiology of depression. BDNF-stimulated signaling cascades, including the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)–/serine threonine kinase (Akt), also implicated in depression and treatment respons. In the present study, we have examined the effects of CMS on behavior and BDNF and PI3K/Akt signaling in the hippocampus and mPFC of female WKY rats. Method: In the experiment, we used three months old Wistar (WI) and WKY female rats. Animals were divided in two groups: control and animals exposed to CMS for 6 weeks. On the last day of stress procedure, animals were tested in elevated plus maze to determine the levels of anxiety. Animals were then sacrificed and hippocampus and mPFC were isolated. Levels of BDNF and pAkt were determined by Western blot method. Data were analyzed using the two way ANOVA and Tuckey’s post-hoc test. Results: WKY rats showed significantly decreased number of rearings (by 70%, p<0.01),decreased number of total arm entries (by 21%, p<0.05) and the time spent in the open arms (by 73%, p<0.001) of the elevated plus-maze compared to WI control group. WKY females had a significantly lower level of BDNF in the hippocampus (by 12%, p<0.05) and mPFC (by 16%, p<0.05) and pAkt (by 14%, p<0.01) only in mPFC as compared to the WI female rats. Exposure of WKY females to CMS enhanced an anxiety-like behavior and hypolomotion (decrease in number of rearings by 31%, p<0.05, number of total arm entries by 89%, p<0.001, and timevspent in the open arms by 92%, p<0.001), further down-expression of BDNF in both brain areas (in PFC: by 15%, p<0.001; in hippocampus: by 7%, p<0.05) and Akt phosphorylation in the mPFC (by 17%, p<0.05) as well as a decreased pAkt in the hippocampus (by 36%, p<0.001). Conclusions: The difference in the balance of BDNF and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways may be relevant to the resistance of WKY rats to antidepressant drug treatment and may be useful for developing new targets for depression treatment, especially in females.Abstracts of the 36th ECNP Congress 202

8-Iso-prostaglandin F2α as a potential biomarker in patients with unipolar and bipolar depression

Objective: Previous studies have shown that the disturbance of redox homeostasis plays a role in the pathogenesis of mood disorders. It is currently unclear whether oxidative stress parameters can be used as biomarkers (state vs. trait). The aim of the present study was to investigate oxidative stress markers in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BP) in acute depressive episodes and remission, and healthy individuals. Patients and methods: Thirty-two patients with a diagnosis of MDD, 32 patients with a diagnosis of BP and 32 matched healthy controls were included in the study. We measured the serum levels of markers of oxidative damage, including 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), 8-Iso-prostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF2α; 8-isoprostane), and malondialdehyde (MDA), and also serum activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and glutathione reductase (GR) in both acute and remission phase, and in control group. Results: After controlling for the effects of age, sex, body mass index, and smoking status, serum 8-iso-PGF2α levels were significantly higher in both patient groups compared to controls, regardless of disease phase. The activities of GPX and GR were significantly lower in the acute phase in MDD patients compared to controls. Serum GR activity was lower in both acute and remission phase in MDD compared to BP. Conclusions: Our results suggest that both MDD and BP are associated with a disturbed redox balance with a particularly pronounced increase in serum 8-iso-PGF2α levels in both groups and the presence of glutathione metabolism disorders in MDD patients. Further research is needed to confirm the importance of oxidative stress parameters as potential biomarkers of MDD and BP

Synthesis and deposition of MAPbBr3 perovskite on titania nanotube arrays

The organo-inorganic perovskites are materials that have recently revolutionized the field of photovoltaics due to their low-cost fabrication and high optical absorption. The hybrid organoinorganic perovskite absorbs the visible part of the spectrum resulting in the creation of electron-hole pair. To decrease the recombination of charge carriers, the construction of solar cells requires the existence of separate layers for holes and for electrons. TiO2 is usually used as an electron transport layer because its conduction band (CB) lies under the CB of perovskite. In that way, electrons diffuse from CB of perovskite to CB of TiO2. For these experiments, TiO2 nanotubular structure was used as an electron transport layer due to its advantages compared to nanoparticular TiO2. TiO2 nanotubes can provide a one-dimensional transmission channel for the charge carriers, so it will reduce the recombination rate of the carriers and provide a channel for fast carrier transport. However, there is a problem with the contact surface between perovskite and TiO2 nanotubes. The aim of this study is to increase the contact surface of perovskite and TiO2 nanotubes by filling the nanotubes with perovskite material in order to improve electron transport. Methylammonium lead bromide perovskite (MAPbBr3) was deposited on anodically synthesized TiO2 nanotubes which were annealed at 450 °C for 1 h. After degassation of the sample under high vacuum for 3 h at 200 °C, the cooled sample was put in a solution of MAPbBr3 in dimethylformamide (DMF) and it was treated with inert gas (N2), which enabled the filling of the nanotubes with perovskite material to some extent. FESEM and XRD analyses were used for morphological and chemical characterization of the sample. The diffuse reflectance spectroscopy measurement of the sample proved that deposition of MAPbBr3 improves the absorption properties of TiO2 nanotubes. By measuring the I-V characteristics of the sample in the dark and under visible light, a hysteresis curve was obtained

Apego materno y competencias emocionales y cognitivas de los hijos

The goal of the study was to examine the relation between dimensions which lie in the basis of maternal attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and the development of children\u27s competences in the emotional domain (reflective functioning, mixed emotions understanding, sequential emotion understanding) and cognitive development (verbal comprehension, logic, graphomotor skills and understanding quantities).For this purpose, 60 children and their mothers were tested. Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS; Collins, 1996), was used to assess the two attachment dimensions. The Affect Task (Steele, Steele, & Fonagy, 1994) contains several subscales, including those intended to assess children\u27s reflective functioning, mixed emotions understanding and sequential emotion understanding. Children\u27s cognitive competences were assessed through their success on the Readiness for Elementary School Test (POŠ; Tolčić, 1986).Results indicate significant negative correlations between dimensions of maternal attachment and emotional competences. Also, avoidance is a significant predictor of mixed emotions understanding and sequential emotion understanding. Furthermore, anxiety negatively correlates with the success of children in logic, and avoidance is in a negative correlation, and is also a significant predictor of children\u27s verbal comprehension from the cognitive domain. Also, better emotional competences of the child, especially reflective functioning, predict better cognitive competences.Our results emphasize the role of the father figure, more precisely the education of the father, in prediction of children\u27s success in verbal comprehension and logic.It is justified to conclude that the obtained results indicate that the phenomena of attachment, emotional, and cognitive competences are essentially interrelated aspects of psychological life.El objetivo del estudio fue investigar la relación entre las dimensiones que forman base del apego materno (ansiedad y evitación), el desarrollo de las competencias del niño en el dominio emocional (funcionamiento reflexivo, entendimiento de las emociones mezcladas, entendimiento de las emociones secuenciales) y el desarrollo cognitivo (comprensión verbal, lógica, destrezas grafo-motoras y entendimiento de cantidades). Con este fin, 60 niños y sus madres fueron investigados. La Escala de Apego en Adultos (RAAS; Collins, 1996) revisada fue usada para evaluar las dos dimensiones del apego. La tarea afectiva (Steele, Steele & Fonagy, 1994) contiene varias subescalas, incluido aquellas destinadas a la evaluación del funcionamiento reflexivo, entendimiento de las emociones mezcladas y entendimiento de las emociones secuenciales de los niños. Las competencias cognitivas de los niños fueron evaluadas a través de su éxito en la Prueba de Aptitud para la Escuela Primaria (POŠ; Tolčić, 1986). Los resultados indican una considerable correlación negativa entre las dimensiones de apego materno y las competencias emocionales. Además, la evitación es un predictor importante del entendimiento de las emociones mezcladas y entendimiento de las emociones secuenciales. Es más, la ansiedad está en correlación negativa con el éxito de los niños en lógica, y la evitación está en correlación negativa y también es un predictor significativo de comprensión verbal de los niños del dominio cognitivo. Además, mejores competencias emocionales del niño, especialmente funcionamiento reflexivo, predicen mejores competencias cognitivas. Nuestros resultados acentúan el papel de la figura del padre, más preciso, la formación del padre, en la predicción de éxito que el niño tendrá en comprensión verbal y lógica. Está justificado concluir que los resultados obtenidos indican que el fenómeno del apego y las competencias emocionales y cognitivas son básicamente aspectos interrelacionados de la vida psicológica

Primary Teeth Bite Marks Analysis on Various Materials: A Possible Tool in Children Health Risk Analysis and Safety Assessment

Background: All objects put into a child's mouth could be hazardous in terms of trauma and toxic substance exposure. The aims of this study were to evaluate morphological characteristics of the primary teeth bite marks inflicted on various materials and to assess material wear using experimental model. Methods: Bite marks were analyzed on five materials: rubber, plastic, foil, wood, and silicone. In order to mimic children mouthing behavior an experimental setup has been designed using primary teeth placed in dentures and children's equipment specimens. Results: Deciduous teeth make visible and recognizable traces when using physiological forces on all investigated materials. The most significant material loss was revealed in silicone samples, but it has been observed in all material groups, while mouthing with incisors using higher mastication forces were identified as significant predictors for material wear. There were no significant differences between type, species, and morphological-morphometric characteristics of the bite marks which are made by incisors, canines, and molars. Conclusions: In the range of physiological bite forces, deciduous teeth lead to wear of material from which toys are made while the analysis of bite marks in children equipment could give some information regarding the risk of trauma and exposure