TOWARDS GRADUAL INTEGRATION OF THE WESTERN BALKANS INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION: THE CASE OF SERBIA

This paper examined whether the revised enlargement methodology represented another step in the direction of gradual EU membership of the Western Balkans. The research problem was based on considerations that the EU enlargement domain has for years been characterized by political stagnation. The research aimed to show that a differentiated accession approach might have been beneficial for Serbia, as a front-runner membership candidate. In terms of methods, the author analyzes the concepts and the applicability of the ‘three-tiered accession’ and ‘staged accession’, having in mind the recently altered enlargement methodology. The author argues that the gradual integration would have been beneficial for two reasons: 1) validating the candidates’ already achieved progress, offering tangible incentives, and potentially preventing the democratic backsliding; 2) taking the pre-scheduled accession dates off the table. Considering that the EU is unlikely to expand further, the author concludes that the gradual membership concept might apply solely to the WB, while also reassuring the Member States regarding the primacy of individual merits and excluding the speedy accessions proposals

Suggesting a Way to Understand the Actual Potential of Anti-Alzheimer's Disease Drugs That Show Promise in Transgenic Mouse Models.

One conundrum in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research using transgenic mouse models is the high amount of successful memory-enhancing drugs. By contrast, very few drugs and of limited efficacy are available for humans having this pathology. As previously discussed (1), the advance in this field, i.e., to fulfill the translational facet of anti-AD research, requires deciphering why so many different drugs (or therapeutic interventions, such as exercise or training) have memory-enhancing properties in transgenic models of the disease. Transgenic animals do not accurately reflect the human disease, as they overexpress proteins with mutations that appear only in a reduced percentage of patients (2). The majority of patients have late-onset clinical symptoms due to multiple factors many of which may be circumstantial. On waiting for the development of novel animals models that may, eventually, shorten the distance between the lab bench and the bedside (3), we should take advantage of the huge amount of data showing promise of different drugs in transgenic models. [...

Biomechanics and the metabolic cost of walking in people with diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a serious worldwide disease characterised by pathological metabolism of sugars. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common complication of diabetes involving dysfunction of peripheral nerves. Diabetes is known to alter a number of biomechanical aspects of gait, but it remains unknown as to whether these alterations could impact upon the metabolic cost of walking (CoW). The aim of this thesis was to investigate the CoW in people with diabetes and examine biomechanical factors that could contribute to explaining any potential differences. Data were generated from three groups: patients with DPN (n=14), patients with diabetes but without peripheral neuropathy (DM, n=22), and controls without diabetes (Ctrl, n=31). Gait assessment was performed using a Vicon motion analysis system and Kistler force plates while participants walked at a range of matched speeds (between 0.6 and 1.6 m/s). Oxygen consumption was measured continuously whilst participants walked on a motor-driven treadmill at the range of matched walking speeds. Ultrasonographic imaging data from the plantarflexor muscle-tendon complex (MTC) were collected in vivo during walking to determine MTC properties. Magnetic resonance imaging of the ankle joint in the standing position was used to quantify the internal leverage around the ankle. Isometric plantarflexor maximal voluntary contraction strength was measured using a dynamometer. The CoW was significantly higher in the DPN group across a range of matched walking speeds and also in the DM group at selected speeds, compared to Ctrl. Despite the higher CoW in patients with diabetes, concentric lower limb joint work was significantly lower in DM and DPN groups compared to Ctrl. A greater value for the effective mechanical advantage (EMA) at the ankle joint was found in the DPN and DM groups compared to Ctrl, meaning that the ankle plantarflexor muscles developed relatively lower forces to generate a given joint moment compared to Ctrl. The increased EMA was mainly caused by a smaller external moment arm of the ground reaction force in the DPN and DM groups compared to Ctrl. The DPN group reduced the joint moment at the ankle during walking by applying the ground reaction force more proximally on the foot, or at an angle directed more towards the ankle, thereby reducing the external moment arm and increasing the EMA around the ankle. The DPN group demonstrated significantly less Achilles tendon elongation during walking, higher stiffness and higher hysteresis compared to Ctrl. These properties mean that the Achilles tendon would store and release less energy in the DPN group during walking, requiring more work from the plantarflexor muscles. Vertical displacement of the centre of mass during walking was not different between groups and is therefore unlikely to be a factor in itself that contributes towards the increased CoW in people with diabetic neuropathy. A higher cumulative joint work resulting from an increased cadence may contribute to the higher CoW in patients with diabetes, along with a reduced elastic energy contribution from the Achilles tendon

Unsteady Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer Through a Porous Medium in a Horizontal Channel with an Inclined Magnetic Field

This paper investigates the unsteady flow and heat transfer of a viscous, incompressible, and electrically conducting fluid through a porous medium in a horizontal channel. The basic physical properties of the fluid and the porous medium are constant. The fluids considered are those with the Prandtl number less than 1. The channel walls are made of horizontal permeable plates, which are at constant but different temperatures. Fluid suction/injection through the plates occurs at a velocity perpendicular to the plates, whose intensity is a cosine function of time. The applied external magnetic field is homogeneous and inclined in relation to the transverse plane of the channel. The problem is dealt with through an inductionless approximation. Fluid flow is instigated by constant pressure drops along the channel. The equations used to describe the problem are transformed to dimensionless forms and solved analytically using the perturbation method. Approximate analytical expressions for dimensionless fluid flow velocity and dimensionless temperature are determined as functions of the following physical parameters: Prandtl number, Hartmann number, porosity factor, frequency, amplitude, and magnetic field inclination angle. Numerical results are presented as diagrams and tables and are used to analyse the influence of physical parameters on the fluid flow velocity and temperature

Editorial:Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors Trafficking in Health and Disease

The knowledge about the properties and importance of ionotropic glutamate receptor trafficking is ever increasing. Importantly, the pace of the progress has been accelerated in recent years. Here, our contributors provide a) reviews on specific topics that present an up-to-date overview of the field, as well as b) original articles with the relevant new findings

The Relationship Between Motor Competence, Body Composition, Handgrip Strength and Sports Participation Among Icelandic Adolescents

Motor competence can affect participation in sports and physical activity among adolescents. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between motor competence, body composition, handgrip strength (HGS) and sports par ticipation in 13-16 years old adolescents, as well as to examine gender differences. Data for 177 boys and 153 girls were collected and analysed. Body composition was assessed by measuring height, weight, waist circumference, body fat percent age (FAT%), and calculating body mass index (BMI). Motor competence was determined by using the Movement Assessment Battery test (MABC-2) which consists of eight tasks that measure aiming and catching, balance, and manual dexterity. Handgrip strength was assessed by using hand dynamometer and the question about sports participation was retained from a detailed questionnaire for the current study. The results of the study show that girls have better motor competence in the 13-, 14- and 15-year-old age groups (13 years girls: 10.3, boys: 8.7; 14 years girls: 10.3, boys: 9.2; 15 years girls: 10.1, boys: 8.6, respectively), but there was no significant difference between the genders in the 16-year-old age group (girls: 9.6, boys: 9.0, respectively). HGS had a positive correlation with FAT% (r=0.5, p<0.05) and waist circumference in 13- year-old girls (r=0.5, p<0.05), BMI in boys age of 16 (r=0.3, p<0.05), and FAT% (r=0.4, p<0.05) and MABC-2 in girls 16-years old (r=0.6, p<0.05). Participation in organized sports activities was the most important factor when predicting motor competence in 13- to 16-year old adolescents (t=3.7, p<0.05). Future studies should consider the development of gender differences from a long-term per spective, and in that sense, longitudinal studies could give better explanations

Understanding the diffuse gamma ray emission of the milky way - from supernova remnants to dark matter

Diffuse gamma ray emission from the Galactic center at 2-3 GeV, as well as the 12 TeV gamma ray excess in the Galactic disk, remain open for debate and represent the missing puzzles in the complete picture of the high-energy Milky Way sky. Our papers emphasize the importance of understanding all of the populations that contribute to the diffuse gamma background in order to discriminate between the astrophysical sources such as supernova remnants and pulsars, and something that is expected to be seen in gamma rays and is much more exotic - dark matter. We analyze two separate data sets that have been measured in different energy ranges from the ?Fermi-LAT? and ?Milagro? telescopes, using these as a powerful tool to limit and test our analytical source population models. We model supernova remnants and pulsars, estimating the number of still undetected ones that contribute to the diffuse background, trying to explain both the Galactic center and the 12 TeV excess. Furthermore, we aim to predict the number of soon to be detected sources with new telescopes, such as the ?HAWC?