Three Poems

Three Poems by Biljana D. Obradovic Update: January Appointment Postponed I’ve Been Here Before Safe in the US of

Uloga PKCd i ERK1/2 u trombinom stimulisanoj proliferaciji glatkih mišićnih ćelija krvnih sudova

Kardiovaskularne bolesti predstavljaju najveći uzrok smrtnosti ljudske populacije, a jedna od njihovih najučestalijih patoloških komponenti je i sama ateroskleroza. Proliferacija ili deoba glatkih mišićnih ćelija krvnih sudova (VSMC) ključni je događaj u nastanku raznih vaskularnih oboljenja, uključujući aterosklerozu i hipertenziju. U procesu diferencijacije i abnormalne deobe VSMC povezanih sa hipertenzijom i aterosklerozom uključen je i trombin. Stimulisanje VSMC trombinom dovodi do aktivacije ekstracelularnim signalima regulisanih kinaza 1 i 2 (ERK1/2), preko transaktivacije receptora za epidermalni faktor rasta (EGFR). U našim ranijim studijama potvrdili smo na osnovu inhibicije ERK1/2 od strane PD9805 inhibitora, učešće ERK1/2 u regulaciji proliferacije VSMC izazvanoj trombinom. Takođe, protein kinaza C delta (PKCδ), detektovana je u VSMC i pokazano je da je i njena aktivnost takođe regulisana trombinom. U okviru ovog preglednog članka biće prikazani literaturni podaci koji se odnose na ulogu PKCδ i ERK1/2, u posredovanju proliferativnog efekta trombina na VSMC.Cardiovascular disease is the greatestest single cause of mortality and its major underlying pathology is atherosclerosis. The proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) is a key event in the pathogenesis of various vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and hypertension. Thrombin is involved in the differentiation and abnormal proliferation of VSMC associated with atherosclerosis and hypertension. Thrombin stimulation results in extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) activation through transactivation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Based on our reacent studies in which PD98059 used to inhibit ERK1/2, we have shown previously that ERK1/2 was involved in the regulation by thrombin of VSMC’s proliferation. In addition, protein kinase C delta (PKCδ) have also been detected in VSMC and shown to be regulated by thrombin. In this review, we are presenting literature data relating to role of PKCδ and ERK1/2 in mediating the mitogenic action of thrombin in VSMC

Literature review - Energy saving potential of user-centered integrated lighting solutions

Measures for the reduction of electric energy loads for lighting have predominantly focussed on increasing the efficiency of lighting systems. This efficiency has now reached levels unthinkable a few decades ago. However, a focus on mere efficiency is physically limiting, and does not necessarily ensure that the anticipated energy savings actually materialize. There are technical and non-technical reasons because of which effective integration of lighting solutions and their controls, and thus a reduction in energy use, does not happen. This literature review aims to assess the energy saving potential of integrated daylight and electric lighting design and controls, especially with respect to user preferences and behaviour. It does so by collecting available scientific knowledge and experience on daylighting, electric lighting, and related control systems, as well as on effective strategies for their integration. Based on this knowledge, the review suggests design processes, innovative design strategies and design solutions which – if implemented appropriately – could improve user comfort, health, well-being and productivity, while saving energy as well as the operation and maintenance of lighting systems. The review highlights also regulatory, technical, and design challenges hindering energy savings. Potential energy savings are reported from the retrieved studies. However, these savings derived from separate studies are dependent on their specific contexts, which lowers the ecological validity of the findings. Studies on strategies based on behavioural interventions, like information, feedback, and social norms, did not report energy saving performance. This is an interesting conclusion, since the papers indicate high potentials that deserve further exploration. Quantifying potential savings is fundamental to fostering large scale adoption of user-driven strategies, since this would allow at least a rough estimation of returns for the investors. However, such quantification requires that studies are designed with an inter-disciplinary approach. The literature also shows that strategies, where there is more communication between façade and lighting designers, are more successful in integrated design, which calls for more communication between stakeholders in future building processes

Prevalence and Predictors of Violence Victimization and Violent Behavior among Youths: A Population-Based Study in Serbia

The study identifies the prevalence of violence victimization and the perpetration among youths, and explores the determinants and predictors using a socio-ecological model. The data of 36 variables from a representative sample of 1722 persons, ages 15–24 years, from the National Health Survey of Serbia in 2013, were analyzed by a multivariate logistic regression modeling. The study shows that 13.4% of youths experienced multi-victimization, while 10.4% were perpetrators of violence. Up to one-third of the victims were violence perpetrators. A small percentage of victims seek family and community support. Predictors of violence among youths were: male sex, households with fewer members, urban settlements, violence perpetration, self-assessed health as poor, lack of close friends and perception that it was difficult to obtain the assistance needed. Predictors of youth violence highlighted the need to improve health education, social support and community regulations, as well as strengthen the promotion of gender equality and a healthy environment

Frozen Embraces. (Original writing);

This thematically divided creative writing poetry dissertation includes seventy-one poems which range in length from a short nine-line poem to a four-page poem and in form from a single long or short stanza to multiple stanzas and sonnet-like verse. In Part One (21 poems) the poems describe my internal quest as a Serbian woman in search of a world to which I can belong; I live away from my loved ones, and my country is at war. The poems recall the way life used to be when I was a child under communism, now gone; the Mostar bridge still standing, now fallen; how I used to dry my clothes inside, letting them dry on furniture as in the title poem Frozen Embraces, now having to use a dryer. My generation has lost everything: youth, opportunity, the communist system, and it turns to the Serbian Orthodox religion. In Part Two (29 poems) I revisit the Balkans changed after almost four years of the civil war. Ordinary people have suffered. The poems recall what it was like for my parents after the Second World War; Granddad\u27s tales of the First and Second World Wars. The poems trace the path of the father who became a diplomat, rising from the ranks of a peasant boy and a customs officer, who took the family to exotic places like Salonika, and Bombay. I question Western values and look back onto the communist East with similar questions. In Part Three (21 poems) the poems document my visit to Europe where I try to be an outside observer. I go to concerts, visit painting and sculpture exhibitions, paint. What used to be all right has been twisted out of shape, stained. My own mother has breast cancer. I\u27m afraid of this hereditary disease. I want to enjoy life while I can. Perhaps there is hope for us. I realize that turmoil shakes human beings, wakes us up to reevaluate everything taught, all values, and create new ones in the place of old ones

Daylight Transport Systems for Buildings at High Latitudes

This paper is a literature study of daylight transport systems aiming at selecting the most appropriate ones for application at high latitudes. It is limited to the systems that transport light at a long distance from the façade and distribute it either in the building core or at a rear place in a room adjacent to the façade. The literature is spanning from the 80s’ to the present. It covers the theoretical background and development of the systems from their infancy, through technical development of the design elements and to the adaptation of the systems to different climatic conditions. Since the most literature comes from equatorial and tropical climate, a short contextualization with high latitudes climate is included. Findings are systematized and presented in tables for easier comparison of efficiency, visual comfort, design efficacy, maintenance need, cost and/or availability on the market, and energy-saving potential in different climates. Conclusions confirm that the daylight condition at the location is the main prerequisite when deciding on the type of collector while the building structure and room functionality are the basis for choosing the type of the transport element. Finally, the distribution element showed to be the key factor when discussing applicability in a functional space where the final success depends on human acceptance. This paper can be useful to get an overview of performance characteristics and application preferences of different daylight transport systems or just their components in daylight conditions at high latitudes

The effect of a horizontal light pipe and a custom-made reflector on the user's perceptual impression of the office room located at a high latitude

This paper describes a qualitative study on user opinion of daylight supplementation via a horizontal light pipe (HLP) applied in a test office in a building located in southern Norway. The study is part of a full-scale long-term study analysing lighting energy consumption and the photometry of supplemented light. This study employs a custom-made reflector for daylight distribution via HLP to preserve the features of natural light, noted as the primary human association with daylight, and is, as such, first of its kind. The main research aim was to find out if noticeable daylighting provision from the HLP leads to a positive user perception of the space when compared to a situation without a HLP. The study collects user responses to a new illumination solution using a user-survey method based on exposure to the visual environment of an experimental office. Statistical correlation and a t-test were used to analyse the results. The paper concluded that the user appraisal of the office was more positive when there was a noticeable daylight supplement from the HLP in the space, but the appraisal was negative for the higher light variability in the illuminance level both indoors and outdoors. The conclusion serves as an additional argument for the implementation of the HLP in building design, besides its energy saving potential