Late Neolithic chronology in the contact zone between the south edge of the Carpathian Mountains and the Pannonian plain. The case study of Vršac region

The Late Neolithic period in Southeast Serbian Banat is marked by a host of Vinča culture sites located between the Danube and the Vršac mountains, the south end of the Carpathian mountain range in this area. It is a predominantly flat landscape enclosed by extensive former marshes of Mali and Veliki Rit in the northwest, Vršac mountains in the northeast, and Deliblato sands and River Nera in the southwest and the southeast. Over 40 late Neolithic sites are known throughout the area, most from surveys, but some also excavated. Between 2020 and 2022, as part of the Regional Absolute Chronologies of the Late Neolithic in Serbia project, funded by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, At and Potporanj sites were radiocarbon dated to produce detailed, Bayesian statistical model-based chronologies that could be used as a local chronological reference for future researchers of the Late Neolithic in the region. In this chapter, we present unified chronological data attributable to the beginning and ending phases of the Neolithic in this region

Regional Absolute Chronologies of the Late Neolithic in Serbia. The case study of At near Vršac

The paper presents the concept, methodology and preliminary results of the project Regional Absolute Chronologies of the Late Neolithic in Serbia that started in 2020 using a case study from the site of At near Vršac in northeast Serbia. The aim of the project is to create multiple new regional chronological strands consisting of Bayesian modelled radiocarbon dates from sites with material culture belonging to the tradition of the Late Neolithic period Vinča culture. Combining statistical seriation of pottery assemblages and the Bayesian statistical modelling framework of several case studies from various regions of Serbia, new regional chronological anchor points will be created, thus avoiding constant comparison with the assemblage and dating of the eponymous site of Belo Brdo in Vinča. This approach will overcome the effects of the regionalization of material culture evident in most ceramic assemblages located further than 100 kilometres away from the type site. Using archival archaeological records from previous excavations will enable an establishment of a geography of chronological reference points which would then provide new insights into the dynamics of the evolution of the Late Neolithic Vinča societies and changes that occurred throughout its territory during the late sixth and the larger part of the fifth millennia BCE

Zinc(II) Complexes with Dimethyl 2,2 '-Bipyridine-4,5-dicarboxylate: Structure, Antimicrobial Activity and DNA/BSA Binding Study

Two zinc(II) complexes with dimethyl 2,2 '-bipyridine-4,5-dicarboxylate (py-2py) of the general formula [Zn(py-2py)X-2], X = Cl- (1) and Br- (2) were synthesized and characterized by NMR, IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Complexes 1 and 2 are isostructural and adopt a slightly distorted tetrahedral geometry with values of tetrahedral indices tau(4) and tau'(4) in the range of 0.80-0.85. The complexes were evaluated for their in vitro antimicrobial activity against two bacterial (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus) and two fungal strains (Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis), while their cytotoxicity was tested on the normal human lung fibroblast cell line (MRC-5) and the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Complex 1 showed moderate activity against both Candida strains. However, this complex was twofold more cytotoxic compared to complex 2. The complexes tested had no effect on the survival rate of C. elegans. Complex 2 showed the ability to inhibit filamentation of C. albicans, while complex 1 was more effective than complex 2 in inhibiting biofilm formation. The interactions of complexes 1 and 2 with calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were studied to evaluate their binding affinity toward these biomolecules

Evaluation of variant calling tools for detection of SNVs in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in patients from the Institute of Oncology and Radiology of Serbia

Serbia has one of the world’s highest incidences and mortality rates of ovarian cancer. Germline or somatic mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, such as single nucleotide variants (SNVs), indels, insertions, deletions, commonly lead to development of breast and ovary cancer. Targeted therapy with PARP inhibitors is the current standard of care for serous epithelial BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer and depends on the accurate detection of mutations in these genes. In this study, a subset of patient specimens from Institute of Oncology and Radiology were sequenced on MiSeq Illumina sequencer, raw data were analysed bioinformatically, which included checking quality control of raw FASTQ sequences, trimming, mapping them on reference genome(hg19), target coverage quality control and variant calling. We tested various variant calling tools including Mutect2, GATK HaplotypeCaller, FreeBayes, VarDict and MuSe callers. We evaluated the relative performance- concordance rate, false positive and false negative rates between the callers for SNV/indel detection in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.Book of abstract: 4th Belgrade Bioinformatics Conference, June 19-23, 202

Chokeberry juice affects membrane lipid status and cellular antioxidant enzymes in healthy women with aerobic training activity

The present study examined the effects of aerobic training alone or combined with chokeberry juice on membrane lipid status and activities of antioxidant enzymes in non-athlete women. Participants were randomly assigned into the training group performing aerobic training three times per week; the chokeberry-training group followed the same training regime and additionally consumed 100 ml of chokeberry juice per day and the control group neither trained nor consumed the juice. Blood samples were collected at baseline and the end of the eight-week-long intervention. Membrane fatty acids’ composition was analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography, while the activities of antioxidant enzymes were measured by spectrophotometry. As a result, the n-3 fatty acids’ content was significantly higher in the chokeberry-training (median (interquartile range) of 5.96 (1.65) %) compared with the control group (5.12 (0.87) %), while saturated fatty acids’ content was lower in the chokeberry-training (40.14±1.19 %) than in the training group (42.59±2.29 %). We detected significantly higher activity of superoxide dismutase in the training (2224 (2170) U/gHb) compared with the chokeberry-training (1252 (734) U/gHb) and control group (1397 (475) U/gHb). Our study indicates that supplementation with chokeberry juice may induce favorable changes in cell fatty acid composition and antioxidant response in women performing aerobic training

GLYCOSIDE HYDROLASES FROM FRESHWATER FISH GILL MICROBIOTA AS BIOFILM INHIBITORS FOR ENHANCED FOOD SAFETY

The formation of biofilms by foodborne pathogens is a constant challenge in the food industry, leading to an increased risk of contamination and compromising food safety. Many of the chemicals commonly used for sanitation in the food industry are unable to remove biofilms, are harmful to surfaces and can be toxic. The effectiveness of disinfectants can be improved using enzymes that specifically target biofilm components such as exopolysaccharides, extracellular DNA, or proteins. In this study we investigated the potential of glycoside hydrolases originating from the gill microbiota of freshwater fish to control biofilm formation in the most common foodborne pathogens. We demonstrated that β-glucosidase from Microbacterium sp. BG28 (BglB-BG28) effectively inhibits cellulose-rich biofilms formed by Salmonella enteritidis, S. typhimurium, S. infantis, and Escherichia coli. When these bacteria were cultivated overnight with 200 μL/mL enzyme, up to 80% less biofilm was formed. By fluorescence microscopy, we visualised the inhibition of biofilms on plastic, glass and aluminium, materials commonly used in the food industry. When used as a pre-treatment, BglB-BG28 increased the bactericidal efficacy of Oxicid®S, a commercially available surface disinfectant. Its effectiveness at temperatures up to 50 °C and in a pH range from 4 to 8 together with compatibility with non-ionic detergents and high tolerance to sodium chloride and glucose give BglB-BG28 advantages in harsh and diverse industrial environments. Importantly, no toxicity to Caenorhabditis elegans was observed at enzyme concentrations of up to 1 mg/ml. Overall, these results demonstrate the suitability of the β-glucosidase BglB-BG28 for the formulation of a novel enzyme-based disinfectant to be used in food processing facilities.Book of abstract: From biotechnology to human and planetary health XIII congress of microbiologists of Serbia with international participation Mikromed regio 5, ums series 24: 4th – 6th april 2024, Mona Plaza hotel, Belgrade, Serbi

Proceedings from the 8th and 9th Scientific Conference Methodology and Archaeometry

Methodology and Archaeometry (MetArh) is an annual scientific conference organized since 2013 by the Department of Archaeology of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb, and the Croatian Archaeological Society.The goal of the conference is to entice interdisciplinarity, critical thinking, new insights and approaches as well as new theoretical frameworks in contemporary archaeological science. It offers a wider perspective in observing methodology and methodological practices, also challenging traditional approaches in archaeological research, and following the creative adaptation of methods from other disciplines into archaeology. Also, it enables scholars to present their work, engage in discussion and motivate young scholars and archaeology students to pursue contemporary topics and present their research.This edition of the conference Proceedings contains twelve papers from the 8th and 9th MetArh conference which was held at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb. The 8th MetArh conference was held from 3rd – 4th of December 2020, and the 9th from 2nd – 3rd of December 2021 (https://metarh.ffzg.unizg.hr/).Due to COVID-19, both conferences were held on the online platform Hopin.to. It was very challenging to organize and realize the conference in a virtual format but, most importantly, it produced high-quality works some of which are published in this publication. Papers in this volume are focused on different aspects of archaeological methodology and archaeometry, including case studies from Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and Ukraine.Methodology and Archaeometry (MetArh) is an annual scientific conference organized since 2013 by the Department of Archaeology of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb, and the Croatian Archaeological Society.The goal of the conference is to entice interdisciplinarity, critical thinking, new insights and approaches as well as new theoretical frameworks in contemporary archaeological science. It offers a wider perspective in observing methodology and methodological practices, also challenging traditional approaches in archaeological research, and following the creative adaptation of methods from other disciplines into archaeology. Also, it enables scholars to present their work, engage in discussion and motivate young scholars and archaeology students to pursue contemporary topics and present their research.This edition of the conference Proceedings contains twelve papers from the 8th and 9th MetArh conference which was held at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb. The 8th MetArh conference was held from 3rd – 4th of December 2020, and the 9th from 2nd – 3rd of December 2021 (https://metarh.ffzg.unizg.hr/).Due to COVID-19, both conferences were held on the online platform Hopin.to. It was very challenging to organize and realize the conference in a virtual format but, most importantly, it produced high-quality works some of which are published in this publication. Papers in this volume are focused on different aspects of archaeological methodology and archaeometry, including case studies from Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and Ukraine

New records and noteworthy data of plants, algae and fungi in SE Europe and adjacent regions, 14

This paper presents new records and noteworthy data on the following taxa in SE Europe and adjacent regions: diatom algae Cyclostephanos invisitatus, Cyclotella meduanae, and Stephanodiscus lacustris, mycorrhizal fungi Alessioporus ichnusanus and Amanita mairei, saprotrophic fungi Diaporthe oncostoma, Stropharia albonitens and Pseudomassaria chondrospora, lichenised fungus Acrocordia subglobosa, stonewort Chara connivens, mosses Buxbaumia viridis, Tortella fasciculata and Tortula protobryoides, monocots Epipactis pontica Gymnadenia frivaldii, and Orchis italica and dicots Callitriche brutia, Callitriche platycarpa and Epilobium nutans are given within SE Europe and adjacent regions

New records and noteworthy data of plants, algae and fungi in SE Europe and adjacent regions, 15

This paper presents new records and noteworthy data on the following taxa in SE Europe and adjacent regions: saprotrophic fungus Geastrum morganii, Guignardia istriaca and Hypoxylon howeanum, mycorrhizal fungus Amanita friabilis and Suillus americanus, xanthophyte Vaucheria frigida, stonewort Chara hispida, liverwort Calypogeia integristipula and Ricciocarpus natans, moss Campylopus introflexus, Dicranum transsylvanicum, Tortella pseudofragilis and Trematodon ambiguus, fern Ophioglossum vulgatum subsp. vulgatum, monocots Epipactis exilis, Epipactis purpurata and Epipogium aphyllum and dicots Callitriche cophocarpa, Cornus sanguinea subsp. hungarica and Viscum album subsp. austriacum are given within SE Europe and adjacent regions

Logo and semiosis: From an icon sign to the Serbian culture symbol

A logo is most commonly observed as an emblem with intent to be widely recognized as a permanent symbol, or an icon, additionally permitting correlative meanings within a designative context. In the particular example of the Glossary of Serbian culture logo the opportunities of elements of design (coded iconic message, non-coded iconic message and linguistic message) have been analyzed with intention to ascertain communication with future users of the Index conveying the desired message not only about specificities of Serbian culture but also its complexity and unifying nature with the global culture. A logo is observed as a multi-parametric code transcending form a concept of artistic design to a “rhetoric figure” in context of presentation and promotion of Serbian culture. While the art of designing, as a discipline, has the objective of artistic modulation, as well as an aesthetic effect, it also, in this case, represents the form of the governmental strategy in communication with others and formation of the cultural identity of its citizens