A quality of life assessment and the correlation between generic and disease-specific questionnaires scores in outpatients with chronic liver disease-pilot study

Introduction. Chronic liver diseases (CLD) are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in general population. The aim of this study was to analyze potential differences between patients with CLD and healthy control group, and to estimate the severity of CLD by using simple questionnaires: general health questionnaire (GHQ-12) and chronic liver disease questionnaire (CLDQ). Methods. A cross-sectional pilot study was performed in Zemun Clinical Hospital during years 2014 and 2015. Sixty participants were divided into 4 groups (15 per group): chronic alcoholic hepatitis, other chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and healthy control group. Entire study population chose one of four offered answers of structured questionnaires GHQ-12 and CLDQ, based on which mean model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) scores were calculated. Results. Mean GHQ12 and CLDQ scores were 10.5 and 5.21 +/- 1.11 respectively. Regarding certain CLDQ domain scores, a significant difference between alcoholic and non-alcoholic hepatitis groups in the worry domain was observed. Mean MELD score was 7.42 +/- 2.89 and did not differ between chronic hepatitis groups, while mean CTP score was 5.73 +/- 0.88. A statistically significant correlation was observed between GHQ12 and CLDQ scores (rho = -0.404, p LT 0.01), but not between subjective and objective scores. Conclusions. Mean GHQ12 and CLDQ scores pointed out to general psychological no-distress condition of the studied participants, as well as scarcely expressed CLD-specific complaints. Mean MELD and CTP scores indicated stable chronic liver diseases, with low three-month mortality rates in the cases of chronic hepatitis, as well as determination to Child A group in the case of liver cirrhosis

Rethinking refugee support: Responding to the crisis in South Eastern Europe

The migration crisis that began in 2015 has had a major impact on countries in South Eastern Europe. Outlining findings and recommendations from a new project, Amanda Russell Beattie, Gemma Bird, Jelena Obradovic-Wochnik and Patrycja Rozbicka explain that the EU’s response to the crisis has resulted in the outsourcing of refugee settlement and care to states such as Serbia, Greece and Bosnia which were previously described as ‘transit’ countries. This is leading to overcrowding in refugee camps and reception centres, as well as difficulty in ensuring adequate standards of care and accommodation

Active vibration control of smart composite plates using optimized self-tuning fuzzy logic controller with optimization of placement, sizing and orientation of PFRC actuators

This paper deals with optimization of the sizing, location and orientation of the piezo-fiber reinforced composite (PFRC) actuators and active vibration control of the smart composite plates using particle-swarm optimized self-tuning fuzzy logic controller. The optimization criteria for optimal sizing, location and orientation of the PFRC actuators is based on the Gramian controllability matrix and the optimization process is performed by involving the limitation of the plates masses increase. Optimal configurations of five PFRC actuators for active vibration control of the first six modes of cantilever symmetric ((90 degrees/0 degrees/90 degrees/0 degrees)s), antisymmetric cross-ply ((90 degrees/0 degrees/90 degrees/0 degrees/90 degrees/0 degrees/90 degrees/0 degrees)) and antisymmetric angle-ply ((45 degrees/-45 degrees/45 degrees/-45 degrees/45 degrees/-45 degrees/45 degrees/-45 degrees)) composite plates are found using the particle swarm optimization. The detailed analysis of influences of the PFRC layer orientation and position (top or bottom side of composite plates), as well as bending-extension coupling of antisymmetric laminates on controllabilities is also performed. The experimental study is performed in order to validate this behavior on controllabilities of antisymmetric laminates. The particle swarm-optimized self-tuning fuzzy logic controller (FLC) adapted for the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) control is implemented for active vibration suppression of the plates. The membership functions as well as output matrices are optimized using the particle swarm optimization. The Mamdani and the zero-order Takagi-Sugeno-Kang fuzzy inference methods are employed and their performances are examined and compared. In order to represent the efficiency of the proposed controller, results obtained using the proposed particle swarm optimized self-tuning FLC are compared with the corresponding results in the case of the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) optimal control strategy.This is the peer reviewed version of the article: Zorić, N.; Tomović, A.; Obradović, A.; Radulović, R.; Petrović, G. R. Active Vibration Control of Smart Composite Plates Using Optimized Self-Tuning Fuzzy Logic Controller with Optimization of Placement, Sizing and Orientation of PFRC Actuators. Journal of Sound and Vibration 2019, 456, 173–198. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsv.2019.05.035

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a multidisciplinary clinical practice approach—the institutional adaptation to existing Clinical Practice Guidelines

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is among the most frequently encountered chronic liver diseases in everyday clinical practice. It is considered the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. Today, liver biopsy is still the gold standard for NAFLD confirmation and assessing NAFLD's possible progression to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Because of the high prevalence of NAFLD and potential associated risks of invasive diagnostic procedures, it is of great interest to recruit the patients for liver biopsy. However, as the presence of liver fibrosis determines the further clinical course, liver biopsy is expectedly reserved for those with increased fibrosis risk. The quality of liver biopsy recruitment and patient monitoring could be significantly improved by using non-invasive tools to assess liver fibrosis presence and interactive collaboration between general practitioners, gastroenterologists, and endocrinologists. As a result, the quality of liver biopsy recruitment and patients monitoring could be significantly improved. Here, we proposed clinical practice guidelines that could be implemented for everyday clinical practice in NAFLD patients

Injectivity of sections of convex harmonic mappings and convolution theorems

In the article the authors consider the class ${\mathcal H}_0$ of sense-preserving harmonic functions $f=h+\overline{g}$ defined in the unit disk $|z|<1$ and normalized so that $h(0)=0=h'(0)-1$ and $g(0)=0=g'(0)$, where $h$ and $g$ are analytic in the unit disk. In the first part of the article we present two classes $\mathcal{P}_H^0(\alpha)$ and $\mathcal{G}_H^0(\beta)$ of functions from ${\mathcal H}_0$ and show that if $f\in \mathcal{P}_H^0(\alpha)$ and $F\in\mathcal{G}_H^0(\beta)$, then the harmonic convolution is a univalent and close-to-convex harmonic function in the unit disk provided certain conditions for parameters $\alpha$ and $\beta$ are satisfied. In the second part we study the harmonic sections (partial sums) $$s_{n, n}(f)(z)=s_n(h)(z)+\overline{s_n(g)(z)},$$ where $f=h+\overline{g}\in {\mathcal H}_0$, $s_n(h)$ and $s_n(g)$ denote the $n$-th partial sums of $h$ and $g$, respectively. We prove, among others, that if $f=h+\overline{g}\in{\mathcal H}_0$ is a univalent harmonic convex mapping, then $s_{n, n}(f)$ is univalent and close-to-convex in the disk $|z|< 1/4$ for $n\geq 2$, and $s_{n, n}(f)$ is also convex in the disk $|z|< 1/4$ for $n\geq2$ and $n\neq 3$. Moreover, we show that the section $s_{3,3}(f)$ of $f\in {\mathcal C}_H^0$ is not convex in the disk $|z|<1/4$ but is shown to be convex in a smaller disk.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures; To appear in Czechoslovak Mathematical Journa

Memory Effects of Benzodiazepines: Memory Stages and Types Versus Binding-Site Subtypes

Benzodiazepines are well established as inhibitory modulators of memory processing. This effect is especially prominent when applied before the acquisition phase of a memory task. This minireview concentrates on the putative subtype selectivity of the acquisition-impairing action of benzodiazepines. Namely, recent genetic studies and standard behavioral tests employing subtype-selective ligands pointed to the predominant involvement of two subtypes of benzodiazepine binding sites in memory modulation. Explicit memory learning seems to be affected through the GABAA receptors containing the α1 and α1 subunits, whereas the effects on procedural memory can be mainly mediated by the α1 subunit. The pervading involvement of the α1 subunit in memory modulation is not at all unexpected because this subunit is the major subtype, present in 60% of all GABAA receptors. On the other hand, the role of α5 subunits, mainly expressed in the hippocampus, in modulating distinct forms of memory gives promise of selective pharmacological coping with certain memory deficit states

Supplementary data for the article: Kojic, I.; Bechtel, A.; Kittinger, F.; Stevanovic, N.; Obradovic, M.; Stojanovic, K. Study of Pyrolysis of High Density Polyethylene in the Open System and Estimation of Its Capability for Co-Pyrolysis with Lignite. J. Serb. Chem. Soc. 2018, 83 (7–8), 923–940. https://doi.org/10.2298/JSC171215027K

Supplementray material for: [https://doi.org/10.2298/JSC171215027K]Related to published version: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2201

Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Aramid Fabrics Impregnated with Carbon Nanotube/Poly (Vinyl Butyral)/Ethanol Solution

In this study six samples of polyurethane/p-aramid multiaxial fabric forms (Colon fabrics) were coated with 10 wt.% poly (vinyl butyral) (PVB)/ethanol solution with the addition of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). The solution was impregnated on both sides of each of the fabrics. All composite samples consisted of four layers of the impregnated fabrics. The MWCNT/PVB content was 0, 0.1 and 1 wt.%. The three samples of the fabrics with different MWCNT/PVB content were coated with γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (AMEO silane)/ethanol solution due to the surface modification. The mechanical properties of the prepared composite samples were studied by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The 60% increase in storage modulus was achieved by addition of MWCNT and impregnation of aramid fabrics with AMEO silane. The pristine multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were introduced in order to enhance additionally the mechanical properties of the materials for ballistic protection

A leaf spot and blight of greenhouse tomato seedlings incited by a Herbaspirillum sp.

A leaf spot and blighting were observed on leaves of tomato transplants from a producer in Florida in 2001 and 2002. A nonfluorescent bacterium was isolated consistently from affected tissue. The typical bacterium was a gram negative, strictly aerobic, slightly curved rod with one or two flagella. Sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA indicated that two representative strains, F1 and SE1, had greater than 99% nucleotide sequence identity with Herbaspirillum huttiense and H. rubrisubalbicans. The cellular fatty acid composition of the total of 16 tomato strains was very similar to H. huttiense and H. rubrisubalbicans. Based on carbon utilization, six of nine strains tested with the Biolog system were identified as Herbaspirillum spp. The tomato strains were oxidase positive and grew at 40 degrees C, but were negative for levan production, pectate hydrolysis, and arginine dihydrolase activity. Based upon this polyphasic analysis, we concluded that the strains were most closely related to H. huttiense, although placement in this species would require further analyses. However, the tomato strains and H. rubrisubalbicans, but not H. huttiense, caused confluent necrosis when infiltrated at high concentrations into tomato leaves and were able to produce leaf spot symptoms on inoculated tomato seedlings in the greenhouse. Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, we determined that there was considerable variability between the strains collected in 2001 and 2002