The effects of gear shift indicator usage on fuel efficiency of a motor vehicle

The manner of gear shifting is one of the main factors affecting the fuel efficiency of motor vehicles. Potential savings resulted from optimized gear shifting led to introduction of gear shift indicators in passenger vehicles as an obligation from year 2012. The effects of gear shift indicators usage are still not studied enough. That was the motive for the authors to conduct the experiments to justify their usage, both from the economic and ecological standpoint. The presented results come from the tests conducted on FIAT 500L vehicle to determine the fuel consumption using the new European driving cycle, but for three different gear shift patterns: (1) as defined in UNECE Regulation No. 83, (2) as indicated by vehicle’s gear shift indicator, and (3) based on the average vehicle speed values collected from gear shift indicators of 35 passenger vehicles of different makes, types, and characteristics. Maximum difference in fuel consumption recorded in tests done using three different gear shift patterns is 18.7%

GIS / 3D solutions in the function of management improvement in agriculture

This paper presents GIS/3D solutions and their application in agriculture. Further, the possibilities of obtaining information important for planning the development of viticulture, fruit growing and farming are analysed and presented. Until now, maps have been most commonly used as models for terrain analysis. The main weaknesses of the maps are content freezing and difficult 3D analysis. With the advent of geoinformation technologies, the way of processing is changing and the concept of GIS/3D data modelling is being emphasized. The aim of this paper are new solutions that provide an efficient opportunity in field analysis and resource management in agriculture. An algorithm has been designed where, based on the given criteria (terrain slope, aspekt, vegetation index, altitude), representations of potential areas for growing certain crops are obtained. The results show numerous possibilities of GIS methodology for agricultural crop management, in this specific case of viticulture, arable farming and fruit growing. Also, the results in the form of geostatistical maps provide a more precise insight and serve as a basis for better decision-making in agriculture. The area of interest includes the Srem district, which is located in the northern part of the Republic of Serbia. This district is a resource of great importance for the further development of agriculture, of which viticulture and fruit growing are of special importance. For planning the development of agriculture in an area, it is necessary to have information related to both the assessment of land suitability and land valuation for certain agricultural species in order to be able to assign the optimal purpose

Factor V Leiden, FII G20210A, MTHFR C677T mutations as risk factors for venous thrombosis during pregnancy and puerperium

Background. Venous thrombosis is the most common cause of obstetric morbidity and mortality during pregnancy and puerperium. The incidence of pregnancy associated venous thrombosis varies from 1 in 1000 to 1 in 2000 deliveries. Factor V G1691A (FV Leiden), FII G20210A and MTHFR C677T mutations are the most common genetic risk factors for thromboembolism. The aim of this study was to establish the presence of these risk factors in a group of women with an episode of deep venous thrombosis during pregnancy or puerperium. Methods. The study was carried in a group of 45 women with the first episode of deep venous thrombosis during pregnancy or puerperium. The patients with antiphospholipid antibodies, antithrombin III, protein C or protein S deficiency, and autoimmune and malignant diseases were excluded from the study. FV Leiden, FII G20210A, and MTHFR C677T mutations were detected by polymerase chain reaction, followed by digestion with specific restriction enzymes. Results. Twenty heterozygous carriers of the FV Leiden mutation and one homozygous carrier were detected, which represents the frequencies of 44.4% and 2.2%, respectively. For the FII G20210A mutation, six heterozygous carriers were identified, giving the frequency of 13.3%. The MTHFR C677T mutation was observed in 31 patients (22 heterozygous and 9 homozygous carriers) which represents the frequencies of 48.9% and 20%, respectively. Conclusion. Our study suggested that the obligatory testing for FV Leiden and FII G20210A mutations was strongly recommended in women with history of venous thrombosis during pregnancy and puerperium. We found a slight effect of MTHFR 677T allele, but it should be considered in association with other risk factors

Vena caval filters placement for deep vein thrombosis caused by protein S deficiency: Two case reports

Prikazujemo dve mlade bolesnice (25 i 28 godina) koje su imale ponovljene tromboze dubokih vena donjih ekstremiteta. Za nastanak tromboza postojali su riziko faktori: postpartalni period, gojaznost, pušenje, septično stanje. Nove tromboze su nastale u toku adekvatne oralne antikoagulantne terapije. Kod bolesnice nakon tromboze vene kave inferior u sklopu terapije vitalno ugrožavajuće tromboze uz heparinsku i.v. terapiju plasiran je filter vene kave, kod druge je filter vene kave plasiran preventivno. Nakon kliničkog poboljšanja i prevođenja bolesnica sa visokomolekularnog na niskomolekularni heparin izvršeno je testiranje trombofilija. Kod obe je pronađen deficit proteina S, koji je utvrđen i ponovljenim testiranjem. Genetskim ispitivanjima pronađeno je da je jedna bolesnica nosilac mutacije gena za MTHFR C677T, a druga mutacije gena za protrombin G20210A (heterozigot).Two young patients (25 and 28 years old) are presented in our article. They had lower limb deep recurrent venous thrombosis. Precipitating factors for thomboses were: puerperal period, obesity, cigarette smoking, sepsis, etc. New thrombosis occurred despite adequate oral anticoagulant therapy. The vena caval filter was inserted in the patient with thrombosis of the inferior vena cava, together with heparin i.v. therapy. It was a therapy for life threatening thrombosis. Second patient was inserted vena caval filter prophylactic. After clinic improvement low-molecular-weight heparin was administered insted of HMW heparin and tests for thrombophilia were done. Both patients had reduced protein S, which was also reduced in repeated tests. According to genetic engineering research one female patient was a carrier of mutation gene for A4THFR C677Tand the other for mutation for prothrombin G20210A

Risk factors for thrombosis in Serbian children

Venous and arterial thromboses are increasingly encountered in the pediatric population. We present results of a case-control study of inherited and acquired risk factors for thrombosis in 129 pediatric patients from the first day of life to 18 years. The aims of study were to determine the importance of thrombophilic risk factors and comorbidity as a cause of thrombosis in children. Single thrombophilic risk factor was found in 24.4% (n=21), whereas combined thrombophilic factors were found in 15.1% (n=13) patients. A total of 87.2% of the children had recognized thrombophilic risk factors for thrombosis and/or additional comorbid risk factors. The single independent risk factors for thrombosis were mutation of factor V Leiden (P=0.021), lupus anticoagulant antibodies (P=0.028), and comorbidity (P=0.000). Mutation of factor V Leiden [odds ratio (OR), 6.2 (95% confidence interval, CI 1.1-38.1, P=0.048] was found to be a risk factor for venous thrombosis. Lupus anticoagulant antibodies were related to both venous (P=0.008) and arterial thrombosis (P=0.016). The frequency of inherited thrombophilic factors were the same in neonates and adolescents (23%). The prothrombotic gene mutations were present in 18.6% (n=8) of asymptomatic children. Our study confirms that thrombosis in children is a multifactorial disorder, and associated most with the underlying medical disease (comorbidity) for vein thrombosis [OR, 18.6 (95% CI 3.7-93.4), P=0.000] and for arterial thrombosis [OR, 10.5 (95% CI 2.2-49.9) P=0.003]. Inherited thrombophilic disorders contributed to the development of thrombosis in children

Environmental Pollution of Soil and Anthropogenic Impact of Polymetallic Hydrothermal Extractions: Case Study—Bregalnica River Basin, Republic of Macedonia

The distribution of certain elements, which in higher content represents hazard to the environment, causes certain unwanted consequences on human health. Therefore, the environmental monitoring not only for the lithogenic but also for the anthropogenic distribution leads to determination of the main hot spots in environment. The anthropogenic activities for exploitation of natural resources and their processing represent a global problem of pollution of the environment. Bregalnica River Basin in the eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia was selected as a study area with the presence of three potential emission sources: lead and zinc mines („Zletovo” and „Sasa” mines) and copper mine („Bučim” mine). Lithogenic and anthropogenic distribution of 69 elements was evaluated in alluvial, automorphic and paddy soil from Bregalnica River Basin. Determination of the total elements contents was performed using mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS) and atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-AES). The obtained values for the contents of certain potentially toxic elements show significantly higher values in all types of samples taken from the vicinity of the mines, characterized with anthropogenic impacts. Soil analysis indicates that the lithogenic distribution is represented by six geochemical associations. The anthropogenic distribution represents the factor F2 (Cu, Pb, Sb, Cd, Sn, Zn, Te), where the regions of mines cover 90 percentile of the contents of these elements. Intensive polymetallic depositions were recorded only in the surroundings of the localities where the hydrothermal extractions are implemented