Discrimination Against Vulnerable Groups in Exercising Their Voting Rights Due to Systemic Flaws in the Macedonian Electoral Legislation

Various credible reports show that the Republic of North Macedonia has achieved a good level of democracy in terms of election and voting. However, there are still areas where improvements can be done in order to strengthen the constitutional right to vote of various groups of citizens. These groups of citizens include certain vulnerable groups, such as persons placed in facilities for care of the elderly and public health facilities for the treatment of mental illness, who seem to be placed in a less favourable position compared to other citizens. In this sense, the paper has placed its focus on analysis of certain systemic flaws within the Electoral Code and the effect they have on the voters placed in facilities for care of the elderly and public health facilities for the treatment of mental illness, especially in terms of discrimination against these vulnerable groups. Finally, conclusions will be drawn in order to contribute to the improvement of the protection of the constitutional right to vote of these vulnerable groups

The aestheticization of Yugoslav architecture through structuralist analysis of form meaning relationship

This paper addresses the aestheticization of Yugoslav architecture through the implementation of structuralist form that took place between the early 1950s and the late 1970s, and calls attention to the need for contemplating the relationship between formal and intrinsic elements in architecture. An important component of the interest for the formal issues of architecture was to make a distance from functionalistic philosophy, which led to novel understanding of form and to the aestheticization of architecture. Structuralist aesthetics, which was accepted in the 1950s, changed the concept of form for the concept of structure, and focused on the elucidation of internal construction and organization. With reference to structuralist theoretic-methodological approach, an aspiration of Yugoslav architects for achieving inter-relationship between physical and semiotic structure via invisible laws that define and form elements of structure is pointed out. Different aspects of aesthetics of Yugoslav architecture reflected in various approaches for accepting the formal principles: the recognition of constructive aesthetics and importance of integration of constructive and formal elements of an organic entity, the interest in relations between the elements of architectural system, the idea of fluid space, and the evolutionary growth, development and transformation. This paper starts from the premise that the aspiration for aestheticization of architectural form through articulation of the unity of elements promoted Yugoslav architecture to build a connection between formal structure of an object and the meaning of its structural elements

Studenica Marble: Significance, Use, Conservation

Studenica marble is the stone used in creating the mediaeval Serbian cultural heritage. This is a historical overview of the importance and use of stone from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages, when the most imposing religious architectural structures were built. The significance of Studenica marble is particularly manifested in the Virgin’s Church at the Studenica Monastery. For its marble façades and artistic architectural elements, among other things, the church was inscribed in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List in 1986. Through centuries, the Virgin’s Church suffered multiple destructions. In order to restore the marble façades properly and its architectural elements, the marble deposits where the stone was once quarried had to be located anew. When the stone material characterisation had been performed, the right stone was selected for the complex conservation works on the churches in Studenica and Sopocani. A practical implementation of the research results raised the awareness of the marble deposits in the Studenica vicinity, being also part of the national heritage. The Studenica Monastery Cultural Landscape Management Plan envisions preservation of the deposits and their sustainable use for restoration purposes in the future

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil from Satureja horvatii Šilić (Lamiaceae)

The present paper describes the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of the endemic species Satureja horvatii Šilić, collected in Montenegro. The essential oil was obtained from the aerial parts of the plant by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC–MS. From the 34 compounds representing 100 % of the oil, the major compound was the phenolic monoterpene thymol (63.37 %). The oil contained smaller amounts of g-terpinene (7.49 %), carvacrol methyl ether (4.92 %), carvacrol (4.67 %), p-cymene (4.52%), a-terpinene (1.81 %), borneol (1.58 %), a-thujene (1.56 %), b-caryophyllene (1.55 %) and b-myrcene (1.44 %). The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of S. horvatii was evaluated using the agar diffusion and broth microdilution methods. The essential oil exhibited antimicrobial activity to varying degrees against all the tested strains. The maximum activity of S. horvatii oil was observed against Gram-positive bacteria (Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis) and against the yeast (Candida albicans). The oil exhibited moderate activity against the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae and weak activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This study confirms that the essential oil of S. horvatii possesses antimicrobial activities in vitro against medically important pathogens

Attitudes of students from the high medical college of professional studies and nurses towards people suffering from dementia

Dementia is characterized by a progressive decrease in cognitive functions, and the term includes different etiologies. Cognitive decline includes loss of memory and deterioration in executive functions, such as planning and organizing skills, sufficient to influence social activities. The aim of this study was to examine and compare the attitudes (knowledge, emotions and behaviour) of students at the High Medical College of Professional Studies and nurses towards people suffering from dementia. The study was de-signed as a qualitative study with the use of a questionnaire. The Dementia Attitudes Scale (DAS) was used in our study. A total of 283 respondents answered the survey: 56.25% were students, and 43.75% were nurses. The internal consistency of the DAS was found to be good with a Cronbach's α of 0.792. In the overall score for attitudes, a significant difference was found between students (100.47±10.91) and nurses (95.51±16.10). The students had a better score regarding questions describing their behaviour towards these individuals (p<0.001) and emotions for these patients (p<0.001). For knowledge, there was no difference between the two groups of subjects (p=0.901). Regarding the overall score, attitudes of students and nurses towards people with dementia were positive. This research suggested that the training of senior team members who then had dementia expertise was a key component in developing attitudes and improving care practices and outcomes for these patients. Continuous education of all medical staff who have contact with people who suffer from dementia is important

Seismic upgrading of isolated bridges with SF-ED devices: Analytical study validated by shaking table testing

U radu je prikazan nelinearni trodimenzionalni analitički model eksperimentalno potvrđen ispitivanjima na potresnom stolu modela mosta u velikom mjerilu s poboljšanim sustavom za seizmičku izolaciju s prostornim pojasnicama, tj. s naprednim sustavom seizmičke zaštite tipa USI-SF. Prikazano je poboljšanje seizmičke zaštite pomoću sustava USI-SF usporednom analizom prototipa s predloženim novim sustavom. Tehnološke opcije za kvalitativno poboljšanje raznih tipova izoliranih mostova omogućene su konstrukcijskim poopćenjem uređaja SF-ED.A nonlinear 3D analytical model, experimentally validated by seismic shaking table tests of a large-scale bridge model constructed with upgraded seismically isolated system with space flange devices, representing an advanced USI-SF seismic protection system, is presented. Seismic protection advances of USI-SF system are demonstrated through comparative analysis of the model prototype with the proposed new system. Technological options for qualitative upgrading of various types of isolated bridges are made possible with structural generalization of SF-ED devices

Standing out from the crowd: Both cue numerosity and social information affect attention in multi-agent contexts

Groups of people offer abundant opportunities for social interactions. We used a two-phase task to investigate how social cue numerosity and social information about an individual affected attentional allocation in such multi-agent settings. The learning phase was a standard gaze-cuing procedure in which a stimulus face could be either uninformative or informative about the upcoming target. The test phase was a group-cuing procedure in which the stimulus faces from the learning phase were presented in groups of three. The target could either be cued by the group minority (i.e., one face) or majority (i.e., two faces) or by uninformative or informative stimulus faces. Results showed an effect of cue numerosity, whereby responses were faster to targets cued by the group majority than the group minority. However, responses to targets cued by informative identities included in the group minority were as fast as responses to targets cued by the group majority. Thus, previously learned social information about an individual was able to offset the general enhancement of cue numerosity, revealing a complex interplay between cue numerosity and social information in guiding attention in multi-agent settings

Biophilic architecture: nature-based design solutions for health and well-being in living spaces

This research focuses on improving the well-being and health of citizens in terms of the design and development of living spaces in harmony with nature. In the contemporary moment, most cities suffer from health and environmental problems. Also, the growing awareness of climate change issues makes it even more apparent and essential to bring nature into our living spaces. Scientific studies have pointed out on a multiplicity of benefits of nature for people, especially for children and older populations. Bringing nature indoor causes increased participation in physical activities, improved mental health and cognitive function and an increase in social interaction between people. Nature and its elements have great power on the human body. The concept of biophilia advocates that there is an innate connection between humans and nature and that people tend to show a positive response when they experience a connection with nature. Accordingly, biophilic design is the design of spaces that promotes and encourages the interaction of humans with nature and natural systems. This paper researches different design methodologies, strategies, principles, scales, and concepts according to patterns of biophilic design and with a focus on their influence on the health and well-being of users. The research also opens further discussions about the potentials of sensitive and responsive biophilic design to improve the health and environmental problems of contemporary urban areas

Carbon ions of different linear energy transfer (LET) values induce apoptosis & G2 cell cycle arrest in radio-resistant melanoma cells

© 2016, Indian Council of Medical Research. All rights reserved. Background & objectives: The main goal when treating malignancies with radiation is to deprive tumour cells of their reproductive potential. One approach is to induce tumour cell apoptosis. This study was conducted to evaluate the ability of carbon ions (12C) to induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human HTB140 melanoma cells. Methods: In this in vitro study, human melanoma HTB140 cells were irradiated with the 62 MeV/n carbon (12C) ion beam, having two different linear energy transfer (LET) values: 197 and 382 keV/μm. The dose range was 2 to 16 Gy. Cell viability was estimated by the sulforhodamine B assay seven days after irradiation. The cell cycle and apoptosis were evaluated 48 h after irradiation using flow cytometry. At the same time point, protein and gene expression of apoptotic regulators were estimated using the Western blot and q-PCR methods, respectively. Results: Cell viability experiments indicated strong anti-tumour effects of12C ions. The analysis of cell cycle showed that12C ions blocked HTB140 cells in G2 phase and induced the dose dependent increase of apoptosis. The maximum value of 21.8 per cent was attained after irradiation with LET of 197 keV/μm at the dose level of 16 Gy. Pro-apoptotic effects of12C ions were confirmed by changes of key apoptotic molecules: the p53, Bax, Bcl-2, poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) as well as nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB). At the level of protein expression, the results indicated significant increases of p53, NFκB and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and PARP cleavage. The Bax/Bcl-2 mRNA ratio was also increased, while no change was detected in the level of NFκB mRNA. Interpretation & conclusions: The present results indicated that anti-tumour effects of12C ions in human melanoma HTB140 cells were accomplished through induction of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway as well as G2 arrest

Electron localization by a donor in the vicinity of a basal stacking fault in GaN

We study the effects of the vicinity between a shallow donor nucleus and an I1-type basal stacking fault (BSF) in GaN. We propose a numerical calculation, in the “effective potential” formalism, of energies and envelope functions of electrons submitted to the conjunction of attractive potentials caused by the BSF and the donor. We show that the donor localizes the electron along the plane of the BSF, even when the donor lies as far as 10 nm from the BSF. Conversely, the presence of the BSF enhances the donor binding energy by up to a factor of 1.8, when the donor is placed exactly on the BSF. We briefly discuss the probability of occurrence of such a situation in, e.g., a-plane GaN, as well as its consequences on transport and optical properties of this material