The modern and the vernacular in urban transformation of Banja Luka

Испитивање урбане историје малог града припада до сада недовољно покривеном истраживачком пољу у области архитектуре и урбанизма. Истраживање релација према наслијеђеном и прошлости у процесу урбане трансформације Бањалуке открива један од облика модерног искуства који се одвија изван метропола, на периферији некадашњих великих империја, у контексту у ком се никако или споро успостављају модерни друштвено–економски услови (у терминологији Маршала Бермана „модернизам неразвијености“), и доприноси разумијевању сложености и плуралности модерног и модернизације, виђених из перспективе истраживача – архитекте. Проблем истраживања је специфична модерност малог града у контексту закашњелих и успорених трансформација начина живота, сагледана у домену његове архитектуре и урбанизма. Кроз многоструке, хетерогене и амбивалентне релације новог и наслијеђеног, у малом граду се развија комплексна граматика физичког и менталног припадања и долази до нових начина размишљања којима се обликује отпор деструктивним аспектима модернизације. Предмет истраживања je Бањалукa у процесy урбане трансформације у периоду од краја XIX вијека до 1975. године. У вези са истраживањем проблема културног идентитета у контексту БиХ данас, у домену архитектуре и урбанизма и урбане историје повећано је занимање и јављају се нове интерпретације тема повезаних са периодом аустроугарске управе или периодом Врбаске бановине. Овај рад се укључује у ту дебату испитујући релације према наслијеђеном и прошлом у архитектури и урбанизму у мањој средини, далеко од утицаја великих урбаних центара. Наиме, у досадашњим радовима о архитектури и урбанизму у БиХ интересовање је усмјерено на збивања на архитектонској сцени Сарајева, док о архитектури других градова, укључујући и Бањалуку, нема систематских студија...The examination of urban history of small towns belongs to the research area of architecture and urbanism that has not been fully covered yet. The research on the relations towards the past and the inherited in the process of urban transformation of Banjaluka reveals one of the forms of modern experience that develops outside the metropolis, at the periphery of former grand empires, in the context where modern socio–economic conditions are established slowly or not at all (modernism of underdevelopment, as defined by Marshall Berman), and contributes to the understanding of complexity and plurality of the modern and the modernization, as seen from the perspective of an architect – researcher. The research problem is the specific modernity of a small town in context of belated and slow transformations of the ways of life, seen in its architecture and planning. A complex grammar of physical and mental belonging has been developed through manifold, heterogeneous and ambivalent relations of the new and the inherited in the small town, and new ways of thinking have emerged, that have shaped the resistance to the destructive aspects of modernization. The subject of analysis and interpretation is Banjaluka in the process of transformation between the end of 19th century and 1975. In relation to the research on the issues of cultural identity in the present context of Bosnia and Herzegovina, interest has been raised and new interpretations have emerged in architecture and urban history for the matter related to the Austro–Hungarian or Vrbas Banate periods. This work joins the debate, by examining relations with the inherited and the past in architecture and urbanism of a small town, far away from the influence of big urban centers. It should be mentioned that the focus of interest in the existing works on architecture and urbanism of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been on the architectural scene of Sarajevo, while there are no systematic studies about the architecture of other cities, including Banjaluka..

Novel H1N1 influenza in neonates: from mild to fatal disease

Analysis of pediatric deaths associated with pandemic A H1N1 influenza shows that fatal outcome is more likely in young children, under the age of 5. Neonates, because of the immaturity of their immune system, could represent a high-risk group for severe disease and fatal outcome. We present a group of five neonates with confirmed novel influenza A H1N1 infection. This report indicates that the full spectrum of influenza A H1N1 infection ranging from mild febrile illness with spontaneous recovery to severe disease with fatal outcome may be expected even in neonates. Journal of Perinatology (2011) 31, 446-448; doi:10.1038/jp.2010.19

Root malate efflux and expression of TaALMT1 in Serbian winter wheat cultivars differing in Al tolerance

Aluminium (Al) toxicity in acid soils is a global problem. Here, we investigated Al tolerance in high yielding winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars bred in Serbia. The common relative mot length (RRL) test for Al tolerance, and both physiological (malate efflux) and molecular (Aluminium-Activated Malate Transporter 1 [TaALMT1] expression) approaches were used for this characterization. Both moderately Al-tolerant cvs. Ljiljana and Arabeska showed significantly higher malate efflux rate from the root tips in comparison to moderately Al-sensitive cv. Pobeda and followed the RRL pattern. Irrespectively of Al supply, moderately Al-tolerant cultivars showed significantly higher relative TaALMT1 expression than the Al-sensitive ones. A considerably high level of Al tolerance was found in cv. Ljiljana, which showed the highest Al-induced malate efflux along with the highest constitutive expression level of TaALMT1 transcripts. Our results also demonstrate that Al tolerance is based on a constitutive trait of high TaALMT1 expression and malate efflux in wheat roots, resulting in a decrease in root length reduction

Penile morphology in six populations of Branchipus schaefferi Fischer, 1834 (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) from Serbia

Male genital morphology of six populations of Branchipus schaefferi from different locations in Serbia is described. Both qualitative and quantitative morphological traits were taken into consideration. The majority of males from lowland parts of the country (Pannonian Plane) had a long sickle-curved or arched spine situated on the basal part of the penis. Males sampled in the south-eastern part of the country (the region of Stara Planina Mountains) possessed short, straight or slightly bowed basal spine. A distal penile part appeared as a more stable character than the proximal one. Males from one of the examined populations possessed roundish and spineless penile tip, a feature heretofore not described in B. schaefferi.Acta Zoologica Bulgarica (2017), 69(1): 17-2

Histochemical observation and the analysis of biochemical bone regeneration markers in treatment of an osteoporotic rat bone with Ca/Co-HAp nanoparticles

One of the prerequisites for a good prosthetic rehabilitation is well preserved bone tissue. However, osteoporosis as a modern age disease often compromises a good dental treatment. Oral implantology offers a solution through the use of various biomaterials. Most researchers focus on the synthesis of the nanomaterials with magnetic and paramagnetic properties. The aim of this study is to examine the role of Ca / Co-HAp nanoparticles in the regeneration of the osteoporotic alveolar bone in experimental animals by analyzing the biochemical blood markers (ALP, Ca, Mg, and P) and through histochemical analysis. The research was carried out on female Westar rats, aged 6-8 weeks. The obtained results for the biochemical blood markers showed statistically significant rise. Histological analysis revealed high level reparatory skills of the biocomposite implanted in the bone defect as early as in the 6th week of the experiment as well as an increased alkaline phosphatase activity in the mineralized tissues. The implantation of the biomaterials facilitates osteogenesis, justifying their use in the accelerated regeneration treatment of the osteoporotic alveolar bone

Evaluation compensation of an osteoporotic rat bone with Ca/Co-HAp nanoparticles

This study examined the role of Ca / Co-HAp nanoparticles on time distance in regeneration of osteoporotic alveolar bone in rats by biochemical blood markers analysis (ALP, Ca, Mg, P) and through histochemical analysis. The research was carried out on female Westar rats, aged 6-8 weeks. The obtained results for the biochemical blood markers showed statistically significant rise. Histological analysis revealed high level reparatory skills of the biocomposite implanted in the bone defect as early as in the mineralized tissues. It can be concluded that Ca/Co-HAp stimulates the regeneration of osteoporotic alveolar bone in tested animals as confirmed by the increased levels of biochemical blood markers and through histochemical analysis. Therefore, it can be concluded that Ca/Co-HAp nanocomposite should be choise material in the osteoconstructive processes in the future

Testing the antimicrobial activity of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles in vitro

Antimicrobial materials based on hydroxyapatite are very attractive for wide application in medicine and stomatology. The goal of this work was to test antimicrobial activity of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles Co/Ca- hydroxyapatite and biphasic calcium phosphate/ poly (lactide-co-glycolide) composite biomaterial. Antimicrobial activity of the samples was tested using dilution method and disk diffusion. The results of antimicrobial tests were obtained by determining the reduction percentage the number of bacteria in physiological solution where bacteria cells were exposed to the samples. It can be concluded that synthesized HAp biomaterials have satisfactory antimicrobial activity against tested bacteria strains

Aktivnost alkalne fosfataze u kosti nakon implantacije nanočestičnog kalcijum-kobalt hidroksiapatita

Istraživanje je sprovedeno sa ciljem da se dokaže aktivnost alkalne fosfataze, lokalizovane u dekalcifikovanoj kosti, uzete sa leve strane mandibule pacova, u kojoj je arteficijalno napravljen defekt i implantiran nano kalcijum-kobalt hidroksiapatit. Studija je obuhvatila 48 životinja, starosti 6-8 nedelja. Posle šest i dvadeset četiri nedelje od implantacije biomaterijala, uzeti su uzorci za histohemijsku analizu i fiksirani u PLP fiksativu. Zatim su dekalcifikovani, ukalupljeni u parafinski blok i obrađivani za svetlosno-mikroskopska ispitivanja i histohemijsko dokazivanje aktivnosti alkalne fosfataze. Histološka analiza je pokazala visok stepen reparatornih sposobnosti ugrađenog biokompozita u koštani defekat. Histohemijskom analizom je dokazana aktivnost alkalne fosfataze u mineralizovanom tkivu

Curcumin loaded pegylated nanoemulsions designed for maintained antioxidant effects and improved bioavailability: A pilot study on rats

The current study describes the experimental design guided development of PEGylated nanoemulsions as parenteral delivery systems for curcumin, a powerful antioxidant, as well as the evaluation of their physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant activity during the two years of storage. Experimental design setup helped development of nanoemulsion templates with critical quality attributes in line with parenteral application route. Curcumin-loaded nanoemulsions showed mean droplet size about 105 nm, polydispersity index <0.15, zeta potential of −40 mV, and acceptable osmolality of about 550 mOsm/kg. After two years of storage at room temperature, all formulations remained stable. Moreover, antioxidant activity remained intact, as demonstrated by DPPH (IC50 values 0.078–0.075 mg/mL after two years) and FRAPS assays. In vitro release testing proved that PEGylated phospholipids slowed down the curcumin release from nanoemulsions. The nanoemulsion carrier has been proven safe by the MTT test conducted with MRC-5 cell line, and effective on LS cell line. Results from the pharmacokinetic pilot study implied the PEGylated nanoemulsions improved plasma residence of curcumin 20 min after intravenous administration, compared to the non-PEGylated nanoemulsion (two-fold higher) or curcumin solution (three-fold higher). Overall, conclusion suggests that developed PEGylated nanoemulsions present an acceptable delivery system for parenteral administration of curcumin, being effective in preserving its stability and antioxidant capacity at the level highly comparable to the initial findings

Treatment of osteoporosis alveolar bone with cobalt substituted hydroxyapatite nanoparticles

In this study nanocomposite was used for reconstruction of alveolar bone defect of mandible. Specifically, the main interest for the use of magnetic nanoparticles in biomedical applications is that an inhomogeneous external magnetic field exerts a force on them, and thus they can be manipulated or transported to a specific diseased tissue by a magnetic field gradient. In addition, magnetic particles are of interest because they do not retain any magnetism after removal of the magnetic field. Specifically, inorganic biodegradable nanoparticles (including ceramics, like hydroxyapatite) will be functionalized with bioactive compounds that bond to bone of low mass. Extremely good results in the recovery of alveolar bone osteoporosis were achieved already after 6th week of the application of magnetic nanoparticles. After bonding specifically to osteoporotic bone and not healthy bone, magnetic nanoparticle systems will deliver bioactive compounds to locally increase bone mass. Implantation of magnetic nanoparticles will create bone construction and enable quick formation of new bone and become the material of choice for accelerated bone regeneration