Effect of a static magnetic field on the fractal complexity of bursting activity of the Br neuron in the snail detected by factor analysis

In the present work we report a new combination of fractal analysis and some advanced statistical methods and their application for the quantitative detection of the effects of a static magnetic field of 2.7 mT on fractal complexity changes of Br neuron activity in the subesophageal ganglia of the garden snail Helix pomatia. We used factor analysis (FA) in the analysis of the empirical distribution of fractal dimension (FD). FA showed that there are two factors in the empirical distribution of FD. Results indicated that the significant changes in the fractal complexity of Br neuron activity occurred during treatment with a magnetic field, were extended to the post exposure period

Literary work of Mavro Vetranović and his time

Иако је био бенедиктински калуђер,Мавро Ветрановић (1482 – 1576) је у својим делима на идејним основама хришћанске ренесансе приказао све важне сегменте дубровачког живота у шеснаестом веку. Пишући о савременим токовима живота у ренесансном Дубровнику током више од седамдесет година, желео је да живот својих савременика усклади са строгим начелимa хришћанског морала која Дубровчани нису увек поштовали. Та настојања одраз су хришћанске ренесансе чији је циљ био да се тежња ка светов- ној култури и животним задовољствима усклади са духовним потребама и човек подсети на бригу за спас душе јер је током ренесансе у књижевности било везива- ња за средњовековно схватање света које је у делима спајало побожну садржину са моралном поуком и облике нове књижевности. Иако је Ветрановићево пес- ничко дело претежно религиозног карактера, одржало је везу са реалношћу као својеврсно сведочанство о култури, животу, историјским догађајима, свакодневи- ци и приватном животу у Граду. У Ветрановићевим световним делима (поезији, трима световним драмама, са- тиричним и пригодним песмама и посланицама), као и онима са религиозном те- матиком (религиозним песмама и препевима псалама, религиознорефлексивном епу Пелегрин и пет побожних драма са темама из Старог и Новог завета) има жи- вотних реалија које се односе на песников доживљај света, времена и човека. Дисертација треба да покаже како целокупно дело Мавра Ветрановића одсли- кава доба у којем је песник живео и стварао јер још увек није није целовито сагле- дан однос тога дела према стварности, а то је једна од његових најзначајнијих од- лика. Тај однос прати поетику хришћанске ренесансе јер песник настоји да тежњу ренесансног човека ка световној култури и животним задовољствима усклади са његовим духовним потребама и да га подсети на бригу за спас душе.Истовремено, на културноисторијском плану, види се однос између књижевности чији је циљ да поучи и песничких слобода ренесансе...Althouhg he was a Benedictine monk,Mavro Vetranović (1482 − 1576) included all important segments of Dubrovnik’ life in the sixteenth century in his writings on the conceptual bacground of Christian Renaissance. Writing of the contemporary life in his town for over seventy years, he wanted to comply the life of his contemporaries with strict principles of Christian morals, which were not always respected by the citizens of Dubrovnik. These efforts are the reflect of Christian Renaissance, whose aim was to harmonize the aspirations toward secular culture and life pleasures to the spiritual needs, reminding people of soul salvation, because, during the epoch of Renaisaance, literature was connectеd to medieval conception of the world which in some works was uniting pious content with moral lesson and forms of new literature. Although Vetranović’s poetic work has predominantly religious character, it maintained its relations to reality as a kind of testimony to the culture, life, histoical events and everyday and private life in Dubrovnik. Vetranović’s secular works (poetry, three secular dramas and satirical and occasional poems and epistles), as well as those with religious themes (religious poems and translations of psalms, religious-philosophical epos Pelegrin and five pious dramas with the themes from Old and New Testaments) contain life realiae relating to the poet’s view of world, epoch and human being. The dissertation should show how the entire work of Mavro Vetranović reflects the time in which the poet wrote, because it hasn’t yet been percieved the relations of his work to reality, and that is one of its most significant features. Detailed analysis of Vetranović’s work in the light of Christian Renaissance poetics which differs from the normative poetics of Renaissance as a cultural revival, should show how from the template with a moral lesson poet acquires a literary work that becomes a testimony of that time life..

Effect of protamine sulfate on the isolated mesenteric arteries of normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats

We tested the relaxant effect of increased protamine sulfate (PS) amounts (10, 20, 50, 100 and 150 μg/ml) on the isolated mesenteric arteries of normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats, with or without endothelium. PS caused concentration-dependent relaxation of isolated mesenteric arteries in both types of rats. The relaxation effect of PS was lower in SH rats than in normotensive ones. Our results indicate that the vascular smooth muscles play a significant role in PS-mediated relaxation.Ispitivan je relaksantni efekat rastućih količina (10, 20, 50, 100 i 150 μg/ml) protamin sulfata (PS) na izolovanim mezenteričnim arterijama normotenzivnih i spontano hipertenzivnih (SH) pacova sa i bez endotela. PS je uzrokovao koncentracijski zavisnu relaksaciju izolovanih mezenteričnih arterija kod oba tipa pacova. Kako je relaksantni efekat bio slabiji kod SH pacova upoređenju sa normotenzivnim, naši rezultati ukazuju da pored vaskularnog endotela, glatki mišići krvnih sudova imaju veoma značajnu ulogu u PS-posredovanoj relaksaciji.Projekat ministarstva br. 143034B: The Role of Redox-Active Substances in the Maintenance of Homeostasi

Activity of antioxidative defense enzymes in the blood of patients with liver echinococcosis

Background/Aim. Chronic echinococcocal disease is the parasite human disease caused by the penetration of larval (asexual) stages of the canine tapeworm (Echinococcus granulosus) in the liver of humans. After the penetration of the parasite, the host organism react by activating complement- depending immune response. The aim of this study was to elucidate the influence of larval form of Echinococcus granulosus in the liver on the activity of antioxidative defense enzymes in the blood of patients before and after the surgical intervention. Methods. We investigated the activity of antioxidative defense enzymes: copper/zinc containing superoxide dismutase (CuZn SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in the blood of patients before and after the surgical intervention in respect to the controls, clinically healthy persons. Results. Our results showed that the activity of the GSH-Px was significantly decreased in the plasma of the patients with echinocococal disease before the surgery in respect to the controls. The activity of GST was significantly higher in the blood of the patients after the surgery in comparison to the controls. Conclusion. Chronic liver echinoccocal disease caused significant changes of some antioxidative defense enzymes, first of all Se-dependent enzyme GSH-Px, which could be a suitabile biomarker in the biochemical evaluation of the disease. This work represents a first comprehensive study of the activity of antioxidative defense enzymes in cronic liver echinococcocosis in the patients before and after the surgical intervention in respect to the clinically healthy persons

Time course of hematological parameters in bleeding-induced anemia

In order to investigate daily changes of hematological parameters in bleeding-induced anemia, we treated Wistar albino male rats by daily bleeding (1.5-2 mL of blood from the tail vein for eight days). Blood samples were taken before (on day zero) and on the first to eighth days of bleeding. The values of hematocrit, hemoglobin, and erythrocyte count decreased significantly after the second, sixth, and second days of bleeding, respectively. The number of leuko­cytes and platelets, as well as Heinz body levels, increased significantly after the third and second days of treatment. The percentage of reticulocytes increased significantly from the second day and attained the maximum level (32.55 ± 0.96%) on the eighth day

Biodegradation of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) and medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl-PHA) using whole cells and cell free protein preparations of Pseudomonas and Streptomyces strains grown on waste cooking oil

Petrochemical plastics are generally recalcitrant to microbial degradation and accumulate in the environment. Biodegradable polymers obtained synthetically like poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) or poly-hydroxyalkanoates (PHA), obtained biotechnologically, have shown great potential as a replacement for petroleum-based plastics. Nevertheless, their biodegradation and environmental faith have been less examined. In this study, thin films of PCL (200 mu m) and medium chain length PHA (mcl-PHA, 70 M fraction of 3-hydroxyoctanoate and 30 M fraction of 3-hydroxydecanoate, 600 mu m) were exposed to total protein preparations (extracellular proteins combined with a crude cell extract) of soil isolates Pseudomonas chiororaphis B-561 and Streptomyces sp. BV315 that had been grown on waste cooking oil as a sole carbon source. Biodegradation potential of two polyesters was evaluated in buffer with total protein preparations and in a laboratory compost model system augmented with selected bacteria. Overall, PCL showed better biodegradation properties in comparison to mcl-PHA. Both materials showed surface erosion after 4-weeks of exposure to total protein preparations of both strains, with a moderate weight loss of 1.3% when P. chlororaphis13-561 was utilized. In laboratory compost model system PCL and mcl-PHA showed significant weight loss ranging from 13 to 17% when Streptomyces sp. BV315 culture was used. Similar weight loss of PCL and mcl-PHA was achieved for 4 and 8 weeks, respectively indicating slower degradation of mcl-PHA. Growth on waste cooking oil as a sole carbon source increased the potential of both tested strains to degrade PCL and mcl-PHA, making them good candidates for augmentation of compost cultures in waste management of both waste cooking oils and biodegradable polymers.Related to published version: [https://imagine.imgge.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/1246]This is the peer reviewed version of the paper: Mandić, M., Spasić, J., Ponjavić, M., Nikolić, M. S., Cosović, V. R., O’Connor, K., Nikodinović-Runić, J., Đokić, L., & Jeremić, S. (2019). Biodegradation of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) and medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl-PHA) using whole cells and cell free protein preparations of Pseudomonas and Streptomyces strains grown on waste cooking oil. Polymer Degradation and Stability, 162, 160–168.[ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2019.02.012

Supplementary data for article: Dimitrijević, M. S.; Bogdanović Pristov, J.; Žižić, M.; Stanković, D. M.; Bajuk-Bogdanović, D.; Stanić, M.; Spasić, S.; Hagen, W.; Spasojević, I. Biliverdin-Copper Complex at Physiological PH. Dalton Transactions 2019, 48 (18), 6061–6070. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8dt04724c

Supplementary material for: [https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2019/DT/C8DT04724C#!divAbstract]Related to published version: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/3066]Related to accepted version: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/3068

DIGITAL MODEL PREDICTIVE CONTROL OF THE THREE TANK SYSTEM BASED ON LAGUERRE FUNCTIONS

The application of the model predictive control (MPC) based on discrete-time Laguerre functions is presented in this paper. A nonlinear three-tank hydraulic system is used as an object to which the proposed algorithm is applied. The paper also presents the method of For the verification of the proposed control method, digital simulations are performed using Matlab.linearization of the nonlinear system, as well as the procedure for the controller design

Effect of camphor essential oil on rat cerebral cortex activity as manifested by fractal dimension changes

The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of camphor essential oil on rat cerebral cortex activity by fractal analysis. Fractal dimension (FD) values of the parietal electrocortical activity were calculated before and after intra-peritoneal administration of camphor essential oil (450-675 μl/kg) in anesthetized rats. Camphor oil induced seizure-like activity with single and multiple spiking of high amplitudes in the parietal electrocorticogram and occasional clonic limb convulsions. The FD values of cortical activity after camphor oil administration increased on the average. Only FD values of cortical ECoG sequences were lower than those before camphor oil administration.Cilj naše studije je bilo istraživanje efekta kamforovog esencijalnog ulja na aktivnost kore velikog mozga pacova pomoću fraktalne analize. Vrednosti fraktalne dimenzije parijetalne elektrokortikalne aktivnosti su izračunate pre i posle davanja kamforovog esencijalnog ulja (450-675 μl/kg,i.p.) anesteziranim pacovima. Kamforovo esencijalno ulje izazvalo je moždanu aktivnost nalik na napad sa pojedinačnim i višestrukim šiljak-talasima velike amplitude u parijetalnom elektrokortikogramu kao i povremene klonične konvulzije ekstremiteta. Posle davanja kamforovog ulja, srednje vrednosti fraktalne dimenzije kortikalne aktivnosti suse povećale u proseku. Jedino vrednosti fraktalne dimenzije iktalnih sekvenci elektrokortikograma su bile niže nego one pre davanja kamforovog ulja.Projekat ministarstva br. 14302

Cardiovascular risk factors in 7-13 years old children from Vojvodina (Serbia)

Background: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease which starts early in life and depends on many factors, an important one being dyslipoproteinemia. According to several studies, atherosclerotic plaques or their precursors could be seen in children younger than 10 years. During later life, interaction with a sedentary way of life, as well as unhealthy nutrition, smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity and family history of cardiovascular disease cause the burden of atherosclerotic disease. Methods: Study included 624 children (316 boys, 308 girls), aged from 7-13 years. We analysed socio-demographic data (BMI, blood pressure, cardiovascular family history, smoking status), as well as lipid status with lipoprotein little a-Lp(a), and apolipoproteins: Apo AI, Apo B-100 for all children. This enabled us to calculate new atherogenic indices Tg/HDL-c, lipid tetrad index (LTI) and lipid pentad index (LPI). Cardiovascular risk for later life was estimated by using modified Risk Score for Young Individuals (RS), which divided the subjects according to the score level: low, medium and higher risk. Results: The older children (13 y) had better lipid status than the younger children, i.e. significantly lower total cholesterol, LDL-C, triglycerides and non-HDL-C concentration and significantly higher HDL-C concentration than the younger children and this was in accordance with the RS level. Children with a positive family history of CV disease had significantly higher Lp(a) concentration and blood pressure. LPI was significantly higher in children with a higher RS. Conclusions: The results of our work could be used for cardiovascular risk assessment in apparently healthy children to provide preventive measures which could control the change able risk factors