Tilted: Exploring the Mainstreaming and Diversity of Modern Drag

The act of presenting oneself to the world around them is a performance. Gender takes a massive part in this “performance” as the “gender roles” that we as humans embody due to preconceived societal constructs shape the world’s perception of us (Butler 92-95). The world’s normality of performing the gender that closely matches one’s sex assignment is not the only option. The long practiced Queer art form of Drag, blurs and changes the lines of gender through performance. This in turn plays with the fluidity in the manmade construct of gender. Drag is a necessary art form within the Queer community as it creates a visible spectacle of queerness. It beckons visibility of identities that are chastised, “othered”, and oppressed by heteronormativity. This essay will examine how the art of Drag is for anyone looking to explore their gender identity and how the art form’s growth in popularity within the last decade has transformed it from being subversive into mainstream

Expression of Genes Responsible for the Repair of Mispaired Bases of the DNA (MLH1) in Invasive Ductal Breast Carcinoma

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous group of diseases determined and distinguished by cellular type, gene expression and clinical signs and symptoms. Identification of histological and biological markers is of great value in predicting the progression of tumor growth and anticipating the expected response to various treatment options. Due to a high degree of cell proliferation in breast tumors and high genetic instability of these tumors, as a consequence of defective DNA repair mechanisms, chemotherapy as a treatment option often renders very successful results. During our scientific research we wanted to determine the involvement of the genetic polymorphisms of DNA mismatch repair system (MLH1 gene) and the subsequent development of breast carcinoma. This study included 108 patients who were surgically treated for inva- sive breast cancer at the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, University Hospital »Dubrava«. The expression of the MLH1 gene was determined by immunohistochemical methods. The results showed that 82.9% of tumor cells expressed the MLH1 gene. Analysis of survival rate for patients with invasive ductal breast cancer showed a statistically significant (p=0.043) correlation with the expression of MLH1 genes. The overall five year survival rate of our patients was 78.7%. These results indicate that there is a possible involvement of MLH1 gene in the progression and development of breast cancer

Prikaz slučaja bolesnice s pojavom lokalnog recidiva na prsnom košu pet uzastopnih godina nakon radikalne mastektomije

Breast cancer is most common cancer in women. After surgical treatment and adjuvant therapy, locoregional recurrences do occur in certain number of patients. Herein we report a breast cancer patient who developed isolated chest wall local recurrence 3 years after mastectomy which was reappearing in next fi ve consecutive years. Multimodal treatment which includes surgical excision and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy can achieve a signifi cant degree of palliation when locoregional recurrences are diagnosed. In our case, inclusion of adjuvant treatment did not provide satisfactory local control of disease therefore repetitive surgical excision was the only modality which off ered our patient 7 years of overall survival after fi rst excision of local recurrence.Rak dojke je najčešći rak u žena. Unatoč kirurškom liječenju i adjuvantnoj terapiji, lokalni recidivi se javljaju u određenom broju pacijenata. Prikazan je slučaj bolesnice s pojavama lokalnog recidiva na prsnom košu u razdoblju od pet uzastopnih godina nakon radikalne mastektomije. Koristeći se multimodalnim tretmanom koji uključuje kirurški zahvat i kemoradioterapiju, načelno se postižu dobri rezultati u liječenju lokoregionalnog recidiva. Unatoč danoj terapiji, uzastopne kirurške ekscizije su se pokazale kao jedini modalitet liječenja koji je bolesnici omogućio sedmogodišnje preživljenje nakon pojave prvog lokalnog recidiva

BIO-CORROSIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF TITANIUM-MAGNESIUM COMPOSITE MATERIAL

U dugogodišnjoj kliničkoj primjeni titanija sve se više uočavaju štetni učinci kao što je otpuštanje iona Ti4+ uslijed neprihvatljivog biokorozijskog ponašanja. Magnezij se u posljednje vrijeme često primjenjuje u biointeraktivnim konceptima oseointegracijskih površina kao značajan čimbenik oseointegracije u biodegradacijskom procesu otpuštanja iona Mg2+. Kako se titanij i magnezij ne mogu legirati, metalurgija praha smatra se tehnikom izbora za proizvodnju titanij-magnezijeva kompozitnoga materijala. Svrha ovog rada je istraživanje biokorozijskih svojstava titanij-magnezijeva materijala kroz proučavanje otpuštanja iona Ti4+ i Mg2+ te promatranje promjena nastalih na površini. Pripravljene su tri vrste materijala, s 1, 2 i 5 % magnezija u titanijskoj osnovi. Kao kontrolna skupina upotrijebljen je komercijalno čisti titanij stupnja 4. Za otpuštanje iona Ti4+ i Mg2+ korišten je test uranjanja u četiri vrste otopina: umjetnoj slini, umjetnoj slini s pH 4 i s dodanim fluorom te Hankovoj otopini koje su zatim analizirane metodom masene spektrometrije induktivno spregnutom plazmom. Površine uzoraka karakterizirane su skenirajućom elektronskom mikroskopijom, energijskom disperzivnom spektroskopijom, rendgenskom difrakcijskom analizom te profilometrijskim određivanjem hrapavosti površine. Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su značajno manje otpuštanje iona Ti4+ u usporedbi s kontrolnom skupinom. Dok su na otpuštanje iona Ti4+ statistički značajan utjecaj imale vrste otopina, otpuštanje iona Mg2+ bilo je pod utjecajem vrste ispitivanog materijala. Na površinama je uočena intenzivnija fizikalno kemijska aktivnost ispitivanog materijala koja sugerira na zaključak o potencijalnoj biointeraktivnosti istog. Istovremeno, magnezijeva korozija se je u nekim uvjetima pokazala neprihvatljivom za primjenu in vivo. Stoga su potrebna daljnja istraživanja strukture i sastava inovativnog titanij-magnezijeva kompozitnoga materijala proizvedenog tehnikom metalurgije praha.Introduction: Titanium and its alloys have been widely used as an implantable alloplastic biomaterial in the field of dental medicine for the last half century. Good mechanical properties, favourable corrosion behaviour and excellent biocompatibility are mentioned as the main reasons for such a large clinical application. The important bio-corrosive characteristic of titanium is the formation of dioxide layer of TiO2 which protects the metal of dissolving. However, such a surface layer plays poor protective role in some environmental conditions such are low pH value of the medium and the presence of fluorides. Magnesium enhances osteoinduction, osteoconduction and osseointegration of implantable biomaterial by promoting some osteogenic processes in the alveolar bone during a peri-implant bone formation. However, magnesium, as a pure metal, demonstrates poor bio-corrosive behaviour resulting in the gaseous H2 evolution and the alkalization of surrounding area. The powder metallurgy technique has been shown as the method of choice to unify the positive properties of two metals. In that way produced titanium-magnesium composite material could demonstrate better corrosive behaviour and develop an innovative and biomimetic surface characteristics in order to improve the process of osseointegration of such an implantable material. Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the bio-corrosive characteristics of titanium-magnesium composite by determining the amount of released titanium and magnesium ions and by observing the surface changes during the corrosion test in simulated body fluids. Materials and methods: Three groups of innovative titanium-magnesium composite were produced by means of powder metallurgy technique: 1 mass%, 2 mass% and 5 mass% of magnesium in titanium matrix. Commercially pure titanium was used as a control group. The standardized static immersion test was used to carry out the bio-corrosion testing. Artificial saliva, artificial saliva with pH 4, artificial saliva with fluorides added and Hank’s balanced salt solution were prepared. The amount of released titanium and magnesium ions in the solution were determined by means of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The surface topography was observed by means of scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. To compare the surface roughness before and after the immersion, profilometry method was emloyed. Statistical evaluation was done by Statistica 7.0 software package. Significance level in all tests was set to p<0.05. Results and discussion: The amount of released titanium ions from all of three tested groups was significantly lower in comparison to the control group except in the case when the 5 mass% magnesium in titanium tested group was immersed in Hank’s balanced salt solution. According to the literature data, the amount of released titanium ions from tested material obtained in this study can’t provoke any biologically harmful side effect. Statistical analysis showed the significant influence of the type of solution on titanium ions release. At the same time, the magnesium ions release was more intense and faster than the titanium corrosion and under the influence of type of tested material. According to the literature data, the results of this investigation revealed that only the composite with 1 and 2 mass% of magnesium in titanium matrix performed biologically favourable corrosive behaviour. In the case of 5 mass% magnesium in titanium matrix group, the magnesium corrosion could provoke harmful biological side effects. Surface topography examination showed that localized forms of corrosion, dominantly pitting, prevailed on the surfaces of tested materials whereas the generalized corrosion was distinctive for the material of the control group. Chemical microanalysis of the surface after immersion revealed the presence of the atoms contained in the solutions and crystallographic examination confirmed the presence of hydroxyapatite and magnesium-oxide crystals formations. This could refer to the potentially biomimetic surface characteristic of the innovative titanium-magnesium composite. Profilometric study of the tested surfaces revealed that the vertical dimension of the roughness increased more than any other. Conclusion: Based on the bio-corrosion tests performed, one can conclude that the innovative titanium-magnesium composite showed better corrosive behaviour in terms of titanium ions release. The surface changes observed suggest the high bio-interactive potential of the tested material. The magnesium to titanium matrix ratio is found as the most significant factor in the development of a biodegradable titanium-magnesium composite concept with an acceptable magnesium corrosion rate. Since the results of the magnesium release revealed, in certain conditions, poor corrosive behaviour, further research on the development of titaniummagnesium composite are recommended

Referentni uzorci za ispitivanje penetrantima

Rad se bavi problematikom izrade, korištenja i rukovanja referentnim uzorcima pomoću kojih se provode redovite provjere penetrantskih sustava s ciljem osiguravanja što veće razine pouzdanosti rezultata ispitivanja penetrantima. U prvom dijelu rada su objašnjene najbitnije značajke penetrantske metode te je dan pregled referentnih uzoraka koji se koriste u praksi, uz njihove značajke i načine izrade. U nastavku je opisan problem obnovljivosti provjere penetrantskih sustava na referentnim uzorcima, uz prijedlog softverskog rješenja za objektivniju usporedbu dobivenih rezultata periodičnih provjera. Analizirani su faktori koji utječu na pouzdanost rezultata provjere na temelju nekoliko provedenih eksperimenata. Završni dio čini uputa za korištenje konkretnog referentnog uzorka koja ima zadaću osigurati sljedivost u periodičnim provjerama penetrantskog sustava

Comparison of dietary habits of house (Hemidactylus turcicus L.) and wall (Tarentola mauritanica L.) gecko on the island of Hvar during spring

Simpatrijske populacije dviju vrsta macaklina u Hrvatskoj, kućnog (Hemidactylus turcicus) i zidnog (Tarentola mauritanica), nalazimo na otoku Hvaru, te je cilj ovoga istraživanja vidjeti čime se hrane i postoje li razlike. Uzorci su prikupljeni ispumpavanjem želudaca te su utvrđene glavne skupine plijena. Obzirom na veličinske kategorije plijena, jedinke veće vrste (T. mauritanica) jedu veći plijen, pritom ne zanemarujući manji, dok je manja vrsta (H. turcicus) ograničena na manje katergorije plijena. Obje vrste služe se tehnikama lova iz zasjede i aktivnog lova. Gledajući otrovnost plijena, jedu najviše neotrovan plijen, zatim plijen sa otrovnim ubodom, a najmanje otrovan plijen. Uspoređujući tvrdoću plijena, obje vrste najviše preferiraju polutvrdi plijen, zatim meki, a najmanje tvrdi. Za obje vrste u proljeće volumno i količinski najbitnija je skupina Aranea (pauci) i to veliki primjerci. Postoje značajne razlike pri usporedbi dviju vrsta kod skupina Coleoptera, Dermaptera i Diptera što ukazuje na različitu raspodjelu prostornih niša i izbjegavanje interspecijske kompeticije.The sympatric populations of two species of geckos in Croatia, house (Hemidactylus turcicus L.) and wall gecko (Tarentola mauritanica L.) can be found on the island of Hvar and the goal of this research is to explore what are their dietary habits and if there are any differences between two species. Samples were gathered by extracting the stomach contents and main groups of prey were determined. Considering the size of prey, larger T. mauritanica eats larger prey, but does not exclude smaller prey, and smaller H. turcicus is somewhat limited by its size to smaller prey. Both species use technics ambush hunting and active foraging. Both eat mostly nonpoisonous prey, then prey with venomous sting and the least the poisonous prey. Both species prefer semihard prey, then soft prey and the least hard prey. By volume and by quantity, the most important group during spring is Aranea (spiders), the large specimens. When comparing two species of geckos, significant differences are apparent within groups of Coleoptera, Dermaptera and Diptera, which points out to a different distribution of spatial niches and avoidance of competition

Hiding Data in a Carrier Object Using LSB Algorithm

Steganografija je znanstvena disciplina koja proučava metode skrivanja informacija u naizgled bezazlene objekte (npr. slika, audio ili video zapis). Steganografskim postupcima osigurava se tajnost podataka u informacijskom sustavu jer osoba kojoj poruka nije namijenjena nije ni svjesna postojanja iste. Zbog toga je najviše zanimljiva za primjenu u vojne svrhe, odnosno u radu tajnih i obavještajnih službi, gdje je potreban visoki stupanj tajnosti. Rad daje uvid u steganografsku tehniku zamjene bitova najmanje važnosti te ispituje njenu učinkovitost.Steganography is the scientific discipline that studies the methods of hiding informations in seemingly innocuous objects (eg, images, audio or video files). Steganographic procedures ensures the confidentiality of data in the information system because the person to whom the message is not intended is not even aware of its existence. Therefore, it is most interesting for use in military purposes, or in the work of secret and intelligence services, where a high level of secrecy is required. The paper provides insight into steganography technique of replacing bits of least importance, and examines its effectiveness

Predictors of clinical outcome among patients supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Pojam izvantjelesne potpore (ECMO) podrazumijeva primjenu produljena izvantjelesnoga krvotoka uglavnom putem izvanprsne kanilacije u bolesnika sa akutnim, reverzibilnim urušajem srčane ili respiracijske funkcije koja ne odgovara na konzervativno liječenje. Sa druge strane, produljeno izvantjelesno liječenje se također provodi kao opcija za oporavak srčanog mišića i slabosti desnog srca nakon kardiokirurškog zahvata na otvorenom srcu. Tada je kanilacija najčešće centralnog tipa. U proceduri ekstrakorporalnog održavanja života koriste se uređaji zvani oksigenatori.Cilj: utvrditi funkcionalnost oksigenatora.Hipoteza: Stupanj antikoagulacije korelira sa efikasnošću transfera plinova.Materijali i metode: Retrospektivnom studijom obuhvaćeno je 30 bolesnika koji su nakon operacije na otvorenom srcu imali indikaciju za ECMO potporom. Dokazano je da su praćeni laboratorijski parametri ključni za učinkovitost transfera O2 i CO2.The term extracorporeal membrane oxygeneation (ECMO) implies appliance of long-term extracorporeal support usually via extrathoracic cannulation, in patients with acute, reversible cardiac or respiratory failure who are unresponsive to conservative treatment. On the other hand, prolonged extracorporeal treatment is also performed as an option for myocardial recovery and weakness of the right side of the heart after open heart surgery. In that case type of cannulation is usually central. In extracorporeal life support procedure there is a use of appliances called oxygenators.Goal: determine oxygenator functionality.Hypothesis: degree of anticoagulation correlates with gass transfer efficiency.Materials and methods: 30 patients that had an indication for ECMO support after open heart surgery were included in retrospective study. It is shown that the monitored laboratory parameters are crucial for O2 and CO2 transfer