Characterization of carbon fibrous materials obtained from tree wastes

Carbon fibres can be obtained in rather wide variety of structures, compositions and properties, depending on the nature of the organic precursor and conditions of the process applied in their preparation. In order to get a high surface area, physical or/and chemical activation processes of material have usually been employed. A challenge in the field of carbon adsorbents is to produce very specific materials with a given pore size distribution from low cost precursors. In this study we used new type of a precursor for active carbon fibres material –achenes from the Platanus orientalis seeds. We examined the influence of different chemical activating agents on the porous and electrochemical properties of carbon material support. The properties of these fibers were compared with the properties of polysulfone hollow fibers treated on the similar way. These investigations show that the waste such as fibrous seeds is very promising raw material for active carbon fibers production.Belgrade, Serbia, June 6-10, 201

Characterization of carbon fibrous materials obtained from tree wastes

Carbon fibres can be obtained in rather wide variety of structures, compositions and properties, depending on the nature of the organic precursor and conditions of the process applied in their preparation. In order to get a high surface area, physical or/and chemical activation processes of material have usually been employed. A challenge in the field of carbon adsorbents is to produce very specific materials with a given pore size distribution from low cost precursors. In this study we used new type of a precursor for active carbon fibres material –achenes from the Platanus orientalis seeds. We examined the influence of different chemical activating agents on the porous and electrochemical properties of carbon material support. The properties of these fibers were compared with the properties of polysulfone hollow fibers treated on the similar way. These investigations show that the waste such as fibrous seeds is very promising raw material for active carbon fibers production.Belgrade, Serbia, June 6-10, 201

Preparation and Characterization of Poly(D,L-Lactide-co-Glycolide) Nanoparticles Containing Ascorbic Acid

This paper is covering new, simplistic method of obtaining the system for controlled delivery of the ascorbic acid. Copolymer poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (DLPLG) nanoparticles are produced using physical method with solvent/nonsolvent systems where obtained solutions were centrifuged. The encapsulation of the ascorbic acid in the polymer matrix is performed by homogenization of water and organic phases. Particles of the DLPLG with the different content of ascorbic acid have different morphological characteristics, that is, variable degree of uniformity, agglomeration, sizes, and spherical shaping. Mean sizes of nanoparticles, which contain DLPLG/ascorbic acid in the ratio 85/150%, were between 130 to 200 nm depending on which stereological parameters are considered (maximal diameters Dmax, feret X, or feret Y). By introducing up to 15% of ascorbic acid, the spherical shape, size, and uniformity of DLPLG particles are preserved. The samples were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, stereological analysis, and ultraviolet spectroscopy

Morfo-anatomska diferencijacija balkanskog endemita Teucrium arduini L. (Lamiaceae)

Teucrium arduini L. is an endemic of the Mediteranean to sub-Mediterranean part of the Western Balkans. The ecological plasticity, i.e., inter-population differentiation, of the species Teucrium arduini was analyzed on the basis of morpho-anatomical variability of six populations from different types of vegetation, i.e., of rocky crevices, rocky ground, and a thermophilous forest in the eu-Mediterranean, sub-Mediterranean, and transitional sub-Mediterranean-Central-European climate zones. Univariant statistic analysis included 22 quantitative characters related to leaf and stem anatomy and morphology. In order to establish the variability and significance of morpho-anatomical differentiation, principal component analyses (PCA), multivariant analyses of variances (MANOVA), and discriminant components analysis (DCA) were done. The analyses of plants from these spatially separated populations confirmed that the species T. arduini belongs to the category of xerophytes with malacophyllous leaves.Teucrium arduini L. je endemična vrsta rasprostranjena u mediteranskim i submediteranskim područjima zapadnog dela Balkanskog poluostrva, od Istre na severu do Albanije na jugu. Vrsta pripada sekciji Stachyobotrus Bentham kojoj na prostoru Evrope pripada još samo maloazijsko-istočno balkanska vrsta T. laminifolium D’Urv., u koju je uključeni takson T. cordifolium Čelak. Ekološka plastičnost i interpopulaciona diferencijacija vrste T. arduini je analizirana na osnovu morfo-anatomske varijabilnosti šest populacija (Risan, Njeguši i kanjoni Cijevne, Morače i Komarnice u Crnoj Gori i Rugovska klisura u Srbiji) koje se razvijaju u različitim tipovima vegetacije, i to u pukotinama karbonatnih stena (Asplenietea rupestris), kamenjara (Festuco-Brometea) i termofilnim šumama na krečnjacima (Ostryo-Carpinion orientalis) u uslovima eumediteranske, submediteranske i prelazne mediteransko-srednjeevropske klime. Statističkom analizom su obuhvaćena 22 kvantitativna karaktera vezana za anatomiju i morfologiju listova i stabla. U cilju utvrđivanja prirode varijabilnosti i stepena statističke značajnosti ustanovljenih razlika urađena je multivarijaciona analiza koja je obuhvatila analizu varijansi (MANOVA), analizu osnovnih komponenti (PCA) i diskriminantnu analizu osnovnih komponenti (DCA). Na osnovu urađenih analiza biljaka iz šest populacija koje se razvijaju na različitim staništima i u različitim ekološkima uslovima, utvrđeno je da vrsta T. arduini pripada grupi kserofita sa malakofilnom građom listova. Na osnovu rezultata diskriminantne analize ustanovljeno je da su analizirane populacije morfo-anatomski veoma neznatno izdiferencirane u tri grupe biljaka između kojih postoje veoma male razlike. Na taj način se pokazalo da i vrsta T. arduini ima veoma stabilne, konzervativne morfo-anatomske, kseromorfne strukture, koje su karakteristične i za druge endemične biljke Balkanskog poluostrva

Stereological analysis of DLPLG nanoparticles containing ascorbic acid during in vitro degradation process

Poster presented at the 3rd Serbian Congress for Microscopy (3SCM-2007) Belgrade, September 25-28, 200

The Effect of Processing Parameters on Characteristics of Plla Microspheres

Poster presented at the 8th Conference of Yugoslav Materials Research Society – YUCOMAT 2006, Herceg Novi, Montenegro, September 4-8, 2006

Ecophysiological and anatomical characteristics of the subtropical shrub Zanthoxylum acanthopodium (Rutaceae) in conditions of a temperate continental climate (Serbia)

The evergreen shrub Zanthoxylum acanthopodium DC. (Rutaceae), originating from warm temperate and subtropical Asia, has existed successfully in the Jevremovac Botanical Garden in Belgrade for more than 80 years. The seasonal pattern of water management in leaves, electrolyte leakage, essential oil composition, and leaf anatomy were examined in order to understand the resistance and viability of this subtropical shrub in the temperate continental climate of Belgrade, Serbia.Večno-zeleni žbun vrste Zanthoxylum acanthopodium DC. (Rutaceae) poreklom iz Azije već osamdeset godina uspešno napreduje u Botaničkoj bašti 'Jevremovac', Beograd, Srbija U cilju boljeg razumevanja dobre adaptiranosti ove suptropske vrste na umereno-kontinentalne klimatske uslove Beograda, praćene su sezonske promene u hidričkom stanju listova (vodni i osmotski potencijal, relativni sadržaj vode), propuštanje elektrolita kroz plazma membranu, karakteristike etarskog ulja kao i anatomska građa lista. Kompleks strukturnih (kseromorfni listovi) i fizioloških odlika (promene vodnog i osmotskog potencijala kao i količina etarskog ulja) omogućavaju ovoj vrsti da poboljša rezistentnost, opstane i oporavi se od eventualnih oštećenja koja se mogu dogoditi tokom stresnog perioda.Projekat ministarstva br. 14301

Psychological Consequences of War Trauma and Postwar Social Stressors in Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Aim To assess the consequences of psychotrauma in civilian women in Herzegovina who were exposed to prolonged and repetitive traumatic war events and postwar social stressors. Methods The study included a cluster sample of 367 adult women, divided into two groups. One group (n = 187) comprised women from West Mostar who were exposed to serious war and posttraumatic war events. The other group (n = 180) comprised women from urban areas in Western Herzegovina who were not directly exposed to war destruction and material losses, but experienced war indirectly, through military drafting of their family members and friends. Demographic data on the women were collected by a questionnaire created for the purpose of this study. Data on trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were collected by Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) – Bosnia-Herzegovina version. General psychological symptoms were determined with Symptom Check List-90-revised (SCL-90-R). Data on postwar stressors were collected by a separate questionnaire. Results In comparison with the control group, women from Western Mostar experienced significantly more traumatic events (mean ± standard deviation [SD], 3.3 ± 3.2 vs 10.1 ± 4.9, respectively, t = 15.91; P<0.001) and had more posttraumatic symptoms (12.3 ± 10.3 vs 21.2 ± 10.9, respectively, t = 8.42; P<0.001). They also had significantly higher prevalence of PTSD (4.4% vs 28.3%, respectively; χ2 = 52.56; P<0.001). The number of traumatic events experienced during the war was positively associated with postwar stressful events both in the West Mostar group (r = 0.223; P = 0.002) and control group (r = 0.276; P<0.001). Postwar stressful events contributed both to the number and intensity of PTSD symptoms and all general psychological symptoms measured with SCL-90 questionnaire, independently from the number of experienced traumatic war events. Conclusion Long-term exposure to war and postwar stressors caused serious psychological consequences in civilian women, with PTSD being only one of the disorders in the wide spectrum of posttraumatic reactions. Postwar stressors did not influence the prevalence of PTSD but they did contribute to the intensity and number of posttraumatic symptoms