Relation between personal identity and religiousness

Рад је замишљен као специфична форма ширег увода у евентуално будуће разматрање конкретних емпиријских аспеката односа личног идентитета и религиозности, у посебним културама и религијама. У раду полазимо од убеђења да је идентитет кључни антрополошки појам, независно од његових различитих дефиниција и вредносног предзнака. Начелни дисциплинарни оквири су нам филозофија, антропологија и психологија. Појам религиозности поставили смо као претходећи у односу на појам религије, који посматрамо у једнини, с обзиром на полазиште о заједничкој основи свих великих религија. Такође, опредељени смо ка теоријским приступима у којима се у појму мита преламају култура, изворна религиозност, архаична психа и зачеци саморазумевања. Тако долазимо до Шелингове (Schelling) идеје о примарном „прамонотеизму“ коју је касније, између осталих, обновио и доказивао Мирча Елијаде (Eliade). С обзиром на то да смо сматрали потребним да претходно испитамо основаност критика упућиваних религијском веровању из два различита теоријска извора, однос личног идентитета и религиозности у овом раду је у највећој мери имплицитан. Први извор критике је постмодерни дискурс који доводи у питање све метанарације и одриче право на постојање „јаком субјекту“, а други је атеистички дискурс позициониран у оквирима научног рационализма. Анализирајући ставове Фукоа (Foucault), Дериде (Derrida), Кристеве (Kristeva), Лакана (Lacan), Жижека (Zizek), и Ватима (Vattimo), као и Аурелија Августина (Augustine), Декарта (Descartes), Берка (Burke), Расла (Russell) и других, установили смо да и један и други критички извор садрже неотклоњиви метафизички потенцијал било као последицу онтологије саме тематике, било као израз личне заинтересованости, или немогућности аутора да избегну упуштање у та питања. Сматрамо да је тиме допуштена релативизација критика које се упућују религијском веровању, не само оних које се односе на психолошке ефекте тог веровања, већ и на сам садржај веровања. Кроз приказе Фукоовог схватања epimeleia heautou (старај се о себи) и ступњевитости духовног живота у учењу светог Јована Касијана, настојали смо да дамо обрисе начина и смисла преображаја субјекта у контексту духовности и религиозности. Такође, дошли смо до тога да се латентна напетост која постоји у односу личног идентитета и религиозности потенцијално разрешава једино у мистичком искуству као манифестацији језгра религије, при чему дуготрајност стања разрешености зависи од ефеката мистичког искуства на его.This paper is conceived as a particular form of a wider introduction into possible future consideration regarding specific empirical aspects of the relationship between personal identity and religiosness, in distinct cultures and religions. In this thesis we proceed from the conviction that identity is a key anthropological term, regardless of its different definitions and value sign. Philosophy, anthropology and psychology are the basic disciplinary frameworks. We have set the concept of religiousness to be antecedent to the term of religion, which we observe in the singular - with the starting point being the common basis of all major religions. We are also determined to theoretical approaches in which culture, original religiousness, archaic psyche and the beginnings of self-understanding are being observed in the concept of a myth. That is how we come to Schelling's idea of a primary "pre-monoteism", the idea which was later, among others, renewed and proved by Eliade. Considering that we deemed it necessary to first examine the merits of criticism towards religious beliefs, arriving from two different theoretical sources, the relation of personal identity and religiosity in this paper is largely implicit. The first source of criticism is a postmodern discourse that questions all metanarratives and denies the right to existence of a "strong subject", and the other is an atheistic discourse positioned within the framework of scientific rationalism. Analyzing the views of Foucault, Derrida, Kristeva, Lacan, Zizek, and Vattimo, as well as Aurelius Augustine, Descartes, Burke, Russell and others, we have found that both critical sources contain an inalienable metaphysical potential, either as a result of the ontology of the subject itself, either as an expression of personal interest or the inability of the author to avoid engaging in these issues. We believe that it is thus allowed to relativize the criticism of religious beliefs, not just those related to the psychological effects of that belief, but also on the very content of belief. Reviewing Foucault's understanding of the epimeleia heautou (care about oneself) and different degrees of spiritual life in the study of St. John Cassian, we tried to give an outline to the way and the meaning of the subject’s transformation in the context of spirituality and religiousness. We have also come to the conclusion that the latent tension that exists in relation between personal identity and religiosity is solved potentially only trough mystical experience as a manifestation of the religious core. The longevity of this resolved state would depend on the effects this mystical experience had on the ego

Efficient genetic transformation of Impatiens hawkerii Bull. (Balsamiaceae) using agrobacterium rhizogenes

Transformation of Impatiens hawkerii Bull. mediated by Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain A4M70GUS was studied. Hairy roots developed 10 days after inoculation were excised from the shoot explants and transferred onto Murashige and Skoog's (MS) basal medium lacking plant growth regulators. More than 20 hairy root clones were established and eight of them were further analyzed. Each clone differed significantly from the others in growth capacity and lateral branching. Clone C2 showed the highest biomass (20.6 g L-1) as well as the highest number of lateral roots (37 ± 2.2). The transgenic nature of the established hairy root clones was confirmed by GUS assay and PCR analysis. In conclusion, hairy roots were developed for the first time in I. hawkerii Bull., and transgenic hairy root clones showed a distinct morphological nature and growth patterns.Proučavana je genetička transformacija Impatiens hawkerii Bull. posredstvom Agrobacterium rhizogenes soja A4M70GUS. Deset dana posle inokulacije formirali su se transgeni korenovi na eksplantatima izdanaka, a zatim gajeni na Murashige and Skoog's (MS) osnovnoj hranljivoj podlozi bez biljnih regulatora rastenja. Uspostavljene su kulture više od 20 klonova, a 8 je dalje analizirano. Klonovi su se međusobno značajno razlikovali u odnosu na kapacitet rastenja i bočnog grananja. Klon C2 je imao najveću biomasu (20.6 g L-1), kao i najveći broj bočnih korenova (37 ± 2.2). Prisustvo stranih gena u klonovima transgenih korenova je potvrđeno GUS eseja i PCR analize. Transgeni korenovi su dobijeni prvi put kod Impatiens hawkerii Bull. i pokazuju značajne razlike u morfologiji i parametrima rastenja.Projekat ministarstva br. TR-2301

Virus elimination from ornamental plants using in vitro culture techniques

Viruses are responsible for numerous epidemics in different crops in all parts of the world. As a consequence of their presence great economic losses are being incurred. In addition to the development of sensitive techniques for detection, identification and characterization of viruses, substantial attention has also been paid to biotechnological methods for their elimination from plants. In this review article, the following biotechnological in vitro culture techniques for virus elimination from ornamental plants are presented: meristem culture, thermotherapy, chemotherapy, cryotherapy or a combination of these methods. The plant species, as well as the type of virus determine the choice of a most suitable method. The state of the art in investigation of virus elimination from Impatiens sp. in Serbia is summarized.Virusi su odgovorni za brojne epidemije na različitim usevima u svim delovima sveta. Posledica njihovog prisustva su velike ekonomske štete, pa osim razvoju osetljivih tehnika za detekciju, identifikaciju i karakterizaciju virusa, velika pažnja se poklanja i biotehnološkim metodama za njihovu eliminaciju. U ovom preglednom radu predstavljene su tehnike in vitro kulture za eliminaciju virusa iz biljnog materijala: kultura meristema, termoterapija, hemoterapija, krioterapija ili kombinacija ovih metoda. Koja će metoda biti primenjena zavisi od biljne vrste, kao i od vrste virusa. U radu je dat pregled istraživanja na eliminaciji virusa iz Impatiens sp. u Srbiji.Projekat ministarstva br. TR-31019 and III4300

Dimethyl sulfoxide improves sensitivity and specificity of RT-PCR and qRT-PCR amplification of low-expressed transgenes

The expression of transgenes in a host plant may be low for a number of reasons. Both low expression and poor specificity of amplification were encountered during analysis of the expression of the Arabidopsis cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase (AtCKX1) gene in transgenic Centaurium erythraea. The optimization of the PCR protocol involved a gradient of annealing temperatures, as well as the application of seven PCR enhancers: formamide, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), glycerol, ethylene glycol, trehalose, BSA and Tween-20. The best results for AtCKX1 amplification were obtained at 55.1ºC, with the addition of 5% DMSO. Glycerol and trehalose also improved the sensitivity of amplification, while formamide, ethylene glycol and BSA enhanced only the amplification of control purified targets, but not the transcripts. Tween-20 inhibited PCR. DMSO enhanced AtCKX1 PCR amplification and improved the specificity of qPCR amplification, as well as the assay reproducibility. This work emphasizes the usefulness of additives, which are rarely used for PCR optimization in real-time experiments.Projekat ministarstva br. ON173015 i br. ON17302

Krioprezervacija vrhova izdanaka Impatiens hawkeri W. Bull

Impatiens hawkeri (Balsaminaceae) je ukrasna biljna vrsta poreklom sa Nove Gvineje. Krioprezervacija predstavlja metod za dugotrajno čuvanje biljnog materijala na -196C u tečnom azotu koji se koristi i za eliminaciju patogena kod biljaka.1 Vrste roda Impatiens su izrazito osetljive na tretmane dehidratacije koji prethode zamrzavanju.2 Takođe, koncentracija saharoze u hranljivim podlogama utiče na morfogenetski potencijal tokom gajenja u kulturi in vitro.3 U ovom radu smo ispitivali uticaj prekulture vrhova izdanaka na povišenoj koncentraciji saharoze (6%), kao i vitamina C na preživljavanje i regeneraciju biljaka posle hemijske dehidratacije vrhova izdanaka sa rastvorima za vitrifikaciju (PVS2 i PVS3). Vrhovi izdanaka I. hawkeri su izrazito osetljivi na tretman sa 100% PVS2 rastvorom. Najveći morfogenetski potencijal posle izlaganja PVS2 rastvoru su pokazali vrhovi tretirani sa 50% PVS2 rastvorom kada je dolazilo samo do kalusiranja vrhova izdanaka. Potpuna regeneracija biljaka posle PVS2 tretmana postignuta je uz dodatak vitamina C u hranljivoj podlozi u koncentraciji od 100 mg/l. Najbolji rezultati preživljavanja i regeneracije biljaka posle odmrzavanja postignuti su korišćenjem metode vitrifikacije sa 100% PVS3 rastvorom u trajanju od 45 min. Izdanci gajeni na hranljivoj podlozi sa 6% saharoze su pokazali veće preživljavanje (49,4%) posle izlaganja ultra niskim temperaturama u odnosu na izdanke gajene na podlogama sa 3% saharoze (26,5 %)

Efficient genetic transformation of Impatiens hawkerii Bull. (Balsamiaceae) using agrobacterium rhizogenes

Transformation of Impatiens hawkerii Bull. mediated by Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain A4M70GUS was studied. Hairy roots developed 10 days after inoculation were excised from the shoot explants and transferred onto Murashige and Skoog's (MS) basal medium lacking plant growth regulators. More than 20 hairy root clones were established and eight of them were further analyzed. Each clone differed significantly from the others in growth capacity and lateral branching. Clone C2 showed the highest biomass (20.6 g L-1) as well as the highest number of lateral roots (37 ± 2.2). The transgenic nature of the established hairy root clones was confirmed by GUS assay and PCR analysis. In conclusion, hairy roots were developed for the first time in I. hawkerii Bull., and transgenic hairy root clones showed a distinct morphological nature and growth patterns.Proučavana je genetička transformacija Impatiens hawkerii Bull. posredstvom Agrobacterium rhizogenes soja A4M70GUS. Deset dana posle inokulacije formirali su se transgeni korenovi na eksplantatima izdanaka, a zatim gajeni na Murashige and Skoog's (MS) osnovnoj hranljivoj podlozi bez biljnih regulatora rastenja. Uspostavljene su kulture više od 20 klonova, a 8 je dalje analizirano. Klonovi su se međusobno značajno razlikovali u odnosu na kapacitet rastenja i bočnog grananja. Klon C2 je imao najveću biomasu (20.6 g L-1), kao i najveći broj bočnih korenova (37 ± 2.2). Prisustvo stranih gena u klonovima transgenih korenova je potvrđeno GUS eseja i PCR analize. Transgeni korenovi su dobijeni prvi put kod Impatiens hawkerii Bull. i pokazuju značajne razlike u morfologiji i parametrima rastenja.Projekat ministarstva br. TR-2301

Literature survey on fish tissues contamination by heavy metals and elements in the Danube River, from 1433-845rkm.

Heavy metals have high potential to enter and accumulate in food chains and therefore are considered as critical contaminants of aquatic ecosystems (Erdoğrul and Erbilir 2007). Given that fish are situated at the top of the food chain they can accumulate large amount of heavy metals (Yilmaz et al. 2007). Heavy metals are taken up through different organs of the fish because of the affinity between them, and then are concentrated at different levels in different organs of the body (Bervoets et al. 2001). Accumulation of heavy metals in muscle tissues was the most studied, given that muscle tissue is the main fish part that is consumed by humans (Begum et al. 2013; Storelli et al. 2006). However, it is important to analyze other tissues since muscles are not always a good indicator of the whole fish body contamination (Has-Schön et al. 2006). The Danube River is the second longest river in Europe and runs through Serbia at a length of 587.4 km. The biggest industrial capacities are largely located on the Danube river banks - Belgrade, Novi Sad, Pančevo and Smederevo (Petrović 2015). The main problem is that none of them has any kind of system for treating municipal wastewaters (Veljković 2005). Within this study, published articles regarding heavy metal accumulation in different tissues of fish in the Danube in Serbia were analyzed in order to evaluate which species, tissues and elements were the most represented in the analyses. The main aim was to assess present practices in research of heavy metal pollution in this region, as well as to identify key gaps regarding the particular river sections, types of pollutants, tissues, and trophic and functional groups of fish communities that were inadequately represented in research

Serbian Citizens’ Opinion on the COVID-19 Epidemic

Aim: The Centre for International Public Policy has undertaken a public opinion research in which we tested the opinions of the citizens of Serbia on the coronavirus epidemic. The respondents had the opportunity to express their opinion on measures undertaken by the Serbian Government to combat the virus, to state their trust in the media, as well as the health system in general. In addition, we tested the prevalence of different conspiracy theories among citizens, whether the pandemic gave China a new image in the minds of the people and, most importantly, the level of solidarity among Serbian citizens as well as within the European / international community as a whole. Methods: In seven days, from 8-15th April 2020, we gathered a convenient sample of N=5989 respondents, which makes this the largest public opinion research project in Serbia on the topic of COVID-19 since the start of the epidemic. The electronic questionnaire consisted of 24 questions of mixed and closed type. Results: The findings of this research suggest that citizens of Serbia are not afraid of COVID-19, but are nevertheless cautious (86%). The percentage of those willing to consult a doctor when they notice any symptoms lies at 70%. Half of the respondents do not believe in alternative theories regarding the origin of the COVID-19 virus. The majority of the respondents (55%) hold government officials accountable for spreading panic through public speeches and daily public addresses. Moreover, 60% of the respondents do not trust the Serbian media outlets that are currently reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, over half of the respondents are prepared to report their neighbour when he or she is coming from abroad and violates the obligation to self-isolate. However, mostly due to the significant fines, 65% of the respondents would not report the elderly when they are breaking the limited-movement restriction measures. Conclusion: As before the epidemic, opinions of the Serbian population on current topics are somewhat polarized. Although the majority of the respondents are cautious, a significant number also believes in conspiracy theories and does not fully trust the information provided by the media or the government.                                                                               &nbsp

Serbian Citizens’ Opinion on the COVID-19 Epidemic

Aim: The Centre for International Public Policy has undertaken a public opinion research in which we tested the opinions of the citizens of Serbia on the coronavirus epidemic. The respondents had the opportunity to express their opinion on measures undertaken by the Serbian Government to combat the virus, to state their trust in the media, as well as the health system in general. In addition, we tested the prevalence of different conspiracy theories among citizens, whether the pandemic gave China a new image in the minds of the people and, most importantly, the level of solidarity among Serbian citizens as well as within the European / international community as a whole. Methods: In seven days, from 8-15th April 2020, we gathered a convenient sample of N=5989 respondents, which makes this the largest public opinion research project in Serbia on the topic of COVID-19 since the start of the epidemic. The electronic questionnaire consisted of 24 questions of mixed and closed type. Results: The findings of this research suggest that citizens of Serbia are not afraid of COVID-19, but are nevertheless cautious (86%). The percentage of those willing to consult a doctor when they notice any symptoms lies at 70%. Half of the respondents do not believe in alternative theories regarding the origin of the COVID-19 virus. The majority of the respondents (55%) hold government officials accountable for spreading panic through public speeches and daily public addresses. Moreover, 60% of the respondents do not trust the Serbian media outlets that are currently reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, over half of the respondents are prepared to report their neighbour when he or she is coming from abroad and violates the obligation to self-isolate. However, mostly due to the significant fines, 65% of the respondents would not report the elderly when they are breaking the limited-movement restriction measures. Conclusion: As before the epidemic, opinions of the Serbian population on current topics are somewhat polarized. Although the majority of the respondents are cautious, a significant number also believes in conspiracy theories and does not fully trust the information provided by the media or the government.                            &nbsp

Virus elimination from ornamental plants using in vitro culture techniques

Viruses are responsible for numerous epidemics in different crops in all parts of the world. As a consequence of their presence great economic losses are being incurred. In addition to the development of sensitive techniques for detection, identification and characterization of viruses, substantial attention has also been paid to biotechnological methods for their elimination from plants. In this review article, the following biotechnological in vitro culture techniques for virus elimination from ornamental plants are presented: meristem culture, thermotherapy, chemotherapy, cryotherapy or a combination of these methods. The plant species, as well as the type of virus determine the choice of a most suitable method. The state of the art in investigation of virus elimination from Impatiens sp. in Serbia is summarized.Virusi su odgovorni za brojne epidemije na različitim usevima u svim delovima sveta. Posledica njihovog prisustva su velike ekonomske štete, pa osim razvoju osetljivih tehnika za detekciju, identifikaciju i karakterizaciju virusa, velika pažnja se poklanja i biotehnološkim metodama za njihovu eliminaciju. U ovom preglednom radu predstavljene su tehnike in vitro kulture za eliminaciju virusa iz biljnog materijala: kultura meristema, termoterapija, hemoterapija, krioterapija ili kombinacija ovih metoda. Koja će metoda biti primenjena zavisi od biljne vrste, kao i od vrste virusa. U radu je dat pregled istraživanja na eliminaciji virusa iz Impatiens sp. u Srbiji.Projekat ministarstva br. TR-31019 and III4300