The frequency of chromosomal aberrations in sheep from the area contaminated by depleted uranium during NATO air strikes in 1999

This paper presents the results of cytogenetic studies in sheep from the region of Bujanovac that was contaminated by depleted uranium during the NATO air strikes in 1999. The study was conducted on sheep blood lymphocytes, in order to determine the frequency of chromosomal aberrations and to assess the presence of genetic risk as a result of the possible impact of depleted uranium. Blood samples for lymphocyte cultures were taken at random from the 20 animals of the households in the village of Borovac, near Bujanovac. The animals were chosen because they were pastured, fed, and watered in the NATO bombing area. With the purpose of comparing the results two control groups were cytogenetically analyzed, each consisted of 20 sheep from Zemun and Ovča, two northern localities that were not contaminated with depleted uranium. The established structural chromosomal changes were of breaks and gap types, and their frequencies in sheep of all surveyed localities were within the range of basic level values that are commonly found in the sheep lymphocyte cultures analyses. Significant differences are apparent between the values defined in the sheep from Bujanovac compared to those obtained in the sheep from the northern locality (Zemun), probably as a result of breeding of animals in the farm conditions and their being less exposed to the impact of environmental agents. There were neither elevated values of polyploid and aneuploid cells nor significant differences between the sites. According to earlier known data, depleted uranium was below the detection limit of the method applied both in the soil and feed given to cytogenetically analyzed animals. Based on the low-level changes that are in the range of the basic level changes, commonly observed in sheep lymphocytes control cultures, it cannot be said with certainty that it was depleted uranium that caused the changes, or that it is wide-spread in the region of Bujanovac. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 1518/2002, br. 20061-TR i br. 173034

Placenta Abruption and Delivery Method

Placental abruption is a significant contributor to maternal mortality worldwide. Early and skilled medical intervention is needed to ensure a good outcome, and this is not available in many parts of the world. Abruptio placentae are defined as the premature separation of the placenta from the uterus. Placental abruption must be considered whenever bleeding is encountered in the second half of pregnancy, since it is a significant cause of third-trimester bleeding associated with fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. If the bleeding persists, fetal and maternal distress may develop. Fetal and maternal death may occur if appropriate interventions are not undertaken. The severity of fetal distress correlates with the degree of placental separation. In near-complete or complete abruption, fetal death is inevitable unless an immediate cesarean delivery is undertaken

Significance of Lipid and Lipoprotein in Organism

Lipids are important energy and building compounds. Their decomposition provides a significant amount of energy required for various life processes. It can thus be deposited in triglycerides and adipocytes. Some of them, in conjunction with proteins, form the most important structural elements of cells and cellular organelles, while others are precursors for the synthesis of numerous active compounds such as some hormones or prostaglandins. Lipids are ingested but can also be synthesized in the body. In circulation, lipids are found packed in lipoprotein molecules because they are insoluble in water. Lipoproteins have a central lipid part (nucleus) containing triglycerides and cholesterol esters, and on the surface there is a sheath composed of certain proteins (apoproteins), phospholipids, and small amounts of free cholesterol. Thanks to this sheath, lipids can be transported via blood. It took a long time to determine the importance and role of lipids in the body, as well as their role in many metabolic disorders of various diseases. This field is still unexplored and is a challenge for many researchers to prevent and treat lipid metabolism disorders

Maternal and Neonatal Outcome of Pregnancies with Autoimmune Myasthenia Gravis

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune neuromuscular disease manifested by the weakness and fatigue in skeletal muscles of the face and extremities. Transient neonatal myasthenia gravis is an uncommon type of MG affecting the newborns with mothers who suffer from the disorder or specific circulating autoantibodies. In most cases, the intensity of transient neonatal MG is not associated with the mothers’ condition but rather with maternal antibody titers. The symptoms of transient neonatal MG are hypotonia, feeding difficulties, weak cry, facial diplegia, and breathing difficulties in the affected newborns. The disease is connected to the passive transplacental transfer of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies (anti-AChR) or antimuscle-specific tyrosine kinase antibodies (anti-MuSK) from the affected mother to the infant. The postsynaptic neuromuscular junction is damaged by the circulation of autoimmune antibodies, and the antibodies directed against fetal AChR are responsible for the form of fetal onset. Monitoring of these newborns is necessary in the first 7 days upon birth, since during this period of life, TNM symptoms can be detected, especially on the second day. In pregnancy period, myasthenia gravis symptoms may vary and they frequently worsen, sometimes leading to premature delivery

Should we use climate analogs to predict climate impacts? A contemporary validation.

There is a need for location-specific, fine-grain, climate impact information to inform regional and local-level climate adaptation. However, such climate information is hard to obtain from the existing models either due to the lack of sufficient data or too coarse of a model output to be useful. Analog impact models (AIMs), provide an alternative approach. AIMs rely on climate analogs (locations in space and time that have similar climate) to forecast future climate impacts at a spatial grain as fine as a four kilometer pixel. Analog impact models assume that locations with equivalent climate (climate analogs) also share other important characteristics, such as vegetation type, primary productivity, disturbance regimes, etc. AIMs provide spatially resolved, fine grain predictions of climate impacts, which have the potential to inform location-specific climate adaptation. The use of AIMs is growing, yet there is a lack of information on the quality of AIM predictions. Validating AIMs is a challenge, as actual climate impacts can not be observed in the present and compared to AIM predictions. We evaluate AIMs by testing their performance on climate analogs in space in the reference climate period. We identify spatial climate analogs in the western US for the 1961-1990 period using 30 year normals of four climate variables (mean maximum temperature of the warmest month, minimum temperature of the coldest month, actual evapotranspiration, and climatic water deficit). We evaluate AIM performance by comparing remotely sensed Landsat tree-canopy data at each pixel of interest (i.e. the observed value) to the tree cover at its candidate analog pixels (i.e. the predicted value) at increasing climatic dissimilarity levels. We find that the AIM predicts tree cover well: the slope of the linear fit of predicted vs actual cover is 0.78 (R2 = 0.78) for climatically closest analogs. Model bias increases and precision decreases with increasing climate dissimilarity between the focal and the analog pixels. Tree cover is often overpredicted for pixels with low tree cover, suggesting that recent disturbance may drive the error at the low cover end. Our study provides support for the utility of climate analogs as a climate impact assessment tool and provides details on the effects of climatic dissimilarity, the number of climate analogs considered, and spatial distribution of spatial analogs on the quality of prediction

Impact of the lower third molar presence and position on the risk of fracture in the regions of mandibular angle and condyle

Dosadašnje kliničko-epidemiološke studije su pokazale da prisustvo donjeg trećeg molara (umnjaka), naročito neizniklog, povećava rizik za nastanak preloma donjeviličnog ugla. Međutim, u slučaju odsustva umnjaka, zapažena je veća učestalost preloma zglobnog nastavka donje vilice, koji u odnosu na prelom vličnog ugla iziskuje komplikovaniji hirurški tretman. Kako dosadašnje studije, pored umnjaka, nisu razmatrale i druge faktore rizika za nastanak preloma donjeviličnog ugla i zglobnog nastavka, od značaja je bilo analizirati uticaj umnjaka uporedno sa uticajem drugih faktora rizika (pol i starost pacijenata, etiologija povrede, mesto dejstva traumatske sile) i izdvojiti moguće prediktore ovih preloma. Obzirom na to da nije poznat uticaj umnjaka na distribuciju napona značajnog za nastanak preloma u regionu donjeviličnog ugla i zlobnog nastavka, od značaja je takođe bilo analizirati i distribuciju napona u zavisnosti od prisustva, položaja i stepena izniklosti umnjaka, kao i od mesta dejstva traumatske sile. Cilj rada je bio da se ispita uticaj prisustva, položaja i broja korenova donjeg umnjaka na rizik za nastanak preloma u regionu donjeviličnog ugla i zglobnog nastavka. Takođe, cilj je bio i da se proceni uticaj faktora traume (etiologije povrede i mesta dejstva traumatske sile) na ove prelome. Studija se sastojala iz dva zasebna dela: kliničko-epidemiološke studije i analize kompjuterskih modela donje vilice primenom metode konačnih elemenata. U kliničko-epidemiološkom delu studije, prikupljeni podaci su bili bazirani na istorijama bolesti, anamnezi, kliničkom pregledu i načinjenim radiogramima: ortopantomogramu i postero-anteriornom radiogramu donje vilice. Primarne nezavisne varijable su bile: svojstva donjeg umnjaka (prisustvo, stepen izniklosti, vertikalni i horizontalni položaj klasifikovan po Pell-u i Gregory-ju, nagib, odnos prema donjoj ivici donje viice, broj korenova), pol, starost, etiologija povrede i mesto dejstva traumatske sile. Glavne ishodne varijable su bili prelomi donjeviličnih uglova i zglobnih nastavaka. U drugom delu studije analizirani su kompjuterski modeli donje vilice primenom “metode konačnih elemenata” (Finite element Analysis-FEA). Modeli su kreirani na osnovu kompjuterizovano-tomografskih (Computerised Tomography- CT) snimaka donje vilice odrasle muške osobe, sa punim zubnim nizom i izniklim umnjacima...Previous clinically-epidemiological studies suggested that the presence of a lower third molar (wisdom tooth), especially unerupted, increases the risk of mandibular angle fracture. However, in the case of absent third molar, a greater frequency of condylar fractures is noted, the treatment of which is more complicated. Since previous studies have not considered other risk factors besides the the wisdoom tooth, the interest was to analyse the impact of the lower third molar parallel with the impacts of other risk factors (patient gender and age, trauma etiology, site od action of the traumatic force) on mandibular angle and condylar fractures, and to show possible predictors of these fractures. Given that the impact of the wisdom tooth on the distribution of the stress (important for fracture development) in the mandibular angle and condylar regions is not familiar, it was meaningful to analyze the stress distribution in the terms of the presence, position, eruption status of the wisdom tooth, and of the site of action of the impact force. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of the lower third molar presence, position and number of the roots, on the risk of mandibular angle and condylar fractures. The aim was also to estimate the influence of trauma factors (trauma etiology and site of action of the impact force) on these fractures. The study consisted of two separate units: clinical-epidemiological study and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of the computational models of the lower jaw. In the clinical-epidemiological study, collected data were based on the patient history, anamnesis, clinical examination and radiographs: the ortopantomorgraph and frontal radiograph of the lower jaw. Primary independent variables were: properties of the wisdom tooth (presence, eruption status, vertical and horizontal position classified by Pell and Gregory, angulation, relation to the inferior border of the mandible, number of roots), patient gender and age, trauma etiology and site of action of the impact force. The main outcome variables were the mandibular angle and condylar fractures. In the second part of the study computer models of the lower jaw were analysed by means of Finite element Analysis- FEA. The models were created on the basis of the CT scans of the mandible belonging to an adult male person with full dental arch and erupted third molars..

ЕВОЛЮЦІЯ ДИДАКТИЧНОГО ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ РІДНОМОВНОЇ ОСВІТИ УКРАЇНЦІВ У КАНАДІ І США

The paper studies the features of the native language in the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada and the United States and its training and methodological support; analysis of textbooks and manuals on Ukrainian language native schooling in the diaspora, their didactic support and possible use in the educational process; the structure, content and methodical manuals for machine learning Ukrainian language (linguistic system of exercises, tasks, illustrations to the text, the definition of linguistic concepts); textbook Ukrainian teachers in Canada and the United States are seen as an important means of improving the efficiency of learning the native language and the formation of national and patriotic feelings Ukrainian Foreign; deserves further study their use in the educational process native schooling diaspora.В статье рассматриваются особенности обучения родному языку в украинской диаспоре США и Канады и его учебно-методическое обеспечение; проанализированы учебники и учебные пособия по украинскому языку для родноязычных школ в диаспоре, их дидактическое сопровождение и возможности использования в учебном процессе; раскрыта структура, содержание и методический аппарат пособий для обучения украинскому языку (система лингвистических упражнений, заданий, иллюстрации к текстам, определения лингвистических понятий); учебные книги украинских педагогов Канады и США рассматриваются как важное средство повышения эффективности обучения родному языку и формирования национально-патриотических чувств зарубежных украинцев; дальнейшего исследования заслуживает их использование в учебном процессе украинских школ диаспоры.У статті розглядаються особливості навчання рідної мови в українській діаспорі США та Канади і його навчально-методичне забезпечення; проаналізовано підручники та навчальні посібники з української мови для рідномовного шкільництва в діаспорі, їх дидактичний супровід і можливості використання у навчальному процесі; розкрито структуру, зміст та методичний апарат посібників для навчання української мови (система лінгвістичних вправ, завдань, ілюстрації до текстів, визначення лінгвістичних понять); навчальні книги українських педагогів Канади і США розглядаються як важливий засіб підвищення ефективності навчання рідної мови та формування національно-патріотичних почуттів закордонних українців; подальшого дослідження заслуговує їх використання у навчальному процесі рідномовного шкільництва діаспори

Dispersion interactions and reactive collisions of ultracold polar molecules

Progress in ultracold experiments with polar molecules requires a clear understanding of their interactions and reactivity at ultra-low collisional energies. Two important theoretical steps in this process are the characterization of interaction potentials between molecules and the modeling of reactive scattering mechanism. Here, we report on the {\it abinitio} calculation of isotropic and anisotropic van der Waals interaction potentials for polar KRb and RbCs colliding with each other or with ultracold atoms. Based on these potentials and two short-range scattering parameters we then develop a single-channel scattering model with flexible boundary conditions. Our calculations show that at low temperatures (and in absence of an external electric field) the reaction rates between molecules or molecules with atoms have a resonant character as a function of the short-range parameters. We also find that both the isotropic and anisotropic van der Waals coefficients have significant contributions from dipole coupling to excited electronic states. Their values can differ dramatically from those solely obtained from the permanent dipole moment. A comparison with recently obtained reaction rates of fermionic $^{40}$K$^{87}$Rb shows that the experimental data can not be explained by a model where the short-range scattering parameters are independent of the relative orbital angular momentum or partial wave.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figure

The nutritive value of Valjevac grassland - Zasavica reservation

Valjevac pasture of Zasavica reservation with its area of 300 ha presents a significant area for grazing cattle. In order to evaluate its potential for livestock production, the botanical and chemical composition of hay in three different time periods was observed (spring, summer and autumn). The determined plants species confirmed the richness of Zasavica grasslands, as well as the presence of dry, moist and forest habitat plants. The analyzed plants mostly belong to the Poaceae, Fabaceae, Asteraceae and Plantaginaceae families. Chemical analysis determined that the protein content decreased (P<0.01) from April (17.22±0.40 %) to October (10.30±0.16 %), and cellulose content increased (P<0.01) (from 19.07±0.38 % in April to 21.65±0.41 % in October). The calculated energy density of hay samples ranged from 0.425 Starch Units (SU) in October, 0.443 SU in April to 0.448 SU in June. The Valjevac pasture with its numerous plant species is of great importance in upkeeping biodiversity and also presents a solid base for livestock production. The determined levels of manganese and copper point out to the need of copper supplementation especially during the late summer and autumn periods. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III46002

Pollen quality and pollen productivity of blue honeysuckle species and varieties

Studies to assess the pollen quality and pollen productivity of blue honeysuckle were conducted on the ecosystem dendrological territory of the Siberian Botanical garden of TSU (Tomsk). Objects of research: 8 varieties and 4 species of blue honeysuckle – ‘Velvet’, ‘Berel’, ‘Vasyuganskaya’, ‘Zolushka’, ‘Lazurnaya’, ‘Ogneny Opal’, ‘Selena’, ‘Tomichka’, Lonicera altaica, L. edulis, L. kamtschatica, L. turczaninovii. It was found that the ‘Ogneny Opal’ and ‘Velvet’ varieties have low fertility, and the ‘Berel’ and L. edulis have an average fertility. Other varieties and species of honeysuckle have high pollen fertility. The viability of pollen with high values is more than 60 % – ‘Berel’, ‘Vasyuganskaya’, ‘Lazurnaya’, L. turczaninovii, L. kamtschatica, with average values from 40% to 60 % – ‘Selena’, ‘Tomichka’ and L. altaica, with low values – less than 40 % – ‘Velvet’, ‘Zolushka’, ‘Ogneny Opal’ and L. edulis. High pollen productivity – more than 20,000 pollen grains per flower – ‘Tomichka’, L. kamtschatica, L. turczaninovii and L. edulis, average productivity - from 10,000 to 20,000 pollen grains – ‘Berel’, ‘Vasyuganskaya’, ‘Zolushka’, ‘Lazurnaya’, ‘Selena’ and L. altaica, low productivity – less than 10,000 pollen grains per flower – ‘Velvet’, ‘Ogneny Opal’. It is recommended to use at least 10% of varieties with high pollen viability and pollen productivity as pollinators when creating industrial honeysuckle plantations: ‘Lazurnaya’, ‘Vasyuganskaya’, and ‘Berel’