Smart city concept in the strategic urban planning process. Case study of the city of Belgrade, Serbia

European regions and cities intensively apply the Smart City concept, pursuing to maximize the use of contemporary technologies and Internet of Things (IoT) in problem solving when it comes to transport, city logistics, environmental improvement, life quality for their citizens, and many other aspects. This concept has been elaborated through smart city strategies dealing specifically with the topics such as smart governance, smart economy, smart environment, smart living, smart people, and smart mobility, but often also as a part of comprehensive urban development strategies. In the case of the City of Belgrade, the Smart City concept has been introduced through several strategic development documents (e.g. City of Belgrade Development Strategy 2017-2021). The aim of this paper is to identify the future long-term development vision rooted in the Belgrade’s most recent strategic documents, by detecting the parts that lay fertile ground for innovation and entrepreneurial culture, inherent elements of the Smart City model. This approach should reveal the city development domains that are the first to encompass innovations in strategic planning and enable the introduction of the Smart City concept on a larger scale. Having in mind that holistic approaches to urban development and resilience and global knowledge-based platforms can lead to important achievements for the future of the cities, it is also important to make, at this point, some useful links between Belgrade and other comparable and innovative European cities. For the purpose of making comparison between the City of Belgrade and advanced European cities of similar demographic and urban features (e.g. Barcelona, Vienna etc.) topics such as development of transparency in decision-making, or improved stakeholders’ participation and collaboration in service provision, will be used to demonstrate the existing gap between them, as well as to point out the direction on which Belgrade should embark on

Prevalence and Risk Factors of the Rheumatoid Arthritis in Herzegovina Region in 2003–2005

In this study we evidenced prevalence of the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Herzegovina region of the Bosnia and Herzegovina and studied selected RA risk factors. Sample of subjects comprised RA diagnosed subjects which were compared to randomly selected controls. In diagnosing the RA we used criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis suggested by The American College of Rheumatology. Risk factors of RA included in this investigation were (1) educational status, (2) quality of nutrition, and (3) socioeconomic status. Average prevalence of the RA in our sample was 0.46/100, ranged from 0.36/100 to 0.64/100, which is comparable to other European samples. The RA occurrence is six times more often in females than in males. We have found indices that the Mediterranean diet has to be considered as protective factor against RA. Although RA occurrence is more frequent in the low socioeconomic samples of subjects, because of the methodological reasons we can not undoubtedly support the socioeconomic status as significant risk factor of the RA. Finally, it is interesting that we have found education level as risk factor significantly related to RA occurrence in our sample. All evidenced should be more precisely studied in some future study, while accurately controlling all relevant factors

Biomedical Scientific Productivity of the Mostar University Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Mostar in 1999–2008

The aim of this study was to investigate the scientific productivity of the Mostar University Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Mostar. All articles that were indexed by PubMed with the keyword Mostar were included in the analysis. During 1999–2008, a total of 76 articles were published, with a total of 366 authorships contributed by a total of 228 unique authors, whereas a total of 161 of these authors (70.6%) coauthored a single article only. The average number of co-authors was 4.6 per article. There was a strong increasing linear trend in the total number of published articles. The most published articles were related to clinical research, whereas the least were recorded in the basic biomedical sciences, suggesting the need to increase the research capacity in basic biomedical sciences. The large percent of single-authorship authors that were recorded suggest almost a sporadic rather than systematic publication output. Likely improvements to this situation include the creation of the newly formed doctoral (PhD) course due to start next year and several other ways in which scientific research in biomedicine can be increased in basic, clinical and public health sciences

PERSONALITY TRAITS AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF MOTHERS WHO HAVE CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY

Background: The quality of life (QOL) of mothers who have children with cerebral palsy (CP) is significantly worse than in mothers with typically developing children. In available literature we have not found an approach which analyzes the correlation of mothers’ personality traits with their QOL and health related quality of life (HrQOL). Subjects and methods: The study included 101 mothers of children with CP, aged 4 to 18 years. Mothers’ personalities have been assessed by Eysenck EPQ - R questionnaire that determines three personality traits: neuroticism/emotional stability, extroversion/ introversion and psychoticism. Maternal HrQOL was assessed by SF-36 questionnaire, Short Form, and their emotional well-being by WHO 5 well-being index. In addition, the influence of mothers’ religiosity was also analyzed, using DUREL Religiosity Questionnaire. Motor assessment of children was performed using Gross Motor Function Classification System. The control group consisted of mothers of typically developing children of the same age. Results: Participants with high levels of extraversion had better QOL and HrQOL, as opposed to those with high levels of neuroticism and psychoticism, who had worse physical and mental health. The degree of children’s motor impairment and mothers’ religiosity did not influence QOL. Regression analysis distinguishes the following predictors for better mothers’ QOL: better their mental health, greater level of their vitality, extroversion, living with a partner, a lesser degree of children’s motor impairment and better their QOL. Conclusions: It is vital to identify the factors that affect QOL of a mother and a child with CP. We consider it justified to regularly conduct mothers’ professional monitoring and treatment simultaneously with children\u27s treatment and we propose the protocol for the individual and targeted approach

PERSONALITY TRAITS AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF MOTHERS WHO HAVE CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY

Background: The quality of life (QOL) of mothers who have children with cerebral palsy (CP) is significantly worse than in mothers with typically developing children. In available literature we have not found an approach which analyzes the correlation of mothers’ personality traits with their QOL and health related quality of life (HrQOL). Subjects and methods: The study included 101 mothers of children with CP, aged 4 to 18 years. Mothers’ personalities have been assessed by Eysenck EPQ - R questionnaire that determines three personality traits: neuroticism/emotional stability, extroversion/ introversion and psychoticism. Maternal HrQOL was assessed by SF-36 questionnaire, Short Form, and their emotional well-being by WHO 5 well-being index. In addition, the influence of mothers’ religiosity was also analyzed, using DUREL Religiosity Questionnaire. Motor assessment of children was performed using Gross Motor Function Classification System. The control group consisted of mothers of typically developing children of the same age. Results: Participants with high levels of extraversion had better QOL and HrQOL, as opposed to those with high levels of neuroticism and psychoticism, who had worse physical and mental health. The degree of children’s motor impairment and mothers’ religiosity did not influence QOL. Regression analysis distinguishes the following predictors for better mothers’ QOL: better their mental health, greater level of their vitality, extroversion, living with a partner, a lesser degree of children’s motor impairment and better their QOL. Conclusions: It is vital to identify the factors that affect QOL of a mother and a child with CP. We consider it justified to regularly conduct mothers’ professional monitoring and treatment simultaneously with children\u27s treatment and we propose the protocol for the individual and targeted approach

Impact of downtime pattern on mining machinery efficiency

In this paper, problem of mining machinery efficiency is considered through impact of different types of downtimes. New methodology is suggested based on comparison impact of mechanical and technological mining machinery time in fault (M-t, T-t) and mechanical and technological mining machinery downtime frequencies (M-f, T-f) on machine work done (W). Benchmarking analysis is conducted by pairing variables M-t-W, T-t-W, M-f-W and T-f-W, and determining relationships between observed variables. By comparing the increment of the cumulative downtime curve with the cumulative curve of the machine's operating volume, it can be assessed whether the observed downtime develops a concave or convex character of the operating volume cumulative curve, in respect to significant losses. Results indicate that the relationship between cumulative downtime curve and cumulative work done curve can successfully serve as a parameter for evaluating the impact of specific downtime on the efficiency of the machine. A multi-criteria analysis, namely, an analysis of the criteria - frequency and time spent in downtime for each of the observed causes of downtime, clearly determines the critical pattern of downtime on the efficiency of the observed machine

Impact of downtime pattern on mining machinery efficiency

In this paper, problem of mining machinery efficiency is considered through impact of different types of downtimes. New methodology is suggested based on comparison impact of mechanical and technological mining machinery time in fault (M-t, T-t) and mechanical and technological mining machinery downtime frequencies (M-f, T-f) on machine work done (W). Benchmarking analysis is conducted by pairing variables M-t-W, T-t-W, M-f-W and T-f-W, and determining relationships between observed variables. By comparing the increment of the cumulative downtime curve with the cumulative curve of the machine's operating volume, it can be assessed whether the observed downtime develops a concave or convex character of the operating volume cumulative curve, in respect to significant losses. Results indicate that the relationship between cumulative downtime curve and cumulative work done curve can successfully serve as a parameter for evaluating the impact of specific downtime on the efficiency of the machine. A multi-criteria analysis, namely, an analysis of the criteria - frequency and time spent in downtime for each of the observed causes of downtime, clearly determines the critical pattern of downtime on the efficiency of the observed machine

Application of analytical techniques to the unveiling of the glazing technology of medieval pottery from the Belgrade Fortress

Medieval glazed ceramics, dated to the early 15th century, excavated at the Belgrade Fortress, Serbia, were investigated by combining optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), micro-Raman spectroscopy and multivariate statistical analysis. The decoration and style of the investigated ceramics were characteristic of workshops from different areas of the medieval Serbian State: Ras, Krusevac and Belgrade/Smederevo. Comparison was made with ceramic samples from the same period excavated at the Studenica Monastery, the hitherto earliest workshop discovered, which were used as reference material for the Ras area. Ceramics from the Belgrade Fortress were covered with a transparent, lead-based glaze. The majority of the glazes were produced by application of mixture of lead oxide and quartz to the clay body, whereas only two samples were glazed by application of lead oxide by itself. The brown colours of the glaze originated from Fe-based spinel, whereas copper and iron were responsible for the colouring of the green and yellow glazes. The obtained results revealed glazing technology taken from Byzantine tradition

Micro/mesoporous aluminosilicate materials via dual templating, Part 1: synthesis and characterization

In a quest for optimal synthesis procedure of hierarchically porous zeolite by dual template method, a series of materials was prepared starting from zeolite yielding precursor with an addition of surfactant as a mesoporogen. Characterization of the obtained materials showed that all samples possess micro and mesoporous structures, which ratio depends on the amount of surfactant present in the reaction mixture. However, in the most of the samples separation of phases occurred, and crystalline zeolite phase along amorphous MCM-41 like phase were detected, except for the sample obtained from the modified precursor, where only crystalline zeolite phase was obtained, with a specific and unusual morphology. Adsorption isotherm of that sample resembles the isotherms obtained for post synthesis modified samples

Prevalence of hypertension in adults in the Šumadija district, Serbia: A cross sectional study

Background/Aim. World Health Organization (WHO) studies on the global level have shown that one of the major problems of the public health is hypertension. Blood pressure level greater than 140/90 mmHg is directly and predictively linked to other cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of hypertension and the risk groups among the adult population in the Šumadija District, Serbia. Methods. This cross-sectional study included 1.669 elderly population of the Šumadija District, aged 25-74. The study was performed according to the protocol of the Country Wide Integrated Noncommunicable Disease Intervention (CINDI) international program. Results. In the Šumadija District more than a half of the population aged 25-74 suffers from hypertension (53%). In the Šumadija District 9% of population has undiagnosed hypertension. In the group of people familiar with their high blood pressure problems, good disease control is achieved in only 46% of them. Statistically, hypertension occurs more frequently in males aged 45-74, of lower education, and in rural population. This is the target group for implementation of the high risk strategy. Statistically, there is a higher prevalence of hypertension in people suffering from myocardial infarction (p = 0.04), angina pectoris (p = 0.00), other cardiac diseases (cardiac insufficiency) (p = 0.00) and cerebrovascular crises (p = 0.04). Conclusion. A continuous increase of patients with hypertension, coupled with the developed complications and increase in cardiovascular diseases as a cause of death, points to the lack of effective access to prevention and early detection of these diseases in the primary health care among the risk groups in Šumadija