Europeanisation from below at the semi-periphery: the movement against small hydropower plants in Serbia

This paper focuses on Let’s Defend the Rivers of Stara Planina, a local environmental initiative that has managed to scale up and transnationalise (Europeanise) from below and to generate sufficient pressure on national power-holders to amend existing legislation and halt further construction of small hydropower plants in protected natural areas. Linking the concepts of environmentalism of the poor/dispossessed and the transnationalisation (Europeanisation) of environmental protests through the example of Serbian protests against small hydropower plants, we explore how a local movement grew out of a tradition of non-politicised everyday environmentalism, transformed into a rebellion of the dispossessed and then tried to organise at both national and transnational level, using assistance from EU institutions and international environmental organisations to leverage national authorities and developers, while at the same time remaining critical of certain EU environmental policies and practices. This study is based on discursive analysis of the content posted to the official Facebook group and website of Let’s Defend the Rivers of Stara Planina.U fokusu rada je primer transnacionalizacije (evropeizacije) odozdo lokalne ekološke inicijative „Odbranimo reke Stare planine“, koja je, zajedno sa drugim akterima, izvršila pritisak na donosioce odluka u zemlji u cilju izmene postojećih zakona i zabrane dalje izgradnje malih hidroelektrana u zaštićenim parkovima prirode u Srbiji. Povezivanjem koncepata ekološkog aktivizma siromašnih/razvlašćenih i transnacionalizacije (evropeizacije) ekoloških protesta, na primeru inicijative protiv izgradnje mini hidroelektrana u Srbiji, istraživale smo situaciju u kojoj se jedan lokalni pokret, nastao na tradiciji nepolitizovanog svakodnevnog ekološkog aktivizma, transformisao u pobunu obespravljenih (siromašnih) građana, a potom pokušao da se organizuje i na nacionalnom i na transnacionalnom nivou, obraćajući se institucijama Evropske unije i povezujući se sa međunarodnim ekološkim organizacijama kako bi zajedno izvršili pritisak na nacionalne i lokalne vlasti i investitore. Istovremeno, u fokusu analize je kritički odnos pripadnika lokalnog pokreta prema pojedinim ekološkim politikama i inicijativama koje su potekle od institucija Evropske unije. Istraživanje se zasniva na diskurzivnoj analizi digitalnih sadržaja (objava i komentara) na Fejsbuk grupi i zvaničnoj internet stranici inicijative „Odbranimo reke Stare planine"

Primjena hidrokoloidnih obloga u liječenju kroničnih rana i odnos s kvalitetom života

The aim was to analyze relationship between the application of hydrocolloid dressings in the treatment of chronic wounds and relation to the patient quality of life. Th e study included 33 vascular outpatients. Th e authors constructed a questionnaire for assessing the level of daily functional impairment and the quality of life. Participants assessed the level of pain, level of decreased independence in daily activities, level of sleep disturbance, diffi culties with keeping hygiene, and level of odor caused by a chronic wound. Signifi cant diff erences were found in all aspects of chronic wound interference with the quality of life after the application of hydrocolloid dressings: level of pain (t (23)=4.14), independence in everyday activity (t (23)=5.01), interference with sleep (t (23)=3.89), hygiene (t (23)=3.00) and an unpleasant odor (t (23)=3.66) (p<0.01 all). According to the physician‘s assessment, the treatment of chronic wound with hydrocolloid dressing signifi cantly improved patient condition in 84.8% of cases. The application of hydrocolloid dressings led to reductionCilj istraživanja bio je analizirati odnos između primjene hidrokoloidnih obloga i tijeka oporavka u bolesnika s kroničnim ranama te kvalitete života. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 33 ambulantnih vaskularnih bolesnika. Autorice su izradile upitnik za procjenu stupnja u kojem kronična rana ometa svakodnevno funkcioniranje i kvalitetu života. Sudionici su procijenili razinu boli uzrokovane kroničnom ranom, stupanj smanjene samostalnosti u svakodnevnim aktivnostima, stupanj u kojem im kronična rana ometa san te održavanje higijene i stupanj u kojem kronična rana uzrokuje neugodan miris te svoj stupanj povjerenja u pozitivan ishod terapije. Usporedbom odgovora u upitniku prije i nakon primjene hidrokoloidnih obloga utvrđene su značajne razlike u svim aspektima interferencije kronične rane s kvalitetom života: značajno smanjen stupanj boli (t (23)=4,14), povećana samostalnost u svakodnevnim aktivnostima (t (23)=5,01), smanjen stupanj u kojem kronična rana ometa san (t (23)=3,89) i održavanje higijene (t (23)=3,00) te značajno manji stupanj neugodnog mirisa (t (23)=3,66) (sve p<0,01). Nakon primjene hidrokoloidnih obloga zabilježeno je smanjenje svih simptoma povezanih s kroničnom ranom te značajno viša kvaliteta života procijenjena prilikom druge primjene upitnika

Testing of sensitive barometric altimeter

U današnje vrijeme nema učinkovitog, jednostavnog i pouzdanog uređaja za precizno određivanje trenutne visine leta malih bespilotnih letjelica. To je jedan od razloga zašto se kvadrotori i slične bespilotne letjelice ne mogu u većoj mjeri koristiti u stvarnoj okolini. U radu je opisana konstrukcija prototipa barometarskog visinomjera izrazito velike osjetljivosti mjerenja malih promjena visine. Doprinos nekih elemenata prototipa na osjetljivost mjerenja visine određena je statističkim planom pokusa. Planom pokusa obuhvaćeni su elementi: volumen osjetilne posude (A), promjer osjetnika za atmosferski tlak (B) i viskoznost kapljevine koja predstavlja granicu volumena osjetilne posude (C). Najveći utjecaj u pokusu pokazao je element C, a sljedeći po redu kombinacija elemenata B i C. Uzimajući u obzir uvjete provođenja pokusa, konstruirani prototip pokazao se dovoljno osjetljivim s obzirom na traženo razlučivanje promjena visine. Međutim, robusnost odabrane konstrukcije nije dovoljna za predviđenu primjenu. Na temelju dobivenih rezultata izdvojeni su smjerovi unapređivanja prototipa.Currently there is no efficient, simple and reliable device for precise measurement of altitude of small unmanned aerial vehicles during their flights. That is one of the reasons why quadrotors and similar unmanned aerial vehicles cannot be used in a larger extent in realistic environments. This article describes the construction of a prototype of barometric altimeter with extremely high sensitivity in measuring the small altitude changes. Contribution of the prototype’s elements on the sensitivity of altitude measurement was determined using statistically designed experiment. The designed experiment explicitly took into account the following elements: volume of the prototype’s vessel (A), the diameter of the sensor of atmospheric pressure (B), and the viscosity of liquid that forms the vessel’s boundary (C). The largest contribution is that of the element C, while the second largest is the combination of elements B and C. Taking into account the experimental conditions, the designed prototype demonstrated its sufficient sensitivity regarding the stated resolution of altitude changes. However, its robustness is not sufficient for the predicted application. Based on the results, the directions for the prototype improvement are selected

Unterschiede in der Wahrnehmung des Schulklimas mit Bezug auf den Schulträger

Školska klima podrazumijeva relativno trajnu kvalitetu školske okoline nastalu kombinacijom fizičkih i socijalnih čimbenika (poput formalne organizacije, neformalne organizacije, ličnosti sudionika i specifičnosti upravljanja školom, Domović, 2003), a utječe na ponašanje njenih članova. Temelji se na zajedničkoj percepciji ponašanja svih aktera u školi. U ovom radu autorice se bave nekim aspektima percepcije školske klime srednjoškolaca. Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorku od 287 srednjoškolaca iz šest srednjih škola na području Zagreba, Rijeke i Osijeka. Dva su temeljna cilja ovoga rada. Prvi cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati metrijske karakteristike instrumenta Hrvatskog upitnika školske klime za učenike (HUŠK-U, Velki i Kuterovac Jagodić, 2012) na srednjoškolskom uzorku. Potvrđena je jednofaktorska struktura i visoka pouzdanost upitnika za srednjoškolsku populaciju. Drugi cilj rada bio je utvrditi postoji li razlika u percepciji školske klime između državnih škola i škola čiji je osnivač vjerska zajednica s pravom javnosti. Rezultati upućuju na općenito pozitivnu percepciju školske klime na uzorku srednjoškolaca. Iako su na razini lokacije škola obuhvaćenih ovim istraživanjem pronađeni specifični obrasci percepcije školske klime učenika iz državnih škola i škola čiji je osnivač vjerska zajednica s pravom javnosti, na ukupnom uzorku nije pronađena razlika u percepciji školske klime između tih dviju skupina učenika. Pronađena je samo razlika u percepciji školske klime između mlađih i starijih srednjoškolaca. Sukladno s prijašnjim istraživanjima mlađi srednjoškolci percipiraju školsku klimu pozitivnijom od starijih srednjoškolaca.School climate entails a relatively permanent quality of the school environment, which is a result of a combination of physical and social factors (formal and informal organization, participants\u27 personality and leadership characteristics, Domović, 2003) and it affects the behaviour of its members. It is based on a common perception of behaviour of all stakeholders in a school. In this paper, the authors focus on certain aspects of Croatian secondary school pupils’ perception of the school climate. The research was conducted on a sample of 287 high school pupils attending six high schools in Zagreb, Rijeka and Osijek. There were two main aims of the study. The first aim of this study was to examine the metric properties of the instrument Croatian questionnaire of the school climate for primary school pupils (Velki & Kuterovac Jagodić, 2012) on a sample of high school pupils. The one factor structure has been confirmed with high reliability of the questionnaire for the high school pupil population. The second aim was to examine the high school pupils’ perceptions of the school climate and to determine whether there is a difference in the perception of the school climate between pupils from public schools and schools founded by religious communities. The results indicate that there is an overall positive perception of the school climate. Although particular patterns regarding certain cities have emerged between pupils from public schools and schools founded by religious communities in terms of the school climate perception, there are no differences in the perception of the school climate between the overall sample of pupils from public schools and schools founded by religious communities. The only difference in perception was found between younger and older high school pupils. In line with the previous research, younger high school pupils perceive the school climate to be more positive than their older colleagues.Unter Schulklima versteht man eine relativ dauerhafte Qualität der Schulumgebung, die aus der Kombination physischer und sozialer Faktoren (wie formale Organisation, informelle Organisation, Persönlichkeit der Teilnehmer und Besonderheiten in der Schulverwaltung, Domović, 2003) besteht und das Verhalten ihrer Mitglieder beeinflusst. Grundlage bildet die gemeinsame Wahrnehmung des Verhaltens aller Akteure in der Schule. In dieser Arbeit behandeln die Autorinnen einige Aspekte der Wahrnehmung des Schulklimas unter Schülern der Oberstufe. Die Erhebung wurde auf einer Stichprobe von 287 Schülern der Oberstufe aus sechs Sekundarschulen auf dem Gebiet der Städte Zagreb, Rijeka und Osijek durchgeführt. Die Arbeit setzte sich zwei grundlegende Ziele: das erste Ziel war es, die metrischen Eigenschaften des Instruments „Kroatischer Fragebogen für Schüler zur Meinung zum Schulklima“ (HUŠK, Velki i Kuterovac Jagodić, 2012) auf einer Stichprobe in Sekundarschulen zu erfragen. Die einfaktorielle Struktur und hohe Zuverlässigkeit des Instruments wurden auch für die Population der Sekundarschulen bestätigt. Das zweite Ziel war es festzustellen, ob es einen Unterschied in der Wahrnehmung des Schulklimas zwischen staatlichen Schulen und Schulen mit öffentlichen Glaubensgemeinschaften als Träger gibt. Die Ergebnisse weisen im Allgemeinen auf eine positive Wahrnehmung des Schulklimas unter Schülern der Oberstufe. Obwohl auf Ebene des Standortes der teilnehmenden Schulen spezifische Muster in der Wahrnehmung des Schulklimas von Schülern staatlicher Schulen einerseits und Schülern aus Schulen mit öffentlichen Glaubensgemeinschaften als Träger andererseits gefunden wurden, zeigt die gesamte Stichprobe keinen Unterschied in der Wahrnehmung des Schulklimas zwischen diesen zwei Schülergruppen. Der einzig festgestellte Unterschied in der Wahrnehmung des Schulklimas bezieht sich auf jüngere und ältere Oberstufenschüler. Den bisherigen Erhebungen entsprechend nehmen die jüngeren Schüler das Schulklima als positiver wahr, als die älteren Oberstufenschüle

Interaction of biomaterial containing calcium hydroxyapatite/poly-l-lactide with simulated body fluid

The purpose of biomaterials is to replace a part or a function of the body in a safe, physiologically and economically acceptable way. The process of the reconstruction of bone defects has always been a big problem in orthopedics and maxillofacial surgery. Since hydroxyapatite (HAp) was detected as a component, the predominant constituent and the integral element of Mammalian bones, the development of the phospate ceramics as potential materials for implantation was enabled. This study investigated whether and in which way biomaterial calcium hydroxyapatite/poly-L-lactide (HAp/PLLA) interacts with the ionic composition of the human plasma. The simulated body fluid (SBF) is an artificial fluid that has the ionic composition and ionic concentration similar to the human blood plasma. HAp/PLLA was incubated for 1, 2, 3 and 5 weeks in SBF. The surfaces of both treated and untreated materials were analyzed on a scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and were also exposed to the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), while SBF was submitted to the measuring of pH and electrical conductivity. However, our results indicate that the degradational changes of the material HAp/PLLA in SBF start from the surface of the treated material and that observed changes are the consequence of dissolution of its polymer component and the precipitation of the material similar to hydroxyapatite on its surface. This material shows good characteristics that place it among good candidates for the application in orthopedics and maxillofacial surgery

Controversies and dilemmas in the treatment of malignant pain

We analyze, theoretically and by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the generation of mechanical force by a polyelectrolyte (PE) chain grafted to a plane and exposed to an external electric field; the free end of the chain is linked to a deformable target body. Varying the field, one can alter the length of the non-adsorbed (bulk) part of the chain and hence the deformation of the target body and the arising force. We focus on the impact of added salt on the magnitude of the generated force, which is especially important for applications. In particular, we develop a simple variational theory for the double layer formed near electrodes to compute the electric field acting on the bulk part of the chain. Our theoretical predictions agree well with the MD simulations. Next, we study the effectiveness of possible PE-based nano-vices, comprised of two clenching planes connected by PEs exposed to an external electric field. We analyze a novel phenomenon – two-dimensional diffusion of a nano-particle, clenched between two planes, and introduce a quantitative criterion for clenching efficiency, the clenching coefficient. It is defined as a logarithm of the ratio of the diffusion coefficients of a free and clenched particle. Using first a microscopic counterpart of the Coulomb friction model, and then a novel microscopic model based on surface phonons, with the vibration direction normal to the surface, we calculate the clenching coefficient as a function of the external electric field. Our results demonstrate a dramatic decrease of the diffusion coefficient of a clenched nano-particle for the range of parameters relevant for applications; this proves the effectiveness of the PE-based nano-vices

Pathophysiology of cancer pain

Bol je neugodno osjetno i emocionalno iskustvo, udruženo s aktualnim ili potencijalnim oštećenjem tkiva ili opisano u uvjetima takvog oštećenja. Karcinomski bol dijeli se u: nociceptivni, neuropatski i inflamatorni. Nociceptivni bol nastaje podraživanjem nociceptora koji predstavljaju periferne receptore za bol. Neuropatski bol nastaje zbog oštećenja perifernog ili središnjeg živčanog sustava, bez istodobnog podražaja nociceptora. Bol je subjektivan osjećaj, stoga dvije osobe mogu različito doživjeti podražaj jednakog intenziteta. Različita percepcija bola objašnjava se različitom aktivacijom analgezijskog sustava koji nadzire provođenje bolnih impulsa u središnji živčani sustav. Cilj ovoga rada je prikazati patofiziološki mehanizam bola kod onkoloških pacijenata.Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damages. Cancer pain is divided into: nociceptive, neuropathic and inflammatory. Nociceptive pain occurs by irritation of nociceptors that are peripheral pain receptors. Neuropathic pain is caused by damage to the peripheral or central nervous system, without simultaneous stimulation of nociceptors. Pain is a subjective feeling, and consequently two person can experience different stimuli of equal intensity. Different perception of pain is explained by the different activation of analgesic system which monitors conduction of pain impulses in the central nervous system. The objective of this paper is to present the pathophysiological mechanism of pain in cancer patients