82 research outputs found

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

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    This paper focuses on Letā€™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 Letā€™s Defend the Rivers of Stara Planina.U fokusu rada je primer transnacionalizacije (evropeizacije) odozdo lokalne ekoloÅ”ke inicijative ā€žOdbranimo reke Stare planineā€œ, koja je, zajedno sa drugim akterima, izvrÅ”ila pritisak na donosioce odluka u zemlji u cilju izmene postojećih zakona i zabrane dalje izgradnje malih hidroelektrana u zaÅ”tićenim parkovima prirode u Srbiji. Povezivanjem koncepata ekoloÅ”kog aktivizma siromaÅ”nih/razvlaŔćenih i transnacionalizacije (evropeizacije) ekoloÅ”kih protesta, na primeru inicijative protiv izgradnje mini hidroelektrana u Srbiji, istraživale smo situaciju u kojoj se jedan lokalni pokret, nastao na tradiciji nepolitizovanog svakodnevnog ekoloÅ”kog aktivizma, transformisao u pobunu obespravljenih (siromaÅ”nih) građana, a potom pokuÅ”ao da se organizuje i na nacionalnom i na transnacionalnom nivou, obraćajući se institucijama Evropske unije i povezujući se sa međunarodnim ekoloÅ”kim organizacijama kako bi zajedno izvrÅ”ili pritisak na nacionalne i lokalne vlasti i investitore. Istovremeno, u fokusu analize je kritički odnos pripadnika lokalnog pokreta prema pojedinim ekoloÅ”kim 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 ā€žOdbranimo reke Stare planine"

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

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    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 physicianā€˜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 viÅ”a kvaliteta života procijenjena prilikom druge primjene upitnika

    Testing of sensitive barometric altimeter

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    U danaÅ”nje vrijeme nema učinkovitog, jednostavnog i pouzdanog uređaja za precizno određivanje trenutne visine leta malih bespilotnih letjelica. To je jedan od razloga zaÅ”to 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 prototypeā€™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 prototypeā€™s vessel (A), the diameter of the sensor of atmospheric pressure (B), and the viscosity of liquid that forms the vesselā€™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 SchultrƤger

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    Å kolska klima podrazumijeva relativno trajnu kvalitetu Å”kolske okoline nastalu kombinacijom fizičkih i socijalnih čimbenika (poput formalne organizacije, neformalne organizacije, ličnosti sudionika i specifičnosti upravljanja Å”kolom, Domović, 2003), a utječe na ponaÅ”anje njenih članova. Temelji se na zajedničkoj percepciji ponaÅ”anja svih aktera u Å”koli. U ovom radu autorice se bave nekim aspektima percepcije Å”kolske klime srednjoÅ”kolaca. Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorku od 287 srednjoÅ”kolaca iz Å”est srednjih Å”kola na području Zagreba, Rijeke i Osijeka. Dva su temeljna cilja ovoga rada. Prvi cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati metrijske karakteristike instrumenta Hrvatskog upitnika Å”kolske klime za učenike (HUÅ K-U, Velki i Kuterovac Jagodić, 2012) na srednjoÅ”kolskom uzorku. Potvrđena je jednofaktorska struktura i visoka pouzdanost upitnika za srednjoÅ”kolsku populaciju. Drugi cilj rada bio je utvrditi postoji li razlika u percepciji Å”kolske klime između državnih Å”kola i Å”kola čiji je osnivač vjerska zajednica s pravom javnosti. Rezultati upućuju na općenito pozitivnu percepciju Å”kolske klime na uzorku srednjoÅ”kolaca. Iako su na razini lokacije Å”kola obuhvaćenih ovim istraživanjem pronađeni specifični obrasci percepcije Å”kolske klime učenika iz državnih Å”kola i Å”kola čiji je osnivač vjerska zajednica s pravom javnosti, na ukupnom uzorku nije pronađena razlika u percepciji Å”kolske klime između tih dviju skupina učenika. Pronađena je samo razlika u percepciji Å”kolske klime između mlađih i starijih srednjoÅ”kolaca. Sukladno s prijaÅ”njim istraživanjima mlađi srednjoÅ”kolci percipiraju Å”kolsku klimu pozitivnijom od starijih srednjoÅ”kolaca.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 pupilsā€™ 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 pupilsā€™ 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 QualitƤt der Schulumgebung, die aus der Kombination physischer und sozialer Faktoren (wie formale Organisation, informelle Organisation, Persƶnlichkeit 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 SchĆ¼lern der Oberstufe. Die Erhebung wurde auf einer Stichprobe von 287 SchĆ¼lern der Oberstufe aus sechs Sekundarschulen auf dem Gebiet der StƤdte Zagreb, Rijeka und Osijek durchgefĆ¼hrt. Die Arbeit setzte sich zwei grundlegende Ziele: das erste Ziel war es, die metrischen Eigenschaften des Instruments ā€žKroatischer Fragebogen fĆ¼r SchĆ¼ler zur Meinung zum Schulklimaā€œ (HUÅ K, Velki i Kuterovac Jagodić, 2012) auf einer Stichprobe in Sekundarschulen zu erfragen. Die einfaktorielle Struktur und hohe ZuverlƤssigkeit des Instruments wurden auch fĆ¼r die Population der Sekundarschulen bestƤtigt. Das zweite Ziel war es festzustellen, ob es einen Unterschied in der Wahrnehmung des Schulklimas zwischen staatlichen Schulen und Schulen mit ƶffentlichen Glaubensgemeinschaften als TrƤger gibt. Die Ergebnisse weisen im Allgemeinen auf eine positive Wahrnehmung des Schulklimas unter SchĆ¼lern der Oberstufe. Obwohl auf Ebene des Standortes der teilnehmenden Schulen spezifische Muster in der Wahrnehmung des Schulklimas von SchĆ¼lern staatlicher Schulen einerseits und SchĆ¼lern aus Schulen mit ƶffentlichen Glaubensgemeinschaften als TrƤger andererseits gefunden wurden, zeigt die gesamte Stichprobe keinen Unterschied in der Wahrnehmung des Schulklimas zwischen diesen zwei SchĆ¼lergruppen. Der einzig festgestellte Unterschied in der Wahrnehmung des Schulklimas bezieht sich auf jĆ¼ngere und Ƥltere OberstufenschĆ¼ler. Den bisherigen Erhebungen entsprechend nehmen die jĆ¼ngeren SchĆ¼ler das Schulklima als positiver wahr, als die Ƥlteren OberstufenschĆ¼le

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

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    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

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    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 ā€“ 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

    Ispitivanje osjetljivog barometarskog visinomjera

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    U danaÅ”nje vrijeme nema učinkovitog, jednostavnog i pouzdanog uređaja za precizno određivanje trenutne visine leta malih bespilotnih letjelica. To je jedan od razloga zaÅ”to 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
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