Memorable Food: Fighting Age-Related Neurodegeneration by Precision Nutrition

Healthcare systems worldwide are seriously challenged by a rising prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), which mostly, but not exclusively, affect the ever-growing population of the elderly. The most known neurodegenerative diseases are Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, but some viral infections of the brain and traumatic brain injury may also cause NDD. Typical for NDD are the malfunctioning of neurons and their irreversible loss, which often progress irreversibly to dementia and ultimately to death. Numerous factors are involved in the pathogenesis of NDD: genetic variability, epigenetic changes, extent of oxidative/nitrosative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and DNA damage. The complex interplay of all the above-mentioned factors may be a fingerprint of neurodegeneration, with different diseases being affected to different extents by particular factors. There is a voluminous body of evidence showing the benefits of regular exercise to brain health and cognitive functions. Moreover, the importance of a healthy diet, balanced in macro- and micro-nutrients, in preventing neurodegeneration and slowing down a progression to full-blown disease is evident. Individuals affected by NDD almost inevitably have low-grade inflammation and anomalies in lipid metabolism. Metabolic and lipid profiles in NDD can be improved by the Mediterranean diet. Many studies have associated the Mediterranean diet with a decreased risk of dementia and AD, but a cause-and-effect relationship has not been deduced. Studies with caloric restriction showed neuroprotective effects in animal models, but the results in humans are inconsistent. The pathologies of NDD are complex and there is a great inter-individual (epi)genetic variance within any population. Furthermore, the gut microbiome, being deeply involved in nutrient uptake and lipid metabolism, also represents a pillar of the gut microbiome–brain axis and is linked with the pathogenesis of NDD. Numerous studies on the role of different micronutrients (omega-3 fatty acids, bioactive polyphenols from fruit and medicinal plants) in the prevention, prediction, and treatment of NDD have been conducted, but we are still far away from a personalized diet plan for individual NDD patients. For this to be realized, large-scale cohorts that would include the precise monitoring of food intake, mapping of genetic variants, epigenetic data, microbiome studies, and metabolome, lipidome, and transcriptome data are needed

The role of social media in the process of informing the public about disaster risks

Social media informs the public about the most important events and conveys important information. Before, during, and after disasters, social media are used to disseminate information about disasters and collect data relevant to the implementation of preparedness, response, and recovery activities and measures. Social networks are effective in disseminating information and warnings, as well as in educating the public. The subject of the research is examining the influence of demographic factors on the effectiveness of social media in informing the public about the risks of disasters. Using an online survey questionnaire and according to the snowball principle, a survey of 247 respondents was conducted in 2022. The research results show no statistically significant relationship between the respondents’ education level and the assessment of the effectiveness of social media reporting on disasters. Using social media can improve communication between stakeholders in disaster management and facilitate coordination of efforts, fostering communication and allocation of resources. To effectively use social media in disaster management, decision-makers in the disaster management system must be aware of new technologies, their disadvantages and advantages, and ways to collect and analyze data from social networks

Friction at Nanoscale

In many technical fields a contact between two surfaces is very important and often the subject of research. The numerous physical phenomena that occur at the contact between two materials indicate the complexity of the processes that take place at the macro, micro or nanoscale. Therefore, friction, lubrication and wear are the subjects that have been attracting attention for many years, especially as part of tribological investigations. The research has shown that these three components are of fundamental importance for surfaces in contact. The aim of this research is to describe friction, and lubrication as a process to control friction, especially at the atomic level. At the atomic and molecular scale there is a possibility to form very thin film with the property to spontaneously assemble themselves into ordered structures. One of the procedures to make these ultrathin organic films of controlled thickness is to prepare self-assembled monolayers. These monolayers are described as a model system to study boundary lubrication

Outage minimization of energy-harvesting wireless sensor network supported by UAV

Due to their adaptability, mobility, and capacity to offer an ideal channel, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become a potential option for wireless power transfer and data collection in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). This paper examines energy-constrained WSNs, where data transfer to the data center is facilitated by UAV and sensors rely on radio frequency (RF) energy obtained by a Power Beacon (PB). However, due to energy limitations, sensors can only send data using the harvested energy. We consider a WSN in which the nodes are randomly distributed within a circular area, with the PB placed at the center of the WSN. To evaluate the system performance, we consider the dynamic nature of the wireless channel, which includes factors such as signal reflection, scattering, and diffraction. Through numerical analysis and simulations, the main aim is to identify the optimal system parameters that minimize the outage probability. This analysis provides valuable insights for designing more effective and reliable energy-harvesting WSNs with UAV as data collector. By leveraging UAV in WSNs, system performance can be improved, ensuring data transmission to destination nodes placed at a large distance from the WSN

PHYSICAL LAYER SECURITY OF WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK BASED ON OPPORTUNISTIC SCHEDULING

In this paper, a physical layer security analysis of wireless sensor network in the presence of an attacker, employing opportunistic scheduling approach, is presented. The intended as well as unintended transmission paths experience the Weibull fading. A novel analytical expression for the intercept probability is derived. In order to emphasize the advantages of the opportunistic scheduling approach, a comparative analysis with round-robin and optimal scheduling schemes is also given. The impact of a number of active sensors and the impact of fading channel conditions over main and wiretap channels on the intercept probabilities is obtained. The accuracy of theoretical results is confirmed by independent Monte Carlo simulation results

Javni gradski prostor nasuprot tržnom centru u konzumerističkoj kulturi - simulacija grada u cilju legitimisanja sebe kao urbanog mesta

In this paper shopping malls are considered as a representative of modern consumer spaces and observed as places of interaction between the surrounding environment and the stakeholders, as well as places of their mutual indoor interaction. The idea of a shopping centre is the idea of compressing and intensifying a public space by placing all the necessary facilities under one roof. In this way, by providing access to all the necessary facilities, the need of the shopper to return to everyday life is lessened, shopping becomes a recreational activity and the shopping mall becomes a shelter. The aim of this paper is to compare the preferences consumers have towards shopping malls and public spaces, by determining consumers' opinion on the (dis) advantages of the shopping malls over features of a city centre. The basic goal of the research is to improve the knowledge and experiences in an architectural research through exploring of the mutual relations between the user, architecture and the space. The paper aims to analyse the relationship between architectural creativity and broader socio­cultural changes caused by the commercialization of a modern city.U radu se kao reprezent savremenih potrošačkih prostora razmatra tržni centar. Potrošački prostor posmatran je kao mesto interakcija između okruženja i aktera, te aktera međusobno. Ideja tržnog centra je kompresovanje i intenziviranje javnog prostora smeštanjem svih potrebnih sadržaja pod jedan krov. Na taj način, umanjuje se potreba kupca da se vrati svakodnevnom životu, kupovina postaje njegova rekreativna aktivnost, a tržni centar sigurno pribežište. Predmet rada je istraživanje stavova korisnika prema otvorenim javnim gradskim prostorima i tržnim centrima, kao i poređenje njihovih kvaliteta i nedostataka. Osnovni cilj je unapređenje znanja i iskustva u istraživačkom i projektanskom pogledu kroz istraživanje odnosa između korisnika, arhitekture i prostora. Zadatak je da se analiziraju relacije između arhitektonskog stvaralaštva i širih sociološko­kulturoloških promena izazvanih komercijalizacijom savremenog grada - konkretno, projektantski koncept formiranja komercijalnih (prevashodno trgovačkih) prostora i uticaja koje oni imaju prema širem gradskom (fizičkom i socijalnom) kontekstu i korišćenju

ERROR PROBABILITY EVALUATION OF MULTIUSER WIRELESS SYSTEM OVER GENERALIZED FADING ENVIRONMENT

The brief bit error rate (BER) analysis of dual-hop amplify-and-forward relaying systems in the extended generalized K fading environment is presented in this paper. Assuming N nonidentical dual hops together with direct link between transmitter and receiver and maximal-ratio combining at the destination, the novel lower bound BER analytical expression is derived. The presented results illustrate that the BER lower bound is relatively tight to the obtained numerical integration and Monte Carlo simulation results. In some special cases, new derived expression is simplified to the ones previously reported in literature. This expression is utilized for determining the effects of fading and shadowing phenomena, as well as the number of relays on BER performance and can be used in designing contemporary mobile systems

Screening of antibacterial activity of raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) fruit and pomace extracts

Antibacterial activity of fruit and pomace extracts (concentration 50 mg/ml) of two raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) cultivars (Meeker and Willamette) was tested against selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (reference and wild strains). Disc diffusion method with 15 μl of extracts and agar-well diffusion method with 50 and 100 μl were used. Antibiotic (cefotaxime/clavulanic acid) was used as a control. Both raspberry fruit extracts showed the strongest antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (wild strain) and Bacillus cereus, where the largest clear zones (without growth) appeared. Escherichia coli was the most resistant strain, with only zone of reduced growth. The highest antibacterial activity of pomace extracts was against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus saprophyticus. There were no differences in the antibacterial activity between cultivars for both fruit and pomace extracts. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 31044

Providing a base for conservation of true bugs (Insecta, Heteroptera) and their saline habitats in Vojvodina (northern Serbia)

Saline habitats of the Pannonian region are recognised as conservation priorities by EU legislation, and represent rare semi-natural habitats in mostly agricultural lowland of northern Serbia. Saline habitats have a key role in conservation of numerous plant and animal species in Vojvodina, as well as characteristic communities of true bugs. These insects belong to one of the most diverse insect groups in saline habitats. Species Henestaris halophilus (BURMEISTER, 1835), Conostethus hungaricus WAGNER, 1941 and Solenoxyphus fuscovenosus (FIEBER, 1864) are saline specialists and can be found only in these habitat types. True bugs have great qualities for future biomonitoring projects concerning habitats such as saline grasslands and wetlands. During the study, species Hydrometra gracilenta HORVÁTH, 1899 and Solenoxyphus fuscovenosus (FIEBER, 1864) are recorded for the first time in Serbia