Magnesite-bearing fracture zones of the Zlatibor ultrabasic massif (Serbia) as a discrete structural-morphological type of magnesite deposits in ultrabasites

In this paper, a discrete structural-morphological type of magnesite deposits in ultrabasites, i.e., in magnesite-bearing fracture zones, is presented. The most prominent occurrences of such zones in Serbia are in the Zlatibor ultrabasic massif and they are economically very significant because they contain large reserves of high-quality magnesite, as well as of the accompanying sepiolite

Present State of Cold Chain and Postharvest Loss of Fruits and Vegetables in Croatia and Serbia

To elucidate key factors responsible for high postharvest loss, an analysis of the cold chain systems in Croatia and Serbia was made. It is estimated that Western Balkan Countries (WBC) annual postharvest loss of fruits and vegetables is as high as 30- 40%. In Croatia there are about 125000 t of storage capacities. Controlled atmosphere (CA) storage comprises only 27% and it is mainly used for apple. Annual apple production in Croatia in 2009 was 93355 t, which means that at least additional 40000 to 50000 t of CA storage is needed only for apple. The second most stored fruit in Croatia is Satsuma mandarin. Total capacity of refrigerated or frozen storage in Serbia was estimated at 500000 to 600000 t. In Serbia exist 29 CA storage facilities with a capacity between 50000 and 60000 t. Serbia has been very successful in production and export of frozen raspberries and make one-third of the world’s total exports. About 97% of Serbia’s exports go to the European Union (EU), accounting for 65% of total EU imports of this product. Beside the lack of adequate storage facilities, the second problem in Croatian and Serbian postharvest sector is the lack of experienced experts familiar with the situation on the domestic market. To improve situation and to decrease high postharvest losses of the fruits and vegetables sector there is an urgent need for establishing longterm network between all segments of this sector together to the more intensive cooperation between WBC in postharvest research

Children and young with antisocial propensity: theoretical models for identification and social importance of prevention of antisocial behaviour

Alarming increase of antisocial behaviour among children and young, eroding social values and weakening of the educational role of family and school has resulted in the fact that social integration of the younger generation actually becomes their adaptation on antisocial and deviant environment. The main precondition for overcoming such situation is early recognition of antisocial propensity of children and young because only then, at early age applying psychological and social educational interventions can be effective. This article is founded on empirical findings in the area of psychology of conduct disorders and analysis early manifestations of antisocial propensity and gives us an overview of theoretical models relevant for the early identification of the risk group of children and young. It points to the importance of the social context and prevention of antisocial behaviour including introducing institutional standards and procedures to identify children at risk, as well as strict adherence to the code of professional ethics

Impact of educational intervention on prescribing inappropriate medication to elderly nursing homes residents

© 2015, Serbia Medical Society. All rights reserved. Introduction Problems with polypharmacy, adverse drug reactions and non-adherence are especially frequent among elderly nursing home residents. Objective The aim of our study was to evaluate effectiveness of a specific form of staff education on appropriateness of prescribing in a cluster of nursing homes for the elderly. Methods The study was designed as before-and-after trial of educational intervention on appropriateness of prescribing in nursing homes for the elderly. In total 20 nursing homes located in Belgrade, Serbia were included in the study with 104 elderly residents and 27 caring physicians. Appropriateness of prescribing was checked against Beers, START and STOPP criteria, before and 6 months after the intervention. Results There were 349 inappropriately prescribed drugs according to Beers criteria before the intervention and 37 drugs six months after the intervention. According to STOPP criteria there were 70 drugs inappropriately prescribed before the intervention, and 20 drugs 6 months after. When both criteria are taken together, there is a significant difference between the average number of inappropriate drugs per patient before (3.4±0.5) and after (0.6±0.7) educational intervention (t=38.902; p<0.001). Finally, before the intervention 143 appropriate drugs were omitted according to START criteria, while 6 months after the intervention there were only 67 omissions. Conclusion Simple, but well targeted educational interventions may improve polypharmacy and decrease inappropriate prescribing rate, contributing to a better care of elderly patients in nursing homes

The A-test: Reliability of functional recovery assessment during early rehabilitation of patients in an orthopedic ward

Background/Aim. There are few tests for evaluation of functional abilities of patients surgically treated for hip fractures or osteoarthritis during early rehabilition period. The aim of this study was to investigate reliability (interobserver reproducibility and internal consistency) of the A-test, an original test for functional recovery evaluation during early rehabilitation of patients in an orthopedic ward. Methods. The investigation included 105 patients (55 patients with hip osteoarthritis that underwent arthroplasty and 50 surgically treated patients with hip fracture). It was conducted in an orthopedic ward during early inpatient rehabilitation (from 1st to 5th day). For their functional recovery evaluation during early rehabilitation we used the A-test, a performance-based test with 10 items for assessing basic activities by six level ordinal scale (0-5). For internal consistency of the test the Cronbach coefficient alpha was calculated for the A-test results collected during early rehabilitation for all patients (105 patients x 5 days = 525 measures) and separately for the results of patients with hip osteoarthritis (275 measures) and hip fracture (250 measures). Values of this coefficient > 0.7 imply good internal consistency of the test. Interobserver reproducibility was estimated as follows: two physiotherapists together conducted physical therapy with the patients, and then, separately, rated the performance of each activity from the test (78 measures). The agreement between their estimations was expressed by the linear weighted kappa coefficient (for very good agreement values of kappa coefficient have to be in the range 0.81-1). Results. The Cronbach coefficient alpha was 0.98 (the results of all the patients and the results of the patients with hip osteoarthritis) and 0.97 (the results of the patients with hip fracture). The values of kappa coefficient were in the range 0.81-0.92 for all items. Conclusion. The A-test is a reliable instrument for everyday evaluation of functional recovery during early rehabilitation of patients surgically treated in an orthopedic ward

Improved Method for Calibration and Nonlinearity Correction of Microwave Power Sensor

Power sensor nonlinearity contributes significantly to the increase of the microwave power measurement uncertainty. Current methods for sensor calibration do not provide correction of the results, due to the sensor nonlinearity. The paper describes an improved method and an automated measuring system based on it for power sensor calibration that enables the correction of the results, taking into account amplitude and frequency dependent nonlinearity. The novel calibration method is based on the application of high-linearity thermistor power transfer standard. The power sensor calibration process is fully automated and improved by applying the automated measuring system, PC and VEEpro software. Performed calculation of the calibration measurement uncertainty and the analysis of power measurement uncertainty budget indicate that the new calibration method allows the correction of sensor nonlinearity and contributes to significant reduction of the microwave power measurement uncertainty, ranging from 15,8% to 40,5%. Experimental results and validation confirm the applicability of the improved calibration method and prove the existence of significant dependence of sensor nonlinearity on the power level, but also on the frequency of the measured microwave power

Evaluation of immunogenic properties of monovalent and polyvalent inactivated bovine virus diarrhea virus (BVDV) vaccines

This study is aimed at evaluating the immunogenicity of two inactivated (mono- and polyvalent) vaccines containing bovine virus diarrhea virus (BVDV) reference and field strains. Three experimental groups were formed: 10 calves vaccinated twice (days 1 and 28) subcutaneously (s/c) with 2 ml of inactivated polyvalent vaccine per animal (Group 1); 10 calves vaccinated twice (days 1 and 28) subcutaneously (s/c) with 2 ml of inactivated monovalent vaccine per animal (Group 2) and 9 unvaccinated calves (Control, Group C). Blood sera were obtained from immunized animals (standard procedure: on days 0, 14, 28, 42 and 56 post-immunization). Geometric mean titer (GMT) values for BVDV neutralizing antibodies were substantially higher in blood sera of calves receiving the inactivated monovalent vaccine. The immune response developed more rapidly in calves immunized with the monovalent vaccine