Some Characteristics of Interethnic Contacts of Women in a Post-War Divided City – Kosovo Case

This paper is a result of perennial theoretical and methodological studies and empirical research of the impact of social changes on the daily life of women in a post-conflict social environment. Keeping in mind that this paper is part of a more extensive field research, it focuses on some characteristics of interethnic contacts, which at the same time, are interreligious contacts between Orthodox and Muslim women (Serbian, Albanian and Bosnian). Characteristics of interethnic contacts of women in a daily life contextual framework are described and explained within the Kosovar post-war divided city Mitrovica/Kosovska Mitrovica, with special emphasis on the grassroots women’s association called the “Women Center.” The first part of the field research was conducted in the summers of 2010 and 2011 and the second part in the summer of 2018, in order to compare the manifest forms of interethnic contacts of the women. The core component of the paper is the results and discussion segment, which, by stressing the voices of those interviewed, shows how post-conflict daily life has some positive moments of interethnic encounters, even with short-term effects

Detecting Defects in Reinforced Concrete Using the Method of Infrared Thermography

This paper presents a method for detecting defects in reinforced concrete structures by using the method of active infrared (IR) thermography. Non-destructive testing using infrared (IR) thermography consists of thermal stimulation of the object of interest and monitoring of the surface temperature variation during the transient cooling or heating process. The paper includes short descriptions of the post-processing methods used for detection of defects, together with the results of the research conducted on reinforced concrete samples. It was concluded that the method of IR thermography can be used for the detection and quantification of defects in reinforced concrete structures

Principal Component Analysis of Gait Kinematics Data in Acute and Chronic Stroke Patients

We present the joint angles analysis by means of the principal component analysis (PCA). The data from twenty-seven acute and chronic hemiplegic patients were used and compared with data from five healthy subjects. The data were collected during walking along a 10-meter long path. The PCA was applied on a data set consisting of hip, knee, and ankle joint angles of the paretic and the nonparetic leg. The results point to significant differences in joint synergies between the acute and chronic hemiplegic patients that are not revealed when applying typical methods for gait assessment (clinical scores, gait speed, and gait symmetry). The results suggest that the PCA allows classification of the origin for the deficit in the gait when compared to healthy subjects; hence, the most appropriate treatment can be applied in the rehabilitation

COMPARISON OF THE MEASUREMENT RESULTS OF LARGE SCALE FAÇADE FIRE TESTS USING IR THERMOGRAPHY AND THERMOCOUPLES

In this paper the effectiveness of using a high temperature range, microbolometer infrared (IR) camera for the study of large scale façade fire tests will be investigated. The long-wave microbolometer camera has the ability to measure temperatures but the smoke and the flames itself influence the measurement results. This is due to the absorption of the infrared radiation by both smoke and flames while at the same time they emit radiation due to their high temperatures. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the usefulness of an IR camera when studying large scale façade fire tests. The problems are difficulties in verification how representative measurements are and consequently it is not clear and sure if conditions for reliable measurements are really fulfilled. The measurement results acquired by the IR camera will be compared to the measurement results acquired by the thermocouples 1 mm, 3 mm in diameter and plate thermometers

PROPAGANDA REARTICULATION OF A CRIME AGAINST CIVILIZATION: THE CONCEPT OF THERESIENSTADT IN THE SERIES HOLOCAUST

The most notorious Nazi extermination camps or death camps were Auschwitz, Belzec, Treblinka, etc. Apart from the death camps, the Nazis established concentration labor camps where they exploited the labor force. By its function, one of the unique concentration camps was Theresienstadt, which became a Nazi concentration camp for Jews in November 1941. In fact, Terezin was advertised as a spa center for wealthy senior citizens who were promised safety and luxury. Media articles on the topic of the Holocaust have become a significant part of the culture of remembrance. The American television mini-series Holocaust is one of the media narratives that deal with crimes against civilization and its premiere was in 1978. The concept of Theresienstadt in the series Holocaust corroborates the statement that this camp was used for the purpose of propaganda rearticulation of a crime against civilization and it reveals the hidden and repressed fear and horror underneath the smiling façade of Theresienstadt. The colorfulness of the exterior in the scenes which show Terezin, and on the other hand a horror interior, as well as everything that was happening behind the scenes expressed in the form of secret images of the artists, clearly emphasize the living conditions in Theresienstadt, as well as its role in Nazi propaganda

THE RELATION BETWEEN YOUTH SPORT AND THE REDUCTION OF PEER VIOLENCE

This research was a part of a field study, within the SAVE project funded under the Erasmus+ European programme. The study aimed at providing answers about the benefits of practicing sports in the prevention and reduction of peer violence. Generally, the frequency of aggressive behaviour was low, and equal in both tested groups. The results revealed a significant relationship between physical activity and prosocial behaviour, group cohesion and satisfaction of participants with the group. Furthermore, the athletes had a lower level of aggression compared to the students. Although this difference is small, it is in line with some previous studies and it is an indicator of sport benefits in the suppression of peer aggression. This finding is very important for policy makers, because some research showed that regardless of SES, sport is seen as a favourite extracurricular activity among parents. The results of this research should contribute to the overall aim of the SAVE project, i.e. the prevention of violent behaviour among peers. Thus, it should be observed and targeted in such a way as to systematically reduce the exposure of children and youth to violence

INTER-ETHNIC MARRIAGES AMONG ANTAGONISTIC NATIONS: POSITIVE MEDIA DISCOURSE ABOUT ALBANIAN WOMEN AND SERBIAN MEN

This is a study about inter-ethnic marriages between the members of two antagonistic nations in the Western Balkans: Serbian and Albanian. The first part of the paper describes the geographical and socio-cultural framework of the research, along with presenting key historical factors that have contributed to the long-lasting antagonism between the above-mentioned ethnic groups. The second part of the paper is an analysis of media coverage of inter-ethnic marriages between Serbian men and Albanian women. By depicting the socio-cultural context in which these "ordinary" people have founded their marriages, some gender-related issues were opened and the binding of various historical, cultural, and demographic factors that are reflected in the lives of the “invisible” Albanian women in Serbia was shown. Their “invisibility” and marginalization have been deepened by the absence of their administrative status in Serbia, the absence of the right to healthcare, social protection, and the complete economic dependence on a man/husband. As a result of this, the marginalization, invisibility, and submission of these women to the will of their husbands is another example of the reproduction of strong patriarchy in the Western Balkans in the 21st century

Preliminary monitoring results of ventilated heavyweight building envelope from recycled aggregate

Potential of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) has already been acknowledged by many researchers, but the focus was primarily on its mechanical and durability properties at material level. If the focus is shifted to element and whole building level, then the question can be raised; how building envelopes made from RAC behave when exposed to real environment? The present paper describes an experimental set up to monitor hygrothermal behaviour of one three-storey family house built with prefabricated ventilated sandwich wall panels made from recycled concrete and recycled brick aggregate. This type of building envelope can be classified as a heavyweight envelope. In ground-floor flat a wall in the living room facing south is analysed in terms of internal temperature evolution and humidity distribution. Conditions of indoor and outdoor environment were monitored as well. Time lag and decrement of temperature extremes were observed and these benefits can be attributed to the presence of thermal mass. Ventilation of air in cavity ensured acceptable humidity level in all characteristic layers of wall panel. Summer overheating occurred due to insufficiently shaded large transparent openings. Further step is validation of numerical model and assessing the suitability of presented envelope type to different climates. This paper indicates the great potential of RAC application in energy efficient and moisture safe building envelope design

Influence of fertilization on Miscanthus x giganteus (Greef et Deu) yield and biomass traits in three experiments in Serbia

Miscanthus x giganteus (Greef et Deu) is an agro-energy crop of the second generation cultivated in purpose to obtain annually renewable bio-fuel produced from the aboveground biomass. Cultivation is preferred on marginal lands to avoid occupation of arable lands. Influence of fertilization and soil type Gleysol, Planosol and Technosol (open pit coal mine overburden) on yield and biomass traits of miscanthus were investigated during five years' field experiment. Among biometric characteristics: stem height, length and width of leaves, the number of leaves (dry and green) per stem and number of stems per rhizome, only the last one has a strong positive correlation with yield. Fertilization increased yield during fourth and fifth year of development on Gleysol and Technosol. The highest yield on Gleysol was 23.12 t/ha in 2014, on Planosol 10.16 t/ha, and 4.77 t/ha in 2015 on Technosol. The yield of miscanthus, beside fertilization, depends on weather conditions and weeds. Cultivation of miscanthus is possible on marginal soils with minimum application of agricultural measures only in the year of establishment. Gleysol is a type of soil that can be recommended for miscanthus cultivation

LINEAR RECURRENCE RELATONS AND ORDINARY GENERATING FUNCTIONS APPLIED ON MODELING PROCESSES IN CONTROL THEORY

In this paper we apply multistep recurrence relations, as one of very simple and useful mathematical models. It is an efficient tool for solving many problems in mathematics, science, and technics. We also use generating functions, as a connection between real number sequences and real functions, and as a very smooth and efficient connection between the discrete mathematics and (continual) mathematical analysis. We present an application of multistep homogenous linear recurrence relations for modelling some processes in the control theory. Further on, we use the ordinary generating function aiming to find appropriate formulae for calculating members of an appropriate recurrence sequence. Finally, we show the application of this novel mathematical approach on one real example in the control theory