Purification of waters and elimination of organochloric insecticides by means of active coal

Pollution of water and the determination of the degree of its pollution with numerous physical, chemical and biological polluters have become general, ever increasing social and health related problems. Within this study, the concentrations of some most frequently used organochloric insecticides (OCI): a-hexachlorocyclohexane (a-HCH), γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane), heptachlor, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, dichlorodiphenyl trichlorethane (DDT) were investigated. OCI are highly toxic substances for the human population and their effective elimination from the environment is of paramount interest. To determine the OCI concentration in water samples, the EPA–608 method and the liquid–liquid extraction principle were applied. A procedure for OCI elimination was realized by passing the water over four columns filled with various active coals: KRF, K-81/B, NORIT ROW-0.8 and AQUA SORB CS. These active coals are carbonized coconut shells activated by different procedures. The obtained results indicated that best purification of potable and waste water achieved using a column with Norit Row-0.8 filling. Research proved that small quantities of OCI can also be effectively removed using a Norit Row-0.8 active coal filled column, without altering the organoleptic properties of the water, which meets the requirements of water purification processes

ORGANOCHLORINE INSECTICIDES IN DRINKING WATER IN THE CITY OF KRALJEVO

Organochlorine insecticides (OCI) belong to the group of chlorinated hydrocarbons with wide, but often uncontrolled, application in agricultural production. The consequence of this is that OCI and their residues are found in numerous samples ecosphere. Contamination of aquatic environments is particularly emphasized. Although OCI are toxic substance for wildlife, especially for human, a large part of the population is daily exposed to their activities in small quantities. OCI presence in drinking water is generally below the maximum allowable concentrations, whereas repeated doses can cause chronic toxic effects. For these reasons, it is necessary to continuously monitor the concentration of OCI in drinking water and perform its purification in order to obtain water with the lowest possible concentration. This work included the analysis of individual OCI concentration in drinking water, the city of Kraljevo. Certain individual concentration for seven OCI: alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH), gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane), heptachlor, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT). OCI were treated according to the appropriate EPA-608 method, liquid-liquid extraction, and then detected by gas chromatography method with appropriate columns. From the measured concentrations for individual OCI significantly increase heptachlor, which is almost four times, and aldrin, two times higher compared to the value of the said Ordinance MAC. Measured concentrations of dieldrin is at the upper limit value of the MAC. About a measured concentration of endrin could not be discussed because it is not regulated by the Ordinance value MAC.Overall, cumulative concentration OCI water pumping station with 0.294 µg/l, which is in line with the maximum permissible concentration of 0.5 µg/l according to the Regulations on the hygienic safety of drinking water. Given that this paper analyzed only seven organochlorine insecticides, it is the value of aggregate concentration unexpectedly high (over 50%). The results presented OCI in drinking water, especially measured increased concentrations of aldrin and heptachlor, indicate the processes of chemical contamination. For these reasons it is necessary to continuously check the concentration of total and individual OCI in drinking water and take effective measures purification

Influence of Thermal Treatment on the Chemical and Structural Properties of Geopolymer Gels Doped with Nd2O3 and Sm2O3

In this research, the influence of the thermal treatment of geopolymer gels at 300 ◦C, 600 ◦C and 900 ◦C when incorporated with 5% rare earth elements (REEs) in the form of (GP-Sm) Sm2O3 and (GP-Nd) Nd2O3 was investigated. Changes in the chemical and structural properties of the geopolymer gels during thermal treatment for 1 h were monitored. Physico-chemical characterization was performed using the following methods: diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Besides the characterization of the fundamental properties, some practical macroscopic properties were analyzed as well: sorptivity, open porosity, and Archimedean density. The stretching vibrations of Nd–O–Si and Sm–O–Si were confirmed at a value of around 680 cm−1and an Nd–O–Si absorption band at a higher value, together with the most dominant band of Si–O stretching vibration similar for all the samples. No significant chemical changes occurred. Structural analysis showed that for GP-Nd, the largest pore diameter was obtained at 900 ◦C, while for GP-Sm, the largest pore diameter was obtained at 600 ◦C. EDS confirmed the amount of dopant to be about 5%. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that for GP-Nd, the ratio of Si and Al changed the most, while for GP-Sm, the ratio of Si and Al decreased with increasing temperature. The contributions of both dopants in the GP-gel structure remained almost unchanged and stable at high temperatures. The atomic percentages obtained by XPS analysis were in accordance with the expected trend; the amount of Si increased with the temperature, while the amount of Al decreased with increasing temperature. The sorptivity and open porosity showed the highest values at 600 ◦C, while the density of both geopolymers decreased linearly with increasing temperature

Semiautomatic epicardial fat segmentation based on fuzzy c-means clustering and geometric ellipse fitting

Automatic segmentation of particular heart parts plays an important role in recognition tasks, which is utilized for diagnosis and treatment. One particularly important application is segmentation of epicardial fat (surrounds the heart), which is shown by various studies to indicate risk level for developing various cardiovascular diseases as well as to predict progression of certain diseases. Quantification of epicardial fat from CT images requires advance image segmentation methods. The problem of the state-of-the-art methods for epicardial fat segmentation is their high dependency on user interaction, resulting in low reproducibility of studies and time-consuming analysis. We propose in this paper a novel semiautomatic approach for segmentation and quantification of epicardial fat from 3D CT images. Our method is a semisupervised slice-by-slice segmentation approach based on local adaptive morphology and fuzzy c-means clustering. Additionally, we use a geometric ellipse prior to filter out undesired parts of the target cluster. The validation of the proposed methodology shows good correspondence between the segmentation results and the manual segmentation performed by physicians

Evaluation of normal heights by the means of global navigation satellite systems and global geopotential model

This paper presents geometrically and physically defined height systems, along with their evaluation by the means of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and Global Geopotential Models (GGM). The paper defines ellipsoid heights as an instance of geometrically defined heights; with physically defined heights being represented by definitions of orthometric and normal heights. Methods of normal heights calculation by the means of ellipsoid heights are presented in detail, as determined using the GNSS and height anomalies calculated from the GGM application. Apart from the above, numerical part of the paper evaluates normal height values and compares them to their conditionally accurate values at 1073 points with relatively uniform distribution over the entire territory of Serbia. Conditionally accurate values had been determined by the means of classical geodetic terrestrial methods. Under the procedure of evaluating normal height values, GGM – GGM05C was used, as created in 2016 by the Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin. In order to evaluate the quality of applying the model above, data on normal heights evaluation were also presented, using the GGM EGM96, created in 1996 by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC – NASA) and Ohio State University, presently being the most commonly used model. The comparison above indicates that application of the GGM05C model provides 50 % greater quality of normal heights evaluations against the ones obtained using the EGM96 model.У оквиру рада приказани су геометријски и физички дефинисани системи висина, као и њихова оцена применом глобалних навигационих сателитских система (GNSS) и глобалних геопотенцијалних модела (GGM). У раду је дата дефиниција елипсоидних висина као представника геометријски дефинисаних висина, а у погледу физички дефинисаних висина приказане су дефиниције ортометријских и нормалних висина. Детаљно су представљени начини рачунања нормалних висина применом елипсоидних висина, које су одређене применом GNSS и аномалија висина које следе из примене GGM. Поред наведеног у нумеричком делу рада оцењене су вредности нормалних висина и упоређене са њиховим условно тачним вредностима и то у 1073 тачке које су релативно правилно распоређене по читавој територији Србије. Условно тачне вредности одређене су применом класичних геодетских терестричких метода. У поступку оцене вредности нормалних висина коришћен је GGM GGM05C који је креиран 2016. године од стране Центра за космичка истраживања у Тексасу (Center for Space Research, Univesity of Texas at Austin). У циљу оцене квалитета примене наведеног модела приказани су и подаци оцене нормалних висина при примени GGM EGM96 који је креиран 1996. године од стране Националне агенције за дигиталну обраду слика и картирање (National Imagery and Mapping Agency - NIMA), Центра за космичке летове Националне космичке агенције (Goddard Space Flight Center – GSFC - NASA) и америчког Универзитета Охајо (Ohio State University), који до данас представља најчешће коришћени модел. Из наведеног упоређења следи да се применом модела GGM05C добијају 50% квалитетније оцене нормалних висина од оних које следе из примене модела EGM96

Variations of total electron content over Serbia during the increased solar activity period in 2013 and 2014

To understand general ionosphere properties over Serbia, an analysis of temporal and spatial ionosphere Total Electron Content (TEC) over the region was performed. The present research focuses on daily, seasonal and spatial ionosphere variations, based on TEC series calculated from the GNSS ie. GPS measurements. This analysis provides for characterization of ionosphere nature and fine structure over Serbia, both locally and regionally. For the days with high solar activity changes of TEC values ranges from minimum 4 Total Electron Content Units (TECU), in night hours, up to 55 TECU around the noon. It is shown that that changes are equivalent to the to the delay of GPS signals approximately 8.8 m in in vertical direction during the (maximum) daily conditions and the delay of 0.6 m during the (minimum) night conditions. Also, it is shows that a seasonal TEC differences follows directly Son activity during the seasons, and maximal differences of TEC values between the seasons reaching values of 45 TECU, again in the years of high Son's activities. For spatial changes all gained results indicate that there exist changes in all directions which cannot be recognized as constant bias or a trend

Antioxidant, antigenotoxic and cytotoxic activity of essential oils and methanol extracts of hyssopus officinalis l. Subsp. aristatus (godr.) nyman (lamiaceae)

Abstract:Hyssopus officinalisL. is a well-known aromatic plant used in traditional medicine and the foodand cosmetics industry. The aim of this study is to assess the antioxidant, genotoxic, antigenotoxic andcytotoxic properties of characterized hyssop essential oils and methanol extracts. Chemical compositionwas analyzed by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography with diodearray detection and mass spectrometry (LC-DAD-MS), respectively. Antioxidant activity was examinedby 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) tests; genotoxicand antigenotoxic activity were examined by the comet assay, while cytotoxicity was evaluated by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide dye (MTT) test against tumor cell lines (SW480,MDA-MB 231, HeLa) and non-transformed human lung fibroblast cell lines (MRC-5). The essential oilswere rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons (e.g., limonene; 7.99–23.81%), oxygenated monoterpenes (1,8-cineole; 38.19–67.1%) and phenylpropanoids (methyl eugenol; 0.00–28.33%). In methanol extracts, the mostabundant phenolics were chlorogenic and rosmarinic acid (23.35–33.46 and 3.53–17.98 mg/g, respectively).Methanol extracts expressed moderate to weak antioxidant activity (DPPH IC50= 56.04–199.89μg/mL,FRAP = 0.667–0.959 mmol Fe2+/g). Hyssop preparations significantly reduced DNA damage in humanwhole blood cells, induced by pretreatment with hydrogen peroxide. Methanol extracts exhibited selectiveand potent dose- and time-dependent activity against the HeLa cell line. Results of the current studydemonstrated notableH.officinalismedicinal potential, which calls for further investigation

Quality of the river Ibar from Biljanovac to Kraljevo

Voda reke Ibar se koristi za vodosnabdevanje kao i za potrebe stanovništva mnogih mesta, stoga je praćenje kvaliteta vode reke Ibar od primarnog značaja za utvrđivanje kontaminiranosti vodenog ekosistema i zaštite čovekovog zdravlja. Rad je nastavak projekta monitoringa reke Ibar od Raške do Kraljeva. Na 34. međunarodnom stručno-naučnom skupu na Tari je dat uticaj otpadnih voda opštine Raška i Baljevca na kvalitet reke Ibar. A cilj ovog rada je da se prikaže uticaj svih naseljenih mesta od Biljanovca do Konareva na kvalitet vode reke Ibar. Ukupno 15 merenja na 3 merna mesta u dužini oko 50 km. Reka Ibar prolazi kroz naseljena mesta gde je razvijena industrija i kroz nenaseljena mesta.The water of the Ibar river is used for water supply and other purposes, so monitoring the water quality of the river Ibar of primary importance for the contamination of water ecosystems and protecting human health. This paper is a continuation of the monitoring of the Ibar river of Raska and Kraljevo. Last year, at the 34th international professional scientific meeting at Tara was given the impact of wastewater municipality of Raška and Baljevac the quality of the Ibar river. A goal of this paper is to show the impact of settlements from Biljanovac to Konarevo the water quality of the Ibar river. Total of 15 measurements at three measuring sites separated 50 km are presented. The Ibar river is passing both through urban areas where the industry is developed and through uninhabited places

Safety and immunogenicity of a seasonal trivalent inactivated split influenza vaccine: a double blind, phase III randomized clinical trial in healthy Serbian adults

This study was a phase III, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a seasonal trivalent split, inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) in healthy Serbian adults between the ages of 18 and 65 years. This egg-based vaccine was manufactured by the Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera, Torlak, Belgrade, Serbia. A total of 480 participants were assigned randomly in a ratio of 2:1 to receive a single intramuscular dose (0.5 ml) of the vaccine (15 µg of hemagglutinin per strain) or placebo (phosphate-buffered saline). Participants were monitored for safety, including solicited and unsolicited adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs). No SAEs related to vaccination were reported. Injection site pain (51.3%), injection site tenderness (40.4%), tiredness (17.0%), and headache (15.1%) were the most commonly reported solicited events in the vaccine group. Incidence of related unsolicited AEs was low (1.3%) among vaccinees. Hemagglutinin inhibition (HAI) titers were measured before and 21 days after vaccination in 151 participants. Overall, HAI seroconversion rates to H1 and H3 were observed in 90.1% and 76.2% of vaccinees, respectively. For B antigen, it was 51.5%, likely due to high pre-vaccination titers. Post-vaccination seroprotection rates were in the range of 78.2–95.0% for the three antigens. Post-vaccination geometric mean titers (GMT) were at least 3.8 times higher than baseline levels for all the three strains among vaccinees. Overall, the study showed that the vaccine was safe and well tolerated, and induced a robust immune response against all three vaccine strains., ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02935192, October 17, 201

In COVID-19 Health Messaging, Loss Framing Increases Anxiety with Little-to-No Concomitant Benefits: Experimental Evidence from 84 Countries

The COVID-19 pandemic (and its aftermath) highlights a critical need to communicate health information effectively to the global public. Given that subtle differences in information framing can have meaningful effects on behavior, behavioral science research highlights a pressing question: Is it more effective to frame COVID-19 health messages in terms of potential losses (e.g., "If you do not practice these steps, you can endanger yourself and others") or potential gains (e.g., "If you practice these steps, you can protect yourself and others")? Collecting data in 48 languages from 15,929 participants in 84 countries, we experimentally tested the effects of message framing on COVID-19-related judgments, intentions, and feelings. Loss- (vs. gain-) framed messages increased self-reported anxiety among participants cross-nationally with little-to-no impact on policy attitudes, behavioral intentions, or information seeking relevant to pandemic risks. These results were consistent across 84 countries, three variations of the message framing wording, and 560 data processing and analytic choices. Thus, results provide an empirical answer to a global communication question and highlight the emotional toll of loss-framed messages. Critically, this work demonstrates the importance of considering unintended affective consequences when evaluating nudge-style interventions