Development of Health Care e-Services in the European Union

Development and implementation of e-services has become a common practice of state and public administrations in the developed countries around the world since the usage of information and communication technologies has enabled a faster processing of user applications and more efficient functioning of the service. This paper analyses the level of development of e-services in health care systems of eight European countries, both in terms of safety and reliability from the perspective of end users, i.e. citizens. Furthermore, the concept of trust in eservices based on the availability of information on the Internet on applied technological solutions, storage and data protection and their availability is considered. Implementation of services like e-health records and e-prescriptions requires a well-developed strategy and a very transparent way of their functioning because of the sensitive nature of health data. For this study official websites of the services were searched through, as were other sources on the Internet. The research results indicate a lack of certain key information, especially those related to data storage, their protection and long-term preservation

Gothic Elements in Representations of a Pandemic: Borislav Pekic’s Rabies

The paper deals with the Gothic elements in the representation of a pandemic based on the 1983 novel Besnilo (‘Rabies’) by Serbian author Borislav Pekic. The authors start from the premise that the elements ‘borrowed’ from the Gothic genre play a key role in creating the main plot of the novel: a catastrophe caused by an extremely contagious and deadly man-manipulated version of the rabies virus. The theoretical framework is based on Fred Botting’s (1995) and Jerrold E. Hogle’s (2002) views of Gothic writing as a diffused mode that exceeds genres and categories and contributes its various elements to various literary forms. Furthermore, Gothic elements characteristic of Gothic science fiction, such as madness, monstrosity, the Mad Scientist, people meddling with nature with catastrophic consequences, the apocalyptic vision of human future and “the removal of man from his natural, living state and entry instead into a state of being neither completely human or monster, and neither fully alive or completely dead” (MacArthur 2015: 79) are traced in the novel and analysed in the context of literary representations of a pandemic. As Pekic’s novel is a mixture of various genres and is often defined and described as a horror thriller novel, an attempt is made to offer a new reading that would consider its constituent Gothic elements against a backdrop of the deeply and inherently human drama of the everlasting struggle between good and evil. Thus, pandemics are represented as a kind of catalyst that exposes both deeply human and rational, and deeply inhuman and irrational, impulses, leaving the final outcome of that struggle uncertain

Nostalgia in John Cheever’s The Housebreaker of Shady Hill and Other Stories

The paper deals with the notion and function of nostalgia in John Cheever’s short story cycle The Housebreaker of Shady Hill and Other Stories (1958). The analysis relies on Svetlana Boym’s definition of nostalgia as “a longing for a home that no longer exists or has never existed” (2001: xiii) and on Jennifer Smith’s (2017) study of nostalgia in the American short story cycle. The objective is to examine how and for what purposes Cheever’s cycle employs nostalgia in individual stories, and to show whether different evocations of nostalgia present partial or false versions of the past. Having in mind the recursive and accretive nature of the cycle as a genre, the authors intend to examine how individual stories come together to render a more collective sense of nostalgia, whether coherent or ambivalent, that might be in a correlation with a specific middle-class suburban locality of the American Northeast

Improvement of solubility of disperse materials by the means of the mechanochemical treatment

Poster presented at the 12th Annual Conference of the Materials Research Society of Serbia - YUCOMAT 2010, Herceg Novi, Montenegro, 6–10. septembar 2010

New non-thermal technology in the processing of fruit and vegetable functional beverages

Eksperimentalni dio ovog rada sastojao se od odreĎivanja fizikalnih svojstava napitaka od cikle te mješavine jabuke i mrkve nakon tretmana ultrazvukom visokog intenziteta. Rezultati su se usporedili s uzorcima koji nisu bili podvrgnuti tretmanu ultrazvukom. Cilj je bio ustanoviti utjecaj ultrazvuka visokog intenziteta različite amplitude i vremena trajanja tretmana na viskoznost, gustoću, pH, raspodjelu veličina čestica te kolorimetriju.The experimental part of this work consisted of the determination of the physical properties of the red beet drink as well as the combination of apple and carrot after ultrasound treatment and the comparison of their physical characteristics after the treatment with an untreated sample. High intensity ultrasound with different amplitudes and duration was used and the effect on the viscosity, density, pH value, particle size distribution and colorimetry was observed

The Correlation between Functional and Physico-Chemical Properties of ZnO Powders Obtained by Various Methods of Synthesis

Poznato je da funkcionalna svojstva cink oksidnih prahova zavise od fizičko-hemijskih karakteristika kao što su optičke karakteristike i specifična površina, a koje su određene strukturnim svojstvima praha u kao što su: fazni sastav, veličina kristalita, stepen kristaliničnosti, uređenje kristalne strukture tj. prisustvo defekata kao i morfologija čestica. Navedene karakteristike mogu se podešavati optimizacijom reakcionih uslova tokom procesa sinteze. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je, kao prvo, sinteza prahova ZnO različitih fizičko-hemijskih karakteristika putem optimizacije reakcionih uslova različitih metoda procesiranja. Nakon toga, ideja je bila da se ispitaju neka od funkcionalnih svojstava sintetisanih prahova ZnO, konkretno, katalitička i antibakterijska svojstva. Konačno, uspostavljena je korelacija između ispitivanih funkcionalnih svojstava i fizičko-hemijskih karakteristika sintetisanih prahova ZnO.\ud U ovom radu primenjena su tri postupka sinteze: hidrotermalno, ultrazvučno i mikrotalasno procesiranje. U slučaju hidrotermalnog procesiranja, promenom pH vrednosti reakcionog sistema, od slabo bazne (pH 8) do jako bazne (pH 12) sredine, uz prisustvo određene količine površinski aktivne komponente, bilo je moguće značajno modifikovati morfologiju i srednju veličinu čestica sintetisanih prahova ZnO. Sintetisane su čestice od štapićastih mikrometarskih formi, pri pH vrednosti reakcionog sistema 8-10, preko elipsoidnih submikrometarskih oblika pri pH 11, do sferičnih nanometarskih čestica pri pH 12-13. Ispitan je i uticaj energije, koja se tokom ultrazvučnog i mikrotalasnog procesiranja unosi u reakcioni sistem, na morfologiju čestica ZnO; zadržani su identični reakcioni uslovi kao i u slučaju hidrotermalnog procesiranja. Utvrđeno je da energija primenjenog spoljašnjeg polja (ultazvučnog ili mikrotalasnog) u značajnoj meri utiče na morfologiju čestica, uređenost strukure i defekte rešetke u molekulu ZnO, što doprinosi poboljšanju ispitivanih funkcionalnih svojstava materijala.\ud Ispitana su optička svojstva sintetisanih prahova ZnO, tačnije, uspostavljena je korelacija između oblika i srednje veličine čestica sa jedne strane i procenta refleksije i energije procepa sa druge strane. Utvrđeno je da se modifikacijom oblika i dimenzija čestica značajno mogu poboljšati optička svojstva ZnO u vidljivom delu spektra.\ud Primenom postupaka heterogene fotokatalize i sonokatalize za razgradnju organske boje metilensko plavo (MB), ispitana su katalitička svojstva prahova ZnO. S obzirom da su sintetisani prahovi čija je energija procepa u vidljivom delu spektra (Ebg=3,25 eV) bilo je moguće povećati efikasnost razgradnje toksične boje (MB) u prisustvu ZnO prahova dodatnim delovanjem svetlosti (fotokataliza) tokom eksperimenata. Delovanjem ultrazvučnog polja (sonokataliza) tokom procesa razgradnje boje MB u prisustvu praha ZnO uočeno je značajno povećanje efikasnosti. U oba slučaja, foto- i sono-katalize, postignuta je dodatna aktivacija čestica ZnO tj. ubrzano je oslobađanje peroksidnih radikala što je za rezultat imalo i visok procenat efikasnosti razgradnje organske boje u ispitivanim disperzijama.\ud Antibakterijska svojstva sintetisanih prahova cink oksida ispitivana su na dve bakterijske ćelijske vrste, gram pozitivne Staphylococcus aureus i gram negativne Escherichia coli. Utvrđeno je da prah ZnO izgrađen od nanosfernih čestica, relativno velike specifične površine, pokazuje najveći procenat redukcije broja živih ćelija tj. najbolju antibakterijsku aktivnost u slučaju ćelija Escherichia coli, dok je najbolju antibakterijsku aktivnost u slučaju ćelija Staphylococcus aureus pokazao prah ZnO izgrađen od heksagonalnih mikronskih štapićastih formi. Ovi rezultati potvrdili su da osim veličine i morfologije čestica na antibakterijsku aktivnost ispitivanog uzorka utiče niz faktora od kojih se posebno ističe vrsta i svojstva bakterijske linije koja se proučava.It is known that the functional properties of zinc oxide powders depend on their physico-chemical properties, such as optical properties and specific surface area wich are defined with structural characteristics for example: the particle size and morphology, phase composition, crystallite size, crystallinity degree, as well as the crystal structure ordering, i.e. the presence of defects. All of these characteristics can be designed by optimizing the reaction conditions during the synthesis. The primary purpose of this study is to synthesize zinc oxide powders with various physico-chemical properties by optimizing the reaction conditions in different processing methods. Furthermore, the aim was to test some of the functional properties of the synthesized ZnO powders – namely, their catalytic and antibacterial properties. Finally, a correlation between the tested functional properties and physico-chemical characteristics of the synthesized ZnO powders has been established.\ud In this thesis, three methods of synthesis have been applied: hydrothermal, ultrasound and microwave processing. In the case of hydrothermal processing it is possible to significantly alter the morphology and the average particle size of the synthesized ZnO particles by changing the pH value of the reaction system, from a weak base (pH 8) to a very strong base (pH 12), in the presence of an amount of surface-active agents. The synthesized particles ranged from rod-shaped micrometer-sized forms at the pH 8–10 reaction system, over submicron ellipsoidal shapes at pH 11, down to the spherical nano-scaled particles obtained at a pH 12–13. The impact of energy introduced into the reaction system during sonochemical and microwave processing on the morphology of ZnO particles has also been examined under the identical reaction conditions as in hydrothermal processing. It has been found that the energy of the applied external field (ultrasound or microwave) considerably affects the particle morphology, the order of the structure and the lattice defects in the ZnO molecule, which contributes improuvement of the tested functional properties of the material.\ud The optical properties of the synthesized powders have been examined; more precisely, the correlation between the shape and the average particle size as well as the reflection percentage and band gap energy has been established. It has been demonstrated that the modification of the particle shape and dimensions can significantly improve the optical properties of ZnO in the visible spectrum.\ud The catalytic properties of ZnO powders have been investigated by heterogeneous photocatalytic and sonocatalytic degradation of an organic dye, methylene blue (MB). Having in mind that the synthesized powders whose energy gaps are in the visible spectrum (Ebg = 3.25 eV), it is possible to increase the efficiency of the degradation of the toxic dye (MB) in the presence of ZnO powders by an additional exsposure to the light (photocatalysis) during the experiments. When an ultrasonic field (sonocatalysis) is applied during the decomposition process of MB in the presence of a ZnO powder, a significant increase in efficiency is observed. In both cases, photo- and sonocatalysis, an additional activation of ZnO particles, i.e. an accelerated release of peroxide radicals is observed, which results in a high efficiency of the degradation of the organic dye in the tested dispersions.\ud The antibacterial properties of the synthesized ZnO powders were tested on two types of bacterial cells, gram positive – Staphylococcus aureus and gram – negative Escherichia coli. It has been found that the ZnO powder consisting of nanospherical particles with a relatively large specific surface area, shows the greatest percentage of the reduction in the number of viable cells, i.e. the best antibacterial activity in the case of Escherichia coli cells, while the best antibacterial activity in the case of Staphylococcus aureus cells was exhibited by the ZnO powder consisting of hexagonal ZnO micron-sized rod-like forms. These results have confirmed that in addition to particle size and morphology, the antibacterial activity of the examined sample is influenced by a number of factors; particularly important among them are the type and properties of the investigated bacterial lines

Izražavanje emocija u njemačkom govornom području Švicarske

Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war die Untersuchung zweier Varietäten der deutschen Sprache in Hinblick auf Emotionen. Aus drei Schweizer Filmen Mein Name ist Eugen (2005), Heidi (2015) und Verdingbub (2011) wurden für die schweizerische Varietät charakteristische Ausdrücke der Emotionen mit der bundesdeutschen Varietät verglichen. Die Ausdrücke wurden auf lexikalischer, syntaktischer und grammatischer Ebene untersucht. Die Analyse hat gezeigt, dass für positive Emotionsausdrücke Kosewörter, Diminutive und Ausdrücke, die das Wohlsein kennzeichnen, verwendet werden. Negative Emotionen werden mittels Schimpfwörter, pejorativer Bezeichnungen für Personen und Körperteile und abwertend gebrauchten Verben ausgedrückt. Es ist wichtig zu betonen, dass sich die Resultate dieser Analyse nicht auf das Gesamtbild der Schweizer Mundarten beziehen, sondern auf den Beispielen, die am Korpus der drei Filme untersucht worden sind, basieren.The aim of this paper was to explore two varieties of the German language regarding emotions. The emotional expressions characteristic for the Swiss variety were compared to the variety that is spoken in Germany based on the three Swiss movies Mein Name ist Eugen (2005), Heidi (2015) and Verdingbub (2011). The expressions were examined on lexical, syntactical, and grammatical level. The analysis has shown that terms of endearment, diminutive terms and expressions that characterize well-being are used to express positive emotions while negative emotions are expressed by swear words, by pejorative names for persons and parts of the body and by devaluation of used verb. It is important to emphasize that the results of the analysis do not represent the overall picture of the Swiss German, but are associated with the examples from the aforementioned movies.Cilj ovog rada bio je istražiti dva varijeteta njemačkog jezika s obzirom na emocije. Izrazi emocija koji su karakteristični za švicarski varijetet njemačkog jezika preuzeti su iz tri švicarska filma Mein Name ist Eugen (2005), Heidi (2015) i Verdingbub (2011), te uspoređeni s varijetetom njemačkog jezika Savezne Republike Njemačke. Analiza pokazuje da se u švicarskim dijalektima za izražavanje pozitivnih emocija koriste hipokoristici, umanjenice i izrazi koji označavaju blagostanje. Negativne emocije izražavaju se psovkama, pejorativima koji se odnose na osobe i dijelove tijela, te degradirajućim glagolima. Bitno je naglasiti, da rezultati analize nisu ukupna slika stanja švicarskih dijalekata, već se odnose na primjere istražene na korpusu navedenih filmova

Influence of Processing Parameters on the Course of Mechanochemical Synthesis and the Prevention of Agglomeration of the Obtained Nanostructured Ceramic Powders

Keramički nanomaterijali kao što su cink oksid (ZnO) i cirkonijum dioksid (ZrO2), poseduju veliki potencijal za primenu u najrazličitijim oblastima industrijske proizvodnje pre svega zahvaljujući nanodimenzijama čestica. Konvencionalnim metodama sinteze kao što su sol-gel metoda, metoda precipitacije, hidrotermalna sinteza, sprej piroliza i druge, veoma često nije moguće prevazići problem aglomeracije čestica praha. Mehanohemijska sinteza dala je izuzetne rezultate u dobijanju najrazličitijih materijala izgrađenih od fino dispergovanih čestica nanometarskih dimenzija.\ud U eksperimentima predstavljenim u ovom magistarskom radu korišćena je mehanohemijska metoda u cilju dobijanja nanostrukturnih prahova ZnO i ZrO2. Ispitivan je uticaj parametara (vremena mlevenja, temperature kalcinacije) na tok sinteze. Posebna pažnja posvećena je ispitivanju uticaja različitih vrsta neogranskih i organskih jedinjenja koja predstavljaju reagense za kontrolu procesa, PCA (prosess controling agens), na morfologiju i dimenzije čestica sintetisanih keramičkih prahova. U svim eksperimentima korišćen je planetarni mlin proizvođača Retsch PM4, ahatne posude i kuglice od alumine. Vremena mehaničkog tretiranja varirana su od 30 min do 8 h. Kao neorganski PCA reagensi korišćeni su: natrijum hlorid (NaCl) u sintezi praha ZrO2; kalcijum hlorid (CaCl2) u sintezi praha ZnO; dok je kao organski PCA reagens u sintezi praha ZnO korišćena oksalna kiselina (C2H2O4•2H2O). Temperature kalcinacije kretale su se u intervalu od 300 do 800 °C. Uzorak praha ZnO mehanohemijski je tretiran 4 h u vodenom rastvoru oksalne kiseline kao PCA, potom je kalcinisan 1 h na temperaturi 450 °C. Utvrđeno je da se sastoji od čestica najmanjih dimenzija u odnosu na ostale ispitivane materijale, da ima najveću uniformnost pri čemu su čestice dimenzija 50-90 nm i da je gotovo potpuno sprečena njihova aglomeracija.\ud Uzorci prahova karakterisani su pomoću difrakcije X-zračenja na kristalnom prahu, skanirajuće elektronske mikroskopije (SEM), visokorezolucione skanirajuće elektronske mikroskopije (FE SEM), diferencijalne termijske analize (DTA) i termogravimetrijske analize (TG).Ceramic nanostructured materials, such as zinc oxide, ZnO, and zirconium dioxide, ZrO2, have a great potential for the application in various areas of industrial production primarily due to their nanosized particles. In conventional methods of synthesis such as solgel processing, precipitation from the solution, hydrothermal synthesis, spray pyrolysis, etc., very often, it is not possible to overcome problems posed by powder particle agglomeration. Mechanochemical synthesis gives excellent results in obtaining nanostructured materials. It has been widely applied for preparation of large variety of materials composed of highly dispersed nanosized particles. In the experiments presented in this thesis, mechanochemical synthesis was used to obtain nanostructured ZnO and ZrO2 powders. We examined the influence of different processing parameters (milling time, calcination temperature) on the course of the synthesis.\ud Special attention was paid to the study of the impact of different types of inorganic and organic compounds used as PCA (process controlling agent) on the morphology and dimensions of synthesized ceramic particles. In all experiments, we used planetary ball-mill, Retsch PM4, agate jars and alumina balls. Mechanical treatment time varied from 30 min to 8 h. NaCl was used in the synthesis of ZrO2 powder as an inorganic PCA, whereas in the synthesis of ZnO powder we used CaCl2. Oxalic acid (C2H2O4•2H2O) was used as an organic PCA in the synthesis of ZnO powder. Calcination temperature ranged in the interval of 300-800 °C. The smallest particle sizes, varying between 50 and 90 nm, and the best particle size uniformity were obtained in the ZnO powder sample mechanochemically treated for 4 h, in water solution of oxalic acid (C2H2O4•2H2O)aq as PCA, calcinated for 1 h at 450 °C. Particle agglomeration was almost completely prevented. Powder samples were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Field emission microscopy (FE SEM), Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TG)

Uticaj klimatskih uslova na kontaminaciju zrna kukuruza sa aflatoksinom B1 i fumonizinima i njihova združena pojava

Agroecological and climatic conditions in Serbia greatly affected the development of toxigenic fungi and occurrence of mycotoxins in the maize. The presence of fungal toxigenic Aspergillus and Fusarium species and levels of aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1) and sum of fumonisins B 1 , B 2 and B 3 (FBs) were established in 127 maize kernel samples harvested during 2012 (37 samples) and 2013 (90 samples). The periods of silking and grain filling of the maize in 2012 in comparison to 2013 were characterised with extremely dry spells, with high temperatures and low precipitation sums. The mean incidences of A. flavus and F. verticillioides were 50.4 and 11.7% in 2012 and 18.9 and 33.4% in 2013, respectively. According to the regulations of the World Health Organisation, unacceptable levels of AFB 1 (>20 μg kg-1) and FBs (>2000 μg kg-1) were established in the 30.6 and 24.1% samples of 2012 and 16.7 and 40% maize kernel samples of 2013, respectively. It can be concluded that high temperatures and low precipitation sums in 2012 favoured the development of A. flavus affecting the high level of AFB 1 , in comparison with F. verticillioides and the production of FBs. There was no positive correlation between the incidences of A. flavus and F. verticillioides, while a statistically significant positive correlation has been found between AFB 1 and FBs levels, in both investigated years (2012-2013). This indicates that the mycotoxin production depended more on weather conditions than on the distribution of corresponding toxigenic fungal species.Agroekološki i klimatski uslovi u Srbiji veoma su pogodni za razvoj toksigenih gljiva i njihovih mikotoksina u kukuruzu. Prisustvo toksigenih vrsta gljiva iz rodova Aspergillus i Fusarium, kao i nivoi aflatoksina B1 (AFB1) i ukupnih fumonizina B1, B2 i B3 (FBs) utvrđeni su u 127 uzoraka zrna kukuruza iz berbe tokom 2012 (37 uzoraka) i 2013. godine (90 uzoraka). U fenofazama svilanja i nalivanja zrna kukuruza u 2012. u odnosu na 2013. godinu zapaženi su ekstremno sušni periodi sa visokim temperaturama i niskim količinama padavina. Prosečne vrednosti za učestalost vrsta A. flavus i F. verticillioides bile su 50,4 i 11,7% u 2012., odnosno 18,9 i 33,4% u 2013. godini. Prema pravilniku Svetske zdravstvene organizacije (WHO) nedozvoljeni nivoi AFB1 (>20 µg/kg) i FBs (>2000 µg/kg) utvrđeni su u 30,6% i 24,1% uzoraka u 2012., odnosno u 16,7% i 40% uzoraka u 2013. godini. Na osnovu dobijenih rezultata zaključeno je da su visoke temperature i niske količine padavina u 2012. godini uslovile značajno veću učestalost A. flavus i visoku produkciju AFB1 u poredjenju sa vrstom F. verticillioides i produkcijom FBs. U obe ispitivane godine (2012-2013), između učestalosti A. flavus i F. verticillioides nije ustanovljena pozitivna korelacija, dok je statistički značajna pozitivna korelacija ustanovljena između nivoa AFB1 i FBs. Ovo ukazuje da produkcija mikotoksina je više zavisna od vremenskih uslova u odnosu na distribuciju toksigenih vrsta gljiva

CBRN crime scene management and investigation

Investigation of a CBRN incident has to be conducted in a systematic, objective, and timely manner in order to collect, preserve and analyse physical evidence from the associated site to be admissible in a criminal or civil proceeding, as well as in prosecution of acts of terrorism and war crimes. The inherently hazardous character of a crime scene involving CBRN agents adds complexity to investigative actions and requires additional expertise, equipment and conditions. The specific investigation strategies are necessary, together with the adapted CBRN detection equipment and forensics methods and procedures. This paper deals with the management of a CBRN crime scene and the specifics of investigation process, including interfaces between CBRN safety and security, and emergency response. The necessary framework, the conduct of operations, and an integrated command structure are outlined. The role of the technical support organisations with adequate CBRN expertises is emphasised