Tanja Petrović draws on interviews with dozens of veterans of the Yugoslav People’s Army to show how their experiences in the military provided a framework for bringing the key political ideas of ...collectivity, solidarity, egalitarianism, education, and comradeship into being.
Due to its divergent chemical composition and good nutritional properties, pollen is not only important as a potential food supplement but also as a good substrate for the development of different ...microorganisms. Among such microorganisms, toxigenic fungi are extremely dangerous as they can synthesize mycotoxins as a part of their metabolic pathways. Furthermore, favorable conditions that enable the synthesis of mycotoxins (adequate temperature, relative humidity, pH, and a
values) are found frequently during pollen collection and/or production process. Internationally, several different mycotoxins have been identified in pollen samples, with a noted predominance of aflatoxins, ochratoxins, fumonisins, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, and T-2 toxin. Mycotoxins are, generally speaking, extremely harmful for humans and other mammals. Current EU legislation contains guidelines on the permissible content of this group of compounds, but without information pertaining to the content of mycotoxins in pollen. Currently only aflatoxins have been researched and discussed in the literature in regard to proposed limits. Therefore, the aim of this review is to give information about the presence of different mycotoxins in pollen samples collected all around the world, to propose possible aflatoxin contamination pathways, and to emphasize the importance of a regular mycotoxicological analysis of pollen. Furthermore, a suggestion is made regarding the legal regulation of pollen as a food supplement and the proposed tolerable limits for other mycotoxins.
To collect and unify data about all geothermal resources in Serbia, a database was formed. The database allows us to perceive the geothermal resources of Serbia and their potential for utilization. ...Based on the data available in the geothermal database, the estimated temperatures of reservoirs, heat power, and geothermal energy utilization were calculated. The database contains 293 geothermal records (springs, boreholes) registered at 160 locations, with groundwater temperatures in the range between 20 and 111 °C. The maximum expected temperature of the reservoir is 146 °C according to the use of a SiO
2
geothermometer. Some thermal water is cooled due to mixing with cold, shallow water. Geothermal resources are mostly used for balneology and recreation, and less for heating, water supply, bottling, fish and animal farms, agriculture, and industrial. 26% of all geothermal resources is used by the local population or has not been used at all. The annual utilization of geothermal energy for direct heat is 1507 TJ/yr, and the estimated capacity of geothermal energy in Serbia is 111 MWt. The results of analytical work were presented in the form of maps with a geological and hydrogeological background. Thermal waters are mostly located within an area of Tertiary magmatism. Three geothermal potential areas are identified in Serbia: Pannonian basin-Vojvodina Province, the Mačva-Srem area and area from Jošanička Banja to Vranjska Banja (southern Serbia). Based on chemical analyses, four hydrochemical facies are distinguished. Thermal water mainly belongs to the NaHCO
3
or CaMgHCO
3
hydrochemical facies, usually depending on the primary aquifer type: karst, karst-fissured, intergranular or fissured.
Differences in the seed testing rules for domestic trade (Regulation on the quality of seeds of agricultural plants Sl. SFRJ 47/1987) and export (International rules for seed testing - ISTA rules) ...are the reason for the lack of consistency in the seed testing and the interpretation of the obtained results. For certain species, there are even different test methods, which can additionally lead to inconsistent test results of the same seed lot. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to highlight the differences that exist and point out the need to harmonize national and international rules for seed testing. Through this review, the main differences during sampling and the most common methods of seed testing are shown: purity, germination, 1000 seed weight and moisture content. Differences in the quality control of test conditions are also shown, which laboratories that have both, national and international accreditation, must pay attention to. International rules (ISTA) are changed every year, at the initiative of member laboratories, based on new research and experiences from laboratories around the world. Harmonization of national and international rules for seed testing would greatly facilitate work in laboratories and contribute to uniform criteria for seed testing and reporting of test results.
The distribution of the high concentrations of arsenic (As) and fluoride (F-) in groundwater on a Pan-European scale could be explained by the geological European context (lithology and structural ...faults). To test this hypothesis, seventeen countries and eighteen geological survey organizations (GSOs) have participated in the dataset. The methodology has used the HydroGeoToxicity (HGT) and the Baseline Concentration (BLC) index. The results prove that most of the waters considered in this study are in good conditions for drinking water consumption, in terms of As and/or F- content. A low proportion of the analysed samples present HGT≥ 1 levels (4% and 7% for As and F-, respectively). The spatial distribution of the highest As and/or F- concentrations (via BLC values) has been analysed using GIS tools. The highest values are identified associated with fissured hard rock outcrops (crystalline rocks) or Cenozoic sedimentary zones, where basement fractures seems to have an obvious control on the distribution of maximum concentrations of these elements in groundwaters.
Display omitted
•Geological context is crucial in the spatial analysis of arsenic and fluoride.•HydroGeoToxicity (HGT) assesses quality of groundwater as drinking-water.•BaseLine Concentration (BLC) give the most significant geogenic anomalies.•Structural control is relevant in the distribution of arsenic in porous aquifers.•Lithology is pivotal in fluoride distribution (e.g. fissured hard rocks).
The concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As) were determined in 455 samples of 27 species of vegetables and 28 different processed vegetables collected during the ...period from January 2015 to December 2017. Vegetables (n = 387) and vegetable products (n = 68) originated from 31 countries, including Serbia. The samples were analysed by inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The concentrations of Cd, Pb, Hg and As in the vegetables and vegetable products were compared to the maximum levels set by the European Union and the Serbian legislation. The concentration of mercury was less than the limit of detection in each analysed sample. One or multiple measurable toxic metals (Cd, Pb and/or As) were found in 250 samples (54.9%; n = 455). According to the Regulations which were valid until the end of August 2021, the maximum levels of Cd, Pb and As were exceeded in 19 samples (4.2% of the samples of vegetable and vegetable products; n = 455), i.e. in 13 samples of vegetables: Cd in three, Pb in nine and As in one sample and in 6 samples of vegetables products: Cd in three, Pb in one and As in two samples. Regarding the new EU and Serbian legislation which is valid since September 2021 the maximum levels of Cd and Pb for vegetables and vegetable products were exceeded in 118 samples (25.9% of the samples of vegetable and vegetable products; n = 455), i.e. in 95 samples of vegetables: Cd in 67 and Pb in 28 samples and in 23 samples of vegetable products: Cd in 20 and Pb in 3 samples.
This article offers insight into the meanings of the unprecedented political potential of humor in the early twenty-first century by discussing three parodic forms of contemporary political humor: ...carnivalesque politics, parodic reworkings of political discourses, and political protests and satirical activism. Revealing how political parody both produces ambiguity and hinges on it, the article proposes a shift in attention from its effects and capacity to promote or hinder a political change, and from the domination versus resistance binary, toward ambivalent political subjectivities that unfold in the production and consumption of political parody. The ambiguity of political parody, its reflexivity, and its capacity to build or reconfigure affective communities are workings of political humor that enable individuals to embrace their own involvement and vulnerability and the ambiguous and unpredictable moral consequences of their complex positioning as an authentic and potentially productive form of engaging with political reality.
In this article, the presence and physiological characteristics of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from traditionally made cheese from Southeastern Serbia were examined. Three samples, from ...different households, were obtained in spring. The screening of antagonistic potentials, using agar‐well diffusion method, was evaluated. Briefly, three different genera of LAB (Enterococcus 32%, Lactococcus 53%, and Lactobacillus 15%) were identified. The members of the genus Enterococcus were Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis. The member of genus Lactococcus was Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis var. diacetylactis. The members of genus Lactobacillus were Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei. The antagonism of LAB on the growth of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Proteus mirabilis ATCC 12453, Klebsiella oxytoca KGPMF1, Klebsiella ornithinolytica KGPMF8, and Aeromonas hydrophila was examined. All tested isolates inhibited the growth of at least one indicator strain with growth inhibition zone from 10 to 21 mm. Results indicated that LAB demonstrated the potential of food biopreservation.
Practical applications
Traditionally made cheeses represent excellent source of unexplored microflora, especially of autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB). In cheese from Sokobanja, the isolated LAB genera were Lactobacillus sp., Lactococcus sp., and Enterococcus sp. Also, the physiological activity of LAB, as well as their interaction with enterobacteria, which also was isolated from the mentioned cheese, was investigated. The results of this study demonstrated potential of LAB to interact agonistically with the growth of enterobacteria, which was important due to the well‐known fact that enterobacteria could affect the organoleptic properties of cheese. LAB showed potential of food biopreservation. Further investigation should include antagonistic potential related to food‐borne bacteria and the mechanisms of action.
Isotopes of hydrogen (
3
H,
2
H) and oxygen (
18
O) are perfect candidates for groundwater tracers. A survey of isotopic composition of 34 groundwater samples and one Lake from Vojvodina region ...(Serbia) is presented here. Tritium activity concentration and stable isotope composition (δ
2
H, δ
18
O), as well as deuterium excess, were determined. The groundwater samples lie on the groundwater regression line. Minor deviations and a few lower deuterium excess values indicate waters recharged in a different climate regime and subjected to evaporation, respectively. According to the obtained results, most of the analyzed groundwater can be characterized as modern waters, recharged mostly from precipitation.
The European Commission has established legislation for toxic metals in certain foodstuffs in order to protect public health already in 1993. After several amendments, new maximum levels for cadmium ...and lead in certain foods were set as per 30 and 31 August 2021 for lead and cadmium, respectively. The new Serbian Regulation on "maximum levels of certain contaminants in food" is fully harmonised with this European legislation. The concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and arsenic (As) were determined in 832 samples of 39 species of fruits and processed fruits, collected during the period January 2015 to December 2017. Fruits and fruit products originated from 45 countries, including Serbia. Samples were analysed by inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Concentrations of cadmium, lead, mercury, and arsenic in fruits and fruit products were compared to these maximum levels (MLs). Overall, measurable Cd, Pb, Hg, and As were found in 377 samples (45.3%). According to the former regulations, the maximum levels of Cd and Pb for analysed fruits and fruit products were exceeded in only 10 samples (1.20%; n = 832): Cd in 6 and Pb in 4 samples, but according to the latest regulations, the maximum levels of Cd and Pb for fruits were exceeded in 196 of the samples (23.9%; n = 820): Cd in 191 and Pb in 5 samples. The increase of ML exceedances shows that attention needs to be paid for compliance of food to the recent MLs for these metals.
PDF
