Many terrestrial orchid species are known to grow in forest ecosystems, but the patterns of their diversity and habitat specialization have not been sufficiently explored. Niche parameters and ...factors influencing the distribution, abundance and composition of forest orchids in the central Balkans were investigated in the present study. Outlying mean index (OMI) analysis was used to explore ecological niches of orchids and environmental factors affecting the patterns of their distribution. Indicator species analysis was performed to identify species presenting strong affinity for specific forest and bedrock types. In addition, similarity profile analysis was applied to classify orchid taxa into meaningful groups, whereas the multi-response permutation procedure was used to analyse differences of orchid composition between forest types. Out of a total of 40 orchid species and subspecies analysed, 29 showed significant niche marginality. The first three axes of the OMI analysis explained 68.13% of total variability. Light, temperature, moisture, nitrogen and altitude were found to be the factors most effectively influencing the distribution and abundance of orchids. Seven orchids had statistically significant strong affinity for specific forest types, whereas eight orchids were statistically significantly correlated with specific bedrock types. Overall, six ecological groups of orchids were distinguished. The results suggest that specialist orchids occur at the extreme ends of the light, temperature, soil pH, moisture and altitude gradients. Moreover, most specialist orchid species were found from low to middle elevations. The results provide a useful basis for the successful design of strategies for the conservation of forest orchids.
The research problem of this article is growing challenges to acceptance and relatively slow adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) based healthcare technologies in day-to-day practice among healthcare ...professionals. Many studies have offered important insight into the adoption of IoT-based healthcare technologies among employees and patients, but the attitudes of health technicians-professionals have rarely been researched. Research aimed to examine the readiness for adoption of IoT healthcare technologies as an assistive technology in the rehabilitation therapy among technician employees in the clinic for rehabilitation in Belgrade. In this study, we propose an integrated research model based on two perspective models - Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Our model includes variables from TAM: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitudes; TPB: attitudes and subjective norm and inclusion of personal innovativeness. The model is tested on responses obtained from a survey of 85 healthcare professionals the in clinic for rehabilitation in Belgrade, Serbia. The findings suggest that the intention to adopt IoT healthcare technologies in a rehabilitation process is positively influenced by perceived usefulness, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived ease of use, and personal innovativeness. We found no evidence that age and gender influenced the intention to adopt or use IoT healthcare technologies. This study contributes with an empirical attempt that includes healthcare technicians-physiotherapists in enhancing the adoption and application of IoT healthcare technologies as assistive technologies. Findings can help countries in the region conduct similar research among healthcare professionals.
This paper aims to research, critically interpret and synthesize the metaarchitectural work of Dr. Predrag Ristić, a Serbian and Yugoslav architect and artist (1931-2019). The focus is on Ristić's ...production of meta-architecture, exploring his role as an engaged individual who intervenes in an intellectually dissident manner beyond official academic institutions, while contributing to the cultural liberalization within the social context of the Yugoslav paradigm during the second half of the twentieth century. Metaarchitecture, in this sense, can be seen as a broader semiological construct encompasing the ability and will to create ontological signs, epistemological events or methodological objects that extend beyond the architectural domain into the realms of art and culture, shaping forms of social history and criticism. The analysis of Ristić's work will be carried out in two distinct directions, reflecting two phases of his creative activity, each associated with specific theoretical paradigms. Ristić's earlier phase during the 1960s and 1970s, marked by a techno-pessimistic and techno-critical observation of the world (from the Kajmakčalan church to several Thanatopolis projects), is analytically linked to non-philosophy as an anti-dogmatic phenomenological concept. On the other hand, his later creative aspirations from the 1980s are interpreted through his semioanthropological approach to the Mesolithic culture of Lepenski Vir, a subject of his PhD thesis, which connects to hypermetaphysics as a comparative conceptual formation.
The proposed exploitation of the Jadar Valley lithium/borate deposit in Serbia, by the Rio Tinto Corporation, indicates that it would become large-scale processing of boron- and lithium-containing ...ore. It would be one of the world’s very first lithium mines in populated and agricultural area. The company claims that the envisioned mining will be in accordance with environmental protection requirements. The Jadar Valley deposits have been claimed to cover 90% of Europe’s current lithium needs. Yet, local opposition to the mining has arisen due to potential devastating impacts on groundwater, soil, water usage, biodiversity loss, and waste accumulation. Research drilling by the mining company has already produced environmental damage, with mine water containing high levels of boron leaking from exploratory wells and causing crops to dry out. Furthermore, our investigations reveal substantially elevated downstream concentrations of boron, arsenic, and lithium in nearby rivers as compared to upstream regions. Additionally, here we show that soil samples exhibit repeated breaches of remediation limit values with environmental consequences on both surface and underground waters. With the opening of the mine, problems will be multiplied by the tailings pond, mine wastewater, noise, air pollution, and light pollution, endangering the lives of numerous local communities and destroying their freshwater sources, agricultural land, livestock, and assets.
Understanding patterns of species diversity along an altitudinal gradient is the major topic of much biogeographical and ecological research. The aim of this study was to explore how richness and ...density of orchid species and subspecies in terms of different categories of underground organ systems and pollination systems vary along an altitudinal gradient in the central Balkans. The altitudinal gradient of the study area was divided into 21 100-m vertical intervals. Data were analyzed using both non-linear and linear regressions with three data sets (total orchids, orchids of forest habitats, orchids of non-forest habitats) in the case of species richness and three data sets (total orchids—total area, forest orchids—forest area, and orchids of non-forest habitats—non-forest area) in the case of species density. The results showed a hump-shaped pattern of orchid richness and density, peaking at 900–1,000 m. The richness and density of orchids of forest habitats are generally slightly greater than the richness and density of orchids of non-forest habitats in lowland areas, whereas the orchids of herbaceous vegetation types dominating at high altitudes. Tuberous orchids dominate in low and mid-altitude areas, orchids with palmately lobed and fusiform tubers (“intermediate orchids”) dominate at high altitudes, while rhizomatous orchids are predominate in mid-altitude forest stands. Both deceptive and self-pollinated orchids show a unimodal trend with a peak at mid-altitude areas. This study underlines the importance of low and mid-altitude areas for the survival of deceptive orchids and the importance of mid- and high-altitude areas for the survival of rewarding orchids. In addition, forest habitats at mid-altitudes have been shown to be crucial for the survival of self-pollinated orchids. The results suggest that the altitudinal patterns of orchid richness and density in the central Balkans are determined by mechanisms related to land area size and habitat cover, partially confirming the species-area relationship (SAR) hypothesis. This study contributes significantly to a better understanding of the potential impacts of habitat changes on orchid diversity, thereby facilitating more effective conservation planning.
Bovine mastitis causes changes in the milk and serum proteomes. Here changes in both proteomes caused by naturally occurring subclinical and clinical mastitis have been characterised and quantified. ...Milk and serum samples from healthy dairy cows (n = 10) were compared to those of cows with subclinical (n = 12) and clinical mastitis (n = 10) using tandem mass tag (TMT) proteomics. Proteins that significantly increased or decreased in milk (n = 237) or serum (n = 117) were quantified and classified by the type of change in subclinical and clinical mastitis. A group of the proteins (n = 38) showed changes in both milk and serum a number of which decreased in the serum but increased in milk, suggesting a particular role in host defence for maintaining and restoring homeostasis during the disease. Proteins affected by bovine mastitis included proteins in host defence and coagulation pathways. Investigation of the modified proteomes in milk and serum was assessed by assays for haptoglobin, serum amyloid A and α1 acid glycoprotein validating the results obtained by quantitative proteomics. Alteration of abundance patterns of milk and serum proteins, together with pathway analysis reveal multiple interactions related to proteins affected by mastitis. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD022595.
Mastitis is the most serious condition to affect dairy cows and leads to reduced animal welfare as well as having a negative economic effect for the dairy industry. Proteomics has previously identified changes in abundance of milk proteins during mastitis, but there have been few investigations addressing changes that may affect proteins in the blood during the infection. In this study, changes in the abundance of proteins of milk and serum, caused by naturally occurring mastitis have been characterised by proteomics using a quantitative approach and both subclinical and clinical cases of mastitis have been investigated. In both milk and serum, change in individual proteins was determined and classified into varying types of altering abundance, such as increasing in subclinical mastitis, but showing no further increase in clinical mastitis. Of special interest were the proteins that altered in abundance in both milk and serum which either showed similar trends - increasing or decreasing in both biological fluids or showed reciprocal change decreasing in serum but increasing in milk. As well as characterising proteins as potential markers of mastitis and the severity of the disease, these results provide insight into the pathophysiology of the host response to bovine mastitis.
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•Proteomes of milk and serum in mastitis have been quantified by TMT proteomics.•Changes in the abundance of many milk and serum proteins occur in mastitis.•Haptoglobin and serum amyloid A increase in milk and serum in mastitis.•β-2 microglobulin and β-casein decrease in milk and serum during mastitis.•α2-macroglobulin and apolipoprotein A2 increase in milk but decrease in serum.
This paper presents CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) approach to prediction of the heat transfer coefficient for nucleate pool boiling under high heat fluxes. Three-dimensional numerical ...simulations of the atmospheric saturated pool boiling are performed. Mathematical modelling of pool boiling requires a treatment of vapor-liquid two-phase mixture on the macro level, as well as on the micro level, such as bubble growth and departure from the heating surface. Two-phase flow is modelled by the two-fluid model, which consists of the mass, momentum and energy conservation equations for each phase. Interface transfer processes are calculated by the closure laws. Micro level phenomena on the heating surface are modelled with the bubble nucleation site density, the bubble resistance time on the heating wall and with the certain level of randomness in the location of bubble nucleation sites. The developed model was used to determine the heat transfer coefficient and results of numerical simulations are compared with available experimental results and several empirical correlations. A considerable scattering of the predictions of the pool boiling heat transfer coefficient by experimental correlations is observed, while the numerically predicted values are within the range of results calculated by well-known Kutateladze, Mostinski, Kruzhilin and Rohsenow correlations. The presented numerical modeling approach is original regarding both the application of the two-fluid two-phase model for the determination of heat transfer coefficient in pool boiling and the defined boundary conditions at the heated wall surface. Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 174014
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