Search

The cultivated lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) is the most widely grown forage legume, mainly due to its high nutritive quality and yield. The objective of this study was to provide information about the optimal seeding rate and row spacing for alfalfa cultivation under rainfed conditions in the Republic of North Macedonia. Alfalfa was sown in the fall of 2020 using randomized complete block design in a split-split plot arrangement with three replications. The effects of two seeding rates (8 and 16 kg ha-1 ) and two row spaces (20 and 40 cm) were examined on the fresh forage yield (FFY) and dry matter yield (DMY) of four alfalfa cultivars. Based on the evaluation, the sowing method (row spacing) and cultivar choice have shown a significant impact on the obtained forage yield. Higher average yield of fresh (73.7 t ha-1 ) and dry (20.3 t ha-1 ) forage was achieved at a sowing distance of 20 cm. Since the seeding rate did not significantly impact the FFY and DMY, in regions with a temperate climate, it is recommended that lower seeding rates than 16 kg ha-1 should be used in order to have sufficient and cost-effective alfalfa production. The inevitable issues for increasing alfalfa production are the selection of an appropriate cultivar with good adaptability to recent climate change within compatible establishment methods.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease characterized by dysbiosis. Modulation of the gut microbiota by oligosaccharides and aerobic training are proposed mechanisms that ameliorate the disease through affecting host-microbiota interactions.

Carvacrol is a major component of many essential oils of the genus Thymus, Satureja, and Origanum, determining their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and other properties. The aim of the present study was to investigate some physicochemical and biological properties of pure carvacrol. The surface tension and density were measured at six different temperatures (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80°C). The surface tension values were between 53.11 and 60.38 mN/m, while density varied from 0.978 to 0.99 kg/m3. The antibacterial activity against seven pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic bacteria was investigated. The diameter of the inhibition zones was determined in the range of 3.9–4.9 mm. The antioxidant activity was determined by the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (1687.0 µmol TE/mL) method.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is characterized with decreased microbial diversity. Gut microbiota is essential for the normal physiological functioning of many organs, especially the brain. Prebiotics are selectively fermentable oligosaccharides [xylooligosaccharides (XOS), galactooligosaccharides, etc.] that promote the growth and activity of gut microbes and influence the gut–brain axis. Aerobic exercise is a non-pharmacological approach for the control of diabetes and could improve cognitive functions. The potential beneficial effect of XOS and/or aerobic training on cognition, the lipid profile and oxidative stress markers of experimental rats were evaluated in this study. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three streptozotocin-induced diabetic groups and a control group. Some of the rats, either on a XOS treatment or a standard diet, underwent aerobic training. The results showed that the aerobic training independently lowered the total cholesterol levels compared to the sedentary diabetic rats (p = 0.032), while XOS lowers the malondialdehyde levels in the trained diabetic rats (p = 0.034). What is more the exercise, independently or in combination with XOS beneficially affected all parameters of the behavioral tests. We conclude that aerobic exercises alone or in a combination with the prebiotic XOS could ameliorate the dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and cognitive abilities in experimental type 1 diabetic animals.

ABSTRACTThis paper is introducing analyses of new design of the automatic identification system (AIS) ships antenna that will serve for both VHF-band radio and satellite tracking and identification system for maritime applications. The current AIS network is an automatic tracking system used by ships of vessel traffic service for identification and location of vessels by electronically exchanging data between nearby ships and on-shore base station. In the AIS system for the electronic data exchange, the very high frequency (VHF) range is used. Utilizing of the VHF range makes the AIS as short-range communication, identification and collision avoidance system between AIS equipped ships and base station is possible in the antennas line-of-sight . In order to widen the range of the AIS from short range up to long or global range, AIS communication should be used via a satellite. In order to provide communication via satellite as well should be designed multifunctional antenna for both radio AIS (R-AIS) and satellite AIS (S-AIS) communication antenna. The analyses and design of a new multifunctional antenna, calculation and development, including implementation and testing of helical VHF antenna for R-AIS and S-AIS equipment are discussed.

In this work, an experimental study of CO2 reforming of methane in a microchannel reactor was carried out. Two types of microchannel reactors were used in the experiments: a slot ring channel with a catalyst applied to the outer surface of the inner cylinder, a pack of corrugated plates, on the surface of which the catalyst was applied.

In this experimental work we present the effect of thermal treatment of azopolymer thin films on their absorbance spectra and how that influences the photoinduced birefringence of the azopolymer. The azopolymer we use – PAZO (poly[1-[4-(3-carboxy-4-hydroxyphenylazo)benzenesulfonamido]-1,2ethanediyl, sodium salt]) is commonly investigated material for polarization holography because it is easily accessible and has well pronounced photoanisotropic properties. In a recent study it was discovered that its absorbance spectrum gradually changes upon heating to 250°C and as a result the absorbance in the range 400-600 nm is increased. That raises the question is it possible to increase the photoinduced birefringence for wavelengths that are far away from the peak of absorbance of the azopolymer PAZO, located approximately at 360 nm. For example, there are powerful lasers at 532 nm, which could be used for optical recording instead of traditionally used lasers in the blue and UV range. To answer this question, we investigated thin film samples of PAZO deposited on quartz substrate and measured continually their spectra of absorbance while heating the samples from room temperature to 250°C. We also measured the photoinduced birefringence using pump laser at 532 nm before and after the thermal procedure. Thus, we report significant increase of the birefringence at 532 nm after the thermal treatment and mention some potential applications.

The effect of the treatment with lyophilized antioxidant extracts of wild basil (Clinopodium vulgare L.) and basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) in rabbit meat on pH, colour and myoglobin changes during refrigerated and frozen storage was investigated. The experimental design included 3 groups of meat – one control and two treated with lyophilized plant extracts (in amount 1:100). The meat was derived from three carcass parts- loin, hind leg and fore leg The meat samples were stored at 4°C for 7 days, after that the storage proceeded for 90 days at -45°C. The study demonstrated different effect of the plant antioxidants on pH and colour, as well as the changes in the myoglobin and its redox forms that depended on the carcass part. The values of pH and decreased during frozen storage. The treatment with plant extracts and storage led to considerable discoloration of the meat from hind leg and fore leg, displayed by decrease of the redness, corresponding to lower percentage of OMb but higher of MetMb. The results suggest certain pro oxidative effect of the plant extracts in this study and require further research with different doses, storage times and temperatures in order to determine the optimal antioxidant application.

It is accepted that energy is among the main, if not the most important, anthropogenic source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. It is for this reason that many efforts are aimed at finding alternative, non-CO2-emitting energy sources. For several decades, large-scale projects have been invested in the construction of solar and wind power plants, which are claimed to be the most environmentally friendly way to obtain energy. Today, the European Green Deal and international climate policy are currently among most actual topical political and economic topics. How true is this and is this energy capable of solving the “greenhouse effect” problem? Is it capable of meeting our needs for reliable, consistent and cheap energy? Is the “greenhouse effect” caused by human activity at all? These are questions that this article seeks to answer. I am well aware that I am going to violate the purportedly consensual, common understanding of these matters I am also aware of the existence of certain, albeit unwritten, limitations in expressing opinions on these issues. But I am convinced that science is a sequence of stated hypotheses, their denial, challenge, improvement, modification and so on. That is, science is not a place for searching for consensus, but for a productive dispute leading to the correct conclusions.

The earliest surviving sound evidence of music and musicians from Bulgaria is on commercial gramophone records from the early XX century. Although unique sources for ethnomusicological and historical research, these commercial recordings are little known and almost unexplored. The proposed text sets out to collect and describe information on the first decade of commercial gramophone recordings in Bulgaria. The basis for the research is sound evidence from scholarly and museum archives and private collections; music company catalogues, labels on gramophone records, discographies; and supporting information - texts and advertising images from newspapers, memoirs and memoir literature as primary and secondary sources. The sought ethnomusicological approach is achieved through a combination of different research methods: ethnographic, historical, discographic, cultural, anthropological. The results of the research present the role of commercial recordings in musical and popular culture in Bulgaria in the years leading up to the First World War, cultural life, musical history, musicing, intercultural interactions, the cultural choices of Western and local, Slavic and Balkan, traditional music in non-traditional modern contexts, art music in popular contexts, and the role of professional musicians.

Engineering analysis of motor vehicle collisions as a complex type of research combines the application of scientific approaches from different fields: mechanics, mathematics, structural design, etc. This implies accurate and unambiguous determination of input data and their application in computational procedures for finding solutions in iterative mode. Hence, the reason to apply the specific research method of information modelling in the present study to one of the main types of road accidents, namely the pedestrian-car collision.

The rapid development of high power electronic, energy systems has led us to the fact that the performance of these systems is limited by their cooling capacity. Spray cooling is one of the most effective methods for cooling heated surfaces. The efficiency of heat transfer from the heated surface depends on many of the integral parameters of the flows (flow rates of liquid, gas, their thermophysical properties, surface properties), and on the size and distribution of droplets formed in the nozzle, their density and velocity, the properties of the surface and material of heated objects, and the temperature value. In this work, the efficiency of heat transfer from a heated copper surface by a rarefied gas-spray flow created by two similar types of nozzles in the mode of a small amount of liquid supplied is experimentally studied.

Background: Stress associated with learning of a psychomotor task can influence the trainees learning ability. Surgical simulation is a validated training milieu designed to replicate real-life situations, prevent biases and provide objective metrics. However, the complexity of stress mechanisms and the absence of a reliable detection method make stress estimation difficult to quantify and to interpret.

To establish baseline values for concentrations of terrestrial radionuclides for the Republic of North Macedonia, a survey covering the entire territory was performed. The 213 soil samples were collected from regions around the major settlements and cities, approximately evenly distributed over the geotectonic units which constitute the country's geological foundation. The specific activities of radionuclides were measured by gamma spectrometry. The following geometric mean values and geometric standard deviations were obtained: 550 Bqkg–1 (1.47) for 40K, 37 Bqkg–1 (1.53) for 226Ra, 38 Bqkg–1 for 238U, and 38 Bqkg–1 (1.53) for 232Th in dry soil. The relation between specific activities of natural radionuclides and geology was investigated. Correlation between radionuclides, which may serve as additional geochemical indicators, and geology could not be found convincingly. Mutual correlations between 226Ra, 238U, and 232Th activities were found to be high (Spearman ρ about 0.8), whereas the ones between these and 40K are a bit lower, somewhat above ρ= 0.6.

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the influence of socio-economic environment on the processes of sexual maturation and the age of adolescent's menarche from the Eastern Rhodopi. Subjects of study are 1378 children and adolescents from local schools in Ivaylovgrad, Svilengrad and Lyubimets. These are 730 girls and 648 boys aged 8 to 17 years. In connection with studying the influence of environmental factors on the sexual maturation processes, interviews with parents were conducted . The survey contains 22 questions with parents' data, which were used to clarify the social, economic and professional status, living conditions of family life, etc. The results show that although genetically determinated, the processes of sexual maturation are significantly influenced by exogenous factors, and in a peculiar way they reflect the specific social and economic situation in a given geographical area at a randomly selected time period.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by decreased air flow and is associated with abnormal chronic inflammation in the airways and extensive tissue remodeling. Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP7) is produced primarily by the epithelium of many organs, including the lungs. A functional MMP7 –181A>G (rs11568818) promoter polymorphism influences the binding of nuclear regulatory proteins modulating the transcription of the gene. In this study, we genotyped 191 patients with COPD for MMP7 –181A>G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and 215 control subjects using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method and explored the role of that polymorphism as a risk factor for COPD. There were no differences in the genotype and allele distribution of the MMP7 –181A>G SNP between the COPD patients and control groups (p = 0.341 and p = 0.214). However, the carries of the G allele (AG and GG genotypes), appeared to develop COPD significantly earlier than those with the AA genotype (61.01 ± 10.11 vs. 64.87 ± 9.00 years, p = 0.032). When the genotype distribution was studied only in the groups of patients (n = 76) and controls (n = 106) younger than 60 years, we found significantly higher frequency of the carriers of the G allele in COPD patients than in the controls, determining about a 3-fold higher risk for COPD [odds ratio (OR) –3.33, 1.36-8.14, p = 0.008 for GG, and OR = 2.91, 1.38-6.13, p = 0.005 for AG+GG]. Based on our results, the MMP7 –181A>G promoter variant may influence early development of COPD. This effect could be attributed to the increased production of the enzyme resulting in enhanced airway wall protein degradation and injury.

Open-ended tasks can be decomposed into the three levels of Newell's Cognitive Band: the Unit-Task level, the Operation level, and the Deliberate-Act level. We analyzed the video game Co-op Space Fortress at these levels, reporting both the match of a cognitive model to subject behavior and the use of electroencephalogram (EEG) to track subject cognition. The Unit Task level in this game involves coordinating with a partner to kill a fortress. At this highest level of the Cognitive Band, there is a good match between subject behavior and the model. The EEG signals were also strong enough to track when Unit Tasks succeeded or failed. The intermediate Operation level in this task involves legs of flight to achieve a kill. The EEG signals associated with these operations are much weaker than the signals associated with the Unit Tasks. Still, it was possible to reconstruct subject play with much better than chance success. There were significant differences in the leg behavior of subjects and models. Model behavior did not provide a good basis for interpreting a subject's behavior at this level. At the lowest Deliberate-Act level, we observed overlapping key actions, which the model did not display. Such overlapping key actions also frustrated efforts to identify EEG signals of motor actions. We conclude that the Unit-task level is the appropriate level both for understanding open-ended tasks and for using EEG to track the performance of open-ended tasks.

Accurate and precise milk recording is one of the most important moments for a successful selection of milking goats. In this context, breeders are constantly making efforts to find the most suitable and cheapest methods for conducting of tests for milk production. The goal of this research was to compare the A4 method (as referent method) with AC method (as alternative method), for determination of milk production, on the day of recording of the indigenous Balkan goat, in the period of 2014-2016 with milking of goats in the morning and evening. It was determined that the difference between the predicted daily milk yield with one milking (in the morning or evening) and the measured milk yield using the A4 method is too low and almost negligible. With the analysis of all factors (year, lactation and number of milk tests), it was determined that the prediction of total daily milk yield, based on the evening milking, provides more accurate result, in relation to the prediction during morning milking, in cases when using the AC method.

This investigation has been carried out at Badinska River watershed - one of the most famous torrents in Bulgaria. The purpose of the survey is tos analyse the main erosion factors and erosion potential of territories, with a view to assess soil erosion risk and opportunity of high water formation from watershed. A methodical approach for determination and mapping of the territories in terms of the class of erosion risk with the use of GIS is applied. Assessments are made according to the “Methodology for preparing the national long term programme for protection against erosion and flooding in forestlands”. The total assessment for Badinska river watershed is “low to moderate” potential risk and “very low to low” actual erosion risk. About of 5% of the forest stock territory is with “moderate” and “moderate to high” actual risk, and the biggest part of this territory (about 63%) is in the main stream watershed above the Yaloviko tributary.

The some physochemical and chemical properties of the clary sage (Salvia sclarea L.) essential oil were determined. The main constituents in the clary sage essential oil (above 2%) were: linalyl acetate (34.62%), β-linalool (17.67%), α-muurolene (8.27%), β-caryophyllene (5.60%), α-ylangene (5.18%), α-terpineol (4.84%), n-docosane (3.00%), and neryl acetate (2.34%).The thermodynamic and thermal properties of essential oil and its main components were investigated.

The aim of the present study was to determine the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of biomass obtained from black pine (Pinus nigra Arn.). The biomass, consisting of twigs with needles and needles alone of black pine, was used. Ultimate analysis with the elemental composition of the biomass with respect to the main components such as carbon (C), hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) of the biomass before and after water distillation was made. The high heating value (HHV) and low heating value (LHV), energy density and fuel value index were determined. Thermodynamic (Gibbs energy, enthalpy, and entropy) and kinetic (activation energy, the rate constant of the process, and reaction order) parameters of the biomass were calculated.

The article discusses findings of an assemblage of flint tools from the settlement of Durankulak-Blatnitsa dated to the early stages of the Late Neolithic Hamandgia culture (Bulgaria). The authors provide characteristics of typological, technical-morphological and functional features of the production toolkit. It is established that mainly local varieties of flint were used here as raw material. The authors suggest some commonalities between the flint inventory from Durankulak-Blatnitsa and Hamandgia sites in Romania, much earlier Neolithic sites in North-Eastern Bulgaria and the Bug-Dniester sites in Moldova. These data are of great importance for elucidation of genesis of the early farming cultures in South-Eastern Europe.

Five oilseed rape genotypes were tested at three sowing dates and harvested at two developmental phases to determine their effects on green forage yield and yield components during 2013/14 growing season. The highest density of canopy was observed at the third sowing date (86 - 157 plants/m2 ). Among five genotypes, AbaKus formed the most plants/m2 - 109, 106 and 157. The highest plant height was observed from the first sowing date (94.7 - 104 cm). The examined genotypes formed most leaves/plant, from 8.1 to 9.9 planted at the first sowing date. The cultivar AbaKus expressed a significantly higher forage yield (61.2 t/ha) during the second harvest phase. Together with cv. Perko, they had the greatest green forage production potential.

The current research concerns the problem of video stabilization “in a point”, which aims to stabilize all video frames according to one chosen reference frame to produce a new video, as by a static camera. Similar task importance relates providing static background in the video sequence that can be usable for correct measurements in the frames when studying dynamic objects in the video. For this aim we propose an efficient combined approach, called “3×3OF9×9”. It fuses our the previous development for fast and rigid 2D video stabilization [2] with the well-known Optical Flow approach, applied by parts via Otsu segmentation, for eliminating the influence of moving objects in the video. The obtained results are compared with those, produced by the commercial software Warp Stabilizer of Adobe-After-Effects CS6.

Introduction: Exogenous hypoxia increases ventilation and contracts the pulmonary vessels. Whether those factors change the values of nitric oxide in exhaled air has not yet been evaluated. Objective: To examine the effect of exogenous normobaric hypoxia on the values of the fraction of nitric oxide in exhaled breath (FeNO). Subjects аnd Methods: Twenty healthy non-smoker males at mean age of 25.4 (SD = 3.7) were tested. The basal FeNO values were compared with those at 7 min. and 15 min. after introducing into the hypoxic environment (hypoxic tent), imitating atmospheric air with oxygen concentration corresponding to 3200 m above sea level. Exhaled breath temperature was measured at baseline and at 10-12 min. of the hypoxic exposition. Heart rate and oxygen saturation were registered by pulse-oximetry. Results: All the subjects had FeNO values in the reference range. The mean baseline value was 14.0 ± 3.2 ppb, and in hypoxic conditions - 15.5 ± 3.8 ppb (7 min.) and 15.3 ± 3.6 ppb (15 min.), respectively, as the elevation is statistically significant (p = 0.011 and p = 0.008). The values of exhaled breath temperature were 33.79 ± 1.55°С and 33.87 ± 1.83°С (p = 0.70) at baseline and in hypoxic conditions, respectively. Baseline oxygen saturation in all subjects was higher than that, measured in hypoxia (96.93 ± 1.29% vs. 94.27 ± 2.53%; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Exogenous hypoxia leads to an increase of FeNO values, but does not affect the exhaled breath temperature.

In this paper is introduced the first proposal for development of Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS) in 1999 by the author of this article. The GADSS is de facto the integration of space (radio and satellite) Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) with Tracking, Detecting and Search and Rescue (SAR) systems, which have to provide airmen with global communications and locating networks. The GPS, GLONASS and other Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) provide precise positioning data for vessels, land vehicles and aircraft, but modern CNS demands need for enhanced services and augmentation of GNSS networks. Both networks have to be integrated under an GADSS umbrella with elements capable of being operated by any individual onboard aircraft to ensure prompt distress alert for SAR procedure. The enhanced concept of GADSS is that SAR authorities ashore and ships in the immediate vicinity of the aircraft in distress have to be rapidly alerted via radio and satellite communication systems and to assist in a coordinated SAR operations with the minimum of delay. In 2016, 16 years in delay, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has begun its process to amend international standards and recommended practices to align with GADSS concept. This paper will also introduce the necessary networks and equipment, which has to ensure harmonized and enhanced maritime and aeronautical global SAR systems.

The main subject of study is the effect the plant proteases bromelain and papain exert on turkey meat tenderness. Experiments are conducted with samples of raw meat in 3 different concentration levels of the enzyme solutions (50U/ml 100U/ml and 200 U/ml) and in 3 different time periods (duration) of treatment (24 h, 48 h, 72h). An increase in enzyme concentration and treatment duration results in a higher degree of protein hydrolysis in the turkey meat. The optimal conditions for hydrolysis with minimal loss of protein and highest retention of organoleptic qualities of the meat samples are established.

Listeria monocytogenes are o distribuţie ubiquitară în natură şi poate contamina produsele alimentare de origine animală, provocând infecţii severe la om. Până în prezent există foarte puține date cu privire la profilurile de rezistenţă ale tulpinilor circulante în România. Scopul acestui studiu a fost determinarea pattern-urilor de rezistenţă la antibiotice ale unor tulpini de L. monocytogenes (n=37) izolate din produse alimentare de origine animală şi din probe clinice. Probele din alimente (carne şi produse lactate), au fost colectate în perioada 2009-2013. Probele clinice au fost recoltate de la pacienţi cu septicemie, meningită/meningo-encefalită, cazuri de avort spontan şi nou-născuţi, spitalizaţi în perioada Aprilie 2010 - Aprilie 2013 în trei Instituţii Medicale din Bucureşti: Spitalul Elias, Spitalul Victor Babes si Institutul Naţional de Boli Infecţioase (INBI) Matei Bals. Toate tulpinile testate au prezentat rezistenţă la cefalosporine şi acidul nalidixic; o tulpină izolată din melci fierţi a fost rezistentă la Trimetoprim/sulfametoxazol. Rezistenţa unora dintre tulpinile analizate la ampicilina, antibiotic de elecţie pentru terapia infecţiilor cauzate de L. monocytogenes, subliniază necesitatea testării in vitro a sensibilitatii la antibiotice a fiecarui izolat clinic pentru a stabili eficienţa diferitelor antibiotice, precum şi a unor studii epidemiologice extinse în scopul stabilirii profilurilor de rezistenţă ale tulpinilor de L. monocytogenes circulante în ţara noastră.

In some fields of industry (especially in aircraft- and helicopter buildings) high requirements are made to the quality of the processed parts surfaces on the final operations. At the same time many operations (surface conditioning, edge cutting, radiussing etc) are done manually with expenditure of sufficient manpower. That’s why problem of mechanization and automatizaton of such final operations for these industries is very acute.

Introduction. Chondrolipomas and osteolipomas are uncommon variants of lipomatous tumors. Case report. We presented a 60-year-old woman with ossifying chondrolipoma of the tongue. Clinical examination revealed a firm nodular mass, located in the midline of the posterior region on the dorsal surface of the tongue. Histologically, the lesion was well-delimited showing areas of mature adipocytes arranged in lobules and separated by fibrous connective tissue septa, islands of mature cartilaginous tissue and osseous metaplasia. Trabeculae of lamellar bone within a fibro-fatty background were visible throughout the tumor. The cartilaginous areas merging centrally with bone formation and fatty marrow tissue were present, as well as the hematopoietic elements in the fatty marrow. The bone forming was found to be through both membranous and enchondral mechanisms. Conclusion. Ossifying chrondrolipoma with hematopoietic elements is extremely unusual lesion. This interesting entity should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of lingual lesions.

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the age dynamics and specificity of the developmental processes of head features in children and adolescents from the region of Eastern Rhodope. To achieve this goal we used transversal data collected for 1481 children and adolescents. 8 head and facial features were measured by the classical methodology of Martin-Saller (1957). Based on the directly recorded features, four indices were calculated. It is a peculiarity of the postnatal growth of all cephalometric features that growth curves are not intersected. Results show that boys have higher dimensions of the features that characterize the cranial and facial parts of the head than those of girls. The dimensions of the cranial part are ahead in its development in comparison to the dimensions of the facial part of the head, as it was observed in both sexes. In both boys and girls, the width cephalometric features complete their growth earlier than the height features. The shape of the head in the children and adolescents under observation is from the category 'mesocephalic', and wider facial shapes dominate in both sexes.

Introduction. Primary acinic cell carcinoma (ACC) is an uncommon malignant neoplasm of the salivary gland (SG), which usually presents as slow growing tumor. Case report. We reported a 69-year-old woman with tumor in the right parotid gland with a 5-year progress. Biopsy sections revealed a hybrid form of ACC with a low- and high-grade component and prominent lymphoid tissue in tumor stroma. Immunohistochemistry was performed to define the molecular profile of this unusual ACC, with special interest for stromal influence on to the proliferative activity of ACC with dedifferentiation. We detected that the level and the type of stromal lymphoid reaction (particularly CD8+/CD4+ ratio) had a significant influence on to Ki-67 index in the high-grade component of ACC, as well as the involvement of the CXCR4 signaling axis in the stromal reaction influence. Conclusion. We suggest that tumor stroma may be a source of potential new tumor biomarkers which can determine the aggressivity of this tumor.[Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 175092]

Oilseed rape is one of the most important sources of vegetable oil in the world. The nutrient demand of oilseed rape is considerably higher than that of cereals. Compared to cereals, winter oilseed rape requires more available nitrogen and this element is an important component with a strong effect on seed yield and quality, but it also affects the reduction of oil content. Winter oliseed rape hybrids with high yield potential might have high nitrogen requirements. On the other hand, the vigor of those plants might also be expressed as improved nitrogen uptake by a vigorous rooting system. In many cases, N fertilisation requirement does not take into account varietal types for Brassica napus L. Furthermore, it is based on fertiliser norm, with corrections according to environmental conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate preliminary results of the influence of nitrogen top dressing on the yield and yield components of 8 winter oil rape hybrids and 2 winter oil rape cultivars. A field trial was carried out in village Gluvo (near Skopje) in 2010/2011. The experimental design was a split-plot with 3 replications and 3 nitrogen regimes as main factors. Fertiliser treatments were: N, N+120 kg N/ha, N + 120 + 70 kg N/ha. N treatment as a base fertiliser corresponded to 70 kg of N/ha. Two ammonium nitrate dressings were broadcast, first on 25 February and then on 15 March. It can be concluded from the results we obtained that twice applied top dressing had statistically significant differences (P = 0.05) on the yield of the hybrids/varieties, number of seed/pods and length of a pod (compared to one application and without top dressing), but did not significantly influence the height of a plant and number of primary branches/plant. On a hybrid/variety level, Hybrirock (KWS), Rohan (NPZ-Lembke) and Albatros (Limagrin) may be considered as the most promising for the Skopje region.

Background. Central nervous system hemangioblastomas (HBs) are uncommon highly vascularized tumors that are predominantly found in the cerebellum. They occur sporadically or in association with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. HBs are of unknown histogenesis, and the origin of stromal cells is still a subject of debate. The aim of this study was to investigate the immunoprofile of neoplastic stromal component, and to determine whether the profile of the expression of immunomarkers used can contribute to the elucidation of the histogenesis of HBs. Methods. A series of eight cerebellar HBs were histochemically examined for the detection of mast cells and immunohistochemically for the expression of factor VIII-related antigen (FVIII-RAg), CD34, vimentin, factor XIIIa (FXIIIa), S-100 protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neuron-specific enolase (NSE) neurofilaments (NF), synaptophysin, chromogranin, and somatostatin. Results. Mast cells were present in all hemangioblastomas, and were particularly abundant in one tumor. Immunohistochemically, intense reactivity for vimentin and NSE in the stromal cells was constantly seen. Immunoreactivity with S-100 protein and FXIIIa was variable, but generally many HBs stromal cells were negative for these markers. However, stromal cells were uniformly negative for FVIII-RAg in all HBs investigated. They were negative for CD34 GFAP, NF, synaptophysin, chromogranin, as well as somatostatin. GFAP-positivity of the occasional stromal type cells, located only peripherally, was interpreted as "pseudopositivity". Conclusion. The immunoprofile of neoplastic stromal component in this study suggested a possible origin from undifferentiated multipotential mesenchymal cells. High expression of NSE (glycolytic and hypoxia-inducible enzyme) in the HBs stromal cells might be related to the loss of the VHL protein function.

The article describes application of an industrial robot with an electric spindle for finish machining of parts made from aluminum alloy V95pchT2 and titanium alloy VT-20 using abrasive brushes. Effects of cutting velocity, brush deformation and supply on machining performance (edge size) and surface quality (positioning and roughness) have been identified. Based on the experimental data, mathematical dependencies have been developed.

We studied collaborative skill acquisition in a dynamic setting with the game Co-op Space Fortress. While gaining expertise, the majority of subjects became increasingly consistent in the role they adopted without being able to communicate. Moreover, they acted in anticipation of the future task state. We constructed a collaborative skill acquisition model in the cognitive architecture ACT-R that reproduced subject skill acquisition trajectory. It modeled role adoption through reinforcement learning and predictive processes through motion extrapolation and learned relevant control parameters using both a reinforcement learning procedure and a new to ACT-R supervised learning procedure. This is the first integrated cognitive model of collaborative skill acquisition and, as such, gives us valuable insights into the multiple cognitive processes that are involved in learning to collaborate.

BACKGROUND: Recurrence of medulloblastoma appears after 30% to 40% of the surgeries. Different from primary medulloblastoma, in which five-year survival rate is 50%, the survival time of relapses much shorter and only 20% of the patients manage to survive a year. There is a logical need for additional methods of treatment of recurrent medulloblastomas. The aim of the study is to determine the effects of intracavitary and long-term subcutaneous application of Sandostatin (octreotide) on the recurrent medulloblastomas. METHODS: Fourteen children aged 4 to 9 years, in which, despite of craniospinal irradiation and chemotherapy came to a recurrence of medulloblastoma during the first 6 months after the surgery, were treated subcutaneously with Sandostatin (octreotide) in a longer period of time. Cerebellar medulloblastomas with a diameter bigger than 20 mm and spinal over 10 mm were removed operatively and octreotide with Beriplast was applied intracavitary. RESULTS: Magnetic resonance of cranioaxis shows that the application of octreotide has caused the disappearance of spinal drop metastases in all 7 patients and the cerebellar metastases smaller than 5 mm in all 4 patients. Subcutaneous application of octreotide combined with intracavitary expresses an antitumoral effect in 2/3 of the relapses. The application of octreotide results with a transformation of Chang's stage M0 into M1 in 71.43% of the patients. CONCLUSION: In the case of in loco or metastatic recurrence of medulloblastomas, intracavitarily and subcutaneously applied octreotide results with a regression of the tumor in a 3 year time within 2/3 of the treated patients.

The retrospective histopathological study of 468 samples of tumour material obtained from dogs, referred to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University, Stara Zagora during the period 1991-2000 showed that 29 specimens (6.19%) were epulides. According to their histogenesis, the lesions were classified in two primary groups: reactive lesions – 37.94% and peripheral odontogenic tumours – 62.06%. Epulides were most commonly encountered in males (68.96%) compared to females (31.04%). The average age of affected dogs was 4 years for both genders. In 18 cases (62.06%), the lesions were mandibular whereas in 11 (37.94%) – maxillar. The highest predilection to epulides was observed in German Shepherds – 27.58%.

Catalytic combustion of fuel gas using a platinum catalyst was experimentally investigated in the slit microreactor. The composition of the exhaust gases was determined depending on temperature and time of contact. Data of methane steam reforming were received in that reactor with rhodium catalysts depending on temperature for three samples with different composition of doping substances.

Patterns of the nonequilibrium phase transitions during propagation of an adiabatic wave phase transition in metastable refrigerants R141b, R113 and pentane C5H12 were experimentally established. Experiments were carried out in a wide range of initial temperatures and pressures in a transparent cylindrical channel. Visualization of liquids decay was performed using high-speed video camera.