Search

Abstract Background The present study investigates the intrafractional accuracy of a frameless thermoplastic mask used for head immobilization during stereotactic radiotherapy. Non-invasive masks cannot completely prohibit head movements. Previous studies attempted to estimate the magnitude of intrafractional inaccuracy by means of pre- and postfractional measurements only. However, this might not be sufficient to accurately map also intrafractional head movements. Materials and methods Intrafractional deviation of mask-fixed head positions was measured in five patients during a total of 94 fractions by means of close-meshed repeated ExacTrac measurements (every 1.4 min) conducted during the entire treatment session. A median of six (range: 4 to 11) measurements were recorded per fraction, delivering a dataset of 453 measurements. Results Random errors (SD) for the x, y and z axes were 0.27 mm, 0.29 mm and 0.29 mm, respectively. Median 3D deviation was 0.29 mm. Of all 3D intrafractional motions, 5.5 and 0.4% exceeded 1 mm and 2 mm, respectively. A moderate correlation between treatment duration and mean 3D displacement was determined (rs = 0.45). Mean 3D deviation increased from 0.21 mm (SD = 0.26 mm) in the first 2 min to a maximum of 0.53 mm (SD = 0.31 mm) after 10 min of treatment time. Conclusion Pre- and post-treatment measurement is not sufficient to adequately determine the range of intrafractional head motion. Thermoplastic masks provide both reliable interfractional and intrafractional immobilization for image-guided stereotactic hypofractionated radiotherapy. Greater positioning accuracy may be obtained by reducing treatment duration (

The main focus of our paper is on a specific form of democratic discourse, used in different types of social engagement actions (petitions, speeches, intellectual engagement, ad hoc citizens' protests, social movements etc.), that attempts to politicize a certain issue by challenging the neoliberal principle of instrumentalism which argues that democratic procedures can legitimately be abandoned in the name of the greater efficiency of socio-economic development. Therefore, we start from identifying the discourse of "neoliberal instrumentalism" and its relative success in delegitimizing the welfare state and mechanisms of democratic decision making and we formulate a conceptual model of a democratic counter-narrative named "anti-instrumentalist discourse". Through empirical analyses of discourse used by We Won't Let Belgrade D(r)own initiative, that mobilized against the Serbian government's urban project Belgrade Wa-terfront we try to illustrate the applicability and the heuristic value of the proposed model. The data for the analyses were collected through 1) desk analysis of available secondary data on the Belgrade Waterfront project, 2) official statements and proclamations of the We Won't Let Belgrade D(r)own initiative, 3) semi-structured interviews with four core members of the initiative.

This research aimed to determine the differences among the top soccer players of a club in Montenegro, FC Buducnost, and the top soccer players of a club in Kosovo, FC Trepca ‘89, the champions in their countries, in the anthropometric characteristics and body composition. A sample of 45 subjects was divided into two sub-samples. The first sub-sample of the subjects consisted of 30 soccer players of FC Buducnost of the average age 22.73±4.33, the winners of the Montenegro Championship in the 2016/17 season, while the other sub-sample consisted of 15 soccer players of FC Trepca ‘89 of the average age 21.80±3.57, the winners of the Kosovo Championship in the 2016/17 season. Soccer players were tested immediately after the end of the 2016/17 competition season. Anthropometric characteristics were evaluated using a battery of seven variables: body height, body weight, waist circumference, triceps skinfold, biceps skinfold, skinfold of the back, abdominal skinfold. The body composition was evaluated using a battery of three variables: body mass index, fat percentage and muscle mass. The standard central and dispersion parameters of all variables were calculated. The significance of the differences between the players of the top two soccer clubs in the anthropometric characteristics and variables for assessing body composition was determined using a t-test for independent samples. It was found that the soccer players of the two mentioned clubs do not have statistically significant differences according to the variables.

Purpose: Little data are available regarding the safety and efficacy of s witching to Pasireotide-LAR monotherapy in acromegaly patients with partial resistance to first-generation somatostatin agonists (1gSRL) who require combination treatment with cabergoline or pegvisomant. Method: In this monocentric prospective study within a tertiary univer sity hospital, 15 consecutive acromegalic adults partially resistant to 1gSRL tre ated with octreotide LAR or lanreotide SR, and cabergoline (n = 4, 3.5 mg/week) or pegvisomant (n = 11, median dose 100 mg/week), were switched to Pasireotide-LAR (8 with 40 mg/mo nth; 7 with 60 mg/month). Immunohistochemical expression level of SSTR5 and the granulation pattern of nine somatotroph adenomas were retrospectively deter mined to test for a correlation with the therapeutic efficacy of Pasireotide-LAR. Results: Median IGF-1 concentration at the first evaluation (median 3 mo nths) was similar to baseline (1.0 vs 1.1 ULN). 11/15 patients had IGF-1 levels ≤1.3 ULN before and after the switch but individual changes were variable. Hype rglycemia was frequent and greater in diabetic patients. 7/15 patients stopped Pasireo tide-LAR due to lack of control of IGF-1 or intolerance. 8/15 patients received Pasireo tide-LAR for a median of 29 months with IGF-1 levels ≤1.3 ULN and acceptable glucose tolerance (median HbA1c 6.1%). Two patients required initiation of oral antidiabetic tr eatment. The intensity of SSTR5 expression and the granulation pattern of adenomas were o f limited value for the prediction of Pasireotide-LAR effectiveness. Conclusion: Pasireotide-LAR may represent a suitable therapeutic alternative in a subset of acromegalic patients requiring combination therapy involving a 1gSRL

The aim of this research was to determine the differences among the football players of the football club in Bosnia and Herzegovina, CSC Zrinjski Mostar and the football players of the football club in Montenegro FC Sutjeska Niksic, in the anthropometric characteristics and body composition. A sample of 51 subjects was divided into two sub-samples. The first sub-sample of the subjects consisted of 28 football players of CSC Zrinjski Mostar of the average age 24.36±4.14, the champions of the Bosnia and Herzegovina in the season 2016/17, while the other sub-sample consisted of 23 players of FC Sutjeska Niksic of the average age of 21.69±4.30, the winner of the Cup of Montenegro in the season 2016/17. Football players were tested immediately after the end of the competition season 2016/17. Anthropometric characteristics in the body composition were evaluated by a battery of 10 variables: body height, body weight, waist circumference, triceps skinfold, biceps skinfold, skinfold of the back, abdominal skinfold, body mass index, fat percentage and muscle mass. The significance of the differences between the football players of the top two football clubs in the Anthropometric characteristics and variables for assessing body composition was determined by a t-test for independent samples. It was found that the football players of the two mentioned clubs have statistically significant differences by the three variables that estimate the waist circumference, triceps skinfold and skinfold of the back, in a favor of FC Sutjeska Niksic.

The aim of this research was to determine the differences among the top soccer players of the club in Bosnia and Herzegovina, CSC Zrinjski Mostar and the top soccer players of the club in Montenegro FC Buducnost, the champions in their countries, in the anthropometric characteristics and body composition. A sample of 58 subjects was divided into two sub-samples. The first sub-sample of the subjects consisted of 28 soccer players of CSC Zrinjski Mostar of the average age 24.36±4.14, the champions of the Bosnia and Herzegovina in the season 2016/17, while the other sub-sample consisted of 30 soccer players of FC Buducnost of the average age 22.73±4.33, the champions of the Montenegro Championship in the season 2016/17. Soccer players were tested immediately after the end of the competition season 2016/17. Anthropometric characteristics in the body composition were evaluated by a battery of 10 variables: body height, body weight, waist circumference, triceps skinfold, biceps skinfold, skinfold of the back, abdominal skinfold, body mass index, fat percentage and muscle mass. The standard central and dispersion parameters of all variables were calculated. The significance of the differences between the players of the top two soccer clubs in the Anthropometric characteristics and variables for assessing body composition was determined by a t-test for independent samples. It was found that the soccer players of the two mentioned clubs have statistically significant differences by the three variables that estimate the waist circumference, biceps skinfold and abdominal skinfold, in a favor of CSC Zrinjski Mostar.

The aim of this research was to determine the differences among the top football players of the club in Bosnia and Herzegovina, CSC Zrinjski Mostar and the top football players of the club in Kosovo FC Trepca ´89, the champions in their countries, in the morphological characteristics and body composition. A sample of 43 subjects was divided into two sub-samples. The first sub-sample of the subjects consisted of 28 players of CSC Zrinjski Mostar of the average age 24.36±4.14, the champions of the Bosnia and Herzegovina in the season 2016/17, while the other sub-sample consisted of 15 players of FC Trepca ´89 of the average age 21.80±3.57, the champions of the Kosovo Championship in the season 2016/17. Football players were tested immediately after the end of the competition season 2016/17. Morphological characteristics in the body composition were evaluated by a battery of 10 variables: body height, body weight, waist circumference, triceps skinfold, biceps skinfold, skinfold of the back, abdominal skinfold, body mass index, fat percentage and muscle mass. The standard central and dispersion parameters of all variables were calculated. The significance of the differences between the players of the top two football clubs in the morphological characteristics and variables for assessing body composition was determined by a t-test for independent samples. It was found that the football players of the two mentioned clubs don’t have statistically significant differences by the variables.

The aim of this research was to determine the diff erences among the top soccer players of the Montenegrin club FC Mladost and Kosovian club FC Prishtina, in the anthropometric measures and body composition. A sample of 37 examinees is divided into two sub-samples. The fi rst sub-sample of the examinees consisted of 17 players of FC Mladost of the average age of 24.59±4.66, the vice champions of the Montenegrin Championship in the season 2016/17, while the other sub-sample consisted of 20 players of FC Prishtina of the average age of 24.30±4.99, the vice champions of the Kosovo Championship in the season 2016/17. Soccer players were tested immediately after the end of the competition season 2016/17. Anthropometric measures in the body composition were evaluated by a battery of 10 variables: body height, body weight, waist size, triceps skin set, biceps skin set, back skin set, abdominal skin set, body mass index, fat percentage and muscle mass. The standard central and dispersive parameters of all variables are calculated. The signifi cance of the diff erences between the players of the top two soccer clubs in the anthropometric measures and variables for assessing body composition was determined by a t-test for independent samples. It was found that the soccer players of the two mentioned clubs have statistically signifi cant diff erences by the two variables that estimate the body height in a favor of FC Mladost and abdominal skin set in a favor of FC Pristina.

Polymers and polymer matrix composites are commonly used materials with applications extending from packaging materials to delicate electronic devices. Epoxy resins and fiber-reinforced epoxy-based composites have been used as adhesives and construction parts. Fractal analysis has been recognized in materials science as a valuable tool for the microstructural characterization of composites by connecting fractal characteristics with composites’ functional properties. In this study, fractal reconstructions of different microstructural shapes in an epoxy-based composite were performed on field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images. These images were of glass fiber reinforced epoxy as well as a hybrid composite containing both glass and electrospun polystyrene fibers in an epoxy matrix. Fractal reconstruction enables the identification of self-similarity in the fractal structure, which represents a novelty in analyzing the fractal properties of materials. Fractal Real Finder software, based on the mathematical affine fractal regression model, was employed to reconstruct different microstructure shapes and calculate fractal dimensions to develop a method of predicting the optimal structure–property relations in composite materials in the future.

Objectives: Adults aged 65 years and older comprise one fifth of the Serbian population. Many of them have multiple, often diet-related comorbidities. We aimed to investigate their dietary habits by comparing them with younger adults' and to determine the relation of the differing ones to demographic, socioeconomic and health factors.Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of 2013 Serbian National Health Survey data on 14,082 adults. Binary logistic regression was used to determine dietary habits associated with older age (≥65 years) compared to younger age (18–64 years) and to assess their independent predictors in older adults.Results: Older adults more often reported everyday breakfast (OR = 2.085, 95%CI = 1.622–2.680) and brown/wholegrain bread consumption (OR = 1.681, 95% CI = 1.537–1.839), while using margarine (OR = 0.578, 95%CI = 0.397–0.839), discretionary salt (sometimes: OR = 0.648, 95%CI = 0.596–0.705, almost always: OR = 0.522, 95%CI = 0.445–0.614) and consuming fish (two or more times a week: OR = 0.465, 95%CI = 0.383–0.566) less frequently than younger adults. This was mainly positively related to urban environment, affluence, higher education and poor health.Conclusion: Using nationally representative data, we found that older adults reported healthier dietary habits compared to younger adults, which requires timely public health action.

As robots become more advanced and capable, developing trust is an important factor of human-robot interaction and cooperation. However, as multiple environmental and social factors can influence trust, it is important to develop more elaborate scenarios and methods to measure human-robot trust. A widely used measurement of trust in social science is the investment game. In this study, we propose a scaled-up, immersive, science fiction Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) scenario for intrinsic motivation on human-robot collaboration, built upon the investment game and aimed at adapting the investment game for human-robot trust. For this purpose, we utilize two Neuro-Inspired COmpanion (NICO) - robots and a projected scenery. We investigate the applicability of our space mission experiment design to measure trust and the impact of non-verbal communication. We observe a correlation of 0.43 (p=0.02) between self-assessed trust and trust measured from the game, and a positive impact of non-verbal communication on trust (p=0.0008) and robot perception for anthropomorphism (p=0.007) and animacy (p=0.00002). We conclude that our scenario is an appropriate method to measure trust in human-robot interaction and also to study how non-verbal communication influences a human’s trust in robots.

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may induce multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) in children, which may be associated with Kawasaki-like disease and cardiac injury. In this study, we presented three male adolescents with MIS and myocardial injury admitted to the hospital during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic. All of the three patients had a history of fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, polymorph rash, non-exudative onjunctivitis, and signs of acute myocarditis (AM). One of them had renal failure. Previously, they did not have an acute infection. Upon admission, they were hypotensive and tachycardic. A nasopharyngeal swab for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was negative, but neutralizing viral antibodies were positive. In combination with blood tests, lectrocardiogram, echocardiography, and computerized tomography, a MIS associated with acute myocarditis with mild to moderate systolic dysfunction and dilated coronary arteries were diagnosed. Two of three patients had shock syndrome andrequired inotropic support. All patients were treated with intravenous imunoglobulins (Ig). The second patient had a fever up to 102.2°F (39°C) 3 days after intravenous Ig. Further, he was treated according to protocols for refractory Kawasaki disease, with an intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy and aspirin. After a few hours, he became afebrile and the clinical signs disappeared. The favorable short-term outcome may reflect early recognition and adequate therapy; however, the long-term outcomes are currently unknown.