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The paper focuses on the Upper Moesian municipium Aelianum, whose existence and location have been long debated. Relatively recently, a new epigraphic attestation of the municipium has been discovered and published, which calls for a reconsideration of all existing data and hypotheses about this little-known Roman town, in order to contribute to the study of the urbanisation in the Roman province of Upper Moesia.

Reactive dyes are the most popular dyes for dyeing cellulose fibers. The exhaustion method is the most common technical method of their application, when large amounts of neutral salts and alkali are added to the dyeing bath to fixing the dyes. Despite this, 10-40% of the dye is not fixed to the cotton and together with the salts, it represents a large environmental burden for watercourses. Recently, methods have been studied to increase the substantiality and reactivity of these dyes with the aim of promoting procedures that are more economical and environmentally safer. In this sense, cationic modification of cotton can be considered a promising procedure for increasing the utilization of reactive dyes from the technological solution. This review paper reports on the possibilities of applying different cationic agents for cotton processing and the effects of cationic modification on the ability to dye with reactive dyes.

Textile dyes discharged into aquatic systems can have significant environmental impacts, causing water pollution and toxicity to aquatic life, and constituting a human health risk. To manage these effects, the sorption ability of wood biowaste chemically modified by Bi2O3 for textile dye removal was investigated. Sorbent characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy, and elemental analysis by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method for the specific surface area, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy–attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR). The optimization of the sorption process was carried out, and optimal parameters, such as contact time, pH, the dose of sorbent, the concentration of dye, and temperature, were defined. Also, desorption studies were conducted. Kinetics and isotherms studies were carried out, and the data fits to a pseudo-second order model (r2 ≥ 0.99) and Langmuir model (r2 ≥ 0.99), indicating that the process occurs in the monolayer form and the dye sorption depends on the active sites of the sorbent surface. The maximal sorption capacity of the sorbent was 434.75 mg/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article proposes a new reading and interpretation of three inscriptions engraved on small bronze plaques in the shape of tabula ansata from the Danubian limes in Upper Moesia - two from Pincum and one from Viminacium, associating the inscribed objects with the cult of Jupiter Dolichenus. The revised inscriptions also provide new data on the Roman units stationed on the Upper Moesian Danube bank, as two of the dedicators are identified as members of the ala Flaviana.

Background/Aim. Among the other challenges of the 21st century, medical waste (MW) has become an arising problem for both the environment and people because of its increasing amount, variety, and complexity. That is way MW management has become one of the very important ecological imperatives. Serbia with no potential for appropriate disposal of all MW is forced to export MW to countries with MW incineration facilities. Incineration lowers the possible risks of inappropriate disposal and the emission of environmental pollutants, but leads to the need for a “clever” choice of the incinerator facility location which has to meet diverse environmental, economic and technical criteria Methods. The criteria for the choice of optimal locations for a MW incinerator facility were as follows: the amount of MW that needs to be transported, the transport time from other locations, the current pollution of the location, the unemployment rate and the location safety in terms of natural disasters and accidents. By using the obtained results for seven efficient locations gained by Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), we used a goal programming for the analysis of the most suitable location for a MW incineration facility. Results. In the proposed methodology on the chosen scenario and analysing the criteria relevant for selecting the most suitable location, using the DEA method, seven efficient locations for MW incineration facility were obtained. The optimal location was location 13. Conclusion. Based on the obtained results, we demonstrated that by the use of goal programming it is possible to develop a methodology for selection of optimal MW incineration facility location as one of the necessary activities of MW risk management.

Advances in small RNAs (sRNAs)-related studies have posed a challenge for NGS-related bioinformatics, especially regarding the correct mapping of sRNAs. Depending on the algorithms and scoring matrices on which they are based, aligners are influenced by the characteristics of the dataset and the reference genome. These influences have been studied mainly in eukaryotes and to some extent in prokaryotes. However, in bacteria, the selection of aligners depending on sRNA-seq data associated with outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) and the features of the corresponding bacterial reference genome has not yet been investigated. We selected five aligners: BBmap, Bowtie2, BWA, Minimap2 and Segemehl, known for their generally good performance, to test them in mapping OMV-associated sRNAs from Aliivibrio fischeri to the bacterial reference genome. Significant differences in the performance of the five aligners were observed, resulting in differential recognition of OMV-associated sRNA biotypes in A. fischeri. Our results suggest that aligner(s) should not be arbitrarily selected for this task, which is often done, as this can be detrimental to the biological interpretation of NGS analysis results. Since each aligner has specific advantages and disadvantages, these need to be considered depending on the characteristics of the input OMV sRNAs dataset and the corresponding bacterial reference genome to improve the detection of existing, biologically important OMV sRNAs. Until we learn more about these dependencies, we recommend using at least two, preferably three, aligners that have good metrics for the given dataset/bacterial reference genome. The overlapping results should be considered trustworthy, yet their differences should not be dismissed lightly, but treated carefully in order not to overlook any biologically important OMV sRNA. This can be achieved by applying the intersect-then-combine approach. For the mapping of OMV-associated sRNAs of A. fischeri to the reference genome organized into two circular chromosomes and one circular plasmid, containing copies of sequences with rRNA- and tRNA-related features and no copies of sequences with protein-encoding features, if the aligners are used with their default parameters, we advise avoiding Segemehl, and recommend using the intersect-then-combine approach with BBmap, BWA and Minimap2 to improve the potential for discovery of biologically important OMV-associated sRNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the traditional framework of international arbitration, an arbitral tribunal produces a final and binding award, which can be only exceptionally annulled based on the narrowly tailored grounds available under the law of the seat. However, parties sometimes seek to limit or expand the grounds for annulment, hoping to increase the chances for successful resolution of their dispute. As the clauses modifying the scope of judicial review become more popular, important questions come to the fore with respect to their validity, application and usefulness. This paper will analyse the compatibility of these clauses with the nature of arbitration, by examining their compliance with the principles of party autonomy and finality. Main characteristics and application of these arbitration clauses will be also discussed. In addition, the author will explore how the stipulation of these clauses affects the quality of awards, integrity of arbitral proceedings and enforceability of awards abroad.

The unique and at the same time very complex nature of the wine requires a more thorough selection process compared to other consumer products. Wine consumers are faced with a number of brands, grape varieties, and regions of origin, diverse tastes and prices. Using discrete choice experiment this study explores the importance that consumers in Serbia attach to five attributes of the local wine brands. Respondents were asked to evaluate 10 choice tasks, each with three different wines, and to choose the one that they would like to have with friends or family. The sample results indicate the high importance of the wine brand, while the price proved to be the least important. However, preference-based segmentation identified three clusters that differ primarily in the type of wine they favor, but also whether they like or not sweet and sparkling wines. It turns out that the price is a moderately important attribute in all clusters.

Removal of hydrolysed reactive dye is an important stage in cotton dyeing as it affects the exploitation and hygienic properties of textile products. As a major consumer of water and chemicals, this work process is being studied from the point of view of saving natural resources and environmental protection. In this paper, studied was the effect of washing agents on the basis of surfactants with different ionogenicity as well as pure water on the removal of hydrolyzed reactive dyes having different functional groups. The obtained results suggest that clean water with a larger bath ratio (1:30) and a washing time of 30 min can be an effective remover for hydrolysed monoreactive dye. In the removal of the hydrolysed bifunctional dye, beside the bath ratio and washing times, the concentration of surfactants can also have a significant effect on the process efficiency.

Planning the layout of departments in hospitals or reconstructing existing ones is a complex task at the strategic decision-making level. Confusing layouts can contribute to patients' anxiety, increase the time spent in clinical procedures and total distance travelled by patients. The development of quantitative approaches in solving this problem dates back to the late seventies of the twentieth century. In this paper, we present an approach to the hospital layout based on a Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS). The proposed approach was tested on artificial and two real-world instances: University Clinic Regensburg, Germany and Ahmed Maher Hospital in Cairo, Egypt. Presented computational results show that the proposed VNS quickly reaches all optimal solutions for small-scale instances obtained by exact solver and provides quality solutions on large-scale instances that are relatively close to the best known solutions in literature.

In order to preserve the environment and prevent the occurrence of eutrophication, a new quaternary ammonium biosorbent based on the bottle gourd (Lagenaria vulgaris) shell (QALVS) was prepared and characterized in the present study. The results of FTIR and elemental analyses confirmed the successful modification of the lignocellulosic biomass and showed that 15.68 mg N g-1 was incorporated as cationic –N+R3 group. The biosorbent was tested to remove phosphate from aqueous solution in batch mode. Kinetic studies indicated that the biosorption of phosphate onto QALVS can be fitted by a non-linear pseudo nth-order model (n ≈ 1) very well. The Freundlich model provided the best description of the biosorption process. The maximum phosphate biosorption capacity was 16.69 mg P g-1 for QALVS at 20°C and pH 6. Thermodynamic parameters indicate that the biosorption of phosphate by QALVS is exothermic. The anion exchange mechanism was the dominant process, in addition to physisorption. Coexisting ions exhibited a distinct effect on phosphate biosorption with the order of NO3 - > SO4 2- > Cl-. The QALVS biosorbent could be repeatedly used in phosphate biosorption with slight losses in initial biosorption capacities