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Spa tourism has experienced full recognition in international tourist flows in recent decades. This fact points to a significant development opportunity for the Republic of Serbia for more complete utilization of tourist potential in spa towns. One such area is Vranjska Banja in the southeast of Serbia, where the warmest hyperthermal water in the world springs. Apart from therapeutical waters, this tourist spot has preserved tourist values that qualify it to become an ecological oasis in this part of Serbia. Accordingly, the subject of research in the paper is the tourist potential of Vranjska Banja, which has not been sufficiently utilized for the needs of tourism, nor is it sufficiently promoted through digital media. The aim of the work is to identify the impact of tourism on the overall economic development of Vranjska Banja. Qualitative, descriptive, statistical and comparative methods were used in the research. The results show that adequate valorization and promotion of tourist attractions and greater investments in tourism and hospitality activities would lead to faster development of tourism in this area, which would have positive effects on the local economy. The contribution of the work is reflected in the identification of appropriate solutions that can be the basis for formulating the economic development strategy of Vranjska Banja as an ecological destination.

This study seeks to examine what traits, "myths" and skills pupils will attribute to good geography teachers, and whether their assessments are influenced by gender, age, grade and satisfaction with a teacher. The sample consists of 150 high school pupils in Serbia. The survey consisted of four parts: socio-demographic characteristics, Big Five Inventory, good teacher myths, and good geography teacher skills. The results showed that pupils believe that good geography teachers have to be impartial, friendly and conscientious in the first place. Also, 13 high school teachers were also interviewed. The data are somewhat in line with previous research, but also indicate pupils' specific expectations of their geography teachers and teachers' awareness that they are not just ordinary teachers.

The subject of research in the paper is focused on the analysis of public debt in the Republic of Serbia in the time interval from 2000 to the end of 2022. Observing the data on the movement of public debt in the new millennium, it is noticeable that there is a trend of its increase after the world economic crisis of 2008. The main cause of such trends is the excessive consumption of state authorities and the reduction of tax revenues, which is a consequence, first of all, of reduced economic activity due to global negative tendencies in certain years. The high level of public debt represents the main barrier for the economic development of the Republic of Serbia. Analysis of the data in the observed period indicates that the problem of public debt growth can be solved by increasing the gross domestic product and reducing public spending.

After Chernenko's demise and Gorbachev's coming to power in 1985, the period known as perestroika began in the Soviet Union. Realignment led to an ostensible end of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, thanks to Yeltsin's declaration of sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR). As a consequence, former Soviet socialist republics, including Ukraine, became independent states. The United States of America declared victory in the Cold War and a new world order was established with the United States as the great hegemon. In this paper, our aim is to show that the ongoing conflict in the territory of Ukraine did not start either in 2022 or in 2014 (when the conflict became armed). Instead, the conflict was kick-started with the independent state of Ukraine being established in 1991, on historically Russian lands, the purpose of this exercise being to create a new Ukrainian nation. The thirty-year history of the Ukrainian state bears witness to its non-Russian and anti-Russian character, as well as to the undisguised influence of the United States of America, which was particularly evident in the so-called colour revolutions and the armed coup of 2014, which led to the overthrow of the legally elected president of this country, Viktor Yanukovych. Russian intervention in 2022, which has a global geopolitical character, shows that a new perestroika is in full play. Denazification and demilitarisation of Ukraine, declared as the main goals of the Russian Federation, are the fundamental measures of the new perestroika. If the Russian Federation succeeds in this endeavour, this would undoubtedly mark the end of U.S. hegemony, while a new multicentric world would be created. If Russian intervention turns out to be a failure, U.S. hegemony will be reconfirmed so that the interests of the Russian Federation would most likely be faced with a threat of further disintegration. Thus, this is not primarily a conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but rather a decisive battle between Russia and the collective West led by the United States. This is the reason why the West is putting in a strenuous effort, and suffering substantial economic damage, to win this war. It defends Ukraine for its own sake, not for the sake of Ukraine itself. Not by their own choice, Ukrainians are in a tragic position in which their nation is used for the achievement of Western interests.

In this paper, using the example of the discovery of viruses from the history of science in the experiments of D. J. Ivanovsky, the authors investigate how scientific research functions and how the scientific conception that could be determined as the ruling paradigm is gradually transformed. Respecting logical and scientific-methodological principles, Ivanovsky's discoveries, in the long run, led to the discovery of viruses as completely new agents and thus to the reconstruction of the paradigm of bacteria as the smallest living disease-causing agents. Thus, he contributed to what is defined as scientific growth in the philosophy of science. Through a comparative analysis, using the example of protective masks, we will show that today there is a tendency that the basic postulates of scientific work, which imply critical examination and the possibility of refutation, are no longer sufficiently respected.

The appearance of the pandemic in the form of the new disease COVID-19 greatly influenced global trends and caused a wider economic recession. Due to unusual factors that generated the crisis, it is specific and different from all previous ones. As the crisis continues, estimates of future economic trends vary depending on the health situation in individual countries, as well as the measures applied by state authorities to mitigate it. Due to the topicality of the crisis and its extraordinary impact on global trends, this paper attempts to examine the effects of the pandemic on the economy of the European Union, as well as to answer the question of the scope of economic policy measures in overcoming recessionary effects.

Although numerous studies in the past have shown that men are more often seen as perpetrators of domestic and sexual abuse, clinicians and researchers have recently begun to critically consider the problem of intimate and sexual violence committed by women towards men. Despite the controversial debate over whether women are violent towards their husbands and partners, many research papers have shown that there is a prevalence of such violence. In addition, many studies have highlighted gender differences in the commission of domestic violence in terms of the different reasons and contexts in which violence occurs. This paper aims to present the latest results of research on risk factors, typologies, and motives of women perpetrators of violence in relationships, as well as to improve our understanding of the etiology and complexity of such violence. The first part of the paper explains in detail the typology and prevalence of violence against men, as well as the psychological and other characteristics of women perpetrators. The second part deals mainly with the causes and motives of women's violent behaviour towards men. The last section is dedicated to the effects of treatment and possible improvements. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of this topic and gives some recommendations for resolving the above issues.

The current pandemic of the COVID-19 virus will cause great consequences for the overall world economy. The global pandemic requires a global response and it is already clear that economic policy makers will need to implement significant targeted fiscal, monetary and social measures to help the affected population and economy. Within the framework of support measures for the economy, the focus should be on supporting the sectors most affected. The agri-food sector is one of the most endangered sectors of the economy, and for that very reason, the subject of this paper are the challenges and problems of food producers in the conditions of a pandemic.

The subject of research in this article is a comparative analysis of the condition, causes and consequences of poverty in Serbia and the surrounding countries. Poverty as a multidimensional phenomenon, on the one hand, implies insufficient income to meet basic living needs, while on the other hand, it also covers various aspects of human rights, such as' inability to employ, inadequate housing and inadequate access to social protection for health, education and communal services. Due to a significant decrease in economic activities, but also due to the effect of numerous noneconomic factors, in the Republic of Serbia and the surrounding countries the last three decades there has been a decrease in the standard of living of the population and a concomitant increase in poverty. The results of the research indicate that economic growth and development, with a proactive role of the state in improving social protection systems, better education and development of social entrepreneurship, are key factors that contribute to employment growth and living standards, and consequently the decrease in the poverty rate.

The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected the lives of 5,698,246 people globally. Originating in China, the virus progressed rapidly to other countries. The COVID-19 outbreak has mostly affected cities and seriously threatened citizens' health, the economy, and the infrastructures of the urban territories. Several states were relatively quick to deploy smart technology solutions to respond to the emergence of COVID-19. Existing and new digital technologies are proposed to supplement the traditional measures within the response to the first pandemic of the decade. The term smart technologies imply the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence. The focus of this paper was to propose smart technologies as a part of the solution toward reducing the spread of pandemics in urbanized areas. One of the aims was to find positive examples of the smart city implementation during the pandemics and show its usefulness in facing it. The possibility of using real-time data, thus conducting real-time action is their main advantage and that is why more cities should use this smart concept to respond to the global crises.

In order to assess the rainfall erosivity in the Pannonian basin, several parameters which describe distribution, concentration and variability of precipitation were used, as well as 9 extreme precipitation indices. The precipitation data is obtained from the European Climate Assessment and Dataset project for the period 1961-2014, for 8 meteorological stations in northern Serbia, 5 in Hungary and 1 in eastern Croatia. The extreme values of precipitation were calculated following the indices developed by the ETCCDI. RclimDex software package was used for indices calculation. Based on statistical analysis and the calculated values, the results have been presented with Geographic Information System (GIS) to point out the most vulnerable parts of the Pannonian basin, with regard to pluvial erosion. This study presents the first result of combined rainfall erosivity and extreme precipitation indices for the investigated area. Results of PCI indicate presence of moderate precipitation concentration (mean value 11.6). Trend analysis of FI (mean value 22.7) and MFI (mean value 70.2) implies a shift from being largely in the low erosivity class, to being completely in the moderate erosivity class in the future, thus indicating an increase in rainfall erosivity for most of the investigated area (except in the northwestern parts). Furthermore, the observed precipitation extremes suggest that both the amount and the intensity of precipitation are increasing. The knowledge about the areas affected by strong soil erosion could lead to introducing effective measures in order to reduce it. Long term analysis of rainfall erosivity is a significant step concerning flood prevention, hazard mitigation, ecosystem services, land use change and agricultural production.

Introduction: ST2 is a member of IL-1R receptor family and interleukin -33 (IL-33) is its natural ligand. IL-33 functions as an 'alarmin' released upon necrotic cell death to alert the immune system to tissue damage. As ST2 receptor is expressed on many immune cells, IL-33/ST2 signal pathway has important proinflammatory or protective role in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases. IL-33/ST2 signaling promotes Th2 immune response in allergy, autoimmunity and chronic inflammatory disorders, but its role in the pathogenesis of alveolar bone loss is still unclear. We have investigated the effects of ST2 gene deletion and IL-33 administration on the periapical inflammatory bone destruction in BALB/c mice. We found that periapical lesions in ST2-/- mice are characterized by increased frequencies of CD4+ T cells, CD3+CCR6+ T cells and IFN-γ+, IL-17+, TNF-α+ and IL-6+ cells in gated CD4+ T cells compared with lesions in WT mice. A significant decrease in the percentage of CD4+ T cells producing proinflammatory cytokines and an increase in the percentage of IL-4 producing cells was observed in the periapical lesions in WT mice after IL- 33 administration. Conclusion: IL-33/ST2 signaling negatively regulates severity of periapical inflammatory bone destruction by preventing Th1/Th17 cell-mediated immune responses and indicate a possible protective role of IL-33 in the therapy of alveolar bone loss. Future research will implement new therapeuthic strategy in dental practice.

Introduction: Over the past three decades, gallium compounds have gained importance in medicine. Radioactive gallium and stable gallium nitrate are used as diagnostic and therapeutic agents in cancer and disorders of calcium and bone metabolism. In addition, gallium compounds have displayed anti inflammatory and immunosuppressive activity in animal models of human diseases. More recent studies have shown that gallium compounds may also function as antimicrobial agents. In the review, the potential application of gallium in the future treatment of periodontitis and prevention of tooth loss will be discussed. Gingival inflammation, bacterial infection, alveolar bone destruction and subsequent tooth loss are characteristic features of periodontal disease. Surgical techniques, mechanical debridement of the denuded root surface, and local or systemic application of antimicrobial agents are currently used treatments for periodontitis. However, the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria has prompted a great need for new and alternative treatment methods for infection. Conclusion: The potential anti-periodontitis benefits of gallium are related to eradicating infection due to bacterial biofilms, increasing bone deposition and downregulating unwanted immune responses. Adjunctive use of gallium laser therapy with mechanical instrumentation in combination with gallium-containing gingival gels, toothpastes and mouth rinses may represent the final solutions for tooth loss prevention.

Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) can be used as a cell-based therapy in regenerative medicine and in immunomodulation. Pulp from human deciduous teeth can be stored as a source of SHED. Glass ionomer cements (GICs) are commonly used in restorative dentistry and in cavity lining. GICs have lower biocompatibility and are cytotoxic for dental pulp cells. In this study, seven commonly used GICs were tested for their cytotoxic effects on SHED, for their potential to arrest mitosis in cells and induce chromosome aberrations, and were compared with the effects of composite. Fuji II, Fuji VIII, Fuji IX, Fuji plus and Vitrebond had significantly higher cytotoxic effects on SHED than composite. Only SHEDs that have been treated with Fuji I, Fuji IX, Fuji plus and composite recovered the potential for proliferation, but no chromosome aberrations were found after treatment with GICs. The cytotoxic effects of GICs on SHEDs were in strong correlation with combined concentrations of released fluoride, aluminum and strontium ions. Fuji I exhibited the lowest activity towards SHEDs; it did not interrupt mitosis and did not induce chromosome aberrations, and was accompanied by the lowest levels of released F, Al and Sr ions. Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. ON175069, br. ON175071 i br. ON175103]

The rate of persons deprived of liberty in Serbia has been increasing since 2006 and during the last decade this rate has been approximately 150. The data of the Council of Europe for the year 2022 show that in a large number of countries there a decrease in the rate of prisoners (all persons deprived of liberty) has been determined, and Serbia is still in the group of countries with a high rate of prisoners. However, the capacities of penal institutions in Serbia allow such figures, and according to the data, the total population of persons deprived of liberty is about 1000 people smaller than the maximum capacity allows. There is an average of 3.8 people in cells, while the European average is 2.1, and in half of the countries that number is 1.4. Similarly, the sentencing policy of the courts is uniform and the rate of those sentenced to prison generally follows the rate of all those convicted. In addition to a suspended sentence, the courts usually opt for a prison sentence. Taken together, imprisonment (including the house arrest that is enforced in the premises where the convicted person lives) amounts to about 1/3 of all imposed sanctions. The question arises why Serbia did not follow the trend of most European countries in which the population of persons deprived of their liberty has decreased in the last years? One of the explanations is the adoption of repressive criminal law solutions that in many situations limited the discretionary powers of judges in respect to penal sanctions. While on the one hand it is not in dispute that for serious crimes the only option will be a prison sentence, in the case of some incriminations it was better to leave the choice to the judges. However, it seems that the trend of transferring decision-making from the judiciary to the legislature is not typical only for Serbia (see for example: von Hirsch, 2017). At the same time, the public most often expresses repressive attitudes, which should be respected, but legal solutions should not be guided only by the interest of getting political support of voters but also by scientific and professional arguments. Scientific knowledge points to all the problems that, on the one hand, appear in prisons and how and in what way these problems prevent the successful execution of prison penalty and the implementation of treatment. In such situations, it would be more appropriate to opt for alternatives for less serious crimes, and in this way, prisoners could also receive greater commitment of treatment services as well as generally better conditions while serving their prison sentence. Although, according to statistical data, prisons are not overcrowded, it seems that those authors who claim that the frequency and length of prison sentences are primarily determined by existing capacities are right. If they are exceeded, one option is the construction of new institutions, which is usually associated with financial problems, and another option is amnesty and pardon. At the end, it should be borne in mind that long-term prison sentences are the least common, and that the largest number of prisoners will be released after a few years. It is clear that the public should also be interested in ensuring that at least some of them do not commit criminal acts again, and criminological research confirms that insisting on intimidation and retribution will not reduce recidivism rate.

Pluralnost je jedan od najznačajnjih suvremenih obilježja ruralnosti. No imaju li pluralnost i diverzificiranost geografskih obilježja ruralnih područja utjecaja na razvoj turizma na seljačkim domaćinstvima? Cilj ovog istraživanja jest istraživanje važnosti različitih tipova ruralnih područja za diverzifikaciju seljačkih domaćinstava i pružanje turističkih sličnih usluga. Osnovna istraživačka metoda jest usporedba prostornog razmještaja takvih domaćinstava s sedam različitih tipova ruralnih područja koji su određeni tehnikama multivarijatne (faktorske i klaster) analize. Rezultati, među ostalim, upućuju na značaj koji za pojavu i razvoj turizma na seljačkim domaćinstvima ima masovni kupališni turizam u priobalju. Također, potvrđena je važna uloga dobne i obrazovne strukture stanovništva.

This research analyzes the factors that influence tourist experiences in the mountainous protected areas of southeastern Serbia. Tourism encompasses all aspects of a destination that can attract visitors and affect their satisfaction during their stay. The study examines the demographic characteristics of visitors, their preferences, the quality of infrastructure, and the tourist resources that the regions offer. A total of 570 visitors were surveyed, of whom 526 completed valid questionnaires that focused on the mountain areas of southeastern Serbia, particularly the foothills of Vlasina. The questionnaire placed particular emphasis on specific elements that affect tourist satisfaction. Key findings indicate positive correlations between elements essential for sustainable tourism, determined using Spearman's correlation. A chi-square test showed that environmental awareness and local community engagement were strongly associated with higher levels of overall tourist satisfaction, and a Kruskal–Wallis test revealed that older visitors, on average, expressed a greater level of satisfaction with infrastructure elements compared with younger groups. By focusing on the mountainous protected areas of southeastern Serbia, this research provides valuable insights for managers aiming to enhance visitor satisfaction and improve the quality of future experiences in the region.

Abstarct: Introduction: Therapeutic erythrocytapheresis has some advantages over therapeutic phlebotomy, the standard treatment for cytoreduction in polycythemia and hemochromatosis. Erythrocytapheresis can be performed on different cell separators, each with its own characteristics. We present our experience of therapeutic erythrocytapheresis in the treatment of polycythemia and hemochromatosis with an analysis of the performance of cytoreduction, and a comparison between the characteristics of intermittent- and continuous-flow cell separators. Material and methods: During a 20-year period, 1731 procedures were performed in 125 patients, 1634 (94.4%) with a Haemonetics MCS+ separator and 97 (5.6%) with a Spectra Optia system device. The performance of cytoreduction using the Haemonetics MCS+ separator was analysed in 442 procedures performed in 56 patients and the performance of the two apheresis devices was compared. Results: Haemoglobin (Hb) and haematocrit (Hct) values were significantly reduced after erythrocytapheresis with the Haemonetics MCS+ device (Hb: 18.69%; Hct: 18.73%; p-values both

Background/Aim. It has been demonstrated that lymphocytes, plasma cells, macrophages and neutrophil granulocytes represent the predominant cells of the inflammatory lesion of the dental granulomas. Other cells, such as mast cells, eosinophils, dendritic cells comprise minor, but functionally important cell populations. Most of the data considering cells that take part in these processes have been derived from immunohistological studies. This study was undertaken with the aim to determine the phenotype profile of inflammatory cells of dental granulomas using immunohistochemical method in order to study the differences of their quantitative properties and distribution between symptomatic and asymptomatic lesions. Methods. The material for the analysis originated from 42 individuals with clinic and radiographic diagnosis of chronic periapical lesions. The tissue was take either during the periradicular surgery, or tooth extraction. Cryostat tissue sections were stained using the alkaline phosphatase-antialkaline phosphatase assay (APAAP). This method is highly valid and sensitive using a panel of specific monoclonal antibodies: CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19, CD38, CD14, CD1a, CD83, CD80, CD86, CD45 and CD123. Results. The composition of the cell population revealed that there was no homogenous and site-specific pattern of the distribution of inflammatory cells. The results of our investigation revealed that the majority of inflammatory cells comprised lymphocytes and plasma cells, followed by subpopulations CD4+, CD8+ and CD14+ cells. Much lower in number were CD80+, CD86+ and CD83+ and CD1a+ cells. There were no statistically significant differences in mean values of inflammatory cells number between symptomatic and asymptomatic lesions, with the exception of CD86+ cells, the number of which was statistically higher in symptomatic lesions. Conclusion. Inflammatory infiltrate cells in dental granulomas are dominated by T- and Blymphocytes. It points out the complexity of immunopathogenic events in imitiating and progressing of dental granulomas that involve mechanisms of both cellular and humoral immunity. Regarding the quantitative presence of immunocompetent cells in symptomatic and asymptomatic lesions no statistically significant difference was determined unless in mature dendritic cells present in symptomatic lesions.

Background: Previous studies suggested an important role of impairments in T cell subsets in different stages during type 1 diabetes (T1D) development, while data regarding CD25high T cells and transforming growth factor b1 (TGFb1), both T regulatory associated, remains controversial. We analyzed the level of (a) CD25high T cells (b) TGFb1 in 17 first-degree relatives of patients with T1D in stage 1 (FDRs1) (GADA+, IA-2+); 34 FDRs in stage 0 (FDRs0) (GADA, IA-2); 24 recent-onset T1D in insulin-requiring state (IRS); 10 patients in clinical remission (CR); 18 healthy, unrelated controls (CTR). Methods: T cell subsets were characterized by two-color immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry; TGFb1 was determined by ELISA, GADA, and IA-2 by RIA. Results: The percentage of CD25high T cells in FDRs1 was lower than controls, FDRs0, IRS, and CR (p