Search

Copyright of Biologica Nyssana is the property of University of Nis, Department of Biology & Ecology, Faculty of Sciences & Mathematics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Materials Protection (0351-9465) is the property of Engineers Society for Corrosion Republic of Serbia, Belgrade and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Two earthquakes struck the NW region of Albanian territory on 21 September 2019 (Mw = 5.6) and on 26 November 2019 (Mw = 6.4). The epicenters of the seismic activity were located offshore NW Durrës, one of Albania's most populated cities, located 30 km from the capital Tirana. Various aftershocks followed subsequently. While there were no reported injuries, a number of buildings sustained significant damage near the epicenter following the initial event. Subsequently, during the second event, there was loss of life and extensive damage to civilian structures, resulting in multiple collapses. This study focuses on the earthquake damages observed in residential and public buildings in the earthquake-affected region. The earthquakes predominantly affected low-rise masonry buildings, while the newly constructed RC structures built according to the latest seismic rules were almost unaffected. The commonly encountered building typologies in the region, together with photos showing the amount of destruction are presented here. As observed by the authors during the reconnaissance visit to the stricken area, examples of various damage patterns are presented, along with a technically substantiated description of the reasons for those damages. Although modern buildings during recent earthquakes in the region show acceptable performance, the detailed surveys from the Durrës Earthquakes showed that there is still an important level of deficiency in current masonry buildings built by conventional methods and materials. This problem may reoccur in future earthquakes that may hit other rural regions of Albania, which must be focused on systematically in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to compare the current level of coordination ability in elementary school children by gender in Tirana. In total participated 510 children in elementary school (253 boys and 257 girls) where by grade participated (1st= 128, 2nd = 137, 3rd =117, 4th =70 and 5th = 58) living in Tirana, Albania. The level of coordination ability for lower limbs was assessed using jumping sideways test (JS) part of Körperkoordinations Test für Kinder (KTK) battery test: jumping bilaterally as many times as possible over a wooden rod (60 cm x 4cm x 2 cm) in 15 seconds. The number of jumps over two trials was summed. Data analysed by gender in elementary school children in Tirana show no statistical significance F=0.135 and Sig= 0.714 (boys=50.5 jumping and girls 49 jumping). Also data analysed by gender and for each grade in elementary school children in Tirana show no statistical significance. In conclusion data results from this study show that there is no difference by gender in the coordination of lower limbs in elementary school children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The main purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between physical activity (PA) levels and adiposity. The secondary purpose was to assess the effect of physical fitness and living area on adiposity. Research Methods and Procedures: A cross-sectional study was carried out in a regional representative sample of 250 adolescents from 13 to 17 years of age, in 2019. Anthropometric and physical fitness values (including BMI, aerobic capacity, strength levels, velocity assessment, and flexibility) were measured in all adolescents. Results: Similar overweight prevalence was founded in boys (40%) and girls (45%) whereas significant differences were found in the corresponding obesity rates (15% vs. 12%, p < 0.05, boys and girls, respectively). 127 boys and girls were considered the physically active group, while the other 123 were considered non-physically active. When active and sedentary adolescents were compared, physically active boys showed a trend toward a slightly higher overweight and obesity prevalence than the nonphysically active boys (35% vs. 29% and 9% vs. 4%, both p 3 0.09 to 0.10). Conversely, physically active girls had lower obesity rates than nonphysically active girls (8% vs. 11%, p < 0.05). Adolescents from the rural area showed similar overweight (34% vs. 28% and 36% vs. 32%, boys and girls, respectively) and obesity rates (6% vs. 8% and 10% vs. 9%, boys and girls, respectively) compared with their urban counterparts. Discussion: Regular participation in at least 2 hours per week of sports activities on top of the compulsory education program is associated with better physical fitness and lower whole-body adiposity. In the adolescents included in our study, among all physical fitness variables, VO2max showed the strongest relationship with BMI and fat mass assessed by means of skinfold measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the growing demand for bottled water a study was undertaken to determine the quality of different brands. The periodical analysis of bottled drinking water is very essential to ensure that the water is safe and can be consumed by humans. Seventeen brands of domestic bottles water (Alpin, Akull, Spring, Tepelena, Lajthiza, Kristal, Dukat, Fontana, Trebeshina, Selita, Qafshtama, Tirana, Kond, Acqua Panna, Acqua Vera, Evian, Vikos) were collected during the first semi quarter of the year 2014 from the supermarkets and food stores in Tirana city, Albania. The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of the concentration of minerals contents mentioned at the manufacturer labels of the different of different bottled drinking water. As well as to compare the chemical compositon of such bottled water with drinking water standard of EC and WHO. In conclusion, this study showed that the concentration of all analyzed elements in bottled water were within the WHO concentration guidelines and below the maximum contaminant levels (MCL) established by the US EPA, (2004). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last years the International Commission for Microbiological Specification for Foods ranked Cronobacter sakazakii as "Severe hazard for restricted populations, life threatening or substantial chronic sequelae or long duration"(ICMSF, 2002). The objective of this study is to control the biological risk of the hospital kitchen`s environment at the University Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynaecology "Queen Geraldin" where the powered infant formula is prepared. Efficiency of risk control must be verified through the application of microbiological monitoring plan that provides application of microbiological environmental criteria, proper cleaning of equipments used in production lines, control of the final product during their shelf live, collection of samples from the raw material, surfaces and environment as well as control measures during preparation and reconstitution of powered infant formulae. This study was performed to determine the frequency distribution of C. sakazakii and the concentration of Enterobacteriaceae in different sampling areas of the kitchen. We performed 60 samples in total. The samples were collected from the kitchen areas, and from the personel hands. At the end we quantified for Enterobacteriaceae and identified for C. sakazakii in 60 samples. We detected in two environmental samples (3.0%) the presence of C. Sakazakii. Rules that should be respected to meet the highest level of microbiological safety in hospital/nursery are defined in MRA Series 10 (FAO/WHO 2004) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to fineness, length and crimp are the most important physical properties of textile protein fibres. Longer fibres are easier to process and more yarn can be produced, since there are fewer fibre ends in a given yarn length, along with a higher strength yarn for the same level of twisting. In addition, a yarn of the same strength can be produced with a lower level of twisting, resulting in a softer yarn. The length of natural fibres, as well as their fineness, is nota constant. There is instead a huge amount of variation, even in samples taken from the same breed of animal, or plant. On the other hand, crimp has a technological importance in several contexts: it determines the capacity of fibres to cohere under light pressure, and so, in turn, determines the (i) cohesiveness of card webs, (ii) the amount of fly liberation during processing and (iii) the hairiness of the resultant yarn. Albania has a substantial production of textile protein fibres. This paper presents the results of an experimental study on measurement of the length and crimp of the textile fibres from Albanian breeds. The aim of this study is an effort to update the data on textile protein fibres from Albanian breeds. The tests were performed in the Textile Laboratory of Tirana Polytechnic University, accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for textile materials testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]