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Diabetes mellitus, as a chronic metabolic disorder, significantly impacts the pancreas and among other organs, affects duodenal function. Emerging evidence suggests that probiotics can exert beneficial effects on gut health and metabolism. In our previous research, we evaluated the probiotic Lactobacillus paraplantarum BGCG11 primarily for its protective properties against diabetic rats’ damaged liver and kidneys. In this work, we further examined the effects of probiotic strain BGCG11 on the function of the duodenum and pancreas in diabetic rats. We explored the potential mechanisms underlying the probiotic’s effects, focusing on general indicators of diabetes, the architecture and morphology of pancreatic islets, duodenal integrity (measuring the transfer of fluid and serum zonulin level), and the modulation of gut microbiota composition. Our findings reveal the protective and regulatory roles of L. paraplantarum BGCG11 in mitigating diabetes-induced pancreatic and duodenal dysfunction regardless of its application time (pre- or post-treatment), highlighting its therapeutic potential in managing diabetes-related gastrointestinal complications.

Silibinin has considerable therapeutic potential for the treatment of diabetes through anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties. However, the therapeutic application of silibinin is quite limited due to its poor bioavailability. In the present study, an attempt was made to improve the antidiabetic efficacy of silibinin by its encapsulation in liposomal vesicles. The liposomes with a high encapsulation efficiency of silibinin (96%) and a zeta potential of −26.2 ± 0.6 mV were developed and studied using nicotinamide/streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Administration of silibinin-loaded liposomes to diabetic rats lowered glucose levels, increased insulin levels, and improved pancreatic islet architecture. The anti-inflammatory effect of silibinin-loaded liposomes was demonstrated by a decrease in serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and a reduced deposition of collagen fibers in the islets of diabetic rats. Furthermore, silibinin-loaded liposomes were more efficient in lowering glucose, alanine transaminase, triglyceride, and creatinine levels in diabetic rats than pure silibinin. In addition, silibinin-loaded liposomes had a significantly better effect on beta-cell mass and Glut2 glucose receptor distribution in diabetic islets than pure silibinin. The present results clearly show that liposome encapsulation of silibinin enhances its antidiabetic efficacy, which may contribute to the therapeutic benefit of silibinin in the treatment of diabetes and its complications.

Monuments of the former Yugoslavia are a highly contested case when it comes to narrating the conflicted past(s) in Europe. Built mainly between the late 1960s and the early 1980s, they mirror the idea of Yugoslavia between the political, economic, and cultural antagonists of the Cold War. Today, 30 years after the wars of the 1990s, these over-dimensional open-air museums undergo a visible entry into art and popular culture. In fact, the ‘source’ communities are witnessing a process of colonisation where ‘the others’ are narrating their stories in either art vocabulary or popular images. This paper proposes introduction of performing heritage as a possible way to address the layered narratives, without neglecting the gap between their origins in Yugoslav culture and their current state in post-socialist times. Performing heritage offers a method to engage in narrating the past as politics of the body. Through examples of mentored student field work performing heritage is explored as a tool of a critical and foremost bodily encounter with Yugoslav history and post-socialist presence.

High-entropy spinel oxides (HESOs) are oxides with 5 or more cations with the general formula AB2O4 and the spinel ( Fd 3m ) structure. Due to their unique structure and properties, HESOs have shown great potential in various technological applications, i.e. they can be used as catalysts, adsorbents and photocatalysts. Since the first successful synthesis in 2018, researchers have been experimenting with different precursors and synthesis methods. However, further research is still needed in order to fully understand their capabilities and exploit their properties. The aim of this research is to synthesize novel HESOs using the self-propagating room temperature (SPRT) method, which is time and cost-effective and has not been utilized so far. Our results indicate that chlorides are not good precursors, since the formation of spinel structure has not been achieved. On the other hand, the use of nitrates has successfully led to a primary spinel ( Fd 3m ) phase. Still, certain issues persist, as secondary phases are commonly formed, especially in the presence of Mg or Cu. A potential solution that could ensure the formation of a single phase is the use of quenching from high temperatures (1000 °C), instead of gradual cooling.

U osnovi dijabetesa se nalazi smanjen broj beta ćelija endokrinog pankreasa, njihovo poremećeno funkcionisanje ili gubitak identiteta u procesu dediferencijacije. Jedna od aktuelnih strategija za potencijalnu primenu u terapiji dijabetesa je i direktno ćelijsko reprogramiranje kojim bi se nadomestio nedostatak funkcionalnih beta ćelija i insulina u organizmu. Ovaj pravac u istraživanjima podrazumeva transdiferencijaciju somatskih ćelija poreklom iz različitih organa u ćelije koje proizvode insulin kroz modulaciju ekspresije transkripcionih faktora koji su ključni za održavanje ćelijskog identiteta. U ovom poglavlju biće predstavljena aktuelna istraživanja koja podrazumevaju ćelijsko reprogramiranje uz pomoć novih sintetičkih alata koji imaju ulogu da dirigovano uvode izmene u (epi)genom sa posebnim osvrtom na CRISPR/Cas9 sistem i njegove modifikacije. Alfa ćelije endokrinog pankreasa predstavljaju atraktivan izvor ćelija za potencijalnu terapiju dijabetesa zato što dele zajedničko poreklo sa beta ćelijama, imaju visok nivo plastičnosti kao i zbog bliske pozicioniranosti koja obezbeđuje prirodno okruženje pogodno za njihovo preživljavanje. Jedna od nedavnih studija je podrazumevala upotrebu EpiCRISPR sistema za ciljano uvođenje metilacije u okviru promotora gena Arx u alfa ćelijama pankreasa miša u cilju njihove transdiferencijacije. Uvedene izmene na nivou epigenoma su dovele do pokretanja ekspresije insulina u alfa ćelijama pankreasa miša i inicijacije procesa njihove transdiferencijacije u ćelije koje produkuju insulin., Diabetes is caused by a reduced number of beta cell mass, impaired functioning, or loss of beta cell identity through the dedifferentiation process. Direct cellular reprogramming is one of the current strategies in the potential diabetes therapy, which would replace the lack of functional beta cells and regulate insulin levels. This research approach involves the transdifferentiation of somatic cells from several organs into insulin-producing cells by modulating the expression pattern of transcription factors responsible for maintaining cellular identity. This chapter will present current research involving cellular reprogramming using the new synthetic tools that have ability to introduce targeted (epi)genetic modifications. Special attention will be paid to the CRISPR/Cas9 system and its modifications. Pancreatic alpha cells represent an attractive cell source for potential diabetes therapy because they share a common origin with beta cells, have a high level of plasticity, and provide a natural environment suitable for cell survival because of their close placement. One of the recent studies involved the use of the EpiCRISPR system for targeted DNA methylation within the Arx gene promoter in murine pancreatic alpha cells. The introduced changes at the epigenetic level led to the initiation of insulin expression in the alpha cells of the mouse pancreas and the initiation of their transdifferentiation process into insulin-producing cells.

Alumina composite was prepared via simple route. Alumina ceramics that resembels seashells are made of aligned micron-sized monocrystalline platelets joined together by silica secondary phase. SiO2 was added to improve mechanical properties of composite. The evolution of the phase composition during thermal treatment was investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and thermal analyses. Effect of sintering temperature on mechanical properties, due to the increase of sintering temperature that can produce a higher strength and higher density, was also investigated. SEM observation of composite was also included. Ceramics composites such as this are good candidates for high temperature oxidation atmosphere applications, as they have excellent mechanical and other performance requirements.

Zvanično predstavljanje prošlosti u Jugoslaviji, koje se ogleda i u zvaničnim komemorativnim performansima, kontinuirano se menjalo. Njihovi tvorci bili su svesni neophodnosti adaptiranja ustanovljenog osnovnog formata komemoracije, sa ciljem integrisanja savremenog trenutka, kako u okvir događaja koji se obeležava, tako i u samu ideju društvene revolucije. Popularna kultura (prevashodno „zapadnog” sveta) od pojave masovnih medija postaje sastavni deo višednevnih komemorativnih performansa. Ovaj rad analizira sadržaje popularne kulture namenjene u prvom redu omladini, u komemoracijama važnih događaja iz NOB-a, poput bitke na Sutjesci i Kozari, fokusirajući se na filmsku produkciju, muzička izvođenja, sve do mode i časopisa., Official representations of the past in Yugoslavia, including commemorative performances, among other forms of expression, continuously changed over time. From the beginning, their creators were aware of the necessity of adapting the core performance format, the need to integrate the present in acts of remembering important historical events and finding its position in the continuity of the social revolution brought by them. Ever since the mass media made their debut in Yugoslavia, forms of popular culture (mainly belonging to the “West”) became a mandatory element of those several-days-long commemorative performances. Thus, this paper analyses popular culture forms (intended primarily for the youth participants of these events) implemented in major commemorations of NOB, such as the performances at Sutjeska and Kozara, focusing on cinematic production, music performances, fashion, and magazines.

Suvremeni pristupi kulturnoj baštini insistiraju na novim načinima razumevanja i upotrebe predmeta i znanja, koji su značajni kako za lokalne zajednice i društva, tako i za čovečanstvo na globalnom nivou. Prateći sada već dominantne tendencije u humanističkim naukama koji teže uspostavljanju primenjenog istraživanje kao značajnog aspekta naučnog rada, discipline koje se kulturnom baštinom bave definišu nove metodologije, koje očuvanju kulturne baštine pristupaju kao dominantno živim praksama zajednica. Jedan takav primer je i projekat MADE IN Platform for Contemporary Crafts and Design podržan kroz program Kreativna Evropa i koji sprovodi konzorcijum od za sada deset kulturnih i obrazovnih institucija. Ovaj projekat udružuje naučno-istraživački rad i rad u kulturi, i koristi aspekte novih tehnologija kako u prezentacione i istraživačke svrhe, tako i za povezivanje tradicionalnih veština i znanja sa zahtevima savremene održive proizvodnje i cirkularne ekonomije. Međutim, uspešnost aktivnosti i krajnjih rezultata projekta, ne bi bila moguća bez razmatranja navedenih tema kroz prizmu humanističkih disciplina koje prepoznaju i analiziraju potrebe društva i pojedinaca, pa samim tim i kulturne baštine u savremenom svetu. Predloženi rad predstaviće aspekte metodologije i pristupa humanističkih disciplina, koje presudno utiču na formulisanje toka istraživanja, koji ovaj projekat sprovodi i koje dobijene rezultate jasno povezuju sa savremenim potrebama društva i zajednica.

In modern industry, there is an increasing demand for environmentally friendly and light structural materials with good physical and mechanical properties, produced from cheap natural raw materials available in large quantities. One of the materials that meet the mentioned criteria is basalt. Basalt is a natural igneous rock of volcanic origin, created by the pouring of magma on the Earth's surface, the amount of which is significant in the territory of Serbia. Since basalt does not exhibit toxic, carcinogenic, or mutagenic effects, it is in the true sense a non-hazardous material and belongs to the group of eco-friendly materials. In this research, andesite basalt aggregate from the "Donje Jarinje" site, in Serbia, was used to obtain high-density glass-ceramic materials. High-density glass-ceramic materials were obtained by powder metallurgy process, which consisted of the following methods: dry grinding, homogenization, cold uniaxial and isostatic powder pressing and sintering in the air. In order to achieve a high-density of the materials, the green compacts were sintered in the temperature range from 1040 to 1080 °C. After confirming that the highest density materials were achieved at the sintering temperature of 1060 °C, the sintering time was optimized in the time interval from 30 to 240 min. After the experimental test, the optimal sintering parameters for obtaining high-density glass-ceramic material at the temperature of 1060 °C for 60 min were achieved, whose relative density is 99.50%, and hardness is 6.70 GPa. The characterization of andesite basalt powder was performed using the laser light diffraction method, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction method, while the characterization of sintered glass-ceramic materials was performed using the Archimedes method, X-ray diffraction method, optical light microscopy and Vickers hardness test. The results of this research confirmed that by applying powder metallurgy and sintering in the air, high-d

Two series of glass-ceramic composites (basalt/mine tailings, basalt/basalt fibers) as well as one pure glass-ceramic were prepared from basalt rocks located in the SE part of Serbia (Lukovska Banja). Both composites contained 85, 90 and 95 wt.% basalt glass respectively. The basalt glass was obtained from initial melting of basalt at 1300 °C. In the present study, the crystallization process of basalt glass contained in the glass-ceramic composite, achieved by thermal treatment, was observed, and analyzed. The thermal treatment was done at 900 °C, 950 °C, 1000 °C and 1050 °C respectively, with the retention times of 1, 3, 6, 8 and 16 hours. It was found that the addition of mine tailings and basalt fibers caused a change in the density and microstructure. The study also showed that the best mechanical and structural characteristics of the examined glassceramics were attained at the temperature of 1050 °C, with the retention time of 1 hour. Additionally, structural and optical characteristics of the glass-ceramics were assessed.

The industrial requirements in the 21st century are environmentally friendly and light construction materials with good physical-mechanical properties manufactured from cheap natural raw materials available in large quantities. One of these materials is basalt. Basalt is a natural igneous rock of volcanic origin, with a significant amount in Serbia. Basalt belongs to the group of non-hazardous and eco-friendly materials. Andesite basalt aggregate from the "Donje Jarinje" site, Serbia, was used as the starting natural raw material for obtaining the glass-ceramic material. The aggregate is from 2 to 5 mm in size. The aggregate was milled in the tungsten-carbide vibrating cup mill for 30 min to obtain a fine powder for synthesis. The homogenization of andesite basalt powder and binder was carried out in the mortar and pestle for 10 min. The paraplast was used as a binder with a content of 0.6 wt.%. After that, uniaxial pressing of the powder at a pressure of 50 MPa was performed. A forming green compact, cold isostatic pressing was performed with a pressure of 230 MPa to increase its density. The sintering was carried out at the temperature of 1060 °C for 60 min in the air. The sintered glass-ceramic sample was a relative density of 99.5%, a macrohardness of 6.7 GPa and a fracture toughness of 2.2 MPa·m1/2 [1]. The andesite basalt powder was characterized using the laser light diffraction method, X-ray diffraction method and scanning electron microscopy. Sintered glassceramic material was characterized using the X-ray diffraction method, Archimedes principle, scanning electron and optical light microscopy and the Vickers hardness test. The glass-ceramic material obtained by sintering andesite basalt powder could be used for various industrial applications in the civil engineering, mechanical, chemical, and petrochemical industries, as well as for the making of containers to store nuclear waste.

Oxynitrides of cerium are expected to have many useful properties but have not been synthesized so far. We identified possible modifications of a not-yet-synthesized Ce3O3N compound, combining global search (GS) and data mining (DM) methods. Employing empirical potentials, structure candidates were obtained via global optimization on the energy landscape of Ce3O3N for different pressure values. Furthermore, additional feasible structure candidates were found using data mining of the ICSD database. The most promising structure candidates obtained were locally optimized at the ab initio level, and their E(V) curves were computed. The structure lowest in total energy, Ce3O3N-DM1, was found via local optimization starting from a data mining candidate and should be thermodynamically metastable up to high pressures.

The effect of laser (532 nm line of Verdi G) heating during the Raman measurements, on partial decomposition of Bi12SiO20 single crystal, was addressed in this study. The degree of decomposition directly depends on the power density and duration of the laser treatment, which are registered by the phonon Raman spectra. After laser treatment, AFM measurements register additional small spherical islands on the surface. Analysis performed on irradiated and unirradiated samples showed significant changes in transmission spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern, Verdet constant, magneto-optical property, and absorption coefficient. The material obtained after laser irradiation can be described as specific nanocomposite consisting of bismuth oxide and silicon oxide-based nano-objects (dimensions below 15 nm in diameter), which are arranged in a matrix of Bi12SiO20.

How do we approach an object that lost its country of origin, its context and source community? The violent dissolution of Yugoslavia left little room for the people of the newly formed states to share their living experience, therefore making it impossible to share the interpretation of the history and heritage remaining as the relic of the former state. During the past three decades the heritage field of the respected region operated manly with concepts of dissonant, mutual, and shared heritage when attempting to determine who, how and why should deal with the historic objects made during the Yugoslavia’s existence. This process had its limitations, and the above posed questions were largely left unanswered. Since the 2000s a clear demand for defining and managing these objects as the outsider interest in all-things-Yugoslav entered its growth phase. Still, the consensus on the status of these objects and the values they embody has not been accomplished. The question is, why? One possible answer lies in the disappearance of the source community. In its initial structure, it is gone, and the objects’ home is now only imagined. This paper attempts to investigate the notion of a diasporic heritage by approaching it as objects that lost their home but didn’t not change the place they inhabit. Today, highly popular Yugoslav memorials and monuments dedicated to WWII can be interpreted as diasporic objects: objects equally building the imaginarium of a home for the deconstructed communities in the region and for the actual diasporic communities that are still recognized as Yugoslav by their surroundings.

The proposed paper looks at the body as a crucial agent in building and transferring knowledge. By understanding the memory, remembrance, and therefore traditionally defined cultural heritage as permanently active categories, i.e., as always dependent on the action of the body and between the bodies, the question of what, how and why is produced as information and knowledge is set as an always contemporary and presentable phenomenon. Bodies in action learn, act and teach simultaneously – bodies know and bodies do the interpretation of heritage categories and actively inscribe and pass on the knowledge. Through analysis of several examples of student work produced within the framework of three summer schools conceptualized by the University of Hildesheim (Germany) on the issues of performing heritage, the approach to research and learning in terms of presentational forms is advocated for as a form corporal interpretation and knowledge making. The limits of doing, sensing and finally knowing through the body and corporal interaction are tested as a means of establishing a new method for educating and using memory, acts of remembrance, and performing heritage.

U poslednjih trideset godina neispričane istorije kolekcija i njihovih predmeta postale su predmet značajnog interesovanja muzejskih stručnjaka, istraživača i muzejske publike. Očigledan nedostatak di- rektnog odgovora na pitanja o poreklu i kontekstu u kojem kolekcije nastaju, pogotovo u svetlu postkolonijalne teorije i istraživanja, svoj odgovor je nalazilo prevashodno u umetničkim i kustoskim interven- cijama u postojeće sistematizacije kolekcija i izložbenoj delatnosti, čiji je možda i najčešće pominjan primer izložba iz 1992. Freda Vil- sona – Mining the Museum, postavljena u Istorijskom društvu Meri- lenda. Nakon ove izložbe, instalacije i intervencije ove vrste lagano postaju jedan od osnovnih načina preispitivanja prošlosti kolekcija i muzejskih institucija. Međutim, iako mnogi takvi primeri nesumnjivo predstavljaju značajno istupanje u javni prostor, i bez obzira na javne debate koje ih okružuju, oni u svojoj suštini nisu zaista promenili metodologiju rada i sisteme znanja samih institucija. Institucije nisu morale da zauzmu jasan stav o svom poreklu i da već formulisanim opisima predmeta dodaju nova (ipak nepovoljna saznanja). Situaci- ja se drastično promenila s pojavom digitalnih sredstava i istinskim otvaranjem repozitorijuma znanja usled masovne upotrebe interneta. Upravo kao posledica ove promene nastaje projekat Queering the Collections, koji kao mreža prvo počinje da deluje u SAD i Kanadi. Ovaj rad baviće se odjekom ovog pokreta propitivanja istorije ko- lekcija kroz prizmu još uvek marginalizovane LGBTQ+ populacije u holandskim sakupljačkim institucijama – muzejima, arhivima i bibli- otekama koji je započeo Muzej Van Abe u Ajndhovenu 2015. godine. Posebno će biti naglašeni načini korišćenja digitalnih sredstava u njihovom radu, odnosno mogućnosti i realna ograničenja koja ovakav tip sveobuhvatnog pristupa domenu digitalnog nameće sakupljačkim institucijama.

Contemporary approaches to cultural heritage insist on procuring new ways of understanding and utilizing of objects and knowledge that is important for local communities, societies, and humanity. Following the demand within the humanities to establish applied research practices, heritage studies are defining new methods that understand cultural heritage as living practices of communities, that should foster development, diversity, and emancipation. The development of cultural/creative industries brings together the holistic approach to heritage, characterized by mindful application of objects and practices in contemporary cultural production; and with the fast development of digital domain and its functions in heritage field, the demand for connecting, (re)defining and (re)activating “traditional” crafts is becoming even more vocal. This paper will provide an insight in the emancipatory potential cultural/creative industries, the digital domain and traditional heritage intuitions can have when intangible cultural heritage is in question, through an example of the project MADE IN Platform for contemporary crafts and design., Savremeni pristupi kulturnoj baštini stavljaju akcenat na pronalaženje novih načina za razumevanje i upotrebu predmeta i znanja koji imaju specifičan značaj za lokalne zajednice, društvo i čovečanstvo u celini. Uvažavajući zahteve unutar domena humanističkih nauka za ustanovljavanje primenjenih istraživanja, studije baštine defi nišu metodologiju koja prepoznaje i konačno razume kulturno nasleđe kao živuću praksu, koja može i mora da podstakne razvoj, diverzitet i društvenu emancipaciju. Prakse koje se pojavljuju u domenu kulturnih/kreativnih industrija, a koje nude holistički pristup zasnovan na pažljivoj upotrebi baštinskih predmeta i znanja u stvaranju savremene kulturne produkcije, jedan su od mogućih načina za formulisanje primenjenog istraživanja u ovoj oblasti, imajući u vidu posebno da ubrzana implementacija digitalnih alata u oblastima čuvanja baštine čini zahteve za povezivanje, (re)defi nisanje i (re)aktiviranje tradicionalnih zanata, znanja i baštine još glasnijim. Ovaj rad će na primeru projekta MADE IN Platform for contemporary crafts and design dati uvid u emancipatorske potencijale kulturnih/kreativnih industrija, digitalnog domena i tradicionalnih institucija kada je u pitanju prikupljanje, interpretacija i upotreba elemenata nematerijalne kulturne baštine.