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This paper focuses on constraining the erosion rate in the area of the Allchar Sb-As-Tl-Au deposit (Macedonia). It contains the largest known reserves of lorandite (TlAsS2), which is essential for the LORanditeEXperiment (LOREX), aimed at determining the long-term solar neutrino flux. Because the erosion history of the Allchar area is crucial for the success of LOREX, we applied terrestrial in situ cosmogenic nuclides including both radioactive (26Al and 36Cl) and stable (3He and 21Ne) nuclides in quartz, dolomite/calcite, sanidine, and diopside. The obtained results suggest that there is accordance in the values obtained by applying 26Al, 36Cl, and 21Ne for around 85% of the entire sample collection, with resulting erosion rates varying from several tens of m/Ma to ∼165 m/Ma. The samples from four locations (L-8 CD, L1b/R, L1c/R, and L-4/ADR) give erosion rates between 300 and 400 m/Ma. Although these localities reveal remarkably higher values, which may be explained by burial events that occurred in part of Allchar, the erosion rate estimates mostly in the range between 50 and 100 m/Ma. This range further enables us to estimate the vertical erosion rate values for the two main ore bodies Crven Dol and Centralni Deo. We also estimate that the lower and upper limits of average paleo-depths for the ore body Centralni Deo from 4.3 Ma to the present are 250–290 and 750–790 m, respectively, whereas the upper limit of paleo-depth for the ore body Crven Dol over the same geological age is 860 m. The estimated paleo-depth values allow estimating the relative contributions of 205Pb derived from pp-neutrino and fast cosmic-ray muons, respectively, which is an important prerequisite for the LOREX experiment.

This paper focuses on constraining the erosion rate in the area of the Allchar Sb-As-Tl-Au deposit (Macedonia). It contains the largest known reserves of lorandite (TlAsS2), which is essential for the LORanditeEXperiment (LOREX), aimed at determining the long-term solar neutrino flux. Because the erosion history of the Allchar area is crucial for the success of LOREX, we applied terrestrial in situ cosmogenic nuclides including both radioactive (26Al and 36Cl) and stable (3He and 21Ne) nuclides in quartz, dolomite/calcite, sanidine, and diopside. The obtained results suggest that there is accordance in the values obtained by applying 26Al, 36Cl, and 21Ne for around 85% of the entire sample collection, with resulting erosion rates varying from several tens of m/Ma to 165 m/Ma. The samples from four locations (L-8 CD, L1b/R, L1c/R, and L-4/ADR) give erosion rates between 300 and 400 m/Ma. Although these localities reveal remarkably higher values, which may be explained by burial events that occurred in part of Allchar, the erosion rate estimates mostly in the range between 50 and 100 m/Ma. This range further enables us to estimate the vertical erosion rate values for the two main ore bodies Crven Dol and Centralni Deo. We also estimate that the lower and upper limits of average paleo-depths for the ore body Centralni Deo from 4.3 Ma to the present are 250290 and 750790 m, respectively, whereas the upper limit of paleo-depth for the ore body Crven Dol over the same geological age is 860 m. The estimated paleo-depth values allow estimating the relative contributions of 205Pb derived from pp-neutrino and fast cosmic-ray muons, respectively, which is an important prerequisite for the LOREX experiment. (VLID)1702124

The antioxidative, antimicrobial and antibiofilm potentials of acetone, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of lichen species Platismatia glauca and Pseudevernia furfuracea were evaluated. The phytochemical analysis by GC, GC/MS and NMR revealed caperatic acid, atraric acid, atranorin and chloroatranorin as the predominant compounds in Platismatia glauca. Atraric acid, olivetoric acid, atranorin and chloroatranorin were the major constituents in Pseudevernia furfuracea. The strong antioxidant capacities of the Platismatia glauca and Pseudevernia furfuracea extracts were assessed by their total phenolic and flavonoid contents and DPPH scavenging activities. The methanol extracts of both species exhibited the strongest antioxidant activities with the highest IC50 value for Pseudevernia furfuracea (95.33 μg/mL). The lichen extracts demonstrated important antibacterial activities against 11 bacterial strains with detectable MIC values from 0.08 mg/mL to 2.5 mg/mL for Platismatia glauca and from 0.005 mg/mL to 2.5 mg/mL for Pseudevernia furfuracea. While the antibacterial activities of Pseudevernia furfuracea were solvent–independent, the acetone and ethyl acetate extracts of Platismatia glauca showed higher antibacterial activities compared to its methanol extract. The methanol extracts of both species demonstrated significant antifungal activities against 9 fungal strains with detectable MIC values from 0.04 mg/mL to 2.5 mg/mL. The best antifungal activities were determined against Candida species in Pseudevernia furfuracea extracts with remarkable MIC values which were lower than the MIC values of the positive contol fluconazole. The acetone and ethyl acetate extracts of Platismatia glauca showed better antibiofilm activities on Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus mirabilis with BIC value at 0.63 mg/mL then its methanol extract. On the other hand, the methanol extract of Pseudevernia furfuracea was more potent with BIC value at 1.25 mg/mL on Staphylococcus aureus and 0.63 mg/mL on Proteus mirabilis compared to other types of extracts. Our study indicates a possible use of lichens Platismatia glauca and Pseudevernia furfuracea as natural antioxidants and preservatives in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry., EXCLI Journal ; Vol. 13, 2014

The study focuses on age and evolution of the Oligocene quartzlatite of the Rogozna Mts. (Central Balkan Peninsula), in order to better understand the link between magmatism and formation of Pb-Zn±Ag mineralization. New Ar/Ar biotite and amphibole plateau ages suggest that Rogozna Mts. quartzlatite originated through a continuous volcanic episode from 27.3±0.1 to 29.5±0.1 Ma which was immediately followed by a hydrothermal phase. The quartzlatites are hypocrystalline porphyritic with phenocrysts and microphenocrysts (~60 %vol.) of plagioclase (An37-49), biotite Mg# [100 × Mg/(Mg + Fetot)]860ºC to temperatures of ~720ºC. The crystallization sequence started at 850–795ºC, which is recorded by the cores of zoned amphiboles. The crystallization continued to the rims of zoned amphiboles at 760ºC to 820ºC and biotite at temperatures from 720ºC to 760ºC. The above described crystallization sequence most probably produced a rough stratification of the chamber in volatile- and melt-rich upper parts and volatile-poor and crystal-rich lower chamber sections. An ultrapotassic, most probably lamproite-like melt, injected the lower parts of the evolving and presumably stratified acid magma chamber. The increase in temperature is recorded by phlogopite microphenocrysts (760 to 800ºC), which apparently crystallized after biotite, whereas the presence of boxy cellular plagioclase phenocrysts, phlogopite overgrowths on biotite and amphibole and various partially dissolved phases suggest disequilibrium conditions. The involvement of lamproite melts provided additional fluids to the existing magma chamber system. The new fluids likely decreased viscosity of the resulting hybrid magma and facilitated its upwelling. Such an event might have triggered pyroclastic eruptions. Pyroclastic rocks are widespread in the Rogozna Mts. occurring as precursors of quartz latite volcanic and shallow intrusive rocks. The large explosive events were immediately followed by the emplacement of quartz latite effusions, extrusions and shallow subvolcanic bodies, between 27.3±0.1 and 29.5±0.1 Ma, whereas the addition of new volatiles by lamproitic melts established conditions for the hydrothermal phase in a magma chamber. The final cooling of the Rogozna Mts. magmatic system was related to hydrothermal circulation that gave rise to Pb-Zn-Ag epithermal mineralization. 40Ar/39Ar ages recorded by hydrothermal minerals vary between 29.1±1.3 Ma and 30.0±0.4 Ma, and they overlap with the 40Ar/39Ar ages revealed by minerals from fresh quartz latites.

As mental and psychological issues are important in the development of many dermatologic diseases, these factors are of special interest in research. Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body, and it was comprehensively described for the first time about 30 years ago. Communication between the mind and the skin involves the psycho-immuno-endocrine-cutaneous system, encompassing the activities of the brain, the immune system and the skin, with participation of different neuropeptides, interleukins, and immune system messengers. Many common dermatologic diseases have some form of psychomediated pathogenesis that partially accounts for the development of skin lesions. There is a link between emotional stressors (acute or chronic), psychiatric diseases, and dermatoses (e.g., psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, urticaria, viral warts, herpes simplex, vitiligo, acnes, alopecia, prurigo, etc.) and different cytokines and mediators produced in the skin and involved in their pathogenesis. A prominent role is played by those agents that belong to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis., S obzirom na to da su mentalne i psihološke značajke važne u razvoju mnogih dermatoloških bolesti, ovi čimbenici su od posebnog interesa za istraživanja. Psihoneuroimunologija obuhvaća međudjelovanje psiholoških procesa, živčanog i imunog sustava te ljudskog tijela, a prvi put je jasno opisana prije oko 30 godina. Komunikacija između psihe i kože uključuje psihološki-imuni-endokrini-kožni sustav obuhvaćajući aktivnosti mozga, imunog sustava i kože, uza sudjelovanje različitih neuropeptida, interleukina i posrednika imunog sustava. Mnoge česte dermatološke bolesti imaju neki oblik psihološki uvjetovane patogeneze koja dijelom doprinosi razvoju kožnih promjena. Pritom postoji veza između emocionalnih stresora (akutnih ili kroničnih), psihijatrijskih bolesti i dermatoza (npr. psorijaza, atopijski dermatitis, urtikarija, akne, virusne bradavice, herpes simpleks, vitiligo, alopecia, prurigo itd.) te različitih citokina i medijatora stvorenih u koži koji su uključeni u njihovu patogenezu. Istaknutu ulogu imaju tvari koje pripadaju osi hipotalamus-hipofiza-nadbubrežna žlijezda.

A source to sink system describes the natural link between mountains, plains and deltas, by analysing the (re)distribution of material at shallow crustal depth and at the Earth's surface, exploring the links between coupled tectonic and surface processes. Sediment fluxes are the product of erosion and movement of material in and from sources (mountains), the transport and movement of sediments and solutes by river systems to the plains, and deposition and storage in sink zones. The ESF-EUROCORES TOPO-EUROPE SourceSink programme is a fully integrated research effort to significantly advance our predictive capabilities on the quantitative analyses of coupled active and past drainage systems by means of step-wise 4D reconstructions of sediments mass transfer, integrating geophysics, geology, geomorphology, state of the art high-resolution dating, and numerical and analogue modelling. The area selected for this programme is the Danube River Basin–Black Sea source to sink system, a world-class natural laboratory that is uniquely suited in the heart of Europe's topography, covering almost half of its surface, providing opportunities for excellent field sites to study in integration surface and subsurface data that cover the complete chain of source, carrier and sink. Quantifying and modelling the complete system in relation to the controlling parameters has resulted in significant understanding of forcing factors and linking temporal and spatial scales across multiple orogen and basin systems. This research has provided the opportunity to widen the geographical scope to other natural scenarios, where a number of mountain chains with similar geodynamic genesis separate sedimentary basins with comparable evolution.

This study reports new geochronological and petrochemical data from the metamorphic sole beneath the Rogozna Mts., Western Vardar ophiolite belt. The Rogozna metamorphic sole is located at the base of an Ibar serpentinite nappe and consists of (i) high-grade andalusite–garnet–sillimanite gneisses and cordierite-bearing hornfels (mostly listwanitized), (ii) medium-grade pyroxene amphibolites and hornfels, amphibolites, amphibolite schists and metagabbros and (iii) low-grade micaschists and talc-chlorite schists. Selected samples of the Rogozna amphibolites and talc-chlorite schists were subjected to the electron microprobe, SEM-EDS, 40Ar/39Ar analysis and whole-rock geochemistry. The Rogozna amphibolites are medium- to fine-grained rocks with nematoblastic texture and pronounced foliation. They consist of green amphibole (~70 vol.%) with variable silica contents (6.4 to 7.8 Si a.p.f.u.), as well as Mg# (molMg/[Mg+Fetot] ; 0.53 to 0.77) and variably albitized plagioclase (~30 vol.% ; Ab24–Ab98). Amphibolites are overprinted by a retrograde assemblage containing actinolite, epidote, clinochlore, sericite, chlorite and magnetite. The amphibolites formed due to metamorphism of two basaltic suites: subalkaline/tholeiitic and alkaline. Subalkaline/tholeiitic amphibolites possess low Zr, Nb, Y, Th, Hf, TiO2 and P2O5 values and a LREE-depleted patterns typical for the N-MORB to BAB (back-arc basalt) origin. Alkaline amphibolites show elevated concentrations of Zr, Nb, Y, Th, Hf, TiO2 and P2O5 with a LREE-enriched patterns typically displayed by ocean island basalt (OIB). Amphibolites crystallized during intra-oceanic thrusting at temperatures between 685 ºC–765 ºC and at a depth of 12–17 km. 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages of amphibole range from 165–170 Ma and slightly postdate the sole formation.

Evaluation of optic nerve sheath by means of optic nerve ultrasonography (ONUS)is a reliable tool for assessment of patients with increased intracranial pressure. The aim of this study was to present the usefulness of optic nerve sheath ultrasonography in patients with brain death. Ten patients with brain death as a result of traumatic or non-traumatic causes were evaluated by ONUS. Optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) was measured with a 12 MHz linear ultrasound probe (Terason T3000, Teratech Corporation, USA). The probe was adjusted to give a suitable angle for displaying the entry of the optic nerve into the globe, at the depth of 3mm behind the globe. For each optic nerve four measurements were made, twice in transversal and twice in the sagittal plane, by rotating the probe clockwise. Mean ONSD for brain death patients were compared with mean ONSD of 17 healthy controls. Ten individuals (7 males) with confirmed brain death (5 due to neurotrauma, 2 due to subarachnoid hemorrhage, 2 as a result of ischemic strokes and one of parenchymal hemorrhage), were evaluated. On the left side mean ONSD was 0.71±0.06 cm on transversal plane and 0.72±0.04 cm on sagittal plane. On the right side mean ONSD was 0.73±0.05 cm on transversal plane and 0.73±0.06 on sagittal plane. In controls left mean ONSD was 0.51±0.05 cm on transversal plane and 0.55±0.06 cm on sagittal plane. On the side right mean ONSD was 0.52±0.05 cm on transversal plane and 0.54±0.07 on sagittal plane. Mean ONSD in brain death was 0.72±0.05 cm and 0.53±0.06 cm in controls (p < 0.01). Measurements of ONSD may be useful in distinguishing brain death persons from healthy controls.

The abstract deals with the new Ar/Ar ages and geochemistry data of the amphibolites from the Rogozna Mt., N Kosovo. Rogozna Mt. is a part of a Vardar zone, Western branch, and consists of Upper Paleozoic to Triassic metamorphic rocks, Jurassic ophiolite mélange, covered by ultramafic trust sheets, overlain transgressively by the Late Cretaceous-Palaeogene flysh, Tertiary sediments and volcanics.The Ar/Ar age of the amphibolites determines the incipient stage of the intraoceanic subduction-obduction processes, which started during Lower (Toarcian) to Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) time, synchronous with the formation of the Dinaridic (e.g. Lanphere et al., 1975) and Albanian amphibolite soles (e.g. Dimo-Lahitte et al., 2001).

The phenomenon of high temperature (high-Tc) superconductivity, although discovered 20 years ago, still remains mysterious. In conventional superconductors, the supercurrent is carried by a gas of weakly interacting pairs of electrons (Cooper pairs). Experiments suggest that the electron in high-Tc superconductors are at the verge of solidifying into a stripe-crystal, invalidating the conventional `gaseous' picture. Inspired by this problem, the work in this thesis offers an opposite paradigm for high-Tc superconductivity, based on the notion of the `almost ordered' superconductor. Formulating the problem in the field theoretical language of quantum elasticity and utilizing the duality transformation, quantum phases of matter are constructed which are as close as possible to a solid, which can be considered as quantum version of liquid crystals. We find that these ``dual shear superconductors'' are also genuine electromagnetic superconductors with properties which are however subtly different from conventional superconductors and invoke rather unconventional experiments: quantum-liquid crystalline orders, oscillations of magnetic screening currents, overscreening of Coulomb force, and especially a new collective mode found in the dynamical electromagnetic response.