Poverty and environmental impacts of electricity price reforms in Montenegro

The Government of Montenegro is preparing an electricity tariff reform due to recent developments in the national and regional electricity markets. Electricity tariffs for residential consumers in Montenegro are likely to gradually increase by anywhere from 40 to over 100 percent. This significant price rise will impose a heavy burden on poor households and it may adversely affect the environment. In an ex-ante investigation of the welfare impact of this price increase on households in Montenegro, the authors show that the anticipated price increase will result in a significant increase in households'energy expenditures. A simulation of alternative policy measures analyzes the impact of different tariff levels and structures on the poor and vulnerable households in particular. Higher electricity prices could also significantly increase the proportion of households using fuelwood for space heating.Energy Production and Transportation,Electric Power,Environment and Energy Efficiency,Energy and Environment,Engineering

SDFT based PMU prototype

Presently, phasor measurement units (PMUs) are the most accurate and advanced time-synchronized technology. PMUs are the main element of the Wide-Area Monitoring, Protection and Control System, the concept that provides an estimate of the actual condition of the system, allowing operators to run online simulations and determine the possibility of cascading events, the voltage values outside the limits, while the operator is still able to take proper actions, preventing the system blackout. However, for achieving complete observability of a power network, PMUs should be installed at about one-third of the total number of network buses. Due to the high expenses, TSOs and DSOs are not willing to integrate PMUs in the large scale. Consequently, by covering only small portions of the power grid, detailed snapshot of the power grid condition is not the possible and complete benefit of such advanced monitoring units cannot be gained. This was the source of the motivation for a presented master thesis. The contribution of the thesis is a development of the low-cost Phasor Measurement Unit, which performance complies with the IEEE C37.118.1 standard requirements. The prototype is based on Smart Discrete Fourier Transform technique for synchrophasor estimation. The algorithm is running on the embedded voltage sensor developed in Smart State Technology. During the research, the main question was how accurate performance of the prototype can be obtained by optimization of the algorithm to the processing power of the embedded sensor. The most optimal solution providing the accurate performance of the algorithm and sensor CPU load within processing limitations is found in ADC sampling rate of 1kHz, non-recursive DFT approach and mean filtering performed on SDFT frequency estimates

The role of commensal gut microbes Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium infantis and Bifidobacterium breve on the gut-brain axis as a treatment for depression and anxiety

Research on commensal gut microbes, or microbes with which humans share a symbiotic relationship, has provided evidence of a microbe-brain interaction, and has highlighted the importance of the gut-brain axis. Many external factors that may affect the meticulous composition of the gut flora have demonstrated a subsequent downstream effect on mental health. Similarly, the state of an individual’s mental health has also demonstrated an effect on the composition of the gut flora. Negative health effects may also be neurological or psychological in nature. Individuals may encounter illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, or they may suffer from psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. The importance of this bidirectional communication emphasizes the destructive effects of gut dysbiosis, and raises the question of whether or not supplementation with specific strains of probiotics can offset any negative physical and mental symptoms. This thesis reviews the health effects of three prominent probiotic microbes that are endemic to the human gut. These are Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium infantis, and Bifidobacterium breve. The effects of these three microbes are evaluated using both rodent models and human studies. Studies analyzing rodent models discovered that rodents raised in microbe-free environments and rodents raised with chronic induced stress, both demonstrated improved sociability and attenuation of depressive and anxiety-like behaviors following supplementation of either of these three microbes. In human models, individuals that had suffered from clinical anxiety or depression, or that experienced these psychological symptoms as a result of functional gastrointestinal diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia, demonstrated significantly improved mental health outcomes following consistent supplementation of either Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium infantis, or Bifidobacterium breve. While the effects of probiotics on the gut-brain axis in humans are not as robustly studied, and findings may not be translatable between animal models and human models, there are a plethora of studies conducted in human models that indicate an observable positive health effect that should be further analyzed. Further research on the mechanism of microbes on the gut-brain axis can illuminate the intimate connection between the gut and the brain. These findings can underline the importance of a healthy diet as what we ingest and what we bring into our gut, will inevitably have an effect on the composition of our gut microbiome. Hopefully, the implications of this thesis can illuminate and curb the many adverse downstream health effects of unhealthy eating, and other unfavorable lifestyle choices

THE IMPACT OF MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS ON BROWNFIELD INVESTMENT IN SERBIA

The paper analyzes cross-section data for Serbia in the time period from 2005 to 2013. It applies multiple regression technique and measures the impact of macroeconomic variables on attracting foreign investments in brownfield sites in Serbia. The research has shown that macroeconomic indicators such as unemployment rate, average annual wages, gross domestic product, consumer price and exchange rate are statistically significant, while real GDP growth, subsidies and other transfers are statistically insignificant

Mortality rate of lip, oral cavity and pharynx malignant tumors in Serbia within a period 1991-2009

Background/Aim. Lip, oral cavity and pharynx malignant tumors account for 3.7% of all cancer deaths worldwide, with significant geographic variations in frequency and distribution. The aim of this descriptive epidemiologic study was to analyze the mortality rate of lip, oral cavity and pharynx malignant tumors in Serbia proper within a period 1991-2009. Methods. Mortality rates standardized directly using the world population as the standard were used in data analysis. Linear trend and regression analyses were used to analyze rate trends in mortality. Results. The Serbian population demonstrated an increase in the mortality of lip, oral cavity and pharynx malignant tumors (y = 3.32 + 0.03×; p = 0.002; average annual percent change = + 0.8). The male population showed a significant increase in mortality trend (y = 5.90 + 0.03×; p = 0.020; % change = + 0.9), while the female population did not show a significant increase in mortality. The male/female cancer mortality ratio was 5.5:1. Mortality rates for lip, oral cavity and pharynx cancer increased with age in both genders, with rates being the highest in the population aged 85 and older. Increasing trends of lip, oral cavity and pharynx cancer mortality were observed in males aged 50-54; the average annual percent change was + 7.4 % (95% CI, 6.2-9.0). The population of both genders aged 55-59 demonstrated an increase in lip, oral cavity and pharynx cancer mortality, the increase being + 1.8% (95% CI, 1.4-2.2) in men and + 34.3% (95% CI, 28.4-40.2) in women. Conclusion. The increasing trend in lip, oral cavity and pharynx cancer mortality points to the necessity to investigate etiology and improve primary and secondary prevention measures

PREVENTION OF ADENOVIRAL EYE INFECTION - REVIEW

Epidemic viral conjunctivitis caused by adenovirus is the most common infectious conjunctivitis. The exact incidence of adenoviral conjunctivitis is still poorly known, but there are two well-defined adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis clinical syndromes: epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) and pharyngoconjunctival fever (PCF). Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis is also the most severe form and presents with watery discharge, hyperemia, chemosis and ipsilateral lymphadenopathy. Diagnosis is mainly clinical, but its etiology can be confirmed using cell cultures, antigen detection, polymerase chain reaction or immune-chromatography. Multiple treatments have been tried for this disease, but none of them seem to be completely effective. Viruses are resistant to desiccation and certain common surface disinfectants. Prevention is the most reliable and recommended strategy to control this epidemic infection. Global epidemic surveillance system definitely needs to be established to monitor and analyze the epidemic conjunctivitis in the future. There is clearly a need for the national and the military public health institutions to work together on guidelines to handle future challenges

Unusual Clinical Presentation of Giant Extragenital Condyloma

Condylomata accuminatum (CA) is a human papillomavirus (HPV) related sexually transmitted infection (STI), clinically characterized by solitary or even clustered dark red or pink lesions solely affecting the anogenital area (1). CA involving the extragenital, non-mucosal skin has been sporadically reported (2- 4). Diagnosis of CA is usually straightforward when the lesions are located on the anogenital area. However, involvement of extragenital skin may pose a diagnostic challenge. Herein, we report a rare case of giant linear extragenital CA without coexisting genital lesions, diagnosed with a synergic intervention of dermatoscopy and clinics