Artificial intelligence in forensic medicine and forensic dentistry.

This review article aims to highlight the current possibilities for applying Artificial Intelligence in modern forensic medicine and forensic dentistry and present the advantages and disadvantages of its use. For this purpose, the relevant academic literature was searched using PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. The application of Artificial Intelligence in forensic medicine and forensic dentistry is still in its early stages. However, the possibilities are great, and the future will show what is applicable in daily practice. Artificial Intelligence will improve the accuracy and efficiency of work in forensic medicine and forensic dentistry; it can automate some tasks; and enhance the quality of evidence. Disadvantages of the application of Artificial Intelligence may be related to discrimination, transparency, accountability, privacy, security, ethics and others. Artificial Intelligence systems should be used as a support tool, not as a replacement for forensic experts.

Progress in understanding the vulnerability of freshwater ecosystems.

The ability to collect and synthesize long-term environmental monitoring data is essential for the effective management of freshwater ecosystems. Progress has been made in assessment and monitoring approaches that have integrated routine monitoring programs into more holistic watershed-scale vulnerability assessments. While the concept of vulnerability assessment is well-defined for ecosystems, complementary and sometimes competing concepts of adaptive management, ecological integrity, and ecological condition complicate the communication of results to a broader audience. Here, we identify progress in freshwater assessments that can contribute to the identification and communication of freshwater vulnerability. We review novel methods that address common challenges associated with: 1) a lack of baseline information, 2) variability associated with a spatial context, and 3) the taxonomic sufficiency of biological indicators used to make inferences about ecological conditions. Innovation in methods and communication are discussed as a means to highlight meaningful cost-effective results that target policy towards heuristic ecosystem-management.

Assessment of ecological impairment of Arctic streams: Challenges and future directions.

As increased growth and development put pressure on freshwater systems in Arctic environments, there is a need to maintain a meaningful and feasible framework for monitoring water quality. A useful tool for monitoring the ecological health of aquatic systems is by means of the analysis and inferences made from benthic invertebrates in a biomonitoring approach. Biomonitoring of rivers and streams within the Arctic has been under-represented in research efforts. Here, we investigate an approach for monitoring biological impairment in Arctic streams from anthropogenic land use at two streams with different exposure to urban development in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Arctic Canada. Sites upstream of development, at midpoint locations, and at the mouth of each waterbody were sampled during 6 campaigns (2008, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019) to address spatial and temporal variability of the macroinvertebrate community. The influence of taxonomic resolution scaling was also examined in order to understand the sensitivity of macroinvertebrates as indicators in Arctic aquatic systems. We demonstrate that standard biological metrics were effective in indicating biological impairment downstream of sources of point-source pollutants. A mixed-design ANOVA for repeated measures also found strong interannual variability; however, we did not detect intra-annual variation from seasonal factors. When examining metrics at the highest taxonomic resolution possible, the sensitivity of metrics increased. Likewise, when trait-based metrics (α functional diversity) were applied to indicators identified at high taxonomic resolution, a significant difference was found between reference and impacted sites. Our results show that even though Arctic systems have lower diversity and constrained life-history characteristics compared to temperate ecosystems, biomonitoring is not only possible, but also equally effective in detecting trends from anthropogenic activities. Thus, biomonitoring approaches in Arctic environments are likely a useful means for providing rapid and cost-effective means of assessing future environmental impact.

High-Order Phase-Dependent Asymmetry in the Above-Threshold Ionization Plateau.

Above-threshold ionization spectra from cesium are measured as a function of the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) using laser pulses centered at 3.1 µm wavelength. The directional asymmetry in the energy spectra of backscattered electrons oscillates three times, rather than once, as the CEP is changed from 0 to 2π. Using the improved strong-field approximation, we show that the unusual behavior arises from the interference of few quantum orbits. We discuss the conditions for observing the high-order CEP dependence, and draw an analogy with time-domain holography with electron wave packets.

Helicity asymmetry in strong-field ionization of atoms by a bicircular laser field.

Ionization of atoms by an intense bicircular laser field is considered, which consists of two coplanar corotating or counterrotating circularly polarized field components with frequencies that are integer multiples of a fundamental frequency. Emphasis is on the effect of a reversal of the helicities of the two field components on the photoelectron spectra. The velocity maps of the liberated electrons are calculated using the direct strong-field approximation (SFA) and its improved version (ISFA), which takes into account rescattering off the parent ion. Under the SFA all symmetries of the driving field are preserved in the velocity map while the ISFA violates certain reflection symmetries. This allows one to assess the significance of rescattering in actual data obtained from an experiment or a numerical simulation.

Numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for H_{2}

Time evolution of the bound state of a molecular hydrogen cation in an intense, linearly polarized laser field is investigated by solving the full three-dimensional time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Our method is based on the Born-Oppenheimer and dipole approximations, and the wave function is expanded in finite series using B-spline functions and spherical harmonics in prolate spheroidal coordinates. After solving the stationary Schrödinger equation, the initial state is propagated under the influence of the laser field employing the Crank-Nicolson propagator. Using this method we calculate and present high-harmonic photon spectra and above-threshold ionization angle-resolved electron spectra.

Electron rescattering in a bicircular laser field.

Above-threshold ionization of rare-gas atoms by a bicircular field with its two components counterrotating is theoretically investigated by means of the improved strong-field approximation. Both direct and rescattered electrons are considered and the quantum orbits that lead into a specific final state are calculated and depicted. The angle-dependent spectrum reflects the discrete rotational symmetry of the bicircular field. The backward-scattering contributions are very similar to those generated by a linearly polarized field; several such contributions are rotated one versus the other by the symmetry angle of the discrete rotational symmetry. The forward-scattering contributions dramatically affect the velocity map at comparatively low momenta. The direct-electron spectrum observes reflection symmetry about several symmetry axes determined by the field symmetry. This is broken by rescattering.

Accurate determination of absolute carrier-envelope phase dependence using photo-ionization.

The carrier-envelope phase (CEP) dependence of few-cycle above-threshold ionization (ATI) of Xe is calibrated for use as a reference measurement for determining and controlling the absolute CEP in other interactions. This is achieved by referencing the CEP-dependent ATI measurements of Xe to measurements of atomic H, which are in turn referenced to ab initio calculations for atomic H. This allows for the accurate determination of the absolute CEP dependence of Xe ATI, which enables relatively easy determination of the offset between the relative CEP measured and/or controlled by typical devices and the absolute CEP in the interaction.

On aging and aged care in Serbia.

Serbia is a demographically old nation, with 17.4 % of its residents being aged 65 years and older in 2011. The previous two decades of turbulent history have significantly affected the demographic picture of this country, and their ramifications remain visible in Serbia's economic, political, cultural, and health spheres. Major demographic forces behind population aging in Serbia can be attributed to lower fertility rates, migrations, and declining mortality (reflecting improvements in overall health leading to a longer life expectancy). In Serbia, low fertility and migrations appear to play major roles, although the relative contribution of recent migrations cannot be measured with accuracy. Patterns of demographic aging vary considerably across different geographic, socioeconomic, and cultural settings. The common denominator throughout present day Serbia is extensive political and economic transition. One would expect that, given sufficient time, this process will result in improved population health, and yet, at this stage outcomes of major health care reform in Serbia are somewhat perplexing. For the second consecutive year, Serbia's health care system has been ranked at the very bottom of the scale among 34 European countries. It is then no surprise that the elderly represent particularly vulnerable population segment. This paper discusses some of the issues relevant to these demographic patterns of aging and aged care in contemporary Serbia, focusing on the period after 2000.

Lupus nephritis in Croatian children: clinicopathologic findings and outcome.

We report clinical and histopathological features, treatment and outcome of 37 Croatian children with biopsy-proven lupus nephritis seen over a 30-year period. The mean age at lupus nephritis presentation was 12.11 ± 2.59 years (range 4.66-17.0). The most frequent histopathological finding was class IV (37.8%), followed by class III (35.1%), class V (16.2 %) and class II (10.8 %) lupus nephritis. Compared with other classes there were more boys among patients with class IV lupus nephritis, and hypertension, nephrotic syndrome and decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate at presentation were more common. The median histopathological activity and total scores were highest in class IV lupus nephritis patients. The mean follow-up was 7.14 ± 4.71 years, ranging from 1.1 years to 21.0 years. Kaplan-Meier estimate S: of patient and kidney (without renal failure) survival rate S: were 90.5% and 87 % at five years. The renal survival rate of class IV lupus nephritis patients was found significantly lower compared with other histological classes combined. Decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate at the time of diagnosis, class IV lupus nephritis versus other lupus nephritis classes, and high total histological score were the parameters significantly associated with adverse outcome. The therapy with cyclophosphamide showed as superior to the therapy with azathioprine.

First Report of Pseudomonas syringae pv. coriandricola Causing Bacterial Leaf Spot on Carrot, Parsley, and Parsnip in Serbia.

During the spring of 2014, a severe leaf spot disease was observed on carrot (Daucus carota), parsley (Petroselinum crispum), and parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) on a 0.5-ha vegetable farm in Vojvodina Province, Serbia. The disease appeared under wet and cool conditions with 5 to 25% of plants infected for each of the three crops. Symptoms were characterized as brown angular leaf spots, ~2 mm in diameter, often limited by veins. Collected symptomatic leaves were rinsed and dried at room temperature, and leaf sections taken from the margin of necrotic tissue were macerated in sterile phosphate buffer and streaked onto nutrient agar with 5% (w/v) sucrose (NAS). After isolation, whitish, circular, dome-shaped, Levan-positive colonies consistently formed. Five strains from each host (carrot, parsley, and parsnip) were used for further study. Strains were gram-negative, aerobic, and positive for catalase and tobacco hypersensitive reaction but negative for oxidase, rot of potato slices, and arginine dihydrolase. These reactions corresponded to LOPAT group Ia, which includes Pseudomonas syringae pathovars (3). Repetitive extragenic palindromic sequence (Rep)-PCR fingerprint profiles using the REP, ERIC, and BOX primers (4) were identical for all strains. Sequence typing of the housekeeping genes gyrB and rpoD (1) was performed for three representative strains (one from each host). Sequences were deposited in the NCBI GenBank database as accessions KM979434 to KM979436 (strains from carrot, parsnip, and parsley, respectively) for the gyrB gene and KM979437 to KM979439 (strains from parsnip, parsley and carrot, respectively) for the rpoD gene. Sequences were compared with pathotype strain Pseudomonas syringae pv. coriandricola ICMP12471 deposited in the Plant Associated and Environmental Microbes Database ( http://genome.ppws.vt.edu/cgi-bin/MLST/home.pl ). BLAST analysis revealed 100% homology for gyrB and 99% homology for rpoD. Pathogenicity was tested with five representative strains from each host on four-week-old plants of carrot (cv. Nantes), parsley (cv. NS Molski), and parsnip (cv. Dugi beli glatki) using two methods: spraying the bacterial suspension (108 CFU ml-1) on the leaves until runoff (5) and injecting the bacterial suspension into leaves with a hypodermic syringe (2). Four plants were used per strain and method. Sterile distilled water was applied as a negative control treatment for each plant species. All plants were kept in a mist room with 100% humidity for 4 h, then transferred to a greenhouse at 25°C and 80% relative humidity and examined for symptom development over a period of three weeks. For all strains, inoculated leaves first developed water-soaked lesions on the leaves 5 to 7 days after inoculation (DAI); 14 DAI lesions became dark brown, often surrounded by haloes. No symptoms were observed on control plants inoculated with sterile distilled water. For fulfillment of Koch's postulates, re-isolations were done onto NAS. Re-isolated bacteria were obtained from each inoculated host and confirmed to be identical to the original isolates using the LOPAT tests and Rep-PCR fingerprinting profiles. Based on the pathogenicity test accompanied by completion of Koch's postulates, sequence analysis, and bacteriological tests, the strains were identified as P. s. pv. coriandricola. To our knowledge, this is the first report of bacterial leaf spot of carrot, parsley, and parsnip in Serbia. It may present a threat to production due to quality requirements for fresh market. References: (1) P. Ferrente and M. Scortichini. Plant Pathol. 59:954, 2010. (2) M. Gupta et al. Plant Dis. 97:418, 2013. (3) R. A. Lelliott et al. J. Appl. Bacteriol. 29:470, 1966. (4) F. J. Louws et al. Appl. Environ. Microb. 60:2286, 1994. (5) X. Xu and S. A. Miller. Plant Dis. 97:988, 2013.

Growth and viability of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus in traditional yoghurt enriched by honey and whey protein concentrate.

The ability of whey protein concentrate (WPC) (1% w/v) and/or honey (2% and 4% w/v) to improve lactic acid bacteria (Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus) growth and viability in yoghurt during a 21 day period of storage was investigated. Another focus of this study was to examine fermentation kinetics and post-acidification rates through pH and lactic acid content measurements over the 21 day period. The addition of WPC and acacia honey accelerated fermentation and improved lactic acid bacteria (LAB) growth over the 21 days, but honey proportion did not significantly affect the viability of LAB. Moreover, adding honey and WPC did not support the overproduction of lactic acid, which positively influenced yoghurt stability during the 21 day storage period.

Redifferentiation and induction of tumor suppressors miR-122 and miR-375 by the PAX8/PPARγ fusion protein inhibits anaplastic thyroid cancer: a novel therapeutic strategy.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is an aggressive, fatal disease unresponsive to traditional therapies, generating a need to develop effective therapies. The PAX8/PPARγ fusion protein (PPFP) has been shown to favorably modulate tumor growth in follicular thyroid cancer, prompting our evaluation of its efficacy to inhibit ATC cell and tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. PPFP was constitutively expressed in five ATC cell lines: BHT-101, FRO, C-643, KTC-2 and KTC-3, and inhibited cell growth in four of five cell lines and xenograft tumor growth in four of four cell lines. PPFP-mediated growth inhibition involved multiple mechanisms, including upregulation of miR-122 and miR-375, associated with decreased angiogenesis and AKT pathway inactivation, respectively. Also, PPFP expression resulted in marked increase of thyroid-specific marker transcripts, including PAX8, thyroid peroxidase (TPO), sodium iodide symporter (NIS) and thyroglobulin, to varying degrees by activating their respective promoters, suggesting that PPFP induced cellular redifferentiation. Functional studies demonstrate that increased NIS messenger RNA is not associated with increased 125I uptake. However, ectopic expression of wild-type NIS-induced perchlorate-sensitive iodine uptake, suggesting that endogenous NIS in ATC cell lines is defective. As current treatment for ATC is only palliative, overexpression of PPFP may offer a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of ATC.

First Report of Cucumber mosaic virus Infecting Peperomia tuisana in Serbia.

Peperomia tuisana C.DC. ex Pittier (family Piperaceae) is an attractive succulent grown as an ornamental. Despite its tropical origins, it can be successfully grown indoors in any climate. In March 2012, three samples of P. tuisana showing virus-like symptoms were collected from a commercial greenhouse in Zemun (District of Belgrade, Serbia) in which estimated disease incidence was 80%. Infected plants showed symptoms including necrotic ringspots and line patterns that enlarged and caused necrosis of leaves. A serious leaf drop led to growth reduction and even death of the plant. Leaves from three symptomatic P. tuisana plants were sampled and analyzed by double-antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA using commercial diagnostic kits (Bioreba AG, Reinach, Switzerland) against the most common viral pathogens of ornamentals: Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), and Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) (1,2). Commercial positive and negative controls were included in each ELISA. Serological analyses showed that all plants were positive for CMV and negative for TSWV and INSV. The ELISA-positive sample (isolate 1-12) was mechanically inoculated onto five plants each of three test species as well as of healthy young P. tuisana using 0.01 M phosphate buffer (pH 7). Chlorotic local lesions on Chenopodium quinoa and severe mosaic and leaf malformations were observed on all inoculated Nicotiana tabacum 'Samsun' and N. glutinosa. Also, the virus was successfully mechanically transmitted to P. tuisana that reacted with symptoms identical to those observed on the original host plants. All mechanically inoculated plants were positive for CMV in DAS-ELISA. For further confirmation of CMV infection, reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was performed on extracts made from symptomatic P. tuisana, N. tabacum 'Samsun,' and N. glutinosa leaf materials. Total RNAs were extracted with the RNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) and RT-PCR was carried out using One-Step RT-PCR Kit (Qiagen). A CMV-specific primer pair, CMVCPfwd and CMVCPrev (3), which amplifies an 871-bp fragment of the entire coat protein (CP) gene and part of 3'- and 5'-UTRs, were used for both amplification and sequencing. Total RNAs obtained from the Serbian CMV isolate (HM065510) and healthy P. tuisana were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. A product of the correct predicted size was obtained in all naturally and mechanically infected plants, as well as positive control. No amplicon was recorded in the healthy control. The amplified product derived from isolate 1-12 was purified (QIAquick PCR Purification Kit, Qiagen), directly sequenced in both directions, deposited in GenBank (KC505441), and analyzed by MEGA5 software (4). Sequence comparison of the complete CP gene (657 nt) revealed that the Serbian isolate 1-12 shared the highest nucleotide identity of 99.1% (99.5% amino acid identity) with the Japanese isolate (AB006813). To our knowledge, this is the first report on the occurrence of CMV in P. tuisana in Serbia. This is also an important discovery since P. tuisana is commonly grown together with other ornamental hosts of CMV, and thus could represent a serious threat for future expansion of CMV in the greenhouse floriculture industry in Serbia. References: (1) M. L. Daughtrey et al. Plant Dis. 81:1220, 1997. (2) S. Flasinski et al. Plant Dis. 79:843, 1995. (3) K. Milojevic et al. Plant Dis. 96:1706, 2012. (4) K. Tamura et al. Mol. Biol. Evol. 28:2731, 2011.

Application of the dressed-bound-state molecular strong-field approximation to above-threshold ionization of heteronuclear molecules: NO vs. CO.

We theoretically investigate high-order above-threshold ionization (HATI) of heteronuclear diatomic molecules applying the molecular strong-field approximation which includes dressing of the molecular bound state. We consider HATI of nitrogen monoxide molecules, which are characterized by the π symmetry of their highest occupied molecular orbital. We show that the HATI spectra of NO exhibit characteristic interference structures. We analyze the differences and similarities of the HATI spectra of NO molecules and the spectra of CO (σ symmetry) and O(2) (π(g) symmetry) molecules. The symmetry properties of the molecular HATI spectra governed by linearly and elliptically polarized fields are considered in detail. The yields of high-energy electrons, contributing to the plateau region of the photoelectron spectra, strongly depend on the employed ellipticity.

Genotypic and phenotypic evaluation of Rutilus spp. from Skadar, Ohrid and Prespa Lakes supports revision of endemic as well as taxonomic status of several taxa.

One mtDNA gene (cytochrome b), one nuclear DNA fragment, five microsatellites and a suite of morphological characters were evaluated in samples of Rutilus spp. from Skadar, Ohrid and Prespa Lakes. Both genetic and phenotypic data supported two sympatric taxa in Lake Skadar, whereby Prespa and Ohrid Lakes revealed only a single taxon each. One of the taxa from Lake Skadar was similar to samples from Lake Prespa, whereas the second taxon was the most divergent in the data set. The estimated time to the most recent common ancestor of these two sympatric taxa in Lake Skadar was between 125 000 and 500 000 years. The data did not support existing taxonomic schemes for Rutilus in these lakes. This study poses the following working hypothesis: (1) Rutilus prespensis lives both in Lake Prespa and Lake Skadar and therefore is not endemic to Lake Prespa, (2) Rutilus ohridanus lives in Lake Ohrid only and therefore could be considered an endemic if its species status is retained and (3) a third recently described taxon (Rutilus albus) sympatric to R. prespensis lives in Lake Skadar.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: as inappropriate pharmacotherapy in the elderly?

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are one of the most used groups of drugs in elderly population. The aim of this study was to establish the frequency of reported disorders while using NSAID in elderly patients. A multi-centric study was conducted with a standard questionnaire for all geriatrician outpatients who were using NSAID. It has been found that out of 421 patients, 320 reported some kind of disorder; 287 of them used other drugs beside NSAID, 33 used only NSAID during the study. It has been concluded that frequency of reported disorders was significantly higher among patients who used another drug beside NSAID, and statistically most frequent reported disorders were gastrointestinal.

Biogerontology in Serbia.

UNLABELLED: Aging is caused by gradual accumulation of cell and tissue damage. Accumulation of damage begins early and continues progressively throughout life, resulting after several decades in the overt frailty, disability and diseases associated with aging. In Serbia during the last few years, several different institutions participated in the investigation in the aging process: (1) Changes in hormone signaling with aging-the age-related increase in insulinemia and glucose metabolism deregulation was found to be attributed to changes in insulin signaling as demonstrated on murine models. (2) Changes in immunological response in aging-along with involution of thymic lymphoepithelial tissue, it has been demonstrated on a murine model that early thymocyte differentiational steps within the CD4-8-double negative developmental stage are age-sensitive. (3) Changes in cholesterol metabolism and oxidative processes in aging-the beneficial effect of long-term dietary restriction on ageing, was explained as effect on cholesterol metabolism. (4) Alzheimer's disease-the connection between neurodegenerative processes associated to the Alzheimer's disease and the function of the Na-K-ATPase which is known to be altered by ageing has been experimentally shown. CONCLUSION: The recent work of Serbian investigators suggest some new evidence that aging process influences the hormone signaling, immunological response, cholesterol metabolism and oxidative processes.

Electron rescattering in above-threshold photodetachment of negative ions.

We present experimental and theoretical results on photodetachment of Br(-) and F(-) in a strong infrared laser field. The observed photoelectron spectra of Br(-) exhibit a high-energy plateau along the laser polarization direction, which is identified as being due to the rescattering effect. The shape and the extension of the plateau is found to be influenced by the depletion of negative ions during the interaction with the laser pulse. Our findings represent the first observation of electron rescattering in above-threshold photodetachment of an atomic system with a short-range potential.