Mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms were analyzed in of 1,610 randomly chosen adult men from 11 different regions from southeastern Europe (Croatians, Bosnians and Herzegovinians, Serbians, Macedonians and Macedonian Romani). MtDNA HVS-I region together with RFLP sites diagnostic for main Euroasian and African mtDNA haplogroups were typed to determine haplogroup frequency distribution. The most frequent haplogroup in studied populations was H with the exception of Macedonian Romani among whom the most frequent were South Asian (Indian) specific variants of haplogroup M. The multidimensional scaling plot showed two clusters of populations and two outliers (Macedonian Romani and the most distant from mainland Croatian island of Korcula). The first cluster was formed by populations from three Croatian islands (Hvar, Krk and Brac) and the second cluster was formed by Macedonians, Serbians, Croatians from mainland and coast, Herzegovinians, Bosnians, Slovenians, Poles and Russians. The present analysis does not address a precise evaluation of phylogenetic relations of studied populations although some conclusions about historical migrations could be noticed. More extended conclusions will be possible after deeper phylogenetic and statistical analyses.

There has been an interest to understand the trapping performance produced by a laser beam with a complex wavefront structure because the current methods for calculating trapping force ignore the effect of diffraction by a vectorial electromagnetic wave. In this letter, we present a method for determining radiation trapping force on a micro-particle, based on the vectorial diffraction theory and the Maxwell stress tensor approach. This exact method enables one to deal with not only complex apodization, phase, and polarization structures of trapping laser beams but also the effect of spherical aberration present in the trapping system.

Industrial robots are introduced to belt grinding processes of free-formed surface with elastic wheel nowadays in order to obtain high quality product and high efficiency. However, it is a laborious task to plan grinding paths and write programs for the robot. To release people from it partially, it is necessary to simulate the belt grinding processes which are useful for path generating and dynamic robot control. In this paper, we present a framework of the robot controlled belt grinding simulation system and some key issues in it. We enhance the global removal model to local process model, which can simulate the grinding process more exactly. We also point out the bottleneck of the real-time simulation and put forward a neural network based regression method to meet this difficulty. At the end of the paper, some simple simulation examples are given.

Dynamics of growth of male children and youths from the Region of Tuzla influenced by some exogenous factors was researched by a corresponding analysis of the sample which included 751 tested individuals, aged from 11 to 17 years. The analysis performed is primarily based on the scientific elaboration of the registered state in two time-points (1996 and 1999) in the tested part of broader population. This research involved the period of four-year aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina, taking into consideration the fact that the tested persons spent one period of their growth and development in extremely bad wartime living conditions. By quasicanonic correlative analysis it was established that the next factors participated in connection of variables of both sets (initial and final measurements): mother's standard, total mother's and father's standard of living, mother's age and sequence of births participated to some less extent in connection of both sets of variables. Anthropometric variables that had most significant impact of both sets of variables are: length parameters, body mass, width parameters, circumferences had somewhat less impact, while indexes of head and sitting height had the least impact on this connection.

SUMMARY. Objective. The aim of this study is to appreciate the mode of delivery in the pregnant women with placenta praevia. Methods. Retrospective study. We analized 9010 deliveries (two years period, 2001 and 2002) performed at the University Clinical Center, Tuzla, Ob/Gyn Clinic. Control group were 16 pregnant women without placenta praevia. In statistical analysis t-test was used. Results. The incidence of placenta praevia was 0.17% (16 out of 9010 deliveries). Placenta praevia partialis was established in 8 (50%), placenta praevia centralis in 4 (25%) and placenta praevia marginalis in 4 (25%) pregnant women. All pregnant women with placenta praevia were secundiparas and multiparas. The caesarean section was previously performed in 8 (50%) pregnant women. In actual pregnancy in 14 (87.5%) of pregnant women with placenta praevia the mode of delivery was by caesarean section, in the control group in 3 (18.75%), the t-test is 5.72, p<0.05. Apgar score 8–10 was in 12 and 4–7 in 4 (25%) neonates; in the control group Apgar score 4–7 was only in one case (6.25%); the statistical difference is not significant. The gestational age at delivery in 8 cases was ≤37 weeks, in the control grup in 2; the difference is statistically significant (t=2.51, p<0.05). Conclusion. Placenta praevia is a serious complication of pregnancy. The method of choise in the delivery for pregnant women with placenta praevia is caesarean section.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may involve the respiratory tract in several ways, such as through pleuritis, pneumonitis, interstitial disease or pulmonary hypertension. In rare cases, SLE patients present a syndrome characterized by dyspnea, chest pain and abnormalities in pulmonary function testing, although there may be no evidence of major parenchymal lung disease on computerized tomography scans. This condition has come to be known as shrinking lung syndrome. We report a case that meets these diagnostic criteria, emphasizing the pathogenesis proposed, as well as the therapeutic options available.