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The Stress-Biomarker Axis in Atherosclerosis Driven by Organelle, Oxidative and tRNA and miRNA Dynamics
No full textCardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain the leading cause of death globally, causing approximately 19.8 million deaths in 2022, accounting for 32% of all deaths. Atherosclerosis (AS), one of the leading causes of these diseases, is a chronic inflammatory vascular disease closely associated with oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction. Organelle stress, particularly endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondrial stress, exacerbates oxidative stress by leading to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In turn, oxidative stress impairs organelle function, creating a vicious cycle. This interaction accelerates atherosclerotic plaque formation, chronicizes inflammation in the vascular wall, and impairs plaque stability, increasing the risk of cardiovascular events. In recent years, it has been shown that transfer RNAs (tRNAs), which are involved in classical protein synthesis, not only mediate translation but also regulate gene expression via tRNA-derived small RNAs (tRFs, tRNA-derived fragments). Certain tRF subtypes have been implicated in endothelial dysfunction and the proliferation/migration processes of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Increased tRNA degradation under cellular stress conditions (ER stress, hypoxia, oxidative stress) is directly related to the inflammatory microenvironment seen in atherosclerosis. In addition to miRNAs, circulating tRFs are promising new biomarker candidates for early diagnosis and monitoring disease progression. Our in silico analyses using publicly available GEO datasets (GSE28858 and GSE202937) revealed significant increases in the ER stress sensor protein IRE1 and the oxidative stress marker NRF2 in patient samples. Furthermore, significant differences were observed in the expression levels of specific tRNAs ( tRNA-Gly-1-7, TRNL2, TRNK, TRKTTT; 12.6- to 7.6-fold) and miRNAs (miR-468, miR-199a, miR-1248, miR-376c; 7.8- to 8.9fold). Our findings suggest that organelle and oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis can be monitored not only at the cellular level but also through circulating RNA biomarkers, and that tRFs may be active regulators of the disease
The Impact of Innovation on Regional Economic Development in Kosovo
No full textThis study takes a closer look at how innovation influences regional economic development in Kosovo, highlighting its crucial role in boosting business efficiency, creating jobs, and narrowing regional gaps. As a transitioning economy, Kosovo grapples with ongoing institutional, infrastructural, and financial hurdles, which makes innovation a vital force for achieving sustainable economic and social advancement. The research employs a mixedmethod approach, blending theoretical insights with real-world data gathered from 52 businesses across various regions and sectors. For the quantitative analysis, SPSS was utilized, applying statistical tests like Chi-Square, Kruskal-Wallis, and correlation analysis to explore the link between innovation practices and business performance. The results show that while companies are generally aware of the significance of innovation, they still face major challenges due to insufficient institutional support, limited financial resources, and a lack of collaboration between academia and industry. Innovation efforts tend to be more concentrated in economically developed areas, leaving rural and less developed regions lagging behind, which exacerbates regional inequalities. The study underscores the necessity for stronger institutional frameworks to promote research and development, create financial tools to support startups, and foster multi-sector partnerships that encourage innovation and knowledge sharing. It\u27s crucial to enhance public policies that align innovation with regional development strategies to ensure inclusive and balanced economic growth. These findings add to the academic conversation on innovation-driven regional development and provide practical insights for policymakers, universities, and businesses aiming to boost Kosovo’s competitiveness in both regional and global markets
Minimization of Thermal Bridging and Envelope Optimization in Sustainable Modular Architecture: A Case Study of a Timber-Based Modular Housing Prototype
No full textThis paper investigates the role of minimizing thermal bridging and optimizing the building envelope in enhancing the energy performance of sustainable modular architecture. Focusing on timber-based prefabricated systems, the study compares the performance of natural and mineral-based insulation materials and identifies thermal-bridge-free construction strategies through simulation and thermographic analysis. The research is further contextualized through a case study of a modular housing prototype, designed and developed with energy-optimized junctions and sustainable envelope detailing. The project demonstrates the practical application of theoretical principles in a real-world architectural intervention, validating the feasibility of high-efficiency modular construction. The study offers actionable insights for architects, engineers, and developers engaged in sustainable prefabricated building design
Interpreting Post-1960 Turkish Modernism through Architectural Journals: Pluralist Reflections
No full textThis paper investigates how the idea of architectural pluralism was constructed in Turkish architectural journals and how this discourse contributed to the reinterpretation of modernism in the second half of the 20th century. Focusing on key publications such as Mimarlık, Arkitekt, Yapı, and Arredamento Mimarlık, it analyzes journals published between 1960 and 2000, with particular attention to articles that reflect on the architecture of the 1960s and 1970s and the emergence of pluralist discourse during that period, as seen through architectural and professional debates. Rather than approaching pluralism as merely a stylistic shift, this paper frames it as a multifaceted response, including ideological, contextual, and formal aspects to the dominant nation-building narratives of early Republican modernism. Through discourse analysis of selected articles and editorials, it aims to reveal how the meaning of modernism was debated and redefined across a range of positions in the 1960s and 1970s. In parallel with discourse analysis, this paper closely examines how these pluralist tendencies intersect with architectural production. By analyzing the published representations of buildings constructed during this period, it traces the evolving architectural language of the post-1960 era as reflected in the journals. This dual approach highlights the interplay between discourse and practice. Finally, this study points to the transition experienced in the conceptual boundaries of modernism in Turkey by briefly touching on how the pluralistic discourse and its architectural manifestations changed after 1980. It argues that architectural journals during this period did not merely document developments but actively participated in shaping and redefining the discourse of modernism through published content
Housing; affordable; social; family; low-income; middle-income; vulnerable; housing stock; community; institutions
No full textThe shape of human experience involved in sacred architecture has been always impacted by the light as a fundamental element. In addition, the profound relationship between natural light, spiritual perception, and the human presence in sacred spaces is elaborated in this theme. In religion, light symbolizes the truth, the triumph of good over evil, or even the God itself, and as such it is the key emotional medium in religious and spiritual architecture that evokes transcendence. The role of light in architecture is to invite a reflection on how daylight is intertwined with architectural form to create rooms that develop introspection and connection with the divine. This theme also explores historical and contemporary examples through bringing to attention the contribution of light to a place’s spiritual identity by influencing its aesthetic qualities in one hand, and its emotional and existential dimensions in the other. Human-Centered experience of light in sacred architecture is the primary authentic focus as a cultural and spiritual necessity in an era that is challenged by a time that is more and more dominated by artificial environments and digital experience. The goal of this conference contribution is to open a conversation related to the continuing relevance of natural light as an architectural medium—one that enables interaction and that fosters the relationship with the divinepresenc
Blurred Legalities: Project the Boundaries of Necessity and Law
No full textIn Blurred Legalities, I continue my exploration into the shifting dynamics of urban life and post-war transformation, following my earlier project Above Everyone. This new series extends my ongoing interest in how people shape and adapt their environments under conditions of scarcity, uncertainty, and resilience. Through the delicate medium of watercolor, I depict unauthorized “penthouses” and hybrid rooftop structures that have emerged in Kosovo’s cities as responses to post-war needs and ambiguous legal frameworks For me, these structures represent more than architectural improvisations, they are markers of a society negotiating its own definitions of legality, belonging, and survival. Their improvised forms and irregular geometries reveal how necessity often blurs the lines between what is permitted and what is possible. Using watercolor allows me to translate these blurred realities into soft transitions of tone and texture, mirroring the fragile coexistence of formality and informality in the urban landscape. The transparency of the medium echoes the transparency, and at times opacity, of the laws and conditions that shape such spaces. While Above Everyone explored the social and symbolic implications of elevation and aspiration, Blurred Legalities moves toward the in-between where legality and illegality, permanence and transience, coexist. I am drawn to façades that have aged unevenly, to rooftops that appear both temporary and enduring. In these visual contradictions, I find a quiet reflection of the ways people continuously rebuild their lives and cities after conflict. Through this work, I wish to question how legality is defined and who has the authority to define it. By framing these informal architectural gestures within a painterly language, I aim to open a dialogue about the moral, social, and aesthetic dimensions of reconstruction. The paintings are not simply documents of urban improvisation but meditations on resilience, resourcefulness, and the ethics of making space in the aftermath of disruption. In Blurred Legalities, I try to capture a landscape where rules are flexible, boundaries are porous, and beauty emerges from necessity—a cityscape painted not only with water and pigment, but with the traces of human persistence
Application of AI in Risk Assessment during Vehicle Movement
No full textThis The application of AI in the assessment of risk during vehicle movement and the cooperation between them will increase the level of road safety and avoid dangerous situations in real time. The possibility of analyzing dangerous situations in real time, different atmospheric conditions, difficult conditions as well as sharing the evaluation data, is considered to have a great impact on increasing the level of road safety. In addition to the impact on the circulation of vehicles and passengers, the reduction in the number of people killed in accidents and those with injuries directly affects the expenses created in state institutions
Applicable Method for Revision of Unit Prices for Long-term Construction Contracts
No full textDepending from the scope of work, some construction projects take time to be completed, and during this period changes in aspect of cost have considerable impact in the overall initial budget. Usually, in the bidding documentation is presented how this will be taken into account if the prices are changed over a certain limit. If not, then the contracting authority and the contractor have to find an accepted method approach, how these changes will be applied in the overall cost. Here in the paper will be presented a way which is practicable and it is presented in well-known form of contracts for the revision of the construction cost that can be applied as a method in order to take into consideration the changes of prices during the implementation period for the long-term contracts
The Impact of Water on Concrete Quality
No full textWater is vital to concrete, and it has a dual role. This paper will examine the impact of the quantity (water/cement ratio - W/C) and water quality on concrete. W/C directly affects workability, mechanical strength, porosity, and durability. A low W/C gives stronger concrete but with difficult workability; a high W/C improves workability but weakens mechanical properties and durability. Water quality is also critical; impurities such as chlorides, sulfates, and organic substances can negatively affect cement bonding and strength, cause corrosion of reinforcement, and degradation. Water is also essential for curing, which maximizes strength and durability. Therefore, strict control of water quantity and quality and good curing are key to quality concrete and consistent performance, according to standards (e.g., EN 1008, EN 206)
The Application of Pedestrian Overpasses in Urban Areas - the case of Road B (Sunny Hill)
No full textThis paper presents research work related to the solution and prioritization of active movements in urban areas, taking into consideration the demand for movement, infrastructure, safety of movements and the landscape. The review is based on the existing state of the infrastructure, differentiating active movements - pedestrians and cyclists from vehicles. The proposed solution fills the gaps identified during the survey and analysis process of the traffic node location