Areas In Kosovo Research Articles

Meta-analysis of depleted uranium levels in the Balkan region

In recent years, contradicting data has been published on the connection between the presence of depleted uranium and an increased cancer incidence among military personnel deployed in the Balkans during the 1992–1999 wars. This has led to numerous research articles investigating possible depleted uranium contamination of the afflicted regions of the Balkan Peninsula, namely Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro. The aim of this study was to collect data from previously published reports investigating the levels of depleted uranium in the Balkans and to present the data in the form of a meta-analysis. This would provide a clear image of the extent of depleted uranium contamination after the Balkan conflict. In addition, we tested the hypothesis that there is a correlation between the levels of depleted uranium and the assumed depleted uranium-related health effects. Our results suggest that the majority of the examined sites contain natural uranium, while the area of Kosovo appears to be most heavily afflicted by depleted uranium pollution, followed by Bosnia & Herzegovina. Furthermore, the results indicate that it is not possible to make a valid correlation between the health effects and depleted uranium-contaminated areas. We therefore suggest a structured collaborative plan of action where long-term monitoring of the residents of depleted uranium-afflicted areas would be performed. In conclusion, while the possibility of depleted uranium toxicity in post–conflict regions appears to exist, there currently exists no definitive proof of such effects, due to insufficient studies of potentially afflicted populations, in addition to the lack of a common epidemiological approach in the reviewed literature.

Research of Agronomic and Quality Traits of Winter Barley Varieties (Hordeum Vulgare L.) Under Growing Conditions in the Republic of Kosovo

The object of this paper is the research of agronomic and quality trains of winter varieties (hordeum vulgare L.) their adaptability and specific reactions towards growing conditions in the Republic of Kosovo. During three year trails on localities in Dukagjini area and area of Kosovo we researched 5 winter barley varieties. Environment has been explored together with estimation of significant parameters of grain yield, hectoliter weight, protein and starch content. Impact of year, location and variety on grain yield, hectoliter grain weight, protein and starch content has been estimated by analysis of variance. Environmental effects of planting barley cultivars in the Dukagjini area and area of Kosovo is based on a study that determines the influence of climatic factors, temperature and moisture, the quality of barley for beer production. Experiments were set according to the method of randomized blocks in three repetitions. Area of each experimental plot was 10 m2. In the laboratory at the Agricultural Institute of Kosovo, and close laboratory brewery in Peja were analyzed: the content of protein (%), weight (1000 seeds in grams), hectoliters weight (kg), humidity (%), yield (kg/ha), starch, color, aroma, impurity. Results obtained showed that parameters of achieved grain yield show that under favorable growing conditions one can expect better results of varieties Zllatko, Barun and Vanesa.

Cyto- and genotoxic potential of water samples from polluted areas in Kosovo.

Reports on the state of the environment in Kosovo have emphasized that river and ground water quality is affected by pollution from untreated urban water as well as the waste water from the industry. One of the main contributors to this pollution is located in Obiliq (coal power plants). Prishtina-the capital city of Kosovo-is heavily influenced too. Furthermore, the pollutants combined together with those from heavy traffic are dissolved in Prishtina runoff water, which is discharged into the creek entering the river Sitnica together with urban waste water. The available data show the complex pollution with excessive quantities of nitrites, suspended materials, organic compounds, detergents, heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls, etc. In this study, the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of water samples taken at these sites was tested in primary rat hepatocytes. The results obtained indicate that water samples collected in Prishtina and Obiliq had a significant cytotoxic potential in primary rat hepatocyte cultures even when diluted to 1%. The increased cytotoxicity, however, was not accompanied by an increased genotoxicity as measured by the percentage of micronucleated cells. Further investigations addressing the chemical composition of the samples and the identification of the toxicants responsible for the cytotoxic effects found will be carried out in a next step.

Differences in basal DNA damage in blood cells from men and women

AbstractWe have recently shown that inhabitants of two polluted areas in Kosovo display more DNA damage (strand breaks in blood cell DNA) than do residents of a cleaner area. Here, we present additional analyses of these data and discuss additional data sets from Kosovo. Based on our data as well as the available data from other authors, age and sex-related differences in DNA damage or in susceptibility to DNA-damaging agents in the environment should be carefully considered when designing biomonitoring studies and when carrying out statistical analysis of the data.

Epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis A in Serbian areas of Kosovo and Metohia

Epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis A in Serbian areas of Kosovo and Metohia

Potential of Constructed Wetland for Wastewater Treatment in Rural Areas in Kosovo

Potential of Constructed Wetland for Wastewater Treatment in Rural Areas in Kosovo

Epidemiological characteristics of acute myocardial infraction in Serbian areas of Kosovo and Metohia

The term 'acute myocardial infarction ' is used when there is evidence of myocardial necrosis in a situation when the clinical picture suggests myocardial ischemia. Average per year in the world of acute myocardial infarction fall ill 6 million people, lethality occur in over 25% of cases. Identification of the most important epidemiological characteristics of myocardial infarction in the Serbian areas of Kosovo and Metohija. In paper we used an epidemiological cross sectional study (cross -sectional). During the period of 2004-2011 in Kosovo and Metohija (Serbian areas) reported a total of 421 patients with acute myocardial infarction . The ratio of male patients compared to the number of female patients is 2,69:1 . The largest number of patients (92) and the highest non-standardized incidence rate of acute myocardial infarction (59.13/100000 population) are registered in 2008th year. Incidence of acute myocardial infarction showed a statistically significant correlation with patients ' age and gender (chi-square=21.39 , df=1 , p<0.001). The linear trend in incidence rates showed a positive trend with an increase in the number of patients (y=33.8 +2.3x) . Valid data on deaths were not available for the period since 2008. the 2011th year. During this period of acute myocardial infarction 166 persons died . The ratio of dead men and dead women was 1.22:1 . Unstandardized mortality rates of acute myocardial infarction ranged from 41.77/100,000 , recorded in the 2008th year to 17.35/100,000 inhabitants in 2011 year. The linear trend in the mortality rate showed a negative trend with a decrease in the number of deaths (y=26.7-3.6x). Acute myocardial infarction is a common disease in Kosovo and Metohija. The illness is dominated by males aged over 50 years. Almost 60% of deaths are people older than 70 years. This Illness has a positive trend, while the trend of dying is negative.

First step of indoor thoron mapping of Kosovo and Metohija.

The survey of natural radioactivity in Kosovo and Metohija involves 180 indoor (220)Rn measurements. They were performed either in living rooms or in bedrooms of 127 individual, rural type houses, using a passive method with application of CR-39 solid-state nuclear track detectors. Detectors were deployed at a distance of >10 cm from the walls. Values of all 180 measurements for 127 houses give an arithmetic mean (AM) of 132 Bq m(-3). The data for indoor thoron mapping arranged within 10 km × 10 km grid cells give an AM of 118 Bq m(-3) over AM grid cells. The distribution over individual data and the grid cells can be described as normal. About 19 % of the area of Kosovo and Metohija was covered by mapping. This study includes statistical analysis and discussion of factors, such as geogenic and seasonal, which possibly affect thoron concentration, as well as comparison with simultaneous radon measurements.

High annual radon concentration in dwellings and natural radioactivity content in nearby soil in some rural areas of Kosovo and Metohija

Some previous studies on radon concentration in dwellings of some areas of Kosovo and Metohija have revealed a high average radon concentration, even though the detectors were exposed for three months only. In order to better design a larger study in this region, the annual measurements in 25 houses were carried out as a pilot study. For each house, CR-39-based passive devices were exposed in two rooms for the two consecutive six-month periods to account for seasonal variations of radon concentration. Furthermore, in order to correlate the indoor radon with radium in nearby soil and to improve the knowledge of the natural radioactivity in the region, soil samples near each house were collected and 226Ra, 232Th, 40K activity concentration were measured. The indoor radon concentration resulted quite high from the average (163 Bq/m3) and generally it did not differ considerably between the two rooms and the two six-month periods. The natural radionuclides in soil resulted to be distributed quite uniformly. Moreover, the correlation between the226Ra content in soil and radon concentration in dwellings resulted to be low (R2=0.26). The annual effective dose from radon and its short-lived progeny (5.5 mSv, in average) was calculated by using the last ICRP dose conversion factors. In comparison, the contribution to the annual effective dose of outdoor gamma exposure from natural radionuclides in soil is nearly negligible (66 mSv). In conclusion, the observed high radon levels are only partially correlated with radium in soil; moreover, a good estimate of the annual average of radon concentration can be obtained from a six-month measurement with a proper choice of exposure period, which could be useful when designing large surveys.

The genus Rhyacophila Pictet, 1834 (Insecta: Trichoptera) in Kosovo

The Balkan Peninsula is known for its high species diversity, but it is also one of the least known areas of Europe. Many previously inaccessible regions lack reliable faunistic records. There are especially few data available for the highly diverse aquatic insects of the region. To help fill the gap, we conducted an extensive survey to map the Trichoptera fauna of the Republic of Kosovo, an area where faunistic records are extremely scarce. Adult specimens were collected during 2009 and 2010, with light traps and entomologic nets. Of 84 Trichoptera species identified from the 21 investigated stations, 15 belong to the genus Rhyacophila. This makes the genus the most species-rich in Kosovo. Rhyacophila fasciata and R. tristis are widespread in many streams and rivers all over the country, while R. balcanica, R. trescavicensis, R. obtusa and R. bosnica have limited distribution. Ten Rhyacophila species presented in this paper are recorded for the first time on the area of Kosovo. We also provide new data for the disjunctive distribution of R. palmeni in south-eastern Europe, from Kosovo and Croatia.

The Phoneme /o/ in Opoja Albanian: Albanian-Slavic Contact and the Slavic Jers

The phoneme /o/ is often present in the Albanian dialect of Opoja in environments where it is absent elsewhere in Albanian. This paper explains /o/ in Opoja by reference to the Slavic substrate present in that area of Kosovo. Language shift from Slavic to Albanian took place in the late 16th and 17th centuries in Opoja, and I argue that during this process, Slavic /o/ was identified with Albanian /ə/. This identification was facilitated by the fact that the Slavic dialect of Opoja lay directly on a major isogloss of a crucial sound change in Slavic: the loss of hyper-short high vowels, also known as the jer shift. To the south of Opoja, the Slavic dialect of Gora has /o/ and /e/ from these hyper-short high vowels (known as jers in the Slavic literature), but to the north, the dialect of Prizren shifted both vowels to /ə/. This allowed Albanian /ə/ to be identified with the Slavic jer reflexes, which were then imposed on Albanian during the process of language shift.

Management status of protected areas in Kosovo

Abstract This paper presents the situation of protected areas network in Kosovo, main problems with their management and protection. Kosovo covers an area of 10,887 square kilometers in the central part of Balkan Peninsula. Territory of Kosovo is under different elevations and impacted by mixed Continental and Mediterranean climate states. 47, 842, 34 ha or 4.39% of territory of Kosovo is protected. Protected areas network in Kosovo consist of: one national park, 11 nature reserves, two protected landscapes and 82 natural monuments with different natural characteristics: botanical, geographical, geomorphologic, hydrological etc. The history of protected areas starts in 1953, when the first nature reserves were designated for legal protection, with permanent increase of number and size of other protected areas. The biggest step until now in the protection of natural sites is made in 1986 with declaration of Sharri national park (39,000 ha), because of very rich biodiversity. The network of legally protected areas is quite heavily damaged during and after the last war in Kosovo (1998-99). Degradation of ecosystems, overexploitation, fires and other negative activities have being part of protected areas during last decade. The new law on nature conservation is partly regulating this situation, although the protection and management measures face many implementation challenges.

Daily life in the enclave Vitina

The paper is based on a fieldwork performed in 2003 in the enclave Vitina, Kosovo. The aim of the paper is to provide an ethnographic brief account of the post-war daily life in the researched area. Since 1999 and the establishment of the international protectorate over the area, the enclave’s daily life has changed profoundly. The people from Vitina are very much concerned about their daily troubles, especially the ones involving the relationship with the Albanian population. The daily life in Vitina is saturated with the war related traumas, existential insecurity and unpredictability, experiences of ghetto, paralyzed everyday life, and the time that appears to stand still. The Kosovo area is characterized by especially complex historical, political and cultural contexts. It is a borderline area, so identities seem to be undefined, varying, ambivalent and situational. In the last decades of the 20th century, the identities became homogenous, developing fixed boundaries. The ethnic identification thus becomes more relevant than any other membership or affiliation. A need to designate and preserve an ethnic identity in Kosovo has lead to a paroxysm. The dominant, Albanian population displays its ethnic symbols openly, while the Serbs demonstrate their symbols more alluringly but with the same amount of fervor. The ethnicity is being articulated in everyday life, in different answers to its requirements and challenges while a daily life is usually equalized with privacy and female sphere, therefore, the paper also discusses a relationship between the ethnic and gender identities.

Oxidation states of uranium in depleted uranium particles from Kuwait

The oxidation states of uranium in depleted uranium (DU) particles were determined by synchrotron radiation based μ-XANES, applied to individual particles isolated from selected samples collected at different sites in Kuwait. Based on scanning electron microscopy with X-ray microanalysis prior to μ-XANES, DU particles ranging from submicrons to several hundred micrometers were observed. The median particle size depended on sources and sampling sites; small-sized particles (median 13 μm) were identified in swipes taken from the inside of DU penetrators holes in tanks and in sandy soil collected below DU penetrators, while larger particles (median 44 μm) were associated with fire in a DU ammunition storage facility. Furthermore, the 236U/235U ratios obtained from accelerator mass spectrometry demonstrated that uranium in the DU particles originated from reprocessed fuel (about 10−2 in DU from the ammunition facility, about 10−3 for DU in swipes).Compared to well-defined standards, all investigated DU particles were oxidized. Uranium particles collected from swipes were characterized as UO2, U3O8 or a mixture of these oxidized forms, similar to that observed in DU affected areas in Kosovo. Uranium particles formed during fire in the DU ammunition facility were, however, present as oxidation state +5 and +6, with XANES spectra similar to solid uranyl standards. Environmental or health impact assessments for areas affected by DU munitions should therefore take into account the presence of respiratory UO2, U3O8 and even UO3 particles, their corresponding weathering rates and the subsequent mobilisation of U from oxidized DU particles.

Characterization and speciation of depleted uranium in individual soil particles using microanalytical methods

Microanalytical techniques for elemental composition and nuclide-specific analysis have been used to identify the origin and the leachability of depleted uranium particles. The soil particle samples were collected from Kosovo area a few years after the war, the presence of fine particles with depleted uranium as major component was easily identified by EPMA and SIMS. The ultrafine uranium particles were often attached to larger soil particles and contained Ti and Al, being typical components of the penetrator and its cladding. The oxidation state of uranium in the single particles was measured by micro-XANES and found to be in the less soluble form IV while every particle contained a small fraction of mobile uranium VI as well.

Depleted uranium in military conflicts and the impact on the environment.

Kosovo was bombarded by fired shells (bullets) with depleted uranium (DU) during April 1999. Around 30,000 depleted uranium rounds (projectiles) were fired, and about 10 tons of the DU debris were scattered across Kosovo. In reviewing the data on environmental measurements for depleted uranium collected by field missions in the Kosovo area during the period of 5-19 November 2000 (1.5 y following the 1999 conflict), evidence of depleted uranium was found only in soil samples at localized points of concentrated contamination. Concentrations varied from a few mg (2.34 mg) DU per kg soil (29 Bq DU/kg soil) at depths of 39.5-44.5 cm up to about 18 g DU per kg soil (225,760 Bq DU/kg soil) at depths of 0-5 cm surface soil. There were no signs of depleted uranium in waters. However, in most (80%) of the 145 soil (core) samples reported by UNEP, 238U was lower than 100 Bq per kg soil (the lowest was 8.8 Bq per kg soil) in 112 locations of widespread contamination.

Depleted uranium residual radiological risk assessment for Kosovo sites

During the recent conflict in Yugoslavia, depleted uranium rounds were employed and were left in the battlefield. Health concern is related to the risk arising from contamination of areas in Kosovo with depleted uranium penetrators and dust. Although chemical toxicity is the most significant health risk related to uranium, radiation exposure has been allegedly related to cancers among veterans of the Balkan conflict. Uranium munitions are considered to be a source of radiological contamination of the environment. Based on measurements and estimates from the recent Balkan Task Force UNEP mission in Kosovo, we have estimated effective doses to resident populations using a well-established food-web mathematical model ( RESRAD code). The UNEP mission did not find any evidence of widespread contamination in Kosovo. Rather than the actual measurements, we elected to use a desk assessment scenario ( Reference Case) proposed by the UNEP group as the source term for computer simulations. Specific applications to two Kosovo sites (Planeja village and Vranovac hill) are described. Results of the simulations suggest that radiation doses from water-independent pathways are negligible (annual doses below 30 μSv). A small radiological risk is expected from contamination of the groundwater in conditions of effective leaching and low distribution coefficient of uranium metal. Under the assumptions of the Reference Case, significant radiological doses (>1 mSv/year) might be achieved after many years from the conflict through water-dependent pathways. Even in this worst-case scenario, DU radiological risk would be far overshadowed by its chemical toxicity.

UTICAJ ANTROPOGENOG FAKTORA NA PROMJENE STANJA VODA NA BRDSKO-PLANINSKE PROSTORE KOSOVA

The SAP of Kosovo place in a strong relief with characteristics of hillmountain ranges. The terrain lines of 500-1000 m have an unbroken stretches of 6.849,7 km/2, 64,3% of Kosovo's area (10.887 km/2). The modern processes in this spaces are characterized by low degree of benefits of natural and human potency, by abandoned properties, stretched slopes of erosion and the emigration of a population. Meanwhile, on a soft slopes with the favourable laky stratum is possible to establish the modem vinyeards and orchards complexes, also to cultivate the other cultures with intensive manner. The hill-mountain ranges of Kosovo with their geological, morphological and hydrological characteristics, offer the excellent natural conditions to erect an artificial water-gate under existing conditions for their intensive transformation. Until now, in this terrains are erected 7 water-gates with 570 mil m/3 of water, 15% of Kosovo's waterway. But, the existing analyses shows that in this upland is possible to erect about 54 small and 47 big water-gates, wich hydrographic inventory radically will be changed.