Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the antioxidant activity of cinnamon extracts obtained using different solvents (ethanol, methanol, acetone, water) and their mixtures with water. Additionally, the phenolic and flavonoid contents were analyzed to investigate their correlation with antioxidant activity. Materials and Methods: Cinnamon extracts were prepared using pure solvents (ethanol, methanol, acetone, water) and their mixture with water in different proportions. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents, as well as the antioxidant activity of the obtained extracts, were analyzed. Results and Discussion: The results showed that the extracts obtained from mixtures of ethanol and water had a high content of phenols and flavonoids, with the 40:10 ethanol-to-water mixture yielding the highest phenolic (240.69 mg/g) and flavonoid (0.275 mg/g) contents. Similarly, methanol and its mixtures with water showed variations in the content of these components, with pure methanol providing the highest values (252.12 mg/g for phenols and 0.2212 mg/g for flavonoids). Regarding antioxidant activity, ethanol extracts and their mixtures with water achieved the best results, with the 20:30 ethanol-to-water mixture displaying the highest antioxidant potential (937.775 µmol TE/g). Methanol-water mixtures, particularly in the 40:10 ratio, also exhibited high activity (928.675 µmol TE/g). Acetone extracts and their mixtures with water had somewhat lower values, while water-based extracts showed the lowest antioxidant activity (192.9 µmol TE/g). Conclusion: These results indicate a significant potential of solvent mixtures, particularly acetone-water mixtures, in enhancing bioactivity and antioxidant effects.

The historical industrial waste deposit Gater was used to dispose of different metallurgy wastes from lead and zinc production. The metallurgical waste deposit was situated in the open space, between the tailing waste deposit Žitkovac and river Ibar flow. Large amounts of lead-containing wastes are produced in the non-ferrous metallurgical industry, such as lead ash and lead slag generated in Pb smelting, lead anode slime, and lead sludge produced in the raw lead refining process. In addition to the lead concentration, numerous valuable components are found in the lead refinery waste from the group of Critical Raw Materials, such as antimony, arsenic, bismuth, copper, nickel, magnesium, scandium, as well as Rare-Earth Elements. Samples with eight characteristic points were taken to obtain relevant data indicating a possible recycling method. The chemical composition analysis was conducted using ICP; the scanning was completed using SEM-EDS. The mineralogical composition was determined by using XRD. The chemical analysis showed a wide range of valuable metal concentrations, from Ag (in the range from 14.2 to 214.6, with an average 86.25 mg/kg) to heavy metals such as Cu (in the range from 282.7 to 28,298, with an average 10,683.7 mg/kg or 1.0683% that corresponds to some active mines), Ni and Zn (in the range from 1.259 to 69,853.4, with an average 14,304.81 mg/kg), Sc (in the range from 2.4 to 75.3, with an average 33.61 mg/kg), Pb (in the range from 862.6 to 154,027.5, with an average 45,046 mg/kg), Sb (in the range from 51.7 to 18,514.7, with an average 2267.8 mg/kg), Ca (in the range from 167.5 to 63,963, with an average 19,880 mg/kg), Mg (in the range from 668.3 to 76,824.5, with an average 31,670 mg/kg), and As (in the range from 62.9 to 24,328.1, with an average 5829.53 mg/kg). The mineralogy analysis shows that all metals are in the form of oxides, but in the case of As and Fe, SEM-EDS shows some portion of elemental lead, pyrite, and silica-magnesium-calcium oxides as slag and tailing waste residues. The proposed recovery process should start with leaching, and further investigation should decide on the type of leaching procedure and agents, considering the waste’s heterogeneous nature and acidity and toxicity.

2-acetoxybenzoic acid, also known as aspirin, is one of the most widespread and important pharmaceutical compound used in the treatment of pain, inflammation, and febrile conditions. In addition to its well-known therapeutic properties, 2-acetoxybenzoic acid is increasingly being investigated in the context of its interactions with metals, leading to new insights into potential applications in medicine, chemistry, and biotechnology. Among the metals that form complex compounds with 2-acetoxybenzoic acid, nickel is one of the most interesting due to its specific electrochemical properties and biological activity. The study of the 2-acetoxybenzoic acid-nickel complex plays a significant role in understanding the molecular mechanisms of interaction between drugs and metal ions, as well as the potential therapeutic benefits of these compounds. This research thoroughly examines the structural, chemical, and biological aspects of the 2-acetoxybenzoic acid-nickel complex, with particular emphasis on its potential application in the pharmaceutical industry and medicine. The structure of this complex was determined by various spectroscopic and analytical techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV), mass spectrometry (MS), melting point methods, and optical microscopy. These methods contributed to the understanding of the interaction mechanisms between the ligand and the nickel ion center, opening the possibility for further investigation of the pharmacological properties and potential therapeutic applications of this complex. The antibacterial and antifungal activity of the synthesized Ni(II) complex with 2-acetoxybenzoic acid was investigated, and it was found that the metal complex exhibits varying degrees of inhibitory effects on bacteria.

Bitter and sweet wormwoods are traditional plant species in the Asteraceae (Compositae). Their use in traditional medicine has long been known. Numerous preparations of bitter and sweet wormwood (teas, tinctures) are used in the treatment of diseases of the digestive system. The content of bioactive components (polyphenols and flavonoids) and antioxidant activity of Artemisia absinthium L. (bitter wormwood) and Artemisia annua L. (sweet wormwood) were examined in this paper. Extract's series were prepared by mixing selected organic solvents (methanol, ethanol and acetone) and water in different volume ratios for both analyzed species. Antioxidant activity was tested using FRAP and DPPH methods. Extracts of sweet wormwood contain more bioactive components and have a higher antioxidant capacity compared to extracts of bitter wormwood. In terms of extraction efficiency, the mixture of acetone and water (20:30 v/v) proved to be the most efficient. Regarding pure organic solvents, the most effective for the bioactive components isolation is ethanol, while acetone showed the weakest extraction power.

The industrial waste deposit in Žitkovac was utilized for the disposal of various metallurgical wastes, including lead refinery byproducts. This site has been contaminated for many years; despite the company maintaining records of waste disposals, weathering processes altered the waste, leading to the mixing of byproducts from lead production. Consequently, the mineralogical composition of the waste changed, and the behavior of toxic components was affected by weathering, oxidation, and penetration into the soil. To investigate this, eight characteristic samples were collected from three depths: the surface, 300 mm, and 500 mm. Specific sampling locations were chosen based on visible differences as well as the company’s records. The results indicated that lead, arsenic, and ferric compounds had penetrated the deeper layers of the soil, while copper, cadmium, and antimony remained primarily concentrated at the surface. It was noted that the gauge minerals, the agents used in refining residues, and the composition of the soil significantly influenced the behavior and penetration of pollutants within the soil column.

Molecular-genetic diagnostics of polygenic diseases is a new and interesting area in laboratory diagnostics, especially in the area of cardiovascular diseases, as one of the leading causes of mortality in the world population. Aims: The aim of the paper was to analyse variants of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene (NOS3) (Glu298Asp/G894T) in the human population of Tuzla Canton in relation to cardiovascular diseases. Study Design: The study included 112 respondents of both sexes over 18 years old. The experimental group for the analysis of the polymorphism (Glu298Asp) of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene included 56 respondents of both sexes with cardiovascular disease (hypertension), while the control group comprised 56 healthy respondents of both sexes without a prior history of cardiovascular disease (sample/control). Place and Duration of Study: Blood sampling was performed at Medical Center "Plava Poliklinika", “Plava Medical Group”, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Genetics, Tuzla. DNA isolation and molecular-genetic analysis of the samples were performed in Laboratory for scientific research at the Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Tuzla. Methodology: The genotyping of eNOS Glu298Asp polymorphism for all respondents was determined by an optimized method based on PCR-RFLP reaction. Results: In the total sample of respondents, the highest genotype frequencies of the eNOS gene were recorded for the GG genotype (53.5%) and the GT genotype (35.7%). The lowest frequency was recorded for the TT genotype, which was 10.8%. Conclusion: The results obtained in the study provide good guidelines for further study of a molecular-genetic association between a high number of gene candidates and cardiovascular diseases, which will contribute to the incorporation of these results into the existing regional and European genetic database.

The aim of this study is to investigate the environmental risk of long-term metallurgical waste disposal. The investigated site was used for the open storage of lead and zinc waste materials originating from a lead smelter and refinery. Even after remediation was performed, the soil in the close vicinity of the metallurgical waste deposit was heavily loaded with heavy metals and arsenic. The pollutants were bound in various compounds in the form of sulfides, oxides, and chlorides, as well as complex minerals, impacting the pH values of the investigated soil, such that they varied between 2.8 for sample 6 and 7.34 for sample 8. In order to assess the environmental risk, some eight soil samples were analyzed by determining the total metal concentration by acid digestion and chemical fractionation of heavy metals using the BCR sequential extraction method. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used to determine six elements (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Ni). Total concentrations of the elements in the tested soil samples were in the range of 3870.4–52,306.18 mg/kg for As, 2.19–49.84 mg/kg for Cd, 268.03–986.66 mg/kg for Cu, 7.34–114.67 mg/kg for Ni, 1223.13–30,339.74 mg/kg for Pb, and 58.21–8212.99 mg/kg for Zn. The ratio between the mean concentrations of the tested metals was determined in this order: As > Pb > Zn > Cu > Ni > Cd. The BCR results showed that Pb (50.7%), Zn (49.2%), and Cd (34.7%) had the highest concentrations in mobile fractions in the soil compared to the other metals. The contamination factor was very high for Pb (0.09–33.54), As (0.004–195.8), and Zn (0.14–16.06). According to the calculated index of potential environmental risk, it was confirmed that the mobility of Pb and As have a great impact on the environment.

Over the last decades, globalization has brought many positive effects for the companies operating overseas including exposures to new cultures and belief systems. However, such international exposure has also brought certain problems in terms of cultural differences from different markets. Expatriates (international managers) when running international operations and managing foreign teams come across many obstacles caused by differences in national cultural systems, therefore it is important to have a good understanding how cultures differ from each other and what is the best way to approach each one of them in the right way. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to determine how intercultural differences affect human resource management in an international context and how expatriates should adapt their leadership styles to the requirements of local markets. Moreover, the paper elaborates on differences between domestic and international management styles and on the differences between leadership styles across different regions.

Burned area of forest may be developed based on different factors. In this investigation the burned area of forest was analyzed by computational intelligence approach. The main goal was to analyze the influence of eight inputs on the burned area of forest. The method of ANFIS (adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system) was applied to the data. Eight inputs are considered: FFMC, DMC, DC, ISI, temp, RH, wind, rain. The ANFIS process was implemented to detect the dominant factors which affect the forecasting of the burned area of forest.

Even though coordinate measuring machines (CMM) still achieve the most accurate measurement results, non-contact (optical) measuring systems are applied more and more in industry. The reasons of using optical scanners are in the higher speed of acquisition, higher density of data-points and better surface description, the ability to scan complex and non-rigid surfaces etc in comparison to contcact devices. This paper gives a review of state-of-the-art measuring contact and non-contact inspection technologies in industrial applications. Listed are the devices, principles and systems that are used at the data-acquisition (triangulation, time-of-flight and interferometry). The description of contact measuring machines (portable CMM and stationary CMM) and devices for non-contact scanning (laser scanner, structured light scanner and CT scanner) is given, and their advatages and disadvantages are mentioned with corresponding literature review.