This paper deals with the problem of the relationship between young people's life satisfaction and their material condition, locus of control, attitude towards studying, attitude towards work and life orientation. The concept of life satisfaction and other correlates mentioned in the paper are certainly current in psychology and have been increasingly researched lately. It is very important to investigate the life satisfaction of young people and other correlates that contribute to life satisfaction, and to observe them all together through the prism of positive psychology. In this paper, we investigated what kind of relationships exist between the life satisfaction of young people and their material condition, their locus of control, attitude towards studies and work, and life orientation. Appropriate measuring instruments were applied to a sample of N=260 respondents (M=1.63, SD=.482). A scale for assessing life satisfaction, a scale for testing locus of control, a scale for attitudes towards studying, a scale for attitudes towards work and a life orientation scale, as well as a questionnaire for collecting appropriate sociodemographic characteristics. The scales that were used in the research showed appropriate metric characteristics of 0.87 for life satisfaction and locus of control, 0.78 for attitude towards studying, while slightly lower values for attitude towards work were 0.48 and life orientation 0.49. .The results of the research showed that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between life satisfaction of young people and satisfactory material condition (r=0.316, p=0.00) and between life satisfaction and locus of control (r=0.208, p=0.001). However, there is no statistically significant correlation between young people's life satisfaction and attitudes towards studying (r=0.107, p=0.091). As for the life satisfaction of young people and attitude towards work, there is a negative correlation between these variables (r=-0.201, p=0.001) and there is a positive correlation between life satisfaction and life orientation (r=0.456, p=0.000).

Background and Objectives: This study primarily aims to evaluate the preoperative staging effectiveness of PET-CT in early-stage cervical cancer, particularly, its ability to detect primary tumors and micrometastases. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, cervical cancer patients who had undergone preoperative 18F FDG PET-CT scans and were treated at the Department of Gynecology, Institute of Oncology, Vojvodina, in Sremska Kamenica, during the period from 2016 to 2020 were analyzed. Results: The study included 62 patients (mean age, 49.3 ± 9.6 years). Squamous cell carcinoma was the predominant histological type (95.2%), with G2 differentiation (82.3%) and FIGO stage Ib1 (80.6%) being the most common. Assessed by 18F FDG PET-CT, the mean tumor size was 26.4 ± 10.8 mm, which is slightly lower than the 26.9 mm measured during clinical examination (p = 0.784), with a significant (r = 0.678, p < 0.001) correlation between these methods. 18F FDG PET-CT demonstrated an overall accuracy of 88.7% for identifying primary tumors, with a sensitivity of 86.8%, specificity of 100.0%, PPV of 100.0%, and NPV of 56.2%. An intraoperative examination showed identical overall accuracy but higher sensitivity (98.1%) and lower specificity (33.3%). For 18F FDG PET-CT, the level of agreement with the histopathological examination was good (Kappa 0.656), while for the intraoperative examination, it was moderate (Kappa 0.409). Regarding the lymph node assessment, 18F FDG PET-CT’s accuracy was 82.2%, with a sensitivity of 53.8% and a specificity of 89.8%. The intraoperative examination showed lower accuracy (66.1%) but higher sensitivity (76.9%). The 18F FDG PET-CT Kappa value indicated moderate agreement (0.449), while the intraoperative examination showed poor agreement (0.282). Conclusions: In conclusion, significant effectiveness is shown by 18F FDG PET-CT for preoperative staging of early-stage cervical cancer, offering superior accuracy in detecting primary tumors and micrometastases, particularly in predicting lymph node metastases, thereby enhancing diagnostic accuracy and informing treatment decisions.

This paper aims to determine whether there is a difference in anthropometric, morphological characteristics, and motor abilities, between boys and girls at the age of 13-15 years. The study included 95 subjects of which 49 were boys (51.6%) and 46 girls (48.4%), with mean age girls 14.14 and boys 14.40 years. The sample comprised students who belong to the urban area of the City of Tešanjka. The sample of variables in this study consisted of 15 tests of motor abilities and 10 morphological characteristics (body height, body mass, body mass index, etc.). This paper aims to determine whether there are differences in anthropometric characteristics and motor abilities between boys and girls aged 13-15 years. The results obtained in this study were compared with those of previous research, and the conclusions reached through a summary analysis were explained. Boys were taller and heavier at the age of 14. The results show that boys achieved statistically better results in most tests compared to girls of the same age. Keywords: anthropometric characteristics, motor abilities, gender differences, age of fourteen

Proton decay has been studied for decades now as one of the consequences of grand unified theories. Among those theories exists SU(5) theory, firstly postulated by H. Georgi and S. Glashow [1]. However, there were some problems with this theory such as mass degeneration and coupling unification [1-3]. This created a need for an extension of an original SU(5) model – a specific minimal SU(5) [4-5]. In this minimal SU(5) there is a viable parameter space with achievable gauge coupling unification. In this article, we present the process of gauge coupling unification for three mass scales of new physics states in this model, namely for 1 TeV, 10 TeV, and 100 TeV.

Abstract Serpentine soils are characterized as a unique environment with low nutrient availability and high heavy metal concentrations, often hostile to many plant species. Even though these unfavorable conditions hinder the growth of various plants, particular vegetation with different adaptive mechanisms thrives undisturbed. One of the main contributors to serpentine adaptation represents serpentine bacteria with plant growth-promoting properties that assemble delicate interactions with serpentine plants. Robinia pseudoacacia L. is an invasive but adaptive species with phytoremediation potential and demonstrates extraordinary success in this environment. To explore more in-depth the role of plant growth-promoting serpentine bacteria, we isolated them and tested their various plant growth-promoting traits both from the rhizosphere and roots of R. pseudoacacia. Based on the demonstrated plant growth-promoting traits such as siderophore production, phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, indole-3-acetic acid production, and ACC deaminase production, we sequenced overall 25 isolates, 14 from the rhizosphere and 11 from the roots. Although more efficient in exhibiting plant growthpromoting traits, rhizospheric bacteria showed a low rate of diversity in comparison to endophytic bacteria. The majority of the isolates from the rhizosphere belong to Pseudomonas, while isolates from the roots exhibited higher diversity with genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Lysinibacillus and Brevibacterium/Peribacillus/Bacillus. The capacity of the described bacteria to produce siderophores, solubilize phosphate, and fix nitrogen highlights their central role in enhancing nutrient availability and facilitating R. pseudoacacia adaptation to serpentine soils. The findings highlight the potential significance of serpentine bacteria, particularly Pseudomonas, in contributing to the resilience and growth of R. pseudoacacia in serpentine environments.

Abstract Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria have emerged as pivotal benchmarks for assessing corporate sustainability and ethical business practices. This study investigates the transformative role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in advancing ESG practices, with a particular emphasis on countries aspiring to European Union membership. Employing a quantitative methodology through a survey questionnaire the research analyzes the challenges and opportunities associated with ESG implementation. Data collected from 51 SMEs across the Balkan region reveal substantial benefits of ESG integration, notably in enhancing operational efficiency and market reputation, with transparency and strategic planning identified as critical drivers. However, SMEs face significant obstacles such as complex regulatory frameworks, limited access to financing, and inadequate training resources. The article proposes targeted strategies to strengthen SME capacity, emphasizing investment in education, technological solutions, and partnerships with key stakeholders. By adopting ESG standards, SMEs not only contribute to sustainable development but also bolster their competitiveness and resilience in a rapidly evolving global market.

Abstract This study seeks to examine pull factors of capital inflows, offering an empirical analysis based on a panel study of eleven Southeast European countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Romania, Serbia, and Türkiye) over the period of 2004 – 2021. Methodologically, the study utilizes a fixed effects (FE) regression model with robust Driscoll-Kraay standard errors to address issues of heteroskedasticity, autocorrelation, and potential cross-country correlation. The study finds that several pull factors can be relevant in driving capital inflows as follows: market size, inflation, financial and trade openness. The empirical analysis confirms that the forces of trade liberalization, financial liberalization, market size, real interest rates and inflation stability are the elements that encourage capital inflows. On the other hand, the estimated effects of current account balance and real economic growth are not very convincing. Finally, we stress that more study is required to fully understand the pull variables' ultimate macroeconomic implications at the national level. The overall influence of these positive (or negative) inflows may be moderated by several characteristics, even if certain countries may be extremely susceptible to these factors.