The purpose of academic writing is to convey scholarly knowledge and data to the intended audience in a concise and comprehensible way. Sometimes an academic text needs to be translated into a foreign language by a translator. In this case, the translator is expected to translate the source text into the target text in plain and understandable language. This study illustrates how the author can help the translator during the process of preparing the source text and discusses the strategies that could be used to achieve this. What makes whether an academic translation is of lower or higher quality is not only the level of knowledge and skills that the translator possesses but also the quality of the source text, which directly affects that of the output. In addition, academic writing has its own rules, and, albeit partially, this may differ from one language to another. In this sense, translators encounter some problems while translating academic texts. The purpose of this study is to illustrate such problems and to discuss the strategies that could be used to eliminate them. Common problems that affect the quality of translation are as follows: forming wordy sentences, using ambiguous expressions, organizing the text in a way that is not suitable for the discourse structure of English, using conjunctions imprecisely, using passive verbs unnecessarily, expressing thoughts indirectly instead of using direct language, using words with the same meaning sequentially and spelling mistakes, among others. This study discusses what the writer and the translator can do to improve an academic text in general. Although experienced translators may take effective actions, a good translation may not be possible out of a poorly written source text. High-quality academic translation requires a collaboration between the author and the translator. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness about this issue.

ITS systems enable information transparency, manageability and improved response of the traffic system, so they have the epithet of intelligent. The application of ITS solutions on tachographs, as devices that record all the activities of truck and bus drivers, is defined in the ISO 14813-1:2015 Standard in the context of remote data transmission from tachographs. In view of the growing problems regarding violations of regulations on working hours and mandatory vacations for mobile workers, frequent manipulations and misuse of tachographs, as well as regarding the state of traffic safety and increasing environmental pollution, the EU has set stricter conditions in the field of driving these commercial vehicles in its regulations, in the manner of implementing the ITS system of smart tachographs, which brings significant benefits, especially in terms of the work of control authorities as entities that influence better compliance with regulations and the enforcement of legal regulations.

Dimeric forms of flavonoids, known as biflavonoids, are much less studied compared to monomeric forms. It is estimated that nearly 600 different natural biflavonoids have been described to date, containing various subtypes that can be subdivided according to the position of their combinations and the nature of the subunits. The group in which two monomers are linked by a 3′-8″-C atom includes the first isolated biflavonoid ginkgetin, derivatives of amentoflavone, and several other compounds. 3′-8″-biflavones recently attracted much attention as potential molecules with biological activity such as antiviral and antimicrobial activity and as effective molecules for the treatment of neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases and in cancer therapies. With the growing interest in them as pharmacologically active molecules, there is also increasing interest in finding new natural sources of 3′-8″-biflavones and optimizing methods for their extraction and identification. Herein, we have summarized the available data on the structural diversity, natural occurrence, role in plants, extraction, and identification of 3′-8″-biflavones.

The increase in traffic caused by new development affects the change in traffic conditions on the surrounding roads, and shopping centres are significant traffic generators. The development of local travel generation rates and their characteristics for individual land uses from the aspect of traffic demand is a reliable way to plan traffic in order to come up with preventive solutions to traffic problems, that is, prevention of possible negative consequences on traffic conditions in the street network occurring due to the construction of shopping centres. One of the main aims of this paper is to develop a model for objective assessment of the generated traffic demand for significant changes in land use, such as the construction of shopping centres in medium-sized towns. All these would be steps in the right direction for the promotion of reliable traffic planning and adoption of TIA for every new development before a decision regarding the change in land purpose has been made. This kind of process still has not been established systematically in either Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Serbia, or in surrounding countries. This paper focuses on the formulation of a model for determining the volume of traffic generated by shopping centres in medium-sized towns in two countries of the Southeast Europe region. The survey was conducted in eight different locations (cities) where there are shopping centres with common facilities. The analysis showed that the number of visitors and vehicles attracted by the shopping centre zone can be determined by a model based on a linear regression analysis. The analysis included exploring several different factors of trip generation in shopping centres, including the relationship between trip generation and combinations of several independent variables. The verification of the model was conducted in real conditions of the traffic flow generated by a shopping centre which was not the analysis subject when forming the forecasting model. In this way, the validity of the proposed model is credibly assessed. The developed model can be applied in the procedures of planning the construction of shopping centres in medium-sized cities in the Republic of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and wider, in the region of Southeast Europe, in order to estimate the volume of generated traffic demand, that is, its impact on the conditions of traffic on the surrounding traffic network.

Submicron and nanosized powders have gained significant attention in recent decades due to their broad applicability in various fields. This work focuses on ultrasonic spray pyrolysis, an efficient and flexible method that employs an aerosol process to synthesize titanium-based nanoparticles by transforming titanium oxy-sulfate. Various parameters are monitored to better optimize the process and obtain better results. Taking that into account, the influence of temperature on the transformation of titanium oxy-sulfate was monitored between 700 and 1000 °C. In addition to the temperature, the concentration of the starting solution was also changed, and the flow of hydrogen and argon was studied. The obtained titanium-based powders had spherical morphology with different particle sizes, from nanometer to submicron, depending on the influence of reaction parameters. The control of the oxygen content during synthesis is significant in determining the structure of the final powder.

Online learning self-efficacy is associated with significant psychological outcomes among college students. Nevertheless, research on investigating self-efficacy among college students during COVID-16 pandemic is limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of self-efficacy beliefs regarding online learning in predicting subjective well-being of college students. One hundred and sixty-five college students were recruited for the study. Participants completed the Online Learning Self-Efficacy Scale (OLSES), the Subjective Well-Being Scale (SWBS), as well as a socio-demographic information form including items about COVID-19-related anxiety and perceived impact of COVID-19 on daily life. Regression analyses showed that overall self-efficacy predicted the subjective well-being scores. However, only time management subdimension of self-efficacy predicted subjective well-being. Our findings indicate that high levels of self-efficacy beliefs, and, in particular beliefs regarding time management, are associated with elevated levels of subjective well-being among college students. Interventions regarding self-efficacy in online learning environments may aid college students who have lower levels of subjective well-being during COVID-19.

The Pacific large low-shear-velocity province (LLSVP), as revealed by cluster analysis of global tomographic models, hosts multiple internal anomalies, including a notable gap (~20° wide) between the central and eastern Pacific. The cause of the structural gap remains unconstrained. Directly above this structural gap, we identify an anomalously thick mantle transition zone east of the East Pacific Rise, the fastest-spreading ocean ridge in the world, using a dense set of SS precursors. The area of the thickened transition zone exhibits faster-than-average velocities according to recent tomographic images, suggesting perturbed postolivine phase boundaries shifting in response to lowered temperatures. We attribute this observation to episodes of Mesozoic-aged (250 to 120 million years ago) intraoceanic subduction beneath the present-day Nazca Plate. The eastern portion of the Pacific LLSVP was separated by downwelling because of this ancient oceanic slab. Our discovery provides a unique perspective on linking deep Earth structures with surface subduction.

A percolation model with nucleation and object growth is studied by Monte Carlo simulations on a triangular lattice with finite-size impurities. The growing objects are needle-like objects and self-avoiding random walk chains. Results are obtained for three different shapes of impurities covering three lattice sites—needle-like, angled and triangular. In each run through the system, the lattice is initially randomly occupied by impurities of a specified shape at a given concentration ρimp. Then, the seeds for the object growth are randomly distributed at a given concentration ρ. The percolation and jamming properties of the growing objects are compared for the three different impurity shapes. For all the impurity shapes, the percolation thresholds θp∗ have lower values in the growing needle-like objects than in the growing self-avoiding random walk chains. In the presence of needle-like and angled impurities, the percolation threshold increases with the impurity concentration for a fixed seed density. The percolation thresholds have the highest values in the needle-like impurities, and somewhat lower values in the angled impurities. On the other hand, in the presence of the triangular impurities, the percolation threshold decreases with the concentration of impurities.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is the most ambitious agreement on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use to date. It calls for a whole-of- society approach aimed at halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity worldwide. To support its implementation, the Monitoring Framework of the GBF lays out how Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity are expected to report their progress. Given the need for capacity-building and investment to operationalize the Monitoring Framework, Parties established an expert group to provide guidance on its implementation, including a gap analysis to identify the strengths and limitations of the Monitoring Framework. We present the results of the gap analysis, highlight where more work on the Monitoring Framework is needed and provide recommendations on implementing and improving it to allow effective and comprehensive tracking of progress across all elements of the GBF’s Goals and Targets. We find that using required indicators (headline and binary), the Monitoring Framework fully covers 20% of the Goals’ and Targets’ elements and partially covers an additional 42%. Including optional (component and complementary) indicators improves full coverage to 24% and an additional 49% partial coverage. For 13% of elements, no indicators are available. While the Monitoring Framework will enable progress towards meeting the Goals and Targets of the GBF, substantial investment is still required to collect the necessary data to compute indicators, infer change, and effectively monitor progress. We highlight both immediate and long-term solutions and offer guidance on important next steps that will progressively improve the efficacy of the Monitoring Framework.

Patients suffering from cholelithiasis have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular complications, particularly ischemic myocardial disease. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), already used in clinical practice for the treatment of cholelithiasis and related conditions, has proven antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective effects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the cardioprotective effect of UDCA pre-treatment on isoprenaline-induced myocardial injury in rats. Male Wistar albino rats were randomized into four groups. Animals were pre-treated for 10 days with propylene glycol + saline on days 9 and 10 (control), 10 days with propylene glycol + isoprenaline on days 9 and 10 (I group), 10 days with UDCA + saline on days 9 and 10 (UDCA group), and 10 days with UDCA + isoprenaline on days 9 and 10 (UDCA + I group). UDCA pre-treatment significantly reduced values of high-sensitivity troponin I (hsTnI) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) cardiac markers (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). The value of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) was also decreased in the UDCA + I group compared to the I group (p < 0.001). UDCA also significantly increased glutathione (GSH) levels, while showing a tendency to increase levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). The level of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) expression, a key regulatory gene of inflammation, was diminished when UDCA was administered. A reduction of cardiac damage was also observed in the UDCA pre-treated group. In conclusion, UDCA pre-treatment showed a cardioprotective effect on isoprenaline-induced myocardial injury in rats, primarily by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.

Background and Objectives: Left ventricular aneurysm (LVA) is associated with a decline in cardiac function, evidenced by a lower ejection fraction (EF), due to the reduction in the proportion of functional myocardium. The left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), the left ventricular aneurysm volume (LVAV), and the LVAV/LVEDV ratio show a strong correlation with the EF. The aim of this study was to determine LVA characteristics post-myocardial infarction (basal vs. apical) and to evaluate the impact of aneurysm volume in diastole (LVAVd), aneurysm area in diastole (LVAAd), and their respective ratios with LVEDV and area (LVEDA) on the EF, in order to identify the most critical predictive factors for assessing and managing the negative impact of aneurysms on cardiac function. Materials and Methods: This observational study included post-infarction LVA patients at the “Dedinje” Cardiovascular Institute in Belgrade, Serbia, undergoing routine transthoracic echocardiography. Echocardiography assessed volumes (LVEDV, LVESV, LVAVd, LVAVs) and areas (LVAAd, LVAAs, LVEDA, LVESA) using the area–length method. The ratios (LVAVd/LVEDV, LVAVs/LVESV, LVAAd/LVEDA, LVAAs/LVESA) were derived from these measures. The left ventricular EF was calculated using Simpson’s method. Results: Basal aneurysms showed a significantly smaller LVAVd (p = 0.016), LVAAd (p = 0.003), and LVAAs (p = 0.029) compared to apical aneurysms, indicating that basal aneurysms are smaller in size. However, there was no significant difference in the EF and overall LV volumes between the groups, although the basal aneurysm group had a slightly higher EF and end-diastolic volume, with a slightly lower end-systolic volume. Furthermore, when comparing the correlation between the EF and the LVAVd, the LVEDV, and the LVAVd/LVEDV ratio, the results indicate that the LVAVd had the greatest impact on the EF (−0.695), followed by the LVAVd/LVEDV ratio (−0.637), and the lowest correlation is between the EF and LVEDV. A similar relationship is observed when comparing the EF with the LVESV, the LVAVs, and the LVAVs/LVESV ratio. Conclusions: Basal aneurysms are significantly smaller than apical ones, yet EF and LV volumes remain similar between the groups, with the EF being slightly higher in the basal group. In cases of LVA, LVAVd shows the strongest negative correlation with the EF, indicating its significant impact on systolic function, followed by the LVAVd/LVEDV ratio, with the weakest correlation seen between the EF and LVEDV.

Introduction: Aim of this study is to analyze gender-related epidemiological characteristics of cauda equina syndrome (CES) in Zenica-Doboj Canton in 10 years period. Methods: The study was conducted in the Zenica-Doboj Canton, and data were obtained from the time period between 2012 to 2022. The study included a total sample of 1709 patients diagnosed with disc herniation who underwent surgical decompression. In total, 48 patients developed cauda equine syndrome (CES). Results: The analysis unveiled noteworthy gender disparities, with male predominance (79.2% vs. 20.8%, p<0.001) and varying employment distributions (males: 23.7% unemployed, 63.2% employed, 13.1% retired; females: 40.0% unemployed, 20.0% employed, 40.0% retired, p<0.001). The calculated OR for 2012-2022 was 2.969 (95% CI: 1.576-5.593, p=xxx), signifying a substantial gender-incidence relationship for CES. CES-I incidence ranged 0.80-1.60/100,000 and CES-R ranged 0.25-0.83/100,000. Highest CES incidence was 4.17/100,000 (2015); the lowest was in 2019 with no CES-R cases reported. Male incidence peaked at 2.64/100,000 (2018), and the lowest was 1.06/100,000 (2013, 2017). For females, the highest was 1.17/100,000 (2018, 2021), with no cases reported in certain years. The affected level demonstrated gender differences, with L4/L5 prevalence in males (47.4%) and L3/L4 in females (50%, p=0.165). Conclusion: This study revealed a higher incidence of CES in males compared to females in the Zenica-Doboj Canton. The heterogenicity of data regarding CES occurring due to the lumbar disc herniation is significant. This indicates a clear need for additional research and epidemiological studies that would highlight the population of patients that have higher risk of CES onset.

The World Health Organization (WHO) released guidelines for physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior, and sleep for children under 5 years of age in 2019, but there are no reports on the adherence to the guidelines in southeastern Europe. This study aimed to: (i) determine the proportion of preschool children (aged 3-5 years) who met the WHO guidelines and examine the feasibility of the proposed protocol for the SUNRISE study in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), and (ii) define sex-, and urban/rural-living-specifics in movement-behaviors, anthropometrics, gross-motor-skills, fine-motor- skills, and cognitive-skills. The sample comprised 115 preschool children (63 girls and 52 boys), residing in urban (n = 66) and rural areas (n = 49) from B&H. Participants were tested on movement behaviors (PA, sleep time, screen time) by accelerometry and comprehensive questionnaires. Body height, weight, body mass index, executive function, fine-, and gross-motor skill, and cognitive function were also measured. The results showed that PA-, sleep duration-, and screen time guidelines were met by 64%, 74% and 53% of children, respectively, while only 23% of the children met all three guidelines on movement behaviors. Boys exhibited higher PA than girls, but no differences in gross- and fine motor skills and cognitive functioning were recorded between the sexes. Children living in urban and rural environments did not differ in any of the studied variables. Results evidenced preschool children from B&H being in line with other samples globally about study variables. Although PA was higher in boys than in girls it was not translated to differences in motor skills. Further studies on larger samples and other environments are warranted.