The aim of this study was to determine the values of micronuclei (MN) and structural chromosomal aberrations (CA) in peripheral blood lymphocytes from 200 healthy participants of both genders from general population of FBH and of the age in both genders. Frequency distribution of CTAs and CSAs between male and female groups showed predominance of CTAs over CSAs, independently of gender. The results of this study will be incorporated into reference data base for comparative research in future.

The focus of this study was microsatellite diversity of crossbred horses raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples of 20 individuals (KBA group – 7 individuals, crosses between Bosnian and Herzegovinian mountain horse and Arabian horse; KBR group – 9 individuals, crosses between Bosnian and Herzegovinian mountain and Belgian horses, crosses between Bosnian and Herzegovinian mountain horses and Holstein, crosses between Bosnian and Herzegovinian mountain and Lipizzaner horses and KBN group – 4 individuals, crosses between Bosnian and Herzegovinian mountain horse with an unknown origin of the other parent). The samples were profiled using 17 microsatellite markers. This method consisted of multiplex PCR procedure and generated reasonable amplification across all the loci. All samples were genotyped successfully. Considering all the observed parameters, VHL20 locus showed the highest microsatellite diversity. Locus HMS7 was the least variable in KBR group, while HMS1 locus was the least diverse in KBN group. The highest microsatellite diversity in KBA group was found at AHT5 locus while HTG6 locus was the least diverse. Obtained results suggest that the investigated populations of crossbred horses from Bosnia and Herzegovina are not affected by substantial loss of genetic diversity, as indicated by the presence of reasonably high level of genetic variation. An increase in the inbreeding coefficient and sufficient heterogenity in KBN group indicate occurrence of consanguineous mating. The present research contributes to the knowledge of current status of genetic structure of the investigated crossbred horses.

Atmospheric pollution is among the largest anthropogenic impacts on the ecosystem. In numerous studies it was observed that plants, especially those that grow in urban areas, are heavily influenced by different pollutants and their survival is correlated with structural and metabolic adaptation to stressful environmental conditions. Primary objective of this study was to determine the index of tolerance to air pollution (APTI) of plantain (Plantago major), on two locations in Zenica. The results indicated that index of tolerance to air pollution of P. major, APTI, is higher in individuals sampled from the contaminated site, than those in the control area.

Tartrazine (E 102) is widely used yellow food colorant. It is used in nonalcoholic and sports drinks, spicy chips, jams, jelly and chewing gum and also found in many non-food products like soaps, cosmetics, shampoo, vitamins and some drugs. Tartrazine belongs to the most important and diverse group of synthetic dyes – azo dyes. Their use often creates controversies in the public since some of them are toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic and cause different disorders or allergic reactions. In this study we aimed to evaluate genotoxic potential of tartrazine in human lymphocytes culture and its cytotoxic potential in human lymphocytes and melanoma GR-M cell line. For testing of its genotoxic and cytotoxic potential in human lymphocyte culture, we used chromosome aberration analysis and cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome assay. For the analysis of its cytotoxic potential in human melanoma cell culture, we applied trypan blue exclusion assay.

The Dinaric endemic plant species Moltkia petraea (Tratt.) Griseb. is often called a "living fossil" of ancient Tertiary flora, with great importance for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s biodiversity. Considering its narrow and limited distribution range, insufficient data on the molecular background of this species is given so far. Due to the presence of various secondary metabolites that interfere with the DNA, isolation of nucleic acids from plant cells is known to be challenging. Even in closely related species it is necessary to optimize DNA isolation protocol in order to obtain high quality PCR amplifiable DNA. We collected 91 samples from five populations in Herzegovina. Doyle and Doyle (1987) CTAB protocol was modified by adding vitamin C (ascorbic acid) to the cell lysis buffer to improve DNA yield and quality. trnL(UAA) intron and nrDNA (ITS1, ITS2) molecular markers were applied to demonstrate amplifiability of isolated DNA and elucidate the intra- and interpopulation genetic diversity. Our results suggest a successful PCR amplification for 81% of the analyzed samples. PCR-RFLP analysis of trnL(UAA) revealed that all individuals in five populations have the same haplotype based on the obtained enzymatic profile for three enzymes (TaqI, HinfI, HindII). Alignment and comparison of ITS sequences didn’t reveal any hypervariable portion that could be informative in elucidating the genetic diversity of M. petraea populations. Further studies with additional application of microsatellite loci, RAPD and AFLP methods are necessary in an attempt to get insights into the genetic diversity of M. petraea.

The entrepreneurial involvement of educational institutions at the elementary and the secondary educational levels has not been systematically analyzed in the existing body of literature, although the decentralization and autonomy of educational institutions have been emphasized in educational policies since the 1980s. This study provides an empirical analysis of the entrepreneurial orientation, as related to the schools in Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina and their principals. The influence of this orientation is analyzed from the perspectives of principals’ personal job satisfaction, perceived contribution to the society and the perception of the social role/influence of principalship. The empirical findings show that the entrepreneurial orientation of schools and their principals in Croatia and B&H are closely inter-related. More enterprising principals are also more satisfied with their jobs, and they feel to be contributing to the society more. However, the same does not apply to their perceived social standing/status, which could be attributed to their intrinsic motivation, but such a conclusion needs to be verified by further research. The results of this study show that the entrepreneurial orientation(s) of schools and school principals should be considered as useful descriptors of individual and institutional behaviour in the educational systems of South-East Europe.

In these mini-proceedings we review the results of the workshop `Impact of $B\to\mu^+\mu^-$ on New Physics Searches' that took place at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) on the 18th-19th December 2017.

We investigate how changes in network structure can lead to pathological oscillations similar to those observed in epileptic brain. Specifically, we conduct a bifurcation analysis of a network of two Jansen-Rit neural mass models, representing two cortical regions, to investigate different aspects of its behavior with respect to changes in the input and interconnection gains. The bifurcation diagrams, along with simulated EEG time series, exhibit diverse behaviors when varying the input, coupling strength, and network structure. We show that this simple network of neural mass models can generate various oscillatory activities, including delta wave activity, which has not been previously reported through analysis of a single Jansen-Rit neural mass model. Our analysis shows that spike-wave discharges can occur in a cortical region as a result of input changes in the other region, which may have important implications for epilepsy treatment. The bifurcation analysis is related to clinical data in two case studies.

This paper presents a new algorithm for distribution system reconstruction planning based on Mamdani type fuzzy inference and BellmanZadeh multi criteria decision making method. The proposed algorithm takes system attributes as inputs (number of customers served by renewed infrastructure, energy losses, power demand and cost of investment) and returns crisp output values which are used as planning criteria. The aim of this paper is to provide a logical decision making framework which can be used to model, evaluate, and rank projects according to required criteria. The proposed model is flexible and can be extended to include additional planning criteria. The proposed method is tested on a realistic distribution system to demonstrate its relevance. It is expected that this paper will make a contribution toward more effective management of power distribution network planning process and that it will be used by planning engineers in practical problems.

Abstract Context Acetyl-l-carnitine (ALC), a mitochondrial carrier involved in lipid oxidation and glucose metabolism, decreased systolic blood pressure (SBP), and ameliorated insulin sensitivity in hypertensive nondiabetic subjects at high cardiovascular risk. Objective To assess the effects of ALC on SBP and glycemic and lipid control in patients with hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), and dyslipidemia on background statin therapy. Design After 4-week run-in period and stratification according to previous statin therapy, patients were randomized to 6-month, double-blind treatment with ALC or placebo added-on simvastatin. Setting Five diabetology units and one clinical research center in Italy. Patients Two hundred twenty-nine patients with hypertension and dyslipidemic T2D >40 years with stable background antihypertensive, hypoglycemic, and statin therapy and serum creatinine <1.5 mg/dL. Interventions Oral ALC 1000 mg or placebo twice daily on top of stable simvastatin therapy. Outcome and Measures Primary outcome was SBP. Secondary outcomes included lipid and glycemic profiles. Total-body glucose disposal rate and glomerular filtration rate were measured in subgroups by hyperinsulinemic–euglycemic clamp and iohexol plasma clearance, respectively. Results SBP did not significantly change after 6-month treatment with ALC compared with placebo (−2.09 mm Hg vs −3.57 mm Hg, P = 0.9539). Serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipoprotein(a), as well as blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, fasting insulin levels, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance index, glucose disposal rate, and glomerular filtration rate did not significantly differ between treatments. Adverse events were comparable between groups. Conclusions Six-month oral ALC supplementation did not affect blood pressure, lipid and glycemic control, insulin sensitivity and kidney function in hypertensive normoalbuminuric and microalbuminuric T2D patients on background statin therapy.