Soil fertility is pivotal for agricultural productivity, and iron (Fe) is a critical micro- nutrient essential for a successful crop development. This study investigates a potential of ensemble machine-learning methods in geospatial prediction of soil Fe in Croatia. Using a dataset of 686 soil samples, three individual machine-learning methods, including the extreme gradient boosting (XGB), support vector machine (SVM), and Cubist, as well as their ensemble, were evaluated for the soil Fe predi- ction. The ensemble method outperformed the individual models, exhibiting a higher prediction accuracy expressed by the coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.578), with a lower root-mean-square error (RMSE = 0.837) and the mean absolute error (MAE = 0.550). The soil clay content emerged as the most influential predictor, followed by the sand content, pH values, and select bioclimatic variables. This study’s results demonstrate the effectiveness of ensemble machine learning in an accurate predicti- on of soil Fe content and contribute to an informed decision-making in sustainable agricultural land-use planning and management. By including the complementary machine-learning methods into an ensemble with the representative environmental covariates, a geospatial prediction aids to a reliable comprehension of soil proper- ties and their spatial variability.

Objective. Anticoagulant therapy is a risk factor for repeated intratumoral hemorrhage and acute enlargement of a vestibular schwannoma (VS) with neurological deficits. Therefore, we describe two cases of patients on oral anticoagulant therapy with intratumoral hemorrhage in which anticoagulant therapy prior to surgical resection was discontinued. We also discuss other similar cases from the literature since this is a rare event. Case Reports. We described the two cases of intratumoral hemorrhage in acoustic neurinoma and conducted a literature review of similar cases of patients with intratumoral hemorrhage in acoustic neurinoma who were also on oral anticoagulants. Both patients presented with CN-VII palsy prior to surgery; both also fully recovered after surgery except for hearing loss on the tumor side. Our literature review found 50 cases of VS (reported as vestibular schwannomas in the literature) with intratumoral hemorrhage. From this total, 11 patients used oral anticoagulant therapy with reported poor outcomes and high mortality; 9 of these 11 cases were reported in the past 20 years. The incidence is expected to rise due to increased use of anticoagulant therapy due to onset of atrial fibrillation, atherosclerosis, and thromboembolism from longer human lifespan. Conclusion. Anticoagulant therapy represents a risk factor for intratumoral hemorrhage and acute enlargement of VS tumor mass with neurological deficits.

Resumo .

Previous research on archaeological skeletal remains in Bosnia and Herzegovina rarely included odontological analysis. The objective of this research was biological profiling through odontological analysis (dental morphological characteristics, estimation of sex and dental age at death) in medieval archaeological skeletal remains samples from Krešića greblje in Paoča (Čitluk municipality, Bosnia and Herzegovina). After the excavations of the archaeological site, odontological analysis was performed before genetic analysis. The sample comprised 22 permanent teeth from 6 individuals. Odontological analysis included odontometric estimation of sex, estimation of age at death by two morphological methods, and an analysis of dental traits and dental pathology. Genetic analysis was used for sex determination. The results of odontological analysis classified all individuals as adults, with estimated age at death 20-25 in one individual, 30-35 in three individuals, 35-45 in one individual, and one individual older than 45 years of age. Odontometric sex estimation was in high concordance with sex determination by genetic analysis, and correctly classified five individuals’ sex (four females and one male). In one individual odontometric sex was assessed as female while genetic analysis revealed male. Morphological dental traits and dental pathology were investigated as well, adding to a better understanding of the odontological characteristics of the medieval population in the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sex and dental age estimation given by odontological analysis provide fast and cost-effective information, and should be performed as an auxiliary before genetic analysis.

<p><strong>Introduction. </strong>The adoption of correct walking patterns is an indicator of the locomotor system readiness to establish optimal interaction between body force and the surface, and the way of creating pressure exerted by the feet during the walking cycle. The aim was to examine how the speed and characteristics of the terrain affect the distribution of force and plantar pressure during the gait of children with different levels of physical activity.</p> <p><strong>Methods.</strong> A prospective comparative study included 150 students aged 11&ndash;12 years and their parents from Banja Luka. According to the protocol, each group of subjects walked at average and maximum speed on flat and 5% inclined terrain. For the purposes of the research, the Physical Activity Questionnaire PAQ-C (The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children), a survey questionnaire for parents, measurement of anthropometric parameters and Zebris strips (Zebris Medical GmbH, Germany) were used for gait analysis.</p> <p><strong>Results.</strong> When walking at maximum speed in inactive subjects, the maximum force on the left (F(148) = 14.878, p &lt; 0.001) and right (F(148) = 8.204, p &lt; 0.001) heel decreased, while in moderately and highly active subjects it grew moderately. In highly active subjects, the highest value of maximum pressure was registered (d = -1.41 for the left leg and d = 1.36 for the right leg). When the slope of the terrain changes in inactive subjects, the maximum force on the front part of both feet decreased (F(148) = 5.043, p = 0.008, d = 0). The influence of terrain characteristics was such that walking on a 5% incline almost as a rule had greater effects on inactive children, while moderately and highly physically active children gave an adequate response when walking on the 5% incline.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion.</strong> Urbanization and new developments in society impose the need to involve children in organized activities so that children acquire the skills and demonstrate the competence they face in their environment.</p>

Waste is a by-product of human activities and living. With the increase in the number of inhabitants, the standard of living and urbanization, the quantities of municipal waste are increasing day by day. Every segment of waste management starting from generation, through collection, storage, transport, treatment and disposal can pose a potential hazard to human health and the environment. Waste management in Republic of Srpska is organized at the regional level. Since only waste disposal is still present in the Republic of Srpska, the regional approach implies that there is a landfill on the territory of one of the local self-government units, where all local self-government units in the region dispose of waste. In addition, waste disposal in illegal and unregulated landfills is still evident. LGUs or utility companies often face a lack of money to organize waste collection, with the result that not all households are covered by waste collection. In recent years, a lot has been invested in infrastructure, such as the filling of containers and containers and the purchase of new or newer used waste collection vehicles. Future directions of improving the waste management system in Republic of Srpska must go in the direction of sustainable waste management, ie waste management in a way to reduce the negative impact on human health and the environment, as well as avoiding leaving this problem to future generations.

Water is a unique and irreplaceable natural resource of limited quantities and uneven spatial and temporal distribution. All life forms and all human activities are more or less related to water, clearly showing the importance of the relationship with water. It is a necessary resource in households as drinking water, washing and food preparation, in agriculture for irrigation, and in industry it plays an important role in almost all industrial processes. Economic development and urbanization lead, on the one hand, to a large increase in water demand, and on the other hand to the threat to water resources and the aquatic environment. Water can thus become a limiting factor in development, a threat to human health and the sustainability of natural ecosystems. Until recently, there was a centuriesold illusion of water inexhaustibility, and the concept of minimum investments for the purification of used water and water protection in general appeared. Much of the water used is not purified before it is discharged into watercourses and thus pollutes the water mass and reduces the resources of drinking water. Providing enough drinking water is one of the world's most important issues today. Therefore, it is especially important for every society to balance these relations and devise policies and strategies for the regulation, exploitation and protection of water resources.

A broad range of ecological issues may be traced back to agricultural soil management methods that have a significant influence on ecosystems health across the globe. Agriculture has a major influence on the environment via soil quality deterioration or degradation. There are several types i.e., salinity, erosion, water logging and soil pollution with organic and inorganic contaminants and contributing factors to soil degradation. The inclusion of sustainable development goals (SDGs) related to the soil use as zero hunger (SDG 2), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), climate action (SDG 13), life on land (SDG 15) contributes and important in human wellbeing via producing food crops (SDG 2), increasing economic growth (SDG 8), sequestering atmospheric emissions for climate change mitigation (SDG 13), and betterment of life on earth (SDG 13). Factors include non-suitable agricultural practices, usage of wide fields without limits to impede water flow, and improper ploughing techniques. The key element to limit the soil degradation is reducing pressure on natural resources and their over-exploitation. In this chapter, authors have discussed the soil degradation, causes and their remedies in detail.

The concept of sustainable use of pesticides implies a series of rules, procedures and skills in the use of pesticides that are prescribed by the relevant legislation in the European Union, and which countries that are in the process of joining it are obliged to follow and apply. These prescribed norms include the development of a national action plan to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides; application of the principle of integral protection of plants; establishing a continuous training system for professional users of pesticides, distributors and advisors; establishment of appropriate conditions for the sale and distribution of pesticides; handling and storage of pesticides and disposal of their packaging and residues; regular control of pesticide application devices; keeping records and databases; informing the public and raising the level of awareness about the sustainable use of pesticides; application of measures to reduce the risk of pesticide use; the application of special practices in the use of pesticides, including aerial spraying, special measures for the protection of aquatic environments and drinking water, the application of pesticides on public and green areas, the reduction of pesticide use in certain areas, and the protection of bees during the application of pesticides, as well as the application of risk indicators, reporting and exchange of information on the sustainable use of pesticides. The purpose of this legislation is to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides and reduce the risks and negative effects from the use of pesticides in a way that ensures a high degree of protection of human and animal health, along with the protection and preservation of the environment and biodiversity, as well as the introduction of mandatory application of the basic principles of integral protection of plants for control of harmful organisms, including alternative approaches and techniques, such as non-chemical plant protection measures with the aim of achieving sustainable and competitive agriculture.

The Western Balkan region is known for emitting alarmingly high sulphur dioxide amounts from coal-fired power plants. Though a number of environmental regulations have been introduced in recent years (e.g. desulphurisation installations, construction of modern power plants), the pollution burden is still much higher than recommended by the authorities. A number of different montoring systems are required to observe the growing pollution situation in the Western Balkan region, partly caused by a high energy demand from outside (e.g. Western Europe).Several of the top ten SO2 polluters in Europe are located in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. Here we present the first in situ measurements of sulphur dioxide in this region conducted with a German research aircraft in cooperation with local scientists in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. Two of the strongtest emitting coalfired power plants were selected for the measurements in autumn 2020: Tuzla in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Nikola Tesla in Serbia (Nikola Tesla). The measurements were mainly conducted in the boundary layer (below ~1 km altitude in winter). Downwind of the power plants, extremely high SO2 mixing ratios exceeding 100 parts per billion (ppb = nmol mol-1 ) were measured at a distance of ~20-40 km from the sources. The SO2 plumes from the power plants were trapped in well-defined inversion layers between ~500-1000 m altitude. The airborne measurements can be used to validate synchronous spaceborne SO2 measurements from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) onboard the Sentinel-5P satellite. A first intercomparison indicates some problems with dense smoke clouds frequently covering these countries in the winter months. However, it turned out that the Nikola Tesla flight is to some extent suited for a TROPOMI-SO2 validation, since it was obtained during cloud-free conditions with a well-defined vertical extension of the probed SO2 plume (needed to estimate the Vertical Column Density, VCD, measured by the satellite). In addition, these airborne measurements accompanied by model simulations can be used to determine the SO2 emission strength of the power plants and to compare it to the source strength reported by the power plant operators. The results indicate a reasonable agreement between the airborne measurements, model results, emission inventories, and satellite measurements for the Nikola Tesla power plants.

Harmful effect of noise to the human health are various, begining from psihological to the irreversible damage of hearing. In order to prevent negative impact to the living and working environment, especially at the urban and industrial places where noise influence is the largest, at the specific location noise estimation must be performed before sources are build. Action of protection as well as reduction of the noise based on law and technical regulations, followed by detailed investigation are mostly applied in Banja Luka, the largest city of Republic of Srpska with huge dense of population and intensive traffic jam. Beside traffic noise, which has strongest effect to the human health, theoretical predictions are also performed for directional speakers, mostly temporary active in urban location during cultural manifestation. Theoretically obtained results from simulations are projected to the map of noise, where are further defined borders between places with enlarged noise in comparatione with referent levels, given by international standards but in agreement with national legislative. Review of data and their analysis in order to determine degree of the environment contamination in the Republic of Srpska with noise is the primary goal of this study. The measurement methods and theoretical assessment tools used for detection and prediction of these physical pollutants, which tend to grow permanently due to lifestyle, are also presented.

Environmental pollution is a big problem for all countries of the world, especially developing countries. Pollution is very present in our country and manifests itself through air, water and soil pollution, but also the increased presence of noise, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation in the environment. Environmental protection is an area of great interest for citizens and competent authorities, especially in the perspective of European integration, and represents a major challenge for the authorities of each country. The environment is one of the most important chapters in the negotiations for accession to the European Union (EU). This chapter deals with EU and Republic of Srpska regulations, with an analysis of the situation in various areas of the environment. It is the obligation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republic of Srpska to implement the aforementioned regulations into the national legislation. A major problem of environmental management is the implementation and application of regulations due to various factors such as: the state of industrial development, national policy, financial situation, lack of trained personnel and laboratories, etc.

The problem of air pollution has been a challenge for modern humanity in recent times. The environment, including the air, is burdened by a large amount of pollutants that are released into the environment. The atmosphere contains primary and secondary pollutants, emitted as basic or specific pollutants. Air pollution is present in industrial areas and larger cities, with the fact that there are no areas without any impact of air pollution. Air pollution is also present in the Republic of Srpska, as is the case in other areas. Areas of increased pollution in Republic of Srpska, with high concentrations of pollution, can further worsen the impact on the population and lead to unwanted health effects.