BACKGROUND Demand for aesthetic surgery has risen rapidly, and the parallel growth in cross-border medical travel is increasingly burdening European health systems with imported complications. The perspective of board-certified plastic surgeons themselves-as both providers of cross-border care and managers of its complications-has not been systematically captured at a European level. METHODS An anonymous online questionnaire (43 items across three thematic sections) was distributed by the European Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (ESPRAS) to its member national societies between December 2025 and February 2026. The instrument addressed (A) the practice of surgeons treating international patients, (B) the management of complications from procedures performed abroad, and (C) safeguards and policy reform. Quantitative data were summarised descriptively; free-text responses were analysed thematically. RESULTS Two hundred and fifty board-certified plastic surgeons from 36 countries responded; 230/250 (92.0%) held national or international board certification. The most common procedures performed for international patients were breast augmentation (n=86), breast reduction/mastopexy (n=82), and abdominoplasty (n=80). Eighty-nine per cent of respondents had managed complications of procedures performed abroad in the preceding five years; abdominoplasty (n=144), breast augmentation (n=106), and liposuction (n=76) predominated, with wound dehiscence/necrosis (n=156) and infection (n=131) the most frequent patterns. Cost was the most often cited primary motivation for patients (49.8%); 79.2% of respondents identified board certification as the single most important verification criterion, and 77.2% identified profit prioritisation over patient safety as the principal facilitator-related risk. Mandatory international qualification standards (35.6%) and stricter facilitator regulation (23.6%) were the most frequently endorsed policy priorities. CONCLUSIONS European plastic surgeons describe a fragmented landscape in which a regulated core coexists with an unregulated commercial periphery. ESPRAS proposes a four-pillar framework-public surgeon registries, facility and facilitator accreditation, mandatory complication insurance, and harmonised European patient- and surgeon-facing guidelines-as the basis of a coordinated European response.

As 5G and Beyond networks increasingly expose programmable capabilities to vertical industries through standardized APIs such as CAMARA, new challenges emerge regarding efficient and reliable resource orchestration. In this paper we present a vertical-aware orchestration framework based on intelligent edge-deployed network applications that enable real-time coordination between vertical services and the 5G network. We introduce the Quality Awareness EdgeApp, a context-aware solution for dynamic per-UE QoS adaptation using exposed network APIs. The proposed framework is validated in a real-world 5G Standalone deployment at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges (Belgium) for teleoperated vessel operations. Our experimental results demonstrate improved SLA adherence and resource efficiency compared to static slicing and overprovisioning approaches. Our proposed architecture represents a practical step toward adaptive and scalable orchestration for 5G and Beyond vertical services.

У статті концептуалізується та обґрунтовується транзитивна архітектура публічного управління як інструментальна та методологічна основа посилення цифрового народовладдя в умовах глибокої алгоритмізації державних функцій. Розглядаючи народовладдя не лише крізь обмежену призму епізодичних виборчих процедур, а як безперервний, інклюзивний та технологічно опосередкований процес співуправління, у дослідженні розкрито концептуальний механізм «демократичного каскаду». Цей механізм інтерпретується як причинно-наслідкова ланцюгова реакція інституційних, правових та економічних трансформацій, що послідовно розширюють можливості громадян щодо прийняття та контролю управлінських рішень. Доведено, що впровадження незмінних записів у розподіленому реєстрі на інформаційно-аналітичному рівні виступає каталізатором, який ініціює законодавче закріплення цифрових прав громадян на організаційно-правовому рівні, створює передумови для прозорого та справедливого розподілу вигід на економічному рівні, а також формує сталу культуру підзвітності та відкритості на інституційному рівні. У статті розроблено чотирирівневу архітектуру публічного управління — стратегічний, тактичний, операційний та моніторинговий рівні, — які систематизовано як цілісну систему щаблів народовладдя з диференційованими формами залучення громадян на кожному з них. Систематизовано чотири ключові типи механізмів публічного управління крізь призму їхнього специфічного внеску у забезпечення демократичного контролю, де організаційно-правовий механізм гарантує фундаментальне право на людське рішення та запобігає алгоритмічному детермінізму, економічний механізм реалізує токенізацію прав на публічні правочини та програмні гарантії виконання зобов’язань, інформаційно-аналітичний механізм створює передумови прозорості через застосування пояснювальних алгоритмів штучного інтелекту та відкритих даних, а інституційний механізм формує нову культуру підзвітності шляхом створення незмінного цифрового сліду кожного управлінського рішення.  Окреслено багаторівневу екосистему п’яти типів акторів — політиків, публічних службовців, експертів, громадян, бізнесу та інститутів громадянського суспільства, розкрито їхні специфічні функції у забезпеченні цифрового суверенітету та розраховано значення Інтегрального індексу усвідомленості для оцінки готовності службовців до роботи в гібридному середовищі. На основі порівняльного аналізу міжнародних та вітчизняних кейсів (Естонія, Данія, Тайвань, Україна) доведено, що ключовим чинником успіху реформ є вбудовування демократичного контролю в саму технічну та процедурну архітектуру цифрових систем. Узагальнено базовий принцип розподілу функцій між людиною та алгоритмом, де головним критерієм слугує збереження та посилення демократичної суб’єктності громадян.

Background: Bartonella henselae infection has been associated with a broad spectrum of neurological and autonomic manifestations, although its impact on autonomic nervous system function remains insufficiently characterized, and the aim of this study was to evaluate autonomic function in patients with polymorphic symptoms and Bartonella henselae IgM seroreactivity. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 75 patients were compared with 75 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, and all participants underwent cardiovascular autonomic reflex testing, short-term (5 min) and long-term (24 h) heart rate variability analysis, and 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, while head-up tilt testing was performed in the Bartonella group. Results: Abnormal autonomic reflex tests were significantly more frequent in the Bartonella IgM-seroreactive group, particularly those reflecting parasympathetic function, while heart rate variability analysis demonstrated reduced high-frequency components and lower long-term variability indices, and head-up tilt testing revealed heterogeneous hemodynamic responses including orthostatic hypotension and pronounced blood pressure variability, with ambulatory monitoring additionally showing higher nighttime blood pressure values and reduced nocturnal dipping. Conclusions: These findings indicate a consistent pattern of autonomic imbalance characterized predominantly by parasympathetic impairment and altered blood pressure regulation in patients with Bartonella henselae IgM seroreactivity, although further studies are required to clarify underlying mechanisms and clinical implications.

The paper presents a comprehensive quasi-static digital twin of a utility-scale wind turbine developed in Python. The proposed digital twin framework combines dynamically acquired turbine measurements with static system parameters to reconstruct the steady-state operational behaviour of the wind turbine under real-world conditions. The digital twin integrates historical and real-time operational data to provide dynamic visualization of key performance indicators, enabling continuous insight into turbine behaviour and operational conditions. The model is trained using comprehensive SCADA datasets, including turbine operational data, grid measurements, meteorological observations, and alarm logs, with target variables encompassing the turbine’s active power output and efficiency-related performance metrics. Through systematic data processing, filtering, and aggregation, the digital twin provides a representation of expected turbine behaviour across a wide range of operating conditions. The developed digital twin supports performance benchmarking, operational condition assessment, and early detection of deviations that may indicate aerodynamic inefficiencies, control limitations, or emerging component degradation. Its quasi-static formulation ensures computational efficiency and numerical robustness, making it suitable for real time deployment within wind farm monitoring environments. The presented approach is fully transparent, reproducible, and modular, allowing straightforward extension toward advanced digital twin functionalities, including condition-based maintenance, performance degradation analysis, and integration with forecasting or control-oriented applications. Key words. Digital twin, Wind turbine, Power production, Prediction

BACKGROUND Human brucellosis remains endemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), yet integrative studies explaining transmission patterns, population structure, and susceptibility profiles in an endemic setting are lacking. This study aimed to characterise human Brucella melitensis (B. melitensis) isolates from B&H using a combined epidemiological, phenotypic, and genomic approach. METHODS A total of 60 B. melitensis blood isolates obtained from patients with confirmed brucellosis between 2015 and 2021 were selected from a multicentre collection for phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Broth microdilution (BMD) in three different broth media was used and interpreted according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) criteria. Genomic analyses included phylogenomic contextualisation using publicly available genomes, and screening for acquired antimicrobial resistance determinants and virulence-associated genes. RESULTS Human brucellosis predominantly affected working-age males and was strongly associated with occupational and household exposure. While phenotypic AST showed that first-line antimicrobials remain effective in vitro, the results were significantly impacted by both the choice of culture media and the interpretive framework, with major discrepancies observed between CLSI and EUCAST classification, particularly for streptomycin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. WGS revealed a high degree of clustered genomic homogeneity within the East Mediterranean lineage. No acquired antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes were detected, while a conserved virulence gene repertoire was observed across isolates, including genes associated with membrane adaptation such as mprF. CONCLUSIONS Human brucellosis in B&H is characterised by sustained endemic transmission within a genetically conserved B. melitensis population. Integration of epidemiological, phenotypic AST, and genomic data highlights the importance of interpreting susceptibility patterns in the light of Brucella's slow evolutionary dynamics and local epidemiological context. The genomic baseline established in this study supports future One Health surveillance integrating human and animal reservoirs.

This paper presents a nonsingular terminal sliding mode control (NTSMC) strategy for robust three-dimensional (3D) trajectory tracking of a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operating in the presence of external disturbances and modeling uncertainties. The proposed controller is designed using the full nonlinear dynamics of the quadrotor and ensures finite-time convergence of the sliding variables and tracking errors without introducing singularities in the control law. A Lyapunov-based stability analysis is provided to demonstrate finite-time stability of the closed-loop system. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is evaluated through comparative simulations against representative state-of-the-art sliding mode control strategies. Numerical simulations are conducted under multiple operating scenarios, including large initial deviations and persistent external perturbations. The results demonstrate that the proposed NTSMC scheme achieves improved tracking accuracy, enhanced robustness, and a more favorable transient response compared to the considered benchmark controllers.

Fused deposition modelling (FDM) of carbon fibre reinforced polyamide (PA6-CF10) parts is subjected to challenges related to dimensional stability and mechanical properties. This study investigated the effect of annealing as a post-processing method for carbon fibre reinforced polyamide parts produced by FDM to enhance the mechanical properties while preserving dimensional accuracy immediately after processing and after 90 days of ambient storage. It provides a comprehensive evaluation of the effect of annealing on the mechanical properties, dimensional stability, and long-term behaviour of FDM-printed PA6-CF10 components under ambient storage conditions. To analyse mechanical properties and dimensional accuracy, samples were annealed at 90 °C to 180 °C for 60 min to 360 min. Optimal conditions were 180 °C for 210 min, yielding significant gains in tensile properties, especially for samples stored in ambient storage for 90 days after annealing. The tensile strength and tensile modulus after annealing increased by 7.27% and 5.15% compared to unannealed samples; samples tested 90 days after annealing have the tensile strength and tensile modulus increased by 14.53% and 13.79%. Dimensional deviation of the annealed samples compared to the 3D CAD model was less than 1% for samples tested 90 days after annealing. These results indicate that annealing improves both immediate mechanical performance and long-term stability of PA6-CF10 components while maintaining dimensional accuracy.

Abstract Synthetic biology has evolved from a set of engineering aspirations to an operationally sophisticated discipline, and artificial intelligence (AI) is its fastest-growing accelerant. This review traces that convergence across six interlocking domains: systems-level biological modeling, de novo protein engineering, metabolic and microbial programming, multi-omics data integration, regulatory element design, and clinical translation. For each domain, we survey established results, integrate findings from 2010–2026 literature, and articulate the trajectories that will define the next decade. Emerging themes include physics-informed neural networks for mechanistically constrained biological modeling, drug design, and federated learning architectures that allow global omics collaboration without centralizing sensitive data, self-driving laboratories that close the Design-Build-Test-Learn loop with minimal human intervention, and large language models that accelerate hypothesis generation from scientific literature. Alongside these opportunities, the review gives equal weight to the governance challenges they create: dual-use risks amplified by generative sequence design, the reproducibility crisis in AI-driven biodesign, and the equitable distribution of autonomous experimentation capacity. The overarching argument is that the promise of synthetic biology, making biological design as deliberate and reliable as any mature engineering discipline, is closer than ever, but will only be realized if technical ambition is matched by scientific rigor, transparent governance, and inclusive access.

Highlights Diabetes abolishes the normal maturational rise of renal SDC1 in rats. SDC2 remains inappropriately elevated in diabetic kidneys at two months. NDST1 is biphasic: raised at two weeks, then profoundly suppressed by two months. Public transcriptomes reproduce the syndecan changes and point to post-transcriptional NDST control. Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to determine the temporal expression patterns of syndecan family members (SDC1, SDC2, SDC4) and heparan sulfate biosynthesis enzymes (NDST1, NDST2) in kidneys of diabetic rats and age-matched controls. Methods: Male Sprague–Dawley rats received intraperitoneal streptozotocin (55 mg/kg; DM1 group) or citrate buffer (control group). Kidney samples were harvested after 2 weeks and 2 months and processed for immunofluorescence. Results: SDC1 showed significant temporal upregulation in controls that was abolished in diabetic animals. SDC2 exhibited high early expression in the control group with significant decline as the kidneys matured but remained elevated in diabetic kidneys at 2 months compared to controls. SDC4 showed no significant difference between groups, though an age-related decrease was observed in controls. NDST1 was significantly upregulated in diabetic rats at 2 weeks, followed by profound suppression at 2 months (p < 0.0001). NDST2 showed modest but significant early elevation in diabetic animals. Transcript-level analysis of two independent public datasets of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat renal cortex reproduced the principal directional findings—an early increase in SDC1 and a progressive elevation of SDC2—while indicating post-transcriptional regulation of SDC4 and the early NDST response. Conclusions: Diabetes disrupts normal temporal expression of syndecans and heparan sulfate biosynthesis enzymes in rat kidneys. Early compensatory upregulation of NDST1 and NDST2, followed by progressive NDST1 suppression, suggests a deteriorating heparan sulfate biosynthetic capacity, potentially contributing to the progression of diabetic nephropathy.

Vaccination is one of the most effective public health interventions, yet vaccine hesitancy continues to threaten high childhood immunization coverage. Parental attitudes, knowledge, and information sources play a critical role in shaping vaccination decisions, influencing both individual and community protection. A cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2024, including 120 parents of children covered by the national vaccination schedule. Data were collected via a self-administered25-item questionnaire distributed through Google Forms, assessing demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and sources of vaccination-related information. Associations between participant characteristics and vaccination attitudes, knowledge, and compliance were analyzed using chi-square tests. Among participants, 95% reported compliance with the mandatory vaccination schedule, and 84.2% expressed a positive attitude toward childhood vaccination. The majority recognized vaccination as primarily benefiting the child (75%) and providing protection against severe disease (72.5%). Healthcare professionals were the main source of vaccination information (71.7%), while media and social networks were less frequently used. Awareness of the anti-vaccination movement was reported by 58.3%, and 43.3% of participants expressed trust in available vaccine information. Compliance was significantly associated with marital status and number of children, while knowledge correlated with educational level. Younger parents and urban residents relied more on media sources, whereas older and rural parents primarily consulted healthcare professionals. The findings indicate that parents in the studied region demonstrate positive attitudes toward childhood vaccination, with high compliance and a strong reliance on healthcare professionals as sources of information. Vaccine hesitancy persists in a minority, often influenced by misinformation and uncertainty. Targeted, prevention-oriented interventions focusing on health communication and support from healthcare professionals are essential to sustain high vaccination coverage and protect children and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases.Keywords: child health, childhood vaccination, health communication, public health, vaccine hesitancy.