Bioactive compounds from plants play an important role in slowing many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, by inhibiting cholinesterase enzymes. Studies have shown that oxidative stress is associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Teucrium montanum is used to treat numerous diseases. The chemical composition and biological activity of the essential oil (EO) and aqueous (AE) and methanol extract (ME) of this plant were studied. The chemical composition of EO was studied using GC-MS, while the composition of the extracts was studied using HPLC-DAD. Antioxidant activity was tested using the DPPH and FRAP methods. The protection of lipids and proteins from oxidation was tested using the ammonium thiocyanate and BSA oxidation methods. The ability to inhibit cholinesterases was tested by the Ellman method. The main identified EO compounds were α-cadinol, ß-selinene, δ-cadinene, epi-α-cadinol, germacrene D-4-ol, and α-pinene. The main phenolic compounds of the extracts were p-coumaric acid, ellagic acid and caffeic acid. The tested extracts showed good antioxidant radical scavenging and reducing potential and a very good ability to protect lipids and proteins from oxidation. The EO showed moderate AChE and BChE inhibition potential, while the extracts showed weak or no ability.

Cadmium (Cd) is considered one of the most toxic heavy metals to living organisms, being very persistent in soil and non-biodegradable, thus posing a long-term hazard to plants and humans. In recent years, the application of different molecules at the seed level, known as chemical seed priming, has been studied as a method to improve stress tolerance in plants. In the present study, we tested the effect of hydro-priming and proline priming of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seeds on germination, photosynthetic pigments, and metal metabolism under cadmium stress. Plants primed with proline showed better germination under cadmium stress (100% versus 84% for non-primed and hydro-primed seeds). Priming with 20 mM of proline increased the chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll contents by 40.8% and 18.6%, respectively, while these parameters decreased in other seedlings under Cd stress. Similarly, 20 mM of proline improved the uptake of Zn and Fe in roots under Cd stress. This indicates that 20 mM of proline treatments may be beneficial for maintaining a normal photosynthetic capacity and mineral uptake under Cd stress, but further metabolomics and transcriptomic data should reveal the exact mechanisms of action.

Background Physical activity can improve function and decrease healthcare spending among overweight and obese older adults. Although unstructured physical activity has been related to cardiometabolic improvements, the relationship between unstructured activity and movement quality is unclear. Aims This study aimed to evaluate the association of amount of unstructured free-living moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with measures of movement quality in overweight and obese older adults. Methods The association of MVPA with movement quality was assessed in 165 overweight and obese older adults (Age: 77.0(8.0) years; Body mass index (BMI): 29.2(5.3) kg/m2). Participants performed overground walking, the Figure of 8 Walk test, and the Five-Times Sit to Stand. Weekly physical activity was measured using a waist-worn Actigraph activity monitor. Results Movement quality during straight path (gait speed (ρ = 0.30, p < 0.01), stride length (ρ = 0.33, p < 0.01), double-limb support time (ρ=−0.26, p < 0.01), and gait symmetry (ρ = 0.17, p = 0.02)) and curved path (F8W time (ρ=−0.22, p < 0.01) and steps (ρ=−0.22, p < 0.01)) walking were associated with weekly minutes of MVPA after controlling for age. Five-Times Sit to Stand performance was not significantly associated with weekly minutes of MVPA (ρ=−0.10, p = 0.13). Conclusions Older adults with high BMIs who are less active also demonstrate poorer movement quality which should be targeted in interventions to promote healthy aging, decrease falls, and delay disability development. Future work should explore if these associations are observed in middle-aged adults so targeted interventions can be implemented even earlier in the disability development continuum.

In previous years interest has grown in investigating the attitudes and capabilities of veterinarians regarding the recognition, quantification and treatment of animal pain throughout different parts of the world and encompassing various species. This is the first report exploring the attitudes and self-rated abilities of veterinarians in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) concerning recognition and quantification of pain in domestic animals. A study questionnaire was made available to 535 general practice veterinarians throughout B&H and 73 (14%) responded in full. The questionnaire contained polar, multiple choice, ordinal and interval scale questions and consisted of sections asking about demographic data, attitudes to pain recognition and quantification, use and availability of analgesics, estimates of pain intensity during specific surgical procedures, and the perceived need for pain assessment and continuing education programmes for analgesia. Half of the respondents considered the recognition and quantification of pain to be difficult while 89% did not make use of pain assessment scales. Of the respondents, (33/73; 45%) felt a certain level of pain to be advantageous since it reduces the activity of the healing animal, whereas 52% (38/73) did not agreed with this concept. Cost was a consideration when deciding whether or not to use analgesics for 58% (42/73) of the respondents with the most commonly used types being NSAIDs (72/73;99%) and opioids (60/73; 82%). Practitioners in B&H displayed awareness of the importance of pain assessment and management however a significant proportion were unaware of pain scales and relied upon physiological indicators of pain.

In this research, the antioxidant activity and its correlation with the polyphenolic content in pumpkin leaf extracts (Cucurbita pepo L.) were examined. Dried and pulverized pumpkin leaves were used as extraction material. Various solvents (water, methanol, ethanol, acetone) and their mixtures, in a ratio of 50:50 (v/v) (water: methanol, water: ethanol, water: acetone) were used for extraction. The solid-to-solvent ratio was 1:10. The influence of solvents on phenolic extraction, as well as the effect of ultrasonic extraction was investigated. The samples were subjected to ultrasound for 15 minutes. The total phenolic content was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and the antioxidant activity of the extracts by FRAP and DPPH methods. The obtained results indicate the importance of choosing an adequate extraction solvent for phenolic isolation from plant material. Mixtures of organic solvents and water, especially a mixture of water and acetone, are the most suitable for the extraction of phenolic compounds. At the same time, a positive correlation was established between the content of total phenols and the antioxidant activity of the extracts. This suggests that phenols contribute significantly to the antioxidant properties of pumpkin leaves. The results showed the potential medicinal properties of pumpkin leaves but further studies are needed to identify, characterize and isolate different bioactive components, which could be used as a basis for obtaining new drugs for the treatment of various diseases.

This paper introduces Cybershuttle, a new type of user-facing cyberinfrastructure that provides seamless access to a range of resources for researchers, enhancing their productivity. The Cybershuttle Research Environment is built on open source Apache Airavata software and uses a hybrid approach that integrates locally deployed agent programs with centrally hosted middleware. This enables end-to-end integration of computational science and engineering research across a range of resources, including users’ local resources, centralized university computing and data resources, computational clouds, and NSF-funded national-scale computing centers. To ensure a user-centered approach, we have designed the scientific user environments with the best user-centered design practices.

This manuscript addresses behavior change intentions and consumer risk perceptions in the context of uncertainty and crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the theory of planned behavior and health behavior theories, a conceptual framework is developed that focuses on the role of attitudes toward the Covid-19 pandemic, their determinants in the context of the public campaign conducted, and the resulting behavior change intentions. The empirical study, based on an actual campaign and a representative nationwide sample in a developing country, is conducted to test the developed hypotheses. The results suggest that information search is relevant to predicting attitudes and intention to change behavior. At the same time, exposure to the campaign is directly relevant to motivating the target audience to change their behavior. There is also a gap between attitude and behavior, but it is bridged by perceived risk, which plays a vital moderating role when rated high or low. Finally, in the presence of this moderating effect, an indirect effect of information search on behavior change intention is confirmed by attitudes toward the Covid-19 pandemic. Overall, this study provides valuable insights for research in health behavior and crisis management.

In the last two centuries, the world and humanity have changed more than ever. The rapid development of technology, but also socio-humanistic and political thought has led to a completely different perception of the world by people. The desire to spread influence, aided by technological development, has pushed the great powers into the bloodiest armed conflicts the world has ever seen. After the end of the First and Second World Wars, it proved necessary not only to sanction the leaders of the idea of aggressive war, but also to sanction the insult to the independence of countries through the armed attack. In this regard, the international community has approached a more detailed definition of the concept of aggression and crimes against peace (crime of aggression) and the establishment of appropriate mechanisms with the aim of preventing armed conflicts, stopping them and promoting peaceful settlement of international disputes. It is this idea that is the subject of the text that follows. The author wants to make his modest contribution to legal science in terms of analysis of the concept of aggression in international law (primarily in international public law), but also the definition and elements of (international) crime – crime against peace (aggression) in international criminal law. In addition to explaining and clarifying the content of the concept of aggression, the author will analyze this international crime contained in international documents, present the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in relation to aggression, and explain the position and role of the United Nations in preventing armed conflict and peace. Finally, a critical analysis of all the above, the author will present the advantages and disadvantages of mechanisms for preventing armed conflict and punishing perpetrators of international crimes against peace through the prism of the amendment to the Rome Statute of the ICC.

This paper reports on novel and efficient enhancement effects of fruit juice aroma using immobilized β-glucosidase, the enzyme involved in important functions in living organisms, onto superparamagnetic nanoparticles Fe3O4 via carbodiimide β-glucosidase was purified from mandarin (Citrus reticulata) using ammonium sulfate precipitation and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. To be used in this study, superparamagnetic nanoparticles were synthesized and then the shape, size, and magnetism properties of the nanoparticles were characterized. The purified enzyme was immobilized on the nanoparticles. The optimum temperature for β-glucosidase (40 ℃) was increased by 10 ℃ after immobilization, while the optimum pH values of free and immobilized β-glucosidase were 5.5. While the Km and Vmax values of the free enzyme were 0.264 mM and 294 EU, immobilized enzyme’s Km and Vmax were 0.222 mM and 370 EU, respectively. In addition, it was determined that the storage stability of the immobilized enzyme was higher than the free enzyme. When the effect of some metal ions on the enzyme activity was examined, it was observed that Fe+2 increased the enzyme activity while other metals inhibited it. According to the results obtained, the immobilized enzyme had a flavor-enhancing effect on mandarin juice.

Abstract The increase in the incidence and intensity of multiple shocks emanating from various fronts has left households vulnerable to various upheavals, case in point, food shortage—a prerequisite of food insecurity and poor nutrition. In analysing the nexus between remittances and food security and nutrition in the context of shocks, the paper adopts and links the household utility framework to the insurance hypothesis from the new economic labour migration theory. Using the coping strategy index, food consumption score, and household dietary diversity, we assess the effects of remittances on food security and nutrition in the context of shocks. The novelty of this paper is the creation of a shock index that captures the intensity of correlated multiple shocks that affect households. We concomitantly capture overall remittances, and disaggregated the remittances based on form and location. By employing integrated household survey round 5 data, and various econometric techniques, the paper finds that remittances are only effective in improving household food and nutrition security for households facing more intense multiple shocks but have no effect on dietary diversity. The paper therefore reveals the importance of remittances as a strategy in combating food insecurity and poor nutrition in the context of household shocks.

In this paper, the attention is focused on the efficiency of the criminal procedure, with a special focus on the efficiency of the criminal process entities in terms of elucidating and solving a specific criminal matter. In connection with the above, the authors recognized and identified the key procedural problems related to the timely, efficient and legal detection and proof of the criminal act and guilt. Given that a significant period of time has passed since the last general reform of the criminal procedure legislation, sufficient for a critical analysis, a critical review of all phases of the criminal procedure was carried out with the intention of actualizing and problematizing certain legal solutions of a procedural nature (detective activity, investigation concept, standards evidence, evidentiary role of the prosecutor, drawing up/filing of the indictment, complexity of discovery and proof, etc.) on which the efficient and legal conduct and finalization of criminal proceedings directly depend. Also, modern forms of criminality, especially specific forms of organized crime, demand from the legislator the adequacy of the legal norm in terms of achieving a legitimate legal goal related to the effective and energetic fight against crime as a complex social phenomenon and achieving adequate results of criminal justice.

Soldiers and civilian victims of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been living in peace more than 25 years, unlike irresponsible political leaders for whom “war-mongering rhetorics” is the most important mechanism for achieving electoral victories. In addition to inciting “new wars”,”separatism” and “denial of war crimes” through hate speech, by spreading “false news” and “untruths” in public space through the media. Irresponsible policies “intimidating their people”, produce a society of fear and prevent building of lasting peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina through development of democracy and the rule of law. In addition, by acting in this way, with the help of corruption, irresponsible policies produce “legal anarchy” and “undermine the rule of law”. In this paper the authors intend to present some ways of endangering peace and the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They argue that post-War peacebuilding in Bosnia and Herzegovina relies on a wide array of international actors with diverse interests and mandates which are not necessarily aligned with local realities or needs.

The discovery of the Hat, an aperiodic monotile, has revealed novel mathematical aspects of aperiodic tilings. However, the physics of particles propagating in such a setting remains unexplored. In this work we study spectral and transport properties of a tight-binding model defined on the Hat. We find that (i) the spectral function displays striking similarities to that of graphene, including sixfold symmetry and Dirac-like features; (ii) unlike graphene, the monotile spectral function is chiral, differing for its two enantiomers; (iii) the spectrum has a macroscopic number of degenerate states at zero energy; (iv) when the magnetic flux per plaquette (ϕ) is half of the flux quantum, zero modes are found localized around the reflected "anti-hats"; and (v) its Hofstadter spectrum is periodic in ϕ, unlike for other quasicrystals. Our work serves as a basis to study wave and electron propagation in possible experimental realizations of the Hat, which we suggest.