Understanding students’ environmental values and behaviors is important for fostering sustainable practices through education. In this study, we investigated the measurement properties and structural relationships of the Students Value Environmental Preservation and Environmentally Responsible Behaviors scales from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2023 within the Norwegian context, using data from students in Grades 5 and 9. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the hypothesized factor structure of both scales, indicating good reliability and validity. Multigroup CFA established partial measurement invariance across genders and showed that girls score significantly higher on environmental values and environmentally responsible behaviors than boys, with the gender gap more pronounced in Grade 9. In a series of structural equation models, we demonstrated that environmental values are a strong, consistent predictor of environmentally responsible behaviors across grades and gender. In contrast, science achievement showed weak or negative associations with responsible behaviors, particularly for Grade 9 boys, suggesting that academic success in science does not necessarily translate into pro-environmental behaviors. These findings highlight the importance of cultivating environmental values as a foundation for responsible behaviors and underscore the need for gender-responsive science education that connects values with real-world applications.

Background/objectives: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a neurosurgical emergency associated with cerebral vasospasm, representing an important complication. This study assessed the association between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels and cerebral vasospasm after aSAH. Methods: This prospective single-center observational study with repeated measurements included 56 patients among 74 screened patients with aSAH; 18 patients were excluded according to predefined exclusion criteria, including infection, unavailable CSF samples or requirement for CSF diversion within the first seven days of onset. The samples were obtained via lumbar puncture on post-hemorrhage days 3 and 7. IL-6 was quantified using an electrochemiluminescent immunoassay. Radiological vasospasm (RV) was assessed by computed tomography angiography, while clinical vasospasm (CCV) was defined as new neurological deterioration unexplained by other causes. Results: Median IL-6 levels were 423.5 pg/mL on day 3 and 726.0 pg/mL on day 7. Day 7 IL-6 levels were associated with RV (p = 0.045) and CCV (p = 0.010), while day 3 IL-6 was associated with CCV only (p = 0.035). Day 7 IL-6 showed modest discriminatory performance for CCV: AUC = 0.722, cut-off 460 pg/mL, sensitivity 75.0%, and specificity 68.8%; for RV: AUC = 0.659, cut-off 451 pg/mL, sensitivity 81.8%, and specificity 56.5%. Conclusions: Elevated CSF IL-6 levels were associated with cerebral vasospasm after aSAH, with a more consistent association observed for CCV than for RV; however, these findings are hypothesis-generating and require validation before clinical applicability can be determined.

Spinal injuries represent a significant public health concern, causing severe impairments in bodily functions, including disrupted postural control and the loss of the ability to maintain an upright position. These functional difficulties substantially affect patients' quality of life and their engagement in daily activities. Traditional rehabilitation approaches often demonstrate limited effectiveness in achieving functional recovery. Consequently, recent years have witnessed rapid advancements in technological innovations within the rehabilitation process for spinal injuries. The integration of robotic systems, wearable technologies, and neurostimulation, presents new opportunities for improved therapeutic outcomes. These innovations not only enhance the precision of therapy but also enable personalized approaches tailored to the specific needs of each patient. Particular emphasis is placed on technological advancements that facilitate verticalization and improve postural control, as these functions are crucial for maintaining balance and participating in everyday activities. This paper aims to present and analyze some of the technological innovations in the rehabilitation of individuals with spinal injuries, with a particular focus on verticalization and postural control. Future research should concentrate on optimizing technological solutions, developing personalized therapeutic approaches, and ensuring accessibility to maximize functional benefits for individuals with spinal injuries. Keywords: technological innovations, verticalization, postural control, spinal cord injury

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are highly persistent environmental pollutants that bioaccumulate in living organisms and are increasingly implicated in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Mitochondria, as central regulators of energy and lipid metabolism, represent key subcellular targets of PFAS toxicity. While emerging studies have examined PFAS-induced mitochondrial dysfunction using whole-cell analyses, studies focusing on mitochondria-enriched cellular fractions and their functional alterations under steatotic conditions, despite their clinical significance, remain limited. Here, we analyzed mitochondria-enriched cellular fractions and the extracellular secretome from human HepaRG hepatocytes exposed to a PFAS mixture under both steatotic and non-steatotic conditions by using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). The PFAS mixture composition and concentrations reflected those commonly reported in human epidemiological data. We observed PFAS- and steatosis-driven effects on metabolism, including lipid buildup in mitochondria-rich fractions due to mitochondrial-lipid droplet contact, disturbances in cardiolipin levels, and increased extracellular abundance of acylcarnitines. Notably, PFAS-induced impact on mitochondrial metabolism was exacerbated in steatotic hepatocytes. Pathway analysis identified disturbances in lipid metabolism and inflammation-related pathways, including leukotriene metabolism, squalene and cholesterol biosynthesis, highlighting a shared metabolic signature across the PFAS-steatosis axis. Functional mitochondrial assays further showed that PFAS exposure suppressed respiratory capacity under both conditions, whereas steatosis alone increased basal mitochondrial activity but nearly abolished spare respiratory capacity. Together, these findings indicate that steatosis is associated with greater PFAS-related alterations in mitochondrial respiration and metabolic composition within the mitochondria-enriched fraction, supporting heightened susceptibility of steatotic hepatocytes to acute PFAS exposure.

This paper investigates characterization of low-frequency electromagnetic transients occurring in power networks with the Stockwell transform (S-transform). Three characteristic cases of real network events are considered. The experiments are conducted in the 35 kV network, and voltage and current signals are recorded. The S-transform is applied to analyze voltage and current signals recorded during earth fault, ferroresonance and transformer inrush. The obtained results demonstrate that application of the S-transform enables identifying and distinguishing different low-frequency electromagnetic transients. The S-transform scalograms and energy spectrum diagrams provide necessary information to enable more efficient protection measures against problems in the network caused by different low-frequency electromagnetic transient phenomena.

BACKGROUND Vaccination coverage declined in many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, including in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We evaluated a telephone-based outreach intervention implemented in primary healthcare facilities (PHCs) in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The intervention targeted missed routine vaccinations among children aged 0-7 years. METHOD Using a programmatic, non-randomized pre-post design, healthcare teams reviewed registries to identify under-vaccinated children, and parents were contacted by phone to facilitate catch-up visits. RESULTS Among age-eligible children, vaccination coverage increased from 66.5% to 74.2% for measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) dose 1, from 43.4% to 51.7% for MMR dose 2, and from 50.4% to 55.9% for the fourth dose of diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-inactivated poliovirus-Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (DTaP-IPV-Hib). Mixed-effects models adjusting for age, sex, and clustering by facility and canton showed higher odds of vaccination post-intervention for MMR dose 1 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.65), MMR dose 2 (aOR 1.61), and DTaP-IPV-Hib dose 4 (aOR 1.39; all p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS These results show that registry-based, proactive outreach can yield significant improvements in routine childhood vaccination coverage in real-world settings and may be a scalable approach for decentralized health systems recovering from pandemic disruptions.

Introduction: Cannabinoids are natural compounds present in plants of the cannabis family. The most important cannabinoids from a medical perspective are THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). The correct dose and appropriate frequency of application are successful in using cannabis as a medicine for medical purposes. Aim: To gain a deeper understanding of the attitudes and thoughts of society on the legalization of cannabis in BiH, with a special emphasis on the prejudices that have developed through the influence of the legal and social system. Also, the aim is to determine the extent to which social and cultural context influences people's thoughts on legalization and how these attitudes may vary depending on generation, education or social environment. Result: The research included 210 respondents. The demographic data, attitudes and awareness of the respondents about the therapeutic use of cannabis were analyzed, including their familiarity with the pharmacological forms of cannabis and potential therapeutic effects. The research showed that the majority of the respondents positively assess the therapeutic effect of cannabis, while there is uncertainty among a small part of the population who still feel insufficiently informed.Conclusion: The research provided insight into the attitudes of society towards the legalization of cannabis, confirming the hypothesis that the majority of the public has a positive attitude towards its therapeutic use. However, it indicates the need for additional education and reduction of uncertainty among citizens regarding its effect and potential risks. Keywords: cannabis, therapeutic use of cannabis, attitudes, education, abuse

Introduction: Legionella spp. is opportunistic pathogenic bacteria that cause two forms of the disease: more severe, more frequently diagnosed - Legionnaires' disease, and milder, less frequently diagnosed Pontiac fever. Research objectives: The primary objective of the study was to examine the presence of Legionella spp. in the air conditioning systems of the studied facilities. Methods: The study was conducted in the Sarajevo Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The research included air conditioning systems in public facilities. Sampling was carried out over a two-year period. Water samples and samples collected using the wet swab method were obtained. The samples were laboratory analyzed for the presence of Legionella spp. in accordance with a standard method. During the period of sample analysis, the laboratory was undergoing accreditation in accordance with the relevant standard. A survey was also conducted in the included facilities. Results: Legionella spp. was detected in air conditioning devices of 8 (21%) facilities. No relation was established between knowledge, external education and management with bacterial colonization. Internal training of employees is carried out in three (37.5%) facilities compared to eight facilities in which bacteria were detected (p<0.05). Also, bacteria detected in 4 (40%) facilities where employee absenteeism was associated with respiratory diseases (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results emphasize the need for a systemic approach to risk management and the improvement of practices that contribute to safer stay of users and employees in the air-conditioned spaces of public facilities in the Sarajevo Canton. Keywords: Legionella, Bacterial Colonization, Education, Risk Factors, Facility Users

BACKGROUND Genetic differences are robustly associated with educational outcomes, but how they become linked is poorly understood. A plausible hypothesis, yet to be thoroughly empirically tested, is that the school environment mediates the association. METHODS Using structural equation models, we tested whether the student-teacher relationship at age 5 (teacher-reported Student-Teacher Relationship Scale) mediated the association between children's education-linked genetic propensities (PGSedu) and mother-rated reading and math performance at ages 6-8. We performed these analyses in 63,032 children from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study, a longitudinal, population-based, pregnancy cohort. RESULTS Higher PGSedu were significantly associated with lower student-teacher conflict (β = -0.08, p < .001) and positive teacher responses (β = 0.07, p = .001), but not student-teacher closeness (β = 0.01, p = .616). Associations between PGSedu and educational performance were significantly partially mediated via conflict (β = 0.01, p < .001) and positive teacher responses (β = 0.01, p = .019) but not closeness (β = 1 × 10-3, p = .619). CONCLUSIONS Student-teacher conflict and positive teacher responses may be mechanisms involved in the cascade of pathways linking children's genetics to their educational outcomes.

Cement kiln bypass dust (CKBD), a CaO-rich by-product of the cement industry, exhibits significant potential for soil stabilization and the construction of pavement sublayers. This study investigated three material groups: pure CKBD, fly ash with CKBD additions (10–50%), and clayey soil with CKBD (5–20%). The geomechanical properties of the mixtures were evaluated through Proctor compaction tests, unconfined compressive strength, swelling, and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) tests. Results indicate that pure CKBD provides high compressive strength and CBR values with minimal swelling. The addition of CKBD to fly ash activates pozzolanic reactions, significantly enhancing compressive strength and CKBD, with an optimal content of 20%. Stabilization of clayey soil with CKBD led to a compressive strength increase of up to 75% and a reduction in swelling by over 80%, while maintaining stable CBR values under wet conditions. Water durability tests confirmed the structural stability of CKBD-containing mixtures, whereas untreated fly ash exhibited partial degradation. The findings suggest that CKBD, either alone or in combination with fly ash and clayey soil, is an effective material for improving geotechnical properties and is suitable for application in pavement subbase layers.

Kidney transplantation remains the optimal treatment for end-stage renal disease, yet long-term allograft survival has plateaued due to persistent rejection. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the inflammatory and immune pathways implicated in kidney allograft rejection, integrating current evidence from basic and translational research. Ischemia–reperfusion injury initiates an inflammatory cascade through the release of damage-associated molecular patterns, activating Toll-like receptors and the complement system, thereby priming the alloimmune response. Innate immune cells, including macrophages, dendritic cells, and natural killer cells, bridge sterile tissue injury to adaptive alloimmunity, while the emerging concept of trained immunity reveals long-lasting epigenetic reprogramming of monocytes with direct implications for graft longevity. The adaptive response encompasses T cell-mediated rejection, driven by Th1, Th17, and CD8+ cytotoxic lymphocytes, and antibody-mediated rejection, mediated by donor-specific antibodies through complement activation and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Key signalling pathways, including JAK-STAT, NF-κB, NLRP3 inflammasome, and mTOR, amplify allograft inflammation and promote progression toward chronic injury. Macrophage polarisation and macrophage-to-myofibroblast transition have been identified as major drivers of interstitial fibrosis and late graft failure. Recent advances in non-invasive biomarkers, such as donor-derived cell-free DNA and molecular phenotyping, are transforming rejection diagnostics. Emerging therapies, including costimulation blockade, anti-CD38 antibodies, complement inhibitors, and regulatory T cell-based approaches, offer the potential to shift transplant medicine toward precision-guided, tolerance-inducing strategies. This review synthesises these developments and discusses future perspectives for improving long-term allograft outcomes.

This paper proposes ontology-guided reasoning for affordance-based explanations of robot navigation. In human environments, it is not sufficient for a robot to detect that its route is blocked. It must also reason about what nearby objects afford, which state changes are possible, and which of these changes would allow it to continue safely. We address this problem by representing nearby entities, their affordances, affordance states, and qualitative spatial relations in a local affordance ontology and by evaluating hypothetical object--affordance state changes as candidate explanation factors. This yields explanations that are not only semantically grounded but also actionable. We instantiate the approach in a lightweight benchmark centered on a robot librarian scenario and evaluate it on procedurally generated navigation cases. The results show that ontology-guided reasoning identifies relevant explanation factors more accurately than a semantic-only baseline and remains robust as semantic clutter increases. Overall, the paper argues that affordance ontologies can serve not merely as semantic descriptions of the environment, but as reasoning foundations for explainability and reliable robot autonomy.

Background: The newly synthesized palladium(II) complex [Pd(L1)Cl]Cl (where L1 = N2,N6-bis(5-methylhthiazol-2-yl)pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide) has demonstrated significant in vitro antitumor activity. In this study, the effects of this complex on the immune response and its antimicrobial potential were evaluated. Methods: Splenocytes isolated from mice were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/Concanavalin A (ConA) along with the Pd(II) complex. The concentrations of IFN-γ, IL-17, IL-4, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-10 were measured using commercial ELISA kits. The antimicrobial effect was tested against reference strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as yeast. The Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was determined via the broth microdilution method, followed by the determination of Minimal Bactericidal/Fungicidal concentrations (MBC/MFC). Results: The Pd(II) complex induced an increase in the concentration of all tested cytokines compared to untreated cells. Co-treatment with Pd(II) complex and LPS significantly increased the levels of IFN-γ, IL-1β, and IL-17 compared to the LPS-only-stimulated group. Co-treatment with ConA and the Pd(II) complex resulted in a significant increase in TNF-α and IL-17 levels, whereas a significant decrease was observed in the concentrations of IL-10, IL-4, and IFN-γ compared to the ConA-only-stimulated group. The tested complex showed weak to moderate antimicrobial activity, Gram-positive bacteria showed better susceptibility to the examined complex compared to Gram-negative. Conclusions: Results of the study indicate that the Pd(II) complex exhibits a significant immunomodulatory effect on splenocytes, alongside weak to moderate antimicrobial activity.

Early distinction between perforated and non-perforated acute appendicitis (AA) in children remains challenging. Conventional inflammatory markers have limited accuracy, highlighting the potential value of composite inflammatory indices. Pediatric patients were categorized as having non-perforated or perforated appendicitis based on intraoperative findings and histopathologic confirmation. Laboratory data obtained on hospital admission included C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count, and differential leukocyte percentages. The subjects of this retrospective study were 338 pediatric patients, 48 (14.2%) of whom had perforated AA. The CRP to lymphocyte ratio (CRP/LR) was significantly higher in the patients with perforated AA (p < 0.001). ROC analysis demonstrated good discriminative performance of CRP/LR for predicting appendiceal perforation, with an area under the curve of 0.84 (95% CI 0.78–0.90). A CRP/LR cut-off value of ≥ 7.2 yielded a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 78.6%. After adjustment for age, symptom duration, and body temperature on admission, CRP/LR remained an independent predictor of appendiceal perforation in the multivariate regression analysis. The CRP/LR showed good diagnostic performance in differentiating perforated from non-perforated AA and may serve as a simple, readily available tool for early risk stratification in pediatric patients.