ABSTRACT Difficulties in various cognitive functions are common observations in people experiencing anxiety. However, limited research has investigated the effects of psychotherapy on abnormal cognitive functioning. This study assessed whether psychotherapy-related reductions of anxiety result in improvements of cognitive functioning as well. Fifty-four participants with high self-reported anxiety, divided into two experimental groups (N = 28 and N = 26), and 27 non-anxious control participants (N = 27) completed a battery of memory tasks and anxiety questionnaires in three consecutive time points. In experimental group 1, participants started systemic family therapy immediately after the first time point, while, in experimental group 2, participants begun the same type of therapy three months later at the second time point. The results showed that, compared to control participants, at the beginning of the experiment, participants in the experimental groups had significantly lower memory performance, along with higher anxiety. Psychotherapy had a beneficial effect on anxiety symptoms and cognitive performance, with significant changes occurring only after intervals of treatments. These results show that psychotherapy is effective not only in reducing anxiety symptoms but on cognitive functioning as well. This improvement might be linked to the release of cognitive resources previously absorbed by worrisome thoughts, facilitated by a heightened protection from interference.

Abstract The servitization literature has explored the role that product modularity plays in supporting service design and delivery. Importantly, product modularity has the potential to aid manufacturers in providing customised solutions on a larger scale, thereby strengthening firm performance. However, despite the prospective benefits of product modularity, manufacturers also need considerable servitization depth, which comprises service orientation, resources, and delivery systems, to provide services in a cost-effective manner. Taking this into account, the study both theoretically articulates and empirically tests relationships among product modularity, servitization depth, service types, and firm performance, employing a moderated mediation model. Using survey data collected from 204 manufacturers in the UK and German, the findings indicate that product modularity exerts a positive influence on firm performance, with servitization depth acting as a mediating factor. The mediation effect of servitization depth on the correlation between product modularity and firm performance was found to fluctuate based on the service types offered by the manufacturer. This study adds to the existing literature on servitization and the role of product modularity and servitization depth in achieving superior firm performance.

For prosthetic hybrid restorations on implants, different combinations of materials are used, from metal alloys, titanium, ceramics, polymers or composites. The aim of this paper is to summarize the char- acteristics and advantages of certain polymers in the production of hybrid restorations, as well as to present the protocol for treating patients with this type of restoration. Polymers based on poly-ether-ether-ketone have gained great popularity and success in the field of implant-prosthetic therapy. Among them, the most famous high-performance polymers developed by Bredent (Bredent group, Senden Germany) are BioHPP (containing 20% ceramic fillers) and breCAM.HIPC (highly cross-linked polymer composite material). Both polymers are machinable and are used to make temporary and permanent resaturations in prosthetics. They are biocompatible and non-allergenic, do not contain metal, oxide and monomer components, and also do not discolor the gingiva. They are characterized by excellent workability and elasticity, which is greater than zirconium ceramics and metal alloys, different shades of color is characteristics for breCAM. HIPC, unlike BioHPP, which is monolithic and monochromatic. Due to their characteristics, these high-per- formance polymers can be exceptional “allies” for the restorations on implants.

Background : Acute abdomen (AA) is a synonym for a condition caused by an acute disease of an intra-abdominal organ that requires urgent surgical intervention. The gynecological-obstetrical etiopathogenesis of AA is based on pathological events on the genital organs due to hemorrhagic, inflammatory, and ischemic/obstructive genesis, and is a significant reason for admission to emergency gynecological departments, and emergency surgery. Methods : A retrospective clinical research was performed from 2005 to 2021, from the surgical protocol of the University Department for Gynecology and Obstetrics, Clinical Hospital “Sveti Duh” in Zagreb. In the examined sixteen-year period, 703 patients (4.06%) had surgery with a diagnosis of AA. Results : The largest number of surgeries due to AA was performed in the age group of 21–45 years (74.40%), i.e., in the reproductive age, followed by 106 patients aged 46–52 years (15.07%), then 46 (6.54%) patients in children and adolescent age up to 20 years of age, then from 53–60 years 23 (3.27%) patients, and in the elderly > 60 years old, with 5 (0.71%) patients. The etiopathogenetic factors of AA were: the most common intra-abdominal hemorrhage in 68.14%, followed by inflammation and the most common complications of pelvic inflammatory disease in 25.60%, ischemic-obstructive causes in 2.56% and other causes in 3.7%. Out of the total number of surgeries, 450 (64.01%) were due to ectopic tubal pregnancy. Out of the total number of surgeries, 549 (78.09%) were performed (completed) by laparoscopy procedures, and by laparotomy and/or relaparotomy in 154 cases (21.90%). Regarding laparoscopy, 93.48% was performed in the age group up to 20 years, 83.56% in the age group of 21–45 years, and 62.26% was performed in the age group of 46–52 years. Regarding laparotomy, 69.57% was performed in patients aged 53–60 years, and 100% in the age group of patients > 60 years. A pathological substrate was found for all operated patients, which they undergo for surgery, and we had no cases in which we did not prove a perioperative or pathohistological reason for AA. There were no patients’ deaths in the current study, which had to undergo for surgery for AA. Conclusions : We emphasize the urgent need for proper and continuous education of hospital teams, as well as extra-hospital emergency teams in recognizing AA symptoms of gynecological genesis based on history, clinical palpation examination, and ultrasound examination as a fundamental triad in the diagnosis of this life-threatening condition that requires only surgical treatment.

Introduction: Basal cell carcinoma is the most common non melanoma skin cancer. It accounts for approximately 80% of all skin cancers. Case report: We presented a 62-year-old patient with a giant, deeply infiltrative, destructive lesion of the head which lasted for 15 years. Microbiological analysis showed contamination, computed tomography (CT) scan showed deep infiltration and bone destruction. The risks of operative treatment were numerous. The treatment was more complicated by infection, infiltrative spreading and the patient's comorbidity. Regardless, we decided on a wide surgical resection with pathohistological evaluation of the resection margins. The patient denied oncological treatment. After 10 years, there were no recurrent tumours. Conclusion: Aggressive surgical treatment is the treatment of choice for giant basal cell carcinoma. In the case of giant locally aggressive and advanced neoplasms, when surgery is not appropriate or not possible, medical treatment becomes oncological.

Insertion/deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene is a key component of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS). It has been proposed as an independent factor for hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Consequently, it has been extensively studied in various populations. The aim of this study is to investigate I/D polymorphism of ACE gene and its connection to hypertension in population of Tuzla Canton (Bosnia & Herzegovina). The study included 60 hypertensive subjects and 60 healthy control subjects with no risk factors for hypertension. I/D polymorphism was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction followed by gel electrophoresis and data obtained were statistically analysed using Chi square test. Odd’s ratios were calculated with a 95% confidence interval. P-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Odd’s ratios were calculated with a 95% confidence interval. P-value <0.05 was considered significant. Higher frequency of genotype D/D and allele D was determined in subjects with hypertension compared to control subjects but there is no statistical significance (p>0.05). However, statistically significant association was found in compared groups of subjects with genotypes DD + ID, in regards to genotype I/I (p<0.05). The results indicate the conclusion that ACE I/D polymorphism cannot be considered the main risk factor for development of hypertension, but its influence should be investigated together with other genetic and acquired risk factors that are associated with hypertension. This research contributes to the on-going exploration of molecular-genetic associations with hypertension.

This study investigates the influence of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on the mechanical properties of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printed materials, specifically polycarbonate (PC) and polylactic acid (PLA) specimens. The research involves conducting experiments on five test specimens of each material exposed to UV radiation and comparing their mechanical properties to those of five control specimens that remain unexposed. The results reveal a significant mean difference between the mechanical properties of the control and UV-exposed materials. UV radiation caused a decrease in tensile strength for the PC material, while the PLA material exhibited an increase in tensile strength. The impact of UV radiation on PLA was more substantial compared to PC. Flexural strength testing showed an enhancement in strength for the UV-treated materials, with UV treatment having a greater influence on the flexural strength of PLA compared to PC. The mechanical properties of PLA were more significantly impacted by UV radiation than those of PC. The study findings suggest that PC and PLA materials exhibit different responses to UV exposure, which may have implications for their practical applications. Further research is needed to fully understand the underlying mechanisms governing these divergent responses and to optimize the performance of each material under UV radiation.

Sitagliptin, an anti-diabetic drug, is a dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4/CD26 inhibitor with additional anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. In this study, we investigated for the first time the effect of sitagliptin on the differentiation and functions of human dendritic cells generated from monocytes (MoDCs) for 4 days using the standard GM-CSF/IL-4 procedure. LPS/IFN-γ treatment for an additional 24 h was used for maturation induction of MoDCs. Sitagliptin was added at the highest non-cytotoxic concentration (500 µg/mL) either at the beginning (sita 0d protocol) or after MoDC differentiation (sita 4d protocol). Sitagliptin impaired differentiation and maturation of MoDCs as judged with the lower expression of CD40, CD83, CD86, NLRP3, and HLA-DR, retention of CD14 expression, and inhibited production of IL-β, IL-12p70, IL-23, and IL-27. In contrast, the expression of CD26, tolerogenic DC markers (ILT4 and IDO1), and production of immunoregulatory cytokines (IL-10 and TGF-β) were increased. Generally, the sita 0d protocol was more efficient. Sitagliptin-treated MoDCs were poorer allostimulators of T-cells in MoDC/T-cell co-culture and inhibited Th1 and Th17 but augmented Th2 and Treg responses. Tolerogenic properties of sitagliptin-treated MoDCs were additionally confirmed by an increased frequency of CD4+CD25+CD127- FoxP3+ Tregs and Tr1 cells (CD4+IL-10+FoxP3-) in MoDC/T-cell co-culture. The differentiation of IL-10+ and TGF-β+ Tregs depended on the sitagliptin protocol used. A Western blot analysis showed that sitagliptin inhibited p65 expression of NF-kB and p38MAPK during the maturation of MoDCs. In conclusion, sitagliptin induces differentiation of tolerogenic DCs, and the effect is important when considering sitagliptin for treating autoimmune diseases and allotransplant rejection.

Recently, the necessity of video testing at the point of reception has become a challenge for video distributors. This paper presents a new system framework for managing the quality of video degradation detection. The system is based on objective video quality assessment metrics and unsupervised machine learning techniques that use the dimensionality reduction of time series. It was demonstrated that it is possible to detect anomalies in the video during video streaming in soft real time. In addition, the model discovers degradations based on the visible correlation between adjacent images in the video sequence regardless the quick or slow change of a scene in the sequence. With additional hardware manipulations on the equipment on the user side, the proposed solution can be used in practical implementations where the need for monitoring possible degradations during video streaming exists.

This study evaluated the eco-efficiency of rainfed and irrigated maize production in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Environmental impact assessments were performed through energy analysis, carbon footprint, and water scarcity footprint analysis. For economic analysis, gross and net returns and benefit–cost ratios were calculated. Eco-efficiency was measured by the ratio between the net return and environmental criteria. The findings indicate that transition from rainfed to irrigated maize cultivation per unit of land results in a 53.7% higher yield and gross value of production, but also a 69.8% increase in energy input, a 22% rise in greenhouse gas emissions, and a 3.6fold increase in the water scarcity footprint. While a positive link exists in irrigated maize between higher yield and lower carbon footprint per unit of product, rainfed systems outperform in energy efficiency, productivity, profitability, water scarcity footprint, and overall eco-efficiency. Both systems rely heavily on nonrenewable energy sources, with fertilization (energy and carbon footprint), mechanization (carbon footprint), and irrigation (water scarcity) as the main contributors to the negative environmental impacts. The implementation of optimization strategies for these inputs is of paramount importance to reduce environmental impacts and promote sustainability in maize farming in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This work summarizes our research on synthesis, characterization and toxicity of selected UV-A filters and their antioxidant shield in commercial formulation - resveratrol. Benzophenone type of UV filters react under disinfection conditions with chlorine and form different mono- and dichlorinated products, while dibenzoylmethane derivatives, such as avobenzone, react with chlorine and form two main bridge chlorinated products followed by numerous chlorinated species at the advanced stages of the process. Resveratrol showed three main susceptible centers to chlorination, starting from the electrophilic addition to the double bond and continuing with the chlorination of the phenolic moieties. Several experiments conducted under different disinfection conditions (pool/sea water, addition of salts, irradiation) showed basically similar chlorination patters with some variations in terms of product formation. The results of toxicity assessment using different test organisms (Vibrio fischeri, microalgae, daphnids) have shown different sensitivity of testing organisms to the parent UV filters in comparison with chlorinated products as well as different toxicity for specific UV filter in comparison to the others. As the closing loop of all experiments in the laboratory, an up-scaling to the real human skin is presented.

Due to its ecological and financial benefits, earth building has gained global attention, with earth bricks being extensively used. Shrinkage and crack development have a considerable impact on the performance and quality of earth bricks. This study employs laboratory experiments to examine the shrinkage behavior of earth bricks reinforced with wheat and barley straw. In addition to this, the impact of cement and gypsum additives is examined. The obtained results indicate that increased fiber content reduces crack formation effectively. However, higher levels of cohesive soil have been shown to have a negative influence on shrinkage behavior. In general, higher fiber contents contribute to the improvement of earth brick performance. These findings offer useful insights for improving the composition and characteristics of reinforced earth bricks, resulting in enhanced performance and quality in sustainable construction practices.

Purpose This paper aims to reveal the role of two theories that impact seniors’ entrepreneurial intentions. Both the socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) and the self-determination theory (SDT) re-shape seniors’ intentions to create entrepreneurial opportunities and activities after they retire. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses secondary data resources for developing the research concept, which might leverage seniors’ ultimate goal of creating entrepreneurial activities. A comprehensive past-paper analysis was performed. One hundred papers were initially considered for inclusion in this research. However, after a rigorous synthesisation process, 80 publications were selected for further analysis. Findings This paper presents an investigation of seniors’ entrepreneurship, with a specific emphasis on the SST and the SDT. It suggests potential models that could gauge senior entrepreneurs’ propensity to engage in entrepreneurial endeavours to support the socioeconomic advancement of society. Furthermore, this research discussed the limitations of the enlightening concepts presented to scholars and decision-makers. Originality/value The originality of this paper is illuminated by its idea of integrating two theories (the SST and the SDT), suggesting that these theories can possibly better observe senior entrepreneurs’ intentions in creating an entrepreneurial venture after they retire.