The discovery and introduction into practice of various substances that have a harmful effect on insects, known as insecticides, have undoubtedly achieved great, and one might even say grandiose, results in protecting people, animals and plants from numerous insects. As is known, their application eradicated certain infectious diseases, facilitated the suppression and treatment of ectoparasitises in humans and animals, and improved and increased agricultural production. In order to increase agricultural production, a large amount (millions of tons) of these funds are used in the world on an annual basis. This is primarily due to the prevailing opinion that agricultural production has become practically impossible without the use of insecticides and other pesticides. The facts just mentioned, that is, this kind of application of insecticides, which is often irrational, is causing increasing concern. In addition to the increasing development of resistance, and thus the decrease in the effectiveness of insecticides, there is also a growing concern about environmental pollution. There are not rare cases everywhere, even here in our country, that non-target insects, that is beneficial insects, ie. bees, but also other organisms in soil and water. The goal of this paper is to point out not only the possible harms of irrational use of insecticides, but also to list some of the insecticides that appeared on the market at the end of the last and the beginning of this century, and those of plant origin as potential substitutes for insecticides that are currently used.

The paper examines the possibilities of applying solar cooling in B&H, since the potential of solar energy is great. The goal is to reduce primary energy consumption, as well as to reduce emissions of harmful gases, primarily CO2. The feasibility of a single-stage H2O/LiBr absorption cooling device powered by heat from solar collectors for a building in Tuzla was investigated, as well as a comparison with the existing compression cooling device. A solar cooling system was selected for the calculated heat load values. A mathematical model for the absorption single-stage cooling cycle has been developed that includes mass and energy balance equations as well as heat exchange equations. The absorption system is designed for the maximum cooling load of the specified facility.

Background: RV dysfunction has been recognized as a powerful independent predictor of poor prognosis. Therefore, accurate evaluation of RV function is helpful for risk stratification in patients with HF, so as to guide clinicians to choose the best treatment and improve the prognosis of patients. Therefore, assessment of RV function is clinically important in almost all patients with heart disease. Objective: The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods: We evaluated a prospective cohort of 126 patients with known or suspected HFrEF referred for echocardiographic evaluation. All underwent measurement of RV free-wall longitudinal strain (RVFWLS) by 2D transthoracic echocardiography. The primary study endpoint was the occurrence of death for any cause or hospitalization for heart failure. Results: From 126 eligible patients with chronic heart failure, 10 (8%) with RVFWLS not suitable for strain analysis were excluded, leaving a final study population of 116 patients. During the follow-up period of 24 months, 44 patients (38%) reached the composite end point: 18 patients died (15%), and 26 patients (22%) were hospitalized for worsening HF. Compared with patients without events, patients who reached the composite end point were older and prevalently men (P <0.05). Patients with events also showed higher LV volumes, lower LVEF%, increased left atrial volume index (LAVI), increased pulmonary artery systolic pressure, and higher prevalence of severe MR and TR than event-free patients. Diastolic RV diameter was also significantly greater in this group. In this study, we found that a RVFWLS less negative of -19.3% was associated to outcomes with 75% sensitivity and 67% specificity P < 0.001. A value of RVFWLS less than -19.3% was strongly associated to outcome with HR 1.9, 95% CI 1.487–2.7; P < 0.001. Conclusion: RV free wall longitudinal strain seems to be more sensitive and accurate for the diagnosis of RV systolic dysfunction in patients with HFrEF, therefore assessment of RV function should be implemented by analysis of RVFWLS in patients with HFrEF, to improve identification of patients who are at high risk for adverse events.

Introduction/Objective. Diabetic retinopathy, peripheral vascular disease, and other diabetic complications may lead to a lowering of quality of life, significant comorbidity and mortality. The aim of the study was to analyze the risk factors of peripheral occlusive arterial disease in patients suffering from diabetic retinopathy due to type 2 diabetes. Methods. We analyzed 63 patients having diabetic retinopathy (33 patients without and 30 patients with peripheral occlusive arterial disease). All the patients were asked for demographic data, medical history, physical findings, laboratory and vascular status. Results. Patients having confirmed peripheral occlusive arterial disease suffered from diabetes significantly longer (32.67 vs. 9.71 years, t = 12.834, p < 0.001), were more often smokers (23:13, ?2 = 8.92, p < 0.05), had ischemic heart disease significantly more frequently (24:10, ?2 = 15.643, p < 0.001), used statins more frequently (21:14; ?2 = 4.84, p < 0.05), had claudications (25:4, ?2 = 32,075, p < 0.001), depilations (30:9, ?2 = 35,240, p < 0.001), thinned atrophic foot skin (30:12, ?2 = 28.64, p < 0.01), foot ulcers (10:1, ?2 = 10.013, p < 0.01), significantly higher HbA1c values (9.31:7.17, t = 5.250, p < 0.001), as well as glycemic control (11.60:8.20, t = 4.913, p < 0.001). Conclusion. It has been shown that the duration of type 2 diabetes, smoking, poor regulation of blood glucose levels and HbA1c significantly contributes to the development of diabetic retinopathy in patients having peripheral artery occlusion.

The acute and chronic effects of dehydration on athletes' health are well known, but it is less known about the relationship between dehydration and sports performance. There is an overall consensus in the literature that dehydration ≥ 2% body mass represents a threshold at which endurance, as aerobic performance, becomes impaired. Dehydration degrades aerobic performance by various mechanisms, such as a decrease in VO2 max, a decrease in circulatory volume and consequent decrease in cardiac stroke volume. At higher levels of dehydration, there is an increase in heart rate, body temperature, carbohydrate oxidation and muscle glycogenolysis. The effect of dehydration on anaerobic sports performance, such as muscle strength and power, is less known. The high osmotic stress that usually accompanies high levels of intracellular dehydration can modulate the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, alter the neuronal firing of osmoreceptor cells in the hypothalamus, and potentially affect the excitability of motor output pathways. Studies have shown that acute dehydration impairs muscle strength and endurance and increases the perception of fatigue but without changes in markers of central and peripheral neuromuscular function. In addition to the physical, dehydration also affects the mental performance of athletes. Symptoms of dehydration (dry mouth, thirst, headache, fatigue) affect the athletes' cognitive functions and their cognitive resilience. Therefore, personalized rehydration strategies play a key role in athletes' safety during sporting activities, as well as in optimizing sports performance. In this paper, the role of dehydration on physical and mental athletes' performance will be reviewed, as well as the latest recommendations for adequate rehydration.

Atherosclerotic diseases are among the leading causes of mortality in the world and in our country. In the last few decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the prevalence of the disease. Interest in risk factors for atherosclerotic disease began at the beginning of the last century when hyperglycemia, hypertension and hyperuricemia were first emphasized. In later research, the World Health Organization introduced the term metabolic syndrome (MSy). In 2001, the Expert Group for the Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Cholesterol in Adults (ATP III) provided a new definition of MSy that is considered the most widely used in clinical practice, where the presence of MSy is determined by the presence of three of the following five risk factors: abdominal obesity, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, decreased HDL level and hyperglycemia. This definition has undergone a whole series of corrections, of which the definition of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) should be singled out, which tightened the criteria for abdominal obesity, which became a mandatory risk factor and hyperglycemia. It is estimated that the frequency of MSy in the older population over 20 years is over 30%, and in the patients with atherosclerotic disease over 55%. In addition, healthy habits can also contribute to the risk of developing atherosclerotic diseases, primarily physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, smoking and dietary habits. Early recognition and detection of risk factors for atherosclerosis is the most important way to prevent the disease and its complications.

This paper presents only a part of the risks and harmfulness to which the employees working in Serbian MoD and especially in Technical Test Center are exposed during tests on new armaments and various other equipment under development. In addition to the results of noise and vibration measurements in the working environment at the training grounds and the airport, the risks during laboratory and experimental-exploitation tests in the field are presented. Noise and vibration as harmfulness effects were measured and evaluated according to the relevant criteria, while far more dangerous risks of working with prototypes are immeasurable, unpredictable and not included in the regulations.

Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati uticaj tehnologije proizvodnje na senzorni kvalitet “Visočkog sudžuka”. Pored navedenog, cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati razlike u senzornom kvalitetu “Visočkog sudžuka” između različitih proizvođača unutar obje tehnologije proizvodnje. Istraživanjem je utvrđeno da postoje statistički značajne razlike u vrijednostima ispitivanih senzornih karakteristika uzoraka „Visočkog sudžuka“ između uzoraka iz tradicionalne i industrijske proizvodnje. Također, utvrđene su i razlike unutar grupe uzoraka iz iste proizvodnje između različitih proizvođača koje su bile statistički značajne. Istraživanjem je zabilježeno očuvanje senzornog kvaliteta proizvoda korištenjem tradicionalne proizvodnje, kao i manje oscilacije u kvalitetu između proizvoda proizvedenih na isti način (tradicionalno). Najbolje ocijenjeni uzorci bili su VST 4 iz tradicionalne proizvodnje, dok je najbolje ocijenjeni uzorak iz industrijske proizvodnje bio VSI 1. Okus uzoraka iz tradicionalne proizvodnje bio je bolje ocijenjen u odnosu na uzorke iz industrijske proizvodnje, gdje je najbolji okus imao uzorak VST 4. Najlošije ocijenjeni uzorci po svim senzornim svojstvima bili su uzorak VSI 3 koji se izdvojio iz grupe industrijskih proizvoda i uzorak VST 1 iz grupe tradicionalnih proizvoda.

Introduction/purpose: This paper presents the results of the research on visually lossless image compression which is of particular interest because it achieves a high degree of compression, while the visual quality of the image is not impaired, i.e., end users are very satisfied with the image quality. The analysis was carried out using the publicly available large-scale picture-wise KonJND-1k database which contains the results of subjective tests on JPEG and BPG compressed images. Methods: Thanks to the availability of images from the KonJND-1k database, the dependence of objective assessments of image quality on parameters that control the degree of compression of source signals (quality factor for JPEG and quantization parameter for BPG) is analyzed. The results of the visually lossless subjective tests are used for a deep analysis of the boundary and typical values of the parameters that control these two types of compression, as well as for the analysis of the corresponding values of the objective quality scores. Furthermore, reliable features for predicting the boundary between visually lossless and visually lossy compression have been identified. For that purpose, the degree of agreement between the predictions and the ground truth values of the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and image representation in bits per pixel (bpp) is used. The visually lossless compression ratio is used to compare JPEG and BPG techniques. Results: It is shown that the boundary between visually lossless and visually lossy image compression is found in a wide range of PSNR values (about 20 dB for JPEG and 15 dB for BPG). The corresponding JPEG image compression quality factor values at this threshold also range widely from 31 to 79, with concentration between 40 and 45. For the BPG encoder, the values of the quantization parameter are grouped around 30, and the boundary values are 25 and 34. Furthermore, it is shown that this boundary can be reliably determined based on simple features derived from the original uncompressed image. Gradient-based features known as spatial frequency and spatial information proved to be the best predictors. The degree of agreement between the predictions obtained from these features with the ground truth values of PSNR and bpp in both types of compression is greater than 85%. A comparative analysis has showed that, using BPG compression, it is possible, on the average, to achieve a twice larger compression ratio of visually lossless compression than for JPEG (80 versus 40). Conclusion: Although a high degree of agreement is achieved between the predictions and the ground truth values of PSNR and bpp of the boundary between visually lossless and visually lossy compression, there is a need for the development of new prediction approaches, especially with the BPG technique, which through the compression ratio proved to be superior to the JPEG technique. The existing databases used for the analysis of visually lossless compression contain color images from the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Considering the increasing use of images from the infrared part of the spectrum, there is a need to conduct similar tests in this spectral range.

Introduction/purpose: Direct sequence spread spectrum modulation is widely used in many radiocommunications systems. At the first time, this modulation technique was used in military communications and navigation systems. Later, applications became diverse in civil communication systems as well. Today, there are many systems where direct sequence spread spectrum modulation is implemented as a part of the system. This article aims to sublimate knowledge about the direct sequence spread spectrum modulation technique and its applications. Methods: The article presents a review of the historical development of the direct sequence spread spectrum modulation technique, its principles and the most important current applications. Results: Based on a large number of references, this article summarizes the historical development, basic principles and modern applications of the direct sequence spread spectrum modulation in military and commercial communication systems. Conclusion: Direct sequence spread spectrum modulation is widely used in modern wireless and satellite radiocommunications. It is expected to be part of future global communication systems.

In nowadays business conditions, such as increased competition and the rapid market changes, companies can be distinguished by the quality of services resulting from analysis and matching opportunities with market requirements. One way is to use the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) method. This method has shown a significant effect in the EU countries, the USA, and especially in Japan, while in our country its use is not widespread in the quality system. From the market perspective, there are three basic product characteristics: price, quality and delivery time. These facts are used in the planning process, based on user requirements interpretation into appropriate quality characteristics for each phase of the product life cycle (marketing, planning, design, prototype development, production process testing and development, production, sales). The common goal of the entire team working on the project must be the product competitiveness on the market. This method application has led to significant improvements in solving deficiencies in planning, designing, testing and developing the production process. In this paper, we presented the QFD method application for selecting products or services that meet the quality, price, and delivery time requirements.