Background: The new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 caused a pandemic that threatened all aspects of life and health while worsening the socio-economic situation of the entire population. COVID-19 affects all organs and organ systems. The symptoms of the affected organs can last for a long time after the acute infection. About 1/3 of patients develop neuropsychiatric signs in the clinical course of the disease. The most common symptoms are mental fog, headache, cognitive changes, behavior changes, muscle weakness, anosmia and ageusia. These symptoms may develop due to a direct effect of the virus on the neurons or hyper reactive immune response. Objective: The aim of this article is to describe 2 young adults who developed neuropsychiatric symptoms in the course of Long COVID-19 syndrome. Ischemic vasculitis was proved using CT imaging. Case report: We collected data of two younger females who had previously recovered from the acute form of COVID-19 without respiratory complications. They developed in the next 1-2 months a clinical picture of a brain disorder. In both cases, CT and angiography scans of the brain showed signs of ischemic vasculitis. Neurological therapy has led to an improvement of the neuropsychiatric symptoms. Conclusion: Neuropsychiatric disorders in Long Covid syndrome are common and diverse. Two cases of young adults who developed signs of neurological disorder in the post COVID-19 period were presented, and CT scans of the brain showed signs of ischemic vasculitis.

Abstract The paper describes the function and importance of safety devices on pressure equipment, legal regulations for the necessary scope and periods of functional inspections of safety valves in thermal power plants. The mode of operation of the apparatus for in-site testing and adjustment of safety valves on pressure vessels is described, as well as a comparative presentation of the obtained test results compared to the results obtained by the conventional method that uses hydraulic pressure of the medium for valve spring load. The on-site method uses a motor drive to load the valve spring, and uses sensitive displacement, force and sound sensors to generate signals, which are processed in a suitable software application to obtain test results. Unlike the conventional method, the on-site method allows testing of safety valves without their disassembly from the installation site. A comparison of the test results obtained by the modern method with the test results by the conventional method was made on several safety valves. It has been shown that in addition to better precision, which is important for valves with lower operating pressures, the application of the on-site method shortens the test time several times.

Background: More than 50% of stroke patients have sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), mostly in the form of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). SDB represents both a risk factor and a consequence of stroke. The presence of SDB has been linked with the poorer long-term outcome and increased long-term stroke mortality. About 20 to 40% of stroke patients have sleep-wake disorders (SWD), mostly in form of insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness/fatigue, or hypersomnia (increased sleep needs). Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency of risk factors in patients with acute stroke and sleep apnea. Methods: The study included patients without cognitive impairment or with mild cognitive impairment. The diagnosis of apnea syndrome was made on the basis of the Snoring and Apnea Syndrome Questionnaire, the Epworth Sleep Scale, the Berlin Questionnaire, the Stanford Sleepiness Scale, and the General Sleep Questionnaire. The severity of stroke was assessed by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and the Rankin Disability Scale. Patients with a Glasgow score <8 on the day of neuropsychiatric examination were excluded from the study, as well as patients with epileptic seizures at the onset of stroke, with aphasia, with Mini - mental test <23, with verified previous dementia / cognitive impairment. Results: There is no statistically significant difference in the age of men and women, both with apnea and without apnea. In patients with apnea, heart disease was in the first place 91.8%, followed by hypertension 86.4%, Body mass index 79.1%, hyperlipidemia 50%, smoking 38.2 % and diabetes mellitus 20.9%. Hypertension was the most common risk factor in patients without apnea 83.6%, followed by heart disease 81.0%, Body mass index 60.9%, hyperlipidemia 48.21%, smoking 28.2 % and diabetes mellitus 20%. Conclusion: Heart diseases, hypertension and body mass index are significantly more frequent in patients with than in patients without sleep apnea.

Various trials have investigated the effects of multidomain lifestyle interventions on cognitive decline, but with limited clinical benefit. This could be due to these trials targeting older individuals with elevated cardiovascular risk factors, who often already qualify for preventive intervention. We aimed to determine clinical implications of trials by application of trial eligibility criteria and prognosis to the general population.

Background: Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is one of the countries of Southeast Europe with the lack of data about chronic autoimmune thyroid diseases (CAITD) epidemiology. Objective: This research aimed to assess incidence of CAITD in the Tuzla Canton of B&H during a 6-year period (2015–2020). Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 82,000 hospital records of inpatients and outpatients with possible thyroid symptoms residing in Tuzla Canton of B&H (total of 445,028 inhabitants). The study included patients with laboratory and clinical proof of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). Incidence rates were calculated with age standardisation using European standard population. Trends in incidence were evaluated as moving three-year averages. Results: During the observed period, 1875 patients satisfied the diagnostic criteria for CAITD with male to female ratio of 1: 8.01. Median age of all cases was 46 years (interquartile range: 31 to 61) and women and men were on average the same age at the time of diagnosis. The overall standardized incidence was found to be 71.25 per 105 (%95 CI=63.36–79.15). The overall standardized incidence in men was 16.25 per 105 and 123.74 per 105 in women. In the end of the observed period, AITD prevalence was 427.52 per 105 (% 95 CI=408.17-446.87). Conclusion: There was a slight decline of incidence in our region during the observed period. This decrease might be the result of combination of various factors, mainly the Corona epidemics outbreak and emigration. On the basis of the lower incidence rate in the Tuzla Canton, one can assume that iodine prophylaxis carried out in order to eradicate goitre had satisfied expectations because there had not been any enormous increase in patients with AITD.

The paper investigates the phenomenon of soil erosion on skid roads/trails. The aim was to discover how and to what extent different longitudinal slopes can influence the occurrence of erosion processes. For this purpose, a total of nine experimental plots were set up at three different sites. The length of the plots was 110 m, and at all localities, the research was carried out on different longitudinal slopes (up to 10%, 10 - 20% and over 20%) over the observed period of approximately two and a half years. The research focused on determining the volume of material removed and the dynamics of the development of erosion processes observed in phases (shifts) between recordings. Forests are the most effective natural factor in protecting land from erosion, and if they are managed on the principles of sustainable management, the so-called "normal" erosion usually occurs. However, as it is necessary to build a relatively dense network of skid roads/trails for different phases of management, it makes them susceptible to more intensive erosion processes. If we take into account that they were built with very low criteria (technical elements) and without the existence of facilities that would ensure the drainage of surface and rainwater, and can be built with a large longitudinal slope, it creates optimal preconditions for the development of intensive erosion process. The conducted research has obtained results that clearly show that erosion processes occur frequently, of varying intensity depending on the factors that prevail for a given locality. The value of the volume of the removed material ranges from 1.278 m3, ie 0.0116 m3/m to 5.313 m3, or 0.0483 m3/m. The obtained minimum value of the volume of the removed material can be related to the strong water permeability of the parent substrate (limestone), which affects the reduction of surface runoff, as well as shallow soils that are formed on it. When it comes to the maximum value of the volume of removed material, which is 5.333 m3 or 0.0483 m3/m, it can be related to the continuous occurrence of surface runoff that causes surface sapping and removal of material from the skid roads/trails. The performed statistical analyzes (through a linear model) indicate different correlations of investigated influencing factors (volume of transported material and length of skid roads/trails on different longitudinal slopes). The obtained correlation values range from r = 0,29 (weak correlation) to r = 0,79 (very strong correlation).

Negativni efekti izvođenja radova u sektoru šumarstva sa aspekta zdravlja i sigurnosti radnika posebno su izraženi u okviru tehnološkog procesa iskorištavanja šuma. Sječa stabala i izrada šumskih drvnih sortimenata u Bosni i Hercegovinin obavlja se motornim pilama, a privlačenje drveta skiderima u najvećem broju slučajeva. Cilj istraživanja prikazanog u ovom radu je utvrđivanje opterećenja radnika u fazi sječe i izrade šumskih drvnih sortimenata iz razloga djelimične mehanizacije radova, tj. upotebe motor-manuelnog sredstva rada. Težina rada može se procijeniti na osnovu pulsa radnika, poređenjem pulsa mjerenog tokom odmora i rada, što je zbog praktičnosti veoma pogodan metod za istraživanja u oblasti šumarstva. Mjerenje pulsa sjekača obavljeno je uz upotrebu Garmin Forerunner 35 pametnog sata za trčanje (Garmin Ltd., United States) sa kontinuiranim mjerenjem i čuvanjem podataka. Rad sjekača sniman je akcionom kamerom tokom cijelog radnog dana. Istraživanje je provedeno u mješovitim raznodobnim šumama bukve i jele sa smrčom na području kojim gazduju KJP „Sarajevo šume“  i JP „Šumsko - privredno društvo Zeničko - dobojskog kantona“  d.o.o. Zavidovići. Prosječan puls tokom rada uključujući produktivno vrijeme i prekide rada iznosi 117 o/min (otkucaja u minuti) za radnika A, odnosno 113 o/min za radnika B. Rezultati Kruskal-Wallis testa su pokazali postojanje statistički značajnih razlika u vrijednostima prosječnog pulsa u zavisnosti od elementa studija rada (radne operacije i prekidi rada). Najmanje vrijednosti pulsa evidentirane su tokom pripremno-završnog vremena za oba radnika, a najveće vrijednosti tokom hoda do radilišta za radnika A, odnosno rješavanja ustave za radnika B. Prosječni puls tokom rada (%HRR) za radnika A iznosi 47.15%, odnosno 50.00% za radnika B. Rezultati istraživanja su pokazali da opterećenje sjekača prelazi dozvoljenu vrijednost od 40% što odgovara teškom radu i može imati negativni uticaj na zdravlje radnika. Uzimajući u obzir da su utvrđene nešto veće vrijednosti prosječnog pulsa tokom rada (%HRR) u odnosu na rezultate drugih istraživanja neophodno je razmotriti mjere za njegovo smanjene a koje bi podrazumijevale obuku radnika, promjene u organizaciji rada i kontinuiranu procjenu radne sposobnosti radnika.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune and inflammatory skin disease. Psoriatic patients express higher levels of plasma homocysteine (Hcy) concentration and pro-inflammatory mediators than healthy people; this is frequently associated with vitamin D deficiency. The aim of this clinical study was to investigate the effects of high doses of vitamin D supplementation on the parameters of Hcy metabolism and cytokines in sera of psoriatic patients. This prospective study was conducted on 40 psoriatic patients who had the vitamin D deficiency. All patients received vitamin D 5000 IU/day for three months. Clinical and biochemical measurements were taken at baseline and at follow up (3 months). The results showed that the severity of clinical features, measured by the psoriasis area severity index (PASI) score, were considerably improved in patients after vitamin D supplementation. After vitamin D supplementation, most of the patients (n = 25 or 62.5%) had mild clinical form (p < 0.001). After twelve weeks of intervention period, there were significant increases in vitamin D and B12 serum levels in comparison to the levels that had been measured at the beginning of the study (56.77 ± 14.66 nmol/L and 301.08 ± 95.02 pg/mL vs. 103.85 ± 32.20 nmol/L and 362.81 ± 118.56 pg/mL, respectively; p < 0.001). Moreover, serum levels of Hcy and folate were significantly lower at the end of the study in comparison with the initial levels (12.45 ± 1.92 µmol/L and 8.01 ± 3.88 mg/mL vs. 10.38 ± 1.66 µmol/L and 6.27 ± 2.60 mg/mL, respectively). High doses of vitamin D supplementation led to a significant decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-ɤ, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-17) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), whereas the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, IL-5) was up-regulated. In conclusion, supplementation with high doses of vitamin D could be one of the possible preventive and therapeutic measures to reduce systemic inflammation in psoriatic patients.

Abstract Interspecific hybridization in the Cyprinidae family has been recorded worldwide, with Abramis brama (bream) and Rutilus rutilus (roach) as one of the often-reported hybridizing pairs. The only account of such an event in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been in Modrac Reservoir. Using morphological and molecular markers, the presence of hybrids was surveyed, the hybridization direction was determined and the hybrid group structure in this ecosystem was evaluated. Our findings confirmed unhindered natural hybridization between roach and bream in Modrac Reservoir. Over 50% of the hybrid specimens were classified as F2 hybrids by the NewHybrids software, while the rest were categorized as pure parental form, making it the first such finding in Europe. The analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b showed that 90% of hybrid individuals were of bream maternal origin. The hybrid group expressed higher mean values of observed heterozygosity and gene diversity than both parental species. Signs of introgressive hybridization between parental species were detected. The hybrid zone of Modrac Reservoir appears to follow the intermediate or “flat” hybrid model based on the balanced distribution of parental and hybrid genotypes. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the factors that enable the survival and mating success of post-F1 individuals.

The development of the internet of things (IoT) and smart cities, combined with the widespread usage of cooperative or independent air traffic surveillance systems such as automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) bring about novel deployment paradigms in air-ground integrated vehicular net-works (AGVN). However, compared with the evolutional physical layer advancing, the communication protocols such as TCP/IP protocol, which are listed on the top of communication protocol stacks, have relatively constricted developments due to their fixed frameworks. The most obvious manifestation of this trend is that these protocols can hardly extend interfaces to maximize the benefits brought by bottom layer upgrades. In view of the above problems, in this paper, we propose a novel handover strategy based on side information of the ADS- B for AG VN. Firstly, a practical scheme of combination between TCP/IP protocol and ADS-B, which is implemented in the Network simulation, version-3 (ns-3), is proposed to adapt the AGVN handover tasks. Secondly, the configuration, timing sequence and parameters, as well as hand over strategies of the scheme are proposed in detail with the modules called by ns-3 simulator. Finally, the experimental results are provided to validate the handover strategies.

In this paper, a channel state information (CSI) feedback method is proposed based on deep transfer learning (DTL). The proposed method addresses the problem of high training cost of downlink CSI feedback network in frequency division duplexing (FDD) massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. In particular, we obtain the models of different wireless channel environments at low training cost by fine-tuning the pre-trained model with a relatively small number of samples. In addition, the effects of different layers on training cost and model performance are discussed. Furthermore, a model-agnostic meta-learning (MAML)-based method is proposed to solve the problem associated with large number of samples of a wireless channel environment required to train a deep neural network (DNN) as a pre-trained model. Our results show that the performance of the DTL-based method is comparable with that of the DNN trained with a large number of samples, which demonstrates the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method. At the same time, although there is a certain performance loss compared with the DTL-based method, the MAML-based method shows good performance in terms of the normalized mean square error (NMSE).