This review mainly focuses on nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems fabricated from plants (starch, cellulose, pectin), animals (chitosan, gelatin) and microorganisms (dextran). Herein, the focus is on the physical-chemical properties of biopolymers and its derivatives and the mechanism of action in the treatments of cancer. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems improved efficacy by: increasing half-life of vulnerable drugs and proteins, improving the solubility of hydrophobic drugs, and allowing controlled and targeted release of drugs in diseased site. Of all the mentioned biopolymers, only dextran and pure pectin are problematic. Some clinical studies have shown unexpected side effects caused by dextran such as thrombocytopenia and hepatotoxicity and, pure pectin-based materials, undesirable swelling and corrosion properties. Doxorubicin has been used in combination with almost all of these biopolymers because it is widely used as an effective chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of many types of solid tumors of the breast, lung, colon, ovary, prostate and bladder.

Recently, nanotechnology is widely used in agriculture with the aim of achieving high agricultural yields. Due to the unique surface and physicochemical properties, nanomaterials can be used to deliver nutrients to plants via nanoparticles, for the synthesis of nanopesticides, nanofungicides, and to design nanosensors for the detection of very low concentrations of pesticides and other contaminants. Excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers causes the loss of soil biodiversity and the development of resistance to pathogens. Nenoencapsulation of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides is used for slow and specific dosed release of nutrients as well as agrochemicals. This paper discusses the applications of nanotechnology and their positive effect in agriculture in relation to the common methods used so far.

This paper presents a comprehensive treatment of the complex motion control systems in the the Sliding Mode Control (SMC) framework. The single and multi degrees of freedom (DOF) plants and applications to haptics and functionally related systems are discussed. The paper concentrates on presenting the designs that are easy to apply and tune. The proposed algorithms are based on the application of the equivalent control observer and the convergence term that guaranty stability of the closed loop in a Lyapunov sense and enforces the sliding mode on selected manifolds. Presented SMC design leads to a solution that easily could be modified to include majority of the algorithms presented in the literature.

Development of solid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (s-SNEDDS) for oral delivery of lysozyme Merima Sirbubalo, Tamás Sovány, Katalin Kristó, Géza Regdon jr, Edina Vranić 1 University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 University of Szeged, Faculty of Pharmacy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology and Regulatory Affairs, Szeged, Hungary

We aimed to investigate whether the addition of whole-body vibration (WBV) to resistance training (RT) will be more beneficial in improving lower limbs muscle strength, power and sprinting performance than RT alone in young basketball players. We recruited 30 young basketball players to participate in four weeks of training and assessments. They were randomized into the WBV resistance training group (VRTG, n=15) and a conventional resistance training group (RTG, n=15), performed 3 times per week. At the beginning and end of the four weeks a back squat one-repetition maximum (1RMBS), Countermovement jump (CMJ), Squat jump (SJ), 10 meters (10m) and 20 meters sprint (20m) were performed. We found that: a) VRTG when added to RT can induce greater improvements in 1RMBS (percentage difference [PD], 8.4%, p < 0.001), CMJ (PD = 4.7%, p = 0.001) and SJ (PD = 1.6, p = 0.02) than RT alone. In contrary, significant time*group interactions were found for sprint times at 10m (p=0.08, F=3.2) and 20m (p=0.17, F=1.93). An additional 4-week WBV resistance training program proved effective in improving lower limb power and strength in young basketball players. When performed on a vibration platform (with accurate and constant vibration stimulus parameters), the resistance exercises were superior to their conventional forms and resulted in additional gains on measures of muscle power and strength, while sprint performance remained unchanged.

Circulation of the Omicron variant with the reemergence of the N501Y mutation along with many others in the spike protein has once again stirred the academic community. Interestingly, tracing the genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 shed light on a less frequent N501Y+ Delta variant which has been in the global circulation for some time before the Omicron appearance. This paper aims to present the molecular characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike_N501Y+ Delta variant detected in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The study was conducted during November and December 2021. All patients were tested using real-time RT-PCR for detection of SARS-CoV-2. A representative number of SARS-CoV-2 positive samples was pre-screened using VirSNiP SARS-CoV-2 Spike N501Y kit. The characterization of the viruses was carried out with Illumina RNA Prep with enrichment and the Respiratory Virus Oligo Panel kit. Among the analyzed sequences, we found two isolates of the Delta variant that differ from their most related clade- GK AY.4.3 in additional mutations N501Y and L54F. In this study, we described the presence of a rare form of Delta variant with Spike_N501Y mutation in the shadow of the Omicron emergence. Despite the set of mutations in the Spike protein, this form of Delta variant does not indicate the large-scale consequences for the general population. Further functional studies of this form could provide more information about its antigenicity and infectivity.

Introduction: Machine learning (ML) plays a significant role in the fight against the COVID-19 (officially known as SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. ML techniques enable the rapid detection of patterns and trends in large datasets. Therefore, ML provides efficient methods to generate knowledge from structured and unstructured data. This potential is particularly significant when the pandemic affects all aspects of human life. It is necessary to collect a large amount of data to identify methods to prevent the spread of infection, early detection, reduction of consequences, and finding appropriate medicine. Modern information and communication technologies (ICT) such as the Internet of Things (IoT) allow the collection of large amounts of data from various sources. Thus, we can create predictive ML-based models for assessments, predictions, and decisions. Methods: This is a review article based on previous studies and scientifically proven knowledge. In this paper, bibliometric data from authoritative databases of research publications (Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed) are combined for bibliometric analyses in the context of ML applications for COVID-19. Aim: This paper reviews some ML-based applications used for mitigating COVID-19. We aimed to identify and review ML potentials and solutions for mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to present some of the most commonly used ML techniques, algorithms, and datasets applied in the context of COVID-19. Also, we provided some insights into specific emerging ideas and open issues to facilitate future research. Conclusion: ML is an effective tool for diagnosing and early detection of symptoms, predicting the spread of a pandemic, developing medicines and vaccines, etc.

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to provide an overview and analysis of literature dealing with the possibilities for applying augmented reality (AR) in marketing and the impact of AR on marketing in the era of digital transformation of business. Though attractive, this topic is still insufficiently explored. Methodology: The paper uses a bibliometric method - citation and co-citation analysis in the Web of Science and Scopus citation databases. Data analysis was performed using the VOSviewer software tool for information construction, analysis and visualization. Results: The conducted research revealed that there is an increasing trend in the number of research papers dealing with the AR and marketing topics. The specific topics dealt with in the papers are primarily related to the impact of AR on business, creating customer loyalty, sales increase and other marketing activities. Conclusion: AR is a powerful and influential tool the use of which improves communication with customers and, at the same time, sales strategies and processes. AR is based on immersing customers into a new experience, by showing virtual objects in the users’ real-world environment and creating harmony between the digital and the real-world environment so that the boundaries between them disappear. It is manifested as a form of experiential marketing, since it focuses both on a product and a service, and on the entire experience created for customers.