The Quality of Service (QoS) and the Quality of user Experience (QoE) are measures of the quality of satisfaction with the use of the service. The paper provides a detailed overview of QoS metrics applied by telecom operators in Bosnia and Hercegovina (BiH). Given that currently the focus of research is algorithms based on machine learning, which determine QoE, an overview of previous work in this field is given. The focus of the paper is an overview of activities on measuring QoS and QoE parameters performed by dominant telecom operators from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The paper presents a calculation of a system supported on piles according to the second order theory. The influence of piles as supports on the structure is replaced by elastic supports. In the numerical model, the supports are modeled as elastic springs. To compare the calculation results, a system based on rigid and deformable supports was analyzed. The analysis of the system was performed according to the first order theory and the second order theory, which introduces geometric nonlinearity into the calculation. The process of soil modeling around a pile with replacement springs is presented. The applicability of the described procedure is shown in a numerical example. The comparison of the calculation results was done on numerical models of systems with rigid and elastic supports.

Angular rough shark, Oxynotus centrina (Linnaeus, 1758), is a poorly known and rare bathydemersal shark inhabiting continental shelves and upper slopes with a significant lack of data and almost no published records in the Adriatic Sea in this century. In this paper, we present 20 new occurrences recorded from May 2015 to September 2021, of which 19 are in Croatian and 1 in Montenegrin territorial waters. Records of juveniles, subadults and adults are reported. The number of described records and available data on HSI/BMI calculations points out that the living conditions are probably most favoured in the area off the Kornati archipelago (central Adriatic Sea), compared to the habitats in the Southern Adriatic where the populations might have significantly lower density. Due to the non-systematic research and non-probabilistic data collection, it is difficult to establish with certainty whether greater number of records in the continental shelf is just an ostensible phenomenon. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Surface flatness assessment is necessary for quality control of metal sheets manufactured from steel coils by roll leveling and cutting. Mechanical-contact-based flatness sensors are being replaced by modern laser-based optical sensors that deliver accurate and dense reconstruction of metal sheet surfaces for flatness index computation. However, the surface range images captured by these optical sensors are corrupted by very specific kinds of noise due to vibrations caused by mechanical processes like degreasing, cleaning, polishing, shearing, and transporting roll systems. Therefore, high-quality flatness optical measurement systems strongly depend on the quality of image denoising methods applied to extract the true surface height image. This paper presents a deep learning architecture for removing these specific kinds of noise from the range images obtained by a laser based range sensor installed in a rolling and shearing line, in order to allow accurate flatness measurements from the clean range images. The proposed convolutional blind residual denoising network (CBRDNet) is composed of a noise estimation module and a noise removal module implemented by specific adaptation of semantic convolutional neural networks. The CBRDNet is validated on both synthetic and real noisy range image data that exhibit the most critical kinds of noise that arise throughout the metal sheet production process. Real data were obtained from a single laser line triangulation flatness sensor installed in a roll leveling and cut to length line. Computational experiments over both synthetic and real datasets clearly demonstrate that CBRDNet achieves superior performance in comparison to traditional 1D and 2D filtering methods, and state-of-the-art CNN-based denoising techniques. The experimental validation results show a reduction in error than can be up to 15% relative to solutions based on traditional 1D and 2D filtering methods and between 10% and 3% relative to the other deep learning denoising architectures recently reported in the literature.

Over the past years, peptides have attracted increasing interest for G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) drug discovery and development. Peptides occupy a unique chemical space that is not easily accessible for small molecules and antibodies and provide advantages over these ligand classes such as lower toxicity and higher selectivity. The κ-opioid receptor (KOR) is a prototypic GPCR and an appealing therapeutic target for the development of safer and more effective analgesics. Recently, peptides have emerged as analgesic drug candidates with improved side effect profiles. We have previously identified plant-derived peptides, which activate KOR. Based on this precedent, here we relied on publicly available databases to discover novel KOR peptide ligands by genome mining. Using human preprodynorphin as a query, we identified blenny fish-derived peptides, referred to as blenniorphins, capable of binding to and activating KOR with nanomolar affinity and potency, respectively. Additionally, the blenniorphins altered β-arrestin-2 recruitment at the KOR. Our study demonstrates the utility of genome mining to identify peptide GPCR ligands with intriguing pharmacological properties and unveils the potential of blenny fishes as a source for novel KOR ligands.

ABSTRACT Lifestyle-related phenotypes have been shown to be heritable and associated with DNA methylation. We aimed to investigate whether genetic predisposition to tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, and higher body mass index (BMI) moderates the effect of these phenotypes on blood DNA methylation. We calculated polygenic scores (PGS) to quantify genetic predisposition to these phenotypes using training (N = 7,431) and validation (N = 4,307) samples. Using paired genetic-methylation data (N = 4,307), gene–environment interactions (i.e., PGS × lifestyle) were assessed using linear mixed-effects models with outcomes: 1) methylation at sites found to be strongly associated with smoking (1,061 CpGs), alcohol consumption (459 CpGs), and BMI (85 CpGs) and 2) two epigenetic ageing measures, PhenoAge and GrimAge. In the validation sample, PGS explained ~1.4% (P = 1 × 10−14), ~0.6% (P = 2 × 10−7), and ~8.7% (P = 7 × 10−87) of variance in smoking initiation, alcohol consumption, and BMI, respectively. Nominally significant interaction effects (P < 0.05) were found at 61, 14, and 7 CpGs for smoking, alcohol consumption, and BMI, respectively. There was strong evidence that all lifestyle-related phenotypes were positively associated with PhenoAge and GrimAge, except for alcohol consumption with PhenoAge. There was weak evidence that the association of smoking with GrimAge was attenuated in participants genetically predisposed to smoking (interaction term: −0.022, standard error [SE] = 0.012, P = 0.058) and that the association of alcohol consumption with PhenoAge was attenuated in those genetically predisposed to drink alcohol (interaction term: −0.030, SE = 0.015, P = 0.041). In conclusion, genetic susceptibility to unhealthy lifestyles did not strongly modify the association between observed lifestyle behaviour and blood DNA methylation. Potential associations were observed for epigenetic ageing measures, which should be replicated in additional studies.

The Bosnian alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris reiseri) is endemic to Prokoško Lake (Mt. Vranica, Bosnia & Herzegovina); its evolutionary history is partially clarified and its taxonomic position remains unclear. Due to severe anthropogenic pressures on Mt. Vranica (fish introduction in Prokoško Lake, pollution), it has been assumed that this form of Alpine newt is extinct from the Lake. Nevertheless, some specimens originating from Prokoško Lake are still maintained in captivity in two European zoos and by several private keepers. The main goals of the present study are: (1) to investigate the presence of Alpine newts in the Prokoško Lake and the wider area of Mt. Vranica, (2) to conduct phylogenetic analysis on found specimens of Alpine newts in relation to other Balkan populations. Newts were not registered inside Prokoško Lake but several individuals were found in water bodies surrounding the Lake. Genetic analysis shows that these individuals carry the same haplotype as Alpine newts from a captive population originating from Prokoško Lake. All the Alpine newts originating from mt. Vranica are monophyletic on mtDNA markers, hence form an Evolutionary Significant Unit within I. alpestris that is of specific conservation importance. Results corroborate previous findings concerning the complex pattern of genetic diversity of Alpine newt populations in the Balkans that is poorly understood.

Abstract Background: In the last few decades, many techniques have been developed to correct prominent ear deformities. Modified Chong-Chet otoplasty represents a new and improved classical Chong-Chet procedure for prominent ear surgery. This study evaluates and compares the long-term results of standard Chong-Chet otoplasty with the modified technique. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on patients undergoing otoplasty at the Special Hospital S-tetik Banja Luka between January 17, 2017, and February 5, 2019. The total number of patients undergoing the procedure was 129. The first group (48 patients) underwent otoplasty using the Chong-Chet technique, while the second group (81 patients) underwent a modified Chong-Chet procedure. All patients were randomly selected on the condition that the antihelix was absent. The data were processed and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 24 using nonparametric tests (χ2 test, Mann–Whitney U test and Kruskal–Wallis test). Results: Every second patient was satisfied (19 patients were partially satisfied and five patients were completely satisfied) with the results of the classical Chong-Chet technique. Seven patients were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, while 17 patients were dissatisfied (11 patients were completely dissatisfied and 6 patients were mostly dissatisfied). As for the modified method, on average, nine out of 10 patients (73 or 90.1%) were satisfied, of which 49 patients (60.5%) were completely satisfied and 24 patients (29.6%) were mostly satisfied. The statistical significance was P < .05. Research results point to the modified Chong-Chet technique being a significant improvement to the classical method. Conclusion: Modified Chong-Chet technique increases the number of positive long-term results and significantly improves the standard method.

Marine heterotrophic flagellates (HFs) form a diverse and ecologically relevant functional group of bacterial grazers and nutrient remineralizers in oceanic waters. Despite playing a crucial role in marine biogeochemical cycles, there is still a lack of information on which specific taxa dominate HF assemblages and what are their patterns of distribution in a global context. In the present work, we addressed this issue by analyzing amplicon sequencing data sets retrieved from samples taken in tropical and subtropical oceanic regions at depths from surface to 4000 m. Only a few dozens of widespread taxa, mostly affiliating to MAST clades, Picozoa, Bicosoecida and Chrysophyceae, seemed to dominate surface HF assemblages. The majority of these dominant HFs were present at relatively constant abundances, while others were influenced by temperature or displayed a patchy distribution. In the deep ocean, only a handful of taxa belonging to Bicosoecida and Chrysophyceae, together with Diplonemea and Kinetoplastida, explained most of the HF signal. Co‐occurrence networks between HF and prokaryotic taxa at the surface ocean revealed two main clusters influenced by temperature that did not seem to show specific patterns of interaction. However, some correlations emerged outside these thermal groups that could represent new prey–predator interactions. Overall, we identified the putatively most ecologically relevant HF taxa in the ocean, which become promising targets for further experimental and genomic studies.

ABSTRACT Teachers’ attitudes towards the education of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) play a significant part in successfulness of the inclusive education. The goal of the present study was to examine the attitudes of teachers from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) towards the inclusion of students with ASD in general education classes. The sample for this study comprised 105 elementary school teachers (75 females, 30 males) from different parts of BIH. We examined the attitudes in relation to teachers’ age, gender, education level, experience in work with children with ASD, self-efficacy, and additional training on ASD. The findings of this study indicate mainly positive attitudes of teachers towards the inclusion of students with ASD. However, at the same time, results reveal a sense of non-competence of teachers in providing educational and behavioural support to students with ASD. Teachers who had ASD training and who felt competent to work with children with ASD had significantly more favourable attitudes than teachers without such training and without a sense of teaching competence. Gender, age, and education level had no significant effect on the teachers’ attitudes. Results of this study clearly indicate the need for additional teacher training regarding the education of children with ASD.

Torque teno virus (TTV) is a group of chronically persisting viruses with a short circular DNA genome. TTV demonstrates a wide sequence diversity and a large majority of humans are chronically infected by one or more types of TTV. As TTV is ubiquitous, and viral replication correlates with immune status, TTV has been studied as a marker to assess global functional immune competence in transplant recipients. Most studies of the prevalence, amounts, and variation in TTV have been performed using PCR assays. We here present a comparison of the most frequently used quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for TTV with shotgun metagenomic sequencing for detection and characterization of TTV in a cohort of pediatric cancer patients. The results show that TTV is more common than the qPCR assays indicate, and analysis of the TTV genome sequences indicate that a qPCR with primers and probe designed on a conserved region of the TTV genome may fail to detect some of the TTV strains found in this study.