In 2013, the Journal “Periodical of Engineering and Natural Sciences” was launched. By now, the journal achieved a global spread of authorship and Editorial Board. In this period, we have been publishing mainly original research articles, reviews, and case studies. In addition to the current article types, we are going to start publishing Book reviews, Minireviews, Short Communication, Commentaries, Methodology/Method starting from the next Issue. To familiarize authorship with the different types of articles we publish, here below each of them is particularly described, including the paper structure and length.

multilateral policy spaces. Let us not forget that on the twentieth anniversary of UNSCR 1325 last year, Russia proposed a draft resolution to the UNSC that, if passed, would have seriously diluted the hard-won advances of the past two decades. The resistance to the agenda, notably by antifeminist regional and transnational coalitions, is certainly one of the most serious threats that the WPS community is facing today. In the form of a conversation between Joy Onyesoh, Madeleine Rees, and Catia Cecilia Confortini – all affiliated with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) – the last chapter tackles the question of co-optation and how feminist advocacy has a role to play in confronting this challenge. To conclude, while this cutting-edge volume fulfills its promise, the “new directions” referred to in the title could have been more explicitly defined and discussed; its contributions could have been more clearly highlighted with the addition of a conclusion bringing together the insights of the 14 chapters. New Directions in Women, Peace and Security nonetheless offers a remarkable and accessible overview of the current theoretical debates in the field, as well as the future research avenues and policy challenges of the constantly evolving WPS agenda.

Tilapia fingerlings (0.5 ± 0.08g) were reared during the nursery phase in two different stocking densities (0.5 fish/m2 for control in a pond of 600m² and 75 fish/m2 for compensatory group in a cage of 4m²) for a period of 100 days. After this period, a 50-day trial study was performed with 43 juvelines of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) for each group (control 294 ± 24.43g and compensatory 99.33 ± 16.99g) stocked at the same density (0,28 fish/m2) in order to evaluate the compensatory growth in eathern ponds of 160m2 for each treatment. Throughout the experimental period the water quality was monitored and biometrics were performed to evaluate the zootechnical performance. The results revealed that the fishes of compensatory group presented higher specific growth rate compared to control, demonstrating a compensatory growth. At the end of the trial both treatments presented weight loss strongly influenced by temperature decrease. These results showed the compensatory growth of O. niloticus and the possibility to use this strategy (nursery in high density) contributing to ensure a successful production of O. niloticus in this region of the country.

With recent clinical breakthroughs, immunotherapy has become the fourth pillar of cancer treatment. Particularly, immune cell-based therapies have been envisioned as a promising treatment option with curative potential for leukemia patients. Hence, an increasing number of preclinical and clinical studies focus on various approaches of immune cell-based therapy for treatment of acute leukemia (AL). However, the use of different immune cell lineages and subsets against different types of leukemia and patient disease statuses challenge the interpretation of the clinical applicability and outcome of immune cell-based therapies. This review aims to provide an overview on recent approaches using various immune cell-based therapies against acute B-, T-, and myeloid leukemias. Further, the apparent limitations observed and potential approaches to overcome these limitations are discussed.

Introduction: Neural tube defects (NTDs) are multifactorial congenital anomalies of the central nervous system that results from failed neural tube closure between the 3rd and 4th weeks of embryonic development. Numerous clinical and experimental studies indicate that supplementation with folic acid before and during early pregnancy reduces the development of these anomalies. The present study examined the incidence and risk factors for NTDs and evaluated the effects of folic acid supplementation.Methods: This cross-sectional study included all children with NTDs who were hospitalized at the Pediatric Clinic, Clinical Centre University of Sarajevo during the period from January 01, 2008 to December 31, 2012. Data were collected retrospectively from the medical histories of hospitalized children. The study included children in pediatric clinics from four cantons (Sarajevo, Zenica–Doboj, Unsko–Sanski, and Central Bosnia) of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The number of live births for the specified period in each of the four cantons was taken from a report by the Cantonal Ministry of Health.Results: Among the 69,096 live births recorded during the study period, 39 children had verified NTDs, with an overall incidence of 0.56:1,000 (or 5.6:10,000) in all four cantons. The most common NTDs were myelomeningocele with hydrocephalus (22/39, 56.4%), followed by isolated myelomeningocele (9/39, 23.1%), spina bifida occulta (7/39, 17.9%), and occipitocele (1/39, 2.6%). A total of 33.3% (13/39) of mothers took folic acid, but only one began supplementation prior to pregnancy, while 67.7% (26/39) of mothers did not take folic acid during pregnancy. NTDs were found more frequently in primiparas (53.8%), women with low education (basic school, 64.1%), and unemployed women (82.1%).Conclusion: It is important to make national recommendations for folic acid supplementation for women of reproductive age, but also change the public health policy that includes mandatory fortification of basic foods as this is the best measure for primary prevention of NTDs in the whole population regardless of employment and education status. Additional comprehensive studies are required to assess the incidence and risk factors throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Introduction: Neural tube defects (NTDs) are multifactorial congenital anomalies of the central nervous system that results from failed neural tube closure between the 3rd and 4th weeks of embryonic development. Numerous clinical and experimental studies indicate that supplementation with folic acid before and during early pregnancy reduces the development of these anomalies. The present study examined the incidence and risk factors for NTDs and evaluated the effects of folic acid supplementation.Methods: This cross-sectional study included all children with NTDs who were hospitalized at the Pediatric Clinic, Clinical Centre University of Sarajevo during the period from January 01, 2008 to December 31, 2012. Data were collected retrospectively from the medical histories of hospitalized children. The study included children in pediatric clinics from four cantons (Sarajevo, Zenica–Doboj, Unsko–Sanski, and Central Bosnia) of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The number of live births for the specified period in each of the four cantons was taken from a report by the Cantonal Ministry of Health.Results: Among the 69,096 live births recorded during the study period, 39 children had verified NTDs, with an overall incidence of 0.56:1,000 (or 5.6:10,000) in all four cantons. The most common NTDs were myelomeningocele with hydrocephalus (22/39, 56.4%), followed by isolated myelomeningocele (9/39, 23.1%), spina bifida occulta (7/39, 17.9%), and occipitocele (1/39, 2.6%). A total of 33.3% (13/39) of mothers took folic acid, but only one began supplementation prior to pregnancy, while 67.7% (26/39) of mothers did not take folic acid during pregnancy. NTDs were found more frequently in primiparas (53.8%), women with low education (basic school, 64.1%), and unemployed women (82.1%).Conclusion: It is important to make national recommendations for folic acid supplementation for women of reproductive age, but also change the public health policy that includes mandatory fortification of basic foods as this is the best measure for primary prevention of NTDs in the whole population regardless of employment and education status. Additional comprehensive studies are required to assess the incidence and risk factors throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Multi-criteria decision-making methods (MCDM) represent a very powerful tool for making decisions in different areas. Making a rational and reliable decision, while respecting different factors, is a challenging and difficult task; MCDM models have a great impact on achieving this goal. In this paper, a new MCDM technique is presented—ranking alternatives by defining relations between the ideal and anti-ideal alternative (RADERIA), which was tested for the evaluation of human resources (HR) in a transportation company. The RADERIA model has three key advantages that recommend it for future use: (1) the RADERIA model has a new approach for data normalization that enables defining the normalization interval according to the judgments of a decision-maker; (2) an adaptive model for data normalization of the RADERIA model allows tough conversion into various forms of decreasing functions (linear, quadratic equation, etc.); and (3) the resistance of the RADERIA model to the rank reversal problem. Furthermore, in many simulations, the RADERIA method has shown stability when processing a larger number of datasets. This was also confirmed by a case study with 36 alternatives, as considered in this paper. The results and verification of the proposed new method were acquired through a comprehensive verification of the complexity of the results. The complexity of the results was executed through (1) comparison with four other multi-criteria methods, (2) checking the resistance of the RADERIA model to the rank reversal problem, and (3) the analysis of the impact of changes in the measurement scale on the ranking results.

Cultural heritage materials, ranging from archaeological objects and sites to fine arts collections, are often characterized through their life cycle. In this review, the fundamentals and tools of materials science are used to explore such life cycles—first, via the origins of the materials and methods used to produce objects of function and artistry, and in some cases, examples of exceptional durability. The findings provide a window on our cultural heritage. Further, they inspire the design of sustainable materials for future generations. Also explored in this review are alteration phenomena over intervals as long as millennia or as brief as decades. Understanding the chemical processes that give rise to corrosion, passivation, or other degradation in chemical and physical properties can provide the foundation for conservation treatments. Finally, examples of characterization techniques that have been invented or enhanced to afford studies of cultural heritage materials, often nondestructively, are highlighted.

Proteins are in the focus of research due to their importance as biological catalysts in various cellular processes and diseases. Since the experimental study of proteins is time-consuming and expensive, in silico prediction and analysis of proteins is common. Template-based prediction is the most reliable, which is why the aim of this study is to analyze how important are the primary features of proteins for their quality score. Statistical analysis shows that protein models with a resolution lower than 3 A or R value lower than 0.25 have higher quality scores when compared individually to their counterparts. Machine learning algorithm random forest analysis also shows resolution to have the highest importance, while other features have lower but moderate importance scores. The exception is the presence of ligand in protein models, which does not have an effect on the global protein quality scores, both through statistical and machine learning analyses.

A method was proposed for the preparation of silica powders using sodium silicate as the silica source and carbon dioxide and hydrochloric acid as precipitating reagents. The effect of reaction temperature (20, 40, 60, and 80 °C) and SiO2 concentration in sodium silicate solutions (4, 6, 8, and 10 %) on silica morphology, dibutyl phthalate absorption, aggregate size distribution, and dispersion ability (agglomerates fragility) were investigated. The best properties of silica powder were achieved at reaction temperature 40 °C and SiO2 concentration 8 %. The properties of the silica sample obtained at optimal conditions were compared with properties of high-quality commercial silica used as rubber reinforcing filler. Also, the vulcanization characteristics and mechanical characteristics of rubber composites containing these two silica fillers were investigated. It was found that silica filler with excellent properties can be produced using the proposed method, while by tuning temperature and precursor concentration, the silica properties that are important for its reinforcing potential may be closely controlled.

Dynamic analysis can be used to find dynamic displacements, time history, and the frequency content of the load. One analysis technique for calculating the linear response of structures to dynamic loading is a modal analysis. In modal analysis, we decompose the response of the structure into several vibration modes. A mode is defined by its frequency and shape. Structural engineers call the mode with the shortest frequency (the longest period) the fundamental mode. Holzer and Stodola's approximate methods for determining the forms and periods of oscillation for frame structures are presented in the paper. An approximation method, based on approximate relative stiffnesses of the storeys and the ground floor, is analyzed and proposed. The results obtained by the proposed approximate procedure do not greatly deviate from those obtained by more accurate calculations. It is therefore emphasized that the method can be used both in practice and for checking computer-based analysis of complex systems. At the end of the paper was given a comparison of the results obtained by approximate methods and some engineering software.