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.

Abstract Although research of intra-industry trade (IIT) has been intensive in the last several decades, the empirical literature focusing on this phenomenon in the Western Balkans countries remains limited, especially in agricultural sector. Aiming to contribute to the existing literature, the paper analyses patterns and country-specific determinants of IIT in agri-food products between Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the European Union (EU) during the period of their mutual trade liberalisation (2008-2018). The analysis employs Grubel-Lloyd indices and Greenaway-Hine-Milner methodology for measurement of IIT, and applies an econometric panel data model using a Poisson Pseudo-maximum likelihood approach in order to estimate effects of IIT determinants. The findings suggest that intra-industry agri-food trade of BiH with the EU is of low intensity and mainly of vertical nature, viewed totally and bilaterally. We found significant positive effects of trading countries’ sizes, common border and history on IIT, and negative effects of the geographic distance and differences in agricultural productivity.

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.

BACKGROUND patients with different types of dementia may experience changes in nutritional status, which are manifested by specific eating habits. The aim of this study was to determine the nutritional status and eating habits of patients at the time of confirmed diagnosis of primary progressive dementia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The study included 40 outpatients (63% women) diagnosed with either form of dementia. The mean age at diagnosis was 77±6 years and the mean time between the onset of first symptoms of the disease and diagnosis was 3-36 months. Nutritional assessment was determined at the time of confirmed diagnoses and included dietary habits (non-quantitative modified food frequency questionnaire (FFQ)), anthropometric (body weight and height and body mass index-BMI) and biochemical parameters (serum concentrations of vitamin B12, folic acid and 25-hydroxy vitamin D). Dietary habits were collected over a 12-month period with the help of a spouse or close family member. RESULTS The results showed that none of the outpatients were malnourished, the largest number of outpatients (43%) were in the normal body mass category followed by 33% in the overweight category. The results of this study confirmed previous findings of higher preference for sweet foods observed in 53% of patients with dementia. Low status of vitamin B12 was observed in 57% of outpatients, folic acid in 24% and 25 (OH) D in 75% of outpatients. Lower frequency of consumption of dark green leafy vegetables and lower consumption of poultry meat, fish and eggs could have an impact on nutrient deficiency. CONCLUSIONS The poor nutritional status of outpatients with primary progressive dementia is associated with unhealthy dietary habits that may lead to micronutrient deficiencies. Dietary monitoring and intervention should be initiated immediately after the diagnosis of primary progressive dementia with the goal of reducing nutritional deficiencies and preventing further and more severe impairment of cognitive function.

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 increasing use of video streaming services that followed the Covid-19 pandemic has more than ever driven a rising interest among various stakeholders in service provisioning chain to understand factors influencing quality of experience (QoE). Many research activities have so far addressed different influence factors in order to understand and improve QoE when using video streaming service. However, we have recognized the requirement to address QoE as multidimensional concept, and show the relationship between QoE, perceptual dimensions, and influence factors. In this paper, we provide the multidimensional modelling and analysis of QoE for video streaming. Result analysis has shown that QoE for video streaming can be modelled by using perception of quality of video and perception of ease of use of application as predictors. The analysis of influence of individual system (i.e., resolution, coding tree unit (CTU), and constant rate factor (CRF)), context (i.e., location, lighting, and video type), and human (i.e., gender, education level, and prior experience) factors and their interactions on QoE perceptual dimensions (i.e., perception of quality and perception of ease of use) show statistically significant impacts, which means that alternations of these factors can enhance perceptual dimensions and consequently QoE for video streaming which is a final goal.

Abstract In the process of designing a system, it is necessary to identify potential threats to that system and to include appropriate countermeasures. The process that helps in finding problems in the initial phase of the system design is the threat modeling. Creating a threat model consists of several steps and there are many tools that can help in automating the procedure. This article deals with the threat analysis for an Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) system based on Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), whose main function is to provide information for carers in order to provide the best possible help to the elderly and disabled. We have identified and analysed 99 potential threats to the considered system, where Denial of Service (DoS) resulted in being the most represented class of threats. After conducting the threat assessment, the obtained results showed that the majority of threats are high-risk and justified the use of threat modeling in the design phase, since they can be utilized in further system development stages.

O amendoim é uma cultura agrícola amplamente conhecida no Brasil. O consumo in natura é o principal meio de aproveitamento da produção. Originário da América do Sul é uma das oleaginosas mais cultivadas em todo mundo, em razão da grande variabilidade nas formas de consumo, sabor e adaptabilidade de produção em áreas tropicais e subtropicais. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar o desempenho das características agronômicas de crescimento e produtividade de cinco acessos de amendoim sob adubação orgânica. O trabalho foi conduzido no câmpus das Auroras da Unilab, entre abril e julho de 2018. Foi utilizado um delineamento estatístico de blocos casualizados (DBC) com cinco tratamentos e seis repetições. Foram analisadas as características agronômicas: Dias de Emergência (DE), Altura das Plântulas (AP), Números de Ramos, Número de Vagens por Planta (NVP), Número de grãos por Planta (NGP), Peso de massa fresca (PMF), Peso de Massa Seca (PMS) e Peso de 100 grãos (P100G). Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância em delineamentos de blocos casualizados com três repetições. Os quadrados médios foram comparados pelo teste F e as médias pelo teste de Tukey a 5%. Os acessos Unilab 130 e Unilab 138 destacaram-se em peso e produção de vagens sendo bons genótipos de porte rasteiro. Unilab 107 e 124 situaram-se como intermediários aos demais acessos em relação à produção e podem ser considerados para produção desde que atendidas suas exigências de cultivo. Unilab 130 apresenta-se como um bom genótipo a ser utilizado como genitor em programas de melhoramento.

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).

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.