Aim: The objective was to formulate and characterize the nanoemulsion based on Cymbopogon citratus oil, intended for use in teeth infected root canal therapy. The investigation of the antioxidant and antibiofilm potential toward Enterococcus faecalis was aimed as well. Materials & methods: Characterization of oil (by GC/MS analysis) and nanoemulsion (by dynamic light scattering instrument), and determination of antibacterial (by microdilution assay), antibiofilm (by crystal violet assay) and antioxidant properties (by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate and thiobarbituric acid assay methods) were provided. Antibiofilm efficacy of irrigation procedure including nanoemulsion was screened on extracted teeth (by CFU counting assay). Results: Notable antibacterial and antibiofilm activity, both against forming and preformed biofilms of oil, was observed. Irrigation involved nanoemulsion showed remarkable antibiofilm potential. Both substances induced some antioxidant activity. Conclusion: Results encourage further research with the aim of application of the nanoemulsion in dental practice.

Rural youth are influenced by a wide range of uncertainties regarding their personal and professional development. Rural youth and in particular rural NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or Training) are especially vulnerable and face higher risks of labour market, social and economic exclusion. This paper aims to analyse the determinants of the dynamics of rural NEETs in three post-transitional countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia) compared to the EU-28 average and to Ireland as an example of an established EU member state with over 50% of its population living in rural areas that can act as a benchmark for effective policy implementation to address challenges of marginalized youth, during the 2009–2019 period. The dynamics of rural NEET status and the efficiency/adaptability of regional development policies are revealed through analysis of macro and socioeconomic factors as well as specific employment-related indicators disaggregated by gender and degree of urbanisation. The comparative analysis indicates deficiencies in regional development policies among post-transitional countries and the potential to adapt modern European practices and policies for improving the rural NEETs’ position.

Abstract This paper deals with the story and experiences of setting up a new start-up company with the ambition to scale using a software-based product. The paper is written by researchers for researchers interested in doing the same thing. The paper concludes that it can be very beneficial for research as the startup-can be seen as a data collection machine, but to set up a start-up company, comes with unforeseen problems along the way. A few of them involves: Do not rely on rational arguments (only), when marketing your product. Expect long lead-times. Work with multiple threads and secure funding early to ensure that you can finance your startup. Finally, you need to be committed, and you have to have a strategy to manage both your research and your commercial activities.

Background Periapical lesions are primarily caused by infections in the root canals. The objective of this study was to assess the antibacterial effectiveness of diode laser during root canal treatment in artificial models of infected periapical lesions. Material/Methods One hundred twenty-two extracted premolar single-rooted teeth were inserted into methyl methacrylate artificial models of periapical lesions, and bacterial solutions of Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212) and Streptococcus mitis (ATCC 49456) were then applied to the models. The respective diameters of lesions in the artificial models represented 3 different subgroups based on lesion size. The laser protocol used for endodontic disinfection had a power output of 1.5 W and a wavelength of 810 nm. The impact on cell viability was evaluated by flow cytometry. Results Disinfection with laser did not differ between microorganisms (P=0.137), and laser irradiation with a longer duration had better disinfecting action for both microorganisms (P<0.001). Compared with larger lesions, smaller lesions had a higher percentage of dead cells for both microorganisms (P<0.001). The percentage of dead cells in the treatment groups was significantly higher than in the control group (P<0.001). Conclusions Laser treatment had a poor, almost negligible effect on elimination of bacterial cells in large periapical lesions. Application of a laser might serve as an adjuvant method to standard irrigation with sodium hypochlorite.

The COVID-19 pandemic, or better known as the coronavirus pandemic, brought many challenges in education, and one of them was the transition to online teaching, that is. use of information and communication technologies in teaching. Information technology is a term that describes parts (hardware) and programs (software) that allow access to download, organize, manipulate and present information electronically, and communication technology (CT) is a term that describes telecommunications equipment that can send, receive information, search and access them. This research aimed to examine the subjective experience of teachers about personal competencies in the use of information and communication technology in teaching. The population of this research consists of primary school teachers in the area of Tuzla Canton, and the total sample consists of 138 respondents. An anonymous internet survey was used, which is distributed with the help of social networks “Facebook” and a Facebook group called “Prosvjeta TK”, which brings together educators from the Tuzla Canton area. In this paper, we assume that teachers assess their information and communication competencies as positive and they consider themselves competent in their use in the teaching process. It also explores aspects of teachers’ digital competencies as essential competencies for 21st-century education. The paper will provide insight into the personal perception of teachers regarding ICT competence, which is included in the fund of previous knowledge and theoretical knowledge. The results of this research could help understand and analyze further practices, decide on further steps to build teachers’ ICT competencies in and for the future of the school.

The scoring of sleep stages is an essential part of sleep studies. The main objective of this research is to provide an algorithm for the automatic classification of sleep stages using signals that may be obtained in a non-obtrusive way. After reviewing the relevant research, the authors selected a multinomial logistic regression as the basis for their approach. Several parameters were derived from movement and breathing signals, and their combinations were investigated to develop an accurate and stable algorithm. The algorithm was implemented to produce successful results: the accuracy of the recognition of Wake/NREM/REM stages is equal to 73%, with Cohen's kappa of 0.44 for the analyzed 19324 sleep epochs of 30 seconds each. This approach has the advantage of using the only movement and breathing signals, which can be recorded with less effort than heart or brainwave signals, and requiring only four derived parameters for the calculations. Therefore, the new system is a significant improvement for non-obtrusive sleep stage identification compared to existing approaches.

In this text, we analyze the presence of dramatic texts in the teaching of literature based on the previous experiences from the Curricula, as well as the current presence of dramatic texts in the Curriculum for the Sarajevo Canton. In the science and methodology of literature education, the issue of a lack and insufficiency of the dramatic genre in literature teaching has been recognized for a long time. Our objective is to present how dramatic texts may and have to be more present in teaching through more significant inter-subject correlation. Thereby the importance of scene education is emphasized, which is primarily acquired in the literature and language teaching, but it may be applied in the teaching of other subjects as well.

The Bosnian-Herzegovinian drama was occasionally performed on the Czechoslovak and Czech stages. The plots were not systematically translated, nor cultural-artistic contacts were planned, especially when it came to the twentieth century. With the arrival of students in the Czech Republic in the last two decades, systematic translation began, various stage readings were organized and Bosnian-Herzegovinian literature, including drama, began to be published. In the history of Czech theater, Ahmed Muradbegović was the first Bosnian dramatic who was tagged in Czechoslovakia, while the audience could also read contemporary playwrights, which were either published (Bašović, Imširević) or represented by theater agencies (Bukvić, Karahasan, Milenić, Šljivar). Text adaptations of Bosnian authors, dramalets, performances, and various stage events are presented and held in the Czech Republic thanks to the Bosnian community in Prague.

Cyclotides are plant-derived disulfide-rich peptides comprising a cyclic cystine knot, which confers remarkable stability against thermal, proteolytic, and chemical degradation. They represent an emerging class of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) ligands. In this study, utilizing a screening approach of plant extracts and pharmacological analysis we identified cyclotides from Carapichea ipecacuanha to be ligands of the κ-opioid receptor (KOR), an attractive target for developing analgesics with reduced side effects and therapeutics for multiple sclerosis (MS). This prompted us to verify whether [T20K]kalata B1, a cyclotide in clinical development for the treatment of MS, is able to modulate KOR signaling. T20K bound to and fully activated KOR in the low μM range. We then explored the ability of T20K to allosterically modulate KOR. Co-incubation of T20K with KOR ligands resulted in positive allosteric modulation in functional cAMP assays by altering either the efficacy of dynorphin A1–13 or the potency and efficacy of U50,488 (a selective KOR agonist), respectively. In addition, T20K increased the basal response upon cotreatment with U50,488. In the bioluminescence resonance energy transfer assay T20K negatively modulated the efficacy of U50,488. This study identifies cyclotides capable of modulating KOR and highlights the potential of plant-derived peptides as an opportunity to develop cyclotide-based KOR modulators.

This paper presents some of our first experiences and findings in the ARPA-E project ReNew100, which is to develop an operator support system to enable stable operation of power system with 100% non-synchronous (NS) generation. The key to 100% NS system, as found in many recent studies, is to establish the grid frequency reference using grid-forming (GFM) inverters. In this paper, we demonstrate in Electro-Magnetic-Transient (EMT) simulations, based on Hawai'i big island system with 100% NS capacity, that a system can be operated stably with the help of GFM inverters and appropriate controller parameters for the inverters. The dynamic security optimization (DSO) is introduced for optimizing the inverter control parameters to improve stability of the system towards N-1 contingencies. DSO is verified for five critical N-1 contingencies of big island system identified by Hawaiian Electric. The simulation results show significant stability improvement from DSO. The results in this paper share some insight, and provide a promising solution for operating grid in general with high penetration or 100% of NS generation.