Excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture in order to increase yields has proved unnecessary because a large part of them remain unused and have negative effects on the environment and human health. Therefore, it is a great challenge for farmers to replace the application of pesticides and fertilizers with nanopesticides and nanofertilizers, with the aim of reducing the use of mineral fertilizers and increasing yields, as well as supporting agricultural development. This review provides a detailed overview of the classification of pesticides, commonly used nanoparticles in agriculture and their function, as well as impact of nanopesticides and nanofertilizers on the environment. The application of nanopesticides and nanofertilizers and new delivery mechanisms to improve crop productivity are reviewed and described. Particularly, the advantage of the nanoencapsulation process is emphasized for both pesticides and fertilizers. For hydrophobic pesticides, it may be a tool to provide greater stability, dispersion in aqueous media, and allowing a controlled release of the active compound, which increases its effectiveness. In nanofertilizers, micro- or macronutrients can be encapsulated by nanomaterials which allow to release of nutrients into the soil gradually and in a controlled way maintaining soil fertility, thus preventing eutrophication and pollution of water resources. Risks assessment of application of nanopesticides and nanofertilizers in agriculture are required for their correct and safe application.

O hiperestrogenismo em cães tem várias etiologias, dentre elas, o resultado da excessiva produção de estrógeno por tumores testiculares ou ovarianos. É descrito também que pode ter origem devido a um desequilíbrio entre os hormônios andrógenos e estrógenos. Como resultado do hiperestrogenismo, manifestam-se dermatoses clínicas como, alopecia bilateral simétrica, pelagem rarefeita, facilmente destacáveis, hiperpigmentação variável. O diagnóstico é baseado no histórico, anamnese, sinais clínicos, ultrassonografia testicular, dosagem hormonal de estrógenos séricos e realização de exame histopatológico. O tratamento de eleição é a orquiectomia. O objetivo do presente estudo é relatar a ocorrência de uma dermatose secundária ao hiperestrogenismo em um cão jovem.

This paper analyzes the impact of multimedia content on success in learning to write and read the letters of the alphabet. For the research purpose and according to the ADDIE model of instructional design, a multimedia application was created for learning to write and read the letters of the alphabet. This paper describes the application interface display, which presents the functions and the parts of the program code. In the focus of the research are the technical possibilities for the use of multimedia application, as well as the impact of its use on the awareness of pupils and teachers on the importance of the introduction of multimedia teaching content. The main research was focused on the effectiveness of learning to write and read the letters of the alphabet and was carried out by comparing the performance of pupils at the end of the school year in two primary schools.Keywords: application; e-learning; education; improving learning. --- U ovom radu ispituje se utjecaj multimedijskoga sadržaja na učenje čitanja i pisanja slova. U svrhu istraživanja izrađena je multimedijska aplikacija za učenje čitanja i pisanja slova, prema ADDIE modelu instrukcijskoga dizajna. U radu je opisana aplikacija prikazom aplikacijskoga sučelja, opisom funkcija i dijelova koda. Istražene su tehničke mogućnosti korištenja multimedijske aplikacije kao i utjecaj njezine uporabe na svijest učenika i nastavnika o važnosti uvođenja multimedijskih nastavnih sadržaja. Glavno se istraživanje odnosi na uspjeh učenja čitanja i pisanja slova, a provedeno je usporedbom postignuća učenika na kraju školske godine u dvije osnovne škole.Ključne riječi: aplikacija; e-učenje; obrazovanje; poboljšavanje nastave.  

This paper describes the influence of deformation by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) on the solid particle erosion resistance of the AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy and AlSi7Mg0.3 based composite material reinforced with the addition of 4 % of fly ash (FA) particles. Both, alloy and composite samples were produced using the compo-casting method. The samples have been subjected to ECAP in multiple passes with the rotation of samples around the vertical axis for the angle of 90° after each pass. Particles of silicon carbide (SiC) have been used as erodent while their impact angle was varied (30° and 90°). Observed samples of AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy generally showed higher wear resistance at 90° angle where material fatigue predominates, than at a 30° angle where abrasion-related phenomena predominate. On the other hand, AlSi7Mg0.3 based composite material exhibited erosion wear at 30° angle less than at 90° angle after one ECAP pass. Evaluation of the erosion resistance has been made based on mass and volume loss. After two passes of ECAP, the matrix structure of the AlSi7Mg0.3 based composite material, as well as that of the AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy was improved from the aspect of erosion resistance.

Enabling System-of-Systems (SoS) security is an important activity when engineering SoS solutions like autonomous vehicles, provided that they are also highly safety-critical. An early analysis of such solutions caters for proper security architecture decisions, preventing potential high impact attacks and ensuring people's safety. However, SoS characteristics such as emergent behavior, makes security decision-making at the architectural level a challenging task. To tackle this challenge, it is essential to first address known vulnerabilities related to each CS, that an adversary may exploit to realize his attacks within the unknown SoS environment. In this paper we investigate how to use Game Theory (GT) approaches to guide the architect in choosing an appropriate security solution. We formulate a game with three players and their corresponding strategies and payoffs. The proposal is illustrated on an autonomous quarry example showing its usefulness in supporting a security architect to choose the the most suitable security strategy.

Abstract Background: The relationship between different surrogates of insulin resistance and left ventricular geometry in obese children is still unclear. Objective: We sought to explore the relationship between commonly used measures of insulin sensitivity/resistance (homeostatic model assessment index, serum uric acid, and triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio) and left ventricular geometry in normotensive obese children. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 32 normotensive obese children were examined. Transthoracic echocardiography was used to measure left ventricular mass index and relative wall thickness. Homeostasis model assessment index, serum uric acid level, and a ratio of triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were used as markers of the insulin resistance. Simple and partial correlation analyses (to control for the effects of body mass index) were conducted to explore relationship between studied variables and left ventricular mass index or relative wall thickness as outcome variables. Results: We found positive correlations between homeostasis model assessment index and relative wall thickness (r = 0.47, p = 0.03) which remained significant after controlling for the effect of body mass index, z-score (r = 0.48, p = 0.03). The cutoff level of homeostasis model assessment index with the optimum sensitivity (Sn) and specificity (Sp) derived from the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for predicting concentric remodelling was ≥5.51 with Sn = 83.33 and Sp = 68.75. Conclusion: There is a positive relationship between homeostasis model assessment index and relative wall thickness of obese normotensive children which may help to distinguish at risk obese normotensive children for the development of concentric left ventricular remodelling.