Dysphagia, commonly referred to as abnormal swallowing, affects millions of people annually. If not diagnosed expeditiously, dysphagia can lead to more severe complications, such as pneumonia, nutritional deficiency, and dehydration. Bedside screening is the first step of dysphagia characterization and is usually based on pass/fail tests in which a nurse observes the patient performing water swallows to look for dysphagia overt signs such as coughing. Though quick and convenient, bedside screening only provides low-level judgment of impairment, lacks standardization, and suffers from subjectivity. Recently, high resolution cervical auscultation (HRCA) has been investigated as a less expensive and non-invasive method to diagnose dysphagia. It has shown strong preliminary evidence of its effectiveness in penetration-aspiration detection as well as multiple swallow kinematics. HRCA signals have traditionally been collected and investigated in conjunction with videofluoroscopy exams which are performed using barium boluses including thin liquid. An HRCA-based bedside screening is highly desirable to expedite the initial dysphagia diagnosis and overcome all the drawbacks of the current pass/fail screening tests. However, all research conducted for using HRCA in dysphagia is based on thin liquid barium boluses and thus not guaranteed to provide valid results for water boluses used in bedside screening. If HRCA signals show no significant differences between water and thin liquid barium boluses, then the same algorithms developed on thin liquid barium boluses used in diagnostic imaging studies, it can be then directly used with water boluses. This study investigates the similarities and differences between HRCA signals from thin liquid barium swallows compared to those signals from water swallows. Multiple features from the time, frequency, time-frequency, and information-theoretic domain were extracted from each type of swallow and a group of linear mixed models was tested to determine the significance of differences. Machine learning classifiers were fit to the data as well to determine if the swallowed material (thin liquid barium or water) can be correctly predicted from an unlabeled set of HRCA signals. The results demonstrated that there is no systematic difference between the HRCA signals of thin liquid barium swallows and water swallows. While no systematic difference was discovered, the evidence of complete conformity between HRCA signals of both materials was inconclusive. These results must be validated further to confirm conformity between the HRCA signals of thin liquid barium swallows and water swallows.

Fiber optics has revolutionized telecommunication with its superior bandwidth and distance it can span. For its use in IoT networks, some of the limiting factors are the high cost of new installations and the need to power the end device by electrical current. The installations are a part of long-term investments, and one can expect this to be an ever-smaller issue as more fibers are installed. Typically, the newly installed cables contain single-mode fibers. There are a lot of reports on transport of power over fiber, however, majority recommend using multi-mode fibers with a large core or double-clad fibers. In our approach, instead of increasing the core of the fiber, we focus on the possibility of shortening the working time of IoT devices, using the existing single-mode fiber for powering. Also, instead of an expensive PV (photo voltaic) cell with small dimensions and a high efficiency, we propose using the commercially available larger PV cells with an air gap between the end of the fiber and the cells. In accordance with our approach, we successfully conducted an experiment.

Selective separation and removal of a metal species from complex matrices of other species is of critical importance in separation sciences and especially in industrial processes. The selectivity and efficiency of Pb(II) ion removal from an aqueous solution in the presence of Ni(II), Zn(II), Co(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II) ions as competing ions in a multi-component aqueous source phase through bulk liquid membrane system were investigated. The influence of the palmitic and oleic acid as supporting surfactants in the membrane phase on the removal of Pb(II) ions was also analyzed. Dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 dissolved in chloroform, proved to be a selective and efficient carrier for Pb(II) ions. In the optimized procedure, 3 hours of equilibrium time was required to achieve the maximum removal efficiency. It was found, that removal of Pb(II) ions was achieved without significant reduction in the efficiency compared to the liquid membrane transport of a single-component system. None of these cations interfered with Pb(II) removal. The presence of the oleic and palmitic acid in the membrane phase increase the content of Pb(II) removed to the receiving phase. In optimal transport conditions, more than 97% efficiencies for the removal of Pb(II) were obtained for a system supported by oleic acid. The excellent efficiency and high degree of selectivity for the Pb(II) ion removal by the proposed BLM system, reveals its potential application for the selective removal, concentration, and purification of lead ions from its different mixtures.

The paper points out the leading role of the HR department in crisis situations, with special emphasis on the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected the whole world in early 2020. Regardless of the intensity and form in which they occur, crises threaten the functioning and survival of organizations. The HR department is an important factor in the successful functioning of organizations and, in a period of crisis, this department takes a leading role in the process of crisis management and subsequent recovery. During COVID-19 pandemic, the HR department of every organization had to confront new challenges in order to protect the health of employees, while ensuring the normal functioning of organizations. In order to find out how this department dealt with crisis that occurred, empirical research with a specially designed questionnaire was conducted and filled in by 108 respondents from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia in 2020. The research results showed that HR department has taken a leading role in preserving the health and safety of employees, as well as in the process of adapting organizations to function in crisis conditions. According to results, the key activities carried out by the HR department in organizations are work from home (wherever the nature of the work allowed), flexible working hours, reorganization of the working space to achieve the required physical distance between employees, improved hygiene measures, etc. In addition, the research results showed that, during the global COVID-19 pandemic, the HR departments took an active role in providing psychological assistance to employees to adapt to new conditions and ways of working.

A QKD network provides an additional security layer for IT-secure cryptographic key distribution that is added to existing conventional networks. Thus, QKD network components must be resilient to security challenges from conventional network environments. This paper provided a novel solution for designing a Key Management System resistant to DoS attacks. Our solution allows applications to function securely in environments with fewer keys. In addition, we have provided approaches for allocating and managing QKD resources to avoid malicious key reservations. Simulation experiments verified the proposed solutions.

In GMAW welding, there are several types of metal transfer that are primarily determined by the primary welding parameters. Different metal transfers in an electric arc are characteristic of different applications. In this paper, a detailed characterization of the pulse transfer of metals in an electric arc is performed, including the characterization of parameters and criteria for their selection on the used power source for welding Welbee. For a given Welbee device, the choice of parameters in steel welding is shown, as well as the synergy function that is characteristic of these devices. Welding was performed on structural steels, with previously adopted parameters, accompanied by recording the dynamic characteristics of current and voltage with an oscilloscope. Based on the available literature sources, the existing models for heat input calculation in GMAW pulse welding were analysed in detail. Heat input calculation for welded steel sheets was performed by using one of them, with current and voltage profiles recorded with an oscilloscope. After the experiment, the obtained results were elaborated, and general comments were given regarding influence of parameters on the quality of welded joints.

Uvod: Radioterapija je kompleksna disciplina koja uključuje širok spektarstanja izazvanih malignim oboljenjima, organizacionu kompleksnost i upotrebu naprednih tehnoloških rješenja u terapiji, te ima veliki potencijal za razvoj incidenata.Incidenti, u zavisnosti od stepena ozbiljnosti, mogu kompromitirati efekat radioterapije, dovesti do izostanka kontrole bolesti i njenog recidiva ili pojave ranih i kasnih komplikacija na zdravim organima u smislu radiotoksičnosti. Ozbiljni incidenti u radioterapiji su rijetki, ali kada se dese, njihove posljedice mogu biti značajno oštećenje zdravlja ili smrt. Incidenti nisu posljedica slučajnog toka događaja, niti koincidencije koja će se teško ponoviti. Pojava incidenata ima svoje zakonitosi i posljedica je sistemskih postavki, uslova i procesa. Cilj ovog istraživanja je procijeniti mogućnost upotrebe elektronskog sistema za prijavljivanje incidenata u upravljanju rizikom u radioterapiji. Metode: Za potrebe istraživanja razvijen je elektronski sistem za prijavljivanje incidentata u formi strukturiranog kompjuterskog intervjua prema ROSEIS metodologiji. Na osnovu informacija prikupljenih pomoću sistema napravljena je taksonomija incidenata prema: vrsti, mjestu i načinu nastanka, načinu detekcije, uzroku nastanka i faktorima doprinosa, dozimetrijskom i kliničkom značaju, te ozbiljnosti posljedica. Procjena rizika je napravljena upotrebom Risk Matrix metode. Rezultati: U rezultatima su prikazani najčešći uzroci nastanka i faktori promocije incidenata u radioterapiji, kao i njihova povezanost sa faktorima radnog okruženja, organizacije i upravljanja, finanasijskim i ljudskim resursima, radnim opterećenjem, radioterapijskim uređajima, softverom i tehnološkom kompleksnošću tretmana.Predložene su korektivne i preventivne mjere, te data procjena njihove efektivnosti na poboljšanje detekcije, redukciju vjerovatnoće pojave incidenata i redukciju njihove magnitude. Zaključci: Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da su informacije prikupljene pomoću elektronskog sistema za prijavljivanje incidenata dobar prerekvizit za razvoj sistema upravljanja rizikom koji omogućava identifikaciju i klasifikaciju najznačajnijih faktora rizika u radioterapiji, kao i utvrđivanje specifičnih preventivnih i korektivnih akcija s ciljem prevencije pojave incidenata i redukciju ozbiljnosti njihovih neželjenih efekata.

Uvod: Do sad korištene tehnike magnetno rezonantnog oslikavanja lumbalne kičme nisu davale podatke o djelovanju sile gravitacije na kičmu, te o odnosu anatomskih struktura prilikom djelovanja iste. Budući da se konvencionalni MRI pregledi kičme obično izvodi u ležećem položaju, u funkcionalnom mirovanju, stanje opterećenja se razlikuje od stanja za koje se zna da izaziva simptome kod pacijenata pogođenih nestabilnošću lumbalne kičme, to se često pogoršava uspravnim stajanjem i nevidljivo je u ležećem položaj. alMRI može poboljšati kvalitet dijagnosticiranja patologije lumbalne kičme i dovesti do lakšeg odlučivanja o daljem tretmanu. Cilj ovog istraživanja je utvrditi značaj alMRI u otkrivanju morfoloških promjena lumbalnog dijela kičme uzrokovanih aksijalnim opterećenjem i uporediti ga sa konvencionalnim MRI snimcima lumbalne kičme bez opterećenja. Metode: Studija je provedena kao prospektivno, deskriptivno kliničko ispitivanje. Snimanje je izvedeno na MR aparatu 1,5 T u ležećem položaju. Snimanje je izvedeno u dva čina: bez opterećenja i pod opterećenjem. Opterećenje za alMRI obavljeno je DynaWell L-Spine uređajem. Početak opterećenja bio je 10 minuta prije početka snimanja alMRI, a opterećenje se nastavilo tokom čitave procedure snimanja. Izmjerena je visina inetrevtebralnih (IV) prostora, AP i LL prečnik IV diska, površina IV diska, površina duralne vreće i širina IV foramena prije opterećenja i pod opterećenjem. Rezultati: Nakon evaluacije promjena visine i veličine lumbalnih diskova, površine duralne vreće i širine intervertebralnih prostora utvrđene su značajne razlike između slika prije i pod aksijalnim opterećenjem. Zaključak: alMRI daje informacije o morfološkim promjenama svih segmenata lumbalnog dijela kičme. Ovi podaci predstavljaju značajnu informaciju koja može dovesti do preciznijeg i efikasnijeg liječenja LBP.