The research dealt with the identification of significant differences in the basic dimensions of personality according to the five-factor model between two groups of respondents: heroin addicts and the control group of respondents, non-consumers of psychoactive substances. Also, we wanted to determine whether the respondents - heroin addicts in relation to the non-clinical group differ significantly in personality traits given the completeness of the family environment in which they grew up, and the propensity of parents to alcoholism and violent behavior. The study included a sample of 297 subjects, of which 155 were heroin users, and 142 were non-clinical control group subjects, students of different study profiles of the University of Tuzla. The clinical and non-clinical samples were uniform in terms of characteristics important for the research. In order to test the research hypotheses, in addition to the insight into the descriptive parameters, a one-way analysis of variance was used. The results show that heroin users achieve significantly higher results in the dimensions of Agreeableness (F = 21.51; p = 0.00), Conscientiousness (F = 13.89; p = 0.00) and Neuroticism (F = 13.23; p = 0.00), while the clinical and non-clinical groups do not differ significantly in the dimensions of Openness and Extraversion. In the group of heroin consumers, respondents coming from incomplete families achieve significantly lower results on the Conscientiousness dimension (F = 4.20; p = 0.04), the tendency to consume parental alcohol proved to be a significant factor for the Neuroticism dimension (F = 4.39; p = 0, 04) and Openness (F = 15.41; p = 0.00), while parental propensity to violent behavior proved to be a significant factor for the Neuroticism dimension (F = 4.49; p = 0.04) and Openness (F = 15.41; p = 0.00). ). When it comes to the non-clinical control group, family completeness and characteristics of the family environment (parents ‘tendency to consume alcohol and parents’ tendency to violent behavior) did not prove to be significant factors for differences in personality traits.

Anti-aging cosmetics are often sought after in order to slow down the aging process. Free radicals are one of the main causes of skin aging, and therefore antioxidants are used in anti-aging cosmetics. The aim of this study was to investigate which method is the most suitable for determining the antioxidant capacity of these products. Having samples extracted, the antioxidant capacity of the extracts obtained was determined by the following spectrophotometric methods: DPPH, Folin-Ciocalteu, FRAP, the ABTS method and the ferroion chelation method with ferrosine. The antioxidant capacity of the samples varied depending on the extract type and the method used. DPPH and ferroion chelation measurements with ferrosine were carried out in the part of the spectrum where plant pigments absorb. These pigments are often found in anti-aging products affecting these methods measurement results. The Folin-Ciocalteu method is suitable for researching the antioxidant capacity of hydrophilic extracts, but not lipophilic ones, where turbidity and the formation of a gelled ring occur. The FRAP method revealed similar results for all the samples and proved to be less sensitive than the others. The ABTS method for both types of extracts has proven to be the most suitable and sensitive method for determining the antioxidant capacity of anti-aging products.

A system of fifteen variables (7 morphological and 8 variables for assessing postural status) was applied to a sample of 284 male and female students from the first to the third grade of primary school, with the aim of determining the differences between boys and girls. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences between the examined samples in the following morphological variables: in the first class (body weight and skin fold of the triceps), in the second class (body height, body weight, skin fold of the triceps and skin fold of the biceps) and in third grade (body height, skin fold of triceps, skin fold of back, skin fold of biceps, and skin fold of lower leg). Statistically significant differences in the variables for assessing postural status exist in the following variables: in the first grade (head posture, shoulder posture, shoulder posture, chest shape and leg shape), in the second grade (shoulder posture, chest shape, and spinal deviation in frontal plane) and in the third grade (deviation of the spinal column in the frontal plane, holding the anterior abdominal wall and the shape of the legs). Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that in the younger school-age in morphology there is a significant sexual dimorphism and with it in connection with the change of postural status.

A method of encryption of the 3D plane in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is presented. The method is derived using Voronoi-Delaunay triangulation and properties of Catalan numbers. The Voronoi-Delaunay incremental algorithm is presented as one of the most commonly used triangulation techniques for random point selection. In accordance with the multiple applications of Catalan numbers in solving combinatorial problems and their "bit-balanced" characteristic, the process of encrypting and decrypting the coordinates of points using the Lattice Path method (walk on the integer lattice) or LIFO model is given. The triangulation of the plane started using decimal coordinates of a set of given planar points. Afterward, the resulting decimal values of the coordinates are converted to corresponding binary records and the encryption process starts by a random selection of the Catalan key according to the LIFO model. These binary coordinates are again converted into their original decimal values, which enables the process of encrypted triangulation. The original triangulation of the plane can be generated by restarting the triangulation algorithm. Due to its exceptional efficiency in terms of launching programs on various computer architectures and operating systems, Java programming language enables an efficient implementation of our method.

Immunosuppressive drugs are administered to decrease immune system activity (e.g. of patients undergoing solid organ transplant). Concentrations of immunosuppressive drugs (ISDs) in circulating blood must be closely monitored during the period of immunosuppression therapy due to adverse effects that take place when concentration levels fall outside of the very narrow therapeutic concentration range of these drugs. This study presents the rapid determination of four relevant immunosuppressive drugs (tacrolimus, sirolimus, everolimus, and cyclosporine A) in whole human blood by directly coupling solid-phase microextraction to mass spectrometry via the microfluidic open interface (Bio-SPME-MOI-MS/MS). The BioSPME-MOI-MS/MS method offers ≤ 10% imprecision of in-house prepared quality controls over a 10-day period, ≤ 10% imprecision of ClinCal® Recipe calibrators over a three-day period, and single total turnaround time of ∼ 60 min (4.5 min for high throughput). The limits of quantification were determined to be 0.8 ng mL-1 for tacrolimus, 0.7 ng mL-1 sirolimus, 1.0 ng mL-1 for everolimus, and 0.8 ng mL-1 for cyclosporine. The limits of detection were determined to be 0.3 ng mL-1 for tacrolimus, 0.2 ng mL-1 for sirolimus, 0.3 ng mL-1 for everolimus, and 0.3 ng mL-1 for cyclosporine A. The R2 values for all analytes were above 0.9992 with linear dynamic range from 1.0 mL-1 to 50.0 ng mL-1 for tacrolimus, sirolimus, and everolimus while from 2.5 ng mL-1 to 500.0 ng mL-1 for cyclosporine A. To further evaluate the performance of the present method, 95 residual whole blood samples of tacrolimus and sirolimus from patients undergoing immunosuppression therapy were used to compare the Bio-SPME-MOI-MS/MS method against a clinically validated reference method based on chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay, showing acceptable results. Our results demonstrated that Bio-SPME-MOI-MS/MS can be considered as a suitable alternative to existing methods for the determination of immunosuppressive drugs in whole blood providing faster analysis, better selectivity and sensitivity, and a wider dynamic range than current existing approaches.

In this letter we present a fast triple voltage quenching circuit (TVQC) with an integrated <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$40~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> diameter single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) in 0.35-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> CMOS. By pre-biasing the switching MOSFETs the reaction time of the TVQC is kept small, leading to a total quenching time of only 1.4 ns of which 0.61 ns are actively quenched. This short reaction time reduces the avalanche charge and therefore also the afterpulsing probability (APP). The dead time is adjustable from 7.9 ns to 200 ns, which allows further reducing the APP. Experimental verification shows an APP of 2.1% at a dead time of 30 ns. Using an integrated SPAD with a thick absorption zone allows achieving a photon detection probability (PDP) of 28.8% at 850 nm, while showing a peak PDP of 53.1% at 657 nm, both at 9.9 V excess bias.

Aim To assess concordance of eight frequently used serology-based scoring indices for liver fibrosis and cirrhosis with transient elastography (TE) in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients in order to determine serum indices with the highest concordance and clinical usability in clinical practice. Methods In this prospective study, 63 CHC patients were included and TE results were compared with eight non-invasive indices. The diagnostic performance of these tests was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves with kappa index calculated for the concordance analysis. Results Median age of 63 patients was 54 years (interquartile range: 42 to 63); 27 (42.9%) were females. According to areas under the Receiver Operating Characteristics (AUROC), the best performing serum markers for significant liver fibrosis (METAVIR ≥F2), advanced liver fibrosis (≥F3) and cirrhosis (F4) determined by TE measurements (≥7.1kPa, ≥9.5kPa and ≥12kPa, respectively) were Fibrotest (AUROC=0.727 for ≥F2) and FIB-4 score (AUROC=0.779 for ≥F3 and AUROC=0.889 for F4). Fibrotest cut-off at >0.50 was concordant with TE for presence of significant fibrosis in 30 (out of 45; 66.7%), FIB-4 cut-off at <1.45 was concordant for absence of significant fibrosis in 13 (out of 18; 72.2%) and Goeteborg University Cirrhosis Index (GUCI) cut-off at >1 was concordant for presence of cirrhosis in 16 (out of 22; 72.7%) patients, but not for exclusion of cirrhosis. Conclusion Serology-based scoring indices had moderate overall concordance with TE. We propose that FIB-4 score, Fibrotest and GUCI be used in routine practice to exclude and diagnose significant fibrosis and diagnose cirrhosis, respectively.

The study of atomic spectra is one of the key subjects in teaching physics. It represents a combination of topics such as wave physics, atomic physics, particle physics, etc. Because of its complexity, it takes a well-prepared student and a very creative and resourceful teacher for this subject to be adequately understood and comprehended. This article presents theoretical background with key points in physics that help teachers to better organize their preparation for students and different experimental sets for this specific experiment, such as Nikola Tesla’s transformer or some other high-voltage transformers. Another point of view for this experiment is a variety of subexperiment possibilities to choose from in the execution of this practical exercise. This article also brings some difficulties that both teachers and students experience while preparing or doing this experiment, such as lack of more profound quantum physics knowledge since the conventional approach in teaching this specific topic in high schools and universities focuses on an introductory course in the history of this topic-oriented towards early years of the 20th century.

There are several theoretical models proposing dark matter candidates as well as different experimental searches for dark matter, collider, and non-collider ones. One of the most intriguing dark matter candidates is missing information in the cosmos. This is based on the mass-energy-information equivalence principle presented by M Vopson [1]. This review presents the historical development of this principle from its roots in the 1960s when Landauer principle was firstly presented to the latest data on the estimated value of the mass of one bit of information as well as data on missing energy as potential dark matter. Another theoretical discussion presented here is the reformulation of the second law of thermodynamics as a possible step to great unification. In addition to this theoretical postulation with a mathematical presentation focusing on statistics, we present some of the proposed experiments in this field. Two major proposals are in the direction of using an ultra-accurate balance with measurement uncertainty low enough to be comparable with proposed theoretical limits, and originally developed sensitive interferometer similar to the one in LIGO experiment.

Dark matter as one of the cosmos’ ingredients or constituents has been searched for in various experiments. This review presents some of the searches for dark matter while focusing on the LHC mainly. In order to present various searches, it describes theoretical models followed by experimental verification. Since there are three types of searches, among which most significant are direct and indirect ones, we will give an overview and short comparison between the two, with an emphasis on the advantages and disadvantages of collider and non-collider searches. This review brings an argumentative approach for the collider’s point of view since searches for dark matter in colliders are veritably ambitious regarding direct and indirect Dark Matter detection methods. LHC starts its Run 3 in 2021, and here we present results from the ATLAS experiment from Run 2 and bring some theoretical expectations from LHC in Run 3.

The present review paper provides a systematic insight into the studies published so far when it comes to the research on the cost and performance optimisation in the parcel delivery phase. Globalisation, as well as the new trends, such as selling online, directly influences the demands for the delivery of goods. Demand for the delivery of goods proportionally affects the transport prices. A great majority of deliveries is carried out in densely populated urban areas. In terms of costs, the greatest part in the courier organisations costs is observed in the technological phase of parcel delivery, which is at the same time the least efficient. For that reason, significant improvement of performance and cost optimisation in the very delivery phase is a rather challenging field for the researchers. New algorithm-based technologies, innovations in the logistics and outsourcing of individual technological phases are ways by means of which one strives to enhance the delivery efficiency, to improve performance and quality, but also to optimise the costs in the last phase of delivery. The aim of the present paper is to offer a systematic review into the most recent research in the field of technology, innovations and outsourcing models with the aim of reducing the cost and enhancing the productivity and quality in parcel delivery.

This research aimed to determine the differences between the junior (U20) water polo players of national teams of Montenegro, and Australia regarding their anthropometric characteristics and body composition. The first sub-sample of the subjects consisted of 18 water polo players of the Montenegrin national team, who occupied the sixth position on the FINA World Men’s Junior Water Polo Championship in Kuwait 2019. The second sub-sample consisted of 13 water polo players of the Australian national team, who occupied the eleventh position on the championship. The players were tested at the final preparations just before the World Championship. Anthropometric characteristics were evaluated using a battery of eight tests: body height, body weight, triceps skinfold, biceps skinfold, skinfold of the back, abdominal skinfold, upper-leg skinfold, lower leg skinfold; body composition was evaluated using a battery of three tests: body mass index, fat percentage, and muscle mass. The results of the t-test revealed that the water polo players of the two national teams do not have statistically significant differences in the variables. The results obtained in this research showed average team values for the estimated variables of water polo players of the two national teams (U20) who participated in the World Championship. That can serve as possible model parameters for all teams who want to participate in the U20 water polo World Championship. Differences in classification among water polo players may be related to the motor abilities, as well as technical and tactical parameters, as their anthropometric parameters were found to be similar.

Objectives: To avoid hospital spread of Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) and to analyze out of hospital outcomes after amputation. Methods: Prospective analysis of data obtained from 60 diabetic patients in 2020 was performed at Cantonal Hospital Zenica, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Personal protection equipment included double surgical mask, glasses, disposable surgical coats, and surgical masks for patients. Swabs were used to take samples from wounds. We randomly divided patients in 2 groups of 30 patients each. In pre-operative treatment, we used local anesthesia lidocaine hydrochloride 2% (Belupo, Koprivnica, Croatia) in group A and systemic analgesia intravenous tramadol chloride 100 mg intravenous (Krka, Novo Mesto, Slovenia) in group B. Wounds were surgically treated each day and heal spontaneously. Periodical control exams were performed. Results: Wound healing did not present any statistically significant differences between groups (group A: 69±21.97 and B: 61±22.13 days, t=−1.22; p=0.11). No statistically significant differences (p<0.05) between groups A and B in wound healing regarding to gender or cigarette use was noted. Conclusion: No significant differences in amputation treatment between the 2 comparative groups were noted. No confirmed COVID-19 infections in medical staff who performed surgical interventions or in treated patients were detected.