The low environmental impact and high long-term performance of products are becoming imperative for the sustainable development of the construction industry. Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) are one of the available low-embodied-carbon alternatives to Portland cement (OPC). For their application in the marine environment or where de-icing salts are used, it is of utmost importance to demonstrate their equal or better performance compared to OPC. The aim of this study was to compare the corrosion behaviour of the steel in AAMs based on different regionally available by-products with the behaviour of the steel in OPC. The by-products used were fly ash, slag, silica fume, and iron-silica fines. The corrosion process of each system was monitored by the corrosion potential and polarisation resistance during exposure to tap water and chloride solution over a period of almost one year. Certain AAMs showed a higher resistance to chloride penetration compared to OPC, which was attributed to the smaller number of capillary pores and higher gel phase precipitation. The same corrosion resistance compared to OPC was achieved with alkali-activated fly ash and alkali-activated slag mortars. The stability of the systems in tap water and chloride solution was confirmed by the visual assessment of the steel surface at the end of the test period.

A new modified ion-selective electrode with membranes of LaF3 single crystals with different internal contacts (solid steel or electrolyte) and with FexOy nanoparticles as loading was developed. The best response characteristic with linear potential change was found in the fluoride concentration range from 10−1 to 3.98 × 10−7 M. The detection limit for the electrolyte contact was determined at 7.41 × 10−8 M with a regression coefficient of 0.9932, while the regression coefficient for the solid contact was 0.9969. The potential change per concentration decade ranged from 50.3 to 62.4 mV, depending on whether the contact was solid or electrolytic. The prepared modified electrode has a long lifetime, as well as the possibility of application in different positions (solid contact), and it can also be used for the determination of iron ions. The electrode characterization was performed with scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis with the technique of electron-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.

Coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) is characterized by the presence of collateral blood vessels which can provide additional blood supply to CTO-artery dependent myocardium. Successful CTO recanalization is followed by significant decrease in collateral donor artery blood flow and collateral derecruitment. Study aim was to assess time-dependent changes in coronary flow reserve (CFR) in collateral donor artery after CTO recanalization and identify factors that influence these changes. Our study enrolled 31 patients with CTO scheduled for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Non-invasive CFR was measured before PCI in collateral donor artery, and 24h and 6 months post-PCI in CTO and collateral donor artery. Gated SPECT MIBI was performed before PCI, while quality of life was assessed by Seattle angina questionnaire (SAQ) pre-PCI, and 6 months after PCI. Collateral donor artery showed significant increase in CFR 24h after CTO recanalization compared to pre-PCI values (2.30±0.49 vs. 2.71±0.45, p=0.005), which remained unchanged after 6 months (2.68±0.24). Maximum baseline blood flow velocity of the collateral donor artery showed significant decrease measured 24h post-PCI compared to pre-PCI values (0.28±0.06 vs. 0.24±0.04m/s), and remained similar after 6-months. There was no significant difference in maximum hyperemic blood flow velocity pre-PCI, 24h and 6 months post-PCI. CFR change of the collateral donor artery 24h post-PCI compared to pre-PCI values showed inverse correlation with left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) measured on SPECT. CFR changes showed no correlation with the changes in quality of life assessed by SAQ post-PCI compared to pre-PCI. Significant increase in CFR of the collateral donor artery was observed within 24h after successful recanalization of CTO artery, which maintained constant after the 6 months follow-up. This increase was largely driven by the significant reduction in the maximum baseline blood flow velocity within 24h after CTO recanalization compared to pre-PCI values. Our results suggest that possible benefit of CTO recanalization could be the improvement in physiology of the collateral donor artery. Type of funding source: None

746 EJD, vol. 30, n◦ 6, November-December 2020 7. Hayami M, Fuzitani T. A case of benigh lymphocytoma found in the stroma of Bowen’s disease. Rinsho hihuka 1998; 52: 1130-3. 8. Vandaele R. Benign lymphocytoma (lymphadenoma) of the skin associated with Bowen’s disease. Arch Belg Dermatol Syphiligr 1957; 13: 494-9. 9. Maubec E, Pinquier L, Viguier M, et al. Vaccination-induced cutaneous pseudolymphoma. J Am Acad Dermatol 2005; 52: 623-9.

Water sources have become unsafe for human consumption, but also for use in agriculture for irrigation or for the food industry. The deteriorating water quality has led to a shortage of drinking water supply. The aim of this study was to examine the possibility of using agricultural waste, specifically corn residues, (corn cob and silk) as a bioadsorbent to remove Ni and Cd ions from water. Experimental results have shown that corn residues (corn cob and corn silk) have a certain potential for use as bioadsorbents. The possibility of application was tested for corn cob and corn silk (corn cob 3.5g and corn silk 1.5g) for metal concentrations of  20, 40, 100 mg/L for corn cob, and 40 mg/L and 100 mg/L for corn silk. The tests were performed at pH 3 and 6 at a contact time to reach equilibrium of 3.5 hours. Adsorption parameters were determined using the Freundlich isotherm. The morphology of biosorbents before and after the adsorption process was monitored to observe differences in the structure of the biosorbents used. The results showed that in the case of Cd2 + ions, with an initial concentration of 100 mg/L the highest removal efficiency was achieved for all samples used, while in the case of Ni2+ ions the highest removal efficiency was achieved at an initial concentration of 40 mg/L for all samples, while the corn silk based of the maize (Zea mays L.) sample proved to be the best for the removal of these ions where the influence of pH has a great influence on the removal efficiency as well as the physico-chemical properties of the metal. Morphological analysis of samples before and after the adsorption process showed significant differences in the structure of the biosorbents used, which lead to the conclusion that sorption is associated with chemical changes on the surface of the biosorbent. The calculated values ​​of the parameters used in the Freundlich isotherm indicated the existence of high-energy sorption centers in the bisorbent of corn cob and corn silk hybrids maize, and that the adsorption was more pronounced at lower pH values. The corn cob-based  of the maize (Zea mays L.) biosorbent used has been shown to be a heterogeneous surface biosorbent with moderate sorption intensity to Ni and Cd ions, and good sorption intensity to Ni and Cd ions in corn silk-based biosorbent.

A wearable electromagnetic belt system for the detection of hepatic steatosis (lipid accumulation within the major liver cells, hepatocytes), is proposed. To satisfy the requirements of the belt system, an array of body matched antennas is designed. The belt, which goes around the lower chest and over the liver, requires compact, wideband, unidirectional antennas that operate at low microwave frequencies. To avoid using conventional bulky reflector structures, the designed antenna utilizes the loop-dipole combination concept. To enhance electromagnetic wave penetration, the antenna is designed to match the human body. Thus, thanks to the high dielectric loading from the human body, the dipole element of the antenna is easily miniaturized. Since the same principle does not apply on the loop structure, meandered arc-shapes are employed to increase the effective electrical length of the loop. The final antenna design has a measured wide operating bandwidth of 0.58-1.6 GHz with a compact size of $0.096\times 0.048 \times 0.048\lambda ^{3}$ . The proposed structure is effective in irradiating the torso, where the signal can reach center of the liver at a depth of 90 mm, with 64% of the peak radiated power. An electromagnetic belt is built using twelve elements of the designed antennas. The belt is then tested on a 3D printed torso phantom that includes models of the lungs and liver. Due to close dielectric properties of the other tissues inside the torso, these are represented using an average tissue mimicking mixture with permittivity of 46. Measured data are analyzed using multivariate energy statistics method. A peak measured dissimilarity of 15.1% between steatotic and healthy liver is attained. These initial tests and obtained results indicate the potential of the proposed system as a method to diagnose hepatic steatosis.

BACKGROUND Multiple sclerosis (MS) as chronic neurodegenerative disease significantly impact patients' quality of life (QoL). QoL instruments can be generic (EQ-5D, SF-36) and disease-specific like MSQoL-54. Use of disease-specific instruments is preferred since it captures broader symptoms related to MS than generic instruments. Mental health is impacted by MS and different psychiatric conditions significantly impact QoL. We have conducted prospective non-interventional study among MS patients. Aim was to measure and compare MS patients QoL by generic and disease-specific instrument at baseline and after one year and to identify potential correlation between these two types of measurements and to assess mental health scores among MS patients in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and other countries. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Study included 62 patients diagnosed with MS and treated at Neurology clinic in Sarajevo from April 2016 to May 2017. Study was approved by Ethical Committee. QoL has been measured by EQ-5D and MSQoL-54. Measurement has been performed at baseline and after 12 months. RESULTS Average utility score measured by EQ-5D at the baseline and end of the study were 0.688 and 0.639 respectively with no significant difference (p=0.850). EQ-5D utility and MSQoL-54 score showed high correlation at baseline; rho=0.873 p=0.0001 for physical health and rho=0.711 p=0.0001 for mental health. At the end of the study no significant correlations have been found (p>0.05). High negative correlation found between EDSS and scores measured by EQ-5D and MSQoL-54; at baseline (rho=-0.744 p=0.0001) and at the end of the study (rho=-0.832 p=0.0001). Similar MS impact and loss of QoL found in B&H and other countries. CONCLUSIONS Both instruments can be used in measuring QoL but disease-specific are preferred since they capture broader symptoms impacting MS patient QoL. Using QoL instruments could drive clinician decision and patient-centric care as well as reimbursement and policy decision by recording treatment outcomes.

The presence of rich scattering in indoor and urban radio propagation scenarios may cause a high arrival density of multipath components (MPCs). Often the MPCs arrive in clusters at the receiver, where MPCs within one cluster have similar angles and delays. The MPCs arriving within a single cluster are typically unresolvable in the delay domain. In this paper, we analyze the effects of unresolved MPCs on the bias of the delay estimation with a multiband subspace fitting algorithm. We treat the unresolved MPCs as a model error that results in perturbed subspace estimation. Starting from the first-order approximation of the perturbations, we derive the bias of the delay estimate of the line-of-sight (LOS) component. We show that it depends on the power and relative delay of the unresolved MPCs in the first cluster compared to the LOS component. Numerical experiments are included to show that the derived expression for the bias well describes the effects of unresolved MPCs on the delay estimation.

Artificial intelligence ( ai ) is bringing radical change to our lives. Foster-ing trust in this technology requires the technology to be transparent, and one route to transparency is to make the decisions that are reached by ai s explainable to the humans that interact with them. This paper lays out an exploratory approach to developing explainability and trust, describing the specific technologies that we are adopting, the social and organizational context in which we are working, and some of the challenges that we are addressing

Dilatation and percutaneous coronary intervention in the presence of calcified lesions is particularly demanding and presents a challenge in the daily work of an interventional cardiologist. Coronary calcification is a marker of the progress of the atherosclerotic process. The existence of calcifying lesions predicts a poorer clinical outcome and is associated with increased mortality and the occurrence of postprocedural major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). A male patient who was 61 years old was admitted as a result of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) complicated by cardiac arrest caused by in-stent thrombosis of a previously suboptimally expanded stent. The lesion did not respond to a dilation attempt with a noncompliant (NC) balloon; however, an optimal result was obtained with inflation from a super-high-pressure NC balloon (OPN NC) for ultra-high-pressure inflations. Resistant, calcified lesions require a careful and comprehensive approach. The OPN NC balloon has a place in the treatment of this type of lesion. An optimized therapeutic modality after the procedure is imperative to prevent a MACE.

BACKGROUND Chronic hepatitis C was until recently treated with a combined therapy of interferon and ribavirin. More recently, direct antiviral agents (DAA), are being introduced. They are more tolerable and have fewer side effects, with better treatment results. In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina we have started using this new therapy, with a limited financial opportunity. Large numbers of patients with chronic hepatitis C are former or current addicts, some of them treat their addiction with methadone or buprenorphine. These patients often formerly have a depression disorder and during treatment of chronic hepatitis need supervision of a psychiatrist, due to one of the side effects of interferon being deterioration of depression. Using this research we wanted to valorize the depression disorder of our patients, to indicate the effects of interferon on depression deterioration and the need for a new therapy protocol. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Examinees were patients with chronic hepatitis C on interferon therapy, which we divided into three groups: those who were never addicts, then the group of patients who were earlier addicts and have a long abstinence and patients who treat their addiction with a replacement therapy of methadone or buprenorphine. All patients completed Beck's test, which determines the level of depression, before and after interferon therapy. RESULTS Patients who used to be addicts or were on replacement therapy had mild or moderate depression before interferon treatment in a large number. After interferon therapy, there was a statistically substantial increase of patients with serious depression, which was not noted before the therapy. CONCLUSION Interferon therapy deteriorates depression in patients with chronic hepatitis C and there should be a strive for new therapies with less side effects in treatment. No patients stopped therapy. That is a result of community work and supervision over patients from both hepatologists and psychiatrists.