The incorporation of β‐amino acids into a peptide sequence has gained particular attention as β‐ and α/β‐peptides have shown remarkable proteolytic stability, even after a single homologation at the scissile bond. Several peptidases have been shown to cleave such bonds with high specificity but at a much slower rate compared to α‐peptide bonds. In this study, a series of analogs of dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4) substrate inhibitors were synthesized in order to investigate whether β‐amino acid homologation at the scissile bond could be a valid approach to improving peptide stability towards DPP‐4 degradation. DPP‐4 cleaved the α/β‐peptide bond after the N‐terminal penultimate Pro with a broad specificity and retained full activity regardless of the β3‐amino acid side chain and peptide length. Significantly improved half‐lives were observed for β3Ile‐containing peptides. Replacing the penultimate Pro with a conformationally constrained Pro mimetic led to proteolytic resistance. DPP‐4 cleavage of α/β‐peptide bonds with a broad promiscuity represents a new insight into the stability of peptide analogs containing β‐amino acids as such analogs were thought to be stable towards enzymatic degradation.

Rapid science and technology development, as well as population growth and solving global problems require a different approach to considering and solving these problems by including many scientific disciplines or technologies. The growing amount of waste and unsystematic depletion of natural resources impose new concepts and tools in creating new environmental products. The existing linear economy, based on the ‘take, make and dispose’ principle, is being replaced by a new approach, the ‘circular economy’. A circular economy seeks to sustainably manage natural resources, extend product lifecycle and reduce waste. Some of the directions or tools in a circular economy are biomimicry and cradle to cradle. Biomimicry seeks to solve problems by imitating natural processes, while cradle to cradle tends to reduce waste using knowledge obtained from nature. Understanding of nature, its systems and cycles will provide analogies and models for creation of innovative solutions to global problems.

In this paper is presented a novel integrated fuzzy – rough Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) model based on integration fuzzy and interval rough set theory. Model integrates Fuzzy PIvot Pairwise RElative Criteria Importance Assessment - fuzzy PIPRECIA and Interval rough Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) methods. An illustrative example for demonstration of the model is proposed that represents evaluation and supplier selection based on nine environmental criteria. Fuzzy PIPRECIA method is used for determining the significance of the following seven criteria: C1 - environmental image, C2 - recycling, C3 - pollution control, C4 - environmental management system, C5 – environmentally friendly products, C6 - resource consumption and C7 - green competencies. Iterval rough SAW method is applied for evaluation four alternatives. Results show that third criterion is most important while fourth alternative represents the best solution.

ABSTRACT Multirotor Aerial Vehicles may be fault-tolerant by design when rotor-failure is possible to measure or identify, especially when a large number of rotors are used. For instance, an octocopter can be capable to complete some missions even when a double-rotor fault occurs during the execution. In this paper, we study how a rotor-failure reduces the vehicle control admissible set and its importance with respect to the selected mission, i.e. we perform mission-related fault-tolerant analysis. Furthermore, we propose a risk-sensitive motion-planning algorithm capable to take into account the risks during the planning stage by means of mission-related fault-tolerant analysis. We show that the proposed approach is much less conservative in terms of selected performance measures than a conservative risk planner that assumes that the considered fault will certainly occur during the mission execution. As expected, the proposed risk-sensitive motion planner is also readier for accepting failures during the mission execution than the risk-insensitive approach that assumes no failure will occur.

Bankruptcy prediction has been in the focus of research for many years. The benefits of bankruptcy predictive ability are several and possibly beneficial for all business entity stakeholders. This paper has an ultimate goal of revealing most significant financial traits of bankrupt companies as opposed to non-bankrupt companies. The research includes 50 bankrupt companies based in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They were matched with a random sample of 100 non-bankrupt company-years. Financial ratios of companies used in the sample were derived from their financial statements. Using logistic regression analysis and ANOVA, we were able to construct a several bankruptcy prediction models. The comprehensive model exhibited predictive ability of more than 95%, with high predictive ability of both bankrupt and non-bankrupt companies. The research has shown that bankrupt companies do leave significant financial traits that can be detected prior to official bankruptcy proceeding filing, which can be beneficial for all stakeholders.

Schiff bases are organic compounds formed by the reaction of the primary amine with carbonyl compounds (aldehydes or ketones). These are mainly bi- or tridentate ligands capable of forming very stable complexes with transitional metals. They are used as catalysts in oxygenation, hydrolysis, electro-reduction and decomposition reactions. Many Shiff bases show significant anti-tumor and antimicrobial activity, which is why they are the subject of research by many scientists in the world. In this paper Schiff's base from benzidine and 1,3-diphenyl-1,3-propanedione was synthesized. To characterize the product, FTIR spectroscopy and stereo-microscopy were used. In order to determine biological activity, antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activity of the product was tested. The results showed that the interaction of benzidine and 1,3-diphenylpropandione results in a Schiff base showing antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activity. Keywords: Schiff base, benzidine, FTIR, UV/Vis, antimicrobial activity.

Objective: Epidemiological studies have found air pollution to be a driver of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including gestational diabetes, low term birth weight and preeclampsia. It is unknown what biological mechanisms are involved in this process. A first trimester trophoblast cell line (HTR-8/SVneo) was exposed to various concentrations of PM2.5 (PM2.5) in order to elucidate the effect of urban particulate matter (PM) of size <2.5 μm on placental function. Methods: PM2.5 were collected at a site representative of urban traffic and dispersed in cell media by indirect and direct sonication. The HTR-8 cells were grown under standard conditions. Cellular uptake was studied after 24 and 48 h of exposure by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The secretion of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), progesterone, and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was measured by ELISA. Changes in membrane integrity and H2O2 production were analyzed using the CellToxTM Green Cytotoxicity and ROSGloTM assays. Protease activity was evaluated by MitoToxTM assay. Mitochondrial function was assessed through high resolution respirometry in an Oroboros O2k-FluoRespirometer, and mitochondrial content was quantified by citrate synthase activity. Results: TEM analysis depicted PM2.5 cellular uptake and localization of the PM2.5 to the mitochondria after 24 h. The cells showed aggregated cytoskeleton and generalized necrotic appearance, such as chromatin condensation, organelle swelling and signs of lost membrane integrity. The mitochondria displayed vacuolization and disruption of cristae morphology. At 48 h exposure, a significant drop in hCG secretion and a significant increase in progesterone secretion and IL-6 production occurred. At 48 h exposure, a five-fold increase in protease activity and a significant alteration of H2O2 production was observed. The HTR-8 cells exhibited evidence of increased cytotoxicity with increasing exposure time and dose of PM2.5. No significant difference in mitochondrial respiration or mitochondrial mass could be demonstrated. Conclusion: Following exposure to air pollution, intracellular accumulation of PM may contribute to the placental dysfunction associated with pregnancy outcomes, such as preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction, through their direct and indirect effects on trophoblast protein secretion, hormone regulation, inflammatory response, and mitochondrial interference.

Ob vernetzte Fabriken, intelligente Social Bots oder autonomes Fahren – smarte Produkte sind in aller Munde. Das vorliegende Buch erweitert in der 2. Auflage das Spektrum der Themen, die in Zukunft die rechtliche Diskussion beherrschen werden, bis hin zum Weltraumrecht. Es erörtert Fragen künstlicher Intelligenz und autonomer Systeme, insbesondere unter haftungs- und produktsicherheitsrechtlichen Aspekten; ein praktischer Teil stellt ausgewählte Anwendungen des Internets der Dinge vor.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are seen as one of the main drivers of economic growth in the modern economy that is characterised with free markets, private ownership, entrepreneurship, and a major change in the basic approach to business and management. As a result, human capital is regarded as the most important asset, and therefore, in order to grow and prosper, SMEs need to embrace the strategic approach to the human resource management (HRM) which should, in return, increase their competitiveness and responsiveness to the market changes. The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of strategic human resource (HR) practices on organisational performance. The results of hierarchical regression used to test the hypothesis supported the relationship between strategic HR practices and business performance. The findings presented in this study were used for making recommendations to the SMEs' managers in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.