Aim To examine the correlation between personality traits, learning styles, and academic achievement and a difference between students' gender, residency status and academic achievement. Methods The study included 95 students of first year of the School of Medicine, University of Sarajevo. The survey used the sociodemographic questionnaire, Index of Learning Style and Big Five Inventory. Academic achievement was represented by a cumulative grade point of each student. Results There was significant difference between the students' gender, information processing style, i.e. active/reflective learning style and academic achievement. Academic achievement was correlated with extraversion (negatively), conscientiousness and active/reflexive learning style. Conclusion With this study we wanted to improve awareness of teachers about the importance and use of different styles during lecture, to show the importance of students knowing their own preferences and learning styles, and how personality traits can affect students' academic achievement. Academic performance is an important outcome for students. It can increase motivation, student participation in class and wish to volunteer in different activities.

Aim Colorectal carcinoma is one of the most common neoplasms, especially in Western countries and those with westernisation. On the other hand, high rate of metabolic syndrome (MetSy) has also been noticed, as well as in Western countries. It seems like these two conditions are somehow connected. In this study, we wish to explore some characteristics of colorectal carcinoma and its correlation with MetSy. Methods In this retrospective study the data were taken from medical records of 67 patients with colorectal carcinoma, and for 30 healthy controls. Input parameters of patients were compared mutually, as well as with parameters of healthy, control examinees that had negative screening colonoscopy for neoplasm. Results Average age of patients was 68 years. The most frequent localisation of neoplasm was on rectum (53.7%) and most frequent level was Dukes C (38.8%). The patients had MetSy more frequently when compared with controls (p=0.048), and also they had more MetSy components (p=0.006). The link between MetSy and localisation of neoplasm was not found, neither with its pathohystological characteristics. Conclusion Patients with MetSy should be warned about the increased risk of colorectal carcinoma, and, in this way, motivated for earlier and more frequent screening colonoscopies, as well as of a change of unhealthy lifestyle.

Síndrome de Down é uma limitação que impõe múltiplos desafios não apenas para a criança mas também a todos os seus familiares. A síndrome de Down ocorre por conta de uma desordem cromossômica, que resulta na trissomia do cromossomo 21, tendo como fator de risco predominante a idade materna avançada, geralmente, acima de 35 anos. A educação destas crianças passou a ser obrigatória a partir da LDB 9.393/96, no qual garante a todos o direito a educação na escola regular de ensino. Porém, embora seja muito discutida, nota-se que ainda há dificuldades para a inclusão destes alunos, seja pelo despreparo dos professores ou pela falta de estrutura da escola. Por conta de sua dificuldade intelectual o processo de alfabetização e desenvolvimento torna-se comprometido dificultando a concentração e com isso o processo é mais demorado. Por isso é preciso que o professor tenha melhor preparo para integrar e auxiliar as crianças com Down na escola. Para que haja de fato uma aprendizagem satisfatória é essencial que o profissional conheça os métodos que contribuirão para que o aluno se adapte e adquira conhecimento, tornando indispensável a discussão a respeito da temática. A partir de uma pesquisa bibliográfica será analisado como ocorre o processo de aprendizagem destes alunos.

The discovery of drivers of cancer has traditionally focused on protein-coding genes1–4. Here we present analyses of driver point mutations and structural variants in non-coding regions across 2,658 genomes from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium5 of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). For point mutations, we developed a statistically rigorous strategy for combining significance levels from multiple methods of driver discovery that overcomes the limitations of individual methods. For structural variants, we present two methods of driver discovery, and identify regions that are significantly affected by recurrent breakpoints and recurrent somatic juxtapositions. Our analyses confirm previously reported drivers6,7, raise doubts about others and identify novel candidates, including point mutations in the 5′ region of TP53, in the 3′ untranslated regions of NFKBIZ and TOB1, focal deletions in BRD4 and rearrangements in the loci of AKR1C genes. We show that although point mutations and structural variants that drive cancer are less frequent in non-coding genes and regulatory sequences than in protein-coding genes, additional examples of these drivers will be found as more cancer genomes become available. Analyses of 2,658 whole genomes across 38 types of cancer identify the contribution of non-coding point mutations and structural variants to driving cancer.

Constant-force contact-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) relies on a feedback control system to regulate the tip–sample interaction during imaging. Due to limitations in actuators and control, the bandwidth of the regulation system is typically small. Therefore, the scan rate is usually limited in order to guarantee a desirable image quality for a constant-rate scan. By adapting the scan rate online, further performance improvement is possible, and the conditions to this improvement have been explored qualitatively in a previous study for a wide class of possible scan patterns. In this article, a quantitative assessment of the previously proposed adaptive scan scheme is investigated through experiments that explore the impact of various degrees of freedom in the algorithm. Further modifications to the existing scheme are proposed and shown to improve the closed-loop performance. The flexibility of the proposed approach is further demonstrated by applying the algorithm to tapping-mode AFM.

Periodic event-triggered control (PETC) is an appealing paradigm for the implementation of controllers on platforms with limited communication resources, a typical example being networked control systems. In PETC, transmissions over the communication channel are triggered by an event generator, which depends solely on the available plant and controller data and is only evaluated at given sampling instants to enable its digital implementation. In this paper, we consider the general scenario, where the controller communicates with the plant via multiple decoupled networks. Each network may contain multiple nodes, in which case a dedicated protocol is used to schedule transmissions among these nodes. The transmission instants over the networks are asynchronous and generated by local event generators. At given sampling instants, the local event generator evaluates a rule, which only involves the measurements and the control inputs available locally, to decide whether a transmission is needed over the considered network. Following the emulation approach, we show how to design local triggering generators to ensure input-to-state stability and $\mathcal {L}_p$ stability for the overall system based on a continuous-time output-feedback controller that robustly stabilizes the network-free system. The method is applied to a class of Lipschitz nonlinear systems, for which we formulate the design conditions as linear matrix inequalities. The effectiveness of the scheme is illustrated via simulations of a nonlinear example.

Abstract This work presents an example of the design and manufacture capabilities that 3D printing can introduce in catalysis. A multi-purpose catalyst, with fast heat and mass transfer and low-pressure drop has been designed and manufactured by 3D printing. The novelty of the methodology is the combination of advanced techniques for accurate control on the micropore-level allied with a generic framework for the design of macropore and structural levels. The ability to design ordered macroporous should be combined with adequate and controllable implantation of surface functionalities. With this combination of advanced techniques for macro and micro-pore control, it is possible to produce catalysts that unlock traditional trade-off compromises between diffusion, pressure drop and heat transfer. To demonstrate this novel methodology, we have designed and 3D printed a cubic iso-reticular foam in AlSi10Mg. After producing the support, its entire internal area was anodized to high-surface alumina followed by Pt deposition. We have verified the reproducibility of this technique by manufacturing a catalyst for a demonstrator with 8 m length. The test reaction was oxidation of NO to NO2 with the main aim to accelerate this reaction for additional recovery of energy in the production of nitric acid.

Abstract In the present work, interferometric unsteady state analysis of the thermogravitational technique is for the first time attempted in a microcolumn. In this way, three transport coefficients, diffusion, thermodiffusion and Soret coefficients can be obtained in a single experiment. Two different models — one from the Furry-Jones-Onsager theory and the other with the ‘forgotten effect’ included — have been tested for six different binary mixtures. These mixtures are the three binary pairs of the Benchmark of Fontainebleau— tetrahydronaphthalene-isobutylbenzene (THN-IBB), tetrahydronaphthalene-dodecane (THN-nC12) and isobutylbenzene-dodecane (IBB-nC12)—toluene-methanol dimethyl sulfoxide-water (DMSO-H20) and dimethyl sulfoxide-deuterated water (DMSO-D20). The first three benchmark binary mixtures are used to validate the inteferometric technique and also to establish when it is reasonable to treat a mixture as ideal, without considering the forgotten effect. After that, the three remaining mixtures are deeply analysed. In the end, the isotopic effect in the Soret coefficient will be highlighted through the DMSO-H20 and DMSO-D20 mixtures.

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is a durable material that can be used in constructing new and unique structural elements. This research utilizes UHPC to construct prefabricated shells that act as stay-in-place forms for bridge columns and eliminate the use of traditional formwork. These innovative structural elements reduce the on-site construction time, improve the structural performance of the column, and act as a protective layer in aggressive environments. Generally, during the construction process, the prefabricated UHPC shell is placed around the column reinforcement, which is fabricated using conventional methods. To connect the UHPC shell and column reinforcement with the footing and footing dowels, a step made of UHPC is utilized. The UHPC step connection is designed to shift the plastic hinge away from the column-to-footing interface. In the next stage, normal concrete is cast inside the shell, forming a concrete-filled UHPC shell. The final stage of construction involves placing and connecting a prefabricated cap-beam using the same UHPC step connection. The column specimen was tested under constant axial load and incremental lateral load. In this test, the UHPC shell cracked on the north side at a drift ratio of 3%; however, the column had a significant capacity and behaved similarly to a conventional reinforced concrete column during higher cycles of drift ratios. The test was completed after the column had reached a drift ratio of 7.5% when the first bar ruptured. No damage occurred in the footing and UHPC step which proved that the design was successful in shifting the plastic hinge away from the column-to-footing interface.

Background: Measurements of electrode impedance values are routinely performed after cochlear implantation. The primary objective of the study was to determine if pediatric, prelingually deafened patients with different postoperative performances showed significantly different impedance values one year after implantation. Methods: This study comprised 42 pediatric cochlear implant recipients provided with the device in a single academic tertiary referral center between 1 January 2000, and 31 December 2016. Medical chart analysis was performed in order to assess evolution of impedance values during the first postoperative year on a monthly basis. Electrode impedance values measurements one year postoperatively were compared between children with successful and unsuccessful auditory and language skills development assessed using the EARS protocol (a name of a performance test). Furthermore, values were compared among recipients of different implant types and among different cochlear segments. Results: A gradual rise of average impedance values was found during the first months of implant use (1st month, 7.32 kΩ; 3rd month, 7.86 kΩ) with the peak at the 4th postoperative month (7.96 kΩ), followed by a gradual decrease towards the 12th month (6th month, 7.62 kΩ; 12th month, 6.86 kΩ). Lower values at the 12th postoperative month were observed in recipients with successful development compared to patients presented with unsuccessful development (6.22 kΩ vs. 7.82 kΩ; p = 0.001). Mean impedance values were different when compared among cochlear segments and among different implant types. Conclusion: High electrode impedance values one year after implantation in pediatric patients may imply insufficient auditory and language skills development. Further studies are needed in order to validate our results.

The aim of this study was to detect lower lip squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) that had metastasized to the lymph nodes and to evaluate if neck dissection was necessary for patients with T1 or T2-stage lip cancer after a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). The study was conducted as a prospective clinical study to detect occult neck metastases in patients with T1 or T2 stage SCC of the lower lip. Thirty-one patients were eligible and underwent echo-ultrasound, computer tomography, magnetic resonance and lymphoscintigraphy (LSG) as diagnostic procedures. LSG was performed on the same day as the surgical procedure, after intradermal injection of 37 Mbq Tc99m-Sn-colloid/mL at four peritumoral sites. In patients with positive LSG results, the sentinel lymph nodes were extracted surgically. The risk factors for cancer development were sun exposure and smoking. The highest accuracy for detecting lymph node enlargements was achieved with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; 80.7%). LSG showed excellent sensitivity (100%) and negative predictive value (NPV; 100%). Overall, occult metastases were diagnosed with an SLNB in eight (25.8%) patients. According to the results, with great caution, we suggest that an SLNB is reasonable to initiate only for patients with positive sentinel nodes by positive LSG, to be used as a lower morbidity approach for selected patients with T1 and T2 stage cancers.

Aim To determine the extent and characteristics of incidental injuries, primarily by needles and other medically sharp instruments and to recommend preventative activities to health care professionals. Methods The survey was conducted among 200 healthcare and non-healthcare employees of the Primary Health Care Centre Zenica (48% of the total number of employees). Care workers were surveyed, and the sample was randomly selected in proportion to the number of employees in institutional departments. Respondents answered questions about gender and age, work experience and qualifications; the number and type of exposure to incidents in the past year, number of career incidents, number of reported incidents; information on the manner and cause of the incident. Results The sample consisted mainly of females, 153 (83.2%). An exposure to incident during their work was experienced by 128 (69.6% ) respondents: needle-stick injury, 79 (42.9%), unforeseen patient response, 42 (22.8%), rush to perform the procedure, 34 (18,5%), and negligence, 18 (9.8%). The incidents most frequently occurred in gynaecology department (all respondents experienced an incident event), followed by department of family medicine, 47 (67%). The main reason for these incidents was rush to perform procedures, in 9 (12.5%). Of 128 experienced incident events, 21 (16.4%) were reported. Conclusion The low rate of reporting of exposure to incidents does not provide a realistic basis for risk assessment and preventive action. Primary task for improving safety of work processes at our setting will be to raise employee's awareness of the need to report exposure incidents.