In this work, both farm milk samples (n=3), as well as samples of milk from Bosnia and Herzegovina market (n=7), were analyzed to quantify the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls. The PCB content (as Aroclor 1254) was determined in the fat extracts using the PCB ELISA kit, according to the procedure provided by the manufacturer. The total PCB concentrations (as Aroclor 1254) in individual milk sample ranged from <LoD to 787.74 μg/kg lipid weight (l.w.). The calculated Ʃ6PCB were ranged from <LoD to 187.72 μg/kg l.w. In one out of ten analyzed samples the presence of PCB higher than maximum limit (ML) was found. However, the absorbance measured for this sample is out of the linear range. In this case the sample can be considered as a suspect and should be analyzed with the quantitative confirmatory method. In other milk samples the concentration of PCB was in the acceptable range, and far below the ML.

In this paper, a novel interference management technique based on compressive sensing (CS) theory is investigated for downlink non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) heterogeneous networks (HetNets). We mathematically formulate the interference management problem in terms of power and resource blocks (RBs) allocation to maximize the overall sum rate while considering both co-tier and cross-tier interferences and then explain its non-convexity. In this paper, we exploit the sparsity of the allocated RBs to relax the non-convexity of the formulated problem by transforming it into a sparse <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$l_{1}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-norm problem for a near-optimum solution. Then, based on the CS theory, an interference management technique with a restricted weighted fast iterative shrinkage-thresholding (R-WFISTA) algorithm is proposed to solve the equivalent sparse <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$l_{1}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-norm problem. The simulation results verify that compared with the conventional orthogonal multiple access (OMA) HetNets and conventional NOMA HetNets, the proposed technique improves the system performance in terms of overall sum rate and the outage probability.

In this paper, we propose an enhanced selected mapping (e-SLM) technique to improve the performance of OFDM-PLC systems under impulsive noise. At the transmitter, the best transmit sequence is selected from among possible candidates so as to minimize the weighted sum of transmit signal peak power and the estimated receive one, where the received signal peak power is estimated at the transmitter using channel state information (CSI). At the receiver, a nonlinear blanking is applied to hold the impulsive noise under a given threshold, where impulsive noise detection accuracy is improved by the proposed e-SLM. We evaluate the probability of false alarms raised by impulsive noise detection and bit error rate (BER) of OFDM-PLC system using the proposed e-SLM. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed method in OFDM-PLC system compared with the conventional blanking technique. key words: power-line communications (PLC), OFDM, impulsive noise blanking, peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR), selected mapping (SLM)

Tomaž Ambrožič, Admir Mulahusić, Nedim Tuno, Jusuf Topoljak, Amir Hajdar, Dušan Kogoj | DEFORMACIJSKA ANALIZA V GEODETSKIH MREŽAH Z ROBUSTNIMI METODAMI | DEFORMATION ANALYSIS WITH ROBUST METHODS IN GEODETIC NETS | 163-178 | deformation analysis, robust methods, numerical example This article describes the deformation analysis approach with robust methods in geodetic networks. The characteristic of this approach is the iterative weighted similarity transformation in which the displacement vector d is transformed into a datum determined by points with a smaller coordinate difference between two epochs. The article first gives a theoretical background of the approach, and then the approach is applied to the case of simulated measurements in two epochs. The calculated results of the deformation analysis approach with the robust methods in the present case do not differ significantly from the results obtained by conventional deformation analysis approaches.

The ubiquity of wireless technologies in the Internet of Things (IoT) concept enforces utilization of power-optimized wireless techniques. Furthermore, a specially tailored mesh-routing algorithm is required in order to achieve battery longevity and node accessibility. In the paper, we propose an improved BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) mesh-routing algorithm for an IoT Smart Home application. The proposed algorithm is based on a time-slotted medium-access scheme, which enables communication nodes to sleep and/or exchange information. In order to achieve compatibility with any BLE-enabled device, such as mobile phones/tablets, routing and data information is transmitted via Eddystone beacons. Performance analysis of the proposed BLE mesh-routing algorithm is carried out using an OMNeT++ discrete simulation environment and Mixim framework. Validation of the proposed algorithm is completed on the basis of measurements from a real-life test network. The results show that the proposed algorithm is suitable for the IoT applications where the energy efficiency of the communication nodes is a key priority and propagation delays are not critical.

Background/Aim. Despite bunion surgery having been performed for more than 100 years, there has yet to be a technique considered as the ?Gold Standard?. The aim of the study was to compare postoperative results of Mitchell vs. Golden methods of treating moderate hallux valgus deformity. Methods.This observational case control study included 49 patients (81 feet) who had the Mitchell distal metatarsal osteotomy performed, and 49 patients (77 feet) that had the Golden proximal metatarsal osteotomy performed. The results of treatment were evaluated using Hellal?s modification of the Bonney and McNab classification and the Hallux Metatarsophalangeal Interphalangeal Score (HMIS). The statistical analysis of the results was done, thus the values p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results. Both operative procedures showed successful and statistically significant postoperative results compared to the preoperative status (p < 0.001). Comparative analysis of the results from the Mitchell and Golden procedures, according to the Hellal?s modification of Bonney and McNab classification, proved that there was a high statistically significant difference in favor of the Mitchell method (p < 0.001), whereas the comparison based on the HMIS showed no statistically significant difference (p = 0.123) between the two methods. The estimated results analysis of both procedures, based on the values of hallux valgus angle, intermetatarsal angle, sesamoid position, length of immobilization, treatment duration and complications demonstrated that there was a highly significant difference in favor of the Mitchell method (p < 0.001), whereas the value of the shortening of the first metatarsal bone indicated that the shortening was greater in the Mitchell method (p < 0.001), which goes in favor of the Golden method. Regarding the flexion of the thumb of the feet operated on, there was no statistically significant difference (p = 0.723). Conclusion. The examinations performed indicated that both methods showed good postoperative results, but applying the Mitchell method they were better.

Traditional art of building in Bosnia and Herzegovina comprises brick or stone masonry structures. Most historical buildings belonging to national cultural heritage were made of stone-masonry. The country is situated in seismic active region of South-East Europe. In the case of strong earthquake motion such buildings could suffer heavy damages. Some structural elements of historical buildings, as domes and arches, cracked already by moderate earthquake but without the loss of stability. Substantial damages were caused by recent war disaster. Damages could be accumulated through the history as well. Generally, stone-masonry buildings in Bosnia and Herzegovina can be classified in vulnerability classes between A and C according to European Macroseismic Scale. Design and construction procedures for rehabilitation are presented here with examples of repair and strengthening of mosques, which present historical stone masonry structures dating from the Ottoman period in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Traditional and contemporary materials were used for their rehabilitation. It is important to preserve original forms, especially those of damaged elements. The challenge for structural engineers and architects was to find equilibrium between aesthetical and structural demands.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between the indoor and outdoor ambient dose equivalent rates measured by the ion chamber inside and around the historical sacral objects at a few locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The investigated objects made of the traditional building materials were built in the Late Medieval, Post Medieval, and Ottoman Period of Bosnia and Herzegovina history. The LUDLUM Model 9DP instrument based on a pressurized ion chamber was selected for natural low level radiation measurements since the ionisation chambers have higher sensitivities than the other types of detectors. The detection capability of the LUDLUM Model 9DP pressurized ion chamber was examined in the laboratory conditions with a source of low activity and under natural environmental radiation conditions by measuring the indoor and outdoor dose rates. A weak positive correlation was found between the ambient dose equivalent rates inside the historical sacral objects and the dose rates outside the objects. The average evaluated value of the indoor to outdoor dose rate ratio of 1.07 for the studied historic objects is less than that obtained for the contemporary building materials such as concrete. No study on the indoor to outdoor dose rate ratio in Bosnia and Herzegovina measured by the LUDLUM 9DP dose rate meter based on an ion chamber has been conducted yet. In addition to direct measurements, the first gamma spectrometric analysis of a few samples of building materials from the Late Medieval period in Bosna and Herzegovina was performed. The results of the gamma analysis revealed almost uniform distribution of primordial radionuclides in the investigated samples. It was demonstrated that such materials had the reduced content of radioactive isotopes compared to the contemporary building materials and therefore they could have potential advantages in specific applications related to the environmentally sustainable architecture.

In this paper we presented Robert Sternberg’s ”Straight-A” model of human creativity. It is constructed out of fve elements - overlapping phases – respectively most affecting variables in the creative process: (1) Activators-deactivators, (2) Abilities, (3) Amplifers-attenuators, (4) Appeal to audience and (5) Assessment by audience. The prerequisite of creativity is acting of individuals and their environment, during the all five above-mentioned phases, in the same / right (straight) direction. But, this is rarely the case, so the creative process does not complete itself often. For example, at phase one there are not only activators, at phase two the interaction and synergy of different intellectual abilities stay away etc. Psychologically, based on clear validity indicators, this model (for now) plays a theoretical role and has potential for heuristic generativity. It requires systematic empirical review, especially in the felds of internal and external construct validity.