Ex vivo human skin models are valuable tools in skin research due to their physiological relevance. Traditionally, standard cultivation is performed in a cell culture incubator with a defined temperature of 37 °C and a specific atmosphere enriched with CO2 to ensure media stability. Maintaining the model under these specific conditions limits its flexibility in assessing exposures to which the skin is exposed to in daily life, for example changes in atmospheric compositions. In this study we demonstrated that the foreskin-derived skin model can be successfully cultured at room temperature outside a CO2 incubator using a CO2-independent, serum-free media. Over a cultivation period of three days, the integrity of the tissue and the preservation of immune cells is well maintained, indicating the model’s stability and resilience under the given conditions. Exposing our Medical University of Graz – human Organotypic Skin Explant Culture (MUG-hOSEC) model to cytotoxic and inflammatory stimuli results in responses analyzable within the supernatant. Besides the common analysis of released proteins upon treatment, such as cytokines and enzymes, we have included extracellular vesicle to obtain a more comprehensive picture of cell communication.

Background: This study assessed the effects of two distinct RAMP (Raise, Activate, Mobilize, Potentiate) protocols, mobility-focused and reactiveness-focused, on change of direction speed in police students (i.e., tactical athletes). Methods: A longitudinal design with two experimental and one control group was employed. The study sample consisted of 39 police students (aged 19.2 ± 0.2 yrs) who were randomly allocated into three equal groups of 13 participants (7 females and 6 males). Experimental groups were labeled as the mobility group or reactiveness group based on the type of RAMP protocol they performed. During the tactical physical education classes, the mobility group performed four complex mobility exercises, while the reactiveness group performed four exercises for trunk reactiveness. After the specific warm-up, both groups continued with syllabus activities. The control group performed only regular activities based on the study syllabus. All participants performed the Illinois Agility test unloaded (IAT) and loaded (10 kg vest [IATL]) and Functional Movement Screening (FMS) before and after 8 weeks of the applied protocols. Results: In general, improvements were observed across all participants in the IAT (p < 0.001), IATL (p < 0.001), and FMS (p < 0.001). The mobility protocol had a more substantial impact compared to the reactiveness protocol on the IAT (d = 0.55 vs. d = 0.40), IATL (d = 0.44 vs. d = 0.38), and FMS (d = 0.88 vs. d = −0.42). Additionally, the control group, which did not follow either RAMP protocol, did not show significant improvements. Conclusions: These results underscore the importance of incorporating targeted mobility training in the limited time available for strength and conditioning programs, as it improves occupationally relevant movement qualities such as change of direction speed ability. Prioritizing mobility training in young tactical athletes may offer broader benefits compared to reactiveness training.

ABSTRACT Objectives To assess the costs and efforts of maintenance therapy following implant treatment with fixed restoration over an observation period of 10 years. Material and Methods This randomized controlled clinical trial included 64 patients who were randomly assigned to receive one of two implant systems (AST or STM) and fixed restoration. Patients were included in a regular maintenance program and were examined at loading, 1, 3, 5, 8, and 10 years. Outcome measures included technical and biological complications, time, efforts, and costs to resolve them. Results A total of 97 implants were placed in 64 patients (AST: 54, STM: 43). Patient recall rates at 5 and 10 years were 89% and 67%. In general, technical complications were resolved within one to two appointments (mean = 1.5), and biological complications required a mean of 1.3 appointments. The overall regular maintenance time for the period of 10 years amounted to 77 min per year. Technical complications occurred in 39.5% of the patients, with screw‐loosening being the most common one (43.4% of all complications). The most time‐consuming technical complication was abutment fracture (94 min ± 68), followed by screw fracture (84 min ± 38). The prevalence of peri‐implant mucositis on the patient level was 30.2%, and it was 9.3% for peri‐implantitis. The average annual maintenance costs amounted to 9% of the initial cost of the implant treatment over the period of 10 years. Conclusions Additional regular maintenance costs and costs due to the treatment of potential complications have to be taken into consideration when placing dental implants. The majority of technical complications could be resolved within one appointment, whereas the time needed to treat biological complications varied between one and three appointments for peri‐implantitis.

We examine five setups where an agent (or two agents) seeks to explore unknown environment without any prior information. Although seemingly very different, all of them can be formalized as Reinforcement Learning (RL) problems in hyperbolic spaces. More precisely, it is natural to endow the action spaces with the hyperbolic metric. We introduce statistical and dynamical models necessary for addressing problems of this kind and implement algorithms based on this framework. Throughout the paper we view RL through the lens of the black-box optimization.

Writing in a foreign language is widely recognized as a highly challenging skill to master. This perspective is grounded in the notion that writing reflects our ‘pattern of thought’ (Kaplan 1966, Connor 2011), and that there are multiple academic traditions of writing, each with its own rules and conventions. As a result, transitioning between different academic writing cultures can be a frustrating and confusing experience for both students and lecturers. This paper investigates the most prevalent challenges in teaching academic English to EFL students at the English Department of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo. The research findings indicate that EFL students lack critical thinking skills and tend to undervalue their own perspectives, leading to an overreliance on quoting and citing authors in their writing. This paper emphasizes the necessity for EAP lecturers to be well-versed in intercultural rhetoric and to effectively guide students in adapting their thinking and writing to a new academic culture./ Keywords: Academic English, intercultural rhetoric, critical thinking, writing

In this paper, we explore nature writing as a specific contemporary genre and contextualise the writing of the Scottish author Kathleen Jamie within the larger framework of the genre. Jamie embraces her “northernness” and “marginalness” (Dósa 2009) by focusing on the realm of non-human on the fringes of Europe, thus re-learning to see the world and constituting a new ‘poetics of noticing’. The aim of the study is to extract a cluster of linguistic and literary features from selected essays (Findings (2005) and Sightlines (2012)) by Kathleen Jamie to represent ‘salience’ and ‘conviction’ (Stibbe 2015) within the theoretical frameworks of ecolingustics and ecosophy. In search of new stories to live and die by, nature writing, therefore, is proposed to function as an important medium in constructing salience, beliefs and convictions about how humans perceive their (dis)place(ment) in nature as well as their inner and outer landscape. / Keywords: nature writing, Kathleen Jamie, poetics of noticing, salience, conviction, ecolinguistics, ecosophy

Due to the frequent climatic changes occurring worldwide, which are related to extreme meteorological parameters as well as human activities, it is obvious that these influence the flow regimes of rivers. River flow is the most important factor determining the hydrological regime of any river. This has a substantial influence on the water resources and the environment surrounding the river. Hydrotechnical structures are also dimensioned on the basis of the flow as the primary input parameter. The flow conditions have different properties and correlations with the material of the river bed. In this paper, possible dependencies and phenomena are investigated using real case studies on two rivers in Croatia - examples of river courses in alluvium and karst areas - with regard to homogeneity and isotropy analyses. For this purpose, rescaled adjusted partial sums and innovative polygon trend analysis methods will be applied on the form of a combination of methods at the same watercourses. It has been shown that the analysed time series of the flows do not exhibit homogeneity and isotropy. In addition, fluctuations and irregularities were detected in the same time series. This is key information for determining the reliability of the flow forecast.

Microneedles (MNs) or microneedle arrays (MNAs) are critical components of minimally invasive devices comprised of a single or a series of micro‐scale projections. MNs can bypass the outermost layer of the skin and painlessly access microcirculation of the epidermis and dermis layers, attracting great interest in the development of personalized healthcare monitoring and diagnostic devices. However, MN technology has not yet reached its full potential since current micro‐ and nanofabrication methods do not address the need of fabricating MNs with complex surfaces to facilitate the development of clinically adequate devices. This work presents a new approach that combines 3D printing technology based on two‐photon polymerization with soft lithography for cost‐effective and time‐saving fabrication of complex MNAs. Specifically, this method relies on printing complex 3D objects efficiently replicated into polymeric substrates via soft lithography, resulting in a free‐standing polymeric lattice (PL) membrane that can be transferred onto gold‐coated MNs and used for electrochemical biosensing. This platform shows excellent electrochemical performance in detecting metabolite (glucose) and protein (insulin) biomarkers with a dynamic linear range sufficient for detecting biomarkers in healthy individuals and patients. The approach holds great potential for fabricating next‐generationMNs, including their transfer into clinically adequate devices.

Summary Background Platelet transfusions are given to preterm infants with severe thrombocytopenia aiming to prevent haemorrhage. The PlaNeT2/MATISSE trial revealed higher rates of mortality and/or major bleeding in preterm infants receiving prophylactic platelet transfusions at a platelet count threshold of 50 × 109/L compared to 25 × 109/L. The extent to which this evidence has been incorporated into clinical practice is unknown, thus we aimed to describe current neonatal platelet transfusion practices in Europe. Methods We performed a prospective observational study in 64 neonatal intensive care units across 22 European countries between September 2022 and August 2023. Outcome measures included observed transfusion prevalence rates (per country and overall, pooled using a random effects Poisson model), expected rates based on patient-mix (per country, estimated using logistic regression), cumulative incidence of receiving a transfusion by day 28 (with death and discharge considered as competing events), transfusion indications, volumes and infusion rates, platelet count triggers and increment, and adverse effects. Findings We included 1143 preterm infants, of whom 71 (6.2%, [71/1143]) collectively received 217 transfusions. Overall observed prevalence rate was 0.3 platelet transfusion days per 100 admission days. By day 28, 8.3% (95% CI: 5.5–11.1) of infants received a transfusion. Most transfusions were indicated for threshold (74.2%, [161/217]). Pre-transfusion platelet counts were above 25 × 109/L in 33.1% [53/160] of these transfusions. There was significant variability in volume and duration. Interpretation The restrictive threshold of 25 × 109/L is being integrated into clinical practice. Research is needed to explore existing variation and generate evidence for various aspects including optimal volumes and infusion rates. Funding Sanquin, EBA, and 10.13039/501100008873ESPR.

The dynamics in the global automotive industry are constantly evolving, opening pathways to new markets and technological paradigms. Advancements such as H2 and e-vehicles present clear opportunities but also entail challenges of uncontrolled development, particularly with the growing influence of China in the EU. Traffic accidents involving vehicles with electric propulsion pose specific challenges for investigators and analysts. Analyses reveal increased complexity and harmfulness of these accidents, emphasizing the need for new methods of investigation and damage assessment, as well as for tightening regulations. The production of e-vehicles faces financial challenges and technological demands. Production efficiency, including the use of one-piece chassis panels, is crucial for competitiveness in the market. The future of the automotive industry in the EU requires complex strategies focused on the development of e-vehicles for urban needs, H2 technology for freight trucks, and alternative fuels to ensure energy independence. Traffic safety is gaining importance, recognizing energy as a key factor in global security. Attitudes of countries like the Netherlands towards e-vehicles vary, with the issue of electric energy availability highlighted as significant. In this complex landscape of the automotive industry, contemplating the future requires a balance between technological innovation, safety, and sustainability.

This paper explores the integration of computer vision technologies to enhance traffic safety through the effective detection of car-pedestrian interactions. As urban environments become more congested, pedestrian safety remains a critical concern. The system’s performance was evaluated using real-life footage from vehicle-mounted cameras, as well as images and videos sourced from online platforms. These real-world scenarios enabled a detailed assessment of the system’s accuracy and efficiency in practical conditions. The study highlights the potential for significant improvements in traffic safety, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where over 38% of registered vehicles are older than 23 years, and nearly 62% exceed 14 years. The aging vehicle fleet heightens the risk of accidents, underscoring the need for advanced detection methods. The proposed system automates the identification of hazardous situations on roads, allowing timely responses from relevant authorities.

A study was conducted on a sample of 305 participants, students of the Faculty of Security Sciences of the University of Banja Luka, representing the population of 19- to 20-year-old police trainees, to determine differences in motor skills based on body mass index (BMI). The diagnosis of body mass index (BMI) status as a basic measure for the assessment of physical and nutritional status was subjected to a cluster analysis to define six categories of participants hypothetically characteristic for the specificity of the population studied. In accordance with the health epidemiological standards of the World Health Federation, a universal categorization of BMI values was made: underweight individuals, normal weight individuals, overweight individuals or individuals with excessive body weight, preobese individuals (mild obesity), obese individuals (moderate obesity), and morbidly obese individuals (severe obesity). The central values of the isolated BMI clusters in the sample studied were as follows: BMI cluster 1 = 18.70 kg/m2, cluster 2 = 20.61 kg/m2, cluster 3 = 22.16 kg/m2, cluster 4 = 23.83 kg/m2, cluster 5 = 25.81 kg/m2, and cluster 6 = 27.38 kg/m2. In the first cluster, 8 participants were identified, representing 2.6 % of the population studied, in the second cluster 57 participants or 18.7 %, in the third cluster 68 participants or 22.3 %, in the fourth cluster 138 participants or 45.2 %, in the fifth cluster 22 participants or 7.2 % and in the sixth cluster 12 participants or 3.9 % of the population studied. The results of this study indicate that there are differences in motor skills variables between certain categories of participants: Standing Long Jump (MSDM) - assessing lower extremity explosive strength - and Cooper 12-Minute Run Test (MKUP) - assessing aerobic endurance, while the Maximum Number of Sit-ups (MPTR) variable - assessing dynamic core strength - is at the borderline of statistical significance.