The discovery and introduction into practice of various substances that have a harmful effect on insects, known as insecticides, have undoubtedly achieved great, and one might even say grandiose, results in protecting people, animals and plants from numerous insects. As is known, their application eradicated certain infectious diseases, facilitated the suppression and treatment of ectoparasitises in humans and animals, and improved and increased agricultural production. In order to increase agricultural production, a large amount (millions of tons) of these funds are used in the world on an annual basis. This is primarily due to the prevailing opinion that agricultural production has become practically impossible without the use of insecticides and other pesticides. The facts just mentioned, that is, this kind of application of insecticides, which is often irrational, is causing increasing concern. In addition to the increasing development of resistance, and thus the decrease in the effectiveness of insecticides, there is also a growing concern about environmental pollution. There are not rare cases everywhere, even here in our country, that non-target insects, that is beneficial insects, ie. bees, but also other organisms in soil and water. The goal of this paper is to point out not only the possible harms of irrational use of insecticides, but also to list some of the insecticides that appeared on the market at the end of the last and the beginning of this century, and those of plant origin as potential substitutes for insecticides that are currently used.

Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati uticaj tehnologije proizvodnje na senzorni kvalitet “Visočkog sudžuka”. Pored navedenog, cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati razlike u senzornom kvalitetu “Visočkog sudžuka” između različitih proizvođača unutar obje tehnologije proizvodnje. Istraživanjem je utvrđeno da postoje statistički značajne razlike u vrijednostima ispitivanih senzornih karakteristika uzoraka „Visočkog sudžuka“ između uzoraka iz tradicionalne i industrijske proizvodnje. Također, utvrđene su i razlike unutar grupe uzoraka iz iste proizvodnje između različitih proizvođača koje su bile statistički značajne. Istraživanjem je zabilježeno očuvanje senzornog kvaliteta proizvoda korištenjem tradicionalne proizvodnje, kao i manje oscilacije u kvalitetu između proizvoda proizvedenih na isti način (tradicionalno). Najbolje ocijenjeni uzorci bili su VST 4 iz tradicionalne proizvodnje, dok je najbolje ocijenjeni uzorak iz industrijske proizvodnje bio VSI 1. Okus uzoraka iz tradicionalne proizvodnje bio je bolje ocijenjen u odnosu na uzorke iz industrijske proizvodnje, gdje je najbolji okus imao uzorak VST 4. Najlošije ocijenjeni uzorci po svim senzornim svojstvima bili su uzorak VSI 3 koji se izdvojio iz grupe industrijskih proizvoda i uzorak VST 1 iz grupe tradicionalnih proizvoda.

This paper presents only a part of the risks and harmfulness to which the employees working in Serbian MoD and especially in Technical Test Center are exposed during tests on new armaments and various other equipment under development. In addition to the results of noise and vibration measurements in the working environment at the training grounds and the airport, the risks during laboratory and experimental-exploitation tests in the field are presented. Noise and vibration as harmfulness effects were measured and evaluated according to the relevant criteria, while far more dangerous risks of working with prototypes are immeasurable, unpredictable and not included in the regulations.

Introduction/purpose: This paper presents the results of the research on visually lossless image compression which is of particular interest because it achieves a high degree of compression, while the visual quality of the image is not impaired, i.e., end users are very satisfied with the image quality. The analysis was carried out using the publicly available large-scale picture-wise KonJND-1k database which contains the results of subjective tests on JPEG and BPG compressed images. Methods: Thanks to the availability of images from the KonJND-1k database, the dependence of objective assessments of image quality on parameters that control the degree of compression of source signals (quality factor for JPEG and quantization parameter for BPG) is analyzed. The results of the visually lossless subjective tests are used for a deep analysis of the boundary and typical values of the parameters that control these two types of compression, as well as for the analysis of the corresponding values of the objective quality scores. Furthermore, reliable features for predicting the boundary between visually lossless and visually lossy compression have been identified. For that purpose, the degree of agreement between the predictions and the ground truth values of the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and image representation in bits per pixel (bpp) is used. The visually lossless compression ratio is used to compare JPEG and BPG techniques. Results: It is shown that the boundary between visually lossless and visually lossy image compression is found in a wide range of PSNR values (about 20 dB for JPEG and 15 dB for BPG). The corresponding JPEG image compression quality factor values at this threshold also range widely from 31 to 79, with concentration between 40 and 45. For the BPG encoder, the values of the quantization parameter are grouped around 30, and the boundary values are 25 and 34. Furthermore, it is shown that this boundary can be reliably determined based on simple features derived from the original uncompressed image. Gradient-based features known as spatial frequency and spatial information proved to be the best predictors. The degree of agreement between the predictions obtained from these features with the ground truth values of PSNR and bpp in both types of compression is greater than 85%. A comparative analysis has showed that, using BPG compression, it is possible, on the average, to achieve a twice larger compression ratio of visually lossless compression than for JPEG (80 versus 40). Conclusion: Although a high degree of agreement is achieved between the predictions and the ground truth values of PSNR and bpp of the boundary between visually lossless and visually lossy compression, there is a need for the development of new prediction approaches, especially with the BPG technique, which through the compression ratio proved to be superior to the JPEG technique. The existing databases used for the analysis of visually lossless compression contain color images from the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Considering the increasing use of images from the infrared part of the spectrum, there is a need to conduct similar tests in this spectral range.

Introduction/purpose: Direct sequence spread spectrum modulation is widely used in many radiocommunications systems. At the first time, this modulation technique was used in military communications and navigation systems. Later, applications became diverse in civil communication systems as well. Today, there are many systems where direct sequence spread spectrum modulation is implemented as a part of the system. This article aims to sublimate knowledge about the direct sequence spread spectrum modulation technique and its applications. Methods: The article presents a review of the historical development of the direct sequence spread spectrum modulation technique, its principles and the most important current applications. Results: Based on a large number of references, this article summarizes the historical development, basic principles and modern applications of the direct sequence spread spectrum modulation in military and commercial communication systems. Conclusion: Direct sequence spread spectrum modulation is widely used in modern wireless and satellite radiocommunications. It is expected to be part of future global communication systems.

In nowadays business conditions, such as increased competition and the rapid market changes, companies can be distinguished by the quality of services resulting from analysis and matching opportunities with market requirements. One way is to use the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) method. This method has shown a significant effect in the EU countries, the USA, and especially in Japan, while in our country its use is not widespread in the quality system. From the market perspective, there are three basic product characteristics: price, quality and delivery time. These facts are used in the planning process, based on user requirements interpretation into appropriate quality characteristics for each phase of the product life cycle (marketing, planning, design, prototype development, production process testing and development, production, sales). The common goal of the entire team working on the project must be the product competitiveness on the market. This method application has led to significant improvements in solving deficiencies in planning, designing, testing and developing the production process. In this paper, we presented the QFD method application for selecting products or services that meet the quality, price, and delivery time requirements.

Social communities are prone to evolutionary changes that are initiated sometimes by the dominant minority, and sometimes under the influence of the quantitative energy of the oppressed minority. Partnerships have been prone to change for centuries. From the traditional patriarchal family, through the recognition of the rights of extramarital unions, and the acceptance of same-sex civil unions, in order to promote samesex marriage in the last decade. The paper deals with the review of the development and implementation of the idea of recognizing the right to marriage for same-sex couples, the global attitude towards the same with special reference to the Republic of Serbia. Namely, the Republic of Serbia does not recognize same-sex marriages, nor does it recognize them by law, no matter where they were concluded, and in this sense, the paper explains the possibilities of inheritance between same-sex partners, regardless of the fact that legal inheritance is impossible.

Henry Kissinger, one of the most influential and controversial diplomats of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, played a pivotal role in shaping the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East through his shuttle diplomacy following the Yom Kippur War. This article explores the multidimensional and layered nature of Kissinger?s strategy, grounded in the geostrategic concepts of Saul Bernard Cohen. While Kissinger?s mission aimed to end hostilities between Israel and its Arab neighbours, it also sought to counterbalance the expanding Soviet influence in the region, a critical aspect often overlooked in the existing scholarly work. By examining the geopolitics of oil, power, and influence through the lens of the Carter Doctrine, this study illustrates how Kissinger?s realpolitik not only influenced the Arab-Israeli peace negotiations but also altered the dynamics of the Cold War, thereby reshaping the course of history.

The global world is in a period of "permacrisis", which is defined as a prolonged period of uncertainty and instability. Circumstances in the world in all spheres of social action are changing very quickly, and therefore the models of action must also change quickly. This is also the case with health care systems in countries. New challenges for public health and health systems is a strong health transition conditioned by demographic and epidemiological transition, then accelerated environmental changes and technological changes. We live in a time when the frequency of crises is increasing - including public health crises - climate change, the emergence of new infectious diseases - pandemics, accelerated population migration, the rise of consumerism and the significant influence of commercial determinants of health, which significantly increases the risk factors in the early onset and development of chronic diseases - diseases of the heart and blood vessels, chronic pulmonary obstructions, malignant diseases, mental health disorders, etc. In order for the health care system to provide timely and quality health care to each individual, and finally to the entire population, which is not necessarily only acute health care, but lifelong health care, from health promotion, through prevention, diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation, it is necessary to know all the circumstances in which people live and work, the most important of which are four groups of factors: socioeconomic, environmental, genetic and cultural. Modern healthcare systems require significant change management at all levels within the system, characterized by the proactive role of healthcare services, mastery of healthcare planning techniques, healthcare needs assessment and, finally, digital health. Change management becomes a "conditio sine qua non" at all levels of health care in all countries, at all levels of health care in order to increase technical and allocative efficiency and outcomes for the health of the population. Therefore, it is necessary to develop more significant regional cooperation for the modification and refinement of educational models for health professionals, which would be in "real time" and through which everyone would quickly adapt to global changes.