The Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s LSST Camera (LSSTCam) pixel response has been characterized using laboratory measurements with a grid of artificial stars. We quantify the contributions to photometry, centroid, point-spread function size, and shape measurement errors due to small anomalies in the LSSTCam CCDs. The main sources of those anomalies are quantum efficiency variations and pixel area variations induced by the amplifier segmentation boundaries and “tree-rings”—circular variations in silicon doping concentration. This laboratory study using artificial stars projected on the sensors shows overall small effects. The residual effects on point-spread function (PSF) size and shape are below 0.1%, meeting the ten-year LSST survey science requirements. However, the CCD mid-line presents distortions that can have a moderate impact on PSF measurements. This feature can be avoided by masking the affected regions. Effects of tree-rings are observed on centroids and PSFs of the artificial stars and the nature of the effect is confirmed by a study of the flat-field response. Nevertheless, further studies of the full-focal plane with stellar data should more completely probe variations and might reveal new features, e.g., wavelength-dependent effects. The results of this study can be used as a guide for the on-sky operation of LSSTCam.

Abstract Work intensification is a psychosocial risk that has been increasing in recent decades and may have been accentuated after the COVID-19 pandemic. Its effects on health are negative, but they can be moderated by contextual and personal factors. The aim of this study was twofold: to analyze the effect of work intensification on workers’ stress, anxiety, and depression and to explore the role of workplace curiosity in these relationships. The study design was cross-sectional, and a total of 766 Spanish workers (58.9% female) with different occupations completed the survey. The results showed that work intensification was associated with the symptomatology of stress, anxiety, and depression, with a medium effect size. Women workers showed higher work intensification, but its association with mental health was equally strong for both genders. Workers with higher levels of the workplace curiosity dimension “stress tolerance” showed less impaired mental health in the presence of work intensification. However, workers with higher levels of the workplace curiosity dimension “deprivation sensitivity” showed more symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression when faced with high work intensification. The results were discussed in terms of their contributions to the field of study of work intensification, the future research they could inspire, and the prevention and intervention measures they could motivate.

Knowing the causes of the shortage of physics teachers in primary and secondary schools is necessary for the development of effective educational policies because the shortage of physics teachers is a global and persistent problem with negative consequences for the quality of education, but also for the survival of the physics profession as a whole. The aim of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the opinions of Croatian physics teachers on the causes of the deficit in their profession. For this purpose, we conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study using an online survey with Likert-type items and a constructed response item. A total of 390 respondents from all over Croatia participated in the survey, which is 29% of the total population of Croatian physics teachers in the 2022/2023 school year. According to their opinion, the causes of the shortage of Croatian physics teachers are related to the following: lack of incentives and support from the relevant institutions and bodies, the inadequacy of physics content in the curricula, the lack of motivation and negative attitude of students towards physics, impeded professional development, unequal opportunities, and challenges such as excessive workload. The results obtained provide a concrete basis for the development of an effective policy to solve the problem of the physics teacher shortage in Croatia and beyond by governments, universities, and schools.

Sustainable management of agricultural resources is needed to meet people’s increasing demands for food, fiber and energy while maintaining the quality of the environment and protecting natural resources. With the rapid growth of agriculture and the mechanization of farming, the agricultural sector has become one of the main contributors to the increase in CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases in the world. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect, dependence and correlations of CO2 in soil with native vegetation (presence/absence, corn yield) and climatic conditions (soil temperature and moisture) during three years of measurements under different management practices in a classical conventional agroecosystem. This research contains four different treatments: control treatment (CT), dolomite/organic fertilization (DOL/OF), mineral fertilization (MF) and black fallow (BF). During the investigated period, the average overall C-CO2 flux ranged from 7.98 kg ha−1 day−1 on bare soil to 16.26 kg ha−1 day−1 on soil treated with mineral fertilization. No statistically significant difference was observed among different fertilization treatments, except in 2013 and 2015 when comparing different fertilization treatments to bare soil. In all three years, there was a positive correlation between average C-CO2 fluxes and soil temperature. Additionally, in 2013 and 2017, there was a positive correlation between average C-CO2 fluxes and soil moisture, while a negative correlation was observed in 2015. Obtained values of crop yield ranged from 0.89 t ha−1 in the control treatment (in 2015) to 14.81 t ha−1 in the treatment with mineral fertilization (in 2017). Growing global concern about the effects of climate change calls for intensive research on the carbon cycle, and these results will contribute to the understanding of carbon transformation in different crops and soil management practices.

Aim To determine risk factors associated with the development and severity of secondary hyperparathyroidism in dialysis patients. Methods A cross-sectional study at the Clinical Centre of the University of Tuzla (March 2022) included 104 adult patients (males 51.9%, females 48.1%) with chronic kidney diseases under dialysis treatment. Based on parathyroid hormone (PTH) values, patients were divided into two groups: study group (45/104, PTH >792pg/mL) and control group (59/104, PTH 176-792 pg/ mL). The analysis aimed to resolve whether there was a connection between the duration of dialysis, the type of therapy treatment administered, the underlying kidney disease, and the presence of comorbidities with the values of PTH, and a wide spectrum of monitored laboratory parameters. Results The most common causes of chronic renal failure were undefined kidney diseases (32.7%), followed by diabetic nephropathy (18.3%) and chronic glomerulonephritis (16.3%). In the examined biochemical parameters, a significant difference was found in mean values of alkaline phosphatase (p<0.001). The correlation was proved between the duration of dialysis (p=0.028), the values of phosphorus (p=0.031), and alkaline phosphatase (p<0.001) with absolute values of PTH. The most common present comorbidity was hypertension (78.8%), followed by cardiovascular diseases (40.4%) and diabetes (22.1%). Conclusion A number of factors contribute to the development and severity of SHPT. Modulation of therapy and better control of risk parameters can prolong and reduce the frequency of SHPT in dialysis patients, as well as the occurrence of comorbidities.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been used for decades as a predominant tool in population genetics and as a valuable addition to forensic genetic research, owing to its unique maternal inheritance pattern that enables the tracing of individuals along the maternal lineage across numerous generations. The dynamic interplay between evolutionary forces, primarily genetic drift, bottlenecks, and the founder effect, can exert significant influence on genetic profiles. Consequently, the Adriatic islands have accumulated a subset of lineages that exhibits remarkable absence or rarity within other European populations. This distinctive genetic composition underscores the islands’ potential as a significant resource in phylogenetic research, with implications reaching beyond regional boundaries to contribute to a global understanding. In the initial attempt to expand the mitochondrial forensic database of the Croatian population with haplotypes from small isolated communities, we sequenced mitogenomes of rare haplogroups from different Croatian island and mainland populations using next-generation sequencing (NGS). In the next step and based on the obtained results, we refined the global phylogeny of haplogroup N1a, HV2, and X by analyzing rare haplotypes, which are absent from the current phylogenetic tree. The trees were based on 16 novel and 52 previously published samples, revealing completely novel branches in the X and HV2 haplogroups and a new European cluster in the ancestral N1a variant, previously believed to be an exclusively African–Asian haplogroup. The research emphasizes the importance of investigating geographically isolated populations and their unique characteristics within a global context.

Oxidative stress status and morphological injuries in the brain of Wistar rats induced by repeated application of selected acetylcholinesterase reactivators - asoxime, obidoxime, K027, K048, K074, and K075 were evaluated. Each oxime in a dose of 0.1 of LD50/kg im was given 2x/week for 4 weeks. Markers of lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde, MDA), and protein oxidation (advanced oxidation protein products, AOPP), as well as the activity of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, CAT, superoxide dismutase, SOD, glutathione reductase, GR, and glutathione peroxidase, GPx), were estimated in the brain tissue homogenates on day 35 of the study. Brain alterations were carefully quantified by semiquantitative grading scales - brain damage score (BDS). Oxidative stress parameters, MDA and AOPP were significantly highest in the asoxime-, obidoxime- and K075-treated groups (p < 0.001). The activity of SOD and CAT was significantly elevated in the obidoxime-, K048-, and K075-treated groups (p < 0.001). Besides, GR was markedly decreased in the obidoxime- and K074-treated groups (p < 0.01), while treatment with K048, K074 and K075 induced extremely high elevation in GPx levels (p ˂ 0.001). In the same groups of rats, brain alterations associated with polymorphonuclear cell infiltrate were significantly more severe than those observed in animals receiving only asoxime or K027 (p < 0.001). The presented results confirmed that treatment with different oximes significantly improved the oxidative status and attenuated signs of inflammation in rats' brains. Presented results, together with our previously published data can help to predict likely adverse systemic toxic effects, and target organ systems, which are crucial for establishing risk categories, as well as in dose selection of K-oximes as drug candidates.

Sarajevo Canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has recorded several waves of high SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission and has struggled to reach adequate vaccination coverage. We describe the evolution of infection‐ and vaccine‐induced SARS‐CoV‐2 antibody response and persistence.

Cardiogenic shock (CS) complicating acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Our study aimed to gain insights into patient characteristics, outcomes and treatment strategies in CS patients. Patients with CS who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between 2017 and 2021 were identified in a nationwide registry. Data on medical history, laboratory values, angiographic features and outcomes were retrospectively assessed. A total of 2328 patients with a mean age of 66 years and of whom 73% were male, were included. Mortality at 30 days was 39% for the entire cohort. Non-survivors presented with a lower mean blood pressure and increased heart rate, blood lactate and blood glucose levels (p-value for all <0.001). Also, an increased prevalence of diabetes, multivessel coronary artery disease and a prior coronary event were found. Of all patients, 24% received mechanical circulatory support, of which the majority was via intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABPs). Furthermore, 79% of patients were treated with at least one vasoactive agent, and multivessel PCI was performed in 28%. In conclusion, a large set of hemodynamic, biochemical and patient-related characteristics was identified to be associated with mortality. Interestingly, multivessel PCI and IABPs were frequently applied despite a lack of evidence.

SUMMARY The aim of the study was to analyze the values of Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI) after kinesitherapy in subjects with bimalleolar or trimalleolar fracture of the ankle after surgery treatment and the obtained values of manual muscle test (MMT) and range of motion (ROM) after rehabilitation, compared with the obtained values of FADI index and on that basis evaluate its possibility in assessing the functionality of the respondents after surgery for bimalleolar or trimalleolar fracture of the ankle. The sample included 60 subjects over the age of 18 who underwent surgery for osteosynthesis due to bimalleolar or trimalleolar fracture of the ankle. All subjects were treated with kinesitherapy as part of the postoperative rehabilitation program. The research was conducted from 2013 to 2018 at the Department of Orthopedics of Dr. Safet MujiÊ Cantonal Hospital in Mostar and Mostar University Clinical Hospital. A statistically significant correlation was found between FADI index values per group and average percentage recovery per MMT (p<0.05), as well as a statistically significant correlation between FADI score values per group and mean percentage ROM value (p<0.05). A statistically significant association was found between mean percentage recovery per ROM and MMT (p<0.05). The conducted research confirmed the working hypothesis of the conducted study. The effects of kinesitherapy after ankle surgery can be evaluated using the FADI index, as well as by manual muscle test and ROM measurement.

Lung cancer incidence in Bosnia and Hercegovina is high. The implementation of evidence-based lung cancer screening based on low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) may detect lung cancer early and decrease mortality specific to lung cancer. However, LDCT receipt may be unsatisfactory in Europe due to a low distribution of scanners and radiologists or poor access to care. In this paper, we propose a framework for the implementation of lung cancer screening in primary healthcare of Bosnia and Herzegovina based on the United States Preventative Services Task Force recommendation from 2021 and the American College of Radiology Lung CT Screening Reporting & Data System from 2022.

Extended hospitalization due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is associated with residual musculoskeletal and functional deficits lasting even 6 months after discharge; therefore, it is crucial that post‐hospitalized patients are promptly assessed. The aim of this study was to identify post‐COVID‐19 patients' functional status and quality of life, as well as to investigate their inter‐relatedness 2–3 weeks after hospital discharge.