The main ambition of this paper is to explain and analyze the difficult relations between China and Taiwan and its possible consequences for the regional and international security. The role of the United States is considered as a key actor. It permits to understand the strategies of the different actors due to the strong support given by Washington to Taiwan. The economic relations between the two neighbors are also interesting, to show how the topic is complex and sensitive. Our goal is to propose an analysis mentioning the ambitions of the different sides and their limits due to the realpolitik.

Economic supply shocks and fiscal expansion coupled with monetary expansion are suspected causes of the rise in inflation that we observe in most of the developed and developing economies today. In this paper we look at the effect of the government budget deficit(surplus) or fiscal policy stance, and quantitative easing on inflation while controlling for economic shocks using the method of cointegration as we find data series in our model to be integrated of order one and having support of one cointegrating equation between the variables. Our analysis is performed using Federal Reserve monthly data from 1994 to 2022 using Two-Step Engle-Granger (1987) method and Fully Modified OLS by Phillips and Hansen (1990). We compare these models to Auto Regressive Distributed Lag model of Pesaran and Shin (1998) which allows for analysis irrespective of the order of integration to provide for more robustness regarding the estimated relationships in cases of misspecification of stationary properties in our time series. Both cointegrating models lend support to the initial postulated relationship where expansionary fiscal policy has significant positive impact on the price level during the long run but also enhances the effect of the Quantitative Easing on the price level as the interaction term between these variables is significant, indicating that during the periods of expansionary fiscal policy, expansionary monetary policy through Quantitative easing has bigger effect. Our analysis is performed controlling for effect of economic shocks and price of real exchange rate on the price level. Stability of the cointegration model tests reveal presence of structural breaks which when included in the cointegrating equation change the importance of the impact that fiscal stance has on inflation and reveal that inflation is mainly result of the expansion in central bank assets after 2008, which coincides with period of unconventional monetary policy

An <italic>RC</italic> -to-digital converter (RCDC) for the measurement of the <italic>RC</italic> time constant of the resistor and capacitor connected in series is presented in this article. A simple RCDC design insensitive to parasitic capacitances is based on the single-slope integration. The output voltage of the integrator is linearly changed from half the value of the reference voltage to its final value. The <italic>RC</italic> time constant is equal to the duration of the single-slope integration and is independent of any other parameter. The proposed RCDC has been prototyped using discrete off-the-shelf components mounted on a printed circuit board, with a single supply voltage of 2.7 V. Measurements have been performed for 36 different combinations of the resistors and capacitors connected in series, where the measured time constant is in the range <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$45.77 \mu \text{s} < $ </tex-math></inline-formula> <italic>RC</italic> < 2.32 ms, for three different reference voltages. The achieved relative error is smaller than 1.96% for the largest reference voltage used.

A current-mode interface (CMI) with mixed single/dual slope integration (MSDSI) for differential capacitive sensors (DCSs) is presented in this article. The proposed design is based on the integration of the reference current flowing through the capacitors of the DCS. The integration of the capacitor of a smaller capacitance is performed with a dual slope. Contrary, the integration on the capacitor of a larger capacitance is performed with only one slope. The normalized differential capacitance (NDC) defined as the difference-to-sum ratio of the DCS capacitances is proportional to the duration of only one time interval which is digitized using the counting method. There is no need for postprocessing in the proposed NDC-to-time-to-digital conversion. It has been prototyped using discrete off-the-shelf components mounted on a printed circuit board, with a single supply voltage of 3.3 V. The measured NDC is in the range $|\text {NDC}| < 0.612$ , with the constant sum of DCS capacitances of 970 pF. Achieved full-scale error is smaller than 0.3%, with a range of conversion speed from 1770 to 2755 NDC-to-time-to-digital conversions per second.

Introduction. Acute appendicitis is the most common cause of the acute abdomen. Based on the idea that appendicitis is a progressive disease eventually leading to perforation, removal of the appendix is the gold standard of treatment. Material and Methods. The objective of the study is to determine if there is any difference in the occurrence of postoperative complications, and if hospitalization differs depending on the appendicitis surgery method used with the patients. A retrospective analysis was made using the data from the hospital sample of patients admitted to the University Hospital in Foca in the period from January 2019 to December 2021. Results. In the period that was retrospectively analyzed, 107 patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis were operated on. There was no statistically significant difference between the treated groups in relation to the degree of appendicitis, type and duration of symptoms, diagnostic procedures and the time that had elapsed from admission to surgery. The Alverado Score in the probable appendicitis group was 41.1%. The most common symptoms were palpation sensitivity in the inguinal region (84.1%), and pain in the right lower quadrant (69.1%), intraoperative findings of uncomplicated appendicitis 58%, and 25.2% intraoperative findings inconsistent with the pathohistological ones. Conclusion. Acute appendicitis is one of the most common emergency surgical conditions, which requires surgical intervention if not treated in time, and causes life-threatening consequences. Surgical treatment with selected techniques for faster establishment of the gastrointestinal tract function, shorter stay in the hospital, faster recovery and return to daily activities.

Complications in colorectal surgery carry a high risk of morbidity and mortality, prolong hospitalization time and increase treatment costs, and the largest number of postoperative complications is related to surgical site infection (SSI). Antibiotic prophylaxis started in the fifties of the last century and changed with each new antibiotic. The following were used in order: aminoglycosides (1943), macrolides (1952), polymyxins (1958), and cephalosporins (1965). With the discovery of metronidazole in 1970, the prophylactic spectrum was extended to include anaerobic bacteria, which are an indispensable part of the flora in this anatomical region. Due to the nature of the gastrointestinal tract, it was believed that oral antibiotic prophylaxis and mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) could achieve intestinal sterilization and thus ensure a safe surgical intervention. However, studies have shown that MBP did not have an overall beneficial effect on postoperative complications and caused significant patient discomfort, so it was almost abandoned. Today, it is known that about 16% of surgical infections are caused by multiresistant bacteria, and only oral antibiotic prophylaxis is not sufficient to prevent these infections. Namely, in the race between bacterial resistance and the development of new antibiotics, antibiotics are increasingly lagging, and the treatment of complications remains a nightmare for surgeons. For this reason, the prevention of SSI in colorectal surgery is a challenge for 21st-century medicine. In modern surgery, both open and laparoscopic, the first and second generations of intravenous cephalosporins are most often used for prophylactic purposes, as antibiotics of a sufficiently broad spectrum, with favorable pharmacokinetics and rare side effects. New research indicates that in colorectal surgery, the combination of standard intravenous prophylaxis with the addition of an oral antimicrobial the day before surgery is superior when it comes to SSI prevention. However, there are still no clear recommendations on the regimen and type of antibiotics and they should be given in institutional guides and protocols, taking into account the bacterial spectrum in the local environment, as well as resistance, and the availability of appropriate drugs. Therapeutic use of antibiotics is reserved for acute conditions in colorectal surgery and its complications. For therapeutic purposes, more potent antibiotics are used against the expected pathogens, usually a combination of several antibiotics, such as third or fourth-generation cephalosporins, metronidazole, fluoroquinolones, or piperacillin/tazobactam and others. When it comes to the therapeutic use of antibiotics in colorectal surgery, research indicates that the most important thing is to recognize the infection in time and immediately start treatment, correct the therapy according to the causative agent, and also to stop the administration of antibiotics in time, to avoid unwanted complications and already advanced bacterial resistance.

The weighted average cost of capital is the rate that companies must pay to shareholders and creditors. Therefore, it is a risk-adjusted discount rate for the company's cash flows. The paper will calculate the weighted average cost of capital for a selected group of companies listed on the Sarajevo and Banja Luka Stock Exchanges, as well as profitability indicators such as: ROA, ROE and net profit margin. Therefore, the main goal of this paper is to investigate whether there is interdependence in the movement of the weighted average cost of capital and profitability indicators of the selected group of companies in the stock market indices SASX-30 and BIRS. The research results show that the WACC ranges from a minimum of 5.11% to a maximum of 10.87%. Likewise, the research results show that there is a negative connection and correlation between WACC on the one hand and a selected group of profitability indicators on the other hand.

The importance of minimum capital adequacy ratios in preventing banks from going bankrupt and losing depositor money is underscored by their ability to absorb a reasonable amount of losses. This work contributes to the literature on bank capital and, in particular, delivers a thorough analysis of bank capital in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia contexts. This analysis refers to the strand of literature on non-performing loans and bank capital that has been of continuous interest to researchers. It is a relevant area of research because it discusses the most important part of the banking business, especially in the context of increasing global competition and crises. In this scientific area, we inquire whether and how leverage rate, gross domestic product rate, and return on equity affect the capital adequacy ratio. In this respect, this study advances the literature of effects on bank capital that have not been analysed by other scholarly contributions, especially as it discusses the impact of leverage rate, gross domestic product rate, and return on equity in the context of the entire banking systems of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. The study is limited to a six-year period from 2016 to 2021. Empirical evidence based on the application of a model suggests that both countries resulted in different correlations between countries. Modelling was done to determine the relationship between the independent variables LR, GDP Growth, ROE, and effect on CAR. In addition, the capital adequacy ratio proves to be more and more important for banks.

The main goal of this research is to evaluate the returns and risks of the following types of assets: Bitcoin, EUR Stoxx 50, gold, bonds: government bonds ICE Bof A 1-10 Year excluding Italy and Greece and the corporate bond index ICEB of A 1-10 Year AA. The paper tested a total of ten portfolios according to different scenarios for digital and financial assets. Also, in the paper, greater measures of risk and return were calculated with the aim of forming an optimal portfolio with minimal risk. The results of this research revealed that the correlation between Bitcoin and other forms of financial assets is generally low and negative, which can be a good instrument for portfolio diversification, and positively affect portfolio performance. Also, the results of this study showed that in terms of volatility and return measure of a total of ten portfolios, the second portfolio (whose structure consists of Bitcoin, Euro Stoxx 50, gold, government bonds ICE Bof A 1-10 Year - excluding Italy and Greece and the corporate index bond ICEBof A 1-10 Year AA) is the most optimal portfolio. The findings of this research can serve in risk and loss assessments of portfolio managers, investors, and regulators.

Capacity discharge percussion welding is nonconventional welding process where heat source is an electric arc obtained by discharging of capacitor bank. The arching time is very short, around 10 ms, and depends on a few parameters such as: capacity of capacitor bank, voltage, movement speed of welded pieces during welding. During arching a certain amount of material is melted and after that squeezed out by applied force used in welding process. Quantity of squeezed material depends upon heat input, intensity of the force pressing the wires during welding and many other parameters. Mechanical properties of welded joints depend on welding parameters. In this paper is described the influence of capacity discharge percussion welding parameters on mechanical properties of welded joints.