In this study, the authors summarize the current knowledge on epidemiology, demographics, risk factors, and prognostic factors that influence outcomes in patients with adult Chiari malformation type I (CM-I) who underwent posterior fossa decompression surgery with duraplasty. Furthermore, they describe the contribution of their research group to the field of adult CM-I treatment, including association of increased body mass index with severity of CM-I and syringomyelia, relevant surgical anatomy, and surgical technique of 270° microsurgical decompression of foramen magnum. The authors also report on common complications in the literature and describe techniques for prevention of complications.

Background Spontaneous sternal fracture is an extremely rare cause of chest pain during or after childbirth. To date, only three cases of sternal fracture during childbirth have been reported. This case report represents the first documented case of spontaneous sternal fracture among multiparous women. Case Description A 33-year-old multiparous woman with an uncomplicated medical history is described, who delivered a healthy fourth infant vaginally at 41 weeks of pregnancy. After the previous three deliveries, each child had been breastfed for more than a year, and the third delivery was eight months before conception, and she breastfed until 3 months of pregnancy. During the final stage of labor, while performing the Valsalva maneuver in the lithotomy position, she felt a sharp, severe chest pain. Postpartum work-up included cardioselective enzymes that were within reference values, and radiological work-up confirmed a non-displaced sternal fracture, which was treated conservatively with symptomatic therapy, with complete recovery after 6 weeks. Conclusions This case report suggests the need to consider sternal fracture as a differential diagnostic consideration in women who experience chest pain during or immediately after delivery. Changes in metabolism, especially calcium metabolism during pregnancy and lactation, can result in transient osteopenia and, with increased mechanical stress, cause bone fracture. Special attention should be paid to patients who breastfed immediately before conception or who breastfeed during pregnancy, to vitamin and mineral replacement therapy, adequate nutrition, and physical activity. Timely diagnosis of sternal fracture can significantly reduce the need for expensive and invasive diagnostic tests. Further research is needed on osteopenia in pregnant women, especially multiparous women who are breastfeeding immediately before conception or during pregnancy.

Abstract Orevactaene yellow pigment was produced by solid-state fermentation of broken rice using Epicoccum nigrum. The pigment was extracted using water as a solvent and subjected to stability studies at different temperatures (30, 40, 60, and 80°C), pH (4, 6, and 8), sterilization, and sunlight exposure treatment. The observed data were fitted in the first-order kinetic model. Yellow pigment stability was found to vary at different temperatures studied. At 30°C, only a 4% decrease in color intensity was observed after 2 h; at 40°C, an 8% decrease was observed, and at 80°C and pH 6.0, 17% of color intensity was lost. These results showed that the orevactaene pigment produced by E. nigrum is heat-sensitive and changes in color intensity should be expected in heat-processed products. After 180 min at 80°C, yellow pigments maintained 82 and 76% of the initial color at pH 6 and 8, while a 65% decrease in color intensity was observed at 80°C, pH 4. Autoclaving resulted in 69% decay and exposure of pigment to sunlight for 2 h showed 1% decay. The half-life period of the pigment at different temperatures varied from 82.5 to 5.25 h. The decimal reduction time decreased from 275 to 17.5 h with an increase in the temperature. Thermodynamic parameters for pigment decay at pH 6.0 were represented in terms of enthalpy ∆H, activation energy E a, free energy ∆G, and entropy ∆S. The values observed were 44.52–44.93, 48.48, 96.60–105.18 kJ/mol, and −170.50 to −171.85 J/mol/K, respectively. All these parameters help in predicting the quality changes in terms of appearance during thermal processing and optimizing the process.

ITk detector, the new ATLAS tracking system at High Luminosity LHC, will be equipped with 3D pixel sensor modules in the innermost layer (L0). The pixel cell dimensions will be either 25 × 100 μm2 (barrel) or 50 × 50 μm2 (endcap), with one read-out electrode at the centre of a pixel and four bias electrodes at the corners. Sensors from pre-production wafers (50 × 50 μm2) produced by FBK have been bump bonded to ITkPixV1.1 chips at IZM. Bare modules have been assembled in Genoa on Single Chip Cards and characterized in laboratory and on beam.

The paper discusses the relationship between assessment in teaching English as a foreign language and students’ competencies. The data collected by this research show that, in recent times, teachers and students are becoming aware that learning based only on the acquisition of facts will not adequately respond to the challenges they will face in the future. An environment in which the learning outcomes are transparently and directly linked to the students’ competencies enables them to take responsibility for their progress, not only during the official period of schooling but also during lifelong learning, which is very important. With this approach, learning outcomes and their connection with the necessary competencies to achieve learning outcomes become the basis for redefining qualifications and curricula in general and professional education. The transparent connection of learning outcomes and necessary competencies to achieve learning outcomes, as well as the shift of focus from teachers to students, enables students to find their way of improving competencies and taking responsibility for their learning. Learning outcomes are best understood by viewing them as a series of valuable processes and opportunities that can be applied in different ways in different areas of teaching and learning. The emphasis is on defining the learning outcomes so that we use the students’ experience and pay less attention to the content of the subjects of a specific curriculum. The data from this research indicate that learning outcomes impact assessment if they are adequately linked to competencies. Students can monitor their progress and take responsibility for it. The primary outcome of this research is that assessment aligned with progress in students’ competencies and their connection to learning outcomes will certainly improve learning.

The authors present an economic evaluation and justification of the "expanding existing production of apples" on the example of integrated production family farm. As a starting point assumption was stated that the farm wants to expand the existing production of integrated production, and that the economy has its own cold storage and basic resources for organic and integrated production. The authors have presented calculations of static and dynamic evaluation of the project, along with economic performance indicators, based on which the owner of the farm can make a decision on the justification of the investment project. The planned production of apples is expected, alongside with growing the integrated production system in any way environmentally. Selected variety is Golden Delicious. 

This paper presents research on the pivotal role of tour attendants in group travels and their impact on the quality of tourist experiences. The primary objective is to explore how tourists' expectations and preferences regarding tour attendants influence their experiences during such journeys. Conducted through an online questionnaire, the study surveyed 715 respondents across various age groups to analyze travelers' perspectives on the role of tour attendants, their expectations during tours, and the factors shaping travel experiences. The findings underscore the significance of tour attendants in curating high-quality experiences, highlighting the crucial need for relevant information dissemination and the proactive involvement of tour attendants in enhancing these experiences.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) possesses abundant resources that offer favorable opportunities for the development of health tourism. However, these resources are currently underutilized, with the majority of health tourism services being provided through thermal spa centers. Hence, the objective of this research was to analyze user satisfaction with six thermal spa centers located in Bosnia and Herzegovina. User ratings on the Booking.com platform were employed as a measure of satisfaction. These centers utilize Booking.com as a global promotion and booking tool, allowing users worldwide to access their services. To determine the highest-rated thermal spa centers, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods were applied. Specifically, the Entropy method was used to assign weights to different criteria, while the CRADIS (Compromise Ranking of Alternatives from Distance to Ideal Solution) method facilitated the ranking of terms based on their ratings. The analysis revealed that Terme Ozren and Terme Laktaši achieved the highest user satisfaction ratings. These findings emphasize the importance of continuous improvement of user satisfaction for all facilities offering tourist services, including thermal spa centers. User ratings on the Booking.com platform can serve as valuable guidance and feedback to enhance the quality of services.

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