There are now several initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of cement production, such as the use of alternative binders for clinker. However, reducing the carbon emissions of the cement sector will only be possible when design optimization is combined with other measures. The construction industry is reluctant to reduce the cement content of concrete mixes and is not encouraged to use performance-based design for concrete. In most cases, these steps will negate the benefits of using alternative binders in concrete. The objective of this paper is to investigate the effects of lowering the cement content and additionally substituting part of the cement on the mechanical properties and durability of concrete. The reference mix was taken from a real bridge recently built in Croatia, and the alternative combination was prepared with a reduced cement content of 22%. All mixes were evaluated based on their mechanical strength and resistance to chloride penetration. The carbon footprint of each mix was also studied. The study concluded that the alternative mix with lower cement content had comparable durability and a significantly lower carbon footprint, meaning that the alternative mix proved to be a more sustainable option.

Throughout their service life, concrete structures are exposed to various environmental conditions that affect their durability. The cementitious matrix inevitably comes into contact with air, which leads to a progressive carbonation reaction. As a result of carbonation, changes occur in the microstructure and porosity of the cementitious matrix. Calcium aluminate cement is produced to increase the resistance of composites to aggressive environments, but its application is limited by the occurrence of conversion process. The addition of slag inhibits the conversion process of calcium aluminate cement and prevents a reduction in compressive strength due to the formation of C2ASH8 hydrate, while contributing to the net zero commitment of the cement industry. It remains an open question how these changes in microstructure caused by the addition of slag affect the carbonation rate of calcium aluminate cement-based concrete. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effects of slag on the microstructure and porosity of calcium aluminate-based concrete before and after accelerated carbonation. For this purpose, the mechanical properties, porosity, and reaction product of a concrete mix containing 30% calcium aluminate cement replacement by slag were compared to calcium aluminate cement-based concrete before and after exposure to 3% CO2 for 7 and 28 days. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) were tested to understand the changes in reaction products and pore size distribution, respectively.

Uvod: Ranije se smatralo da prestanak moždane funkcije nastaje zbog gubitka respiratorne i cirkulacijske funkcije i uistinu gubitak moždane aktivnosti se smatrao ključnom komponentom smrti. Razvojem aparata za održavanje u životu kao što su respiratori i aparati za potporu cirkulaciji, definicija smrti i moždane smrti se počela modifikovati. Korištenjem različitih dijagnostičkih metoda i upotrebom dodatnih testova, došlo je do novih saznanja i do povećanog interesovanja u dijagnostici moždane smrti radi predviđanja ishoda bolesti ili eventualne transplantacije organa kod osoba sa utvrđenom moždanom smrti. Cilj: Utvrditi značaj kompjuterizirane tomografije (CT) kod potvrđivanja moždane smrti. Prikazati ulogu BA radioloških tehnologija u dijagnostici moždane smrti CT-om. Metode: Sistematska pretraga literature preko internet pretraživača PubMed. Uključeni su članci u kojima je pisano o moždanoj smrti, dokazivanju moždane smrti, te primjeni dijagnostičke CT-a, u periodu između januara 1996. i juna 2022. godine Rezultati: Pronađeno je 10 naučnih članaka koji su razmatrali moždanu smrt, dijagnostičke metode kod dokazivanja moždane smrti te primjenu i prednosti pojedinih metoda u dokazivanju moždane smrti. Zaključci: CT je metoda koja se koristi za potvrđivanje moždane smrti jer pokazuje izostanak opacifikacije kortikalnog segmenta srednje cerebralne arterije u obje hemisfere te odsustvo pojačanja unutrašnjiih vena koji se ujedno smatraju i najboljim CT kriterijem kod moždane smrti.

Evidence-based Clinical Guidelines (CGs) for Good Clinical Practice (GCP) have emerged to synthesize and systematize a wealth of knowledge from scientific journals that health professionals have been unable to follow. Today, the COVID 19 pandemic requires them more than ever. CGs are defined as a set of systematized claims, based on a systematic analysis of scientific evidence, that point to the performance of GCP; contain an assessment of the usefulness and harmfulness of various diagnostic and therapeutic options. "The Good": CG is necessary for health professionals, patients and society, because the knowledge gained in studies is insufficient to perform GCP in further practice. "The Bad": The shortcomings of the CG stem from; (a) there are still many unknowns in medicine, as funding for scientific research is inadequate; (b) the disunity of different institutions that make recommendations at the global, even local level results in different guidelines, although they are based on identical scientific papers as evidence; (c) most clinical scientific studies exclude groups of patients that make up a significant population in everyday practice and the guidelines more or less (do not) apply to them; (d) the impossibility of implementing the CG, because they are not backed by state regulatory bodies and / or the economy cannot follow them. "The Ugly": (a) the ambition of a large number of practitioners and researchers to be among the authors of the guidelines, although many do not have competence for the subject matter; (b) industry (equipment, drugs, supplements) most often funds scientific research and the interdependence of industry and the "dependence" of the authors of guidelines is often intertwined; and (c) publishing (un) intentionally falsified study results which then serve to "support" some guidelines. often in (un) intentional alliance with the editors of the world's elite medical journals.

Background: HIV-positive patients may present lung infections differently, which may hinder differential diagnoses and the choice of treatment in the course of COVID-19, especially in countries with limited access to high standard healthcare. Here we aim to investigate the association between radiological changes and poor COVID-19 outcomes among HIV-positive patients from Central and Eastern Europe. Methods: Since November 2020, the Euroguidelines in Central and Eastern Europe Network Group started collecting observational data on HIV and COVID-19 co-infections. In total, 16 countries from Central and Eastern European submitted data (eCRF) on 557 HIV-positive patients. The current analyses included patients who had a radiological examination performed. Logistic regression models were used to identify the factors associated with death, ICU admission, and partial recovery (poor COVID-19 outcomes). Factors that were significant in the univariate models (p<0.1) were included in multivariate model. Results: Radiological data were available for 224 (40.2%) patients, 108 (48.2%) had computed tomography, and 116 (51.8%) had a chest X-ray. Of these, 211 (94.2%) were diagnosed using RT-PCR tests, 212 (94.6%) were symptomatic, 123 (55.6%) were hospitalized, 37 (16.6%) required oxygen therapy, and 28 (13.1%) either died, were admitted to ICU, or only partially recovered. From the radiologist’s description, 138 (61.6%) patients had typical radiological changes, 18 (8.0%) atypical changes, and 68 (30.4%) no changes. In the univariate models, CD4 count (OR=0.86 [95% CI: 0.76–0.98]), having a comorbidity (2.33 [1.43–3.80]), HCV and/or HBV co-infection (3.17 [1.32–7.60]), being currently employed (0.31 [0.13–0.70]), being on antiretroviral therapy (0.22 [0.08–0.63]), and having typical (3.90 [1.12–13.65]) or atypical (10.8 [2.23–52.5]) radiological changes were all significantly associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes. In the multivariate model, being on antiretroviral therapy (OR=0.20 [95% CI:0.05–0.80]) decreased the odds of poor COVID-19 outcomes;while having a comorbidity (2.12 [1.20–3.72]), or either typical (4.23 [1.05–17.0]) or atypical (6.39 [1.03–39.7]) radiological changes (vs no changes) increased the odds of poor COVID-19 outcomes. Conclusions: Among HIV patients diagnosed with symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, the presence of either typical or atypical radiological COVID-19 changes independently predicted poorer outcomes.

The research affirms the meaning and importance of solfeggio as one of the basic areas in the process of music education, and how much does the understanding of its conception affect the overall attitude about its potential and perspectives in the field of music pedagogy. For research purpose, a questionnaire was created aimed at the subjective assessment of respondents about the success of the continuous implementation of online solfeggio classes. Results indicate that online solfeggio classes have their advantages but also various serious issues. The most notable emerging problems are related to the conducting of basic forms of work which require an environment where students can engage with their peers and teacher in a face-to-face setting. Solfeggio classes are based on intensive interaction and many methodical procedures can be successfully performed only in group work and direct communication because the basic disposition of solfeggio teaching is in the classroom.

With the advent of novel 2D materials and their rich optical and electronic properties, nonlinear interactions in these systems are receiving great attention due to the scalability potential and production of nanoscale nonlinear devices for applications in frequency conversion devices, advanced laser systems and quantum technologies research and applications.

The paper lists the major projects of international financial organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) after signing the Dayton Peace Agreement to explore the role of international financial organizations in post-Dayton BiH. It discusses the specific contribution and the role of these organizations in functioning of BiH, including financial assistance, credit means, various funds and projects, which have been supposed to lead to the stable functioning of BiH after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement. The paper explains the role and attentiveness of the Monetary Board in BiH with a focus on its impact on implementation of the international projects. The research question is: “From which sources did the largest funds in BiH come in the period from 1996 to 2020 and how were they related to GDP?”. The paper is based on publicly available data from international financial institutions and the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH. The results show that about 71.45 billion dollars entered BiH from international financial institutions through donations, grants, loans, and other various types of assistance. But the funded projects did not have the same priorities every year and in every area. In addition, international funds were used to finance numerous projects aimed at economic recovery and economic development. In the last few years, there

The traditional concept of drug discovery is based on the occupancy-driven pharmacology model. It implies the development of inhibitors occupying binding sites that directly affect protein functions. Therefore, proteins that do not have such binding sites are generally considered as pharmacologically intractable. Furthermore, drugs that act in this way must be administered in dosage regimens that often result in high systemic drug exposures in order to maintain sufficient protein inhibition. Thus, there is a risk of off-target binding and side effects onset. The landscape of drug discovery has been markedly changed since PROTAC (PROteolysis TArgeting Chimera) molecules emerged twenty years ago as a part of event-driven pharmacology model. These are bifunctional molecules that harness the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and are composed of a ligand that binds protein of interest (POI), a ligand that recruits E3 ubiquitin ligase and a linker that connects these two parts. Pharmacologically, PROTAC s bring POI and E3 ubiquitin ligase into the close proximity, which triggers the formation of a functional ternary complex POI-PROTAC -E3 ubiquitin ligase. This event drives POI polyubiquitination and subsequent degradation by the 26S proteasome. The development and exceptional properties of PROTAC molecules that brought them to clinical studies will be discussed in this paper.

The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic are important and relevant for sustainable development. The aim of this chapter is to review the existing model of economic development, because the COVID-19 pandemic has called into question the effects of structural changes in the economy and manufacturing industry in Serbia. The main contribution of this chapter is the review of development results which show that Serbia is in the process of economic recovery, but that it has not yet embarked on the path of sustainable economic development due to numerous structural problems. Serbia has experience with unsustainable economic development, and this is a strong argument in favor of sustainable concept implementation. In addition, this chapter provides empirical research on structural and technological changes. The obtained results can be used by economic and industrial policy makers to influence the consequences of COVID-19 and to avoid the slowdown of structural reforms. There will be numerous economic, environmental, social, and especially health challenges whose solutions must be sustainable.

For applications as an engineering material, the ability to design properties is of special importance, ie. structuring materials that can be achieved on several levels and in different ways. One of the goals of this research is the development of procedures that would enable the production of silicone polymer nets with improved mechanical, elastic and thermal properties. These materials mainly relate to the dimethylsiloxane structure, which is known for its biocompatibility, in polymeric states. FTIR spectroscopy was used to confirm the presumed mechanism of the siloxane crosslinking reaction. The aim was to further elucidate the mechanism of interaction of silicone materials based on the obtained results of the analysis of mechanical properties of silicone nanocomposites.

The problems of traffic safety and the profession of traffic safety are universal problems that require constant strengthening of the system of education and innovation both in syllabuses and in technologies and techniques applied in the field of traffic safety. The purpose of the innovative approach to the education program is to educate undergraduate and graduate students in the field of traffic safety, in accordance with the needs of society, which should provide an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach to safety of all road users, technical solutions and social response to traffic accidents. Traffic safety problems are complex problems, which is why the competencies and skills acquired by engineers should provide knowledge and a deeper understanding of risk while strengthening the applied and practical skills. Innovative study programs must have a common basis for all directions, with a deep knowledge of mathematics, physics and mechanics with an emphasis on a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to the use of engineering in improving traffic safety.