The paper aimed to examine if the mechanical characteristics (tensile strength, elongation, and friction) of the selected flexible packaging materials (BOPP and PET/PE) change after the packaging process. Some researchers have shown that mechanical characteristics can change because of the various effects to which foils are exposed (temperature, transport devices, solvents, etc.). The measurement of tensile strength and elongation was carried out according to SRPS G.S2.734, and the measurement of friction according to ASTM D 1894. The results show that there were no significant changes in the examined mechanical characteristics that could affect the functionality of the packaging.

Various toxic heavy metals have become hazardous to human health as well as the environment. This research has been focused on a biosorption/bio-removal process of chromium (III), copper (II) and lead (II) ions from an aqueous solution by utilizing lignocellulosic biomass of Citrus limon peel (CLP) powder. CLP powder biomass was selected based on dietary fibre components having greater potential to remove target heavy metal ions in order to purify wastewater by following the eco-friendly biosorption method. At optimum conditions, the observed maximum removal efficiency of 97.47, 87.13 and 95.71% for Cr, Cu and Pb ions, respectively, was observed. An investigation has been made as a work of pH, CLP amount and temperature. The presented bio-removal processes by prepared CLP biosorbent manifested as a temperature-independent. Langmuir isotherm model was found an excellent fit of the isotherm data for tested systems with the calculated biosorption capacities of 111.11 (Cr), 76.92 (Cu) and 100.00 (Pb) mg/g. The positive ΔH values for selected target heavy metal ions, except lead ions, confirmed that the reaction was spontaneous and endothermic. A cooperative mechanism of second-order and intraparticle diffusion models during the adsorption processes of all three target ions was established with a higher coefficient of determination and more closely anticipated take-up (adsorption capacity). Furthermore, the interaction of -OH and -COOH functional groups of CLP that have a major role in the removal of Cr, Cu and Pb ions from single-ion aqueous solution and/or a surface biosorption was confirmed based on the results presented by SEM-EDS and FTIR analysis. Analysis from XRD revealed peak corresponding to amorphous cellulose type I as observed by FT-IR analysis.

Mobility is a key aspect of modern networking systems. To determine how to better manage the available resources, many architectures aim to a priori know the future positions of mobile nodes. This can be determined, for example, from mobile sensors in a smart city environment or wearable devices carried by pedestrians. If we consider infrastructure networks, frequently changing the coverage cell may lead to service disruptions if a predictive approach is not deployed in the system. All predictive systems are based on the storage of old mobility samples to adequately train the model. Our focus is based on the possibility to determine an approach for adaptively sampling mobility patterns based on the intrinsic features of the human/node behavior. Several works in the literature examine mobility prediction mobile networks, but all of them are dedicated to the study of time features in mobility traces: none took into account the spectral content of historical mobility patterns for predictive purposes. In contrast, we take into account this spectral content in mobility samples. Through a set of wavelet transforms, we adapted the sampling frequency dynamically and obtained a considerable set of advantages (space, energy, accuracy, etc.). In fact, this issue covers an important role in the IoT paradigm, where energy consumption is one of the main variables requiring optimization (frequent and unnecessary mobility samplings can disrupt battery life). We performed several simulations using real-world traces to confirm the merit of our proposal.

Analysis of mechanical stability for external fixation device Orthofix in the case of anterior-posterior bending is carried out in this paper. Device is applied to the lower leg for the case of unstable fracture. Real device is mea sured and 3D CAD model is developed. CAD model is used for numerical structural stress analysis which is car ried out using CATIA V5 software. Results for displacements are obtained for selected critical places on the device and for the place of fracture. In addition, values of principal and von Misses stresses are obtained and analyzed. Using obtained results, conclusions about mechanical stability of device are formulated.

The paper analyzes the stiffness of the Orthofix external fixation system at axial pressure load, applied to the lower leg in case of an unstable fracture. Based on the actual construction of the Orthofix fixator, its 3D model was formed, and then a structural analysis was performed in the CATIA V5 software system. The aim of this paper is to investigate the mechanical properties of Orthofix fixator. FEM analysis of the fixator revealed displacements at characteristic points of the structure and fractures. During the FEM analysis, it is possible to change the load values, all with the aim of obtaining the best possible information about the behavior of the fixator during installation and use by the patient. Based on the results obtained from the FEM analysis, it can be concluded that the Orthofix fixative shows very good stiffness, but also that it can be improved by using newer materials, such as composite or some alloys of titanium and aluminum.

Background: Tahyna orthobunyavirus (TAHV) is widely distributed in continental Europe. Very few studies have analyzed TAHV seroprevalence in Croatia. We analyzed the prevalence of TAHV RNA and antibodies in Croatian patients with neuroinvasive disease (NID). Methods: A total of 218 patients with unsolved NID detected during five consecutive arbovirus transmission seasons (April 2017–October 2021) were tested. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and urine samples were tested for TAHV RNA using RT-PCR. In addition, CSF and serum samples were tested for TAHV antibodies using a virus neutralization test (VNT). Results: Clinical presentations in patients with NID were meningitis (141/64.7%), meningoencephalitis (56/25.7%), myelitis (8/3.7%), and ‘febrile headache’ (13/5.9%). TAHV RNA was not detected in any of the tested CSF or urine samples; however, TAHV-neutralizing (NT) antibodies were detected in 22/10.1% of patients. Detection of NT antibodies in the CSF of two patients presenting with meningitis suggested recent TAHV infection. TAHV seropositivity increased significantly with age, from 1.8% to 24.4%. There was no difference in seroprevalence between genders or areas of residence (urban, suburban/rural). The majority of seropositive patients (90.9%) resided in floodplains along the rivers in continental Croatia. Conclusions: The presented results confirm that TAHV is present in Croatia. The prevalence and clinical significance of TAHV infection in the Croatian population have yet to be determined.

BACKGROUND Liver X receptor alpha (LXRA) plays important role in cholesterol and lipid homeostasis and lipid metabolism; moreover, it has been investigated as a candidate gene in a number of conditions, including onset and progression of atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that the LXRA gene rs2279238 polymorphism may be associated with the onset and progression of carotid atherosclerosis in the Slovenian cohort. METHODS 783 unrelated Slovenian patients were included in this cross-sectional case-control study: 308 patients in the group of cases with severe internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis (> 75%) and 475 patients with hemodynamically insignificant ICA stenosis (<50%) in the control group. Medical records were used to acquire patient laboratory and clinical data. The TaqMan SNP Genotyping assay was used to genotype the rs2279238 polymorphism. RESULTS Between the case and control groups, we identified a statistically significant variation in genotype distribution (p=0.04), but not in allele frequency (p=0.13) of the LXRA gene polymorphism rs2279238. The results, also show that there is a statistically significant association (p=0.04) between the two genetic models (codominant and recessive) of the LXRA gene rs2279238 polymorphism and carotid atherosclerosis. CONCLUSION In the Slovenian cohort, we found a significant association between the TT genotype of rs2279238 and advanced carotid artery disease, suggesting that this polymorphism might be a genetic risk factor for ICA atherosclerosis.

1 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Education, University of Mostar, Matice hrvatske bb, 88 000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina; 2 Faculty of Agronomy and Food Technology, University of Mostar, Biskupa Čule bb, 88 000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina; 3 Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Technology, University of Split, Ruđera Boškovića 35, 21 000 Split, Croatia; E-mail: ante.prkic@ktf-split.hr