The book English in B&H: posh or casual? by Amna Brdarević-Čeljo and Vildana Dubravac makes a significant contribution to the sociolinguistic perspective on the status of English in the world and particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Introducing readers to a wide array of sociolinguistic topics, the authors focus on the variability of English among its users and the prevalent impact of two most prominent world Englishes, namely Standardised British and Standardised American English. The theoretical discussion is further strengthened by research into Bosnian EFL users’ and EL teachers’ preference for one or the other variety in different domains of language use. Taking into consideration both perspectives, the authors ultimately put forward practical suggestions as to how to approach variability and consistency in language education in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Background: Hypothyroidism occurs as a consequence of chronic autoimmune inflammation of the thyroid gland, which occurs due to the reduced function in the secretion of hormones FT3 and FT4 and requires replacement therapy for life. CoV-19 infection has shown many complications in all organic systems, during the acute phase of infection and in the post COVID period. Objectives: The aim of the study was a) to compare the frequency of patient visits for hypothyroidism and the average dose of levothyroxine in the SANASA polyclinic in the year before COVID pandemic, in the early 2019, with the frequency of patient visits during COVID infection in 2020 and 2021; b) to determine the incidence of hypothyroidism after the COVID 19 infection, the time of onset of hypothyroidism after acute phase of the disease, and the average dose of levothyroxine; and c) to monitor the incidence of subclinical hypothyroidism, which did not require substitution, before and after COVID 19 infection. Methods: In the SANASA polyclinic from the 2019 database we found 58 patients, at the age between 18-70 years, 53 women and 2 men with hypothyroidism and 2 female and 1 male patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. In 2020 there were a total of 89 patients, 73 women and 4 men with hypothyroidism, and 9 women and 3 men with subclinical hypothyroidism. In the 2021 there were 101 patients, 86 women and 7 men with hypothyroidism and 7 female and 1 male patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. Results: There was a significant difference in the number of patients with hypothyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism during 2020 and 2021 in relation to 2019. The average dose of levothyroxine per patient did not differ statistically, comparing all three years, as well as comparing those who were ill, compared to patients who did not have COVID-19. There were diagnoses of post COVID subclinical hypothyroidism in 2020, as in 2021, with an average time of diagnosis of 2 months after infection for clinical hypothyroidism and 8 weeks for subclinical hypothyroidism. Conclusion: CoV-19 infection adversely affects thyroid tissue causing clinical hypothyroidism, requiring levothyroxine substitution as well as subclinical hypothyroidism which should be monitored.

The Beijing, 2022 Olympics will be the second Games held amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the unique circumstances the 2022 Games face—the Omicron spread, high virus transmissibility in winters, and uncertainties about vaccine efficacy and future variants of concern, safety measures amid the Beijing, 2022 Games will be one of the most intricate among large international events held during the pandemic. To ensure athletes' health, safety, and ability to participate in the Games, the organizers have introduced the Olympic COVID-free “bubble” protection ecosystem, in which COVID-free athletes could stay and be protected from potential infections that could upend their Games plans, if not their career as well. However, while staying in the “bubble” is key for athletes' health and success, there is a lack of insights on factors that might prevent athletes from continuing their scheduled Olympic journey as scheduled. To shed light on the issue, based on Beijing, 2022 Olympic Playbooks and most up-to-date guidance issued, this article and its accompanying infographic were developed to illustrate factors that could influence athletes’ ability to join and stay in the “bubble”, participate in the Games, and further build their career. Furthermore, we also adapted and integrated easy-to-adopt mental health de-stress techniques recommended by the World Health Organization to help athletes better thrive amid the Beijing, 2022 Winter Olympics, in or outside of the “bubble”.

Within the immune system, microRNAs (miRNAs) exert key regulatory functions. However, what are the mRNA targets regulated by miRNAs and how miRNAs are transcriptionally regulated themselves remain for the most part unknown. We found that in primary human memory T helper lymphocytes, miR-150 was the most abundantly expressed miRNA, and its expression decreased drastically upon activation, suggesting regulatory roles. Constitutive MIR150 gene expression required the RFX family of transcription factors, and its activation-induced down-regulation was linked to their reduced expression. By performing miRNA pull-down and sequencing experiments, we identified PDGFA-associated protein 1 (PDAP1) as one main target of miR-150 in human T lymphocytes. PDAP1 acted as an RNA-binding protein (RBP), and its CRISPR/Cas-9–mediated deletion revealed that it prominently contributed to the regulation of T-cell proliferation. Overall, using an integrated approach involving quantitative analysis, unbiased genomics, and genome editing, we identified RFX factors, miR-150, and the PDAP1 RBP as the components of a regulatory axis that restrains proliferation of primary human T lymphocytes.

A clear margin is an important prognostic factor for most solid tumours treated by surgery. Intraoperative fluorescence imaging using exogenous tumour-specific fluorescent agents has shown particular benefit in improving complete resection of tumour tissue. However, signal processing for fluorescence imaging is complex, and fluorescence signal intensity does not always perfectly correlate with tumour location. Raman spectroscopy has the capacity to accurately differentiate between malignant and healthy tissue based on their molecular composition. In Raman spectroscopy, specificity is uniquely high, but signal intensity is weak and Raman measurements are mainly performed in a point-wise manner on microscopic tissue volumes, making whole-field assessment temporally unfeasible. In this review, we describe the state-of-the-art of both optical techniques, paying special attention to the combined intraoperative application of fluorescence imaging and Raman spectroscopy in current clinical research. We demonstrate how these techniques are complementary and address the technical challenges that have traditionally led them to be considered mutually exclusive for clinical implementation. Finally, we present a novel strategy that exploits the optimal characteristics of both modalities to facilitate resection with clear surgical margins.

With the immense opportunities to make a communication network programmable, the virtualization of network functions and software defined networking are gaining momentum in both industry and research circles, being a fundamental skill-set for both electrical engineers and computer scientists. Therefore, in this article, we present and evaluate the educational framework for Service Function Chaining (SFC) practical teaching to undergraduate students aiming to prepare them for future Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and communication networks market that will demand skillful professionals in the domain. The educational framework was designed for the Network Management course at the University of Antwerp, with the goal to bridge the gap between network programmability concepts applied in industry and those taught at the University. We evaluate the educational framework with two extensive surveys as a feedback from students that provided us with the opportunity to measure and quantify students’ experience and satisfaction with the framework. In particular, based on the challenging environment imposed by COVID-19, we identify the gaps in this educational framework and address improvements for both theoretical and practical components according to the students’ needs. Our educational framework and the thorough evaluation serve as a useful guideline on how to modernize the engineering courses and keep up with the pace of technology.

Aim Chromosome translocations are considered as one of the most severe forms of genome defects. Because of the clinical significance of chromosome translocations and scarce data on the incidence of sporadic translocations in population of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we aimed to report sporadic translocation frequencies in samples karyotyped in our laboratory. Methods The study group consisted of 108 samples. Whole blood was cultivated in complete medium for 72 hours with the thymidine application at 48th hour to synchronize the cell culture. Metaphases were arrested by colcemid 60 minutes before harvesting. Following hypotonic treatment, cells were fixed and cell suspension was dropped on coded slides. Dried slides were subjected to conventional GTG (G-banding with trypsin-Giemsa) banding and analyzed under 1000x magnification in the accordance with ISCN (International System for Human Cytogenetic Nomenclature) and E.C.A. Cytogenetic Guidelines and Quality Assurance. Results The incidence of all detected sporadic translocations was 27.81 x 10-4 per metaphase. The incidence of sporadic translocations involving chromosomes 7 and 14, being considered as the most frequent sporadic translocations of the human karyotype in phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) stimulated lymphocytes, was 15.89 x 10-4 per metaphase. The most frequent breakpoints were 7p21, 14q11 and 14q21. Other detected sporadic translocation breakpoints were: 1q25, 3p22, 7p13, 7q11.22, 7q33, 14q23 and 19q13.4. Conclusion Higher incidence of sporadic translocations compared to the similar studies was registered. Since potential explanations for this issue are smaller sample size and higher exposure of examined population to genotoxic agents, further monitoring of sporadic translocation incidences is recommended.

The use of wood in outdoor conditions is of great importance for the service life of wood, and the process of thermal modification (TM) directly affects the effective value of wood products. This paper presents theoretical and experimental studies of the parameters influencing TM of wood on the changes of its physical and mechanical properties. Experimental studies were performed on thermally modified wood samples for different values of the influential parameters of thermal modification: T (°C), t (h) and ρ (g·cm–3), while the tensile strength was obtained as the output parameter. The obtained experimental data were stochastically modelled and compared with the model obtained by genetic programming. The optimization of processing parameters was performed by classical mathematical analysis and compared with the results obtained by optimization with genetic algorithm. The results of the optimal design parameters obtained by different approaches to optimization were compared and based on that the analysis of the characteristics of the presented techniques was conducted.

High relationships between muscle strength and various forms of jumps are usually based on the research samples of professional athletes or students of sports and physical education. However such studies are less known in the case of recreational women. This study aimed to determine the relationship between isokinetic parameters of knee joint muscle strength with the efficiency of performing vertical jumps. The sample represents a group of 16 healthy and physically active women (age=31.04±3.71; height 168.13±8.34; weight 59.80±9.80). Knee extensors and flexors were evaluated by using an isokinetic dynamometer, while the two-foot vertical jump performance was measured using the Opto Jump System. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to determine correlation magnitude (p<.05). The obtained results indicated high correlations of the knee extension peak torque dominant leg (KEPT D), knee extension peak torque non-dominant leg (KEPT ND) and knee flexion peak torque non-dominant leg (KFPT ND) with counter movement jump free arms (CMJFA) (r=.525; r=.511; r=.594; p<.05). High correlations was also indicated between KFPT ND with counter movement jump (CMJ) (r=.514; p<.05). Given that these are recreational women, we can assume that the countermovement free arm jump type was the most natural form of expressing their explosive potential. It is certainly important that future studies further examine the relationships between muscle strength and performance of primary and specific motor tasks in recreational women.

Abstract Gait abnormalities are typically derived from neurological conditions or orthopaedic problems and can cause severe consequences such as limited mobility and falls. Gait analysis plays a crucial role in monitoring gait abnormalities and discovering underlying deficits can help develop rehabilitation programs. Contemporary gait analysis requires a multi-modal gait analysis approach where spatio-temporal, kinematic and muscle activation gait characteristics are investigated. Additionally, protocols for gait analysis are going beyond labs/clinics to provide more habitual insights, uncovering underlying reasons for limited mobility and falls during daily activities. Wearables are the most prominent technology that are reliable and allow multi-modal gait analysis beyond the labs/clinics for extended periods. There are established wearable-based algorithms for extracting informative gait characteristics and interpretation. This paper proposes a multi-layer fusion framework with sensor, data and gait characteristics. The wearable sensors consist of four units (inertial and electromyography, EMG) attached to both legs (shanks and thighs) and surface electrodes placed on four muscle groups. Inertial and EMG data are interpreted by numerous validated algorithms to extract gait characteristics in different environments. This paper also includes a pilot study to test the proposed fusion approach in a small cohort of stroke survivors. Experimental results in various terrains show healthy participants experienced the highest pace and variability along with slightly increased knee flexion angles (≈1°) and decreased overall muscle activation level during outdoor walking compared to indoor, incline walking activities. Stroke survivors experienced slightly increased pace, asymmetry, and knee flexion angles (≈4°) during outdoor walking compared to indoor. A multi-modal approach through a sensor, data and gait characteristic fusion presents a more holistic gait assessment process to identify changes in different testing environments. The utilisation of the fusion approach presented here warrants further investigation in those with neurological conditions, which could significantly contribute to the current understanding of impaired gait.