The ginger family (Zingiberaceae) includes plants that are known worldwide to have a distinctive smell and taste, which are often used as spices in the kitchen, but also in various industries (pharmaceutical, medical, and cosmetic) due to their proven biological activity. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the chemical composition and antioxidant activity (AA) of essential oils (EOs) of four characteristic ginger species: Elettaria cardamomum L. Maton (cardamom), Curcuma Longa L. (turmeric), Zingiber Officinale Roscoe (ginger), and Alpinia Officinarum Hance (galangal). Furthermore, the total phenolic content (TPC) and AA of crude extracts obtained after using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and different extraction solvents (80% ethanol, 80% methanol and water) were evaluated. A total of 87 different chemical components were determined by GC-MS/MS in the EOs obtained after hydrodistillation, 14 of which were identified in varying amounts in all EOs. The major compounds found in cardamom, turmeric, ginger, and galangal were α-terpinyl acetate (40.70%), β-turmerone (25.77%), α-zingiberene (22.69%) and 1,8-cineol (42.71%), respectively. In general, 80% ethanol was found to be the most effective extracting solvent for the bioactivities of the investigated species from the Zingiberaceae family. Among the crude extracts, ethanolic extract of galangal showed the highest TPC value (63.01 ± 1.06 mg GA g−1 DW), while the lowest TPC content was found in cardamom water extract (1.04 ± 0.29 mg GA g−1 DW). The AA evaluated by two different assays (ferric-reducing antioxidant power-FRAP and the scavenging activity of the cationic ABTS radical) proved that galangal rhizome is the plant with the highest antioxidant potential. In addition, no statistical difference was found between the AA of turmeric and ginger extracts, while cardamom rhizome was again inferior. In contrast to the crude extracts, the EOs resulted in significantly lower ABTS and FRAP values, with turmeric EO showing the highest AA.

Pyrrhalta viburni (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a chrysomelid native to Eurasia. It gained importance as an invasive species in North America due to its ability to cause serious damage to native and ornamental Viburnum spp. plants. In our study Pyrrhalta viburni was recorded as a new record in the fauna of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has been recorded on four locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the region of Sarajevo. As it is feeding on Viburnum spp. that are commonly used as ornamental plants, its monitoring in urban and other habitats is suggested.

A company that handles natural resources such as forests is a complex economic entity. In addition to economic performance at annual level, the biological component of sustainable forest management should also be considered. It is therefore extremely important to achieve efficient business performance. Financial analysis is a process of determining important business and financial characteristics of a company from accounting data. It is characterized by a wide use of financial reports and various financial indicators key figures. The paper presents business indicators of the main state-owned forest companies in selected countries of South East Europe (Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia) using the method of comparative analysis based on financial reports (such as balance sheet and income statement). In countries where there are more than one state-owned forest companies, they were selected according to their importance for forest management and business results (share of forests, number of employees, profit and annual felling). The research results show the revenue and expenditure of the selected companies and profitability indicators such as return on equity (ROE) and return on assets (ROA). According to the annual business reports for 2017 and 2018, the company Croatian Forests Ltd. has the highest number of employees (7787 in 2018). The highest ratio ROA (32.17) and ROE (39.82) were achieved in the Slovenian state forestry company in 2017, which was founded in 2016. For 2018, the best results are achieved in the Slovenian Forest Company (SiDG), while the weakest results are achieved in the State Forest Company in North Macedonia. The profit per employee decreased in 2018 for most companies, but most significantly in North Macedonia, where it was four times lower. On the basis of the comparative analysis presented, all companies have a positive cost-benefit ratio, but longterm planning of forest management should follow biological and economic regulations to be competitive on the free market.

Cilj istraživanja je usporediti rast provenijencija obične bukve, te utvrditi početak i završetak fenoloških faza listanja provenijencija obične bukve u međunarodnom testu provenijencija u Bosni i Hercegovini. Test obuhvaća osam provenijencija iz Bosne i Hercegovine, četiri iz Njemačke, tri iz Srbije, po dvije iz Hrvatske, Rumunije i Švicarske te jednu iz Mađarske (tablica 1). U proljeće 2017. godine mjerili smo visine i promjere vrata korijena biljaka u međunarodnom testu provenijencija. Također smo promatrali i bilježili pojavu fenoloških faza listanja kroz šest faza (slika 1): A – Spavajući pup; B – Pupovi izduženi, nabubreni, žućkasto-zelenkaste boje; C – Pupovi se počinju otvarati i vidi se prvo zelenilo; D – Počinju se javljati savijeni dlakavi listići; E – Listovi su odmotani, još lepezasti, prisutne blijede liske; F – Listovi su potpuno ­razvijeni, glatki i široki. Prosječna visina za sve provenijencije bila je 164,6 cm (tablica 2), a prosječan promjer vrata korjena 33,4 mm (tablica 5). Najmanju prosječnu visinu (104,2 cm) i promjer (22,6 mm) imala je provenijencija Alba - Iulia iz Rumunije (9664). Najveću prosječnu visinu (197,4 cm) i promjer (40,1 mm) imala je provenijencija Dilj Čaglinski iz Hrvatske (9624). Utvrdili smo razlike između provenijencija u pogledu pojavljivanja fenoloških faza listanja (tablica 8), kao i dužini trajanja faza (tablica 10). Faza B se najranije pojavila 31.3. kod provenijencija Grmeč Jasenica i Dinara iz Bosne i Hercegovine i Cer iz Srbije. Najkasnije se pojavila 8.5. kod provenijencija Herzogenbuchsee iz Švicarske i NS Hasbruch iz Njemačke. Fenofaza F najranije se pojavila 1.5. kod provenijencije Valkonya iz Mađarske. Analiza varijanse pokazala je da postoje statistički značajne razlike između provenijencija, kako u visini (tablica 3) i promjeru vrata korijena (tablica 6) tako i u dužini trajanja fenoloških faza (tablica 10). Biljke u međunarodnom testu provenijencija obične bukve su za vrijeme mjerenja bile stare 12 i 13 godina. Potrebno je vršiti daljnja mjerenja morfoloških svojstava kako bi se utvrdile tendencije rasta pojedinih provenijencija u idućim fazama razvoja. Također je potrebno promatrati fenološke faze kako bi se procijenili utjecaji genetske konstitucije i godišnje klime na fenološka kretanja. Rezultati ovog istraživanja poslužit će za odabir najboljih provenijencija po produktivnosti i otpornosti na kasne proljetne mrazeve.

Resumo: O leite Tipo C com teor de 3% de gordura vem de rebanhos diferentes e sua ordenha e mecânica ou manual, sendo entregue aos laticinios na temperatura ambiente, podendo ser propicio a um elevado teor de bacterias antes da pasteurizacao, com tudo e um leite com tempo de prateleira muita curta. O objetivo deste trabalho e avaliar as caracteristicas nutricionais do leite integral do tipo C, sendo comercializado no municipio de Vitoria da Conquista-BA, comparando os resultados nutricionais de cada leite tipo C, assim como o seu teor de gordura com 3% de acordo com a legislacao vigente. Foram analisados 5 tipos de leite Integra do tipo C, quanto a quantidade de gordura, carboidrato, valor energetico, sodio, calcio, o colesterol, fibras alimentares, alem dos ingredientes de cada leite integral tipo C.

Background and Objective: Although smoking and the physical activity level (PAL) are important determinants of health status in adolescence, there is a lack of information on the relationship between smoking and PAL in early adolescence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the gender-specific relationship between smoking and PAL in 14-to-16-year-old adolescents. Materials and Methods: The sample included 650 adolescents (337 girls, 14.7 ± 0.5 years at first testing wave) from Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the first testing wave, participants were tested using structured questionnaires. Second testing was commenced after approximately 20 months (16.4 ± 0.6 years). The variables were age, gender, socioeconomic status, living environment, cigarette smoking (predictors), and PAL (criterion). Predictors were measured at the first wave, and criterion at the first-wave and second-wave. Results: For girls, smoking was negatively correlated to PAL at the first-wave (OR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.55–0.95) and at the second-wave (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.71–0.96). No significant association between smoking and PAL was found for boys. Results suggest that adolescent boys and girls do not follow the equal trajectories when it comes to relationships between smoking and PAL. Conclusions: In developing promotional public health actions related to a decrease of smoking and increase of PAL, a gender-specific approach is highly recommended. Further studies analyzing the cause–effect relationship between consumption of other types of psychoactive substances and PAL in this age group are warranted.

The possibility for utilization of waste heat from processes in the food industry is presented in this paper. The need for reuse of waste heat comes from the fact that energy consumption in industrial companies is uneconomical and that environmental pollution has increased. Therefore, one of the method of reuse of waste heat that is applicable in industrial processes is presented in the paper. Potential primary energy savings is presented by implementing the waste heat recovery in the food factory. The paper presents a simplified solution proposal for installation of heat exchangers with the aim of utilizing the waste heat of the refrigerant. The results showed that by the implementation of simple heat recovery significant annual fuel energy savings can be achieved as well as fuel cost savings.

In the modern world of rapidly changing technologies, fiscal policy engagement is also needed to promote and adapt to these changes. In order to achieve economic growth, every country needs to ensure an adequate institutional environment and financial incentives for technological development. These investment incentives operate through tax system directly or indirectly. The aim of the paper is to assess the impact of Slovenia's endogenous economic growth factors on exports in the 2009–2016 period. A panel data analysis was applied to obtain empirical results. The analysis showed that a 1% real increase in government subsidies to the economy over three subsequent years increases real investment in research and development by 0.45%, and after a two-year period yields a 0.27% increase in employment of persons with higher education. The latter has a 0.14 % positive impact on the growth of exports after another three-year term. In addition to endogenous factors of economic growth in the Slovenian case, exports are also affected by the dynamics of real world trade, by the dynamics of exchange rates corrected for relative prices, and by the dynamics of wage rates.

Background Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) can develop lung squamous cell carcinoma (LuSCC), which could be the second primary tumor or HNSCC metastasis. Morphologically it is difficult to distinguish metastatic HNSCC from a second primary tumor which presents a significant diagnostic challenge. Differentiation of those two malignancies is important because the recommended treatments for metastatic HNSCC and primary LuSCC differ significantly. We investigated if the quantification of the promotor methylation status in HNSCC and LuSCC differs. Methods Primary HNSCC ( N  = 36) and LuSCC ( N  = 17) were included in this study. Methylation status in the ASC/TMS1/PYCARD (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain; 8 CpG sites) and MyD88 (Myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88; 10 CpG sites) promoters was analyzed. Bisulfite converted DNA, isolated from tumor tissue was quantified using pyrosequencing. Results of pyrosequencing analysis were expressed as a percentage for each tested CpG site. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used for the evaluation of the diagnostic properties of selected biomarkers. Results CpG sites located in the promoters of ASC/TMS1/PYCARD_CpG8 (− 65 upstream) and MyD88_CpG4 (− 278 upstream) are significantly hypermethylated in the HNSCC when compared with LuSCC ( p  ≤ 0.0001). By performing ROC curve analysis we showed that corresponding areas under the curve (AUC) were 85–95%, indicating that selected CpG sites are useful for a distinction between primary LuSCC and primary HNSCC. Conclusions Results of the present study indicate that there is a significant difference in the methylation status of tested genes between primary HNSCC and LuSCC. However, to prove this approach as a useful tool for distinguishing second primary LuSCC from HNSCC metastasis, it would be necessary to include a larger number of samples, and most importantly, metastatic samples.

Nowadays, the fast development of nanobiotechnology, has led to rapid diagnosis of important infectious diseases such as arboviruses-borne diseases, vector-borne infections and waterborne parasites diseases and others in order to reduce and avoid further dissemination of the infections within the general population. Furthermore, new nanomedicines based on the application of silver and gold nanoparticles which are less toxic, more effective, and that does not generate resistance could help to solve the problems of parasitic disease like leishmaniasis and chagas disease. It turns out that the combination of nanoparticles with antibiotics not only reduces the toxicity of both agents towards human cells but also enhances their ability to destroy bacteria by facilitating the binding of antibiotics to the microbes. Moreover, combining nanoparticles with antimicrobial peptides and essential oils with nanoparticles generates genuine synergy against microbial resistance.

Thymol is one of the most important phytochemical components because of its pharmacological and bioactive potential effects. This review focuses particularly on thymol as an alternative natural antiparasitic with potential use in the pharmaceutical industry. This is in line with the preferences of the natural products for treatment being safer and without side effects. The biosynthesis pathways of thymol and carvacrol have been discussed, and mechanism of action of thymol on parasites. Studies on thymol confirmed the activity of thymol as anti-parasite against anthelmintic, Trypanosoma ssp., Toxoplasma gondii, Leishmania spp., Plasmodium falciparum, Giardia duodenalis, Eimeria ssp., Cryptosporidium baileyi and Cryptosporidium galli.