Objective: Glutamate-induced excitotoxicity has a role in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders. Lamotrigine, an antiepileptic drug, also used to treat bipolar disorders, may be protective against excitotoxic insult. The aim of the study was to investigate the neuroprotective effect of lamotrigine against the glutamate excitotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cell line. Materials and Methods: SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells were pre-treated with lamotrigine (50-100-150 μM) prior to exposure to 15 mM glutamate. The 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol – 2-yl)-2,5 – diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was performed to determine cell viability. The anti-oxidant effect of lamotrigine and the role of inflammatory parameters were determined by measuring superoxide dismutase (SOD), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. Results: Intracellular calcium levels and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity increased in glutamate exposed cells. Pre-treatment of cells with MK-801 showed no protective features against glutamate excitotoxicity. Treatment with 100 μM lamotrigine was effective in increasing the viability of glutamate exposed cells and in reducing H2O2 increase in these cells. The SOD activity increased by lamotrigine treated cells exposed to glutamate. IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α levels increased after induction with glutamate and attenuated by lamotrigine. Conclusion: Overall, our results confirmed the critical role of inflammation and oxidative stress in glutamate-induced excitotoxicity and lamotrigine may exert a protective effect. Keywords: Lamotrigine, Glutamate excitotoxicity,

Bu calisma, panel VAR modelini kullanarak, 1995-2014 doneminde turist girisleri acisindan dunyanin en yuksek siralamasina sahip 10 ulke icin turizm, enerji tuketimi, ekonomik buyume ve CO2 emisyonlari arasindaki nedensel iliskileri arastirmaktadir. Bulgular, turizm ile kirletici yayim arasinda oldugu kadar enerji ile kirletici yayim arasinda cift yonlu bir nedensel baglanti oldugunu one surerken, sonuclar ekonomik buyumeden karbondioksit emisyonuna dogru tek yonlu bir nedensellik oldugunu gostermektedir. Ayni zamanda etki-tepki analizi, karbondioksit emisyonlarinin ekonomik buyume ve enerji tuketimindeki sarsintilara verdigi tepkilerinin on yillik donemde pozitif gorundugunu, turizmdeki sarsintilara tepkinin ise ilk dort yil icinde olumsuz gorundugunu, ancak besinci yilda dengeye dondugunu gostermektedir. Bu sonuc surdurulebilir turizmi destekleyen politika yapicilar icin buyuk onem tasiyabilir.

Sunscreens are emulsions of water and oil that contain filters capable of protecting against the detrimental effects of ultraviolet radiation (UV). The widespread use of cosmetic products based on nanoparticulate UV filters has increased concerns regarding their safety and compatibility with both the environment and human health. In the present work, we evaluated the effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticle (TiO2 NP)-based UV filters with three different surface coatings on the development and immunity of the sea urchin, Paracentrotus lividus. A wide range of NP concentrations was analyzed, corresponding to different levels of dilution starting from the original cosmetic dispersion. Variations in surface coating, concentration, particle shape, and pre-dispersant medium (i.e., water or oil) influenced the embryonic development without producing a relevant developmental impairment. The most common embryonic abnormalities were related to the skeletal growth and the presence of a few cells, which were presumably involved in the particle uptake. Adult P. lividus immune cells exposed to silica-coated TiO2 NP-based filters showed a broad metabolic plasticity based on the biosynthesis of metabolites that mediate inflammation, phagocytosis, and antioxidant response. The results presented here highlight the biosafety of the TiO2 NP-based UV filters toward sea urchin, and the importance of developing safer-by-design sunscreens.

As a response to the pandemic caused by SARSCov-2 virus, on 15 March, 2020, the Republic of Serbia introduced comprehensive anti-epidemic measures to curb COVID 19. After a slowdown in the epidemic, on 6 May, 2020, the regulatory authorities decided to relax the implemented measures. However, the epidemiological situation soon worsened again. As of 15 October, 2020, a total of 35,454 cases of SARSCov-2 infection have been reported in Serbia, including 770 deaths caused by COVID19. In order to better understand the epidemic dynamics and predict possible outcomes, we have developed a mathematical model SEIRDS (S-susceptible, E-exposed, I-infected, R-recovered, D-dead due to COVID19 infection, S-susceptible). When developing the model, we took into account the differences between different population strata, which can impact the disease dynamics and outcome. The model can be used to simulate various scenarios of the implemented intervention measures and calculate possible epidemic outcomes, including the necessary hospital capacities. Considering promising results regarding the development of a vaccine against COVID19, the model is enabled to simulate vaccination among different population strata. The findings from various simulation scenarios have shown that, with implementation of strict measures of contact reduction, it is possible to control COVID19 and reduce number of deaths. The findings also show that limiting effective contacts within the most susceptible population strata merits a special attention. However, the findings also show that the disease has a potential to remain in the population for a long time, likely with a seasonal pattern. If a vaccine, with efficacy equal or higher than 65%, becomes available it could help to significantly slow down or completely stop circulation of the virus in human population. The effects of vaccination depend primarily on: 1. Efficacy of available vaccine(s), 2. Prioritization of the population categories for vaccination, and 3. Overall vaccination coverage of the population, assuming that the vaccine(s) develop solid immunity in vaccinated individuals. With expected basic reproduction number of Ro=2.46 and vaccine efficacy of 68%, an 87%- coverage would be sufficient to stop the virus circulation.

A worldwide increase in prevalence of allergic diseases has led to adaptations in national and international health care systems. ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and Its Impact on Asthma) initiative develops internationally applicable guidelines for allergic respiratory diseases. In collaboration with international initiatives, ARIA offers updates of real-life integrated care pathways (ICPs) for digitally assisted, integrated, and individualized treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR). This article presents certain aspects of the health care system in Kuwait with reference to the management of AR and the objective of introducing ICPs and adopting the latest ARIA recommendations. Guidelines for ICPs include aspects of patients and health care providers and cover key areas of management of AR. This model of guidelines supports real-life health care better than traditional models. ARIA recommendations will be locally integrated in the health care system with the aim of improving both pharmacotherapy and allergy immunotherapy.

As a country in transition and development, committed to the path towards membership in the European Union, Bosnia and Herzegovina encounters many challenges and obstacles in terms of fulfilling the tasks set before it. Quite complicated governmental and legal arrangement determines the pace of achieving the tasks that are prerequisites for the European Union membership status. By signing the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, Bosnia and Herzegovina assumed the obligation to gradually harmonise the national legislation with the EU legislation in the most important areas related to the internal market. In this context, one of highly important ones is the area of competition law. This paper analyses the quality of solutions provided by the normative and institutional framework of the market competition protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina by using the normative, historical, comparative, and content analysis methods. Basic features of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU are presented through a chronological summary of the integration process of BiH into the EU. The primary hypothesis of the paper is that recent legal solutions in the area of competition do not follow the current legal standards of the competition regulations in the EU. Analytical overview of annual reports on the operation of the Council of Competition as regulatory body in Bosnia and Herzegovina shows that competition is a typical example of the ‘crawling’ integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the EU. It is quite obvious that the lack of political will of the ruling structures slows the integration processes down. This area requires an efficient enforcement of competition regulations whose implementation enables the companies to act in line with the law. Without adequate and prompt amending of the Law on Competition and related by-laws there can be no positive evaluation of the European Commission concerning the progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In order to define the term GMO, different scientific definitions and legal explanations are available. In theregulation process of GM foods, the US and EU legal frameworks are based on the methodologiesthemselves. Currently, for the production of GMOs, several genome editing tools are available. Along withdifferent site-directed nucleases (ZFN, TALENs, etc.), RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9 have proven to be the veryeffective tools for genome editing. According to the current EU legislative, introduced in 2018,CRISPR/Cas9 and RNAi techniques are regulated as methods that produce GMOs, because themethodology of the process itself resembles the traditional breeding methods. In the past few years, a largenumber of scientific publications have confirmed that CRISPR/Cas9 and RNAi technology produce GMOs,supporting and suggesting that the legislation policies in the EU and especially in the USA have to beelaborated. Besides, a huge public pressure makes it difficult to develop and implement new methodologiesfor GMO production. For this reason, ELSI society is responsible to investigate and question whether thenew genetic engineering techniques produce GMO food that is safe for human consumption.

Porous silicon layers on wafers are commonly converted into particles by mechanical milling or ultrasonic fragmentation. The former technique can rapidly generate large batches of microparticles. The latter technique is commonly used for making nanoparticles but processing times are very long and yields, where reported, are often very low. With both processing techniques, the porosity and surface area of the particles generated are often assumed to be similar to those of the parent film. We demonstrate that this is rarely the case, using air-dried high porosity and supercritically dried aerocrystals as examples. We show that whereas ball milling can more quickly generate much higher yields of particles, it is much more damaging to the nanostructures than ultrasonic fragmentation. The latter technique is particularly promising for silicon aerocrystals since processing times are reduced whilst yields are simultaneously raised with ultrahigh porosity structures. Not only that, but very high surface areas (> 500 m2/g) can be completely preserved with ultrasonic fragmentation.

Between March 5 and July 25, 2020, the total number of SARS-CoV-2 confirmed cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) was 10 090 corresponding to a cumulative incidence rate of 285.7 per 100 000 population. Demographic and clinical information on all the cases along with exposure and contact information was collected using a standardized case report form. In suspected SARS-CoV-2 cases, respiratory specimens were collected and tested by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assay. The dynamic of the outbreak was summarized using epidemiological curves, instantaneous reproduction number Rt and interactive choropleth maps for geographical distribution and spread. The rate of hospitalization was 14.0% (790/5646) in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBH) and 6.2% (267/4299) in Republic of Srpska (RS). The death rate was 2.2% (122/5646) in FBH and 3.6% in the RS (155/4299). After the authorities lifted mandatory quarantine restrictions, the basic reproduction number increased from 1.13 on May, the 20th to 1.72 on May the 31st. The outbreak concerns both entities, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, and it is more pronounced in those aged 20-44 years. It is important to develop the communication and emergency plan for the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in BH, including the mechanisms to allow the ongoing notification and updates at the national level.

For a long time, poor channel quality and shortage of frequency resources often restrict its development. An adaptive shortwave communication is considered as an effective method while channel quality estimation (CQE) is essential for the shortwave adaptive communication system. Currently, deep learning (DL) based CQE methods are proposed to achieve a good identification performance. However, existing methods are hard to extract full features from baseband signals, due to the fact that their deep neural networks are trained from the limited length of signal samples. In order to avoid this problem, we consider two training models. The first one is transforming baseband signals into constellation diagrams and three kinds of DL algorithms (i.e., AlexNet, ResNet, DenseNet) are applied respectively for training. The second one is slicing IQ signals into multi-slices signals and convolutional neural network (CNN) is applied and CQE is a joint multi-slice and cooperative decision. Experimental results show that the proposed methods are robust, and joint multi-slice and cooperative detection aided DL-based CQE method achieves better performance even up to 100%.

In this paper, the central part presents the solution of the criminal-procedural task, that is, the clarification and solution of a specific criminal matter in criminal proceedings of Bosnia and Herzegovina by criminal-law entities, with special attention to restrictive legal conditions of a criminal-procedural nature, as well as certain problems and dilemmas of a practical nature. The extremely dynamic development of modern criminal procedural law in the last two decades is also characterized by the adoption of new criminal procedural solutions with a pronounced tendency of humanization, which directly relates to the catalog of the rights of the suspect or accused person. In order to understand the nature of the criminal proceedings, the conceptual determination and differentiation of the criminal matter as the main subject of the criminal proceedings was made to the criminal matter in an unfair and fair sense, with reference to the practical aspect of the efficient conduct of the criminal proceedings and the illumination and settlement of the criminal matter, respecting the standards of proof. Given the nature of the criminal proceedings, in addition to the criminal matter as the main case, other secondary or ancillary issues are included which do not constitute a criminal offense but relate to the criminal matter (property claim, so-called prejudicial or preliminary issues and costs of the proceedings).

This study examined the concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil and groundwater at a former cellulose factory in the city of Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The objective of the study was to determine the concentrations of 16 PAHs in soil and groundwater at the site. The research area consisted of four representative locations in the industrial complex where the soil was sampled at depths of 0.3, 1, 2, 3, and 4 m and groundwater was sampled at 3.10, 2.50 and 3 m for two samples. In addition to the 16 PAHs, soil organic matter content and pH were also measured. The sum of the 16 PAHs (Σ16PAHs) in soil ranged from 0.99 to 2.24, 0.34 to 0.46, 0.24 to 0.32, 0.13 to 0.27 and 0.13 to 0.47 mg/kg for the 0.3, 1, 2, 3, and 4 m depths, respectively. Mean values were 1.70, 0.40, 0.28, 0.20 and 0.26 mg/kg, respectively. The Σ16PAHs in groundwater ranged from 0.23 to 4.50 mg/m3, with a mean value of 1.42 mg/m3. The concentrations of all 16 PAHs in the soil decreased with depth and there was no significant correlation between the concentrations of PAHs in the soil and groundwater. The concentrations of PAHs in the soil surface (0.3 m) and groundwater indicate that this industrial site is heavily contaminated and might need remedial action. Factor analysis indicates three sources of contamination, i.e. principal component (PC) PC1 (pyrogenic), PC2 (petrogenic) and PC3 (biomass), with 52.39%, 26.14% and 8.46% of the total variance, respectively. The results of this study reflect the effects of coal combustion (pyrogenic origin), petrogenic and biomass origin and may provide basic data for the remediation of PAHs in the location.

Ungrounded and high resistance grounded lines are utilized in distribution networks, and in special transmission networks. The fault current of a line to ground fault is not high enough to activate protective equipment, hence, the power delivery is not interrupted. Pre-fault and fault currents are available after fault occurs. Thus, used for compensation of pre-fault signals, then filtered using a low pass filter. This allows the introduction of a robust and accurate algorithm for locating single line to ground faults in such ungrounded networks. The algorithm uses symmetrical components extracted from filtered and compensated signals on both ends of a line for an initial estimate of fault location. The fine tuned location is determined by solving nonlinear least square problem that imposes equality constraints related to physical attributes of the fault. The details of the algorithm are already published. In this paper we provide an in depth overview of the algorithm and some numerical results.