INTRODUCTION This survey aims to assess knowledge, attitude and stigma towards HIV patients, among medical students in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. We also aimed to assess potential risk factors for HIV infection among fourth year medical students. METHODOLOGY Data were collected from specific questionnaire that was completed by 171 students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Tuzla. A multivariable logistic regression was performed. RESULTS Majority of students (79%) had a good knowledge of HIV, (median value of correct answers was 9 (95%) with at least 6 correct responses). Also, majority of students (73.6%) had a positive attitude towards HIV patients and the median positive value was 6 (95% CI: 6-7). More than a third of students considered that all hospitalized patients should be tested for HIV. Total of 81% of students considered that they should inform the sexual partner of HIV positive patient, although she/he disagrees. 61.4% of students had a discriminatory attitude towards HIV, with the median values of 3 (95% CI: 3-3). Multivariate regression analysis identified positive attitude towards HIV patients as an independent predictor for a non-discriminatory attitude. Moreover, an overall attitude towards HIV patients defines student`s determination to work with AIDS population. Male gender, and older age, were identified as predictors of risky behavior. CONCLUSIONS Preventive measures, including better HIV education, are crucial. Knowledge can increase awareness of HIV infection, decrease the incidence and reduce stigma towards HIV patients.

Increasing evidence suggests that apoptosis of tubular cells and renal inflammation mainly determine the outcome of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (AKI). The study aim was to investigate the molecular mechanism involved in the renoprotective effects of simvastatin in endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LSP)-induced AKI. A sepsis model was established by intraperitoneal injection of a single non-lethal LPS dose after short-term simvastatin pretreatment. The severity of the inflammatory injury was expressed as renal damage scores (RDS). Apoptosis of tubular cells was detected by Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP Nick End Labeling (TUNEL assay) (apoptotic DNA fragmentation, expressed as an apoptotic index, AI) and immunohistochemical staining for cleaved caspase-3, cytochrome C, and anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL and survivin. We found that endotoxin induced severe renal inflammatory injury (RDS = 3.58 ± 0.50), whereas simvastatin dose-dependently prevented structural changes induced by LPS. Furthermore, simvastatin 40 mg/kg most profoundly attenuated tubular apoptosis, determined as a decrease of cytochrome C, caspase-3 expression, and AIs (p  <  0.01 vs. LPS). Conversely, simvastatin induced a significant increase of Bcl-XL and survivin, both in the strong inverse correlations with cleaved caspase-3 and cytochrome C. Our study indicates that simvastatin has cytoprotective effects against LPS-induced tubular apoptosis, seemingly mediated by upregulation of cell-survival molecules, such as Bcl-XL and survivin, and inhibition of the mitochondrial cytochrome C and downstream caspase-3 activation.

The concept of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) brings the opportunity to adjust both the study content, and the context, based on the teaching needs. Therefore, in this paper, we present our best practices on enabling remote networking laboratories via Blackboard platform, including the Blackboard Collaborate Ultra extension, in order to efficiently react to the challenges of imminent campus closure imposed by COVID-19 breakout. We present an extensive survey as a feedback from students, which allowed us to measure and to quantify students’ experience and satisfaction with the remote teaching setup that successfully served 45 enrolled students. As the results bring the positive attitude towards practices presented in this paper, such teaching practices will foster some of the critical skills nowadays, such as collaboration, self-driven learning, and problem solving, and they can also serve as a successful example on how to efficiently cope with the limited access to traditional classroom resources within various courses.

In this paper we discuss several elements of importance for securing QoS in multimedia networks. Firstly, we present the first factor, which refers to understanding the characteristics of multimedia traffic in order to define and implement the QoS requirements. Secondly, factor refers to translation between QoS parameters that implies the distribution of system and network resources, and thirdly the factor establishes the appropriate QoS architecture that can provide the required QoS guarantees for multimedia applications. We have been analyzing security-critical applications such as remote operation, which may require a guaranteed level of availability (hard QoS). There are basically two ways to secure a guaranteed QoS. The first is simply to provide a lot of resources, enough to meet the expected peak (peak) requirements with a significant security margin. This approach generously oversupplies the (over provisioning) network. We gave a detailed security analysis as features of WiMAX. More precisely, our analysis is based on the claim that its key feature of the WiMAX network is that the security layer is built into the protocol leg instead of being added later, i.e. the security layer is complex between PHY and MAC layers.

OBJECTIVE The goal of our study was to discover and analyze possible risk factors for and possible protective factors against the occurrence of potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) in a hospitalized patient with community-acquired pneumonia. MATERIALS AND METHODS The central outcome was the incidence of pDDIs in patients with community-acquired pneumonia checked by Lexicomp and Micromedex interaction checkers. RESULTS The most severe pDDIs (Consider therapy modification D/Avoid combination X/Major/Contraindicated) were found in 19 (20%) and 54 (58%) patients, according to Lexicomp and Micromedex, respectively. Patients with community-acquired pneumonia who were older, smokers, and with more prescribed drugs by more than a few independent prescribers had a higher risk to experience pDDIs. Possible protective factors were longer length of hospitalization, transfer from the Emergency Department, antiarrhythmic drugs as well as an anticoagulant therapy. CONCLUSION In conclusion, community-acquired pneumonia patients with the above-mentioned factors should have their treatment more deeply monitored for pDDIs.

Objective COVID-19 pandemic led to major life changes. We assessed the psychological impact of COVID-19 on dental academics globally and on changes in their behaviors. Methods We invited dental academics to complete a cross-sectional, online survey from March to May 2020. The survey was based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The survey collected data on participants’ stress levels (using the Impact of Event Scale), attitude (fears, and worries because of COVID-19 extracted by Principal Component Analysis (PCA), perceived control (resulting from training on public health emergencies), norms (country-level COVID-19 fatality rate), and personal and professional backgrounds. We used multilevel regression models to assess the association between the study outcome variables (frequent handwashing and avoidance of crowded places) and explanatory variables (stress, attitude, perceived control and norms). Results 1862 academics from 28 countries participated in the survey (response rate = 11.3%). Of those, 53.4% were female, 32.9% were <46 years old and 9.9% had severe stress. PCA extracted three main factors: fear of infection, worries because of professional responsibilities, and worries because of restricted mobility. These factors had significant dose-dependent association with stress and were significantly associated with more frequent handwashing by dental academics (B = 0.56, 0.33, and 0.34) and avoiding crowded places (B = 0.55, 0.30, and 0.28). Low country fatality rates were significantly associated with more handwashing (B = -2.82) and avoiding crowded places (B = -6.61). Training on public health emergencies was not significantly associated with behavior change (B = -0.01 and -0.11). Conclusions COVID-19 had a considerable psychological impact on dental academics. There was a direct, dose-dependent association between change in behaviors and worries but no association between these changes and training on public health emergencies. More change in behaviors was associated with lower country COVID-19 fatality rates. Fears and stresses were associated with greater adoption of preventive measures against the pandemic.

In this paper, empirical research about Passenger Car Equivalents (PCEs) on the longitudinal downgrade of two-lane roads in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been conducted in order to determine the influence of vehicle structure under free traffic flow conditions. The research has been carried out considering the classes of vehicles at cross-sections on the downgrade of two-lane roads. As a result, the negative influence of vehicle structure under free traffic flow conditions using passenger car equivalents (PCEs) has been determined. The results show that on the downgrade of two-lane roads, the value of passenger car equivalent decreases from the level terrain to the boundary minimum value for the determined downgrade g = −3.00%, after which its value starts to increase slightly. Based on the obtained values, the models calibrated with a second-degree polynomial have been developed to determine the average value of passenger car equivalent as a function of its boundary value. The paper also compares the results obtained by the developed models with the models from the Highway Capacity Manual under free traffic flow conditions. In addition, models for the percentage values of PCE15%, PCE50% and PCE85% have been established.

Algorithms for solving Rubik’s cube have been an active research area since the first appearance of the cube in 1974. The challenge posed when solving the cube is to choose an algorithm that solves the cube for the minimum number of steps. Many algorithms are already implemented in software, but not many are tested with modern hardware-software methodologies, such as hardware-software co-design. Here, the challenge is to take into consideration limiting factors of hardware and implement the most efficient solution. In this paper, the hardware/software co-design is used to solve the random configuration of Rubik’s cube. Two algorithms are used: the Basic algorithm and the Kociemba algorithm. The Basic algorithm is easy to understand and implement but requires many more steps to solve the cube than the Kociemba algorithm. The Kociemba algorithm requires some pre-processing tasks, such as depth-first search and pruning trees, but can solve the cube in about 25 moves. Both algorithms are implemented and tested on a custom-made robot with mechanical parts, actuators, grippers and Intel’s DE1-SoC for drive control and implementation of solving algorithms. The robot successfully solved a number of random configurations. Performances (running time, number of moves needed for solving the cube) of both algorithms are measured and compared.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an arboviral zoonosis that primarily affects ruminants but can also cause illness in humans. The increasing impact of RVF in Africa and Middle East and the risk of expansion to other areas such as Europe, where competent mosquitos are already established, require the implementation of efficient surveillance programs in animal populations. For that, it is pivotal to regularly assess the performance of existing diagnostic tests and to evaluate the capacity of veterinary labs of endemic and non-endemic countries to detect the infection in an accurate and timely manner. In this context, the animal virology network of the MediLabSecure project organized between October 2016 and March 2017 an external quality assessment (EQA) to evaluate the RVF diagnostic capacities of beneficiary veterinary labs. This EQA was conceived as the last step of a training curriculum that included 2 diagnostic workshops that were organized by INIA-CISA (Spain) in 2015 and 2016. Seventeen veterinary diagnostic labs from 17 countries in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions participated in this EQA. The exercise consisted of two panels of samples for molecular and serological detection of the virus. The laboratories were also provided with positive controls and all the kits and reagents necessary to perform the recommended diagnostic techniques. All the labs were able to apply the different protocols and to provide the results on time. The performance was good in the molecular panel with 70.6% of participants reporting 100% correct results, and excellent in the serological panel with 100% correct results reported by 94.1% of the labs. This EQA provided a good overview of the RVFV diagnostic capacities of the involved labs and demonstrated that most of them were able to correctly identify the virus genome and antibodies in different animal samples.

The problem of counterfeiting diplomas in education with the advancement of digital technology is increasingly pronounced. The process of forging documents is almost always accompanied by reduced transparency in issuing the documents with no possibility to easily check the validity of the document. One of the currently very attractive and challenging technology in digitized society is the blockchain technology and all the sequential systems that have emerged based on it. One such system is the Ethereum platform, which uses blockchain technology and enables the creation of decentralized applications programmed to run on the Ethereum network. One of the Ethereum use is a Smart Contract, which allows applications to be executed online, completely autonomously without the influence of a third party, once a previously defined condition is satisfied. The objective of this research is to explore the possibility of using a Smart Contract in the process of the creation and issuance of diplomas at a higher education institution. At the end of the analysis, we provide an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of this procedure, as well as potential possibilities for its improvements. The possibilities of automation and the cost of such a process were also considered.

Distribution companies often store goods in large warehouses. Orders are collected and prepared for transport. Large-scale warehouses are often divided into sectors. Each worker collects a part of the order from the assigned sector. In that case, workers often pick small orders and the process is not optimal. Therefore, order batching is done, where one worker collects multiple orders at a time. In this paper, an innovative concept of orders batching in a warehouse with a 48-hour delivery based on a metaheuristic approach is described. The algorithm divides each order by sectors. An analysis of each part of the order is done and the possibility of batching based on the order content is checked. The order batching is based on the discrete Bat algorithm. The transport scheme and the order of loading goods into the truck are observed. In the order picking process, a number of standard constraints such as weight and item priorities are considered. The concept has been implemented and tested for 50 days of warehouse operation in one of the largest warehouses in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The algorithm is compared with the earlier approach of collecting orders in the warehouse, and significant progress has been observed in the number of kilometers traveled on a daily basis.

The convergence of quantum cryptography with applications used in everyday life is a topic drawing attention from the industrial and academic worlds. The development of quantum electronics has led to the practical achievement of quantum devices that are already available on the market and waiting for their first application on a broader scale. A major aspect of quantum cryptography is the methodology of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), which is used to generate and distribute symmetric cryptographic keys between two geographically separate users using the principles of quantum physics. In previous years, several successful QKD networks have been created to test the implementation and interoperability of different practical solutions. This article surveys previously applied methods, showing techniques for deploying QKD networks and current challenges of QKD networking. Unlike studies focusing on optical channels and optical equipment, this survey focuses on the network aspect by considering network organization, routing and signaling protocols, simulation techniques, and a software-defined QKD networking approach.

Cellular respiration is a pathway that uses energy from food molecules and oxygen for different processes of life such as movement. Oxygen, transported through mass transport from blood vessels to skeletal muscle can bind to myoglobin that stores a small amount of oxygen or can be used in cellular respiration by mitochondria. This paper presents a Simulink model of oxygen distribution in skeletal muscle, based on previously published mathematical models. Different parameters for supply concentration of oxygen at capillary wall and consumption rate of the muscle tissue simulate oxygen distribution when the body is under certain conditions: in rest state, dysoxia and exercise state.