Testing the Applicability of the Official Croatian DTM for Normalization of UAV-based DSMs and Plot-level Tree Height Estimations in Lowland Forests

The Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) technology has been implemented in operational forest inventories in a number of countries. At the same time, as a cost-effective alternative to ALS, Digital Aerial Photogrammetry (PHM), based on aerial images, has been widely used for the past 10 years. Recently, PHM based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has attracted great attention as well. Compared to ALS, PHM is unable to penetrate the forest canopy and, ultimately, to derive an accurate Digital Terrain Model (DTM), which is necessary to normalize point clouds or Digital Surface Models (DSMs). Many countries worldwide, including Croatia, still rely on PHM, as they do not have complete DTM coverage by ALS (DTMALS). The aim of this study is to investigate if the official Croatian DTM generated from PHM (DTMPHM) can be used for data normalization of UAV-based Digital Surface Model (DSMUAV) and estimating plot-level mean tree height (HL) in lowland pedunculate oak forests. For that purpose, HL estimated from DSMUAV normalized with DTMPHM and with DTMALS were generated and compared as well as validated against field measurements. Additionally, elevation errors in DTMPHM were detected and eliminated, and the improvement by using corrected DTMPHM (DTMPHMc) was evaluated. Small, almost negligible variations in the results of the leave-oneout cross-validation were observed between HL estimated using proposed methods. Compared to field data, the relative root mean square error (RMSE%) values of HL estimated from DSMUAV normalized with DTMALS, DTMPHM, and DTMPHMc were 5.10%, 5.14%, and 5.16%, respectively. The results revealed that in the absence of DTMALS, the existing official Croatian DTM could be readily used in remote sensing based forest inventory of lowland forest areas. It can be noted that DTMPHMc did not improve the accuracy of HL estimates because the gross errors mainly occurred outside of the study plots. However, since the existence of the gross errors in Croatian DTMPHM has been confirmed by several studies, it is recommended to detect and eliminate them prior to using the DTMPHM in forest inventory

The prevalence of maternal, placental and obstetric pathology in pregnancies and births of very low birth weight infants

Cilj: Ispitati prevalenciju maternalne, placentalne i porođajne patologije u nedonoščadi vrlo male rodne mase. Ispitanici i Metode: Grupu ispitanika čine sve majke čije su trudnoće završile porodom žive nedonoščadi vrlo male rodne mase u Kliničkom bolničkom centru Osijek od 2015. do 2019. godine. Podatci su prikupljeni iz medicinske dokumentacije i bolnič kog informacijskog sustava te obrađeni računalnim programom R, verzija 3.5. Rezultati: Incidencija poroda nedonoščadi vrlo male rodne mase iznosila je 2,8 %. Među majčinim komorbiditetima ističu se hipertenzivni poremećaji (20,6 %), anemija (8,1 %) i hipotireoza (10,3 %). Najučestalija prethodna ginekološka oboljenja majki bili su miomi (3,3 %). Zabilježene majčine infekcije bile su intraamnijske infekcije (26,5 %), urinarne (10,3 %) te nespecificirane infekcije (10,7 %). Neki oblik abrupcije posteljice imalo je 9,9 % majki. Kod nedonoščadi najčešći patološki stav ploda bio je stav zdjelicom (16,5 % slučajeva). U opstetričkih komplikacija najveću prevalenciju imali su prijevremeno prsnuće vodenjaka (37,1 %), mekonijska plodna voda (18,4 %), oligohidramnion (11,4 %) i predstojeća asfiksija (14,3 %). Zaključ ak: Ovom studijom istaknute su učestale komplikacije trudnoća i poroda nedonoščadi vrlo male rodne mase. Izdvajanjem najučestalije patologije, ovom presječnom studijom olakšano je generiranje hipoteze za daljnje prospektivne studije koje bi potencijalno utvrdile uzročno-posljedičnu vezu među istaknutim patološkim stanjima.Objective: To examine the prevalence of maternal, placental and obstetric pathology in very low birth weight infants.Subjects and Methods: The group of respondents consists of all mothers whose pregnancies ended with the birth of live very low birth weight infants at the Clinical Hospital Center Osijek from 2015 to 2019. Data were collected from medical records and the hospital information system and processed by computer program R, very low birth weight version 3.5. Results: The incidence of births of very low birth weight preterm infants was 2.8%. Among maternal comorbidities, hypertensive disorders (20.6%), anemia (8.1%) and hypothyroidism (10.3%) stand out, whereas the most common previous maternal gynecological diseases were fibroids (3.3%). The most present maternal infections were intraamniotic infections (26.5%), urinary tract infections (10.3%), and unspecified infections (10.7%). 9.9% of mothers had some form of placental abruption. In preterm infants, the most common pathological position of the fetus was the pelvic presentation (16.5% of cases). Considering obstetric complications, premature rupture of amniotic fluid (37.1%), meconium amniotic fluid (18.4%), oligohydramnios (11.4%) and impending asphyxia (14.3%) were highly prevalent. Conclusions: This study highlighted the frequent complications of pregnancies that term with birth of very low birth weight infant. By emphasising the most common pathologies, we can facilitate the formulation of the hypothesis for further prospective studies that would potentially establish a causal relationship between these pathological conditions

Laparoskopska parcijalna adrenalektomija: serija slučajeva

The aim is to present our case series documenting indications, laparoscopic technique, surgical and endocrinologic outcomes of laparoscopic partial adrenalectomy. In the period from April 2011 until October 2021, we performed 39 procedures. The patients were divided into three groups: unilateral adrenal gland tumor with a normal contralateral gland (group 1), tumor of the solitary adrenal gland (group 2), and adrenal cysts (group 3). There were 20 patients in group 1, 6 patients in group 2, and 13 patients in group 3. The most common histology in group 1 was adenoma (40%), all tumors in group 2 were renal cell carcinoma metastases, and all cysts in group 3 were benign. There were no major complications (Clavien Dindo grade ≥2) in the whole cohort. All patients in groups 1 and 3 had favorable endocrinologic outcomes, and 50% of group 2 patients required lifelong hydrocortisone replacement therapy. The procedure is safe and feasible with favorable outcomes in the hands of a high volume adrenal surgeon.Cilj je predstaviti našu seriju slučajeva koja dokumentira indikacije, laparoskopsku tehniku, kirurške i endokrinološke ishode laparoskopske parcijalne adrenalektomije (LPA). U razdoblju od travnja 2011. do listopada 2021. godine učinili smo 39 zahvata. Bolesnici su podijeljeni u tri skupine: jednostrani tumor nadbubrežne žlijezde s normalnom kontralateralnom žlijezdom (skupina 1.), tumor solitarne nadbubrežne žlijezde (skupina 2.) i ciste nadbubrežne žlijezde (skupina 3.). U skupini 1. bilo je 20, u skupini 2. šest i u skupini 3. trinaest bolesnika. Najčešća patohistološka dijagnoza u skupini 1. bio je adenom (40%), svi tumori u skupini 2. bili su metastaze karcinoma bubrega, a sve ciste u skupini 3. su bile benigne. U cijeloj kohorti nije bilo značajnijih komplikacija (Clavien Dindov stupanj ≥2). Svi bolesnici u skupinama 1. i 3. imali su povoljan endokrinološki ishod, a 50% bolesnika u skupini 2. zahtijevalo je doživotnu nadomjesnu terapiju hidrokortizonom. LPA je učinkovit i siguran zahvat s povoljnim ishodima u rukama urologa s iskustvom u kirurgiji nadbubrežne žlijezde

Environmental effects on changes in gene expression

Posljednjih 10 do 15 godina ubrzani razvoj novih spoznaja u genetici ukazao je na potpuno nove mehanizme nastanka pojedinih bolesti, a posebno razvoja pojedinih kliničkih fenotipova. Promjene u epigenetskome profilu stanice mogu biti pozitivne i pogodovati izražavanju povoljnih gena, kao što su geni koji sudjeluju u staničnoj signalizaciji i suzbijanju onkogeneze. Međutim, promjene također mogu biti štetne i mijenjati funkcije važnih gena, što dovodi do bolesti. Nedavno je dokazano da se neki epigenetski biljezi mogu zadržavati tijekom mejoze i tako prenositi transgeneracijski. Najveći broj publiciranih radova odnosi se na mehanizme autoimunosti i karcinogenezu, no u zadnjih pet godina pojavljuju se i radovi koji se bave fenomenom međureakcije čimbenika okoliša i ekspresije bolesti za brojna druga stanja. U radu su analizirane dosadašnje spoznaje te njihov klinički značaj.In the last 10-15 years the rapid development of new knowledge in genetics pointed out entirely new mechanisms of development of certain diseases, in particular the development of some clinical phenotypes. Changes in the epigenetic profile of a cell can be positive and favor the expression of advantageus genes such as those linked to cell signaling and tumor suppression. However, they can also be detrimental and alter the functions of important genes, thereby leading to disease. Recent evidence has further highlighted that some epigenetic marks can be maintained across meiosis and be transmitted to the subsequent generation to reprogram developmental and cellular features. The largest number of published works refers to the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and autoimmunity, but in the last five years, there are also works that deal with the phenomenon of interplay of environmental factors and the expression of the disease for many other conditions. The article analyzes recent findings and their clinical significance

Environmental effects on changes in gene expression

Posljednjih 10 do 15 godina ubrzani razvoj novih spoznaja u genetici ukazao je na potpuno nove mehanizme nastanka pojedinih bolesti, a posebno razvoja pojedinih kliničkih fenotipova. Promjene u epigenetskome profilu stanice mogu biti pozitivne i pogodovati izražavanju povoljnih gena, kao što su geni koji sudjeluju u staničnoj signalizaciji i suzbijanju onkogeneze. Međutim, promjene također mogu biti štetne i mijenjati funkcije važnih gena, što dovodi do bolesti. Nedavno je dokazano da se neki epigenetski biljezi mogu zadržavati tijekom mejoze i tako prenositi transgeneracijski. Najveći broj publiciranih radova odnosi se na mehanizme autoimunosti i karcinogenezu, no u zadnjih pet godina pojavljuju se i radovi koji se bave fenomenom međureakcije čimbenika okoliša i ekspresije bolesti za brojna druga stanja. U radu su analizirane dosadašnje spoznaje te njihov klinički značaj.In the last 10-15 years the rapid development of new knowledge in genetics pointed out entirely new mechanisms of development of certain diseases, in particular the development of some clinical phenotypes. Changes in the epigenetic profile of a cell can be positive and favor the expression of advantageus genes such as those linked to cell signaling and tumor suppression. However, they can also be detrimental and alter the functions of important genes, thereby leading to disease. Recent evidence has further highlighted that some epigenetic marks can be maintained across meiosis and be transmitted to the subsequent generation to reprogram developmental and cellular features. The largest number of published works refers to the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and autoimmunity, but in the last five years, there are also works that deal with the phenomenon of interplay of environmental factors and the expression of the disease for many other conditions. The article analyzes recent findings and their clinical significance

Testing the Applicability of the Official Croatian DTM for Normalization of UAV-based DSMs and Plot-level Tree Height Estimations in Lowland Forests

The Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) technology has been implemented in operational forest inventories in a number of countries. At the same time, as a cost-effective alternative to ALS, Digital Aerial Photogrammetry (PHM), based on aerial images, has been widely used for the past 10 years. Recently, PHM based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has attracted great attention as well. Compared to ALS, PHM is unable to penetrate the forest canopy and, ultimately, to derive an accurate Digital Terrain Model (DTM), which is necessary to normalize point clouds or Digital Surface Models (DSMs). Many countries worldwide, including Croatia, still rely on PHM, as they do not have complete DTM coverage by ALS (DTMALS). The aim of this study is to investigate if the official Croatian DTM generated from PHM (DTMPHM) can be used for data normalization of UAV-based Digital Surface Model (DSMUAV) and estimating plot-level mean tree height (HL) in lowland pedunculate oak forests. For that purpose, HL estimated from DSMUAV normalized with DTMPHM and with DTMALS were generated and compared as well as validated against field measurements. Additionally, elevation errors in DTMPHM were detected and eliminated, and the improvement by using corrected DTMPHM (DTMPHMc) was evaluated. Small, almost negligible variations in the results of the leave-oneout cross-validation were observed between HL estimated using proposed methods. Compared to field data, the relative root mean square error (RMSE%) values of HL estimated from DSMUAV normalized with DTMALS, DTMPHM, and DTMPHMc were 5.10%, 5.14%, and 5.16%, respectively. The results revealed that in the absence of DTMALS, the existing official Croatian DTM could be readily used in remote sensing based forest inventory of lowland forest areas. It can be noted that DTMPHMc did not improve the accuracy of HL estimates because the gross errors mainly occurred outside of the study plots. However, since the existence of the gross errors in Croatian DTMPHM has been confirmed by several studies, it is recommended to detect and eliminate them prior to using the DTMPHM in forest inventory

Phase I Study of Celecoxib with Concurrent Irinotecan, Cisplatin, and Radiation Therapy for Patients with Unresectable Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Purpose: Preclinical findings suggest that adding targeted therapies to combination radiation-chemotherapy can enhance treatment efficacy; however, this approach may enhance normal tissue toxicity. We investigated the maximum tolerated dose, dose-limiting toxicities, and response rate when the selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor celecoxib is added to concurrent irinotecan, cisplatin, and radiation therapy for patients with inoperable stage II–III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods and Materials: Eighteen patients were analyzed in a phase I clinical dose-escalation trial. Celecoxib was given daily beginning 5 days before radiation followed by maintenance doses for 12 weeks. Toxicity was graded with the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events V3.0 and response with the World Health Organization system. Primary endpoints were maximum tolerated dose of celecoxib and treatment toxicity; secondary endpoints were response and survival rates. Results: The maximum tolerated dose of celecoxib was not reached, in part owing to discontinuation of the drug supply. At doses of 200 or 400 mg/day, no patients experienced any dose-limiting toxicity (acute grade ≥4 esophagitis or pneumonitis, neutropenic fever or thrombocytopenia requiring transfusion, or acute grade ≥3 diarrhea). Grade 3 toxicities were leukopenia (five patients), fatigue (3), pneumonitis (2), dyspnea (1), pain (1), and esophageal stricture (1). Interestingly, pulmonary fibrosis (a late toxicity) was no more severe in the higher-dose (400-mg) group and may have been less common than in the lower-dose group. The clinical response rate was 100% (8 complete, 10 partial). Two-year rates were: overall survival 65%; local-regional control 69%; distant metastasis-free survival 71%; and disease-free survival 64%. Conclusion: Although preliminary, our results suggest that adding celecoxib to concurrent chemoradiation for inoperable NSCLC is safe and can improve outcome without increasing normal tissue toxicity

Histological and histochemical analyses of the posterior thigh muscle (musculus semimembranosus) assessment in lambs fed with the button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) dietary supplement

Plemenita pečurka (Agaricus bisporus), osim što je zdrava hrana, pripada i skupini funkcionalne hrane što potiče daljnja istraživanja njezine primjene kao funkcionalne hrane, odnosno funkcionalnog dodatka hrani ljudima, a i za domaće životinje namijenjene ljudskoj prehrani. Zbog prisutnosti nekih bioaktivnih sastojaka iz skupine polisaharida, lipopolisaharida, esencijalnih aminokiselina, peptida, glikoproteina, nukleozida, triterpenoida, lektina, masnih kiselina i njihovih derivata, za ove gljive poznati su protuupalni, protuvirusni, protubakterijski, hepatoprotektivni, protudijabetički, hipolipemijski, protutrombotski, hipotenzivni učinci i sinbiotska svojstva (neizravni probiotik/izravni prebiotik). U ovom istraživanju opisane su pozitivne naznake smanjenja lipida i povećanja aktivnosti enzima u m. semimembranosus janjadi hranjene svježom plemenitom pečurkom, što upućuje na bolji metabolizam i kvalitetu mesa. Na temelju dosadašnjih istraživanja u sklopu projekta HRZZ-a Inovativni funkcionalni proizvodi od janjećeg mesa (IP-2016-06-3685) te istraživanja prikazanih u ovom radu, može se zaključiti i da A. bisporus u janjadi ima potencijalan učinak promotora rasta. Stoga u ovom radu dobiveni rezultati istraživanja imaju znanstveno dokazanu primjenjivu vrijednost za plemenitu pečurku kao prirodan funkcionalni dodatak u dnevni obrok za janjad iz kojeg će se predstaviti tržišno novi i inovativni proizvod u obliku funkcionalne hrane za ljude (janjeće meso dobrog aroma profila s obzirom na sastav hlapljivih spojeva podrijetlom iz plemenite pečurke).The button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) is considered both a healthy food and a functional food. This encourages further research into its use as a functional food, or a functional food supplement for both humans and domestic animals intended for human consumption. Due to the presence of several bioactive ingredients, including polysaccharides, lipopolysaccharides, essential amino acids, peptides, glycoproteins, nucleosides, triterpenoids, lectins, fatty acids and their derivatives, these fungi exhibit anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic, hypolipemic, antithrombotic, hypotensive effects and synbiotic properties (indirect probiotic/direct prebiotic). In this study, positive indications of lipid reduction and increased enzyme activity in m. semimembranosus in lambs fed with fresh button mushroom were described, indicating better metabolism and meat quality. Also, based on previous research within the CSF project “Innovative functional lamb meat products” (IP-2016-06-3685) and the results presented in this paper, it can be concluded that A. bisporus in lambs has a potential effect as a growth promoter. Therefore, the research results presented here have a scientifically proven applicable value for the button mushroom as a natural functional dietary supplement in the daily rations for lambs, which will present a commercially new and innovative product in the form of functional human food (lamb meat with a favourable aroma profile based on volatile compounds derived from button mushrooms)

Innovazione dei prodotti del progetto HRZZ “Prodotti funzionali innovativi a base di carne di agnello”

U ovom radu predstaviti će se jedinstvenost inovacije istraživanja provedenih u okviru HRZZ projekta “Inovativni funkcionalni proizvodi od janjećeg mesa“ (IP-2016-06-3685). Naime, uvjerenja smo da naša projektna inovacija, koja je prvenstveno rezultat znanja stečenog kroz proces istraživanja projekta, može predstavljati i instrument za povećanje konkurentnost i pokretanje razvoja poduzeća te tako pridonijeti gospodarskom i društvenom boljitku R. Hrvatske.This paper will present the uniqueness of the research innovation carried out within the framework of Croatian science foundation (CSF) project “INNOVATIVE FUNCTIONAL LAMB MEAT PRODUCTS" (IP-2016-06-3685). Namely, we believe that our project innovation, which is primarily the result of the knowledge gained through the project research process, can also be an instrument for increasing competitiveness and stimulating business development, thus contributing to Croatia\u27s economic and social wellbeing.In diesem Beitrag wird die Einzigartigkeit der Forschungsinnovation vorgestellt, die im Rahmen des Projekts der Kroatischen Stiftung für Wissenschaft (HRZZ) "INNOVATIVE FUNKTIONELLE LAMMFLEISCHPRODUKTE" (IP-2016-06-3685) durchgeführt wurde. Wir glauben nämlich, dass unsere Projektinnovation, die in erster Linie das Ergebnis der im Rahmen des Forschungsprozesses des Projekts gewonnenen Erkenntnisse ist, auch ein Instrument zur Steigerung der Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und zur Förderung der Unternehmensentwicklung sein und somit zum wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Wohlergehen Kroatiens beitragen kann.Este documento presentará la singularidad de la innovación investigadora llevada a cabo en el marco del proyecto de la Fundación Científica de Croacia "Productos funcionales innovadores a partir de carne de cordero" (IP-2016-06-3685). Es decir, estamos convencidos de que la innovación de nuestro proyecto, que es principalmente el resultado del conocimiento adquirido a través del proceso de investigación del proyecto, también puede representar un instrumento para aumentar la competitividad e estimular el desarrollo de las empresas, contribuyendo así al bienestar económico y social de la República de Croacia.Questo documento presenterà l’unicità dell’innovazione delle ricerche svolte nell’ambito del progetto HRZZ “Prodotti funzionali innovativi a base di carne di agnello” (IP-2016-06-3685). Siamo, infatti, convinti che la nostra innovazione, che è innanzitutto il risultato delle conoscenze acquisite attraverso il processo di ricerca condotto nel corso del progetto, possa rappresentare anche uno strumento per aumentare la competitività e avviare lo sviluppo delle imprese, contribuendo così al miglioramento economico e sociale del Repubblica di Croazia

Cyberbullying: analysis and prevention

Cilj ovog rada je prikaz elektroničkog nasilja tj. cyberbullyinga, te prikazivanje problema i metoda prevencija od internetskog nasilja. Nasilje se odnosi na uporabu fizičke sile za nanošenje štete ili ozljede nekome ili nečemu. Pojavom interneta mladi su u stalnoj komunikaciji, te imaju priliku za zlostavljanje u bilo kojem trenutku. Elektroničko nasilje se definira kao svako namjerno i agresivno ponašanje pojedinca ili skupine ljudi prema drugoj skupini pomoću korištenja komunikacijskih mreža putem interneta. Cyberbullying uključuje upotrebu tehnologije, kao što su društveni mediji, aplikacije za razmjenu poruka ili e-pošta, namjerno nanošenje štete, zastrašivanje ili ponižavanje drugih. Internetsko zlostavljanje može imati različite oblike, uključujući slanje štetnih poruka, širenje glasina, dijeljenje neugodnih fotografija ili videozapisa bez pristanka i lažno predstavljanje nekoga kako bi naštetilo njihovom ugledu. Mladi na društvenim mrežama lako mogu postati žrtva nasilja, ali isto tako lako mogu biti internetski nasilnik. Prevencija u borbi protiv internetskog zlostavljanja uključuju podizanje svijesti o njegovim štetnim učincima, promicanje odgovornog ponašanja na internetu, provedbu strožih politika na platformama društvenih medija i pružanje podrške žrtvama.The aim of this paper is to present electronic violence, i.e. cyberbullying, and to present the problems and prevention methods of online violence. Violence refers to the use of physical force to cause harm or injury to someone or something. With the advent of the Internet, young people are in constant communication, and have the opportunity to abuse at any time. Electronic violence is defined as any intentional and aggressive behavior of an individual or a group of people towards another group through the use of communication networks via the Internet. Cyberbullying involves the use of technology, such as social media, messaging apps or email, to intentionally harm, intimidate or humiliate others. Cyberbullying can take many forms, including sending harmful messages, spreading rumours, sharing embarrassing photos or videos without consent and impersonating someone to damage their reputation. Young people can easily become victims of violence on social networks, but they can also be cyberbullies. Prevention in the fight against cyberbullying includes raising awareness of its harmful effects, promoting responsible behavior online, implementing stricter policies on social media platforms and providing support to victims