STIMULATING INNOVATIONS AND PERFORMANCE OF COMPANIES IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

The paper explores the perception of innovations and importance of innovativeness, determines innovation potential and links the application of innovations in companies to the material stimulation of employees. The aim of the paper is to provide information on encouraging and developing the culture of innovations and on strengthening the awareness of the importance of material motivation for the creation of innovations. The paper presents an overview of the existing findings on the company’s innovation potential and the possibility to encourage innovations by means of the selected tools and techniques of human resource management. The contribution of the paper is based on the empirical research of a representative sample of 250 medium-size and large companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) using the methodology of the Croatian Coefficient of Innovativeness (HKI), whereby special attention is given to the observation of the possible link between stimulating employees to innovate and accomplishing the company’s selected performance

Auditory processing abilities in school-aged children in the region of Vojvodina

Auditory processing is the process of decoding an auditory stimulus along the hearing pathways in the central nervous system. Children with auditory processing difficulties face challenges in the transmission, processing, organisation, and use of auditory information. This affects their spoken language, reading abilities, writing acquisition, and academic achievements. The aim of this study was to assess the auditory processing abilities of school-aged children from the region of Vojvodina using the Battery test for Auditory Processing Disorders PSP1 (Heđever, 2017). This study also aimed to examine the influence of age, gender, and school success on auditory processing abilities in school-aged children. The study sample consisted of 162 children between the ages of 6.7 and 11.6 years. The PSP-1 test battery consists of 4 subtests: filtered words test, speech-in-noise test, dichotic word test, and dichotic sentence test. Results have shown that 8 (4.94%) respondents on the PSP1 test achieved below average results, indicating auditory processing difficulties. Among these respondents, two were female (1.24%) and six were male (3.70%). Four respondents (2.48%) belonged to the second age group (from 7.7 to 8.6 years) and two respondents (1.24%) belonged to the first (from 6.7 to 7.6 years) and the fourth age group (from 9.7 to 10.6 years) each. Statistically significant differences were observed in the auditory processing abilities of the respondents in relation to their age (p < 0.001) and gender (p < 0.05). Girls had significantly better results on the total score of the PSP1 test, as well as in two subtests: the filtered words test and the dichotic word test. In addition, there was a statistically significant correlation between auditory processing abilities and school success

Non-compaction cardiomyopathy – complications and long-term outcomes: a single-center experience

Aim: To investigate prevalence of arrythmias and thromboembolic events, as well as long term outcomes among patients diagnosed and treated of non-compaction cardiomyopathy (NCC) according to current recommendations in University Hospital Centre (UHC) Zagreb. Patients and Methods: A single center retrospective study was conducted. Patients newly diagnosed with NCC in UHC Zagreb during period 2009-2018 were analyzed. The diagnosis was confirmed by both echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance. Hospital database and charts were used for clinical data, echocardiography data was obtained from digital database using EchoPac. Patients were followed-up clinically and by the means of echocardiography. Results: 32 patients (pts), 18 men (53.25 %) were included. At the time of diagnosis (baseline), mean age was 47.7±15.4 years, majority of pts (84.38% of pts, N=27) were in functional NYHA class ≥2, with mean NT-proBNP values of 3870±6619 ng/L. Echocardiography revealed reduced left ventricular systolic function; baseline ejection fraction (EF) was 27.52±11.94%. Patients were discharged with heart failure therapy: beta-blockers (30 pts, 93.75%), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (29 pts, 90.63%), angiotensin receptor– neprilysin inhibitor (1 pts, 3.13%), mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (28 pts, 84.38%); and 26 pts (81.25%) required symptomatic diuretic use. Cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator was implanted in 11 pts (34.38%) and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in 16 pts (50%). At baseline, 9 pts (28.13%) were already receiving anticoagulation due to previous thromboembolic events (Table 1). At discharge, 17 pts (53.13%) were anticoagulated (warfarin in 14 pts, 82.35%, novel direct oral anticoagulants in 3 pts, 17.65%). Mean follow-up period was 3.42±3.31 years. At the end of follow up period, functional improvement was observed: 21.88% (N=7) pts were in NYHA ≥2 status (p<0.05), with manifest, but statistically nonsignificant reduction of NT-proBNP levels (1260±2266 ng/L, p=0.063). Control echocardiography revealed significant improvement in EF (40.24±11.39%, p<0.001). There were no new thromboembolic events. While arrythmias were common at the time of diagnosis (Table 1), there was only one ICD activation during follow-up. None of the pts have died, 1 patient received heart transplant and 2 were implanted with left ventricular assist device. Conclusion: Optimal medical treatment in patients with NCC1 corresponds with good long-term outcomes, functional improvement, and low risk of recurrent thromboembolic events or malignant arrythmias

Does Dietary Provision of Guanidinoacetic Acid Induce Global DNA Hypomethylation in Healthy Men and Women?

Background/Aims: Guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) is an experimental dietary additive and has been reported to induce methyl depletion when provided by the diet. However, no study evaluated whether supplemental GAA affects DNA methylation, a critical epigenetic process for genome regulation. Methods: In this open-label, repeated-measure interventional trial, we evaluated the impact of 12 weeks of GAA supplementation on global DNA methylation in 14 healthy participants (8 women and 6 men, age 22.2 +/- 2.3 years, body mass index 24.8 +/- 5.7). Results: Dietary provision of GAA had no effect on global DNA methylation, with 5-methylcytosine (m5C) nonsignificantly increased by 13.4% at postadministration when averaged across participants (95% confidence interval -5.5 to 32.3; p = 0.26). Notable DNA hypomethylation (corresponding to a 5% drop in m5C) was found in 3 of 14 participants at follow-up. Conclusion: Global DNA methylation seems to be unaltered by dietary provision of 3 g of GAA per day for 12 weeks in healthy men and women

Lung Carcinoma

Rak pluća zloćudni je epitelni tumor koji raste polagano i podmuklo, često bez simptoma, brzo se širi u druge organe, a rezultati liječenja su skromni. Incidencija raka pluća u svijetu i u nas neprestano raste. Incidencija raka pluća u Hrvatskoj u 1998. godini iznosila je 55,6/100.000, a mortalitet je iznosio 53,7/100.000 stanovnika. Pušenje cigareta navodi se kao glavni rizični čimbenik u nastanku raka pluća. SZO klasificirala je rak pluća prema histološkoj slici u četiri skupine: rak pločastih stanica, rak malih stanica, adenokarcinom, rak velikih stanica. Kliničke manifestacije raka pluća ovise o lokalizaciji i veličini primarnog tumora, njegovoj propagaciji na okolne strukture u toraksu, pojavi regionalnih i udaljenih metastaza, vrsti tumora, imunosnom stanju organizma, dosadašnjim i sadašnjim bolestima, profesionalnoj izloženosti etiološkim čimbenicima, životnim navikama (pušenju), spolu, dobi i komplikacijama samog tumora. U dijagnostici raka pluća rabe se različite metode: radiološke, endoskopske, citološke/histološke, scintigrafske itd. Nemikrocelularni karcinom pluća klasificira se po TNM klasifikaciji u četiri klinička stadija, a mikrocelularni rak u dva stadija: ograničena bolest i proširena bolest. U liječenju se rabe ove metode: kirurška, radioterapija, kemoterapija, međusobna kombinacija svih spomenutih i simptomatsko liječenje. Odabir pojedinog načina liječenja ovisi o kliničkom stadiju.Lung carcinoma is a malignant epithelial tumour with slow and perfidious growth, often without symptoms, quickly spreading in other organs, while the results of treatment are modest. Incidence of lung carcinoma in the world and in our country is constantly rising. In Croatia, in the year 1998, the incidence was 55.6/100,000, and mortality 53.7 on 100,000 inhabitants. Smoking is stated as the main risk factor in the occurrence of lung carcinoma. The WHO classified it according to histological features in 4 groups: the carcinoma of platelet cells, the carcinoma of small cells, adenocarcinoma, the carcinoma of large cells. Clinical manifestations of the lung carcinoma depend on: the site and size of the primary tumour, its propagation to neighboring structures in the thorax, emergence of regional and distal metastases, the type of the tumour, immunological status of the organism, prior and current diseases, life style (smoking), gender, age and complications of the tumour itself. In the diagnostics of the lung cancer various methods are applied: radiological, endoscopic, cytological/ histological, scintrigraphic, etc. Nonmicrocelluar lung carcinoma is classified according to the TNM classification into four clinical stages, and microcellular type into two stages: limited disease and spread disease. In treatment are used the following methods: surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, combination of all the mentioned and symptomatic treatment. The choice of a particular way of treatment depends on clinical stage

Нанокомпозити на бази термопластичног линеарног поли(уретан-силоксан)а и органоглине: утицај састава на својства

Thermoplastic poly(urethane-siloxane)/organoclay nanocomposites (TPU NCs) with different hard segment content (20–55 wt. %) were prepared by in situ polymerization in the presence of organically modified montmorillonite as a nanofiller (Cloisite 30B; 1 wt. %). Hydroxyl-terminated ethoxypropyl- poly(dimethylsiloxane) was used as soft segment, while 4,4'-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate and 1,4-butanediol were the hard segment components. The study of the influence of the hard segment content on the functional properties of TPU NCs was performed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic mechanical thermal analyses (DMTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), water contact angle and water absorption tests. The results revealed that TPU NCs with the increasing hard segment content exhibit higher values of degree of microphase separation, melting temperature of the hard segments, degree of crystallinity, storage modulus (except for TPU NC-55), but lower thermal stability and hydrophobicity. TPU NC films were hydrophobic and their free surface energy was in the range from 17.7 to 24.9 mJ m-2. This work highlights how the composition of TPU NCs would affect their functional properties and provide an additional composition intended for designing advanced TPU NC materials for special biomedical applications.Термопластични поли(уретан-силоксан)/органоглина нанокомпозити (TPU NCs) са различитим садржајем тврдих сегмената (20–55 теж. %) припремљени су in situ полимеризацијом у присуству органски модификованог монтморилонита као нанопуниoца (Cloisite 30B; 1 теж. %). Као меки сегмент коришћен је хидроксиетоксипропил терминирани поли(диметилсилоксан), а као компоненте тврдог сегмента коршћени су 4,4'- -метилендифенилдиизоцијанат и 1,4-бутандиол. Проучавање утицаја садржаја тврдог сегмента на функционална својства TPU NCs је испитивано FTIR спектроскопијом, дифракцијом X-зрака (XRD), микроскопијом атомских сила (AFM), скенирајућом електронском микроскопијом (SEM), динамичко механичко термичком анализом (DMTA), диференцијално скенирајућом калориметријом (DSC), термогравиметријском анализом (TGA), тестовима одређивања контактног угла са водом и апсорпције воде. Резултати су показали да TPU NCs са већим садржајем тврдих сегмената показују веће вредности степена микрофазне сепарације, температуре топљења тврдих сегмената, степена кристалиничности, модула сачуване енергије (осим за TPU NC-55), али нижу термичку стабилност и хидрофобност. TPU NC филмови су били хидрофобни и њихова површинска енергија је била у опсегу од 17,7 до 24,9 mJ m-2. Овај рад истиче како би се променом састава у TPU NCs подешавала функционална својства и обезбедило додатно подешавање састава за дизајнирање напредних TPU NC материјала за специјалне биомедицинске примене

The relationship between rearing system, animal needs index and dairy cows milk traits

This study was conducted in five dairy farms with different capacity (farms A with 47, B 12, C 10, D 14 and E 24 Simmental cows, aged between 4 and 5 years and body weight about 600 kg) in order to determine a relationship between rearing system, Animal Needs Index (ANI) and milk traits. Loose system of cow rearing was used in open stalls in farms A and C, while in other farms cows were tied in closed stalls. In two farms, there were outdoor pens, permanently available to cows on farm A, and during daytime on farm D. Rations for dairy cows were equal in all five farms and suitable for daily milk production about 20 kg with 4.0 % milk fat and 3.5 % milk protein. It was established that total ANI scores for farms were A 35.5, B 9.5, C 24.5, D 26.5 and E 10.5. The welfare levels in farms B and E were not sufficient, in farms C and D were very good, while in farm A it was excellent. A very significant influence of rearing system on cow welfare was found (p lt 0.001). A significant influence of rearing system (p lt 0.01) on average daily milk yield, milk yield in standard lactation, milk fat (kg), yield of 4 % fat corrected milk and yield of proteins (kg) were noticed. The influence of the rearing system on milk fat content (%), dry matter (%), protein (%) and lactose (%) was not statistically significant. Differences between ANI score, daily and standard lactation milk yield were very significant (p lt 0.001), as well as differences between ANI and the amount of milk fat (kg), protein (kg) and amount of 4 % fat corrected milk

Thermal characterization of polyurethane/silver ferrite nanocomposites

The novel polyurethane composite films were prepared using in situ polymerization method in the presence of silver ferrite nanoparticles (1 wt.%). Preparation, structure, and thermal characterization of polyurethane/silver ferrite nanocomposites (PUFNCs) were investigated. The study of the effect of soft segment content (from 30 to 60 wt.%) on the structure and thermal properties was performed using FTIR, DSC, TGA and TEM analyses. The higher thermal stability was detected for PUFNCs with higher soft segment content. The glass transition of the hard segment (TgHS) of PUFNCs increased with decreasing soft segment content due to higher crosslinking density

Nanoclay reinforcement of siloxane-modified segmented thermoplastic polyurethanes

The goal of this work was to synthesize a new series of segmented thermoplastic polyurethane copolymers (TPU) and polyurethane nanocomposites (TPUNC), based on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). By the incorporation of nonpolar PDMS segments into the polyurethane backbone some desirable properties such as excellent thermal, oxidative and hydrolytic stability, better surface morphology and outstanding hydrophobicity can be accomplished. The TPU and TPUNC copolymers were synthesized by in situ two-stage polyaddition reaction in solution from 4,4'-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) and 1,4-butanediol (BD) which form hard segments (HS) and u,w-dihydroxy poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly(dimethylsiloxane)-b-poly(propylene oxide) (PPO-PDMS) which represents soft segments (SS). New copolymers with different soft to hard segment (SSjHS) ratio were synthesized in the presence of a catalyst at 80 ·C and for the time period of 10h. The content of PPO-PDMS segments was varied between 40 and 90 wt%. TPUNC copolymers were prepared in the same conditions, but with addition of organically modified montmorillonite clay (Cloisite 30B). Small percentage of organoclay (1 wt %) was incorporated into TPU matrix in order to examine the influence of the clay on the structure, morphology, thermal properties and hydrophobicity, and all that was analyzed with different experimental techniques. The structure of the obtained copolymers was confirmed by FTIRspectroscopy. FTIRanalysis also confirmed that increase of HS content in copolymers leads to higher fraction of hydrogen-bonded urethane carbonyl and -NH groups. The results revealed that addition of small amount of clay in TPU matrix doesn't lead to significant changes in some thermal properties such as Tg and T m of copolymers. We show that incorporation of clay in TPU matrix provides their excellent dispersion due to strong interaction between the nanofiller (clay) and HS. Nanocomposites of clay and TPUNC copolymers exhibit partly exfoliationjintercalation morphology. Hydrophobicity of synthesized TPU copolymers increases with increasing content of nonpolar PDMS segments and with addition of clay. These new TPU copolymers, because of it's great properties, can be used as coatings on a variety of biomedical devices

Thermal characterization of polyurethane/silver ferrite nanocomposites

The novel polyurethane composite films were prepared using in situ polymerization method in thepresence of silver ferrite nanoparticles (1 wt.%). Preparation, structure, and thermal characterizationof polyurethane/silver ferrite nanocomposites (PUFNCs) were investigated. The study of the effectof soft segment content (from 30 to 60 wt.%) on the structure and thermal properties was performedusing FTIR, DSC, TGA and TEM analyses. The higher thermal stability was detected for PUFNCswith higher soft segment content. The glass transition of the hard segment (TgHS) of PUFNCsincreased with decreasing soft segment content due to higher crosslinking density