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The objective of this study was to determine total mercury, lead and cadmium contents in commercial food for infants and small children marketed on the Sarajevo area of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and to estimate the toxicological risk associated with the consumption of food for infants and small children regarding mercury, lead and cadmium. A total of 30 samples were analysed. The content of lead and cadmium was analysed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Total mercury content was measured with a direct mercury analyser. The limits of cadmium, lead and inorganic mercury for infants and small children was calculated according to the dietary intake limits established by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and recommended body weights for European toddlers and infants. Overall, the contents of lead, mercury and cadmium in analyzed commercial food for infants and small children samples were considered quite low. Depending on the frequencies of daily usage the ready for use products for infants and small children there is the some circumstances in which exposure to lead and cadmium appeared to be of health concern.

Aflatoxins M1 and M2 are the hydroxylated metabolites of aflatoxins B1 and B2 and can be found in milk or milk products. The aim of this study was to obtain the exposure and health risk assessment of this toxin in raw milk using a selection of existing test results of different periods in a different region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. For AFM1 intake assessment, the data available from the report of Pre-Accession Assistance To Agriculture And Rural Development Sector Analyses in Bosnia and Herzegovina was used. For the concentration of the aflatoxin M1 in raw milk, the data of the previous studies and unpublished data from the Laboratory of Toxicological Chemistry Faculty of the Pharmacy University of Sarajevo were used. Risk characterization was performed by calculating the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence per year for four exposure scenario. The results indicated that the average estimated daily intake of aflatoxin M1 was 0.049 ng/kg body weight (bw) per day. The risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (cases/year/100 000 individuals), depending on the HBsAg prevalence, was relatively low (average 0.000064-0.000074 cases/year/100 000). It is concluded that in recent years, the carcinogenic risk of aflatoxin M1 has been low and not critical in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This work investigates the level of exposure to cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) via fish and seafood products in adult population in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Metals content was determined in seven commercial species of fish and seafood products widely available and consumed in BiH. Analysis of Cd and Pb was performed by GFAAS (Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry), and analysis of Hg by FIAS AAS (flow injection cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry) in accredited laboratory for food analysis. The health risk was determined by the estimated weekly intake, hazard index, target hazard quotients, and percent of tolerable weekly intake or percent of benchmark dose lower confidence limit. Concentration above the maximum residue level (MRL) set in the European Union was found in only one sample (Hg in mackerel). Cd content was generally high in squid, approaching the corresponding MRL in two samples. The hazard index was close to 1 in bluefin tuna and mackerel, mostly due to Hg content. These two fish species should be consumed in moderation, especially by pregnant women. While consumption of various fish and seafood on average is not of significant concern, health risk could not be ruled out for high consumers.

The main objective of this study was to determine the content of heavy metals Cd, Pb, Hg and metalloid As in samples of date mussels Lithophaga lithophaga L., 1758 in order to evaluate the health risks for mussel consumers. Samples of shellfish were obtained from commercial sources and fishery in the area of Sarajevo. The content of heavy metals and arsenic is determined in a total of 46 samples. Samples were prepared by microwave digestion. For the analysis of total As, cadmium and lead, an atomic absorption spectrophotometer with graphite furnace was used, while mercury content was determined using a direct Hg analyser. In all samples, the content of heavy metals and arsenic was above the quantification limit of the given methods. The content of all analysed metals and metalloid was below the limits of their maximum allowable concentration in food, according to the current regulations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union. Evaluation of the public health risks associated with date mussels' consumption indicates that there is no evident risk for a moderate adult consumer.

Optimization of the combustion control process in a tangentially fired pulverized coal boiler, to achieve uniform temperature distribution, is discussed in the paper. This issue is even more critical in those thermal power plants which are not equipped with modern systems for combustion enhancement, such as low NOx burners. Research has shown that the temperature distribution inside the boiler of such power plant can be controlled by adjusting firing, through coal redistribution among the mills. Furthermore, disturbed flame symmetry (i.e. non-uniform temperature distribution in the boiler) is reflected in a large difference between the output temperatures measured on the left and right sides of the boiler. Given the non-stationary conditions typical of thermal power plant boilers, an adaptive control approach is proposed, based on PI controllers which are very popular in industry and widely accepted. Self-tuning of the PI controllers is based on dynamic model parameters derived applying the weighted recursive least squares (WRLS) method to real data recorded at Nikola Tesla B thermal power plant in Serbia, whose nominal power is 650 MW. The same model was later used to test the proposed control approach.

Folic acid (FA) supplementation is recommended for all women of childbearing age and pregnant women. Still, women's adherence to these recommendations is often low. This crosssectional survey aimed to assess FA supplementation among pregnant women in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) since no such data exist to date. Data were collected by a voluntary, anonymous, self-administered internet-based questionnaire. The inclusion criteria were current pregnancy, BiH origin, and BiH residence for at least the past 5 years. The vast majority (82.1%) of women reported inadequate periconceptional FA supplementation, and only 26.9% reported supplementation during the critical period for neural tube closure. The use of a high dose (≥5 mg/day) FA beyond the first trimester was reported by 9.0% of women. Women's age was significantly associated with adequate folic acid use for the prevention of neural tube defects (OR=1.207, p

The efficacy of any moving target tracking technique depends on the understanding the background, or clutter, and the parameters that describe the detection properties of the objects. The nature of these quantities is statistical and not only are they unknown as a rule in practice, but they are also variable over both time and space. The study proposes a method for estimating the time-varying probability of detection of each tracked object individually, and the density of false alarms in the immediate vicinity of the current position of an object. The method is based on the generalised maximum likelihood approach, assuming tracking of a solitary target. The applicability and constraints of the proposed solution are illustrated by simulations.

Contamination detection in acoustic signals is crucial for their applicability in industrial surroundings and for robustification of state estimation algorithms which use them. This paper presents an adaptive solution which estimates nominal signal statistics and detects contamination by measuring the deviation of the obtained signal distribution from the expected one without requiring a state space model that is usually used in existing algorithms. Detecting a change in nominal working condition, this algorithm adapts to it by repeating the training procedure. Statistical deviation detection is conducted using Quantile-Quantile plot (QQ-plot) based decision scheme which calculates metrics in the form of mean squared error of deviation of the recorded signal from the expected distribution. This algorithm has been tested and verified on real acoustic signals obtained in noisy industrial surroundings. The results are compared to a well known T 2 multivariate control chart procedure.

This paper deals with the problem of nonlinear optimization of proportional-integral (PI) controller in doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG), modeled by the detailed differential-algebraic equations (DAEs), and connected to a power system, where rest of the power system is represented only by measurements in connection point. The basic functions of PI controllers are secondary regulation of speed-active power and reactive power-voltage of multiple DFIGs connected in the same point (typical situation in wind farms). In the presence of PI controllers, stability of the transient responses depends largely on its parameters (proportional and integral part). To calculate optimal parameters of the PI controllers, an ‘Extremum Seeking’ (ES) algorithm was used, more precisely, its version that assumes that gradient can be calculated [hence the name ‘Gradient Extremum Seeking’ (GES)]. Optimization of the PI controller parameters is performed for a list of major disturbance trajectories recorded in historical database. The results obtained using the IEEE 14-bus test system show that PI controller parameters must be carefully chosen. Their effect on transient responses and stability of the power system with major disturbance (short circuit, outage etc.) conditions was additionally studied.

Performing maintenance checks and state detection of machines with rotary actuators in industry is a challenging task which requires expensive and complicated equipment. One of the ways to perform this is using a system based on recording and analysis of sounds the machine makes during operation. This paper describes an approach which uses a simple, compact device based on a commercial microcomputer that aims to entirely replace the state detection system. It is able to record acoustic signals in close proximity to the machine, process them and use a neural network to output the state of the rotary actuator. The testing has been done on real acoustic signals recorded in the thermal power plant Kostolac in Serbia.

The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant activity, total phenolics, total flavonoid, proanthocyanidins, and anthocyanins content of eight berry species, namely serviceberry, gooseberry, blackberry, black chokeberry, bilberry, red currant, black currant, and cornelian cherry harvested in the regions of Sarajevo and Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The antioxidant activity was determined by a battery of in vitro tests including DPPH radical assay, FRAP assay, ABTS assay, and phosphomolybdate test for total antioxidant capacity. Total phenolics, total flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins ranged from 0.834 to 6.921 mg TAE (tannic acid equivalents), 0.081–0.673 mg of quercetin, and 0.162–3.247 mg of catechin per gram of fresh fruit, respectively. The water extract of fruits had considerable levels of tested constituents and antioxidant activity, with the highest results obtained for black chokeberry. The multivariate clustering analysis showed that water extracts of analyzed species of berries belong to four distinct types in terms of their antioxidants levels and antioxidant activity. Furthermore, these results support the opinion that employment of multiple antioxidant tests is indeed required for adequate in vitro assessment of antioxidant capacity. Results also emphasized the need for a more detailed evaluation of the fruit species with good antioxidant potential (relative to standards), such as cornelian cherry and gooseberry, which are abundant yet not frequently consumed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrinopathy affecting up to 20% of pre-menopausal women. The most recent international guidelines set lifestyle management as the cornerstone of the PCOS treatment. Still, there is a paucity of data on the implementation of lifestyle management in clinical practice. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore physicians-reported practices in PCOS lifestyle management in the Sarajevo Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The profession of dietetics is not legally recognized in BiH. Nutritional interventions in health promotion and disease treatment are provided by medical professionals. Methods: Data were collected by a paper-based questionnaire distributed during March-May 2018 in the Public Institution Health Centre of Sarajevo Canton. Results: Forty-six physicians (response rate of 80.7%) completed the questionnaire. An initial treatment plan based solely on lifestyle measures (diet + physical activity), as recommended by current guidelines was reported by 34.8% of physicians. Although dietary interventions were rated as highly relevant in PCOS management by the vast majority of physicians, only one-half reported recording patients’ adherence and 45.7% of physicians were unsure of the effectiveness of the lifestyle interventions in their patients. Conclusion: PCOS lifestyle management in the study setting is sub-optimal. Additional education on effective PCOS lifestyle management strategies would be beneficial, especially for physicians with less than 15 years in practice. Possible obstacles to better physicians’ engagement in PCOS lifestyle management should be further investigated.

Trans-resveratrol becomes more and more popular all over the world as a powerful antioxidant. Since its positive properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor are indisputable, nowadays trans-resveratrol is used as a component of various products from nutriceutics to body care formulations, where it is supposed to behave as natural antioxidant and anti-aging compound. It is also added to food packaging materials to increase their stability or/and prevent oxidation. Nevertheless, being released to the environment resveratrol easily forms various transformation products with potentially negative environmental and health effects. The present paper deals with transformation of pure resveratrol and its formulation used as UV-protectors in conditions of aquatic chlorination. Over 80 transformation products were tentatively identified using gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) and ultra pressure liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). Chlorinated phenols and biphenyls are the most relevant among them. Estimation of toxicity of resveratrol products was carried out using luminescent bacteria V. fischeri tests.

Rotary actuators are among the most commonly used machines in the industry and the algorithm for detecting the level of wear they are subjected to can prevent significant amount of unnecessary maintenance expenses. This paper proposes a new algorithm which can detect the state of the rotating machine using acoustic signals recorded in its vicinity. The algorithm uses a combination of wavelet transform and neural networks and is computationally inexpensive, so it can be implemented on a simple microcontroller. The testing has been done on real acoustic signals recorded in thermal power plant Kostolac in Serbia.

Oxidative stress is a state of excess of prooxidative species relative to the antioxidant defenses (enzymatic and nonenzymatic) in a living organism. The consequence of this imbalance is damage of the major cellular macromolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and DNA), which further leads to a gradual loss of tissue and organ function. It has been shown that oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases (cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurodegenerative diseases and cancer) and in the process of aging. Thus, many strategies to combat oxidative stress have been proposed and tested. In this context, food rich in antioxidants has received great attention. Pomegranate, berries, and walnuts have been recognized as “superfood” particularly for their cardioprotective effects. The common characteristic of these foods is the high content of ellagitannins. Since tannins are not bioavailable, they have been neglected in nutrition science and even considered antinutrients for a long time. However, this view has changed dramatically once it was recognized that ellagic acid, released from ellagitannins in the gastrointestinal system, is further metabolized by colonic microbiota to bioavailable compounds—known as urolithins. Thus, urolithins (3,4-benzocoumarin derivatives) have emerged as novel natural bioactive compounds and are now the focus of extensive investigations. So far, urolithins were shown to be powerful modulators of oxidative stress and agents with potential anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and antiaging properties. Furthermore, a few synthetic derivatives of urolithins were recognized as lead compounds for new drug development. Available data on urolithin synthesis, physicochemical and pharmacokinetic characteristics, biological activity, and safety will be presented in this review.

High demands for increasing robustness, safety, and efficiency in thermal power plants are the main motivation behind ongoing attempts to optimize combustion. This paper presents a study of modeling and control of the combustion process in a tangentially fired pulverized-coal boiler. It proposes an approach to flame geometry and position control by means of reallocation of firing. Such control ensures flame focus maintenance away from the walls of the boiler, and thus prevents many unwanted by-products of combustion. In addition, uniform heat dissipation over mills enhances the energy efficiency and reliability of the boiler. First, experimental data obtained from the 350-MW boiler of the Nikola Tesla power plant, Serbia, are analyzed in detail. This results in a model identification procedure using an adaptive parameter estimation method. Second, constrained multivariate extremum seeking (ES) is proposed in this paper, to optimally tune boiler operation in order to maintain the desired flame configuration in the furnace. Finally, the effectiveness of the ES adaptive controller in the presence of disturbances is demonstrated through simulations performed on the experimentally identified model of the boiler.

In this paper a short theoretical overview of differential quantizer and its implementations is given. Afterward, the effect of the order of prediction in differential quantizer and the effect of the difference in order of predictor in the input and output of differential quantizer is analyzed. Then it was proceeded with the examination of the robustness of the differential quantizer in the case in which a noise signal is brought to the input of the differential quantizer, instead of the clean speech signal. The analysis was conducted with a uniform distribution, as well as the noise with the gaussian distribution, and the obtained results were adequately commented on. Also, experimentally a limit was set which refers to the intensity of the noise and still enable results which are better that a regular uniform quantizer. The whole analysis is done by using the fixed number of bits in quantization, i.e. 12-bit quantizer is used in all the implementations of differential quantizer. In the conclusion of this paper there is a discussion about the possibility of implementing a differential quantizer which will be able to recognize which noise attacks the system, and in addition to that, in what form it adapts its coefficients so that it at any moment acquires the optimal signal to noise ratio.

Fault detection and state estimation using acoustic signals is a procedure highly affected by ambient noise. This is particularly pronounced in an industrial environment where noise pollution is especially strong. In this paper a noise detection algorithm is proposed and implemented. This algorithm can identify the times in which the recorded acoustic signal is influenced by different types of noise in the form of unwanted impulse disturbance or speech contamination. The algorithm compares statistical parameters of the recordings by generating a series of QQ plots and then using an appropriate stochastic signal analysis tools like hypothesis testing. The main purpose of this algorithm is to eliminate noisy signals and to collect a set of noise free recordings which can then be used for state estimation. The application of these techniques in a real industrial environment is extremely complex because sound contamination usually tends to be intense and nonstationary. The solution described in this paper has been tested on a specific problem of acoustic signal isolation and noise detection of a coal grinding fan mill in thermal power plant in the presence of intense contaminating sound disturbances, mainly impulse disturbance and speech contamination.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are chemicals of global concern due to their potential for long-range transport, persistence in environment, ability to biomagnify and bioaccumulate in ecosystems, as well as their significant negative effects on human health and the environment. In this study, seven targeted polychlorinated byphenils (PCBs, IUPAC Nos. 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180) and the organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, cis-chlordane, trans-chlordane and oxy-chlordane were quantified in European date mussel (Lithophaga lithophaga L., 1758.) collected from the Sarajevo fish market (Bosnia and Herzegovina). This slow-growing species is widespread along the whole Mediterranean rocky coastline. In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), this species has not been protected by law and the date mussel harvested in the area of the Neum bay (Adriatic sea) could be found in free sale on BiH market. Applied gas chromatography and tissue extraction methods were validated in the NIVA laboratory. Our samples (n=61) were 4.5-8.4 cm in length. Total OCPs in the analyzed samples were low (ranging from non-detectable to 0.419 µg kg-1 w.w.), while Σ7PCBs was ranging from 20.26 to 135.37 µg kg-1 w.w.. PCBs 101, 118, 138 and 153 were dominant congeners in all samples.

The paper proposes a method for state change detection in rotary machines. The procedure relies on recorded signals spectrogram analysis and features appropriate for texture classification in digital images. Final classification in terms of machine health is performed using Adaboost algorithm. The application of this algorithm is proposed for thermal power plant fan mills whose impact plates are damaged during the coal grinding process. The main goal of the procedure is to detect the amount of wear of the impellers and to determine the appropriate timing for unnecessary maintenance tasks. Real acoustic signals for verification of this algorithm are recorded in thermal power plant Kostolac A1 in a coal grinding subsystem.

WOS: 000432658100022, PubMed ID: 29550449, Objectives: The aim of this survey was to describe the current status of HIV care in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and to investigate how close the region is to achieving the UNAIDS 2020 target of 9090-90. Methods: In 2014, data were collected from 24 Central and Eastern European countries using a 38-item questionnaire. Results: All countries reported mandatory screening of blood and organ donors for HIV. Other groups subjected to targeted screening included people who inject drugs (PWID) (15/24, 62.5%), men who have sex with men (MSM) (14/24, 58.3%), and sex workers (12/24, 50.0%). Only 14 of the 24 countries (58.3%) screened pregnant women. The percentages of late presentation and advanced disease were 40.3% (range 14-80%) and 25.4% (range 9-50%), respectively. There was no difference between countries categorized by income or by region in terms of the percentages of persons presenting late or with advanced disease. The availability of newer antiretroviral drugs (rilpivirine, etravirine, darunavir, maraviroc, raltegravir, dolutegravir) tended to be significantly better with a higher country income status. Ten countries reported initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) regardless of CD4+ T cell count (41.7%), five countries (20.8%) used the threshold of, AIDS and STI Society-Turkey; Gilead SciencesGilead Sciences, The authors would like to thank Mike Youle and Ben Collins for encouraging them to develop this survey. This study was supported by an unconditional grant from the AIDS and STI Society-Turkey and Gilead Sciences.

There is an overall lack of data concerning the pollution status of Bosnia Herzegovina, which is confounded by fragmented national environmental management. The present study aimed to provide some initial data for concentrations of priority substances in two major Bosnian Rivers, using two types of passive sampler (PS) as well as by using high volume water sampling (HVWS). Overall, concentrations of most persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and legacy pesticides, were shown to be low. However, around the town of Doboj on the Bosna River, concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) breached European standards for several compounds and reached 67 ng L-1 for freely dissolved concentrations and 250 ng L-1 for total concentrations. In general, contamination was lower in the Neretva River compared to the Bosna, although for brominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), results suggested an active source of PBDEs at one location based on the ratio of congeners 47 and 99. Direct comparisons between the different sampling techniques used are not straightforward, but similar patterns of PAH contamination were shown by HVWS and PS in the Bosna River. There are both scientific and practical considerations when choosing which type of sampling technique to apply, and this should be decided based on the goals of each individual study.

 Abstract—The main objective of this paper is to present a new method of predictive maintenance which can detect the states of coal grinding mills in thermal power plants using Bayesian networks. Several possible structures of Bayesian networks are proposed for solving this problem and one of them is implemented and tested on an actual system. This method uses acoustic signals and statistical signal pre-processing tools to compute the inputs of the Bayesian network. After that the network is trained and tested using signals measured in the vicinity of the mill in the period of 2 months. The goal of this algorithm is to increase the efficiency of the coal grinding process and reduce the maintenance cost by eliminating the unnecessary maintenance checks of the system

A fault detection and isolation approach, specially designed for steam separators in thermal power plants, is presented in the paper. The first step of the proposed algorithm is to identify the process. Because of the presence of sporadic high-intensity measurement noise (outliers), the paper proposes a robust version of recursive identification. Starting from the parameter vector of the identified model, the second step of the proposed procedure has the form of a data-driven fault detector. This particular fault detection and isolation approach was implemented at TEKOB1 Kostolac Thermal Power Plant in Serbia, whose nominal power output is 330 MW.

A Fault Detection and Diagnosis scheme able to deal with concurrent, incipient, sensor and actuator faults is presented. The architecture allows the diagnosis whenever the system's outputs are less than the number of faults. Residual generation is achieved by taking advantage from observer-based design, whereas the classification is performed by extending the concept of directional residual towards a time-varying setting. The scheme is designed to leverage the power from both model-based and data-driven approaches while mitigating their inherent drawbacks. The performances of the proposed strategy are evaluated by employing real data coming from the TEKOB1 Thermal Plant of Kostolac, Serbia.

The Stockholm Convention, which aspires to manage persistent organic pollutants (POPs) at the international level, was recently ratified in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Despite this fact, there is in general a paucity of data regarding the levels of POPs in the environment in BiH. In the present study, screening for POPs was conducted in one of the country's major rivers, the Bosna. A two-pronged approach was applied using passive samplers to detect the freely dissolved and bioavailable concentrations in the water phase and sediment analysis to provide an integrated measure of historical contamination. At several places along the river, the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were high and exhibited potential for both chronic and acute effects to biota. River water also showed elevated concentrations of PAH, up to 480 ng L(-1) near the city of Doboj, and diagnostic ratios suggested combustion sources for the contamination present in both types of sample. The levels of the other contaminants measured-polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers--were generally low in the water phase. However, PCBs and some OCPs were present in river sediments at levels which breach the international criteria and thus suggest potential for ecological damage. Additionally, the levels of heptachlor breached these criteria in many of the sites investigated. This study presents the first screening data for some of these Stockholm Convention relevant compounds in BiH and reveals both low concentrations of some chemical groups, but significant point sources and historic contamination for others.

The concentrations of cadmium, copper, mercury and lead in fish from the Neretva river have been investigated in order to assess safety for consumers and the level of contamination. Samples of muscle and liver from six fish species (brown trout, common carp, prussian carp, chub, rudd and gray mullet) were collected at six locations upstream and downstream from the three largest towns along the Neretva river. Metal concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after microwave-assisted acid mineralisation. Accumulation of metals in fish tissues was species-dependent. The average content of metals in fish muscle samples was 0.013–0.055, 0.068–16.059, 0.050–0.401 and 0.055–0.703 mg/kg for Cd, Cu, Hg and Pb, respectively. Health effects due to fish consumption could not be excluded. Further investigation is recommended, including a survey of fish consumption frequency among the local inhabitants and sports fishermen.

Prognostic methods represent a new methodology for system maintenance which offers significant time and cost savings. The paper offers a short overview of the available prognosis techniques and proposes the implementation of one model-based and one data-driven method. As a representative of the model-based methods the autoregressive moving average (ARMA) modeling approach is chosen. The estimated model parameters are further used for implementing the early change detector which is realized as a Neyman-Pearson hypothesis test. On the other hand, hidden Markov model (HMM) based prognosis illustrates the use of data-driven techniques. Using the cross-correlation input-output functions, HMM prognosis algorithm is proposed, as a suitable way of timely detection. Both techniques were implemented to detect performance changes of the water level sensor in a steam separator system in thermal power plants.

We consider the problem of detecting malfunctions in the actuators or sensors of systems which can be described by nonlinear/non-Gaussian stochastic state-space models. The basic idea is to estimate the state vector of such models using a sequential Monte Carlo technique known as particle filtering. We present several approaches to detecting faults and pinpointing their location within the system, using either one or a bank of particle filters.

Fish is the main single source of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exposure in men. Anecdotal reports suggest high wild fish consumption rates among sport fishermen in Sanski Most area, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Presence of PCBs in the environment in BiH was previously documented. The main objective of this work was to estimate the magnitude of PCBs exposure and assess the potential health risk in sport fishermen in Sanski Most. The fishing pattern and magnitude of fish consumption were estimated in the questionnaire survey conducted during April 2012 among members (n = 60) of the local sport fishermen association in Sanski Most. Calculated median and high-end (90th percentile) fish consumption rates were 31 g d(-1) and 126 g d(-1), respectively. The PCB concentrations (as Aroclor 1254 equivalents), determined by ELISA immunoassay in 28 fish fillets ranged from undetectable to 208 μg kg(-1). Two different exposure scenarios were used: (a) median exposure, calculated from the median fish consumption rate and median PCB concentrations, and (b) "worst case" scenario, calculated from the high-end fish consumption rate and mean PCB concentrations. The results suggest negligible lifelong cancer and non-cancer risks in case of low to moderate fish consumption rate, but possibly unacceptable risk levels in high-end consumers.

This work deals with the problem of model-based sensor FDI in water-steam power plants where, due to extreme pressure and temperature conditions, measurement sensors are prone to failures. Faults in the measurement devices of output variables (water flow and level) and of input variable (steam flow) are considered. When both the output and input measurements are subject to faults it is hard to detect and estimate them. To overcome this limitation and achieve FDI, we propose to use a sliding mode observer (SMO) and to make an appropriate signature analysis on the resulting output injection terms in order to identify a “distinguishing” signature for each fault. The performance of the proposed scheme has been evaluated off-line using real-data taken from the TEKO B1 Thermal Power Plant of Kostolac (Serbia) whose nominal power is 330 MW.

Paper presents a model-based fault detection and isolation technique which relies on system identification procedure. Several open-loop identification methods are discussed since they are usually less complex and thus easier for implementation in large-scale systems. However, since the system analysis is usually conducted in a closed-loop structure, prediction error based direct closed-loop method was also taken into consideration. The efficiency of these four identification methods is demonstrated keeping in mind the final goal of the algorithm, which is the fault detection and isolation. Therefore, the performance of these methods in the light of FDI is emphasized, while the accuracy of parameter estimates is considered less important. The comparative analysis of suggested methods was done using data obtained from the steam separator in TEKO B1 unit of the Kostolac thermal power plant, Republic of Serbia.

One of the primary requirements for a high performance process control is a good quality and reliability of obtained measurements. In order to overcome the problem of sporadic high-intensity irregular measurements (outliers) presence, a robust process identification procedure must be used. The paper presents an application of an adaptive approach to robust parameter estimation of a linear dynamic discrete-time system, based on QQ-plot method together with robustified winsorization technique. The proposed procedure is implemented in a stemseparator system in thermal power plants. The comparison to the conventional RLS approach demonstrates the effectiveness of this method in the presence of impulse noise.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is characterized by high genetic variability due to its high replication rate and the lack of proofreading activity of the reverse transcriptase enzyme. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis performed on numerous isolates from all over the world, HIV-1 is subdivided into types, subtypes, subsubtypes, circulating recombinant forms, and unique recombinant forms. No data are currently available about the circulation of HIV-1 types in Montenegro. Here, we describe the genetic variability of HIV-1 strains identified in plasma samples of patients from Montenegro. Phylogenetic analysis on 32 HIV-1 sequences was carried out. The prevalent circulating HIV-1 subtype is B. The strains were interspersed within the tree. Two main clades (I and II) may suggest independent introductions of HIV-1 subtype B into Montenegro, although other epidemiological evidence will be needed to assume a small number of introductions. No obvious evidence of clustering by residence, age, or sex was found (data not shown). Nelfinavir resistance was found, though lopinavir is the only PI administered. Continuous monitoring of HIV-1-infected individuals is crucial to a better understand of the epidemiology of the B subtype in Montenegro.

The main objective of this study was to determine levels of certain persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Neretva River, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which is currently facing implementation of the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and environmental protection strategies. This is the very first report on the deployment of semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) in BiH. SPMDs were used for continuous 3-weeks sampling of POPs at three locations, covering 220 km long stream of the Neretva River. Water concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) were calculated using performance reference compounds (PRCs). The total OCP concentrations ranged from 40 to 140 pg L(-1) and most of compounds were detected only in lower course of the river. Total PAH ranged from 160 to 4000 pg L(-1) and show a clear spatial variation. Dominant PAHs were phenanthrene, fluoranthene, fluorene and acenaphthene. Total PCB ranged from undetectable to 120 pg L(-1). From the group of 15 PBDE congeners investigated, only PBDE-47 and PBDE-99 were detected. Since the concentrations of broad spectrum of POPs found in the Neretva River are quite low, future actions should be focused on preservation rather than on sanitation measures. Regular monitoring should anyhow be established.

Quality regulation of the combustion process inside the furnace is the basis of high demands for increasing robustness, safety and efficiency of thermal power plants. The paper considers the possibility of spatial temperature distribution control inside the boiler, based on the correction of distribution of coal over the mills. Such control system ensures the maintenance of the flame focus away from the walls of the boiler, and thus preserves the equipment and reduces the possibility of ash slugging. At the same time, uniform heat dissipation over mills enhances the energy efficiency of the boiler, while reducing the pollution of the system. A constrained multivariable extremum seeking algorithm is proposed as a tool for combustion process optimization with the main objective of centralizing the flame in the furnace. Simulations are conducted on a model corresponding to the 350MW boiler of the Nikola Tesla Power Plant, in Obrenovac, Serbia.