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Armin Mooranian,1 Nassim Zamani,1 Momir Mikov,2 Svetlana Goločorbin-Kon,3 Goran Stojanovic,4 Frank Arfuso,5 Bozica Kovacevic,1 Hani Al-Salami1 1Biotechnology and Drug Development Research Laboratory, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI), Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; 2Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia; 3Department of Pharmacy, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia; 4Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia; 5Stem Cell and Cancer Biology Laboratory, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, AustraliaCorrespondence: Hani Al-SalamiBiotechnology and Drug Development Research Laboratory, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI), Curtin University, Perth, WA, AustraliaTel + 61 8 9266 9816Fax + 61 8 9266 2769Email hani.al-salami@curtin.edu.auIntroduction: Recent formulation and microencapsulation studies of probucol (PB) using the polymer sodium alginate (SA) and bile acids have shown promising results but PB stability, and pharmacology profiles remain suboptimal. This study aimed to investigate novel polymers for the nano and micro encapsulation of PB, with the anti-inflammatory bile acid ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA).Material and methods: Six formulations using three types of polymers were investigated with and without UDCA. The polymers were NM30D, RL30D, and RS30D and they were mixed with SA and PB at set ratios and microencapsulated using oscillating-voltage-mediated nozzle technology coupled with ionic gelation. The microcapsules were examined for physical and biological effects using pancreatic β-cells.Results and discussion: UDCA addition did not adversely affect the morphology and physical features of the microcapsules. Despite thermal stability remaining unchanged, bile acid incorporation did enhance the electrokinetic stability of the formulation system for NM30D and RL30D polymers. Mechanical stability remained similar in all groups. Enhanced uptake of PB from the microcapsule by pancreatic β-cells was only seen with NM30D-UDCA-intercalated microcapsules and this effect was sustained at both glucose levels of 5.5 and 35.5 mM.Conclusion: UDCA addition enhanced PB delivery and biological effects in a formulation-dependent manner.Keywords: probucol, microencapsulation, NM30D, ursodeoxycholic acid, diabetes, oxidative stress

Parameter estimation of Fricke-Morse model of biological tissue is widely used in bioimpedance data processing and analysis. Complex nonlinear least squares (CNLS) data fitting is often used for parameter estimation of the model, but limitations such as high processing time, converging into local minimums, need for good initial guess of model parameters and non-convergence have been reported. Thus, there is strong motivation to develop methods which can solve these flaws. In this paper a novel real-time method for parameter estimation of Fricke-Morse model of biological cells is presented. The proposed method uses the value of characteristic frequency estimated from the measured imaginary part of bioimpedance, whereupon the Fricke-Morse model parameters are calculated using the provided analytical expressions. The proposed method is compared with CNLS in frequency ranges of 1 kHz to 10 MHz (beta-dispersion) and 10 kHz to 100 kHz, which is more suitable for low-cost microcontroller-based bioimpedance measurement systems. The obtained results are promising, and in both frequency ranges, CNLS and the proposed method have accuracies suitable for most electrical bioimpedance (EBI) applications. However, the proposed algorithm has significantly lower computation complexity, so it was 20-80 times faster than CNLS.

Nowadays, climate changes induce deviations in the composition of honey varieties characteristic of a specific geographic region. Therefore, according to Codex Alimentarius for honey, the slight variations in values of determined parameters cannot be strictly regarded as a sign of its adulteration. Here, modified methods are presented for preparing honey samples for inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analysis and the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method to use them as fast and reliable methods in the food industry. ICP-OES analysis suggested that all analysed honey samples are natural, and HPLC-DAD (diode-arrray detection) analysis on the flavonoids showed that one sample is probably not natural. Invertase activity showed an overlap with this HPLC-DAD finding but suggested more samples as possibly adulterated, which can be neglected due to possible thermal treatment of those natural samples, causing a decrease in invertase activity. Therefore, results obtained from the analyses of investigated honey samples based on the mineral content, number, and quantity of flavonoids, together with the invertase activity, indicated that the combination of analyses could be a reliable tool for determining the quality of honey samples.

The course "Materials in Electrical Engineering" is a core course in the Mechatronics curriculum at the Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Serbia. In the past, this course was comprehensive and mainly theory-based. Teaching methods used in this course had not been changed for many years, and were mainly based on a traditional approach. They were therefore often outdated, and boring for students. In addition, the lack of modern materials characterization equipment was a significant weakness of the course in its early stages. This paper presents the main aspects of the modified course, which features a greater inclusion of modern equipment in its teaching methodology; in particular it introduces the Hall effect measurement system as an indispensable characterization technique in education, research and in the semiconductor industry. This paper also describes how students can be taught to use the Hall effect measurement system to determine the structural and electrical characteristics of different materials. Finally, students' feedback and observations on the modified course and the applied teaching methodology are discussed. (Contains 3 tables and 8 figures.)

This paper presents analytical and numerical methods for developing optical-acoustic transducers of minimal dimensions. One can find acoustic sensors used as microphones in various electronic devices such as smartphones or smartwatches. Therefore, it is highly desirable to minimize their size while ensuring high-quality sound reception. The optical-acoustic sensor relies on laser detection of membrane vibrations and consists of a membrane that vibrates in the presence of an acoustic field and reflects the radiation emitted by the laser back to the laser. We focus on methods to optimize the membrane's design and the cavity (back volume) that separates the laser from the membrane. The back volume compliance significantly affects the sensitivity of the membrane. In addition, it is a noise source due to acoustic and viscous damping. Using calculations and simulations, we show the possibilities of reducing the membrane size and the air-filled back volume size while achieving the desired acoustic properties. We employ analytical calculations for the mechanical vibration of the diaphragm, back-volume compliance and resistance, and precise FEM simulations of the interaction between membrane vibration and the acoustic field. We build on similar techniques used for micromachined capacitive microphones, but we apply these methods newly to a specific setup of backplate-less optical-acoustic sensors. Based on the theoretical results, we can conclude that opticalacoustic devices achieve the same maximum noise level with smaller dimensions than the current industry standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some of simple carbohydrates and their derivatives are used for the clinical treatment of various diseases. Epoxide derivatives, which can be obtained by the intramolecular elimination of water from two vicinal hydroxyl groups, are stable, but sufficiently reactive compounds very often used as intermediaries in various syntheses. Synthesis of epoxide derivative, methyl 3,4-anhydro- -6-bromo-2-O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-6-deoxy-α-D-allopyranoside from α-D-glucose was achieved in high yields in the minimal number of synthetic steps. Anhydrous glucose was used as a starting material which was transformed into methyl α-D-glucopyranoside using dry, gaseous hydrogen chloride. Thus obtained derivative was treated with benzaldehyde in the presence of zinc chloride as Lewis acid giving methyl (R)-4,6-O-benzylidene-α-D-glucopyranoside. The obtained compound was treated with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) in dichloromethane in the presence of barium carbonate giving methyl 4-O-benzoyl-6- -bromo-6-deoxy-α-D-glucopyranoside. In the next step, the obtained compound was treated with tert-butyldimethylsilyl chloride (TBDMSCl) in pyridine, and methyl 4-O-benzoyl-6-bromo-2-O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-6-deoxy-α-D-glucopyranoside was further mesylated, and the obtained methyl 4-O-benzoyl-6- -bromo-2-O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-6-deoxy-3-O-mesyl-α-D-glucopyranoside was treated at the end with KOH to give methyl 3,4-anhydro-6-bromo-2-O-tert- -butyldimethylsilyl-6-deoxy-α-D-allopyranoside (yield 78 %).

Pesticides commonly used in the Republic of Serbia (tebuconazole, pendimethalin, pyraclostrobin, propiconazole and famoxadone) have high stability, so their potential toxicity to humans needs to be investigated. These pesticides are in use in the Republic of Serbia in various formulations. Their toxicity and interactions with acetylcholinesterase were thoroughly investigated in this study using computational tools. The ADMET (adsorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, toxicity) study showed that all of them are efficient oral compounds, and that pendimethalin was a mutagenic compound. Glide scores ranged from –18.41 (pendimethalin) to –27.61 kJ mol-1 (famoxadone) in Mus musculus, and from –19.58 (pendimethalin) to –24.31 kJ mol-1 (propiconazole) in Homo sapiens. In addition, the experimental stability of the pesticides solutions in methanol was studied using the fast gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS, retention times of the studied pesticides ranged from 14.47 (pendimethalin) to 22 min (famoxadone)). They showed good stability over time, apart from pyraclostrobin which decomposed mainly into its desmethoxy derivative after 20 months. Based on the promising modelling results, pyraclostrobin and famoxadone emerge as potential candidates for further investigation in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, taking care to increase their stability.

Anxiety represents the behavioral, emotional and cognitive response of the person on experience if potential or future danger. Pathological anxiety occurs when this reaction is unreasonable, that is it is not proportionate to the stress or challenge, and it leads to intense fear, nervousness and impaired functioning. Anxiety can occur in any period of life. Adolescence is a turbulent developmental period that increases the risk of young people to develop numerous mental disorders. Numerous predictors determinate the development of anxiety in adolescents. Prevention of anxiety disorders in adolescents is a public health priority, therefore it is necessary to identify risk factors and implement activities to suppress these factors.

In modern conditions, human society is faced with numerous environmental problems, which call for necessary action in order to ensure sustainable development. In other words, solutions to environmental problems are urgently needed if we wish for future generations to have the same quantity and quality of resources that the current generations possess. Countries around the world, and especially EU member states, place a strong focus on environmental issues, and as one of the basic instruments in resolving them, they use environmental taxes. These taxes are intended to make polluters lower their pollution levels in order to reduce their tax burden. Among other things, they encourage polluters to invest in ecological innovations, all with the aim of reducing the tax burden and increasing the quality of the environment in the future. The aim of this paper is to establish how strong the influence of environmental taxation is on the development of ecological innovations. For this reason, correlation and regression analysis were used on a sample of EU member states. The obtained results show that the influence of these phenomena, i.e., variables, is positive and strong and that with the growth of income from environmental taxes per capita by 1%, the index of ecological innovations increases by 0.663 with a significance level of p=0.000.

This paper aims to rank business models for successfully overcoming socio-economic instability through criteria using an appropriate multicriteria decision-making method (MCDM). In this paper, the AHP method was used to calculate the difficulty criteria. The literature review identified and analyzed six business models: digital business models where companies will be found, competitive advantage models, global, deglobal, market models based on new products and services and customer-built business models. The findings of this research improve the understanding of several business models on the basis of which the management of mining companies can successfully overcome the socio - economically unstable situation.

The influence of temperature, reaction time, and type of the catalyst on the yield of the 2,3,5-trimethylpyridine (collidine) from 3-amino-2-methylpropenal and methylethylketone was investigated. 3-Amino-2-methylpropenal was synthesized from 3-ethoxy-2-methylacrolein previously synthesized from methylmalondialdehyde tetraethyl acetal, obtained from triethyl orthoformate and propenyl ether. The optimal conditions for the investigated synthesis were temperature of 150 °C, reaction time 24 h, and the CH3COOH/pTsOH catalyst. This synthesis is the first successful attempt to synthesize 2,3,5-trimethylpyridine in an acid medium.

The amount of nineteen elements in eleven different lichen species, six fruticose (Bryoria capillaris, Bryoria fuscescens, Cladonia rangiformis, Ramalina capitata, Usnea chaetophora and Evernia prunastri) and five foliose (Hypogymnia tubulosa, Lobaria pulmonaria, Peltigera horizontalis, Umbilicaria cylindrica and Umbilicaria crustulosa) from five natural areas of the Balkan Peninsula (Serbia and Bulgaria) were determined by using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Among macronutrients, the highest content was observed for Ca and K, while Mg and Na were represented in the smallest amount. Fe, Mn, Zn and Ba were the most abundant trace elements in contrast to Cd and Co, whose concentrationс wеre the lowest.

Background/Aim. The growing number of older adults means higher medicine utilization. The aim of the study was to determine the frequency and identify risk factors of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) in the elderly population with cardiovascular diseases. Methods. The retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed in 2018, and the relevant data were collected during the period from January 2016 to December 2017. The study sample included 1,500 patients over 65 years with cardiovascular disease who had medical records at the Institute for Gerontology and Palliative Care, Belgrade. Assessment of PIM was done by standard international criteria such as the American Geriatrics Society 2015 updated Beers Criteria for PIM use in older adults. Results. PIM frequency in the elderly population was 70.3%. In relation to gender, it was more frequent in female elders. The mean number of prescribed drugs was similar for 2016 and 2017, 7.2 and 7.3, respectively. The most common were: medium-acting benzodiazepines (70.9%), central α blockers (23.98%), and antipsychotics (typical and atypical) (20.94%). The most common comorbidity was noted in a group labeled with the International Disease Classification I00-I99, which includes heart and blood vessel diseases [n = 2,658 (36.9%)]. The most common diagnoses belonged to the subgroups I10-I15 [hypertensive diseases, n = 1,298 (18%)], I20-I25 [ischemic heart diseases n = 542 (7.5%)], I30-I52 [other forms of heart disease, n = 705 (9.8%)], I60-I69 [cerebrovascular diseases, n = 94 (1.3%)], and I80- I89 [diseases of veins, lymph vessels, and lymph nodes n = 12 (0.17%)]. The risk factors for PIM were: polypharmacy, gender, nicotine use, cognitive status, nutrition state, and the number of diseases registered in the study sample. Conclusion. Cardiovascular diseases in the elderly population are associated with a high prevalence of PIM. Creating health recommendations for prescribing drugs to the elderly that would emphasize these factors could reduce the prevalence of PIM in this population.

Background/Aim. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has multiple impacts on the management of cancer patients. Treatment of malignancies, including chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy, can suppress the immune system and lead to the development of severe complications of COVID-19. The aim of this study was to determine the mortality of lung cancer (LC) patients in whom the COVID-19 was confirmed during active antitumor treatment. Methods. This retrospective study was conducted at the Institute for Pulmonary Diseases of Vojvodina, Sremska Kamenica, Serbia. All patients included in the study underwent active anticancer treatment at the time of diagnosis of COVID-19. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was determined by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Patient data were collected using the institutional database and the observed period was from November 20, 2020, to June 5, 2021. Statistical analysis of the derived patient data used multivariate and univariate testing. Results. Out of 828 observed COVID-19 hospitalized patients, 81 were LC patients on active antitumor treatment. Patients were predominantly male (67.9%), smokers (55.6%), and with an average age of 66.5 years (range 43–83). The majority of patients (50.6%) had the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) 1, and 83.9% had at least one comorbidity. The most common comorbidities were arterial hypertension (66.7%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (28.4%), and diabetes mellitus (21%). Obesity, congestive heart failure, and other cardiovascular diseases were present in 11%, 6.2%, and 7.4% of patients, respectively. The most common was adenocarcinoma (33.3%), followed by squamous (30.9%) and small-cell LC (24.7%). Predominantly, 63% of the patients were in stage III of the disease, and 33.3% were in stage IV. Metastases were most commonly present in the contralateral lung/pleura (14.8%), brain (6.2%), bone (3.7%), and liver (3.7%). Systemic anticancer therapy was applied in 37 out of 81 patients (45.6%), chest radiotherapy in 35 (43.2%), concurrent chemo-radiotherapy in 1 (1.2%), and other types of radiotherapy in 8 (9.87%) patients. The most common forms of systemic therapy were chemotherapy (35.8%), immunotherapy (7.4%), and targeted therapy (2.4%). The most common chemotherapy was a cisplatin-based regiment applied in 34.6% of patients. The mortality from COVID-19 was 19.8%. The statistical significance in relation to the type of treatment was not observed. Statistical significance was observed between mortality and the ECOG PS (p = 0.011). Conclusion. LC patients are dependent on antitumor treatment and, at the same time, highly susceptible to potential infection. In this study, we did not find statistically significant differences in mortality related to the type of antitumor treatment in COVID-19 positive LC patients. Further detailed research on a larger scale is needed in order to explore the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on cancer patients. All possible methods of protection against SARS-CoV-2 virus should be performed in order to minimize the risk of infection in all but especially in immunocompromised cancer patients.

The present study reports for the first time the chemical composition of the headspace volatiles (HS) and essential oils obtained from fresh Chaerophyllum bulbosum roots and aerial parts, as well as biological activities of the essential oils. Generally, monoterpene hydrocarbons were found to be the main class of all investigated samples, with (E)-β-ocimene being the most abundant component. The results of antibacterial assay showed that both investigated samples exhibit bactericidal activity against two tested Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis subs. spizizenii) while they were inactive against tested Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Salmonella abony). Regarding the antioxidant activity, it was found that the essential oils showed low antioxidant capacities in comparison with standard antioxidant compounds (such as butylated hydroxytoluene). The obtained results were expected given the fact that the main components in both samples were monoterpene hydrocarbons.

Background/Aim. Assisting students face high academic demands which, together with interpersonal, intrapersonal and professional requirements, can be a significant source of stress. The aim of the study was to examine the intensity and frequency of the source of stress, coping strategies and identify gender differences among students, future assisting professionals. Methods. An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted amongst the students of the University of the Belgrade Faculty of Security (Serbia) who, after graduation, will acquire the title of a security manager responsible for human resources in the civil sector. The data were collected in the period October-November 2018. The authorized questionnaire SSM-30 by Jović (Stress scale for the young – 30) was used, which enables students to assess the stress situations intensity on a scale from 1 (minimum) to 10 (maximum intensity). The SSM-30 questionnaire is a combination of the standard Life Events Scale – Holmes Rashe Life Events Scale, also known as the Social Readjustment Rating Scale and life events characteristic for the student population. The questionnaire also included the sample demographic characteristics – gender, and a year of study. The SSM-30 scale includes a list of stressful events and stress coping mechanisms shown in the results. Results. The most common sources of stress in both genders were social and academic ones: death in the family, critical illness in the family, an accident of a person they care about, unwanted pregnancy, lies from close people, disagreement with parents, loss of a study year, crisis, uncertainty after graduation and partner’s infidelity. The most frequently used mechanisms for controlling and overcoming stress were mostly social: talking with friends, listening to music, family support, frequent walks, socializing and going out, using the Internet, frequent sleep, intense physical activity, crying and relaxation. Statistically significant differences between the genders were confirmed – female students demonstrated self-worth of higher intensity during the majority of stressful situations, as they use different stress coping mechanisms from their male students. Conclusion. The results obtained with regard to the assessment of stressors and the use of specific mechanisms for coping point to the need of additional education of students in this field in order to be more focused and open for free professional help, when necessary.

Selection and evaluation of suppliers is a complex issue that depends mostly on the quality of the decision-making process. The aim of this paper is to point to the possibility of applying multi-criteria analysis (Fuzzy TOPSIS method) for the selection of suppliers operating in mining systems in the case of the Public Company for Underground Coal Mining Resavica (JPPEU Resavica) -Serbia. Ranking of companies is done based on ten criteria, and it has considered a list of five suppliers (Supplier 1; Supplier 2; Supplier 3; Supplier 4; Supplier 5). The criteria cover the most important aspects of suppliers' selection such as: management and organization, quality, technical ability, production facilities and capacity, financial position, delivery, service, relationship-connectivity, security and environmental protection and price. In doing so, it has used the experts knowledge from JPPEU Resavica to determine the significance and impact of certain criteria to the process of supplier selection and evaluation of suppliers in regard to each criterion. Fuzzy TOPSIS method was used for determining the final ranking of suppliers. The supplier with the top rank was the Supplier 4. The obtained results indicate that the proposed method gives excellent results and can be used for solving various, and the most complex problems that occur in mining systems, as well as in other production systems.

This study aimed at analyzing and comparing the elemental composition of different parts of cultivated Physalis alkekengi (ljoskavac): rhizome with roots, stem with leaves, fruit, and inflated calyx. The contents of twenty- -one macro- and micro-elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). In addition, the patterns of the distributions of both macro- and micro-elements were subjected to AHC analysis which gave different grouping of samples in sub-clusters. Generally, potassium, calcium, iron, and aluminum were the most abundant elements, but with different distribution in examined parts. High contents of iron and aluminum were detected in a stem with leaves, followed with samples of rhizome with roots and calyx, while potassium dominates in samples of calyx and stem with leaves. Edible fruits did not contain potentially toxic metals in concentration higher than permissible limits, wherein the lowest contents of lead and aluminum were detected; cadmium was under limit of quantification. Arsenic, mercury, and thallium were below the method detection limit.

Five Artemisia species (seven A. alba Turra samples and twelve samples of each four remaining species: A. absinthium L., A. annua L., A. vulgaris L. and A. scoparia Waldst. & Kit.) from Serbia were studied from the aspect of essential oil chemical composition, and potential correlations between essential oil composition with soil type determined using World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB). A great variety in essential oil composition was observed for A. alba, A. absinthium and A. vulgaris samples, while in the case of A. annua, as well as A. scoparia, the composition of the examined essential oils was more uniform. Principal component analysis (PCA) and agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) showed that there is no significant effect of soil type on the Artemisia essential oil composition while Mantel test showed that there is a correlation between samples within A. vulgaris, as well as A. scoparia and the geographical distances of the localities from which these samples were collected.

The contents of phenols, flavonoids anthocyans and antioxidant activity of the water (WE), methanol (ME) and methanol-water (MWE) (50/50, v/v) extracts of M. sylvestris fresh and dry petals were determined. Further, for all above mentioned extracts, in vitro effect of the frequency of micronuclei (MN) on peripheral human lymphocytes was evaluated using cytochalasin-B micronucleus (CBMN) assay. Total phenol content (mg of gallic acid equivalent/g of petals) varied from 13.20 (WE) to 29.20 (ME) of fresh petals and for dry petals from 80 (WE) to 142 (ME). The content of flavonoids (mg of catechin equivalent /g of petals) ranged from 47.50 (WE) to 101.20 (ME) of fresh petals and for dry petals from 439 (WE) to 814 (ME). The anthocyans content (mg of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside/g of petals) ranged from 0.40 (WE) to 0.72 (ME) of fresh petals and for dry petals from 3.13 (WE) to 6.16 (ME). All extracts showed high antioxidant activity (more than 67%). ME of fresh petals showed a greater decrease in the frequency of MN (from 23.9 to 29.3%) in all tested concentrations (0.5; 1.0 and 2.0 μg/ml) compared to standard radio of protectant to Amifostine (20.8%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selection and the evaluation of the suppliers represent a complex problem which mostly depends on the quality of the process of the decision making. The goal of this work is to show the possibility of the application of multi-criteria analysis (PROMETHEE method) in the selection of suppliers which are working in the production systems according to the example of the State-owned Company for the Underground Exploitation of Coal Resavica (SOCUEC Resavica)-Serbia. The company ranking was done according to ten criteria, and 5 suppliers were taken into consideration (Supplier 1, Supplier 2, Supplier 3, Supplier 4 and Supplier 5). Thereby, the expert knowledge of the specialists from SOCUEC Resavica was used for the determination of the importance and the influence of certain criteria to the process of the supplier selection, as for the assessment of the suppliers according to each criteria. PROMETHEE method is used for final ranking of the suppliers and for the analysis of the sensitivity. Supplier 4 was chosen and the best. Obtained results show that suggested combined method gives excellent results and it can be used for solving a variety of even the most complex problems which appear in mining systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]