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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons cause significant environmental and health concerns, necessitating effective remediation strategies. Specifically, biological treatments are only effective for PAH compounds with lower molecular weights, while for the efficient elimination of more complex PAH structures, the photocatalytic method is more recommended. Photocatalytic degradation has primarily relied on TiO2-based materials. However, this review focuses on the utilization of various metal oxide nanomaterials for the degradation or total removal of naphtalene from the environment, especially from wastewater. Precisely speaking, the photocatalytic activity of various nanomaterials is discussed, with an emphasis on photocatalytic degradation mechanisms and the identification of degradation intermediates. Key findings reveal that these materials hold substantial promise, and that photogenerated holes, superoxide radicals, and hydroxyl radicals play crucial roles in the degradation processes highlighting additionally the unique mechanisms of these processes. Important information about the intermediates and pathways of naphtalene degradation discussed in the mechanisms of degradation has been confirmed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

This study explores market efficiency and behavior by integrating key theories such as the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH), Adaptive Market Hypothesis (AMH), Informational Efficiency and Random Walk theory. Using LSTM enhanced by optimizers like Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD), Adam, AdaGrad, and RMSprop, we analyze market inefficiencies in the Standard and Poor’s (SPX) index over a 22-year period. Our results reveal “pockets in time” that challenge EMH predictions, particularly with the AdaGrad optimizer at a size of the hidden layer (HS) of 64. Beyond forecasting, we apply the Dominguez–Lobato (DL) and General Spectral (GS) tests as part of the Martingale Difference Hypothesis to assess statistical inefficiencies and deviations from the Random Walk model. By emphasizing “informational efficiency”, we examine how quickly new information is reflected in stock prices. We argue that market inefficiencies are transient phenomena influenced by structural shifts and information flow, challenging the notion that forecasting alone can refute EMH. Additionally, we compare LSTM with ARIMA with Exponential Smoothing, and LightGBM to highlight the strengths and limitations of these models in financial forecasting. The LSTM model excels at capturing temporal dependencies, while LightGBM demonstrates its effectiveness in detecting non-linear relationships. Our comprehensive approach offers a nuanced understanding of market dynamics and inefficiencies.

Extragonadal germ cell tumors originating in the prostate are extremely rare. Thus far, less than 20 cases were described in the literature. To our knowledge, there are no published cases of primary embryonal carcinoma of the prostate. The present study presents a case of a 24-year-old male with primary prostate embryonal carcinoma. The patient received cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The patient refused a surgical treatment, which resulted in relapse of the disease and death in a short follow-up period. The present case shows that primary embryonal carcinoma may also be found in prostate and indicates the potential importance of timely surgical resection.

This paper describes the frequency analysis of absolute maximum air temperatures, using annual maximum series (AMS) in the period 1961–2010 from 40 climatological stations in Serbia with maximum likelihood estimation of distribution parameters. For the goodness of fit testing of General Extreme Value (GEV), Normal, Log-Normal, Pearson 3 (three parameters), and Log-Pearson 3 distribution, three different tests were used (Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Anderson-Darling, chi-square). Based on the results of these tests (best average rank of certain distribution), the appropriate distribution is selected. GEV distribution proved to be the most appropriate one in most cases. The probability of exceedance of absolute maximum air temperatures on 1%, 0.5%, 0.2%, and 0.1% levels are calculated. A spatial analysis of the observed and modeled values of absolute maximum air temperatures in Serbia is given. The absolute maximum air temperature of 44.9 °C was recorded at Smederevska Palanka station, and the lowest value of maximum air temperature 35.8 °C was recorded at Zlatibor station, one of the stations with the highest altitude. The modeled absolute maximum air temperatures are the highest at Zaječar station with 44.5 °C, 45.6 °C, 47.0 °C, and 48.0 °C and the lowest values are calculated for Sjenica station with 35.5 °C, 35.8 °C, 36.1 °C, and 36.2 °C for the return periods of 100, 200, 500, and 1000 years, respectively. Our findings indicate the possible occurrence of much higher absolute maximum air temperatures in the future than the ones recorded on almost all of the analyzed stations.

The end of the First World War brought changes in international relations and new socio-economic and social challenges. A specific segment was the organization of scientific work. Geographical science and the related disciplines were also looking for their place. A significant qualitative change to the research was brought by the gatherings of the Slavic geographers and ethnographers. At the initiative of Jovan Cvijić, the First Congress was organized in Prague in 1924. In the interwar period, three more congresses were held—in Poland (1927), in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1930), and in the Kingdom of Bulgaria (1936). The aim of this paper is an overview of the subjects and outcomes of those events in the social circumstances of that time. The work of the Congresses was divided into several thematic areas, with the dominance of physical geographic, cartographic, and ethnographic research. The importance of the congresses is proven by the fact that the governance structures wholeheartedly supported them. Even though they had a strong impact, the Congresses of the Slavic Geographers and Ethnographers did not provide answers to numerous questions that “troubled” the post-war societies in the second half of the 1920s and 1930s. The results undoubtedly pointed to the symbolic representation of anthropogeographic, demographic, geo(political), and socio-economic subjects. The data on the demographic losses in the Great War were omitted. There were no projections of future trends in the Slavic countries, especially in the context of the new conflict and its consequences.

The paper presents and discusses the landslide research procedure related to the topography before and after its occurrence, using the comparative analysis of two medium-resolution digital terrain models. The case study is the Jovac mega-landslide—the largest landslide to occur in Serbia in the last 100 years, active for three days in February 1977. The indicators used to determine the volume and movement mechanism were the spatial distribution of elevation differences within the two digital terrain models (DTM), and the analysis of geomorphological features before the landslide. The obtained elevation differences allowed the definition of the approximate landslide volume: 11.6 × 106 m3. All the data obtained indicate that the movement mechanism falls into the category of earthflow.

As one of the first European cases of the introduction of COVID-19 certificates, the Serbian Government initiated the measure of limited working hours of restaurants for unvaccinated visitors. Due to such actions and frequent bans on working during the pandemic, many restaurants in Serbia had to lay off workers or close. At the end of October 2021, the certificate for entering restaurants and all catering facilities for all the visitors became mandatory. It is interesting to note that earlier findings suggested that some personality characteristics determine the specific behaviors during the pandemic, but there is still a small number of results related to restaurants’ visitors. This study aimed to investigate the predictive strength of the Big Five Factors (BFF) to attitudes toward visits to restaurants in Serbia during the pandemic, depending on the attitudes toward accepting COVID-19 certificates. A survey was conducted on a total sample of 953 visitors of restaurants in three major cities in Serbia. The results of hierarchical regression analysis showed that Openness and Extraversion positively predict attitudes toward visits to facilities during a pandemic, while Conscientiousness and Neuroticism were negative predictors. However, in the second step of hierarchical regression analysis, attitudes toward a COVID-19 certificate as a mediator variable significantly reduced the negative effect of Neuroticism on the attitudes toward visits. It seems that, by obtaining the certificate, the fear of unsafe stays in restaurants can be reduced, and that making decisions about (no) visiting restaurants during the pandemic does not necessarily have to be compromised by emotional lability.

Recent research shows reductions in the VLF signal noise amplitude that begin before particular earthquakes whose epicentres are more than 100 km away from the signal propagation path. In this paper, we extend this research to studying the noise amplitude during periods of intense seismic activity in a localized area. We analyse variations in the VLF signal noise amplitude over a period of 10 days (25 October–3 November 2016) when 981 earthquakes with the minimum magnitude of 2 occurred in Central Italy. Out of these events, 31 had the magnitude equal or greater than 4, while the strongest one had the magnitude of 6.5. We observe the VLF signal emitted by the ICV transmitter located in Sardinia (Italy) and recorded in Belgrade (Serbia). Bearing in mind that the trajectory of this signal crosses the area in which the observed earthquakes occurred, we extend the existing research to study of variations in the noise amplitude of the signal propagating at short distances from the epicentres of the considered earthquakes. In addition, we analyse the impact of a large number earthquakes on characteristics of the noise amplitude and its reductions before particular events. In order to examine the localization of the recorded changes, we additionally analysed the noise amplitude of two reference signals emitted in Germany and Norway. The obtained results show the existence of the noise amplitude reduction preceding individual strong or relatively strong earthquakes, and earthquakes followed by others that occurred in a shorter time interval. However, the additional noise amplitude reductions are either not pronounced or they do not exist before the considered events in periods of the reduced noise amplitude remain from previous earthquakes. Reductions in noise amplitudes for all observed signals indicate a larger perturbed area through which they spread or its closer location to the receiver. The analysis of daily values of parameters describing the noise amplitude reveals their variations start up to 2 weeks before the seismically active period occurs.

Extraction of information in the form of oscillations from noisy data of natural phenomena such as sounds, earthquakes, ionospheric and brain activity, and various emissions from cosmic objects is extremely difficult. As a method for finding periodicity in such challenging data sets, the 2D Hybrid approach, which employs wavelets, is presented. Our technique produces a wavelet transform correlation intensity contour map for two (or one) time series on a period plane defined by two independent period axes. Notably, by spreading peaks across the second dimension, our method improves the apparent resolution of detected oscillations in the period plane and identifies the direction of signal changes using correlation coefficients. We demonstrate the performance of the 2D Hybrid technique on a very low frequency (VLF) signal emitted in Italy and recorded in Serbia in time vicinity of the occurrence of an earthquake on 3 November 2010, near Kraljevo, Serbia. We identified a distinct signal in the range of 120–130 s that appears only in association with the considered earthquake. Other wavelets, such as Superlets, which may detect fast transient oscillations, will be employed in future analysis.

Extra-skeletal Ewing sarcoma (EWS) occurs in about 12% of EWS patients; at the same time, primary involvement of the kidneys remains extremely rare. Since it was first described in 1975, only a small case series have been reported worldwide. About 95% of surgically treated patients with EWS of the kidney described in the literature underwent nephrectomy, and the remaining patients only had a tumor biopsy. Nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) has not been sufficiently investigated as an alternative in the local surgical treatment of localized disease, mostly as a result of technically unfeasible provisions of negative surgical margins. In this report, we present a unique case of primary EWS of the kidney with an asymptomatic course without radiographic signs that suggest a highly aggressive disease, successfully locally treated with robotic-assisted NSS. This report showcases that robotic-assisted NSS could be a feasible alternative in treatment of localized disease yielding equally good oncological results while, at the same time, creating better prerequisites for necessary adjuvant chemotherapy.

Abstract Background Aspergillus spp liver abscess is a relatively rare entity and thus far no systematic review has been performed examining patients’ demographics, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, management, and outcome. Methods We performed a systematic review of the literature using MEDLINE and LILACS databases. We searched for articles published in the period from January 1990 to December 24, 2022, to identify patients who developed liver abscesses due to Aspergillus spp. Results Our search yielded 21 patients all of whom had invasive aspergillosis confirmed on liver biopsy. Of these patients 81% were adults, and 60% were males. The majority (86%) of patients were immunocompromised and 95% had symptomatic disease at the time of diagnosis. The most common symptoms were fever (79%), abdominal pain (47%), and constitutional symptoms (weight loss, chills, night sweats, fatigue) (38%). Liver enzymes were elevated in 50%, serum galactomannan was positive in 57%, and fungal blood cultures were positive in only 11%. Co-infection with other pathogens preceded development of apsergillosis in one-third of patients, and the majority of the abscesses (43%) were cryptogenic. In the remaining patients with known source, 28% of patients developed liver abscess through dissemination from the lungs, 19% through the portal vein system, and in 10% liver abscess developed through contiguous spread. The most common imaging modality was abdominal computerized tomography done in 86% of patients. Solitary abscess was present in 52% of patients while 48% had multiple abscesses. Inadequate initial empiric therapy was prescribed in 60% of patients and in 44% of patients definite treatment included combination therapy with two or more antifungal agents. Percutaneous drainage of the abscesses was done in 40% of patients, while 20% required liver resection for the treatment of the abscess. Overall mortality was very high at 38%. Conclusion Further studies are urgently needed for a better understanding of pathophysiology of liver aspergillosis and for developement of newer blood markers in order to expedite diagnosis and decrease mortality.

Abstract We employ StarMine to investigate the impact of analyst recommendations on stock performance. We test whether star-ranked analysts generate abnormal returns and outperform non-stars in short and long portfolios. Utilizing buy-and-hold calendar-time portfolio methodology, we calculate portfolio alphas using various asset pricing models, including CPM, the Fama and French 3-factor model, and the Carhart 4-factor model. Results indicate that all analyst groups can generate abnormal returns exceeding the market average. Star-ranked analysts outperform non-stars in short portfolios by 0.5523% in monthly alpha, though no significant difference exists in long portfolio alphas. We also conduct regressor endogeneity tests and explore investor sentiment mechanisms by utilizing the GARCH model and frequency-domain causality analysis, with NASDAQ as a proxy for investor sentiment. These tests reveal that the momentum factor is exogenous, and investor sentiments have a statistically significant positive effect on stock return volatility, with changes occurring between 5 and 10 days. This research underscores the value of analyst insights for investors, validates StarMine’s ranking effectiveness, and suggests market participants can benefit from incorporating analyst recommendations into their investment decisions. Our study makes a significant contribution to the existing literature by introducing a novel approach to understanding investor sentiment mechanisms through a causality model.

Considering the divergent biological behaviors of certain histological subtypes of urothelial carcinoma, it would be of great importance to examine the impact of variant histology and to predict its presence in patients with bladder cancer. A single-center cohort study included 459 patients who underwent radical cystectomy for urothelial carcinoma between 2017 and 2021. Patients were followed up with until July 2022. We compared clinical, laboratory, and histopathologic characteristics and the overall survival between patients with pure urothelial carcinoma and variant histologies. Our results showed that the patients with variant histology were older and preoperatively more frequently had hydronephrosis and higher values of leukocytes and neutrophils. Also, we found a significant association between variant histology and an advanced stage of tumor disease, the presence of lymphovascular invasion, positive surgical margins, and metastases in surgically resected lymph nodes. The number of neutrophils was identified as an independent preoperative predictor of the presence of variant histology after a radical cystectomy. The overall survival of the patients with variant histology was significantly lower compared to the patients with pure urothelial carcinoma. According to our results, the presence of variant histology represents a more aggressive form of the disease. Preoperative neutrophil counts may indicate the presence of variant histology of urothelial carcinoma in patients with bladder cancer.

Objective: Mutation of p53 is detected in more than 50% of human cancers, expression of p53 has a potential prognostic value in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Survivin is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family, its overexpression is observed in many malignancies, including RCC. The aim of the study was to estimate a correlation between survivin and p53 expression in tumor samples and the histologic type of a tumor, tumor stage, tumor grade, and survival of patients. Materials and Methods: Tumor samples were collected from surgical specimens of 90 patients who underwent radical or partial nephrectomy for RCC between November 2017 and July 2020. Tumors were staged according to the UICC (The Union for International Cancer Control) TNM classification system and histopathologically graded according to Fuhrman nuclear grade system. Histopathological diagnosis was confirmed with standard light microscopic evaluation, using hematoxylin and eosin staining and standard p53 and survivin antibodies. Results: Positive p53 staining was observed in 36.7% of tumor specimens and 24.4% were survivin positive. There was a statistically significant correlation between p53 or survivin expression and histologic subtype of clear cell RCC as well as Type I and II of papillary RCC. There was a statistically significant correlation between p53 expression and tumor size, stage, and grade. The p53 or survivin expression was related to lower overall survival. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that p53 overexpression and survivin positivity in RCC patients could be associated with poor prognosis. Thus, these proteins could be used as prognostic markers in RCC.

Myocarditis is an infrequent complication of influenza infection that is most often diagnosed clinically in the setting of confirmed influenza infection and elevated cardiac enzymes. Pericarditis can also occur in cases of influenza myocarditis and may require pericardiocentesis for tamponade. Patients with fulminant myocarditis have cardiogenic shock; however, echocardiographic findings may be subtle, showing a preserved ejection fraction and diffuse left ventricular wall thickening (compared to baseline) due to inflammatory edema. Recognizing these echocardiographic findings in the appropriate clinical setting facilitates the early recognition of fulminant myocarditis. Therefore, we report a case of fulminant influenza A myocarditis in healthy 37-year-old women complicated by transient left ventricular wall thickening and tamponade, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis and supportive management for a successful outcome.

At the time when mass COVID-19 vaccination began, providing appropriate vaccination advice to uro-oncology patients became a challenge. This was a single-center cross-sectional observational study aimed to investigate the rate of COVID-19 vaccination among uro-oncology patients receiving systemic therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Furthermore, we aimed to assess patients’ attitudes and identify factors influencing their decision to vaccinate against COVID-19. Data on patients’ sociodemographic characteristics, vaccination status, and awareness and attitudes about COVID-19 vaccination were collected from questionnaires completed by the patients. A total of 173 patients were enrolled in this study, and 124 (71.7%) of them completed the COVID-19 vaccination. Significantly higher vaccination rates were found in male patients, and also in older patients, highly educated patients, and those who lived with one household member. Furthermore, we found significantly higher vaccination rates in patients who had consulted with doctors involved in their treatment, particularly with urologists. A significant association was observed between COVID-19 vaccination and doctor’s advice, family member influence, and personal beliefs toward the vaccination. Our study showed multiple associations of patients’ sociodemographic characteristics with vaccination rates. Furthermore, consultation with doctors who are particularly involved in oncology treatment and advice received from them were associated with significantly higher vaccination rates among uro-oncology patients.

Background: Cardiobacterum hominis (C. hominis) is the part of the HACEK group (Haemophilus spp, Actinobacillus spp, C. hominis, Eikenella, and Kingella spp) that accounts for the majority of the Gram-negative infective endocarditis cases. Historically, the fastidious characteristics of these microorganisms proved challenging to many clinicians. Advances in microbiological identification of culture-negative endocarditis; however, may be the reason for the rising incidence of these infections. Here, we report an incidentally diagnosed C. hominis endocarditis following an aortic valve replacement. Case report: A healthy 54-year-old gentleman presented after several months of generalized weakness and exertional intolerance. He was found to have a bicuspid aortic valve with regurgitation and underwent aortic valve replacement surgery. Intraoperatively, the patient was found to have a large perforation of the fused leaflet associated with abnormal pink tissue in the aortic valve area. The aortic valve tissue was cultured. Gram-negative rods were isolated 48 h later and were ultimately identified as C. hominis. He was successfully treated with 6 weeks of intravenous ceftriaxone with sterile blood cultures throughout the hospital stay. In retrospect, the patient’s valve failure was likely secondary to subacute endocarditis from C. hominis complicated by leaflet perforation. Conclusion: C. hominis is a rare cause of infective endocarditis with an excellent prognosis when timely diagnosed and managed. By reporting this case, we wish to raise awareness of potential asymptomatic infection, particularly amongst patients with underlying native valve abnormalities, new leaflet perforation, and valve insufficiency.

Background: Pericarditis caused by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a rare infection, often seen in patients with chronic kidney disease, immunosuppression, or previous pericardial disease. The presentation can be dramatic with acute illness leading to septic and/or obstructive shock due to pericardial tamponade. Occasionally disease can have a more protracted, indolent, subacute clinical course. Case report: We report a case of a 57-year-old male patient with a previous history of smoking and moderate alcohol use who presented with progressive dyspnea and cough. He was found to have a disseminated MRSA infection with pericarditis complicated by pericardial tamponade. Urgent pericardiocentesis yielded 1.1 liters of purulent fluid that grew MRSA. MRSA was also isolated from the blood and pleural fluid. The patient underwent left thoracotomy, decortication, and pericardial window and completed 3 weeks of intravenous vancomycin therapy, concluding in an excellent outcome. Conclusion: Bacterial pericarditis is an exceptionally rare form of pericarditis which been traditionally associated with chronic medical conditions requiring a prolonged healthcare stay. However, it has lately been observed in healthy individuals with social habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption. Bacterial pericarditis must be recognized in a timely fashion and managed aggressively to prevent a devastating outcome. A multidisciplinary approach is advised, which includes a combination of pericardial drainage and aggressive antibiotic therapy. Such treatment often yields a positive outcome and good long-term prognosis.

An 83-year-old gentleman with a history of 23-mm Hancock-II-bioprosthetic aortic valve (BAV) replacement ten-years prior presented with symptoms of dyspnea and lower extremity edema. During the preceding seven-years, he had been noted to have asymptomatic increased mean transvalvular gradients (MG; 36–50 mmHg) felt to be due to either early bioprosthetic degeneration, pannus formation, or patient–prosthesis mismatch. An echocardiogram at the time of symptom development demonstrated significant flow acceleration through the aortic valve, mild regurgitation, and severely increased MG (48 mmHg) with prolonged acceleration time (AT, 140 msec). A trial of warfarin anticoagulation resulted in dramatic improvement after only 6 weeks with laminar flow through the AV, near-total resolution of regurgitation, and a decrease in MG to 14 mmHg and AT to 114 msec. These findings strongly suggest that BAV thrombosis was the predominant mechanism responsible for the longstanding high MG. Our case highlights that BAV thrombosis should be considered in the differential of elevated gradients regardless of the age of prosthesis, and that a trial of warfarin anticoagulation may be beneficial even if elevated gradients have been present for a prolonged period. Valvular gradients are often abnormal long before a formal diagnosis; however, these may reverse quickly with anticoagulation therapy.

In the expanding era of antibiotic resistance, new strains of Staphylococcus aureus have emerged which possess resistance to traditionally used antibiotics (MRSA). Our review aimed to systematically synthesize information on previously described MRSA pericarditis cases. The only criterion for inclusion was the isolation of MRSA from the pericardial space. Our review included 30 adult and 9 pediatric patients (aged: 7 months to 78 years). Comorbid conditions were seen in most adult patients, whereas no comorbidities were noted amongst the pediatric patients. Pericardial effusion was found in 94.9% of cases, with evidence of tamponade in 83.8%. All cases isolated MRSA from pericardial fluid and 25 cases (64.1%) had positive blood cultures for MRSA. Pericardiocentesis and antibiotics were used in all patients. The mortality rate amongst adults was 20.5%, with a mean survival of 21.8 days, and attributed to multi-organ failure associated with septic shock. No mortality was observed in the pediatric population. In adult patients, there was no statistical difference in symptom duration, antibiotic duration, presence of tamponade, age, and sex in relation to survival. Conclusion: MRSA pericarditis often presents with sepsis and is associated with significant mortality. As such, a high clinical suspicion is needed to proceed with proper tests such as echocardiography and pericardiocentesis. In more than one third of the cases, MRSA pericarditis occurs even in the absence of documented bacteremia.

Introduction: Cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infections present a growing problem in medicine due to a significant increase in the number of implanted devices and the age of the recipient population. Enterococcus spp. are Gram-positive, facultative anaerobic, lactic acid bacteria; they are relatively common pathogens in humans, but uncommon as the cause of CIED lead infections. Only eight cases of Enterococcus durans endocarditis have been reported in the literature thus far; however, there are no reported cases of Enterococcus durans CIED lead infection. Case presentation: A 58-year-old gentleman with a previously implanted St. Jude Medical single-chamber implantable cardioverter–defibrillator (ICD) due to tachy/brady arrhythmias presented with nonspecific constitutional symptoms (i.e., low-grade fevers, chills, fatigue), and was found to have innumerable bilateral pulmonary nodules via computed tomography angiography of the chest. Many of these pulmonary nodules were cavitated and highly concerning for septic pulmonary emboli and infarcts. Within 24 h from presentation, blood cultures in all four culture bottles grew ampicillin- and vancomycin-susceptible Enterococcus durans. Transthoracic echocardiogram confirmed vegetations on the ICD lead in the right ventricle. The patient underwent laser extraction of the ICD lead with generator removal and recovered completely after a 6-week intravenous antibiotic course. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first report of CIED lead infection caused by Enterococcus durans. In this case, management with antibiotics along with ICD lead extraction led to complete recovery. Clinicians should be aware of this rare but potentially devastating infection in patients with native and artificial valves, but also in those with CIEDs.