Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts

In this paper, we define a new class of strongly $(g,h;\alpha -m)$ -convex functions. Some important implications are listed and related with already known classes. Hermite–Hadamard-type inequalities are established for this new class of functions. Several particular cases are analysed. All the inequalities are established for Riemann–Liouville fractional integrals, and these are generalizations of ordinary integral inequalities.

All human herpesviruses establish latency following the resolution of the primary infection. Among these, α-herpesviruses HSV-1, HSV-2 and VZV establish latency in neurons, whereas neurons are not traditionally considered a site of latency for other herpesviruses. Using a combination of in vivo murine models and ex vivo human fetal tissues, we discovered that cytomegalovirus (CMV), a ubiquitous β-herpesvirus, can persist in neurons and that CD4⁺ T-cell-derived interferon-gamma is critical in restricting active viral replication in this cell type. Furthermore, we show that mouse CMV can establish latency in neurons and that CD4⁺ T-cells are essential in preventing viral reactivation. Our findings may have translational significance because human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the leading cause of congenital viral infections resulting in neurodevelopmental and neuroinflammatory lesions with long-term functional sequelae.

On 10 January 1331, Pope John XXII demanded from Andrew Szécsi, bishop of Transylvania, and the cousin of Denis, former ban of Severin, not to publicize the excommunication of the voivode of Transylvania, Thomas Szécsényi. The pope acted at King Charles-Robert of Anjou’s request, who had urged him to forgive the voivode and convinced him – after the excommunication – that the voivode had acted in the king’s rightful interest. John XXII did not say anything about the reasons that had led to Szécsényi’s excommunication, although he mentioned that this was not the first time that Szécsényi had been excommunicated by Szécsi. On 6 January 1331, Pope John XXII, at Thomas’ demand, had already granted the voivode a full remission of his sins in the eventuality of his death, provided that the voivode would not commit his previous crimes. “In both Papal registers in which the remission was preserved, it was entered after the message sent by the pope to Bishop Szécsi. We can only speculate as to the reasons of the “delay”. John XXII was not exactly completely open towards his Hungarian correspondents. Additionally, Charles-Robert had just returned from a disastrous campaign in Wallachia. Furthermore, Transylvania already had its fair share of “private conflicts”. According to Louis I of Anjou’s Illuminated Chronicle (late 1350s), in autumn 1330, Thomas Szécsényi († 1354) and Denis Szécsi († c. 1341), former ban of Severin, had instigated Louis’ father, Charles-Robert ((† 1342), to attack Basarab, voivode of Wallachia, in autumn 1330. According to John XXII, in 1327, Basarab, alike Thomas himself, was one the ‘Catholic princes’ under Charles-Robert’s arch-royal authority. In this framework, the letters published here widen the complexity of otherwise well-known royal troubles of 1330.

O hrvatskome književniku, filologu, prevoditelju, teatrologu, novinaru i prevoditelju Nikoli Andriću se najčešće pisalo povodom njegovih jubileja. Razmatrajući raznolike književne, kazališne i kulturne prinose Nikole Andrića, brojni kritičari ističu da je bio poliglot i erudit čiji je književnopovijesni i esejistički rad nadmašio onaj beletristički. Posebice se naglašavaju Andrićeve zasluge za razvitak hrvatskoga kazališnog života, kako u Zagrebu tako i u Osijeku, gdje je bio utemeljitelj i prvi upravitelj Hrvatskoga narodnog kazališta. U povijestima hrvatske književnosti Andrić je zastupljen tek rubno s nekim od važnijih obavijesti o njegovu bogatom kulturnom stvaralaštvu. Iznimno, pišući o Nikoli Andriću, Mate Ujević u prvom svesku Hrvatske enciklopedije (1941.), te Slavko Ježić, u svojoj Hrvatskoj književnosti (1944.), izdvajaju Andrićev kritičarski i književnopovijesni rad, njegove prinose poznavanju hrvatskog književnog jezika te izdavanju narodnih pjesama, a osobito pokretanju Zabavne biblioteke u kojoj je objavljeno preko šest stotina svezaka iz svjetske književnosti. U novije doba o Andrićevom stvaralaštvu objavljeno je nekoliko važnijih prinosa među kojima je studija Katice Čorkalo („Svestrani naš Vukovarac Nikola Andrić“, 2011.) te disertacija Vesne Vujić (Jezik i jezikoslovlje Nikole Andrića, 2014.). Važan prinos recepciji Nikole Andrića bio je Znanstveni skup o Nikoli Andriću održan u Vukovaru, Zagrebu i Pečuhu od 20. do 22. listopada 2022. kao 19. znanstveni skup u nizu Hrvatski književni povjesničari, nakon kojeg slijedi objavljivanje Zbornika o Nikoli Andriću (ur. T. Maštrović) s tridesetak znanstvenih i stručnih priloga o uglednom znanstveniku i svestranom kulturnom djelatniku. Ključne riječi: Nikola Andrić, recepcija književne i kulturne djelatnosti

Birds migrating through different flyways and wintering in different areas face spatial differences in food availability, climate, and threats that may affect their breeding performance and survival during both the breeding and the non-breeding seasons. Using light-level immersion geolocators, we studied activity patterns of Common Terns Sterna hirundo during the non-breeding period, whilst migrating along two different routes (western and eastern) and wintering in three distinct areas along the western, southern and eastern African coast. Ocean primary production data were used as a proxy for food availability amongst the three wintering areas, and indicated an increase in foraging activity in those birds wintering in east Africa, where production is the lowest. Along both routes, terns spent more time foraging at stopover sites than during travelling. Stopovers lasted longer along the eastern than along the western route. The ratio of days spent at stopovers did not significantly differ between terns using west and south wintering areas, showing no effect on the length of migration. Higher food abundance may compensate for the longer travelling distance of birds on the East Atlantic flyway that winter in southern Africa compared to those wintering in western Africa. Knowledge of the use of wintering and stopover areas by different tern populations may be used to understand potential threats and improve conservation activities.

U ovom ogledu razmatra se kako su promjene statusa visokoškolske edukacije, određene doktoratom znanosti kao postignućem i kvalifikacijom za obavljanje intelektualno i stvaralački najzahtjevnijih zadataka u društvu, povijesno pratile promjene statusa bitka ili bivanja , kako pojedinca tako i društvene zajednice te kako su moral i kultura bitka sve više ustupali mjesto društvenom moralu i kulturi imanja ili posjedovanja . Sociološke, ekonomske i političke posljedice promjena statusa doktorata znanosti pokazane su na nizu primjera iz različitih sfera društvenog djelovanja. Na te promjene već nekoliko stoljeća utječu industrijski i ekonomski razvoj, posebno danas kad dolazi do smanjenja brojnih ljudskih aktivnosti. Postaje nepredvidivo kamo će čovječanstvo dovesti sve veće posjedovanje . Budući da je okosnica izloženih razmatranja pojava društvene dihotomije, jasno razlučene u filozofskim pojmovima bitak ili bivanje prema imanju ili posjedovanju , u tekstu je upotrijebljen kurziv za te osnovne pojmove i neke iz njih izvedene ključne fraze.

Objectives To determine and compare articular eminence inclination (AEI) values between Croatian and American skulls. Materials and Methods The study was carried out on 210 human dry skulls divided into Croatian (early medieval, late medieval and contemporary), and American (Illinois, Kentucky, contemporary African Americans and American Caucasians) groups. AEI was measured by two methods (M1 and M2) on 5 sagittal sections through virtual silicone impressions of articular eminence. The obtained results were analyzed at the significance level of p<0.05. Results No statistically significant differences of AEI values were obtained with regard to the group of skulls, body side, sex and age (p>0.05). AEI M2 values were statistically significantly higher than AEI M1 values (p<0.05). Conclusions Comparing the AEI values between different group of skulls can reveal insights into TMJ morphology, and can also shed light on possible evolutionary adaptations, dietary influences, and genetic diversity across cultures. According to the results of this study, AEI values were not affected by group of skulls, body side, sex and age or at least not as much as needed for significant changes. However, a measurement method significantly influences AEI values, with higher AEI M2 values compared to AEI M1 values.

Cyclic refinements of Jensen inequalities are quite useful to construct new cyclic information inequalities. Thus, in this paper, we construct cyclic Jensen functionals from the differences of cyclic refinements of Jensen inequalities and then formulate new Hadamard-type upper and lower estimates by employing Taylor’s formula. We utilize the theory of n-times differentiable convex functions. The validity and correctness of the bounds obtained are justified by several concrete examples. Moreover, we give applications of our results to give a variety of cyclic entropic estimations in information theory.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with relapsing nature. Estimates are that approximately 2–3% of the world’s population suffers from this disease. More severe forms of psoriasis are conditions of high inflammation, which is confirmed by the clinical picture and numerous inflammatory parameters such as C-reactive protein (CRP), cytokines and homocysteine, which vary with disease activity. The objective of this clinical study was to investigate the effect of GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide therapy on pro-inflammatory factors in the serum and the severity of the clinical picture of psoriasis in obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on chronic metformin therapy. This randomized clinical study was conducted on 31 psoriatic patients with T2DM that were randomized into two groups: one that received semaglutide during the 12-week trial (n = 15), while the second was control (n = 16). The results demonstrated that the severity of the clinical picture of psoriasis, determined by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score, was significantly better after the administration of semaglutide (the median baseline PASI score in patients treated with semaglutide was 21 (IQR = 19.8), while after 12 weeks of therapy the score was 10 (IQR = 6; p = 0.002). Also, the quality of life in the group of patients who received the drug, measured by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), improved significantly after 3 months (a median baseline DLQI score in the semaglutide group was 14 (IQR = 5) at the beginning of the study, and after 12 weeks of treatment the median DLQI score was 4 (IQR = 4; p = 0.002)). The use of semaglutide led to a significant decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines in the serum (IL6), as well as a significant decrease in CRP values (p < 0.05). A significant decrease in the body mass index (BMI) value in the semaglutide-treated group was also identified, as well as a significant decrease in the level of low-density cholesterol (LDL) (p < 0.05). In conclusion, semaglutide, based on its systemic anti-inflammatory characteristics, could contribute to the treatment of psoriatic obese patients with T2DM.

Melanoma is one of the most malignant cancers, and the global incidence of cutaneous melanoma is increasing. While melanomas are highly prone to metastasize if diagnosed late, early detection and treatment significantly reduce the risk of mortality. Identifying patients at higher risk of metastasis, who might benefit from early adjuvant therapies, is particularly important, especially with the advent of new melanoma treatments. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop additional prognostic biomarkers for melanoma to improve early stratification of patients and accurately identify high-risk subgroups, ultimately enabling more effective personalized treatments. Recent advances in melanoma therapy, including targeted treatments and immunotherapy, have underscored the importance of biomarkers in determining prognosis and predicting treatment response. The clinical application of these markers holds the potential for significant advancements in melanoma management. Various tumor-derived genetic, proteomic, and cellular components are continuously released into the bloodstream of cancer patients. These molecules, including circulating tumor DNA and RNA, proteins, tumor cells, and immune cells, are emerging as practical and precise liquid biomarkers for cancer. In the current era of effective molecular-targeted therapies and immunotherapies, there is an urgent need to integrate these circulating biomarkers into clinical practice to facilitate personalized treatment. This review highlights recent discoveries in circulating melanoma biomarkers, explores the challenges and potentials of emerging technologies for liquid biomarker discovery, and discusses future directions in melanoma biomarker research.

Background/Objectives: The ~1.6 kb NBPF repeat units in neuroblastoma breakpoint family (NBPF) genes are specific to humans and are associated with cognitive capacity in higher primates. While the number of NBPF monomers/Olduvai sequences in humans is approximately 2–3 times greater than in great apes, the difference in copy number values of canonical NBPF 3mer Higher-order repeats (HORs)/Olduvai triplets between humans and great apes is substantially larger. This study aims to analyze the organization and evolutionary significance of NBPF 3mer HORs/Olduvai triplets in fully sequenced primate genomes. Methods: We applied the global repeat map (GRM) algorithm to identify canonical and variant NBPF 3mer HORs/Olduvai triplets in the complete genomes of humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. The resulting monomer arrays were analyzed using the GRMhor algorithm to generate detailed schematic representations of NBPF HOR organization. Results: The analysis reveals a distinct difference in NBPF-related patterns among these primates, particularly in the number of tandemly organized canonical 3mer HORs/Olduvai triplets: 61 tandemly organized canonical NBPF 3mer HORs/Olduvai triplets in humans, compared to 0 in chimpanzees and orangutans, and 9 in gorillas. When considering only tandemly organized 3mer HORs/Olduvai triplets with more than three copies, the numbers adjust to 36 in humans and 0 in great apes. Furthermore, the divergence between individual NBPF monomers in humans and great apes is twice as high as that observed within great apes. Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that the tandem organization of NBPF 3mer HORs/Olduvai triplets plays a crucial role in enhancing cognitive capacity in humans compared to great apes, potentially providing a significant evolutionary advantage. This effect complements the impact of the increased number of individual NBPF monomers/Olduvai sequences, together contributing to a synergistic amplification effect.

Over the ages, every nation and civilization has accumulated its cultural heritage, primarily through figureheads such as monuments, structures, and famous individuals. Physical monuments have a unique significance. Digitalization has impacted nearly every aspect of the economy and society by providing a different perspective on the real world. An increasing number of processes are being digitalized as a result of mobile devices' growing capabilities and declining costs. The preservation and maintenance of cultural heritage have also been embraced by digitalization, which facilitates the management of tangible monuments as inventory items. These "digital twins" have numerous applications once they have been generated. In this paper, we derive the product emergence process of decorative items based on digital twins, which are highly demanded in countries with strong tourism, such as Croatia. Most of these are craft businesses that have been managed for many generations by members of one extended family. The specific expertise is in the processing of stones and metals. A company that employs three people and creates "metal art" would like to grow by adding small-size replicas of any kind of cultural heritage object, such as busts, sculptures, monuments, or profiles. The technique of creating a replica from the desired material in the required scale (1-5) must be developed to replicate the original (physical object, 3D model, or photo). Market entry strategy should be also created, encompassing marketing and license sales to other companies. This paper explains how this intricate procedure was used in a pilot project by using low-cost tools and licenses.

This paper examines how Vladimir Ćepulić at the orthopaedic department of the Red Cross Hospital in Zagreb described, understood and treated hysterical motility disorders between 1915 and 1917. We analysed Ćepulić’s article from 1919 on 107 cases of motility disorders among World War I veterans. Our analysis involved a formal examination of historical records, articles, and contemporary literature on conversion disorders, as well as a contextual analysis of Ćepulić’s work. Ćepulić’s report is a rare record of patients with conversion disorder treated within an orthopaedic department during the First World War. It provides detailed descriptions and documentation including photographs. By subscribing to the hysterical aetiology of this disorder, Croatian orthopaedists employed a diverse range of treatments, such as hypnosis, suggestion, electricity, anaesthesia and surgery. We have demonstrated that a significant number of patients with motility disorders of psychogenic origin were treated at the orthopaedic department of the Red Cross Hospital in Zagreb. The detailed descriptions left by our predecessors can be used to trace the epidemiology and evolution of these disorders over time, including complex conditions like conversion disorder.

The Linearbandkeramik (LBK) Neolithic communities were the first to spread farming across large parts of Europe. We report genome-wide data for 250 individuals: 178 individuals from whole-cemetery surveys of the Alföld Linearbankeramik Culture eastern LBK site of Polgár-Ferenci-hát, the western LBK site of Nitra Horné Krškany and the western LBK settlement and massacre site of Asparn-Schletz, as well as 48 LBK individuals from 16 other sites and 24 earlier Körös and Starčevo individuals from 17 more sites. Here we show a systematically higher percentage of western hunter-gatherer ancestry in eastern than in western LBK sites, showing that these two distinct LBK groups had different genetic trajectories. We find evidence for patrilocality, with more structure across sites in the male than in the female lines and a higher rate of within-site relatives for males. At Asparn-Schletz we find almost no relatives, showing that the massacred individuals were from a large population, not a small community.

The common tern (Sterna hirundo) is a migratory seabird experiencing a decline in breeding pairs across several European populations due to various threats, including habitat destruction and human disturbance. This study investigates the population genetic structure and diversity of common terns sampled extensively across three European areas—Northern, Southern Inland and Southern Marine—during the breeding seasons, using 18 microsatellite markers and a mitochondrial DNA control region fragment. High genetic diversity was found in both types of markers, with the Southern Marine group showing the lowest overall diversity, although signals of possible population bottlenecks were detected in all groups. Various analyses indicated that population genetic structure was weak or absent, suggesting high gene flow among groups. The low genetic differentiation is likely influenced by distinct migration patterns, particularly between Southern Inland and Marine groups. Our results suggest that geographical distance between breeding colonies had minimal effect on population genetic structure. Further studies with tracking devices are needed to clarify how migration dynamics impacts genetic structure in common terns, while conservation efforts should focus on securing multiple breeding sites and currently unoccupied areas to increase options for habitat selection, supporting the species’ genetic diversity and long-term resilience.

Barbed projectile points, produced from osseous raw materials, are considered to be a major advancement in the hunting techniques of prehistoric communities. They appear in Eurasia in the Upper Palaeolithic period, and were rather common during the Magdalenian technocomplex and later, among the Mesolithic communities in northern parts of Europe. When it comes to the Adriatic area and the Balkan hinterlands, barbed projectiles were rather scarce and mainly from the Early Holocene period – relatively large assemblage comes from the site of Odmut in Montenegro, and few were found in the Iron Gates region. Recent excavations at the site of Vlakno, situated on the Dugi Otok island in Dalmatia, yielded two almost complete barbed points, from the layers dated into ca. 15,000 calBP, thus showing that these types of weapons were used in the area earlier than previously thought and had wider geographical range. Their techno-typological traits will be discussed in this paper, as well as their possible mode of use.

The goal of this study is to derive the generalized Levinson-type inequalities in the form of Taylor representation for higher order convex functions. This study uses Taylor’s formula and several novel types of 3-convex Green functions, to establish the novel identities associated with Bullen-type inequalities for higher order convex functions. Moreover, various Levinson-type inequalities are proved for positive real weights using Green functions and Taylor’s formula.

This research is motivated by Zwick’s work on the convexity of divided differences and one more recent result on this topis with the aim of extending the use of the Edmundson-Lah-Ribaric inequality. Applications to Wulbert’s result for 3-convex functions and extensions to functions of two variables are provided in the paper.

The epidemiology of Campylobacter species in wild birds is still poorly understood. This study describes the occurrence and genetic diversity of Campylobacter in adult and nestlings of yellow‐legged gulls, highlighting differences between breeding locations. The gulls were captured in Croatia between 2021 and 2023. A cloacal swab was taken from each individual and tested for the presence of Campylobacter. Isolated Campylobacter species were genotyped using the multilocus sequence typing (MLST) method. A total of 1071 gulls were captured and sampled, of which 152 samples were identified as Campylobacter species, with Campylobacter jejuni (9.90%) being the most frequently isolated bacterium, followed by Campylobacter lari (3.36%) and Campylobacter coli (0.93%). Complete sequence type (ST) profiles were generated for 141 isolates: 100 C. jejuni, 33 C. lari, and 8 C. coli. A significant difference in the occurrence of positive Campylobacter species was found depending on the sampling sites, while both sampling site and age were significant for the occurrence of C. jejuni. Adults and nestlings showed high genetic diversity for C. jejuni and C. lari, and there were no significant differences between strains isolated from adults and nestlings or between sites, suggesting a high genotype flow in the studied gull population.

Terrestrial crabs (brachyurans and anomurans) have invaded land following a variety of pathways from marine and/or via freshwater environments. This transition from water to land requires physiological, ecological, and behavioral adaptations to allow the exploitation of these new environmental conditions. Arguably, the management of salt and water balance (e.g., osmoregulation) is integral for their survival and success in an environment where predominantly low-salinity aquatic (e.g., freshwater) water sources are found, sometimes in only minimal amounts. This requires a suite of morphological and biochemical modifications, especially at the branchial chamber of semi-terrestrial and terrestrial crabs to allow reprocessing of urine to maximize ion uptake. Using knowledge gained from electrophysiology, biochemistry, and more recent molecular biology techniques, we present summarized updated models for ion transport for all major taxonomic groups of terrestrial crabs. This is an exciting and fast-moving field of research, and we hope that this review will stimulate further study. Terrestrial crabs retain their crown as the ideal model group for studying the evolutionary pathways that facilitated terrestrial invasion.