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Karst groundwater-dependent ecosystems (KGDEs) in the Mediterranean region are important in terms of ecosystem services and biodiversity but are increasingly under anthropogenic pressures and climate-change constraints. For this study, the ecohydrological characteristics, threats, and protection status of 112 selected KGDEs around the Mediterranean Sea, including caves, springs, rivers and wetlands, were evaluated, based on local expert knowledge and scientific literature. Results demonstrate that KGDEs contribute considerably to regional biodiversity. The diversity of karst landscapes, combined with the groundwater emergence at springs, leads to exceptional habitat diversity, particularly in arid climates, where KGDEs serve as a refuge for species that could not thrive in the surrounding environment. The most common threats identified among the selected sites are direct human disturbances, such as mass tourism or overfishing, water-quality deterioration and water shortage from aquifer overdraft and/or climate change. Although most of the selected sites are under protection, conservation measures are frequently insufficient. Such shortcomings are often caused by poor data availability, little knowledge on conservation needs of invertebrate species, and conflicts of interest with the local population. For this purpose, it is necessary to raise environmental awareness and promote interdisciplinary research, in order to monitor water quality and quantity in addition to the status of the biocenoses.

Background: In the ICD-11 hierarchical classification structure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) are separate and distinct but also 'sibling' disorders, meaning that the diagnoses follow from the parent category of traumatic stress disorders. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of CPTSD in treatment-seeking war veterans with PTSD more than 20 years after the exposure to cumulative war-related trauma(s). The second aim was to examine if there was an association between demographic and psychosocial variables and CPTSD or PTSD. Method: A sample of 160 male war veterans with PTSD referred to the outpatient service of the PTSD Referral Centre at the Clinical Hospital Centre (CHC) Rijeka participated in a cross-sectional study. Psychiatric comorbidity was assessed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and participants completed validated self-report measures: The Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5), International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ). Results: In total, 80.63% of the sample met criteria for a probable diagnosis of CPTSD. The study revealed that there was no significant difference in the length of deployment, in the intensity of the PTSD symptoms, types of trauma exposure and pharmacotherapeutic treatment between PTSD and CPTSD group. It was found that veterans with PTSD were more likely to be divorced and to participate in PTSD clubs. On the other hand, veterans with CPTSD were significantly more likely to have higher levels of functional impairment and comorbidity with general anxiety disorder (GAD) compared to the PTSD group. Conclusions: This study supports the proposition that a prolonged trauma of severe interpersonal intensity such as war is related to high rates of CPTSD among treatment-seeking veterans, years after the war. The distinction between PTSD and complex PTSD may help the selection of person-centred treatment interventions that would target specific mental health and functional problems in patients.

This paper presents SPARK_AI, a prompt-orchestrated system architecture for governing how large language models (LLMs) conduct structured and adaptive reasoning in human–AI interaction. The framework mitigates ad hoc LLM use by replacing direct answer generation with a process-oriented, step-by-step reasoning workflow. We focus on SPARK_AI_MATH, a domain module that supports learners in solving non-routine problem-solving tasks by operationalizing well-established problem-solving phases and guided questioning dialog strategies (Socratic-style prompts), with an optional tool-mediated visualization layer (e.g., GeoGebra). The module implements a five-phase conversational protocol consisting of problem interpretation, analysis of givens, planning, execution, and reflection, together with a controlled hint policy. This design is realized through a stateful system architecture in which each problem instance is maintained as an independent interaction track with a persistent reasoning state. User acceptance was evaluated by first-year mechanical engineering students (N = 108) using an expanded Technology Acceptance Model instrument, and the results were analyzed via PLS-SEM. The findings indicate overall favorable perceptions, with perceived usefulness and learning support emerging as key predictors of intention for continued use. Beyond this specific domain, the SPARK_AI framework enables efficient domain adaptation through localized prompt strategies while preserving a shared cognitive control layer for reasoning-centered human–LLM interaction.

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, the people in Europe are exposed to self-isolation, quarantine, job loss, risk of contracting COVID-19, or grief of loved ones. Such a complex array of stressors may lead to symptoms of adjustment disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder. This research protocol describes a study launched by the European Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS) to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on symptoms of adjustment disorder across European countries. The longitudinal online cohort study aims (1) to explore psychosocial reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic across ten European countries; (2) to examine the relationships between risk and resilience factors, stressors and symptoms of adjustment disorder during the pandemic; and (3) to investigate whether these relationships are moderated by coping behaviours. In ten countries (Austria, Croatia, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden), between 1,000 and 2,000 participants will be recruited, depending on the size of the country. Participants will be assessed at two timepoints with a six-month interval. Following a conceptual framework based on the WHO's social framework of health, an assessment of risk and resilience factors, COVID-19 related stressors and pandemic-specific coping behaviours will be measured to estimate their contribution to symptoms of adjustment disorder. The Adjustment Disorder New Module 8 (ADNM-8) will be used to assess symptoms of adjustment disorder. As a secondary measure, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder will be measure using the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5). The relative contribution of risk factors, resilience factors, and stressors on symptoms of adjustment disorder or symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder will be estimated using multilevel analysis. To determine the moderating effects of different types of coping behaviours on these relationships, a multilevel mediation analysis will be carried out.

Consequences of war-related traumatisation have mostly been investigated in military and predominant male populations, while research on female civilian victims of war has been neglected. Furthermore, research of post-war posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women has rarely included early-life trauma in their prediction models, so the contribution of trauma in childhood and early youth is still unexplored. To examine the relationship of early-life trauma, war-related trauma, personality traits, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress among female civilian victims of the recent war in Croatia. The cross-sectional study included 394 participants, 293 war-traumatised adult women civilians, and 101 women without war-related trauma. Participants were recruited using the snowball sampling method. The applied instruments included the Clinician-Administrated PTSD Scale (CAPS), the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R), the War Stressors Assessment Questionnaire (WSAQ), and the Early Trauma Inventory Self Report-Short Form (ETISR-SF). A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the prediction model of PTSD symptom severity measured by CAPS score for current PTSD. The prevalence of current PTSD (CAPS cut-off score=65) in this cohort was 20.7%. The regression model that included age, early-life trauma, war-related trauma, neuroticism, and extraversion as statistically significant predictors explained 45.8% of variance in PTSD symptoms. Older age, exposure to early-life trauma, exposure to war-related traumatic events, high neuroticism, and low extraversion are independent factors associated with higher level of PTSD symptoms among women civilian victims of war.

Background: Research on the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sexual dysfunctions (SD) has clearly recognized the association among these conditions. The main objective of this research was to compare the levels of the overall and the level of certain domains of sexual functioning among veterans with and those without PTSD. Methods: Two hundred and fifty veterans with PTSD and 187 veterans without PTSD were included in the comparative study. The following assessments were conducted: LEC-5, PCL-5, ITQ, IIEF, PEDT, and MINI. Results: Veterans with PTSD had significantly higher levels of all types of SD in the PTSD group compared with the non-PTSD veterans. Veterans with PTSD more frequently experienced psychiatric and somatic comorbidities and use of medication that may contribute to the occurrence and severity of SD. Conclusions: The present study emphasized that SDs are an important issue among patients with PTSD. The study comprehensively accounted for conditions that may contribute to the occurrence and severity of SD among veterans with PTSD. Future directions of the research that could further improve the healthcare of the patients were indicated.

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic is associated with adverse mental health outcomes for people worldwide. Objective: The study aimed to assess mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic and the key risk factors from the human ecology perspective in Croatia's adult population. Method: An online panel survey with 1,201 adult participants (50.1% women) was done with a nationally representative sample in terms of gender, age, and country region four months after the nation lockdown began and two months after most of the restrictions were lifted. Indicators of mental health included symptoms of adjustment disorder (ADNM-8); depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS-21); symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PC-PTSD-5); and well-being (WHO-5). Results: In the entire sample, 9.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.9%, 14.0%) of the participants were at risk of adjustment disorder, 7.7% (95% CI: 6.7%, 11.9%) were at risk of depression disorder, and 7.8% (95% CI: 5.3%, 10.3%) were at risk of anxiety disorder. In addition, 7.2% (95% CI: 5.3%, 10.2%) were experiencing high levels of stress. The average well-being score was 56.5 (SD = 21.91) on a scale from 0 to 100. Among the participants who have lifetime traumatic experience (n = 429), 14% (95% CI: 10.6%, 17.2%) were at risk for PTSD. Key risk factors for specific mental health outcomes differed, but the common ones included: current health status, previous mental health diagnosis, and psychological resilience. Being younger, having a below-average income, and excessively following news about Covid-19 were predictive for some of the mental health problems. Conclusions: Together, the key risk factors identified in this study indicate the need for public health interventions addressing the general population's mental health, but also for specific risk groups. Lower rates of mental health symptoms assessed soon after lifting quarantine measures that have been found in other studies may indicate human resilience capacity. Key risk factors for mental health disorders during the Covid-19 pandemic in Croatia were: current health status, previous mental health diagnosis, psychological resilience, younger age, below-average income, and excessively following news about the pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic exposes individuals to multiple stressors, such as quarantine, physical distancing, job loss, risk of infection, and loss of loved ones. Such a complex array of stressors potentially lead to symptoms of adjustment disorder. Objective: This cross-sectional exploratory study examined relationships between risk and protective factors, stressors, and symptoms of adjustment disorder during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data from the first wave of the European Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS) longitudinal ADJUST Study were used. N = 15,563 participants aged 18 years and above were recruited in eleven countries (Austria, Croatia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden) from June to November 2020. Associations between risk and protective factors (e.g. gender, diagnosis of a mental health disorder), stressors (e.g. fear of infection, restricted face-to-face contact), and symptoms of adjustment disorder (ADNM-8) were examined using multivariate linear regression. Results: The prevalence of self-reported probable adjustment disorder was 18.2%. Risk factors associated with higher levels of symptoms of adjustment disorder were female gender, older age, being at risk for severe COVID-19 illness, poorer general health status, current or previous trauma exposure, a current or previous mental health disorder, and longer exposure to COVID-19 news. Protective factors related to lower levels of symptoms of adjustment disorder were higher income, being retired, and having more face-to-face contact with loved ones or friends. Pandemic-related stressors associated with higher levels of symptoms of adjustment disorder included fear of infection, governmental crisis management, restricted social contact, work-related problems, restricted activity, and difficult housing conditions. Conclusions: We identified stressors, risk, and protective factors that may help identify individuals at higher risk for adjustment disorder. We examined symptoms of adjustment disorder in 15,563 adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevalence of probable adjustment disorder was 18.2%. We identified stressors, risk, and protective factors that may help identify individuals at higher risk for adjustment disorder.

In the contemporary business environment characterized by risk and uncertainty, manufacturing companies need to focus on improving quality in every single aspect of their business model, with a focus on reaching the level of business excellence. As the central dimension of organizational design, organizational structure has the status of important support for achieving business excellence in the following areas: the success of the quality management system, process management, orientation towards employees (their satisfaction and motivation), the development of partnership relations with suppliers and customers, supply chain management, innovation, and social responsibility. The goal of the research is to identify the parameters of the organizational structure which have the highest influence on the success of manufacturing companies in terms of achieving business excellence. The results of the research conducted on a sample of 94 manufacturing companies in the territory of the Republic of Serbia showed the statistically significant influence of the organizational structure on each of the business excellence determinants, whereby the following parameters have the most important role: specialization, coordination (based on a combination of mechanisms) and formalization (based on compliance with QMS requirements - Quality Management System and the ISO 9001 standards).

The karstic spring Perućac as the main drainage area of the Tara Mt. in western Serbia was studied in order to assess its discharge regime, water reserves, and to delineate its catchment area. The spring is located in the northeastern, inner zone of the classic Dinaric karst, which is characterized by a dominant extension of highly karstified Triassic limestones, a poorly developed hydrographic network with many ponors, and dense forests. Tara Mt. is one of five national parks in Serbia. The goal of the project was to identify a high-priority protection zone within the preserved natural area which is also well known and actively used for tourism and recreation purposes. Based on data on the discharge regime of the Perućac Spring, and by applying the multiple non-linear correlation method, the size of the direct catchment area was assumed to be 79.3 km 2 , which was 5–18 % larger than that estimated by previous surveys. Proposal to extend preserved natural area and to include sanitary protection zone of the Perućac spring as well as to establish a common monitoring system for biodiversity and water has been made. In this way, not only native plants and animals but also their habitats would be better protected from potential pollution.