Pervious concrete is considered an environment-friendly paving material and its main feature is that it allows water to penetrate within its structure. Because of open pores in pervious concrete structures, there is a high risk of corrosion, so this concrete is used without any reinforcement or with fiber reinforcement. The incorporation of fibers in concrete is known to substantially increase the tensile strength, toughness, and ductility of concrete. The fast-fashion trend encourages people to buy more clothes and dispose of them in a shorter period of time, resulting in 85% of clothes ending up in landfills or being burned. In this paper, old cotton T-shirts were cut into narrow strips about 5 ± 1 cm long for the purpose of reinforcing pervious concrete. A total of eight concrete mixtures were made: four without reinforcement and four with textile-strip reinforcement. The number of textile strips was 1% of the total volume. Tests carried out on the specimens were: slump, density, porosity, compressive and flexural strength, water absorption, infiltration rate, and abrasion resistance. Multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) was used for an X-ray examination and quantitative analysis of the specimens (ROI; region of interest) and 3D visualization (VRT; volume rendering technique). With an X-ray examination, the large holes in the cross sections of the specimens have been observed. They were caused by an insufficient compaction effort during the specimens’ placement, which affected the test results. Based on the obtained laboratory results, the waste strips improved the compressive strength, flexural strength, and abrasion resistance of the concrete with the addition of fine fractions, and generally increases the ductility of pervious concrete.

The use of natural materials, such as natural fibres, in the construction industry is becoming more frequent. The source of natural fibres should be sought in local plants, such as Spanish Broom in the Mediterranean area. The fibre treatment process was carried out in 8 different ways with alkali 4%, 5%, 6%, 8%, 10% and 15% NaOH solution, and 5% NaOH and 2% Na₂SO₃ mixture solution and seawater. The fibres were tested for tensile strength. No relationship was established between the concentration of the solution and the tensile strength of the fibres. The influence of the reuse of treatment solution on fibre quality was monitored by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ATR-FTIR, and TG/DTG analysis. Fibres with lengths of 1, 2, and 3 cm were added to cement mortar specimens in amounts of 0.5 and 1 vol%. The flexural and compressive strengths were tested on mortar specimens after 28 days. For fibres 1 and 3 cm long, 0.5% natural fibre content gives higher strength results: about 9% for flexural strength and 13.5% and 11.7% for compressive strength in regard to mortar reinforced with fibres of the same length but with a proportion of 1%. For mortar reinforced with fibre 2 cm long, better results are achieved with 1% fibre content, namely 9% higher flexural strength and 11.2% higher compressive strength compared to mortars with 0.5% fibre content. SEM/EDS analysis showed that the fibres are integrated into the cement matrix but that there is no strong interaction with the binder. For examination and 3D visualisation of mortar specimens, a medical device MSCT (Multi-slice Computed Tomography) was also used. For three consecutive years of Spanish Broom harvesting, an analysis of meteorological conditions and the results of the mechanical strength of reinforced mortars is given. For the examined years, the meteorological conditions did not affect the obtained results. Additional knowledge about the Spanish Broom fibres can introduce this plant to the application of new sustainable building materials.

Objectives: Water polo players ought to possess various physical capacities and well-developed cognitive functions that reflect the requirements of their specific playing position. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the cognitive performance, anthropometric characteristics and specific swimming capacities of youth water polo players in different playing positions. Methods: The present cross-sectional study involved 106 youth water polo players. The subjects were recruited as part of a project for talent identification and selection for the Croatian National Water Polo Team. Testing included anthropometric measurements, specific swimming capacities and cognitive performance (Stroop test). Results: Among the 106 youth water polo players, there were 15 goalkeepers (14.2%), 21 center-defenders (19.8%), 17 center-forwards (16.0%), 34 drivers (32.1%) and 19 wings (17.9%), with the mean age of 14.14 ± 0.38 years. The wings performed faster than center-forwards in both StroopOff time (wings: 57.14 ± 10.04 s vs. center-forwards: 67.03 ± 9.72 s, p = 0.016) and StroopOn time (wings: 66.18 ± 15.86 s vs. center-forwards: 80.24 ± 15.64 s, p = 0.019). Conclusions: In conclusion, this study demonstrated significant differences between different playing positions in youth water polo players, specifically between center-forwards and wings. They performed faster than center-forwards in all tested variables of the Stroop test, measures of psychomotor ability, response inhibition and motor speed, as well as in specific swimming capacities measured in the 50 m crawl and the 400 m crawl. The results of this study provide a valuable foundation for establishing developmental recommendations for different playing positions, aimed at improving player’s performance. These recommendations should take into account anthropometric characteristics, specific functional swimming capacities and cognitive functions that influence players’ game intelligence, which can be enhanced through properly designed training programs.

The knee is an anatomical structure that can provide a great deal of data for research on age estimation. The aim of this study was to evaluate and apply a method for semi-automatic measurements of the area under the growth plate closure of the femur distal epiphysis and the growth plate closure itself on the 2D coronary slices using T2 weighted images (T2WI) generated on magnetic resonance (MRI) devices of different technical and technological characteristics. After the semi-automatic segmentation of the femur distal epiphysis under the growth plate closure and the growth plate closure itself, the areas of the measured closures were calculated using MATLAB version: 9.12. (R2022a), MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA, USA, for each individual coronal slice. The area ratio index (ARI) was calculated as the ratio between the area under the growth plate closure of the femur distal epiphysis and the growth plate closure itself. The study sample consisted of 27 female and 23 male Caucasian participants aged 10 to 26 years. A total of 339 T2WI images were used for ARI calculations. There was a positive correlation between chronological age and the average ARI measured by three independent observers (r = 0.8280, p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis did not show any significant impact of the technical and technological characteristics of the MRI devices on ARI. The results of this study showed that ARI could serve as a useful tool for age estimation using knee MRI as well as for the further development of artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

Background: Water polo is a sport that combines substantial physical contact with high cognitive demands, exposing athletes to sports-related injuries, including head and orofacial trauma. This study investigated associations between cognitive performance, cumulative water polo exposure and injury history in youth water polo players. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 161 youth water polo players (103 males, 58 females; mean age 15.76 ± 1.53 years). Sports-related injury history was assessed using an online questionnaire. Cognitive performance was evaluated with the computerized Stroop test. Sport exposure time (years of official water polo participation) and number of games played were extracted from the official Croatian Water Polo Federation database. Logistic regression analyses were adjusted for age and sex; additional head injury models were adjusted for years of participation. Results: A history of overall sports-related, head and orofacial injury was reported by 93 (57.8%), 65 (40.4%) and 51 (31.7%) players, respectively. Participants with head injury history had lower Stroop OffTime (55.90 ± 6.46 s vs. 58.56 ± 8.72 s, p = 0.028) and OffTime + OnTime (118.63 ± 16.10 s vs. 125.10 ± 22.11 s, p = 0.033) in unadjusted comparisons. However, the Stroop test measure was not independently associated with head injury history after adjustment. Each additional year of water polo participation was associated with 34% higher odds of reporting head injury history (aOR = 1.34, 95%CI 1.08–1.65, p = 0.007), while number of games played was not independently associated with any injury history outcomes. Conclusions: Within the limits of the cross-sectional design, longer participation in water polo, used as an indirect measure for cumulative exposure, appears more strongly associated with head injury history than the cognitive measures assessed. Prospective longitudinal studies are needed to establish temporal relationships and evaluate future injury risk.