Systemic intervention in creative managing problems in enterprises

The main purpose of this paper is to critically reassess the theoretical foundations and the methodological development of Systemic Intervention (SI) – as a new paradigm, based on theoretical and methodological pluralism – in order to determine the conditions, the ways and the results of its application in managing complex problems in enterprises. The employed instrumentarium is critical systems thinking, with its commitments to the critical awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of each research instrument for tackling problems in enterprises, the improvement of managing complex problems, and pluralism – respecting different interpretations of problem situations and enabling the combined use of research instruments. The main finding is that SI can underpin the process of structuring complex management problems in enterprises in a scientifically based and practically useful manner. In a scientific sense, the important implication of the conducted research is that it contributes to holistic understanding, conceptualizing and managing problem situations in enterprises. The relevant practical implication for managers is that – through a critical use of the SI methodology – they can creatively enhance the strategic management process in enterprises

The effect of boron on the amount and type of carbides in chromium white irons

The effect of boron, in the amounts of 0.26, 0.39, and 0.59 wt.%, on the volume fraction and structure of carbides in Cr white irons was examined. It was demonstrated that the addition of boron can change the microstructural characteristics of white iron containing about 13 wt.% Cr. With increasing boron content, the volume fractions of M3C carbide increase., but the volume fracton of M7C3 carbide remains unchanged. The addition of boron tends to produce hard borides and/or borocarbides. It also prevents the formation of pearlite which results in alloys possessing good wear resistance

Dirofilariosis and Leishmaniasis in the Northern Region of Serbia

Research in the field of vector borne diseases and zoonozes became a topic of interest in Serbia, during the last decade. Climate changes as well as higher frequency of human and animal movement and travel, especially of dogs, is rising a threat of dirofilariosis and leismaniasis. The presence of native mosquito and sandfly vectors has already been confirmed in the country and some invasive/previously not detected were found. Dirofilariosis and leishmaniasis, which are found more or less often in dogs, cause clinical symptoms which are not obvious and therefore they represent a danger for public health with dogs acting as reservoirs of the infection

Pro- and Antiapoptotic Markers in Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma Associated with Balkan Endemic Nephropathy

The role of aristolochic acid in the etiology of Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) and associated upper-tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) has been recently confirmed. The aim of this study was to determine apoptosis-related marker(s) specific for BEN-associated UTUC. Present investigation included 105 patients with UTUC, 44 from BEN region and 61 control tumors. Altered expression of Survivin was more often present in BEN UTUC with high grade and solid growth (P < 0.005; P < 0.05) than in control tumors. Significantly lower expression of proapoptotic marker Bax was found in BEN tumors with high grade, high stage, necrosis, and without metaplastic change (P < 0.05; 0.05; 0.05; 0.05) compared to control tumors with the same features. Group (BEN-related/control), stage, growth pattern, and caspase 3 activity were significantly associated with the expression of Bax (P = 0.002, 0.034, 0.047, 0.028, resp.,). This investigation identifies Bax as specific marker of BEN-associated UTUC. Decrease of pro-apoptotic protein Bax together with alteration of Survivin may be indicative for specific disturbances of intrinsic apoptotic pathway in UTUC arising in endemic areas

Optimization and prediction of aluminium composite wear using Taguchi design and artificial neural network

This paper analyses wear behaviour of Al-Si alloy A356 (AlSi7Mg) based composite reinforced with 10 wt. % SiC, and compare it with the base A356 alloy. Composite are obtained using the compocasting procedure. Tribological testing have been conducted on a block-on-disc tribometer with three varying loads (10, 20 and 30 N) and three sliding speeds (0.25, 0.5 and 1 m/s), under dry sliding conditions. Sliding distance of 300 m was constant. The goal of the paper was to optimize the influencing parameters in order to minimize specific wear rate using the Taguchi method. The analysis showed that the sliding speed has the greatest influence on specific wear rate (39.5 %), followed by the load (23.6 %), and the interaction between sliding speed and load (19.4 %). A regression analysis and experiment corroboration was conducted in order to verify the results of the optimization. Specific wear rate prediction was done using artificial neural network (ANN).Publishe

The association between NOTCH3 expression and the clinical outcome in the urothelial bladder cancer patients

Disrupted NOTCH activity is a driving event in urothelial bladder cancer (UBC). After activation by hypoxia, the NOTCH3 receptor participates in tumor cell proliferation, acquisition of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotype, and angiogenesis. The aim was to analyze the association of NOTCH3 expression with histopathological and clinical parameters, and to determine its predictive impact on the clinical outcome in UBC patients. The present research included 614 UBC samples incorporated in paraffin tissue microarrays, evaluated by immunohistochemistry for NOTCH3 expression. The accrual period was four years, while the follow-up period was two years. The membranous expression was semi-quantified (0-3), and the mean degree was 1.81±0.94. Criteria for semi-quantification the NOTCH3 expression were the intensity of the staining and the percentage of positive cells. The samples with negative (0) and weak (1) NOTCH3 immunohistochemical (IHC) score were considered negative, while the samples that showed moderate (2) and strong (3) expression were considered positive. Higher degree of positivity was associated with higher risk of cancer-specific mortality (p<0.001). Independent predictors for cancer-specific mortality were NOTCH3 expression and high stage (p<0.001). NOTCH3 expression was not a statistically significant predictor of recurrence-free survival (p=0.816). This study indicated that NOTCH3 is a predictor of poor outcome, suggesting that the NOTCH3 could be potentially reliable IHC marker for selecting the UBC patients that would require more intensive follow-up, especially if they diagnosed in higher stage, with divergent differentiation in pathological report, and without recurrences which would lead them to more frequent medical assessments

Original Article Angiogenesis in upper tract urothelial carcinoma associated with Balkan endemic nephropathy

Abstract: Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) associated with Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) is characterized by a number of aberrations in cell-cycle regulation and apoptosis. The aim of this study was to detect angiogenesis-related marker(s) specific for BEN UTUC, and to examine the influence of HIF 1α upon angiogenesis and apoptosis in UTUC. Present investigation included 110 patients with UTUC, 50 from BEN region and 60 control tumors. Altered expression of VEGFR1 was more often present in control UTUC than in BEN tumors (p&lt;0.005). It was associated with high grade, low and high stage, solid growth, and metaplastic change of control UTUC. Microvessel density assessed by CD31 (MVD CD31) was significantly higher in UTUC with lymphovascular invasion (p&lt;0.05), and in BEN tumors with papillary growth (p&lt;0.05). Discriminant analysis indicated that BEN and control tumors do not differ significantly in expression of angiogenesis related markers. The most important discriminant variable that determined control UTUC was expression of VEGFR1 (p=0.002). HIF 1α in UTUC significantly correlated with the low stage, papillary growth and expression of Bcl-2, Caspase-3 index, and MVD CD34 (p&lt;0.001; 0.0005; 0.01; 0.005; 0.01, respectively). HIF-1α may be helpful marker in evaluation of UTUC, especially when combined with angiogenesis and apoptosis

Risk factors for infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales: an international matched case-control-control study (EURECA)

Cases were patients with complicated urinary tract infection (cUTI), complicated intraabdominal (cIAI), pneumonia or bacteraemia from other sources (BSI-OS) due to CRE; control groups were patients with infection caused by carbapenem-susceptible Enterobacterales (CSE), and by non-infected patients, respectively. Matching criteria included type of infection for CSE group, ward and duration of hospital admission. Conditional logistic regression was used to identify risk factors. Findings Overall, 235 CRE case patients, 235 CSE controls and 705 non-infected controls were included. The CRE infections were cUTI (133, 56.7%), pneumonia (44, 18.7%), cIAI and BSI-OS (29, 12.3% each). Carbapenemase genes were found in 228 isolates: OXA-48/like, 112 (47.6%), KPC, 84 (35.7%), and metallo-beta-lactamases, 44 (18.7%); 13 produced two. The risk factors for CRE infection in both type of controls were (adjusted OR for CSE controls; 95% CI; p value) previous colonisation/infection by CRE (6.94; 2.74-15.53; <0.001), urinary catheter (1.78; 1.03-3.07; 0.038) and exposure to broad spectrum antibiotics, as categorical (2.20; 1.25-3.88; 0.006) and time-dependent (1.04 per day; 1.00-1.07; 0.014); chronic renal failure (2.81; 1.40-5.64; 0.004) and admission from home (0.44; 0.23-0.85; 0.014) were significant only for CSE controls. Subgroup analyses provided similar results. Interpretation The main risk factors for CRE infections in hospitals with high incidence included previous coloni-zation, urinary catheter and exposure to broad spectrum antibiotics