Supply chain management maturity assessment: challenges of the enterprises in Serbia

Nowadays competition has been spread to supply chains, instead of individual enterprises. Therefore, beside evaluation of enterprise’s capabilities to manage business processes, it is important to assess capabilities for business process management at supply chain level. The purpose of the research presented in this paper is to point out the necessity of supply chain management maturity in implementation of best practice. Research methodology is based on supply chain management maturity models. Application of the Delphi method enabled usage of maturity model, adapted to the enterprises in Serbia. The value of the research precedes from unique combination of best practice elements for the assessment of supply chain management maturity level. The research results show that best practice elements are not very popular in the enterprises in Serbia. All enterprises are at the second and third maturity level. Bearing in mind that everything has to be improved continually, maturity models, proposed by different authors can be further developed by including certain statistical tools. The original contribution of this paper and its practical implication refer to including statistical tools, hierarchical cluster analysis and correlation, into maturity analysis, thus enabling creation of framework as a road-map for the improvement of supply chain management maturity

À la rencontre de l’Autre: la posture de l’éducateur face au regard des personnes « lambdas » sur le handicap

Les discours et les représentations sociales du handicap mental ont beaucoup évolué à travers l’histoire. Aujourd’hui, ces représentations évoluent encore. L’incapacité est vue comme une différence et cette différence se manifeste par le regard porté sur ces personnes. La perception du handicap a beaucoup évolué ces dernières années. Ceux que l’on qualifiait de « débile », « fou » ou encore « malade » sont aujourd’hui des personnes en situation de handicap. Malgré les efforts de la société à intégrer ces personnes, la perception et le regard sur le handicap reste critique. L’être humain est fait de cette façon ; il prête attention à ce qui n’est pas dans la norme. Le regard peut être mal perçu car il porte un jugement. Ce regard peut atteindre une personne en situation de handicap et la faire souffrir. Les éducateurs sociaux accompagnent ces personnes au quotidien. Cela a donc également des conséquences sur leur posture

Influence of dialysis modality on the treatment of anemia in patients with end-stage kidney disease

© 2020, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. Anemia is a common complication among the patients with end-stage kidney disease. Management of anemia is influenced by several factors: iron deficiency, subtherapeutic dosage of erythropoietin, microinflammation, vitamin D de-ficiency, increased iPTH levels and inadequate hemodialysis. The aim of the study was to examine impact of dialysis mo-dality on blood hemoglobin level as well as status of iron, status of vitamin D, hemodialysis adequacy and erythropoietin dose. The study included 120 patients which were divided into two groups: the group of patients treated with hemodiafiltra-tion and the group of patients treated with standard hemo-dialysis. For statistical analysis Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Student’s t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test were used. Blood hemoglobin level and parameters of hemodialysis adequacy (Kt/V index, spKt/V index, URR index), hemato-crit ad protein catabolic rate (nPCR) were statisticaly significant lower in patients treated with regular hemodialysis compared to patients treated with regular hemodiafiltra-tion. Serum ferritin level, C-reactive protein level and av-erage monthly dose of intravenous iron were higher in the patients treated with regular hemodialysis compared to patients treated with hemodiafiltration. Patients treated with hemodiafiltration have lower grade of microinflammation, better iron status and better control of anemia compared to the patients treated with regular hemodialysis. Dialysis modality is an important factor that influences management of anemia in the patients with end-stage kidney disease

Influence of Higenamine on Exercise Performance of Recreational Female Athletes: A Randomized Double-Blinded Placebo-Controlled Trial

The aim of this study was to determine the ergogenic effects and the safety profile of a one-component higenamine supplement in female recreational athletes. Twelve recreational female basketball players (age 29–41 years, oxygen consumption (VO2max) > 30 ml⋅kg–1⋅min–1, with training > 5 h wk–1) were randomized either to the higenamine group, or to the placebo group for 3 weeks. In order to determine ergogenic effects and safety profile of higenamine administration, we assessed the following variables before and after 3 weeks of supplementation: anthropometric parameters, resting metabolic rate (RMR), exercise testing variables, serum free fatty acids (FFAs), blood pressure, enzyme activity, urea, lipid profile, and complete blood count. There were no differences between groups in anthropometric parameters, including basal metabolic rate (BMR), RMR and body fat [p = 0.706 (Cohen’s d 0.223), p = 0.169 (Cohen’s d 0.857), and p = 0.223 (Cohen’s d 0.750), respectively], FFAs [0.43 ± 0.03 vs. 0.54 ± 0.23, p = 0.206 (Cohen’s d 0.540)], neither significant differences in cardiopulmonary parameters after the intervention period. Furthermore, all measured outcome variables in the safety assessment were not significant, with values remaining stable during the intervention period for participants in both groups. This is the first study to document the effects and the safety profile of higenamine-based dietary supplements at a specified dose in female recreational athletes. Our data indicate that 21-day of supplementation with 75 mg higenamine would not result in improving cardiopulmonary exercise fitness and weight loss in female recreational athletes. Moreover, supplementation with 75 mg higenamine is safe and well-tolerated in younger recreational female athletes

Influence of secondary hyperparathyroidism in management of anemia in patients on regular hemodialysis

© 2020 Inst. Sci. inf., Univ. Defence in Belgrade. All rights reserved. Background/Aim. Anemia is a common complication in hemodialysis patients. Treatment of anemia is affected by iron deficiency, insufficient dose of erythropoietin, microinflammation, vitamin D deficiency, increased intact parathyroid hormone concentration and inadequate hemodialysis. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its impact on hemoglobin con-centration, iron status, microinflammation, malnutrition, dialysis adequacy and erythropoietin dose in patients on regular hemodialysis. Methods. The study involved 120 patients divided into three groups: severely deficient of vitamin D: 25- hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] 20 ng/mL. For statistical analysis Kolmogorov- Smirnov test, the single-factor parametric analysis of variance - ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis test were used. Results. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients on regular hemodialysis was 75.83%, while the prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency was 24.7%. Patients with severe vitamin D deficiency had lower blood concentration of hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum concentration of total proteins and albumin, and dialysis indices were also lower compared to the other two groups of patients. The level of C-reactive protein was significantly higher in the group of patients with severe vitamin D deficiency than in the two rest groups. Conclusion. Hemodialysis patients with severe vitamin D deficiency have lower hemoglobin, lower dialysis adequacy, significant microinflammation, malnutrition, bone meta-bolism disorders and need higher dose of erythropoietin than patients whose vitamin D was higher than 10 ng/mL. Vitamin D is important risk factor for development of anemia in hemodialysis patients and important factor that can affect treatment of anemia in these patients

BanLec-eGFP Chimera as a Tool for Evaluation of Lectin Binding to High-Mannose Glycans on Microorganisms

Fluorescently labeled lectins are useful tools for in vivo and in vitro studies of the structure and function of tissues and various pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. For the evaluation of high-mannose glycans present on various glycoproteins, a three-dimensional (3D) model of the chimera was designed from the crystal structures of recombinant banana lectin (BanLec, Protein Data Bank entry (PDB): 5EXG) and an enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP, PDB 4EUL) by applying molecular modeling and molecular mechanics and expressed in Escherichia coli. BanLec-eGFP, produced as a soluble cytosolic protein of about 42 kDa, revealed β-sheets (41%) as the predominant secondary structures, with the emission peak maximum detected at 509 nm (excitation wavelength 488 nm). More than 65% of the primary structure was confirmed by mass spectrometry. Competitive BanLec-eGFP binding to high mannose glycans of the influenza vaccine (Vaxigrip®) was shown in a fluorescence-linked lectin sorbent assay (FLLSA) with monosaccharides (mannose and glucose) and wild type BanLec and H84T BanLec mutant. BanLec-eGFP exhibited binding to mannose residues on different strains of Salmonella in flow cytometry, with especially pronounced binding to a Salmonella Typhi clinical isolate. BanLec-eGFP can be a useful tool for screening high-mannose glycosylation sites on different microorganism

Qualitative Analysis of the Factors Associated with Whistleblowing Intentions among Athletes from Six European Countries

Although whistleblowing is thought to represent an effective mechanism for detecting and uncovering doping in sport, it has yet to become a widely adopted practice. Understanding the factors that encourage or discourage whistleblowing is of vital importance for the promotion of this practice and the development of pedagogical material to enhance the likelihood of whistleblowing. The current study employed a qualitative methodology to explore the personal and organisational factors that underpin intentions to blow the whistle or that may lead to engagement in whistleblowing behaviours in sport. Thirty-three competitive athletes across a range of sports took part in a semi-structured interview which sought to explore what they would do should they encounter a doping scenario. Content analysis revealed that whistleblowing is a dynamic process characterised by the interaction of a range of personal and organisational factors in determining the intention to report PED use. These factors included moral reasoning, a desire to keep the matter "in-house", perceived personal costs, institutional attitudes to doping, and social support. Analysis revealed a number of 'intervening events' (Ajzen, 1991), including a perceived lack of organisational protection (e.g., ethical leadership) within some sporting sub-cultures, which present an important obstacle to whistleblowing. The intention to report doping was underpinned by a "fairness loyalty trade-off" which involved athletes choosing to adhere to either fairness norms (which relate to a sense that all people and groups are treated equally) or loyalty norms (which reflect preferential treatment towards an in-group) when deciding whether they would blow the whistle. The promotion of fairness norms that emphasise a group's collective interests might encourage athletes to view whistleblowing as a means of increasing group cohesiveness and effectiveness and thereby increase the likelihood of this practice

In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of Cysteine Protease Inhibitor from Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa)

The need for replacing traditional pesticides with alternative agents for the management of agricultural pathogens is rising worldwide. In this study, a cysteine proteinase inhibitor (CPI), 11 kDa in size, was purified from green kiwifruit to homogeneity. We examined the growth inhibition of three plant pathogenic Gram-negative bacterial strains by kiwi CPI and attempted to elucidate the potential mechanism of the growth inhibition. CPI influenced the growth of phytopathogenic bacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens (76.2 % growth inhibition using 15 mu M CPI), Burkholderia cepacia (75.6 % growth inhibition) and, to a lesser extent, Erwinia carotovora (44.4 % growth inhibition) by inhibiting proteinases that are excreted by these bacteria. Identification and characterization of natural plant defense molecules is the first step toward creation of improved methods for pest control based on naturally occurring molecules