Croatia: introducing and strengthening the non-university sector

The report concerns Croatia's policy to strengthen its non-university higher education provision and increase horizontal differentiation among its higher education institutions and study programmes. The report is one of the twelve case studies conducted within the “Structural Higher Education Reform – Design and Evaluation” project, commissioned by the European Commission (EAC/31/2014). The main objective of this project – carried out by the Center for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS), University of Twente, the Netherlands, and the Centre for Higher Education Governance Ghent (CHEGG), Ghent University, Belgium - was to investigate policy processes related to the design, implementation, and evaluation of structural reforms of higher education systems across Europe

Decision making on decision making : deciding governance in higher education in Serbia 2002-2005

Abstract This study analyses the decision making process which lies behind the drafting of the current legal framework regulating higher education system-level and institutional-level governance in Serbia. The research places particular focus on the relationship between the main actors in the process, namely the state, the academic community and the students, and looks into the logic of their actions, while also exploring the external factors which affected the decision making. The fundamental assumption underpinning this endeavour is that the analysis of the decision making process in question would offer an understanding of the rationale behind the governance changes, as well as provide an insight into factors affecting the decision making and consequently the output of the process as regards governance. The Institution Analysis and Development Framework has been employed as the prime analytical tool, while the research technique comprises of in-depth interviews with representatives of the main players and documentary analysis. The analysis draws several key conclusions. First, the process of deciding the latest governance transformations in Serbian higher education was to a greater extent affected by the dynamics of actors‟ interaction and preferences, than by supra-national trends which they resemble when given a surface look. Second, the decision making triggered the power redistribution in the higher education system in a way that it mirrored the power distribution pattern inside decision arenas. Third, institutional autonomy and resource dependence were not only in the heart of the debate, but also the key driving forces of the decision making on governance arrangements in Serbian higher education

The Organizational Engine of Rankings: Connecting “New” and “Old” Institutionalism

Ringel L, Brankovic J, Werron T. The Organizational Engine of Rankings: Connecting “New” and “Old” Institutionalism. Politics and Governance. 2020;8(2):36–47.When explaining the ubiquity of rankings, researchers tend to emphasize macro or contextual phenomena, such as the power of or the trust in numbers, neoliberal forces, or a general spirit of competition. Meanwhile, the properties of rankers are rarely, if at all, taken into account. In contrast to the received wisdom, we argue that the institutionalization of rankings in different fields is also contingent upon another, often-neglected factor: over time, rankers have become increasingly more organized. To investigate the role of ranking organizations, we look into the distinct properties of present-day rankings and highlight three dimensions along which rankings have evolved over the course of the twentieth century, namely, publication frequency, handling complex tasks, and audience engagement. On this basis, we argue that these dimensions have to a large extent been affected by formal organization and we show how ranking organizations have over time developed capacities to (a) publish rankings on a continual basis, (b) handle the often complex production process by means of division of labor, and (c) generate considerable degrees of attention by addressing large and diverse audiences. On a more general note, we argue that accounting for the role of organization in the instutionalization of rankings requires a combination of insights from both “old” and “new” strands of thinking in institutional theory

ANN Model for Prediction of Rockfill Dam Slope Stability

Dam safety and potential failure is one of the issues with the highest risk in water resources management. The dam slope stability is adversely influenced by the natural seepage process in the dam. Thus, monitoring of the pore and total pressures in the dam core is essential in the seepage process analysis. It is possible during the dam operation period to have one or more cells malfunctioning, after years of operation. Sometimes it is technically not possible to replace the cell or the costs of the replacement are too high and not economically justified. At the Pridvorica Dam, several instruments - cells for pore and total pressure monitoring malfunctioned. The objective of this study is to develop a neural network model for the prediction of the pore and total pressure on the malfunctioning cells and to demonstrate its quick and effective practical application for identifying complex non-linear relationship between the input and output variables. The proposed approach can be a very helpful tool for modeling of the stochastic behavior of the dam in order to give adequate warning of soil pressures to prevent failures

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE HYDRAULIC STRUCTURES BY VARIOUS ARTIFICIALIZATION PARAMETERS

Abstract. The natural rivers and their flood areas are among the most complex and diverse ecosystems in the world. Traditional structural solutions in river training works are focused on basic requirements as flood protection, littoral zone protection, river bed protection, providing the space for economic development. In this study a method of anticipated assessment of certain physical impact of designed river training works is presented, perceived as global effect of river bed artificialization. The method mainly serves to compare the various possible solutions of river training works, based on the „artificialization parameter” also named „global impact GI”. Key words: river training works, environmental cost

Features and Outcomes In Utero and after Birth of Fetuses with Myocardial Disease

Objectives. Ninety-one fetuses with dilated or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (DCM, HCM) and myocarditis were studied. Results. Group 1 “DCM” included 19 fetuses: 13 with hydrops (FH) and 5 with associated extracardiac anomalies (ECAs) (15.8%). Group 2 “Myocarditis” included twelve fetuses, having 11 with FH. Group 3 “HCM” included sixty fetuses: 26 had associated ECAs, 17 had maternal diabetes, and 17 were “idiopathic”; however, in one case, a metabolic disorder was found postnatally, and 4 had familiarity for HCM. Outcomes. Ten cases opted for termination of pregnancy. Two cases with DCM and 1 with HCM were lost at follow-up. Out of the cases that continued pregnancy, with known follow-up, mortality was 68.75% in Group 1, 63.6% in Group 2, and 31.3% in Group 3 (the majority with severe ECAs). Surviving cases with DCM and myocarditis improved, 2 with HCM worsened, 6 remained stable, and 26 improved or normalized. Conclusions. Our data show more severe prognosis in DCM and myocarditis and forms with severe associated ECAs

Influence of ZnO nanoparticles on slow release of essential oil from polimeric matrix

Biopolymer emulsions were processed in the form of thin films for application in active food packaging. Active packaging is defined as material designed to release active components into food or absorb them from food in order to extend durability or to maintain/improve packaging conditions and extend shelf-life of food. We synthesized emulsion based on biodegradable polymers (pectin, gelatin, chitosan) with addition of active components -essential oils and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs). By introducing essential oils in the polymer matrix, with the addition of certain emulsifiers, it comes to encapsulation of oil droplets and the formation of a homogeneous emulsion. Thin films were fabricated by mold casting or spraying of the emulsions on a substrate. The slow release of an essential oil from the polymeric matrix was determined by UV-vis spectrophotometry. It was shown that polymers with addition of nanoparticles provided a prolonged action of active components. Surface morphology of the films was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and it was noticed that nanoparticles were mainly accumulated around oil droplets, which additionally contributed to a slow release of the active components

Visible-light photocatalytic degradation of mordant blue 9 by BiVO4 nanopowder

The photocatalytic degradation of highly toxic azo dye Mordant Blue 9 (MB 9) was investigated using single-phase monoclinic BiVO4 nanopowder as a photocatalyst under the simulated solar irradiation. The photodegradation process as a function of different pH values of aqueous dye solution (pH = 1 – 13) and irradiation time was investigated, and the complete degradation mechanism was proposed. MB 9 was resistant to direct photolysis and the BiVO4 nanoparticles exhibited higher photocatalytic activity in a basic medium than in neutral and acid media. Photodegradation of the dye molecules occurred primarily due to a reaction with the photo-generated holes and OH– anions forming ∙OH radicals. The alkaline pH range favors the formation of more ∙OH radicals through the oxidation of hydroxide ions existing at the BiVO4 surface, thus the effectiveness of the photocatalytic process significantly increased. BiVO4 photocatalyst was stable and active under simulated solar irradiation over four consecutive cycles, which confirms its good photocatalytic properties

High Embankment Dam Stability Analysis Using Artificial Neural Networks

Regular surveillance, data acquisition, and visual observation of high embankment dams are extremely important for the stability analysis of these structures. The stability issues that could occur during a dam\u27s lifetime are mainly related to slope instability and internal erosion. The aim of continuous dam security monitoring and field measurement is to identify priority flow paths in the dam body, i.e. cracks and the erosion process. A key parameter for embankment dam stability assessment is the pore water pressure (PWP) response in the clay core. Increasing pore water pressure results in shear strength reduction and can cause dam instability. In this paper, four different models based on artificial neural networks will be developed for pore water pressure prediction in an embankment dam clay core, based on meteorological, hydrological, and geotechnical data. These models will be compared and the model that gives the smallest prediction error will be presented. In the light of climate change, the main objective of this paper is to find the model that can be used for embankment dam stability prediction in extreme weather events

Massive Myocardial Infarction in a Full-Term Newborn: A Case Report

A full-term female newborn with neonatal asphyxia and severe anemia (Hb 2.5 g/dL) with normal heart developed a massive myocardial infarction. No examinations were performed during pregnancy for parental nomadism. The baby had immediate external cardiac massage, ventilatory assistance, and blood transfusion. Cardiomegaly was evident at chest X-ray and marked signs of ischemia-lesion at ECG. Echocardiography showed dilated, hypertrophic, and hypocontractile left ventricle (LV), mitral and tricuspid regurgitation, and moderate pericardial effusion. Rh isoimmunization and infective agents were excluded at laboratory tests. Despite the treatment with inotropes, hydrocortisone, and furosemide, the baby worsened and died at 45 hours of life. Postmortem examination showed diffuse subendocardial infarction of LV and diffuse parenchymal hemorrhages and myocardial hypertrophy, increase of eosinophilia, and polymorphonucleated cells at histology. Our patient suffered apparently from longstanding fetal anemia of unknown etiology that led to perinatal distress, severe hypoxia, and massive myocardial infarction, unresponsive to the therapy