PRANJE NOVCA KAO EKONOMSKA DIMENZIJA TERORIZMA

This paper presentsan economic dimensionof terrorism through analysis of terrorist organizations needs for funding, modules of financing terrorism and links to money laundering. Financial resourcesare one of the most important conditions for maintaining infrastructure of terrorist organizations and carrying out terrorist activities. Assets acquired through legal and illegal channels members of the terrorist organization carry out through financial system by using techniques ofmoney laundering in order to conceal the trace of money needed for organizing terrorist attacks. Due to the global nature of the problem of money laundering and terrorist financing, preventive mechanisms include cooperation of financial intelligence agencies and international organizations as well as strengthening of national institutions that are dealing with this problem. Numerous recently adopted guidelines, conventions and recommendations (within the EU, OUN, FATF) draw attention for detection terrorist activities in the preparatory phase, such as travel of terrorists, financing logistical support for their activities and weapons (explosives) supply required for carrying out terrorist attacks.U radu se prezentuje ekonomska dimenzija terorizma kroz analizu potreba terorističkih organizacija za finansijskim sredstvima, moduli finasiranja terorizma i veza sa pranjem novca. Finansijska sredstva predstavljaju jedan od najvažnijih preduslova za održavanje infrastrukture terorističkih organizacija i izvođenje terorističkih aktivnosti. Sredstva stečena legalnim i ilegalnim putem pripadnici terorističkih organizacija tehnikama pranja novca sprovode kroz finansijske sisteme, prikrivajući svrhu novca namenjenu za organizovanje terorističkih napada. Zbog globalne prirode problema pranja novca i finansiranja terorizma, preventivni mehanizmi obuhvataju saradnju finansijskih, obaveštajnih službi i međunarodnih organizacija uz jačanje nacionalnih institucija koje se bave navedenim problemom. Brojne smernice, konvencije i preporuke novijeg datuma (u okviru EU, OUN, FATF) skreću pažnju na potrebu detekcije terorističkih aktivnosti u pripremnoj fazi poput putovanja (tranzita) terorista, finansiranja logističke podrške terorističkih aktivnosti i nabavke naoružanja (eksplozivnih materija) potrebnih za izvođenje napada

Resilience of urban communities to fire hazards

Последице пожара великих размера у Републици Србији у периоду од 2015. до 2021. године указале су на потребу спровођења емпиријског истраживања у циљу утврђивања фактора који доприносе изградњи резилијентности урбаних заједница на опасности изазване пожарима. Применом мултиметодског истраживачког дизајна, спроведено је пресечно истраживање са циљем испитивања утицаја демографских, социоекономских, психолошких, организационих и инфраструктурних варијабли на способност грађана и институцоналних актера да спроведу превентивне мере, адекватно одговоре на пожаре, прилагоде се новим условима функционисања и опораве без последица. Посредством мултиметодског приступа омогућен је целовит увид у различите димензије комплексног феномена резилијентности урбаних заједница на опасности изазване пожарима. На основу студије случаја, истражене су перцепције грађана и институционални капацитети у контексту утврђивања резилијентности на пожарне опасности. Резултати квантитативног сегмента истраживања потврдили су постављене хипотезе, док су резултати квалитативног приступа пружили одговоре на унапред постављена истраживачка питања. У склопу одабране студије случаја, анкетирани су грађани који поседују искуство са пожарним опасностима у сопственом дому или у непосредном окружењу. Коришћењем технике полуструктурисаног интервјуа, обављен је научни разговор са испитаницима чије је професионално и лично искуство са пожарним опасностима допринело стицању додатних увида у различите аспекте предмета истраживања. Анализом садржаја архивског видеоматеријала, медијских извештаја, као и доступне документације локалне самоуправе и републичких државних органа, добијени су значајни подаци о сегментима друштвене стварности у темпоралном оквиру истраживања. Сумирањем налаза истраживања, одређене социо-економске, демографске, психолошке, организационе и инфраструктурне карактеристике означене су као најзначајнији предиктори резилијентности урбаних заједница под утицајем стресора у виду пожарних опасности. Најзначајнији утицај на резилијентност урбаних заједница има здравствено стање грађана, степен образовања, старосна доб, висина прихода, осећање припадности заједници и блискост са суседима, ефикасност служби за одговор на непосредне опасности и инфраструктурне карактеристике града. Посебна вредност налаза истраживања огледа се у чињеници да сличан научни подухват никада није спроведен у Републици Србији. Резултати истраживања могу бити генерализовани на исту класу појава у градовима са сличном демографском структуром. Такође, резултати истраживања могу послужити као путоказ у креирању будућих истраживачких пројеката са истом или сличном тематиком. На друштвеној равни, резултати имају потенцијал да дају значајан допринос приликом осмишљавања стратегија за изградњу резилијентности урбаних заједница на опасности изазване пожарима.The consequences of large-scale fires in the Republic of Serbia from 2015 to 2021 indicated the need of conducting empirical research in order to determine factors that contribute to developing the resilience of urban communities to fire hazards. By applying a mixed methods research design, a cross-sectional study was conducted with the aim of examining the impact of demographic, socio-economic, psychological, organizational and infrastructural variables on the ability of citizens and institutional stakeholders to implement preventive measures, adequately respond to fires, adapt to new operating conditions and recover without consequences. The multimethod approach provided a holistic insight into various dimensions of the complex phenomenon of resilience of urban communities to fire hazards. On the basis of the selected case study, citizens' perceptions and institutional capacities were investigated in the context of determining resilience to fire hazards. The findings of the quantitative research segment confirmed the hypotheses set by the research design, while the results of the qualitative approach provided answers to the previously set research questions. The selected case study included surveying citizens who had experience with fire hazards in their own home or in their immediate environment. The semi-structured interview technique was applied in order to conduct scientific interviews with the respondents whose professional and personal experience with fire hazards contributed to the obtaining of additional insights into various aspects of the research subject. By analysing the content of archival video materials, printed and electronic media, as well as available documentation of local self-government and republic state authorities, significant data were obtained on the segments of social reality in the temporal framework of the research. Summarizing the findings of the research, certain socioeconomic, demographic, psychological, organizational and infrastructural characteristics were identified as the most significant predictors of resilience of urban communities under the influence of stressors in the form of fire hazards. The health status of citizens, level of education, age, level of income, sense of community belonging and neighbourhood closeness, efficiency of first responders and infrastructural characteristics of a city have the most significant influence on the urban communities resilience. A particular value of the research findings is reflected in the fact that a similar scientific endeavor has never been carried out in the Republic of Serbia. The research results can be generalized to the same class of phenomena in cities with a comparable demographic structure. In addition, the research results can serve as a guide in creation of future research projects with the same or similar subject matters. At the societal level, the results have a potential to make a significant contribution in designing strategies for developing the resilience of urban communities to fire hazard

Vrednosne orijentacije srpske intelektualne dijaspore

In the contemporary world, marked by the processes of globalization, migration isn’t a novelty. Life stories that are not bound by the borders of a nation state have become normal long time ago, and this is recognized in scientific circles as the formation of transnational social fields and transnational identities. As for Serbia, it is a typical emigration area. The specific circumstances in the Balkans in recent years have further contributed to the outflow of people from the country, and particularly the large outflow of highly educated people. The main subject of this paper are value orientations of the Serbian intellectual diaspora. The intellectual diaspora of Serbia is a population that has rarely been studied and its importance as a bearer of cultural capital of our country has often been neglected. In this paper, we have opted to study the value orientations, which as a phenomenon reflect the needs, goals, beliefs, principles of people and act as standards of behavior. Changing the place of residence significantly influences different areas of one's life, as well as one’s value orientations. Therefore, the focus of this study was change in value orientations with respect to the length of stay abroad, as well as differences in the expression of value orientations with respect to sociodemographic characteristics. Given the fact that these types of study have never been done in our county, our research was exploratory and descriptive. The sample consisted of 327 respondents, highly educated members of our diaspora. The value orientations in our research have been operationalized by standardized instruments: Kuzmanović's Value Orientations Test (1995), Inglehart's Scale for measuring Postmaterialistic values (2000) and Bogardus Social Distance Scale (1933) modified in the form used in the European Value Survey (EVS, 2008). The results of our study suggest that our intellectual diaspora is characterized by expressed openness to the world, expressed secular-rational and self-expression values. This means that they put less emphasis on the importance of religion, traditional values, and respect for authority, and that they are characterized by a strong tolerance toward different social groups and a very positive attitude towards gender equality. We have also found that there are differences in the value orientations in regard to sociodemographic characteristics, the region of birth and the region of living, but also that the differences in the value orientations are mostly influenced by the level of education and decision about returning to home country. On the other hand, the length of stay abroad significantly predicts greater closeness to the world, higher level of religiosity, lower level of gender equality, more pronounced traditional values, and greater social distance. Explanation for these results, we found in a transnational environment that marks the lives of migrants. Life in different cultures, in different political and social environments, leads to the development of a transnational identity that incorporates value patterns that originate from the country of origin, as well as the receiving countries

Analysis of Y chromosome microdeletions and CFTR gene mutations as genetic markers of infertility in Serbian men

Uvod/Cilj. Poremećena plodnost muškog partnera je glavni uzrok infertiliteta kod polovine neplodnih parova. Na genetskom nivou infertilitet kod muškaraca mogu uzrokovati hromozomske aberacije ili genske mutacije. U ovoj studiji analizirano je prisustvo i tip mikrodelecija Y hromozoma i mutacija u genu za regulator transmembranske provodljivosti u cističnoj fibrozi (CFTR) kao genetska osnova infertiliteta kod muškaraca u Srbiji. Cilj studije je bio da se analiziraju mutacije u CFTR genu i mikrodelecije Y hromozoma, kao potencijalni uzroci infertiliteta kod muškaraca u Srbiji, kao i da se testira hipoteza da su CFTR mutacije kod infertilnih muškaraca predominantno locirane u nekoliko poslednjih egzona. Metode. Studija je obuhvatila 33 muškarca sa oligo ili azospermijom. Detekcija mikrodelecija Y hromozoma u regionu faktora azospermije (AZF) vršena je pomoću multipleks PCR metode. Pretraživanje CFTR gena vršeno je metodom elektroforeze u gelu sa gradijentom denaturišućeg agensa (DGGE). Rezultati. Delecije Y hromozoma su detektovane kod četiri bolesnika, predominantno u AZFc regionu (četiri od ukupno šest). Mutacije u CFTR genu su detektovane na osam od 66 analizovanih hromozoma infertilnih muškaraca. Najčešće detektovana CFTR mutacija je F508del (šest od osam). Zaključak. Ova studija je potvrdila da mikrodelecije Y hromozoma i mutacije u CFTR genu igraju važnu ulogu u etiologiji infertiliteta kod muškaraca u Srbiji. Genetsko testiranje koje obuhvata detekciju mikrodelecija Y hromozoma i mutacija u CFTR genu uvedeno je u rutinsku dijagnostičku praksu i ponuđeno je parovima koji pristupaju asistiranoj reprodukciji. S obzirom da tip mikrodelecija Y hromozoma i tip mutacija u CFTR genu imaju prognostički značaj, preporuka je da se genotipizacija AZF regiona i CFTR gena ne vrši samo kod bolesnika sa umanjenim kvalitetom sperme pre pristupanja asistiranoj reprodukciji, već i u svrhe preimplantacione i prenatalne dijagnostike kod parova kod kojih je uspešno izvršena in vitro fertilizacija.Background/Aim. Impaired fertility of a male partner is the main cause of infertility in up to one half of all infertile couples. At the genetic level, male infertility can be caused by chromosome aberrations or gene mutations. The presence and types of Y chromosome microdeletions and cystic fybrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene mutations as genetic cause of male infertility was tested in Serbian men. The aim of this study was to analyze CFTR gene mutations and Y chromosome microdelations as potential causes of male infertility in Serbian patients, as well as to test the hypothesis that CFTR mutations in infertile men are predominantly located in the several last exons of the gene. Methods. This study has encompassed 33 men with oligo- or azoospermia. The screening for Y chromosome microdeletions in the azoospermia factor (AZF) region was performed by multiplex PCR analysis. The screening of the CFTR gene was performed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) method. Results. Deletions on Y chromosome were detected in four patients, predominantly in AZFc region (four of total six deletions). Mutations in the CFTR gene were detected on eight out of 66 analyzed chromosomes of infertile men. The most common mutation was F508del (six of total eight mutations). Conclusion. This study confirmed that both Y chromosome microdeletions and CFTR gene mutations played important role in etiology of male infertility in Serbian infertile men. Genetic testing for Y chromosome microdeletions and CFTR gene mutations has been introduced in routine diagnostics and offered to couples undergoing assisted reproduction techniques. Considering that both the type of Y chromosome microdeletion and the type of CFTR mutation have a prognostic value, it is recommended that AZF and CFTR genotyping should not only be performed in patients with reduced sperm quality before undergoing assisted reproduction, but also for the purpose of preimplantation and prenatal diagnostics in couples in which in vitro fertilization has been performed successfully

Lactobacillus fermentum Postbiotic-induced Autophagy as Potential Approach for Treatment of Acetaminophen Hepatotoxicity

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of postbiotics originated from Lactobacillus fermentum BGHV110 strain (HV110) to counteract acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatotoxicity in HepG2 cells. This strain was selected according to its autophagy inducing potential, based on previous studies reporting protective role of autophagy in APAP caused cellular damage. Cell viability was assessed using MTT and LDH assays, while autophagy was monitored by qPCR analysis of BECN1, Atg5, p62/SQSTM1, and PINK1 mRNA expression and by Western blot analysis of p62/SQSTM1 and lipidated LC3 accumulation. Our results showed that detrimental effect of APAP on cell viability was suppressed in the presence of HV110 which was linked with increased conversion of LC3 protein and p62/SQSTM1 protein degradation. Additionally, higher p62/SQSTM1 and PINK1 mRNA transcription were noticed in cells co-treated with APAP/HV110, simultaneously. In conclusion, this study suggests that HV110 enhances activation of PINK1-dependent autophagy in HepG2 cells and its eventual co-supplementation with APAP could be potentially used for alleviation of hepatotoxic side effects caused by APAP overdose

Transformacija nacionalne bezbednosti - rezilijentnost u strategijama bezbednosti velikih sila kao odgovor na globalne bezbednosne pretnje

Altered nature of security risks and threats created within globalization process new security environment, forcing creators of national security strategies to anticipate the sources of threats and to define appropriate mechanisms for response to different forms of security threats addressed to states and its citizens. The concept of resilience is taken from technical sciences and implemented in the security strategies of great powers as a potential solution for strengthening capacity and system preparedness for responding to threats as well as the rapid recovery, regardless of intelligence analysis and assessment of relevant institutions.Izmenjena priroda bezbednosnih rizika i pretnji oblikovala je tokom procesa globalizacije novo bezbednosno okruženje, primoravši tvorce strategija nacionalne bezbednosti da anticipiraju izvore pretnji i osmisle adekvatne mehanizme za reagovanje na različite oblike ugrožavanja bezbednosti države i njenih građana. Koncept rezilijentnosti preuzet je iz tehničkih nauka i implementiran u strategije bezbednosti velikih sila kao potencijalno rešenje usmereno na jačanje kapaciteta i spremnosti sistema za odgovor na pretnje i rapidni oporavak od istih, bez obzira na obaveštajne analize i procene nadležnih institucija

Clinical presentation of mild cystic fibrosis in a Serbian patient homozygous for the CFTR mutation c.1393-1G gt A

We present a case of a 19-year old male with uncommon initial clinical cystic fibrosis (CF) presentation and a rare CFTR genotype, homozygote for c.1393-1G gt A mutation (legacy name 1525-1G gt A)

Unveiling Anticancer Potential of COX-2 and 5-LOX Inhibitors: Cytotoxicity, Radiosensitization Potential and Antimigratory Activity against Colorectal and Pancreatic Carcinoma

Apart from cytotoxicity, inhibitors of the COX-2 enzyme have demonstrated additional effects important for cancer treatment (such as radiosensitization of tumor cells and cell antimigratory effects); however, the relationship between the inhibition of other inflammation-related enzyme 5-LOX inhibitors and anticancer activity is still not well understood. In our study, the cytotoxicity of thirteen COX-2 and 5-LOX inhibitors previously presented by our group (1–13) was tested on three cancer cell lines (HCT 116, HT-29 and BxPC-3) and one healthy cell line (MRC-5). Compounds 3, 5, 6 and 7 showed moderate cytotoxicity, but good selectivity towards cancer cell lines. IC50 values were in the range of 22.99–51.66 µM (HCT 116 cell line), 8.63–41.20 µM (BxPC-3 cell line) and 24.78–81.60 µM (HT-29 cell line; compound 7 > 100 µM). In comparison to tested, commercially available COX-2 and 5-LOX inhibitors, both cytotoxicity and selectivity were increased. The addition of compounds 6 and 7 to irradiation treatment showed the most significant decrease in cell proliferation of the HT-29 cell line (p < 0.001). The antimigratory potential of the best dual COX-2 and 5-LOX inhibitors (compounds 1, 2, 3 and 5) was tested by a wound-healing assay using the SW620 cell line. Compounds 1 and 3 were singled out as compounds with the most potent effect (relative wound closure was 3.20% (24 h), 5,08% (48 h) for compound 1 and 3.86% (24 h), 7.68% (48 h) for compound 3). Considering all these results, compound 3 stood out as the compound with the most optimal biological activity, with the best dual COX-2 and 5-LOX inhibitory activity, good selectivity towards tested cancer cell lines, significant cell antimigratory potential and a lack of toxic effects at therapeutic doses

Clinical presentation of mild cystic fibrosis in a Serbian patient homozygous for the CFTR mutation c.1393-1G gt A

We present a case of a 19-year old male with uncommon initial clinical cystic fibrosis (CF) presentation and a rare CFTR genotype, homozygote for c.1393-1G gt A mutation (legacy name 1525-1G gt A)

National security transformation: Resilience within national security strategies of great powers in response to global threats

Altered nature of security risks and threats created within globalization process new security environment, forcing creators of national security strategies to anticipate the sources of threats and to define appropriate mechanisms for response to different forms of security threats addressed to states and its citizens. The concept of resilience is taken from technical sciences and implemented in the security strategies of great powers as a potential solution for strengthening capacity and system preparedness for responding to threats as well as the rapid recovery, regardless of intelligence analysis and assessment of relevant institutions