Sepsis Syndrome in Croatian Intensive Care Units: Piloting a National Comparative Clinical Database

Aim: To assess the incidence of sepsis in selected intensive care units (ICUs) in Croatia, isolates from blood cultures, and sepsis outcomes and to compare the results with those from other European countries. Methods: In the pilot phase of the national comparative clinical database project, we included 24 ICUs – general, specialized, neonatal, pediatric, and adult – 18 from university hospitals, three from county hospitals, and four from city hospitals. By retrospective chart review, trained data collectors abstracted the data on the case mix, management strategies, and outcomes in patients consecutively admitted to ICUs. Central validation for incomplete, illogical, or inconsistent values is regularly performed to improve accurateness. Results: Of 5293 patients treated in 24 ICUs from November 1, 2004, to October 31, 2005, 456 (8.6%) were treated for sepsis syndrome or severe sepsis. The most common isolates from positive blood cultures were Esherichia coli (11.6%), Pseudomonas species (9.9%), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (9.3%). With the mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score of 10.0 and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score of 2.4, the overall mortality for sepsis syndrome, severe sepsis, and septic shock was 29%, 35%, and 34%, respectively. When compared to university hospitals and county hospitals, city hospitals with the smallest gravitating population had significantly lower APACHE II and SOFA scores, but significantly higher mortality. Conclusions: Overall mortality of patients with sepsis syndrome in Croatian ICUs was high, but outcomes of their treatment were comparable with those in other European countries. Better education in triage and treatment strategies is needed, including better implementation of Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines

Javni video nadzor: zapleteno vprašanje za srbske zakonodajalce

Purpose: This paper examines the status of and practical problems in the use of public video surveillance for police and criminal procedural purposes. Design/Methods/Approach: The approach in this research paper entailed a comparative legal analysis of the Serbian system with regard to public video surveillance and the use of recorded material as evidence in different procedures. Our research also examined reactions to the use of such material by various government agencies, such as the Ombudsman, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, as well as the procedures and activities of the police department when dealing with criminal investigations. This paper examines this issue from the perspective of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, and their implementation in Serbia. Findings: The results provide different perspectives on changes made in Serbian law. They also guided us in the interpretation of strategically important decisions and led us to construe methods and procedures for implementing different solutions and approaches in surveillance. Research Limitations / Implications: Although the findings of this paper are strictly connected with the Serbian legal system, their implications and proposed solutions are universal in their possible application. Originality/Value: While in Serbia there have already been studies covering public video surveillance, evolutionary changes in certain crucial laws have lagged behind. This paper critically deals with such strategic imperfections.Namen prispevka: Prispevek obravnava stanje in praktične težave pri uporabi javnega videonadzora za policijske in kazensko procesne namene. Metode: Temeljni pristop v prispevku je izvedba primerjalno-pravne analize srbskega sistema javnega video nadzora in uporabe posnetega materiala kot dokaza v različnih postopkih. V raziskavi smo preučili tudi reakcije glede uporabe posnetega materiala s strani različnih državnih organov, kot sta varuh človekovih pravic in komisar za informiranje javnega pomena in varstvo osebnih podatkov. Prikazani so tudi postopki in dejavnosti policije, ki se ukvarja s preiskavo kaznivega dejanja. Problematika je obravnavana tudi z vidika Evropske konvencije o človekovih pravicah (EKČP), sodne prakse Evropskega sodišča za človekove pravice in njihovo izvajanje v Srbiji. Ugotovitve: Rezultati predstavljajo različne perspektive uvajanja sprememb v srbsko zakonodajo. Vodijo tudi k razlagi strateško pomembnih odločitev in predstavljajo različne rešitve in pristope za izvajanje nadzora. Praktična uporabnost: Vsebina prispevka je tesno povezana s srbskim pravnim sistemom. Obenem pa so ugotovitve in predlagane rešitve splošne in uporabne tudi v drugih državah. Izvirnost/pomembnost prispevka: Čeprav so v Srbiji že bile študije, ki zajemajo javni videonadzor, pa so razvojne spremembe v nekaterih ključnih zakonih zaostajale. Prispevek te strateške pomanjkljivosti kritično obravnava

Analysis of public sector efficiency in developed countries

The public sector in developed countries went through various forms of transformation in the twentieth century. The expansion of the public sector resulted in high levels of public spending in developed countries. The financial crisis of 2008 led to recessions in the economies of developed countries, the public debt growth, and actualized the issue of the public sector optimal size and efficiency. This study analysed the public sector efficiency in 19 developed countries. The analysis focuses on the relationship between the size of public expenditure and economic growth in the global financial crisis and the measures implemented. The aim of the research in this paper is a comparison of total and partial efficiency of the public sector in developed countries, in order to determine the characteristics of the public sector operations. The comparison covers the areas of the public sector operations in order to identify sources of inefficiency. Partial and overall efficiency of countries are analysed with different size and concept of the public sector, to determine the relationship between the public sector size, efficiency and welfare of citizens. The research results clearly indicate (un)justified state intervention in developed countries

Modeling of street network assingment in different weather conditons

Poznato je da nepovoljne vremenske prilike utiču na promene u efikasnosti funkcionisanja urbanih transportnih sistema. Kao rezultat uticaja najčešće dolazi do povećanja vremena putovanja i nivoa zagušenja ulične mreže. Usled visokog nivoa urbanizacije i porasta saobraćaja postalo je posebno značajno pažnju posvetiti svim potencijalno negativnim uticajima na performanse saobraćajnog sistema. To je u velikoj meri doprinelo intenzivnijem istraživanju uticaja nepovoljnih vremenskih prilika na saobraćajni sistem. Fokus doktorske disertacije je stavljen na kvantifikaciju uticaja nepovoljnih vremenskih prilika na elemente ponude transportnog sistema, i implementaciju dobijenih rezultata u proceduru modeliranja opterećenja ulične mreže. Ovo je posebno značajno jer većina postojećih modela i metoda koji se koriste u procedurama planiranja saobraćaja ne uključuju faktor uticaja nepovoljnih vremenskih prilika, odnosno optimizirani su za idealne vremenske prilike. Specifičnost analiziranog uticaja, u smislu prostorne i vremenske dinamičnosti je uslovila potrebu da kroz disertaciju budu razvijeni posebni metodološki pristupi kvantifikacije uticaja nepovoljnih vremenskih prilika na kapacitet ulične mreže i brzinu kretanja vozila. Razvijenim metodologijama istraživanja je povećan nivo osetljivosti i preciznosti identifikovanih promena kao posledica uticaja nepovoljnih vremenskih prilika. Kao rezultat istraživanja generisani su koeficijenti osetljivosti elemenata transportne ponude na analizirani uticaj. Kategorije nepovoljnih vremenskih prilika u okviru kojih su analizirane promene u elementima ponude transportnog sistema definisane su u odnosu na klimatske katarakteritike područja istraživanja. Implementacija uticaja nepovoljnih vremenskih prilika u modeliranje opterećenja ulične mreže je, pored istraživanja osetljivosti elemenata ponude transportnog sistema, podrazumevala i modifikaciju funkcije vremena putovanja u odnosu na analizirani uticaj. Funkcija vremena putovanja predstavlja jedan od najvažnijih ulaznih parametara procedure modeliranja. Iako je kroz disertaciju metodologija modifikacije funkcije vremena putovanja razvijena na konkretnom tipu funkcije, karakteriše je opšta primenljivost. Testiranje i verifikacija metodologije implementacije uticaja nepovoljnih vremenskih prilika u proceduru modeliranja opterećenja ulične mreže su realizovani na primeru Transportnog modela Beograda...It is generally know that adverse weather conditions cause changes in functional efficiency of the urban transportation system, which results in larger travel times and higher congestion levels in street networks. Considering urbanization and traffic increase, it became particularly important to pay attention to any potentially negative impacts on the transportation system performance. It has largely contributed to a more intensive research of adverse weather impact on the urban transportation system. The focus of this dissertation is quantification of adverse weather impact on the transport supply elements, and implementation of obtained results in the procedure of the street network assignment modeling. This is particularly important because most of the existing models and methods used in transportation planning does not include the factor of adverse weather impact, i.e. models and methods are optimized for ideal weather conditions. The specificity of the analyzed impact, in terms of spatial and temporal dynamics, has caused the need to develop particular methodological approaches for quantifying the adverse weather impact on the street network capacity and vehicle speed. Level of sensitivity and precision of identified changes caused by adverse weather impact by developed methodologies, was improved. As a research result the sensitivity coefficients of transport supply elements on the analyzed impact, are generated. Categories of adverse weather conditions within which were analyzed changes in the transport supply elements are defined according to climate characteristics of research area. Implementation of adverse weather impact in the street network assignment modeling is beside the research of transport supply sensitivity, also implied the modification of travel time function according to the analyzed impact. The travel time function represents one of the most important input parameters in street network assignment modeling. Although, the methodology of travel time function modification was based on a specific function type, it is characterized by a general applicability. Implementation methodology of adverse weather impact in the street assignment modeling were tested and verified in the case of the Transport model of Belgrade..

Impact of Weather Conditions on Travel Demand – The Most Common Research Methods and Applied Models

This paper presents an overview of the applied research methodologies and developed travel demand models that take weather impact into account. The paper deals with trip generation and modal split as elements of travel demand that best describe changes in the travel behaviour in different weather conditions. The authors herein emphasize the importance of research in local conditions in all climate zones, especially in areas where climate and modal split characteristics are different from those in common research areas. This review is designed as a brief guide on how the impact of weather can be explored in order to encourage conducting research even in the countries where there is no systematic traffic and travel data collection. The stated adaptation technique followed by the panel household travel surveys may be particularly appropriate for those countries. It is concluded that small budgets should not be considered an obstacle, because it is possible to draw reliable conclusions based even on small samples. Moreover, modern research methods enable a cheaper survey process together with the possibility of obtaining higher quality of results. The increasing popularity of research in this field should contribute to the creation of more resilient transport systems all over the world. A special contribution of this paper is the review of research studies carried out in central, western and southern Europe and not mentioned in any review paper before.</p

Modelling the Impact of Rain in Traffic Assignment Procedures

The efficiency of urban transportation system is un-der the influence of weather conditions. It is necessary to incorporate these impacts into transport system analysis, in order to prepare adequate mitigation measures. Trans-port models are often used in different types of transport system analysis and forecasting of its future characteris-tics. This paper focuses on implementation of the impact of rain in transport modelling, particularly into a traffic assignment process as a part of a macroscopic transport model. This aspect of modelling is important because it can indicate parts of the network where this impact leads to a high volume/capacity ratio, which is a good input for defining mitigation measures. Commonly, transport models do not consider weather impacts in its standard procedures. The paper presents a methodology for cali-brating volume-delay function in order to improve traf-fic assignment modelling in case of rain. The impact of different rain categories on capacity and free-flow speed was quantified and implemented in the volume-delay function. Special attention is given to the calibration of the part of volume-delay function for over-saturated traf-fic conditions. Calibration methodology is applicable for different types of volume-delay functions and presents a solid approach to incorporate weather conditions into common engineering practice

Sensitivity of street network capacity under the rain impact: case study of Belgrade

It is generally know that adverse weather conditions cause changes in urban transportation system. Research of weather impact on the urban transportation system was additionally intensified by actualisation of climate changes problem. In urban area, precipitation may reduce the efficiency of transportation systems, since it often results in larger travel times and higher congestion levels in street networks. Therefore, it is important to examine the impact of precipitation on the urban street capacity. In accordance with climate characteristics of research area, the focus of this paper was on the rain impact. Impact of rain was analysed only in the context of transport supply, and not of transport demand. Sensitivity of the street network capacity was chosen to represent transportation system supply. It was analysed through the changes in saturation flow rate under the rain. Results of the research have shown significant sensitivity of street network capacity on the rain impact. Moreover, the rain impact was quantified by the capacity sensitivity coefficients, which were implemented in procedure of capacity calculation

Organoleptic properties of Lamb meat: Factor of quality

Organoleptic propertyies of thermally processed lamb meat of mixed breed lambs of the mixed Svrljig strain and Domestic Pramenka, and Merinolandschaf sheep, and meat of the Wuerttemberg Merino lambs. Sensory methods of meat examination were used, with the participation of six trained evaluators. The results of the investigations in which numerical-descriptive scales were used are presented in tables. A salty, sour and bitter taste were expressed in a very small degree in both groups of samples. A sweet taste, although of low intensity, significantly differed among the examined groups. No differences were established regarding juiciness and tenderness, but statistically significant differences were established in aftertaste and overall acceptibility in favor of meat of the first group of lambs