How journalists in Serbia deal with online attacks – normalization of digital violence as a consequence of lack of institutional support

U ovom radu predstavljamo rezultate i uvide iz kvantitativnog i kvalitativnog istraživanja sa novinarima u Republici Srbiji o digitalnom nasilju kojem su izloženi. Istraživačko pitanje na koje pokušavamo da damo odgovor odnosi se na to kako se na digitalno nasilje odgovara i reaguje na ličnom-profesionalnom nivou pojedinačnog novinara, a kako na digitalno nasilje i ugrožavanje bezbednosti novinara reaguje sistem, kako medijski, tako i pravno-institucionalni. Osnovna hipoteza našeg rada je da usled izostanka adekvatne institucionalne podrške u slučajevima digitalnog nasilja, novinari i novinarke razvijaju specifične mehanizme samozaštite. U prvom delu rada, analiziramo medijski kontekst, dok u drugom delu rada izlažemo metodološki dizajn sprovedenog istraživanja. U trećem delu rada predstavljamo podatke iz kvantitatvne studije, dok u četvrtom delu rada predstavljamo uvide iz kvalitativne studije, odnosno intervjua sa novinarima i novinarkama.In this paper, we present the results and insights from quantitative and qualitative research with journalists in the Republic of Serbia about the digital violence they are exposed to. The research question that we are trying to answer relates to how digital violence is answered and reacted at the personal-professional level of an individual journalist, and how the system, both media and legal-institutional, reacts to digital violence and endangering safety of journalists. The hypothesis of our work is that due to the lack of adequate institutional support in cases of digital violence, journalists develop specific self-protection mechanisms. In the first part of the paper, we analyze the media context, while in the second part we present the methodological design of the conducted research. In the third part of the paper, we analyze data from the quantitative study, while in the fourth part we present insights from the qualitative research, interviews with journalists

Temperature imposed textural and surface synergism affecting the isomerization activity of sulfated zirconia catalysts

Using sulfuric acid as the sulfating agent, two catalyst series were obtained from hydroxide and nitrate precursor with a sulfate loading identical to commercial sulfated hydroxide, i.e., 4.2 mass %. After calcination at 500, 600 and 700 °C, all nine samples had various contents of residual sulfates depending on the origin of the catalyst. Accordingly, their surface properties were different, which, together with various textural properties, govern the formation of the active phase and their catalytic activity in the n-hexane isomerization reaction. The dominant activity and yield of mainly mono-branched isomers were attained in reaction at 200 °C with a commercially sulfated zirconia catalyst calcined at 500 °C. Among the SZ catalyst series synthesized from hydroxide and nitrate, the second according to its activity profile was similar to that of the commercially sulfated one, while samples originating from hydroxide showed some activity only after calcination at 600 °C. This is due to the poorer textural properties of the hydroxide series, necessitating a higher calcination temperature in order to promote the simultaneous decomposition of S-containing species and their re-adsorption into the zirconia matrix following interaction and active phase formation. It seems that the tetragonal zirconia phase was not responsible for the catalytic activity but a synergistic effect of the textural properties of the samples and the sulfate loadings, which determine different acid strengths on the catalyst surface

Effects of Air Polution on Growth in Schoolchildren

The growth is considered a very sensitive indicator of the impact of environment of the health status of children. The aim of the study was to investigate whether air pollution is related to children’s growth. The subjects were 1059 pupils, aged 7–11 years, living for more than ten years in the same home in the city of Ni{ (Serbia). Exposed group of children (N=545) were attending the school located in a city area with a high level of air pollution, while the children (N=514), in the comparison group, designed as non-exposed group, were attending the school in the area with a lower level of air pollution. The air concentrations of black smoke, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and lead in sediment matter were determined in ten-year period. Air pollution is associated with children’s height and weight, specially before the age of 9 years. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of thinness in children exposed to higher concentrations of air pollutants (p=0.038). It might be possible that air pollution negatively contributed to the growth rate in urban children

VORTEX SOLITONS AT THE INTERFACE BETWEEN TWO PHOTONIC LATTICES

Using numerical analysis we demonstrate the existence of vortex solitons at the interface separating two different photonic lattices. We consider the conditions for the existence of discrete vortex states at such interface and also study their stability. A novel type of interface vortex solitons with five lobes is observed. Also different topological charges and phase structures of such solutions are studied, as well as influence of different lattice intensities. Other observed solutions are in the form of discrete solitons with six lobes. For lower beam powers such solutions are stable during propagation, but for higher beam powers they oscillate during propagation in a way indicating the exchange of power between neighboring lobes, or show dynamical instabilities

Influence of air pollution on hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in Niš, Serbia

Background/Aim. In studies that investigate the health effects of short-term air pollution exposure, population-wide changes in acute outcomes such as mortality, hospital admissions and healthcare visits are linked to short-term variations in ambient pollutant concentrations. The aim of this study was to estimate the association between daily outdoor black smoke and sulphur dioxide levels and hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in Niš, within a period 2001-2005. Methods. A time series analysis was performed using separated regression models for each pollutant and disease group, by age groups and population as a whole. The effects of copollutant, meteorological factors and cyclic oscillations in hospitalization numbers were controlled. Results. A significant increase in hospital admissions was associated with a 10 μg/m3 increase in the concentration of black smoke, for cardiovascular diseases: 3.14% (< 0.01) in children and youth under 19 years of age, 1.85% (< 0.001) in 19-64 age group, and 0.84% (< 0.05) in all ages, and for respiratory diseases: 1.77% (< 0.05) in 19-64 age group, and 0.91% (< 0.05) in all ages. The effects on hospitalizations for respiratory diseases in children and youth under 19 years of age, and for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in the elderly were not statistically significant. The increase of sulphur dioxide level was associated with the increased number of hospitalizations, for both cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in all age groups, but the influence was not statistically significant. Conclusion. Outdoor pollutants concentrations in urban area of Niš were below regulated limit values during most of the investigated period days but it is shown that even such a level of pollution has a significant effect on hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases

Aquatic invertebrates of the Ribnica and Lepenica Rivers: Composition of the community and water quality

Results of investigating the community of aquatic invertebrates in the Ribnica and Lepenica Rivers (Kolubara River drainage area) are given in the present work. Forty-three taxa are recorded. In relation to other studied streams in Serbia, the investigated rivers are characterized by high diversity of macroinvertebrates. Cluster analysis indicates that the locality on the Lepenica stands apart from those on the Ribnica, which is a consequence of the difference of habitats found at them. Results of saprobiological analysis of the macrozoobenthos in the given rivers indicate that their waters belong to quality classes I and II.U radu se prikazuju rezultati istraživanja vodenih beskičmenjaka reka Ribnice i Lepenice (sliv reke Kolubare). Zabeleženo je ukupno 43 taksona. Istraživane reke odlikuju se visokim biodiverzitetom u poređenju sa drugim ispitivanim tekućicama Srbije. Prema rezultatima cluster analize, lokalitet na Lepenici izdvaja se u odnosu na lokalitete na Ribnici, što je posledica razlike u analiziranim staništima. Konstatovana zajednica makrozoobentosa ukazuje na dobar kvalitet vode koji je na granici I i II klase boniteta.nul

First Report of Tomato spotted wilt virus on Gerbera hybrida in Serbia.

In May 2009, approximately 30% of plants within a greenhouse-grown Gerbera hybrida crop in Vranjska Banja (Pčinj District) in Serbia displayed chlorotic oak-leaf patterns followed by necrosis and distortion of leaves. Symptoms on naturally infected gerbera plants and local necrotic spots on Petunia × hybrida mechanically inoculated with infected gerbera sap using chilled 0.05 M phosphate buffer (pH 7) containing 1 mM Na-EDTA, 5 mM Na-DIECA, and 5 mM Na-thioglycolate (4) suggested the presence of a Tospovirus. Symptomatic leaves were tested for the presence of Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV), and Chrysanthemum stem necrosis virus (CSNV) by commercial double-antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA diagnostic kits (Loewe Biochemica, Sauerlach, Germany). Commercial positive and negative controls and extract from healthy gerbera tissue were included in each ELISA. All 20 tested plants were negative for INSV and CSNV. TSWV was detected serologically in 18 of 20 gerbera samples. The presence of TSWV in ELISA-positive symptomatic gerbera plants was further confirmed by conventional reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. Total RNAs were extracted with an RNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) and RT-PCR was conducted with the OneStep RT-PCR Kit (Qiagen) using Serbian tobacco TSWV isolate (GQ279731) and RNA extract from healthy gerbera as positive and negative controls, respectively. Two different sets of TSWV-specific primers, L1 TSWVR/L2 TSWVF (2) and M962/M66 (3), for a 276-bp fragment of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene and a 897-bp fragment of the NSm gene, respectively, were used for both amplification and sequencing. RT-PCR analyses of each tested plant detected the presence of amplification fragments of expected size. The amplified products corresponding to part of the RdRp and NSm genes derived from the isolate 158-Gerb were purified (QIAquick PCR Purification Kit, Qiagen) and sequenced in both directions (GenBank Accession Nos. HQ246452 and HQ246453, respectively). Sequence analysis of the partial RdRp gene, conducted using MEGA4 software, revealed 91.1 to 98% nt identity (95.1 to 98.8% amino acid [aa] identities) with corresponding sequences of TSWV L RNA deposited in GenBank. The highest identity was found with an isolate from globe artichoke (AM940436) in Greece, and isolates from tomato (GQ279732), impatiens (GQ132190), and tobacco isolates (GQ279731, FJ189392, and FJ189393) found within Serbia. Analysis of the NSm sequence of isolate 158-Gerb demonstrated nucleotide identities varying between 90.6 and 99.6% (80.9 and 99.6% aa identities) with those of previously reported TSWV isolates. The highest identity was with tobacco isolate GQ373174 from Serbia. Therefore, while gerbera is one of the principal ornamental hosts of TSWV in the EPPO region (1), to our knowledge, this is the first report infecting gerbera in Serbia, which may have a devastating influence on its production. References: (1) Anonymous. OEPP/EPPO Bull. 29:465, 1999. (2) R. A. Mumford et al. J. Virol. Methods 46:303, 1994. (3) W. P. Qiu et al. Virology 244:186, 1998. (4) P. Roggero et al. Plant Dis. 86:950, 2002. </jats:p

Strateški menadžment i korištenje instrumenata strateškog kontrolinga u malim i srednjim poduzećima

Turbulentna okolina i aktualni gospodarski uvjeti prisiljavaju poduzeća na brzo i fleksibilno prilagođavanje promjenama. Preduvjet za to je učinkovit sustav menadžmenta i kontrolinga. No mala i srednja poduzeća se, u tom smislu, vrlo često susreću s ograničenjima, izazvanima prvenstveno zbog nedostatne menadžerske i analitičke ekspertize, nedovoljnog sagledavanja strateškog aspekta poslovanja, odnosno nedostatka strateškog, a vrlo često i operativnog, kontrolinga. U ovom radu, autorice pokušavaju iznaći odgovor na pitanje koje su mogućnosti i ograničenja korištenja instrumenata kontrolinga u funkciji strateškog planiranja u malim i srednjim poduzećima, te ukazuju na to da ovakvi instrumenti, koji se najčešće koriste u velikim poduzećima i kompanijama, trebaju naći svoju primjenu i u malim i srednjim poduzećima, kao neizbježna savjetodavna pomoć menadžerima. U radu autorice, nadalje, obrazlažu specifičnost strateškog planiranja u malim i srednjim poduzećima, te istražuju relevantne čimbenike koji utječu na uspješnost strateškog planiranja u tim, manjim gospodarskim sustavima, pri čemu je nedovoljna primjena instrumenata strateškog kontrolinga tek jedna od mnoštva ograničavajućih okolnosti

Strateški menadžment i korištenje instrumenata strateškog kontrolinga u malim i srednjim poduzećima

Turbulentna okolina i aktualni gospodarski uvjeti prisiljavaju poduzeća na brzo i fleksibilno prilagođavanje promjenama. Preduvjet za to je učinkovit sustav menadžmenta i kontrolinga. No mala i srednja poduzeća se, u tom smislu, vrlo često susreću s ograničenjima, izazvanima prvenstveno zbog nedostatne menadžerske i analitičke ekspertize, nedovoljnog sagledavanja strateškog aspekta poslovanja, odnosno nedostatka strateškog, a vrlo često i operativnog, kontrolinga. U ovom radu, autorice pokušavaju iznaći odgovor na pitanje koje su mogućnosti i ograničenja korištenja instrumenata kontrolinga u funkciji strateškog planiranja u malim i srednjim poduzećima, te ukazuju na to da ovakvi instrumenti, koji se najčešće koriste u velikim poduzećima i kompanijama, trebaju naći svoju primjenu i u malim i srednjim poduzećima, kao neizbježna savjetodavna pomoć menadžerima. U radu autorice, nadalje, obrazlažu specifičnost strateškog planiranja u malim i srednjim poduzećima, te istražuju relevantne čimbenike koji utječu na uspješnost strateškog planiranja u tim, manjim gospodarskim sustavima, pri čemu je nedovoljna primjena instrumenata strateškog kontrolinga tek jedna od mnoštva ograničavajućih okolnosti