Quality assessment and improvement strategy model for higher education institutions in the technicaltechnological field

Apstrakt: Tokom prethodnih decenija, kvalitet visokog obrazovanja i visokoškolskih institucija je u centru interesovanja celokupnog društva, domaćeg i inostranog. Kvalitet u sektoru visokog obrazovanja jedno je od aktuelnih pitanja koje se nameće u akademskoj zajednici. Prateći i istraživajući oblast visokog obrazovanja, analizirajući literaturu i trenutno stanje u sistemu visokog obrazovanja u našoj zemlji i zemljama u razvoju, može se zaključiti da ne postoji jedinstven način ocene kvaliteta visokoškolskih institucija. Ova saznanja bila su dobra polazna tačka za istraživae sprovedeno u okviru ove doktorske disertacije koje je imalo za cilj definisanje modela ocene kvaliteta visokoškolskih institucija iz tehničko-tehnološkog polja, kao i sistema za podršku odlučivanju i donošenju optimalnih upravljačkih strategija za unapređenje kvaliteta. Doktorska disertacija će imati teorijske iaplikativne rezultate. Teorijski rezultat je:definisanje modela za ocenu kvaliteta i ocenu performansi (baziranim na ključnim indikatorima) studijskih programa i visokoškolskih institucija na bazi zahteva složene grupe stejkholdera. Samim tim otvara se put definisanju metodologije merenja praćenja i unapređivanja kvaliteta visokoškolskih institucija i sistema kao celine. Aplikativni rezultati je:definisanje sistema za podršku odlučivanju koji će omogućiti donošenje optimalnih odluka menadžmnet timu visokoškolske institucije sa ciljem unapređenja performansi studijskih programa i visokoškolske institucije. U ovoj doktorskoj disertaciji, dobijanje rezultata istraživanja biće zasnovano na anketiranju zaintersovanih strana u visokom obrazovanju, deskriptivnoj analizi poslovnog okruženja i uticajnih faktora okruženja na visokoškolske institucije, primeni metode fazi logike i genetskih algoritama imetoda softverskog inženjerstva. Celokupan model i razvijeni sistem mogu se staviti na raposlaganje vladinim institucijama i poslužiti kao osnova u rangiranju i vrednovanju visokoškolskih institucija sa ciljem da se razvije sistem finansiranja baziran na performansama. Takođe, i drugi stejkholderi mogu imati uvid u performanse institucije zarad svojih potreba i ciljeva (poslodavci., studenti...).Abstract: During the previous decades, the quality of higher education and higher education institutions has been in the center of interest of the entire society, domestic and foreign. Quality in the higher education sector is one of the current issues in the academic community. Monitoring and researching the field of higher education, analyzing the literature and the current situation in the system of higher education in our country and developing countries, it can be concluded that there is no single way to assess the quality of higher education institutions. This knowledge was a good starting point for research conducted within this doctoral dissertation, which aimed to define the model of quality assessment of higher education institutions in the technical-technological field, as well as decision support systems and optimal management strategies for quality improvement. The doctoral dissertation will have theoretical and applied results. The theoretical result is: defining a model for quality assessment and performance assessment (based on key indicators) of study programs and higher education institutions based on the requirements of a complex group of stakeholders. This opens the way to defining the methodology for measuring monitoring and improving the quality of higher education institutions and the system as a whole. The applied results are: defining a decision support system that will enable optimal decision-making by the management team of the higher education institution with the aim of improving the performance of study programs and the higher education institution. In this doctoral dissertation, obtaining research results will be based on surveying stakeholders in higher education, descriptive analysis of the business environment and environmental influences on higher education institutions, application of phase logic methods and genetic algorithms and software engineering methods. The entire model and developed system can be made available to government institutions and serve as a basis in the ranking and evaluation of higher education institutions with the aim of developing a performance-based funding system. Also, other stakeholders can have an insight into the performance of the institution for the sake of their needs and goals (employers, students ...)

Open vs. Proprietary Source Software in Croatia

This paper shows differences between open source software and proprietary source software from the Croatian user perspective. These confronting approaches have their own positive and negative aspects which are viewed through present 2009 financial crisis and the need for lifelong learning projects promoted by the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sports. User survey was conducted at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb

Collaborative tagging supported knowledge discovery

Web 2.0 has brought about a new sort of user centred services which rely a great deal on flexible organizational capabilities designed for user-supplied organization. Collaborative tagging is especially interesting in this context and this article explores what this kind of organization in connection with some Web 2.0 principles means for knowledge discovery in various ways. To fully explore this, the article defines collaborative tagging and gives an overview of collaborative tagging in general, of services using it and of tags themselves. It concludes with mechanisms this kind of approach to knowledge organization provides for knowledge discovery

The influence of oxygenotherapy on the hypercapnia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background/Aim. Oxygen therapy is a necessary therapeutic method in treatment of severe chronic respiratory failure (CRF), especially in phases of acute worsening. Risks which are to be taken into consideration during this therapy are: unpredictable increase of carbon dioxide in blood, carbonarcosis, respiratory acidosis and coma. The aim of this study was to show the influence of oxygen therapy on changes of arterial blood carbon dioxide partial pressure. Methods. The study included 93 patients in 104 admittances to the hospital due to acute exacerbation of CFR. The majority of the patients (89.4%) had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), while other causes of respiratory failure were less common. The effect of oxygenation was controlled through measurement of PaO2 and PaCO2 in arterial blood samples. To analyze the influence of oxygen therapy on levels of carbon dioxide, greatest values of change of PaO2 and PaCO2 values from these measurements, including corresponding PaO2 values from the same blood analysis were taken. Results. The obtained results show that oxygen therapy led to the increase of PaO2 but also to the increase of PaCO2. The average increase of PaO2 for the whole group of patients was 2.42 kPa, and the average increase of PaCO2 was 1.69 kPa. There was no correlation between the initial values of PaO2 and PaCO2 and changes of PaCO2 during the oxygen therapy. Also, no correlation between the produced increase in PaO2 and change in PaCO2 during this therapy was found. Conclusion. Controlled oxygen therapy in patients with severe respiratory failure greatly reduces the risk of unwanted increase of PaCO2, but does not exclude it completely. The initial values of PaO2 and PaCO2 are not reliable parameters which could predict the response to oxygen therapy

Virtual Learning Spaces : Example of International Collaboration

Paper presents results of international university collaboration in developing virtual learning environment at the Faculty of Philosophy University of Sarajevo. Based on the success of the Omega system implemented at Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences University of Zagreb collaboration in creating a similar virtual learning environment on Faculty of Philosophy University of Sarajevo has started. Results of the implementation of BISER e-learning system are shown. Special emphasis is put on the initial usage statistics as well as future development plans

Risk factors for brain metastases in surgically staged IIIA non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy

Introduction/Aim. Lung cancer is a leading cause of mortality among patients with carcinomas. The aim of this study was to point out risk factors for brain metastases (BM) appearance in patients with IIIA (N2) stage of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with three-modal therapy. Methods. We analyzed data obtained from 107 patients with IIIA (N2) stage of NSCLC treated surgically with neoadjuvant therapy. The frequency of brain metastases was examined regarding age, sex, histological type and the size of tumor, nodal status, the sequence of radiotherapy and chemotherapy application and the type of chemotherapy. Results. Two and 3-year incidence rates of BM were 35% and 46%, respectively. Forty-six percent of the patients recurred in the brain as their first failure in the period of three years. Histologically, the patients with nonsquamous cell lung carcinoma had significantly higher frequency of metastases in the brain compared with the group of squamous cell lung carcinoma (46% : 30%; p = 0.021). Examining treatment-related parameters, treatment with taxane-platinum containing regimens was associated with a lower risk of brain metastases, than platinum-etoposide chemotherapy regimens (31% : 52%; p = 0.011). Preoperative radiotherapy, with or without postoperative treatment, showed lower rate of metastases in the brain compared with postoperative radiotherapy treatment only (33% : 48%; p = 0.035). Conclusion. Brain metastases are often site of recurrence in patients with NSCLC (IIIA-N2). Autonomous risk factors for brain metastases in this group of patients are non-squamous NSCLC, N1-N2 nodal status, postoperative radiotherapy without preoperative radiotherapy

Microcystins: Potential risk factors in carcinogenesis of primary liver cancer in Serbia

The Primary Liver Carcinoma (PLC) is one of the most common malignant diseases in the world. In Central Serbia during the period from 2000 to 2006 the average incidence was 16.9/100 000 that complies to the European epidemiology. The main risk factors for PLC are considered to be cirrhosis of liver and viral chronic Hepatitis B and C. The goal of this research was to analyze epidemiological data of these diseases and to state the correlation between PLC, liver cirrhosis and Hepatitis B and C in Serbia. During the research period of 6 years the correlations between PLC and the corresponding risk factors were negative. For this reason it was necessary to examine other risk factors. The high incidence of PLC in Nišavski, Toplički and Šumadijski region correlate with emerging blooms of Cyanobacteria in water reservoirs supplying these areas with drinking water. Since we examined only 7 years span and have no completed cyanotoxin analysis, it is necessary to complete more research in this field. The identification of cyanotoxins as risk factors that contribute to the development of liver cancer will help in the prevention of this disease

Recent views on cytohistological characteristics and pathogenic mechanisms of atherosclerotic lesions types I, II and III

nem

Histochemical and immunohistochemical analysis of ruptured atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysm wall

Background/Aim. The main complication of the atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurism (AAA) is her rupture that begins with lesion in intima and rupture. The purpose of this work was to determine immunocytochemical and morphofunctional characteristics of the cells in aortic wall in ruptured atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysm. Method. During the course of this study, 20 samples of atherosclerotic AAA were analyzed, all of them obtained during authopsy. The samples were fixed in 4% formalin and embedded in paraffin. Sections of 5 μm thickness were stained histochemically (of Heidenhain azan stain and Periodic acid Schiff - PAS stain) and immunocytochemically using a DAKO LSAB+/HRP technique to identify α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), vimentin, myosin heavy chains (MHC), desmin, S-100 protein, CD45 and CD68 (DAKO specification). Results. The results of our study showed that ruptured atherosclerotic AAA is characterized by a complete absence of endothelial cells, the disruption of basal membrane and internal elastic lamina, as well as a presence of the remains of hypocellular complicated atherosclerotic lesion in intima. On the plaque margins, as well as in the media, smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are present, which express a α-SMA and vimentin (but without MHC or desmin expression), as well as leukocyte infiltration, and a large number of foam cells. Some of the foam cells show a CD68-immunoreactivity, while the others show vimentin- and S-100 protein-immunoreactivity. Media is thinned out with a disorganized elastic lamellas, while adventitia is characterized by inflammatory inflitrate (infection). Conclusion. Rupture of aneurysm occurs from the primary intimal disruption, which spreads into thinned out media and adventitia. Rupture is caused by unstable atherom, hypocellularity, loss of contractile characteristics of smooth muscle cells in intima and media, neovascularization of the media, as well as by the activity of the macrophages in the lesion

Тhe use of assistive technology in e-learning for students with communication disorders

Pandemija COVID-19 je dovela do zatvaranja obrazovnih ustanova širom sveta. Kao rezultat toga, metode obrazovanja su se drastično promenile, sa značajnim porastom elektronskog učenja, pri čemu se nastava izvodi na daljinu, kao i na digitalnim platformama. Elektronsko učenje je tokom pandemije postalo rešenje za implementaciju nastave, s obzirom na to da ona nije mogla da se spro- vodi u učionici. U uslovima pandemije, obrazovne ustanove su bile primorane da koriste ovaj način realizacije nastave, ne samo kao vid učenja putem asistivne tehnologije, već kao jedinu (mono)tehnologiju za učenje tokom dužeg perioda. Predmet ovog rada je analiza primene asistivne tehnologije u elektron- skom učenju za učenike sa poremećajima komunikacije, s obzirom na to da ona funkcioniše kao tehnološki medijum za pristup računaru i internetu. Cilj je da se pregledom dostupne literature izdvoje i prikažu radovi u kojima su predstavljene prednosti, nedostaci, kao i potreba za prilagođavanjem upotre- be elektronskog učenja za učenike sa poremećajima komunikacije. U razvoju elek- tronskog učenja nastavno osoblje bi trebalo da integriše upotrebu školskih platformi za ovu vrstu učenja i asistivne tehnologije u obliku adaptivnih softvera i hardvera. Specifičan dizajn softvera i evaluacija sistema elek- tronskog učenja pružaju priliku da se zadovolje specifične potrebe učenika sa poremećajima komunikacije.he COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in educational institutions shut all across the world. As a result, education methods have changed dramatically, with the distinctive rise of e-learning, whereby teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms. During the pandemic, e-learning became a solution for the implementation of teaching, since it could not take place in the classroom. In the conditions of the pandemic, educational institutions were forced to use this way of teaching, not only as a form of learning through assistive technology, but as the only (mono) technology for learning over a long period of time. The subject of this paper is the analysis of the application of assistive technology in e-learning for students with communication disorders, given that it functions as a technological medium for access to computers and the Internet. The aim is to review the available literature that present the advantages, disadvantages, as well as the need to adapt the use of e-learning for students with communication disorders. In the development of e-learning, educators should integrate the use of school platforms for this type of learning and assistive technology in the form of adaptive software and hardware. Specific software design and evaluation of e-learning systems provide an opportunity to meet the specific needs of students with communication disorders