METHODOLOGY OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM PROCESS MODELLING

Summary The requests of interested parties, amongst which the customer has the central position, are the starting points of a quality management system that complies with the requirements of the ISO 9000ff and ISO 14000ff international norms. Regardless of whether we want to arrange a management system to meet the requirements of these norms, one should be able to recognize the exact requests of interested parties. A classic structural model of organization must be upgraded through developed, documented and implemented processes. Processes are one of the structural elements of each management system, and of environmental management systems, too. Scientists and experts do not agree about a generally accepted methodology of process modelling. Keywords Environmental Management System, methodology of process modelling. OBJECTIVE Despite the fact that only 332 organizations in Croatia possess the ISO 14001 certificate as international confirmation of the required quality level of their environmental management system (EMS), the idea of organization, as marketing orientation and as business philosophy and everyday practice, is more and more to be found in Croatian organizations

Comparison of Methods for Calculating Coupling Length in Step-Index Optical Fibers

A recently reported function for calculation of the coupling length at which the equilibrium mode distribution is achieved in step-index plastic optical fibers is compared to a long established calculation method and to experimental findings. The recent function, while simpler to apply as it eliminates the need to numerically solve the power flow equation repeatedly for every case, is also more accurate for high numerical aperture (0.45 to 0.5) plastic optical fibers

COVID-19 Breakthrough Infections among Patients Aged ≥65 Years in Serbia: Morbidity and Mortality Overview

BACKGROUND: Vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 have shown effectiveness in the prevention of COVID-19. Breakthrough infections occur, and age has been shown to be one of the dominant risk factors for poorer outcome. This research focuses on characteristics of breakthrough infections in older adults. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted for four months (March–June 2021) in the autonomous province of Vojvodina in Serbia on 11,372 patients using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction or antigen-detection rapid diagnostic tests verifying COVID-19 in those aged ≥65 years. Demographics, comorbidities, disease severity, and final outcomes were evaluated in fully vaccinated compared to unvaccinated individuals. Individuals were divided into younger-old (65–74 years) and older-old (≥75 years) age groups and differences between those groups were further evaluated. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify independent predictors of poor outcome. RESULTS: By the end of the research, 51.3% of the population of APV 65–74 years, as well as 46.2% of those older than 74 years, were vaccinated. From the acquired sample, 17.4% had breakthrough infection. Asymptomatic forms were higher in both age groups of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated (3.9%—younger-old, 6.3%—older-old vs. 2.9%—younger-old, 3.9%—older-old). The same results were registered with mild symptoms (82.1%—younger-old, 68.1%—older-old vs. 76.3%—younger-old, 57.5%—older-old) (p < 0.001). The case fatality ratio of the vaccinated population was smaller than the unvaccinated population in both groups (3.1% vs. 7.9%—younger-old; 11.4% vs. 22.5%—older-old) (p < 0.001). The odds ratio for poor outcome in unvaccinated individuals was 2.3 (95% confidence interval, p < 0.001) for the total sample. CONCLUSIONS: An increase in asymptomatic and mild forms, as well as decrease in severe or critical forms and poor outcomes, were noted in the vaccinated population. Choosing to avoid vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 may increase the chance of poor outcome in older individuals