Fair Evaluation of Global Network Aligners

Biological network alignment identifies topologically and functionally conserved regions between networks of different species. It encompasses two algorithmic steps: node cost function (NCF), which measures similarities between nodes in different networks, and alignment strategy (AS), which uses these similarities to rapidly identify high-scoring alignments. Different methods use both different NCFs and different ASs. Thus, it is unclear whether the superiority of a method comes from its NCF, its AS, or both. We already showed on MI-GRAAL and IsoRankN that combining NCF of one method and AS of another method can lead to a new superior method. Here, we evaluate MI-GRAAL against newer GHOST to potentially further improve alignment quality. Also, we approach several important questions that have not been asked systematically thus far. First, we ask how much of the node similarity information in NCF should come from sequence data compared to topology data. Existing methods determine this more-less arbitrarily, which could affect the resulting alignment(s). Second, when topology is used in NCF, we ask how large the size of the neighborhoods of the compared nodes should be. Existing methods assume that larger neighborhood sizes are better. We find that MI-GRAAL's NCF is superior to GHOST's NCF, while the performance of the methods' ASs is data-dependent. Thus, the combination of MI-GRAAL's NCF and GHOST's AS could be a new superior method for certain data. Also, which amount of sequence information is used within NCF does not affect alignment quality, while the inclusion of topological information is crucial. Finally, larger neighborhood sizes are preferred, but often, it is the second largest size that is superior, and using this size would decrease computational complexity. Together, our results give several general recommendations for a fair evaluation of network alignment methods.Comment: 19 pages. 10 figures. Presented at the 2014 ISMB Conference, July 13-15, Boston, M

UPRAVNI UGOVORI U ZAKONIMA O OPŠTEM UPRAVNOM POSTUKU ZEMALJA ZAPADNOG BALKANA

Administrative contract, as well as specific legal institute, draws the attention of theoreticians of administrative law for more than a century. For them, it is that they are “formally” recognized by the courts, or in special substantive laws or Generally Administrative procedural Act (GAPA), we can find in almost all Euro-continental legal systems. In the former Yugoslav theory, in conjunction with the institute of administrative contracts are continuously guided serious discussions since the sixties of the 20th century. However, at several last years, we can see the intention and tendency that the administrative contracts have to be generally defined by GAPA. Today, all countries of the Western Balkans, except Bosnia and Herzegovina, have in new GAPA a special section that regulates this institute and its specific legal regime. However, the ways in which they are formulated and regulated depend on specifics of the legal system in each of these countries. In this paper, we gave the comparative archive and analyze legal norms relating to administrative contracts in new GAPA in Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania and Serbia, with basic similarities and differences in their existing legal regimes.Upravni ugovor, kao specifčan pravni insitut, izaziva pažnju teoretičara upravnog prava već više od jednog veka. Na njih, bilo da su oni „formalno“ prepoznati od strane sudova, ili u posebnim materijalnim zakonima ili u opštem upravno-procesnom zakonu, ZUP-u, nailazimo u skoro svim evro kontinentalnim pravnim sistemima. U nekadašnjoj jugoslovenskoj teoriji, u vezi sa institutom upravnog ugovora kontinuirano su vođene ozbiljne debate još od šesdesetih godina 20. veka. Međutim, tek u posledjih nekoliko godina, do izražaja dolazi tendencija da upravni ugovori, bar na opšti način, trebaju i moraju da budu bar načelno određeni u Zakonu o opštem upravnom postupku (ZUP). Danas, sve zemlje Zapadnog Balkana osim Bosne i Hercegovine u ZUP-u imaju i posebne odeljke koji na opšti način regulišu ovaj institut i njegov specifčan pravni režim. Načini na koji su oni određeni o novom ZUP-u u izvesnoj meri variraju, i zavise od drugih specifčnosti pravnih sistema svake od ovih zemalja. U ovom radu dato je komparativno poređenje i analiza pravnih normi koje se odnose na upravne ugovore u Hrvatskoj, Crnoj Gori, Makedoniji, Albaniji i Srbiji u novim Zakonima o opštem upravnom postupku, pri čemu su istaknute osnovne sličnosti i razlike u postojećim pravnim režimima u vezi sa prethodno navedenim institutima

Electoral Management in the Western Balkans – Overview of Institutional Setting

Countries of the Western Balkans (WB) – former federal units of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Albania have undergone a lengthy and complex process of democratisation from late 1980s. Free and fair elections are among the cornerstones of democratic consolidation. Even though the institutional setting for electoral management differs greatly across the globe, during the Europeanisation process it was widely recommended to transitional societies to set up independent electoral management bodies in other to guarantee fair electoral conditions, with standards mostly promoted by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe (VC) and International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA). Based on this influence, all the countries of the WB have established electoral commissions that are to great extent formally independent from the executive, with the intention of being less prone to electoral meddling. This is enhanced by regular election monitoring in the region by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the process being followed and evaluated by both the European Union institutions and member states as part of fulfilment of the Copenhagen criteria to join the EU. This paper gives an overview of the institutional setting of electoral management in the WB that was created following the model of independent bodies and outlines main features of their design

Contingency of an Architectural Critical Approach

Contemporariness of architecture can be interpreted in diverse ways. Starting from a basically formulated modern context, which is even nowadays understood as such, in which the limits of stability of the architectural profession are examined, our concern is the designer’s intention to research within a wider cultural context. We are actually considering the capacities of the profession for continuous development of its own critical apparatus. Through the question of the relation between the general and the individual, followed by the question of integrity and proportion of architectural effect, but also by the role of media and digitalization of the world, in the focus of this text projected are the scenes of reality filled with the values of architecture willing to develop, within itself, the analytical and synthetic concepts relying on the contextual, but also on the own indetermination and instability regarding the concept of the space and time

Procena godina starosti osobe analizom unutrašnjeg okrajka ključne kosti i hrskavice prvog rebra

In order to establish reliable age indicator in the period when all other epiphyseal age indicators have already been inactivated medial clavicle as the bone with the longest period of growth became the object of various investigations. However, the lack of population-specific method often made it unreliable in some population groups. The influence of socioeconomic conditions as well as interethnic and interracial variation on skeletal epiphyseal union phases has been acknowledged in scientific literature. Therefore, the importance of developing reliable population-specific age estimation methodology for the specific geographic region is outlined. The ossification patterns of the first costal cartilage represent another interesting feature of the same anatomical region which according to its position in human body is accessible for examinations in living individuals who undergo conventional radiographic and computed tomography examinations in the same field of view as clavicle. The broad range of macroscopic, histomorphometric and radiological analyses were conducted in order to establish the reliable age indicator. However, it remained unclear whether introduction of new more precise anatomical and other criteria in analyses of the medial clavicle and the first costal cartilage as well as their mutual analyses would be beneficial for age estimation. Therefore, this study encompassed our local population and was carried out with aim to examine whether morphological, radiological and histological analysis of medial clavicles as well as radiological examination of the first costal cartilage could be applied with success in age assessment of individuals. The study was composed of two sections. The first part of the study encompassed the collection of medial clavicles which was founded in cooperation of Laboratory for Anthropology, Institute of Anatomy with the Institute of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade. The sample comprised 67 medial clavicles derived from individuals of different sex with age range from 20 to 90 years...odnosu na druge kosti ljudskog skeleta, epifiza unutrašnjeg okrajka ključne kosti poslednja je koja vremenom srasta sa dijafizom. Zato unutrašnji okrajak ključne kosti jeste jedinstvena struktura koja može da predstavlja pouzdan pokazatelj starosti osobe u trenutku kada su svi ostali epifizni nastavci srasli sa dijafizama. Smatra se da na proces epifizno-dijafiznog spajanja utiču kako socioekonomski uslovi života, tako i rasna i etnička pripadnost. Zbog toga je značajno razvijanje pouzdanog populacionospecifičnog metoda za procenu godina starosti osoba u specifičnom geografskom regionu. Proces osifikacije rebarne hrskavice prvog rebra predstavlja još jednu karakteristiku istog regiona tela, koji se zahvaljujući svojoj specifičnoj anatomskoj lokalizaciji može prikazati i analizirati tokom radiografisanja i pregleda metodom kompjuterizovane tomografije (CT), i to u istom polju pregleda gde i ključna kost. Širok spektar makroskopskih, histomorfometrijskih i radioloških ispitivanja sproveden je da bi se utvrdili pouzdani pokazatelji godina starosti osobe, ali još uvek nisu formirani novi i dovoljno precizni anatomski i drugi kriterijumi koji bi obuhvatili kako unutrašnji okrajak ključne kosti, tako i prvu rebarnu hrskavicu, kako svaku strukturu samu za sebe, tako i u kombinaciji, a koji bi omogućili bolje određivanje starosti osoba. Stoga je ova studija obuhvatila našu populaciju i ispitala da li morfološke, radiološke i histološke karakteristike unutrašnjeg okrajka ključne kosti, kao i radiološke karakterisike prve rebarne hrskavice, mogu pouzdano da posluže pri proceni godina starosti neke osobe. Studija se sastoji iz dva dela. Prvi deo studije obuhvata analizu kolekcije unutrašnjih okrajaka ključnih kostiju koja je nastala u saradnji Laboratorije za antropologiju Instituta za anatomiju sa Institutom za sudsku medicinu, Medicinskog fakulteta Univerziteta u Beogradu. Uzorak je bio sačinjen od 67 ključnih kostiju osoba oba pola i starosti od 20 do 90 godina. Za utvrđivanje makroskopskih morfoloških karakteristika razvoja epifizno-dijafiznog spoja primenjen je trostepeni skor-sistem po Schaefer-Black-u. Makroskopske analize uzorka obuhvatile su i proučavanje sledećih morfoloških odlika medijalnog okrajka ključne kosti: bazična morfologija, reljef, poroznost i oblik zglobne površine, prisustvo koštane kvržice, morfologija ivice zglobne površine i morfologija useka za hrskavicu prvog rebra. Histološke analize unutrašnjih okrajaka ključnih kostiju obuhvatile su merenje: debljine korteksa, odnosa između površine spongiozne kosti i površine tkiva na preparatu, kao i minimalne širine trabekula. Ove histomorfometrijske karakteristike standardizovao je American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. Drugi, klinički deo studije činili su MSCT (“multislice computed tomography”) pregledi grudnog koša 154 pacijenta koji su pregledani na Institutu za onkologiju i radiologiju Srbije, starosti između 15 i 35 godina života. Na osnovu CT snimaka izvršena je procena stepena osifikacije epifizne hrskavice unutrašnjeg okrajka ključne kosti koristeći petostepeni skor-sistem po Schmeling-u koji je modifikovao Schulz, merenje debljine prednjeg i zadnjeg korteksa kosti, širine medularnog kanala, dijametra tela ključne kosti i stepena apsorpcije rendgenskih zraka u predelu sternalnog epifiznometafiznog regiona. Na CT snimcima, analizirane su i koštane promene u predelu prednje i zadnje ivice prednjeg okrajka rebra koje se pružaju kroz rebarnu hrskavicu ka grudnoj kosti. Gradacija ovih promena izvršena je po Moskovitch-u. Analize prve rebarne hrskavice obuhvatile su i: pol i godine starosti ispitivane osobe, broj izraštaja koji se pružaju od prednje i zadnje ivice prednjeg okrajka prvog rebra kroz hrskavicu ka grudnoj kosti i stepen njihove izraženosti sa leve i desne strane tela, kao i stepen apsorpcije rendgenskih zraka u predelu rebarne hrskavice..

SPINAL CORD POSTURE IN THE SAGITTAL PLANE AMONG YOUNG SCHOOLCHILDREN RESIDING IN THE AREA OF KNJAŽEVAC

In determining the postural status of the spinal column of preschool age children or young school age children, early detection of bad posture is necessary, so that it could be rectified through the proper corrective exercise. The aim of this study is to determine the state of the postural disorders of the spinal column, viewed in the sagittal plane, on a population of preschool children, and young school age children, living on the territory of the municipality of Knjaževac. The sample of participants consisted of 515 young school age and  125 preschool children. In order to determine the postural status of the spinal column in the sagittal plane, we used the ‘Spinal Mouse’ measuring instrument. The results have shown that in both age groups, more than 50% of the children have some form of postural disorder in the sagittal plane. The most widely distributed disorders are the kyphotic and lordotic posture, followed by kypholordosis. In terms of gender, younger school age girls have a more pronounced kypholordotic posture when compared to the boys, with 6% and 1.6% respectively. The frequency of the other postural disorders is almost identical. In the case of female preschool children, the kyphotic posture is  more predominant, while in the case of the boys the lordotic posture is more frequent. The obtained data are important for designing a proper corrective gymnastics program for the improvement of the postural status of the spinal column in the sagittal plane of children living in Knjaževac.Key words: kyphosis, lordosis, straight back, gender, difference

Career development of police officers in the Republic of Serbia

The paper specifies the career development of police officers in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia (MoI RS). In this regard, this document covers the following issues: 1) defining employment conditions for admission in MoI RS, 2) the classification of jobs in the MoI RS (includes the determination of equivalent organizational units and equivalent jobs in the MoI RS movement in the career of police officers) 3) requirements for promotion to the higher rank within the same immediate and senior management levels (including the requirements of the internal competition for attending appropriate managerial level training, as well as the conditions of internal competition to fill the vacant managerial positions and ranking of the candidates, and 4) the key selection and training as a condition for promotion and transfer of police officers. In addition, the focus of this document is on explaining the idea that career advancement is based on rank / profession as a condition for attending training for the managers of the appropriate level and applying for appropriate job positions. In addition, considerable attention is dedicated to the tabular modeling of police officer career. All of the above mentioned regarding career development of police officers, MoI RS, is subject to the current Law of the police and secondary legislation which defines its individual provisions. Some attention of this document is devoted to transitional arrangements for the implementation of the career development of police officers, MoI RS

ACCURACY IN FOOTBALL: SCORING A GOAL AS THE ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE OF FOOTBALL GAME

The study included 60 young football players aged 10 and 11 years with the aim to examine the influence of motor skills on a specific accuracy in football. The following tests for assessment of motoric abilities were used: Coordination: jumping over the horizontal rope, envelope test, figure „8“ with bending; Flexibility: forward bend-standing upper-body rotation-touch, the splits, side-stepping with a baton; Balance: standing on one leg along the balance bench, standing on one leg with eyes closed, flamingo test. Tests for specific accuracy in football included: elevational accuracy by foot - vertical target, elevational accuracy by foot - horizontal target, linear accuracy by foot - vertical target, the hits of ball by foot on the wall after it rebounces from the surface, elevational accuracy by head - vertical target and elevational accuracy by head - horizontal target. Results obtained by processing the data applying canonical correlation and regression analysis indicated the indisputable influence of motor abilities of young football players on the majority of specific accuracy tests