35 research outputs found
Clinical laboratory as an economic model for business performance analysis
Aim To perform SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
and threats) analysis of a clinical laboratory as an
economic model that may be used to improve business
performance of laboratories by removing weaknesses,
minimizing threats, and using external opportunities and
internal strengths.
Methods Impact of possible threats to and weaknesses
of the Clinical Laboratory at NaŔice General County Hospital
business performance and use of strengths and opportunities
to improve operating profit were simulated
using models created on the basis of SWOT analysis results.
The operating profit as a measure of profitability of
the clinical laboratory was defined as total revenue minus
total expenses and presented using a profit and loss account.
Changes in the input parameters in the profit and
loss account for 2008 were determined using opportunities
and potential threats, and economic sensitivity analysis
was made by using changes in the key parameters. The
profit and loss account and economic sensitivity analysis
were tools for quantifying the impact of changes in the
revenues and expenses on the business operations of clinical
laboratory.
Results Results of simulation models showed that operational
profit of ā¬470 723 in 2008 could be reduced to only
ā¬21 542 if all possible threats became a reality and current
weaknesses remained the same. Also, operational gain
could be increased to ā¬535 804 if laboratory strengths and
opportunities were utilized. If both the opportunities and
threats became a reality, the operational profit would decrease
by ā¬384 465.
Conclusion The operational profit of the clinical laboratory
could be significantly reduced if all threats became a reality
and the current weaknesses remained the same. The
operational profit could be increased by utilizing strengths
and opportunities as much as possible. This type of modeling
may be used to monitor business operations of any
clinical laboratory and improve its financial situation by implementing
changes in the next fiscal period
Der Werdegang und wissenschaftliche Erfolg von Nachwuchsforschern in Kroatien
We analyzed data on the junior researchers, using a sample of
junior researchers whose fellowship supports from the Croatian
Ministry of Science, Education and Sports were terminated
between 1999 and 2005. Completing a PhD degree was
positively associated with female gender, co-authoring a scientific
article with the mentor, and above-average scientific production
of the junior researcher. Junior researchers who were among top
10% of students according to their grade point average during
undergraduate studies had significantly lower odds of completing
a PhD degree during fellowship, as well as junior researchers
who were employed in biomedicine. The study results indicate the
potential points which could be influenced during the junior
researchers selection process and at the moment of granting
fellowships, both with an aim to improve the effectiveness of the
junior researcher fellowship support system in the Republic of
Croatia.Analizirali smo podatke o sustavu znanstvenih novaka na uzorku
onih koji su izaŔli iz sustava potpore Ministarstva znanosti,
obrazovanja i Ŕporta Republike Hrvatske tijekom razdoblja
1999.-2005. godine. Postizanje stupnja doktora znanosti bilo je
pozitivno povezano sa ženskim spolom novaka, objavljivanjem
znanstvenih radova s mentorom kao koautorom i
iznadprosjeÄnom znanstvenom produkcijom novaka. Znanstveni
novaci koji su bili meÄu 10% najboljih studenata prema prosjeku
ocjena diplomskog studija imali su statistiÄki znaÄajno manju
vjerojatnost da Äe doktorirati u odnosu na ostale novake, kao i
znanstveni novaci zaposleni u biomedicini. Rezultati ovoga
istraživanja upuÄuju na potencijalne toÄke na koje se može
djelovati u trenutku odabira kandidata i odobravanja zahtjeva za
novaÄka radna mjesta, oboje s ciljem poboljÅ”anja djelotvornosti
sustava znanstvenih novaka u Republici Hrvatskoj.Im vorliegenden Artikel werden Daten Ć¼ber die im kroatischen
Hochschulwesen wirkenden Nachwuchsforscher analysiert, und
zwar anhand solcher, die im Zeitraum von 1999 bis 2005 im
Rahmen eines vom kroatischen Ministerium fĆ¼r Wissenschaft, Bildung und Sport gefƶrderten Doktoratsstudiums an ihrer
Promotion arbeiteten. Die Zahl der promovierten Frauen
Ć¼berwog vor dem Anteil der MƤnner; ein positiver Bezug zur
Erlangung der DoktorwĆ¼rde zeigte sich fernerhin bei der
Verƶffentlichung wissenschaftlicher Arbeiten in
Zusammenarbeit mit dem Doktorvater als Koautor sowie im
Falle einer Ć¼berdurchschnittlichen wissenschaftlichen Leistung.
Jungforscher, die gemĆ¤Ć den Leistungen ihrer Diplom-
StudiengƤnge in das obere Zehntel der Studierenden fielen,
zeigten im VerhƤltnis zu den Ć¼brigen Jungwissenschaftlern eine
statistisch wesentlich geringere Wahrscheinlichkeit der
Promotion, ebenso Jungforscher, die eine regulƤre Anstellung
im Bereich der Biomedizin hatten. Die Ergebnisse der
vorliegenden Untersuchung verweisen auf mƶgliche Punkte, an
denen bei der Auswahl und Anstellung von
Dokotratskandidaten bewusst eingewirkt werden kann, um das
System der Nachwuchsforschung in der Republik Kroatien zu
verbessern
Dental Evidence of Exhumed Human Remains From the 1991 War in Croatia
The aim of this paper is to present the post mortem dental evidence and dental health
of the victims exhumed throughout the territories of Croatia that was temporarily occupied
during the war. A total number of 62,432 teeth out of 1,253 human bodies exhumed
from 5 different counties were analyzed. The majority of victims inhabited those areas
before 1991. Post mortem dental characteristics were analyzed according to the American
Board of Forensic Odontology and WHO methodology. The results show the highest
level of the dental health before 1991 in the Vukovarsko-Srijemska County. The decayed
(D), missing (M), filling (F), teeth (T), DMFT of that County was at the lowest level i.e. at
5.2. In all of the other counties, it was always between 6 and 12. The material most frequently
used for the dental fillings was amalgam. Its highest frequency level was recorded
in the County 4 (8%) and lowest in the County 1 (1.5%), p<0.001. The most frequent
prosthodontic appliances were acrylic dentures. Their frequency was lowest in the
County 5 (1.3%) and highest in the County 3 (11.6%), p<0.001. Determination of sex and
dental age showed that victims were mostly men (79%) of middle and elderly age (89%).
Teeth were useful also for monitoring of the quality of exhumations ā taking into consideration
number of empty dental sockets. The highest number of empty dental sockets
was recorded in the County 3 (40.4%) and lowest in the County 1 (13.5%), p<0.001. Even
after many years in the soil, teeth proved to be the most preserved human organs and
valuable indicators of identity as well as of the way of life before death
Forensic Determination of Dental Age of Adults
Svrha rada: OdreÄivanje dentalne dobi kod odraslih ljudskih ostataka vrlo je važno u identifikaciji forenziÄnih sluÄajeva, a provodi se i u paleostomatoloÅ”kim analizama. Svrha studije bila je usporediti kronoloÅ”ku dob s dentalnom dobi postignutom metodom prema Johansonu (1971.). Materijal i naÄini: Ukupno se u studiji koristilo 140 trajnih zdravih zuba pripadnika bijele rase. Svi su bili bez dentalnih ispuna i karijesnih lezija. KronoloÅ”ka dob ispitanika bila je izmeÄu 18 i 80 godina, a srednja vrijednost iznosila je 45 godina. Za odreÄivanje dentalne dobi koristio se postupak prema Johansonu iz godine 1971. Svaki je zub bio podvrgnut uzdužnoj sekciji do srediÅ”ta pulpnog prostora u vestibulo-lingvalnom smjeru. Na svakom je rezu promatrano Å”est parametara: koliÄina sekundarnog dentina, atricija, nakupljenost zubnog cementa, resorpcija korijena, recesija parodontnog priÄvrstka i translucencija korijenskog dentina. Postignuti rezultati dentalne dobi usporeÄeni su s kronoloÅ”kom, koristeÄi se Pearsonovim koeficijentom korelacije te regresijskom analizom. Rezultati: Dobiveni rezultati pokazali su veliku korelaciju izmeÄu kronoloÅ”ke i odreÄene dentalne dobi s koeficijentom korelacije koji je iznosio r=0,85, p<0,001. Korelacija meÄu spolovima takoÄer je bila vrlo velika - r=0,99 za zube muÅ”kih ispitanika i r=98 za zube ženskih ispitanika. ZakljuÄak: Metoda koriÅ”tena u ovom istraživanju pokazala se kao metoda izbora za odreÄivanje dentalne dobi na ekshumiranim truplima i ljudskim ostacima u forenziÄnim analizama u Hrvatskoj.Objectives: Estimaiting the dental age of the adult human remains can often be of great importance in forensic identifi cation cases, and also provides valuable data in paleodontology. The aim of the present study was to compare chronological age with estimated dental age by the method according to Johanson, published in 1971. Material and Methods: 140 permanent intact teeth without dental fi llings and/or dental cavity were taken. The known age was ranging from 18 to 80 years. The average age was 45 years. For the dental age estimation the method according to Johanson was used. Every tooth was subject to longitudinal section of the midpulpal area in a vestibulo-lingual plane. Six variables were analyzed: secondary dentin, attrition, cementum apposition, root resorption, periodontal recession, and root translucency. The results of the chronological and the estimated age have been statistically compared using Personās correlation coeffi cient and regression analysis. Results: The results showed strong correlation coeffi cient r=0.85; p<0.001 between chronological and determinated dental age. Age determination on samples of teeth between genders is in signifi cant correlation with known age. Correlation coeffi cient was 0.99 for male, and 0.98 for female samples (p<0.001) Conclusion: The method used in this research is the method of choice for dental age determination on exhumed bodies and skeletal remains for forensic and anthropological analysis in Croatia
Business analytics of specialized medical biochemistry laboratory using profit and loss acount
Mjerenjem trenutaÄne uÄinkovitosti tržiÅ”nog poslovanja specijalistiÄkoga medicinsko-biokemijskog
laboratorija iskazuje se raÄunovodstvena mjera profitabilnosti laboratorija, pri Äemu profitabilan laboratorij
troÅ”kove pružanja usluga pokriva prihodom od prodanih usluga. RaÄun dobiti i gubitka temeljni
je financijski izvjeŔtaj poslovanja koji pokazuje ostvaruje li neki poslovni subjekt dobit u promatranome
poslovnom razdoblju.
Metode. Profitabilnost SpecijalistiÄkoga medicinsko-biokemijskog laboratorija OpÄe županijske bolnice
NaÅ”ice iskazana je izraÄunom dobiti i gubitka za 2007. godinu, a uspjeÅ”nost poslovanja iskazana raÄunovodstvenim
mjerama marginalne kontribucije, bruto dobitka i operativne dobiti, kojima se jasno može
iskazati posluje li laboratorij sa zaradom (pozitivan predznak mjera) ili ne. Primjena navedenog postupka
omoguÄuje jednostavno uoÄavanje pokazatelja koji uzrokuju uspjeÅ”no ili neuspjeÅ”no poslovanje laboratorija.
Rezultati. IzraÄun je pokazao operativnu dobit Laboratorija od 719.926 kn odnosno operativnu maržu
od 11,7%, Äime se dokazalo da Laboratorij posluje pozitivno te da mu nakon oduzimanja svih operativnih
troŔkova poslovanja na 100 jedinica prihoda ostaje 11,7 jedinica dobiti iz njegove osnovne djelatnosti.
ZakljuÄak. SpecijalistiÄki medicinsko-biokemijski laboratorij OpÄe županijske bolnice NaÅ”ice ostvario
je svojim radom dobit, tj. zaradu. Cilj izraÄunavanja dobiti ili gubitka jest odreÄivanje moguÄih aktivnosti
unutar laboratorija kojima se može djelovati na uÄinkovitost poslovanja, koja bi se iskazala poveÄanjem
postojeÄe profitabilnosti. Ako se rad laboratorija iskaže negativnim poslovanjem, a ne uÄini se nikakva
promjena kojom bi se poslovanje uÄinilo pozitivnim, ovakva analiza poslovanja daje jasnu informaciju o
cijeni koju druÅ”tvo u cjelini mora snositi radi nadoknaÄivanja negativnog poslovanja promatranog laboratorija
koji je u okviru postojeÄeg sustava zdravstvene zaÅ”tite.Introduction. By measuring the actual effectiveness of a medical biochemistry laboratoryās business
operations, we can determine the accounting measure of laboratoryās profitability, where operating
expenses of the laboratory are covered by the income generated from the services. A laboratoryās financial
report can be based on a profit and loss account, which shows whether or not a business entity, i.e., the
laboratory, is making a profit during a particular business period.
Methods. Profitability of the Specialized Medical Biochemical Laboratory (Laboratory) of the General
County Hospital in NaŔice, Croatia, was determined using the profit and loss account for 2007. Business
success was expressed using the accounting measures of marginal contribution, gross income, and operating
income, which could show whether or not the laboratory was operating profitably. This procedure
allowed us to identify indicators of successful or unsuccessful business operations of the Laboratory.
Results. According to the profit and loss account, the operating profit was 719,926 HRK, i.e., the
operating margin was 11.7%, indicating that the Laboratory was operating positively. After subtracting all
operating expenses per 100 income units, 11.7 units profit remained from the Laboratoryās core business.
Conclusion. The Specialized Medical Biochemical Laboratory of the General County Hospital in NaŔice
generated income, i.e., it operated at a profit. The purpose of profit and loss account was to determine
the Laboratory operations that had impact on its business effectiveness and could increase the actual
profitability. If the laboratory operates at a loss, and no activities are undertaken that would reverse the
business toward positive, the analysis may provide information on the cost for the society as a whole of
the studied laboratory within the existing healthcare system
The Chronology of Third Molar Eruption in the Croatian Population
Dental age estimation is common in orthodontics, paedodontics, paleodontology and forensic dentistry. The aim of
this study was to assess chronological course of eruptive developmental phases of third molar and to establish parameters
for the Croatian population. Sample of this study consisted of 1249 orthopantomograms of 530 (42.4%) male and
719 (57.6%) female subjects, aged 10 to 25 years. Eruptive phases were classified in 4 stages. No significant sex difference
was found. Established chronology of the third molar eruption can be used as a standard for the assessment of dental age
in clinical and forensic research on samples of Croatian population
What we need to know when calculating the coefficient of correlation?
Korelacija je statistiÄki postupak za izraÄunavanje povezanosti dviju varijabli. Vrijednost korelacije brojÄano se iskazuje koeficijentom korelacije, najÄeÅ”Äe Pearsonovim ili Spearmanovim, dok se znaÄajnost koeficijenta iskazuje vrijednoÅ”Äu P. Koeficijent korelacije pokazuje u kojoj su mjeri promjene vrijednosti jedne varijable povezane s promjenama vrijednosti druge varijable. Predznak koeficijenta korelacije (+ ili -) govori nam o smjeru povezanosti. Prilikom izraÄunavanja korelacije najÄeÅ”Äe se pogrjeÅ”ke odnose na uvjete za izraÄunavanje korelacije, tumaÄenje koeficijenta i znaÄajnost korelacije, visoke koeficijente korelacije, pretpostavljanje uzroÄno-posljediÄne veze, jaÄinu povezanosti (koeficijent determinacije), te usporedbu dva koeficijenta korelacije.Correlation is a statistical procedure applied to calculate association between two variables. The value of correlation is numerically shown by a coefficient of correlation, most often by Pearson\u27s or Spearman\u27s coefficient, while the significance of the coefficient is expressed by P value. The coefficient of correlation shows the extent to which changes in the value of one variable are correlated to changes in the value of the other. A sign preceding the coefficient of correlation (+ or -) indicates the direction of correlation. The most frequent errors in calculating correlation are related to conditions for calculation, interpretation of the coefficient and correlation significance, high correlation coefficients, assumption of causal relationship, the strength of correlation (coefficient of determination), and comparison of two correlation coefficients
Plagiarism as a violation of scientific and academic integrity
Plagiranje je neovlaÅ”teno preuzimanje tuÄih ideja, postupaka ili teksta bez odgovarajuÄe naznake s nakanom da se prikažu kao vlastita. Preuzimanje veÄ objavljenih vlastitih ideja ili preuzimanje
vlastitog veÄ objavljenog teksta prikazujuÄi ga novim i originalnim naziva se samoplagiranjem i smatra se jednako loÅ”im kao i plagiranje. UÄestalost plagiranja je u porastu, razvoj informacijsko-komunikacijske tehnologije olakÅ”ava neovlaÅ”teno preuzimanje teksta, no istovremeno, zahvaljujuÄi istoj tehnologiji, razvijaju se raÄunalni programi i mrežne usluge za otkrivanje plagiranja.
Za provjeru tekstova i Äinjenice jesu li oni plagirani postoje razliÄita programska rjeÅ”enja. VeÄina se zasniva na konkordanciji, tj. usporedbi teksta pri Äemu program iznalazi i oznaÄava podudarne dijelove teksta i izraÄunava njegov udio s obzirom na cijeli tekst. Neki od programa, osim Å”to usporeÄuju tekstove, pretražuju internet radi iznalaženja tekstova s podudarnim sadržajem. Svi programi mogu usporeÄivati tekstove napisane na istom jeziku; meÄujeziÄno pretraživanje nije moguÄe uz pomoÄ programske potpore. Primjeri programa su raÄunalni programi (WCopyfi nd) i mrežne usluge (eTBlast, CrossCheck). Prednost mrežne usluge je moguÄnost pronalaženja moguÄeg teksta izvornika. eTBlast je besplatna mrežna usluga za pronalaženje podudarnih i vrlo sliÄnih sažetaka znanstvenih radova (pretražuje i bazu podataka Medline) koja je poslužila kao temelj za izradbu baze podataka DĆ©jĆ vu. Mrežna usluga CrossCheck dostupna je samo Älanovima (akademske ustanove i Äasopisi), a
koriÅ”tenjem raÄunalnog algoritma za pronalaženje sliÄnosti Then cate tvrtke iParadigms (Oakland, CA, SAD) provjerava podudarnost teksta ispitivanog Älanka s cijelovitim tekstovima sadržanim u bazi podataka CrossCheck ustrojenom suradnjom uredniÅ”tva i izdavaÄa znanstvenih Äasopisa koji objavljene Älanke pridružuju bazi podataka, Å”to omoguÄuje nesmetano pretraživanje sadržaja zaÅ”tiÄenog pretplatom. Vrlo je važno prepoznati plagiranje i poduÄavati o njemu u akademskoj zajednici na svim nivoima obrazovanja. Urednici znanstvenih Äasopisa i znanstvenici trebaju se zajedno boriti protiv neetiÄnih istraživanja koja su suprotna znanstvenoj ideji i Å”tetna za znanstvenu i opÄu zajednicu, kritiÄki Äitati
i provjeravati znanstvenu publicistiku, prijavljivati plagiranje i ostale sumnjive postupke u istraživanjima uredniÅ”tvima Äasopisa i nadležnim tijelima.Plagiarism is unauthorized appropriation of other peopleās ideas, processes or text without giving correct credit and with intention to present it as own property. Appropriation of own published ideas or text and passing it as original is denominated self-plagiarism and considered as bad as plagiarism. The frequency of plagiarism is increasing and development of information and communication technologies facilitates it, but simultaneously, thanks to the same technology, plagiarism detection software is developing.
There are diff erent software solutions for checking plagiarism. Most of them are based on concordance, i.e., comparison of text where program tools isolate and mark correspondent parts of the
text and calculate its rate regarding the whole text. Several programs, besides comparing the texts, also search the Internet aiming for text with corresponding content. All programs can compare text written in the same language but translingual comparison with plagiarism detection software is not
yet possible. The software is available through computer programs (WCopyfi nd) or Web Services (eTBlast, CrossCheck). Their advantage is in the possibility of fi nding the original source paper.
eTBlast is the free of charge web based service for searching corresponding and highly similar scientific paper abstracts (it searches also Medline database), which served as the ground for constructing DĆ©jĆ vu database. Web based service CrossCheck is accessible only for members (academic institutions and journals) and by using computer similarity algorithm iThen cate of company iParadigms (Oakland, CA, USA), it checks accordance of the given text with the complete texts in the CrossCheck database. It is organized by collaboration of journal editorial boards and publishers who pass the published papers to the base and enable searching of content usually protected by subscription. The importance of recognizing and teaching plagiarism in the academic community at all levels of education is enormous. Scientific journal editors and scientists should fight together against unethical researches which are opposite to the scientific idea and harmful for scientific community and society, critically read and examine scientific publications, report plagiarism and other suspicious research
misconduct to journal editorial boards and institutional authorities