Strategic Approach to the Suppression of Vehicle Theft – Five Years Later

Na temelju analize statističkih podataka o krađama motornih vozila u Republici Hrvatskoj, koja je provedena 2015. godine (v. Savić i sur., 2015), te na temelju tada obavljene studije slučaja u svezi sa strateškim pristupom toj problematici, izneseni su zaključci prema kojima policija može u značajnoj mjeri utjecati na dodatno smanjenje broja otuđenih i povećanje udjela pronađenih motornih vozila. U spomenutoj studiji također je zaključeno kako se usmjerenim strateškim pristupom može aktivno utjecati na sigurnosne trendove, odnosno učinkovitije suzbijati pojedine sigurnosne prijetnje. Rezultate takvog pristupa moguće je i adekvatno mjeriti. Cilj ovog rada bio je dati odgovor na pitanje kakvo je stanje i kretanje ove vrste kriminaliteta u razdoblju koje je uslijedilo nakon njegove posljednje evaluacije 2015. godine. Kako bi se dao odgovor na postavljeno pitanje, rabljena je kvantitativna metoda (deskriptivno statistička) u odnosu na dostupne statističke pokazatelje. Dobiveni su rezultati prema kojima broj krađa motornih vozila stagnira uz blagi porast, ali je istovremeno udio pronađenih motornih vozila izrazito visok, uz stalni trend rasta. U usporedbi s drugim europskim državama stopa krađa motornih vozila ostala je izrazito niska, te je dugoročni trend pada značajno veći. Na temelju toga izneseni su zaključci prema kojima zadržavanje trenda pada broja otuđenih motornih vozila više nije strateški cilj, te da se više pozornosti posvećuje reaktivnom djelovanju koje je uspješno zahvaljujući postojanju specijaliziranih ustrojstvenih jedinica i policijskih službenika zaduženih za ovu problematiku.Based on the analysis of statistical data on thefts of motor vehicles in the Republic of Croatia conducted in 2015 (see Savić et al., 2015), and based on a case study related to the strategic approach to this issue, conclusions were made that the police can have a significant influence on the further reduction of the number of stolen motor vehicles and increase the percentage of recovered motor vehicles. The aforementioned study also concluded that a focused strategic approach can actively influence security trends, i.e. more effectively combat certain security threats. The results of such an approach can also be adequately measured. The aim of this paper was to answer the question of the present state and future trends of this type of crime in the period following its last evaluation in 2015. In order to answer the questions asked, a quantitative method (descriptive statistical method) was used in relation to the available statistical indicators. The results obtained show that the number of motor vehicle thefts has stagnated with a slight increase, but at the same time the share of found motor vehicles has been extremely high, with a constant growth trend. Compared to other European countries, the theft rate of motor vehicles has remained extremely low, and the long-term downward trend is significantly more pronounced. Based on this, it has been concluded that maintaining the declining trend in the number of stolen motor vehicles is no longer a strategic goal, and that more attention is being paid to reactive action, which has proved successful, thanks to the existence of specialized organizational units and police officers in charge of this issue

Strategic Approach to the Suppression of Vehicle Theft – Five Years Later

Na temelju analize statističkih podataka o krađama motornih vozila u Republici Hrvatskoj, koja je provedena 2015. godine (v. Savić i sur., 2015), te na temelju tada obavljene studije slučaja u svezi sa strateškim pristupom toj problematici, izneseni su zaključci prema kojima policija može u značajnoj mjeri utjecati na dodatno smanjenje broja otuđenih i povećanje udjela pronađenih motornih vozila. U spomenutoj studiji također je zaključeno kako se usmjerenim strateškim pristupom može aktivno utjecati na sigurnosne trendove, odnosno učinkovitije suzbijati pojedine sigurnosne prijetnje. Rezultate takvog pristupa moguće je i adekvatno mjeriti. Cilj ovog rada bio je dati odgovor na pitanje kakvo je stanje i kretanje ove vrste kriminaliteta u razdoblju koje je uslijedilo nakon njegove posljednje evaluacije 2015. godine. Kako bi se dao odgovor na postavljeno pitanje, rabljena je kvantitativna metoda (deskriptivno statistička) u odnosu na dostupne statističke pokazatelje. Dobiveni su rezultati prema kojima broj krađa motornih vozila stagnira uz blagi porast, ali je istovremeno udio pronađenih motornih vozila izrazito visok, uz stalni trend rasta. U usporedbi s drugim europskim državama stopa krađa motornih vozila ostala je izrazito niska, te je dugoročni trend pada značajno veći. Na temelju toga izneseni su zaključci prema kojima zadržavanje trenda pada broja otuđenih motornih vozila više nije strateški cilj, te da se više pozornosti posvećuje reaktivnom djelovanju koje je uspješno zahvaljujući postojanju specijaliziranih ustrojstvenih jedinica i policijskih službenika zaduženih za ovu problematiku.Based on the analysis of statistical data on thefts of motor vehicles in the Republic of Croatia conducted in 2015 (see Savić et al., 2015), and based on a case study related to the strategic approach to this issue, conclusions were made that the police can have a significant influence on the further reduction of the number of stolen motor vehicles and increase the percentage of recovered motor vehicles. The aforementioned study also concluded that a focused strategic approach can actively influence security trends, i.e. more effectively combat certain security threats. The results of such an approach can also be adequately measured. The aim of this paper was to answer the question of the present state and future trends of this type of crime in the period following its last evaluation in 2015. In order to answer the questions asked, a quantitative method (descriptive statistical method) was used in relation to the available statistical indicators. The results obtained show that the number of motor vehicle thefts has stagnated with a slight increase, but at the same time the share of found motor vehicles has been extremely high, with a constant growth trend. Compared to other European countries, the theft rate of motor vehicles has remained extremely low, and the long-term downward trend is significantly more pronounced. Based on this, it has been concluded that maintaining the declining trend in the number of stolen motor vehicles is no longer a strategic goal, and that more attention is being paid to reactive action, which has proved successful, thanks to the existence of specialized organizational units and police officers in charge of this issue

Therapy of chronic hepatitis C: Virologic response monitoring

Background/Aim. Virological testing is considered to be essential in the management of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in order to diagnose infection, and, most importantly, as a quide for treatment decisions and assess the virological response to antiviral therapy. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of a sustained virological response (SVR) and various factors associated with response rates in chronic hepatitis C infected patients treated with pegiinterferon alpha (PEGINF) and ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy. Methods. A total of 34 patients, treated with PEG-IFN and RBV were studied. Serum HCV-RNA was measured before the treatment, 12 weeks following the start of the therapy and 6 weeks after the treatment cessation. SVR was defined as undetectable serum HCV-RNA 6 months of post-treatment follow-up, virologic relapse (VR) as relapse of HCV-RNA during the post-treatment follow-up. Serum HCV-RNA was measured with the Cobas Amplicor test. Results. At the end of post-treatment follow-up 19 (55.8%) patients demonstrated a SVR. The majority of the patients were genotype 1 (27), and the other were genotype 3 (5 patients) and genotype 4 (2 patients). There was VR in 6 patients 6 months after the therapy. In 9 patients HCV-RNA was positive after 12 weeks. Conclusion. We demonstrated that patients with chronic HCV infection can be successfully treated with combination of PEG-INF and RBV. This result emphasizes also that post-treatment follow-up to identify patients with SVR or VR could be important

Hydraulic Jumps in Adverse-Slope Stilling Basins for Stepped Spillways

The performance of flat stilling basins can be inadequate for conditions when the tailwater depth is insufficient for hydraulic jump stabilization. In such cases, adverse-slope stilling basins can be used because they reduce the necessary tailwater depth. Sloped basins combined with smooth chutes have been the subject of many studies. However, limited research has been done for basins with stepped chutes, which are characterized by intensive flow aeration and high energy dissipation. Based on our scale-model experimental measurements of depth, velocity, and air concentration, we present a momentum-based method to characterize such hydraulic jump: the sequent depth ratio, the length of hydraulic jump roller, and energy dissipation effectiveness. The proposed method provides better agreement with experimental data when compared to existing methods and can be used for preliminary design

Comparison of Custodiol® and modified St. Thomas cardioplegia for myocardial protection in coronary artery bypass grafting

Background/Aim. Custodiol® is a hyperpolarizing cardioplegic solution which has been used in our national cardiac surgical practice exclusively for the heart transplant surgery. Owing to its numerous advantages over the standard depolarizing solutions, Custodiol® became cardioplegic solution of choice for all other cardiac surgical procedures in many cardio-surgical centers. This study evaluated myocardial protection by Custodiol® compared to modified St. Thomas cardioplegic solution in coronary artery bypass surgery. Methods. In a prospective four-month study, 110 consecutive adult patients who underwent primary isolated elective on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) were randomized into the Custodiol® group (n = 54) and the St. Thomas groupa (n = 50), based on the type of administered cardioplegia; six patients were excluded. Cardiac protection was achieved as antegrade cold crystalloid cardioplegia by one of the solutions. Myocardial preservation was assessed through following outcomes: spontaneous rhythm restoration post cross-clamp, and postpoperative cardiac specific enzymes level, ejection fraction (EF) change, inotropic support, myocardial infarction (MI), atrial fibrillation (AF), and death. Results. Preoperative and intraoperative characteristics of patients in both groups were similar except for a considerably longer cross-clamp time in the Custodiol® group (49.1 ± 19.0 vs. 41.0 ± 12.9 minutes; p = 0.022). The Custodiol® group exhibited a higher rate of return to spontaneous rhythm compared to the St. Thomas group (31.5% vs. 20.0%, respectively; p = 0.267), lower rates of AF (20.4% vs. 28%, respectively; p = 0.496), MI (1.8% vs. 10.0%, respectively; p = 0.075) and inotropic support (9.0% vs. 12.0%, respectively; p = 0.651), albeit not statistically significant. There was an insignificant difference in peak value of troponin I between the Custodiol® and Thee St. Thomas group (5.0 ± 3.92 μg/L vs. 4.5 ± 3.39 μg/L, respectively; p = 0.755) and creatine kinase-MB (26.9 ± 15.4 μg/L vs. 28.5 ± 24.2 μg/L, respectively; p = 0.646) 6 hours post-surgery. EF reduction was comparable (0.81% vs. 1.26%; p = 0.891). There were no deaths in both groups. Conclusions. Custodiol® and modified St.Thomas cardioplegic solution have comparable cardioprotective effects in CABG surgery. The trends of less frequent MI, AF and ino-tropic support, despite the longer cross-clamp time in the Custodiol® group may suggest that its benefits could be ascertained in a larger study

Orange-Reddish Light Emitting Phosphor GdVO 4 :Sm 3+ Prepared by Solution Combustion Synthesis

The gadolinium vanadate doped with samarium (GdVO 4 :Sm 3+ ) nanopowder was prepared by the solution combustion synthesis (SCS) method. After synthesis, in order to achieve the full crystallinity, the material was annealed in air atmosphere at 900°C. Phase identification in the postannealed powder samples was performed by X-ray diffraction, and morphology was investigated by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Photoluminescence characterization of the emission spectrum and time-resolved analysis have been performed using the tunable laser optical parametric oscillator excitation and the streak camera. Several strong emission bands in the Sm 3+ emission spectrum were observed, located at 567 nm ( 4 G 5/2 – 6 H 5/2 ), 604 nm ( 4 G 5/2 – 6 H 7/2 ), and 646 (654) nm ( 4 G 5/2 – 6 H 9/2 ), respectively. The weak emission bands at 533 nm ( 4 F 3/2 – 6 H 5/2 ) and 706 nm ( 4 G 5/2 – 6 H 11/2 ) and a weak broad luminescence emission band of VO 4 3− were also observed by the detection system. We analyzed the possibility of using the host luminescence for two-color temperature sensing. The proposed method is improved by introducing the temporal dependence in the line intensity ratio measurements

Water for all : Proceedings of the 7th international scientific and professional conference Water for all

The 7th International Scientific and Professional Conference Water for all is organized to honour the World Water Day by the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG), Danube Parks, Croatian Food Agency, Croatian Water, Faculty of Food Technology Osijek, Faculty of Agriculture in Osijek, Faculty of Civil Engineering Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek Department of Biology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek Department of Chemistry, Nature Park “Kopački rit”, Osijek- Baranja County, Public Health Institute of the Osijek- Baranja County and „Vodovod-Osijek“ -water supply company in Osijek. The topic of World Water Day 2017 was "Wastewater" emphasizing the importance and influence of wastewater treatments on global environment. The international scientific and professional conference Water for all is a gathering of scientists and experts in the field of water management, including chemists, biologists, civil and agriculture engineers, with a goal to remind people about the significance of fresh water and to promote an interdisciplinary approach and sustainability for fresh water resource management. The Conference has been held since 2011. About 300 scientists and engineers submitted 95 abstracts to the 7th International Scientific and Professional Conference Water for all, out of which 33 was presented orally and 62 as posters. 47 full papers were accepted by the Scientific Committee. 38 full papers became the part of the this Proceedings while 9 papers were accepted for publication in Croatian Journal of Food Science and Technology and Electronic Journal of the Faculty of Civil Engineering Osijek - e-GFOS

Minithoracotomy as the primary alternative for left ventricular lead implantation during cardiac resynchronization therapy: Can the cardiac surgeon reduce the number of nonresponders

Introduction/Objective. Numerous anomalies of the cardiac venous system prevent the optimal endovascular implantation of the left ventricular (LV) lead in more than 15% of patients with indication for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The endovenous approach in these patients can be one of the potential reasons for the large number of nonresponders reported in the literature. The purpose of this study was to analyze the results of an alternative myoepicardial approach to the stimulation of the left ventricle in CRT. Methods. From June 2014 to December 2015 at the Department of Cardiac Surgery of the Clinical Centre of Serbia, 15 myoepicardial LV leads for CRT were implanted. Coronary sinus venography revealed thrombosis of the coronary sinus in nine patients, and unfavorable anatomy of the coronary venous system in six patients. In all patients, limited left thoracotomy was used as an approach to the lateral wall of the heart. Results. There were no major surgical complications and no lethal hospital outcomes. In a six-month follow-up period we registered a significant increase in the length of the six-minute walk test (for an average of 57.9 m), reduction of the QRS complex width (to 26.25 ms), increase in left ventricular ejection fraction (12.2%), and reduction of mitral regurgitation for 1+. Based on all the parameters, it was concluded that all patients responded favorably to the applied CRT. Conclusion. Closer cooperation between cardiologists and cardiac surgeons in identifying patients who would benefit the most from a myoepicardial approach for LV stimulation is necessary in order to attempt to reduce the nonresponder rate

Monitoring of cytomegalovirus infection after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Background/Aim. More than 90% of worldwide population is infected with human cytomegalovirus (CMV), one of the most common agents which complicate immunocompromised patients. Viral infections, in particular CMV ones are still a major cause of moratality and morbidity after stem cell transplantation (SCT). Monitoring is performed by detecting CMVAg or virus DNA in peripheral blood. Risk factors are donor/ recipient CMV status, type of transplant and acute graft versus host disease. The aim of the study was to determine the extent of validity of CMV infection monitoring after transplantation as a reliable parameter of further CMV replication course in patients with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Methods. A total of 49 patients with stem cell transplantation were studied prospectively during a 2-year period after transplantation for the presence of CMV DNA. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) CMV DNA was performed on 222 full blood samples using Cobas Amplicor assay. Results. Activation of CMV was detected in 10/49 (20.48%) of the patients. The median posttransplantation time for the first positive PCR result was 6 weeks for the stem cell transplant patients. Viremia became negative in all the cases after the antiviral therapy with ganciclovir. Conclusion. Our data show that the level of CMV-DNA load at the time of initial CMV detection after transplantation could be a possible predictor for further course of CMV replication in patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell

Time resolved study of temperature sensing using Gd 2 O 3 :Er,Yb: deep learning approach

This paper examines the potential applications of machine learning algorithms in the analysis of optical spectra from Gd2O3:Er,Yb thermophosphor. The material was synthesized using the solution combustion method. For data acquisition, we employed pulsed laser diode excitation at 980 nm and utilized a streak camera with a spectrograph to obtain time-resolved spectral data of the optical emission from Gd2O3:Er,Yb. To ensure data consistency and facilitate visualization, we employed principal component analysis and Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection clustering. Our findings demonstrate that, instead of the conventional approach of identifying spectral peaks and calculating intensity ratios, it is feasible to train computer software to recognize time-resolved spectra associated with different temperatures of the thermophosphor. Through our analysis, we have successfully devised a technique for remote temperature estimation by leveraging deep learning artificial neural networks