Practice In Serbia Research Articles

An integrated design discharge calculation system for small to mid-sized ungauged catchments in Serbia

Abstract. This study deals with the application of freely available datasets on the global and local level coupled with open source GIS software in hydrological modelling, greatly improving cost and time effectiveness of hydrological analyses of ungauged catchments. The automated calculation system was developed as an extremely useful tool for hydrologists for the quick estimation of design discharges. The morphometric module of the calculation system showed excellent results, saving a great deal of time that would otherwise been spent on manual processing of geospatial data. Using the automated calculation system, the methodologies currently in use in hydrological practice in Serbia were evaluated. The distributed velocity method was introduced as a way of calculating hydrograph lag time. The comparison between design discharges calculated by rainfall-runoff analysis and by frequency analysis yielded very good resemblance. Examples of real-world application for over 2500 catchments are shown.

Religiosity and Cultural Practices in Serbia

Religiosity and Cultural Practices in Serbia

Breast imaging reporting and data system (BI RADS): Why don’t we use it correctly in the region?

Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI RADS) is used for the standardization of radiological reports in breast imaging, created by the American college of radiology (ACR). Standardized reports allow breast lesion characterization, malignancy risk assessment, and facilitate communication between doctors. The system is made for everyday clinical practice with the aim of improving the quality of diagnostics and anticipate the comparisons of results with colleagues from other health institutions, while in Serbia to assist in communication with colleagues from the region. The BI RADS system is composed of lexicon recommendations for structured radiological reporting and further management. Most health institutions in Serbia and surrounding countries use it, but in everyday clinical practice the system is not correctly implemented in all institutions. During daily imaging procedures we see radiological reports coming from different institutions in the region. Some of them clearly show that the system is misunderstood and not implemented correctly. Our aim is to evaluate the use of the BI RADS system in everyday clinical practice in Serbia and the region, to explain why it is not used correctly, and to point out the most common mistakes with the desire to make the system work adequately.

Safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage and museums - between the administrative framework and museum practice in Serbia

Safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage and museums - between the administrative framework and museum practice in Serbia

Open Science Practice in Western Balkan Countries

This comprehensive review explores the landscape of open science in the Western Balkan Countries (WBCs), offering insights into existing policies, infrastructure, and practices. The analysis spans a spectrum of stakeholders, encompassing decision-makers, research funds, institutions, and individual researchers. The review is structured into four sections, each shedding light on crucial aspects of open science. The initial section investigates Open Science /Open Access (OS/OA) policies in WBCs, providing a foundation for understanding the regulatory landscape. The second section delves into OS/OA repositories within the region, emphasizing the significance of digital platforms for research dissemination. The third section focuses on OA practices, elucidating the prevalence of national OA scientific journal in Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Additionally, a bibliometric analysis of OA publishing in the WBCs, based on Scopus-indexed articles since 2012, offers valuable insights into disciplinary representation in OA practices. The final section examines the intersection of OS/OA and public engagement, particularly within the realm of psychology. Highlighting examples from the STAR Center, this section showcases initiatives that contribute to the development of OS/OA policies, infrastructure, and practices in Serbia, underscoring the Center's dedication to citizen science.

Personal and professional development through sustainable partnerships in education Serbian experiences from the I-TAP-PD Erasmus+ project

The aim of this research is to evaluate how the partnership between teachers and artists was built in the context of Serbia. In conducting it, we sought answers to the following research question: What was the role of I-TAP-PD in the personal and professional development of teachers and artists in Serbia? It is based on the phenomenological theory of reflection in action. Research participants include three teacher-artist pairs. The residencies were delivered between August 2021 and June 2022. The data was collected with pre-residency questionnaires, reflective journals, classroom observation, post-residency group interviews. All qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis. The results show that artists and teachers, in terms of sustainable partnership in researched practices in Serbia, identified the understanding of the “other“ as the most important aspect of the process of learning and teaching. In this endeavour, professionals developed high levels of empathy and their self-esteem notably increased.

Analysis of antipsychotic drugs prescribing in incarcerated persons in a Serbian correctional facility

PurposePrison settings have limited resources, and it is of particular interest to analyze which antipsychotics are commonly prescribed in these conditions and to determine the prevalence of the adverse effects.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional, epidemiological survey was used to measure the prevalence of antipsychotic prescribing among adult prisoners in Sremska Mitrovica Prison in 2020.FindingsThe prevalence of antipsychotic use was 7.58%. The most commonly prescribed antipsychotic was clozapine (45.36%), but also olanzapine, haloperidol and risperidone were prescribed. The incidence of extrapyramidal adverse effects was nonexistent and the metabolic parameters did not differ between participants using metabolic syndrome–inducing antipsychotics and those who were prescribed metabolically inert medications. The prescribed doses were lower compared with the recommended.Research limitations/implicationsThis research includes certain points that should be cautiously considered. First, the data were cross-sectional and the findings did not provide causal interpretations. Second, the data are from a single penitentiary institution, albeit the largest in the country; however, that may affect the generalizability of the findings. Third, because the included subjects were not hospitalized, some laboratory analyses were not available, according to the local regulations, and thus the prevalence of metabolic syndrome could not be precisely determined.Practical implicationsThe prevalence of the antipsychotic use in prison environment is significantly higher than in general population. The most frequently prescribed antipsychotics are clozapine and olanzapine. The prevalence of adverse effects is rare, however, that is possibly due to low doses of the prescribed antipsychotics. The list of therapeutic options available to the incarcerated persons in this facility is also limited. The list of available antipsychotics does not include some atypical antipsychotics with more favorable safety and tolerability profile, such as aripiprazole or cariprazine. Long-acting antipsychotic injectables were also not available to these patients. Laboratory analyses are not regularly conducted and do not include some essential parameters such as lipid status or differential blood count. Low-dose antipsychotics for behavioral symptoms appears to be well tolerated under prison conditions where adherence is assured. It is effective during the prison stay but long-term effects, especially after release from prison, had not been studied.Social implicationsThis paper advocates for better quality of health care in this correctional facility: more therapeutic options and better laboratory monitoring. The authors justify the use of clozapine in this settings due its benefits in reducing violence and aggression; however, further research would be necessary to clarify does the use of clozapine in incarcerated persons cause behavioral improvements that could result in shorter incarcerations, less recidivism and better quality of life.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first insight of the antipsychotic prescribing practice in Serbia. There is very limited data on prisoners’ health care, especially mental health care, in Balkan countries. The antipsychotic prescribing pattern in this sample is characterized with higher than expected clozapine use, but without expected adverse effects.

Research on the Vulnerability and Resilience of Bridges to Climate Change and Disasters: The Current Practice in Serbia

Timely response to the impact of climate change is a big challenge for the whole world, especially for developing countries. Within the framework of a country's transportation system, bridges play a crucial role in maintaining an efficient and well-connected road network. Ensuring their functionality is of paramount importance. However, climate change poses serious risks to the damage of bridge structures, jeopardizing traffic safety and potentially causing complete traffic interruptions. The aim of this paper is to present the current practice in Serbia regarding vulnerability analysis of bridges and the implementation of measures to enhance resilience.

Anchoring or Undermining Democracy: The European People's Party and Democratic Backsliding in Serbia

AbstractThis article considers how the European People's Party (EPP) responded to democratic backsliding in Serbia that unfolded under the leadership of its affiliate, the Serbian Progressive Party. Drawing on a qualitative analysis of the European Parliament resolutions and the responses of EPP legislators, the article demonstrates that the EPP has systematically ignored increasingly non‐democratic practices in Serbia. Seeking a wider pan‐European sway, the EPP strove to protect its Serbian member driven by strategic concerns and the logic of partisan allegiance. While there was a high level of intra‐party cohesion, a few EPP members consistently dissented and did not toe the party line. Their positions were fundamentally informed by contrasting normative commitments to liberal democratic principles and ideological proximity to the Serbian Progressive Party.

Digital Participation Framework for Mountain Areas in Serbia

Planning practice in Serbia is influenced by the transition to more efficient governance, including the digitalization of public administration. Urban areas adapt faster to new requirements in comparison to digital transition in rural areas (RA) and mountain areas (MA). This research aims to provide an understanding of the contextual factors for digital public participation in MA in the example of Serbia, with a focus on the Golija-Studenica Biosphere Reserve. The analysis is based on the contextual factors recognized in the recent literature and their testing through the available statistical data. The results suggest that RA, especially MA, have advantages in comparison to the national average only regarding a smaller share of vulnerable groups, including women. On the other hand, disadvantages are an aging population, a low level of technological equipment, and accessibility to technological advancement and knowledge. Findings suggest that future public participation formats in MA should be hybrid.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental practice in Serbia - prospective study

Introduction/Objective. The COVID-19, pandemic had a great impact on all spheres of dental practice. Dentists are the most affected category, due to their line of work. Studies conducted worldwide have shown a range of repercussions in dentistry including lockdowns, limited access to dental services, changes in prices, working hours and availability of protective equipment, increased anxiety levels, changes in the protocols and personnel fear of contracting the disease at work. The aim of this prospective observational survey study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dental practices in Serbia, as well as the challenges and consequences faced by dentists since the beginning of the pandemic, via an anonymous questionnaire. Methods. Multi layered questioner was used divided in to 4 sections: 1. Demographic, 2. Dental office professional experience, 3. Epidemiological professional experience, 4. Personal pandemic experience. Results. In total, 459 members of the Serbian Dental Chamber participated, gender distribution was 34.4% men and 65.6% women, age range was 26 to 81 years, of which76.4% were immunized against COVID-19. Professional, epidemiological and personal experience showed high level of preventive measures, overcoming professional limitations in order to lower the probability of contracting and spreading the disease. Conclusion. The COVID-19 pandemic had a large influence on the dental practice in Serbia. Many dentists had to overcome the professional, economic and personal limits. The immunization made all the difference and created a safer environment for dentists and patients.

Digitalni marketing kao alat za inkluzivno zapošljavanje

Persons with disabilities (PWDs) represent the largest minority in the world who are still not adequately represented in the labour market and are therefore at higher risk of poverty and material deprivation. Digital marketing has the potential to close this gap by enabling PWDs to work remotely and access a wider range of employment opportunities. With the right support and accessibility measures, PWDs can use their skills and talents in digital marketing to contribute to their economic empowerment and inclusion in society. Considering that participation in digital labour platforms is an accepted labour practice in Serbia, this paper represents a pilot study aimed at gaining insights into the requirements of the digital labour market with a focus on digital marketing. To this end, the requirements of entry-level marketing positions on one of the most popular platforms for freelancers - Upwork - were investigated. The main objective of this analysis is to provide sound suggestions for the development of training programmes and mentoring initiatives tailored to enable PWDs in Serbia to become self-employed and increase their chances of earning additional income.

Intangible Mosaic of Sacred Soundscapes in Medieval Serbia

Religious practice in Serbia has taken place using both indoors and outdoors sacred sites ever since the adoption of Christianity in medieval times. However, previous archaeoacoustic research was focused on historic church acoustics, excluding the open-air soundscapes of sacred sites. The goal of this review paper is to shed light on the varieties of sacred soundscapes that have supported the various needs of Orthodox Christian practice in medieval Serbia. First, in relation to the acoustic requirements of the religious service, we compare the acoustic properties of masonry and wooden churches based on the published archaeoacoustic studies of medieval churches and musicological studies of the medieval art of chanting. Second, we provide an overview of the ethnological and historical studies that address the outdoor sacred soundscapes and investigate the religious sound markers of large percussion instruments, such as bells and semantra, the open-air litany procession that has been practiced during the annual celebration of a patron saint’s day in rural areas, and the medieval assemblies that took place on the sacred sites. This paper finally points out that the archaeoacoustic studies of sacred soundscapes should not be limited to church acoustics but also include open-air sacred sites to provide a complete analysis of the aural environment of religious practice and thus contribute to understanding the acoustic intention of medieval builders, as well as the aural experience of both clergy and laity.

How to Digitize and Permanently Preserve Planning Documentation: The Collection of Plans of the Architectural Department of the Ministry of Construction of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (Preconditions, Priorities, Criteria, Primary and Final Goals and New Technologies)

Digitization of large format archives, in this case architectural plans, is a great challenge, not only in technical terms due to their dimensions and the nature and sensitivity of the materials, but also because of the choice of digitization equipment. As a problem of particular importance, the harmonization of archival standards is also imposed as necessary as well as the information standards, the creation of valid digital platforms and the standards prescribed in the formation of the content. Based on modern examples of practice, the study will address and explain the improved analogue technology in the form of microfilming, as well as the possibilities that it offers in the field of protection and conservation of urban documentation today in the form of manipulation of the digital record of information with analogue technologies and their mutual relationship. An example of this will be given through the presentation of the Piql program and its role in storing data that strive for authenticity and durability on media that provide the security without the possibility of losing the metadata within the network and energy consumption. The presentation will briefly show the state of analogue technologies in archival practice in Serbia and the perspectives of their future technological improvement.

Razrešenje nedoumica o tome šta je goodwill i da li primalac franšize ima prava povodom goodwill-a

Franchising as a specific method of contractual investment business has become increasingly important. The legal system of the Republic of Serbia does not directly regulate franchising agreement. Until the publication of the Draft Civil Code, legislation didn’t mention the franchising agreement, and therefore does not know the institute of goodwill as one of the essential elements of the franchising agreement. Goodwill represents a boon and a benefit from a good name and reputation, it is an attractive force that brings customers. Goodwill is important for successful operation of franchisor and the franchising network. By providing answers to the questions: what goodwill is; whether goodwill and reputation are synonymous; what are the types of goodwill and what are the rights of the franchisee regarding goodwill, we believe that we will be able to clarify potential ambiguities regarding this institute that will be relevant to future judicial and business practice in Serbia.

Applying the concept of musical social entrainment in researching tambura practice in Serbia

Entrainment in music refers to the interaction and synchronization of two or more rhythmic processes. The first part of this paper presents entrainment the?ory in ethnomusicology as a methodology for interdisciplinary research into musical, social, and cultural phenomena. The second part of the paper concerns the application of the concept of musical social entrainment in the example of tambura practice. Because tambura players display mutual entrainment through various behaviors during playing and social interaction, applying entrainment theory entails an analytical segmentation of the social and musical spheres in a specific musical performance.

KONTAKTI DECE SA RODITELJIMA LIŠENIM SLOBODE

Serving a prison sentence is a challenging period, both for the person serving the sentence and for their family members, especially children. Research show that these children are exposed to multiple risks, and one of the risks is the severance of contacts, thus compromising the child’s relationship with their incarcerated parent. The subject of the paper will be the presentation of the importance and challenges in maintaining contacts and relationships between children and their incarcerated parents, as well as some programs and support services. The paper will also present how this issue is regulated in law, policies and practice in Serbia. The paper aims to point out the importance of preserving, improving, and strengthening family relations that have been broken, with an emphasis on the needs and rights of children.

Zaštita maloletnih lica u krivičnom postupku

In recent years a significant attention has been paid to the protection of juveniles in the context of a criminal procedure. It cannot be denied that the participation of juveniles in these proceedings could be the cause of secondary victimization and trauma. In addition, the specific position of the child established by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child requires the minors to be allowed to actively participate in a criminal proceedings and to be adequately informed about various aspects and consequences of the procedure. The paper first gives a brief overview of the relevant international documents on the rights of juveniles in a criminal procedure, followed by the analysis of the domestic normative framework in the same field. A formal dogmatic approach has been applied. Afterwards, the author summarizes the state of the rights of minors in a criminal procedure in practice in Serbia. The aim of this paper is to point out the possible improvements of the position of juveniles in a criminal proceedings in Serbia.

Cooperative principles in practice: Experiences of Serbia

Cooperative principles represent one of the three elements of cooperative identity. In their current form, they have existed since 1995, when they were adopted by the International Cooperative Alliance, and they represent a recommendation to cooperatives around the world on how to organize their business. Adherence to these recommendations in everyday business practice of cooperatives is extremely challenging. In fact, there is a consensus in the literature that deviation from cooperative principles is inevitable. The paper analyzes the experiences of the Republic of Serbia in the implementation of cooperative principles from time of the first cooperatives until today, with special emphasis on agricultural cooperatives. The aim of this paper is to examine the extent to which cooperative principles are respected in the business of cooperatives in Serbia, what factors led to deviations from these recommendations and what consequences this had on the success of these organizations. The paper presents a synergy of theoretical consideration of the problem and examination of experiences of agricultural cooperatives in Serbia in the implementation of cooperative principles. Conducted research indicate that during the development of cooperatives, different levels of deviations from cooperative principles in the practice of agricultural cooperatives were recorded, from very mild to extremely significant deviations that led to the suppression of true cooperative nature. Modern cooperative practice in Serbia is marked by a low level of knowledge of the elements of cooperative identity by the members and management of cooperatives, which further stipulates the posibility of their implementation in practice.

Effect of sowing pattern and density on the quality of one-year-old Austrian pine bareroot seedlings

Austrian pine (Pinus nigra Arnold) seedlings are frequently used for afforestation/reforestation and restoration practice in Serbia. Indeed, the seedlings of various stock types are produced by almost all forest nurseries in Serbia and bareroot seedlings are mostly common. The aim of this study is to analyze the method of sowing and sowing density on some morphological characteristics and quality of one-year-old Austrian pine seedlings. Sowing in rows and random sowing across all seedbed space were performed. In both cases, the sowing density (R1 - 8 g m-1, R2 - 40 g m-2) and half of the recommended sowing density (S1 - 4 g m-1, S2 - 20 g m-2) were applied. Seedlings from both treatments had average height and root collar diameter values in the range of 4.91 to 5.73 cm, and 1.25 to 2.34 mm, respectively. Observed characteristics of seedlings (height - H, root collar diameter - RCD, root length - RL, dry weight of shoot - SDW, root - RDW and seedlings - SLDW, sturdiness coefficient - SQ and quality index - QI) were conditioned by treatment (One-Way ANOVA, p<0.05). Shoot to root ration was similar at seedlings of all treatments and ranged from 1.33 to 1.63. In both cases, decreased density produced better results. The combination of lower sowing density (20 g m-2) and sowing in all seedbed areas (S2) provided the best seedlings with QI - 0.21.