Search

In this paper Solanum pseudocapsicum is reported for the first time for the flora of the Republic of Macedonia. This adventive plant species was found in Ohrid, on walls near the Monastery of St. Jovan Kaneo.

Concession as a precondition for relatively reserved right, gives the foreigners almost equal rights as domestic citizens of the Republic of Macedonia. Our goal is to address the legal aspects and the procedure of giving the right to concession. This paper is mainly qualitative research of desk work on International private Law, Law on public procurements, Law on concessions and public private partnership in the Republic of Macedonia along with a case study on Concession on power plants in the Republic of Macedonia. Renewable energies are the future, which is why law researchers and law makers need to contribute in making of better laws that adapt to upcoming events in the energy field.

The paper focuses on the assessment of the Macedonian business environment based on analysis and comparison of selected global indices and ranks of competitiveness and quality of the business regulation and on the evaluation of the foreign trade relations with the Slovak Republic based on the calculation of the Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) Index. The Macedonian market has the potential to develop foreign trade activities with Slovak business entities, on the other hand, it is also a problematic territory to a certaint extent, as the current development of Macedonia is marked by the tense internal political situation that has persisted since the elections in April 2014.

Bovine tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease in cattle caused mainly by Mycobacterium bovis and to a lesser extent by Mycobacterium caprae. The other members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) can also cause the disease in domestic and wild animals and all of them have a zoonotic potential. The main purpose of the study was to determine the presence and distribution of the tuberculous lesions in reactor cattle, and to isolate and identify the causative agents of bovine tuberculosis in the Republic of Macedonia. Lymph nodes and affected organs from 188 reactor cattle slaughtered due to a positive intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin test were analyzed by detection of tuberculous lesions, followed by isolation and molecular identification of the isolated mycobacteria. The isolation was performed on selective media - Lowenstein Jensen with glycerol, Lowenstein Jensen without glycerol and Stonebrink medium supplemented with pyruvate. The molecular identification of the MTBC members was performed by analysis of the Regions of difference (RD1, RD9 and RD4) and detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the lepA gene for Mycobacterium caprae. Typical tuberculous lesions were detected in 62 animals (33.0%) and the lesions were most prevalent in the mediastinal lymph nodes (47.5%). The isolated mycobacteria in the MTBC were identified as Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium caprae and were found in both animals with visible lesions (82.2%) and animals without visible lesions (27.7%). The slaughterhouse postmortem examinations and laboratory investigations should be included on regular bases in order to improve the National eradication program.

The international law which regulates the formation, functioning and legal capacity of international organizations, and also the international law in the United Nations system, are always relevant and subject to progressive development, because the international relations are in constant dynamics. Each newly created state has one major foreign policy goal during its first years of formation or after obtaining independence – admission to the membership of the United Nations. That is because the decision of admission to the membership of the UN guarantees the country’s statehood which can no longer be questioned. The country becomes part of a global community of nations – the international community. Therefore, the present paper is a qualitative research regarding the admission of new states to the international community, and the decision-making process concerning the admission of new Member States to the UN.

Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera: Crambidae & Pyralidae) were sampled in the territories of southern Serbia, Montenegro, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania on a total of 53 occasions during 2014, 2016 and 2017. A total of 173 species is reported here, comprising 97 Crambidae and 76 Pyralidae. Based upon published data, 29 species appear to be new to the fauna of Serbia, 5 species are new to the fauna of Macedonia and 37 are new to the fauna of Albania. The data are discussed.

Constitutional changes are something that is necessary in order to improve democratic governance or adapt to political, economic and social changes. The procedure for changing the constitution is special, more complex and more difficult than the procedure for changing laws. It is preferable that constitutional changes are adopted with formal amendments and respect for the democratic processes established in the constitution, and not informal changes. It is neither possible nor desirable to try to formulate in abstracto the best model for constitutional changes. The significance of the balance between rigidity and flexibility can vary from state to state, depending on the political and social context, constitutional culture, time, details and characteristics of the constitution, as well as a number of other factors. The 1991 Constitution of Macedonia is a milestone on the road to democratic transition, although it is alleged that it was created in the 'lab' and not in the state institutions. The 1991 Constitution belongs to a group of flexible constitutions, despite the fact that a double majority is required for its change. Amendments to the Constitution of Macedonia were applied seven times (in 1992, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2011) and they have become an integral part of the Constitution. More than twenty years of 'constitutional development' since the passing of the Constitution through the numerous amendments that followed clearly describe the transformation of the modern Macedonian state, as well as the issues, the causes and problems which have appeared and the steps which have had to be taken. A number of constitutional changes in Macedonia from 1992 to 2011 show a strong tendency for democratization and integration of ethnic communities, they also have (probably unintended) supportive effect in cementing ethnic cleavages in the Macedonian political system. Finally, the external influence played a major role in the adoption of a number of changes in the 1991 Macedonian Constitution. In spite of the significance of formal rules for changing the Constitution, however, it has been established that the political and social context is far more significant for many changes. The Macedonian Constitution is an example when adapting to social and political changes was the basis for changing the constitution and the way for its revision several times with 31 changes since 1991. Also, while the formal right to initiative should be within national political actors, a particular initiative may sometimes come from abroad (for example, BiH, Sudan and Iraq). In Europe, in recent years it has become common place for states to change their constitutions in order to comply with the requirements that are necessary in order to achieve their goal of joining the European Union or the Council of Europe, which often require the states to undertake constitutional reforms aimed at harmonizing with the commitments they made when they became members of those organizations.

During two botanical expeditions in the Republic of Macedonia in 2017 (Mts Šar Planina and Mt. Jakupica), two plants were found that are new for the flora of this country: Campanula wanneri Rochel in Mt. Jakupica and Carduus ramosissimus Pančić in Mts Šar Planina. The plant species habitats and phytogeographic importance of these new findings were discussed within the scope of their newly established distribution patterns in the Balkan Peninsula.

This paper has two goals. The first goal is to investigate the influence of stock market development on economic growth for a group of 14 transition economies from the Central and South-East European (CSEE) region in the period 2002-2012, while the second is to analyze the main characteristics and specificities of the stock market in the Republic of Macedonia. To fulfil the first goal, we apply panel regression models (fixed and random effects) and a dynamic panel model (Generalized Method of Moments – GMM), while we use a single country approach and comparative analysis to examine the main characteristics of the Macedonian stock market. The estimated results indicate that stock market development is positive and significantly correlated with economic growth. Additionally, the comparative analysis of the stock market in the Republic of Macedonia suggests that the Macedonian stock market is still underdeveloped and faces a number of challenges before it can enter a new phase of development after the negative impact of the global financial crisis. Those challenges include capital market regional integration and the harmonization of legal and institutional frameworks such as bankruptcy procedures, accounting and reporting standards, public sector regulatory bodies, corporate governance and a liberalized trade regime. Key words: Stock markets development, economic growth, Central and South-East European countries, Republic of Macedonia.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the role of the state audit in strengthening the accountability in managing the public funds. Appropriate and effective use of public funds ensures a healthy economic and financial management, as well as transparency, which leads towards a positive development of the society as a whole. We evaluated the operation of the state audit in Macedonia by analyzing the regularity audit performed on five state institutions from 2010 to 2014 and we compared the results with the state audits in two neighboring countries. Our findings suggest weaknesses in the use of public money by the institutions covered by this analysis and in the operation of the State Audit Office. The research will help in increasing the public awareness about the necessity of responsible management in the public sector.

V diplomskem delu bom analizirala razvoj volilnega sistema v Albaniji in Republiki Makedoniji od padca komunizma leta 1990 do leta 2014 in njegove posledice na število (predvsem manjših) političnih strank, zastopanih v parlamentu. Obe državi sta v obdobju prehoda iz komunističnega enopartijskega sistema v demokratični večstrankarski sistem, ki še vedno traja, pogosto spreminjali volilni sistem in volilno zakonodajo. Albanija in Makedonija sta v zadnjih dvajsetih letih izvedli osem parlamentarnih volitev in nobene od njih niso potekale po popolnoma enakem volilnem sistemu. V Albaniji so prve volitve potekale po proporcionalnem volilnem sistemu, nato je naslednjih pet volitev potekalo po mešanem volilnem sistemu in zadnje dvoje po proporcionalnem volilnem sistemu. Enako število volitev je v istem obdobju izvedla Republika Makedonija. Prve dvoje volitve je izvedla po večinskem volilnem sistemu, tretje po mešanem volilnem sistemu, zadnjih pet pa po proporcionalnem volilnem sistemu. Obe državi sta poleg volilnega sistema pogosto spreminjali tudi volilne elemente, Albanija najpogosteje volilni prag, Makedonija pa število volilnih enot in meje volilnih enot. To nakazuje tudi na volilni inženiring, ki je v obeh državah sredstvo za doseganje želenih volilnih rezultatov določenih, predvsem prevladujočih strank. Z vidika teorije je menjava volilnih sistemov zanimiva in nam bo pomagala analizirati posledice različnih volilnih sistemov in spreminjanje volilnih pravil na število strank in delež sedežev manjših strank v parlamentu obeh držav. In the bachelor’s thesis, I will analyze the development of the electoral system in Albania and the Republic of Macedonia from the fall of communism in 1990 to 2014 and its consequences on the number of (mostly younger) political parties represented in the Parliament. In the period of transition between the communist one-party system and democratic multiparty system, which is still ongoing, both countries have often changed the electoral system and the electoral legalization. For twenty years, Albania and Macedonia have held eight parliamentary elections and none of them were held in the same electoral system. First elections in Albania were held by a proportional electoral system. Then, the next five elections were held by a mixed electoral system and the last two by a proportional electoral system. The same number of elections was held by the Republic of Macedonia during the same period. The first two elections were held by the majority electoral system, the third by a mixed electoral system, and the last five by a proportional electoral system. In addition to the electoral system, both countries often changed electoral elements. Albania changed the electoral threshold most often and Macedonia changed the number of constituencies and the constituency. This appears to point to electoral engineering, which in both countries is an instrument for achieving the desired electoral results of certain, most dominant parties. From the point of theory, the change of electoral system is interesting and will help us to analyze the consequences of the various electoral systems and changing the electoral rules to the number of parties and the proportion of seats of smaller parties in the parliament of both countries.

Introduction: The PhD program represents the biggest step in the education and the PhD itself is the crown of the work of one scientist (1). Each PhD thesis represents the contribution of the author to the development of the area in which he/she is active, and must present something new, unknown or unsufficiently explored until then, with direct implication for the practice. Aim: To present the difference between PhD program during 50 years period, with the presentation of the advantages that development and availability of science brought. Results: When different literature was not available in digital form, writing a PhD thesis after a postgraduate study and a long-term specialist work was the crown of the work of medical professional. Unfortunately, this process was sometimes difficult and was dependent on many parameters and subjective opinions, and was subject of numerous manipulations. In the present age, following the reform of education, and the implementation of Bologna Education System, the number of PhD students has increased and the study started to be held at all Universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2). All those who completed the six-year study are able to attend the PhD studies. The main obligation for student and requirement for obtaining PhD degree is article from PhD thesis published in the Current Contents database. This criterion was removed over time and the situation now is that obligation is article that is published in journal thatis in the reference database (without clear definition in which databases). Quantity is achieved but we cannot say that for quality. During the year 2017, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 11 original articles in the field of clinical medicine were published (indexed in the journals that are in the Current Contents Indexed Publications (journals that belong to CC, SCI and SCI-E base) (3,4). These 11 papers are from the field of gastroenterology, psychiatry and ophthalmology (2,3). If this is the scientific opus of already experienced scientist, the question remains what is expected from young researchers. Conclusion: Which system is better, on this question answer cannot be given, because both systems have shortcommings and advantages. The fact is that there is a gap between generations, which is unlikely to be resolved. It is also a fact that the Bologna system is not ideal, but it is currently our present (5, 6,7). A lot of students are enrolled, and the system must help them, in the process of successfully completing their PhD programs. This help cannot be achieved through the lowering of criteria (publications in science remain the only weapon in evaluation). This step leads to decreasing of quality. Quality is what needs to be taught, quality is the only one that science needs. The results in 2017 for Bosnia and Herzegovina and even the worst experience in the past few years is the red alert and only together, both professors and students, can find a way out of one of the most difficult situations., Introduction: The number of scientific publications in medicine has dramatically increased in recent decades. With the rising tide of publications it has been claimed that publication misconduct, paperism and scientism have become a silent epidemic in our post-truth age of entitlement (1). Many scholars and editors have argued that proper motivation is fundamental to a quality research and promotion of publishing culture. Dissertations and scientific papers became commodities and mass products, the many of them offered little or nothing to scientific progress. Black market in academic papers and predatory publishing is a hot topic. Publishing ethics defines the ethical behavior in writing and submitting a scientific manuscript for publication (3-5). We need more convergence in our thinking on publishing ethics from the perspectives of professional, research, academic and medical ethics, business and political ethics in the light of universal versus particular ethics. Aim: The main goal of this presentation is to address the importance of educational and restorative approach in promoting publishing ethics in order to decrease need for retributive approach to the publication misconduct. The presentation is intended to be thought provoking how to promote epistemophilic publication culture. The method of De Bono’s six thinking hats will be used in order to achieve a joint vision on publication ethics. Results: The scientific studies of motivation to publish are very rare. Motivation to publish may be very different: wish to inform scientific community about own work and get comments and suggestions for further research, to speed career advance, to get or improve funding, to boost own ego, to protect copy right, etc. Recent years have witnessed increased attention for publication misconduct (authorship criteria failure, gift or ghost authorship, duplicate submission, redundant publication, duplicate publication, plagiarism, falsification, and fabrication of data), but much less for motivation for publishing pseudoscientific papers. In general, the issue how to increase proper motivation for publication has been studied very rarely. The career pressure to publish or perish and financial gain and ideology, as a set of ideas that forms one’s goals, expectations, and actions, seem to be strong incentives for publishing pseudoscientific papers. The erosion of the primary scientific interest in publishing by a secondary, commonly non-ethical interest has become a significant problem (5, 6). Publication pressure publish or perish may be associated with job-related burn-out in academic medicine. Conclusion: All clinicians have a professional ethical obligation to follow, understand and share the scientific evidence in a proper way. General purposes for making and publishing a paper should be informing or teaching others, and motivating others for cooperation or the mixture of some or all of these purposes. Common key words of good research and publishing are: integrity, motivation, capacity, understanding, knowledge, experience and creativity. Epistemophilia, the love of knowledge should be the impulse to investigate and publish. Publishing hodegetics and early education for epistemophilic publication culture and reinforcement of proper motivation for publishing is essential to stop falling into pitfall of publishing papers just to have papers to be published because of career and academic promotion and financial gains (4). Proper motivation is an integral component of assurance of scientific quality of published papers as well as scientific progress (6)., Introduction: Ethical issues regarding authorship have been present since antient times (1). Publication is the final affirmation of scholarly accomplishment. Academic advancement, “publish or perish,” as well as prestige, are other important driving forces. Finally, there are many financial benefits (direct and indirect) in publishing such as promotion and further research funding. Many of these forces can lead to ethical lapses, and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ (ICMJE) recommended guidelines for authorship are not reflected in current authorship practices within the domain of health sciences in both low-and high-impact-factor journals (1,2). Aim: To present some of ethical issues of authorship in medical scientific publishing. Methods: Article has an analytical character and review of literature. Results and Discussion: A number of studies have reported an increasing trend of papers with multiple authors in every scientific discipline within and across countries. „Significant contribution“ is an important criterion for authorship credit. Many journals currently adhere to the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which has established four criteria that each author of a paper should meet: Significant involvement in study conception/design, data collection, or data analysis/interpretation; Involvement in drafting or revising manuscript; Approval of final version of manuscript for publication; and Responsibility for accuracy and integrity of all aspects of research. However it is not enough for avoidance of non-ethical authorships. It has been described several of inappropriate types of authorship: a) guest authorship; b) honorary or gift authorship; c) ghost authorship; d) anonymous authorship; group authorship, etc. Honorary/gift authorship and ghost authorships are two extremes of scholarly malaise. In honorary/gift and ghost authorship, the idea of „significant contribution“ is not reflected in the author list. Someone who has contributed little or nothing gets to be an author. Similarly, a ghost author gets no credit for his/her contribution, as he/she is not on the author list (3). In three peer-reviewed journals in 1996 Flanagin et al. (4) found evidence that 19% and 11% of these papers involved honorary and ghost authorship, respectively. Many others found a similar pattern of honorary and ghost authorships or even more frequency of it. In recent study within the total number of respondents (69 academic workers from medical field) 34.8% of them were added as coauthors, although they did not have any input in the writing process. Even 47.8% of the respondents were under psychological pressure, that they have to add their superiors to the list of authors, though they did not have any contribution at any stage of the article preparation, while 29% of the respondents had a tacit agreement about mutual adding to the author’s list, and 36.2% added their superiors to the author’s list, in order that the first author would get a permission to publish the article in a certain journal (5).There are several ways in which authorship issues, i.e., who should be on the paper as author and who should not and the order of authorship could be solved. For example, the lead or principal author may decide who should be on the author list or cited in the acknowledgment section and who should not be in any of these. However, one still needs to bear in mind that, no matter how articulate the rules and guidelines are, they cannot cover all the contingencies (3). Conclusion: The ethical issue of authorship, although simple at first glance, is an extremely complex issue, and many malversations and violations of ethical principles can be found. Knowledge about formal authorship criteria is highly variable and majority of scientist are not familiar with existing criteria or do not consider formal criteria necessary. Editors could play a more active role in addressing inappropriate authorship by providing clear and unambiguous policies that inform and define deserving authorship and promote research and authorship integrity., Introduction: The biomedical knowledge collection is important for every citizen in a search for health. The amount of published research gives the impression that the right answer for every question is just there. This motivated, together with medical professionals, every individual to get access to what is published and grasp the relevant knowledge needed (1). Aim: The aim of this study was to discuss the possible sources for medical knowledge produced by current research activities, and the value of the knowledge being openly available to public. Results: The understanding of the knowledge in the digital society developed with the help of interdisciplinary and international network, Navigating Knowledge Landscapes (2). The individuals, being lay people or medical professionals, approach the knowledge using the Internet, in a hope to find the latest innovative game-changing knowledge that would apply to the medical issue in question. The most recent medical knowledge is embodied in the academic publishing, which gradually turns to be Open Access, freely available to everyone. In May 2016, the European Union announced “all scientific articles in Europe must be freely accessible as of 2020”. In ideal words,using the digital technologies and Open Access, the knowledge would be available to anybody who wants it. The amount of published articles make the search for the relevant knowledge extremely tedious. Cochrane promotes evidence-informed health decision-making based on sound medical research. To make this research accessible, Cochrane produces up-to-date systematic reviews and other synthesized research evidence to inform health decision making. Subsequently, Cochrane aims to put Cochrane evidence at the heart of health decision-making all over the world (3). The strategies like Open Access and Cochrane in relation to knowledge, and in particular health-related knowledge are indeed very important and should be supported and welcomed. The discussion is opened about the general impact of these activities, and if the availability of the knowledge would be a solution to provide the knowledge to those who need them. Our argument is that the current state of knowledge measured by number of publication is highly over-estimated (4,5). The knowledge is tentative and it changes constantly. Having 11,000 members and over 35,000 supporters from more than 130 countries, and producing a bit less than 8000 systematic reviews, as Cochrane does, is notable, but how this relates to what we do not know is the point of the controversy. Conclusion: Believing in absolute knowledge and the quest to make it available to both professionals and lay public is in opposition to the pluralistic, individual, and incomplete knowledge. The perception of this controversy is a key in providing health-related knowledge to the nowadays society., Introduction: Translation of parts or whole paper from one to another language with the identification of the author(s) is a simple translation, but if the author(s) are different it is called translational plagiarism (1). If the author translates his/her paper into another language and pledges it as another paper, it is called translational self-plagiarism (2). Some of the authors are using monolingual plagiarism, and multilingual plagiarism (3). Back-translation is a new approach using particular tools, when the text in English is taken and translated into another language, then “retranslated” again into the original language, thus hiding their plagiarism. Aim: This study aimed to present a method for verification of the translational plagiarism in the paper written in Macedonian and translated in a foreign language. Methods: Original document (written in Macedonian) was translated with Google Translator; suspected article (published in English pdf file) was converted into Word document and compared both documents with several programs for plagiarism detection (4). Results: It was found that both documents are identical in 71%, 78% and 82%, respectively, depending on the computer program used for plagiarism detection. It was obvious that the original paper was entirely plagiarized including six references from the original paper. System for plagiarism detection and analysis was developed and installed from the Ministry of Education and Science, the Republic of Macedonia. The students and researchers/scientists can easily upload their homework, bachelor’s thesis, master’s thesis, doctoral thesis (dissertation) and other published papers and documents. The system also provides a mechanism for comparing the uploaded documents with all the other documents that are already present in the system and to measure their originality, i.e. to detect if any of the content is already published (5). Unfortunately, the system is robust, language restricted, and the closed database is limited to the documents deposited in the local website only. A very small number of countries uses multilingual plagiarism detection (3,6-8), restricting plagiarism check to one language comparison and presenting false results. Conclusion: Plagiarism of the original papers written in Macedonian and translated in other languages can be verified after computerized translation in other languages. Later on, original and translated documents can be compared with available software for plagiarism detection., Introduction: Outsourcing is a business practice in which a company hires another company or an individual to perform tasks, handle operations or provide services that are either usually executed or had previously been done by the company’s own employees. One way of outsourcing in academic and scientific community is ghostwriting. The word describes a process in which a person or team provide writing services and compilation of finished scientific papers that are officially credited to another person as the author (ordering person). Aim: The aim of this lecture is to present available ghostwriting platforms, make clear distinction between ghost and guest authoring and discuss ethical aspects of ghostwriting. Results: The research of available specialized companies and ghostwriter individuals has been done and specific enquires for production of scientific paper were sent. Offers have varied in price, time needed to compile and potential to fulfill criteria for intended use of scientific paper. Many writer organizations have they own rules for authorship and contribution which have been assessed and compared (1). Different types of ghostwriting have been analyzed (individual publishing, advancement in academic grading, medical and pharmaceutical industry) and ethical responses and criticism from various types of stakeholders (2,3,4). Conclusion: It is difficult to determine how frequently ghostwriting occurs due to its covert nature. It is also very difficult to detect and reveal scientific papers which are compiled by ghostwriters, because they are original piece of scientific work, only credited to another person. Results of research are still work in progress and final conclusions will be presented during the lecture., Introduction: Publishing scientific papers of clinical research in peer-reviewed journals remain a major tool for distributing the medical results and informations to researchers and practitioners (1-3). The ethical issues in publishing of clinical research is always challenging and carries a great responsibility of submitting authors and editors for honesty and avoidance of misconduct as well (4). Aim: The objective of this paper is to explore the ethical principles in publishing of clinical research. Results: The objective of clinical research is to provide knowledge, truth and to avoid any mistake, deviations, unethical issues, fabrication, falsification and plagiarism (FFR). The author’s self-reports contribute to 1,0% in research conduct, while other registered agencies that sponsor research count 0,01% in medical un-ethics. Detection of FRR in publishing still remains the significant issue and requires sometimes a time to discover it. Deviations in reporting the results may be even more difficult to unmask since some authors are not even aware that their action is un-ethical. This may be due to lack of knowledge or to self-motivation. The vast majority of FFR was found in presenting the abstracts at various medical conferences and symposium since there is no strict control of such reports. One of the most frequent un-ethics in this example is ghost authorship. The industry sponsored clinical trials contribute to ghost authorship in a significant manner. Conclusion: Concerning these and other issues in publishing of clinical trials, the peer-reviewing process requires the strict and careful process, the control of statistical analysis, anti-plagiarism software as well as honesty and responsibility of researchers and submitting authors., Introduction: Relations between doctors in everyday clinical practice and pharmaceutical companies are permanent and numerous. If a clinician is involved in publishing, he or she publishes papers in professional journals, then a number of other relationships with pharmaceutical companies are opening up. Participation in clinical research is the third, even more important form of collaboration between clinicians and pharmaceutical companies. And as the fourth and perhaps most important for the pharmaceutical industry, is the involvement of clinicians in the development of clinical guidelines that have the most influential decision in the daily decision-making process in selecting appropriate pharmacotherapy. Aim: To present ethical issues about conflict of interest statement in journals by authors who are involved in promotion of drug. Results: Whether there is a significant conflict of interest, how to quantify it, and whether it needs to be limited. Is the “statement of conflict of interest” itself sufficient enough, which clinicians, and especially medical experts, point to the presentation of their exposure in public presentations? First of all, it is necessary to accept the universal definition of “conflict of interest” as position when it in a sufficiently usable and unavoidable fact in assessing whether it has it and how much it is. The definition of “conflict of interest” is given by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors as “The state of the presence of a conflict of interest when a professional judgment of a primary interest may be under the influence of a securitized interest” (i.e. when the validation of the patient’s condition will be affected by the financial or other convenience of the judge) (1,2). The “Official Guideline on the Methodology of Conflict of Interest Estimates” is most comprehensive publication Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education and Practice, published by the Institute of Medicine, Academies Press, 2009. Is it possible to set up a “red line” enough, which will disable the influence of the situation with the “conflict of interest” on widely-accepted adopted recommendations affecting “decision making”? Is it possible for reviewers of the medical journals to recognize the “conflict of interest” in the text that is being prepared for publication? It is certainly very difficult, even if the authors correctly state the potential conflict of interest. The sponsorship of pharmaceutical companies can also be indirect and do not contain a financial dimension, but there is a significant conflict of interest in all. Conclusion: It is too late to “bring order” to the publishing of medical literature with the intention of reducing the conflict of interest to the minimal impact on making medical decisions. But the “red line” must stand in the process of forming clinical guidelines, which in no way should be sponsored, and should be based on numerous publications in well-controlled and open clinical studies., Introduction: In the past decades, the publication of scientific research has been a very important factor in attracting public funding and support of scientific research. It is also the cornerstone of knowledge dissemination, as well as an essential criterion for academic and scientific evaluation. Hence the great interest in scientific ranking and evaluation of scientific journals, but also in scientific contribution of scientists. Aim: It is very difficult to apply right measures and scientific criteria that can objectively assess the scientific quality of the research and provide precise qualitative and quantitative data on which academic communities and funding agencies could base their decisions. Despite the evident shortcomings in the evaluation of scientific journals it is generally accepted that IF (Web of Science-WoS) and the total number of citations of all articles published in the journal represent a relevant measure of their value and scientific influence. However, the significance of scientists is much more complicated to establish since the relevance of the journals in which their articles are published does not directly reflect their scientific production. Therefore, evaluating the significance of scientists’ accomplishments justifiably involves the application of more sophisticated metric systems rather than just insight into their publication records. Results: A recent focus on scientific productivity leads to the competitive evaluation of scientists, creating incentives to maximize publication numbers, citation counts, and publications in high-impact journals. There are numerous bibliometric databases which are used in biomedical sciences. Most of them, such as Current Contents (section Clinical Medicine but also sections Life Sciences and Social & Behavioral Sciences) Journal Citation Reports (JCR), Index Medicus (Medline, PubMed) and Excerpta Medica (EMBASE), present and rank scientific journals only. Some of scientific databases such as Web of Sciences (including Science Citation Index (SCI), Social Science Citation Index (SSCI), Arts & Humanities Citation Index, and Emerging Sources Citation Index), H-index, Scopus and Scholar evaluate individual scientific contribution of a scientist. Zerem-score (Z-score) represents new criteria for the estimation of scientific merit of individual scientific effect of scientists. According to these criteria the overall scientific score of an author named as Z-score is calculated as the sum of two scores (author score and author citation score). The author score is calculated as the scientific value of the journal in which an article is published and the authors’ specific contribution in this article, whilst the author citation score is calculated as the total number of citations of all articles published by an author. Conclusions: Several authors consider that almost nothing in scientific institution can compare to the importance of publications issued in top scientific journals, claiming that they basically constitute the main source of recognizability. However, it is true that no single metric system is suitable for comprehensive evaluation of scientific research. Based on the long term experience, author is proposing the new criteria (named The Z-score) in order to estimate the scientific effect of scientists and institutions more objectively., Introduction: Approximately about 30% of US health care is inappropriate, or wasteful (overuse). Inly 55% of needed health services is delivered (underuse). Reasons for suboptimal care are the lack of high quality or failure to apply high quality evidence related to the effects of most health care interventions and suboptimal decision-making. Personal decisions are the leading cause of death and 80% of all health care expenditures are affected by physicians’ decisions (1,2,3). Evidence-based clinical practical guidelines (CPGs) as a key approach to improving clinical decision-making (1). Aim: To display the meaning of “Yes” bias in clinical practice. Results: Research included 101 participant from American Society of Hematology (ASH). Results: Data was collected before the meeting of AHS, during and one week after the meeting. The positive, statistically significant relationship between certainty of evidence and strength of recommendations only when the panels voted “FOR” intervention; this association disappeared when the panels voted “AGAINST” intervention (OR=3.6 (95%CI: 2.17 to 6.0; p, Introduction: Perinatal Medicine is a medical subspecialty concerned with the maintenance of health and long-term development of the fetus, neonate, and infant, requiring special knowledge, skills and attitudes for the prevention, diagnosis and management of disorders of this patient population (1). Oral perinatology deals with the influence of poor oral health on the pregnancy outcomes and the fetus. Methods: The first time the term ”oral perinatology”, and ”oral perinatologist” was mentioned in Khartoum in Sudan in 2016, by proposing member of ”Ian Donald Inter-University” Dr. sc. Selma Porović into International Academy of Perinatal Medicine, due to many international lectures and writings in this field. Results: Pediatric dentist, and dentist in general became a member of IAPM in Bucharest in May, 2018. The unfair neglected significance of dentistry as a medical branch is back to the focus of the essence. Oral perinatology becomes a branch that connects many specialties that deal with pregnancy and fetal health, while focusing on oral health and the two-way relationship between poor oral health and the outcome of pregnancy. The analysis of Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed Central, found that Journal of Perinatal Medicine (Official Journal of the World Association of Perinatal Medicine) and The Donald School Journal of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology are qualified to deal with this area. Conclusion: As a result of the newly designated field of medicine, we have already started several researches in front of the most prestigious Bosnian Herzegovinian institutions, which undoubtedly enhance the scientific identity of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the world map (2)., Introduction: Correct choice and administration of a statistical test are absolutely essential for meaningful interpretation of research data, yet mistakes are still frequent and could be easily found in published scientific papers or PhD theses (1). Although formally trained in statistics, PhD students are among those who make mistakes (2,3), and they need additional guidance by their mentors in order to avoid misuse of statistical methods and thereafter misinterpretation of the data collected (4, 5). Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze mistakes made by PhD students in statistical analysis of data collected during research within the framework of their thesis. Results: The study was designed as cross-sectional analysis of random sample (n=15) of PhD theses in pre-approval stage at Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Serbia. In total 7 (47%) theses had at least one mistake. The most frequent mistakes, found in more than 20% of theses were as the following: insufficient statistical power due to small sample size, non-random sample and use of a statistical test when standard conditions were not met (e.g. use of Chi-square test when one of the frequencies was zero, etc.). Other mistakes found in the sample were: inappropriate choice of non-parametric test for dependent groups, inappropriate validation of a questionnaire (no divergent criterion validation, lack of use of multi-trait, multi-method matrix, etc.) and lack of transparency (measures of variability not presented). Conclusion: Mistakes with statistical analysis made by PhD student are frequent, and lead to misinterpretation of the data. Training course in statistics during PhD studies should be re-evaluated, mentors should invest more effort to review the data and guide students through statistical analysis, and special statistical review board at Faculty or University level may improve the situation (3)., Science is changing the world at an ever-increasing pace. It is hard to imagine medicine, business, education, defense, government or society without revolutionizing achievements of science. It is safe to assume that this march of science will continue (1-4). But, where is it leading? What will the world look like in 10, 20, 50, or 100 years? How will it change lives of individual humans or whole societies? What are the anticipated benefits and challenges? This talk will attempt to answer some of these questions and raise new ones., Introduction: The part “Abstract” of article is the only part of the article that is published in conference proceedings, only part of the article that a potential referee sees when he is invited by an editor to review a manuscript and the only part of the article that readers see when they search through electronic databases such as PubMed (1). It represents a concise overview of the article, understandable and without reading the rest of the content, and can be published independently of it (2-4). Aim: To present the specifics of writing the “Abstract” in the scientific article. Result: There are three types of abstracts: descriptive, informative and structured. The descriptive abstract is specifically used for theoretical, methodological or review articles (150 words or less), informative abstract contains specific information given in the article (150 to 250 words in length) and the structured abstract is essentially an informative abstract with sections labeled with headings (250 to 300 words). A good “Abstract” shows the basic purpose, as well as the research aim, applied methodology, detailed results and important conclusions. It must be written in the language in which the article is written, in a third party and in a passive. Abstract cannot contain something that is not mentioned in the text itself. Conclusion: Abstract is the mirror of the work itself, and its writing requires big effort. It is recommended that each work begins with a temporary abstract and after completion of the full article, a concise abstract is formed. Abstract is the essence of what an author attracts attention to and keeps it until the end of article., Introduction: Current Contents Indexed Publications are publications that are indexed in the most prestigious journals (with the highest impact factors), and they are guide in the daily clinical work of a cardiologist (1). Aim: To present the number of articles from Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) in Current Contents database in the field of cardiology in the period 2011-2017. Results: During the seven-year period there are 14 papers in the field of cardiology in the Current Contents database. Out of this number, two are original articles (original research), one is a meta analysis and 11 represent the collaboration of member countries of the European Society of Cardiology (where the representatives of B&H are also), in the writing of guidelines or screening programs presentation. Also, two articles from pediatric cardiology (two original research) were published during mentioned period. Conclusion: Increase in the number of CC articles is an imperative for the new generation of cardiologists in B&H. For new generations of PhD students, the requirement for defending the PhD thesis is a publication of their thesis in the Current Contents Indexed journal. Is this requirement justified, in relation to the mentioned results, it is a question that requires much more analysis., Introduction: Selecting journal title to publish, considering duration of peer review process and the limited time for PhD thesis is a complex step for a young medical researcher. Journals provide information channels for scientific communications (1). The process of selecting a journal requires expertise, which all researchers do not have (2, 3). Aim: To provide a didactic step by step guide in selecting a scientific journal for paper publishing. Results: The first step is to determine aim and scope of the journal, which should match topic of article. Reading previous published journal issues helps in recognizing types of articles that can be published and technical normatives. Finding out Editor main research activity could be in favor to publish similar article. Author should determine what type of article is preferable in the journal of his interests. Journal indexation is very important for young researchers. Web of Science seems to be hard to reach for PhD students. Nevertheless we should try our best to publish in internationally recognized scientific databases (Web of Science, Scopus, Medline, PubMed). The aspiration of every young researcher should be Open Access journals, because that is only way to try to increase visibility of one’s work. The style of writing of scientific information is a scientific style and it does not mean only grammatical and spelling accuracy, but also the way of shaping the contents and sense of article (4-6). Each article should be written in a clear manner and to be accessible not only for professionals but to general population too. Writing an article and publishing requires ethical principles, high English proficiency skills in conversation with Editor and reviewers, because the impression that will be made there could prevail in accepting of our paper. Conclusion: Writing an article requires a lot of time and determination. Getting familiar with aims and scope of targeted journal, technical prerequisites and the length of peer review process is very important., Introduction: The Open Access model of article publishing is regarded as an imperative in contemporary scientific publishing. This model essentially should be free. Open access means providing access to scientific literature to anyone with a computer and an Internet connection, at no charge to the user (1). Scientific authors who pay to publish their articles in open-access publication should be cordially honored for doing so (2). Payment of an open access module is sometimes extremely expensive, and certainly poor countries can rarely afford it (3). This practice puts in difficult position researchers from low-income countries. Journals that are in top quality level often charge enormous amounts for choosing option “Open Access”. Without the Open Access model, every article is essentially meaningless, because every article should be open to readers, and be the basis for future research. Online libraries have great potential in terms of expanding knowledge, but they also present a major problem for many publishers because their rights can be violated (4). Aim: Presentation of online platforms for the archiving of scientific research papers and the presentation of their benefits. Results: Authors can individually manipulate with electronic forms of articles through the platforms (ResearchGate, Academia.edu, Kudos, Mendeley, exoplatform.com, BiomedExperts) which allow the author to individually upload articles, share articles and increase their visibility. The tendency is that every scientist has profile on these online platforms. Which of these platforms is conditionally better, is something, which can be related to personal preferences. With the mentioned platforms authors can manipulate in many ways (ranking on platforms are often questionable). There are also ethical issues in the use of these platforms, because often articles that are not Open Access, if uploaded from an author, become available to the general public. This raises the question of who is the owner of the article, the author or the journal, who is entitled to copyright. There are lot of question, but in the essence everything depends on the ethical policy of the journal or the ethics of author. Regardless of all, the aforementioned platforms represent a great source of knowledge for researchers, as well as the location of the authors’ promotion, as well as the place for creation of collaborations in scientific community. Conclusion: The digital era enabled easy access to knowledge. The fact is that in the future, the issue about these platforms will be getting bigger, and the boundary will have to be set. Which board will set that line is questionable. Until that moment, the mentioned platforms remain a great source of knowledge, for both students and professionals., Introduction: PhD thesis is the final part of the study program and represents the independent and original work of the candidates in the appropriate field, which, for the sake of its originality, is worth publishing (1-3). Aim: The aim of this lecture is to show the peculiarities of writing a doctoral dissertation. Results: PhD thesis should provide evidence that the candidate successfully uses methods in professional and scientific work, in exposing the results of the research, as well as being able to draw conclusions based on the previously set and realized research tasks. The dissertation is quite similar to a scientific article, but it is always more extensive for a number of reasons. For example, an article does not have to contain all the results of a particular research, but only those that are relevant, while the dissertation can also be the results of repetition of the same experiments to see the extent of the research itself. Quite supposedly, a dissertation should be considered and the dissertation should be written as a comprehensive review article with an inescapable description of your research results. It is important to give your personal comment, to reach its point of view, to give its judgment to the results so far, to be critical. As for the article, in the doctoral thesis we have to respect the previously established methodology and draw up a dissertation plan. It will be extremely important to be an Introduction and Discussion for judging the knowledge of the subjects of scientific thinking, while the Material and Methods, and the results will explain how the research was conducted and how the results of the research were presented (1-3). Since the doctoral thesis is a comprehensive scientific work, special attention should be paid to the Summary/abstract, because it will be read first and foremost. In the dissertation we also have an unavoidable chapter on the Rationale of the topic, in which we will clearly explain why we chose this theme and what we want to prove it is ultimately. Considering that the doctoral thesis is a scientific work with limited availability, it is highly desirable but acceptable that the results from the dissertation are published in the original article. Also, extensive dissertations can be the basis for more articles. Conclusion: The results presented in the doctoral dissertation should contribute to the systematization of scientific and professional tasks and existing solutions for a particular area, to solve the current scientific and professional task, set as the goal of work, the application of existing scientific and professional achievements in solving a complex scientific task., Introduction: That title is the most visible and most readable part the entire paper (1). Title appears in original journal and in secondary publications and serves to classify the article in individual scientific disciplines (2). Perhaps the most common grammatical error in defective titles is faulty syntax. An indicative title is recommended, which should be clear; attractive, refer to the hypothesis; indicate the intervention if it is provided; state the structure of the study (3). What is a good title? Day R. define it as the fewest possible words that adequately describe the contents of the paper (1). Aim: The aim of this paper is to show importance of the title, length, abbreviations and jargon, importance of syntax. Results: Title purpose is to attract researchers interested in this field of study, therefore, all words in the title should be chosen with great care (1). Association words with one another must be carefully managed (2). The importance of the title cannot be overstated as it is a major determinant of whether the paper will be read (3). It is the only aspect of the article that appears in many of the databases used for literature searches (3). The title should indicate the content of the work and should contain enough relevant “keywords” to enable readers to find this paper when searching a relevant database (1). Indexing and abstracting services depend heavily on the accuracy of the title (2). There are two types of titles: 1. Descriptive titles, which states the focus of the study, 2. Conclusion titles, which provide the authors’ main conclusion from their study (1). Descriptive title is prefer for research articles because it “lets the data speak for themselves” (1). In some Journal’s Instructions to Authors will specify which style of title to use (2). Often authors are asked to provide a running title. Running title should be chosen with care (2). Titles who are too short, obviously was not very helpful, also long and nonspecific titles are often less meaningful than short ones (2). Most excessively long titles contain “waste” words, right at the start of the title, words such as “Studies on,” “Investigations on,” “Observations on”, „Special approach ...” (3). This words should avoid because every scientific work is investigation, approach, observation (1). A general recommendation for title length is 5-10 words. Titles should almost never contain abbreviations, chemical formulas and jargon (1). Avoiding redundant and unnecessary words in the title will be best achieved if we analyze each written word in terms of assessing whether it is necessary as the key word, or is it the one that points to the essence of a problem without which the reader would not have the problem to be clear (3). Conclusion: What should be checked in the title: accurate, clear, complete, precise, concise, as short as possible? The qualities of good titles are: to be easy to remember, to provoke the reader to think, to attract attention, and to awaken interest. Title “sales” work! (1, 2, 3)., Introduction: The most common mean of sharing results, dilemmas, controversies in field of science is oral presentation (1,2). Presenter is challenged to comprise complicated research in one well delivered speech (3). Aim: This abstract is of descriptive character and aims to present means for preparation of good oral presentation. Results: First step is to identify key message of presentation as a core for developing the logical flow in story. The presentation should contain brief introduction, main results and conclusions. Introduction initiates attention of the audience, but results will keep them interested. Introduce new terms early in presentation because once an audience gets lost in unfamiliar terminology, they stop following. Results should be discussed as they get presented, concisely, clearly and in accordance to the key message. In the conclusion give two or three take home messages of what is improved after this presentation. Presenter must be confident in his words, not speaking too quick nor incomprehensible, adapting words to the target audience. Making an eye contact with an audience gives comfort to the presenter and engages audience with the storyline. Keep the attention of the audience with anecdotes, humorous remarks or pauses between section transition, but don’t digress from the story. Audience attention is the highest in the first 15 minutes. In addition to the oral presentation, there is usually visual aid used to emphasize ones words. Rehearse your presentation in timely manner, using bullet points, but never read from slides or cards. Conclusion: The thought of giving presentation is actually worse than doing it. Preparation and practice can strengthen ones confidence, but presenter-audience dynamic is unpredictable., Introduction: Poster is a visual aid in presenting your research, often starting vibrant discussion and can facilitate collaboration between researchers in common scientific field (1,2). Even though posters are often considered as a consolation prize for rejected oral presentations, good posters can actually improve ones scientific credibility, reputation and are valued as a part of postgraduate scientific work (3,4). The aim of the poster is to grab the attention of the audience which in turn will generate interest in presented area of research. Aim: This abstract is of descriptive character and aims to show the methodology behind designing a memorable poster, including important features which insure high quality end result. Results: Poster should contain the same chapters as a written paper: abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion. Choosing the right format is a key component of successful poster. Guide the audience with arrows and numbers in logical flow. Never use less than 24 point font size, make sure that key components are at eye level and that the title is readable from 3 m distance. The title should be short, sharp and compelling, inviting audience to find out more. Content must be concise and informative, yet encourage the audience to engage in discussions. Graphic elements should be relevant to the subject matter, clear, to the point, and attractive, not less than 13 x 15 cm. Conclusion: In a vast sea of posters, you need to stand out. Most people are more likely to remember the presenter rather than the poster itself. Successful presentation is a soft skill that enables you to sell your work to interested parties in short time. Having handouts given to the audience can help distinguish yourself from others.

An effective and efficient disposal of assets confiscated from criminals is crucial to ensure that confiscation policies reach their expected objectives. If any problems arise in the last phase of confiscation proceedings, the efforts made by the criminal justice system in tracing, seizing and confiscating criminal assets can be brought to nought. Notwithstanding its importance, only limited attention has been given to the topic. Recently, EU institutions have shown an increasing interest toward a peculiar form of disposal, which involves giving criminal proceeds back to the communities affected by crime and promoting their use in line with communal needs: social reuse. So, for example, Directive 2014/42/EU invites Member States to ‘consider taking measures allowing confiscated property to be used for public interest or social purposes’. This article responds to these questions: which Member States envisage the social reuse of confiscated assets? Could other Member States adopt it and, if so, under which conditions? And what about acceding countries, using the Republic of Macedonia as a case study?

The development of the capital market considered thru the market capitalization coefficient (in total amount and in percentage changes) in relation with the GDP of the Republic of Macedonia is the subject of research of this paper. The analysis identifies and explains the factor of capital market development. The focus of the paper is to determine the effects of different factors on the capital market development in the Republic of Macedonia. For these purpose a multivariate linear regression is conducted using the data from 1997-2013. The analysis indicates that the capital market in the Republic of Macedonia is small and underdeveloped. Therefore the economic growth factors taken into consideration for the research have not shown considerable impact on the capital market due to its underdevelopment.

AIM: To determine whether cigarette smoking, as a risk factor for CAD, affects oxidative stress. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included patients with CAD divided according to smoking status and number of cigarettes smoked during a whole day. In all subjects were examined biological markers of oxidative stress (concentration of oxidants and activity of antioxidant enzymes). RESULTS: The study included 300 patients with CAD, with an average age of 62.97 ± 11.18 years, with a predominance of males. Of the total, 34.0% were active smokers, and 43.0% were non-smokers. The number of the most active smokers smoked cigarettes 1-20/day. In terms of concentration of oxidants (MDA and HP) it has not proved a significant difference between smokers versus non-smokers. Over the activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT and GPX) statistically significant difference was found in the activity of GPX and among active smokers with CAD and non-smokers with CAD (p = 0.039). CONCLUSION: Smoking as a risk factor for CAD is closely associated with increased oxidative stress and the number of cigarettes smoked plays an important role in increasing the level of oxidative damage and reduced antioxidant defence. AIM: To determine whether cigarette smoking, as a risk factor for CAD, affects (anti)oxidant status. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included patients with CAD, divided according to their smoking status and the number of cigarettes smoked during a day. Biological markers of oxidative stress (concentration of oxidants and activity of antioxidant enzymes) were measured in all subjects. RESULTS: The study included 300 patients with CAD, (average age of 63 ± 11 years), predominantly males. Of the total, 34.0% were active smokers, 23.0% were former smokers, and 43.0% were non-smokers. Most of the active smokers smoked 1-20 cigarettes/day. In terms of concentration of oxidants (MDA and HP) there was not a significant difference between smokers versus non-smokers. As for the activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT and GPX), a statistically significant difference was found in the activity of GPX among the active smokers with CAD and the non-smokers with CAD (p = 0.039). CONCLUSION: Smoking as a risk factor for CAD is closely associated with increased oxidative stress, and the number of cigarettes smoked plays an important role in increasing the level of oxidative damage and reducing antioxidant defence.

BACKGROUND: Acute first-ever ischemic stroke (FIS) is a heterogeneous, polygenic disorder. The contribution of vascular genetic variants as inherited causes of ischemic stroke has remained controversial. AIM: To examine the association of genetic variants in vascular factors with the occurrence of FIS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The current research was performed in a group of 39 patients with FIS (study group) and 102 healthy volunteers (control group). We analyzed the prevalence of vascular genetic variants in following genes: factor V, prothrombin, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), factor XIII, plasminogen activator 1, endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR), apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein E, β-fibrinogen, human platelet antigen 1, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and lymphotoxin alpha. RESULTS: It was found that heterozygous LTA 804C>A and FXIII V34L Leu/Leu were significantly more frequent in patients with FIS than in control group (p = 0.036 and p = 0.017, respectively). The frequency of FXIII V34L Val/Val was significantly lower in patients with FIS than in control group (p = 0.020). Other frequencies of vascular gene variants in patients with FIS and in control group were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first comprehensive study to present data indicating that polymorphism of vascular genes in the prevalence of acute FIS exists in the Albanian population from the Republic of Macedonia. Variations in these genes have been detected in patients with acute FIS, suggesting that their combination might act in a susceptible or protective manner in this Albanian population.

BACKGROUND: Patients with schizophrenia have severe problems with personal and social relations which affect their quality of life.AIM: The aim of the paper was to monitor personal and social relations in patients with schizophrenia and to find out the differences regarding socio-demographic characteristics and ambulatory and day hospital treatment.MATERIAL AND METHODS: The investigation included 120 subjects each with diagnosis F20 according to ICD 10 criteria; divided into two groups of 60 patients regarding their actual treatment (the first group received ambulatory care whereas those from the second group had a day hospital treatment). Patients were of different age and gender, receiving regular antipsychotic therapy. They were included in individual and group psychosocial therapeutic procedures during the day hospital treatment. The investigation utilised the following diagnostic instruments: standardised clinical interview and Personal and social performance scale (PSP scale), a non-standardized questionnaire of socio-demographic data, family support and existence of mental disorder in other family members.RESULTS: The results have shown better personal and social functioning in patients who had family support, in those who are employed, in those with no mental disorder in other family members and in patients on day hospital treatment against patients receiving ambulatory care.CONCLUSION:Day hospital treatment, family support and social support improve the ability for personal and social contacts of patients with schizophrenia.Â

Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze relative citation ratio (RCR) of top twenty Macedonian biomedical scientists with a new metric that uses citation rates to measure influence at the article level.Material and Methods: Top twenty Macedonian biomedical scientists were identified by GoPubMed on the base of the number of deposited abstracts in PubMed, corrected with the data from previously published paper, and completed with the Macedonian biomedical scientists working in countries outside the Republic of Macedonia, but born or previously worked in the country. iCite was used as a tool to access a dashboard of bibliometrics for papers associated with a portfolio.Results: The biggest number of top twenty Macedonian biomedical scientists has RCR lower than one. Only four Macedonian biomedical scientists have bigger RCR in comparison with those in PubMed. The most prominent RCR of 2.29 has Rosoklija G. RCR of the most influenced individual papers deposited in PubMed has shown the biggest value for the paper of Efremov D (35.19). This paper has the biggest number of authors (860).Conclusion: It is necessary to accept top twenty Macedonian biomedical scientists as an example of new metric that uses citation rates to measure influence at the article level, rather than qualification of the best Macedonian biomedical scientists.

The Republic of Macedonia even 25 years after its independence and the beginning of the transition process is still characterized by a high level of human insecurity. In developing countries such as Macedonia, primary threats to security are coming from within the national borders, expressed in economic vulnerability and weak state. Taking into consideration the wide scope of issues covered by the human security concept, this research paper explores and analyses human security challenges in the country with particular reference to the socio-economic and political components. With the aim to identify the key security challenges the country is facing and in view of that to propose relevant public policies that would enable strengthening of the weak state, establishing the state as a provider of human security, and integrating it into the European and Euro-Atlantic structures. The research results are based on the application of content analysis of specialized literature, academic papers, and media as well as analysis of official statistical data undertaken from relevant international institutions. They will show that the transition process is still unfinished due to the complex political and economic situation, implying that economic prosperity and stable democracy are still not achieved. The main assumption of this paper is that human security challenges are potential security risks and might be probable cause for renewing conflicts and destabilizing the country due to injustice. The assumption is because weak democratic institutions, contested identity, and slow economic growth are security challenges for the country.

AIM: The aim of this study was to show how to verify plagiarism of the paper written in Macedonian and translated in foreign language.MATERIAL AND METHODS: Original article “Ethics in Medical Research Involving Human Subjects”, written in Macedonian, was submitted as an assay-2 for the subject Ethics and published by Ilina Stefanovska, PhD candidate from the Iustinianus Primus Faculty of Law, Ss Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje (UKIM), Skopje, Republic of Macedonia in Fabruary, 2013. Suspected article for plagiarism was published by Prof. Dr. Gordana Panova from the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University Goce Delchev, Shtip, Republic of Macedonia in English with the identical title and identical content in International scientific on-line journal "SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGIES", Publisher "Union of Scientists - Stara Zagora".RESULTS: Original document (written in Macedonian) was translated with Google Translator; suspected article (published in English pdf file) was converted into Word document, and compared both documents with several programs for plagiarism detection. It was found that both documents are identical in 71%, 78% and 82%, respectively, depending on the computer program used for plagiarism detection. It was obvious that original paper was entirely plagiarised by Prof. Dr. Gordana Panova, including six references from the original paper.CONCLUSION: Plagiarism of the original papers written in Macedonian and translated in other languages can be verified after computerised translation in other languages. Later on, original and translated documents can be compared with available software for plagiarism detection.

The question of quality of private and public high educational institutions in the Republic of Macedonia is being asked every academic year and results in numerous public debates which very often lead to stereotyping of individual institutions. This paper provides a comparative overview of the situation in the private and public high education system in the country through the analysis of subjective and objective indicators based on which a comparison is made between two types of high education institutions. The instruments used in the comparative analysis of subjective and objective indicators are statistical data, application of the SWOT method for comparative analysis between the units, as well as usage of various methods and techniques to improve the quality of high education. This comparative analysis raises questions and offers recommendations for the potential improvement of the quality of work of these institutions. The intent is to encourage continuous comparative evaluation and proposing practices for continuous development and growth of quality in the high education in the country. Keywords: Bologna Declaration, Reforms, Education System, Higher Education, Republic of Macedonia.

The recent economic and financial crisis caused a severe blow to the fragile Macedonian economy, halting the positive development trends in the last decade. This, has in turn, intensified the future challenges. The paper intends to analyze the impact of global economic crisis on the Macedonian economy focuses mainly on the macroeconomic level, identifying and analyzing fluctuations of major macroeconomic indicators that reflect the development and macroeconomic balances of the economy, such as GDP, the level of employment, inflation, budget deficit, public debt, etc. Secondary analysis of previous quantitative data and published studies, combined with an own qualitative study in the field, has provided a reliable and convincing basis for analysis. The experiences and lessons taken from the global economic crisis should serve as a basis for changing the current economic model with a new one in order the economy of the country to catch a connection with the intense changes that are expected to occur in the coming period. It is expected that creating new economic model in Republic of Macedonia will result in multiple positive effects that primarily manifested in the increasing number of newly small and medium enterprises, domestic investments, industrial production, GDP, number of new employees and total exports as well as in reduction of the trade deficit in maintaining macroeconomic stability of the country.

This paper is focused on the cultural values and practices of young women in the Republic of Macedonia who expressed their views on certain aspects of life. The data used derives from the European Values Study project conducted in 2008 in the Republic of Macedonia as part of international longitudinal research. The attitudes of young women aged 18 to 31 were analyzed in the context of the following cultural values and practices: life priorities; self-perception of personal happiness; trust and social distance; professional development; preferred leisure activities; acceptance or rejection of certain behaviors and lifestyles; attitudes towards marriage and family and the status of women in modern society. The paper aims to show the self-perception of young women concerning their place and role in the Macedonian society - a society burdened by the consequences of the prolonged economic and political transition, and furthermore, its inter-ethnic consolidation and Euro-Atlantic integration.

Media is the main source of information about crime and the way it is displayed determines the position and public perception of this phenomenon. In addition to showing the commission of crime and its state, media are obliged to cover not only the activities of the criminal justice system within the framework of formal social control, but even more, the activities of civil society organizations and the Ombudsman as part of informal social control in combatting agaist crime. Because of the perception of their action, the questions that arise are: How the media understands the civil society and its role, how they transmit their public discourse, what they choose to publish, whom they protect, whom they marginalise and what message they send to the public? An analysis of these issues along with an analysis of current offenses is of particular importance in order to determine whether the media give a true or distorted picture of crime. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to present results of the survey of media coverage of violent crime in the Republic of Macedonia.

In the Republic of Macedonia, construction and demolition (C&D) waste is often dumped, underestimating the potential recycling and re-use as raw materials for civil engineering works and/or cement/ceramic industries. SAMCODE (Sustainable Approach to Managing Construction and Demolition Waste) is a know-how exchange program, the focus of which is chemical characterisation in terms of major and trace elements in order to evaluate the possible Macedonian C&D waste recycling. Thirty-nine C&D waste samples were collected from different dumps in Skopje and surroundings. X-ray fluorescence analyses, carried out on powdered samples, show i) highly variable concentrations, indicative of the heterogenous nature of C&D waste, and ii) high concentration in Cr, Ni, and Zn with respect to Italian, Chinese, and Dutch tolerance limits, probably due to the presence of these elements in ophiolitic rocks and sulphide-bearing deposits, used as raw material in building activity. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analyses of leachates, performed to assess the mobility of heavy metals, show significant concentrations of Cr, and to a lesser extent, Ni. Results suggest that homogenisation processes of the recycled materials should be implemented and preliminary screening of C&D waste should be performed to eliminate heavy metals-bearing components.