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Aim. To assess the incidence of glucose metabolism disorders, administered hypoglycemic therapy and its effectiveness in a cohort of patients with previously diagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM) hospitalized for scheduled lower limb joint arthroplasty. Materials and methods. The study included 502 patients. Medical history, information about previously diagnosed DM and prescribed hypoglycemic therapy were collected in all patients according to medical documentation, as well as according to the patients’ survey. Within the preoperative examination, the glucose level was measured, and in patients with previously diagnosed diabetes, measuremaent of the HbA1c level was recommended. Results. The study population included 180 (35.9%) males and 322 females (64.1%). Among them, 99 (19.7%) patients had disorders of glucose metabolism [type 1 diabetes – 1 (0.2%) patient, type 2 diabetes – 90 (17.9%) patients, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) – 8 (1.6%) patients]. In 8 patients, type 2 diabetes was newly diagnosed during the preoperative examination. HbA1c was measured before hospitalization in 26 patients with diabetes, the mean level was 7.0±1.4%. Regarding the analysis of hypoglycemic therapy, almost half of the patients with DM – 47 (47.5%) – received metformin monotherapy, 8 patients with IGT and 8 patients with newly diagnosed DM did not receive any drug therapy. Target glycemic levels during therapy were achieved in 36 (36.4%) patients, and target HbA1c levels were achieved in 21 patients. Conclusion. The cohort of patients hospitalized for elective lower limb joint arthroplasty is characterized by a relatively high incidence of glucose metabolism disorders, and in some patients, DM was newly diagnosed during the preoperative examination. Metformin is most often used as hypoglycemic therapy, and the target values of glycemia during treatment were achieved in less than half of the patients. The monitoring of the level of glycated hemoglobin is low and requires additional population analysis in order to determine the causes and optimize the strategy of patient management.

The modern trends of life and work "without borders" result in an increase in cross-border crime, which also affects the increase in the number of criminal proceedings in which there is a need for the cooperation of competent authorities from several countries. In these cases, the high standard of rights of accused persons reached in Europe imposes the need for harmonization of regulations, primarily those related to the most important rights of the suspect or accused person, such as the right to information and the right to interpretation and translation. In the European Union, after the adoption of the Resolution on the road map for strengthening the procedural rights of accused persons in criminal proceedings (adopted by the Council in 2009) and since then several other directives and decisions relevant to this issue, a lot of time has passed, and various procedural solutions in states still exist, which is why it is necessary to further develop and harmonize these rules so as not to call into question the basic principles of international legal assistance in criminal matters, primarily the principle of mutual trust and the principle of mutual recognition of decisions. A significant step in the further development of cross-border cooperation in criminal matters at the level of the European Union is the proposal of the Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council on the transfer of criminal proceedings, from 2023, in relation to which the need for a firm and explicit establishment of the standard of the defendant's rights has already been highlighted by the professional public. Solutions that are not fully harmonized with the European Union regulations related to the rights of the accused person, which are also important for cross-border cooperation. In the paper, the authors deal with the analysis of the rights of accused persons in the relevant directives of the European Union and the rights given to them in the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Republic of Serbia, primarily the right to information and the right to interpretation and translation.

IntroductionSelf-immolation is an uncommon way of attempting and committing a suicide, with a fatality rate of 80%. The risk factors in self-immolation victims vary depending on demographic characteristics, socio-economic and cultural factors as well as religious beliefs. Whether the COVID-19 pandemic was a potentially important stressor for self-immolation is still unknown, with insufficient studies examining this issue. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to examine the trend of self-immolation in a 13-year timeline, and the potential association of COVID-19 pandemic with the increase in the incidence and severity of self-immolation injuries in Serbia in 2021.Materials and methodsThe study included hospitalized patients due to intentional burns caused by self-immolation in the period from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2021. Joinpoint regression analysis was used for the analysis of continuous linear trends of self-immolation cases with change points.ResultsWhile a rising trend was observed in the 2008–2013 time segment, followed by a decline in the upcoming 2013–2016 time segment, a significant increase reached its maximum during COVID-19 pandemic (2021), with annual percent change of 37.1% (p = 0.001). A significant increase in the median number of cases per year was observed during 2021 compared to the previous periods (7.5 vs. 2). Frequency of patients with a psychiatric diagnosis vs. those without a psychiatric diagnosis was significantly higher during than before the COVID-19 period (66.7 vs. 36.1%, p = 0.046).ConclusionIn our study, a significant increase in the frequency of suicide attempts by self-immolation during COVID-19 pandemic was noticed. There was also an increased frequency of pre-existing psychiatric illness among patients during the pandemic period. With limited high-quality data available, the study adds to a rising body of evidence for assessment of outcomes of the pandemic on mental health and recognition of stressors for self-immolation.

Since one of the main goals of teaching geometry is to provide students with the opportunity to develop spatial reasoning, it is important to find the most suitable support for learning 3D geometry in elementary school. This paper compares Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and physical manipulatives support, with the aim to answer if their use produces different effects on students' spatial reasoning. The participants in the study were 74 4th graders (10-11 years old) who were assigned to two equal groups that attended a month of the experimental program. Group EICT learned with the ICT support and group EMAN learned with physical manipulatives support. The results showed that there was no difference in students' 3D geometry achievement regardless of the support that was used, and that both supports provided learning access for all students. According to our results, teaching geometry should be directed to the complementary use of physical manipulatives and ICT support, depending on the technological and software resources available to schools and teachers' preference of the support. ICT can assist in achieving learning equity, but there is a need for a systematic development of the ICT sources that could be used as instructional manipulatives, their promotion, and the support for the teachers.

The idea of the European Public Prosecutor's Office as a supranational body has been part of the academic and political discussion on the development of the common area of criminal justice of the European Union since the 1990s. The European Commission presented a proposal for the establishment of such a body in 2013, which was followed by negotiations between the member states and the EU institutions, in order to find a balance between the preservation of the sovereignty of the member states in the domain of criminal law and the effective protection of supranational value, i.e. the protection of the financial interests of the Union. The European Public Prosecutor's Office was established in 2017, and represents a form of enhanced cooperation between member states that have decided to participate in the work of the European Public Prosecutor's Office. After the organizational, normative, personnel and technical prerequisites have been met, the European Public Prosecutor's Office started its work on June 1, 2021. In this paper, the authors analyze the process of fulfilling the previous conditions, the beginning of work and the activities of the European Public Prosecutor's Office so far.

This paper deals with research into organisational difficulty and ethical dilemmas, as well as the efficiency of group therapy of men who were sent to group therapy treatments due to intimate partner relationship violence. This type of intervention has recently been recognised in Serbia as an important factor in the protection against domestic violence. Nevertheless, its use has remained sporadic and in order to be able to understand reasons for this, we have found helpful an analysis of the social context, but also the views of experts and the general public regarding domestic violence in our country. The public and experts alike have a firm position in terms of treating domestic violence perpetrators: batterers are almost as a rule male. The research question as the focal point of further analysis was the following: Whether or in which way such a discourse affects the work of practitioners and personal development of the clients - participants in group therapy? To obtain the answer, we have conducted an in-depth interview with one of practitioners in the Belgrade Marriage and Family Counselling Centre, who has been in charge of this programme since it was first launched (2012). As it turns out, both the practitioners and the clients are faced with multiple challenges. The practitioners are faced with their efforts being ignored by experts (by fellow practitioners and prosecutors and judges alike), the absence of systemic support and institutional networking, as well as with professional burnout. The clients often see themselves as victims of the system; they are the subject of a socially imposed ideological reshaping and, therefore, not infrequently they demonstrate resistance to efforts aimed at achieving their personal change and so they leave the programme before it is actually completed. Bearing in mind such outcomes, we believe that it is necessary to work on a change of the prevalent discourse relative to violence and possible ways of preventing violence, on recognising the significance of group therapy of batterers as a potentially important alternative route in working with victims and perpetrators of domestic violence and, finally, on initiating an interdisciplinary discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of sociotherapy treatment.

Introduction: According to the ATC system of drug classification, group R06 includes H1 antihistamines for systemic use, which are divided into drug groups of the 1st and 2nd generation. Aim: Since there are no national guidelines in Serbia, for treating most allergic diseases, our aim was to compare pharmaceutical products and treatment strategies of systemic antihistamines use in Serbia with that in the Nordic countries that have been recognized as countries with good pharmacoeconomic practice. Material and methods: Data on drug consumption in the Republic of Serbia, the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of Finland, and the Kingdom of Denmark were collected from the publications of national drug regulatory agencies for the period from 2009 to 2019. Results: Loratadine was the most commonly consumed antihistamine in Serbia in 2009, making 72.32% of the total consumption of drugs in the R06 group. During observed period the consumption of cetirizine increased 21.8 times, levocetirizine increased 36.6 times, desloratadine increased 2.6 times. The most commonly used antihistamines in Serbia in 2016 were: loratadine with 34.86%, followed by desloratadine with 18.70%, and ketotifen with 14.52% of the total consumption of drugs in the R06 group. In 2019, the most commonly used antihistamines were levocetirizine, loratadine, desloratadine and cetirizine. In Norway as well as in Finland and Denmark, during all eleven years (2009-2019) cetirizine was the most consumed antihistamine with mild increase trend in consumption of 1.5-5.74-20.5%. The second most consumed antihistamine in Norway and in Finland was desloratadine and in Denmark, fexofenadine. A decrease in consumption was recorded in case of loratadine in all three Scandinavian countries. First generation antihistamines promethazine and dexchlorpheniramine showed a continuous but minimal downward trend. Conclusion: Unlike Norway, Sweden and Denmark, in Serbia in the last 11 years, the consumption trends of antihistamines have not been consistent and seem to depend on various factors such as price.

Introduction: Carotenoids are liposoluble plant pigments. The most common in the human diet are a-carotene, b-carotene, b-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Methods: This article provides an overview of the findings on carotenoids to date, their depots in body, recommended daily doses and mechanisms of protective action. We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, SCIndex, Dimension, Scopus and Google for English and Serbian language abstracts, using the searching terms "carotenoids", "provitamin A", "antioxidants", "cardiotoxcity", "prevention" and "NADES". Topic: After being metabolised in intestinal mucosa (with the help of bile acids) and absorbed, carotenoids are mainly stored in the liver and adipose tissue. Major impact on carotenoids bioavailability is the nature of matrix/medium in which they are dissolved. The latest generation of non-toxic "green" solvents, the so-called NADES (natural deep eutectic solvents) are in special focus of research today. Lycopene has been confirmed to improve sperm efficiency, raising incidence of pregnancy. Regarding cardiovascular diseases, trans forms inhibit process of atherosclerosis, most likely by increasing HDL levels. Low serum b-carotene and b-cryptoxanthin concentrations is associated with increased mortality from heart diseases, but also stroke. Carotenoids also can cause apoptosis in TE1 cells of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. The recommended daily doses are still not standardized, due to lack of studies performed. A group of provitamin A carotenoids, when converted to vitamin A, participate in the regulation of vision and prevention of eye diseases (xerophthalmia, macular degeneration, night blindness, ulcerations, scars). They are also associated with potential influences on reproduction, embryogenesis, immune system, intracellular connections as well as metabolic pathways. Studies indicate their influence in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, but also various malignancies. Conclusion: The literature data so far has indicated that carotenoids are a good choice in the prevention and treatment of various diseases, however, they are still insufficiently researched to deffine preventive and/or therapeutic doses.

Introduction: Doxorubicin is an antibiotic from the anthracycline group, with clinical use limited by adverse reactions, primarily cardiotoxicity. Material and Methods: This article provides an overview of therapeutic and toxic doses of doxorubicin, the mechanism of side effects, markers for early detection as well as currently available preparations for preventing its toxicity. We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, SCIndex, Dimension, Scopus and Google for English and Serbian language abstracts, using the searching terms "doxorubicin", "cardiotoxicty", "carotenoids", "oncology", "oxidative stress", "DNA damage" and "biomarkers". Topic: The mechanism of side effects is still unclear and is considered to be multifactorial including ROS overproduction, reducing levels of endogenous antioxidants, DNA damage, large drug accumulation in cardiac tissue, calcium overload, histamine release, and impairment of autoimmune regulation of cardiac function Manifestations of cardiotoxicity are mainly acute (appear inside 24h atypical changes of ST segment, decrease in QRS complex voltage, tachycardia and supraventricular extrasystoles are observed, but can also be subacute and chronic (cardiomyocyte edema, disorganzation, fibroblast proliferation, necrosis). Diagnosis of cardiotoxicity is based on ECG, ECHO, and biochemical markers, among which the most important are troponins, while pathohistological verification is necessary for the final diagnosis. Some medications (carvedilol, atorvastatin) have showed some level of cardioprotection against DOX, but there is no overall agreement on their administration solely for this purpose. An increasing number of studies have tested various dietary supplements and natural preparations (already in the human diet) in order to discover those that could completely prevent or reduce the toxic effects of doxorubicin, with special focus on carotenoids. Conclusion: Cardiotoxicity is the leading side effect of doxorubicin, and therefore there is an active search for either new biomarkers and/or diagnostic protocols that would detect toxicity in time, as well as substances able to prevent the occurrence or alleviate DOXinduced cardiotoxicity.

The notion of expression equivalence is one of the terms that has been recognized in the literature as key to understanding algebraic ideas. To understand this term, the context used as a basis for developing meaning is important, as well as the language in which generalizations are expressed. The aim of this paper is twofold: a) to examine whether the context of a textual task and modeling activities influence the understanding of the transformation of expressions into equivalent forms; b) determine whether the understanding of the equivalence of the expression is affected by the level of abstractness of the expression (algebraic or arithmetic). The research is of a quasi-experimental design with two experimental groups and one control group. The sample consists of 148 fourth-graders. The existence of statistically significant differences between the students of the experimental groups and the control group suggests that the modeling process influences the development of the notion of expression equivalence. This research did not show any differences in the results of the students who were taught using algebraic or arithmetic expressions. This implies that the understanding of equivalence developed through the modeling process is not related to the level of abstractness of the mathematical language used, but that, based on understanding the meaning of the term, students can transform arithmetic and algebraic expressions with equal success.

In order to improve cooperation between the competent authorities of the Member States, a mechanism for the exchange of data for the needs of criminal proceedings has been developed at the level of the European Union. Among the elements of that mechanism are the instruments created by the Prum decisions from 2008. The implementation of these decisions has removed barriers to the cross-border movement of certain categories of information, by allowing the competent authorities of one Member State to allow the competent authorities of another Member State to access and search certain databases. Although the Prum Framework is considered a successful instrument of police co-operation, several significant obstacles have been identified over time that hinder the timely and unhindered exchange of data and thus affect the efficiency of investigations. The paper discusses the necessity and direction of the revision of the Prum framework in order to modernize the instruments of data exchange.

Inadequate disposal of waste in landfills produces harmful effects on the environment and human health. In order to prevent or reduce them to a minimum, states devise alternative approaches to waste management and / or prescribe technical requirements for landfilling. In the European Union the Landfill Directive has been adopted, which aims to ensure the gradual reduction of amount of waste disposed in landfills, especially those suitable for recycling or other disposal operations, as well as to provide for measures, procedures and guidelines to prevent or minimize the adverse effects of landfills on the environment, by stipulating strict operational and technical requirements for waste and landfills. The subject of this paper is the analysis of the content of the Directive and its application, with special reference to the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union in proceedings against Member States that have not complied with the obligations set out in this Directive.

Encryption has become an integral part of modern life. It is without a doubt of great importance for the realization of some of the basic human rights in the ubiquitous technical environment, for the daily use of numerous online services, as well as for the functioning of the Internet in general. On the other hand, the authorities in charge of detecting and proving crime are increasingly facing obstacles when accessing encrypted content. Namely, encryption represents a kind of challenge in the implementation of both general and special evidentiary actions. This paper is dedicated to understanding the technical aspects of this challenge. The author explains the basic principles on which encryption technology is based, pointing out the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption, between encryption of stored data and data encryption in transit, and between server-based and user-based encryption, and its implication for investigation of crime.

In this paper we deal with the research of the relation between risk behaviour forms among young people in Serbia and the assumed risk factors. This paper is aimed at using the criminology theory in order to test the effect of environmental factors on more broadly understood risk behaviour of young people. The conceptual framework of the study is founded on the general criminology theory of R. Agnew, while the hypothesis directing our research is: Features of the social environment as well as individual and family characteristics constitute the strain factors pushing a young person into risk behaviour. For the data of the representative study on young people (N=1186) aged between 15 and 29, conducted in 2015, we applied the statistical technique of multilevel modelling which ensures the establishment of relations with risk behaviour forms at individual and contextual levels. The findings of the multilevel analysis indicate that individual and contextual factors are equally important in the understanding of risk behaviour forms. In other words, gender and age, as well as social disorganization and culture of violence constitute a fertile soil for risk occurrence.

Possession of accurate, complete and reliable relevant data on electronic communications traffic and timely access of authorized competent state bodies to such data is without a doubt a useful tool in the fight against modern forms of crime. For that reason, it is justified to establish an obligation for providers of electronic communications services to keep certain data on communications for a certain period of time in the realization of which they mediate and to hand over that data at the request of authorized state bodies, in order to use them for legitimate purposes. For this reason, the Data Retention Directive was adopted in 2006, which Member States were required to transpose into national law. However, data retention poses a risk to basic human rights and freedoms, if the regulation establishing this obligation does so without respecting the essence of these rights and freedoms, especially the right to privacy and rights related to the processing of personal data, for which reason the Court of Justice of the European Union declared the Directive invalid is 2014. Despite this decision, Member States continue to regulate the obligation to retain data in their national regulations. In this regard, the question of compliance of these regulations with the fundamental rights and freedoms and principles of the Union is raised. The subject of the paper is the analysis of the case law of the Court of Justice of the EU on this issue after the annulment of the Data Retention Directive.

Air pollution in urban areas is currently one of the major risks to the environment and human health. Directives at the level of the European Union require Member States to monitor and control the concentration of certain pollutants in the air, especially in urban areas. However, despite the fact that there is a legal framework for controlling the concentration of air pollutants, the data show that a number of Member States fail to meet air quality standards, and thus to protect the health of the population. This paper presents individual air quality standards in urban areas at the level of the European Union and analyzes the application of these standards through several examples. In addition, the multiple importance of the control system for the concentration of certain air pollutants in urban areas was pointed out, in terms of the impact of polluted air on human behavior and the growth of crime rates.

The paper will discuss the characteristics of transition in adulthood of young people with mental health problems. Foreign, and especially domestic scientific research on how these young people reach adulthood and whether they differ from their clinically invisible peers, is extremely rare. Therefore the aim of our analysis was to describe the characteristics of the way young people with the diagnosis of mental disorders grow up. In constructing the conceptual framework of the study we proceeded from the integrativesystemic model of transition. This is a model that respects the so-called, structural, as well as subjective markers of adulthood. The first group consists of objectively visible indicators of the place on the growing-up scale. The second group of indicators relates to the degree of the subjective independence of the young person from his/her parents. Our main research assumption is that along with gaining the structural indicators of growing up, the subjective independence of young people is increasing. The sample included 50 respondents - users of psychiatric services at the Daily Hospital of the Institute of Mental Health in Belgrade. The data were collected via a questionnaire and processed by statistical methods. Findings have shown that the respondents are highly dependent on their parents: in financial, residential, and emotional respects. The transition of these young people to the adulthood is difficult, and what is particularly concerning is that, compared to the younger people, the older respondents in the sample are more dependent on their parents in all analyzed indicators of the place on the growing-up scale. Further research should deal with the causes and consequences of the ongoing and/or discontinued growing-up process of young people diagnosed with mental disorders.

The paper deals with the analysis of the connection between politics and the research process in the field of marginalized groups. We approached this question from the perspective of a recently established scientific discipline, the Sociology of Marginalized Groups, which faces numerous methodological challenges, arising from its subject of study. These are highly vulnerable groups and individuals whose study requires tailored research techniques and the same type of approach. Being marginalized, as a rule, people who belong to this population do not have a voice. Therefore, the researcher has the additional responsibility to consider the methodological and ethical pitfalls that he/she may encounter during the research process in the reflexive and self-reflective manner. In particular, consideration must be given to whether, and in what way, political discourse influences the research design, collection, analysis and interpretation of results, since marginalized groups are oft en the subject of various abuses. To highlight the fact that politics has an important impact on scientific research, as well as having long-term consequences for the population studied, we have critically analyzed two studies by authors Milan Mesić and Dragan Bagić, which address Serb returnees in the Area of Special State Concern (care) in Croatia. Critical analysis confirmed that the political factor undoubtedly influenced the way in which the results were interpreted, the promotion of certain ideas and values (close to political discourse), and finally, to the detriment of the research group. In summary, we can conclude that the contamination of scientific studies with politics, especially those of the applied type, is to the detriment of both researchers and the population that is the focus of research.

As the European Union loses a significant part of the financial resources per year due to the criminal offense of fraud and similar criminal offenses committed against financial interests of the Union, there has been a presumption that a body competent for investigation of such illegal conduct and criminal prosecution of offenders should be established at supranational level. For this reason, the Commission of the European Union presented the Proposal for the Establishment of the European Public Prosecutor's Office as a body authorized to investigate criminal offenses affecting the financial interests of the European Union and to criminalize the perpetrators of these offenses. Following the multi-annual negotiations between the member states and the institutions of the Union and the adaptation of the initial text, Regulation implementing enhanced cooperation on the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor 's was adopted in October 2017. As the first European Union body competent to make decisions in relation to individuals in the sensitive field of criminal law, the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor's Office constitutes a significant moment in the history of the criminal law of the Union. However, expert and scientific analyzes point out that this potentially revolutionary step carries with it quite complicated and far-reaching consequences, and it is controversial whether and to what extent such a supra-national body, with such a predicated structure and competences, will contribute to the suppression of criminal offenses affect the financial interests of the Union.

After many years of negotiations between the Member States and the institutions of the European Union, in October 2017, Regulation implementing enhanced cooperation on the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor's Office was adopted. The subject of the paper is the presentation and critical analysis of certain solutions from the Regulation, which relate to the competence and scope of work of this supranational authority, in order to assess the possibilities for realizing its tasks in protecting the financial interests of the European Union.

The specific branches of industry utilize needle coke, a carbon form with a highly anisotropic structure. Searching for novel raw materials for its production is now rigorously studied. In the present work, we use low-sulfur gasoil for this purpose, namely its high-boiling fractions. We study their chemical and physicochemical parameters with the set of physicochemical and spectral methods. The data of FT-IR and UV-Vis spectroscopies with a phenomenological method (that allows assessing average electronic structure parameters) indicate that the gas oil of the West Siberian origin contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with 3–5 condensed benzene rings. The maximum amount of PAHs with molecular masses of 400–600 a.u. is contained in the fractions with boiling points higher than 450 °C. According to the data of polarized-light optical microscopy, the higher boiling point of the gasoil fraction the higher anisotropy of the produced coke. This occurs as a result of an increase in the amount of PAHs capable of condensation with the formation of a mesophase. Thus, low-sulfur gas oils from thermally processed West Siberian oil are promising raw materials for the production of needle coke in delayed coking processes.

The right of an individual to the environmental protection encompasses material and procedural aspects that correspond to certain obligations of states, in terms of international environmental law. The Aarhus Convention, as an international treaty guaranteeing certain procedural aspects of environmental rights, is an integral part of the legal order of the European Union. In addition, a number of regulations have been adopted at the level of the European Union in order to comply its law with the provisions of the Convention. The aim of this paper is to review the control mechanisms at the European Union level in the application of regulations governing the procedural aspects of environmental rights, which are guaranteed by the Aarhus Convention.

In modern criminal procedure after the investigation has been completed and the indictment has been raised, it is necessary that a certain functional form of the court control and examine the indictment. Before the trial commences, first the indictment is being judged, in sense it has to be determined whether the conditions are met to bring the defendant before the main trial, and whether the entry into the next stage is justified and lawful. In this way, the purpose of the judicial review of the charge is determined in order to prevent the unjustified and unlawful execution of the defendant into the main trial. The subject of this paper is the analysis of the legal regulation of the examination of the indictment in the Criminal Procedure Code, as well as the analysis of the proceedings of the pre-trial court of the High Court in Novi Sad regarding the examination of the indictment.

Over the past few decades, there has been significant concern about the impact of waste on the environment, and accordingly, the former European Communities and the European Union have adopted a number of environmental legislation. Inadequate waste management has led to numerous cases of pollution of land and groundwater, which jeopardized the natural functioning of the ecosystem and the health of the population exposed to pollution. The EU Sustainable Development Strategy identifies the prevention of waste generation and proper management of it as one of its main priorities. The need for waste management is clearly emphasized, in order tominimize the risk of endangering the lives and health of people and the environment. The aim of this paper is to present the most important EU legislationon waste management, as well as to analyse relevant case law of Court of Justice of European Union.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has brought significant changes in the field of organizational design, especially in terms of how work is structured, organized, and conducted. One of the major trends widely adopted by numerous businesses worldwide is the establishment of virtual project teams, which allows members to work from remote locations regardless of their time zone, nation or culture and to collaborate using various information systems and technologies. Advantages of virtual project teams observed in terms of cost reduction, productivity growth, knowledge, skills, and flexibility are obvious and cannot be neglected. Nevertheless, challenges do often appear, and need to be addressed in order to create successful virtual organizations. The objective of this paper is to examine the role and importance of trust in virtual project teams, and to propose methods and activities that can help establish and nurture trust among employees in remote teams.

Centaurium erythraea (centaury) is a medicinal plant with exceptional developmental plasticity in vitro and vigorous, often spontaneous, regeneration via shoot organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis, during which arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) play an important role. AGPs are highly glycosylated proteins belonging to the super family of O-glycosylated plant cell surface hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs). HRGPs/AGPs are intrinsically disordered and not well conserved, making their homology-based mining ineffective. We have applied a recently developed pipeline for HRGP/AGP mining, ragp, which is based on machine learning prediction of proline hydroxylation, to identify HRGP sequences in centaury transcriptome and to classify them into motif and amino acid bias (MAAB) classes. AGP sequences with low AG glycomotif representation were also identified. Six members of each of the three AGP subclasses, fasciclin-like AGPs, receptor kinase-like AGPs and AG peptides, were selected for phylogenetic and expression analyses. The expression of these 18 genes was recorded over 48 h following leaf mechanical wounding, as well as in 16 tissue samples representing plants from nature, plants cultivated in vitro, and developmental stages during shoot organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis. None of the selected genes were upregulated during both wounding recovery and regeneration. Possible functions of AGPs with the most interesting expression profiles are discussed.

Within the European Union, as a regional international organization, environmental protection has been recognized as one of the significant objectives. EU law on environmental protection is adopted in the form of directives, which Member States are obliged to adequately transfer into their national legislation and implement, effectively and in timely manner, by adopting and implementing appropriate measures. In case Member States fail to comply with the above duties, the role of the European Commission and the Court of Justice of the European Union is of a great importance. This paperwork presents randomly selected examples of the activities of the aforementioned bodies of the European Union in order to show the seriousness with which the implementation of EU law on environmental protection in member states is being monitored.

This paper deals with the protection of the river Danube on international level. The most important legal act in this field is the Convention on cooperation for the protection and sustainable use of the Danube river, which was adopted in Sofia in 1994. It stipulates a system of supervision and cooperation among states. The Contracting Parties to the Convention exchange the available information on the general conditions of the riverine environment within the catchment area of the Danube River, experience gained in the application and operation of the best available techniques and results of research and development, emission and monitoring data, measures taken and planned to be taken to prevent, control and reduce transboundary impact and other issues. The Convention established International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River which deals with the realization of the aims and provisions of this Convention. It elaborates proposals and recommendations addressed to the Contracting Parties.

In order to reduce the usage of fossil fuels in industrial sectors by meeting the requirements of production processes, new heat integration and heat recovery approaches are developed. The goal of this study is to develop an approach to increase energy efficiency of an industrial zone by recovering and reusing waste heat via indirect heat integration. Industrial zones usually consist of multiple independent plants, where each plant is supplied by an independent utility system, as a decentralized system. In this study, a new approach is developed to target minimum energy requirements where an industrial zone would be supplied by a centralized utility system instead of decentralized utility system. The approach assumes that all process plants in an industrial zone are linked through the central utility system. This method is formulated as a linear programming problem (LP). Moreover, the proposed method may be used for decision making related to energy integration strategy of an industrial zone. In addition, the proposed method was applied on a case study. The results revealed that saving of fossil fuel could be achieved. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. OI172063]

Since mutual recognition of decisions in criminal proceedings, as the basis for international cooperation in criminal matters in the European Union, is unthinkable without mutual trust between the member states, and mutual trust is inextricably linked to the state's belief that its citizens are protected in another Member State, in the sense that they are guaranteed the same level of protection of basic procedural rights in criminal proceedings, it became clear and possible, after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty on the European Union, that it is necessary to regulate the procedural rights of the defendant at the supranational level. The individual rights of the defendant in criminal proceedings, as elements of the right to defense, are governed in the law of the European Union by a set of directives that have been adopted with the aim of strengthening procedural guarantees of the right to defense by imposing minimum rules.

Aquaporins comprise a large group of transmembrane proteins responsible for water transport, which is crucial for plant survival under stress conditions. Despite the vital role of aquaporins, nothing is known about this protein family in Impatiens walleriana, a commercially important horticultural plant, which is sensitive to drought stress. In the present study, attention is given to the molecular characterization of aquaporins in I. walleriana and their expression during drought stress and recovery. We identified four I. walleriana aquaporins: IwPIP1;4, IwPIP2;2, IwPIP2;7 and IwTIP4;1. All of them had conserved NPA motifs (Asparagine-Proline-Alanine), transmembrane helices (TMh), pore characteristics, stereochemical properties and tetrameric structure of holoprotein. Drought stress and recovery treatment affected the aquaporins expression in I. walleriana leaves, which was up- or downregulated depending on stress intensity. Expression of IwPIP2;7 was the most affected of all analyzed I. walleriana aquaporins. At 15% and 5% soil moisture and recovery from 15% and 5% soil moisture, IwPIP2;7 expression significantly decreased and increased, respectively. Aquaporins IwPIP1;4 and IwTIP4;1 had lower expression in comparison to IwPIP2;7, with moderate expression changes in response to drought and recovery, while IwPIP2;2 expression was of significance only in recovered plants. Insight into the molecular structure of I. walleriana aquaporins expanded knowledge about plant aquaporins, while its expression during drought and recovery contributed to I. walleriana drought tolerance mechanisms and re-acclimation.

Centaurium erythraea (centaury) is a traditionally used medicinal plant, with a spectrum of secondary metabolites with confirmed healing properties. Centaury is an emerging model in plant developmental biology due to its vigorous regenerative potential and great developmental plasticity when cultured in vitro. Hereby, we review nearly two decades of research on somatic embryogenesis (SE) in centaury. During SE, somatic cells are induced by suitable culture conditions to express their totipotency, acquire embryogenic characteristics, and eventually give rise to somatic embryos. When SE is initiated from centaury root explants, the process occurs spontaneously (on hormone-free medium), directly (without the callusing phase), and the somatic embryos are of unicellular origin. SE from leaf explants has to be induced by plant growth regulators and is indirect (preceded by callusing). Histological observations and culture conditions are compared in these two systems. The changes in antioxidative enzymes were followed during SE from the leaf explants. Special focus is given to the role of arabinogalactan proteins during SE, which were analyzed using a variety of approaches. The newest and preliminary results, including centaury transcriptome, novel potential SE markers, and novel types of arabinogalactan proteins, are discussed as perspectives of centaury research.

Certain evidence in certain cases can not be used to establish the facts in criminal proceedings, in the sense that the court judgment is based upon them, because such evidence are by the nature or the way of acquiring them contrary to certain rules. Since the Criminal Procedure Code regarding the illegal evidence remained somewhat vague, and that the use of such evidence is determined as a relatively essential violation of the criminal procedure, the court has a crucial role to play with regard to the admissibility of evidence, and therefore, analyzing the case law on this issue is worth of attention.

Modern forms of criminality whose hallmark is crossborder set new requirements before judicial authorities relating to the recruitment and transfer of evidence for the purposes of criminal proceedings. On the recruitment and transfer of evidence in criminal matters affecting space validity of criminal legislation, the way regulation of international legal assistance in criminal matters and guaranteed basic human rights and freedoms. Consequently, the problem of obtaining and transfer of evidence in the context of international legal assistance in criminal matters is extremely complex, relevant and important, and in this work she was given special attention. The principle of mutual assistance and mutual recognition of judicial decisions and the European Investigation Order in criminal matters are the basic issues that the authors deal in this paper work. This issue is very important today because after May 2017, the European Investigation Order in criminal matters will be the only instrument for the recruitment and transfer of evidence between countries of the European Union. Special attention was paid to the principle of mutual recognition of court decisions on which this instrument is based, as well as the issue of evaluation of evidence obtained abroad.