Factors increase social welfare of the population in the knowledge economy

At present, the knowledge economy plays a very important role. It is the key to competitiveness in the market and is the driving force of enhanced social life of mankind. Improving the welfare conditions of the knowledge economy is a very urgent problem that most countries are particularly interested. This problem mainly be promoted based on the development of cognitive capital

Successful management of unsuspected retroperitoneal paraganglioma via the use of combined epidural and general anesthesia: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Similar to pheochromocytomas, paragangliomas can secrete catecholamines, although they are usually non-functional and clinical presentation is non-specific. We present a case of accidental, intra-operatively diagnosed neuroendocrine-active sympathetic paraganglioma, which was suspected and confirmed during elective retroperitoneal tumor removal. CASE PRESENTATION: A 25-year-old Caucasian Croatian man, American Society of Anesthesiologists status 1, underwent elective surgery for retroperitoneal tumor removal. The tumor had been discovered by chance during a routine examination and was suspected to be a sarcoma. Our patient had no history of previous medical conditions nor did he have symptoms characteristic of a neuroendocrine secreting tumor. The results of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging studies showed a large, well demarcated retroperitoneal tumor mass in his upper abdomen localized between the aorta and vena cava, measuring approximately 9×6×4.5cm. In the operating room an epidural catheter was inserted at the T7 to T8 level prior to induction of general anesthesia. Epidural analgesia was maintained by an infusion pump with local anesthetic and opiate mixture. During the surgical excision of the tumor, hemodynamic changes occurred, with hypertension (205/110mmHg) and tachycardia (up to 120 beats/minute). In spite of the fact that the surgical field of work did not include adrenal glands whose direct manipulation could explain this occurrence, there was a high degree of suspicion for the presence of a neurosecreting tumor. His clinical symptoms were relieved after administration of urapidil, esmolol and magnesium sulfate. After tumor excision, our patient developed severe hypotension. Hemodynamic stability was reinstated with aggressive volume replacement, with crystalloids and colloids, vasopressors and hydrocortisone. His post-operative course was unremarkable and on the eighth post-operative day our patient was discharged from hospital, with no consequences or symptoms on follow-up two years after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Our patient’s case emphasizes the need to consider the presence of extra-adrenal paragangliomas in the differential diagnosis of retroperitoneal tumors, despite their rare occurrence. In our patient’s case, invasive hemodynamic monitoring during combined general anesthesia and epidural analgesia and early recognition of catechol-induced symptoms raised suspicion of the existence of a paraganglioma, and this led to an adequate therapeutic approach and favorable outcome of the surgery. Pre-operative recognition of paragangliomas could lead to better pre-operative preparation, but even high clinical suspicion in undiagnosed forms during surgery and the availability of rapid and short-acting vasodilatators, α-blockers and β-blockers might favor good outcome

Electronic evidence and the Croatian Criminal Procedure Act

Drazen Skrtic, Ph.D., presents the provisions on the temporarily seizure of electronic data, the search and seizure of electronic devices, and considers the rules for the preservation of electronic evidence under the provisions of the Croatian Criminal Procedure Act and decisions of the Croatian Constitutional court. Index words: Croatia; electronic evidence; seizure of electronic data; Criminal Procedure Act; surveillance; generated or processed during electronic communications; traffic data; location data; subscriber; registered user; legal entities; natural persons; preservation of data

Systems of education governance and cultures of justice in Ireland, Scotland and Pakistan

This chapter compares the issue of cultures of justice in the systems of education governance in three education systems: Ireland, Scotland and Pakistan. The focus for the comparison are the current policies which shape the regulation of education. These policies were reviewed to identify key issues relating to social justice and equality, decision-making and accountability. From the analysis of each system, three central issues were identified: firstly, the improvement of a state education system; secondly, the degree of decentralisation and centralisation in governance structures and thirdly, the expectations placed on school leaders. The chapter concludes by discussing the tensions between the drive for system improvement and opportunities for school leaders to build strategies to address issues of inequality in schools

The Regular Classroom Interactions of Learning Disabled Adolescents and Their Teachers

This research was published by the KU Center for Research on Learning, formerly known as the University of Kansas Institute for Research in Learning Disabilities.Research on the process of teaching indicates that students who are low achievers, hyperactive, defiant, and dependent receive less approval and support and more criticism and disapproval from their teachers. Further, students discriminate teacher approval and disapproval and form corresponding attitudes toward the teacher and learning which influences performance and adjustment. Since the implications are quite serious for learning disabled students in regular classrooms, this study tested these findings through direct observation of learning disabled adolescents in regular classrooms. Results indicated that teachers were equitable in their interactions with learning disabled and non-learning disabled students and did not perceive learning disabled students as more hyperactive, defiant, or dependent than non-learning disabled students. Even though learning disabled students were treated like non-learning disabled students, they perceived less approval and more disapproval from their teachers and were happy in their regular classrooms significantly less often than non-learning disabled students

Formal Reasoning Abilities of Learning Disabled Adolescents: Implications for Mathematics Instruction

This research was published by the KU Center for Research on Learning, formerly known as the University of Kansas Institute for Research in Learning Disabilities.Modern mathematics education relies heavily upon the cognitive theories of Jean Piaget and Jerome Bruner. These theories provide the basis for explanations of levels of development as well as direction for instructional procedures. Research related to cognitive abilites in learning disabled adolescents, specifically in mathematics, are virtually nonexistent. The present investigation sought to determine the level of formal reasoning in mathematics of LD adolescents. The results of the study suggest that LD junior high school students are functioning at the concrete operations stage of Piaget's developmental sequence. The need for mathematics interventions which use interactive and iconic, as well as verbal/symbolic, representations is stressed