Multiple-criteria analysis of the employee satisfaction level at healthcare facilities during the pandemic.

Due to the pandemic, the entire staff employed in healthcare institutions were directly exposed to longer working hours and unstable working conditions. Based on these facts, the research in this article aims to find out more about employees' satisfaction with working conditions and management's engagement in preserving their health and safety. Thus, a multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) model based on the analyzed attitudes and opinions of employees was formed to reveal the interdependencies between working conditions resulting from the undertaken management activities, employee satisfaction and workplace safety. The results show that both nurses and drivers were least satisfied with working conditions during the pandemic while indicating those workplaces to be the most endangered. Additionally, the proposed model can be successfully applied to any type of organization to identify insufficiently effective management activities, address them accordingly and thereby improve the level of employee satisfaction.

Modeling of occupational safety and health factors in production organizations and the formation of measuring scales of occupational safety climate.

This article explores the impact of the main occupational safety and health (OSH) factors in the overall OSH climate of production organizations in the territory of the Republic of Serbia, South Serbia, as an important segment of their strategic development. The article aims to validate and test the proposed conceptual model of OSH. Hence, the SmartPLS methodology was applied. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 21.0. The hypothesized model was developed and tested on a sample of 871 participants employed in production companies. The results indicate that the development of an OSH climate in production organizations primarily depends on the commitment of the management to the OSH system. The results obtained indicate that the methods used in this research can be successfully used in order to identify the OSH factors in the work process, and thus to manage the quality of the work environment.

The relationship between ethical leadership, organizational commitment and Zero Accident Vision implementation in the defense industry.

The main aim of this research was to measure workers' perceptions of the four crucial success factors (commitment to safety, safety communication, the safety climate and learning from incidents) for Zero Accident Vision (ZAV) implementation by conducting a survey using a questionnaire given to four production plants in the Serbian military industrial complex. Almost 500 respondents participated in this survey with a response rate of over 90%. A possible influence of ethical leadership at work (ELW) and organizational commitment (OC) on ZAV enforcement was also examined. The reliability and validity of all of the measuring instruments were found to be acceptable. ELW was found to have a strong influence on ZAV implementation, whereas OC was found to have the mediating role in this relationship.

Multicriteria ranking of the influential factors of safety as criteria for development of the occupational safety and health climate.

The research in this article aimed at determining the importance of occupational safety and health (OSH) factors at work as criteria for development of the OSH climate. Based on the views of 28 responsible persons of the OSH management system, the significance of the criteria was determined using the rough step-wise weight assessment ratio analysis method. The obtained results show that development of the OSH climate in organizations primarily depends on the factors of the work environment and the commitment of the management to the OSH system. The results also point out that education of employees in the field of safety at work has a significant impact. A comparison of the obtained results was made in the sensitivity analysis using the full consistency method. The specific dimensions of the safety climate at work were determined and ranking of the OSH factors was performed.

Comparative Study of the Biological Activity of Allantoin and Aqueous Extract of the Comfrey Root.

This study investigates the biological activity of pure allantoin (PA) and aqueous extract of the comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.) root (AECR) standardized to the allantoin content. Cell viability and proliferation of epithelial (MDCK) and fibroblastic (L929) cell line were studied by using MTT test. Anti-irritant potential was determined by measuring electrical capacitance, erythema index (EI) and transepidermal water loss of artificially irritated skin of young healthy volunteers, 3 and 7 days after application of creams and gels with PA or AECR. Pure allantoin showed mild inhibitory effect on proliferation of both cell lines at concentrations 40 and 100 µg/ml, but more pronounced on MDCK cells. Aqueous extract of the comfrey root effect on cell proliferation in concentrations higher than 40 µg/ml was significantly stimulatory for L929 but inhibitory for MDCK cells. Pharmaceutical preparations that contained AECR showed better anti-irritant potential compared with PA. Creams showed better effect on hydration and EI compared with the gels that contained the same components. Our results indicate that the biological activity of the comfrey root extract cannot be attributed only to allantoin but is also likely the result of the interaction of different compounds present in AECR. Topical preparations that contain comfrey extract may have a great application in the treatment of skin irritation.

Transformation of synthetic allicin: the influence of ultrasound, microwaves, different solvents and temperatures, and the products isolation.

The transformation of the synthesized allicin, using conventional method, the influence of ultrasound and microwaves, in different organic solvents (acetonitrile, acetone, methanol, and chloroform), at various temperatures (room temperature, 45 °C, and 55 °C) was investigated. Allicin degradation kinetic was monitored by HPLC. Allicin transformation under the effect of microwaves is faster than transformations performed under the influence of ultrasound or by conventional method. Increase of the temperature accelerates allicin transformation. Pharmacologically active compounds of (E)-ajoene, (Z)-ajoene, 3-vinyl-4H-1,2-dithiin, 2-vinyl-4H-1,3-dithiin, and diallyl disulfide were isolated from the mixture of transformation products of allicin under the influence of microwaves in methanol at 55 °C, which is according to kinetic parameters (highest values of the order of reaction and the lowest activation energy) the optimal method.

Evaluation of the ecochemical status of the Danube in Serbia in terms of water quality parameters.

The Danube is an international river passing partly through Serbia. The protection of the environment and sustainable use of water resources is a primary task that implies constant monitoring of the quality status and evaluation of ecochemical status of the water in the Danube basin. The investigation includes calculation of all-inclusive water quality by the Serbian water quality index (SWQI) method and an evaluation of eco-chemical status of the Danube water in terms of water quality parameters from the entry to the exit point along its course through Serbia in the year of 2009. The results show that the overall quality of the Danube water on the territory of Serbia corresponds to the descriptive indicator of "very good" water. According to the Council Directive75/440/EEC, the evaluation of the ecostatus, with slight deviation of individual parameters at Pancevo, corresponds to A1 category of the surface water quality intended for the abstraction of drinking water supplies in member states.