Nebojsa Petrovic

Social dominance in context and in individuals: Contextual moderation of robust effects of social dominance orientation in 15 languages and 20 countries.

We tested the internal reliability and predictive validity of a new 4-item Short Social Dominance Orientation (SSDO) scale among adults in 20 countries, using 15 languages (N = 2,130). Low scores indicate preferring group inclusion and equality to dominance. As expected, cross-nationally, the lower people were on SSDO, the more they endorsed more women in leadership positions, protecting minorities, and aid to the poor. Multilevel moderation models showed that each effect was stronger in nations where a relevant kind of group power differentiation was more salient. Distributions of SSDO were positively skewed, despite use of an extended response scale; results show rejecting group hierarchy is normative. The short scale is effective. Challenges regarding translations, use of short scales, and intersections between individual and collective levels in social dominance theory are discussed.

Fear and anger as predictors of motivation for intergroup aggression: Evidence from Serbia and Republika Srpska

We investigated the relationship between emotions of fear and anger and people’s motivation for intergroup aggression within the context of Serbian—Albanian relations in Serbia (Study 1) and Serbian—Bosniak intergroup relations in Bosnia (Study 2). Serbian students in Belgrade and Banja Luka completed a survey that assessed their attitudes towards Albanians or Bosniaks. We found that fear of the outgroup was related to increased motivation for aggression in the context of the ongoing conflict in Serbia, whereas fear was negatively related to aggression in Bosnia, where the conflict had been resolved. The relationships between fear and aggression were significant even after controlling for anger. Furthermore, ingroup affiliation mediated the relationship between fear and aggression in Serbia and between anger and aggression in Bosnia. These findings have implications for conflict resolution efforts in ongoing or intractable conflicts.

Attitudes Toward Arab Ascendance Israeli and Global Perspectives

Arab nations are decades behind many other previously colonized nations in developing stronger economies, more democratic institutions, and more autonomy and self-government, in part as a result of external interference. The year 2011 brought the potential for greater Arab autonomy through popular uprisings against autocratic governments in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen, and through the Palestinian request for state recognition by the United Nations. We examined the psychology of support for Arab ascendancy among adults in 14 nations in the Balkans, the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, Europe, and North America. We predicted and found that people low on social dominance orientation endorsed forming an independent Palestinian state and desired that the Arab uprisings succeed. Rejection of ideologies that legitimize outside interference with Arabs mediated this support. Measures and model results were robust across world regions. We discuss theoretical implications regarding the advent of new ideologies and extending social dominance theory to address international relations.

The utility of two somatostatin analog radiopharmaceuticals in assessment of radiologically indeterminate pulmonary lesions.

Purpose: The aim of our study was to assess diagnostic accuracy of Tc-99m depreotide and Tc-99m-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy for evaluation of pulmonary lesions that appeared ambiguous on computed tomography (CT). Material and Methods: Forty-nine consecutive patients (37 men and 12 women; mean age, 60 ± 11 years) with 60 pulmonary lesions on chest radiography and CT were referred for nuclear imaging. They were prospectively allocated to undergo whole-body scintigraphy (WBS) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using either Tc-99m depreotide (26 patients, group 1) or Tc-99m-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC imaging (23 patients, group 2). Histologic findings after tissue biopsy served as a gold standard for determining diagnostic accuracy of the 2 somatostatin analogs. Visual assessment was complemented by semiquantitative analysis based on target to background ratio. Results: Among the 32 pulmonary lesions scanned with Tc-99m depreotide, focal uptake was increased in 22 of 25 malignancies, whereas no uptake was found in 6 of 7 benign lesions (88% sensitivity, 85% specificity, and 88% accuracy) on both WBS and SPECT. Imaging of 28 pulmonary lesions with Tc-99m-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC had a similar diagnostic yield (sensitivity 87%, specificity 84%, and accuracy 86%). Overall, target to background ratios were higher on SPECT than WBS but not significantly different between groups 1 and 2 (SPECT 2.72 ± 0.70 vs. 2.71 ± 0.50, WBS 1.61 ± 0.32 vs. 1.62 ± 0.28, respectively). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that Tc-99m depreotide and Tc-99m-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC have similar diagnostic value for characterizing pulmonary lesions that appear ambiguous on CT.

Evaluation of neuroendocrine tumors with 99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC TOC.

BACKGROUND This paper is the short review of our preliminary results obtained with 99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC. MATERIAL AND METHODS The total of 495 patients with different neuroendocrine tumors were investigated during last few years. RESULTS There have been 334 true positive (TP), 73 true negative (TN), 6 false positive (FP) and 82 false negative findings (FN). Diagnosis was made according to SPECT findings in 122 patients (25%). The mean T/NT ratio for TP cases was significantly higher (p < 0.01) on SPECT (3.12 ± 1.13) than on whole body scan (2.2 ± 0.75). According to our results, overall sensitivity of the method is 80%, specificity 92%, positive predictive value 98%, negative predictive value 47% and accuracy 82%. Fifteen TP patients underwent therapy with 90Y-DOTATATE. CONCLUSION Scintigraphy of neuroendocrine tumors with 99mTc-Tektrotyd is a useful method for diagnosis, staging and follow up of the patients suspected to have neuroendocrine tumors. SPECT had important role in diagnosis. It is also helpful in the appropriate choice of the therapy, including the peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. In the absence of 68Ga-labeled peptides and PET/CT, the special emphasize should be given to application of SPECT/CT as well as to the radioguided surgery.

Social dominance in context and in individuals: Contextual moderation of robust effects of social dominance orientation in 15 languages and 20 countries (vol 4, pg 587, 2013)

Pratto, F., Çidam A., Stewart, A. L., Zeineddine, F. B., Aranda, M., Aiello, A., Chryssochoou, X., Cichocka, A., Cohrs, J. C., Durrheim, K., Eicher, V., Foels, R., Górska, P., Lee, I.-C., Licata, L., Liu, J. H., Li, L., Meyer, I., Morselli, D., Muldoon, O., Muluk, H., Papastamou, S., Petrovic, I., Petrovic, N., Prodromitis, G., Prati, F., Rubini, M., Saab, R., van Stekelenburg, J., Sweetman, J., Zheng, W., Henkel, K. E. (2013). Social dominance in context and in individuals: Contextual moderation of robust effects of social dominance orientation in 15 languages and 20 countries. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 4(5), 587-599. (Original DOI: 10.1177/1948550612473663) On page 587 of the above article published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, author Monica Rubinis institutional affiliation was listed as the University of Limerick in Limerick, Ireland; however, her institutional affiliation was with the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna in Bologna, Italy.

Definitions of Peace and Reconciliation in Russia and the Balkans

This chapter discusses definitions of peace and reconciliation in a sample of respondents from three Balkan states and Russia. Distinctions between a positive and negative peace were considered, as well as peace building and reconciliation as processes of seeking genuine, just, and enduring ends to a conflict. The national context for peace and reconciliation in the region was discussed along with consideration of the region’s historical stigmatization. A strong inclination toward positive peace and a belief that it could be achieved through a demanding process were expressed by respondents in all four countries. Exploratory analyses revealed group differences in definitions based on gender, military service history, and engagement in peace protests; for example, women were more likely than men to give positive peace definitions, while men were more likely than women and non-protestors were more likely than protestors to question the achievability of peace. The majority of respondents defined reconciliation as a process, although there were again some demographic group differences in definitions. For example, women were more likely than men to give process definitions, and respondents with military service history were more likely than nonmilitary respondents to question the achievability of reconciliation. Awareness that a number of acts are necessary to achieve reconciliation (and therefore peace) is present, perhaps stemming from historical and current experiences of participants. Lack of future orientation in the answers of respondents could be concerning.

Views of National Security in Balkan and Russia

Maintaining the existence and interests of a nation state and the safety of its citizens through different means (e.g., economic, military, political, cultural, and diplomatic) is what national security means (Lasso and Gonzalez 1993). National security in the Balkans and Russia has been often jeopardized for a variety of reasons, both internal and external to the region. At first glance, there would appear to be little in the way of shared national security concerns among Greece, Serbia, Slovenia, and Russia, the countries in which the data for this chapter were gathered, and which spread over a great part of Europe and Asia. These four states differ on a number of dimensions (e.g., size, economy, history, culture); on the other hand, struggles over independence and borders have made security an enduring issue in the region.

Hybride Imaging in Evaluation of Abdominal Sarcoidosis

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of abdominal involvement, distribution pattern and evaluate role of hybrid molecular imaging in patients with abdominal sarcoidosis. METHODS Between January 2010 and December 2011, 98 patients with chronic sarcoidosis and presence of prolonged symptoms or other findings suggestive of active disease were referred to FDG PET/CT examination. Active disease was found in 82 patients, and they all were screened for the presence of abdominal sarcoidosis on FDG PET/CT. All patients also underwent MDCT and assessment of serum ACE level. Follow up FDG PET/CT examination was done 12.3±5.4 months after the baseline. RESULTS Abdominal sarcoidosis was present in 31/82 patients with active sarcoidosis. FDG uptake was present in: retroperitoneal lymph nodes (77%), liver (26%), spleen (23%), adrenal gland (3%). Majority of patients had more than two locations of disease. Usually thoracic disease was spread into the extrathoracic localizations, while isolated abdominal sarcoidosis was present in 10% of patients. After first FDG PET/CT examination therapy was changed in all patients. Eleven patients came to the follow up examination where SUVmax significantly decreased in the majority of them. Three patients had total remission, three had absence of abdominal disease but discrete findings in thorax and others had less spread disease. ACE levels did not correlate with SUVmax level. CONCLUSION FDG PET/CT can be a useful tool for detection of abdominal sarcoidosis and in the evaluation of therapy response in these patients. Awareness of the presence of intra-abdominal sarcoidosis is important in order to prevent long-standing unrecognized disease.

TWO-DIMENSIONAL NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF ACTIVE FLOW CONTROL BY STEADY BLOWING ALONG FOIL SUCTION SIDE BY DIFFERENT URANS TURBULENCE MODELS

The effects of active separation control by steady blowing jets were investigated numerically on three different examples: subsonic flow past Aerospatiale A air- foil at 13o angle-of-attack, transonic flow past NACA 0012 airfoil at 4o angle-of- attack, and transonic flow in linear compressor/turbine cascade. Performed analyses are two-dimensional, flow is turbulent (or transitional) while fluid is viscous and compressible. Jets are positioned along the suction sides of the foils, the first one being located just upstream of the separation point, and modeled by source terms added to flow equations. Several different jet diameters and intensities are investigated. As the choice of turbulence model affects the final solution of Reynolds equations, turbulence is modeled by four different models: Spalart- Allmaras, realizable k-e, k-ω SST, and γ-Reθ, and a comparison of obtained results is performed. Goals of the study include definition of an adequate numerical setting that enables sufficiently correct simulation of the problems in question as well as evaluation of the possible increase in aerodynamic performances. Lift coefficients, lift-to-drag ratios or relative pressure differences are improved for all controlled cases.