Miroslav Rajter

Introduction Medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has become an established alternative to total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for isolated medial compartment osteoarthritis, offering faster recovery and better functional outcomes. However, results during the early phase of institutional adoption may vary depending on surgeon experience and procedural standardization. This study aimed to evaluate early clinical outcomes, complication rates, revision profiles, and the learning curve associated with the initial institutional adoption of medial mobile-bearing UKA in a high-volume, multi-surgeon center. Methods This prospective case series included 154 consecutive medial UKAs performed by five surgeons on 152 patients. Pre- and postoperative KOOS and NPRS were recorded up to a 24-month follow-up, with a 100% follow-up rate. The primary endpoint was improvement in pain and function as measured by NPRS and KOOS. Inclusion/exclusion criteria, surgical technique, and rehab protocol were standardized. Results Mean NPRS improved significantly from 7.6 ± 1.4 preoperatively to 1.8 ± 1.9 at 24 months (p < 0.001). Total KOOS increased from 31.0 ± 12.5 to 88.0 ± 13.4 (p < 0.001), with all subscales exceeding the minimal clinically important difference. The two-year revision-free survival rate was 94.8% (95% CI 90.5–97.0%). A total of 9 complications (5.8%) occurred, mostly early technical events related to the initial learning curve, including three bearing dislocations. Conclusion Medial UKA showed excellent early outcomes with a low revision rate and a complication profile consistent with the expected early technical learning phase. These findings support the safe and effective institutional introduction of medial UKA, emphasizing the importance of structured training and standardized protocols for successful early adoption.

Background: Corporal punishment is a form of violence that poses long-term risks to children’s mental health and wellbeing. Understanding the attitudes that justify such practices is essential for designing preventive and health promotion interventions. Previous research suggests gender differences in these attitudes, yet the extent and nature of these differences remain unclear. Objective: This study examined gender-related differences in attitudes toward corporal punishment and their implications for youth mental health promotion. Participants and Setting: The study involved 582 university students aged 18 to 40, with a mean age of 22 years. Participants were from various fields of study and were surveyed online. Methods: The Short Situational Scale of Attitudes towards Corporal Punishment (SSS-CP) was developed for this study, depicting hypothetical conflicts between parents and children, culminating in corporal punishment. A quasi-experimental design was used, varying the gender of the participant, parent, and child. Data was analyzed using ANCOVA, controlling for previous experience of corporal punishment. Results: Physical punishment was more justified when the participant was male (6% of criterion variance), when the perpetrator was a female parent (1.3%), and when the child was male (1.8%); however, no significant interaction effects were found. Previous experience with corporal punishment also predicted more approving attitudes toward its use (1.7% of criterion variance). Conclusions: Gender differences in the justification of corporal punishment highlight how social norms shape the acceptance of violence and, consequently, the normalization of behaviors linked to poorer mental health outcomes in youth. Prevention and health promotion programs should integrate gender-sensitive components that address beliefs about violence, foster emotion regulation, and reduce the intergenerational transmission of harmful disciplinary practices.

Background: Exposure to war in childhood and adolescence can have enduring effects on mental health, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The long-term role of both wartime and postwar traumatic experiences, and the moderating influence of gender, remain insufficiently understood. Purpose: This study examined the contribution of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) during and after the Croatian Homeland War (1991–1995) to PTSD symptoms in adulthood, with attention to gender differences. Research Design: A cross-sectional, retrospective design was used to link childhood and adolescent trauma exposure to adult PTSD symptoms. Study Sample: Participants were 298 adults (197 women, 101 men) who were 3–18 years old during the war and currently living in three war-affected Croatian counties. Data Collection and/or Analysis: Self-report measures included sociodemographic characteristics, 26 PTEs experienced during or after the war, and PTSD symptoms (PCL-5). Analyses included correlations, multilevel linear mixed models, and multigroup structural equation modeling to test predictive effects and gender moderation. Results: Thirteen wartime and ten postwar PTEs were significantly associated with PTSD symptoms. Wartime exposure explained 11.7% of the variance, while combined wartime and postwar exposure explained 24.5%. Key predictors were sexual or nonsexual assault by a family member or known person and deprivation of food or water. Women reported more severe PTSD symptoms and showed greater vulnerability across contexts. Conclusions: Interpersonal violence and deprivation, rather than combat-related experiences, predicted adult PTSD. Gender-sensitive interventions that ensure safety, address deprivation, and strengthen caregiving are essential for supporting the long-term wellbeing of war-affected children.

Background: Researchers’ attitudes to, and use of, open-access publishing are shaped by many factors, including the characteristics of scientific disciplines – whether STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine) or SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) – and various micro-characteristics of the environment in which the researchers operate. Objectives: To analyse the attitudes of Croatian authors to open-access (OA) publish-ing and to explore disciplinary differences between researchers in STEM and those in SSH. Methods: Croatian researchers from both groups – STEM and SSH – were surveyed at the beginning of 2023. The online survey comprised 18 questions covering gen-eral attitudes towards OA, OA publishing models, the pay-to-publish option, and the criteria for choosing publication outlets. Results: Out of 1042 researchers who responded to the survey, the analysis focused on the 763 (a response rate of about 5%) who fully completed the questionnaire. The majority of respondents expressed support for OA publishing and believed that it was beneficial to research and education. However, their attitudes towards specific ben-efits and shortcomings of OA publishing showed significant disciplinary differences: researchers in SSH were more convinced that OA enables timely distribution of new knowledge and makes it more visible, whereas researchers in STEM were more con-cerned about the impact of OA on the further commercialization of scientific pub-lishing and about questionable peer review standards often associated with OA. In selecting a journal for publication, the respondents were motivated primarily by the journal’s reputation. However, researchers in STEM tended to prioritize the journal’s quantitative metrics, whereas researchers in SSH considered such practical aspects as the time taken by a journal to publish and its acceptance rate to be more important. Differences between the two categories of researchers in their attitudes towards pub-lishing in exclusively pay-to-publish journals were statistically significant: research-ers in STEM were more receptive to that model whereas those in SSH were opposed to publication fees or article processing charges, even if they were paid not by authors themselves but by their employers, funders, or other entities. Conclusion: Researchers in STEM and those in SSH did not differ significantly in their general attitude towards OA publishing. The differences, when present, stemmed partly from the characteristics of scientific disciplines and partly from differences in the criteria for promotions. Researchers in STEM published significantly more often in international pay-to-publish OA journals, whereas researchers in SSH published significantly more often in national diamond OA journals. Continued state finan-cial support to national diamond OA journals, together with making available more funds to publish in international OA journals, will be crucial to maintaining the cur-rent level of OA publishing in Croatia.

This theoretical position paper explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance student engagement through the lens of academic leadership. To illustrate our argument, we include exploratory, mixed-methods evidence drawn from a descriptive survey of 95 undergraduate students and five semi-structured interviews with key academic leaders. These data are indicative only and not intended for statistical generalisation; however, they ground and inform the theoretical propositions of this paper. Focusing on how AI-driven tools can be used, the study examines the central role of academic leaders in guiding these innovations. By addressing key leadership decisions—including resource allocation, policy development, and faculty support—the study explores how AI can foster a more responsive and engaging learning environment and provides insights into how academic leadership can guide the integration of AI technologies to increase student motivation, participation and academic success in different educational settings.

Researchers’ open access publishing (OAP) attitudes and practices are shaped by a complex interplay of factors, including the characteristics of scientific disciplines and the overall settings in which authors and journals operate. They are influenced not only by the authors' awareness of the benefits of open access and financial aspects of publishing, but also by various micro-characteristic like requirements for academic promotion, institutional or governmental mandates, OA advocacy, and incentives for publishing in OA.

Most European Cooperation on Science and Technology (COST) affiliated countries aim to advance the goal of protecting children from maltreatment. However, despite the increasing numbers of population-based surveys, the development of administrative data systems has lagged. In this study, we aimed to examine the current state of development of administrative data systems in a sample of countries represented in the COST Action 19106 network, Multi-Sectoral Responses to Child Abuse and Neglect in Europe: Incidence and Trends (Euro-CAN). A structured questionnaire was distributed to researchers and professionals within Euro-CAN-affiliated countries, which captured economic, legislative, systemic, and data infrastructure characteristics. Thematic trends for 13 sampled countries were presented descriptively. The implementation of legislative measures such as banning corporal punishment varied substantially, with some countries decades apart. Almost all sampled countries mandate reports of suspected child maltreatment for all or some professionals in contact with children. In most countries, public child protection, health, or law enforcement systems are decentralized, and unsubstantiated/inconclusive incidents of suspected child maltreatment are not systematically collected at the national level. Child maltreatment data is not routinely collected in health sectors in all sampled countries. Where data is collected in different sectors, such as police and child protection agencies, different descriptions are often used. Systematic data linkage remains a seldom occurrence with only a few countries offering this capability. The call for Euro-CAN countries to develop multi-sectoral data systems to capture recorded instances of child maltreatment remains relevant.

This chapter focuses on organizations of social entrepreneurship (SE) in Croatia. It primarily aims to 1) measure the level of their entrepreneurial orientation (EO), and social, economic, and overall performance; 2) explore the relationship between organizational EO and these three types of performance. While the topic represents a heavily investigated research field in the context of commercial entrepreneurship, it hasn't caught much attention among researchers of SE. So far, none of the above-mentioned variables have been empirically investigated within the SE scene in Croatia. The sample included 46 organizations, each represented by one highly ranked executive. The main findings revealed a relatively high level of organizational EO and social, economic, and overall performance, as well as a positive relationship among the variables.

Online contacts and other activities on the Internet came into focus given the increased use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The online environment is a setting for problematic Internet use, including cyberbullying, and research so far shows that inclusion in cyberbullying depends on the amount of screen time. Increases in screen time during the pandemic could affect the growth of the prevalence rates of children’s involvement in cyberbullying. The aim of this paper is to compare the Internet habits, cyberbullying and parental role in children’s online activities before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the use of the Internet increased due to online classes and implemented measures to prevent the spread of the infection. The Institute of Public Health of Split-Dalmatia County conducted a quantitative online survey of Internet habits and problematic Internet use in two waves in 2017 and 2020 with adolescents from 12–18 (N₂₀₁₇ = 536; N₂₀₂₀ = 284). Research included adherence to ethical standards of research with children. An online activity questionnaire for children, a questionnaire of parental behaviors and the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire—ECIPQ were used. The results of the research point out that cyberbullying rates in the pandemic decreased. The results show that the cumulative effect of parental monitoring is medium with approximately 5% of explained variance for experiencing and 6% for committing violence. The similar set of predictors is statistically significant in both regressions. Parental actions of monitoring applications, informing children and monitoring search history are identified as protective factors for committing or experiencing cyber violence. These findings are important for understanding the effect of the general digitization of society, which leads to an extensive increase in the use of online content and various digital tools, and the role of the parents, especially as protective potential for cyberbullying among children.

Purpose: This explorative study aims to investigate work precariousness (WP) among EU27-based economically dependent solo self-employed, i.e. those with no employees and usually relying on just one client.Design/methodology/approach: Univariate and multivariate analyses of European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) (2015) and Eurostat data.Findings: The analyses yielded Disempowerment, intended as lack of job autonomy and money-induced Vulnerability as the dimensions of WP. Disempowerment was found positively influenced by workers' threat of losing the job and negatively by the enjoyment from being their own boss. Vulnerability was negatively influenced by workers' age, perceived easiness to find new customers, household's financial well-being as well as the country's employment rate.Originality/value: The study represents pioneer exploration of the phenomenon's dimensionality and main determinants.