The nurse of the Mediterranean

During the First World War Malta did not take an active part in the fighting. Britain was joined in an ‘entente’ a friendship agreement with France since 1904 and later with Russia in 1907. On the other hand Germany was allied to the Austrian- Hungerian Empire, hence when the Great War started in July 1914 there were France, Britain and Russia on one side and Germany and Austria-Hungary on the other. The British fleet “ruled the waves”, hence with France and Britain as allies, to be joined later by Italy, the Mediterranean was more or less an allied lake, with Malta in the centre.peer-reviewe

Innovation in frastructure in Serbia

National Innovation System in Serbia (NIS) is not functional, and it should be an actuator of transition and development. NIS is shaped by past and current social, cultural, and even political factors as well as the current economic environment in Serbia. The work is a part of a wider research of the factors shaping the national innovation system. The goal of this paper is to point out who are the actuators of innovation infrastructure in Serbia, such as the activity of the participants in the organizing the infrastructure, to check whether commercial enterprises are generators and carriers of innovation activities, and to find out whether small and medium enterprises are interested in using innovation infrastructure. One of the goals of this paper is the review of innovation infrastructure concepts in Serbia and review of strategy for development of science and technology

The role of wild canids and felids in spreading parasites to dogs and cats in Europe. Part II: Helminths and arthropods.

Over the last few decades, ecological factors, combined with everchanging landscapes mainly linked to human activities (e.g. encroachment and tourism) have contributed to modifications in the transmission of parasitic diseases from domestic to wildlife carnivores and vice versa. In the first of this two-part review article, we have provided an account of diseases caused by protozoan parasites characterised by a two-way transmission route between domestic and wild carnivore species. In this second and final part, we focus our attention on parasitic diseases caused by helminth and arthropod parasites shared between domestic and wild canids and felids in Europe. While a complete understanding of the biology, ecology and epidemiology of these parasites is particularly challenging to achieve, especially given the complexity of the environments in which these diseases perpetuate, advancements in current knowledge of transmission routes is crucial to provide policy-makers with clear indications on strategies to reduce the impact of these diseases on changing ecosystems.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.04.02

The Development Gap Between the CIS and EU

Current report aims to identify major existing gaps in the five socio-economic dimensions (economic, human, openness, environmental, and institutional) and to reveal those gaps which could potentially hinder social and economic integration of neighbor states with the EU. To achieve this, the authors aim to assess the existing trends in the size of the gaps across countries and problem areas, taking into consideration the specific origin of the gap between EU15/EU12, on the one hand, and FSU republics, EU candidates and West Balkan countries, on the other hand. The paper is structured as follows: 1. A review of literature on the determinants of growth and development and the analysis of the catching up process between countries or groups of countries. 2. An analysis of the historic roots and origins of the development gap, and its evolvement over time. 3. A review of literature sources, draft analysis of primary statistical data, and qualitative explanations of gaps and divergences in selected development issues across the following socio-economic dimensions: level of economic development and convergence rates based on Real GDP (application of methodology testing ß and ? convergence to the set of countries analyzed); • quality of life and its components (poverty, inequality, health status and health care, access to fresh water and sanitation facilities, subjective perceptions of well-being); • human capital and labor market development, including level of education and public spending on education, its accessibility and quality, main differences in labor market development (employment participation rates and levels of unemployment, new jobs creation and labor protection legislation); • innovation potential, including R&D, information and communication technologies, and institutional environment; • openness and trade potential, including trade in goods and services, FDI stocks, trade regime and performance in logistics and infrastructure; THE DEVELOPMENT GAP BETWEEN THE CIS AND EU 15 CASE Network Reports No. 81 • environmental performance in terms of environmental stresses, efforts aimed at their reduction, and institutional capacity; • business climate, political institutions, and other institutional indicators (econometric analysis). 4. A test econometric analysis of development gaps across selected dimensions by using a Principal Components Method (PCM). The results are further presented in the form of ranks of countries analyzed reflecting their distances from EU15 in respective aggregate averages. Special attention is paid to gender-related development issues. Respective issues in human capital and labor market study, as well as variables included into PCM analysis were supplemented with relative gender data. Several conclusions finalize the report.EU, CIS, development gap, GDP, convergence, quality of life, human capital, innovation, environment, institutions, Principal Components Method

Entrepreneurship, Economic Growth and Policy in Emerging Economies

Entrepreneurship has emerged as an important element in the organization of economies. This emergence did not occur simultaneously in all developed countries. Differences in growth rates are often attributed to differences in the speed with which countries embrace entrepreneurial energy. This led to the political mandate to promote entrepreneurship. Hence, a clear and organized view is needed of what the determinants and consequences of entrepreneurship are. The present contribution tries to provide this view with a particular view on emerging economies. Entrepreneurship, its drivers and its consequences can be best understood using the model of the entrepreneurial economy which explains the functioning of the modern economy. This model differs from that of the earlier managed economy. Policies in emerging economies should aim at combining the two models.entrepreneurship, small firms, economic growth, economic development, policy

Holy path of the Ovcar. Kablar Gorge: transmitting one landscape´s spirit of place

O Caminho Sagrado do desfiladeiro Ovcar - Kablar: transmitindo espírito do lugar de uma paisagem Situada na encruzilhada de estudos do património e da paisagem, esta tese investiga o conceito do espírito do lugar no desfiladeiro de Ovcar – Kablar, uma área de património religioso e natural no sudoeste da Sérvia. Popularmente conhecido como Montanha Sagrada, o desfiladeiro está classificado e protegido como uma paisagem de beleza e características notáveis, com elementos significativos do património geológico e de biodiversidade. É também um local histórico e cultural único, com dez mosteiros ortodoxos medievais e duas igrejas construidas dentro de cavernas que preservam cerca de cinco séculos de vida e prática religiosas. A pesquisa visa analisar os elementos que contribuem para o espírito desta paisagem sagrada, bem como os meios para a sua transmissão e os seus instrumentos de representação. Aplicando o conceito de um itinerário que liga os lugares sagrados da região, o estudo investiga a interrelação existente entre as pessoas e a paisagem. Fundamentada na abordagem fenomenológica, a metodologia utilizada aliou a análise histórica com a pesquisa narrativa, usando o diálogo estabelecido com residentes da comunidade local, para documentar uma narrativa de paisagem viva que é ao mesmo tempo um lugar da adoração e um indicador de poder. Ecoando a compreensão da "experiência vivida" entre "interioridade" e "exterioridade", a pesquisa tem a sua base na prática, introduzindo o desenho como forma de examinar como o espírito do lugar surge a partir do encontro íntimo de si proprio com a paisagem. Seguindo a orientação da narrativa e do sentido de lugar, a pesquisa teceu uma história da paisagem do desfiladeiro de Ovcar - Kablar como um local cujo espírito se revela como uma emoção insondável sentida por todo o ambiente que o rodeia, uma metamorfose entre o passado e o presente e entre o material e o imaterial; RÉSUMÉ: Situé au carrefour des études du patrimoine et du paysage, ce mémoire étudie le concept de l'esprit du lieu dans la gorge Ovcar - Kablar, territoire où se mêlent patrimoine religieux et naturel, dans le sud-ouest de la Serbie. Surnommée "Montagne Sacrée", la gorge est protégée parce qu'elle est un paysage à la beauté et aux caractéristiques remarquables, avec des éléments significatifs du patrimoine géologique et de la biodiversité. Elle est également un site culturel et historique unique avec dix monastères médiévaux orthodoxes et deux églises troglodytes qui témoignent d'environ cinq siècles de vie quotidienne religieuse. La recherche vise à examiner les éléments qui contribuent à l'esprit de ce paysage sacré, ainsi que les moyens de sa transmission et les instruments de représentation. En proposant un itinéraire reliant les lieux sacrés de la région, l'étude se penche sur la relation entrelacée qui existe entre l'homme et le paysage. Ancrée dans l'approche phénoménologique, la méthodologie a épousé une analyse historique par la recherche narrative. Un dialogue avec les résidents de la communauté locale a documenté un récit du paysage vivant qui est en même temps un lieu de culte et un témoin des pouvoirs. Compte tenu de la compréhension de «l'expérience vécue» entre «intériorité» et «extériorité», la recherche basée sur la pratique a pour but d'examiner comment l'esprit du lieu se construit dans la rencontre intime de soi avec le paysage. Conformément aux orientations du récit et au sens du lieu, la recherche a tissé une histoire du paysage de la gorge Ovcar–Kablar. Son esprit s'y révèle être une émotion insaisissable ressentie dans tous les environs, entre passé et présent, matériel et immatériel; ABSTRACT: Set at the crossroads of heritage and landscape studies, this thesis investigates the concept of the spirit of place in the Ovcar – Kablar Gorge, an area of religious and natural heritage in southwestern Serbia. Popularly known as “Holy Mountain’’, the gorge is protected as a landscape of outstanding beauty and features, with significant elements of geological heritage and biodiversity. It is also a unique cultural and historic site with ten medieval Orthodox monasteries and two church caves that preserve around five centuries of living religious practice. The research seeks to examine the elements that contribute to the spirit of this sacred landscape, as well as the means of its transmission and the instruments of representation. Applying a concept of an itinerary that connects the sacred places in the area, the study delves into the intertwined relationship that exists between people and the landscape. Grounded in phenomenological approach, the methodology married historical analysis with narrative research, using a dialogue with residents of the local community, to document a narrative of living landscape that is at the same time a place of worship and a telltale of power. Echoing understanding of the “lived experience” between “insideness” and “outsideness”, practice based research introduced drawing to examine how a spirit of place arises in the intimate encounter of self and the landscape. Following the guidance of the narrative and sense of place, the research wove a story of the landscape of the Ovcar – Kablar Gorge as the one in which its spirit reveals itself as an unfathomable emotion felt throughout the environs, shapeshifting between the past and the present, and between tangible and intangible

A Memory of Justice: The Unexpected Place of Lviv in International Law - A Personal History

Klatsky Lectur