Non-compliance of spatial plans of the highest rank in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Non-compliance of spatial plans of the highest rank in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a significant problem which has negative consequences to the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is particularly noticeable in the current debate on the route of Sarajevo-Belgrade motorway. This type of spatial plans includes spatial plans of the entities, cantons and Brčko District. This paper is an attempt to shed light on this problem by way of examining its genesis, characteristics and possible solutions. The emphasis was placed on the precise identification of the non-compliance rate of spatial plans of the highest rank in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The primary hypothesis states that the non-compliance rate of these documents is above 50%. The auxiliary hypothesis states that this non-compliance is the result of inadequate legal treatment of this matter and of the non-existence of policy framework in the field of spatial planning in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Development of integrated management systems in SMEs in Serbia

Due to processes occurring on the global market, enterprises have to pay more attention to meeting users\u27 requirements. Namely, market competition has influenced a change in the enterprise\u27s strategy and its orientation towards acustomer, as an imperative of its business operations. In recent years, a process of integrating various management systems has been occurring, giving rise to the networking of several international standards aimed at creating the enterprise capable of meeting all customers\u27 needs on the market. Conforming to the changes on the market, the sector of small and medium enterprises must comply with new business conditions, which is a considerable effort for the entire enterprise. Namely, market requirements for safe and sound food, permanent enhancement of production processes, measurement of customers\u27 satisfaction, concern for the environment, social accountability, etc., stand for just a part of characteristics that SMEs have to possess in order to survive on the market. Therefore, to solve these issues successfully,a solution for smes may be in setting up clusters as a way to strengthen this sector in the process of business internationalization

Towards a new role for spatial planning

The rule-based, normative, decentralized methods which enabled cities and regions to grow during the post-war era of industrialization and rural-urban migration now stand in the way of an easy adjustment of territories to the new economy, and make the pursuit of sustainable development objectives more costly and time consuming. How can these spatial planning systems change? Based on an exchange of countries’ experiences and analyses of the challenges of the 21st century, policy-makers and experts, meeting in Paris in 1999 and 2000 under a supervision of OECD, noted a growing convergence of planning practice in both federal and centralized countries with the respect to the role of the private sector, the priorities for government, and the importance of a broad, multisectoral approach. This overview of conclusions from the Paris meetings defines the cutting edge of a field that will be critical to successful economies in the future

Influence of the outlet air temperature on the thermohydraulic behaviour of air coolers

The determination of the optimal process conditions for the operation of air coolers demands a detailed analysis of their thermohydraulic behaviour on the one hand, and the estimation of the operating costs, on the other. One of the main parameters of the thermohydraulic behaviour of this type of equipment, is the outlet air temperature. The influence of the outlet air temperature on the performance of air coolers (heat transfer coefficient overall heat transfer coefficient, required surface area for heat transfer air-side pressure drop, fan power consumption and sound pressure level) was investigated in this study. All the computations, using AirCooler software [1], were applied to cooling of the process fluid and the condensation of a multicomponent vapour mixture on two industrial devices of known geometries

Development of software for the thermohydraulic analysis of air coolers

Air coolers consume much more energy compared to other heat exchangers due to the large fan power required. This is an additional reason to establish reliable methods for the rational design and thermohydraulic analysis of these devices. The optimal values of the outlet temperature and air flow rate are of particular importance. The paper presents a methodology for the thermohydraulic calculation of air cooler performances, which is incorporated in the "Air Cooler" software module. The module covers two options: cooling and/or condensation of process fluids by ambient air. The calculated results can be given in various ways ie. in the tabular and graphical form

Effects of non-thermal atmospheric plasma on human periodontal ligament mesenchymal stem cells

Here we investigate the influences of non-thermal atmospheric plasma on human mesenchymal stem cells isolated from periodontal ligament (hPDL-MSCs). A specially redesigned plasma needle was used as the source of low-temperature plasma and its effects on different hPDL-MSC functions were investigated. Cell cultures were obtained from extracted normal impacted third molars and characterized for their phenotype and multi-potential differentiation. The hPDL-MSCs possessed all the typical MSC properties, including clonogenic ability, high proliferation rate, specific phenotype and multilineage differentiation. The data regarding the interaction of plasma with hPDL-MSCs demonstrated that plasma treatment inhibited the migration of hPDL-MSCs and induced some detachment, while not affecting their viability. Additionally, plasma significantly attenuated hPDL-MSCs' proliferation, but promoted their osteogenic differentiation. The results of this study indicated that a non-thermal plasma offers specific activity with non-destructive properties that can be advantageous for future dental applications

Optimization of the extraction process of polyphenols from Thymus serpyllum L. herb using maceration, heat- and ultrasound-assisted techniques

Despite the fact that Thymus serpyllum is well-known medicinal plant and its chemical profile and biological activity have been investigated, there is no detailed study regarding the influence of different techniques and conditions on the extraction of polyphenolic compounds from Serpylli herba. The aim of this study was optimization of the extraction parameters that improves the efficiency of polyphenols extraction from T. serpyllum: particle size, solid-to-solvent ratio, solvent type and extraction time, by using maceration, heat- and ultrasound-assisted extraction (HAE and UAE). The extraction efficiency was expressed via total polyphenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC). The statistical analysis (one-way ANOVA and full factorial design) has revealed that the optimal conditions for achieving the best polyphenols yield were particle size of 0.3 mm, 1:30 solid-to-solvent ratio and 50% ethanol, as environmentally friendly extraction medium, while extraction time has not shown statistically significant influence on polyphenols concentration, in all procedures. Under these conditions, the measured TPC was 26.6 mg GAE/L in maceration, 29.8 mg GAE/L in HAE and 32.7 mg GAE/L in UAE, which was in agreement with the predicted values, while TFC was 143 mg CE/L, 12.4 mg CE/L and 16.7 mg CE/L for maceration, HAE and UAE, respectively. According to total polyphenols yield, the efficiency of the extraction methods for all variables was ranked by significance in the following order: UAE gt HAE gt maceration, whereas total flavonoids yield was the highest in UAE, although there was no statistically significant difference between maceration and HAE. According to our results, UAE could be selected as the most successful and suitable technique for extraction of bioactive polyphenolic compounds from Serpylli herba. Using LC/MS and HPLC analysis, 9 polyphenolic compounds were identified and quantified: 6,8-Di-C-glucosylapigenin, chlorogenic acid, 6-hydroxyluteolin 7-O-glucoside, caffeic acid, luteolin 7-O-glucuronide, apigenin glucuronide, salvianolic acid g isomer, rosmarinic acid and salvianolic acid I. This study was an initial step in production of polyphenols-rich wild thyme extracts aimed to be used for formulation of foodstuffs and medicines