Competitiveness and the external trade performance of Greece in the 1990s: a cross-sectoral investigation.

We examine Greece’s external trade following accession to the EU, placing particular emphasis on the 1990s. A large part of our analysis is based on unpublished, disaggregated data sets. Our main findings are: (i) in the 1990s Greece sustained heavy competitiveness losses in those sectors where she traditionally held a comparative advantage; (ii) Greek trade becomes increasingly intra-industry, especially in those sectors where Greece holds a comparative advantage; (iii) regarding imports, EU participation has caused mutually offsetting, stable over time, trade creation for the EU and trade diversion for third countries; (iv) EU participation has not boosted Greek exports. A negative structural break in exports to the Netherlands and Germany (Greece’s most important exporting market) has occurred in the 1990s (v) Demand for Greek exports is highly sensitive to movements of the real exchange rate and presents high income-elasticity. Hence, the deterioration of Greece’s trade deficit in the 1990s is related to the strong-drachma policy and unfavourable external conditions. Overall, our findings indicate that the real sector of the Greek economy has not yet closed the performance gap dividing it from the EMU’s hard core. JEL Classification: F02, F10, F15 Keywords: Greece, EU, trade, competitiveness, 1990s. We would like to thank Christos Ioannidis, Yannis Georgellis and Kul Luintel for useful suggestions and comments. The usual disclaimer applies. *Corresponding author: Michael Arghyrou, Department of Economics and Finance, Brunel University, Uxbridge, London, UB8 3PH; United Kingdom. – e-mail: [email protected]

Applicability of MHC loci as markers for detecting hybridization between wolf (Canis lupus) and dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

Vukovi su česta pojava u blizini ljudskih naselja, koja naseljavaju i psi. Sve vrste roda Canis mogu stvarati plodno potomstvo, što znači da i vukovi i psi mogu stvarati hibride. Hibridizacija između divljih i udomaćenih vrsta, iako može imati i pozitivne posljedice, uglavnom se percipira kao prijetnja bioraznolikosti, najviše zbog introgresije alela domesticiranih vrsta, koji su nastali umjetnom selekcijom, u divlje populacije. Hibridi se ne mogu pouzdano identificirati samo po morfološkim obilježjima nego se koriste i molekularne metode. Uz uobičajenu genetičku analizu mitohondrijske DNA, Y kromosoma i mikrosatelita, 2012. godine prvi put je uspješno upotrijebljena analiza MHC lokusa kao metoda otkrivanja hibridizacije. U svrhu provjere primjenjivosti ove metode na hibride između vukova i pasa analizirani su aleli i haplotipovi DRB, DQA i DQB lokusa glavnog sustava tkivne podudarnosti 13 potencijalnih hibrida od kojih su tri bila ranije potvrđena kao hibridi nastali povratnim križanjem s vukom, i uspoređeni s podacima dobivenim za vuka i psa iz literature. U dva uzorka MHC lokusi nisu se pokazali informativnima za otkrivanje hibridizacije, dok su za jedan uzorak bili informativni. MHC lokusi mogu biti dobri biljezi za otkrivanje hibridizacije vuka i psa jedino u slučaju kad potecijalni hibridi nose privatne alele za pojedinu vrstu.Wolves can often be seen near human settlements, where dogs live. All Canis species are closely related and can produce fertile progeny. Hybridization between wild and domesticated species can have a positive outcome, but it is usually percieved as threat to biodiversity, mostily because of the possibility of introgression of artificially selected domestic alleles into wild populations. Hybrids can't be identified solely based on morphological features, so using molecular methods is necessary. In 2012, along with the usual analysis of the mithochondrial DNA, Y chromosome and microsatellites, MHC loci analysis was used to detect hybrids for the first time. In order to find out if this method is applicable in detecting wolf-dog hybrids, DRB, DQA, DQB alleles and haplotypes of 13 suspected hybrids, three of which were earlier confirmed as back – crosses with wolves, were analysed and compared to available data from existing literature. MHC loci were informative in detecting hybridization for one of those samples, but weren't for other two. MHC loci are effective markers only when potential hybrids are carrying private alleles for each species

Determination of Complexity Indicators and Sector Workload of Zagreb Area Control Using NEST Application

Kompleksnost označava težinu nadzora i upravljanja specifične situacije u zračnom prometu. Prema EUROCONTROL organizaciji kompleksnost predstavlja broj potencijalnih odnosa između dva zrakoplova i odnosa između zrakoplova s okolinom tijekom odredenog vremena. Kompleksnost ima i znatan utjecaj na radno opterećenje kontrolora zračnog prometa te postoji uvriježena pretpostavka da postoji korelacija između ta dva pojma, no nije nigdje precizno definirana. Ovaj diplomski rad potvrđuje pretpostavku povećanja radnog opterećenja s porastom kompleksnosti. Određena je kompleksnost sektora oblasne kontrole Zagreb te radno opterećenje za zadani uzorak prometa koristeći analitički program NEST.Complexity is the difficulty of monitoring and managing a specific air traffic situation. According to EUROCONTROL, complexity represents the number of potential interactions between two aircraft and aircraft-environment interactions during a determined time period. Complexity also has a significant influence on air traffic contoller's workload and there's a popular hypothesis that there's a corellation between those two concepts only it isn't precisely defined. This thesis confirms the assumption that by increasing complexity, workload is increased as well. Complexity of Zagreb area control sectors and the workload for a given traffic sample has been determined using the analytical application NEST

Trefoil Factor 3 Protein and Sepsis – A Review

Sepsis is one of the most common causes of death in hospitalized patients. Disruption of intestinal barrier homeostasis is one of its main hallmarks. Trefoil factor family proteins are known for their role in protecting and repairing the intestinal mucosa. It has been repeatedly shown that the TFF3 protein is involved in maintaining the intestinal barrier. For that reason, it has been studied in the search for objective measures to predict the onset or outcome of sepsis. Several studies have been performed on rodent sepsis models and on sepsis patients, both children and adults. From the limited research available to date, it appears that TFF3 is involved in the pathogenesis of sepsis, but the exact mechanism is not yet clear. Its potential as a sepsis biomarker has so far been low, but more extensive studies on its role in predicting disease severity and outcome, as well as organ dysfunction, may lead to finding specific patient groups or sepsis stages for which it would be suitable

Reprogramming Oral Epithelial Keratinocytes into a Pluripotent Phenotype for Tissue Regeneration

OBJECTIVES: We set out to reprogram adult somatic oral epithelial keratinocytes into pluripotent cells for regenerative dentistry. SETTING AND SAMPLE POPULATION: Immortalized murine oral keratinocyte cell (IMOK) line raised from adult mouse mucosa were cultured in vitro in our studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult murine oral epithelial keratinocytes were chronically treated with TGF-β1 in vitro, and the expression of Oct4, Nanog, Sox2 and Nestin, as well as specific homeobox Gata and Pax gene family members were investigated. RESULTS: We documented the induction of stem factors linked with pluripotency and/or the maintenance and regulation of stem-cell self-renewal in oral epithelial keratinocytes by TGFβ1. Moreover, we discovered that this TGF-β1-induced increase in Oct4, Nanog, Sox2 and Nestin was inhibited by SB431542, suggesting that TGF-β1 signals via the TGF-βRI receptor to induce pluripotency and stemness. CONCLUSIONS: Adult oral epithelial keratinocytes treated chronically with TGF-β1 acquired phenotypic characteristics consistent with pluripotent stem cells, highlighting the facileness of reprogramming adult oral keratinocytes into an unlimited supply of pluripotent stem cells

CAUSES OF PERINATAL DEATHS IN PREMATURELY BORN INFANTS

Cilj. Utvrditi uzroke perinatalne smrti prijevremeno rođene djece u Kliničkoj bolnici Split tijekom 1993. i 2002.–2003. godine. Metode. Pri određivanju uzroka smrti korištena je pojednostavljena modificirana Wigglesworthova klasifikacija. Patološki je analizirano 185 nedonoščadi, teže od 500 grama i iznad 22. tjedna trudnoće, koji su rođeni i ¬umrli u KB Split, obducirani na Zavodu za patologiju iste bolnice. Rezultati. Najčešći uzroci fetalne smrti prijevremeno rođene djece su normalno formirana macerirana mrtvorođenčad (42%) i stanja združena s nezrelošću (41%). Najčešći ¬uzrok ¬neonatalne smrtnosti je kombinacija više uzroka od kojih su najčeše bile kombinacije uzroka: hijalinomembranska bolest i intracerebralno krvarenje (12%), intracerebralno krvarenje i upala (9%), dok od pojedinačnih uzroka smrti najčešće su dijagnosticirane hijalinomembranska bolest i upala, u po 11% nedonošenih. U 1993. godini najčešći uzroci smrti su: intracerebralno krvarenje, upala i atelektaza pluća, dok u 2002.–03. godini prevladavaju malformacije združene s nekim od stanja vezanih uz nezrelost. Između dva ispitivana razdoblja statistički značajna razlika postoji u učestalosti svih ¬uzroka, osim u kombinacijama hijalinomembranske bolesti, intracerebralnog krvarenja i upale. Posteljica je bila bez promjena u 45% slučajeva, a najčešća patološka promjena posteljice je upala (30%). Zaključak. Najčešći uzroci neonatalne smrti prijevremeno rođene djece su stanja združena sa nezrelošću, pojedinačna ili češće u kombinaciji. Najčešće dijagnosticirani pojedinačni uzroci smrti bili su hijalinomembranska bolest i upala (u po 11%), potom intracerebralno krvarenje i atelektaza (u po 10%), dok je najčešći kombinirani uzrok bila hijalinomembranska bolest i intracerebralno krvarenje (u 12%), nedonoščadi.Aim of this study was to determine causes of perinatal death of premature infants, who were born at the Clinical Hospital Split, in the year 1993. and 2002–03. Methods. Simplified and modified Wigglesworth classification of perinatal death was used. The study included 185 preterm born infants over 500 g and/or 22 weeks of gestation, born and died at the Clinical Hospital Split and postmortem examined at the Department of Pathology and Cytology of the same Hospital. The causes of neonatal death, between two analyzed periods (1993 and 2002–03.), were compared. Results. The most frequent causes of fetal death in prematurely born infants according to the simplified Wigglesworth classification were: normally formed macerated stillbirths (42%) and conditions associated with immaturity (41%). The most frequent pathohistological cause of neonatal death in prematurely born infants was a combination of more findings: hyaline ¬membrane disease and intracerebral haemorrhage (12%), intracerebral haemorrhage and inflammation (9%), while the most frequent single causes of death were hyaline membrane disease (11%) and inflammation (11%). In 1993 intracerebral haemorrhage, inflammation and lung atelectasis were the most frequent causes of perinatal death. During 2002–03 malformations and other findings were most frequently established. Between two analyzed periods significant difference was found in all causes of neonatal death, except in a combination of: hyaline membrane disease, intracerebral haemorrhage and inflammation. Placentas from the prematurely born infants were usually normal (45%). The most ¬frequent placental pathohistological finding from prematurely born infants was inflammation (30%). Conclusion. The most prevalent cause of fetal and neonatal death within preterm infants was condition associated with immaturity, alone or as a part of multiple findings. The most frequent single causes of death were: hyaline membrane disease and inflammation, each of them in 11%, followed by intracerebral haemorrhage and atelectasis (each found in 10%), while the most ¬frequent combined cause of death was hyaline membrane disease and intracerebral haemorrhage (12%)

PERCEPCIJA STUDENATA O ONLINE NASTAVI U VISOKOOBRAZOVNIM INSTITUCIJAMA U BOSNI I HERCEGOVINI PRIJE I POSLIJE POJAVE COVIDA-19

The year 2020, apart from the Covid-19 pandemic, was also marked by a way of learning in higher education institutions that had not been applied to a large extent until then - online learning. At the beginning of 2020, due to the circumstances caused by the aforementioned pandemic, universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina were forced to switch to an online form of teaching in order to maintain continuity in work and learning. Such a way of learning required students’ computer literacy, which has become one of the basic conditions in modern education. High-quality participation of students in classes meant, in addition to communication with professors and each other, the use of available sources of information necessary for the learning process. This research deals with students’ perception of online classes before and after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic as one of the key components of the process of identifying online classes’ success. The survey was created in the 1KA survey platform and carried out between November 15, 2021 and January 15, 2022 in Bosnia and Herzegovina.Godinu 2020., osim pandemije Covid-19, obilježio je i način učenja u visokoobrazovnim institucijama koji se do tada nije primjenjivao u znatnoj mjeri, a to je – online učenje. Početkom 2020. godine, zbog okolnosti prouzrokovanih spomenutom pandemijom, sveučilišta u Bosni i Hercegovini bila su prisiljena prebaciti se na online nastavu kako bi održala kontinuirani rad i učenje. Takav je način učenja zahtijevao računalnu pismenost studenata, što je postalo jednim od osnovnih uvjeta u modernome obrazovanju. Kako bi studenti mogli kvalitetno sudjelovati u nastavi, osim komunikacije s profesorima i međusobne komunikacije, morali su rabiti dostupne izvore informacija nužne za proces učenja. Ovo se istraživanje bavi percepcijom studenata o online nastavi prije i poslije izbijanja pandemije Covid-19. Riječ je o jednoj od ključnih komponenti u procesu utvrđivanja uspješnosti online nastave. Istraživanje je kreirano na 1KA platformi i provedeno u razdoblju između 15. studenoga 2021. i 15. siječnja 2022. u Bosni i Hercegovini

Determination of Complexity Indicators and Sector Workload of Zagreb Area Control Using NEST Application

Kompleksnost označava težinu nadzora i upravljanja specifične situacije u zračnom prometu. Prema EUROCONTROL organizaciji kompleksnost predstavlja broj potencijalnih odnosa između dva zrakoplova i odnosa između zrakoplova s okolinom tijekom odredenog vremena. Kompleksnost ima i znatan utjecaj na radno opterećenje kontrolora zračnog prometa te postoji uvriježena pretpostavka da postoji korelacija između ta dva pojma, no nije nigdje precizno definirana. Ovaj diplomski rad potvrđuje pretpostavku povećanja radnog opterećenja s porastom kompleksnosti. Određena je kompleksnost sektora oblasne kontrole Zagreb te radno opterećenje za zadani uzorak prometa koristeći analitički program NEST.Complexity is the difficulty of monitoring and managing a specific air traffic situation. According to EUROCONTROL, complexity represents the number of potential interactions between two aircraft and aircraft-environment interactions during a determined time period. Complexity also has a significant influence on air traffic contoller's workload and there's a popular hypothesis that there's a corellation between those two concepts only it isn't precisely defined. This thesis confirms the assumption that by increasing complexity, workload is increased as well. Complexity of Zagreb area control sectors and the workload for a given traffic sample has been determined using the analytical application NEST

Why humans have no fur?

Nakon što se evolucijska linija čovjeka odvojila od predaka čimpanzi, započela je preobrazba u „golog majmuna”. Čovjek je izgubio krzno zbog promjene klime. Zahvaljujući globalnom zahladnjenju, klima je postala suša, čovjek je izašao u sunčanu savanu i počeo živjeti aktivnijim životom. Pod prijetnjom pregrijavanja izgubio je krzno i povećao broj ekrinih žlijezda u koži. To mu je omogućilo da znojenjem efikasno ohladi tijelo. Ipak, na pojedinim dijelovima tijela ostale su dlake, s razlikama između populacija i muškaraca i žena. Ovaj rad razmatra kako, kada i zašto je čovjek ostao bez krzna, koje su posljedice i koje velike evolucijske promjene je ovaj događaj omogućio. Većinski golo tijelo bilo je okidač za ključne korake u daljnjoj evoluciji čovjeka. Omogućilo je jasno odvajanje čovjeka od ostalih životinja.After human evolutionary lineage parted ways with that of chimpanzee's ancestors, transformation into a naked ape began. Humans lost their fur due to a climate change. Thanks to the global cooling, climate became more arid, people came out to sunny savannas and started living a more active lifestyle. Under threat of overheating, they lost their fur and increased the number of ecrine glands in their skin. That enabled efficiant cooling down of the body by sweating. Still, some parts of the human body kept their hair, with some differences between populations and between males and females. This paper considers how, when and why humans lost their fur, what are the consequences and which great changes could now happen. Mostly naked body triggered key events in future human evolution. It made clear separation of people and other animals possible