Systematic framework and measures of economic policy in function of Serbian agriculture improvement requirements

One of the most significant economic activities in Serbia is agriculture, which also represents the base for food industry and some other branches of processing industry. In this field Serbia finds its developmental opportunity in future period. Inclusion of the country in EU, as well as in the World Tourist Organization, implies appropriate preparation and qualification in this field, so there could be more successful deal with rising competitiveness of foreign goods, in conditions of increasing liberalization level of foreign trade. Therefore, domestic regulatory rules must be adjusted to EU regulatory rules, like as concrete measures regarding agriculture and rural development improvement must be adjusted to the measures in the Joint EU Agrarian Policy. Serbian agriculture is in quite bad condition, and financial possibilities of the state, to expedite its development by abundant assets, are still insufficient. In terms of recession, caused by world economic crisis, too, incentive assets reduce, while making business in this field become more and more aggravated. This paper points out, in short, to significance and condition of agriculture in Serbia, on regulatory rules and future plan documents important for this field, as well as on concrete measures, which have to be undertaken in order to improve this activity.agricultural production, legislature in the field of agriculture, developmental documents, rural development, incentive measures.

THE ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH NETWORKS IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT

The present paper intends to present “a short history” of a young research network established a few years ago. The network has already a European cover and impact. Its activity was very intense and the results over expectations. Moreover, the cohesion among members makes possible the development of the activity for the future. By this article we want to give an example of a “good practice” in this field. Could be an example for other networks, institutes, research centres and researcher of how an idea can become reality.Europe, Networks, Rural Development, Experience, Agribusiness, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Labor and Human Capital, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Uloga ekološkog savetodavstva u razvoju organske proizvodnje u Srbiji

Modern business conditionsrequire establishing a network between economic, social and ecological criteria of resources allocation. Using the ecologicalconsulting, which respects a situational approach in the paper, can make a balance between economic efficiency, socially responsible business and organic production standards.Approaching to the EU market imposes stricter business conditions, which reflect in tougher competition and numerous regulations in the field of the environment protection, protection of producers and consumers, etc.Consequentially, this paper had an ambition to point out to the significance of ecological consulting in the organic production affirmation in Serbia.Savremeni uslovi poslovanja zahtevaju uspostavljanje veze između ekonomskih, socijalnihi ekoloških kriterijuma alokacije resursa. Pomoću ekološkog savetodavstva koje uvažava situacioni pristup u radu može se postići balans između ekonomske efikasnosti, društveno odgovornog poslovanja i standarda organske proizvodnje. Pristupanje tržištu EU nameće strožije uslove poslovanja koji se ogledaju u oštrijoj konkurenciji i brojnim propisima iz oblasti zaštite životne okoline, zaštite proizvođača i potrošača i sl. Posledično, ovaj rad je imao ambiciju da ukaže na značaj ekološkog savetodavstva u afirmaciji organske proizvodnje u Srbiji

Ties that bind: how business connections affect mutual fund activism

We investigate how business ties with portfolio firms influence mutual funds' proxy voting using a comprehensive dataset spanning 2003 to 2011. In sharp contrast to the prior literature, we show that the proxy voting of mutual funds is significantly influenced by their business ties with portfolio firms. Our result holds at the level of individual proposals after robustly controlling for unobserved heterogeneity across firms and fund families and over time as well as for the effects of ISS recommendations and fund family holdings. We also show that the influence of business ties on proxy voting is strongest for highly contested shareholder proposals where proxy votes are most relevant for firm value. Finally, we show that the prominent class action lawsuits of 2006 against 401(K) sponsors and providers had differential effects on the voting of different fund families depending on whether they were sued, thus unearthing a potential link between investor attention and corporate governance

Impacts of ocean albedo alteration on Arctic sea ice restoration and Northern Hemisphere climate

The Arctic Ocean is expected to transition into a seasonally ice-free state by mid-century, enhancing Arctic warming and leading to substantial ecological and socio-economic challenges across the Arctic region. It has been proposed that artificially increasing high latitude ocean albedo could restore sea ice, but the climate impacts of such a strategy have not been previously explored. Motivated by this, we investigate the impacts of idealized high latitude ocean albedo changes on Arctic sea ice restoration and climate. In our simulated 4xCO_2 climate, imposing surface albedo alterations over the Arctic Ocean leads to partial sea ice recovery and a modest reduction in Arctic warming. With the most extreme ocean albedo changes, imposed over the area 70°–90°N, September sea ice cover stabilizes at ~40% of its preindustrial value (compared to ~3% without imposed albedo modifications). This is accompanied by an annual mean Arctic surface temperature decrease of ~2 °C but no substantial global mean temperature decrease. Imposed albedo changes and sea ice recovery alter climate outside the Arctic region too, affecting precipitation distribution over parts of the continental United States and Northeastern Pacific. For example, following sea ice recovery, wetter and milder winter conditions are present in the Southwest United States while the East Coast experiences cooling. We conclude that although ocean albedo alteration could lead to some sea ice recovery, it does not appear to be an effective way of offsetting the overall effects of CO_2 induced global warming

Gastrointestinal Nutrient Sensing in Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes: Role in Appetite Regulation and Glycaemic Control

Background: The sensing of nutrients by the small intestine generates signals, including the secretion of gastrointestinal (GI) hormones, which are important determinants of subsequent energy intake and postprandial glycaemia. Recent studies have identified that specific free fatty acid (FFA) and sweet taste sensors/receptors, localised to enteroendocrine cells and/or absorptive cells, in the small intestine, play a central role in mediating nutrient-induced GI hormone release. Furthermore, studies in knock-out (KO) and diet-induced obese (DIO) animal models have revealed that altered expression of a number of these receptors attenuates GI hormone secretion, and consequently alters food intake and glycaemic control, thereby, providing evidence that intestinal nutrient sensing plays a significant role in the pathophysiology of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, our understanding of the relationships between expression of nutrient receptors in the small intestine, nutrient-induced release of GI hormones, appetite regulation, and glycaemic control in human health and metabolic conditions such as obesity and T2D remains limited. Aims: The studies presented in this thesis aimed to characterise the expression and functional role of duodenal nutrient sensors for fats and carbohydrates in human health, obesity and T2D. Specifically, the aims were to investigate: 1) The effect of acute intraduodenal (ID) nutrient exposure (lipid or glucose) on duodenal nutrient sensor expression. 2) Relationships between the expression of nutrient sensors at baseline (fasted), and after nutrient infusion, with the secretion of GI hormones involved in regulating appetite, energy intake and glycaemia. 3) Relationships between the expression of nutrient sensors at baseline (fasted), and after nutrient infusion, with appetite perceptions, habitual energy and macronutrient intakes. Methods: For the studies presented in Chapter 3 and 4, 57 volunteers classified as lean (n = 20, body mass index (BMI) 18-24 kg.m2), overweight (n = 18, BMI 25-29 kg.m2) or obese (n = 19, BMI ≥ 30 kg.m2) underwent unsedated endoscopy. Duodenal biopsies were collected at baseline (following a 12 hour fast), and 30 min after an ID infusion of 10% Intralipid® (2 kcal/min). Duodenal expression of free fatty acid receptor 1 (FFAR1), FFAR4, G-protein coupled receptor 119 (GPR119), and the cluster-of-differentiation-36 (CD36) was assessed by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), relative to expression of the housekeeper gene β-2 microglobulin (β2M). On a separate visit, the effects of a 120 min ID infusion of Intralipid® (2 kcal/min) infusion on blood glucose, and plasma cholecystokinin (CCK), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), peptide-YY (PYY), insulin and leptin concentrations were evaluated, followed by an ad libitum buffet-meal, from which energy and macronutrient intake was quantified. Habitual dietary intake was assessed using food frequency questionnaires (FFQs). For the study presented in Chapter 5, 12 healthy control individuals (HC), 12 patients with well-controlled T2D (WC-T2D; HbA1c 6.3 ± 0.2%), and 9 patients with poorly-controlled T2D (PC-T2D; HbA1c 10.6 ± 0.5%) undertook an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) following an overnight fast, as previously described1. These participants were then studied during a euglycaemic clamp (5 ± 1 mmol/L), with duodenal biopsies collected at baseline (fasted) and after a 30 min ID glucose infusion (4 kcal/min). Copy numbers of taste receptor type 1, member 2 (T1R2), the sodium-glucose co-transporter 1 (SGLT-1) and glucose- transporter 2 (GLUT2) transcript were assessed at t = 0, 10 and 30 min by RT-PCR. Plasma concentrations of GIP, GLP-1, and C-peptide were measured at 10 min intervals from baseline (t = 0 min) for 60 min (t = 60 min). Plasma concentrations of 3-ortho-methylglucose (3-OMG) were measured at t = 30 and 60 min, using mass spectrometry, to assess glucose absorption. Results: Duodenal fatty acid sensing receptor expression in lean, overweight and obese individuals: During fasting, duodenal expression of FFAR1 and FFAR4 was lower (P ≤ 0.05), and CD36 higher (P ≤ 0.001), in obese, compared with lean and overweight, participants. ID lipid increased GPR119 and FFAR1 transcript levels independent of BMI (both P ≤ 0.05), while levels of CD36 and FFAR4 did not change. The lipid-induced change in FFAR1 was positively associated with the incremental area under the curve (iAUC) of GIP (r = 0.3, P ≤ 0.05). ID lipid induced the secretion of GIP, GLP-1, CCK, PYY and insulin, but there was no relationship between hormone levels with fat sensor expression. There was no relationship between acute energy and macronutrient intake at the buffet-meal and duodenal expression of fat sensors, however, habitual consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) was negatively associated with GPR119 in healthy, lean participants (r = -0.5, P ≤ 0.05) (Chapter 3, Chapter 4). Duodenal sweet taste receptor (STR) and glucose transporter expression in health, and patients with well- and poorly-controlled type 2 diabetes Blood glucose concentrations were higher in PC-T2D than WC-T2D and HC groups before and during the OGTT (P ≤ 0.001). Basal T1R2 transcript levels were similar across groups, while SGLT-1 transcripts were lower in PC-T2D than in the WC-T2D group (P ≤ 0.01), and GLUT2 transcripts lower in PC-T2D than in both WC-T2D and HC groups (P ≤ 0.01). Plasma GIP concentrations were higher in WC-T2D than in the HC group at baseline (P ≤ 0.01), with no group differences in GLP-1 and C-peptide concentrations. ID glucose increased SGLT-1 and decreased GLUT2 transcripts at 10 min (group × time interaction) in both HC and WC-T2D groups (both P ≤ 0.001, P ≤ 0.05 respectively), but had no effect on SGLT-1 or GLUT2 transcripts in the PC-T2D group. T1R2 transcripts were lower in PC-T2D at 10 min than in the WC-T2D group (P ≤ 0.05), while transcript levels of all targets were similar across groups at t = 30 min. ID glucose increased plasma GIP, GLP-1 and C-peptide concentrations (all P ≤ 0.001), with GIP higher in PC-T2D (iAUC, P ≤ 0.05) than in the HC group, GLP-1 higher in WC-T2D than the HC group (P ≤ 0.05), and C-peptide highest in HC compared to both WC-T2D and PC-T2D groups (P ≤ 0.01, P ≤ 0.001). T1R2 and GLUT2 transcripts at baseline, and in response to ID glucose, were unrelated to GIP, GLP-1 or C-peptide iAUC. GIP concentrations after 10 min were negatively associated with basal SGLT-1 transcripts (r = -0.6, P ≤ 0.05), and the degree of change in SGLT-1 during ID glucose (r = -0.5, P ≤ 0.05). Serum 3-OMG at 30 min was positively related to the change in T1R2 transcript level at 10 min in HC participants (r = 0.7, P ≤ 0.05) (Chapter 5). Conclusions: These studies have identified notable differences in the duodenal expression of the FFA sensors FFAR1, FFAR4 and CD36 in human obesity at baseline. GPR119 was linked to habitual PUFA consumption in health, indicating that dietary fatty acid composition, rather than high-fat diet (HFD) consumption per se, may influence fat sensor expression. Overall, the response of FFA sensors to acute ID lipid remained intact in obesity, with BMI-independent increases in FFAR1 and GPR119, but no association between FFA sensor expression and fat-induced secretion of gut hormones across the cohort. In separate studies we demonstrated that baseline expression of duodenal glucose transporters SGLT-1 and GLUT2 was lower in PC-T2D patients at euglycaemia. Incretin and transcriptional responses to glucose infusion, and 3-OMG absorption, was similar in WC-T2D and HC, however, PC-T2D patients showed a dysregulated T1R2 response, lack of transcriptional change in SGLT-1 and GLUT2 to ID glucose infusion, and exaggerated GIP secretion and 3-OMG absorption. Therefore, impaired glycaemic control in PC-T2D patients may be linked to impairment of luminal sweet sensing and its downstream signals. Further investigations are needed to define the functional connections between altered GI nutrient sensing and the pathophysiology of obesity and T2D.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Adelaide Medical School, 201