The impact of education on entrepreneurs activity and employment among marginalized groups: an evidence of Serbia

Measuring human development and well-being is based on a numerous of indicators of social inclusion (Lelkes 2006). Mostly significant indicators of well-being include employment, health and education. When any individual or group is excluded from education or it is employed below the level of expertise, we can talk about the “marginalization”. Groups or individuals can be excluded from society on gender, religious and ethnic grounds or on the basis of a refugee status, physical and mental disabilities. There are multiple factors that make an impact on social exclusion. Most of all, economic restructuring of a system excludes certain groups from the labour market due to the fact that their skills and education level do not match the requirements of the new system. Beside that, certain population groups can be discriminated against because of various stereotypes, stigma and prejudice. In other words, various stereotypes, stigma and prejudice can be among the factors leading to their social and economic vulnerability. Therefore, reaching equality among all population groups and the absence of discrimination in contemporary society represent moral imperatives. Accordingly, the Europe 2020 Strategy pays special attention to social programs for the most sensitive social groups. These programs should enable their accelerated employment. Also, they are aimed at fighting all types of discrimination that exists. Addressing this issue is of special importance for Serbia on its path to EU accession. Despite the Anti-discrimination law was adopted in 2009, Serbia is still not among the most liberal and tolerant societies in Europe, where gender, age and other differences are respected. In line with this, educational institutions should play an important role and become more responsible in terms of providing support to the Romani, the disabled and those who are excommunicated and are not in an equal position with other groups. This is, perhaps, where we can find the key to overcoming inequalities and discrimination that starts back in school (Furlong et al. 2011). In this paper, special attention was paid to the following issues. These are: (a) the issues of determining the form of social exclusion that is the most common in Serbia; (b) determining the cause of the faster leaving the educational processes of marginalized groups compared to other population groups; (c) defining the development directions (forms and types) of education that would encourage learning and greater inclusion of these groups; (d) identifying the causes of difficult employment of marginalized groups in Serbia; (e) examining the possibilities for faster employment by fostering entrepreneurial activity and work in social enterprises

Genetic variability of free energy in a function of drought tolerance in common bean accessions

Characterisation of bean genotypes, particularly local landraces is important for ongoing breeding programs, especially for drought tolerance. Susceptibility to drought is emphasized when bean is grown as a stubble crop and sown at the middle of summer. The aim of this study was to compare variability of ten bean genotypes to optimal (25 degrees C) and higher (30 degrees C) temperatures in combination with optimal (80%) and reduced (40%) field water capacity (FWC), from the point of growth (root and shoot length and fresh matter accumulation) and thermodynamic parameters of free energy (calculated parameter after drying at 60 degrees C, 105 degrees C and 130 degrees C) during the early seedlings stage. Significant and positive correlation between root length and fresh matter with free energy at symplast and chemically bound water occurred under temperature stress (i.e. 30 degrees C). Root growth and elongation were affected by drought stress, i.e. under a combination of high temperature (30 degrees C) and water deficit (40% FWC). Based on higher energy consumption, the ability of shoot to continue a growth in stressful conditions could be possible to achieve, as was confirm through significant and positive correlation between evaluated growth parameters in shoot and free energy of free water. It could be concluded that most of the examined dry bean accessions expressed some sensitivity to stress applied. Among genotypes tested, local landrace zecak expressed lesser susceptibility to stresses applied. Accession Maksa was more tolerant to changes at cytoplasmic level, while Medijana and Sataja 425 expressed root i.e. shoot stress tolerance. Those accessions could be considered as potentially drought tolerant genotypes

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF A FLEXIBLE POLYIMIDE BASED DEVICE FOR DISPLACEMENT SENSING

The goal of this paper is to investigate the performance of a wireless passive displacement sensor. Displacement sensor based on the heterogeneous integration process combines traditional fabrication technologies PCB (Printed Circuit Board) and LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Technology) with a flexible polyimide foil. The proposed sensor uses the coil as an essential part, multiple spacers and a polyimide foil as a flexible membrane with a piece of ferrite attached to it. With the displacement of the polyimide foil, the ferrite gets closer to the coil causing an increase in its inductance and a decrease of the resonant frequency of the system (coil, ferrite and antenna). Simulation results showed that sensors with equal outer dimensions but different internal structures exhibit different performances. Two prototypes of the sensor with different ferrite dimensions are designed, fabricated and characterized. Finally, their performances are compared

RF equivalent circuit modeling of surface mounted components for PCB applications

Purpose - The appropriate selection of a testing method largely determines the accuracy of a measurement. Parasitic effects associated with test fixture demand a significant consideration in a measurement. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a measurement procedure which can be used for the characterization of surface mount devices (SMD) components, especially devoted to SMD inductors. Design/methodology/approach - The paper describes measurement technique, characterization, and extracting parameters of SMD components for printed circuit board (PCB) applications. The commercially available components (multi-layer chip SMD inductors in the ceramic body) are measured and characterized using a vector network analyzer E5071B and adaptation test fixture on PCB board. Measurement results strongly depend on the choice of the PCB; the behaviour of the component depends on the environment where the component is placed. Findings - The equivalent circuit parameters are extracted in closed form, from an accurate measurement of the board-mounted SMD inductor S-parameters, without the necessity for cumbersome optimization procedures, which normally follow the radio frequency circuit synthesis. Originality/value - It this paper, a new adaptation test fixture in PCB technology is realized. It is modeled and it has provided the extraction of parameters (intrinsic and extrinsic) of SMD inductor with great accuracy

Parameters Extraction of Ferrite EMI Suppressors for PCB Applications Using Microstrip Test Fixture

The goal of this work was to investigate the behavior of a ferrite electromagnetic interference (EMI) suppressor when placed in a real surrounding. Electrical parameter measurements of the same EMI suppressor can differ for different combination of instruments and test fixtures. For that reason specially designed microstrip test fixtures are developed for the vector network analyzer (VNA) measurements. This paper describes the measurement technique, parameters extraction, and characterization of ferrite EMI suppressors for printed circuit board (PCB) applications. Two commercially available components, multilayer chip SMD inductors in a ferrite body, are measured and characterized using a VNA E5071B and developed adaptation test fixture on PCB board. These measurements describe intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of the components and their behavior. If the components are mounted on the PCB, i.e., in a real environment, then the two-port EMI suppressor model with extrinsic parameters has to be used at RF frequencies. The comparison of measured and datasheet values is further presented

IMPROVED RESISTIVE STRAIN GAGE PRINTED ON FLEXIBLE SUBSTRATE

In this paper, resistive strain gages designed and fabricated in inkjet printing technology with three different silver nanoparticle inks are presented. Inks have different Ag content (15, 20 or 25 wt%) and solvents (water type or organic type). Strain gages were printed on a 50 µm thick polyimide and 140 µm thick PET-based substrate with different printer types (professional and desktop). All printed sensors have the same size (17 mm × 5 mm). To determine the change of resistance due to bending of the steel beam, tensile tests were performed up to 1500 microstrains. Due to performed cycles of loading and unloading of the steel beam, gauge factor and stability of the response of the strain gages are measured. Resistance change was measured with Keithley SourceMeter 2410. For acquisition of measured data, in-house software tool was developed. Measured gauge factors of the sensors are in the range between 1.07 and 2.03 (depending on a used ink, substrate and printer). Results of this research indicate the strain gages with good GF can be produced even with low-cost equipment, such as desktop printer EPSON C88+ and PET-based substrate

A fully textile-based, tunable, force and strain sensing resistor for e-textile applications

This work presents a novel approach towards integrating electronic components with textiles, by successfully creating a fully textile-based element that is capable of detecting applied forces by variation in its resistance value. The fabrication of the device consists of a specialized siliconized conductive fabric, which is placed above and below a layer of switch fabric, which acts as a force sensor. In this paper, the effects of three different geometries are observed, as well as the washability of the device, along with tension testing. Μoreover, the device behavior is simulated as well as applied in a real-life scenario. The proposed element demonstrates a good dynamic range, high repeatability and stability, and minimal impact of washing, creating a great candidate for integration in e-textiles