A multidimensional approach to the environment for entrepreneurship in selected CE countries

Nations around the world are bent on creating an efficient and inclusive socio-economic environment and ethos for enterprises and business. The aim is to create a business setting and system of innovation in which standard macroeconomic policies are more effective and increase private sector development and economic growth. The research and innovation system in Central Europe (CE) has not been studied in sufficient depth, at either the theoretical or empirical level. Apart from their similar pattern of transition from planned to mixed economy, the national research and innovation systems of the selected countries evolved into rather diverse systems in terms of their size, enterprise composition, research intensity and structural configuration. The countries’ economic profiles play a crucial role in their integration with the EU and their global competiveness. The economic structure, level of research, technological development, human resources in science and technology (HRST), innovation, and SME competitiveness clearly testify to the diverse level of the region's economic competitiveness. The aim of this article is to describe the differences among selected Central European countries in order to demonstrate that efforts to build a single European innovation system are still far from complete. Selected composite indices such as the Global Innovation Index (GII), the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), and the Global Enabling Trade Index (ETI) show that countries in Central Europe need improvements in terms of competitiveness, innovation and technology development. Economies’ performance as regards the environment for entrepreneurs was also analysed based on several composite indices with sufficient complexity to capture the multidimensional nature of entrepreneurship. The article concludes that an efficient use of European structural and investment funds (ESIF) and the application of smart specialisation strategies are promising mechanisms for European integration processes

Using Weighted Goal Programming Model for Planning Regional Sustainable Development to Optimal Workforce Allocation:An Application for Provinces of Iran

Due to the urbanization and economic growth, planning of regional sustainable development has become one of the major challenges in the world. The key indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP), electricity and energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission (GHG) are considered in sustainable development planning. This paper determines number of required workforce in diferent sectors of each province in Iran considering targets/goals for sustainable development indicators in the 2030 macroeconomic and regional planning. First, the relative goals are designed for GDP, electricity, energy and GHG emission and then, two weighted goal programming models are applied to allocate the optimal workforce among four sectors: agriculture, industry, services and transportation. The frst model minimizes recruitment of new workforce and allows current workforce exchange among the four sectors in each province in order to achieve the goals, while the second model indicates equitable distribution of new workforce recruitment in diferent sectors within each province. In both models, the workforce changes have been investigated based on achieving the desirable growth rates of GDP, GHG, electricity and energy consumption as planned by the government. Based on the results of this paper, policy makers can manage workforce and the government can make optimized decisions to macroeconomic and regional planning

Animal model of thermal injuries

Experimental studies of burns require the use of different animal models with the aim to imitate and reproduce pathophysiological conditions. The aim of this work was to establish experimental model of thermal injury. New Zealand rabbits, weighted from 1.8 kg to 2.3 kg, were utilised during our study. Another, also utilized, animal types were laboratory Rattus rats, species Wistar, albino type, females with body weight of about 232 g. All animals were from our own litter (Institute of Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine in Sarajevo). During the experiment, animal were properly situated in adequate cages and rooms, at the controlled temperature (22 ± 2°C), and in the air with normal humidity level. All animals took food and water ad libitum. Rabbits received anesthesia - intravenous pentobarbital sodium in a dose of 60 mg/kg, and then, hair from the upper side of the each rabbit ear was removed and burns were caused by a metal seal in the same manner as in rats. Rats were primarily anesthesied by intraperitoneal pentobarbital sodium in a dose of 35 mg/kg, and then, their hair was removed from the scapula zone (5 cm x 5 cm). Burns were caused by contact with a round metal seal, heated at 80°C in a water bath, during the period of 14 seconds together with contact thermometer control. Round metal seal (radius: 2.5 cm; weight: 100 g; surface: 5 cm2) was just placed on the rat skin without any additional pressure. In order to maintain the microcirculation in the burn wound and to reduce the conversion of partial-thickness skin burns to the burns of the full-thickness skin, all burn wounds were immediately sunk in the 4°C water. Subsequent to that procedure, all animals were individually situated in the proper cages, and left to rest for 4 hours with a constant cautious monitoring of the wound development and animal general state