DEVELOPMENTAL POSSIBILITIES OF AGRICULTURE IN SOUTHERN HERZEGOVINA

Ovaj rad daje pregled stanja u poljoprivredi južne Hercegovine, odnosno u Hercegovačko-neretvanskoj županiji-kantonu, koji danas administrativnim uređenjem Bosne i Hercegovine, najvećim dijelom obuhvaća područje Hercegovine. Kroz prikaz geografskog položaja, reljefa i klime dat je pregled u oblasti vinogradarstva, povrtlarstva te stanje u stočnom fondu. Osim toga date su četiri tablice, iz kojih je vidljiv broj stanovnika na ovom području, površine pod vinogradima, broj drvenastog voća po općinama Hercegovačko-neretvanskog kantona,broj krupne i sitne stoke. Na kraju rada dat je prikaz budućih aktivnosti koje su neophodne kako bi se poboljšalo stanje u poljoprivrednoj proizvodnji na ovom području.The paper presents an overview of the agricultural situation in Southern Herzegovina, i.e. in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton which, according to the administrative establishment of Bosnia and Herzegovina, covers mostly the Herzegovinian area. A review of viticulture, vegetable growing and livestock is presented through its geographical position, relief and climate aspects. Furthemore, this paper includes four charts presenting the population number in this area, vineyards, number of woody fruits the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton municipalities as well as the number of bovine cattle and small stock. The paper ends with the outline of the future activities to be implemented in order to improve the situation in agricultural production in the mentioned area

MATERIAL AND ENERGY FLOW MANAGEMENT- LIFELONG LEARNING COURSES EXPERIENCES

Material and energy flow management is among the most important factors for the economic growth of a society in harmony with nature and it will play the main role only in the area of sustainable development. The three lifelong learning courses were developed in order to introduce this concept to the industry professionals and administration at the city and regional level. The main goal was to heighten awareness of participants to this topic, as in Serbia it is relatively new approach in corporate and administrative management. The results of the courses confirmed the interest in this kind of lifelong learning courses with suggestion to join it in a single course with emphasise on the specific participant’s problems

An outline of the biology, distribution, and conservation of Neretva nase, Chondrostoma knerii (Actinopterygii: Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae), endemic to the Neretva River basin (Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Background. The Neretva nase, Chondrostoma knerii Heckel, 1843, is an endemic cyprinid species distributed in the Neretva River basin in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, designated in the EU Habitats Directive as a species requiring conservation within member states. According to the IUCN, the species is catalogued as vulnerable (VU). Available scientific data indicate that significant aspects of its biological and ecological characteristics, as well as conservation requirements, are scarce and largely composed of outdated records. This paper provides a summary of the main life history traits, particularly those related to the conservation challenges and a detailed list of the current state of knowledge. Materials and methods. This review was based on published literature in the form of research articles, monographs, books and technical reports, as well as unpublished data Results. All available data were organized, critically analysed and presented in a comprehensive form. Issues related to species conservation were highlighted with respect to the impact of development activities. The long-term monitoring data of reproduction activity in the Hutovo Blato wetland were presented, showing the lowering of spring inflow capacity as the major factors for spawning success. Conclusion. This review will, hopefully, serve as foundation and indicative example for future research aimed at better understanding the origin and status of this fish species in order to assure effective management and conservation programs

The influence of montmorillonite content on the kinetics of curing of epoxy nanocomposites

In this work, the attention was paid at the investigation of montmorillonite dispersion in epoxy/amine systems due to improved final properties of the nanocomposites. The influence of different montmorillonite content on the kinetics of curing of epoxy/Jeffamine D-230 systems was followed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The curing of epoxy nanocomposites was performed using dynamic regime at three different heating rates: 5, 10 and 20°C/min. Three isoconversional methods were applied: two integral (Ozawa-Flynn-Wall and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose methods) and one differential (Friedman method). The presence of montmorillonite (MMT) causes the beginning of curing at lower temperatures. The shape of the DSC curves has been changed by the addition of MMT, supporting the hypothesis of a change in the reaction mechanism. For hybrids with 3 and 5 wt.% of MMT, the Eα dependence is very similar to those found for the reference system (epoxy/Jeffamine D-230) for the curing degree less than 60%. The hybrid with 10 wt.% of MMT has lower energy activation in regard to the referent system without montmorillonite. Greater differences are observed in the second part of the reaction, where it is known that the curing process is more controlled by diffusion (α>0.60). The Ea value increases at the end of the reaction (α→1), which was observed for all systems, and is more pronounced in the presence of montmorillonite. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III45022

The use of artificial neural networks for mathematical modeling of the effect of composition and production conditions on the properties of PVC floor coverings

The application of PVC floor coverings is strongly connected with their end-use properties, which depend on the composition and processing conditions. It is very difficult to estimate the proper influence of the production parameters on the characteristics of PVC floor coverings due to their complex composition and various preparation procedures. The effect of different processing variables (such as time of bowling, temperature of bowling and composition of PVC plastisol) on the mechanical properties of PVC floor coverings was investigated. The influence of different input parameters on the mechanical properties was successfully determined using an artificial neural network with an optimized number of hidden neurons. The Garson and Yoon models were applied to calculate and describe the variable contributions in the artificial neural networks. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III 45022