Nature schools in the Republic of Serbia

The first open-air schools date back to the Middle Ages. Today, teaching in nature represents a form of educational work that covers compulsory subjects, elective programs, project-based learning, and ex- tracurricular activities in the curriculum for the first cycle of primary education. This kind of work is car- ried out in climate-friendly places for health-recreational and educational reasons. To determine how much class teachers in the Republic of Serbia do this type of work, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to over 100 elementary schools. The research results show that teaching in nature is mostly carried out in the fourth grade, most often in the mountains, in the month of May, lasting for 7-8 days. The suggested hypotheses predict statistically significant differences between the attitudes of teachers of different gender, years of work experience, school location, and regarding whether teachers conduct classes in nature at all, in different grades

Thermal mineral waters of Vojvodina (Serbia) and the possibility of their use: A case study of the Municipality of Kikinda

On the territory of Vojvodina in the period from 1969 to 2010 78 boreholes were drilled for the purpose of finding thermal mineral water. Serbian part of Banat in Vojvodina has 18 boreholes, most of which in the municipality of Kikinda (six). All boreholes reach first hydro geological system. The geothermal gradient in the municipality of Kikinda is in the range of 0.052 to 0,057ºCm-1, and the density of terrestrial heat flow is of 94 mWm-2 to 105 mWm-2, which is significantly more than in the area of the continental part of Europe. Thermal mineral waters in the wells in the municipality of Kikinda are hypothermal, with favorable mineralization, pH and salinity, which enable various possibilities of use. The waters have been used for heating needs of business premises and pig farm. However, in addition, water can be used in balneological purposes, for sports and recreation, agriculture, industry. Thermal mineral water found in the municipality of Kikinda can have a huge part in regional development, but also attract investors from our country and abroad. However, financial and administrative problems are just some of the restrictions when creating or implementing studies for the use of thermal mineral water in the municipality of Kikinda

Modelling and mapping of the COVID-19 trajectory and pandemic paths at global scale: A geographer's perspective

In December 2019, the virus SARS-CoV-2 responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic was detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The virus started to spread from China and dispersed over the rest of the world. In March 2020, WHO (World Health Organization) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The transmission path of the pandemic was accelerated by different types of transportation. With complete analysis of spatial data, population density, types of traffic networks, and their properties, the spatial distribution of COVID-19 was estimated. GIS (Geographical Information System), numerical methods, and software for network analysis were used in this research to model scenarios of virus distribution on a global scale. The analyzed data included air, railway, marine, and road traffic. In the pandemic research, numerous models of possible trajectory of viruses can be created. Many have a stochastic character. This study includes all countries in the world affected by the COVID-19 up to date. In this study, GIS methods such as buffer, interpolations, and numerical analysis were used in order to estimate and visualize ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation. According to the availability of new data, trajectory of virus paths was estimated. On the other hand, sparsely populated areas with poorly developed and small traffic networks (and isolated island territories) tend to be less or not affected as shown by the model. This low-cost approach can be used in order to define important measures that need to be addressed and implemented in order to successfully mitigate the implications of COVID-19 not only on global, but local and regional scales as well

Geosite Assessment Using Three Different Methods; a Comparative Study of the Krupaja and the Zagubica Springs - Hydrological Heritage of Serbia

Hydrological heritage is a relatively new concept in the field of geosite assessment. The principal aim of this study is to apply M-GAM (Modified geosite assessment model) for comparative analysis of the Krupaja spring and the Zagubica (Mlava) spring, located in Homolje area, in Eastern Serbia. According to the classification of geosites of Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia, these sites are on the list of protected sites ("hydro(geo)logical" heritage sites) of extraordinary national importance; however, they still have not gained necessary recognition in Serbia. Thus, their assessment according to different target groups should provide a clearer picture of their current condition. As M-GAM considers that not all indicators for evaluation of geosites are of the same importance, this paper applies two methods for comparing and determining the importance of indicators and subindicators in the model (Analytical-hierarchy process (AHP) and descriptive statistics conducted by SPSS). Also, it is assumed that different target groups will give different importance to some indicators in the model, which would result in various evaluation scores for the same geosites. The paper also provides a comparative analysis of the assessment carried out by two different target groups - potential geotourists and geoexperts. The results obtained by AHP and descriptive statistics are quite similar, which confirms the reliability of respondents' answers and the results gained. The analyzed sites are differently positioned in the evaluation matrix, and implications are further discussed in the paper

The effect of natural and human-induced habitat conditions on number of roe deer: case study of Vojvodina, Serbia

Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) have greatly expanded in both distribution and abundanceduring the last few decades, and are the most abundant cervids in Europe today. The aim of this paper is to determine the factors that have the most considerable impact on roe deer numbers in the Vojvodina region (North Serbia). Environmental (area in ha, total area of forest and total area of meadows and pastures in hunting ground) and anthropogenic (number of registered hunters, number of hunting sections, number of gamekeepers and roads in km on 1,000 ha) factors had been shown to influence the number of roe deer in Vojvodina region. A multiple regression analysis was carried out as the main statistical approach. The mapping of certain parameters was done using ArcGIS 9.2 software in order to establish the relation between the roe deer population and the different environmental and anthropogenic conditions. The results signify that the roe deer number dependency in the Vojvodina region is a very complex and multi-factorial phenomenon, strongly influenced by human induced modifications

Application of Landsat-derived NDVI in monitoring and assessment of vegetation cover changes in Central Serbia

This paper evaluates the application of the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in the monitoring and assessment of temporal vegetation cover changes (from 2006 to 2014) in three municipalities of Central Serbia: Topola, Jagodina and Kuršumlija. Additionally, special focus is placed on the analysis of the forest areas and the possible use of NDVI in the forest management sector. Results of the NDVI applied through Idrisi software identify all vegetation cover types and their typical values for presented case studies and observed periods. Obtained results for Serbian case studies indicate two major observations outlined for the investigated period. It was noticed that vegetation cover is experiencing a certain decrease, and that certain discrepancies exists between the NDVI and official forest area statistics for certain municipalities. The study outlines the positive outcomes of the applied remote sensing techniques, especially for southern Serbian municipalities where illegal logging activities are pronounced. Hence, this method proved very promising for countries performing national forest inventories, such as Serbia, providing local forest managers with several essential up-to-date information about vegetation cover changes on an annual basis. © 2019 Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences

GIS Application for Determining Geographical Factors on Intensity of Erosion in Serbian River Basins. Case Study: The River Basin of Likodra

Inadequate management of water resources may generate various potential geohazard risks. To resolve potential risks, significant anthropogenic factors need to be engaged, such as human, material and financialcapacities. Fluvial erosion and soil erosion control are among the major problems that occur within an integrated water management system. These natural processes can be accelerated due to certain human activities: agricultural production, civil engineering and mining. Is there a comprehensive approach that would identify the problems at the early stages and minimize the necessary actions? The application of the geographic information system (GIS) within the modified Gavrilović model represents a step further towards systematic monitoring and regulation of watercourses in different parts of the basin. This case study provides an example of the early detection of hydrological problems that can occur in a river stream and a proposal for the solutions that would be imposed as the logical causality based key. The Likodra river basin is a representative example of the application of GIS for early detection and prevention of current water problems

Modeling evaluation of the size of countries (regions) using fuzzy logic

Countries (regions) size rating is based on various parameters: area, population, population density, economic development (GDP, GDP per capita etc.), natural resources, markets, etc. The most common rating is based on the area of the country (km2). The values defining at the transition between the levels (classes), has a large level of subjectivity present, and the classes are more often contradictory. Countries classification as 'Small', 'Medium' or 'Large' more often is subject for discussions and mutual disagreements. Fuzzy logic is a superset of conventional (Boolean) logic that has been extended to handle the concept of partial truth - truth values between 'completely true' and 'completely false'. As its name suggests, it is the logic underlying modes of reasoning which are approximate rather than exact. The importance of fuzzy logic derives from the fact that most modes of human reasoning and especially common sense reasoning are approximate in nature. This paper presents a model for size evaluation of countries (regions) using Fuzzy logic. Input and output variables are defined. Input variables are: area, population and population density of countries (regions) and the output variable is the size evaluation of the country (small, medium or large)

The possibilities of application of programmed instruction in the sixth grade of the second cycle of education in accordance with standards

The subject of the work is to determine the possibilities of application of programmed instruction in the teaching of geography in the case of the sixth grade students of the second cycle of education. On the basis of an experimental research the rationale for the use of this form of acquiring knowledge during the classes of processing new material is presented. The primary task of the research functioning is to determine the degree of benefits of programmed instruction when adopting new geographical teaching contents and what is the extent of applicability of this method of learning with the aim of improving teaching. The second task of the work is the application of the experiment in two classes, the control (C) and experimental (E), based on which it is established which vision of learning, programmed or conventional, achieves the best results in processing geographical contents in primary school

Genetic variation in circadian rhythm genes CLOCK and ARNTL as risk factor for male infertility.

BACKGROUND: The circadian system has a major role in maintaining homeostasis and proper body functions including reproductive capacity. The aim of this study was to examine whether there is an association between genetic variability in the primary clock genes CLOCK and ARNTL and male infertility in humans. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed a case-control study, where we searched for an association between polymorphisms of CLOCK and ARNTL genes and male infertility in 961 Slovenian and Serbian Caucasian men. The study group consisted of 517 patients with idiopathic infertility and a control group of 444 fertile men. A statistically significant difference was found in genotype distribution between the two groups in the CLOCK gene: rs11932595 (p = 6·10(-5), q = 4·10(-4), OR equaled 1.9 with 95% CI 1.4-2.7), rs6811520 (p = 2·10(-3), q = 8·10(-3), OR = 1.7 with 95% CI 1.2-2.2) and rs6850524 (p = 0.01, q = 0.02, OR = 1.4 with 95% CI 1.1-1.9). Further analyses of haplotypes were consistent with genotyping results. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We provide evidence that genetic variability in the CLOCK gene might be associated with male infertility warranting further confirmation and mechanistic investigations