Nature conservation in urban conditions: A case study from Belgrade, Serbia

This paper analyses the Serbian nature protection system in Belgrade. Effective protection of natural features in urban landscapes have become increasingly complex due to conversion of natural habitats, high levels of pollution and other forms of deterioration caused by human impact. These anthropogenic pressures vary in type and intensity and depend on the location of protected assets. Through comparative analyses of selected legally protected natural assets in various areas in the city, different features of spatially-functional coexistence and development are noted. According to the results of this research it is evident that various natural protected assets in highly urbanised conditions can sustain theirs primary ecological function and can also develop additional adjusted functions during time

ГЕНЕТСКА ДИСКРИМИНАЦИЈА И ГЕНЕТСКО ТЕСТИРАЊЕ У ОБЛАСТИ РАДА И ЗАПОШЉАВАЊА – ОСНОВНА ПРАВНА ПИТАЊА

The paper points out the importance of legal regulation of genetic discrimination as a challenge to modern law and the consequence of the development of medicine as a science. The end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century was marked by great technical and technological achievements including innovations in the field of medical science, enabling research “sensitive” areas of medicine - human genetics. Law is required to follow such changes and prevent the possible abuse of genetic information. We applicated comparative and normative methods in order to define genetic discrimination and genetic testing in the workplace. Also we try to identificate the basic legal issues of genetic testing in the field of employment and labor. Genetic testing in the workplace is allowed only in order to protect health and safety of the employees but only as an option not an obligation for employees. Employers have an obligation to offer and pay genetic testing and if this offer has been accepted from employee, employee will decide about the revealing results of genetic testing to employer. The results will be treated as confidential. It ensures the respect of the right to work, right to privacy and the protection of health and safety at work.У раду се указује на значај правног регулисања забране генетске дискриминације као изазова савременог права и последице развоја медицине као науке. Крај 20. и почетак 21. века обележила су велика техничка и технолошка достигнућа укључујући и иновације у области медицинских наука чиме је омогућено истраживање „најосетљивије“ области медицине – хумане генетике. Право је у обавези да такве промене прати и спречи могуће злоупотребе генетских информација човека. Применом упоредноправног и нормативног метода дефинише се генетска дискриминација, генетско тестирање и указује на основна правна питања генетског тестирања у области рада и запошљавања

Whistle-Blowers as Facilitators of Decent Work

Labour law protection of whistleblowers has recently been avocated across European countries. A number of European Union member states have adopted special laws regarding whistleblowers` protection, but this protection still stays incomplete and fragmented in scope. Last year the European Commission proposed a new law in order to strengthen whistleblowing - the Whistleblowing Directive. This paper aims to determine the key elements of whistleblowers` protection at the workplace, taking into account European Union principles and the concept of decent work. The concept of decent work has been clearly expressed as a core objective of the International Labour Organization (2008). Dignity is associated with the principles of self-respect, autonomy and freedom that are the core values of the contemporary whistleblowers protection framework. This paper deals with theoretical issues of dignity, particularly the autonomy of individuals reporting wrongdoings at work, in terms of whistleblowers` protection standards, thereby addressing the link between the dignity of individuals and the duty of loyalty to employers versus the duty of loyalty to the society

GIS analysis of land use changes: Case study: The Stara Pazova municipality, Serbia

This paper examines land use changes on the territory of Stara Pazova municipality with an aim to describe the evolution of these changes and future trend. Lack of the reliable data about history of land use changes, which is one of the main problems in the similar researches in Serbia, was solved by using CORINE (Coordination of information on the environment) land cover database. The collected information and GIS analysis conducted under created geodatabase enable insight in spatial and temporal dimensions of these changes, identification of change types and assessment of their intensities. The obtained results indicate that trends of land use changes for the period 1990-2000 and 2000-2012 are very similar and point to tendency of agriculture land reduction and increasing of residential and industrial zones

Nanočestice u kozmetičkim proizvodima

Tvari nanometarskih dimenzija, odnosno nanočestice, su sve više prisutne u kozmetičkim proizvodima. Najčešći zahtjev za upotrebu nanočestica u kozmetici je poboljšati isporuku kozmetičkih sastojaka u kožu. Nanočestice se također mogu upotrijebiti za stabilizaciju kozmetičkih pripravaka. Nanočestice titanijevog dioksida i cinkovog oksida koriste se pretežno u kozmetičkim pripravcima za zaštitu od sunca jer učinkovito blokiraju UV zračenja te osiguravaju providnost formulacije, što je ugodno potrošaču. Nanočestice srebra koriste se u kozmetičkim proizvodima kao antibakterijska sredstva ili konzervansi, iako nanosrebro trenutno nije na popisu konzervansa koji se mogu koristiti u kozmetičkim proizvodima prema Aneksu V., Kozmetičke direktive EU. Unatoč očiglednim koristima, prisutnost nanočestica u kozmetičkim proizvodima može biti problematična iz aspekta njihove sigurnosti. S tog aspekta je najvažnije pronaći i dati precizne odgovore na pitanja o vrsti i stabilnosti nanočestica u proizvodu, potom o potencijalima njihove apsorpcije u vijabilne dijelove kože i preko kože u sistemsku cirkulaciju, o načinu izloženosti i o njihovoj formulaciji u kozmetičkim proizvodima. Ulažu se značajni napori u međunarodno usklađivanje po pitanju definicije i sigurnosti uporabe nanomaterijala u kozmetičkim proizvodima. To je važno za proizvođače, oglašivače i krajnje korisnike kozmetičkih proizvoda. U ovom radu pregledno su prikazana literaturno dostupna znanja o definiciji, uporabi i sigurnosti nanočestica u kozmetici te regulatorni aspekti. Također su prikazani rezultati anketnog ispitivanja o percepciji i stavovima potrošača u Republici Hrvatskoj o uporabi i sigurnosti nanočestica u kozmetici. CILJ ISTRAŽIVANJA Napraviti sveobuhvatni pregled literarno dostupnih znanja o definiciji, uporabi, sigurnosti i regulatornim aspektima nanočestica u kozmetici te ispitati percepcije i stavove potrošača u Republici Hrvatskoj o toj problematici. Istraživanje bi moglo pridonijeti razvoju smjernica za formuliranje i marketinško oglašavanje kozmetičkih proizvoda s nanočesticama. METODE ISTRAŽIVANJA Pri pretraživanju literature i prikupljanju relevantnih podataka za izradu ovog rada koristile su se on-line baze podataka (PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar) te izvješća i smjernice vodećih regulatornih tijela, agencija i udruženja, kao što su Europska Komisija, Europska Agencija za Kemikalije te Cosmetics Europe. Relevantni članci proučavali su se analitički, a izdvojili su se oni najrelevantniji. Ključne riječi koje su se koristile prilikom pretraživanja su: „nanočestice“ i „nanomaterijali“ u kombinaciji s riječima „klasifikacija“, „dobivanje“, „kozmetika“, „dermatologija“, „koža“, „mehanizmi“, „penetracija“, „apsorpcija“, „toksičnost“, „svojstva“ , „struktura“, „tipovi“, „sistemi“, „transport“, „djelovanje“, „tvrdnje“, „utjecaj“, „zdravlje“ i „regulativa“. Za dobivanje mišljenja potrošača osmišljen je on-line anketni upitnik. Kao alat za izradu i obradu podataka upitnika koristio se Google Forms. Upitnik je u formi linka za pristup poslan ispitanicima putem elektroničke pošte te stavljen na raspolaganje putem LinkedIn mreže te web foruma Forum.hr i Žena.hr. U ispitivanje su se uključili punoljetni ispitanici oba spola s prebivalištem u Republici Hrvatskoj. Anketno ispitivanje je bilo anonimno, a prikupljeni podaci koristili su se isključivo za izradu specijalističkog rada, što je i jasno navedeno u upitniku. U obzir su se uzeli samo ispravno i u cijelosti popunjeni upitnici. Upitnik se sastojao od 20 pitanja od kojih se prvih pet pitanja odnosilo na podatke o ispitaniku (spol, dob, stručna sprema, prebivalište i povezanost zvanja/zanimanja s temom upitnika). Sljedećih 12 pitanja se odnosilo na razumijevanje anketne teme te na percepciju i stavove o uporabi i sigurnosti nanočestica u kozmetici. Ukupno je anketirano 300 osoba, a kako su svi ispitanici bili punoljetni, s prebivalištem u Republici Hrvatskoj, te su u cijelosti popunili upitnik, svih 300 popunjenih upitnika se uzelo u obzir kod obrade podataka. REZULTATI Prednost korištenja nanočestica u kozmetičkim proizvodima je poboljšanje stabilnosti sastojaka, učinkovita zaštita kože od štetnih UV zraka, estetski ugodni proizvodi te dostava aktivnog sastojka do željenog mjesta uz njegovo kontrolirano oslobađanje za produljeni učinak. Unatoč očiglednim koristima, upotreba nanočestica u kozmetičkim proizvodima povećava potencijalne probleme vezane uz njihovu sigurnost. Potrebna je harmonizacija metoda testiranja dermalne apsorpcije nanočestica i sistematizacija ključnih fizičko-kemijskih parametara, kako bi se jasno razumjela njihova poveznica i uloga u dermalnoj apsorpciji. S regulatornog aspekta nanomaterijali su uređeni, no Europska Komisija kontinuirano daje svoje mišljenje i evaluaciju regulative na području nanomaterijala te njihovog utjecaja na ljude i okoliš te se očekuje kontinuirana nadopuna postojeće regulative. Analiza ispitanika pokazala je da postoji velik udio populacije koji ne shvaća ili nije dovoljno upoznat s tematikom, što izaziva pogrešna tumačenja i strah od nanočestica u kozmetičkim proizvodima. ZAKLJUČAK Upotreba nanočestica u kozmetičkoj industriji je sve više prisutna. Prema mnogim pokazateljima to je nezaustavljiv proces te budućnost. Ono što se nikako ne smije umanjiti je važnost kontinuiranog istraživanja i evaluacije utjecaja nanomaterijala na ljudsko zdravlje i okoliš. Regulativa se kontinuirano nadopunjuje, kako pristižu nova saznanja i dokazi, no iznimno je bitno u isto vrijeme na pravilni način educirati javnost, kako se ne bi nepotrebno izazivao strah i negativni stav. Proizvođači imaju zadatak prije svega respektirati regulativu te ispunjavati sve svoje obaveze, kako proizvođačke tako i prodajne. Marketinško oglašavanje je bitni čimbenik stvaranja povjerenja potrošača stoga se moraju respektirati regulatorni akti komunikacije, no prije svega, analiza stavova potrošača je ključni dio oblikovanja marketinške kampanje.Substances of nanometre dimensions, i.e. nanoparticles, are increasingly present in cosmetic products. The most common requirement for using nanoparticles in cosmetics is to improve the delivery of cosmetic ingredients to the skin. Nanoparticles can also be used to stabilize cosmetic preparations. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles are used predominantly in sunscreen cosmetic preparations, because they effectively block UV radiation and provide formulation transparency, which is pleasing to the consumer. Silver nanoparticles are used in cosmetic products as antibacterial agents or preservatives, although nanosilver is currently not listed in Annex V, of EU Cosmetic Directive, as being an approved list of preservatives that can be used in cosmetic products. Despite the obvious benefits, the use of nanoparticles in cosmetic products increases potential safety issues. From the security aspect, it is most important to find and give precise answers to questions about the type and stability of nanoparticles in the product, then about the potentials of their absorption into the viable parts of the skin and through the skin into systemic circulation, the type of exposure and their formulation in cosmetic products. Significant efforts are being made in international harmonization on the definition and safety of nanomaterials in cosmetic products. This is important for manufacturers, advertisers and end users of cosmetic products. In this paper, available literature on the definition, use and safety of nanoparticles in cosmetics are presented, as well as regulatory aspects. Also results of a questionnaire are presented, on the perceptions and attitudes of consumers in the Republic of Croatia, on the use and safety of nanoparticles in cosmetics. OBJECTIVES Provide a comprehensive overview of literally available knowledge on the definition, use, safety and regulatory aspects of nanoparticles in cosmetics and examine the perceptions and attitudes of consumers in the Republic of Croatia on this issue. The research could contribute to the development of guidelines for formulating and marketing advertising of cosmetic nanomaterials. METHODS In searching literature and collecting relevant data for the development of this work, online databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar) and reports and guidelines of leading regulatory bodies, agencies and associations, such as the European Commission, the European Chemicals Agency and Cosmetics Europe were used. Relevant articles were analysed analytically, with the highlights of the most relevant ones, along with the discussions and conclusions that were used to shape own point of view of studied theme. The key words used in the research are: "nanoparticles" and "nanomaterials" in combination with the words „classification“, „production“, „cosmetics“, „dermatology“, „skin“, „mechanisms“, „penetration“, „absorption“, „toxicity“, „properties“, „structure“, „types“, „systems“, „transport“, „activity“, „claims“, „influence“, „health“, and „regulation“. An online survey questionnaire was created to obtain consumer opinion. Google Forms was used as a tool for creating and processing questionnaire data. Questionnaire was sent, in the form of an access link, to respondents by e-mail, and made available through LinkedIn network and web forums Forum.hr and Žena.hr. The survey included the adult respondents of both genders, residents of the Republic of Croatia. The survey was anonymous, and the collected data were used exclusively for the development of this work, which is clearly stated in the questionnaire. Only valid and fully filled questionnaires were considered. The questionnaire consisted of 20 questions, of which the first five questions related to the data of the respondent (gender, age, education, place of residence and affiliation with the topic of the questionnaire). The next 12 questions concerned the understanding of the survey topic and the perception and attitudes about the use and safety of nanoparticles in cosmetics. A total of 300 people was surveyed, and as all respondents were adult, residents of the Republic of Croatia, and correctly filled the questionnaire, all 300 completed questionnaires were considered for data processing and final report. RESULTS The advantage of using nanoparticles in cosmetic products is to improve the stability of ingredients, effective skin protection against harmful UV rays, aesthetically pleasing product, and deliver of active ingredient to the desired site with its controlled release for prolonged effect. Despite the obvious benefits, the use of nanoparticles in cosmetic products increases potential safety issues. Harmonizing dermal nanoparticle absorption methods and systematization of key physicalchemical parameters need to be harmonized in order to clearly understand their link and role in dermal absorption. Regarding the regulatory aspect, nanomaterials are regulated, but the European Commission continuously gives its opinion and evaluation of the regulation of nanomaterials and their impact on people and the environment, and a continuous complement to the existing regulation is expected. The analysis of the respondents showed that there is a large share of the population that does not understand or is not well acquainted with the subject, which causes wrong interpretations and fear of the presence of nanoparticles in cosmetics. CONCLUSION The use of nanoparticles in the cosmetic industry is increasingly present. According to many indicators this is an unstoppable process and the future. What must not be diminished is the importance of continuous research and evaluation of impacts on human health and the environment. The regulation is continually amended, as new knowledge and evidence emerge, but it is extremely important at the same time to educate the public in the proper manner, so that fear and negative attitude will not be unnecessarily raised. Manufacturers have the task primarily to respect the regulation and to fulfill all their obligations, both manufacturing and sales ones. Marketing advertising is an essential factor in creating consumer confidence, so regulatory communications must be respected, but first, analysis of their attitudes is a key part of marketing campaign design

The evaluation of geoheritage for geotourism development: Case study on the potential Geopark Djerdap

Geotourism is a relatively new form of tourism with considerable European and global growth potential. Interest in geotourism is developing at a very rapid rate around the world. It is of great importance to support and enhance the global movement about geotourism generally and specifically into geoparks. Geoparks are different to other forms of protected areas, such as national parks, nature reserves etc. In this paper focus of the research is on quantitative assessments of the exceptional values of geoheritage for the science, education and tourism potential use in the area of the potential Geopark Djerdap. Five selected geosites are relevant to evaluate key values for science, education, and tourism with additional consideration given to degradation risk. All the post-assessment findings aim to improve the focus on the ultimate goal of the study, i.e. to justify the synergy between the protection of natural values (geoconservation) and the corresponding activities in the process of managing the development of geotourism in the study area

Konstrukcija upitnika religijskog identiteta

This study presents a construction and psychometric evaluation of the Religious Identity Status Questionnaire-RISQ for the assessment of the religious identity status according to Marcia's Ego identity status approach. The initial item pool was generated based on Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, Marcia's Ego identity status approach and interviews with adolescents and young adults. A factor analysis of the initial item pool was performed on data obtained from a sample of 394 secondary school and university students from Serbia to select items for the questionnaire. Validity of the questionnaire was examined on a sample of 1155 subjects. The results of the CFA suggest that subscales of the RISQ measure four factors corresponding to the identity statuses of Marcia's model. Correlations with ideological identity subscales of the EOM-EIS-2 suggest the convergent validity of the questionnaire. Configural measurement invariance was established for gender and denominational groups. Metric invariance was established for gender and among orthodox and catholic participants, whereas scalar invariance was established for gender, but not for denominational groups.Ova studija predstavlja konstrukciju i psihometrijsku evaluaciju Upitnika religijskog identiteta (eng. Religious Identity Status Questionnaire - RISQ) namenjenog proceni religijskog identiteta u kontekstu Marsijevog pristupa Ego identitetu. Inicijalni skup stavki je generisan na osnovu Eriksonove teorije psihosocijalnog razvoja, Marsijinog pristupa Ego identitetu i intervjua sa adolescentima i mladim odraslima. Na početnom skupu stavki, zadatom uzorku od 394 učenika srednje škole i studenata, primenjena je faktorska analiza u cilju izdvajanja ajtema za upitik. Validnost upitnika je proverena na uzorku od 1155 ispitanika. Rezultati konfirmativne faktorske analize ukazuju da subskale RISQ upitnika mere četiri faktora koji odgovaraju statusima Ego identiteta iz Marsijinog modela. Korelacije sa subskalama ideološkog identiteta EOM-EIS-2 upitnika ukazuju na konvergentnu validnost upitnika. Konfiguralna merna invarijantnost je potvrđena u odnosu na pol i verske grupe. Metrička invarijantnost je potvrđena u odnosu na pol i kod pravoslavnih i katoličkih učesnika istraživanja, dok je puna skalarna invarijantnost potvđena za pol, ali ne i za versku pripradnost

Uloga i značaj arbitraže u savremenom radnom pravu - teorijski koncept, perspektive i izazovi

Razvoj arbitraže u savremenom pravu ide uzlaznom linijom, s tim da je još uvek nedovoljno primenjena i iskorišćena kao preventivna metoda koja bi prethodila sudskom rešavanju, što je stanovište i Međunarodne organizacije rada, a polazeći od toga da sudski postupak treba da bude poslednje sredstvo u zaštiti prava. Cilj rada je da se primenom uporednopravnog i normativnog metoda sagledaju teorijske postavke arbitraže kao alternative parnici, na njenu primenu u uporednom pravu, a sve u kontekstu rada i radnog odnosa, te da se, u skladu sa tim, ukaže na njen naučni i praktični značaj, kao i perspektive razvoja

Tourism climate comfort index (TCCI) - an attempt to evaluate the climate comfort for tourism purposes: the example of Serbia

This paper proposes one new attempt to formulate a mathematical approach to climate parameters in the context of their complex implications for tourist activities through the tourism climate comfort index (TCCI). This paper also aims to formulate an original and optimal mathematical correlation between readily obtainable climate parameters (mean monthly air temperature, monthly amplitude of air temperatures, monthly insolation, average monthly relative air humidity and the number of rainy days), which results in values of the TCCI. Simultaneously, this index will provide the values correspondent to the values of air temperatures (degrees C), which represents a comparative baseline understandable equally for tourists, tourism planners and managers. The example of Serbia as a mainland country in the south-east of Europe was used to apply the proposed methodology. The spatial-temporal variability of TCCI is formulated on basis of data for the period 1961-2000 while for testing model was used selected period 2001-2010 on the sample of 26 meteorological stations distributed all around Serbia. For this purpose a standard statistical techniques were applied and ArcGIS software was used for analyze of the variability of the TCCI in relation to the altitude, which is of particular importance for the development of tourism in the mountains. Checking variability of the index was carried out in relation to statistical data about number of tourists on the three most visited tourist destinations which are of importance for the development of urban, mountain and spa tourism, the leading forms of tourism activities on the territory of Serbia. The obtained results correspond with the fact of the pronounced seasonality of tourism market and thus may represent a good basis for future tourism planning and management

(Radne) kooperative kao deo politike održivog ekonomskog razvoja i koncepta dostojanstva na radu

U radu se analizira uloga i značaj savremenih (radnih) kooperativa, odnosno zadruga, a, naročito, specifičnost radnopravnog statusa zadrugara, u kontekstu osnovnih elemenata, tj. obeležja radnog odnosa. Posebna pažnja posvećuje se sagledavanju odnosa radnih kooperativa i socijalnih preduzeća, a sa aspekta profesionalne integracije i uključivanja teže zapošljivih kategorija radnika. Ovo, naročito, u okvirima globalne politike održivog ekonomskog razvoja i primene koncepta dostojanstva na radu. Utvrđeno je da su savremena obeležja radnog odnosa, osim primene principa subordinacije, svojstvena i radu u zadrugama, s tim da elementi radnog odnosa karakteristični za socijalističko radno pravo i koncept udruženog rada u velikoj meri odgovaraju koncepciji radnog odnosa u savremenim kooperativama, međunarodnog, uporednog i domaćeg prava. Osim toga, ciljevi poslovanja socijalnih preduzeća i kooperativa se, u velikoj meri, podudaraju zbog čega, shodno rešenjima iz uporednog prava, socijalna preduzeća mogu da se osnivaju i u formi zadruga. Isto rešenje treba primeniti i u pravu Srbije