Performances of labour markets during recession in different labour market regimes

Objective of this paper was to analyze differences in labour market performance in various labour market regimes during and after the latest recession. Different labour market regimes had specific paths of adjustments to recessional macroeconomic shocks, which can be related to underlying labour market institutions, as well as other institutional characteristics. Reaction of European labour markets on economic crisis 2008‐2009 varied across the Member States. Classification of countries was primarily based on principal component analysis performed in order to capture two main labour market features: flexibility and security. These features are a basis of the “flexicurity” concept and they are mainly determined by labour market institutions. Key determinants of flexibility and security balance in the labour market are: employment protection legislation, unemployment benefits system and active labour market policies. Within the labour market regimes results have been rather uneven, but we might say that Nordic and Continental regime tend to have had better labour market performances compared to Anglo‐Saxon and Mediterranean. However, one must be careful with definite conclusions, since a lot of other factors, beside labour market institutions, influenced labour market performances

Antioxidant Capacity of Dark Red Corn – Biochemical Properties Coupled with Electrochemical Evaluation

Biochemistry coupled with electrochemical approach is employed in a fast, relatively simple, yet highly precise detection of a plant extract antioxidant properties. Antioxidant capacity of dark red corn grains was investigated electrochemically using cyclic voltammetry (CV) on glassy carbon electrode (GC). The linear polarization resistance (LPR) measurements were performed for examining the corrosion inhibitive behavior of polyphenolics on mild steel. The consistent positive correlation (r=0.99) was established between total phenolic and flavonoid contents obtained by CV measurements and spectrophotometric antioxidant assay (DPPH test). Both analyses confirm the high antioxidant activity of tested pigments. Determination of the corrosion inhibition efficiency revealed that the red corn pigments have anti-corrosion effect on mild steels

Podsticanje inicijative, saradnje i stvaralaštva u nastavi srpskog jezika i književnosti

Instruction in Serbian language and literature serves to prepare and in a certain way enable the students to follow other school subjects, which points to its special relevance for total education. Unfortunately, research results indicate that students' knowledge in this field is not entirely satisfactory. One of the reasons maybe the fact that this knowledge is not sufficiently used in practice, which can have an unfavourable impact on students' response to more and more complex demands set by the education system of the 21st century. Additionally, the problem can also be related to the fact that dogmatic-reproductive and reproductive-explicative methodical approaches are still used in the classes of Serbian language and literature, while less attention is paid to creative work, cooperative learning and students' initiative, the competences that should be developed first and foremost during the initial education. This paper aims at pointing to the methods and procedures that contribute to the encouragement of initiative, cooperation and creativity in primary school students in the instruction in Serbian language and literature. Among other tings, we point out to the innovation of the drama method as an integral approach to teaching contents, which serves to adopt more quality knowledge via focused role-playing activities and drama techniques, primarily in the field of literature, and enables the durability and quality of the aesthetic perception and the reception of literature. It is also pointed to the fact that instruction that includes creative work, initiative and cooperative relations enhances student competences not only in knowledge and skills in Serbian language and literature, but also at the level of emotional and social relations between students.Nastava srpskog jezika i književnosti priprema i na izvestan način osposobljava učenike da prate ostale školske predmete, što upućuje na njen poseban značaj u celokupnom obrazovanju. Rezultati istraživanja, nažalost, pokazuju da nije sasvim zadovoljavajuće znanje učenika iz ove oblasti. Jedan od razloga može predstavljati podatak da ova znanja učenici nedovoljno primenjuju u praksi, što može nepovoljno uticati na njihove odgovore na sve složenije opšte zahteve koje obrazovni sistem u 21. veku postavlja. Takođe, problem može biti povezan i sa činjenicom da se na časovima srpskog jezika i književnosti još uvek primenjuju dogmatsko-reproduktivni i reproduktivno-eksplikativni metodički sistem, a da se kreativnom radu, kooperativnom učenju i inicijativnosti učenika, kompetencijama koje je neophodno razvijati najpre tokom inicijalnog obrazovanja, posvećuje manje pažnje. Cilj rada jeste da se ukaže na metode i postupke koji doprinose podsticanju inicijative, saradnje i stvaralaštva kod učenika osnovnoškolskog uzrasta u nastavi srpskog jezika i književnosti. Ističe se, između ostalog, inovativnost dramskog metoda kao integralnog pristupa nastavnim sadržajima, u kome se kroz usmerene igrovne aktivnosti i dramske tehnike usvaja kvalitetnije znanje prevashodno iz oblasti književnosti i obezbeđuje trajnost i kvalitet estetskog doživljaja i recepcije književnog dela. Ukazuje se na to da nastava kojoj su imanentni stvaralački rad, inicijativnost i saradnički odnosi unapređuje učeničke kompetencije ne samo u znanjima i umenjima iz predmeta Srpski jezik i književnost, nego i na planu emocionalnih i socijalnih odnosa učenika

Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on the Competitiveness of Multinational Corporations

AbstractCurrent development trends, at the global level, caused fundamental transformation in doing business in modern economy, and at the same time, set a request to change the dominant business strategies and policies by which companies achieve their goals. The liberalization of international trade and investment flows has contributed to the spread of the effects of technological progress and influenced development in many countries, but also raised a number of limitations in opportunities for achieving sustainable development. Decade of the nineties of the twentieth century can be characterized as a period of increasing pressure on the environment, the direct recipient of pollutants, resulting from the use of dirty manufacturing processes and production techniques, as well as the space through which manufactured products are distributed, used and postponed. The uncontrolled use of natural resources, especially non-renewable, has led to the endangerment of existential prerequisite for the maintenance of a healthy environment, as well as deterioration of environmental quality and escalating environmental problems on a global level.Under pressure from institutional factors, multinational corporations (MNCs), as motor of developments in the world economy, today pay more attention to the integration of the dimensions of sustainability in its own operations. Involving aspects of managing the impacts of corporate activities on social development and the environment is in the function of sustainable business. Development of key competences in the area of addressing social and environmental issues is a prerequisite of achieving and sustaining competitive advantage of MNCs in the modern market. In addition, long-term negligence of the non-financial aspects of the business can make multiple negative effects on the financial performance and the reduction of corporate reputation among key stakeholders, thereby reducing its competitive advantage.Great impact on the rise of social-economic consciousness of MNCs was made by a bulk of problems caused by negative consequences of their activities, which gave rise to boycott of consumers and other stakeholders. This resulted in the decrease of enterprise credibility, ruin of their reputation, built in years, and failure in competitiveness. An MNC management team has realized that un-responsible behavior towards environment could have a “boomerang effect” to it. On the other hand, responsible behavior of enterprises towards stakeholders, society, and environment could contribute to achievement of competitive advantage. For example, by ensuring good working conditions to employees, by instigation of non-discrimination, by respecting of human rights, and by offering a possibility of advancement, MNC become attractive for new employees, especially most talented people. By insuring transparency towards shareholders, and respect of their rights, by continuous reporting, and risk management, MNC become attractive for new investments. By offering quality, healthy, and safe products, and by performing promises about after-sale services, enterprises become attractive for consumers. Talented employees, substantial capital, and safe market are the key conditions for achieving MNC competitive advantage. Hence, it is obvious that social responsible behavior of MNC becomes important factor of their survival and success. By explaining the impact of corporate social responsibility on the competitiveness of MNCs, the aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of such practice for the competitiveness of MNCs

Nanoparticles: Potential for Use to Prevent Infections

One of the major issues related to medical devices and especially urinary stents are infections caused by different strains of bacteria and fungi, mainly in light of the recent rise in microbial resistance to existing antibiotics. Lately, it has been shown that nanomaterials could be superior alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Generally, nanoparticles are used for many applications in the biomedical field primarily due to the ability to adjust and control their physicochemical properties as well as their great reactivity due to the large surface-to-volume ratio. This has led to the formation of a new research field called nanomedicine which can be defined as the use of nanotechnology and nanomaterials in diagnostics, imaging, observing, prevention, control, and treatment of diseases. For example, coverings or coatings based on nanomaterials are now seen as a promising strategy for preventing or treating biofilms formation on healthcare kits, implants, and medical devices. Toxicity, inappropriate delivery, or degradation of conventionally used drugs for the treatment of infections may be avoided by using nanoparticles without or with encapsulated/immobilized active substances. Most of the materials which are used and examined for the preparation of the nanoparticles with encapsulated/immobilized active substances or smart reactive nanomaterials with antimicrobial effects are polymers, naturally derived antimicrobials, metal-based and non-metallic materials. This chapter provides an overview of the current state and future perspectives of the nanoparticle-based systems based on these materials for prevention, control, or elimination of biofilm-related infections on urinary stents. It also addresses manufacturing conditions indicating the huge potential for the improvement of existing and development of new promising stent solutions

Elektrohemijska svojstva ekstrakata pigmenta iz zrna kukuruza tamnocrvene boje

Electrochemical properties of pigment extracts from dark red corn grains was investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) on glassy carbon electrode (GC) in 0.1 M H2SO4. The shape of CV was typical for the oxidation of polyphenols. The antioxidant capacity of pigment from dark red corn grains was established from the charge under the anodic peaks. Quantitative determination of dark red corn pigments was performed by SWV. The linear polarization resistance (LPR) examinations were conduced in order to study the corrosion effect of polyphenolics on mild steel. Calculated corrosion inhibition efficiency ranged from 30% to 70%. Determination of the corrosion inhibition efficiency revealed that the red corn pigments have anti-corrosion effect on mild steels.Elektrohemijska svojstva ekstrakata pigmenta iz zrna kukuruza tamnocrvene boje ispitivana su pomoću ciklične voltametruje (CV) i voltametrije pravougaonih talasa (SWV) na elektrodi od staklastog ugljenika (GC) u 0.1 M H2SO4. Dobijeni oblik CV je tipičan za oksidaciju polifenola. Antioksidativna kapacitivnost je utvrđena određivanjem naelektrisanja ispod anodnih pikova. Pigmenti iz zrna kukuruza tamnocrvene boje su kvantitativno određeni primenom SWV metode. Linearna polarizaciona otpornost (LPR) je sprovedena na niskougljeničnom (može i mekom, ali ovo je bolji izraz) čeliku kako bi se ispitalo koroziono ponašanje polifenola. Izračunata efikasnost inhibicije korozije je bila između 30 % i 70 %. Određivanje ove efikasnosti pokazalo je da pigmenti tamnocrvenog kukuruza imaju antikorozivno dejstvo na niskougljeničnom čeliku.XXII YuCorr International Conference, September 13-16, 2021, Tara Mountain, Serbia, [http://sitzam.org.rs/YUCORR/

Source apportionment of oxidative potential: What we know so far

In numerous epidemiological studies, exposure to particulate matter (PM) has been associated with negative health outcomes. It has been established so far that the detrimental health effects of particles cannot be explained by a single parameter, such as particle mass, as the complexity of chemical composition and reactivity of particles are not always represented by the mass loadings. The oxidative potential (OP) of aerosol particles represents a promising indicator of their potential toxicity. To develop strategies and regulations at improving the air quality, an increasing number of studies are focused on the application of source apportionment (SA) of PM., while a limited number of SA investigations have been applied to OP. In this review previous research of SA of atmospheric PM OP and proposed guidelines for future studies are summarized. Most of the research studies were carried out in an urban area and focused on PM2.5, while few studies examined other PM fractions. It was noted that the three dominant contributors to OP were biomass burning (9-97%), secondary aerosols (6-67%), and traffic/vehicles (16-88%). The presence of other factors that contributed to the in-crease of OP to a lesser extent depended on the location and season. Further, a considerable discrepancy in the contribution of various OP vs. PM sources was discovered using SA models. Because of this, the use of SA is not equivalent when considering the mass of PM and its toxicity

The influence of pyrocatechol added in pre-oscillatory period on the dynamics of the Bray-Liebhafsky reaction

In the past two decades, chemical oscillators have emerged as a popular tool for the determination of “reactive” analytes due to their great sensitivity toward any kind of external perturbations. They have found application in many fields of applied science enabling relatively easy quantitative and qualitative analyses. In this study influence of pyrocatechol, an important precursor in many organic syntheses, on the pre-oscillatory period of the Bray-Liebhafsky (BL) reaction was examined. The BL reaction was followed by the potentiometric method. In a series of experiments (in a concentration range from 1.5 × 10-5 M to 3 × 10-5 M), pyrocatechol was added 45 minutes after the start of the reaction, causing an immediate appearance of oscillations. For these experimental conditions, the period between the first and second oscillation increases linearly with the added pyrocatechol concentration. The obtained results can be useful for analytical purposes and accordingly, potential determination of unknown pyrocatechol concentration

Experimental and statistical survey on local thermal comfort impact on working productivity loss in university classrooms

The paper presents an experimental analysis of the relationship between local thermal comfort and productivity loss in classrooms. The experimental investigation was performed in a real university classroom during the winter semester in city of Belgrade. Measurements were taken for four scenarios, with different indoor comfort conditions. Variations were made by setting the central heating system on/off, adding an additional heat source to provoke higher indoor temperatures, and measuring the radiant asymmetry impact. Innovative questionnaires were developed especially for the research, in order to investigate students' subjective feelings about local thermal comfort and indoor environmental quality Local predicted mean vote and predicted percentage dissatisfied indices were calculated using data measured in situ. The results were compared to existing models recommended in literature and European and ASHRAE standards. Student productivity was evaluated using novel tests, designed to fit the purposes of the research. Surveys were conducted for 19 days under different thermal conditions, during lectures in a real classroom, using a sample of 240 productivity test results in total. Using the measured data, new correlations between the predicted mean vote, CO2, personal factor and productivity loss were developed. The research findings imply that local thermal comfort is an important factor that can impact productivity, but the impact of the personal factor is of tremendous importance, together with CO2 concentration in the classroom