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Surfing with the Tide: Real Estate as a Hedge against Inflation
No full textAfter a multi-year period of low interest rates and monetary expansions following the so-called great
moderation, the issue of how to protect capital from value erosion became highly relevant once again.
Recent notable increase in inflation re-woke theoretical and practical disagreements about what causes
inflation in the first place, in which ways and to what extent inflation is being costly for both households
and investors, and in particular how if at all households are able to protect their modest portfolios.
Inflation undoubtedly erodes the value of corporate earnings as well as profits of financial
intermediaries, thereby impacting virtually all asset classes and all kinds of investors. Nonetheless, it is
usually the harshest on the receiving end, since predominantly households are most badly hit by
inflation, especially those with fixed- or way too slowly adjusting incomes. Therefore, during a period
of accelerated inflationary pressure, it becomes ever more important for all parties to obtain financial
instruments that effectively protect capital from value erosion. The question arises of where to invest in
order to at least preserve value i.e. keep up with the inflation rate in terms of investment returns. The
aim of this research is to measure the correlation between real estate performance and inflation in order
to determine whether this type of asset can be a good source of protection against inflation. Also, the
aim of the paper is to compare the real estate protective potential against inflation with the performance
of stocks, bonds and gold in conserving inherited purchasing power
Spectroscopic Investigation of Tomato Seed Germination Stimulated by Trichoderma spp.
No full textSeed germination is a complex process that can be negatively affected by numerous stresses. Trichoderma spp. are known as effective biocontrol agents as well as plant growth and germination stimulators. However, understanding of the early interactions between seeds and Trichoderma spp. remains limited. In the present paper, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy were used to reveal the nature of tomato seed germination as stimulated by Trichoderma. A rapid response of tomato seeds to Trichoderma spp. was observed within 48 h on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) substrate, preceding any physical contact. Raman analysis indicated that both Trichoderma species stimulated phenolic compound synthesis by triggering plant-specific responses in seed radicles. The impact of T. harzianum and T. brevicompactum on two tomato cultivars resulted in alterations to the middle lamella pectin, cellulose, and xyloglucan in the primary cell wall. The Raman spectra indicated increased xylan content in NA with T9 treatment as well as increased hemicelluloses in GZ with T4 treatment. Moreover, T4 treatment resulted in elevated conjugated aldehydes in lignin in GZ, whereas the trend was reversed in NA. Additionally, FTIR analysis revealed significant changes in total protein levels in Trichoderma spp.-treated tomato seed radicles, with simultaneous decreases in pectin and/or xyloglucan. Our results indicate that two complementary spectroscopic methods, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, can give valuable information on rapid changes in the plant cell wall structure of tomato radicles during germination stimulated by Trichoderma spp
The Influence of Physical Activity on the Level of Anxiety in Female Students
No full textTo examine the impact of physical activity (FA) on students’ mental health, primarily on the manifestation of anxiety symptoms (DAS), a study was conducted on 116 females, aged, 21,37 ± 5.70 years. All respondents are undergraduate students of the Faculty of Sport and Psychology, TIMS, from Novi Sad, Serbia. For the purposes of this research, two measuring instruments were used, (DASS-21) and (GSLTPAK). The first of them is a shortened version of the scale of Depression, Anxiety and Stress, and the second is a short form of Godin’s free time exercises. Analyzing the obtained results, it was possible to determine a significant negative correlation of light physical activity with the level of anxiety (r = -0.379, p = 0.000), but intense physical activity also showed a statistically significant correlation (r = -0.257, p = 0.024). Unlike them, moderate physical activity did not exhibit a statistically significant correlation (r=-0.122, p=0.121). Using multiple regression analysis, it was determined that light physical activity is a statistically significant predictor of anxiety level (Unstd.Beta=-0623, p=0.000), and in that case the model explains 22.1% (R2adjust=0.221). The obtained results coincide with previous research that confirms the positive effects of physical activity on mental health. In this sense, the application of light physical activity can contribute to reducing anxiety among students.
Ključne riječi:
physical activity, mental health, anxiety, female student
Snow Avalanche Hazard Prediction Using the Best-Worst Method-Case Study : The Šar Mountains, Serbia
No full textSnow avalanches are one of the most frequent natural hazards in high mountain regions. In this study, a map of the susceptibility of the Šar Mountains to snow avalanches was determined. The study area is located in the southern part of Serbia, which has the Status of a National park. Geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing are used to analysis and cartographical presentation of nine the most important elements of natural conditions which have an influence on avalanche development. Then, by applying the best-worst method (BWM) for each of the criteria was given a weighting coefficient depending on its importance for the avalanche occurrence. A synthetic map of snow avalanche susceptibility was created by processing geospatial data in the GIS software. The obtained results show that high susceptibility covers 16.9% of the territory, while 10.7% of the total area is very highly susceptible. The final results may be useful to decision-makers, local self-governments, emergency management services, and mountaineering services to mitigate human and material losses from snow avalanches. This study is the first to use the BWM methodology for snow avalanche hazard analysis
Efficiency of blended learning of calculus content during the Covid19 crisis
No full textIn this paper, we present the analysis of the students' achievements in learning calculus in a dynamic software environment during the Covid19 crisis. Two groups of students, the experimental and the control one, were monitored. Blended learning was applied to the students in the experimental group, with the help of Microsoft Teams and dynamic software GeoGebra, in autumn 2020. All students in the control group learned in the classroom without using GeoGebra in 2019. The comparison between these two groups of first-year students, regarding their calculus test results, is described in this paper. It is interesting that the results of the experimental group were significantly better than the results of students in the control group, despite the fact that the students from the experimental group learned during the Covid19 crisis
Training pre-service teachers for using educational software in order to improve the quality of the mathematics teaching in primary education
No full textThe application of mathematics is present in different disciplines and that is one of the most
important reasons for the significance of the mathematics education at all levels of education.
However, the teachers face the numerous challenges in presenting elementary mathematical concepts and guiding the students through the learning process]. One of the most common challenges is presenting the geometric concepts, as well as introducing the students with the properties of the geometric objects. With the development of the mathematical
software, new possibilities in visualization of the geometric contents have appeared. For the successful application of this software in teaching and learning mathematics, it is necessary for the teacher to be well trained in using this software
Heavy metal concentrations in the soil near illegal landfills in the vicinity of agricultural areas—artificial neural network approach
No full textPurpose To anticipate the impact of illegal landfills, development of new models should become a part of environmental
risk management strategies. One of such approaches includes applications of the artificial neural network (ANN). The main
objective of this study was to elucidate the impact of illegal landfilling on the surrounding soil environment and human
health, as well as to establish an artificial neural network (ANN) models for predicting the hazards of illegal landfilling as
an effective tool in decision-making and environmental risk management.
Methods The identification of heavy metals source in soil was performed by principal component analysis (PCA). To assess
the sensitivity of the soil ecosystem to heavy metal concentrations, Soil Quality standards and quantitative indices were used.
The possible health effects were valued using the average daily doses (ADDs), hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI),
and carcinogenic risk (CR). ANN modeling was used for the prediction of heavy metal concentrations in the soil based on
landfill size, municipality size, the number of residents, plant species, soil, and landform types.
Results The average values of the pollution indexes for Cd were in the moderately contaminated and very high contamina tion categories. The HQ values were lower than the safe level. Cr and Pb posed a significant CR for adults and children, and
Ni for children. The ANN models have exhibited good generalization power and accurately predicted the output parameters
with a high value of the coefficient of determination.
Conclusion Concerning heavy metal concentrations, illegal landfills near agricultural soil have a significant impact on the
soil ecosystem and people’s health. The developed ANN models can be applied generally to anticipate the heavy metal
concentrations in soil, according to the before mentioned input parameters, with high accuracy
Exploring the impact of transportation on heavy metal pollution: A comparative study of trains and cars
No full textThis study aimed to investigate the impact of road and rail traffic on the soil through the analysis
of the presence of heavy metals in soil samples collected next to a busy highway, local roads, and
next to an active railway line. Results showed that cars emitted higher levels of heavy metals than
trains. Soil samples near the highway had higher levels of Cu, Ni, and Hg. The values of the
calculated indices like geo-accumulation index, potential toxicity response index, ecological risk
factor, contamination factor, pollution load index, Nemerow’s pollution index, and degree of
contamination confirm that the soil samples sampled near the highway are the most polluted and
highway have the greatest negative impact on the soil environment. These results suggest that
controlling car emissions through strict regulations and promoting public transportation could
effectively reduce the heavy metal concentrations in soil, particularly from highway emissions
Korelaciona analiza prinosa zrna kukuruza (Zea mays L.)
No full textStvaranje novih, prinosnijih hibrida osnovni je cilj svakog oplemenjivačkog programa. Prinos je veoma kompleksno svojstvo i, kako
bi se prilikom oplemenjivanja izabrala najpogodnija metoda, neophodno je
pažnju posvetiti i međuzavisnosti prinosa zrna i komponenti prinosa zrna.
Iz tog razloga, cilj ovog istraživanja je bio da se ustanovi međuzavisnost
prinosa i komponenti prinosa (dužina klipa, broj redova zrna na klipu, broj
zrna u redu i masa 100 zrna), kao i između prinosa i komponenti prinosa, sa jedne strane i sadržaja ulja u zrnu, sa druge strane. U istraživanju je
korišćeno 7 inbred linija i njihovo potomstvo ukrštanja. Ogled je postavljen po slučajnom blok sistemu, sa tri ponavljanja. Najjača međuzavisnost
ustanovljena je između prinosa zrna i broja zrna u redu, a kod ostalih
proučavanih osobina, između dužine klipa i broja zrna u redu. Sadžaj ulja
u zrnu bio je u negativnoj korelaciji sa svim proučavanim osobinama,
izuzev sa brojem redova zrna na klipu
The importance of circular economy development strategies in the Western Balkan region
No full textFrom the beginning, the concept of circular economy has been exposed to a large number of criticisms in scientific literature and practice, which are related to the understanding of the term circular economy. Nevertheless, the term itself creates economic, environmental, and social
benefits, although the area of measurement of the circular economy still is not clearly defined. For now, the literature has defined two measurement areas, which on the one hand refer to the technical aspects of the circular economy concept, while the other refers to the sustainability and intensity of the impact of the circular economy implementation strategy and its application. The Eurostat methodology for measuring the development of the circular economy, which is of key importance for monitoring the sustainable development of the Western Balkan region, has recently been applied. This paper aims to point out the importance of a circular economy development strategy in the Western Balkan region. The paper consists of three parts. The first part of the paper indicates the analysis of the current strategy for the development of the circular economy in Europe. The second part of the paper analyzes the circular economy development strategy in the Western Balkans countries, while the third part of the paper shows progress in the circular economy strategy in the Western Balkans, by measuring the development of the circular economy with Eurostat indicators. Finally, the concluding considerations of the author are given.Urednici: prof. dr Andrea Andrejević Panić, prof. dr Jelena Ješić i prof. dr Simonida Vukadinović; tehnički urednici: prof. dr Simonida Vukadinović, prof. dr Jelena Ješić, prof. dr Andrea Andrejević Panić i doc. dr Zoran Brlja