Serbia Research Articles

Comparative Study of Vermicomposting: Apple Pomace Alone and in Combination with Wheat Straw and Manure

Considering the sporadic number of scientific studies on vermicomposting apple pomace waste, this research conducts a comparative analysis of vermicomposting processes using Eisenia fetida, focusing on apple pomace both independently and in combination with wheat straw and/or manure (experiment 1: 60% apple pomace and 40% cattle manure; experiment 2: 60% wheat straw and 40% cattle manure; experiment 3: 80% apple pomace, 10% wheat straw, and 10% cattle manure; and experiment 4: 100% apple pomace). After a 240-day substrate transformation period, all four variations of vermicompost produced demonstrated favorable sensory properties, along with high microbiological and physicochemical quality. Throughout the vermicomposting process, the pH of all vermicomposting mixtures changed, converging towards approximately neutral values by the process’s conclusion. There was an increase in dry matter content, as well as total N, P, K, Ca, and Mg, along with organic matter. Notably, the levels of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, and Pb) in both the vermicomposting materials and resulting vermicomposts remained significantly below the maximum permissible levels stipulated by Republic of Serbia and European Union legislation, which is directly linked to the ecological origin of the raw materials used. The microbiological quality of the final vermicomposts was deemed satisfactory. Over time, there was a decrease in the counts of aerobic mesophilic bacteria as well as Escherichia coli. The counts of sulfite-reducing clostridia in all substrates remained below 102 CFU/g, while Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected in either the composting materials or the resulting composts. The vermiculture of apple pulp exhibited advantageous characteristics, notably a shortened vermicomposting period (150 days) compared to other agricultural waste. This reduction in processing time contributes an additional layer of advantage to the overall quality and efficiency of the resulting vermicompost.

Quality of Courier Services from the Customer Perspective in the Republic of Serbia

The recent growth of the e-commerce sector—especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic—has led to the expansion of the Courier, Express and Parcel (CEP) market. To remain competitive, courier companies had to adjust their business models to meet not only high demand but also customer expectations. The aim of this work is to assess the quality of courier services in the Republic of Serbia from the customers’ perspective. The relevant data was obtained via an electronic survey, which was informed by a comprehensive literature review. The online questionnaire was distributed via social networks (Facebook and Viber) in February 2023 and the subsequent statistical analyses revealed that, in the Republic of Serbia, satisfaction with courier delivery services is affected by the use frequency, customer characteristics (employment status, level of concern regarding personal data security) as well as the courier service characteristics (e.g. responsiveness, timeliness, delivery status, payment options).

Assessing the Impact of Botanical Origins, Harvest Years, and Geographical Variability on the Physicochemical Quality of Serbian Honey.

This study summarized the physicochemical analysis of 609 honey samples originating from the Republic of Serbia. Variations among honey samples from different botanical origins, regions of collections, and harvest years were exposed to descriptive statistics and correlation analysis that differentiated honey samples. Furthermore, most of the observed physicochemical parameters (glucose, fructose, sucrose content, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) levels, acidity, and electrical conductivity) varied significantly among different types of honey, years, and regions. At the same time, no noticeable difference was found in diastase activity, moisture content, and insoluble matter. Based on the obtained results, 22 honey samples could be considered adulterated, due to the irregular content of sucrose, 5-HMF, acidity, and diastase activity. In addition, 64 honey samples were suspected to be adulterated. Adulterated and non-compliant samples present a relatively low percentage (14.1%) of the total number of investigated samples. Consequently, a considerable number of honey samples met the required standards for honey quality. Overall, these findings provide insights into compositional and quality differences among various types of honey, aiding in understanding their characteristics and potential applications.

Communication Aspect of National Testing Digitalization: Investigating Key Stakeholders’ Satisfaction

Research Question: The paper deals with the analysis of the elements of the communication system in the process of digitalization of the national testing process in the Republic of Serbia. Motivation: National testing represents an important segment of education in most countries. Considering that it involves a large number of stakeholders and activities, innovations based on the implementation of new technologies are complex and require significant efforts and resources for their implementation. The digitalization of national testing in Serbia, in addition to the development of software and organizational solutions, is accompanied by the development and implementation of a communication system aimed at facilitating the acceptance of innovations by all participants. This paper addresses the analysis of the efficiency of the elements of the communication system and satisfaction of stakeholders with them, at the final exam at the end of primary education in the Republic of Serbia. Idea: The paper aims to describe a successful communication system implemented to support the process of national testing digitalization. Effective communication is essential due to the large number of participants involved in the process and should ensure national testing effectiveness and transparency. Data: For the analysis of the satisfaction of two stakeholder groups with the highest interest and influence in the process of conducting the final exam, data obtained from surveys conducted in 2021, 2022, and 2023 were used. Each year, the questionnaire was completed by over 900 primary school principals and over 8,000 parents of final-grade pupils. Tools: In the research, a questionnaire specifically designed for two stakeholder groups - primary school principals and parents of final-grade pupils was used. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were employed. Findings: The research has found that high satisfaction among key stakeholders (primary school principals and parents) is achieved through a carefully designed and implemented communication system, which includes an internet portal, written and video instructions, as well as direct support from trained and expert individuals. The communication system element that has the greatest impact on principals' satisfaction is the administrative portal, while for parents, it comprises all instructions prepared for carrying out activities. Contribution: This paper expands on existing research related to the digitalization of national testing and highlights the key elements of the communication system to enhance participant satisfaction in the process.

Decreasing the energy demand in public buildings using nature-based solutions: case studies from Novi Sad (Republic of Serbia) and Osijek (Republic of Croatia)

BackgroundNature-based solutions (NBS) in urban areas offer an opportunity to improve environmental conditions and to reduce CO2 emissions towards establishing climate-neutral cities in the next few decades. Furthermore, the implementation of NBSs—vertical or horizontal green infrastructures on public facilities—could in particular improve both climate, including outdoor thermal conditions on a micro-scale (especially during the summer season) and the energy demand of buildings as well as save heating energy during the winter period.ResultsOn both selected buildings, extensive green roofs were implemented as an NBS intervention. The analysed data were obtained using the monitoring systems (from 2019 to 2022) installed on two public buildings in Novi Sad (Republic of Serbia) and Osijek (Republic of Croatia), with a focus on climate/bioclimate characteristics and thermal transmission capacities. Four automatic weather stations (AWS) were used for microclimate monitoring, along with the heat flow meter (HFM) method, to measure the alterations in the thermal transmittance (U value) of a flat concrete roof before and after energy refurbishment and the installation of a green roof. The outcomes of this study show that the air temperatures (Ta) and globe temperatures (Tg) near the green roof are lower by 0–3 °C for Ta and by 0–16.5 °C for Tg than the values captured by the AWSs at other locations. An even more interesting fact is that the green roof has a constant cooling potential during tropical nights, and based upon this research, the cooling value is around 2 °C for Tg (the Ta value is not distinct). The thermal transmittance results show that more savings can be achieved by applying a green roof with an 8 cm thick substrate: U values decreased by 50–69%, as measured by two different heat flux sensors.ConclusionsNature-based solutions, such as the implementation of an extensive green roof, have positive effects on diverse aspects of urban environments and building energy savings, which are particularly evident in extreme seasons, both summer and winter. Applying the proposed monitoring and assessment system could help local communities in their efforts to reduce carbon-based emissions. This paper provides a good example of the implementation of NBSs on a local- and a micro-scale.

Reperkusije petooktobarskih promena 2000. godine u svetlu dokumenata, memoara i svedočenja

Drawing upon documents, memoirs, testimonies, and scholarly literature, this study elucidates the dynamics underlying the October 5th alterations in 2000 within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia. „The Fifth October“ refers to a sudden shift in political authority driven by compounded socio-political, economic, and societal tensions, alongside external influences. These multifaceted political and security upheavals, culminating on October 5, 2000, exhibited characteristics akin to a „colored revolution“, signifying a change in power dynamics without altering the prevailing political structure or formal power mechanisms. While temporal detachment affords a more impartial inquiry, the analysis contends with entrenched political narratives, oscillating between glorification and complete denial of the significance of October 5th.

Financial Security and Invoicing in Management of Public Enterprises Whose Founders are Local Self-Government Units, Example Republic of Serbia

The purpose of the study was to analyze two forms of invoicing in the operations of public companies that were established by local self-government units in the Republic of Serbia. At the same time, to point out the importance of introducing electronic invoicing in regular business. The author's focus was on the comparison of classic and electronic invoicing with the aim of improving the future financial reporting of companies according to the administrative bodies of local self-government units. The analysis of this process was carried out through a threefold observation of the evaluation, namely: employees, top management of the company and management of the administrative bodies of local self-government units. Our contribution is reflected in the fact that we discovered that there are large differences in the level of significance of the t test, i.e. they are less than the threshold level of significance for all analyzed factors (p<0.0005*) in all 6 analyzed factors and in their total observation, between classical and electronic invoicing. Also, higher values were obtained when evaluating electronic invoicing compared to classical financial reporting of public companies, which indicates the importance of introducing the mentioned form of financial reporting.

The Influence of Organizational Factors on the School’s Achievements

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of the most significant organizational factors on primary school achievements, with a note that the achievement of the school is expressed through the quality of outcome knowledge. The research was conducted on a sample of 460 employees, from 21 primary schools, of which 439 are professionals and 21 are principals in the South Bačka County, Republic of Serbia. The collected data were processed using the Gretl software and AMOS for modelling structural equations. More precisely, the research is based on the application of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. A neural network based on a standard multilayer perceptron model was used in the paper to test the validity of the obtained results of the AMOS model. The results of the research show that school management is the most important factor in school achievement and that this influence is most pronounced through teaching staff and school infrastructure. The results, also show that teachers’ competencies have the strongest direct influence on the quality of outcome knowledge. The results obtained indicate that decision-makers and creators of social policies must pay special attention to the selection of school principals as well as their professional education, while school principals to the selection of teachers. Future researchers are recommended to use the Sobel test to precisely determine the indirect influences of school management on school achievement.

EFFECTS OF LANDFILL LEACHES ON GROUND AND SURFACE WATERS: A CASE STUDY OF A WILD LANDFILL IN EASTERN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

<p>Landfill leachate, due to its high total pollution, and above all due to their high organic pollution, represents a significant environmental problem. This study investigated the impacts of the Tilić ada landfill on ground and surface waters. The location of the landfill Tilić ada is extremely sensitive due to the fact that it is located right next to the Drina river bed on the border with the Republic of Serbia, and especially because the source of drinking water Tilić ada is located at a distance of approx. 500 meters. </p> <p>Therefore, analyses of impact of leachate from the landfill were carried out, which indicated that the groundwater is at risk even 5 years after the landfill was closed. At the same time, water analyses from the Drina River were also carried out, which showed that the water quality was not impaired in relation to the defined water class.</p> <p> </p>

Students’ Intention toward Artificial Intelligence in the Context of Digital Transformation

The analysis of students’ attitudes and perceptions represents a basis for enhancing different types of activities, including teaching, learning, assessment, etc. Emphasis might be placed on the implementation of modern procedures and technologies, which play an important role in the process of digital transformation. Among them is artificial intelligence—a technology that has already been found to be applicable in various sectors. When it comes to education, several AI-based tools and platforms can be used by students and teachers. Besides offering customized learning experiences, AI may play a significant part in establishing the concept of sustainability, especially when concerning the achievement of sustainable development goal 4. This paper investigates students’ intention to use artificial intelligence in education, taking three predictors from the UTAUT model and AI awareness as the moderator. The analysis included students from the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia. For the purpose of the research, the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method was applied. Hereby, two models (without and with a moderator) were tested to examine the main and moderating effects, respectively. Regarding the results, while interaction terms were non-significant, the impacts of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence on behavioral intention were significant and positive.

IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF RISKS IN CIVIL ENGINEERING PROJECTS

<p>The main and primary goal of the research in this paper is to analyze the actual current situation in domestic civil engineering, by determining the causes of missing deadlines and exceeding budgets of civil engineering projects. Since the results of this research also indicate the most likely problems that could arise during the construction of a project, the findings and conclusions could be used in risk assessment and drawing up dynamic plans for actual projects, which would improve the situation in domestic civil engineering and increase productivity of this important industry. </p> <p>The results obtained in this paper provide a modern approach to the problem of risk in construction, provide a realistic insight into risk factors on civil engineering projects in the Republic of Serbia and the surrounding area, and facilitate the establishment of a better correlation between theory and practice in project management and risk management.</p> <p> </p>

Attitudes and Experiences of the Preschool Teachers in the Application of Digital Technologies in Environmental Education

This study was based on the experiences and attitudes of the preschool teachers in the application of digital technologies when teaching environmental contents. 180 preschool teachers from preschool institutions in the Republic of Serbia, with different work experience and different digital skills, participated in the research. The obtained results demonstrated that the preschool teachers’competencies decrease with the increase in the number of years of work experience, indicating that competencies for the application of digital tools were more developed in the preschool teachers with modest work experience. They also exhibited a greater level of experience in using digital technologies regarding environmental education. The results also showed that there was a significant connection between the application of digital technologies in different domains of the preschool teacher’s work (such as: ideas search, research on the grounds and topics that initiate the project, project development, a portfolio design and evidence of one’s own practice, publication of activities in digital format – in scientific publications, at congresses, on a personal blog and/or preschool institution’s website). Thus in the mentioned domains of work, preschool teachers with significant work experience, applied digital technologies less often when compared to the colleagues with shorter employment history.

Advancing Social and Economic Sustainability in Urban Areas: A Methodology for Determining Architectural Programs of Shopping Centers

The surge in shopping center construction within urban areas, especially without a strategic plan, has been particularly notable in Eastern Balkan cities during the 21st century. This tendency may lead to decreased economic activity and noticeable shifts in social and cultural dynamics. The primary objective of this study is to introduce and apply the Methodology for Determining Architectural Programs (MDAP), a mathematical model designed to optimize the planning process of shopping centers. Focused on spatial disposition and internal program distribution, MDAP extends the foundational Huff model by incorporating relevant economic parameters—consumers’ purchasing power and potential investors’ costs. Examining the city of Novi Sad, Republic of Serbia, the results indicate the consistency of the MDAP’s results compared to the application of the basic Huff model. This approach could contribute to a more balanced economic distribution within cities, promoting social and cultural relations while offering investors a relevant feasibility study and preserving shopping centers’ profitability. This study underscores the significance of considering social sustainability in urban planning, emphasizing how strategic urban retail development can positively impact social dynamics alongside economic viability by maximizing the potential utilization of existing retail spaces. However, potential limitations include unforeseen social, economic, and political factors influencing shopping center location decisions, posing challenges in real-world applications relying on complex social relations.

A LEGAL OVERVIEW OF MEDIATION PROCEDURES IN FORMER YUGOSLAVIAN COUNTRIES (R. CROATIA, R. SLOVENIA, AND R. SERBIA)

Mediation is a mechanism known for its efficiency, economy, and flexibility, characteristics that enable the constructive resolution of a dispute between parties. This method offers an extended range of contributions, especially regarding its influence on the state itself and on that state’s citizens. The successful practice of legal mediation seen in different states, starting from the USA, known for resolving 90% of its civil cases through this extrajudicial method. Afterward, the rest of the world began introducing this legal tool into their national legislations. Establishing mediation in countries’ legal systems are also been conditioned by the need to make a country’s laws and legal standards compatible and in harmony with those of the European Union. This, in addition to the goals desired to achieve with this action, namely reducing the number of unresolved cases in court, reducing procedural costs and duration, and increasing the quality of dispute resolution and parties’ involvement in the dispute resolution process, resulted in judicial involvement regarding contemporary reforms and in particular increasing citizens’ trust in the judiciary. This process started at the same time for a considerable number of Balkan states, whose main aim was integration and membership in the European Union. The paper will focus on a legal analysis of the mediation procedure through the method of content analysis for the laws of a selected number of states in the region (i.e., Republic of Croatia, Republic of Slovenia, Republic of Serbia), as well on finding the similarities and differences for several elements of this procedure in these states compared to those in the Republic of North Macedonia.

THE INFLUENCE OF FACTORS ON THE COSTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF LOANS IN BUSINESS OF AGRICULTURAL FARMS AND MEDIUM-SIZED AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES

The application of the use of different types of loans in the real organization of agricultural production in Republic of Serbia was the focus of the authors of the study. The goal of the research was to determine the existence of legality based on the analysis of 7 factors affecting the loans of agricultural farms and medium-sized agricultural enterprises, namely: limit, repayment delay, efficiency, average exchange rate, possibility of repayment, increase in production, currency, as well as the overall score of all analyzed factors as well as the total score. Using the t test (Table 1), the authors found that there are significant differences in the evaluation of all 7 analyzed factors (p<0.0005*). In addition, the authors determined that there are significant differences in the evaluation of the use of three types of loans (p<0.0005*) by agricultural farms and medium-sized agricultural enterprises in the Republic of Serbia.

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT AS THE BASIS FOR THE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE AGRARIAN POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

The development of modern democratic states implies respect for the principle of subsidiarity, which means bringing down decisions and their execution to the local level. The decisions regarding the use of agrarian potential in the Republic of Serbia are still under the jurisdiction of the central government authorities, which contributes inadequately to the overall stability and development of agriculture in modern geopolitical correlations. The goal of this paper is to point out to the necessity of understanding the need to enable as much as possible the authorities at the local self-government level of the Republic of Serbia to implement the strategic goals of agrarian policy while improving permanently their agricultural capacities. Based on the research on the opinions of relevant state and local authorities and on empirical and theoretical arguments, the authors support this claim and provide a new perspective for the content of agrarian policy, as well as the development of the rich agricultural potential that the Republic of Serbia has at its disposal.

Assessing the Efficiency of Foreign Investment in a Certification Procedure Using an Ensemble Machine Learning Model

Many methods exist for solving the problem of evaluating efficiency in different processes. They are divided into two basic groups, parametric and non-parametric methods, which can have significant differences in the results. In this study, the authors consider the process of assessing the business climate depending on realized foreign investments. Due to the expected difference in efficiency assessment using different approaches, the goal of this paper is to create an optimization model of an ensemble for efficiency assessment that uses both types of methods with the aim of creating a symmetrical approach that achieves better results than each type of method individually. The proposed solution simultaneously analyzes the impact of different factors on foreign investments in order to determine the most important factors and thus enable each local government to ensure the best possible efficiency in this process. The innovative idea of this study is in the inclusion of classification and feature selection methods of machine learning to fulfill the set goal. Our research, focused on a specific case study in various cities across the Republic of Serbia, evaluated the effectiveness of that process. This study extends previous research and confirms the published results, highlighting the advantages of the newly proposed model.

The mediating role of employee commitment in the relationship between compensation system and turnover intentions

PurposeThe main goal of this study is to determine the role of employee commitment in the relations between the compensation system and turnover intentions of employees in the Republic of Serbia, as well as to investigate whether there is a mediating effect of employee commitment in this relation.Design/methodology/approachThe primary methodology implemented in the research was data gathering, obtaining theoretical research works on the proposed relations and empirical studies based on the PLS-SEM, analysed by IBM SPSS Statistics and SmartPLS data processing software. The data for the analysis was obtained from a total sample of 764 employees, collected in the Republic of Serbia via an online questionnaire.FindingsThe results indicated a positive statistically significant relationship between the formative construct (compensation system) and reflective construct (commitment), as well as a negative statistically significant relationship between the compensation system and reflective construct (turnover intentions). Employee commitment partially mediates the relationship between the compensation system and turnover intentions of employees.Originality/valueThe study was conducted in Serbia and is thus rooted in the specific national context which is characterized by high power distance and high uncertainty avoidance and more collectivistic society with feminine values more expressed. Most of the previous investigations related to the mentioned constructs were performed in companies from more developed countries, including Western Europe and the United States of America, whereas there has been no such research conducted in Serbia to date. The results portrayed a mismatch between the expected relations regarding the attitudes of employees to the rewards and the proposed national context. Modern companies in Serbia need to follow a modern reward mechanism to build stronger commitment and decrease turnover intentions. Moreover, in most earlier research works, compensation was examined in terms of satisfaction with rewards, while this study was based on questions related to perceptions of employees toward HR compensation practices (“The organization offers me”-type questions), not related to their satisfaction. Further, in the majority of previous research works, the compensation system was examined as a variable in combination with other HR processes (staffing, training and development, career development, employee relations, HR planning, communication, etc.), as a HPWP, while in this case the authors used only the practice of compensation (reward elements and employee performance evaluation) to investigate relations with commitment and turnover intentions.

Interaction, Integration, Sectoral and Corporate Projects: Results of the All-Russian Library Forum

The Annual Meeting of Heads of Federal and Central Regional Libraries of Russia was held in Moscow on November 28—29, 2023. The event was organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Library and the Russian National Library. The Russian State Children’s Library took part in the preparation and holding of the meeting.The participants of the largest forum in the industry were heads and specialists from all eight federal districts of Russia (Central, North-West, South, North Caucasus, Volga, Ural, Siberian, Far East). Colleagues from the Donetsk People’s Republic, Lugansk People’s Republic, Zaporozhye region and Kherson region made presentations. 77 regions of the Russian Federation were represented at the meeting. Specialists from the Republic of Serbia were also participants in the event. The meeting was held in a hybrid format, allowing for both in-person and remote participation. Over the two days of its work, 300 in-person participants and 3,724 remote participants were registered.The main theme of the Annual Meeting of Heads of Federal and Central Regional Libraries of Russia 2024 was “Working together to create a successful future for libraries: sectoral projects, interaction, integration, sharing best practices”. The programme included five main thematic blocks: “Together. Integration of libraries of the new subjects of the Russian Federation into the library space of the country: plans and ongoing projects”, seminar-meeting “Educational and personnel policy of the industry”, “Development of the library fund: acquisition, disclosure, preservation”, “Digital transformation, artificial intelligence, neural networks for libraries, formation of the Russian electronic knowledge space”, “Modernization of libraries”.The topics discussed and the number of participants in the meeting in recent years testify to the increasing consolidation of the industry and the unflagging interest in this event.

Interaction, Integration, Sectoral and Corporate Projects: Results of the All-Russian Library Forum

The Annual Meeting of Heads of Federal and Central Regional Libraries of Russia was held in Moscow on November 28—29, 2023. The event was organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Library and the Russian National Library. The Russian State Children’s Library took part in the preparation and holding of the meeting.The participants of the largest forum in the industry were heads and specialists from all eight federal districts of Russia (Central, North-West, South, North Caucasus, Volga, Ural, Siberian, Far East). Colleagues from the Donetsk People’s Republic, Lugansk People’s Republic, Zaporozhye region and Kherson region made presentations. 77 regions of the Russian Federation were represented at the meeting. Specialists from the Republic of Serbia were also participants in the event. The meeting was held in a hybrid format, allowing for both in-person and remote participation. Over the two days of its work, 300 in-person participants and 3,724 remote participants were registered.The main theme of the Annual Meeting of Heads of Federal and Central Regional Libraries of Russia 2024 was “Working together to create a successful future for libraries: sectoral projects, interaction, integration, sharing best practices”. The programme included five main thematic blocks: “Together. Integration of libraries of the new subjects of the Russian Federation into the library space of the country: plans and ongoing projects”, seminar-meeting “Educational and personnel policy of the industry”, “Development of the library fund: acquisition, disclosure, preservation”, “Digital transformation, artificial intelligence, neural networks for libraries, formation of the Russian electronic knowledge space”, “Modernization of libraries”.The topics discussed and the number of participants in the meeting in recent years testify to the increasing consolidation of the industry and the unflagging interest in this event.