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The constant pretension of people for food indicates the importance of agriculture and technology, and places them among the most important economic branches. Agriculture in the modern world ensures the general progress of society in the economic and cultural aspects and represents an economic branch that ensures the material survival of mankind. Given the fact that the world's population is growing faster and that the need for daily food is constantly increasing, it is neces sary to start as soon as possible with the implementation of sustainable methods in agricultural production at all levels. Corn, as an agricultural product, is of great importance for the sustainable development of agriculture and belongs to field wide-row crops, which belongs to the group of cereals. Cultivation of this culture is best achieved in climatic conditions, from moderate to tropical, where in the periods of the year when daily average temperatures do not fall below 15 °C, they belong to C-4 plants, which do not tolerate low temperatures. New varieties and hybrids of corn enable higher and more stable yields in different climates, which implies that the correct selection of hybrids is sustainable development, not only for the corn crop and its price as a product on the cereal market. The subject of the paper is to point out the importance of sustainable development for the corn market as an agricultural product. The aim of the work is to assess the possibility of sustainable corn production in order to create a competitive product for the foreign market, as well as the potential and advantages of Serbia for the implementation of new or corrected production technologies that are characterized by respect for the principles of sustainable development.

The aim of this paper is to determine the effects of the transition on the standard of living and social inequality in Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Russia. In order to establish a market economy, these countries started economic and systemic reforms at the end of the 1980s. The goal of the transition was the establishment of a market economy and macroeconomic stability, and to ensure a higher standard of living because (with the exception of Slovenia) the GDP per capita in these countries was significantly lower than the average of the EU countries. Although they applied different approaches in the implementation of the transition, it is characteristic for all countries that in the first phase of the transition (until the mid-1990s), they had the problem of recession and hyperinflation, which, together with the inadequate privatization process, was reflected in the decline of the standard of living (in Slovenia and Russia) and the growth of inequality. Only after establishing institutional reforms and attracting FDI, in the second transition phase (until the end of the 1990s), macroeconomic stability was established, which contributed to the growth of living standards (except for Russia) and the reduction of inequality (except in Poland).

Faced with high levels of poverty, China introduced its "one-child policy" in 1980 and began economic and systemic reforms that led to the country''s strong economic development. Thanks to the improvement in the average standard of living, certain socioeconomic aspects related to women''s employment, the pursuit of higher education, delays in childbirth, and the number of children have changed. These changes have not only reduced the number of children being born and led to population aging, but have also affected the labour market. The aim of this paper is to determine the effects of Chinese population policy on selected labour market indicators: labour force by age and sex in rural/urban areas, the labour force participation rate, and the unemployment rate. Research results from 2010 to 2020 show the growth of the labour force, while the unemployment rate has been growing since 2018. It is noticeable that the number of workers in the labour force is growing in cities, while it is declining in rural areas. On the other hand, the unemployment rate is lower in rural areas, while the growth of unemployment is evident in urban areas. The research shows that the long-term implementation of this population policy has resulted in a larger number of men, leading to greater participation of men in the labour force. Despite measures to improve the position of women at work, women''s social security is still not guaranteed, and it is more difficult for women to decide to expand their families. As China has ambitious plans for economic development, defining adequate population and social policies is crucial for their implementation.

In the present paper, we introduce the concept of idempotent-aided factorization (I.-A. factorization) of a regular element of a semigroup, which can be understood as a semigroup-theoretical extension of full-rank factorization of matrices over a field. I.-A. factorization of a regular element d is defined by means of an idempotent e from its Green's D -class as decomposition into the product d = u v , so that the element u belongs to the Green's R -class of the element d and the Green's L -class of the idempotent e, while the element v belongs to the Green's L -class of the element d and the Green's R -class of the idempotent e. The main result of the paper is a theorem which states that each regular element of a semigroup possesses an I.-A. factorization with respect to each idempotent from its Green's D -class. In addition, we prove that when one of the factors is given, then the other factor is uniquely determined. I.-A. factorizations are then used to provide new existence conditions and characterizations of group inverses and (b , c) -inverses in a semigroup. In our further research, these factorizations will be applied to matrices with entries in a field, and efficient algorithms for realization of such factorizations will be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Western Balkans countries have the aim to become part of the European Union. According to that aim, they have implemented economic and systemic reforms in the last three decades. As countries in the region are signatories to the Energy Community Treaty, they have committed themselves to harmonize legislation, define and implement national plans aimed at reducing carbon emissions, improving energy efficiency and increasing the use of renewable energy sources. Having in mind their commitment, the aim of this paper is to determine the progress in the process of economic development, i.e. to define the chances and limitations to implement the process of energy transition. The results of the research show that despite the started reform processes and the progress in the Human Development Index, the COVID-19 crisis slowed down the development of the region and led not only to recession and falling living standards, but also to rising unemployment. In addition, a great challenge for the region is the reduction of energy and carbon intensity because the structure of the power industry is dominated by coal-fired power plants that are outdated and inefficient. The region lacks investment and consistency in implementing ongoing reforms. The Green Agenda for the Western Balkans represents a chance for the region, because through the Instruments of Cross-Border Cooperation, it encourages investments in projects that not only enable energy transition, but also the development of other sectors of industry and agriculture.

In the 1980s, the neoliberal concept was imposed as an economic-political doctrine based on the claim that the free market efficiently allocated resources and ensured world prosperity and peace. The aim of this paper is to try to provide one of the possible interpretations of neoliberal economy on the basis of the analysis of the development of economic thought. The foundations of liberal economy are defined by classical political economy, and the contribution was made by the neoclassical school of economics, but also other directions in the development of economic thought. Although proponents of the neoliberal economy have advocated liberalization and privatization to improve the general well-being of society, the global economic crisis and the COVID-19 crisis have shown the misconceptions and contradictions of neoliberal results that are not only ineffective in times of crisis but also contribute to global inequality.

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Today, sustained development faces major challenges, which is based on economic, ecological and sociocultural principles, and which is a prerequisite for the development of rural areas. The goal of the work is the implementation of the professional education model for people from rural areas through the improvement of sustainable environmental and economic competencies using the E-Academy platform. The research is based on data obtained through the Survey (164 respondents), from Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia. The results show that 57% of respondents have secondary education and all are from rural areas. It has been established that the majority have elementary knowledge of the use of digital platforms and tools, so the interest in such education is at an enviable level. The significance of the results is reflected in the inclusion of the rural population in the E-Academy, monitoring the course of education and helping those who strive to improve agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining is a global industry that is of great importance for every product which is used by human. For mining, process efficiency, reducing production downtime, increasing profitability are all very important. Soft computing technologies (SC) are helping in the process of transforming the mining industry into a safer and more environmental friendly industry, but keeping in mind the financial aspect as well. In this paper some of fields of blasting activities in which the SC methods have been applicated, will be presented. Trough the following chapters some of the most significant researches will be reviewed.

Introduction/Objective. The ideal reconstruction procedure after total gastrectomy should replace all lost functions of the stomach. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of preserving the duodenal passage in subsequent improvement of body weight (BW) and body mass index (BMI) in patients with gastric cancer after total gastrectomy. Methods. A total of 30 patients with gastric cancer were prospectively randomly divided into a group of reconstruction with double-tract (n = 15) and a group of reconstruction with simple Roux-en-Y after total gastrectomy. They were stratified by sex, age, their anthropometric measurements (BW, BMI), primary tumor localization, Lauren’s classification, TNM stage classification, length of hospital stay, operation duration, postoperative complications, and mortality. Postoperatively, BW and BMI were measured at three, six, and 12 months and compared between the two groups. Results. The clinical group of double-tract patients had significantly higher the values of BW in the postoperative period after six (66.6 ± 4.9 vs. 61.7 ± 7.6; p < 0.05 paired Student’s t-test) and after 12 months (67.0 ± 4.9 vs. 62.3 ± 7.2; p < 0.05 paired Student’s t-test) compared to the group of Roux-en-Y patients. On the other hand, the clinical group of double-tract patients also had significantly higher the values of BMI in postoperative period after 12 months (23.6 ± 1.1 vs. 22.5 ± 1.6; p < 0.05 paired Student’s t-test) in relation to the Roux-en-Y group of patients. Conclusion. Reconstruction procedure carried out after total gastrectomy which implies preserving the duodenal passage has significant increase of BW and BMI, compared to reconstruction procedure without the preservation of the duodenal passage.

Background/Aim. Rectal cancer is a major health problem throughout the world, despite the great progress in the treatment and control of the disease. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of mesorectal excision type on local recurrence in patients operated on for rectal cancer within a 3- year period. Methods. The clinical retrospective study was conducted at the Clinic for General Surgery at the Clinical Center in Niš, Serbia, and included 225 patients with rectal cancer. Postoperatively, the patients were observed 36 months. Total mesorectal excision (TME) method was used in 129 (57.33%) patients, and partial mesorectal excision (PME) in 96 (42.66%). There were 145 (64.44%) man and 80 (35.55%) women, average age 66.8 years. Results. In 58 (25.77%) of the patients cancer was localized in the proximal third of the rectum, in 99 (44%) in the medium third, in 68 (30.22%) it was 8 cm of the anocutaneous line. In 167 (74.22%) patients rectal cancer was in T3 stadium. TME was performed in all the patients with cancer in the distal third of the rectum and in 61.61% of the patients with cancer in the medium third of the rectum. PME was performed in all the patients with localized cancer in the proximal third and in 38.38% of the patients with cancer in the medium third of the rectum. Local recurrence occurred in 20 (8.88%) patients, 12 (9.30%) in the TME group and 8 (8.33%) in the PME group, which was not a statistically significant difference. In 75% of the cases, relapse occurred in the patients in T3 stage. Relapse occurred in 55% of the cases in the second year after the surgery. The median survival of all the patients amounted to 35 months. The total mortality of all respondents in a 3-year period amounted to 5.3%. Conclusion. There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of local recurrence and survival among patients who underwent TME and those underwent PME. The type of mesorectal excision does not affect the incidence of local recurrence in node-negative disease stages.

Background/Aim. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a key modality not only for lesion diagnosis, but also to evaluate the extension, type and grade of the tumor. Advanced MRI techniques provide physiologic information that complements the anatomic information available from conventional MRI. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a correlation between apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps of intracranial glial tumors and histopathologic findings and whether ADCs can reliably distinguish lowgrade from high-grade gliomas. Methods. This retrospective study included 25 patients with MRI examination up to seven days before surgery, according to the standard protocol with the following sequences: T1WI, T2WI, FLAIR, DWI and post contrast T1WI. Data obtained from DW MRI were presented by measuring the value of ADC. The ADC map was determined by utilizing Diffusion-Perfusion (DP) Tools software. All the patients underwent surgical resection of the tumor. Histological diagnosis of tumors was determined according to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification. The ADC values were compared with the histopathologic findings according to the WHO criteria. Results. The ADC values of astrocytomas grades I (0.000614 ± 0.000032 mm2/s) were significantly higher (< 0.001) than the ADC values of anaplastic astrocytomas (0.000436 ± 0.000016 mm2/s) and the ADC values of glioblastomas multiforme (0.000070 ± 0.000008 mm2/s). The ADC values of astrocytomas grades II (0.000530 ± 0.000114 mm2/s) were significantly higher (< 0.001) than the ADC values of anaplastic astrocytomas (0.000436 ± 0.000016 mm2/s) and glioblastomas multiforme (0.000070 ± 0.000008 mm2/s). The ADC values of anaplastic astrocytomas (0.000436 ± 0.000016 mm2/s) were significantly higher (< 0.001) than the ADC values of glioblastomas multiforme (0.000070 ± 0.000008 mm2/s). The ADC values in the cystic part of the tumor for astrocytomas grades I (0.000775 ± 0.000023 mm2/s) were significantly higher (< 0.001) than the ADC values of anaplastic astrocytomas (0.000119 ± 0.000246 mm2/s) and glioblastomas multiforme (0.000076 ± 0.000004 mm2/s). The ADC values astrocytomas grades II (0.000511 ± 0.000421 mm2/s) were significantly higher (< 0.001) than the ADC values of glioblastomas multiforme (0.000076 ± 0.000004 mm2/s). Concluson. DWI with calculation of ADC maps can be regarded as a reliable useful diagnostic tool, which indirectly reflects the proliferation and malignancy of gliomas. The ADCs maps can both predict the results of histopathological tumor and distinguish between low- and high-grade gliomas, and provide significant information for presurgical planning, treatment and prognosis for patients with highgrade astrocytomas.