The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of RR, RX and XX genotypes of rs1815739 single nucleotide polymorphism of ACTN3 gene in general population of six Balkan countries. This SNP is currently thought to give genetic predisposition for advantageous sport performance, with its R allele positively correlating with better performance in strength/power sports, and X allele being present in higher frequency in elite athletes in endurance disciplines. A total of 483 individuals (281 males and 202 females) from seven populations from six countries was tested. Samples were collected by buccal swabbing method, DNA was isolated according to salting-out protocol and genotyping was performed using PCR and RFLP analysis. Obtained results suggest that RR and RX genotypes (43.7% and 44.1%, respectively) are overrepresented when compared to XX genotype (12.2%). The XX genotype in the study samples is present in lower frequency when compared to the global (16-18%) and European (18%) average. This study reports the first population data on genotype prevalence in sports-related genes for this part of Europe and is the beginning of research interests that intend to investigate genetic predispositions of elite athletes from this region competing internationally in different disciplines.

For many years rural was associated with population decline, degradation of the countryside, population aging, gender inequality, increased unemployment and poverty. However, recent research emphasise that there are peripheral areas that perform good or even better than urban areas which leads to the concept of "differential performance" between rural areas which exist in relatively similar conditions related to geography, location, available natural resources, policies, etc. It is obvious that traditional theories related to rural-urban development processes, cannot explain those performance differences of rural areas with similar characteristics. In this study the authors are presenting key aspects of main development theories that can be conected to the development of rural areas. Likewise, they present the model and significant research efforts supporting the theory on the potentials of immobile resources for creating competitive advantages in rural areas and possibility for economic development (also known as Bryden's theory). In this context, immobile resources are including natural, built, human, social and cultural capital.

Country image and nation branding provide a competitive advantage for small and medium-sized enterprises in their internationalization. This paper analyzes the influence of Turkish nongovernmental organizations on forming country image of Turkey and developing the country brand using public diplomacy in the African continent. The published interviews and statements of Turkish and African politicians, business people and intellectuals argue that these organizations are effectively using public diplomacy to create the country brand. This paper focuses on the most active organization, the Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkey (TUSKON) which supports to its members in communicating with their potential customers in several occasions, and having a differentiating statement and a competitive advantage by promoting the brand image of the country. This civil society support is significant, especially for the small and medium enterprises of developing countries, when considered the weak international image and reputation of these countries.

Assessing credit risk allows financial institutions to plan future loans freely, to achieve targeted risk management and gain maximum profitability. In this study, the constructed risk assessment models are on a sample data which consists of financial ratios of enterprises listed in the Bourse Istanbul (BIST). 356 enterprises are classified into three levels as the investment, speculative and below investment groups by ten parameters. The applied methods are discriminant analysis, k nearest neighbor (k-NN), support vector machines (SVM), decision trees (DT) and a new hybrid model, namely Artificial Neural Networks with Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference Systems (ANFIS). This study will provide a comparison of models to build better mechanisms for preventing risk to minimize the loss arising from defaults. The results indicated that the decision tree models achieve a superior accuracy for the prediction of failure. The model we proposed as an innovation has an adequate performance among the applied models

In Bosnia and Herzegovina some rural municipalities with similar population density are very different regarding key demographic and economic indicators like migration, unemployment and average wages. According to the existing studies in Europe the answer for differential economic performance is firstly in the potential of local community to recognize, strengthen and utilize less mobile assets in the form of economic, social, cultural and natural capital. Secondly, researchers point to the synergy between those assets and external networking and using information and communications technology in reaching new markets and resources. Understanding the reasons for differential economic performance and more or less competitiveness in rural areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina could thus be a key element in devising practical strategies and programs for sustainable rural development. This could also contribute to the programming of Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for Rural Development of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the future. The aim of the study is by comparing the most and least developed rural municipalities to investigate the reasons for the differences in economic performance, in particular, to investigate the role of capitals or tangible and less tangible factors influencing development outcomes. In order to achieve that, the authors have chosen high and low performing municipalities according to the criteria of population density, rurality and proximity to large city. In order to have more clear picture, community profiling is conducted and data was collected by surveying community stakeholders. The analysis showed that in high performing municipality all capitals are accessible and properly utilized with space for improvement while low performing municipality has many problems and higher need for change and