This article analyzes the experience of economic clustering of Finnish industry. This experience is described in the report of the fundamental investigation which was carried out by the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA) - Advantage Finland - The Future of the Finnish industries. The study deals with the competitiveness and future growth prospects of the Finnish industry on the basis of Michael E. Porter's theory of the competitive advantage of nations. The comparative advantage of Finnish industries has been moving from capital-and resource-intensive branches to those driven by know-how and technology. The author recommends to study this experience and to use it in Latvia. The finding of the real and potential business-groups in the economy of Latvia may be realized with the algorithm of clustering described by the professor of Colombian University (USA) David Stark on the base of Lursoft data of the Latvian enterprises.

The efficiency of solving of the state environmental protection policy and implementation of the environmental problems are closely related to identification of the existing problems of the environmental protection in a definite territory. In the rural territories this process depends on the process of agricultural production. In the society, alongside with the opinion about necessity of sustainable development there is also an opinion that the primary goal is to attain total economic increase even if it can damage the environment itself. Analyzing definite indices of the effect of agriculture on the environment, it is possible to evaluate changes in the development of the branch and the environmental condition as well as their mutual interrelation.

The article is meant to analyze the methodological qualitative characteristics of the creation of employees' motivation. These characteristics help to measure the reliability of research instruments. In accordance with Kendal ranking correlation (Henning, 1997) there are identified motivation indicators of managing employees and executives. The main attention is paid to the importance of motivation models' shaping and the essential principles by giving the results of model shaping and their interpretations.

Fermentation of milk with probiotics and prebiotics has been shown to increase the concentration of B group vitamins in fermented milk products. The task of the study was to investigate the influence of prebiotics on the increasing of thiamin and riboflavin concentrations in milk during fermentation by Bifidobacterium lactis. Lactulose (Duphilac, Netherlands) and inulin (Raftiline, Belgium) were added (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5%) into 100 g of milk. The milk samples were inoculated with Bifidobacterium lactis (BB-12, Chr. Hansen, Denmark) and incubated at 38 deg C for 16 hours. The amount of thiamine and riboflavin was determined by fluorometric method. Laboratory studies have shown that the increasing of thiamin and riboflavin concentrations in milk depends on the concentration of lactulose and inulin. Data on the final thiamin and riboflavin concentrations in fermented milk indicates that increasing the lactulose concentration from 1% to 3% enhanced the production of thiamin and riboflavin. The similar data was obtained with inulin. Increasing of inulin concentration from 1% to 4% enhanced the production of vitamins thiamin and riboflavin. The present results furthermore indicate that finding optimal combination of prebiotics and probiotic pairs where the prebiotic would benefit the specific probiotic strain, e.g. during production and formulation into foods, is one of the research priority for functional foods.

Selenium (Se) is an essential microelement for human health; it is not synthesized in human body and cannot be substituted by any other element. Many health problems have a link with Se deficiency. People need to obtain all necessary amounts of selenium with food. Cereal products are important components of our diets and can contribute comparatively large part of the total dietary intake of Se. The wheat grains growing in Latvia contain comparatively small amount of selenium - on average 0.04 mg kgE-1. The objective of this study was to investigate the possibilities of fortifying wheat grains with microelement selenium during soaking grains in selenium containing solutions. Wheat grain was soaked in sodium selenite and sodium selenate solutions with selenium concentration from 10 to 200 mg lE-1. Sprouting activity was determined after 24, 72 and 120 hours, the influence of selenium valence in compound was observed. Comparing the influence of Se**+4 and Se**+6, it can be concluded that Se**+4 does not promote sprouting activity of wheat grains position to Se**+6 which increases sprouting activity till selenium concentration 100 mg lE-1. Uptake of selenium in grains was studied by determination of total Se using atomic absorption spectroscopy method. Linear correlation between Se concentrations in applied soaking solutions and Se concentration in grains was observed. The content of total protein did not change significantly - it varied from 13.64% in the control sample to 13.87% in the wheat sample with the highest applied selenium concentration (200 mg lE-1).

This research presents the antiradical activity and fatty acids changes of vegetable oils. Natural antiradical activity and its changes during storage for one and two years of rapeseed, linseed and hemp oils were determined with 1.1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Fresh hemp oil shows the higher antiradical activity. The content of fatty acids of fresh rapeseed, linseed and hemp oils and of the mixture of rapeseed (800 g kgE-1) and linseed (200 g kgE-1) oils was determined by the method of gas chromatography. After heating the mixture of rapeseed and linseed oils at the temperature of 160-180 deg C, changes proportions in saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.

The research of feed components of minks (frozen fish and meat offal, dried haemoglobin, dried protein, wheat, barley, wheat and barley meal), and ready-mixed mink feed were investigated by mycological method in Sabouraud's Agar and Czapek Agar. The mycological examination of mink feedstuffs veriffed its contamination with Acremoniella atra, Alternaria spp., Aspergillus spp., Aureobasidium pullulans, Candida spp., Chaetomium spp., Cladosporium spp., Coremiella cubispora, Crysonilia sitophila, Curvularia spp., Fusarium spp., Gliocladium spp., Moniliella acetoabutans, Mortierella spp., Mucor spp., Penicillium spp., Sporothrix cyanescens, Stemphylium spp., Trichophyton terrestre, Zygosporium masonii, and Wangiella spp. Mycological examination of the mink liver, lungs and kidneys showed contamination with Acremonium spp., Actinomyces israelli, Arthrographis kalrae, Aspergillus spp., Aureobasidium pullulans, Candida spp., Chaetomium spp., Cladosporium bantianum, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Conidiobolus coronatus, Curvularia spp., Emmonsia spp., Fonsecaea pedrosoi, Geotrichum candidum, Mucor spp., Penicillium spp., Scedosporium prolificans, Sporothrix cyanescens, and Wangiella spp.

The most obvious application of satellite images in forestry areas and generating forests maps with particular emphasis on identifying temporarily non-forested areas and mapping forest clear-cuts. The aim of this paper was to investigate the influence of attributes describing forest clear-cut patch size, patch shape, and habitat conditions on classification results and map forest clear-cuts in Latvian and Estonian boundary area. The satellite images used were medium spatial resolution Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite images made in plain snow cover conditions in late winter. The boundary area was represented by Aluksne region in Latvia and by Voru County in Estonia. Clear -cut areas as changed areas in forests were discerned from non-changed areas with image differencing method that has proved itself as one of the most often used methods in land use and land cover change detection.

Forests and possibilities for forest land use have always played a very significant role in Latvia, gathering important experience in the course of time that can be analysed and used to improve the existing laws and regulations on the basis of the acquired results. the territory is characterised by a high percentage of forest coverage and its potential to increase up two thirds of the terrestrial area of the country. In the current economic, social and ecological situation it is important to provide a scientific explanation for the future fluctuations of forest resources balance due to natural and artificial transformation of lands - what is discussed in this article?

The manufacture and export of pallets is one of the largest sectors of the wood industry. For the manufacturing of pallets mainly softwood - spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) and pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) wood - materials are used. The price of those materials is increasing. It could be better for the production of pallets if the manufacturers could use hardwood - alder (Alnus incana L. Moench) and aspen (Populus tremula L.) wood materials. The reasons for that could be that these materials are not so expensive and that softwood materials could be used more in the wood industry where it is more necessary. But at that point more information about the physical and mechanical properties of hardwood materials needed. Basing on the previous research on quality and mechanical properties of softwood and hardwood and on the present research work the practical and theoretical values of deflection and strength of pallets have been assessed. The research enables us to optimize the preparation for pallet production. The aim of the research is to find out the strength of the pallets without destroying.