Part Of Croatia Research Articles

Cjenovni balon na tržištu nekretnina u Republici Hrvatskoj

Baloni na tržištu pojava su brzog rasta cijena nakon koje dolazi njihov dramatični pad. U nekim dijelovima Hrvatske – uz more i u gradu Zagrebu – cijene nekretnina drastično rastu promatra li se razdoblje od 2000. godine. Zbog napuhavanja cijena nekretnina u SAD-u, 2008. godine došlo je došlo do svjetske gospodarske krize, koja se zbog prelijevanja s jednog tržišta na drugo prelila i na gospodarstvo Hrvatske. Ovaj rad proučava događa li se u Hrvatskoj danas isto, odnosno jesu li cijene nekretnina u Hrvatskoj osnovano rasle ili je riječ o balonu koji će u jednom trenutku „puknuti“. Cijene nekretnina u Hrvatskoj rastu zbog više čimbenika, poput povećane potražnje za nekretninama u svrhu turističkog najma, subvencioniranja stambenih kredita za mlade, povećane potražnje stranaca za nekretninama. Ako dođe do znatnog pada turističke aktivnosti u Hrvatskoj, cijene nekretnina mogle bi dramatično pasti.

Model of calculating a composite environmental index for assessing the impact of port processes on environment: a case study of container terminal

Environmental standards are not harmonized in ports and neither are the instruments used for the assessing the condition of environmental efficiency of a port system. The purpose of the research conducted in the framework of this paper is to propose the methodology for calculating the Port Environmental Index (IE) which synthesizes all environmental aspects of port operations into a single value. The goals of the paper were the following: (1) to integrate the relevant environmental aspects of port activities and evaluate the impact of port terminal processes on the environment by calculating the IE and (2) to validate the index by applying it to a container terminal in the north-western part of Croatia. IE was constructed using the compound index method where compilation and aggregation of individual indicators were used to form a compound index of the overall effect of port processes on the environment. The validation of IE by applying it to a container terminal (Port of Rijeka, north-western part of Croatia) showed that the IE can be easily applied and its application allows monitoring the overall changes in environmental performance of port areas. In addition, IE can be used to test different pollution abatement strategies including testing interventions in the port processes and determining their share in the overall impact on the environment. In addition, the potential constraints to using such an approach are discussed in the paper.

REDUCING THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF BLASTING ON THE CAVE ECOSYSTEM NEAR THE FUTURE EXPLOITATION FIELD GRADUSA

The future exploitation field of technical-construction stone Gradusa is located in the area of Sunja municipality in Sisak-Moslavina County. Near Gradusa there is a cave that is part of the ecological network as a conservation area important for several species and habitat types of bats. The significance of the cave is also its location in the continental part of Croatia where it is among a small number of objects that bats can use in all periods of their annual cycle. Due to the location and importance of habitats, there was a need to define the primary environmental impacts assessment for the ecological network. This assessment is the most important document for the possible acquiring of a location permit for exploitation from the future quarry of Gradusa. This paper presents the results of trial blasting and guidelines for reducing the adverse blasting effects on the cave ecosystem near future exploitation field Gradusa. These are vibrations and noise, which may have an adverse impact on the habitats of bats. Cavers and experts on bats have also been included in the process of selecting the micro-location.

Utjecaj ratnih i poratnih migracija na demografsku sliku Grada Knina (1991. – 2011.)

U radu se analiziraju promjene u ukupnom kretanju broja stanovnika u naseljima Grada Knina u posljednja dva međupopisna razdoblja (1991. – 2001., 2001. – 2011.) te promjene u narodnosnoj strukturi stanovništva. Budući da je rat prouzročio prisilne migracije koje su odredile demografske procese na tom području, posebna pažnja pridaje se proučavanju migracijskih obilježja stanovništva. Rezultati analize pokazuju da su se najveće promjene u demografskoj slici toga područja dogodile u međupopisnom razdoblju 1991. – 2001. Obje komponente (prirodno i mehaničko kretanje) koje su bile negativne dovele su do znatnog pada broja stanovnika te do izrazitog smanjivanja autohtonog stanovništva. Posljedica toga je promjena narodnosne strukture. Predratno srpsko stanovništvo smanjeno je za više od tri četvrtine, a doseljavanje stanovništva iz ostalih dijelova Hrvatske te iz Bosne i Hercegovine dovelo je do prevage Hrvata. Unatoč pozitivnom migracijskom saldu u posljednjem međupopisnom razdoblju, u većini naselja, koje obuhvaća ovo istraživanje, nepovoljni demografski procesi, okarakterizirani negativnom prirodnom promjenom te demografskim starenjem stanovništva, upućuju na nastavak depopulacije koja će u nekim naseljima dovesti do demografskog izumiranja.

Monitoring in the Barać and Lower Cerovačka caves (Croatia) as a basis for the characterization of the climatological and hydrological processes that control speleothem formation

Determining the processes and conditions that control and affect the precipitation of carbonates in cave environments is essential to correctly interpret speleothem-based proxies and reconstruct past climate and environmental changes. Therefore, two cave systems rich in speleothems and that are located at different distances from the Adriatic Sea were selected to conduct cave monitoring during 2013–2014: 1) the Barać caves (Lower and Upper) situated in the inner part of Croatia; 2) the Lower Cerovačka Cave located on the northern slope of the southeastern part of Velebit Mountain, closer to the Adriatic coast. The monitoring included microclimate measurements, analyses of the elemental and stable isotope composition of drip water and precipitation, as well as stable isotope and 14C measurement of modern calcite precipitates formed on light bulbs.The stable isotope composition of drip waters in the Barać caves shows systematically lower values than those found in amount-weighted annual precipitation, which indicates that the source of the infiltrating water dominantly derives from winter precipitation. In contrast, the δD and δ18O values of the drip waters in the Lower Cerovačka Cave show similar or more positive values compared with those in the amount-weighted annual precipitation, which suggests more contribution from summer precipitation. All of the studied drip sites (except one) were characterized by stable δD and δ18O values during the whole monitoring period, which implies that the karst water above these sites is well mixed and the residence time of the groundwater is more than one year. Thus, it is likely that the speleothems from these sites could preserve the multiannual isotopic changes of precipitation. The deuterium-excess values of the drip waters and precipitation show systematically higher values than 10‰ suggesting significant contribution from moisture originated in the Mediterranean Basin. Although temperature time series do not cover a whole year, it seems that the Lower and Upper Barać caves display different calcite-water fractionation. These findings emphasize the importance of measurements on the carbonate precipitates from each site, even within the same cave system, before using speleothems for past climate reconstruction.

Natural Radiation Dose and Geomagnetic Effect

Earth keeps getting bombarded by high-energy particles that originate in the outer space and in Sun. Cosmic radiation in Earth’s atmosphere consists of a photon and directly ionizing component and a neutron component. Charged particles of cosmic radiation are deflected by the geomagnetic field that is more expressed at the equator than near the poles. Photon radiation was measured by Radiameter ESM FH 40G-L10 at 26 main meteorological stations in all parts of Croatia. The correlation between the photon dose rate and latitude was examined, as well as multiple correlations for the photon dose, latitude and altitude. The obtained positive correlation coefficients were statistically significant. The neutron component of the cosmic radiation was measured by series of nuclear track-etched detectors, at the same meteorological stations during one year period. The dependence of the neutron dose rate on the altitude was found and the associated equation of the linear regression was derived. Relation between the values of neutron dose N and altitude h, showed significant dependence of the neutron dose on altitude. However, the correlation of neutron dose and geographic (geomagnetic) latitude was not statistically significant, probably due to a small range of geographic latitudes for the measuring stations in Croatia.

First detection of Echinococcus multilocularis in Croatia.

Echinococcus multilocularis has been spreading through Europe but has not yet been reported in Croatia. We report the results of a surveillance programme to detect E. multilocularis in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in different parts of Croatia. PCR-based screening of faecal samples from 238 red foxes in 2015 and 150 in 2016 indicate prevalences of 7.5% in 2015 and 6.6% in 2016 (overall 7.2%, CI 4.9 to 10.3). Positive samples were confirmed by sequencing parts of the nad1 gene and the gene encoding mitochondrial 12S rRNA. Geographic locations of all examined and positive cases were mapped to provide data on the distribution of E. multilocularis. Our results provide the first detection of E. multilocularis in Croatia and extend the southern boundary of this parasite's endemic area.

Temporal Trends in Rainwater Tank Suicides in Rijeka, Croatia-A 30-year Study.

Although drowning in rainwater tanks is a generally rare phenomenon, this method for suicide has been observed in parts of Croatia. Review of autopsy records at the University of Rijeka, Croatia, was undertaken from 1987 to 2016 to examine this phenomenon. Of 469 drowning deaths, there were 35 suicides in rainwater tanks (7.5%). Overall drowning deaths showed no temporal trends. In contrast, suicidal drownings in rain water tanks showed a marked decline over the years, with 15 cases in 1987-1991, seven in 1992-1996, six in 1997-2001, six in 2002-2006, one in 2007-2011, and none in 2012-2016. Thus, suicidal drowning cases as a percentage of overall drownings dropped from 18% to zero (p<0.001). This study reports a very unusual method of suicide that may have occurred because of the ready availability of large water reservoirs in homes. The recent fall in numbers may relate to less reliance on domestic reservoirs of water.

Importance of large, deep-burrowing and anecic earthworms in forested and cultivated areas (vineyards) of northeastern Italy

Through their activities earthworms and especially the long, deep-burrowing and anecic species, may modify the chemical-physical, biological and mechanical properties of the soil. They build mull soils. Their presence has a key role in soil ecology relating to its quality in agricultural ecosystems and especially in orchards, on vineyards and in woodlands. For comparison, this study shows the distribution of earthworm species on 29 vineyards and 32 deciduous forests in northeastern and central Italy and in parts of Croatia and Slovenia. The study located 3215 specimens: 1193 from woodlands and 2022 from cultivated areas collected between 2010 and 2017. Twelve anecic and 19 endogeic/epigeic species were identified. Rarely more than two or three anecic species live together. Some species of Octodrilus Omodeo, 1956 and some other species from the collecting sites were subject to barcoding analysis. The phylogenetic tree based on COI is rather consistent with current taxonomy. Of the few genera studied, the key genus Octodrilus is most abundant with Oc. complanatus having wide circum-mediterranean range and another three endemic species having restricted ranges: Oc. mimus, Oc. tergestinus and Oc. istrianus. They cover the prime wine producing area in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, including the Collio with a wine of the same name. Another couple of species Octodrilus nov. sp. and Eophila crodabepis are distributed throughout the classical prosecco wine production area. Although natural deciduous forests are anecic earthworm’s selective habitat, in certain circumstances however, rural areas can receive anecic recruits from nearby forests or hedgerows. Reducing tillage, trampling, and use of pesticides along with introduction of mulching are a means to make the rural environment and specially vineyards more attractive to these anecic deep-burrowing and beneficial species.

THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL SPACE IN PRESCHOOLERS' LEARNING PROCESSES

Purpose of the study&#x0D; The first aim of the present article was to investigate the role of school environment as an important factor in the learning process of children attending preschools in Istria (i.e. a part of Croatia where many people speak Italian).&#x0D; The school space is also called “Third educator” by famous pedagogues and it is constituted by labs, corridors, materials shape of the building, colours of the walls, quality of the lightings, type of furnishings and all didactic materials. It is a specific environment where the children live, learn, experience, get in touch with other people.&#x0D; Methodology&#x0D; The method used in our research was both quantitative as qualitative analyses of pedagogical documentation, observation of the environment of preschools and interviews with the educational boards of every school.&#x0D; Results&#x0D; The results showed that the school space is mostly in accordance with the requirements of the current legislation of the Country of Croatia and also confirmed the importance of it as “Third educator”, especially when the educators themselves were able to ameliorate the richness of corners and materials made available for children, encouraging in this way the development of the child's independence, maturation of identity and development of competencies.&#x0D; Implications&#x0D; In conclusion, school environment significantly affects child's learning, both because of the influence of architectural structures as because relational contexts and stimuli offered by the environment and by the educators. It means that the Ministry of Education in any Country should pay attention to the way buildings are constructed, especially regarding the richness of corners and materials at disposal of the children and of the educators.

Granica Mađarske i Hrvatske na starim kartama

For centuries Croatia has been in a political association with Hungary. The borderbetween these two states lies on the Drava and the Mura rivers and is actually one of the oldest in Middle Europe, although between 1102 and 1526 there was a common Croatian-Hungarian kingdom and between 1526 and 1918 Hapsburg Monarchy (between 1867 and 1918 Austria- Hungary). The changes of the state border caused by the changes of the Drava and Mura’s bed, political interventions in the area of Međimurje and Baranja, especially from 18th to the middle of 20th century (1945) can be traced on the old maps, and these cartographic presentations represent a valuable historical source. The issue of border changes between Croatia and Hungary can be analyzed from two aspects: 1. macro analysis – i.e. bigger territory changes of the border between Croatia and Hungary 2. microanalysis – i.e. determining the border on the troubled rivers of the Drava and the Mura The macro plan includes the border changes between Croatia and Hungary where the most important issue is the borders in border areas of Međumurje, Prekodravlje and Baranje. For centuries there were arguments about the border in Prekodravlje. This part of Croatia, in Koprivnica area, has been populated by the Croats in the middle Ages, and in 16th and 17th century it was destroyed by Turks. At the beginning of 19th century Prekodravlje was again populated by Croats, two parishes, Gola and Ždala, were founded and they belonged to Zagreb bishopric (in 1854 it became archbishopric). Baranja was a part of the Hungarian district the longest of all border areas and beside Hungarians and Germans it was also populated by Croats and Serbs. It was annexed to Kingdom SHS (i.e. Republic of Croatia) by Trianon peace treaty in 1920. The old maps are very interesting because they document the microanalysis of the Croatian-Hungarian border, especially the border on the troubled Drava river. In this area the Drava is already a typical lowland-river, and in some Holocene sand and pebbles accumulation it meandered and changed its bed. For this reason it was necessary to determine the borderline which won’t change and will not depend on the river. Military land surveys conducted from 1781 to 1785 determined the borderline in the former Drava bed which was later verified by Trianon peace treaty.

Suvremene demogeografske promjene u Gradu Sinju

This paper analyzes the major demographic changes in the Town of Sinj in the second half of the 20th century. In comparison to many other parts of Croatia, particularly in Dalmatinska zagora, the Town of Sinj, in total, was not seriously affected by depopulation in the second half of the 20th century. The aim of this paper is to determine dominant demographic trends in all 14 settlements within the Town of Sinj by using several demographic indicators, and indicate which settlements are threatened by extinction and which have good prospects for further development.

Geografski aspekt proučavanja trajektnog prometa: primjer hrvatskog otočja

This paper deals with the importance of the spatial, geographic aspect in analyzing ferry traffic, especially on Croatian islands. The importance of ferry traffic is analyzed within the regional development of the European Union as a whole, as well as through some examples from different states. The analytical part of the paper deals with correlation between the ferry traffic and its two most striking indirect consequences that are present on Croatian islands, and those are demographic development and tourism. There is a close, direct connection between ferry traffic and tourism, as well as between ferry traffic and general demographic trends. Since there is no evidence of correlation between the index of seasonal frequency of the ferry lines (direct reflection of tourism) and the index of change in population trends on Croatian islands analyzed in this paper, the conclusion is that tourism, as the main economic activity on Croatian islands, can ease – but not significantly eliminate – depopulation characteristics of the insular part of Croatia.

Suvremena geografska problematika otoka Lopuda i Koločepa

This paper deals with the geographical problems of the Koločep and Lopud islands in thesouthern Dalmatian part of Croatia. The work is included in the project "Geographical bases ofthe development of little Croatian islands". The paper specially deals with the present-dayproblems of depopulation and underdevelopment that represents the special problem for thedemographic revitalization of the islands.

Prilozi za dopunu i modifikaciju regionalizacije Republike Hrvatske

1. The contribution considers the possibility and need for the standard regional structure of the Republic of Croatia divided into Pannonian, central (mountainous) and maritime part, to be supplemented and modifiedin the way that the central part i.e. Mountainous Croatia is defined in the dual way: The Gorski Kotar region as specially mountainous, and Lika as a special mountain depression (or mountain-encircled valley) space, thus making the undivided Mountainous Croatia.2. Instead of the expression regional division of Croatia the better expression is regional structure, because the concept of division has in itself political and geopolitical burdens. Countries normally consist of particular regions, whereas the division is something else: structure is a geographical aspect, and division has in itself political/geopolitical tension. Thus Croatia consists of regions and counties, and it is not divided in that way; Switzerland in the same way is not divided into ethnic groups, but it consists of them. However, there are those who consciously or unconsciously acknowledge ''division'' of Croatia in the way that: Istria and ''Croatia'' instead of Istria and the rest of Croatia. Unlike the mentioned, Belgium is divided (the Wallons and the Flemish), Ukraine is divided (Uniates and Eastern Orthodox).3. To understand a certain space it is necessary to have knowledge in geographical and historical sense, i.e. to perceive geography in a historical manner, and vice versa, which implies that it is the matter of historical geography, and at the same time about geographized history and historized geography.4. The major part of the work is devoted to the problem of geographical and functional location. Thus the region is specially located in the central part of Croatia, but has not taken over its central function due to many geographical, historical and geopolitical reasons.5. The position of the region can be, partly, equalled with the position in the space of "Croatian threshold", which is conquered only in the 21st century. Although centrally located in Croatia – after the Croatian space between the rivers Una and Vrbas (later Turkish Croatia) had been definitely lost in the 15th c. – the region did not also take over the role of functional central position. Consequently, the constant contrast between central location and absence of central functions remains. In historical and geographical meaning, the region, as a result, had a divisional meaning also because of relief and historical and geopolitical reasons (height relief, divisional role of the Croatian Military Border). In that way essential characteristic of the Croatian development of sovereignty is observed – it started in the maritime region, in the triangle Nin – Knin – Cetina, in this way the Zagreb region became the new region of the nucleus from the 15th and the 16th c.

Genetic variability of wheat germplasm represented in the south Pannonian region

In this study, genetic variability was investigated among 50 winter wheat varieties (Triticum aestivum L.) which are grown in parts of Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia according to 22 morphological characteristics used for DUS (distinctness, uniformity and stability) testing. The average Dice similarity coefficient was 0.371. The determined similarity coefficient was in range 0.083 - 0.776. A significant variability of 6.21% in the breeding programs according to period was determined as well as significant variability of 3.10% between breeding programs. The UPGMA clustering divided investigated varieties into four main clusters. Based on data analysis, most distant varieties with best morphological characteristics were found which will provide valuable resource of new parent's combinations in future breeding programs. This paper also provided valuable assessment of morphological characteristics to define distinctness criteria in the DUS examination of wheat.

Wintering sites of Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria on the east Adriatic coast

Abstract Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria was observed during cold winters in different parts of Croatia, along the Adriatic coast, on islands as well as inland. Their origin remains unknown, but they may belong to the population nesting in the Alps or in Dinaric parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. The overwintering along the Adriatic coast was explored during field observations, but also from the literature and museum data. The field investigations were carried out in Istria, North Dalmatia, Paklenica NP, Kornati NP and central Dalmatia, Krka NP. In total, 96 observations were made: 35 specimens from museum collections and literature and 61 during field research. The Wallcreeper was observed in Velika and Mala Paklenica canyons in Paklenica NP during cold winters, but not during milder winters. In the Paklenica NP, the earliest individuals were observed on 10 Oct and the latest on 28 Apr. On the complete east Adriatic coast and in Croatian inland, the earliest record was made on 6 Sep and the latest on 2 May. There are 5-10 individuals overwintering in Paklenica National Park.

Post-Dayton ethnic engineering in Croatia through the lenses of property issues and social transformations

ABSTRACTThis article looks at post-Dayton Croatia, and deals with the question of why minority return was not as successful as anticipated. By examining the link between restitution of housing property and minority return, it argues that the perpetuation of ethno-national logics was not only based on local power holders who obstructed return, but was also the ‘infelicity’ of a less than well-thought-through plan of minority return directed by international organizations, which centred around the notion of returning people ‘to their homes of origin’, to their own property, and underestimated social and former socialist rights, or more generally ‘the right to have citizenship rights, including labour and education’, which could entail the need for geographical relocation. Referring to a case study in the former battleground region of Knin in Croatia, the article analyses the processes of property restitution, repossession and return, which were restricted to territorially defined former war areas (approximately only one third of Croatia’s territory), although many Serbs had lived in other parts of Croatia before the war, including the capital, Zagreb, and had only left their homes with the advent of the conflict. Many returnees could not return to urban areas due to the non-restitution of former socialist property rights, which existed during socialism and were concentrated largely in urban areas. Being confined to returning to the rural regions in the former war areas, in which economic options were meagre, sustainable minority return was furthermore obstructed by a lack of social and economic prospects. Many returnees therefore opted instead to exchange or sell their houses rather than permanently return to minority areas.

Subcutaneous scrotal dirofilariasis in a 3- year- old boy

Dirofilariasis is a zoonosis caused by parasites the genus Dirofilaria, most common species are D. repens and D. immitis. This parasitosis rarely affects humans and it is usually asymptomatic. Canines are considered to be the reservoir of the parasite, yet the parasite is transmitted via mosquito bite. We present a case of subcutaneous scrotal dirofilariasis in a 3-year-old boy from north- western part of Croatia, where this zoonosis's not endemic, which characterizes this entity as rarity in this part of the country. In this case, parasitic infestation was manifested as painless scrotal nodule up to 1 cm in its largest diameter. Surgical excision revealed a thread- like material exiting the incision site. According to well preserved morphologic characteristics, the specimen was characterized as a helminth of the genus Dirofilaria. We emphasize the importance of dirofilariasis in patients with subcutaneous nodules. And increase the awareness level of these parasites among clinicians and pathologists.

What Can We Learn About Regulatory Agencies and Regulated Parties from the Empirical Study of Judicial Review of Regulatory Agencies’ Decisions? The Case of Croatia

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine regulatory agencies and regulated parties in an empirical study of administrative disputes initiated against the decisions of regulatory agencies in Croatia. We first aim to provide an overview of the status and trend estimates regarding these disputes; second, to answer the question how well does the system work from the perspectives of both the plaintiffs and the regulatory agencies; third, to identify the problem areas and to compare these with problem areas identified by the authors studying the broader area of administrative judiciary in Croatia, and finally to compare efficiency level of regulatory agencies to other public authorities in confirming the legality of their decisions and actions. Data on all administrative disputes against 12 Croatian regulatory agencies’ decisions in the 17-year period between 1995 and 2011 are used to identify the main characteristics and trends relating to these disputes. Data for 2012 to 2013 was also examined to identify initial changes and emerging trends in the new administrative judiciary system resulting from fundamental legal reform as part of Croatia’s process of accession to the European Union in 2013. The results show these administrative disputes to be often costly and timely with modest outcome for the plaintiff and impressive success rate for the most of regulatory agencies.