APPLICATION OF MARKETING STRATEGY FOR CREATION OF COMPETITIVE OFFER FOR RIVER CRUISE

In modern tourism segmentation of the tourism market and determination of targeted markets, which would differentiate the tourist offer is becoming a necessity of all subjects that want to be competitive in the global market. Therefore, it is becoming necessary to determine marketing strategies that can increase the competitiveness of river cruise, taking into account the incentives and restrictive factors for further development of this form of tourism in Croatia, and considering the demands of the market, the demand for river cruises and taking into account the comparative advantages of Croatian rivers and destinations in their surroundings. In order to determine the current trends in the river cruise market, incentives and limiting factors for future development of river cruises and effective marketing strategies that will enable the growth of competitiveness of river cruises in Croatia, in addition to the analysis of secondary data, a primary research was conducted. Information were collected by conducting individual interviews with key stakeholders in river cruises in Croatia. Research has shown that by implementing the strategy of differentiation and market segmentation it is possible to create a variety of unique new tourism experience that will satisfy a certain segment of consumers and thus position the Croatian Danube region as an attractive destination for travelers who are going on river cruises. In this paper are identified marketing strategies that are currently used by riverboat companies to strengthen their positions on the river cruise market, as well as possible marketing strategies of other participants in the creation of river cruise products that would contribute to the further development of this form of river tourism in the Republic of Croatia and strengthen the competitive position of Croatian destination ports with international cruises on the Danube river

Cardiopulmonary assessment of patients diagnosed with Gaucher’s disease type I

Background: Understanding the basis of the phenotypic variation in Gaucher's disease (GD) has proven to be challenging for efficient treatment. The current study examined cardiopulmonary characteristics of patients with GD type 1. Methods: Twenty Caucasian subjects (8/20 female) with diagnosed GD type I (GD-S) and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (C), were assessed (mean age GD-S: 32.6 ± 13.1 vs. C: 36.2 ± 10.6, p >.05) before the initiation of treatment. Standard echocardiography at rest was used to assess left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP). Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) was performed on a recumbent ergometer using a ramp protocol. Results: LVEF was similar in both groups (GD-S: 65.1 ± 5.2% vs. C: 65.2 ± 5.2%, p >.05), as well as PAPS (24.1 ± 4.2 mmHg vs. C: 25.5 ± 1.3 mmHg, p >.05). GD-S had lower weight (p <.05) and worse CPET responses compared to C, including peak values of heart rate, oxygen consumption, carbondioxide production (VCO2), end-tidal pressure of CO2, and O2 pulse, as well as HR reserve after 3 min of recovery and the minute ventilation/VCO2 slope. Conclusions: Patients with GD type I have an abnormal CPET response compared to healthy controls likely due to the complex pathophysiologic process in GD that impacts multiple systems integral to the physiologic response to exercise

Trichinellosis of domestic pigs in Croatia (2011-2018) and the current situation in other European countries

Trihineloza domaćih svinja bila je krajem prošlog i početkom ovog stoljeća jedna od čestih tema u veterinarskom javnom zdravstvu u Hrvatskoj, jer je trihineloza u ljudi tih godina ocijenjena kao bolest od javno-zdravstvenog značenja. Kao izvor invadiranja ljudi u ostalim europskim državama i državama svijeta, osim svinjskog, navode se i druge vrste mesa. U Hrvatskoj su sve do 2017. godine svinjsko meso, tj. suhomesnati proizvodi napravljeni od mesa domaće svinje bili jedini službeni izvori invadiranja ljudi. Veterinarska struka je od sredine devedesetih godina prošlog stoljeća do 2017. godine sustavnim mjerama otkrivanja i uklanjanja pozitivnih svinja te mjerama sprječavanja invadiranja, broj trihineloznih svinja uspjela smanjiti na jednoznamenkastu brojku da bi 2018. godine zabilježili čak 194 pozitivne svinje. Većina trihineloznih svinja nađena je u srpnju i kolovozu 2018. godine u dvije velike epizootije na istoku Hrvatske. Ovoliko velik broj nadmašio je ukupan zbroj pozitivnih svinja u Hrvatskoj unatrag zadnjih sedam godina. Druga neočekivana vijest je bila da se epizootija s najvećim brojem pozitivnih svinja dogodila na farmi gdje se svinje tove intenzivnim načinom tova što je pojava koja nije zabilježena kroz dugi niz godina niti u Hrvatskoj, a pogotovo ne u većini drugih država EU. Cilj ovoga rada je opisati slučajeve trihineloze svinja u Hrvatskoj koji su zabilježeni u 2018. godini s posebnim naglaskom na dvije velike epizootije. Usporedit ćemo i podatke iz 2018. godine s podatcima iz perioda 2011.-2017. u Hrvatskoj te prezentirati podatke o trihinelozi domaćih svinja u drugim europskim zemljama.The infection of domestic pigs with Trichinella spp. was one of the most important veterinary public health issues in Croatia. At the end of the last and the beginning of this century, human trichinellosis was evaluated as a disease of public health importance. Whereas the source of trichinellosis in other countries of Europe and elsewhere was both pork and other types of meat, in Croatia, only pork and pork meat products were official sources of trichinellosis until 2017. From the mid-1990s to 2017, the veterinary profession managed to reduce the number of infected pigs to a single digit by systematic measures to detect and remove positive pigs and prevent infection. However, in 2018 we recorded altogether 194 positive pigs and the majority of them were registered in mid summer in two large epizootic outbreaks in eastern Croatia. Such a high and unexpected number exceeded the total number of positive carcasses in Croatia for the previous seven years. Another unexpected discovery was that the outbreak with the largest number of positive pigs occurred on a farm where pigs are fattened in intensive fattening, an occurrence not reported for many years in Croatia, or in most other EU countries. The objective of this study was to describe the cases of infections of pigs with Trichinella spp. in Croatia in 2018, with special emphasis on the two major epizootic outbreaks. Data for 2018 were also compared with the 2011-2017 data for Croatia, and the present data on Trichinella spp. positive pigs in other European countries