Caught on the Radar of the European Commission: Croatian Experiences with the Infringement Procedure

This paper is devoted to infringement cases which the European Commission opened in relation to the Republic of Croatia while exercising its role as a “guardian of the Treaties”. During the first eight years of its membership in the European Union, the Republic of Croatia has gained valuable experience regarding this instrument of enforcement of European Union law, without paying a steep price in the process. The proceedings under Article 258 TFEU have so far resulted in one judgment against Croatia (Case C-250/18 Commission v Croatia). The volume, timing, duration and outcome of infringement cases against Croatia provide valuable insights into potential litigation risks for future cases and point to lessons which can be drawn for those risks to be mitigated

Carbonation resistance of high volume fly ash concrete estimated with accelerated and natural tests

The reuse of industrial residue streams such as fly ash (FA) can be beneficial both from economic and ecological points of view but the durability properties remain the key properties to ensure sustainable application of these materials. The paper presents the results of accelerated carbonation tests carried out under CO2 concentration of 1%, 2%, 4% and 16% on high volume fly ash concrete (HVFAC) with 200 kg/m3 of cement and the same amount of fly ash. Concrete samples were also exposed to natural conditions of 0.0471% CO2 in the laboratory and after 21 months carbonation depths were measured. The effect of CO2 concentration on the kinetics of the carbonation process was analyzed. The suitability of widely used Tuutti’s model for the prediction of carbonation depth was tested on designed HVFAC. Based on collected results, modified expression derived from this model was proposed in order to secure a more accurate and reliable prediction of carbonation depth of HVFAC under natural conditions

Carbonation resistance of high volume fly ash concrete estimated with accelerated and natural tests

The reuse of industrial residue streams such as fly ash (FA) can be beneficial both from economic and ecological points of view but the durability properties remain the key properties to ensure sustainable application of these materials. The paper presents the results of accelerated carbonation tests carried out under CO2 concentration of 1%, 2%, 4% and 16% on high volume fly ash concrete (HVFAC) with 200 kg/m3 of cement and the same amount of fly ash. Concrete samples were also exposed to natural conditions of 0.0471% CO2 in the laboratory and after 21 months carbonation depths were measured. The effect of CO2 concentration on the kinetics of the carbonation process was analyzed. The suitability of widely used Tuutti’s model for the prediction of carbonation depth was tested on designed HVFAC. Based on collected results, modified expression derived from this model was proposed in order to secure a more accurate and reliable prediction of carbonation depth of HVFAC under natural conditions

Učinak 2,3,7,8-tetraklordibenzo-p-dioksina na polimorfonuklearne leukocite u ljudi

Suspensions of human polymorphonuclear leucocytes were treated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) at concentrations 10-8, 10-7,10-6 and 10-5 M. The TCDD provoked a progressive extracellular release of the lysosomal enzyme beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase and the cytoplasmic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase in a dose-dependent fashion. At all concentrations TCDD was much more effective in releasing beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase than lactate dehydrogenas. Different responses of the two enzymes to TCDD might be explained by differential structural affinities of beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase for the lysosomal membrane and of lactate dehydrogenase for the cytoplasm. It is likely that TCDD affected the solubility of beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase to a higher extent than that of lactate dehydrogenase, which is probably firmly attached to the cytoplasm.2,3,7,8-tetraklorodibenzo-p-dioksin (TCDD) u koncentracijama od 10-8, 10-7, 10-6 i 10-5 M uzrokuje progresivno izvanstanično oslobađanje lizosomskog enzima beta-N-acetil-glukozaminidaze i citoplazmatskog enzima laktat-dehidrogenaze iz humanih polimorfonuklearnih leukocita. Učinak TCDD-a ovisio je o primijenjenim dozama. TCDD je u svim koncentracijama u mnogo većoj mjeri oslobodio lizosomski enzim beta-N-acetil-glukozaminidazu u usporedbi s laktat-dehidrogenazom. Razlika u odgovoru između ispitanih enzima može biti povezana s različitim struktumim srodnostima, primjerice beta-N-acetil-glukozaminidaze s lizosomskom membranom i laktat-dehidrogenaze s citoplazmom. Nije isključeno da je laktat-dehidrogenaza jače vezana za citoplazmatsku strukturu od vezivanja beta-N-acetil-glukozaminidaze za lizosomsku membranu

The (im)possibility of reducing the meteotsunami amplitude by constructing protective breakwaters

Plitkovodni gravitacijski val uzrokovan gibanjem atmosferskog poremećaja povećava svoju amplitudu kroz energetski transfer omogućen Proudmanovom rezonancijom. Nailaskom na lučki bazen oblika lijevka dešava se dodatna amplificija valnog signala. Ukoliko valna grupa koja nailazi sadrži i frekvencije bliske lučkim vlastitim frekvencijama moguća je i pojava rezonancije s daljnjim povećenjem valnih amplituda. Cjelokupna pojava naziva se meteocunami, a primjer te pojave desio se i 21.6.1978. u Veloj Luci, pri čemu su registrirane valne visine od 6 m. U radu je provedena numerička analiza dinamike morskih razi u krajnjoj točki Vele Luke uslijed valne pobude s maksimalnim visinama od 0,19 m ispred ulaza u zaljev Vela Luka. Kao odgovor na valnu pobudu u krajnjoj točki luke dobivene su valne visine od 5,5 m. Analiziran je utjecaj hipotetskih vertikalnih nepropusnih lukobrana, na valne visine u samoj Veloj luci. Korištene su dvije varijante pozicije ispred ulaza u Velu Luku. Modelski rezultati ukazuju na relativno malo smanjenje valnih visina.Shallow water gravity wave caused by motion of atmospheric disturbances increases its amplitude through energy transfer enabled by the Proudman resonance. The waveform signals get further amplified reaching the funnel shaped port basin. If the incoming wave group contains frequencies close to the port\u27s eigen frequencies the resonance with a further increase of wave amplitude is likely to occur. The whole phenomenon is called meteotsunami, and an example of this phenomenon occurred on 21 June 1978 in Vela Luka, where the wave height was registered to be 6 m. The paper deals with carrying out the numerical analysis of the sea level dynamics in the final point brought about due to wave excitation with a maximum height of 0,19 m in front of the entrance to the Vela Luka Bay. In response to the wave excitation in the port\u27s final point, the obtained wave height was 5,5 m. Furthermore, the analysis involving the influence of hypothetical vertical impermeable breakwaters, set on two variant positions outside the entrance to Vela Luka was carried out. The model results indicate that there is a relatively small decrease in wave height

Neural networks and their application in water management

U radu su detaljnije opisane neuralne mreže koje su dnaas sve češće u primjeni pri rješavanju problema iznimno visokog stupnja složenosti. Uz definiranje neuralnih mreža, dana je njihova podjela, prikaz strukture i osobina te je izdvojen pregled povijesnog razvoja. Istaknuta je primjenu neuralnih mreža unutar područja vodnog gospodarstva i to prije svega na području Hrvatske. Pri tome su ukratko opisane najznačajnije neuralne mreže koje su do danas razvijene i rabljene u praksi.Neural networks, nowadays increasingly used for solving problems of exceptionally high level of complexity, are described in great detail. After definition of neural networks, their classification is given, and their structure and properties are presented. An overview of their historic development is also given. An emphasis is placed on the use of neural networks in water management, especially in the territory of Croatia. At that, most significant neural networks developed so far and used in current practice are briefly presented

Perforated vertical wall as a waterfront structure

Polazi se od toga da je perforirani vertikalni zid obalna građevina kojom se utječe na veličinu reflektiranih valova, a time i na veličinu valova ispred obale, na prelijevanje preko konstrukcije, opterećenje konstrukcije i eroziju nožice temeljnog nasipa. Prikazane su neke postojeće građevine i laboratorijska istraživanja provedena na perforiranim konstrukcijama radi analize refleksijskih svojstava takvih konstrukcija odnosno njihovih oblikovnih i geometrijskih karakteristika.It is initially stated that a perforated vertical wall is a waterfront structure which influences the size of reflected waves, and hence the size of waves in front of the coast, the incidence of spilling over the structure, structure loading level, and erosion at foundation level. Authors present some existing structures as well as laboratory testing conducted on perforated structures, in order to analyse reflective properties of such structures, i.e. their characteristics relating to shape and geometry

MINIMUM WAGES AS AN OBSTACLE TO THE FREE PROVISION OF SERVICES

This article deals with the question of the extent to which the national regulation of minimum wages is influenced by the European Community\u27s legal order. Firstly, it analyses the case law of the European Court of Justice with regard to Article 49 of the EC Treaty, which indicates that there is an increasing tendency to restrict the ability to extend a host state’s minimum wage to foreign service providers. It then examines the Posted Workers Directive in the light of the Laval and Rüffert cases, which are seen as unexpected interpretations of the Directive and which will have an influence on the social models of some Member States. Finally, the article focuses on Croatia as a Non-Member State and its obligations, which derive from the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, regarding the Posted Workers Directive

Dubravačka kultura odijevanja u "Zlatno doba" Republike

Dubrovačka Republika je grad-država koja je obilježila europsku i svijetsku povijest. Osnutak Dubrovnika seže još u 7. stoljeće, dok njegovo Zlatno doba traje kroz 15. i 16. stoljeće, kada je dosegnut vrhunac i kada su nastala brojna dijela u znanosti, arhitekturi, književnosti. Strogi režim Republike, odabir vladara i politika države uvelike utječu na samu modu i način odijevanja. S obzirom da se građanstvo dijelilo na vlastelu i pučane postojale su razlike u načinu odijevanja. U vrijeme najvećeg procvata, vlastela je želeći pokazati svoje bogatsvo gradilo veličanstvene ljetnikovce. Želeći pokazati veliku količinu novca koja je stigla u grad zahvaljujući vještoj trgovini vlastela je nosila skupe materijale, bogate i skupocijene modne dodatke, pa je vlast, koja je takav način iskazivanja moći vidjela kao krajnje negativan, uvela zakone prema kojima je ograničeno prezentiranje luksuza, takozvane Zakone protiv raskoši. Glavni cilj im je bio vraćanje umjerenosti i poravnavanje društvenih vrijednosti. U vrijeme najvećeg procvata Republike, na vrhuncu je bila proizvodnja mnogih zanata, a jedna od najrazvijenijih je svakako tekstilna proizvodnja. Suknarska proizvodnja je u tom periodu dosegla svoj vrhunac, zahvaljujući ponovno mudroj politici, jer su u Dubrovnik iz Italije pozvani majstori toga zanata. Zlatno doba Republike je ostavilo neizbrisiv trag u mnogim poljima, arhitekturi, književnosti i umjetnosti, a uvelike i na modu odnosnu kulturu odijevanja.The Dubrovnik Republic is a city-state that has marked European and world history. The foundation of Dubrovnik dates back to the 7th century, while its Golden Age lasts through the 15th and 16th centuries, when it reached its peak, and when numerous great parts of science, architecture and literature were created. This paper describes the fashion and culture of clothing in the Golden Age of the Republic. The strict regime of the Republic, the choice of rulers and the policies of the state, greatly affect the mode itself and the way of dressing. Given that the citizenship was shared on the locals and the rich layer, there were differences in dressing. At the time of the largest flourish, the public wanted to show its wealthy people carrying expensive materials, rich and expensive fashion accessories, so the government introduced laws that limit the presentation of the luxury of the so-called Law against luxury . Their main goal was to restore moderation and alignment of social values. At the time of the largest flourishing of the Republic, at the peak was the production of many crafts, and one of the most developed is certainly textile production. During that period, the production of sheepskin reached its peak, thanks to the wise politics again, because the craftsmen of this craft were invited to Dubrovnik from Italy

Uticaj prslina na trajnost armiranobetonskih konstrukcija

Pojava prslina dovodi do narušavanja strukture zaštitnog sloja betona i do ubrzanja transporta štetnih materija, čime utiču na trajnost armiranobetonskih (AB) konstrukcija. Kroz sveobuhvatni pregled literature, zaključeno je da deterioracija AB konstrukcija izazvana karbonatizacijom predstavlja jedan od glavnih problema trajnosti širom sveta. Za potrebe ispitivanja, u okviru doktorske disertacije, spravljeni su referentni beton, beton sa 50% letećeg pepela (LP) i beton sa 100% recikliranog agregata (RA). Analizirani su postojeći modeli predikcije dubine karbonatizacije i predložena je njihova modifikacija u slučaju betona sa RA i LP. Ustanovljena je veza između karbonatizacione otpornosti i čvrstoće pri pritisku na osnovu koje je izvršena analiza upotrebnog veka kroz definisanje debljine zaštitnog sloja različitih vrsta betona. Za potrebe ispitivanja uticaja prslina na upotrebni vek spravljeni su uzorci sa 5 različitih širina prslina (0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 i 0.30 mm) kao i referentni uzorci bez prslina. Na kraju, predloženo je ograničenje napona u armaturi čime se omogućava da celokupni upotrebni vek (period inicijacije i propagacije) AB konstrukcija zadovolji propisane zahteve trajnosti