Satisfaction of Tourist at the Tourist Destination Portorož - Piran

In our research we measured tourist satisfaction at the destination Portorož - Piran. The survey was conducted with the continuous monitoring methodology, according to the criteria given by the Directorate for Tourism of Slovenia, along with their standardized questionnaire for tourist destinations, which is based on the world-renowned models of user satisfaction. We administered the questionnaires in the period of high season, during summer from June till September and in December 2013. Several factors were analysed: the socio-demographic structure of the tourists, their countries of origin, their main tourist motives for visiting this tourist destination, their sources of information about the resort, the frequency and length of the tourists\u27 stay, their placement according to individual accommodation facilities, the tourists\u27 therapeutic, sport, recreational and other needs, their satisfaction with health care and tourists\u27 provisions, planned trips at the tourist destination and its surroundings. The goal of this paper is to determine the level of satisfaction of tourists at the tourist destination Portorož - Piran in the high season. In addition, we examined the theoretical knowledge, of renowned domestic and foreign experts, on the satisfaction of tourist and related factors, determined the level of tourist satisfaction and factors that influence the satisfaction of tourists in this destination, we identified the main tourist motives (desires and expectations), identified possible shortcomings in this tourist destination and developed recommendations for professionals. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Extension of two minimax theorems of S. Park

In this paper we prove two general minimax theorems which gen- eralize famous classical saddle point theorems of M. Sion [6] and J. von Neu- mann. Our theorems also include some results of S. Park [3]-[5]. Results of this type have many applications in the Game theory, because they gives existence of solution of zero sums games

Identifying the challenges of implementing a European bioeconomy based on forest resources: Reality demands circularity

Jedna od najvažnijih smernica Evropske Unije je smanjivanje gasova koji su uzrok stvaranja efekta 'staklene bašte'. Istraživanje prirodnih zajednica i ekosistema zahteva primenu sistema cirkularne ekonomije u kome bi sirovine prirodnog porekla bile u konstantnoj cirkulaciji ka ponovnom korišćenju otpada. S tim u vezi postavlja se pitanje da li bioekonomija kao jedna od važnih grana realno vodi ka zaštit životne sredine. Pitanja koja dalje proistiću vezana su za to da li je put ka bioekonomiji, koji promoviše Evropska Unija zapravo održiv. Korišćenjem literature, prema Delfi metodi, iz dokumenata Evropske Unije i naučnih publikacija koje su proistekle iz istih, ukazujemo na značaj održivog upravljanja bioresursima, jer deluje da je samo ograničeno smanjenje emisija gasova sa efektom staklene bašte očekivane.Greenhouse gas emission reduction is strongly advocated within the European Union (EU). Biomass has emerged as a renewable energy source and as manufacturing raw material with ecological credentials to mitigate carbon imbalance. The EU has defined the bioeconomy encompassing these material sources as a basis for technological and economic development. Biocenology, describing the study of natural communities, however, additionally demands inclusion of a circular economy, in which it needs to be assumed that endless renewable products are kept in continuous circulation of use and reuse. Thus, there arises the question whether the bioeconomy route alone, promoted by the EU, is sustainable. Using research literature, based on the Delphi method, and EU documents, we discuss the importance of sustainable management of bioresources. Short term solutions may remain necessary to ensure economic stability but, without embracing the circular economy, only limited mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions can be expected

Identifying the challenges of implementing a European bioeconomy based on forest resources: Reality demands circularity

Jedna od najvažnijih smernica Evropske Unije je smanjivanje gasova koji su uzrok stvaranja efekta 'staklene bašte'. Istraživanje prirodnih zajednica i ekosistema zahteva primenu sistema cirkularne ekonomije u kome bi sirovine prirodnog porekla bile u konstantnoj cirkulaciji ka ponovnom korišćenju otpada. S tim u vezi postavlja se pitanje da li bioekonomija kao jedna od važnih grana realno vodi ka zaštit životne sredine. Pitanja koja dalje proistiću vezana su za to da li je put ka bioekonomiji, koji promoviše Evropska Unija zapravo održiv. Korišćenjem literature, prema Delfi metodi, iz dokumenata Evropske Unije i naučnih publikacija koje su proistekle iz istih, ukazujemo na značaj održivog upravljanja bioresursima, jer deluje da je samo ograničeno smanjenje emisija gasova sa efektom staklene bašte očekivane.Greenhouse gas emission reduction is strongly advocated within the European Union (EU). Biomass has emerged as a renewable energy source and as manufacturing raw material with ecological credentials to mitigate carbon imbalance. The EU has defined the bioeconomy encompassing these material sources as a basis for technological and economic development. Biocenology, describing the study of natural communities, however, additionally demands inclusion of a circular economy, in which it needs to be assumed that endless renewable products are kept in continuous circulation of use and reuse. Thus, there arises the question whether the bioeconomy route alone, promoted by the EU, is sustainable. Using research literature, based on the Delphi method, and EU documents, we discuss the importance of sustainable management of bioresources. Short term solutions may remain necessary to ensure economic stability but, without embracing the circular economy, only limited mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions can be expected

Nitrosoarene Dimerization on Two- and Three-dimensional Gold Surfaces

In the present study, we investigated nitrosoarene dimerization on an Au(111) and on the surface of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). High-resolution STM images revealed that 8-thiocyanatoocty1-4-nitrosobenzoate (NCS(CH2)(8)OOCC6H4NO) forms well-ordered monolayer on an Au(111) surface displaying hexagonal 3 root 3 x 3 root 3 structure. AFM data indicated that this compound also dimerize on an Au(111) surface thus forming bilayers. On contrary, adsorption of 6-(4-nitrosophenoxy)hexane-l-thiol (HS(CH2)(6)OC6H4NO) on an Au(111) leads only to poorly organized.monolayer. Furthermore, it was found that nitrosoarene derivatives 8-thiocyanatooctyl-4-nitrosobenzoate (NCS(CH2)(8)OOCC6H4NO) and 3-thiocyanatopropyl-4-nitrosobenzoate (NCS(CH2)(3)OOCC6H4NO) are present as dimers on the surface of AuNPs. There is no appreciable quantity of dimeric species with free thiocyanate termini indicating interlinkage of AuNPs through azodioxide bonds. Besides the characteristic surface plasmon band, UV-vis spectra showed an additional red-shifted band that might have origin in aggregation of AuNPs. This was further supported by TEM revealing the appearence of larger aggregates in addition to smaller AuNPs

Diatom Polysaccharides: Extracellular Production, Isolation and Molecular Characterization

The extracellular polysaccharide production by marine diatoms is a significant route by which photosynthetically produced organic carbon enters the trophic web and may influence the physical environment in the sea as observed for example when massive aggregation events on basin scale occur. Many papers showed that the aldose signatures of marine DOM obtained from different seawater samples around the world is similar to that determined on cultured phytoplankton DOM and that the carbohydrate production could be very different among the species selected, growth and environmental conditions. These results are very important in order to understand the role of algal exudation in the aggregation processes observed in all of the seas and in general in carbon cycling in the euphotic zone. Many authors showed that cultured diatoms growth in P-limiting condition determines an increase of polysaccharides exudated by different diatoms species both pelagic and benthic

Challenges of implementing a European bioeconomy based on forest resources: need for circularity

Greenhouse emission reduction is strongly advocated within the European Union. The study of natural communities (biocenology), additionally demands inclusion of a circular economy, in which renewable products are kept in continuous circulation of use and reuse. In light of this, there arises the question whether the bioeconomy route alone, promoted by the EU, is sustainable. Using literature, based on the Delphi method, from EU documents and related scientific literature , we highlight the importance of sustainable management of bioresources. It seems that only limited mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions can be expected

On the convergence of Ishikawa iterates defined by nonlinear quasi-contractions

In this study, we establish the convergence of Ishikawa iterates defined by nonlinear quasicontractive mappings on TVS-cone metric space. Further, our results generalize many existing results in the literature

Global Warming, Climate Change and the Effect on Ticks and Tick borne Pathogens

U posljednjih nekoliko desetljeća suočeni smo s progresivnim globalnim zatopljenjem uzrokovanim prekomjernom koncentracijom stakleničkih plinova u atmosferi zbog ljudske aktivnosti. Globalno zatopljenje uzrokuje i široki raspon posljedica na ljudsko zdravlje, uključujući i promjene u širenju krpeljom prenosivih patogena. Vremenske i prostorne promjene temperature, oborine i vlaga imaju s velikom vjerojatnošću značajan učinak na biologiju i ekologiju krpelja-vektora, domaćina na kojem se krpelji hrane te mogućnost ransmisije uzročnika bolesti. Osnovni cilj ovog rada je ispitati i utvrditi imaju li promjene temperature učinak na sezonsku i prostornu raspodjelu krpeljnog meningoencefalitisa (KME) te kliničke osobitosti bolesti na području Koprivničko-križevačke županije. Retrospektivno smo prikupili i obradili demografske, epidemiološke i kliničke pokazatelje bolesnika, koji su zbog KME liječeni u Djelatnosti za infektivne bolesti Opće bolnice »Dr. Tomislav Bardek« u Koprivnici od 1979. do 2007. godine. Bolesnike smo ovisno o godini hospitalizacije radi mogućnosti uspoređivanja podataka raspodijelili u tri skupine: prva obuhvaća bolesnike od 1979. do 1988. godine, druga od 1989. do 1998. godine i tre}a od 1999. do 2007. godine. Temperatura zraka mjerena je na Meteorološkoj postaji Koprivnica koja se nalazi u mreži postaja Državnog hidrometeorološkog zavoda. Dijagnozu KME temeljimo na prisutnosti pleocitoze u lumbalnome likvoru (>5×106 stanica/litru) i prisutnosti specifičnih serumskih IgM, ili serokonverziji IgG protutijela, dva temeljna kriterija za uključivanje u studiju. Za dokaz serumskih protutijela koristio se enzimski imunotest (ELISA), a do njegovog uvođenja, test reakcije vezanja komplementa (RVK). Kriterij za isključivanje iz studije bili su bolesnici s pridruženom svježom infekcijom Borrelia burgdorfer sensi lato (BBSL). Tijekom provedenog istraživanja svježu infekciju virusom KME dokazali smo u 654 bolesnika, u dobi od 2 do 83 godine. Prevladava muški spol. U prvom desetljeću istraživanja oboljela su 304, u drugom 260, a u trećem 90 bolesnika. Bolest je (s izuzetkom siječnja) prisutna tijekom čitave godine, s najvećom incidencijom u lipnju i srpnju. Prvo promatrano desetljeće bilježi najveću incidenciju, dok se u posljednjem više od tri puta smanjila. U prvom desetljeću maksimum incidencije KME je u ljetnim, a minimum u zimskim mjesecima. Tijekom drugog desetljeća uočavamo izraziti pomak maksimuma incidencije prema proljetnim mjesecima. Jesenski mjeseci bilježe blagi porast, a u zimskim se incidencija više nego udvostručila. Obilježje trećeg promatranog razdoblja je značajan porast incidencije u jesenskim i zimskim mjesecima. U analiziranom razdoblju temperatura zraka prosječno je rasla 0,5 °C/10 godina. Povećanje temperature zraka bilježimo u svim mjesecima, osim u rujnu i prosincu. Najveće povećanje uočavamo u veljači i studenom, iako ni u ostalim mjesecima ona nisu zanemariva. Povećanje incidencije KME u proljetnim mjesecima i mjesecu listopadu, koju bilježimo tijekom posljednja dva promatrana razdoblja, može se povezati s povećnjem temperature u tim mjesecima. Ispitujući raspodjelu naših bolesnika prema mjestu prebivališta uočavamo sve izrazitiji pad incidencije na križevačkom području te sve učestaliji porast u nizinskim područjima naše županije. Klinički simptomi/znakovi bolesti su ostali isti. Promijenili su se klinički oblici – u prvom desetljeću prevladava aseptički meningitis, a u posljednja dva meningoencefalitis i meningoencefalomijelitis. Rezultati našeg dugogodišnjeg istraživanja pokazuju značajne promjene koje su se dogodile u sezonskoj i prostornoj raspodjeli bolesnika s KME, kliničkim oblicima bolesti. Učinak uočenih promjena, prvenstveno povećanje temperature zraka, naročito u jesenskom i zimskom razdoblju, bez obzira da li su one posljedica čovjekove aktivnosti, su važan, ali vjerojatno tek samo jedan u nizu znanih i neznanih čimbenika odgovornih za ove novonastale promjene u incidenciji KME na području Koprivničko-Križevačke županije.In the last several decades we have been facing a progressive global warming caused by an excessive concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as a result of human activities. Global warming also causes a wide spectrum of consequences on the human health, including changes in the spread of tick borne pathogens. Temperature changes in time and space, precipitation and humidity have with great certainty a significant impact on biology and ecology of ticks-vectors, tick hosts and possible transmission of disease pathogens. Basic goal of this paper was to examine and determine whether temperature changes have an impact on seasonal and regional distribution of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), clinical characteristics of disease in the area of Koprivnica-Križevci County. We retrospectively collected and analyzed demographic, epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of patients treated for TBE at the Infectious Disease Department of the General Hospital »Dr.Tomislav Bardek« in Koprivnica from 1979 to 2007. Depending on the year of hospitalization, for comparative purposes, the patients were divided into three groups: the first group consisted of patients hospitalized from 1979 to 1988, the second group from 1989 to 1998 and the third group from 1999 to 2007. Air temperature was measured at the Meteorological Station Koprivnica, a member of the Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service network. The diagnosis of TBE was based on the presence of pleocytosis in the cerebrospinal fluid (>5×106 cells/liter) and the presence of specific serum IgM, or seroconversion of IgG antibodies, that presented two basic criteria for patient enrolment in the study. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for detection of serum antibodies, and up to its introduction, complement-binding reaction test. Exclusion criteria were patients with recently acquired BBSL co-infection. During the conducted research, recent TBE viral infection was detected in 654 patient, aged 2 to 83 years. Males predominated. In the first decade researched, a total of 304 patients fell ill, in the second 260 and in the third 90. The disease (except in January) was present throughout the year, with the highest incidence recorded in June and July. The first observed decade recorded the highest incidence, while in the last decade the incidence decreased for more than three times. In the first decade the maximum incidence of TBE was in the summer and minimum in the winter months. In the second decade we have noticed that the maximum incidence shifted towards spring months. Autumn months record a slight increase in the incidence rates, and in the winter months the incidence has more than doubled. The most prominent characteristic of the third observed period is a significant increase in the incidence rates in autumn and winter months. In the analyzed period, air temperature increased on the average for 0,5 °C/10 years. Higher air temperatures are recorded in all months, except in September and December. The highest increase was observed in February and November, although the remaining months also record increases. The increase of TBE incidence in the spring months and October, recorded in the last two observed periods, can be related to increased temperatures in those months. By analyzing the distribution of our patients according to place of living we noticed a decreased incidence in the area of Križevci, and increased in the plain areas of our County. Clinical symptoms/signs of disease remained the same. Clinical forms of disease have changed – aseptic meningitis predominated in the first decade and in the last two decades meningoencephalitis and meningoencephalomyelitis. The results of our long-term research have shown significant changes that occurred in seasonal and locational distribution of patients with TBE, as well as clinical forms of disease. The effect of observed changes, primarily increased air temperature especially during autumn and winter period, regardless whether being caused by human activities, are an important, but probably only one in a series of known and unknown factors responsible for this newly occurring changes in the TBE incidence in the Koprivnica-Križevci County