The Media Politicization of Football and Fan Culture: a Case Study of the Croatian Football Team during the 2016 European Championship in France

Cilj ovog diplomskog rada jest istražiti utjecaj medija na stvaranje slike o povezanosti hrvatskog nogometa i politike na primjeru izvještavanja triju dnevnih novina u lipnju 2016. godine. U Francuskoj se održavalo Europsko nogometno prvenstvo, a na utakmici hrvatske i češke reprezentacije manja skupina hrvatskih navijača nedopuštenim je sredstvima prekinula susret. Uslijedile su brojne medijske polemike o postupcima dijela navijača, a pritom su, u potrazi za pravim uzrokom problema, otvorena pitanja ispolitiziranosti nogometa u Hrvatskoj. U radu je isprva predstavljen razvoj ovog popularnog sporta te su definirani ključni pojmovi (navijač, navijačka subkultura, huliganizam) kako bi analiza medijskih objava bila jednostavnija. Zatim je provedena studija slučaja kojom se dokazalo da u medijskim objavama sami navijači nisu prikazani kao pokretači brojnih skandala vezanih uz hrvatski nogomet već su uzroci predstavljeni mnogo složenijima. Svoje rješenje problema takozvanog nogometnog huliganizma u Hrvatskoj ponudila su brojna politička lica, a predsjednica države jedno je vrijeme inzistirala na hitnim sjednicama Vlade te promjeni sportskih zakona. Međutim, ubrzo je priča o pokretanju promjena utihnula te je uplitanje politike u nogomet okarakterizirano kao uspješno prebacivanje pozornosti s drugih, u tom trenutku, važnih političkih pitanja. No, slučaj s prvenstva u Francuskoj nije prvi niti će biti posljednji kada je u pitanju korištenje nogometa kao mamca pozornosti javnosti da bi se ostvarili drugi ciljevi određenih interesnih skupina.The aim of this thesis is to examine the influence of media in a creation of a public image that connects Croatian football and politics by focusing on a sample consisting of reports published by three daily newspapers in June 2016. During the European Football Championship, held in France in 2016, a small fraction of Croatian supporters illegaly stopped the game between Croatian and Czech national teams. The actions of those supporters caused a lot of controversy in Croatian media, which questioned the background of the problem and inevitably started a debate on politicization of Croatian football. In order to simplify the analysis of publications, this thesis starts with a short history of the aforementioned popular sport, followed by the definitons of key terms (supporters, football subculture, hooliganism). Furthermore, this thesis contains a case study that proves that, in their publications, Croatian media didn't percieve supporters as the sole initiators of various scandals in Croatian football, but rather tried to find a more complex cause behind existing problems. In addition to that, a lot of Croatian politicans expressed their views on the so-called football hooliganism and tried to come up with a solution, including the President of the state who, for a short period of time, insisted on urgent government sessions and changes in laws concerning sports. However, the story about changes quickly faded away, while the entanglement of politics and football was characterized as a diversion of public attention from more important political questions. However, the incident that occured during the Championship in in France was neither first nor last in the long praxis of using football as a bait to shift the public attention from other issues in order to allow certain interest groups to accomplish their goals

Usage of mulch foils in berry production

Cilj ovog rada je predstaviti mulch folije u voćarstvu, te njihovo djelovanje na rast i rodnost jagodastih voćnih vrsta na temelju dosadašnjih istraživanja. Koriste se različite vrste polietilenskih (PE) folija za nastiranje tla koje su podjeljene na crne, prozirne, crno-bijele i obojene te biorazgradive PE folije. U radu se prikazuje djelovanje mulch folija na biljne štetočinje, temperaturu tla, sadržaj vlage u tlu te usvajanje hraniva od biljke. Uporaba mulch folija u proizvodnji jagodastog voća doprinosi očuvanju zemljišne vlage zbog smanjenja evaporacije, a u nekim slučajevima imaju pozitivan učinak na povećanje temperature tla, ali nisu pokazale pozitivan učinak na usvajanje. Također predstavljaju barijeru te na taj način sprječavaju štetno djelovanje štetočinja. Uporaba mulch folija najveći utjecaj ima na smanjenje rasta korovskih vrsta te tako doprinosi racionalnoj uporabi herbicida u proizvodnji jagodastog voća. Povoljnim utjecajem na povećanje vlage u tlu te smanjenjem kompeticije jagodastih vrsta i korova mulch folije neposredno djeluju na povećanje priroda jagodastih voćnih vrsta. Kod nekog voća to je povećanje priroda iznosilo i do 110%. Osim toga, zaključilo se da biorazgradive mulch folije mogu vrlo efikasno zamijeniti PE folije u većini gore navedenih svojstava te se na taj način rješava problem njihovog odlaganja i štetnog učinka na okoliš.The aim of this paper according to the studies so far is to present mulch foils in fruit growing and how they effect the growth and fruitfulness. There are different types of polyethylene (PE) foils for mulching, such as black, transparent, black and white, coloured and biodegradable. In this paper the activity of mulch foils is shown through the impact on abiotic and biotic factors of growth and fruitfulness. The biotic factors observed are the impact on pathogenes and pests, and the impact on weed control, while the abiotic factors are the impact on soil temperature, soil moisture and adoption of nutrients. It is concluded that mulch foils are very effective in stopping evaporation from soil, thus increasing its content in the soil. Besides that, these foils can also have a positive impact on increasing the soil temperature, but they do not have the same impact on adopting nutrients depending on types of berries. Considering the impact on pathogenes and pests, the mulch foils represent a barrier for their harmful activity, thus preventing damages. The use of mulch foils is considered a very positive way of weed control and could be used in the future as an alternative to herbicides use. All of the impacts before mentioned influence growth and fruitfulness, so it was observed that productivity of berries increased. Some types of berries increased their productivity up to 110%. Furthermore, it was concluded that biodegradable mulch foils can successfully replace PE foils in most of their above mentioned characteristics and could represent a solution to the problems considering disposal of PE foils and their harmful impact on environment

A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF PSYCHIATRIC COMORBIDITY IN CROATIAN HOMELAND WAR VETERANS WHO WERE HELD AS PRISONERS OF WAR AND ARE AFFECTED BY POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Background: As a extremely traumatic experience, captivity may cause other mental disorders in addition to posttraumatic stress disorder, which is highly prevalent among ex-prisoners of war, and which often occurs in comorbidity with at least one other mental disorder. This objective of this study is to identify the incidence of comorbid mental disorders in Homeland war veterans exprisoners of war affected by posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as to identify the factors that influenced psychiatric comorbidity. Subjects and methods: The study sample comprised 264 subjects, all of whom were Croatian Homeland War veterans with combat experience in the defence of the Republic of Croatia, and all of whom fulfilled clinical criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder at the time of the study. The subjects were divided into two groups: the experimental group was composed of ex- prisoners of war, and the control group of veterans who had never been prisoners of war. The methods of sociodemographic questionnaire, posttraumatic stress disorder self-report checklist and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire were used in the study. Psychiatric comorbidity data were retrieved from the subjects’ anamnesis and medical records. Results: The results showed that ex- prisoners of war were exposed to a statistically much higher number of traumatic events, and had a significantly higher total number of psychiatric comorbidities (p<0.01) than the control group. The incidence of acute and transient psychotic disorders, generalized anxiety disorders and psychological and behavioural factors associated with disorders or diseases classified elsewhere was significantly higher among ex- prisoners of war. There was no statistically significant difference in overall posttraumatic stress disorder intensity between the two groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: The results of the study confirm our hypothesis that the incidence of psychiatric comorbidity is higher in exprisoners of war

Translation of the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale Into the Croatian Language

Introduction: Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) is the most common and psychometrically sound instrument used to measure the impostor phenomenon. The aim of this study was to translate and make a cultural adaptation of the CIPS from English into Croatian. Materials and Methods: The translation process included two independent forward translations, combination of the forward translations into one single translation, back-translation, back-translation review, pre-piloting and drafting of the final translation after several revisions and minor adjustments by a professional reviewer. Results: We noticed no semantic differences when comparing the original and the back-translated versions of the CIPS. Thus, the final translation was only slightly changed in comparison with the first version. Conclusions: The version of the CIPS which was translated and culturally adapted into Croatian represents a reliable translation ready to be used in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Photoselective nets and quality of apple fruit cv. 'Braeburn'

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi postoje li razlike u svojstvima kakvoće plodova jabuke sorte 'Braeburn' ovisno o uzgoju ispod različito obojenih fotoselektivnih zaštitnih mreža. Promatrao se utjecaj Agritennax bijele, ţute i crvene mreže na svojstva kakvoće plodova (sadržaj topljive suhe tvari, ukupne kiseline, tvrdoću plodova, omjer topljive suhe tvari i kiselina i boju plodova) te masu plodova i prirod po stablu. Statistički opravdana razlika utjecaja različitih fotoselektivnih mreža utvrđena je za prirod po stablu, tvrdoću plodova te sve istraživane parametre obojenosti ploda. Najviše vrijednosti za svojstva prirod po stablu, masa ploda i ukupne kiseline utvrđene su kod primjene crvene mreže dok su kod primjene žute mreže najviši rezultati utvrđeni za omjer topljive suhe tvari i kiselina. Primjena fotoselektivnih mreža pozitivno utječe na sva istraživana svojstva kakvoće ploda osim na sadržaj topljive suhe tvari plodova. Najveći omjer topljive suhe tvari i kiselina utvrđen je na plodovima uzgajanima ispod žute, a najniži ispod crvene mreže. Masa plodova uzgajanih ispod crvene mreže u prosjeku je veća za 29,10 g, kod primjene bijelih mreža za 23,5 g i žutih mreža za 21,95 g u odnosu na kontrolni tretman gdje fotoselektivne mreže nisu primijenjene. Zaključuje se kako fotoselektivne mreže promjenom spektralnog sastava svjetlosti pozitivno djeluju na razvoj boje kožice ploda, masu plodova te pozitivno utječu na prirod i u konačnici na ekonomsku isplativost proizvodnje.The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the quality properties of the apple fruit cv. 'Braeburn', depending on the application of different colored photoselective anti-insect nets. The effect of Agritennax white, yellow and red netting was tested on fruit quality traits (soluble solids content, total acidity, fruit firmness, the ratio of soluble solids content and acids and fruit color) and fruit mass and yield per tree. Significant effect of photoselective nets usage was determined for yield per tree, fruit firmness and all the studied colour parameters. The highest values of yield per tree, fruit mass and total acid were found in fruit grown under red net while usage of the yellow net obtained highest results for the ratio of soluble solids content and acids. Application of photoselective nets has a positive effect on all studied fruit quality traits except soluble solids content. The highest results in ratio of soluble solids content and acids were identified in the application of the yellow net, and the lowest in the application of red. Fruit mass of apples grown under the red net has been increased for 29.10 g. The application of white net increased fruit mass for 23.5 g and yellow net for 21.95 g compared to the control treatment where photoselective nets were not applied. The conclusion is that photoselective netting, by changing the spectral composition of light, had a positive effect on the fruit skin color development, fruit weight and positively affects the yield as also ultimately has a beneficial effect to the economic viability of production

Photoselective nets and quality of apple fruit cv. 'Braeburn'

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi postoje li razlike u svojstvima kakvoće plodova jabuke sorte 'Braeburn' ovisno o uzgoju ispod različito obojenih fotoselektivnih zaštitnih mreža. Promatrao se utjecaj Agritennax bijele, ţute i crvene mreže na svojstva kakvoće plodova (sadržaj topljive suhe tvari, ukupne kiseline, tvrdoću plodova, omjer topljive suhe tvari i kiselina i boju plodova) te masu plodova i prirod po stablu. Statistički opravdana razlika utjecaja različitih fotoselektivnih mreža utvrđena je za prirod po stablu, tvrdoću plodova te sve istraživane parametre obojenosti ploda. Najviše vrijednosti za svojstva prirod po stablu, masa ploda i ukupne kiseline utvrđene su kod primjene crvene mreže dok su kod primjene žute mreže najviši rezultati utvrđeni za omjer topljive suhe tvari i kiselina. Primjena fotoselektivnih mreža pozitivno utječe na sva istraživana svojstva kakvoće ploda osim na sadržaj topljive suhe tvari plodova. Najveći omjer topljive suhe tvari i kiselina utvrđen je na plodovima uzgajanima ispod žute, a najniži ispod crvene mreže. Masa plodova uzgajanih ispod crvene mreže u prosjeku je veća za 29,10 g, kod primjene bijelih mreža za 23,5 g i žutih mreža za 21,95 g u odnosu na kontrolni tretman gdje fotoselektivne mreže nisu primijenjene. Zaključuje se kako fotoselektivne mreže promjenom spektralnog sastava svjetlosti pozitivno djeluju na razvoj boje kožice ploda, masu plodova te pozitivno utječu na prirod i u konačnici na ekonomsku isplativost proizvodnje.The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the quality properties of the apple fruit cv. 'Braeburn', depending on the application of different colored photoselective anti-insect nets. The effect of Agritennax white, yellow and red netting was tested on fruit quality traits (soluble solids content, total acidity, fruit firmness, the ratio of soluble solids content and acids and fruit color) and fruit mass and yield per tree. Significant effect of photoselective nets usage was determined for yield per tree, fruit firmness and all the studied colour parameters. The highest values of yield per tree, fruit mass and total acid were found in fruit grown under red net while usage of the yellow net obtained highest results for the ratio of soluble solids content and acids. Application of photoselective nets has a positive effect on all studied fruit quality traits except soluble solids content. The highest results in ratio of soluble solids content and acids were identified in the application of the yellow net, and the lowest in the application of red. Fruit mass of apples grown under the red net has been increased for 29.10 g. The application of white net increased fruit mass for 23.5 g and yellow net for 21.95 g compared to the control treatment where photoselective nets were not applied. The conclusion is that photoselective netting, by changing the spectral composition of light, had a positive effect on the fruit skin color development, fruit weight and positively affects the yield as also ultimately has a beneficial effect to the economic viability of production

Photoselective nets and quality of apple fruit cv. 'Braeburn'

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi postoje li razlike u svojstvima kakvoće plodova jabuke sorte 'Braeburn' ovisno o uzgoju ispod različito obojenih fotoselektivnih zaštitnih mreža. Promatrao se utjecaj Agritennax bijele, ţute i crvene mreže na svojstva kakvoće plodova (sadržaj topljive suhe tvari, ukupne kiseline, tvrdoću plodova, omjer topljive suhe tvari i kiselina i boju plodova) te masu plodova i prirod po stablu. Statistički opravdana razlika utjecaja različitih fotoselektivnih mreža utvrđena je za prirod po stablu, tvrdoću plodova te sve istraživane parametre obojenosti ploda. Najviše vrijednosti za svojstva prirod po stablu, masa ploda i ukupne kiseline utvrđene su kod primjene crvene mreže dok su kod primjene žute mreže najviši rezultati utvrđeni za omjer topljive suhe tvari i kiselina. Primjena fotoselektivnih mreža pozitivno utječe na sva istraživana svojstva kakvoće ploda osim na sadržaj topljive suhe tvari plodova. Najveći omjer topljive suhe tvari i kiselina utvrđen je na plodovima uzgajanima ispod žute, a najniži ispod crvene mreže. Masa plodova uzgajanih ispod crvene mreže u prosjeku je veća za 29,10 g, kod primjene bijelih mreža za 23,5 g i žutih mreža za 21,95 g u odnosu na kontrolni tretman gdje fotoselektivne mreže nisu primijenjene. Zaključuje se kako fotoselektivne mreže promjenom spektralnog sastava svjetlosti pozitivno djeluju na razvoj boje kožice ploda, masu plodova te pozitivno utječu na prirod i u konačnici na ekonomsku isplativost proizvodnje.The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the quality properties of the apple fruit cv. 'Braeburn', depending on the application of different colored photoselective anti-insect nets. The effect of Agritennax white, yellow and red netting was tested on fruit quality traits (soluble solids content, total acidity, fruit firmness, the ratio of soluble solids content and acids and fruit color) and fruit mass and yield per tree. Significant effect of photoselective nets usage was determined for yield per tree, fruit firmness and all the studied colour parameters. The highest values of yield per tree, fruit mass and total acid were found in fruit grown under red net while usage of the yellow net obtained highest results for the ratio of soluble solids content and acids. Application of photoselective nets has a positive effect on all studied fruit quality traits except soluble solids content. The highest results in ratio of soluble solids content and acids were identified in the application of the yellow net, and the lowest in the application of red. Fruit mass of apples grown under the red net has been increased for 29.10 g. The application of white net increased fruit mass for 23.5 g and yellow net for 21.95 g compared to the control treatment where photoselective nets were not applied. The conclusion is that photoselective netting, by changing the spectral composition of light, had a positive effect on the fruit skin color development, fruit weight and positively affects the yield as also ultimately has a beneficial effect to the economic viability of production

Effects of electrospinning on the viability of ten species of lactic acid bacteria in poly(ethylene oxide) nanofibers

Lactic acid bacteria can have beneficial health effects and be used for the treatment of various diseases. However, there remains the challenge of encapsulating probiotics into delivery systems with a high viability and encapsulation efficacy. The electrospinning of bacteria is a novel and little-studied method, and further investigation of its promising potential is needed. Here, the morphology, zeta potential, hydrophobicity, average cell mass, and growth characteristics of nine different species of Lactobacillus and one of Lactococcus are characterized. The electrospinning of polymer solutions containing ~10 log colony forming units (CFU)/mL lactic acid bacteria enabled the successful incorporation of all bacterial species tested, from the smallest (0.74 µmLactococcus lactis) to the largest (10.82 µmLactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus), into poly(ethylene oxide) nanofibers with an average diameter of ~100 nm. All of these lactobacilli were viable after incorporation into nanofibers, with 0 to 3 log CFU/mg loss in viability, depending on the species. Viability correlated with the hydrophobicity and extreme length of lactic acid bacteria, whereas a horizonal or vertical electrospinning set-up did not have any role. Therefore, electrospinning represents a promising method for the incorporation of lactic acid bacteria into solid delivery systems, while drying the bacterial dispersion at the same time

p19-Targeting ILP Protein Blockers of IL-23/Th-17 Pro-Inflammatory Axis Displayed on Engineered Bacteria of Food Origin

IL-23-mediated Th-17 cell activation and stimulation of IL-17-driven pro-inflammatory axis has been associated with autoimmunity disorders such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) or Crohn&rsquo;s Disease (CD). Recently we developed a unique class of IL-23-specific protein blockers, called ILP binding proteins that inhibit binding of IL-23 to its cognate cell-surface receptor (IL-23R) and exhibit immunosuppressive effect on human primary blood leukocytes ex vivo. In this study, we aimed to generate a recombinant Lactococcus lactis strain which could serve as in vivo producer/secretor of IL-23 protein blockers into the gut. To achieve this goal, we introduced ILP030, ILP317 and ILP323 cDNA sequences into expression plasmid vector containing USP45 secretion signal, FLAG sequence consensus and LysM-containing cA surface anchor (AcmA) ensuring cell-surface peptidoglycan anchoring. We demonstrate that all ILP variants are expressed in L. lactis cells, efficiently transported and secreted from the cell and displayed on the bacterial surface. The binding function of AcmA-immobilized ILP proteins is documented by interaction with a recombinant p19 protein, alpha subunit of human IL-23, which was assembled in the form of a fusion with Thioredoxin A. ILP317 variant exhibits the best binding to the human IL-23 cytokine, as demonstrated for particular L.lactis-ILP recombinant variants by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA). We conclude that novel recombinant ILP-secreting L. lactis strains were developed that might be useful for further in vivo studies of IL-23-mediated inflammation on animal model of experimentally-induced colitis