Predictive models of bathing water quality are a useful support to traditional monitoring and provide timely and adequate information for the protection of public health. When developing models, it ...is critical to select an appropriate model type and appropriate metrics to reduce errors so that the predicted outcome is reliable. It is usually necessary to conduct intensive sampling to collect a sufficient amount of data. This paper presents the process of developing a predictive model in Kaštela Bay (Adriatic Sea) using only data from regular (official) bathing water quality monitoring collected during five bathing seasons. The predictive modelling process, which included data preprocessing, model training, and model tuning, showed no silver bullet model and selected two model types that met the specified requirements: a neural network (ANN) for Escherichia coli and a random forest (RF) for intestinal enterococci. The different model types are probably the result of the different persistence of two indicator bacteria to the effects of marine environmental factors and consequently the different die-off rates. By combining these two models, the bathing water samples were classified with acceptable performances, an informedness of 71.7%, an F-score of 47.1%, and an overall accuracy of 80.6%.
The aim of this study was to investigate aerobiological dynamics of pollen in the Mediterranean part of Croatia in the air of the city of Split. Pollen monitoring during the period from 2005 to 2013 ...was performed using a Hirst volumetric trap. Among the identified pollen of 50 taxa, 21 were allergenic. The average annual pollen index was 33,513. Three pollination seasons were established: early winter season dominated by tree pollen, spring–summer season dominated by herbaceous plants and summer–autumn season with lower amounts of
Parietaria
and Cupressaceae pollen. According to the abundance, the main taxa were: Cupressaceae,
Parietaria
/
Urtica
,
Pinus
,
Quercus
,
Olea
,
Carpinus/Ostrya
, Poaceae,
Platanus
and
Ambrosia
. The annual pollen index together with the daily maximum concentrations showed an upward trend for selected taxa during the study period. The highest monthly pollen index and the highest biodiversity were recorded in April and the lowest during the late autumn and winter months. The pollen calendar created for the city of Split confirmed Mediterranean features of the pollen spectrum. The longest pollen seasons were recorded for Cupressaceae,
Parietaria
/
Urtica
and Poaceae pollen types. The correlations between pollen concentrations and meteorological parameters were analyzed. The correlations between pollen concentrations and temperature were positive, while the humidity and the precipitation mostly showed negative influence.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
We analyzed and discussed bathing water quality at 11 official bathing sites in Kaštela (Croatia) in the period 2009-2022. The results showed spatial and temporal variations in quality. The worst ...bathing water quality was in the eastern part of the area, at beaches Torac, Kamp and Gojača. Levels of indicator microorganisms at identified sources of fecal pollution near these beaches indicate a significant load of fecal material to these areas. The observed decrease in annual fecal indicator bacteria exceedances, while not statistically significant, indicates a trend toward improvement in water quality. The number of sites with worse annual and final assessment showed a decreasing trend only since 2017 and 2020, respectively, which is not a ‘sufficient’ time period to draw a clear conclusion about the trend. The improvements are probably the result of intensive work in recent years to improve the sewage system in the area. In the annual and final assessment, bathing sites from Kaštela with ‘poor’ water quality accounted on average for more than 27% of all waters with ‘poor’ quality in Croatia. This implies that additional efforts are needed to eliminate the sources of fecal pollution in the area.
U ovom smo radu analizirali kvalitetu mora za kupanje na 11 službenih plaža u Kaštelima (Hrvatska) u razdoblju 2009.-2022. Rezultati su pokazali prostorne i vremenske varijacije kvalitete. Najlošija kvaliteta mora za kupanje zabilježena je u istočnom dijelu područja, na plažama Torac, Kamp i Gojača. Razine indikatorskih mikroorganizama na utvrđenim izvorima fekalnog onečišćenja u blizini ovih plaža ukazuju na značajno opterećenje fekalnim materijalom u ovim područjima. Iako trend smanjena broja prekoračenja graničnih vrijednosti indikatorskih mikroorganizama tijekom godine nije statistički značajan, ipak upućuje na poboljšanja. Broj lokacija s lošijom godišnjom i konačnom ocjenom pokazuje trend pada tek od 2017. odnosno 2020. godine, što nije dovoljno vremensko razdoblje da bi se moglo jasno zaključiti o trendu. Poboljšanja su vjerojatno rezultat intenzivnog rada na poboljšanju kanalizacijskog sustava na tom području u posljednjih nekoliko godina. U godišnjoj i konačnoj ocjeni, kaštelanske plaže s nezadovoljavajućom kvalitetom mora u prosjeku su činile više od 27% svih plaža nezadovoljavajuće kvalitete u Hrvatskoj. To ukazuje da su potrebni dodatni napori za uklanjanje izvora fekalnog onečišćenja na cijelom području.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
This study defines performance characteristics of the temperature-modified ISO 9308-1 method for E. coli enumeration in bathing water. After a 4-hour resuscitation period at 36 ± 2 °C, the incubation ...temperature was changed to 44 ± 0.5 °C. Elevated incubation temperature significantly suppressed the growth of thermo-intolerant bacteria, and enhanced the selectivity of Chromogenic Coliform Agar (CCA) up to 49.5% for inland and up to 66.0% for coastal water. Consequently, most of the selectivity-related performance characteristics are improved.
Relative recovery was determined by comparing an alternative method against the reference, ISO 9308-1:2014 method, following the criteria set out in ISO 17994:2014. Temperature modification did not significantly alter the results and the methods were evaluated as “not different” for both, coastal and inland waters.
Chromogenic Coliform Agar was assessed as a suitable medium for reliable E. coli enumeration in bathing water when incubated for 17–19 h at 44 ± 0.5 °C after the 4–5 h resuscitation period at 36 ± 2 °C.
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•A resuscitation period was crucial for E. coli recovery by the modified method.•Relative recovery was high for both inland and coastal bathing water samples.•Temperature modification significantly enhanced the selectivity of the method.•All performance characteristics meet the requirements of ISO 13843:2017.•The method was assessed as suitable for E. coli enumeration in bathing water.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
This paper presents the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of a mire sequence near the village Blatuša, with a focus on changes in vegetation composition, hydrological regime and fire history of the ...Banovina/Kordun area during the last two millennia. For this purpose, pollen, non-pollen and charcoal analysis were done. By the application of CONISS statistical analysis three different pollen assemblage (sub)zones could have been distinguished: a dominance of alder-beech/oaks from the 2nd to the middle of the 7th century, followed by a prevalence of grasses-beech/oaks till the end of the 13th century. Finally, an assemblage of grasses-hornbeam/oaks populated the area from the 14th to the beginning of the 20th century. The high abundance of peat mosses (Sphagnum) from the 11th to the end of the 14th century must indicate increased precipitation and higher frequencies of rainfall during the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Transition from an ombrotrophic to minerotrophic phase of mire evolution during the Little Ice Age is caused by changing in moisture level, with somewhat wetter period prevailing till the middle of the 17th century followed by drier conditions till the beginning of the 20th century. Although cereal pollen grains first appear from the layers dated to the late 14th century and the proportion of secondary anthropogenic indicators were low during the entire Middle Ages, a large number of charcoal particles suggests stronger anthropogenic activity than indicated by observed changes in vegetation composition. Still, a sharp rise of non-arboreal pollen during the Migration period most likely reflect a general natural succession process on mire surface than persuable proof of Avaric-Slavic impact on vegetation. Direct anthropogenic pressure indicated by weeds and cereal pollen can be tracked from the Late Middle Ages onwards.
U ovome radu predstavljena je paleookolišna rekonstrukcija creta u blizini sela Blatuše, s naglaskom na promjene u strukturi i sastavu vegetacije, hidrološkoga režima i povijesti požara na području Banovine/Korduna tijekom posljednja dva tisućljeća. U svrhu paleookolišne interpretacije, napravljena je analiza akumuliranoga peluda, nepeludnih palinomorfa i pougljenjenih čestica. Upotrebom CONISS statističkoga modela mogu se razlučiti tri različite (pod)zone akumulacije: vegetacija „joha-bukva/hrastovi“ dominanira razdobljem od 2. stoljeća do sredine 7. stoljeća, nakon čega slijedi dominacija vegetacije „trave-bukva/hrastovi“ do kraja 13. stoljeća, te naposlijetku vegetacije „trave-grab/hrastovi“ u razdoblju od 14. do početka 20. stoljeća. Obilje spora maha tresetara (Sphagnum) u razdoblju od 11. do kraja 14. stoljeća vjerojatno je utjecano povećanom količinom oborina i učestalijim padalinama tijekom srednjovjekovne klimatske anomalije. Prijelaz iz ombrotrofije u minerotrofiju same cretne površine, tijekom maloga ledenog doba, uzrokovan je promjenom zasićenosti supstrata vodom, s nešto vlažnijim razdobljem do sredine 17. stoljeća i djelomično sušnijim do početka 20. stoljeća. Iako se pelud žitarica ne pojavljuje do kraja 14. stoljeća i udjeli sekundarnih antropogenih indikatora su niski tijekom cijeloga razdoblja srednjeg vijeka, veliki broj pougljenjenih čestica ukazuje na jaču antropogenu aktivnost no što se to može iščitati iz promjenama u biljnome pokrovu. Ipak, snažan porast udjela peluda nedrvenastih vrsta tijekom Seobe naroda više je rezultat procesa sukcesije na površini samoga creta nego nepobitan dokaz avarsko-slavenskoga utjecaja na sastav i strukturu vegetacije. Izravni antropogeni pritisak, koji se očituje učestalom pojavom peluda korovnih vrsta i žitarica, može se pratiti tek od razdoblja kasnoga srednjeg vijeka nadalje.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Parents/caregivers of children with developmental disabilities (CDD) have a wide range of support needs and there are various interventions available. Support, challenges, and needs among ...parents/caregivers of CDD likely vary in different geographical settings. This study aimed to analyze the perceptions of support, challenges, and needs among parents/caregivers of CDD in Croatia, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
We conducted a cross-sectional study in March-April 2023 within the Erasmus + SynergyEd project. The eligible participants were parents and caregivers of CDD in Croatia, North Macedonia, and Serbia, who filled out a modified Caregiver Needs Survey online.
Among 953 participants, 542 (57%) were from Croatia, 205 (21%) were from North Macedonia and 206 (22%) were from Serbia. The most common diagnosis of participants' children was autism spectrum disorder (26%). The child most often received the first diagnosis at the median of 2 years, diagnosed by a team of professionals. More than half (58%) of children attended preschool and public school, while 22% did not attend any schooling. Additional support from the state/city/county was received by 66% of CDD. Most participants declared not participating in association/organization for family support. Participants mostly (68%) used experts who work with the child as a source of information about their child's condition, followed by the Internet (53%). In the last 12 months, 60% of participants had difficulties with the availability of services in their area or problems getting appointments. The biggest problem in getting support was ensuring the child's basic rights were protected. Participants stated that ensuring greater rights for CDD was the greatest need for their families.
Parents/caregivers of CDD in Croatia, North Macedonia, and Serbia faced multiple challenges, but most of them were satisfied with the services provided to their children. Future efforts to develop policies and services related to CDD should consider the opinions of their parents/caregivers and disparities in access to services.
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