The primary and secondary mineral resources of Montenegro and their mapping into the European data model

Primary and secondary mineral resources are of strategic importance to the EU economy. Montenegro, as a country candidate for membership in the EU, is required to follow (and later to implement) European policies, strategies as well as initiatives, including those related to mineral resources and the mining sector. The importance of providing access to mineral raw materials in the future is recognized by the EU, as well as meeting the needs of European industry, maintaining employment and ensuring further development. Considering the overall economic situation in Montenegro, it is important to encourge the mining sector and other industries based on the use of mineral resources in making a greater contribution to the development and sustainability of society as a whole and also increase the share of national GDP. The potential for discovery and utilization of primary and secondary mineral resources in Montenegro is demonstrated. The most important metallic mineral resources are bauxite, lead and zinc, while conventional energy resources include coal (oil and gas potential has yet to be proven). In addition, there are abundant non-metallic mineral raw materials - industrial minerals and construction materials. Secondary mineral resources, especially aluminous red mud (bauxite residue), are also significant and have been the subject of research in recent years. Tailings from flotation processes at operating and abandoned lead and zinc mines might also be of interest for metal recovery. Bottom and flay ash from thermal power plants, slag from steel production, as well as marlstone and limestone from the hanging wall of coal deposits may also have potential. Waste rocks could be used particularly for secondary aggregate production. A database was developed and the most important deposits of primary and secondary mineral resources in Montenegro were mapped during the RESEERVE project. Mineral data were harmonised so as to be INSPIRE compliant. In addition, some novel geochemical exploration results of secondary mineral resources are presented

Skrb za pitno vodo

Safeguarding Drinking WaterLjubljana's water resources lie in the immediate vicinity of built-up urban areas or even below them. For decades, they have been safeguarded as water-protection areas, which are specified by implementing regulations. However, formal protection through regulations is insufficient if the goal is to manage these sources in a sustainable manner. One of the most important goals of sustainable management is maintaining suitable provision of fresh drinking water without using any technological procedures toVodni viri mesta Ljubljane so v neposredni bližini pozidanih mestnih zemljišč ali celo pod njimi. Že desetletja jih varujejo vodovarstvena območja. Eden od najpomembnejših ciljev trajnostnega upravljanja je ohranjanje ustrezne oskrbe z naravno pitno vodo brez tehnoloških postopkov njene priprave, kar Ljubljančani uvrščajo visoko na lestvici vrednot življenja v glavnem mestu Slovenije. Upravljanje ogroženih vodnih virov v urbanih okoljih zahteva celosten pristop in stalne aktivnosti. S pomočjo računalniških orodij znamo sisteme simulirati in tako pridobiti dodatna védenja o njihovem delovanju. Ta so v pomoč pri dolgoročnih odločitvah ali na primer ob okoljskih nesrečah. Za ustrezno načrtovanje so potrebna strokovna orodja, ki omogočajo zanesljive, pregledne in kvantitativne ocene učinkov ukrepov. Razpolaganje z zanesljivimi ocenami stanja in napovedmi olajšuje delo odločevalcem in tudi komunikacijo med deležniki. Povezava v monografiji predstavljenih postopkov in rezultatov v sistem izvedljivega upravljanja z vodnimi viri v Ljubljani je dosežek, ki je lahko zgled številnim podobnim okoljem, ne le v Sloveniji, ampak tudi širše

Integrated data model to support sustainable management of mineral resources

Raziskava obravnava razvoj celovitega podatkovnega modela za trajnostno upravljanje z mineralnimi surovinami. Razvit je celovit podatkovni model, ki je usklajen z evropsko direktivo INSPIRE. Model izpolnjuje potrebe ciljnih skupin uporabnikov, ki izvajajo politiko trajnostnega upravljanja z mineralnimi surovinami. Izdelani podatkovni model smo celovito preskusili. Z anketo med ključnimi uporabniki smo ugotovili, da so v splošnem zadovoljni tako s kakovostjo podatkov kot tudi z razvito programsko rešitvijo. Testiranje, ki je smiselno upoštevalo zahteve standarda ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119, je omogočilo izboljšave in odpravo detektiranih odpovedi programske podpore. Formalno preverjanje zahtev direktive INSPIRE je pokazalo, da je razvit model podatkov skladen z zahtevami. Potrjena je raziskovalna hipoteza, da je možno razviti tak podatkovni model, ki bo skladen z zahtevami direktive INSPIRE in zahtevami ciljnih skupin uporabnikov. Podatkovni model mineralnih surovin Slovenije obsega preko sto tabel in smiselno združuje vse relevantne informacije o mineralnih surovinah, kar v prihodnosti lahko učinkovito pripomore k manjši odvisnosti Slovenije od zunanjega trga.The study deals with the development of an integrated data model for the sustainable management of mineral resources. The developed integrated data model is coherent with the European INSPIRE directive. Model meets the needs of the target groups of users who implemented a policy of sustainable management of mineral resources. Designed data model was comprehensively tested. With survey of key users, we found that they are generally satisfied with both the quality of the data as well as the developed software solution. Testing, which reasonably considers the requirements of standard ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119, has enabled improvements and the elimination of the detected failure of software. Formal verification of requirements of the INSPIRE directive has shown that the developed data model is complient with the requirements. The research hypothesis confirms that it is possible to develop such a data model that is consistent with the requirements of the INSPIRE directive and the requirements of the target user groups. Data model of mineral resources of Slovenia comprises over a hundred tables and meaningfully combines all relevant information on the mineral resources, which in the future can effectively contribute to reducing the dependence on external Slovenian market

Attributive datamodel of national hydrogeolocical database to define groundwater bodies of Slovenia

Hydrogeological investigations of groundwater are based on large amount of qualitative and quantitative data (hydrological, hydrogelological, geological, pedological, geomorfological, meteorological…), information about topography, land use, antropogenic elements and ecosystems, which demands a complex approach to modeling and organizing information into some logical structure of all purpose data model, useful on local, regional and national level. For that purpose at Geological survey of Slovenia we established a Database of hydrogeolocial data to define groundwater bodies of Slovenia in which all significant data of groundwater bodies, aquifers and hydrogeological objects are available. Digital storage of attributive data enables uniformity of standards for collecting, analyzing and management of data, their spatial presentation and distribution, connection with other information systems and important decision – making future analysis

Geologic Field Database

The purpose of the paper is to present the field data relational database, which was compiled from data, gathered during thirty years of fieldwork on the Basic Geologic Map of Slovenia in scale1:100.000. The database was created using MS Access software. The MS Access environment ensures its stability and effective operation despite changing, searching, and updating the data. It also enables faster and easier user-friendly access to the field data. Last but not least, in the long-term, with the data transferred into the GISenvironment, it will provide the basis for the sound geologic information system that will satisfy a broad spectrum of geologists’ needs

Quantitative imaging biomarkers of immune-related adverse events in immune-checkpoint blockade-treated metastatic melanoma patients

Purpose: To develop quantitative molecular imaging biomarkers of immune-related adverse event (irAE) development in malignant melanoma (MM) patients receiving immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) imaged with 18F-FDG PET/CT. Methods: 18F-FDG PET/CT images of 58 MM patients treated with anti-PD-1 or anti-CTLA-4 ICI were retrospectively analyzed for indication of irAE. Three target organs, most commonly affected by irAE, were considered: bowel, lung, and thyroid. Patient charts were reviewed to identify which patients experienced irAE, irAE grade, and time to irAE diagnosis. Target organs were segmented using a convolutional neural network (CNN), and novel quantitative imaging biomarkers - SUV percentiles (SUVX%) of 18F-FDG uptake within the target organs - were correlated with the clinical irAE status. Area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to quantify irAE detection performance. Patients who did not experience irAE were used to establish normal ranges for target organ 18F-FDG uptake. Results: A total of 31% (18/58) patients experienced irAE in the three target organs: bowel (n=6), lung (n=5), and thyroid (n=9). Optimal percentiles for identifying irAE were bowel (SUV95%, AUROC=0.79), lung (SUV95%, AUROC=0.98), and thyroid (SUV75%, AUROC=0.88). Optimal cut-offs for irAE detection were bowel (SUV95%>2.7 g/mL), lung (SUV95%>1.7 g/mL), and thyroid (SUV75%>2.1 g/mL). Normal ranges (95% confidence interval) for the SUV percentiles in patients without irAE were bowel [1.74, 2.86 g/mL], lung [0.73, 1.46 g/mL], and thyroid [0.86, 1.99 g/mL]. Conclusions: Increased 18F-FDG uptake within irAE-affected organs provides predictive information about the development of irAE in MM patients receiving ICI and represents a potential quantitative imaging biomarker for irAE. Some irAE can be detected on 18F-FDG PET/CT well before clinical symptoms appear

The role of quantitative imaging biomarkers in an early FDG-PET/CT for detection of immune-related adverse events in melanoma patients: a prospective study

Background. To evaluate the role of the novel quantitative imaging biomarker (QIB) SUV_{X%} of $^{18}$F-FDG uptake ex-tracted from early 18F-FDG -PET/CT scan at 4 weeks for the detection of immune-related adverse events (rAE) in a cohort of patients with metastatic melanoma (mM) patients receiving immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Patients and methods. In this prospective non-interventional, one-centre clinical study, patients with mM, receiv-ing ICI treatment, were regularly followed by $^{18}$F-FDG PET/CT. Patients were scanned at baseline, early point at week four (W4), week sixteen (W16) and week thirty-two (W32) after ICI initiation. A convolutional neural network (CNN) was used to segment three organs: lung, bowel, thyroid. QIB of irAE - SUV_{X%} - was analyzed within the target organs and correlated with the clinical irAE status. Area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to quantify irAE detection performance. Results. A total of 242 $^{18}$F-FDG PET/CT images of 71 mM patients were prospectively collected and analysed. The early W4 scan showed improved detection only for the thyroid gland compared to W32 scan (p=0.047). The AUROC for detection of irAE in the three target organs was highest when SUV_{X%} was extracted from W16 scan and was 0.76 for lung, 0.53 for bowel and 0.81 for thyroid. SUV_{X%} extracted from W4 scan did not improve detection of irAE compared to W16 scan (lung: p = 0.54, bowel: p = 0.75, thyroid: p = 0.3, DeLong test), as well as compared to W32 scan in lungs (p = 0.32) and bowel (p = 0.3). Conclusions. Early time point $^{18}$F-FDG PET/CT at W4 did not lead to statistically significant earlier detection ofirAE. However, organ18F-FDG uptake as quantified by SUV_{X%} proved to be a consistent QIB of irAE. To better assess the role of $^{18}$F-FDG PET/CT in irAE detection, the time evolution of $^{18}$F-FDG PET/CT quantifiable inflammation would be of essence, only achievable in multi centric studies

Priporočila za obravnavo bolnikov z melanomom kože

Incidenca melanoma v svetu in Sloveniji še vedno narašča, se je pa preživetje v zadnjih 20 letih izboljšalo, predvsem zaradi zgodnejšega odkrivanja melanoma in enotnih pristopov v primarnem zdravljenju. Posodobljena Priporočila v letu 2024 prinašajo precej novosti, predvsem v diagnostičnih postopkih odkrivanja in zamejitve zgodnjih stadijev melanoma, kot tudi natančnih priporočil sledenja po primarnem zdravljenju, na področju kirurškega zdravljenja in pa predvsem sistemskega zdravljenja, tako metastatske bolezni, predvsem pa v adjuvan- tnem sistemskem zdravljenju v visoko rizičnem stadiju II, in neo- adjuvantnem sistemskem zdravljenju operabilnega melanoma. V tokratna Priporočila smo vključili tudi poglavji prehranskega in paliativnega tima