Attractiveness of roads for illegal dumping with regard to regional differences in Slovenia

The first countrywide register of illegal dump sites in Slovenia was created in 2010 and 2011. Due to its extensiveness it allows in-depth analyses of factors that affect illegal waste disposal. Prior research has already proven the impact of roads on the incidence of illegal dumps, but in this paper we investigate if regional differences significantly influence its expression. We consider the existing landscape typing, which divides Slovenia into 14 landscape-ecological types. We find significant differences between landscape types in the attractiveness of roads for disposal. They are especially pronounced when comparing the attractiveness of individual road categories

Zero waste training handbook

“Once we adopt a new view of the world (or any part of it), we immediately lose much of our ability to recall what we used to believe before our mind changed.“ Daniel KahnemanThis quote by Nobel Prize winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman can be understood in two ways, at least. One is that by expanding our knowledge and understanding, these new views become an integral part of us. This gives us hope that once we adopt the zero waste mindset, it becomes hard for us to imagine a different way of managing resources. But the second side of it is that the more we become experts in something, paradoxically the harder it becomes for us to teach and explain it to those who don’t yet understand it. Our system of knowledge (known also as mental models) becomes more and more complex, and at the same time it becomes compact, packed like a ZIP file, where details that are important for the beginner to make sense of things are faded in the background. The steps in our thinking process flow so smoothly that we ourselves do not notice it anymore. As experts we need to unpack our way of thinking in order to help beginners become experts more easily. We have attempted this when creating this handbook and the Zero Waste Ambassador and Trainer curricula. The aim of this handbook is to support the implementation of the Zero Waste Ambassador and Trainer curricula, with the overall goal to strengthen and spread zero waste competences among changemakers across Europe, helping to empower them to support and drive their communities towards long term systemic change. Whereas the curricula describe the set up, structure and reasons for selecting certain topics and competences into the training courses, this handbook goes deeper into the topics themselves and offers some exercises and materials to anyone wanting to train Zero Waste Ambassadors and/or Trainers. Since the teaching principles described in this handbook are quite universal, then this handbook can be useful also to anyone wishing to improve their teaching, especially in complex problems such as many environmental issues.The BEZWA project (Building a European Zero Waste Academy) was an Erasmus+ funded collaboration between five organisations with the main aim to create a strong educational framework in support of the zero waste cities movement in Europe

Zero waste koolituskäsiraamat

“Kui me võtame omaks uue maailmavaate (või osa sellest), kaotame automaatselt suure osa suutlikkusest meenutada, mida me uskusime enne seda, kui teistmoodi mõtlema hakkasime.“ Daniel KahnemanNobeli preemia laureaadist psühholoogi Daniel Kahnemani tsitaati võib tõlgendada vähemalt kahel moel. Esiteks tähendab see, et kui me oma teadmisi laiendame ja õpime asju paremini mõistma, saavad uued vaated meie mõtlemise lahutamatuks osaks. See annab meile lootust, et kui oleme jäätmeteta majandamise mõtteviisi omaks võtnud, siis on meil raske ette kujutada, et ressursse üldse teisti hallata saaks. Teisest küljest tähendab see, et mida suuremad eksperdid me mingis vallas oleme, seda raskem on meil selle valdkonna teadmisi edasi anda ja selgitada neile, kes sellest veel midagi ei tea. Meie teadmiste süsteem (seda nimetatakse ka mentaalseteks mudeliteks) muutub üha keerukamaks ja samas ka kompaktsemaks, meenutades kokkupakitud zip-faili, milles algaja jaoks teema mõistmiseks olulised detailid on hägustunud ja tagaplaanile vajunud. Meie mõtteprotsess liigub ühest etapist teise nii sujuvalt, et me ise ei märkagi seda enam. Peame ekspertidena oma mõtlemisviisi uuesti „lahti pakkima“, et aidata algajatel kergemini eksperdiks saada. Käsiraamatut ning Zero Waste saadiku ja koolitaja õppekavu koostades oleme püüdnud just seda teha. Käsiraamatu eesmärk on toetada Zero Waste saadiku ja koolitaja õppekavade elluviimist, mille üldine eesmärk on tugevdada ja levitada jäätmeteta majandamise pädevusi Euroopa muutuste eestvedajate seas, aidates neil oma kogukondades toetada ja juhtida pikaajaliste süsteemsete muutuste elluviimist. Õppekavades kirjeldatakse kursuste ülesehitust ning põhjuseid, miks just need teemad ja pädevused on sinna valitud; siinses käsiraamatus käsitleme aga põhjalikumalt sisulisi teemasid ja pakume harjutusi ja materjale neile, kes soovivad koolitada Zero Waste saadikuid ja/või koolitajaid. Kuna käsiraamatus kirjeldatud põhimõtted on võrdlemisi universaalsed, võib sellest abi olla kõigile, kes tahavad oma õpetamisoskusi parandada, seda eriti keerukatel teemadel, nagu paljud keskkonnaprobleemid.BEZWA projekt (Building a European Zero Waste Academy) oli Erasmus+ rahastatud koostöö viie organisatsiooni vahel eesmärgiga luua tugev haridusraamistik, mis toetab Euroopa jäätmeteta majandavate linnade liikumist

Relationship between public and commercial media in the field of sports journalism and television rights: the case of RTV Slovenija

V 80. in 90. letih 20. stoletja je deregulacija na medijskih trgih zaostrila tekmovanje med mediji, sploh med komercialnimi televizijami, in posledično poskrbela za višjo rast cen prenosov popularnih športnih dogodkov. Magistrsko delo se osredotoča na slovenski medijski prostor, predvsem na prehod iz monopolne ureditve, kjer je prednjačila RTV Slovenija, dokler s prihodom komercialnih medijev v 90. letih ni prišlo do velikih transformacij, ki so prinesle velike koncentracije medijskega lastništva. Magistrsko delo pojasnjuje, kako je na ureditev javnega servisa vplival prihod komercialnih medijev, predvsem POP TV-ja ter kasneje športno usmerjenih programov – Sportkluba in Arene Sport, ki sta tesno povezana s TV operaterji. V empiričnem delu z delno strukturiranimi intervjuji analizira dejansko stanje v praksi, predvsem kako prisotnost komercialnih medijev, ki jih je v zadnjih letih čedalje več in ki RTV Slovenija ne samo dohajajo, ampak jo s svojim proračunom celo prekašajo, vpliva na javni medij ter kakšni so odnosi med njimi. Ugotavlja, da je trenutno stanje za javni servis zapleteno, vendar bi lahko sliko obrnil Seznam najpomembnejših športnih dogodkov, ki prihaja v veljavo v času pisanja tega dela.In the 1980s and 1990s, deregulation in the media markets intensified competition among media, especially between commercial television stations, and consequently led to higher prices for broadcasting popular sports events. The main focus of the thesis is the Slovenian media space, particularly the transition from a monopolistic regulation dominated by RTV Slovenija until the arrival of commercial media in the 1990s, which brought about significant transformations resulting in major concentrations of media ownership. The thesis explains how the arrival of commercial media, especially POP TV, and later on sports-oriented programs such as Sportklub and Arena Sport, which are closely connected to TV operators, influenced the regulation of public broadcasting. The empirical part analyses the actual state of affairs through semi-structured interviews, particularly examining how the presence of commercial media, which has been increasing in recent years and not only competing with but even surpassing RTV Slovenija in terms of budget, affects the public broadcaster and the relationship between them. It concludes that the current state is not positive for the public service, but the situation could potentially be reversed with the implementation of a list of the most important sports events, which was pending at the time of writing this thesis

Characterization of DNA-specificity and thermal stability of the PhD protein

Bakterijska persistenca je pojav, pri katerem se celicam spremenijo morfološke lastnosti in vstopijo v fazo mirovanja. S tem močno povečajo svojo odpornost proti zunanjim stresnim dejavnikom (kot so protimikrobne učinkovine, povišana ionska jakost, pomanjkanje hranil, UV sevanje), saj le-ti ne morejo vstopiti v celico. Bakterijski sistemi toksin-antitoksin so ena izmed metabolnih poti, ki v bakterijski celici sprožijo persisterski odziv. Predmet te magistrske naloge je protein Phd, del sistema toksin-antitoksin Phd /Doc, ki se nahaja na bakteriofagu P1 v bakterijah E. coli. Cilj našega dela je bil odkriti vpliv mutacij v palindromnem zaporedju operatorja na vezavne lastnosti z antitoksinom Phd. Hkrati pa smo proučevali tudi vpliv ionske jakosti na sekundarno strukturo proteina ter na njegovo termično stabilnost. Za pridobitev čistega proteina Phd smo izvedli čiščenje z uporabo afinitetne kromatografije. Pri tem smo celični lizat bakterij E. coli, v katerem sta se nahajala Phd in Doc v obliki kompleksa, nanesli na kolono ter ju ločili z denaturacijo. Naslednji korak je bil analiza sekundarne strukture proteina v pufrih različne ionske jakosti z metodo CD spektroskopije. Da bi zagotovili optimalne pogoje pri izvedbi izotermalne titracijske kalorimetrije, smo poskusili določiti pufer, v katerem je protein Phd najbolj termično stabilen. V ta namen smo izvedli test toplotne stabilnosti. Vpliv mutacij v palindromičnem zaporedju DNA, na katerega se veže Phd, smo analizirali z uporabo izotermalne titracijske kalorimetrije. Z izbrano metodo določanje toplotne stabilnosti proteina ni bilo uspešno. Pri tem nas je verjetno oviral neurejen repni del proteina, ki nase veže barvilo, ki smo ga uporabili pri testu toplotne stabilnosti. Z meritvami, pridobljenimi z izotermalno titracijsko kalorimetrijo, smo ugotovili, da vsakršne mutacije v oligonukleotidnem zaporedju negativno vplivajo na vezavo Phd. S pomočjo spletne podatkovne baze Protein data bank smo pridobljene rezultate ovrednotili v povezavi z že znano kristalno strukturo proteina Phd v kompleksu z operatorjem.Bacterial persistence is an endogenous survival mechanism employed by bacteria to persevere in hazardous environments. In the persister state cells are not inherently resistant to the hazardous environmental effects (for example antibiotics), but due to their phenotypical attributes their tolerance against the stress factors is heightened. Understanding the pathways that govern the processes of bacterial persistence could lead to novel antibiotic targets. Toxin-antitoxin systems are mechanisms that (amongst others) enable bacterial cells to enter the persister state. The Phd/Doc toxin-antitoxin system is a representative of a distinct family of toxin-antitoxin modules found in bacteria. The aim of the work was to determine the DNA specificity and biophysical properties of Phd, the antitoxin from the Phd/Doc toxin-antitoxin module, using isothermal titration calorimetry and an assortment of other methods. The first steps in the project were the purification of Phd from an E. coli cell lysate using an on-column unfolding/refolding procedure. Next, the suitability of the purified Phd was assessed using circular dichroism spectroscopy, and the effect of buffer composition on the thermal stability of the protein was assessed with a thermal stability assay. The specificity of Phd for its DNA operator was measured using isothermal titration calorimetry. The 8 base pair palindromic sequence was mutated to help determine which bases affect the specificity the most. The secondary structure of the isolated protein was found to be in accordance with a published reference crystal structure. Determining the thermal stability of Phd in buffers of varying composition was inconclusive, as the intrinsically disordered nature of the N-terminal protein domain interferes with the dye used in the stability assay. The data obtained by isothermal titration calorimetry enabled a limited glimpse into the operator specificity of Phd. All of the investigated mutants have significantly worse binding properties as the wild type oligonucleotide

Multiple delivery of siRNA against endoglin into murine mammary adenocarcinoma prevents angiogenesis and delays tumor growth.

Endoglin is a transforming growth factor-β (TGF- β) co-receptor that participates in the activation of a signaling pathway that mediates endothelial cell proliferation and migration in angiogenic tumor vasculature. Therefore, silencing of endoglin expression is an attractive approach for antiangiogenic therapy of tumors. The aim of our study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules against endoglin in vitro and in vivo. Therapeutic potential in vitro was assessed in human and murine endothelial cells (HMEC-1, 2H11) by determining endoglin expression level, cell proliferation and tube formation. In vivo, the therapeutic potential of siRNA molecules was evaluated in TS/A mammary adenocarcinoma growing in BALB/c mice. Results of our study showed that siRNA molecules against endoglin have a good antiangiogenic therapeutic potential in vitro, as expression of endoglin mRNA and protein levels in mouse and human microvascular endothelial cells after lipofection were efficiently reduced, which resulted in the inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation and tube formation. In vivo, silencing of endoglin with triple electrotransfer of siRNA molecules into TS/A mammary adenocarcinoma also significantly reduced the mRNA levels, number of tumor blood vessels and the growth of tumors. The obtained results demonstrate that silencing of endoglin is a promising antiangiogenic therapy of tumors that could not be used as single treatment, but as an adjunct to the established cytotoxic treatment approaches

Coupling CRISPR interference with FACS enrichment: New approach in glycoengineering of CHO cell lines for therapeutic glycoprotein production.

Difficulties in obtaining and maintaining the desired level of the critical quality attributes (CQAs) of therapeutic proteins as well as the pace of the development are major challenges of current biopharmaceutical development. Therapeutic proteins, both innovative and biosimilars, are mostly glycosylated. Glycans directly influence the stability, potency, plasma half-life, immunogenicity, and effector functions of the therapeutic. Hence, glycosylation is widely recognized as a process-dependent CQA of therapeutic glycoproteins. Due to the typically high heterogeneity of glycoforms attached to the proteins, control of glycosylation represents one of the most challenging aspects of biopharmaceutical development. Here, we explored a new glycoengineering approach in therapeutic glycoproteins development, which enabled us to achieve the targeted glycoprofile of the Fc-fusion protein in a fast manner. Coupling CRISPRi technology with lectin-FACS sorting enabled downregulation of the endogenous gene involved in fucosylation and further enrichment of CHO cells producing Fc-fusion proteins with reduced fucosylation levels. Enrichment of cells with targeted glycoprofile can lead to time-optimized clone screening and speed up cell line development. Moreover, the presented approach allows isolation of clones with varying levels of fucosylation, which makes it applicable to a broad range of glycoproteins differing in target fucosylation level