Pathway toward Sustainable Winter Road Maintenance (Case Study)

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method was applied to evaluate the environmental impacts of winter road maintenance managed by an innovative road-weather information system and the impacts of vehicles passing the road during the snowstorm event. A case study refers to 10-hour lasting snowstorm event, considering a specific road section and application of a road-weather information management system to help winter road maintenance agency optimizing activities (salt gritting and/or plowing). Reliable information on the timing of the beginning of the snowstorm event affects (1) the activities of winter road maintenance, (2) the mobility of all vehicles passing the road, and (3) the fuel consumption of the vehicles. Since activities are optimized in case of preventive operation of winter road maintenance, less salt is needed overall. The road remains free of snow cover in case of preventive winter road maintenance operation, meaning that passenger cars and trucks pass the road at normal speed, without undesirable acceleration and braking caused by wheels slipping if snow accumulates on the road. Fuel consumption of vehicles passing salted and snow-free road remains unchanged, while fuel consumption increases in case of snow cover. Reduction of environmental burdens in case of such optimized winter road maintenance operation, is shown in this case study. The overall results of the comparative LCA analysis showed that the use of the road-weather information system in road traffic allows for as much as 25% reduction of environmental footprints. In the scenario where the winter service does not use information system the winter service also uses 40% more salt, which is also related with additional environmental impacts

Extending BIM for air quality monitoring

As we spend more than 90% of our time inside buildings, indoor environmental quality is a major concern for healthy living. Recent studies show that almost 80% of people in European countries and the United States suffer from SBS (Sick Building Syndrome), which affects physical health, productivity and psychological well-being. In this context, environmental quality monitoring provides stakeholders with crucial information about indoor living conditions, thus facilitating building management along its lifecycle, from design, construction and commissioning to usage, maintenance and end-of-life. However, currently available modelling tools for building management remain limited to static models and lack integration capacities to efficiently exploit environmental quality monitoring data. In order to overcome these limitations, we designed and implemented a generic software architecture that relies on accessible Building Information Model (BIM) attributes to add a dynamic layer that integrates environmental quality data coming from deployed sensors. Merging sensor data with BIM allows creation of a digital twin for the monitored building where live information about environmental quality enables evaluation through numerical simulation. Our solution allows accessing and displaying live sensor data, thus providing advanced functionality to the end-user and other systems in the building. In order to preserve genericity and separation of concerns, our solution stores sensor data in a separate database available through an application programming interface (API), which decouples BIM models from sensor data. Our proof-of-concept experiments were conducted with a cultural heritage building located in Bled, Slovenia. We demonstrated that it is possible to display live information regarding environmental quality (temperature, relative humidity, CO2, particle matter, light) using Revit as an example, thus enabling end-users to follow the conditions of their living environment and take appropriate measures to improve its quality.Pages 244-250

Priporočila za obravnavo bolnikov s pljučnim rakom

No abstract.Ni abstrakta

Manual for use of Al-containing residues in low-carbon mineral binders

Our society can no longer be imagined without its modern infrastructure, which is inevitably based on the use of various mineral and metallic materials and requires a high energy consumption. Parallel to the production of materials, as well as the production of electricity, huge amounts of various industrial and mining residues (waste/by-product) are generated and many of them are sent to landfill. The European Union (EU) aims to increase resource efficiency and the supply of ”secondary raw materials“ through recycling [1], inventory of waste from extractive industries [2], and waste prevention, waste re-use and material recycling [3]. Much of the industrial and mining waste is enriched with aluminium (Al) and therefore has a potential to replace natural sources of Al in mineral binders with a high Al demand. However, the use of industrial residue in mineral binders requires an extensive knowledge of its chemical composition, including potential hazardous components (e.g. mercury), mineral composition, organic content, radioactivity and physical properties (moisture content, density, etc.). This manual addresses the legislative aspects, governing the use of secondary raw materials in construction products, description of the most common Al-containing industrial and mining residue (bauxite deposits, red mud, ferrous slag, ash and some other by products from industry), potentiality for their reutilisation and its economic aspects, potential requirements/barriers for the use of secondary raw materials in the cement industry and a description of belite-sulfoaluminate cements, which are a promising solution for implementing the circular economy through the use of large amounts of landfilled Al-rich industrial residue and mining waste cement clinker raw mixture. This manual was prepared by partners of the RIS-ALiCE project. It provides a popular content, which targets relevant stakeholders as well as the wider society. Moreover, it offers education material for undergraduate, master and PhD students.Other links: [http://www.zag.si/dl/manual-alice.pdf

Differentiation of the strawberry species (Fragaria L.) in Slovenia

In Slovenian nature, there are three species of strawberries: Fragaria viridis, Fragaria vesca and Fragaria moschata. Even though the species are not very similar, it is difficult to determine the species with Slovenian identification key Mala flora Slovenije (Martinčič et al., 2007). Therefore I made a new key (based on foreign literature and my own observation) which includes more discriminative morphological characters. It can be used to identify fresh plants as well as herbarium material (underground parts or stolon are not necessary for determination). Discriminative characters were verified on the material from herbarium LJU at Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, in Department of Biology. 20 characteristics were measured or observed on 141 herbarium samples. At the same time I verified correctness of determinations of the collected material. It turned out that only 72% of material was correctly determined. Most plants were wrongly determined as F. viridis (74%). After the revision, I made the distribution map that was based on information from herbarium labels. F. vesca and F. moschata are common, while F. viridis is rare; all three species occur almost across whole Slovenia. The distribution patterns of F. vesca and F. moschata, shown in my map, represent the true distribution in Slovenian nature rather well. For F. viridis, my sample was too scarce. Only 8% of the revised material was identified as F. viridis, which indicates that this species is rare. For better presentation of distribution of F. viridis, I would need more data. I believe that the new identification key, which includes more determination characters and explains their states better, can improve the success of identification of the three species in future. Since strawberry is a common, widely spread and well-known plant, is a suitable plant object to work with in schools. It can be used to achieve many learning objectives in the sixth grade of Slovenian primary school. I presented it in a form of a lesson plan for two school hours

Lipids and circadian clock: findings on human cell lines U2OS and Huh7

Življenje na zemlji je prilagojeno rotacijam našega planeta in njegovim 24-urnim ciklom izmenjevanja dneva in noči. To pomeni, da 24-urni cikel, ki je potreben, da se zemlja zavrti okoli svoje osi, določa delovanje in vedenje vseh organizmov na planetu. Prilagajanje ritmu zemlje živemu svetu omogoča notranja biološka ura, ki jo imenujemo cirkadiana ura. Gre za biokemijski oscilator, ki deluje v približno 24 ur trajajočih ciklih in je vezan na solarni čas. Človeško telo je kompleksen sistem, v katerem imajo različni organi natančno določene vloge, zato njihove celice izražajo različne gene, ki odgovarjajo na potrebe organizma. Izražanje perifernih cirkadianih genov vodi glavna ura, ta pa ni edina, ki lahko vpliva na izražanje v različnih tkivih. Namen magistrske naloge je bil ugotoviti, kako prisotnost holesterola in lipoproteinov HDL in LDL vpliva na izražanje izbranih genov cirkadiane ure in na metabolizem v izbranih humanih celičnih linijah. Izražanje genov smo spremljali z metodo RT-qPCR, pa tudi s spremljanjem izražanja luminiscenčnega reporterja v stabilno transficiranih celicah z uporabo aparature LumiCycle. S testom AlamarBlue smo spremljali tudi, kako lipidi in holesterol vplivajo na metabolično aktivnost celic. Ugotovili smo, da HDL nima bistvenega vpliva niti na metabolizem, niti na izražanje genov cirkadiane ure. Na drugi strani sta LDL in holesterol povzročila večje spremembe. LDL sicer ni močno vplival na metabolizem, je pa zmanjšal izražanje vseh cirkadianih genov, ki smo jih izmerili. Enako smo pokazali tudi pri holesterolu, ki je hkrati tudi pospešil metabolizem celic. Ugotovili smo tudi, da se vplivi obremenitev z lipidi razlikujejo pri različnih celičnih linijah, kar nakazuje, da je cirkadiano izražanje genov tkivno specifično. Naši rezultati kažejo, da je lipidni metabolizem tesno povezan s cirkadiano uro. To pomeni, da sodobni življenjski slog, ki vpliva tako na lipidni metabolizem, kot tudi na cirkadiano uro, lahko predstavlja velik zdravstveni problem.Life on Earth is adapted to the rotation of our planet and its 24 h light-dark cycles. This means that the 24 h cycle which is needed for one spin of the Earth determines functioning and behaviour of all organisms. Adapting to the Earth\u27s rhythm is enabled by an internal biological clock, also known as the circadian clock. It is a biochemical oscillator, which acts in approximately 24 h cycles and depends on solar time. The human body is a complex system made of different organs with specific tasks, which means that they are expressing different genes, answering to specific body needs. Expressing of peripheral circadian genes is dictated by the core clock, but there are also other factors that can influence the expression of genes in different tissues as well. This masters degree research aimed to find out how cholesterol and lipoproteins HDL and LDL affect the expression of a set of circadian genes and metabolism in two selected human cell lines. Gene expression was measured with the RT-qPCR method and also by measuring the expression of luminescent reporter in stably transfected cells with the LumiCycle method. With the AlamarBlue test, we also measured how lipids and cholesterol affect the metabolic activity of the cells. We showed that HDL only marginally affects metabolism or circadian gene expression. On the other hand, LDL and cholesterol do have a major impact. LDL did not influence metabolism much but did cause a strong reduction of circadian gene expression of all selected circadian genes. We showed the same for cholesterol, which additionally strongly accelerated cell metabolism. We also showed that the effects of lipid load differ in different cell lines, which shows that circadian gene expression is tissue-specific. Our results show a tight connection between lipid metabolism and the circadian clock. This means that modern lifestyle which affects lipid metabolism and the circadian clock could become a major health issue

Spring flora of Ljubljana as a tool for teaching botany in primary school

In spring, there are plenty of plants in Ljubljana, which are often more or less overlooked. Ljubljana is a town with many urbanized areas. It is necessary to be aware that plants also grow on less obvious places. They grow between paving, on dried compacted ground, on roofs, in the swamp, etc. Although, there are quite a few censuses of Ljubljana’s flora, there is a lack of detailed census of the spring flora. For these reasons, I decided to make a census of the spring flora within the ring road of Ljubljana. I focused only on flowering herbaceous plants. I started the census by picking out a few areas within the quadrant and listed the flowering species there. The quadrants were 1 km2 large. Together with the preliminary data, we collected 87 in spring species on 70 quadrants. The most common species were from the families: Ranunculaceae, Brassicaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae and Fabaceae. Hemikriptophytes and geophytes are most commonly found in Ljubljana. With the census I got a better insight into diversity of spring plant species in the Ljubljana’s area. I made descriptions of the most common species. I also added a map of known prevalence in Ljubljana’s area to each of the described species. It is necessary to mention that we did not map all quadrants, so it is likely that some species are omitted. Given the relatively large number of species listed, I have also proved that in the capital, which we think is not suited for the implementation of science days; there are many opportunities for teaching botany. In principle, teachers are reluctant to teach outside the classroom. I would like to use the census for the education of children. I created lists of quadrants and lesson plans for science day. In addition to the quadrant lists, I have selected a few more plants that I find suitable for achieving certain learning aims. I also added what we can show children on these plants. In my Master’s thesis, I focused on teaching botany at the subject level, that is, from the 6th grade to 9th grade. Botany is taught in 6th and 9th grade of primary school. Since, in the 6th grade, plants are the main topic, I have devoted a special chapter to plants suitable for teaching different plant organs. I hope I will encourage teachers to dedicate some of their time to teach outside of the classroom and enable students to have direct contact with nature

Measured and calculated photobiological effects of lighting on observers

Pri načrtovanju osvetlitve izračuni le delno napovejo vplive svetlobe na uporabnike prostorov. Svetloba ima namreč poleg dobro poznanih slikovnih učinkov, ki jih možgani interpretirajo na podlagi odzivov čepkov in paličic, tudi neslikovne učinke. Ti ne pripomorejo k orientaciji v prostoru, temveč sporočajo telesu ključne informacije, ki vplivajo na tvorbo hormonov. Vrh te zaznave je v modrem delu spektra vidne svetlobe. Žal delovanja teh fotoreceptorjev še ne opisujemo s parametri, ustaljenimi v praksi projektiranja, zato so vplivi na uporabnike pogosto prezrti. Dodaten izziv pomeni praksa, pri kateri svetlobne učinke preračunavamo v lukse, kar pomeni, da jih množimo s povprečnim človeškim dnevnim vidom. Tak pristop ni primeren za vrednotenje neslikovnih učinkov, ker imajo drugo akcijsko krivuljo. Izmerili smo spektralno sestavo odbitih dnevnih svetlob v modelnem prostoru, ker nas je zanimalo, kakšne razlike nastanejo v slikovni in neslikovni zaznavi, če pobarvamo stene z različnimi barvami. Modra in vijoličasta stena neslikovno stimulirata opazovalca bolj kot slikovno v obeh opazovanih smereh pogleda, oranžna v obeh primerih neslikovno vpliva manj, pri zeleni pa je bila neslikovna zaznava bolj stimulirana od slikovne pri pogledu naprej, pri pogledu v mizo pa je bilo obratno.When designing light, the calculations only partially predict the effects of light on the users. In addition to the well-known image forming effects based on rod and cone responses, the light elicits non visual effects as well. The latter is not related to the orientation in ambient, but communicates key information related to hormones secretion. The peak of this perception is in the blue part of the spectrum of visible light. Unfortunately, the responses of these photoreceptors cannot be predicted with parameters currently used in the lighting design practice, so the effects on users are often ignored. An additional challenge is the established practice where the light effects are communicated in lux, which means that they are multiplied by the average human daily vision. Such an approach is not suitable for the evaluation of non-visual effects, because they have a different action curve. We have measured the spectral composition of the reflected daylight in the model room, because we were interested in the differences in image and non-visual forming effects of differently painted walls. Blue and violet walls stimulate observers\u27 non-image forming perception more than image forming in both gazing directions. In both gazing directions orange walls stimulate non-image forming effects far less than the image forming ones. Green walls revealed bigger non image forming effects then non-image forming effects in the forward look, and the other way around in the gaze directed on the table

Old buildings need new ideas

The preservation of cultural heritage and the renovation, restoration and remodelling processes could benefit greatly from Building Information Modelling (BIM) workflows being established. Currently, experts are involved with fractionated workflows, where a lot of data are missing, become lost or are duplicated by different stakeholders. All the resulting confusion severely impacts on the preservation of heritage as well as the efficiency of its restoring/remodelling/revitalizing from the point of view of current needs. Heritage information is usually conveyed through conservation-restoration plans and guidelines. In this research, a new methodology for managing the information holistically integrated into the BIM is proposed. The workflow is showcased on a demo-case building that is protected as cultural heritage. Consequently, the conservation plan becomes more accessible, not only for stakeholders in heritage, but also stakeholders responsible for the renovation, such as architects and contractors. This can result in an improved understanding of the heritage and a better revitalization