High annual radon concentration in dwellings and natural radioactivity content in nearby soil in some rural areas of Kosovo and Metohija

Some previous studies on radon concentration in dwellings of some areas of Kosovo and Metohija have revealed a high average radon concentration, even though the detectors were exposed for three months only. In order to better design a larger study in this region, the annual measurements in 25 houses were carried out as a pilot study. For each house, CR-39-based passive devices were exposed in two rooms for the two consecutive six-month periods to account for seasonal variations of radon concentration. Furthermore, in order to correlate the indoor radon with radium in nearby soil and to improve the knowledge of the natural radioactivity in the region, soil samples near each house were collected and 226Ra, 232Th, 40K activity concentration were measured. The indoor radon concentration resulted quite high from the average (163 Bq/m3) and generally it did not differ considerably between the two rooms and the two six-month periods. The natural radionuclides in soil resulted to be distributed quite uniformly. Moreover, the correlation between the226Ra content in soil and radon concentration in dwellings resulted to be low (R2=0.26). The annual effective dose from radon and its short-lived progeny (5.5 mSv, in average) was calculated by using the last ICRP dose conversion factors. In comparison, the contribution to the annual effective dose of outdoor gamma exposure from natural radionuclides in soil is nearly negligible (66 mSv). In conclusion, the observed high radon levels are only partially correlated with radium in soil; moreover, a good estimate of the annual average of radon concentration can be obtained from a six-month measurement with a proper choice of exposure period, which could be useful when designing large surveys

„Фразеологизмите како јазична, книжевна и културолошка нишка во наставата по македонски и по странски јазик“

Предмет на истражување: Придобивките од соодветниот пристап на фразеологизмите како од јазична, така и од книжевна и културолошка гледна точка и нивно активно вклучување во наставата по мајчин и по странските јазици кои се изучуваат на нашиот Филолошки факултет. Цел: стекнување и развивање на фразеолошките компетенции кај студентите од наставната насоката и нивна соодветна подготовка за ефикасно поучување на јазикот и секако за оспособување на студентите идни наставници за современи наставници по јазик. Целта е преку испреплетување на теоријата и практиката со цел да се поттикне и развие фразеолошката компетенција и со тоа да се стимулира размислувањето на идните наставници, да ги прошират своите хоризонти и да се мотивираат да уживаат во една од највозбудливите, најисцрпните и најважните професии во светот

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e. a controlling message) compared to no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly-internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared to the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly-internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing: Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

Radon levels and resulting effective doses of residents in Gornja Stubla at Kosovo applying dosimetric lung models based on ICRP 65 and ICRP 66 methodology

The town Gornja Stubla, situated in the South-West part of Kosovo, is a community with high indoor radon level due to its geochemical background. Radon activity concentration in indoor air has been measured by exposing the 960 track-etch detectors for one year, in 172 rooms of 65 dwellings. Annual averages of concentration ranged from 35 Bq/m3 to 6010 Bq/m3. In a first attempt, the effective doses of residents have been calculated applying the ICRP 65 methodology, based on the average radon concentration for the dwelling and for concentrations in the rooms of a dwelling in which they spend fractions of the entire time spent indoors. Both seasonal and annual doses have been calculated. The annual values were in the range of 0.6−107 mSv/a with an average value of 8.6 mSv/a. As nest step we considered that effective dose, being influenced by a number of different parameters and divided into subject and aerosols related parameters, is connected with two crucial parameters, namely, the Dose Conversion Factor (DCF) [mSv/WLM] for a particular person (accounting for real gender, age and physical activity level) and indoor radon concentration and its short lived progeny at field area. Therefore, software based on ICRP Publication 66 was developed for determination of effective dose per unit inhaled activity of radon progeny, DCF. According to the results of indoor radon measurements in the area of Gornja Stubla, the effective dose for its population was estimated by using the dosimetric lung model. The results, obtained according to ICRP 66, were compared with results calculated according to ICRP Publication 65

Measuring current state of radioactivity of air, water and soil in the city of Novi Grad, Republic of Srpska

Subject of this survey is measuring of background artificial and natural radioactivity of air, water and soil in the city of Novi Grad, Republic of Srpska. This is a first step of environmental monitoring of this area before opening of the nuclear waste material disposal nearby in Trgovinska gora in Croatia. Trgovinska gora is located not more than half kilometer beeline from the city of Novi Grad. Previous underground military ammunition repository is turned into nuclear waste disposal nearby natural border (river Una) between Croatia and Republic of Srpska. In order to be able to measure potential leakage of nuclear waste outside of disposal, we made background radioactivity measurements of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, 238U, 235U, 137Cs, 210Pb, 90Sr, 3H, in the soil, water and mud. Also, we measured 222Rn in the soil and air and gamma dose rates. Measuring places were chosen upstream and two downstream in the city. Measuring results showed typical background concentration for this part of continental Europe

Effective dose for real population exposed to indoor radon in former uranium mine area Kalna (Eastern Serbia)

This paper deals with calculated effective doses that members of real population received from radon gas and its short lived progeny during air inhalation in their dwellings at field site Kalna in Eastern Serbia. There are two crucial parameters in effective dose calculation: Dose Conversion Factor (DCF) for particular subjects (including real gender, age and physical activity level) and indoor concentration of radon and its short lived progeny in field area. According to the results of indoor radon measurements in the area of former uranium mine, Kalna, the effective dose for this real population was estimated by using the dosimetric lung model, developed by authors according ICRP Publication 66 [1]. Authentic software was developed for determination of effective dose per unit inhaled activity of radon progeny, DCF expressed in unit [mSv/WLM]. The results, obtained according to ICRP66 dosimeter lung model [1], were compared with results calculated according to ICRP Publication 65 [2]. The dosimetric results were, also, compared and discussed with epidemiological approach data, according to UNSCEAR [3]

Author Correction: A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Correction to: Nature Human Behaviour https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01173-x, published online 2 August 2021. In the version of this article initially published, the following authors were omitted from the author list and the Author contributionssection for “investigation” and “writing and editing”: Nandor Hajdu (Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest,Hungary), Jordane Boudesseul (Facultad de Psicología, Instituto de Investigación Científica, Universidad de Lima, Lima, Perú), RafałMuda (Faculty of Economics, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland) and Sandersan Onie (Black Dog Institute, UNSWSydney, Sydney, Australia & Emotional Health for All Foundation, Jakarta, Indonesia). In addition, Saeideh FatahModares’ name wasoriginally misspelled as Saiedeh FatahModarres in the author list. Further, affiliations have been corrected for Maria Terskova (NationalResearch University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia), Susana Ruiz Fernandez (FOM University of Applied Sciences,Essen; Leibniz-Institut fur Wissensmedien, Tubingen, and LEAD Research Network, Eberhard Karls University, Tubingen, Germany),Hendrik Godbersen (FOM University of Applied Sciences, Essen, Germany), Gulnaz Anjum (Department of Psychology, Simon FraserUniversity, Burnaby, Canada, and Department of Economics & Social Sciences, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, Pakistan)