USAGE OF STEEL SLAG AS A CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL AND IN ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS

Steel slag is a by-product in the production of steel. An increase of its production results in more landfills. It is mostly used as a building material in the construction of roads, where it substitutes natural materials. The use of steel slag in road construction has multiple benefits; both by solving the challenges of waste disposal and preserving environmental resources by moderating the consumption of non-renewable and natural aggregates. Apart from being used as a building material, steel slag is also used in numerous environmental applications, such as soil and water remediation and CO2 sequestration. However, a multidisciplinary environmental impact study of steel slag, particularly regarding both the aquatic and terrestrial organisms, is lacking. Steel slag contains traces of potentially harmful elements that endanger these living organisms, including heavy metals released into the environment. A high pH value can also significantly influence their leaching properties, thereby affecting the organisms in the water and soil. Given the widespread utility of steel slag, it is recommended to make a thorough risk assessment associated with the various environmental applications of this material

Mass distributions and morphological and chemical characterization of urban aerosols in the continental Balkan area (Belgrade)

This work presents characteristics of atmospheric aerosols of urban central Balkans area, using a size-segregated aerosol sampling method, calculation of mass distributions, SEM/EDX characterization, and ICP/MS analysis. Three types of mass distributions were observed: distribution with a pronounced domination of coarse mode, bimodal distribution, and distribution with minimum at 1 μm describing the urban aerosol. SEM/EDX analyses have shown morphological difference and variation in the content of elements in samples. EDX spectra demonstrate that particles generally contain the following elements: Al, Ca, K, Fe, Mg, Ni, K, Si, S. Additionally, the presence of As, Br, Sn, and Zn found in air masses from southeast segment points out the anthropogenic activities most probably from mining activities in southeastern part of Serbia. The ratio Al/Si equivalent to the ratio of desert dust was associated with air masses coming from southeastern and southwestern segments, pointing to influences from North Africa and Middle East desert areas whereas the Al/Si ratio in other samples is significantly lower. In several samples, we found high values of aluminum in the nucleation mode. Samples with low share of crustal elements in the coarse mode are collected when Mediterranean air masses prevailed, while high share in the coarse mode was associated with continental air masses that could be one of the approaches for identification of the aerosol origin. Graphical abstract ᅟ.This work presents characteristics of atmospheric aerosols of urban central Balkans area, using a size-segregated aerosol sampling method, calculation of mass distributions, SEM/EDX characterization, and ICP/MS analysis. Three types of mass distributions were observed: distribution with a pronounced domination of coarse mode, bimodal distribution, and distribution with minimum at 1 mu m describing the urban aerosol. SEM/EDX analyses have shown morphological difference and variation in the content of elements in samples. EDX spectra demonstrate that particles generally contain the following elements: Al, Ca, K, Fe, Mg, Ni, K, Si, S. Additionally, the presence of As, Br, Sn, and Zn found in air masses from southeast segment points out the anthropogenic activities most probably from mining activities in southeastern part of Serbia. The ratio Al/Si equivalent to the ratio of desert dust was associated with air masses coming from southeastern and southwestern segments, pointing to influences from North Africa and Middle East desert areas whereas the Al/Si ratio in other samples is significantly lower. In several samples, we found high values of aluminum in the nucleation mode. Samples with low share of crustal elements in the coarse mode are collected when Mediterranean air masses prevailed, while high share in the coarse mode was associated with continental air masses that could be one of the approaches for identification of the aerosol origin

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Call the on-Call: Authentic Team Training on an Interprofessional Training Ward – A Case Study

Lana Zelić,1 Klara Bolander Laksov,2 Eva Samnegård,1 Josefine Ivarson,3 Anders Sondén1 1Department of Clinical Science and Education, Karolinska Institutet, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden; 2Department of Education, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; 3Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, SwedenCorrespondence: Lana Zelić, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Karolinska Institutet, Södersjukhuset, Alfred Nobels allé 23, 141 52, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden, Tel +46 708777459, Email [email protected]: There is a disconnect between how healthcare teams commonly are trained and how they act in reality. The purpose with this paper was to present a learning activity that prepares healthcare students to authentic teamwork where team members are fluent and move between different localities, and to explore how this setting affects learning.Methods: A learning activity “Call the On-Call” consisting of two elements, workplace team training where team members are separated into different locations, and a telephone communication exercise, was created. A case study approach using mixed methods was adopted to explore medical-, nurse-, physiotherapy- and occupational therapy students and supervisor perspectives of the effects of the learning activity. Data collection involved surveys, notes from reflection sessions, a focus group interview, and field observations. Thematic analysis was applied for qualitative data and descriptive statistics for quantitative data. The sociocultural learning theory, social capital theory, was used to conceptualize and analyse the findings.Results: The majority of the students (n=198) perceived that the learning activity developed their interprofessional and professional competence, but to a varying degree. Especially nursing students found value in the learning activity, above all due to increased confidence in calling a doctor. Physio- and occupational therapy students lacked the opportunity to be active during the telephone exercise, however, they described how it increased their interprofessional competence. Authenticity was highlighted as the key strength of the learning activity from all professions. Concerns that team building would suffer as a result of splitting the student team proved unfounded.Conclusion: The learning activity created new opportunities for students to reflect on interprofessional collaboration. Constant physical proximity during training is not essential for effective healthcare team building. Splitting the student team during training may in fact enhance interprofessional learning and lead to progression in interprofessional communication.Keywords: interprofessional training, interprofessional communication, learning activity, authentic teamwork, social capital theor

Cenozoic granitoids in the Dinarides of southern Serbia: age of intrusion, isotope geochemistry, exhumation history and significance for the geodynamic evolution of the Balkan Peninsula

Two age groups were determined for the Cenozoic granitoids in the Dinarides of southern Serbia by high-precision single grain U–Pb dating of thermally annealed and chemically abraded zircons: (1) Oligocene ages (Kopaonik, Drenje, Z ˇ eljin) ranging from 31.7 to 30.6 Ma (2) Miocene ages (Golija and Polumir) at 20.58–20.17 and 18.06–17.74 Ma, respectively. Apatite fission-track central ages, modelling combined with zircon central ages and additionally, local structural observations constrain the subsequent exhumation history of the magmatic rocks. They indicate rapid cooling from above 300°C to ca. 80°C between 16 and 10 Ma for both age groups,  induced by extensional exhumation of the plutons located in the footwall of core complexes. Hence, Miocene magmatism and core-complex formation not only affected the Pannonian basin but also a part of the mountainous areas of the internal Dinarides. Based on an extensive set of existing age data combined with our own analyses, we propose a geodynamical model for the Balkan Peninsula: The Late Eocene to Oligocene magmatism, which affects the Adria derived lower plate units of the internal Dinarides, was caused by delamination of the Adriatic mantle from the overlying crust, associated with post-collisional convergence that propagated outward into the external Dinarides.  Miocene magmatism, on the other hand, is associated with core-complex formation along the southern margin of the Pannonian basin, probably associated with the W-directed subduction of the European lithosphere beneath the Carpathians and interfering with ongoing Dinaridic–Hellenic back-arc extension

Comparison of the third molar maturity index (I3M) between left and right lower third molars to assess the age of majority: a multi-ethnic study sample.

The diagnostic accuracy of the I3M to assess the legal age of 18 years has already been tested in several specific-population samples. The left lower third molar has been extensively used for discriminating between minors and adults. This research aimed to compare the usefulness of lower third molar maturity indexes, from both left and right side (I3ML and I3MR), in samples originating from four distinct continents in order to examine possible differences in their accuracy values. For this purpose, a sample of 10,181 orthopantomograms (OPGs), from Europe, Africa, Asia and America, was analysed and previously scored in other studies. The samples included healthy subjects with no systemic disorders with both third molars and clear depicted root apices. Wilcoxon Signed Rank test for left and right asymmetry did not show any significant differences. Data about sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, likelihood ratio and accuracy were pooled together and showed similar results for I3ML and I3MR, respectively. In addition, all these quantities were high when only the I3MR was considered to discriminate between adults and minors. The present referable database was the first to pool third molar measurements using panoramic radiographs of subjects coming from different continents. The results highlighted that both I3ML and I3MR are reliable indicators for assessing the legal age of 18 years old in those jurisdictions where this legal threshold has been set as the age of majority