1. Metavesolje, spletne skupnosti in (resnični) mestni prostorAsli Ulubaş Hamurc, 2022, review article Abstract: With the COVID-19 pandemic, technological advancements and investments accelerated to create an alternative to the real world that makes it possible for various activities and experiences to be handled online. Among these developments, the metaverse comes to the fore because it makes possible real and virtual experiences simultaneously, regardless of the time and space the user exists in, and it acts as a mediator and medium to bring these two environments together. This article discusses the possible impacts of advancements in the metaverse on (real) urban space considering the socio-spatial dialectic through theory synthesis and adaptation. An overall evaluation of the socio-spatial impacts of this is also included and opened up for discussion. Based on a literature review, it is expected that technological developments like the metaverse will introduce a new organization to physical and virtual socio-spatial relations, and new socio-technological groups will be created in them and by using them.
Keywords: metaverse, online communities, urban space, COVID-19 pandemic, phygital
Published in DiRROS: 05.08.2025; Views: 315; Downloads: 194
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2. The development of the 5Cs of positive youth development in a school year : a 3-wave longitudinal study of Slovenian youth during the COVID-19 pandemicAna Kozina, Nora Wiium, 2023, original scientific article Keywords: 5Cs of PYD, school year, age, gender, school level, COVID-19, pandemic, Slovenia, longitudinal analysis
Published in DiRROS: 08.07.2025; Views: 323; Downloads: 245
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3. From crisis to routine – standardization of SARS-CoV-2 genome detection by enhanced EQA schemes in a scientific pandemic networkMartin Kammel, Hans-Peter Grunert, Anika Zimmermann, Annemarie Martin, Vanessa Lindig, Mojca Milavec, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: In the beginning of 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a crisis in which diagnostic methods for the genome detection of SARS-CoV-2 were urgently needed. Based on the very early publication of the basic principles for a diagnostic test for the genome detection of SARS-CoV-2, the first noncommercial laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) and commercial tests were introduced. As there was considerable uncertainty about the reliability and performance of different tests and different laboratories, INSTAND established external quality assessment (EQA) schemes for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 starting in April 2020. In close partnership in a scientific network, the EQA schemes were enhanced, especially the April, June and November 2020 terms. The enhancement included: (i) immediate provision of suitable virus including variants of concern at the beginning of the pandemic outbreak, (ii) short frequency of EQA schemes, (iii) concentration dependency of the testing and sensitivity check, achieved by using SARS-CoV-2-positive samples from a 10-fold dilution series of the same starting material, (iv) specificity check of the testing, achieved by using SARS-CoV-2-negative samples containing human coronaviruses or MERS CoV, (v) revealed samples for orientation on test performance during an ongoing or at the start of an EQA scheme using a pre-quantified SARS-CoV-2-positive EQA sample with a low viral RNA load of only 1 570 copies/mL assigned by digital PCR (dPCR) in June 2020 and (vi) quantified reference materials based on the experiences of the first two EQA schemes with dPCR-assigned values in copies/mL beginning in November 2020 for self-evaluation of the applied test system. This manuscript summarizes the results of a total of 13 EQA schemes for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 between April 2020 and June 2023 in which a total of 1 413 laboratories from 49 countries participated. The qualitative results for the detection of SARS-CoV-2-positive samples were between 95.8 % and 99.7 % correct positive, excluding extremely low concentration samples. For all SARS-CoV-2-negative EQA samples, the qualitative success rates ranged from 95.1 % to 99.4 % correct negative results. The widely varying values for the cycle threshold (Ct)/crossing point (Cq) reported for the different target genes and test systems were striking. A few laboratories reported quantitative results in copies/mL for several VOCs with an acceptable rate of over 93 % correct positive results in the majority of cases. The description of the enhanced EQA schemes for SARS-CoV-2 detection in terms of timing and scope can serve as a blueprint for the rapid development of a quality assessment of diagnostics for an emerging pathogen.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, virus genome detection tests, reference materials, external quality assessment, laboratory medicine, epidemiology
Published in DiRROS: 18.06.2025; Views: 448; Downloads: 424
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4. Supporting the Five Cs of positive youth development amid the COVID-19 pandemic : the impact on adolescents’ bullying behaviourTina Pivec, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Tailored interventions within the school context can promote the Five Cs of positive youth development—competence, confidence, character, caring, and connection—thus aiding in mitigating behaviours such as bullying. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of tailored interventions targeting each of the Five Cs and its indirect impact on bullying and victimisation during school closures. The sample comprised 66 students in four experimental groups (general, technical, vocational, and short vocational school) and 47 students in two control groups (general and vocational). Each experimental group was analysed separately, considering the specific contextual needs of each. Results varied across groups: competence, character, and caring remained unchanged post-intervention, while connection increased in the experimental group from general school, and confidence decreased in the experimental groups from technical and vocational schools. When compared to control groups from each school, experimental groups from general and vocational schools had higher connection and experimental group from general school had lower competence than control group from the same school. Bullying outcomes showed a decrease in verbal bullying and victimisation in the experimental group from general school, an increase in cyberbullying in the experimental group from short vocational school, and a decrease in social bullying in the experimental group from general school. The study suggests that brief interventions can positively influence aspects of the Five Cs, impacting bullying and victimisation outcomes.
Keywords: positive youth development, bullying, intervention, covid-19, pandemic, the Five Cs
Published in DiRROS: 27.01.2025; Views: 611; Downloads: 565
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5. A synthesis of evidence for policy from behavioural science during COVID-19 : analysisKai Ruggeri, Friederike Stock, S. Alexander Haslam, Valerio Capraro, Žan Lep, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Scientifc evidence regularly guides policy decisions1 , with behavioural science increasingly part of this process2 . In April 2020, an infuential paper3 proposed 19 policy recommendations (‘claims’) detailing how evidence from behavioural science could contribute to eforts to reduce impacts and end the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we assess 747 pandemic-related research articles that empirically investigated those claims. We report the scale of evidence and whether evidence supports them to indicate applicability for policymaking. Two independent teams, involving 72 reviewers, found evidence for 18 of 19 claims, with both teams fnding evidence supporting 16 (89 %) of those 18 claims. The strongest evidence supported claims that anticipated culture, polarization and misinformation would be associated with policy efectiveness. Claims suggesting trusted leaders and positive social norms increased adherence to behavioural interventions also had strong empirical support, as did appealing to social consensus or bipartisan agreement. Targeted language in messaging yielded mixed efects and there were no efects for highlighting individual benefts or protecting others. No available evidence existed to assess any distinct diferences in efects between using the terms ‘physical distancing’ and ‘social distancing’. Analysis of 463 papers containing data showed generally large samples; 418 involved human participants with a mean of 16,848 (median of 1,699). That statistical power underscored improved suitability of behavioural science research for informing policy decisions. Furthermore, by implementing a standardized approach to evidence selection and synthesis, we amplify broader implications for advancing scientifc evidence in policy formulation and prioritization.
Keywords: psychology, behaviour, trusted leaders, adherence to behavioural interventions, covid-19, pandemic
Published in DiRROS: 27.01.2025; Views: 525; Downloads: 302
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6. Winners or losers? Two academic years in experiences of COVID-19 pandemicIvana Milovanović, Radenko Matić, Brigita Banjac, Saša Pišot, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Background. The COVID-19 pandemic declared on March 11th, 2020, has had a substantial impact on the lives of all over the world. The student population, being one of the most vulnerable and substile ones, was forced to face specific unexpected circumstances for the first time in their lives. Objective. In this paper, the authors explored the reflections of the COVID-19 experience and basic segments of everyday life of university students after the first academic year under pandemic measures and a follow-up year with their subjective perception of to what extent their lives have changed and how they were able to adapt to COVID-19 emergency measures. Design. The field research was conducted among students in two European countries: Slovenia and Serbia. The qualitative semi-structured interviews with students (N=20, 50% male) were executed in June-July 2020 and June-July 2021. Results. The basic segments of students' daily lives underwent significant changes, yet they successfully coped and adapted to the COVID-19 emergency measures. Notably, improvements were observed in study strategies, reducing fear and loneliness. Above all, the primary longing was for social contact and gathering with friends. In their private lives, they were more concerned about opportunities but on the other hand, they gained more free time for various non-academic activities. Finally, sports science students have proven better-coping mechanisms with extraordinary circumstances. Conclusion. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the changes in the daily lives of students during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords: students, everyday practice, e-learning, perspective of the future, fear, loneliness, COVID-19 pandemic measures, public health
Published in DiRROS: 06.11.2024; Views: 710; Downloads: 485
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7. Impact of COVID-19 on cancer diagnosis and management in Slovenia : preliminary resultsVesna Zadnik, Ana Mihor, Sonja Tomšič, Tina Žagar, Nika Bric, Katarina Lokar, Irena Oblak, 2020, original scientific article Keywords: covid-19, oncology, oncology diagnosis, pandemic
Published in DiRROS: 12.07.2024; Views: 967; Downloads: 543
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8. On stifling a transcendental breath : an Italian contribution to the philosophy of breathingMichael Lewis, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: The article contends that respiratory philosophy has, thus far, laid predominant stress upon the empirical form of breathing, as opposed to the transcendental; or at least it has used breath precisely as an occasion to elide or deconstruct this very opposition. Breath is then conceived primarily as material, bodily, and natural: as binding us together with the animals and with all living things.and yet this apparently benign ecological gesture is not without its deleterious side-effects: by contrasting this gesture with a more humanistic and transcendental conception of breath, inspired by Giorgio agamben’s work on the voice, we might begin to gain some clarity as to the jarring contrast that sprang up between the friendly valorisation of a shared con-spiration that has characterised this young philosophy up to now, and the intense, even violent, hostility to the breath of the other which the developed world exhibited from at least 2020 to 2022.We consider whether an overly empiricistic conception of breath and of the human might have played a part in this reversal of values. In conclusion, the article urges upon us a certain turn towards the transcendental form of the breath, and indeed to a certain human exceptionalism in this regard.
Keywords: Agamben, language, voice, breath, animal, human, humanism, transcendental, empirical, masks, stifling, identity, invisibility, virus, pandemic
Published in DiRROS: 14.05.2024; Views: 1037; Downloads: 581
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9. Dreams, sleep quality, and collective trauma : an investigation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemicCarmela Mento, Maria Catena Silvestri, Amelia Rizzo, Clara Lombardo, Hadipour Lakmesani Abed, Ferdinando Testa, Kelly Bulkeley, Toshio Kawai, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: The aim of the current study was to explore the impact of the CoVID-19 out-break on the dreams of a group of Italian participants. a total of 403 individuals were recruited online through a cross-sectional survey on Moodle. The qualitati-ve content of their dreams was analysed using the Dream Interview (TKYDQ), a tool created by Bulkeley. In addition, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess the quantitative aspects of dreams. from the results of our stu-dy, three macro-categories of content in the participants' dreams were identified: 1) dreams with phobic content; 2) dreams with a persecutory theme and 3) “old normal” dreams. Moreover, some sleep-related difficulties such as problems falling asleep and mild clinical sleep disorders were identified in the sample. The pro-longed quarantine and the lifestyle adopted during the pandemic have intensely influenced our dream activities, and it seems that CoVID-19 has already entered our collective unconscious in a symbolic way and through the processing of images and scenes related to the epidemic. The study, therefore, aims to explore how cata-strophic events affect mental health, specifically sleep quality and dream content.
Keywords: dreams, sleep, collective trauma, COVID-19, pandemic
Published in DiRROS: 13.05.2024; Views: 822; Downloads: 509
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10. Environmental hazard of polypropylene microplastics from disposable medical masks : acute toxicity towards Daphnia magna and current knowledge on other polypropylene microplasticsAnita Jemec Kokalj, Andraž Dolar, Damjana Drobne, Marjan Marinšek, Matej Dolenec, Luka Škrlep, Gregor Strmljan, Branka Mušič, Andrijana Sever Škapin, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the use of disposable plastics, including medical masks, which have become a necessity in our daily lives. As these are often improperly disposed of, they represent an important potential source of microplastics in the environment. We prepared microplastics from polypropylene medical masks and characterised their size, shape, organic chemical leaching, and acute toxicity to the planktonic crustacean Daphnia magna. The three layers of the masks were separately milled and characterised. Each of the inner frontal, middle filtering, and outer layers yielded different types of microplastics: fibres were obtained from the inner and outer layer, but irregular fragments from the middle layer. The shape of the obtained microplastics differed from the initial fibrous structure of the intact medical mask layers, which indicates that the material is deformed during cryo-milling. The chemical compositions of plastics-associated chemicals also varied between the different layers. Typically, the inner layer contained more chemicals related to antimicrobial function and flavouring. The other two layers also contained antioxidants and their degradation products, plasticisers, cross-linking agents, antistatic agents, lubricants, and non-ionic surfactants. An acute study with D. magna showed that these microplastics do not cause immobility but do physically interact with the daphnids. Further long-term studies with these microplastics are needed using a suite of test organisms. Indeed, studies with other polypropylene microplastics have shown numerous adverse effects on other organisms at concentrations that have already been reported in the environment. Further efforts should be made to investigate the environmental hazards of polypropylene microplastics from medical masks and how to handle this new source of environmental burden.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, plastics-associated chemicals, Daphnia magna, fibres, fragments, nanofibres, polypropylene microplastics, single-use plastic
Published in DiRROS: 05.05.2023; Views: 1319; Downloads: 1033
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