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Abstract: 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.
Keywords: LCA, okoljski odtisi, cesta, snežne razmere, preventivno delovanje, promet, poraba goriva, varnost, LCA, environmental impacts, road, snow cover, preventive operation, traffic, fuel consumption, safety
Published in DiRROS: 11.12.2023; Views: 166; Downloads: 104
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Abstract: Our study presents a comprehensive approach for the selective oxidation of glucose to glucaric acid (GA) by heterogeneous catalysis. We have synthesized and characterized Au/ZrO2, AuCu/ZrO2 and AuPt/ZrO2 catalysts using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and oxygen pulse chemisorption (OPS) techniques. Combining experimental observations with in-depth density functional theory (DFT) studies, we found that bimetallic catalysts form alloys, which exhibit different characteristics than monometallic counterparts for the given reaction. We performed batch reactions, varying temperature and oxygen pressure, and used the data to construct a predictive microkinetic model. As it turned out, AuPt/ZrO2 showed the highest selectivity, yielding 32 % of GA at 100 °C and 30 barg O2. Our results provide valuable insights for the developing of efficient catalysts and point out the bottlenecks for the oxidation of glucose to GA.
Keywords: glucaric acid, glucose oxidation, catalyst characterization, density functional theory, microkinetic modelling
Published in DiRROS: 06.12.2023; Views: 199; Downloads: 114
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Abstract: Background. Overall bad progmpsis of lung is mostly due to too late detection of early lung cancer, which may be teated with good success. Therefore different diagnostic methods are developing for more efficient detection of early lung cancer: besides modern radiological, bronchoscopic methods with additional fluorescence techniques, quantitative cytological investigations, also histological and molecular investigations are included. History may reveal early preinvasive lung xcancer lesions, associated early during multistep lung carcinogemesis with molecular genetic changes. Patients and methods. Preinvasive epithelial lung cancer lesions we searched in two groups of patients. In the first group of 316 patients from the period March 2003 - August 2006, 498 bronchial and transbronchial biopsies were examined for squamous metaplasia and dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, and invasive tumours. Inthe second group of 238 patients from the period January 2004 - August 2006,resected primary lung tumours were analysed for preinvasive neuroendocrine tumours and atypical adenomatous hyperplasia. Resuots. The mostfrequent changes in bronchial and transbronchial biopsies were squamous metaplasia (46.5%), simple or goblet cell hyperplasia of the bronchial epithelium (44.3%), malignant tumours (20.66%) and squamous dysplasia (16.1%),but rare carcinoma in situ (0.63%). Diffuse idiopoathic pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia was found in 15 (6.3%) cases in the vicinity of 238 resected lung cancer specimens, carcinoid in12 patients (5%), and mostly combined large neuroendocrine cancer in 21 patients (8.8%). Atypical denomatous hyperplasia was found in 2 patients. Conculsions. Classical histological analysis should be focused on detection of early preinvasive epithelial lung cancer lesions. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters).
Published in DiRROS: 05.12.2023; Views: 172; Downloads: 49
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Abstract: Izhodišča. Razvoj kirurškega zdravljenja raka dojk je šel v zadnjih treh desetletjih v smer vedno manj obsežne kirurgije. Izkazalo se je, da takšno kirurško zdravljenje varno in ne ogroža preživetja bolnic z rakom dojk. v zadnjem desetletju je bil z uvajanjem novih kirurških metod napravljen nov velik korak k čim manj invazivnemu zdravljenju raka dojk. Diagnostična ali terapevtska kirurška odstranitev netipnih lezij dojk je možna šele po predhodni rentgensko ali ultrazvočno vodeni lokalizaciji. Zaključki. Nova metoda lokalizacije netipnih lezij dojk z radioaktivnim izotopom (ROLL) ima številne prednosti v primerjavi z lokalizacijo z žico: večji delež v zdravo izrezanih rakov v prvi operaciji, manjši delež ponovnih operacij, manjša teža vzorca in zato boljši kozmetični učinek. Biopsija prve bezgavke v regionalni bezgavčni loži omogoča izbiro bolnic, ki v pazdušnih bezgavkah nimajo zasevkovin jim zato ni potrebno odstranjevati vseh pazdušnih bezgavk. Bolnicambrez zasevkov v pazdušnih bezgavkah na ta način prihranimo škodljive posledice odstranitve bezgavk. Doslej opravljene raziskave so pokazale, da nove minimalno invazivne kirurške metode omogočajo učinkovito, varno in s tem racionalno zdravljenje zgodnjega raka dojk.
Published in DiRROS: 01.12.2023; Views: 151; Downloads: 45
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Abstract: Introduction: Herbaceous plant species constitute an essential element of the flora of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) forests. There is increasing evidence that rapidly changing climate is likely to modify the spatial distribution of plant species. However, we lack understanding of the impact that climate change might have on beech forest herbs across the European continent. We investigated the possible effects of predicted increasing rates of global warming and altered precipitation regimes on 71 forest herbs closely associated with beech forests, but with varying biogeographic and climatic niche attributes. Methods: By using a total of 394,502 occurrence records and an ensemble of species distribution models (SDMs), we quantified the potential current distribution and future (2061-2080) range shifts in climatic suitability (expressed as occurrence probability, OP) according to two climate change scenarios (moderate SSP2-4.5 and severe SSP5-8.5). Results: Overall, precipitation of the warmest quarter and temperature seasonality were the most influential predictors in shaping current distribution patterns. For SSP5-8.5 scenario, all studied species experienced significant reductions (52.9% on average) in the total size of highly suitable areas (OP >0.75). However, the magnitude and directions of changes in the climatic suitability were highly species-specific; few species might even increase OP in the future, particularly in case of SSP2-4.5 scenario. The SDMs revealed the most substantial decline of climatic suitability at the trailing edges in southern Europe. We found that climatic suitability is predicted to show unidirectional northward shift and to move toward higher elevations. The gain/loss ratio was generally higher for narrow-ranged species compared to widespread taxa. Discussion: Our findings are contextualized with regards to potential confounding factors (dispersal limitation, microclimatic buffering) that may mitigate or accelerate climate change impacts. Given the low long-distance migration ability, many beech forest herbs are unlikely to track the velocity with which macroclimatic isotherms are moving toward higher latitudes, making this species group particularly vulnerable to climate change.
Keywords: species distribution modelling, global warming, range shift, climatic niche, biogeography, Europe
Published in DiRROS: 29.11.2023; Views: 237; Downloads: 121
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