1. The analysis of the effects of a fare free public transport travel demand based on e-ticketingDanijel Hojski, David Hazemali, Marjan Lep, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: The traditional approach in public transport planning was to collect travel demand data for a more extended period and compose timetables to serve this demand. There are two significant identifiable issues. In the rural areas and off-peak hours, public transport operators provide much more capacities than needed. On the other hand, more capacities than scheduled are needed on certain lines at certain departures on some sporadically occurring occasions. The problem is how to react to short-term changes (daily) triggered by exceptional circumstances and events and midterm changes (weekly, monthly basis) in travel demand. We can trigger changes in travel demand chiefly by introducing a desirable (almost for free) tariff system applied to specific populations. No long-term travel response data exists for this kind of intervention, but an immediate response in public transport supply is needed. In Slovenia, public transport for free for the whole population over 65 years was introduced. With the modern ticketing system, which was designed to be as simple as possible for users (that means "check-in only" at the moment of boarding), the research task was to analyze the travel behavior of the retired population, faced with a new attractive option to travel, based on data of purchased tickets and their afterward validation, for better mid-and long-term planning. Our study finds that ITS technology (in this case, e-ticketing system) can satisfactorily solve the discussed planning and management task.
Keywords: fare-free public transport, smart card data collecting, population mobility, travel demand
Published in DKUM: 13.03.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 1
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3. Low occurrence of Acinetobacter baumannii in gulls and songbirdsAndżelina Łopińska, Piotr Indykiewicz, Evelyn Skiebe, Y Pfeifer, Janja Trček, Leszek Jerzak, Piotr Minias, Jacek Nowakowski, Mateusz Ledwoń, Jacek Betleja, Gottfried Wilharm, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Acinetobacter baumannii is a worldwide occurring nosocomial pathogen, the natural habitats of which remain to be defined. Recently, white stork nestlings have been described as a recurring source of A. baumannii. Here, we challenged the hypothesis of a general preference of A. baumannii for avian hosts. Taking advantage of campaigns to ring free-living birds, we collected cloacal swab samples from 741 black-headed gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) in Poland, tracheal and cloacal swabs from 285 songbirds in Poland as well as tracheal swabs from 25 songbirds in Slovenia and screened those for the growth of A. baumannii on CHROMagar™ Acinetobacter. Of the 1,051 samples collected only two yielded A. baumannii isolates. Each carried one variant of the bla OXA-51-like gene, i.e. OXA-71 and OXA-208, which have been described previously in clinical isolates of A. baumannii. In conclusion, our data do not support a general preference of A. baumannii for avian hosts.
Keywords: Acinetobacter baumannii, seagulls, songbirds, Erithacus rubecula, Chroicocephalus ridibundus, free-living birds, nosocomial pathogen
Published in DKUM: 28.01.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 5
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4. Communicating sentiment and outlook reverses inaction against collective risksZhen Wang, Marko Jusup, Hao Guo, Lei Shi, Sunčana Geček, Madhur Anand, Matjaž Perc, Chris T. Bauch, Jürgen Kurths, Stefano Boccaletti, Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Collective risks permeate society, triggering social dilemmas in which working toward a common goal is impeded by selfish interests. One such dilemma is mitigating runaway climate change. To study the social aspects of climate-change mitigation, we organized an experimental game and asked volunteer groups of three different sizes to invest toward a common mitigation goal. If investments reached a preset target, volunteers would avoid all consequences and convert their remaining capital into monetary payouts. In the opposite case, however, volunteers would lose all their capital with 50% probability. The dilemma was, therefore, whether to invest one's own capital or wait for others to step in. We find that communicating sentiment and outlook helps to resolve the dilemma by a fundamental shift in investment patterns. Groups in which communication is allowed invest persistently and hardly ever give up, even when their current investment deficits are substantial. The improved investment patterns are robust to group size, although larger groups are harder to coordinate, as evidenced by their overall lower success frequencies. A clustering algorithm reveals three behavioral types and shows that communication reduces the abundance of the free-riding type. Climate-change mitigation, however, is achieved mainly by cooperator and altruist types stepping up and increasing contributions as the failure looms. Meanwhile, contributions from free riders remain flat throughout the game. This reveals that the mechanisms behind avoiding collective risks depend on an interaction between behavioral type, communication, and timing.
Keywords: social dilemma, free riding, climate change, negotiation, group size, COVID-19
Published in DKUM: 07.01.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 4
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5. Structure and potential application of surfactant-free microemulsion consisting of heptanol, ethanol and waterMartina Gudelj, Marina Kranjac, Lucija Jurko, Matija Tomšič, Janez Cerar, Ante Prkić, Perica Bošković, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Microemulsions, which are thermodynamically stable and isotropic mixtures of water, oil, and surfactants, attract significant research interest due to their unique physicochemical properties and diverse industrial applications. Traditional surfactant-based microemulsions (SBMEs) stabilize the interface between two typically immiscible liquids, forming various microstructures such as oil-in-water (O/W) droplets, water-in-oil (W/O) droplets, and bicontinuous phases. However, the use of surfactants poses environmental concerns, cost implications, and potential toxicity. Consequently, there is increasing interest in developing surfactant-free microemulsions (SFMEs) that offer similar benefits without the drawbacks associated with surfactants. In this study, we explore the formation and characteristics of a new surfactant-free microemulsion in a ternary system comprising water, ethanol, and heptanol. Advanced techniques are employed to characterize the microstructures and stability of surfactant-free microemulsions. These include electrical conductivity measurements, surface tension analysis, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). These methods have been extensively used in previous research on surfactant-free microemulsions (SFMEs) to reveal the properties and interactions within microemulsion systems. The area of interest is identified using these techniques, where silica nanoparticles are subsequently synthesized and then visualized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
Keywords: surfactant-free microemulsions, ternary system, nanoparticles
Published in DKUM: 03.10.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 10
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6. QM-CSA: a novel quantum mechanics-based protocol for evaluation of the carcinogen-scavenging activity of polyphenolic compoundsVeronika Furlan, Jelena Tošović, Urban Bren, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: In this study, a novel quantum mechanics-based protocol for the evaluation of carcinogenscavenging activity (QM-CSA) is developed. The QM-CSA protocol represents a universal and
quantitative approach to evaluate and compare the activation-free energies for alkylation reactions
between individual polyphenolic compounds and chemical carcinogens of the epoxy type at physiological conditions by applying two scales: the absolute scale allowing for the comparison with
guanine and the relative scale allowing the comparison with glutathione as a reference compound.
The devised quantum mechanical methodology was validated by comparing the activation-free
energies calculated with 14 DFT functionals in conjunction with two implicit solvation models (SMD
and CPCM) and the experimental activation-free energies for reactions between nine investigated
chemical carcinogens and guanine. According to the obtained results, the best agreement with experimental data was achieved by applying DFT functionals M11-L and MN12-L in conjunction with the
flexible 6-311++G(d,p) basis set and implicit solvation model SMD, and the obtained uncertainties
were proven to be similar to the experimental ones. To demonstrate the applicability of the QM-CSA
protocol, functionals M11-L, and MN12-L in conjunction with the SMD implicit solvation model were
applied to calculate activation-free energies for the reactions of nine investigated chemical carcinogens
of the epoxy type with three catechins, namely EGCG, EGC, and (+)-catechin. The order of CSA in
this series of catechins in comparison to guanine and glutathione was determined as (+)-catechin >
EGC > EGCG. The obtained results, for the first time, demonstrated the evaluation and comparison
of CSA in a series of selected catechins with respect to glutathione and guanine. Moreover, the
presented results provide valuable insights into the reaction mechanisms and configurations of the
corresponding transition states. The novel QM-CSA protocol is also expected to expand the kinetic
data for alkylation reactions between various polyphenolic compounds and chemical carcinogens of
the epoxy type, which is currently lacking in the scientific literature
Keywords: activation-free energies, chemical carcinogens, polyphenols, guanine, glutathione, quantum mechanical calculations, M11-L and MN12-L DFT functionals
Published in DKUM: 04.09.2024; Views: 39; Downloads: 18
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7. Modelling of dysregulated glucagon secretion in type 2 diabetes by considering mitochondrial alterations in pancreatic ▫$\alpha$▫-cellsVladimir Grubelnik, Rene Markovič, Saška Lipovšek Delakorda, Gerd Leitinger, Marko Gosak, Jurij Dolenšek, Ismael Valladolid-Acebes, Per-Olof Berggren, Andraž Stožer, Matjaž Perc, Marko Marhl, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been associated with insulin resistance and the failure of β-cells to produce and secrete enough insulin as the disease progresses. However, clinical treatments based solely on insulin secretion and action have had limited success. The focus is therefore shifting towards α-cells, in particular to the dysregulated secretion of glucagon. Our qualitative electron-microscopy-based observations gave an indication that mitochondria in α-cells are altered in Western-diet-induced T2DM. In particular, α-cells extracted from mouse pancreatic tissue showed a lower density of mitochondria, a less expressed matrix and a lower number of
cristae. These deformities in mitochondrial ultrastructure imply a decreased efficiency in mitochondrial ATP production, which prompted us to theoretically explore and clarify one of the most challenging problems associated with T2DM, namely the lack of glucagon secretion in hypoglycaemia and its oversecretion at high blood glucose concentrations. To this purpose, we constructed a novel computational model that links α-cell metabolism with their electrical activity and glucagon secretion. Our results show that defective mitochondrial metabolism in α-cells can
account for dysregulated glucagon secretion in T2DM, thus improving our understanding of T2DM pathophysiology and indicating possibilities for new clinical treatments.
Keywords: diabetes, pancreatic alpha cells, glucagon, mitochondrial dysfunction, free fatty acid
Published in DKUM: 03.09.2024; Views: 49; Downloads: 6
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8. The importance of autonomy of European Union member states with regard to the use of genetically modified organisms on the right to healthcare : an analysis of judgements of the Court of Justice of the European UnionKatja Meško Kuralt, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: The European Union Member States (hereinafter: EU MS) have the possibility of restricting or banning the cultivation of GMOs under the Directive 2015/412 but under certain conditions. EU MS must also pay attention to the provisions of the Treaty on the Functioning of the Euro-pean Union or Treaty Establishing the European Community (hereinafter: TFEU), the provi-sions relating to the free movement of goods, which is one of the key objectives of the func-tioning of the European Union. This contribution is based on the data obtained from an analy-sis of Court of Justice of the European Union (hereinafter: CJEU) cases concerning the use of genetically modified organisms (hereinafter: GMO(s)). The analysis highlights the link between environmental risk assessment and the right to healthcare. The purpose of this paper is to make the individual aware of the possibilities they have regarding the use of GMOs.
Keywords: Directive 2001/18, Directive 2015/4120, Directive 2018/350, high level of protection of human life and health, possibility of restricting or prohibiting the production of GMOs, free movement of goods, environmental risk assessment
Published in DKUM: 26.06.2024; Views: 144; Downloads: 20
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9. Marketinški pristopi v industriji videoiger na primeru brezplačnega modela generiranja prihodkov : magistrsko deloVeronika Jakopič, 2024, master's thesis Abstract: Magistrsko delo obravnava vzpon brezplačnega modela generiranja prihodkov (free-to-play oz. F2P) v industriji videoiger ter njegov vpliv na vključenost igralcev in marketinške pristope. V industriji videoiger se osredotoča na njene karakteristike in strukturo, prehod s tradicionalnega plačljivega modela na F2P ter na značilnosti in strategije monetizacije v modelu F2P. Analizira tudi igralne platforme, klasifikacije igralcev videoiger in marketinške pristope v industriji. Empirična raziskava med slovenskimi igralci videoigre League of Legends je pokazala, da je vidik brezplačnega igranja za igralce F2P zelo pomemben, saj polovica igralcev igre verjetno ne bi igrala, če le-ta ne bi bila brezplačna. Ugotovljene so bile tudi pozitivne korelacije med igralnim časom, vključenostjo igralcev, nakupi v igri in spremljanjem marketinških kanalov v povezavi z videoigro.
Keywords: free-to-play, industrija videoiger, videoigre, vključenost igralcev
Published in DKUM: 03.06.2024; Views: 212; Downloads: 91
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10. Carbon-free heat production for high-temperature heating systemsSven Gruber, Klemen Rola, Danijela Urbancl, Darko Goričanec, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: The article presents a new carbon-free heat production technology for district heating, which consists of a combined heat and power generation fuel cell (FC CHP) with CO2 capture and a two-stage cascade high-temperature heat pump (TCHHP). The FC generates heat and electricity, the latter being used to drive the compressors of the TCHHP. During the winter period, the water temperature achieved can occasionally be too low, so it would be heated up with hydrogen gas boilers. The hydrogen would be produced by reforming natural gas, synthetic methane, or biogas. The results are presented with natural gas utilization—the ratio between the obtained heat flow transferred directly to the water for district heating and the input heat flow of natural gas. In the case of a return water temperature of 60 °C and district heating temperature of 85 °C, the TCHHP, whose heat source is groundwater, achieves plant efficiency of 270.04% in relation to the higher heating value (HHV) and 241.74% in relation to the lower heating value (LHV) of natural gas. A case with a TCHHP whose heat source is low-temperature geothermal water achieves a plant efficiency of 361.36% in relation to the HHV and 323.49% in relation to the LHV.
Keywords: carbon-free, decarbonization of district heating systems, fuell cell, high-temperature district heating, high-temperature heat pump
Published in DKUM: 10.05.2024; Views: 233; Downloads: 20
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