Search

Članek prinaša v Slovenijo prvo vojaško soci ološko raziskavo o inkluzivnosti istospolno usmerjenih pripadnic in pripadnikov v Slovensko vojsko. Na pod lagi fokusiranih strukturiranih intervjujev smo pro blematiko proučili z obeh zornih kotov s socialnega (percepcije lezbijk in gejev) in institucionalnega vidika (percepcije Slovenske vojske). Raziskava je pokazala, da so v pretežno heteronormativnem okolju istospolno usmerjene pripadnice in pripadniki Slovenske vojske – kljub varstvu dostojanstva in integritete – izpostavljeni različnim oblikam verbalne diskriminacije, nezaupa nje v disciplinske organe institucije pa jim vzbuja strah pred razkritjem istospolne usmerjenosti. Potreba po razpravljanju o tej dokaj tabuizirani problematiki je očitna, kot je nujno prepoznavanje prednosti socialne diverzitete v sodobnih vojaških organizacijah The article brings to Slovenia the first military sociological research on the inclusion of homosexual members in the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF). Based on focused structured interviews, we studied the issue from two standpoints: the social (perception of lesbians and gays) and institutional aspect (perception of the SAF). The research showed that in a largely heteronormative environment, homosexual members of the SAF are exposed to various forms of verbal discrimination, despite the formal protection of their dignity and integrity. The need to discuss this quite taboo issue is obvious, as is the need to acknowledge the benefits of social diversity in modern military organisations

Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools is associated with impacts on pupils’ health and learning performance. We aimed to identify the factors that affect IAQ in primary schools. The following objectives were set: (a) to develop a questionnaire to assess the prevalence of factors in primary schools, (b) to conduct content validity of the questionnaire, and (c) to assess the prevalence of factors that affect the IAQ in Slovenian primary schools. Based on the systematic literature review, we developed a new questionnaire to identify factors that affect the IAQ in primary schools and conducted its validation. The questionnaires were sent to all 454 Slovenian primary schools; the response rate was 78.19%. The results show that the most important outdoor factors were the school’s micro location and the distance from potential sources of pollution, particularly traffic. Among the indoor factors, we did not detect a pronounced dominating factor. Our study shows that the spatial location of schools is key to addressing the problem of IAQ in schools.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected educational settings (ES) in Slovenia. To effectively limit the emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections in ES, it is important to identify the pathways of introduction and transmission of infection. This study aims to analyse the spread of infections in ES according to the level of education, taking into account the predominant variant of the virus in Slovenia in order to advise on public health action. We calculated the incidence rate of infection by age group, according to the level of the ES. Additionally, we analysed data on the reported outbreak criteria in ES. In Slovenia, SARS-CoV-2 infections in children and adolescents (1–18 years) accounted for 16.8% of all confirmed infections. The incidence and leading outbreak criteria differed according to the level of the ES and predominant SARS-CoV-2 variant. The occurrence of cases in ≥3 different “bubbles” was the most common outbreak criteria (59%). A high number of employee-imported outbreaks was observed in pre-school settings (44%). As countries move away from widespread nonpharmaceutical interventions, the focus should be on vaccination promotion among teaching staff in pre-school settings and systemic solutions, such as self-testing and ventilation, to enable safe educational environments.

Water stable, flexible and ecological acceptance composite films were prepared by the solvent casting process using native, dealuminated (treated with HCl to affect the surface chemistry and pore structure) and/or surface modified (coated with a cationic surfactant PDADM of different molecular weights) H-ZSM-5 type zeolite of different shapes (spherical vs. rod) and Si/Al ratios (P26 vs. P371) as adsorbents and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) as a networking matrix (in a weight ratio of 4:1). The films were tested for removal of the black anionic reactive dye with the highest bleeding effect at the first rinsing cycle of textile laundering. The effects of zeolite structure and surface chemistry on films dye’ removal kinetics from a standardised rinsing bath were investigated for up to 140 min at room temperature and using 0.1 g/l of dye concentration, depending on the film-to-bath weight-to-volume ratios (from 1:10 to 1:1000), thus simulating different rinsing conditions. The results show that up to 80 % of the dye was removed in the first 20 min in the lowest weight-to-volume ratio (1:10), fitting the Langmuir isotherm, and the process followed the pseudo-second order kinetic, yielding a multi-layer adsorption mechanism with a monolayer capacity of ~11 mg/g and ~21 vs. ~30 mg/g by films prepared from native or HCltreated and PDADMA100 vs. PDADMA400 coated P371 zeolites, respectively. Such efficacy was due to the more densely and fully surface-covered longitudinal P371 with PDADM400, given the huge electrostatic attraction sites for dye molecules, compared to the partly interpenetrated PDADM into relatively larger pore-sized (~450 nm vs. 220 nm) of P26. The filtration performance of the films was also examined, be used for the removal of the dye from the rinsing bath, released from the washing drum. An ultra-high flux rate (11.000 kL/m2 h MPa) with 45 % of dye removal efficacy and capacity of ~24 mg/g was provided by films prepared from spherical and aggregated P26PDADMA-400, showing its high potential also as a filter membrane.

Outdoor air pollution is an important determinant of health. Children are one of the most sensitive population groups due to their yet underdeveloped respiratory system. Methodology for linkage environmental and health data at population level had been initiated by the World Health Organization about twenty years ago. The aim of our study is an overview of methods with which the effects of outdoor air pollution on children's health have been investigated at the population level. Literature overview was made systematically. Health effects of outdoor air pollution at the population level were firstly investigated after 1990. Simultaneously with the most common outdoor air pollutants (NO2, SO2, O3, PM10 and CO) monitoring of health effects was measured. Poisson regression analysis was the most frequently used method of ecological timeseries studies and spatial studies. Exposure misclassification was in this research field the most common limitation of ecological studies. This study supports the need of future research on outdoor air pollution's effects on the at population level from an engineering and public health view.

Technologies under development in the field of radiotherapy offer the possibility of automating many of the remaining functions that are currently carried out by radiotherapy staff. If adopted, they are likely to significantly change the roles of health care professionals and modify the potential error profile of specific radiotherapy procedures. In this paper, a combination of allocation of functions methods, including Levels of Automation (LOA) [1] and Meister's prescriptive method [2], and the Human Error Analysis and Reduction Technique (HEART) [3] were used as the basis for an evaluation of the impact of increasing automation on the potential for human error in Low-Dose Rate Prostate Brachytherapy (LDRPB). An IDEFO model of the brachytherapy treatment process previously developed by the authors was the starting point for the analysis. The process “Perform Implant” which currently has sub-processes that are under direct human control and others that utilize advanced technology was selected for analysis. The LOA model was applied to “Perform Implant” for three scenarios: current set-up, mixed-automaton and full automation. A modified set of risk criteria specified by the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) [4] were used in conjunction with Meister's method to select the most appropriate mix of automation for further analysis. HEART was then applied to both the current set-up scenario and the selected scenario and the outcomes were compared. The HEART analysis provided one justification for the selection of a particular human-automation mix, though caution should be exercised as HEART requires further validation in the context of healthcare systems.

Introduction: MammoSite High Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy is becoming an increasingly widespread procedure delivering radiotherapy to post surgery breast cancer patients. This paper examined the application of risk assessment and its relation to Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality control (QC) procedures. Materials and Methods: IDEF⊘ diagrams were used to look at the steps in the process. These diagrams were used to identify potential treatment delivery errors and to develop a protocol for QA based on this assessment. The risk assessment identified the risks from this procedure, taking into account the levels of probability of an incident occurring, and the levels of severity of the incident. This study examined how QA and QC protocols can be implemented using a prospective study of risk though IDEF⊘ diagrams and applying identified hazards to a risk matrix. The probability of occurrence and the levels of severity were applied to hazards and errors identified, and a resulting risk number was calculated from the risk matrix. A number of different QA and QC procedures were then applied to the system to analyze how they affect the calculated risk number. This paper provides an example of good practice for applying systems engineering tools that can be used to strengthen the QA and QC program. These different QA and QC procedures were then applied to the potential errors and hazards to analyze how they affect the risk number. Results and discussion: The use of IDEF⊘ diagrams showed the steps at a detailed level making them easier to identify hazards. The risk matrix can then be used to improve and analyze on the QA and QC protocol. This methodology for risk assessment is useful for a prospective study of risk.