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This article addresses Slovenia as a case of a post -communist country in terms of its sustainable development. It deploys an in -depth historical analysis and extensive empirical data while exploring Slovenian society through the analytical lens of morpho-static/morphogenetic approach (Archer 2017). The focus is on (1) the country’s structural and cultural settings in each selected period in order to explore whether there has been a mutual reinforcement of the levels of both, contributing to the sustainable development; (2) ways in which agents respond to such changes reinforcing or changing the structural settings. The selection of quantitative structural indicators of sustainable development is based on the indicators of sustainable development that have a direct reference to the Sustainable Development Agenda of the United Nations 2030 and also adopted by the current Strategy of Development of Slovenia. The selection of survey data was based on their connection with the same sustainability issues and their availability for a longer period, particularly close to the time points of the cycles observed. The findings show that in terms of contributing to sustainable development, the presence of morphogenesis in the selected cycles turns out to be rather limited, and there is a severe lack of political reflexivity (cf. Al -Amoudi 2017) among actors.

Terrorist attacks not only harm citizens but also shift their attention, which has long-lasting impacts on public opinion and government policies. Yet measuring the changes in public attention beyond media coverage has been methodologically challenging. Here we approach this problem by starting from Wikipedia's répertoire of 5.8 million articles and a sample of 15 recent terrorist attacks. We deploy a complex exclusion procedure to identify topics and themes that consistently received a significant increase in attention due to these incidents. Examining their contents reveals a clear picture: terrorist attacks foster establishing a sharp boundary between "Us" (the target society) and "Them" (the terrorist as the enemy). In the midst of this, one seeks to construct identities of both sides. This triggers curiosity to learn more about "Them" and soul-search for a clearer understanding of "Us". This systematic analysis of public reactions to disruptive events could help mitigate their societal consequences., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The botanical origin of seven types of Slovenian honey was investigated by analysis of their elemental content using k0-instrumental neutron activation analysis. A total of 28 representative samples were collected from beekeepers all over Slovenia in 2 consecutive years. Nineteen of the 37 elements measured were present in amounts above their LOD. The present study suggests that the determination of only alkali elements might be sufficient for the classification of Slovenian honeys according to their botanical origin. Linden and multifloral honeys can be differentiated on the basis of Na content. The differentiation of forest, spruce, and fir honeys is possible on the basis of differences in Cs, K, and Rb content. The difference between Na and Rb content can be used as a discriminating tool between light and dark honeys, because light honeys (black locust, linden, and multifloral) contained more Na than Rb, whereas it was the opposite for dark honeys (chestnut, forest, spruce, and fir). Statistically significant correlations were found between K and Rb and between K and Cs content. This study represents a considerable step in filling the knowledge gap concerning both the determination of elements present in low concentrations and the botanical origin of Slovenian honey.

The purpose of the article is to test the relationship between national identities and modernisation. We test the hypotheses that not all forms of identity are equally compatible with modernisation as measured by Human Development Index. The less developed societies are characterised by strong ascribed national identities based on birth, territory and religion, but also by strong voluntarist identities based on civic features selected and/or achieved by an individual. While the former decreases with further modernisation, the latter may either decrease or remain at high levels and coexist with instrumental supranational identifications, typical for the most developed countries. The results, which are also confirmed by multilevel regression models, thus demonstrate that increasing modernisation in terms of development contributes to the shifts from classical, especially ascribed, identities towards instrumental identifications. These findings are particularly relevant in the turbulent times increasingly dominated by the hardly predictable effects of the recent mass migrations.

The preliminary Slovenian food composition database was created in 2003, through the application of the Data management and Alimenta nutritional software. In the subsequent projects, data on the composition of meat and meat products of Slovenian origin were gathered from analyses, and low-quality data of the preliminary database were discarded. The first volume of the Slovenian food composition database was published in 2006, in both electronic and paper versions. When Slovenia joined the EuroFIR NoE, the LanguaL indexing system was adopted. The Optijed nutritional software was developed, and later upgraded to the OPEN platform. This platform serves as an electronic database that currently comprises 620 foods, and as the Slovenian node in the EuroFIR virtual information platform. With the assimilation of the data on the compositions of foods of plant origin obtained within the latest project, the Slovenian database provides a good source for food compositional values of consistent and compatible quality., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Isotope parameters (δ(13)C(honey), δ(13)C(protein), δ(15)N) were determined for 271 honey samples of 7 types (black locust, multifloral, lime, chestnut, forest, spruce, and fir honeys) from 4 natural geographical regions of Slovenia. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios were measured to elucidate the applicability of this method in the identification of the botanical and geographical origin of honey and in honey adulteration. Only 2.2% of the samples were adulterated according to the internal standard carbon isotope ratio analysis method. Botanical origin did not have any major influence on the honey isotope profiles; only black locust honey showed higher δ(13)C values. Some differences were seen across different production years, indicating that the influence of season should be further tested. Statistical and multivariate analyses demonstrated differences among honeys of various geographical origins. Those from the Alpine region had low δ(13)C (-26.0‰) and δ(15)N values (1.1‰); those from the Mediterranean region, high δ(13)C (-24.6‰) and medium δ(15)N values (2.2‰); those from the Pannonian region, medium δ(13)C (-25.6‰) and high δ(15)N value (3.0‰); and those from the Dinaric region, medium δ(13)C (-25.7‰) and low δ(15)N values (1.4‰).

The compositions of commercially available fruit juices on the Slovenian and Cypriot markets have been compared and checked against the corresponding declarations on the packaging. Values of delta(13)C in the pulp, sugars, and ethanol (produced by fermentation and distillation) have been obtained by isotope ratio mass spectrometry and (D/H)(I) and (D/H)(II) ratios determined by Site-specific Natural Isotope Fractionation NMR and compared with literature data. These data show that some juices on the Slovenian and Cypriot markets were adulterated. Measurements of delta(18)O in the water and of (D/H)(II) in the ethanol indicated a significant difference in commercially available juices due to differences of the "tap" water in Slovenia and Cyprus, as most of the juices were diluted from concentrate. Using Principal Component Analysis, very clear differentiation can be made between juices from the two countries, arising from their distinct aquatic environments and climates. The identification of botanical origin of fruit juices was possible only in the case of Slovenian orange and apple fruit juices.

This work on the botanical origin of various types of honey produced in Slovenia and based on the mineral content analyses by the total reflection X-ray spectrometry (TXRF) is a continuation of this group's preliminary work (Golob, T.; Doberšek, U.; Kump, P.; Nečemer, M. Food Chem. 2005, 91, 593-600), which introduced the analytical methodology and employed only a simple statistical evaluation and which examined the possibility to determine the botanical origin of honey samples via elemental content. A much more comprehensive study on a total of 264 major types of honey samples harvested in 2004, 2005, and 2006 and interpreting the results with up to date chemometric methods was performed in this work. Slovenia is a small country by surface area, but it is pedologically and climatically diverse, therefore offering interesting possibilities for studying the influence of these diversities on the elemental content of natural products. By employing principal component analysis (PCA) and regularized discriminant analysis (RDA) it was established that from all of the measured elements only the four characteristic key elements Cl, K, Mn, and Rb could be used to best discriminate the types of honey. It was established that the employed combination of a simple, fast, and inexpensive multielement TXRF analytical approach and the evaluation of data by chemometric methods has the potential to discriminate the botanical origins of various types of honey.

Changes in the physico-chemical parameters of extra virgin olive oils after heating for 142h at 100°C with an air flow 10L/h were investigated. The experimental study was carried out on the two predominant olive cultivars in Slovenian Istra - cv. Istrska belica and cv. Leccino. The data obtained showed that oils from Istrska belica were more stable than those from Leccino. Peroxide values and spectrophotometric data showed higher amounts of oxidation products in oils from Leccino than in those from Istrska belica. After thermal treatment fatty acid composition was changed more in Leccino oils; particularly the amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids dropped significantly, while α-tocopherol was completely depleted in all samples. The content of total biophenols decreased from 598mg/kg to 241mg/kg in Istrska belica oils and from 391mg/kg to 176mg/kg in Leccino oils. HPLC data showed that transformation of secoiridoid biophenols to the simple biophenols, tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol took place., (Copyright © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Estrone sulfate (E1S) is an endogenous prodrug that delivers estrone and, subsequently, estradiol to the target cells following the hydrolysis by the enzyme estrone sulfatase which is active in various tissues including hormone dependent breast cancer cells. Blockade of this enzyme should reduce the estrogen level in breast cancer cells and prevent hormonal growth stimulation. Sulfamates of a variety of phenolic compounds have been shown to be inhibitors of estrone sulfatase. Our rational is based on findings that these inhibitors can undergo hydrolysis and the pharmacological effects of the free hydroxy compounds contribute to the bioactivity of the sulfamates. A desirable action of the metabolites would be an estrogen antagonism to block stimulatory effects of residual amounts of estrogens. Thus, we synthesized a number of sulfamoyloxy-substituted 2-phenylindoles with side chains at the indole nitrogen that guarantee antiestrogenic activity. All of the new sulfamates were studied for their inhibitory effects on the enzyme estrone sulfatase from human breast cancer cells and their (anti)hormonal activities in stably transfected human MCF-7/2a mammary carcinoma cells. The hormonal profile of the sulfamates was partly reflected by the properties of the corresponding hydroxy precursors. Some of the sulfamoylated antiestrogens strongly inhibited estrone sulfatase activity with IC(50) values in the submicromolar range. They were devoid of agonist activity and suppressed estrone sulfate-stimulated gene expression mainly by blocking the enzyme. Examples are the disulfamates of the indoles ZK 119, 010 and ZK 164, 015. Their IC(50)s for sulfatase inhibition were 0.3 and 0.2 microM, respectively, and 50 and 80 nM, respectively, for the inhibition of E1S-stimulated luciferase expression in transfected MCF-7 cells. With some of the new sulfamates an additional direct antiestrogenic effect was noticed which might be due to a partial hydrolysis during incubation and would improve the growth inhibitory effect on estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells.

Spelt wheat seeds (Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta cv. Ostro) were used to obtain white spelt flour (64.5% yield), wholemeal spelt flour (100% yield), and scalded spelt wheat kernels. From these materials, white spelt wheat bread (WSB), wholemeal spelt wheat bread (WMSB), and spelt wheat bread with scalded spelt wheat kernels (SSKB) were made and were compared to the reference white wheat bread (WWB). The spelt wheat flours and breads contained more proteins in comparison to wheat flour and bread. Among the samples the highest rate of starch hydrolysis was noticed in WSB. During the first 30 min of incubation this particular bread was shown to have significantly more (P < 0.05) rapidly digestible starch than the WMSB and later on also more starch than in WWB and SSKB, respectively. The WMSB had the lowest hydrolysis index (HI = 95.7). However, the result did not differ significantly from that in the reference common wheat bread. On the other hand, the most refined spelt wheat flour resulted in a bread product (WSB) that was statistically withdrawn (P < 0.05) as one with the highest HI (112.6).

The objective of this study was to explore whether the conversion of the 2-phenylindole system into the tetracyclic benzo[a]carbazole changes the endocrine profile when the side chain structure was kept constant. Five different sulfur-containing side chains were linked to the nitrogen of the tetracycle. The biological evaluation revealed that the character of the indole derivatives remained unchanged after the conversion to the respective benzocarbzoles but the potency decreased by one order of magnitude. In vitro, all derivatives acted as pure antiestrogens without any agonist activity. They strongly inhibited the growth of estrogen-sensitive MCF-7 breast cancer cells with IC50-values in the nanomolar range. In the mouse uterine weight test, the derivatives with an aliphatic side chain were devoid of estrogenic activity and antagonized the effect of estradiol. The presence of an aromatic ring in the side chain gave rise to significant agonist activity in vivo independently of the carrier structure. All data revealed the equivalence of both carrier structures in respect to the endocrine profile but showed a decrease in potency upon the conversion of the 2-phenylindole system into the benzocarbazole structure.

This paper addresses safety issues associated with High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes constructed along freeway medians, without physical separation from adjacent traffic. Data associated with operation of such an HOV facility in Southern California are analyzed relative to the pattern of accidents on the facility and the potential role of congestion. Detailed analyses of accident characteristics point out that potentially false conclusions regarding the safety of HOV lanes can be drawn from simple analyses that are based on aggregate measures of accident frequencies and assumed traffic volumes.

Data associated with over 9000 accidents involving large trucks and combination vehicles during a two-year period on freeways in the greater Los Angeles area are analyzed relative to collision factors, accident severity, and incident duration and lane closures. Relationships between type of collision and accident characteristics are explored using log-linear models. The results point to significant differences in several immediate consequences of truck-related freeway accidents according to collision type. These differences are associated both with the severity of the accident, in terms of injuries and fatalities, as well as with the impact of the accident on system performance, in terms of incident duration and lane closures. Hit-object and broadside collisions were the most severe types in terms of fatalities and injuries, respectively, and single-vehicle accidents are relatively more severe than two-vehicle accidents. The durations of accident incidents were found to be log-normally distributed for homogeneous groups of truck accidents, categorized according to type of collision and, in some instances, severity. The longest durations are typically associated with overturns.

This research is concerned with the statistical analysis of accident counts at nonsignalized intersections. The objective is to develop a method for determining general (nonlinear) relationships between approach volumes and accident counts. The method must accommodate the testing of whether intersections of differing physical designs have higher or lower rates of accidents than predicted by traffic levels. It is assumed that only aggregate data are available: (1) counts of total accidents by type (e.g., injury versus property damage) without details concerning the locational position(s) of the vehicle(s) involved; and (2) aggregate traffic intensity on each intersection entry without details concerning turning volumes. The method involves the application of nonlinear multivariate methods to variables treated as ordinal scales. A case study application involving four-leg and three-leg ("T") nonsignalized major arterial intersections in the Netherlands is described. The effect of bicycle traffic on accident rates is included in the case study analysis. The results indicate that there are three groups of each of the two types of intersections based on traffic flow patterns. For each group, a different functional form was found to relate accident rates and specific variables measuring traffic volumes. There were no significant differences among the physical design categories of the intersections in each group that were not accounted for by differences in traffic intensities.