Managing occupational injuries records in Slovenia from 1948 to 2008

The aim of this study is to examine and compare all publicly accessible data on occupational injuries in Slovenia in the period from 1948 to 2008, obtained either from archives or websites. The data obtained from five different sources which have been formally collecting and presenting data on occupational injuries in Slovenia (Labour Inspectorate of the Republic of Slovenia – LIRS, Institute of Public Health of the Republic of Slovenia – IPHRS, International Labour Organization – ILO, Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia – SORS, and issues of the Journal of Occupational Safety and Fire Safety) were reviewed and managed. Since the early 1960s, there has been a significant decrease of fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries in Slovenia. Problems related to gathering and interpreting data on occupational injuries are also discussed with special emphasize on diversity of models used for occupational injuries data collecting. The results of the 60-year-long retrospective study can also be of assistance for professionals involved in planning, implementing and controlling the national policy and/or regional policies on safety and health at work.     

Preliminary Study of Non-woven Composite: Effect of Needle Punching and Kenaf Fiber Loadings on Non-woven Thermoplastic Composites Prepared From Kenaf and Polypropylene Fiber

Non-woven composites were produced using kenaf (bast) fiber and polypropylene (PP) fiber. The effects of needle punching process, number of needle and kenaf fiber loadings on the properties of non-woven composite were studied. The aspect ratio of kenaf fiber was also measured in this study. The aspect ratio of most of kenaf fiber used was in the range of 200–400. The results indicated that the mechanical strength of the non-woven composite was significantly influenced by the percentage of kenaf fiber. This may due to the evenly mixed kenaf and PP fibers during carding process prior to the mechanical interlocking by needle punching process. The tensile strength, modulus and toughness were enhanced with the incorporation of carded and needle punched fibers. The number of needle used in needle punching process had a significant effect on the strength of the composite. This was evident in SEM micrograph where composite prepared from carded to needle punched non-woven web showed better wettability as compared to composite prepared from carded non-woven web only. However, no significant difference was observed in water absorption and thickness swelling tests for composites prepared with different number of needles.     

Mass occurrence of the ctenophore Bolinopsis vitrea (L. Agassiz, 1860) in the nearshore southern Adriatic Sea (Kotor Bay, Montenegro)

The ctenophore Bolinopsis vitrea has been rarely observed in the Mediterranean Sea. A bloom of B. vitrea is here reported for the first time in the southern Adriatic Sea in the spring and summer of 2009, together with its effect on the plankton of Kotor Bay. Ctenophores were found below 5 m depth only. Results of the investigation indicate that mass occurrence of B. vitrea could have a great impact on the Kotor Bay ecosystem. Their predation on copepods would reduce grazing pressure on phytoplankton, favouring an uncommon bloom of the latter. It is evident that B. vitrea are capable of altering rapidly the composition and biomass of coastal plankton communities when present in large masses. This first evidence of such events for this species may indicate changes in the functioning of marine ecosystems of the southern Adriatic.     

Optimal foraging, not biogenetic law, predicts spider orb web allometry

The biogenetic law posits that the ontogeny of an organism recapitulates the pattern of evolutionary changes. Morphological evidence has offered some support for, but also considerable evidence against, the hypothesis. However, biogenetic law in behavior remains underexplored. As physical manifestation of behavior, spider webs offer an interesting model for the study of ontogenetic behavioral changes. In orb-weaving spiders, web symmetry often gets distorted through ontogeny, and these changes have been interpreted to reflect the biogenetic law. Here, we test the biogenetic law hypothesis against the alternative, the optimal foraging hypothesis, by studying the allometry in Leucauge venusta orb webs. These webs range in inclination from vertical through tilted to horizontal; biogenetic law predicts that allometry relates to ontogenetic stage, whereas optimal foraging predicts that allometry relates to gravity. Specifically, pronounced asymmetry should only be seen in vertical webs under optimal foraging theory. We show that, through ontogeny, vertical webs in L. venusta become more asymmetrical in contrast to tilted and horizontal webs. Biogenetic law thus cannot explain L. venusta web allometry, but our results instead support optimization of foraging area in response to spider size.     

Agriculture in the Slovenian Transitional Economy: The Preservation of Genetic Diversity of Plants and Ethical Consequences

Slovene agriculture is going throughdrastic changes. Most of the land is stillowned by small farmers. The production isoriented to the market and is based on modernWestern technology. It is associated withincreasing pollution and is becoming a seriousthreat to biodiversity. Many of the wild plantsare endangered due to genetic erosion withinspecies. The traditional crops and varietiesare being replaced by imported materials andthe use of chemicals has been increasing. Manyof the traditional varieties have beenneglected and/or lost. The existing germplasmcollections are incomplete and frequently donot include traditional varieties. There areonly a few breeding organizations with limitedcapacities and collections. The legislation isnot efficient enough to protect the environmentand biotic diversity. Schools, media,religious, sport, tourist, and otherorganizations should be more active inpromoting the respect for biodiversity.     

Chemical and microbiological stability of waste sludge from paper industry intended for brick production.

Due to its chemical composition, waste sludge generated in the paper industry may be used as a raw material for brick production. Brick manufacture is limited to the warmer months of the year whereas sludge is produced continuously by different effluent treatment devices. Therefore, it has to be stored until further processing. For this reason, it is essential that it is not subject to significant chemical and microbiological decomposition during storage. In the experiment, sludge from a tissue paper mill was tested for its stability. It was stored for several weeks during winter and summer periods in a pile, 2 m in height, in an open but covered store. Different leachable organic and inorganic compounds indicating possible ongoing deterioration processes, as well as pH value, redox potential, temperature, humidity and dry matter content were evaluated weekly in water extracts of homogenized sludge samples. According to the test results, the material may be considered to be chemically and microbiologically stable as there was practically no emission of odorous and toxic compounds such as H2S, NH3 and butyric acid despite prolonged storage times and elevated environmental temperatures. All the microbial species identified in the sludge during storage belong to the typical microflora of the environment.     

Cholestyramine enhances fecal elimination of pentachlorophenol in rhesus monkeys

The effect of cholestyramine in the daily diet upon the excretion of pentachlorophenol with the feces was studied in the rhesus monkey. The treatment increased fecal elimination of pentachlorophenol and/or metabolites up to 9- to 14-fold over a six-day period. At the same time urinary excretion was reduced 2- to 6-fold. The data suggest that cholestyramine interrupts the enterhepatic circulation of PCP and/or metabolites thus indicating its possible usefulness in preventing toxicity of PCP that otherwise may occur due to reabsorption of biliary PCP and/or metabolites.     

Volatile aldehydes in libraries and archives

Volatile aldehydes are produced during degradation of paper-based materials. This may result in their accumulation in archival and library repositories. However, no systematic study has been performed so far. In the frame of this study, passive sampling was carried out at ten locations in four libraries and archives. Despite the very variable sampling locations, no major differences were found, although air-filtered repositories were found to have lower concentrations while a non-ventilated newspaper repository exhibited the highest concentrations of volatile aldehydes (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, furfural and hexanal). Five employees in one institution were also provided with personal passive samplers to investigate employees’ exposure to volatile aldehydes. All values were lower than the presently valid exposure limits.The concentration of volatile aldehydes, acetic acid, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in general was also compared with that of outdoor-generated pollutants. It was evident that inside the repository and particularly inside archival boxes, the concentration of VOCs and acetic acid was much higher than the concentration of outdoor-generated pollutants, which are otherwise more routinely studied in connection with heritage materials. This indicates that further work on the pro-degradative effect of VOCs on heritage materials is necessary and that monitoring of VOCs in heritage institutions should become more widespread.