This paper provides an overview of the physical and chemical landscape changes that have occurred at four reference sites due to historical mining and smelting activities within Slovenia, and their ...comparison with similar sites around the World. Literature review has been made with the intention to identify major pollutant sources, its dispersion control factors, and effects. The four reference sites are Idrija, with more than 500‐year Hg mining and ore smelting history, the Meža Valley, also with a 500‐year PbZn mining and smelting history, the Celje area where Zn was smelted for 100 years and the Drava River alluvial plain, which is contaminated because of historical PbZn mining upstream. Based on the comparison between the four abovementioned reference sites and similar sites around the world that are situated in different landscapes and climates, we identified major sources of contamination, which are the erosion of mine and ore processing wastes, and atmospheric emissions of metal‐containing particles from smelters. In the first case, major control factors are rainfall pattern and river gradient, controlling erosion and sediment deposition patterns. In the second case, the prevailing control factors are topography and the dominant wind directions.
Spatial models are an effective tool for determining potential rockfall source, transit and deposit areas. The reliability of the final rockfall modelling results depends on the quality of the input ...data, which is mostly based on the digital elevation model (DEM). The spatial resolution of the DEM holds key information about the main morphological properties of the surface, which is crucially important when modelling this kind of geomorphological phenomenon. Therefore, this article studies the influence of DEM spatial resolution on the modelling of rockfall source, transit and deposit areas. Modelling was carried out at five different DEM spatial resolutions available for Slovenia (1 m, 5 m, 12.5 m, 25 m and 100 m). Rockfall source areas were identified using a geomorphometric approach based on a high resolution DEM and a geographical information system. Rockfall transit and deposit areas were modelled using the Conefall computer program, which is designed to estimate potential rockfall risk areas. The area of study was the municipality of Vipava (107.4 km2) in Slovenia, EU. A spatial resolution of 1 m was chosen as a reference layer to which all modelling results of the other spatial resolutions were compared. Validation of modelling included rockfall source area comparison with orthorectified aerial images and location collection of silent witnesses (rock deposits) in the field for estimating maximum runout zones. The modelling results indicate that a spatial resolution of 1 m is the most suitable for modelling on a local scale; resolutions of 5, 12.5 and 25 m can be used for modelling on a regional scale (depending on the purpose of the modelling results); and a resolution of 100 m should not be used for rockfall modelling. Major differences between spatial resolutions can be observed when modelling rockfall source areas, i.e. in areas with the most diverse topography, while in deposit areas the observed differences are smaller due to the less rugged surface.
•The influence of the spatial resolution of the digital elevation model was observed at five different spatial resolutions.•Deviations between modelling results are greater for rockfall source areas than for rockfall runout zones.•High spatial resolutions (1 m) should be used for modelling on a local scale.•Lower spatial resolutions (5 m, 12.5 m and 25 m) can be used for modelling on a regional scale.•Spatial resolution 100 m should not be used for modelling rockfalls.
There has been a significant amount of research carried out in Slovenia on the revival of Confucianism, particularly since 2012 and 2014, when the first two research projects on this topic were ...approved. Members of the Department of Asian Studies at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, have been consistently conducting research in Slovenia and various Chinese, Taiwanese, and East Asian archives and libraries. These efforts have led to several important publications in Slovene, English, and even Chinese, and represent an ongoing commitment that continues in the present day. Therefore, it is not surprising that the present special issue of the Slovenian academic journal Asian Studies, focusing on the Confucian revival, already marks the fourth special issue in this area of research. This review article’s objective is thus to summarize the key achievements of Slovenian research in this field and provide a comprehensive overview of the diverse Slovene research activities and publications related to Modern New Confucianism. It covers not only research on the revival of Confucianism in China and the broader Sinic region, but also includes Confucian studies in other East Asian regions and the wider Sinic area.
V Sloveniji je bilo opravljenih veliko raziskav konfucijanskega preporoda, zlasti od leta 2012 oz. 2014, ko sta bila odobrena prva dva raziskovalna projekta na to temo. Člani in članice Oddelka za azijske študije na Filozofski fakulteti Univerze v Ljubljani so odtlej kontinuirano izvajali raziskovalno delo tako v Sloveniji kot tudi v različnih kitajskih, tajvanskih in vzhodnoazijskih arhivih in knjižnicah. Te študije so privedle do vrste pomembnih publikacij v slovenščini, angleščini in celo v kitajščini, ki predstavljajo rezultate kontinuiranih prizadevanj, ki se nadaljujejo še danes. Zato ni presenetljivo, da je pričujoča številka že četrta posebna številka slovenske znanstvene revije Asian Studies (Azijske študije), ki je posvečena preporodu konfucijanstva. Cilj tega preglednega članka je torej povzeti ključne dosežke slovenskih raziskav na tem področju ter zagotoviti celovit pregled različnih raziskovalnih dejavnosti in publikacij v Sloveniji, povezanih s sodobnim novim konfucijanstvom. Obravnava ne le raziskave o preporodu konfucijanstva na Kitajskem in v širši vzhodnoazijski regiji, temveč tudi študije konfucianizma v drugih vzhodnoazijskih regijah in na širšem siniškem območju.
Road sediments from gully pots of the drainage system and stream sediments from local streams were investigated for the first time in the urban area of Idrija town, the central part of the second ...largest and strongly contaminated Hg mining district in the world. Hg concentrations in road sediments were lower than in stream sediments. They ranged from 16 to 110 mg/kg (Md = 29 mg/kg) for <0.125 mm particles and from 7 to 125 mg/kg (Md = 35 mg/kg) for <0.04 mm particles, while Hg concentrations in stream sediments ranged from 10 to 610 mg/kg (Md = 95 mg/kg) for <0.125 particles and from 10 to 440 mg/kg (Md = 105 mg/kg) for <0.04 mm particles. High Hg loadings in stream sediments were successfully linked with identified mercury sources (rocks containing mercury ore, areas of former ore roasting sites, ore residue dumps), because they are located in the drainage areas of streams, from which the sediments were collected. Links between Hg loadings in road sediments and identified mercury sources were not recognized. Solid phases of Hg were determined by thermo-desorption technique and are similar for both types of sediments. Results show the occurrence of three different forms: elemental mercury, mercury bound to matrix components and cinnabar. Approximately 50 % of Hg in samples consist of non-cinnabar fractions. This is important, since they are potentially bioavailable. An interesting new discovery according to previous research of environmental media from Idrija area by solid-phase Hg thermo-desorption technique is that elemental mercury was determined in almost all investigated sediments in minor amounts (Md = 3 %).
Rainfall kinetic energy–intensity relationships for rainfall erosivity estimation were established on the basis of raindrop size distribution measurements performed in the Brkini hilly area in ...southwest Slovenia, a transitional area between the Mediterranean and continental climate conditions. A set of measurement instruments, an optical disdrometer coupled with a rain gauge, was installed on two locations: Koseze and Kozjane. The data set contained raindrop size distribution and rainfall intensity measurements of the rainfall events that occurred during a one-year period in the 2008/2009 season. The rainfall intensities obtained with the rain gauges were used for event rainfall depth control measured by the disdrometers and testing the established kinetic energy–intensity (
KE–I) relationships. Two exponential
KE–
I relationships were established for each measuring site, for 1-min and 5-min rainfall intensity data, respectively. Their performances were tested and compared with the performances of other
KE–
I relationships proposed by authors throughout the world, which could be recognised as relatively suitable for kinetic energy estimation in the Mediterranean area. The comparison included 11
KE–
I relationships expressed with linear, linear-log or exponential formulations. The analyses exposed the rainfall intensity overestimation by the disdrometers and the limited use of the tipping bucket rain gauge for kinetic energy estimation under such climate conditions. According to our results, the established
KE–
I relationship for 5-min intensity data in Koseze is recommended to be used while estimating rainfall kinetic energy in the Mediterranean part of Slovenia. As input data, rainfall intensities measured with precise weighing rain gauges, as those installed in the Slovenian meteorological network, should be used. However, when using rainfall intensity data obtained with a tipping bucket rain gauge of lower accuracy or insufficient intensity range, the exponential relationship of
Coutinho and Tomás (1995) is expected to deliver better kinetic energy estimations.
This third edition of Historical Dictionary of Slovenia contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 500 cross-referenced entries ...on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture.
Several studies conducted around the world showed substantial vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency among different population groups. Sources of vitamin D in the human body include ultraviolet B ...(UVB)-light-induced biosynthesis and dietary intake, but people's diets are often poor in vitamin D. Furthermore, in many regions, sun exposure and the intensity of UVB irradiation during wintertime are not sufficient for vitamin D biosynthesis. In Slovenia, epidemiological data about vitamin D status in the population were investigated through a national Nutrihealth study-an extension to the national dietary survey SI.Menu (2017/18). The study was conducted on a representative sample of 125 adult (18-64 years) and 155 elderly (65-74 years old) subjects, enrolled in the study in different seasons. Their vitamin D status was determined by measuring the serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration. Thresholds for vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were 25(OH)D levels below 30 and 50 nmol/L, respectively. Altogether, 24.9% of the adults and 23.5% of the elderly were found to be vitamin D deficient, while an insufficient status was found in 58.2% and 62.9%, respectively. A particularly concerning situation was observed during extended wintertime (November-April); vitamin D deficiency was found in 40.8% and 34.6%, and insufficient serum 25(OH)D levels were observed in 81.6% and 78.8%, respectively. The results of the study showed high seasonal variation in serum 25(OH)D levels in both the adult and elderly population, with deficiency being especially pronounced during wintertime. The prevalence of this deficiency in Slovenia is among the highest in Europe and poses a possible public health risk that needs to be addressed with appropriate recommendations and/or policy interventions.
East Asia in Slovenia Vampelj Suhadolnik, Nataša
Azijske študije (Spletna izd.),
09/2021, Volume:
9, Issue:
3
Journal Article
This special issue of Asian Studies aims to contribute to the field of European global collecting history by opening new vistas in order to readdress some of the unexplored topics. By presenting East ...Asian material in Slovenia and reconstructing the intercultural contacts between the two territories, it sheds light on the specific position of the Slovenian territory in the history of Euro-Asian exchanges on the threshold of the 20th century.