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There is growing interest in Europe in privacy impact assessment (PIA). The UK introduced the first PIA methodology in Europe in 2007, and Ireland followed in 2010. PIAs provide a way to detect potential privacy problems, take precautions and build tailored safeguards before, not after, the organisation makes heavy investments in the development of a new technology, service or product. This paper presents some findings from the Privacy Impact Assessment Framework (PIAF) project and, in particular, the project's first deliverable, which analyses the similarities and differences between PIA methodologies in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, with a view to picking out the best elements which could be used in constructing an optimised PIA methodology for Europe. The project, which began in January 2011, is being undertaken for the European Commission's Directorate General Justice. The first deliverable was completed in September. The paper provides some background on privacy impact assessment, identifies some of its benefits and discusses elements that can be used in construction of a state-of-the-art PIA methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prehistoric site of la Noira, located in the Cher Valley, a tributary of the Loire River in the center of France, has yielded a lithic assemblage composed of large bifacial tools, cores and flakes. The archaeological level, lying on the Tertiary lacustrine limestone bedrock, was covered and fossilized by a 6 m-thick fluvial sandy formation. The mean age value of ESR dates obtained on bleached fluvial quartz grains sampled in the sandy levels covering the archeological level is 665 ± 55 ka, confirming the antiquity of the archaeological assemblage. ESR dates and the technical characteristics of the assemblage suggest that it is among the oldest sites with bifacial technology in Western Europe. Since 2011, following geological and geochronological studies, the archaeological level has been excavated over a surface of about 100 m 2. The aim of this paper is to provide new data on the lithic assemblage and to place the lithic patterns of the site in the European technological framework. La Noira is a workshop site, belonging to a key-period of time with the earliest evidence of the bifacial technology in Europe (as for instance levels P–Q of Arago in France or Notarchirico in Italy) contemporaneous with 800–500 ka sites without bifacial technology, such as Happisburgh, Pakefield in England or Isernia in Italy. This phase predates the wide-scale dissemination of the bifacial technology all over Western Europe from the MIS 12. Technological comparisons between these assemblages and a discussion of the diversity of assemblages and technological features point to early episodic arrivals of new traditions in Europe against a background of earlier traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the current state of the debate about the Paleolithic in Europe the analysis of the transitional periods is one of the principal subjects. The accumulation of variable elements in time can determine a change in the technical systems from a more or less wide transitional phase. This paper will analyze the records of the North Plateau of the Iberian Peninsula for its chronology and/or for its technology as they are candidates for representing a transitional phase between the technological Modes 2 and 3 and will relate to the European context. This analysis will focus on support in the need to separate technological phenomena, transitions and the variability determined by the different spaces of occupation, the utilization of raw materials with unequal qualities and the functions of the site. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: While safety interventions are applied on different stages of the beef chain, consumer acceptance remains largely uninvestigated and undiscussed though often taken for granted. In this study, European consumer acceptance of beef safety-enhancing interventions was investigated at three key stages of the beef chain: primary production (adjusting cattle feed), slaughtering (decontaminating cattle hides) and processing (applying treatments). This paper presents original findings from a quantitative study with beef consumers (n = 2520) from five European countries (France, Germany, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom). Acceptance levels differ between countries and consumer segments, and between stages of application, processes, and level of information detail provided. Higher a priori confidence in beef and beef products, as well as higher risk perception were associated with increased acceptance of safety-improving interventions. More detailed descriptions of the processes or technologies involved in the interventions, on the other hand, led to lower acceptance. As a result, it is unlikely that one standard way of communicating about beef safety improvements will be most successful. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The most recent EU member states seem to have important Renewable Energy Sources (RES) potential. However, they have serious structural difficulties in development and integration of RES policies. Indeed, the balanced development of RES between the member states is urgent today. The penetration of the RES in these member states is related to the existence of an appropriate environment (political, economical, social, and technological). The current paper is based on an analytical review and specific PEST analysis aiming to assess the current RES environment and the progress so far in each of these most recent EU members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we present the techno-typological study of level 16 of El Castillo cave (Archaic Aurignacian). In this level, we can identify an important bladelet production from schémas opératoires of unipolar prismatic cores, carinated endscraper and carinated burins types. Besides, we find a specific production of Discoid conception. The retouched blanks, though scanty, are dominated by the Dufour bladelets. Level 16 is in relation with the Archaic Aurignacian at the Cantabrian Iberia, which is present in sites like Cueva Morín, Labeko Koba, Gatzarria, or Isturitz and it also is in relation with the Mediterranean Archaic Aurignacian. Finally, we analyse the different hypotheses about the Initial Upper Paleolithic origin in Europe. The mosaic hypothesis is acceptable for us. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Joint European Torus (JET) fusion machine is the only device capable of operation with tritium and of handling Be and therefore is best suited to the study of tritium and fusion-related issues. A large variety of activities are performed within the JET fusion technology task force (FT-TF). In this paper, some topics such as erosion/deposition and material transport, characterisation of flakes and detritiation techniques are highlighted. Recent examples of results obtained on waste management studies are also given. Data on some ITER-relevant components that have been tested at JET, such as a pumping cryopanel and hardened optics fibers, are presented. In all fields, the work to be addressed in future JET work programmes is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In rural areas in Europe, the deployment of High-Speed Broadband access networks lags far behind the urban and suburban areas due to difficulties of fiber rollout in the final meters. FTTC VDSL is the most widespread technology used for NGA network deployments in Europe but the coverage of VDSL networks is still limited in rural areas. FTTdp networks using G.fast have been proposed as a cost-effective and future-proof alternative to FTTH and FTTB especially in rural areas where FTTC and VDSL cannot always deliver service speeds of 30 Mbps which is the minimum bandwidth defined in the European Digital Agenda as a target to be met by 2020. However, the new target of EU Commission for Gigabit Society and 100 Mbps connections, upgradable to 1 Gbps, for all households in 2025 are unlikely to be achieved by VDSL Vectoring and other copper-based technologies. On the other hand, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) networks based on LTE technology can be used as a "last mile" solution to provide high-speed broadband access to areas where fixed broadband is limited. LTE technology offers high-speed connections able to support internet browsing and IP services, while it can theoretically support up to 300 Mbps depending on network load and sharing. Thus, it can be considered a viable alternative to other fixed network solutions especially when considering future upgrades to 5G networks that promise gigabit speeds per user. In this paper, a techno-economic study is performed to assess the feasibility of an FWA network deployment based on LTE technology in comparison to FTTdp G.fast and FTTC VDSL network rollout for delivering service speeds of 30 Mbps in rural areas. A variety of different population density, competition and regulation policy scenarios is considered. Cash flow results are presented and standard financial indexes for the business cases are discussed. The results are being assessed through a sensitivity and risk analysis to determine the most influential factors on the return on the investment. Furthermore, the (non) profitability of these cases and the subsidization needed from structural funds are analyzed. The results are aimed to contribute to the debate over network evolution scenarios among academia, industry, regulators, policy makers and governments. • Comparison of fixed wireless and fixed NGA networks for achieving DAE target in rural areas in Europe. • Various NGA technologies assessed, FWA LTE, FTTC VDSL, FTTdp G.fast for delivering at least 30 Mbps. • Geographical and demand data of EUROSTAT for European Union member states were used. • Various scenarios considered, infrastructure competition and sharing, reuse of existing infrastructure, 10 or 20MHz spectrum. • Cost analysis, DCF analysis, sensitivity analysis and cash balance results of the techno-economic model are presented. • State aid is calculated as a percentage of CAPEX based on a range of desirable tariffs. Spectrum subsidization is discussed. • The aim is to contribute to the debate over NGA networks evolution scenarios in rural areas in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]