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Hemp cultivation is becoming increasingly common worldwide, although it still raises many concerns. These plants are gaining popularity due to their versatility and the ability to use virtually every part of them in almost all economic branches. Hemp products are sought after and appreciated by consumers. The cultivation of hemp does not place a large burden on the environment. All this makes hemp an ideal plant in terms of land use, which is closely related to the idea of sustainable development. This paper describes the legal aspects of hemp cultivation in Europe and briefly presents its breeding and cultivation. The possibilities of their versatile use are presented, with particular reference to biofuel production. Moreover, the suitability for ecological cultivation, description of the economic and social aspects of industrial hemp cultivation, as well as future outlooks, are also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to optimize the deployment and maintenance costs for service delivery in wireless networks is an essential task for each service provider. The goal of this paper was to optimize the number of service centres (gNodeB) to cover selected customer locations based on the given requirements. This optimization need is especially emerging in emerging 5G and beyond cellular systems that are characterized by a large number of simultaneously connected devices, which is typically difficult to handle by the existing wireless systems. Currently, the network infrastructure planning tools used in the industry include Atoll Radio Planning Tool, RadioPlanner and others. These tools do not provide an automatic selection of a deployment position for specific gNodeB nodes in a given area with defined requirements. To design a network with those tools, a great deal of manual tasks that could be reduced by more sophisticated solutions are required. For that reason, our goal here and our main contribution of this paper were the development of new mathematical models that fit the currently emerging scenarios of wireless network deployment and maintenance. Next, we also provide the design and implementation of a verification methodology for these models through provided simulations. For the performance evaluation of the models, we utilize test datasets and discuss a case study scenario from a selected district in Central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sinkholes are a severe problem in urban areas located in karstic regions, especially where evaporitic rocks such as gypsum exist. Identification and proposal of mitigation measures are needed to reduce this geo-hazard effect on buildings and social urban living. This paper presents a case study of the town of Alcalá de Ebro (Spain), which is located in the highest sinkhole risk region of Europe. The identification and mitigation of a series of sinkholes that appeared are analyzed. The former involves a geological investigation, including boreholes, field tests and geophysics. The latter is addressed by the use of geogrids, mortar injections and polyurethane injections. A complementary finite element analysis is carried out to set the ground behavior associated with the sinking process and assess its future evolution. The Ebro River appears to be the main cause of sinkholes, and results show that ground treatments applied were successful in their purpose, as there are no apparent deformations indicating that the subsidence or sinking process is still active in the area. The use of different techniques depending on the size of the sinkhole, the objectives pursued and the element affected is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the process of creation of a signals database for the development of a train speed-estimation method for an axle counter system. In the article the authors present the need for information about the train speed on the railway lines and the possible applications for which the information about the train speed may be used, as well as address the concerns related with the evaluation of the information in axle counter systems. The main goal of the paper is to present the creation process of an axle counter signals database and how to emulate the real signals using the laboratory-obtained ones. A database that has been created for a specific wheel detector is available on request. It contains a variety of signals that are necessary for the development and tests of wheel detector algorithms, in particular the estimation of train speed. Signals were generated for the most commonly used rail profile in Europe and the wheels that are defined in the technical specification of interoperability. Furthermore, the signals were transformed to emulate various speeds, the possible accelerations and to include the disturbance observed in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: Drones can be a very useful tool to help mosquito control tasks in areas where these insects are an important vector of disease transmission. Storing sterile mosquitoes in drones and releasing them in targeted areas where previous suppression of wild populations has been performed can be a major advance in this methodology. This is part of the sterile insect techniques (SIT) which have been demonstrated to be an environmentally friendly solution for the control of insect pests. However, the use of drones in the areas where these operations are foreseen is limited by the fact that we have a regulation that advances at a slower pace than technology. Of particular interest is the case of the suppression of mosquito populations in urban areas below the transmission threshold, where drones and their operating conditions must meet demanding safety requirements. This article presents the current regulatory situation in Europe that affects drone operations and its applicability to the case of the release of sterile mosquitoes to control the population of these insects in two different scenarios: urban and rural areas. In recent years, several countries have developed the use of sterile insect techniques (SIT) to fight against mosquitoes that transmit diseases. From a technical and economic point of view, the use of drones in the aerial release of sterile mosquitoes leads to important improvements in aerial coverage and savings in operational costs due to the requirement of fewer release sites and field staff. However, these operations are under the European drone regulation, one of the most advanced in the world. The main contribution and novelty of this paper with respect to previous work is the analysis of the SIT application with drones under the European risk-based regulation in two scenarios: urban and rural areas. The specific operations risk assessment (SORA) methodology has been applied to assess the risk of drone operations in these scenarios. The paper presents the operational requirements for aerial release of mosquitoes with drones along with the regulatory considerations that must be applied. Finally, an overview of the conditions in operation that could relax risks and mitigation measures is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents an assessment of the accuracy and precision of point positioning using a currently available online service for automatic post-processing (APPS) of GNSS observations made by the Polish Active Geodetic Network—European Position Determination System (ASG-EUPOS). The ASG-EUPOS network is part of the national EUPOS project and was selected for the study because of its substantial spatial reach in Europe. A modification to the current APPS algorithm is proposed to limit the number of baseline vectors used in positioning and change the method for adjusting post-processing results. Currently, the APPS of the ASG-EUPOS determines point coordinates based on the method for adjusting direct and equally accurate observations with the least-squares method (equally accurate method, EAM). The modification proposes to determine the coordinates based on post-processing results adjustment using the unequally accurate observations method (unequally accurate method, UAM). Our analysis diagnoses the uncertainty of the ASG-EUPOS's APPS, and the modification optimises the adjustment. The proposed modification facilitates a much lower standard deviation of positioning in relation to reference positions. It is demonstrated that, if modified, the ASG-EUPOS service can provide automatic post-processing for 1 h GPS observations with a 1 s interval at 0.03 m accuracy for 99% of cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has left no one indifferent, becoming an unprecedented challenge. The use of protections such as sanitary masks has become increasingly common, restrictions in our daily lives, such as social distancing or confinements, have had serious consequences on the economy and our welfare state. Although the measures imposed throughout the world follow the same pattern, they have been applied with different criteria depending on the country. Over extended periods of time, people tend to change their perception of an event and its magnitude, or in other words, they stop being so concerned despite the seriousness of the matter. In this paper, we introduce a new metric to quantify the degree of emotional concern of people being affected by a topic, and we confirm how populations from different countries follow this trend of downplaying the effect of the pandemic and reach a state of indifference. To do this, we propose a method to analyze the social media stream over time extracting the different emotional states from the Russel Circumplex plane and computing the shifting created by the tragic event—the pandemic. We complete this metric by incorporating searching behavior to reflect not only push contents but also pull inquiries. The resulting metric establishes a relationship between the pandemic and the emotional response by defining the degree of Emotional Concern. Although the method can be applied to any location with a significant and varied amount of geo-localized social media streams, the scope of this paper covers the most representative cities in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) pasteurized milk is the most diffused variety of milk in Europe. In this paper, a method is presented, employing Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy to characterize the different commercial milks commonly available in grocery stores and supermarkets. The curves of the measured admittance allow for the classification of the type of milk (whole, semi-skimmed, fat-free) and to distinguish lactose-free milk. An electrical circuit model has been derived and different values of circuit parameters add interesting information on the classification of the samples. Furthermore, the characterization allows for the identification of the degradation of the milk before it is visible to the eye, thus highlighting the difference between storage in the fridge and at room temperature, and identifying expired milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the basic requirements for controlled traffic farming (CTF) is the precise motion of all agricultural equipment on permanent traffic lanes (PTL). Tractors of machine-tractor units are then equipped with a GNSS (global navigation satellite) RTK (real-time kinematic) system, even though in many parts of the world, and Europe as well, satellite navigation is not yet used. In this case, for implementation of the CTF system, it needs to lay such PTL tracks that would be sufficiently visible, especially when using the CTF system in multi-year agricultural crop cultivation. The PTL track depth is influenced by both tractor and soil parameters and, in this paper, this influence is studied considering the dimensionless π-terms of the similarity theory. To obtain a greater depth of PTL tracks (h), the soil cone index must be low. The low density of the soil is important, even if its effect on the parameter h is less than that of the soil cone index. A greater depth of PTL tracks is also obtained by increasing the inflation pressure in the tractor tires. Ballasted wheels are the least effective for increasing the value of the parameter h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducts a review of energy use in the EU greenhouse agriculture sector. The studies presented illustrate that energy use in greenhouses is varied and generally dependent on fossil sources. High energy systems, which are more dominant in northern Europe, are generally heavily climate controlled and energy use is dominated by heating and cooling processes, while low energy systems, which are dominant in southern Europe, show a mixture of energy uses including heating, cooling, irrigation, lighting, fertilisers, and pesticides. Our review also provides a discussion of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy sources adoption for greenhouse production. Finally, our review indicates that accurate and reliable studies on energy use in greenhouse production are scarce and fragmented and that a range of differing methodologies are currently used to estimate on-farm energy use. The development of a comprehensive methodology and categorisation for measuring energy use in greenhouse agricultural production would, in our view, catalyse further studies in this sector, considerably improve our understanding of energy use in greenhouses and support the green transition. Based on this, this paper proposes a basic framework for measuring energy use in greenhouse agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industry 4.0 is seeking to advance traditional construction practices towards more efficient and internet of things (IoT)-based construction practices, such as offsite construction. Offsite construction (OSC) allows for the simultaneous fabrication of building modules and onsite work. Integrating IoT technologies in construction practice is projected to improve the industry's growth. However, there is an increase in cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Cyber threats are becoming more disruptive and targeted, resulting in monetary and infrastructure losses. Furthermore, the COVID pandemic and the instability in Europe have seen over 100% increases in cyber-attacks, and most industries have weak cybersecurity protocols. The adoption of cybersecurity frameworks in the construction industry is sluggish, and the existing security frameworks fall short in addressing the needs of the industry. This paper gives a concise review of the offsite construction value chain vulnerabilities. We explore the existing cybersecurity frameworks and identify their limitations. Cybersecurity is presented as one of the most crucial components that has received little or no attention in OSC. The future of OSC is promising with the incorporation of Industry 4.0 technologies; however, its development needs to consider more proactive security approaches and management techniques that are adapted to the current hostile cyber landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the development of three main functionalities for a domestic mobile service robot and an automatic benchmarking system used for the systematic performance evaluation of the robot's functionalities. Three main robot functionalities are addressed: (1) People Perception, (2) People Following and (3) Pick and Placing, where the hardware and software systems developed for each functionality are described and demonstrated on an actual mobile service robot, with the goal of providing assistance to an elderly person inside the house. Furthermore, a set of innovative benchmarks and an automatic performance evaluation system are proposed and used to evaluate the performance of the developed functionalities. These benchmarks are now made publicly available and is part of the European Robotics League (ERL)-Consumer to systematically evaluate the performance of service robot solutions at different testbeds around Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable biofuels are an important tool for the decarbonisation of transport. This is especially true in aviation, maritime, and heavy-duty sectors with limited short-term alternatives. Their use by conventional transport fleets requires few changes to the existing infrastructure and engines, and thus their integration can be smooth and relatively rapid. Provision of feedstock should comply with sustainability principles for (i) producing additional biomass without distorting food and feed markets and (ii) addressing challenges for ecosystem services, including biodiversity, and soil quality. This paper performs a meta-analysis of current research for low indirect land use change (ILUC) risk biomass crops for sustainable biofuels that benefited either from improved agricultural practices or from cultivation in unused, abandoned, or severely degraded land. Two categories of biomass crops are considered here: oil and lignocellulosic. The findings confirm that there are significant opportunities to cultivate these crops in European agro-ecological zones with sustainable agronomic practices both in farming land and in land with natural constraints (unused, abandoned, and degraded land). These could produce additional low environmental impact feedstocks for biofuels and deliver economic benefits to farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although augmented reality (AR) has come to play an increasingly important role in a wide range of areas, its use remains rather limited in the realm of heritage education. This paper sets out to analyze which heritage-related apps can be found in Europe that partly or wholly use AR as a tool to help users learn about different types of heritage. Our study only identified a limited number of such apps and we used this sample both to paint a portrait of the current state of the question and also to highlight certain observable trends. The results showed that most such apps used AR to reconstruct spaces and buildings, and to a lesser extent, objects. Many of these apps used an academic mode of communication to provide a temporal perspective of monumental and (mainly) historical heritage. The paper also outlines future lines of research dedicated to finding more apps that could be used to increase the current sample size. This would allow for a more comprehensive assessment of such apps from an educational point of view. Several case studies are proffered in order to highlight the keys to successful use of AR in heritage apps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of an analysis of process wastewater streams in the context of an increase in yeast production. This research is based on the analysis of data from the biggest yeast factory in Europe. The research presented in this paper involves the analysis of the influence of direction of additional wastewater into the evaporator station on yeast production. In the process wastewater, nitrogen is mainly present in organic forms. The analysis reported in this paper involves the concentration of total nitrogen in wastewater streams, as it is the main parameter applied to determine the amount of wastewater that can be applied in agricultural fields. Directing additional wastewater into the evaporator station can offer a simultaneous increase in the volume of its use in the field of agriculture and will ultimately yield an increase in productivity (under conditions where additional pressure on the natural environment is not exerted). The results obtained in this analysis were an increase in production of ηYp = 0.1027, corresponding to about 6500 Mg of yeast per year. This is a feasible value, which can be derived from the existing agricultural field area and the properties of the evaporator station in the factory. At the same time, the same increase in the volume of organic fertilizer is obtained. This fertilizer is generated as a byproduct of the pre-treatment of wastewater at the evaporator station. Thus, the increase in the production of the fertilizer can have a positive effect on fields in local farms, which are typically the recipients of this fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental noise has become one of the principal health risks for urban dwellers and road traffic noise (RTN) is considered to be the main source of these adverse effects. To address this problem, strategic noise maps and corresponding action plans have been developed throughout Europe in recent years in response to the European Noise Directive 2002/49/EC (END), especially in populated cities. Recently, wireless acoustic sensor networks (WASNs) have started to serve as an alternative to static noise maps to monitor urban areas by gathering environmental noise data in real time. Several studies have analysed and categorized the different acoustic environments described in the END (e.g., traffic, industrial, leisure, etc.). However, most of them have only considered the dynamic evolution of the A-weighted equivalent noise levels L A e q over different periods of time. In order to focus on the analysis of RTN solely, this paper introduces a clustering methodology to analyse and group spectro-temporal profiles of RTN collected simultaneously across an area of interest. The experiments were conducted on two acoustic databases collected during a weekday and a weekend day through WASNs deployed in the pilot areas of the LIFE+ DYNAMAP project. The results obtained show that the clustering of RTN, based on its spectro-temporal patterns, yields different solutions on weekdays and at weekends in both environments, being larger than those found in the suburban environment and lower than the number of clusters in the urban scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The engineering properties obtainable during the construction of road pavement layers using reactive stabilising agents are traditionally determined using a trail-and-error approach based on material indicator tests, some developed more than a century ago. These tests inhibit the limitations associated with an empirically derived test or method, often leading to costly failures. The introduction of proven and applicable nanotechnologies to treat or stabilise granular material for use in pavement layers could result in the rejection of these technologies if not based on the understanding of the basic chemistry of both the stabilising agent and the mineralogy of the granular materials. This article gives a basic explanation of elementary chemistry that will affect the physical engineering properties (stresses and strains) that can be expected using available, proven and cost-effective nanotechnologies to improve granular materials for use in a pavement structure. Nanoscale organofunctional silanes have been developed, tested and successfully applied to protect stone buildings in Europe against climatic effects since the 1860s. The same nanotechnologies can also be used in pavement engineering to create strong chemical bonds between a stabilising agent and granular material. The attachment of the organofunctional silane to a material also changes the surface of the material to become hydrophobic, thereby considerably reducing future chemical weathering. These properties allow naturally available materials to be used in any pavement layer at a low risk. In the built environment, scientists soon determined that the successful use of an organo-silane depends on the type and condition of the stone to be treated. The same principles apply to the implementation of applicable nanotechnologies in pavement engineering. Understanding the basic chemistry, determining the properties of the stabilising agent and the organofunctional modifying agent and the chemical interaction with the primary and secondary minerals of the material are essential for the successful application of these technologies in pavement engineering. This paper explains some basic chemistry, which fundamentally influences engineering outputs that can be achieved using New-age (Nano) Modified Emulsions (NME) stabilising agents with naturally available granular materials in all road pavement layers below the surfacing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing the riskiness of investments in civil works is an integral part of the decision-making process. The main limitation is the absence, both in the regulatory landscape and in the literature of the sector, of threshold values that can guide the analyst in expressing an assessment on the acceptance of the investment risk. The aim of the paper is to define a risk management model that overcomes this gap by introducing acceptability and tolerability thresholds for project risk. The idea is to jointly use: (i) the As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) logic, from which the concepts threshold of acceptability and tolerability of risk derive, for the first time applied to assess the project risk in the civil field; (ii) the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) and statistical methods to define an innovative methodology for estimating the aforementioned threshold values. According to the proposed approach, these risk limit values can be specified according to both the investment sector and the socio-economic context of the project. The implementation of the methodology in the civil company sector in Europe allows to validate the described model. The elaborations show that the financial performance of the project is widely acceptable if the Expected Internal Rate of Return is greater than 7.8%; unacceptable if the expected rate of return is less than 5.6%; and tolerable as an ALARP if the expected rate is between 5.6% and 7.8%. The estimated acceptability and tolerability thresholds can provide the economic operator with a more immediate and consistent evaluation of the triangular balance of risks, costs, and benefits. This allows the decision-making process to become more rational and transparent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the dynamic growth in both the global hunger for electrical energy and the share of variable renewable energy sources in the energy mix, distribution networks are facing new challenges where conventional solutions may not be the best ones. The increase in load in distribution grids is routinely countered by network development and expansion, in a great part to supply for on-peak load demand, which could also be done by utilizing supplementary technologies to lessen the need for or defer such expansion. Vehicle-to-grid technology could efficiently contribute to handling this issue, as electric vehicles can potentially function as storage capacities to mitigate the fluctuations of power generation. The battery energy storage systems of hybrid or completely electric watercraft, which are becoming increasingly popular, are no exception, either. These vehicles represent a considerable potential to create more complex vehicle-to-grid solutions for countries with significant inland or seaport networks, for example, Hungary, with the largest lake of Central Europe. Since there is only deficient information on the topic, the main goal of this study was to explore the energy storage capacities of small electric boats in the context of Lake Balaton, Hungary. By this example, the paper presents the potential utilization of Europe's significant network of sea and inland recreational ports for the purpose of energy storage. Similarly to other European countries, Hungary's energy strategy for 2030 also includes the promotion of virtual production integration, local energy communities and micro-grid solutions. At the beginning of 2021, the small electric boats in the sailing marinas of Lake Balaton represented a cumulative energy storage capacity of 4.8 MWh, which may reach even 15.6 MWh by 2030, by the promotion of micro-grid solutions. The innovative novelty of this study is that it regards small fully electric boats not just as vehicles, but also explores their energy storage potentials. The novel goal of these examinations is to explore the volume of the energy storage potentials of the small fully electric boats around Lake Balaton, the knowledge of which may facilitate the creation of new types of flexibility services related to energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the case of prestressed concrete structures, information about the actual state of prestressing is an important basis for determining their load-carrying capacity as well as remaining service life. During the service life of the prestressed concrete structure, the initial level of prestressing is inevitably reduced as a result of the actions of various factors. These reductions of prestressing force are considered as prestress losses, which are influenced by construction stages, used materials, prestressing technology, or required length of service life. Available standards enable the determination of the expected values of prestress losses. Ultimately, their calculation is part of the design procedure of every prestressed concrete structure. However, aging and often neglected infrastructure in Europe is also exposed to factors, such as environmental distress, that are not considered in standard calculations. Therefore, verified and reliable methods for determining the actual state of prestressing are needed. This paper presents an experimental program of an indirect method for the evaluation of the value of prestressing force in seven prestressed concrete sleepers. Particularly, the non-destructive saw-cut method as a pivotal object of this study is performed and assessed. Furthermore, the Barkhausen noise technique is used as a comparative method. Subsequently, the experimental campaign is supported by the numerical analysis performed in the ATENA 3D software. Finally, the experimentally determined values of residual prestressing force are compared to the expected level of prestressing according to Eurocodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling, and simulated a people evacuation process from a tunnel in the event of a fire, for evaluating the potentialities of using, as a temporary safety measure, an emergency vehicle equipped with a micronized water system for contrasting the fire growth phase. The structure investigated is a one-way road tunnel with only natural ventilation, and with a length less than 1000 m. The tunnel is assumed at present to be affected by refurbishment works for making it comply with the minimum safety requirements of the European Directive 2004/54/EC. In particular, it is considered that it has not yet been provided with hydrants, and with the sidewalks and the emergency exit which are still under construction. This means that users are forced to use the road carriageway for escaping from the tunnel if a fire occurs. The CFD findings have shown that the use of the micronized water system might lead to a significant improvement in the environmental conditions along the escape route since the tenability limits of temperature, radiant heat flux, CO and CO2 concentration were found to be better satisfied. Additionally, the visibility distance was shown to increase, even though it was found to be higher than the acceptable threshold value only in a few cases. However, the quantitative risk analysis based on a probabilistic approach, which was combined with a method currently used in Europe for assessing the risk due to the transit of only dangerous goods, shows that the final cumulative F-N curves related to the micronized water system always lie below those without the mentioned system, and in addition, they are always contained within the limits of the ALARP region. It is to be stressed that our paper might represent a reference in showing the effectiveness of the micronized water system as a temporary safety measure. However, it is desirable that the Tunnel Management Agencies accelerate the refurbishment works for making road tunnels definitively safer for users in a short period of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain technologies are awakening in recent years the interest of different actors in various sectors and, among them, the education field, which is studying the application of these technologies to improve information traceability, accountability, and integrity, while guaranteeing its privacy, transparency, robustness, trustworthiness, and authenticity. Different interesting proposals and projects were launched and are currently being developed. Nevertheless, there are still issues not adequately addressed, such as scalability, privacy, and compliance with international regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation in Europe. This paper analyzes the application of blockchain technologies and related challenges to issue and verify educational data and proposes an innovative solution to tackle them. The proposed model supports the issuance, storage, and verification of different types of academic information, both formal and informal, and complies with applicable regulations, protecting the privacy of users' personal data. This proposal also addresses the scalability challenges and paves the way for a global academic certification system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building information modelling (BIM) is the first step towards the implementation of the industrial revolution 4.0, in which virtual reality and digital twins are key elements. At present, buildings are responsible for 40% of the energy consumption in Europe and, so, there is a growing interest in reducing their energy use. In this context, proper interoperability between BIM and building energy model (BEM) is paramount for integrating the digital world into the construction sector and, therefore, increasing competitiveness by saving costs. This paper evaluates whether there is an automated or semi-automated BIM to BEM workflow that could improve the building design process. For this purpose, a residential building and a warehouse are constructed using the same BIM authoring tool (Revit), where two open schemas were used: green building extensible markup language (gbXML) and industry foundation classes (IFC). These transfer files were imported into software compatible with the EnergyPlus engine—Design Builder, Open Studio, and CYPETHERM HE—in which simulations were performed. Our results showed that the energy models were built up to 7.50% smaller than in the BIM and with missing elements in their thermal envelope. Nevertheless, the materials were properly transferred to gbXML and IFC formats. Moreover, the simulation results revealed a huge difference in values between the models generated by the open schemas, in the range of 6 to 900 times. Overall, we conclude that there exists a semi-automated workflow from BIM to BEM which does not work well for big and complex buildings, as they present major problems when creating the energy model. Furthermore, most of the issues encountered in BEM were errors in the transfer of BIM data to gbXML and IFC files. Therefore, we emphasise the need to improve compatibility between BIM and model exchange formats by their developers, in order to promote BIM–BEM interoperability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to investigate whether and which specific, distinctive characteristics of European cycle logistics projects and the corresponding supporting policies have an impact on their economic performances in terms of profit and profitability. First, we identify project success factors by geographic area and project-specific characteristics; then, we statistically test possible dependence relationships with supporting policies and economic results. Finally, we provide a value-based identification of those characteristics and policies which more commonly lead to better economic results. This way, our work may serve as a basis for the prioritization and contextualization of those project functionalities and public policies to be implemented in a European context. We found that cycle logistics projects in Europe achieve high profit and profitability levels, and the current policies are generally working well and supporting them. We also found that profit and profitability vary across the bike model utilized: mixing cargo bikes and tricycles generates the highest profit and profitability, whilst a trailer–tricycle–cargo bike mix paves the way for high volumes and market shares. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exceeding the electric field's limit value is not allowed in the vicinity of high-voltage power lines because of both legal and safety aspects. The design parameters of the line must be chosen so that such cases do not occur. However, analysis of several operating power lines in Europe found that the electric field strength in many cases exceeds the legally prescribed limit for the general public. To illustrate this issue and its importance, field measurement and finite element simulation results of the low-frequency electric field are presented for an active 400 kV power line. The purpose of this paper is to offer a new, economical expert system based on dynamic line rating (DLR) that utilizes the potential of real-time power line monitoring methods. The article describes the expert system's strengths and benefits from both technical and financial points of view, highlighting DLR's potential for application. With our proposed expert system, it is possible to increase a power line's safety and security by ensuring that the electric field does not exceed its limit value. In this way, the authors demonstrate that DLR has other potential applications in addition to its capacity-increasing effect in the high voltage grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and extreme drought and heat events impact the Mediterranean evergreen sclerophyllous vegetation in South Europe, especially in Iberian and Italian peninsula, where widespread crown defoliation and dieback have been observed since the 90s of the XX century. Field observations and long-term experiments showed different sensitivity of the various woody species, Quercus ilex and Arbutus unedo being prone to drought, whereas Phillyrea latifolia and Pistacia lentiscus appeared to be resistant. The present review aims at exploring the phylogenetic and evolutionary basis of the resistance (or susceptibility) to drought of Mediterranean vegetation and its possible mechanisms of resilience. The main findings are summarized as follows: (1) Mediterranean regions in the world are refuge areas for several plant evolutive lineages and migratory routes. Evergreen sclerophyllous species, currently presented in Mediterranean basin, evolved under different climatic conditions; (2) the evergreen habitus represents an adaptation to mild drought conditions. Deciduous (specially summer deciduous) species are better performing under severe drought and low air relative humidity than evergreen species; (3) severe drought events acts selectively by favouring the species evolved in the Quaternary era and those originated in drier regions; (4) the evergreen trees and shrubs are resilient to the severe drought events and can restore the pre-event condition by resprouting from dormant buds in the cambium tissue. This ability is related to the non-structural carbohydrate content in the parenchyma-rays in woody stems. The amount and availability of these strategic reserve can be compromised by frequent drought events; (5) plant seed regeneration can be affected by drought and seedling establishment may be limited by soil dryness and microenvironment conditions; (6) the role of phenotypic plasticity of the species and epigenetic responses in Mediterranean-type ecosystems, although discussed in few papers, is still poorly known. We hypothesize that instead of latitudinal (South to North) or altitudinal (lowland to upland) plant migrations, Mediterranean forest ecosystems may respond to climate change by modulating their species composition and community structure with genetic resources (i.e., taxonomic diversity) already present in loco. Changes in vegetation assemblages and community structure may lead changes in ecological and landscape ecosystem values, with changes in related ecosystem services. A redefinition of management criteria of natural resources and a pro-active silviculture to make forest ecosystems more resilient are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants produce specific structures constituting barriers, hindering the penetration of pathogens, while they also produce substances inhibiting pathogen growth. These compounds are secondary metabolites, such as phenolics, terpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, resins, tannins and alkaloids. Bioactive compounds are secondary metabolites from trees and shrubs and are used in medicine, herbal medicine and cosmetology. To date, fruits and flowers of exotic trees and shrubs have been primarily used as sources of bioactive compounds. In turn, the search for new sources of bioactive compounds is currently focused on native plant species due to their availability. The application of such raw materials needs to be based on knowledge of their chemical composition, particularly health-promoting or therapeutic compounds. Research conducted to date on European trees and shrubs has been scarce. This paper presents the results of literature studies conducted to systematise the knowledge on phenolic compounds found in trees and shrubs native to central Europe. The aim of this review is to provide available information on the subject and to indicate gaps in the present knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: This work was elaborated in the frame of a collaborative innovation project named CyberFactory#1 which aims at enhancing optimization and resilience of Factories of the Future. Its outcomes will be tested and demonstrated in application to industrial use-cases provided by eight pilot factories across Europe in sectors such as aerospace system manufacturing, industrial machine fabrication, consumer electronics and textile industry. One of these use-cases is provided as an illustration of the approach in the field of Aerospace System Manufacturing. In the context of Industry 4.0, a growing use is being made of simulation-based decision-support tools commonly named Digital Twins. Digital Twins are replicas of the physical manufacturing assets, providing means for the monitoring and control of individual assets. Although extensive research on Digital Twins and their applications has been carried out, the majority of existing approaches are asset specific. Little consideration is made of human factors and interdependencies between different production assets are commonly ignored. In this paper, we address those limitations and propose innovations for cognitive modeling and co-simulation which may unleash novel uses of Digital Twins in Factories of the Future. We introduce a holistic Digital Twin approach, in which the factory is not represented by a set of separated Digital Twins but by a comprehensive modeling and simulation capacity embracing the full manufacturing process including external network dependencies. Furthermore, we introduce novel approaches for integrating models of human behavior and capacities for security testing with Digital Twins and show how the holistic Digital Twin can enable new services for the optimization and resilience of Factories of the Future. To illustrate this approach, we introduce a specific use-case implemented in field of Aerospace System Manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: Support for policymaking in electricity balancing markets. The future power system, characterized by lower inertia, reduced programmability and more distributed architecture, will depend on prompt and reliable control systems. Quick ancillary services provided by battery energy storage systems (BESS) could be a resource in order to deliver fast and precise response to frequency events. Degrees of freedom in the design of innovative products traded on ancillary services markets give the asset manager room for developing state-of-charge (SoC) restoration mechanisms. These are necessary to effectively exploit BESS as key resources for electricity balancing. This study compares the main SoC restoration strategies. It aims to define which ones are suitable for guaranteeing the reliability of the provision and the return on the investment. A robust regulatory framework analysis describes the degrees of freedom guaranteed by the main experiences around Europe. In this paper, a BESS model with variable efficiency is used to compare the provision of Frequency Containment Reserve (FCR) with different SoC restoration strategies exploiting one or more degrees of freedom. Here, we show that the degrees of freedom are key to the reliability of provision. Among most diffused mechanisms, dead-band strategies secure the desired consistency, but require large energy flows for SoC management. Thus, BESS life and economics decrease. The strategies based on minimum available energy guarantee assured reliability while being fair with BESS life and operation costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, many efforts have been invested in the cultural heritage digitization: surveying, modelling, diagnostic analysis and historic data collection. Nowadays, this effort is finalized in many cases towards historical building information modelling (HBIM). However, the architecture, engineering, construction and facility management (AEC-FM) domain is very fragmented and many experts operating with different data types and models are involved in HBIM projects. This prevents effective communication and sharing of the results not only among different professionals but also among different projects. Semantic web tools may significantly contribute in facilitating sharing, connection and integration of data provided in different domains and projects. The paper describes this aspect specifically focusing on managing the information and models acquired on the case of vaulted systems. Information is collected within a semantic based hub platform to perform cross correlation. Such functionality allows the reconstructing of the rich history of the construction techniques and skilled workers across Europe. To this purpose an ontology-based vaults database has been undertaken and an example of its implementation is presented. The developed ontology-based vaults database is a database that makes uses of a set of ontologies to effectively combine data and information from multiple heterogeneous sources. The defined ontologies provide a high-level schema of a data source and provides a vocabulary for user queries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the moment, many engineer-to-order manufacturers are under pressure, the overcapacity in many sectors erodes prices and many companies, especially in Europe have gone into recent years in bankruptcy. Due to the increasing competition as well as the new customer requirements, the internal processes of an ETO company play an essential role in order to achieve a unique selling proposition (USP). Therefore this paper exposes how the production planning and control of an engineer-to-order manufacturer can be designed in order to increase its OTD (order-to-delivery) rate as well as decrease the WIP (work-in-progress) and the production lead times. To prove the optimized planning logic, it was applied in a simulation case study and based on the results; the conclusions about its potential are derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From a legislators point of view, the contribution of natural sources to PM10 loads is relevant since their impact can be subtracted from the daily limit value of PM10 as regulated in a working staff paper by the European Commission (EC), supporting the European Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC). This work investigates its applicability for two stations in Austria over a time period of six years (2013 to 2018), as the occurrence of long-range transport of desert dust is observed on a regular base. Different stations and different statistical parameters were evaluated to determine the regional background load and subsequently the net dust load (NDL). Results reveal an adapted approach of the methodology described by the EC, using the +/− 15-day mean average of the PM10 at the regional background station, together with threshold criteria to identify only desert dust affected days. The results of calculated NDLs were in good agreement with crustal loads determined on filter samples during two desert dust events in 2016. Thus, the application of the EC method for a region in Central Europe, which experiences a regular but less pronounced impact of desert dust than stations in the Mediterranean, is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ornamental nursery industry is steadily growing in Europe, and a consequent increase in the demand for substrates related to container plant cultivations is expected in the coming years. Currently, substrates consist in part or entirely of peat, a non-renewable resource with concerns about its environmental impact due to extraction, transport, and use. Therefore, it is essential to focus on alternative materials, particularly waste by-products to be recycled as components of substrates to achieve more sustainable cultivations. In this study, substrates obtained by mixing co-composted dredged sediments (S) and green waste (GW) in different ratios (1:3; 1:1; 3:1) were tested for cultivation, and plant growth was compared with a control growing media (peat and pumice in a 1:1 ratio). The cultivation trial lasted for one year and was carried out on two potted ornamental evergreen shrubs (Photinia × fraseri and Viburnum tinus). The results showed that the plant growth parameters of both species, occurring in substrates with co-composted materials, were not significantly affected compared to the control, with the exception of below-ground biomass in V. tinus. Moreover, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis was carried out to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) deriving from the replacement of peat with the other proposed substrates. The functional unit was 10 L (Ø 24 cm) potted plants and the results were expressed in kg of CO2 equivalent (kg CO2eq). We demonstrated that the replacement of peat-based substrates with the alternative substrates was able to reduce the GHG emission by an average of 11.56 to 23.13%. Higher GHG emissions were related to the cultivation phase (0.9 kg CO2eq/plant), and while comparing substrates, we obtained an average percentage reduction of 28.1% to 59.6%. Thus, our results suggest that co-composted mixtures of dredged sediments with green waste could be used as sustainable techno-soils for pot nursery cultivation of ornamental species with reduced environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dry Mediterranean climate (BShs) within a warm semi-arid climate (BSh) is the zone in Europe with the most annual hours of sunlight, and it has a smaller annual temperature variation than most climates. This allows the greenhouse effect caused by windows to be used to heat dwellings in winter. Balcony frameless retractable glazing systems known as "glass curtain" systems offer the highest proportion of glass and maximum openness in the façade, allowing for maximum sunlight and ventilation. This work studies a glazed terrace with a "glass curtain" in a dwelling on the Spanish Mediterranean coastline. The objective is to quantitatively determine the enhancement of the thermal comfort and energy efficiency of a dwelling using "glass curtain" systems. The modification of several design parameters of the glazed terrace is also analysed. The novelty of this study lies in demonstrating that the use and optimised design of "glass curtain" systems allows us to obtain nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEBs) and thermally comfortable dwellings all year round. The research methods include a comparison of the current thermal performance of the dwelling with and without a "glass curtain" system via on-site measurements. The study also evaluates the influence of modifying design parameters using computer simulations. The results show that "glass curtain" systems increase the indoor temperatures inside the dwelling by about 4 °C in winter and reduce the annual indoor thermal oscillation from more than 16 °C to only 10 °C. Consequently, such systems reduce heating energy needs by almost 60%. Glazed terraces using the proposed design parameters show further improvement regarding thermal comfort and practically eliminate heating and cooling needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air transport is considered to be the safest mode of mass transportation. Air traffic management (ATM) systems constitute one of the fundamental pillars that contribute to these high levels of safety. In this paper we wish to answer two questions: (i) What is the underlying safety level of ATM systems in Europe? and (ii) What is the dispersion, that is, how far does each ATM service provider deviate from this underlying safety level? To do this, we develop four hierarchical Bayesian inference models that allow us to infer and predict the common rate of occurrence of SMIs, as well as the specific rates of occurrence for each air navigation service provider (ANSP). This study shows the usefulness of hierarchical structures when it comes to obtaining parameters that enable risk to be quantified effectively. The models developed have been found to be useful in explaining and predicting the safety performance of 29 European ATM systems with common regulations and work procedures, but with different circumstances and numbers of aircraft, each managing traffic of differing complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2030 climate and energy framework includes EU-wide targets and policy objectives for the period 2021–2030 of (1) at least 55% cuts in greenhouse gas emissions (from 1990 levels); (2) at least 32% share for renewable energy; and (3) at least 32.5% improvement in energy efficiency. In this context, the methodology of the cost-optimal level from the life-cycle cost approach has been applied to calculate the cost of renovating the existing building stock in Europe. The aim of this research is to analyze a pilot building using the cost-optimal methodology to determine the renovation measures that lead to the lowest life-cycle cost during the estimated economic life of the building. The case under study is an apartment building located in a mild Mediterranean climate (Castellon, SP). A package of 12 optimal solutions has been obtained to show the importance of the choice of the elements and systems for renovating building envelopes and how energy and economic aspects influence this choice. Simulations have shown that these packages of optimal solutions (different configurations for the building envelope, thermal bridges, airtightness and ventilation, and domestic hot water production systems) can provide savings in the primary energy consumption of up to 60%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The results of the research should help in the application of wheat with a transitional (marbled) type of endosperm texture as a raw material for brewing purposes. Wheat of medium hardness with marbled endosperm (transitional form between hard and soft wheat) in which glassy and floury zones alternate, form almost exclusively available assortment for brewing needs in Southeastern Europe. The aim of this work is to establish the influence of the grain texture and the degree of milling on the attenuation limit of wheat wort obtained from this type of wheat. Wheat worts using hard, soft transitional, or marbled endosperm texture were produced. The indicators of proteolysis, cytolysis, and amylolysis were determined, with regard to the parameter attenuation limit (AL) or fermentability. From the results for the tested parameters, it was established that despite similar starting values for the most important quality parameters, transitional wheat produces significantly different wort, both among themselves and in comparison with hard and soft wheat, and also when looking at the results for different milling degree (fine or coarse). The obtained values for the attenuation limit for transition wheat are similar or even better when compared to soft wheat, with satisfactory values for almost all examined quality parameters of wort. It can be concluded that a transitional type of wheat can be used just as well as unmalted raw material for the production of wort, as well as a raw material for malting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four ferrous objects, a winch, a heart-shaped shackle, a deadeye strap with a futtock plate, and a stud-link chain controller, that were retrieved from the Akko Tower shipwreck were studied by different methods, including conventional metallography, light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy, optical emission spectroscopy, microhardness measurements, and the novel field multi-focal metallography (FMM), in order to determine their composition, microstructure, and manufacturing methods. The results of FMM agree well with conventional destructive metallography. The winch drum was made of grey cast iron and its shaft was wrought iron; the heart-shaped shackle and the deadeye strap with a futtock plate were wrought iron; and the stud-link chain controller was grey cast iron similar in composition and microstructure to the winch. All the wrought iron items revealed a similar composition and microstructure. Based on the composition, microstructure, and manufacturing processes of the four items, it is suggested that they were manufactured in the mid-nineteenth century. The high quality of these items indicates that they were produced using controlled processes, probably in the same workshop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 2010s, various national and pan-European public infrastructures have been emerging around aggregation, viewing, and 3D heritage model collection. The purpose of this article is to focus on the current state and ecosystem for 3D models in Europe through (a) a review of published studies on users, objects, and demands (b) and an overview of the ecosystem for 3D heritage data. As part of the German distributed infrastructure, the DFG 3D Viewer Jena experimental repository serves as a testbed for technology prototyping and testing. Based on the findings of the European ecosystem, we used this repository to test a prototypic approach to (c) acquiring 3D data from multiple sources, (d) enriching data quality, and (e) enabling indexing, searching, and viewing functionalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The largest human organ, the skin, serves a variety of essential functions including protection, preservation of water and electrolytes, regulation of body temperature, and fat storage. Its maintenance and preservation are supported by cosmetic products, whose functions include cleaning, protection, and modulation. The market for these products is predicted to increase from 100.13 billion USD in 2021 to 145.82 billion USD in 2028. Recently, it has been suggested that grape by-products (totalling 14.5 million tons per year just in Europe) has a great potential to be used in the creation of new cosmetic products. In this regard, this article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge regarding the bioactive compounds in grape pomace, the advantages of applying them to the skin, and the main cosmetic products already on the market incorporating these bioactives. Most of these compounds are derived from the Vitis vinifera L. species, and exhibit several biological properties, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, inhibition of skin degrading enzymes, protection from UVA damage, increased cell viability, and skin whitening effect. On the other hand, nanoencapsulation techniques can provide a significant improvement in the stability of grape-derived bioactive compounds, in particular of resveratrol, and this issue is also addressed in a critical manner in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicle integrated photovoltaics (VIPV) are among the identified solutions to reduce the environmental impacts of the transport sector. The model developed here simulates the VIPV system. It considers various usage patterns and vehicle types, several characteristics of the photovoltaic system and all the losses that may decrease energy yield. Focusing on a passenger car, simulations indicate the order of influence of the parameters on the outputs of the model: geographic locality, shading, thresholds due to extra-consumption needed to charge the vehicle's battery from the photovoltaic (PV) system and occurrence of recharge with the grid. With technology projections for 2030, with 30% shading, VIPV will cover a distance of up to 1444 km per year. This represents up to 12% of the driven mileage. For the best month, it can reach up to 14 km/day. For average Europe and realistic conditions, VIPV cover 648 km per year. Life cycle assessment (LCA) of a solarized passenger car shows a negative balance for a low-carbon electricity mix and average solar irradiance. In favorable conditions, the carbon footprint is up to 489 kg of CO2-equivalent avoided emissions on a 13-year lifespan. Beyond the focus on km and LCA, VIPV may provide useful functions in non-interconnected zones and for resilience in disaster areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main problem with counting vehicles in rest areas in Europe and America is the overflowing of parking lots in the rest areas. Thus it is impossible to count parked vehicles with traditional, direct methods, which use cameras and Lidar (light detection and ranging) to detect the presence of vehicles in individual parking spots. The solution to this problem may be an indirect method which uses cameras to count the vehicles entering and leaving the rest area and which sorts the vehicles into categories. This article introduces a method for determining car park occupancy in rest areas using indirect measurement and evaluates the uncertainty of this method for determining the occupancy. This indirect method counts the vehicles entering and leaving the car park and sorts the vehicles into categories. The difference between the number of vehicles that entered and the number of vehicles that left in a given time gives the number of vehicles occupying the car park, i.e., the parking space demand for a given time. This demand will vary over time. In order to register the vehicles entering and leaving, mains-free supply video cameras were installed next to the entrance and exit. The counting and categorizing could be conducted organoleptically, semi-automatically, or using an image computer analysis using artificial intelligence networks. Because the difference between the number of vehicles entering and leaving is calculated over a long period, a relative error (regarding car park capacity) might be grave even when the counting errors are minor. The authors will show how the certainty of this indirect counting method can be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of SCC in Europe began in the 1990s and was mainly promoted by the precast industry. Precast companies generally prefer high early-strength concrete mixtures to accelerate their production rate, reducing the demoulding time. From a materials science point of view, self-compacting and high early-strength concrete mixes may be challenging because they present contradicting mixture design requirements. For example, a low water/binder ratio (w/b) is key to achieving high early strength. However, it may impact the self-compacting ability, which is very sensitive to Vw/Vp. As such, the mixture design can be complex. The design of the experimental approach is a powerful tool for designing, predicting, and optimising advanced cement-based materials when several constituent materials are employed and multi-performance requirements are targeted. The current work aimed at fitting models to mathematically describe the flow ability, viscosity, and mechanical strength properties of high-performance self-compacting cement-based mortars based on a central composite design. The statistical fitted models revealed that Vs/Vm exhibited the strongest (negative) effect on the slump-flow diameter and T-funnel time. Vw/Vp showed the most significant effect on mechanical strength. Models were then used for mortar optimisation. The proposed optimal mixture represents the best compromise between self-compacting ability—a flow diameter of 250 mm and funnel time equal to 10 s—and compressive strength higher than 50 MPa at 24 h without any special curing treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chestnut tree (Castanea sativa, Mill.) is a widespread plant in Europe whose fruits and wood has a relevant economic impact. Chestnut wood (CW) is rich in high-value compounds that exhibit various biological activities, such as antioxidant as well as anticarcinogenic and antimicrobial properties. These metabolites can be mainly divided into monomeric polyphenols and tannins. In this piece of work, we investigated a sustainable protocol to isolate enriched fractions of the above-mentioned compounds from CW residues. Specifically, a sequential extraction protocol, using subcritical water, was used as a pre-fractionation step, recovering approximately 88% of tannins and 40% of monomeric polyphenols in the first and second steps, respectively. The optimized protocol was also tested at pre-industrial levels, treating up to 13.5 kg CW and 160 L of solution with encouraging results. Ultra- and nanofiltrations were used to further enrich the recovered fractions, achieving more than 98% of the tannin content in the heavy fraction, whilst the removed permeate achieved up to 752.71 mg GAE/gext after the concentration (75.3%). Samples were characterized by means of total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity (DPPH· and ABTS·), and tannin composition (hydrolysable and condensed). In addition, LC-MS-DAD was used for semiqualitative purposes to detect vescalagin/castalagin and vescalin/castalin, as well as gallic acid and ellagic acid. The developed valorization protocol allows the efficient fractionation and recovery of the major polyphenolic components of CW with a sustainable approach that also evaluates pre-industrial scaling-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the important environmental impacts produced by the road transport network during all its life cycle stages, a set of measurements to include sustainable principles have been identified between 1997–2021, analysed and mapped by applying SciMAT and VOSviewer. The results have shown the predominance of issues which analyse the life cycle assessment of road infrastructures in its both environmental and economic dimension as a way to mitigate their effects on climate change, including the reduction of resources and energy consumption, or of energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions during the construction and operation stages, respectively. However, the incorporation of the social life cycle assessment dimension, their adaptation to climate change, and the use of smart roads are still in an early stage. Therefore, efforts to include these issues are necessary to address their design according to the resilience concept and ensuring a cleaner and more competitive and climate-neutral Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobility needs, expectations, and concerns vary across age groups and are closely linked to users' views on the future of the road transport system. Automated vehicles are expected to have a significant impact on the future of the road transport system, and pilot deployments are increasingly being tested in Europe and beyond, which is also thanks to the evolving regulatory landscape. As a result, several studies have started to analyse citizens' attitudes towards this technology. However, very few studies have focused on teenagers' views on automated vehicles, although today's children and teenagers could be among the first users of such vehicles. Studying teenagers and the way they envisage automated vehicles in the future is of particular significance in defining transport planning strategies and supporting upcoming policy orientations. To cover this gap, the present study aims to explore teenagers' views about automated vehicles and whether and how they could fit into their future transport setting. A series of on-line and face-to-face focus groups, a demonstration of an automated vehicle prototype, supporting engagement activities, and a post-pre survey were used to collect their views on the topic. The results show that even though the teenagers acknowledged the potential advantages, they also expressed concerns in relation to the interactions with other road users, to automated driving systems' reliability, to safety, and to data privacy. In particular, these safety concerns revealed an unwillingness on the part of the teenagers to be among the first users of automated vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a rapid increase in government efforts to expand electric vehicle markets by deploying fast-charging stations, promoting uptake through greater investment, and by enacting supportive policies. Government support and private investment have contributed to the expansion of electric vehicles in many countries. The aim of this study is to highlight and analyze the most critical aspects of the expansion of the electric vehicle market, regarding technologies, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, opportunities, and barriers in Europe. Our study analyzes the progress of electric vehicles by reviewing recent literature based on technology, policy, and government measurements. This study provides comprehensive information on electric vehicles and perspectives that are critical to policymakers, car manufacturers, consumers, and the community. To achieve favorable results, governments should invest in developing electric vehicles and battery technologies, provide subsidies, and develop charging infrastructure. Furthermore, by analyzing current EV sales in ten countries around the world, we assess the operating costs of electric vehicles. Overall EV cost of ownership is influenced by grid electricity price, cost of financing, location, carbon tax, wind speed, and solar insolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: This study carried out an analysis of conditions for recycling plastic film for greenhouse/tunnel covers and soil mulching after contact with agrochemicals. First conclusions were reached about possible techniques for reducing the loss of mechanical properties of agricultural plastic waste, contaminated by the contact with agrochemicals employed for crop protection. Plastic films used for crop protection have reached notable consumption all over Europe, as well as in the rest of the world. This phenomenon however poses a serious environmental problem connected with the impact on the sustainability of agricultural production and relevant plastic footprint. Mechanical recycling of agricultural plastics is a common technique, but limited by many factors, as the loss of mechanical properties of plastic film. This phenomenon, due to its ageing after being exposed to natural weather conditions, plays a crucial role, especially when aggravated by contamination with agrochemicals ordinarily used for crop health and pest management. This article reports the result of some laboratory tests on agricultural plastic film, artificially aged for different periods and contaminated with two different agrochemicals (anti-aphid or fungicide). These results show that the impact of agrochemicals on plastic film is considerable, since it worsens the ageing process of the plastic film, conducting a more rapid reduction in its mechanical properties—mostly, a faster reduction in the elongation at break below 50% of the corresponding value of the virgin plastic film. This phenomenon, other than reducing the working life of the plastic film, gives it a low potential for being transformed into a closed-loop recycled material when entering the recycling stage. The increase in the value of the detected Carbonyl Index (CI) confirms the tendency of the material to degrade rapidly when in contact with agrochemicals, hence indicating that it may be impossible to mechanically recycle it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The application of the proposed optimization algorithms into the control system of electric vehicle charging stations with photovoltaic panels can help reduce the negative impact of their charging on local grid infrastructure and thus enable the building of new charging stations even in the weaker part of the network, e.g., in rural areas and so help to the faster deployment of electric vehicles. Recent events in Europe show the necessity of speeding up the transition to local renewable energy sources utilization within countries' power systems. Moreover, the share of electric vehicles is gradually increasing within the Europe market. To utilize renewable energy sources with intermittent character to supply power for this increasing demand for electric vehicle charging, the vehicle-to-grid concept must be applied. However, for this concept to be successful, it should be beneficial for electric vehicle drivers and charging station operators. As a result, the focus of this research is on developing a charging/discharging control algorithm that adheres to the above assumptions. The use of the proposed control mechanism in case studies demonstrates that if electric vehicle drivers declare their preferences truthfully, the social welfare of all participants can be maximized. To prevent one of the drivers from trying to disrupt the social welfare concept in their favor by reporting false preferences, the incentive mechanism is proposed as well. The case studies show that the incentive mechanism results in the increased cost of the participant trying to disrupt the social welfare while decreasing the cost of all the others. Therefore, truth-telling and thus maximizing the social welfare of all participants in the system is an optimal strategy for each of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: Key conclusions and recommendations are proposed to enlighten decision makers in view of the next regulations on vehicle emissions in Europe and worldwide through the synergistic contexts of air quality and climate change. Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a pollutant of concern not only because of its adverse effects on human health but also on visibility and the radiative budget of the atmosphere. PM can be considered as a sum of solid/liquid species covering a wide range of particle sizes with diverse chemical composition. Organic aerosols may be emitted (primary organic aerosols, POA), or formed in the atmosphere following reaction of volatile organic compounds (secondary organic aerosols, SOA), but some of these compounds may partition between the gas and aerosol phases depending upon ambient conditions. This review focuses on carbonaceous PM and gaseous precursors emitted by road traffic, including ultrafine particles (UFP) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are clearly linked to the evolution and formation of carbonaceous species. Clearly, the solid fraction of PM has been reduced during the last two decades, with the implementation of after-treatment systems abating approximately 99% of primary solid particle mass concentrations. However, the role of brown carbon and its radiative effect on climate and the generation of ultrafine particles by nucleation of organic vapour during the dilution of the exhaust remain unclear phenomena and will need further investigation. The increasing role of gasoline vehicles on carbonaceous particle emissions and formation is also highlighted, particularly through the chemical and thermodynamic evolution of organic gases and their propensity to produce particles. The remaining carbon-containing particles from brakes, tyres and road wear will still be a problem even in a future of full electrification of the vehicle fleet. Some key conclusions and recommendations are also proposed to support the decision makers in view of the next regulations on vehicle emissions worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]