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This study explores the relation between risk of job automation and participation in adult education and training (AET) and examines variation in that relation across welfare regimes distinguishing between situational and institutional barriers. Using microdata of PIAAC, we analyze participation in formal or nonformal AET for job-related reasons in relation to the risk of automation of the respondents' occupation after controlling for main sociodemographic characteristics. Logistic regression models are run on respondents from 14 European countries representing different welfare regimes: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (Scandinavian countries); Italy, Greece, and Spain (Southern European); Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland (Central and Eastern Europe), Belgium, France, and Germany (Continental); and United Kingdom and Ireland (Anglo-Saxon countries). Our findings confirm that workers in occupations at high risk of automation were found to be consistently less likely to participate in job-related AET, quite irrespective of welfare regime. [The paper was presented at XIII Conferenza Espanet Italia--Il welfare state di fronte alle sfide globali (Venezia, 17 September 2020).]

The present work concerns the development of a technique for activity determination of 68Ge/68Ga and 57Co disused radioactive sources. This technique aims to determine the activity of these sources by measuring and Monte Carlo simulation using the MCNPX code. Therefore, efficiency calibrations of the 3 x 3 NaI(Tl) detector for specific source geometries were carried out. Spectrums for two types of disused radioactive sources were collected for different measurement times. The characteristic gamma rays of a flood source containing 57Co and a line source containing 68Ge/68Ga, were used. In case of 68Ge/68Ga, the annihilation peak of 511 keV was also used considering the disused radioactive sources as a positron emitter. Sources of the mentioned types with certified nominal activities were used to validate MCNPX models. For the 57Co source, 15 minutes measuring time was adequate for activity determination, and 2 hours measuring time provided adequate sensitivity, at the level of general clearance. For 68Ge/68Ga line source, 15 minutes measurement was adequate for activity determination by using the 511 keV from the annihilation of 1899.1 keV positrons.

The atmospheric concentrations of seventeen elements were measured in air filters at the Finnish Meteorological Institute station in Helsinki, Finland, during a period of 44 years (1962–2005). The mean annual concentrations were calculated and are presented from the lowest values to the highest ones Cr < Ni < Ti < Br < V < Mn < Cu < Zn < Cl < Al < Fe < K < Ca < Na < Pb < Si < S. Most of the elements (Fe, Si, Ti, K, Ca, Zn, Br, Pb, V, Ni, S, Cr, Na, Al, and Cl) present higher values during spring and winter season, while in summer the elements (Ti, Ca, S, and Na) are found in higher concentrationsdue to the weather conditions across seasons and the sources and emissions of air pollutants. There is a strong correlation between the elements (V-Ni, Si-Pb, Fe-Ca, V-Cr, Si-K, K-Ca, Fe-Ti, K-Na, Si-Ca, and V-S), indicating their common source. The identification of the sources of trace elements was performed based on positive matrix factorization analysis, using SoFi software. Four Suspended Particulate Matter (PM) sources were identified: road dust (due to usage of leaded fuel), heavy oil combustion/secondary sulfates, traffic emissions, and natural dust (soil). For the total of 44 years studied, significant decreases in concentrations were observed for all elements, most of which were over 50%: Na (−74%), Al (−86%), Si (−88%), S (−82%), K (−82%), Ca (−89%), Ti (−80%), V (−89%), Cr (−82%), Mn (−77%), Fe (−77%), Ni (−61%), Zn (−72%), and Pb (−95%). In general, a significant decline has been observed in the majority of the elemental concentrations since the end of the 1970s, underlying the effectiveness of different environmental policies that have been applied during the last few decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the ongoing development towards a knowledge-based society--associated with globalization, an aging population, new technologies and organizational changes--has led to a more intensive analysis of education and learning throughout life with regard to quantitative, qualitative and financial aspects. In this framework, education policy is no longer merely an affair of the nation state; on the contrary, a range of significant actors (international, supranational and non-governmental organizations) play an important role in policy formation and construct a transnational educational space. In a research project being carried out at the University of Tubingen, the education policy initiatives of an international (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD]) and supranational (European Union [EU]) organization concerning the concept of lifelong learning are being examined with emphasis on its implementation into national forms of monitoring and reporting systems. A part of the study concerns issues regarding the influence of the OECD and EU on national policy formation and their managing capacity. This article focuses on the emergence of new governance instruments used by the OECD and EU in the transnational educational space, their characteristics and their impacts, applying, as a conceptual tool, Willke's analytical distinction of regulative media into power, money and knowledge. (Contains 2 notes.)

Copyright of Nuclear Technology & Radiation Protection is the property of Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study explores the relation between risk of job automation and participation in adult education and training (AET) and examines variation in that relation across welfare regimes distinguishing between situational and institutional barriers. Using microdata of PIAAC, we analyze participation in formal or nonformal AET for job-related reasons in relation to the risk of automation of the respondents' occupation after controlling for main sociodemographic characteristics. Logistic regression models are run on respondents from 14 European countries representing different welfare regimes: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (Scandinavian countries); Italy, Greece, and Spain (Southern European); Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland (Central and Eastern Europe), Belgium, France, and Germany (Continental); and United Kingdom and Ireland (Anglo-Saxon countries). Our findings confirm that workers in occupations at high risk of automation were found to be consistently less likely to participate in job-related AET, quite irrespective of welfare regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studies in Adult Education & Learning / Andragoška Spoznanja is the property of Andragoska Spoznanja and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article is a cartography of the adult and continuing education system in Cyprus, reflecting the panorama of initiatives developed in the past five years primarily by government agencies, in an attempt to highlight key challenges for the future in the context of an European area of lifelong learning. It is based on findings from a survey conducted in 2013 that explored issues regarding educational institutions offering adult education and continuing vocational training, provision of adult education, participation of adult learners in educational activities, and the professional profile of adult educators. This article, by offering an orientation into the system of adult education and training in Cyprus, seeks to identify areas of improvement, key challenges for the future, and provide the basis for further systematic research in the area. In doing this, it takes into account current international comparative research on typologies of adult education systems and their impact on provision and participation. The examination of the case of Cyprus highlights the interconnectedness of adult and continuing education with historical, cultural, and socio-political aspects and the influence of the public policy framework on provision and participation in adult education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activity concentrations of238U and234U have been determined in groundwater samples in the Thermi-Vasilika region, northern Greece. The analysis was performed by alpha spectrometry after pre-concentration and separation of uranium by cation exchange and finally its electrodeposition on stainless steel discs. The obtained isotopic ratio234U/238U varies between 0.95 and 3.50 and is correlated with the different aquifer types and water flow paths in the study area. Lower values (up to 1.10) are located in the shallow porous aquifer indicating younger waters. Moderate values of the activity ratio characterise the deeper porous aquifer as well as the fissured rock aquifer (1.5–2.05). The geothermal spring illustrates the highest activity ratio (3.5) due to older water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The activity size distributions of the natural radionuclide tracer 7Be in different size range fractions (<0.39 μm, 0.39–0.69 μm, 0.69–1.3 μm, 1.3–2.1 μm, 2.1–4.2 μm, 4.2–10.2 μm and >10.2 μm) were determined in the boreal atmosphere in the Arctic Research Centre of the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) at Sodankylä, Finland (67°22′ N, 26°38′ E, 180 m asl). The activity median aerodynamic diameter (AMAD) ranged from 0.54 μm to 1.05 μm (average 0.83 μm). A residence time of about 8 days applies to aerosols of 0.83 μm diameter, representing the residence of aerosol particles in arctic environment. The observed positive correlation between AMAD values and RH% can be explained by the fact that condensation during high relative humidity conditions becomes more intense, resulting in increased particle sizes of atmospheric aerosols. However, greater aerosol particle sizes means higher wet scavenging rate of aerosols and as a result lower activity concentration of 7Be in the atmosphere, explaining the anti-correlation between the AMAD values and activity concentrations of 7Be. But this associated with possibly higher scavenging rates of aerosols does not necessarily alone explain the anti-correlation between the AMAD and the 7Be activities. The air mass origin associated with synoptic scale weather phenomena may contribute to that too. The Flextra model was used to assess the transport pattern and to explain the deviation in radionuclide activity concentrations and AMAD values observed in the site of investigation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The activity size distributions of 7Be aerosols in different size fractions (<0.39 μm, 0.39–0.69 μm, 0.69–1.3 μm, 1.3–2.1 μm, 2.1–4.2 μm, 4.2–10.2 μm and >10.2 μm) were determined at the city of Thessaloniki, Greece, Eastern Mediterranean. The Activity Median Aerodynamic Diameter (AMAD) values ranged from 0.58 to 1.22 μm while more of the 80% of the 7Be activity was associated with particles smaller than 1.3 μm. Sea salt aerosol particles were defined in a small size range, lower than 0.39 μm. Field measurements at a coastal location allow the estimation of 7Be deposition on the sea. Since the 7Be aerosol particles were mainly below 1 μm, scavenging by precipitation was the main process depositing 7Be on the sea. Acting as an excellent tracer, 7Be could be used for determination of the deposition of the trace metals on the sea, since they are expected to be deposited at similar rate by wet and dry deposition processes as the 7Be. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The activity size distributions of the natural radionuclide tracer 7Be and associated trace metals in different inhalable fractions (<0.39μm, 0.391–0.69μm, 0.69–1.3μm, 1.3–2.1μm, 2.1–4.2μm, 4.2–10.2μm and >10.2μm) were determined in a typical traffic-affected urban site in the center of the city of Thessaloniki, Greece, over a seven month period (June’09–January’10). The activity median aerodynamic diameter (AMAD) ranged from 0.58 to 1.22μm (avg 0.80μm), indicating post-condensation growth either in the upper atmosphere or after mixing in the boundary layer. It was shown that more than 80% of the 7Be activity was associated with particles smaller than 1.3μm. The AMAD values are anticorrelated with 7Be activities, while they are correlated with RH% with high confidence (R =0.92, p <0.00813). The composition of the associated particles is basically Ca, Si and S. Among the heavy metals determined, Fe is the most abundant, followed by Cu. Minor amounts of Pb, Cr, Ni are presented in coarse size ranges. The amount of Fe increased with decreasing particle size, displaying positive correlation with AMAD of 7Be in case of strong wind from NW direction and indicating the transport of pollutted air from the industrial area of the city of Thessaloniki. The measured distributions are believed to result from a combination of processes including local anthropogenic and natural sources, such as traffic, industrial emissions and resuspension of road dust. However, the local meteorological conditions seem to affect the final activity size distribution of 7Be and their associated trace element distributions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Moss biomonitoring is a widely used technique for monitoring the accumulation of trace elements in airborne pollution. A total of one hundred and five samples, mainly of the Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw. moss species, were collected from the Northern Greece during the 2015/2016 European ICP Vegetation (International Cooperative Program on Effects of Air Pollution on Natural Vegetation and Crops) moss survey, which also included samples from the metalipherous area of Skouries. They were analyzed by means of neutron activation analysis, and the elemental concentrations were determined. A positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was applied to the results obtained for source apportionment. According to the PMF model, five sources were identified: soil dust, aged sea salt, road dust, lignite power plants, and a Mn-rich source. The soil dust source contributed the most to almost all samples (46% of elemental concentrations, on average). Two areas with significant impact from anthropogenic activities were identified. In West Macedonia, the emissions from a lignite power plant complex located in the area have caused high concentrations of Ni, V, Cr, and Co. The second most impacted area was Skouries, where mining activities and vehicular traffic (probably related to the mining operations) led to high concentrations of Mn, Ni, V, Co, Sb, and Cr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the ongoing development towards a knowledge-based society - associated with globalization, an aging population, new technologies and organizational changes - has led to a more intensive analysis of education and learning throughout life with regard to quantitative, qualitative and financial aspects. In this framework, education policy is no longer merely an affair of the nation state; on the contrary, a range of significant actors (international, supranational and non-governmental organizations) play an important role in policy formation and construct a transnational educational space. In a research project being carried out at the University of Tübingen, the education policy initiatives of an international (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD]) and supranational (European Union [EU]) organization concerning the concept of lifelong learning are being examined with emphasis on its implementation into national forms of monitoring and reporting systems. A part of the study concerns issues regarding the influence of the OECD and EU on national policy formation and their managing capacity. This article focuses on the emergence of new governance instruments used by the OECD and EU in the transnational educational space, their characteristics and their impacts, applying, as a conceptual tool, Willke's analytical distinction of regulative media into power, money and knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, we present a complex case study of concurrent stratosphere-to-troposphere transport (STT) events down to the surface of a low topography region in Northern Greece, which occurred in spring 2000. Two surface stations at Livadi (850masl) and Thessaloniki (20masl) were influenced by intrusions of stratospheric air masses that persisted for a time period from 7 to 10 days within the troposphere before reaching the stations. Before reaching the surface stations in Greece, the air masses crossed the tropopause in different synoptic systems over Eastern Europe, N. America and the N. Atlantic. This is the first study, to our knowledge, that presents a down to the surface STT event in the Eastern Mediterranean. Observational evidence comes mainly from surface measurements of ozone rising by about 20ppbv and the cosmogenic radionuclide 7Be exceeding 9mBqm−3. Trajectory analyses, in conjunction with the evolution of the synoptic situation, were used to identify the stratospheric intrusions most likely to have impacted the surface sites and to estimate the volume fraction of surface air that has been transported from the stratosphere. The latter presented a maximum of 5.2% and allowed the investigation of the response of both ozone and 7Be to the presence of stratospheric air down to the surface. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nitrate pollution of surface and groundwater resources is a major worldwide environmental problem. In this study nitrogen isotopes of water, soil, fertilizer and manure were analyzed to determine the pollution sources of nitrate in the groundwater and surface waters of Anthemountas basin. The SIAR model and multivariate statistical analysis were used to determine and quantify the contribution of different NO 3 ̄ sources in groundwater and surface water. Additionally, a detailed literature overview was carried out to identify the origin of nitrate pollution in surface and ground waters based on ΝΟ 3 − isotopes. The Piper diagram identified the dominant water types as Mg-Ca-HCO 3 and Ca-Mg-HCO 3. Nitrate concentrations reached 162.0 mg/L in groundwater and 39.0 mg/L in surface waters. The main source of nitrate in groundwater was mainly nitrified ammonium-based synthetic urea and less nitrate-based synthetic fertilizers. The correlation of SIAR results with other trace elements revealed a negative correlation between hexavalent chromium and a) nitrate-based synthetic fertilizers, and b) nitrification of urea synthetic fertilizers. However, a positive correlation was observed between hexavalent chromium and anthropogenic organic matter. The literature overview provided the basis to design a novel management protocol for nitrate pollution that includes three steps: a) fundamental research, b) management tools, c) monitoring and preservation actions. However, an integrated management protocol for nitrate pollution requires a deeper understanding of the hydro-system and the full participation of local farmers and stakeholders. Unlabelled Image • Nitrate concentrations in groundwater reach 162.0 mg/L in the study area. • Nitrate pollution mainly originates from synthetic fertilizers. • A negative relationship was determined between fertilizer application and Cr(VI) in groundwater. • A surface and groundwater resource management protocol for nitrate pollution is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From early April 2020, wildfires raged in the highly contaminated areas around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (CNPP), Ukraine. For about 4 weeks, the fires spread around and into the Chernobyl exclusion zone (CEZ) and came within a few kilometers of both the CNPP and radioactive waste storage facilities. Wildfires occurred on several occasions throughout the month of April. They were extinguished, but weather conditions and the spread of fires by airborne embers and smoldering fires led to new fires starting at different locations of the CEZ. The forest fires were only completely under control at the beginning of May, thanks to the tireless and incessant work of the firefighters and a period of sustained precipitation. In total, 0.7-1.2 TBq 137 Cs were released into the atmosphere. Smoke plumes partly spread south and west and contributed to the detection of airborne 137 Cs over the Ukrainian territory and as far away as Western Europe. The increase in airborne 137 Cs ranged from several hundred μBq·m -3 in northern Ukraine to trace levels of a few μBq·m -3 or even within the usual background level in other European countries. Dispersion modeling determined the plume arrival time and was helpful in the assessment of the possible increase in airborne 137 Cs concentrations in Europe. Detections of airborne 90 Sr (emission estimate 345-612 GBq) and Pu (up to 75 GBq, mostly 241 Pu) were reported from the CEZ. Americium-241 represented only 1.4% of the total source term corresponding to the studied anthropogenic radionuclides but would have contributed up to 80% of the inhalation dose.