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The European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET), part of the Aerosols, Clouds and Trace gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS), organized an intensive observational campaign in May 2020, with the objective of monitoring the atmospheric state over Europe during the COVID-19 lockdown and relaxation period. Besides the standard operational processing of the lidar data in EARLINET, for seven EARLINET sites having collocated sun-photometric observations in the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET), a network exercise was held in order to derive profiles of the concentration and effective column size distributions of the aerosols in the atmosphere, by applying the GRASP/GARRLiC (from Generalized Aerosol Retrieval from Radiometer and Lidar Combined data – GARRLiC – part of the Generalized Retrieval of Atmosphere and Surface Properties – GRASP) inversion algorithm. The objective of this network exercise was to explore the possibility of identifying the anthropogenic component and of monitoring its spatial and temporal characteristics in the COVID-19 lockdown and relaxation period. While the number of cases is far from being statistically significant so as to provide a conclusive description of the atmospheric aerosols over Europe during this period, this network exercise was fundamental to deriving a common methodology for applying GRASP/GARRLiC to a network of instruments with different characteristics. The limits of the approach are discussed, in particular the missing information close to the ground in the lidar measurements due to the instrument geometry and the sensitivity of the GRASP/GARRLiC retrieval to the settings used, especially for cases with low aerosol optical depth (AOD) like the ones we show here. We found that this sensitivity is well-characterized in the GRASP/GARRLiC products, since it is included in their retrieval uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the equipment (and the advantages of the equipment) used for in situ ground measurements of thunderstorm phenomena with measuring cars. By using all-sky high-speed cameras, radio receivers, and electric field measurements, typical lightning discharges in the central European region have been characterized. Measurements of ionizing radiation during storms using a gamma spectrometer were also performed. At ground level, no ionizing radiation originating from storm clouds was detected, although during other experiments (using the same equipment at lower altitudes corresponding to the lower part of storm clouds) ionizing radiation was detected. We showed that radio antennas with appropriately constructed receivers and all-sky high-speed cameras are devices that can significantly contribute to the understanding of processes taking place in storm clouds during lightning discharges. On the contrary, measurements of the vertical electric field did not provide any new information about the processes occurring in thunderclouds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precipitation extrema over the Barents Sea and the neighbouring locations in Europe were analysed using data obtained from station observations and a highly detailed ERA5 re-analysis dataset. These data did not always spatially coincide (on average, coincidence was ~50%). Daily amounts of precipitation were typically higher in the observation data, although there may be a reverse picture. The analysis revealed that at several stations and in many of the ERA5 grids, the set of precipitation extremes exists as a mixture of two different subsets. The cumulative distribution functions (CDF) of the largest population in the context of both the re-analysis and observational data are well described by Pareto's law. However, very rare cases exist in which the values deviate and exceed this base distribution value in regions possessing large values. These super-large anomalies do not obey the statistical law common to all other extremes. However, this does not mean that the extremes can be arbitrarily large. They do not exceed the marginal values that are typical for this type of climate and season. The analysis confirms that extreme precipitation in the western sector of the Arctic is caused by the penetration of moist air masses from the Atlantic in the circulation systems of intense cyclones. At certain times, mesoscale convective systems are embedded in atmospheric fronts and can significantly contribute to the formation of precipitation. Intensification of such cyclones corresponding to global warming should lead to a transformation of typical CDF, as modern outliers will become regular components of the Pareto law. This change in the statistics of extreme events reflects the nonstationarity of the climate state. The influence of polar lows on the formation of large daily precipitation amounts is not felt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Black Death was the largest demographic shock in European history. We review the evidence for the origins, spread, and mortality of the disease. We document that it was a plausibly exogenous shock to the European economy and trace out its aggregate and local impacts in both the short run and the long run. The initial effect of the plague was highly disruptive. Wages and per capita income rose. But, in the long run, this rise was only sustained in some parts of Europe. The other indirect long-run effects of the Black Death are associated with the growth of Europe relative to the rest of the world, especially Asia and the Middle East (the Great Divergence), a shift in the economic geography of Europe toward the northwest (the Little Divergence), the demise of serfdom in western Europe, a decline in the authority of religious institutions, and the emergence of stronger states. Finally, avenues for future research are laid out. (JEL N13, N30, N43, J10, I12, I14, I30) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE-FO missions have provided an unprecedented quantification of large-scale changes in the water cycle. However, it is still an open problem of how these missions' data can be referenced to a ground truth. Meanwhile, stationary optical clocks show fractional instabilities below 10−18 when averaged over an hour, and continue to be improved in terms of stability and accuracy, uptime and transportability. The frequency of a clock is affected by the gravitational redshift, and thus depends on the local geopotential; a relative frequency change of 10−18 corresponds to a geoid height change of about 1 cm. Here we suggest that this effect could be exploited for sensing large-scale temporal geopotential changes via a network of clocks distributed at the Earth's surface. In fact, several projects have already proposed to create an ensemble of optical clocks connected across Europe via optical fibre links. Our hypothesis is that a clock network with collocated GNSS receivers spread over Europe—for which the physical infrastructure is already partly in place—would enable us to determine temporal variations of the Earth's gravity field at timescales of days and beyond, and thus provide a new means for validating satellite missions such as GRACE-FO or a future gravity mission. Here, we show through simulations how glacial, hydrological and atmospheric variations over Europe could be observed with clock comparisons in a future network that follows current design concepts in the metrology community. We assume different scenarios for clock and GNSS uncertainties and find that even under conservative assumptions—a clock error of 10−18 and vertical height control error of 1.4 mm for daily measurements—hydrological signals at the annual timescale and atmospheric signals down to the weekly timescale could be observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protecting the dignity and human rights of prisoners poses difficult challenges. Degradation is a hallmark of all punishment and especially of imprisonment. Prisons as total institutions entail distinctive power relations between staff and inmates that increase risks of violations of prisoners' dignity. Protection of human dignity is complicated by difficulties in defining the term: the sense of personal dignity experienced subjectively by the individual may be at odds with social dignity recognized by others. Respect or denial of human dignity is strongly felt by prisoners; the struggle for recognition is arduous and never-ending. This is illustrated by the relative successes of the prisoners' rights movement in American courts between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s, followed for two decades by a decline in dignity-based judicial decisions on prisoners' rights and, since the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Plata , 563 U.S. 493 (2011), by a timid hope for a "second coming of dignity." Expansions in protection of prisoners' dignity in Europe came later, in the 1980s, increased significantly through the 2010s, and more recently face new challenges from recalcitrant governments and more cautious judges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The EORTC has launched a phase II trial to assess safety and efficacy of SBRT for centrally located NSCLC: The EORTC 22113-08113-Lungtech trial. Due to neighbouring critical structures, these tumours remain challenging to treat. To guarantee accordance to protocol and treatment safety, an RTQA procedure has been implemented within the frame of the EORTC RTQA levels. These levels are here expanded to include innovative tools beyond protocol compliance verification: the actual dose delivered to each patient will be estimated and linked to trial outcomes to enable better understanding of dose related response and toxicity.Method: For trial participation, institutions must provide a completed facility questionnaire and beam output audit results. To insure ability to comply with protocol specifications a benchmark case is sent to all centres. After approval, institutions are allowed to recruit patients. Nonetheless, each treatment plan will be prospectively reviewed insuring trial compliance consistency over time. As new features, patient's CBCT images and applied positioning corrections will be saved for dose recalculation on patient's daily geometry. To assess RTQA along the treatment chain, institutions will be visited once during the time of the trial. Over the course of this visit, end-to-end tests will be performed using the 008ACIRS-breathing platform with two separate bodies. The first body carries EBT3 films and an ionization chamber. The other body newly developed for PET- CT evaluation is fillable with a solution of high activity. 3D or 4D PET-CT and 4D-CT scanning techniques will be evaluated to assess the impact of motion artefacts on target volume accuracy. Finally, a dosimetric evaluation in static and dynamic conditions will be performed.Discussion: Previous data on mediastinal toxicity are scarce and source of cautiousness for setting-up SBRT treatments for centrally located NSCLC. Thanks to the combination of documented patient related outcomes and CBCT based dose recalculation we expect to provide improved models for dose response and dose related toxicity.Conclusion: We have developed a comprehensive RTQA model for trials involving modern radiotherapy. These procedures could also serve as examples of extended RTQA for future radiotherapy trials involving quantitative use of PET and tumour motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As economic crisis deepens across Europe people are forced to find innovative strategies to accommodate circumstances of chronic uncertainty. Even with a second multi-billion euro bailout package secured for Greece, the prospects of a sustainable recovery in the near future look bleak. However, crisis has also created dynamic spaces for entrepreneurial opportunism and diversification resulting in social mobility, relocation, shifts in livelihood strategy and a burgeoning informal economy. Although economic systems are currently undergoing radical reassessment, social demands such as competitive consumption remain. Opportunities for investment in renewable energy programmes, especially photovoltaics, are also pervasive. By considering cases of business opportunism and livelihood diversification in relation to Max Weber's concept ofwertrationaland notions of uncertainty, this article brings new perspectives to strategies of negotiating the worst economic crisis in living memory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The European Aerosol Research Lidar Network, EARLINET, was founded in 2000 as a research project for establishing a quantitative, comprehensive, and statistically significant database for the horizontal, vertical, and temporal distribution of aerosols on a continental scale. Since then EARLINET has continued to provide the most extensive collection of ground-based data for the aerosol vertical distribution over Europe. This paper gives an overview of the network's main developments since 2000 and introduces the dedicated EARLINET special issue, which reports on the present innovative and comprehensive technical solutions and scientific results related to the use of advanced lidar remote sensing techniques for the study of aerosol properties as developed within the network in the last 13 years. Since 2000, EARLINET has developed greatly in terms of number of stations and spatial distribution: from 17 stations in 10 countries in 2000 to 27 stations in 16 countries in 2013. EARLINET has developed greatly also in terms of technological advances with the spread of advanced multiwavelength Raman lidar stations in Europe. The developments for the quality assurance strategy, the optimization of instruments and data processing, and the dissemination of data have contributed to a significant improvement of the network towards a more sustainable observing system, with an increase in the observing capability and a reduction of operational costs. Consequently, EARLINET data have already been extensively used for many climatological studies, long-range transport events, Saharan dust outbreaks, plumes from volcanic eruptions, and for model evaluation and satellite data validation and integration. Future plans are aimed at continuous measurements and near-real-time data delivery in close cooperation with other ground-based networks, such as in the ACTRIS (Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research InfraStructure Network) www.actris.net, and with the modeling and satellite community, linking the research community with the operational world, with the aim of establishing of the atmospheric part of the European component of the integrated global observing system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working in the train is a part of new ways of working. However, the ideal working position is unknown. Moreover, the ideal position for leisure and relaxing is also unknown. This article defines what activities train passengers mainly perform and which corresponding postures are seen. Based on the observations on actual train rides, four main activities could be identified: Reading, Staring/sleeping, Talking and Working on laptop. Working on laptop was the activity with the longest duration and talking had the shortest duration. Associated with these four activities, a top eight of different postures were observed. Except for headrest comfort, comfort scores were not significantly different between activities. The top eight corresponding postures combined with comfort scores showed that per activity different postures were observed and the comfort scores varied in relation to the combination of posture and activity. Nearly for all activities, the majority of passengers preferred adjustability options to fit the seat to the performed activity. Practitioner Summary: The article is created for insight into activities, postures and comfort of seated train passengers. The results of this study can be used for designing comfortable seating in the transportation industry (train passengers, bus and aircraft seats) and for semi-public spaces to enable optimal support for the user in its activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses transactions and transaction costs in property formation processes from a user perspective, focusing on how institutions create user rights regimes and how these affect efficiency in transformation of land tenure structures in urban redevelopments. There are currently two possible user rights regimes in Norway: the Municipal Cadastral user rights regime and the Land Readjustment user rights regime, the latter resolving property formation through the Land Consolidation Court. The adopted analytical model is based on institutional and transaction cost theory applied to land development. It introduces generalizable categories of transactions and milestones in property formation based on empirical studies of formal institutions and case studies of comparable redevelopments where the regimes were applied. The findings indicate that, in this context, Norwegian land readjustment reduces transaction needs and costs, increases certainty, and employs more efficient coordinative procedures when compared to municipal regimes, which suffer under a fragmented formal institutional framework and organization. However, both regimes experience uncertainty, coordinative problems, and increased transaction costs in the handling of lesser rights and coordination of property formation toward planning and development control. The conclusion points to a substantial potential for enhancing process efficiency without compromising the quality of produced land tenure structures in urban redevelopment. As property formation through land readjustment is the exception, steps toward enhancing process efficiency of the municipal cadastral user rights regime is advisable as the study clearly indicates that transaction costs induced on users are substantial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), a Directorate-General of the European Commission, operates the International Measurement Evaluation Programme®(IMEP). It organises various types of inter-laboratory comparisons in support of European Union policies. This paper presents the results of a proficiency testing exercise (PT) focusing on the determination of total cadmium (Cd) and total lead (Pb) mass fractions in baby food in support to Commission Regulation (EC) 1881/2006 of 19 December 2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs. The test material used in this exercise was soya-based baby food formula purchased in a local pharmacy and prepared by the Reference Materials Unit of the IRMM for this exercise. Sixty-six laboratories from 23 countries registered to the exercise and 61 of them reported results. Each participant received one bottle containing approximately 15 g of test material. Participants were asked to quantify the measurands in the powder and in the reconstituted formula. Reference values independent from the participants’ results were established using isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The total Cd mass fraction was determined by IRMM and LGC Ltd (UK), while the total Pb was determined by IRMM. The standard deviation for proficiency assessmentwas set at 22% of the assigned value for all measurands. Laboratories were rated withz-andζ-(zeta) scores in accordance with ISO 13528. The outcome of this exercise is clearly influenced by the very low level of Cd and Pb content in the test material which triggered: a high number of ‘less than’ values; overestimated values especially for Pb very likely due to contamination; and a visible method influence in the case of Pb (methods based on atomic absorption were not sensitive enough to attain such low limits of detection). The results were also evaluated with regard to the reported limit of detection and some incoherencies were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that dominant research practices in the urban transport field add to rather than subtract from social cohesion and mobility inequities. While this is recognised as an on-going political struggle, it is also explained through a failure to mobilise consistently a broad definition of social cohesion in transport research and policy-making; and a technology fixation among communities of transport research and practice, particularly in the commissioning of European Commission research. Elements of a new urban mobility agenda are proposed to address mobility challenges and to improve the fostering of urban social cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Reprostat Steering Committee asks for the best monitors of reproductive health. In many European countries, some deleterious agents have caused declines over the past half-century in both dizygotic (DZ) twinning rates and sperm counts. No strong evidence suggests that these declines have reversed, though they may have ceased in some countries. Here attention is only directed at potential secular changes in the proximate biological determinants of fertility (ovulation, coitus, semen quality, fertilization, spontaneous fetal loss and ‘dead time’). The most comprehensive biological monitor of reproductive health is the ‘natural’ DZ twinning rate (viz the rate of DZ twinning in the absence of any medical intervention around the time of conception). At present, natural DZ twins are augmented by twins produced by new techniques. So efforts should be made to estimate the annual numbers of these iatrogenic twins in each European country. Then it would be possible to follow the movements of each national natural DZ twinning rate, and thus to continue monitoring a useful measure of reproductive health that has been available in most European countries for many years. Efforts should be made to assess the sperm quality of volunteer donors in each European country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article compares the massive and widespread student protests in Europe and the Middle East with the weak student protests in the U.S. for democracy. Frustration with student funding and fee increases and austerity measures is said to be widespread in Europe and the Middle East. A set differing economic and political contexts underlie the youth protests. The lack of student resistance among American youth is attributed to the social consequences of growing up under a neoliberal regime.

The pollution of our planet is one of the major problems nowadays. European commission gave warnings to some EU countries, because they are not able to achieve goals for the greenhouse gas emissions reduction, to which they were obligated by signing the Kyoto protocol. The data for Slovenia shows, that the 2010 greenhouse gas emissions in comparison with year 1990 were increased for 4,7% instead of being reduced for 8%. 21% of all greenhouse gas emissions in EU are produced by traffic (without international air and sea traffic) and its shear is growing from year to year. Around 12% of emissions are produced by personal vehicles. EU givesaway yearly subventions for the traffic in amount between 270 and 290 billion euros and almost half of that amount is intended for road traffic, which is one of the less appropriate ways of transport. One of the most appropriate solutions for the existing technology is conversion of vehicles to run on LPG. This paper presents comparative emission study of converted Otto engine with the high class LPG system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past 10 years, protests timed to coincide with international summits have become a recurrent phenomenon in Europe. The present article describes the protests of left radical activists during NATO's sixtieth anniversary summit in Strasbourg in 2009, paying attention to the particular relationship between form, body, and time. The article establishes a dialogue between the performative theory of Victor Turner, Viveiros de Castro's theorization of Amerindian perspectivism, and newer theories of time and the body. It is argued that during confrontations between activists and the police, a moment of bodily synchronicity emerges among activists. A skillful performance makes a temporal bodily perspective appear that overcomes the antinomies between immanence and transcendence, between the present and the future, that characterize much thought on social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ASTROD I is a planned interplanetary space mission with multiple goals. The primary aims are: to test general relativity with an improvement in sensitivity of over three orders of magnitude, improving our understanding of gravity and aiding the development of a new quantum gravity theory; to measure key solar system parameters with increased accuracy, advancing solar physics and our knowledge of the solar system; and to measure the time rate of change of the gravitational constant with an order of magnitude improvement and the anomalous Pioneer acceleration, thereby probing dark matter and dark energy gravitationally. It is an international project, with major contributions from Europe and China and is envisaged as the first in a series of ASTROD missions. ASTROD I will consist of one spacecraft carrying a telescope, four lasers, two event timers and a clock. Two-way, two-wavelength laser pulse ranging will be used between the spacecraft in a solar orbit and deep space laser stations on Earth, to achieve the ASTROD I goals. A second mission, ASTROD (ASTROD II) is envisaged as a three-spacecraft mission which would test General Relativity to 1 ppb, enable detection of solar g-modes, measure the solar Lense–Thirring effect to 10 ppm, and probe gravitational waves at frequencies below the LISA bandwidth. In the third phase (ASTROD III or Super-ASTROD), larger orbits could be implemented to map the outer solar system and to probe primordial gravitational-waves at frequencies below the ASTROD II bandwidth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crucibles from the German region of Hesse have been famous since the Middle Ages due to their exceptional quality, regarded by many as a mystery. We analyzed 50 Hessian and non-Hessian archeological crucibles using SEM-EDS, FESEM, and XRD to investigate their technology and material properties. It was revealed that Hessian crucibles were systematically made of kaolinitic clay with a low flux content, mixed with quartz sand, and fired to temperatures in excess of 1300°C. Primary mullite developed in most of the glass matrix, with secondary mullite in some regions of clay–feldspar relict mixtures. Consequently, the vessels showed superior creep and thermal shock resistance, high-temperature strength, and thermal and chemical refractoriness. These crucibles represent the earliest industrial exploitation of mullite in Europe, which explains their historical success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods to test the practical performance of the Philips Gemini PET/CT system during clinical imaging are described and results presented. The test methods used were based on the NEMA standards and those suggested by a task group of the Commission of European Communities (EEC). These were performed using the EEC emission phantom, and phantoms provided by Philips. Scans were acquired using the routine clinical protocols. Images were reconstructed using a 3D row action maximum likelihood algorithm (RAMLA). Attenuation correction (AC) was applied using CT data (CTAC) and Cs-137 source transmission scans (CsAC). Images can be acquired with the PET and CT gantries closed or open. Results of tests on the gantry alignment show that the static offsets varied by a maximum of 4.5 mm when the system was first installed, but as the floor has settled these variations have decreased to a maximum of 2.5 mm. The mean negative nonuniformity was -4.8 ± 1.1% and -5.3 ± 1.1% for CsAC and CTAC respectively and the mean positive nonuniformity was 4.7 ± 1.4% and 5.5 ± 1.6%. Scatter fraction measurements were made in the EEC body phantom. The reconstructed scatter fractions were 0.18 and 0.16 with and without out-of-field-of-view activity respectively (±OFOVA) for both CsAC and CTAC images. The sinogram-derived (NEMA NU 2-1994) scatter fraction was 0.44 and 0.43 ± OFOVA. At the centre of the field of view (FOV) the transverse spatial resolution (SR) was 5.0 mm in air (5.0 mm in water) and the axial SR was 6.0 mm (6.8 mm). 10 cm away from the centre the transverse radial SR was 5.4 mm (5.3 mm), the transverse tangential SR was 5.2 mm (5.4 mm) and the axial SR was 6.6 mm (7.2 mm). The recovery coefficients demonstrate the partial volume effect. The AC accuracy was similar in water (both 0.2 ± 0.1%) and Teflon [10.9 ± 1.9% (CTAC) and 10.0 ± 2.0% (CsAC)], for both types of AC, but very different in air [14.3 ± 2.2% (CTAC) and 31.3 ± 1.5% (CsAC)]. If the transmission maps were not segmented prior to AC these gave much higher and very different residual AC errors. The peak noise equivalent count rate was 45.2 kcps at 184 MBq and 25.2 kcps at 127 MBq ± OFOVA. The system sensitivity to true and scattered counts was 34.1 kcps/(kBq/cm³) and to true counts was 19.4 kcps/kBq/cm³). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diverse theories have predicted a trend towards growing work pressure in advanced capitalist societies, while pointing to quite distinct causal factors. This paper seeks to assess these arguments using data from two surveys of employees in European Union member-states carried out in 1996 and in 2001. It finds there is no evidence of a trend towards higher work pressure over this period. There is, however, support for some of the main arguments about the types of factors that affect work pressure: for instance, skill, job control, new technology and current job security are clearly important. But the trends in job control and job security have not been those predicted, while changes in another major determinant — the length of working hours — have tended to reduce work pressure. There are substantial and relatively stable differences in work pressure between countries, but to a considerable extent, these reflect compositional differences with respect to the main determinants of work pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five copper alloys were prepared with modern powder metallurgical processes in the frame of the European project “Improvement of Means of Measurement on Archaeological Copper-Alloys for Characterisation and Conservation (IMMACO)' and certified for As, Pb, Sn and Zn mass fractions. Similar in their composition to archaeological bronze alloys, these Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) are to be used for calibration of XRF instruments for characterization of archaeological samples either in the laboratory or in the field. This paper presents and compares the successful contribution of our non-destructive analytical methods (k0-NAA and PIXE) to the IMMACO project and to the certification of the five reference materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines a chromatogram as a liquid chromatography (LC) troubleshooting in Europe. It states that calculation of the asymmetry factor has confirmed the peak shape. It suggests that reduced injection volume and weaker solvent must be used to avoid problems with ion suppression. Moreover, analyses of real samples can help increase retention factors for fewer problems.

The growing rate of electricity generation from renewables is leading to new operational and management issues on the power grid because the electricity generated exceeds local requirements and the transportation or storage capacities are inadequate. An interesting option that is under investigation by several years is the opportunity to use the renewable electricity surplus to power electrolyzers that split water into its component parts, with the hydrogen being directly injected into natural gas pipelines for both storage and transportation. This innovative approach merges together the concepts of (i) renewable power-to-hydrogen (P2H) and of (ii) hydrogen blending into natural gas networks. The combination of renewable P2H and hydrogen blending into natural gas networks has a huge potential in terms of environmental and social benefits, but it is still facing several barriers that are technological, economic, legislative. In the framework of the new hydrogen strategy for a climate-neutral Europe, Member States should design a roadmap moving towards a hydrogen ecosystem by 2050. The blending of "green hydrogen", that is hydrogen produced by renewable sources, in the natural gas network at a limited percentage is a key element to enable hydrogen production in a preliminary and transitional phase. Therefore, it is urgent to evaluate at the same time (i) the potential of green hydrogen blending at low percentage (up to 10%) and (ii) the maximum P2H capacity compatible with low percentage blending. The paper aims to preliminary assess the green hydrogen blending potential into the Italian natural gas network as a tool for policy makers, grid and networks managers and energy planners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pharmacological activity of peppermint leaf (Menthae piperitae folium) for medical use is mainly attributed to the presence of essential oil, which, according to the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.), should constitute not less than 12 mL/kg of raw material. The content of polyphenols in peppermint-based preparations, except peppermint leaf dry extract, has not yet been considered as an essential parameter in the pharmacopeial assessment of peppermint quality. This study concerns the evaluation of the presence of representatives of polyphenolic compounds in 23 commercial peppermint tinctures (ethanolic extracts) purchased in pharmacies in Poland. The non-volatile polyphenolic fraction was investigated, and the presence of flavonoids and phenolic acids was quantified. High performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD) and an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer (U(H)PLC-ESI-MS) were used in the experiment. The study showed that eriocitrin, luteolin-7-O-rutinoside, and rosmarinic acid were the main polyphenolic components of the peppermint tinctures, as previously reported for peppermint leaf. Despite this, the research shows the extremely diverse content of the mentioned compounds in analyzed commercial medicinal products. In light of these results, it seems that the pharmacopeial assessment for the peppermint leaf (Ph. Eur.) and peppermint tincture (Polish Pharmacopoeia (FP)) requires correction and supplementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This inter-comparison exercise was performed to demonstrate the variability of quantitative SPECT/CT imaging for lutetium-177 (177Lu) in current clinical practice. Our aim was to assess the feasibility of using international inter-comparison exercises as a means to ensure consistency between clinical sites whilst enabling the sites to use their own choice of quantitative imaging protocols, specific to their systems.Dual-compartment concentric spherical sources of accurately known activity concentrations were prepared and sent to seven European clinical sites. The site staff were not aware of the true volumes or activity within the sources—they performed SPECT/CT imaging of the source, positioned within a water-filled phantom, using their own choice of parameters and reported their estimate of the activities within the source.Results: The volumes reported by the participants for the inner section of the source were all within 29% of the true value and within 60% of the true value for the outer section. The activities reported by the participants for the inner section of the source were all within 20% of the true value, whilst those reported for the outer section were up to 83% different to the true value.Conclusions: A variety of calibration and segmentation methods were used by the participants for this exercise which demonstrated the variability of quantitative imaging across clinical sites. This paper presents a method to assess consistency between sites using different calibration and segmentation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Reprostat Steering Committee asks for the best monitors of reproductive health. In many European countries, some deleterious agents have caused declines over the past half-century in both dizygotic (DZ) twinning rates and sperm counts. No strong evidence suggests that these declines have reversed, though they may have ceased in some countries. Here attention is only directed at potential secular changes in the proximate biological determinants of fertility (ovulation, coitus, semen quality, fertilization, spontaneous fetal loss and 'dead time'). The most comprehensive biological monitor of reproductive health is the 'natural' DZ twinning rate (viz the rate of DZ twinning in the absence of any medical intervention around the time of conception). At present, natural DZ twins are augmented by twins produced by new techniques. So efforts should be made to estimate the annual numbers of these iatrogenic twins in each European country. Then it would be possible to follow the movements of each national natural DZ twinning rate, and thus to continue monitoring a useful measure of reproductive health that has been available in most European countries for many years. Efforts should be made to assess the sperm quality of volunteer donors in each European country.

We present measurements performed on the time-of-flight positron emission tomograph CEA-LETI-TTV03 with the EEC Emission Phantom. The transaxial resolution for a direct plane in the reconstructed image (Ramp filter, fc = 0.25 mm-1) was found to be 6.2 mm (radial and tangential) at center, 6.8 mm (radial) and 6.1 mm (tangential) at 45 mm from the center and 8.6 (radial) and 5.3 (tangential) mm at 90 mm from the center; in an image reconstructed with a Hanning filter at the same frequency cut-off and with a scatter correction, these values are degraded to 7.1 mm (tangential) and 7.2 mm (radial) at center, 7.6 mm (radial) and 6.9 mm (radial) at 45 mm from the center and 9.5 mm (radial) and 6.1 mm (tangential) at 90 mm from the center. Values were identical for direct and cross planes and correcting from the scatter radiation did not modify the resolution. Recovery coefficients for a 17 cm diameter sphere were equal to 0.85 in a direct plane and 1. for a cross plane, this being due to the axial resolution which is 9.1 mm and 7.1 mm at 5.5 cm from the center for direct and cross planes respectively. With 10 mCi in the phantom simulating abdominal imaging the maximum recorded coincidences on a cross plane was 84.4 kevents/sec, 50.2 kevents/sec on a direct plane and 343.4 kevents/sec for the entire machine. The dead time losses in terms of trues were equal to 24% and 17% for direct and cross planes respectively while the single rate was 19900/sec/detector. Scatter fraction, evaluated using a uniform cylinder, was found to be 15% for a cross plane.