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Droughts are classified as the most expensive climate disasters as they leave long-term and chronic impacts on the ecosystem, agriculture, and human society. The intensity, frequency, and duration of drought events have increased in the past and are expected to continue rising at global, continental, and regional scales. Nature-based solutions (NBS) are highlighted as effective solutions to cope with the future impacts of these events. Despite this, there has been limited comprehensive research on the effectiveness of NBS for drought mitigation, and existing suitability mapping frameworks often overlook drought-specific criteria. To address this gap, a new framework is proposed to identify areas suitable for two drought-coping NBS types at a regional scale: detention basins and managed aquifer recharge. Two multi-criteria decision-making techniques (MCDM), i.e. Boolean logic and Analytic- Hierarchy Process (AHP), were used to map suitable large-scale NBS. The new framework accounts for unique criteria to specifically address drought conditions. By incorporating climate change scenarios for both surface and groundwater, recharge, and different groundwater characteristics, it identifies suitable and sustainable locations capable of managing extreme drought events. Executed through Boolean logic at a regional scale in Flanders (Belgium), the framework's strict approach yields significant potential areas for detention basins (298.7 km²) and managed aquifer recharge (867.5 km²). Incorporating AHP with the same criteria introduces a higher degree of flexibility for decision-makers. This approach shows a notable expansion across Flanders, varying with the level of suitability. The results underscore the highly suitable potential for detention basins (2552.2 km²) and managed aquifer recharge (2538.7 km²), emphasizing the adaptability and scalability of the framework for addressing drought in the region. The comparison between potential recharge volume due to detention basin

The Early Warning System (EWS) allows national Parliaments in the EU to issue Reasoned Opinions (ROs) against proposed new legislation. If one-third of them do, a yellow card is triggered. In theory, the goal of this system is for Parliaments to police the subsidiarity principle, and not to address substance. This article confirms quantitatively that the EWS is also about substance by studying the co-issuance of ROs by Parliaments. It finds that similar levels of economic development, rather than ideological or geographical proximity, are most strongly associated with the co-issuance of ROs by pairs of Parliaments. To explain the importance of the economic dimension across topics, we suggest that proposals with an impact along economic lines may be especially likely to trigger opposition in the form of ROs. Increasing co-issuance over the period 2010–2018 suggests that Parliaments are learning to coordinate transnationally, although no yellow cards have materialized since.

One of the main objectives of EU trade policy is to establish wider protection for its regional specialty foods, known as Geographical Indications (GIs). In spite of US opposition, the EU has successfully considered additional protection for its GIs a red line in recent trade agreements. A key piece to the puzzle of this success is that whereas the literature has typically treated trade and non-trade issues as a dichotomy, GI protection encompasses both trade and non-trade aspects. In the EU, trade agreements are negotiated by the Commission but require member state approval. Both Greece and Italy have threatened not to ratify CETA over insufficient GI protection, so GIs clearly matter. This article develops and tests a theory of GI protection using new data on GIs listed for protection in 11 recent EU trade agreements. It finds that EU trade agreements are more likely to protect GIs with higher sales values and from countries in the South of Europe, where GIs are highly salient because of gastronationalism. These findings illustrate how economic, cultural and political factors shape and enable EU policy exports through trade agreements.

Drought events and their impacts vary spatially and temporally due to diverse pedo-climatic and hydrologic conditions, as well as variations in exposure and vulnerability, such as demographics and response actions. While hazard severity and frequency of past drought events have been studied in detail, little is known about the effect of drought management strategies on the actual impacts and how the hazard is perceived by relevant stakeholders. In a continental study, we characterised and assessed the impacts and the perceptions of two recent drought events (2018 and 2019) in Europe and examined the relationship between management strategies and drought perception, hazard, and impact. The study was based on a pan-European survey involving national representatives from 28 countries and relevant stakeholders responding to a standard questionnaire. The survey focused on collecting information on stakeholders' perceptions of drought, impacts on water resources and beyond, water availability, and current drought management strategies on national and regional scales. The survey results were compared with the actual drought hazard information registered by the European Drought Observatory (EDO) for 2018 and 2019. The results highlighted high diversity in drought perception across different countries and in values of the implemented drought management strategies to alleviate impacts by increasing national and sub-national awareness and resilience. The study identifies an urgent need to further reduce drought impacts by constructing and implementing a European macro-level drought governance approach, such as a directive, which would strengthen national drought management and mitigate damage to human and natural assets.

Contains fulltext : 282510.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access), AIM: To compare manual and powered tooth brushing (MT and PT) with respect to patient compliance to brushing frequency advice, plaque removal and severity of oral mucositis (OM) in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) after high-dose chemotherapy. MATERIALS & METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Forty-six patients scheduled to receive myeloablative conditioning regimen before autologous HSCT were included and randomly assigned to control (MT, n = 23) or test (PT, n = 23) groups. Starting at day 1 (day of hospital admission for HSCT), brushing frequency (patient recorded diary), plaque scores (Plaque Control Index) and oral mucositis (Oral Mucositis Nursing Index) were recorded daily. Data for days 1 to 17 were analysed using regression analysis and general linear models. RESULTS: Few patients maintained 4 times per day brushing, but most brushed at least 2 times per day throughout the study. In PT, overall plaque scores were lower by 6.98% (p = .006) as compared to MT. No differences were seen in OM scores between the groups (p = .968). A small but significant positive correlation was found between plaque scores and OM severity: R(2) =0.15 (p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Powered tooth brushing resulted in lower plaque scores, but was not associated with reduced OM severity. Individual plaque scores were positively related to OM severity.

Grondwater is meestal onzichtbaar. Weinigen beseffen hoe cruciaal grondwater is en welke rol deze enorme watervoorraad speelt. De droogte waarmee we in 2018, 2019 en 2020 werden geconfronteerd heeft tot heel wat nadelige gevolgen voor natuur, landbouw en watervoorziening geleid maar heeft ook geleid tot een verhoogde aandacht voor grondwater, zowel bij het algemene publiek als bij beleidsmakers. Meer en meer beseffen we wat een cruciale rol grondwater speelt voor ons watersysteem en hoe grondwater een buffer kan zijn zodat er ook in periodes van droogte nog water beschikbaar is voor natuur, landbouw, industrie en gezinnen. Opdat grondwater die rol van buffer kan spelen, zullen we echter slimmer moeten omgaan met dat grondwater. Meer infiltratie, water beter vasthouden in de ondergrond en de druk op het grondwater verkleinen zullen nodig zijn om een robuust grondwatersysteem te hebben dat minder kwetsbaar is bij droogte en ook beter kan herstellen na droogte.

Objective: Due to an increased focus on erosive tooth wear (ETW), the European Federation of Conservative Dentistry (EFCD) considered ETW as a relevant topic for generating this consensus report. Materials and methods: This report is based on a compilation of the scientific literature, an expert conference, and the approval by the General Assembly of EFCD. Results: ETW is a chemical-mechanical process resulting in a cumulative loss of hard dental tissue not caused by bacteria, and it is characterized by loss of the natural surface morphology and contour of the teeth. A suitable index for classification of ETW is the basic erosive wear examination (BEWE). Regarding the etiology, patient-related factors include the pre-disposition to erosion, reflux, vomiting, drinking and eating habits, as well as medications and dietary supplements. Nutritional factors relate to the composition of foods and beverages, e.g., with low pH and high buffer capacity (major risk factors), and calcium concentration (major protective factor). Occupational factors are exposition of workers to acidic liquids or vapors. Preventive management of ETW aims at reducing or stopping the progression of the lesions. Restorative management aims at reducing symptoms of pain and dentine hypersensitivity, or to restore esthetic and function, but it should only be used in conjunction with preventive strategies. Conclusions: Effective management of ETW includes screening for early signs of ETW and evaluating all etiological factors. Clinical Relevance: ETW is a clinical condition, which calls for the increased attention of the dental community and is a challenge for the cooperation with other medical specialities.