Search

The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater was first reported in March 2020. Over the subsequent months, the potential for wastewater surveillance to contribute to COVID-19 mitigation programmes has been the focus of intense national and international research activities, gaining the attention of policy makers and the public. As a new application of an established methodology, focused collaboration between public health practitioners and wastewater researchers is essential to developing a common understanding on how, when and where the outputs of this non-invasive community-level approach can deliver actionable outcomes for public health authorities. Within this context, the NORMAN SCORE “SARS-CoV-2 in sewage” database provides a platform for rapid, open access data sharing, validated by the uploading of 276 data sets from nine countries to-date. Through offering direct access to underpinning meta-data sets (and describing its use in data interpretation), the NORMAN SCORE database is a resource for the development of recommendations on minimum data requirements for wastewater pathogen surveillance. It is also a tool to engage public health practitioners in discussions on use of the approach, providing an opportunity to build mutual understanding of the demand and supply for data and facilitate the translation of this promising research application into public health practice. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd

The Partnership for Chemicals Risk Assessment (PARC) is currently under development as a joint research and innovation programme to strengthen the scientific basis for chemical risk assessment in the EU. The plan is to bring chemical risk assessors and managers together with scientists to accelerate method development and the production of necessary data and knowledge, and to facilitate the transition to next-generation evidence-based risk assessment, a non-toxic environment and the European Green Deal. The NORMAN Network is an independent, well-established and competent network of more than 80 organisations in the field of emerging substances and has enormous potential to contribute to the implementation of the PARC partnership. NORMAN stands ready to provide expert advice to PARC, drawing on its long experience in the development, harmonisation and testing of advanced tools in relation to chemicals of emerging concern and in support of a European Early Warning System to unravel the risks of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and close the gap between research and innovation and regulatory processes. In this commentary we highlight the tools developed by NORMAN that we consider most relevant to supporting the PARC initiative: (i) joint data space and cutting-edge research tools for risk assessment of contaminants of emerging concern; (ii) collaborative European framework to improve data quality and comparability; (iii) advanced data analysis tools for a European early warning system and (iv) support to national and European chemical risk assessment thanks to harnessing, combining and sharing evidence and expertise on CECs. By combining the extensive knowledge and experience of the NORMAN network with the financial and policy-related strengths of the PARC initiative, a large step towards the goal of a non-toxic environment can be taken. © 2020, The Author(s).

To address a need for highly X-ray opaque biodegradable materials, a series of poly(e-caprolactone) derivatives were prepared using oxime post-polymerization modification to conjugate two different iodinated hydroxylamines. These materials were synthesized with up to 32 wt. % iodine content and demonstrated improved X-ray contrast relative to both the ketone precursors and previously reported monoiodinated materials. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016

Treated urban wastewater is currently widely reused to compensate for dwindling water supplies, as it is considered to be a reliable alternative water source. In addition, the increasing demand for food due to the expanding world population, both in respect to food security and food safety, and therefore for irrigation water, renders wastewater reuse a practice of utmost importance. As a consequence, sustainable and safe urban water cycles are presently of high priority on the policy agendas of many countries around the world. Although reuse has a number of benefits and major advances have been made with respect to producing treated effluents for reuse (e.g., successful removal of metals, reduction of chemical oxygen demand and of other pollution parameters), several important questions are still unanswered and barriers exist regarding the safety/sustainability of reuse practice. Knowledge gaps associated with wastewater reuse include the following: (a) possible elemental interactions that may influence the accumulation of metals/elements in the soil and their subsequent uptake by plants and crops, (b) the fateof organic microcontaminants in receiving environments, and (c) the epidemiological potential of antibiotic resistant bacteria and/or resistance genes (ARB&ARG) released in the environment via treated effluent. Possible implications on food-chain contamination (biomagnification) require much attention, since treated wastewater is not exempt of such contaminants. The effluents’ residual organic matter after conventional treatment consists of a number of recalcitrant organic compounds including potential endocrine disrupting compounds, many types of pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, disinfection by-products, personal care products, metabolites and transformation products, other organic substances (i.e. pesticides, surfactants, biocides, etc.), and not to be forgotten ARB&ARG. In fact, preliminary results suggest that the relative abundance of certain ARG or ARB may even be enriched during the wastewater treatment (Rizzo et al. 2013). This leads to their subsequent release in the terrestrial and aquatic environments through disposal and reuse applications, and the level of risk to environmental and human health is yet to be evaluated. Contamination of the environment, food chain, drinking water, etc with ARB&ARG is presently considered to be a serious public health problem. For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) (WHO 2013) characterized the development of AR as one of the major global threats to society and recommends intensive monitoring for the identification/surveillance of critical hot spots (e.g., wastewater treatment plants), aiming at reducing its propagation. In September 2014, a national strategy (The White House 2014) was announced in the USA by the White House that lays out a series of steps to address the decreasing effectiveness of antibiotics, many being similar to those identified by WHO. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, it is estimated that infections caused by a subset of ARB are responsible for about 25,000 deaths in Europe annually. In addition, the extra healthcare costs and productivity losses due to ARB are estimated to reach EUR 1.5 billion (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control 2013). In the USA, equally dramatic numbers are reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with AR infections killing at least 23,000 people and sickening 2 million each year (The White House 2014). All these issues have not received significant attention in the framework of the wastewater reuse practice. The EU- COST Action ES1403 (NEREUS) aims at consolidating the existing scattered data related to wastewater reuse and will address the open challenges associated with it. It will provide the platform for a systematic consolidation of data and standardization of methods for assessing emerging hazards associated with wastewater reuse. The Action is chaired by D. Fatta-Kassinos from Nireas-International Water Research Center and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the University of Cyprus and vice-chaired by C. Manaiafrom Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portugeusa.

Colloque avec actes et comité de lecture. Internationale.; International audience

A diverse range of response options was evaluated in terms of their utility for sustaining ecosystem services in the UK. Robustness of response options was investigated by applying a ‘stress-testing’ method which evaluated expected performance against combined scenarios of socioeconomic and climate change. Based upon stakeholder feedback, a reference scenario representing current trends in climate and socioeconomic drivers (‘business-as-usual’) was used as a dynamic baseline against which to compare results of other scenarios. The robustness of response options was evaluated by their utility in different environmental and social contexts as represented by the scenarios, and linked to their adaptability to adjust to changing conditions. Key findings demonstrate that adaptability becomes increasingly valuable as the magnitude and rate of future change diverges from current trends. Stress-testing also revealed that individual responses in isolation are unlikely to be robust meaning there are advantages from integrating cohesive combinations (bundles) of response options to maximise their individual strengths and compensate for weaknesses. This identifies a role for both top-down and bottom-up responses, including regulation, spatial targeting, incentives and partnership initiatives, and their use in combination through integrated assessment and planning consistent with the adoption of an Ecosystem Approach. Stress-testing approaches can have an important role in future-proofing policy appraisals but important knowledge gaps remain, especially for cultural and supporting ecosystem services. Finally, barriers and enablers to the implementation of more integrated long-term adaptive responses were identified drawing on the ‘4 Is’ (Institutions, Information, Incentives, Identity) conceptual framework. This highlighted the crucial but usually understated role of identity in promoting ownership and uptake of responses.

When biodegradable polyester devices, like sutures and screws, are implanted into the body, it is very challenging to image them in deep tissue, monitor their degradation, and detect defects. We report our recent findings on non-invasive deep tissue imaging of polyester degradation, stability and integrity using an iodinated-polycaprolactone (i-P(CLcoOPD)) X-ray imaging contrast agent. The results of experiments performed with i-P(CLcoOPD) demonstrate the feasibility to quantify in-situ polyester degradation in vitro and in vivo using rats. We also demonstrate that X-ray imaging could be used to identify and quantify physical defects, such as cracks, in polymeric implants using rabbit animal models. This approach enables non-invasive monitoring of polyester materials and is expected to become an important technology for improving the imaging of polymers at clinically relevant depths.

Colloque avec actes et comité de lecture. Internationale.; International audience

This project examined pupils’ participation in their own assessment from a children’s \ud rights perspective, based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. \ud It demonstrated that when genuine opportunities for participating in and understanding\ud assessment are presented, pupils engage in the outcomes of their learning and focus on\ud their progress. Children show the motivation and capacity to be involved in decision-making\ud processes where policy makers use child-centred methods to consult children directly.

This project examined pupils’ participation in \ud their own assessment from a children’s rights \ud perspective. It demonstrated that when genuine \ud opportunities for participating in and understanding \ud assessment are presented, pupils engage in their \ud learning and focus on their own progress. When \ud policy makers use child-centred methods to consult \ud children directly, children show the motivation and \ud capacity to be involved in decision-making. \ud CPAL enshrined these principles within its own design \ud and processes. KS2 and KS3 pupils advised on ethical \ud informed consent and some of the research methods. \ud They co-researched and co-interpreted aspects of \ud the data. In addition to traditional survey methods, \ud the project developed creative methods for use \ud with pupils and teachers which incorporated \ud E-consultation, focus groups, drawings, and \ud pupils’ digital recordings.\ud The project was designed to take account of the \ud policy context in Northern Ireland, with its focus \ud on pupil profiles and assessment for learning.

The Consulting Pupils on the Assessment of their Learning (CPAL) project comprised three interrelated studies focusing on (1) the development of Annual Pupil profiles in NI in the context of giving pupils ‘a voice’ (Lundy, 2007); (2) students' perceptions of ‘AfL classrooms’; and (3) teachers' and parents' perceptions of pupils increasing participation in assessment. This paper presents the main findings and educational implications of studies 2 and 3 which consulted pupils at key stage 3 (11-14 years). It identifies teachers', parents' and students' perceptions of the increasing pupil participation in the assessment of their own classroom learning. Preliminary findings of this twenty-one month study, completed at the end of February 2007, were presented in this ECER Children's Rights Network last year (see Leitch et al. 2006). This presentation updates some of the main findings for Key stage 3 pupils. The samples included approximately 200 students and a sample of their parents (n=180) from six post-primary schools in Northern Ireland, as well as 11 teachers of different subjects (i.e. Arts, Maths, English, Geography and Science). All teachers were engaged in an in-service course to help them embed Assessment for Learning (AfL) - a pedagogical approach that emphasizes the use of formative assessment to help students take control of their own learning by being aware of where they are, ‘where they need to go to improve, and how best to get there’ (Gardner, 2006). It establishes that, where principles of AfL are embedded in practice, pupils can experience high levels of participation in their learning and assessment. However, the relationship between consultation and participation requires further clarification and there is a need is to promote greater consistency amongst teachers in understanding what consultation means from a rights-based perspective.

This paper reports on an ESRC TLRP project, Consulting Pupils on the Assessment of their Learning (CPAL). The CPAL project provides an additional theoretical perspective to the ‘educational benefits’ perspective of engaging pupil voice in learning and teaching (Rudduck et al., 2003) through its exploration of pupil rights specifically in relation to assessment issues presently on the policy agenda in the Northern Ireland context – notably Assessment for Learning (AfL). An emergent framework for assessing pupil rights, based on Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Lundy, 2007), is being used to explore the ways in which AfL classroom practice creates the conditions for increased pupil participation and consultation. Pupil views on their AfL classroom experiences and participation are explored by means of a variety of pupil-centred, creative research methods that engage and stimulate pupils to observe, communicate and analyse their learning and assessment experiences and give meaning to them. This presentation highlights preliminary data based on a sample of 11-14 years pupils' experiences of participation and consultation in classrooms adopting AfL pedagogical principles, and identifies characteristics that support or inhibit pupil participation in their learning and the expression of their views about such matters.

INTRODUCTION: Vestibular schwannomas (VS) are benign tumors with a slow growth rate. There exists controversy regarding whether patients should receive upfront observation, SRS, FSRT, or surgery at the time of diagnosis. For patients declining resection, this systematic review evaluates the risks and benefits between observation and SRS upon diagnosis of VS. METHODS: Published studies on VS (including acoustic neuromas) were systematically reviewed for clinical series including patients with newly/recently diagnosed unilateral VS. Studies that included patients with previous treatment for the VS or focused on patients with neurofibromatosis (or other genetic conditions) were excluded. Review articles and systematic reviews were excluded but reviewed for relevant references that would otherwise meet search criteria. RESULTS: Most patients electing observation underwent their first surveillance scan 6 months after initial diagnosis, then annually or every-other-year thereafter. Follow up was similar for patients receiving radiosurgery. The follow up period varied between studies as not all studies published at a specific time point. Observation alone conferred a radiographic tumor control rate of 65% and serviceable hearing in 71.3% at by the end of the follow up period in the reviewed studies, and 34% of patients initially opting for observation went on to ultimately elect for treatment. Initial radiosurgery resulted in a tumor control rate of 97% and serviceable hearing rate of 73.8% at by the end of the follow up period. Radiosurgery resulted in improved tumor control at the end of the follow up period (p < 0.0001), and serviceable hearing did not statistically differ (p = 0.69). There is an early risk of progressive hearing decline on patients who chose initial observation. CONCLUSION: Based on the available published data, observation after initial diagnosis is appropriate for many patients with VS without symptomatic brainstem compression. However, initial observation does risk early progressive hearing dysfunction and patients with serviceable hearing at diagnosis may benefit from early therapy. Long term follow up is critical, and an algorithm to better risk-stratify patients with newly diagnosed VS is underway.

https://intersentia.com/en/pdf/viewer/item/id/Table%20of%20Contents%20and%20Preliminary%20Pages/ https://intersentia.com/en/incorporating-the-un-convention-on-the-rights-of-the-child-into-national-law.html