European Environment Research Articles

Digital Health Technology (DHT) in European Clinical Trials, How to Improve the Status-Quo of the Regulatory Landscape?

Digital health technology (DHT) is increasingly used to facilitate the conduct of clinical drug trials. The European regulatory environment would benefit from some adjustments to realize the full potential of DHTs. Considering current discussions such as the European Accelerating Clinical Trial Initiative (ACT EU), we propose four concrete adjustments to this regulatory landscape to introduce risk-based qualification approaches for DHTs. In our view, these changes would have the potential to facilitate the use of DHT in clinical research and thus provide access to innovative therapies in Europe.

On Some Aspects of European Security and Defence in the Context Of War in Ukraine

The European security environment is currently significantly affected by Russian aggression against Ukraine. However, right from the start of the war, the European Union and its member states acted decisively, they unequivocally condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and began to help it politically, economically, humanitarianly and by supplying military equipment, weapons, ammunition, and training members of the Ukrainian armed forces. And although no European member state of the European Union or the North Atlantic Alliance has been attacked, the ongoing conflict negatively affects European stability and disrupts the European security and defence system. That is also why the authors, using relevant scientific methods and approaches within the framework of interdisciplinary research, deal in the article with some selected aspects of European security and defence in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. They point out how Russian aggression has influenced discussions about the roles of the European Union in ensuring security and defence on the European continent, shed light on the Union's security and defence policy, deal with issues of European strategic autonomy and related relations between the EU and NATO, and at the end of the article indicate challenges, which are closely related to European security and defence in the context of the war in Ukraine.

The Development of the Berliner as a Political Person under the Influence of the Urban Cultural Environment

Introduction. The article explores the reasons for the emergence of ethnic diversity in the city of Berlin, encompassing political, historical, geographical, anthropological, and sociological aspects of the urban environment. It also outlines the current issues in German society that shape the political culture of its people. The relevance of the topic is driven by the political radicalization of migrants in Germany, particularly in Berlin, resulting from cultural globalization that impacts traditional political institutions and behavioral models of the city's residents. The crisis of the liberal-democratic model and the increase in the number of Eurosceptics also play a significant role in the transformation of the political culture of contemporary Berliners. Solving the problem of political radicalization of migrants is equally important for the Russian Federation, especially in St. Petersburg, combining characteristics of the European urban environment and the polyethnic Russian state, whose residents consider themselves Russians despite national and cultural differences. Methodology and sources. The research is grounded in Ernest Burgess's model of concentric zones. The study relies on research methods such as synthesis, comparison, analysis, and sociological approaches. Data from the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, the results of the 2016 elections to the Berlin House of Deputies, the 2021 elections, and the subsequent 2023 elections, historical data, and findings from other researchers on the topic served as sources for the study. Results and discussion. The study identifies features of urban culture shaping the polyethnic Berlin society, including the ethnic diversity of residents, unique self-identification of Berliners, the presence of distinct urban districts, squatter movements, and the influence of architectural and spatial characteristics on the formation of human social behavior. Some city problems were also highlighted, such as the crisis of formation of a distorted perception of right and left currents among Berliners, the failure of multiculturalism policies, the migration crisis, and housing shortages. Conclusion. The development of a Berliner as a political being is influenced by the characteristics of the urban environment and certain issues facing the city, where the residential district, properties of the city's political culture, and ethnic background impact the political views of its inhabitants

Unleashing Culture and Creativity Power in European Education Processes

The European educational system stands in a unique position at the crossroads of training, research and innovation, in shaping sustainable and resilient economies, and in making its territories greener, more inclusive and more digital through culture and creativity. This paper is the result of a one-year collaboration between the Alma Mater Studiorum — Università di Bologna and the Jagiellonian University, under the umbrella of the EIT Culture & Creativity (EIT C&C), in the interim co-chairing of the Direction linked to the Action Program 1 Talent Scaler, to define activities and strategies for the operationalization of the Strategic Objective 1 about Education. This involvement opened up the possibility to activate a fruitful international cooperation with all the members of Una Europa, the alliance of Europe’s eleven largest leading research universities that aim to create a truly European inter-university environment, a University of the Future.

An improved habitat suitability index for the great crested newt Triturus cristatus

An improved habitat suitability index for the great crested newt Triturus cristatus

Effective Communication: Digital, Informational, Sociolinguistic Aspects (European Experience)

The modern era of digital technologies and globalization has led to significant changes in approaches to communication. The present paper analyzes how digital, informational and sociolinguistic aspects influence the processes of effective communication, with a special focus on the European experience. The impact of digital transformation, information transparency, linguistic diversity and cultural adaptation on communication processes in modern society has been considered. The research has found that digitalization contributes to increased accessibility and speed of communication, but also poses challenges related to the digital divide and data protection. Information transparency and accessibility proved to be crucial to ensuring trust and effective exchange of information. Sociolinguistic aspects, especially language and cultural adaptation, have become of key importance to the development of effective intercultural communication, which is critical in a multilingual and culturally diverse European environment. The ability to adapt communication approaches to the specifics of each culture and language context has proven to be crucial in achieving success in international interaction and cooperation. Awareness of the cultural differences, norms, values and language of each target audience helps create more accurate and effective communication strategies, ensuring greater engagement and efficiency. Practical applications of these findings may involve the development of communication strategies that take into account cultural diversity and language, as well as ensure information security and transparency.

Dynamic Neural Assimilation: a deep learning and data assimilation model for air quality predictions

Ambient air pollution is known to be a serious issue that has an impact on human health and the environment. Assessing air quality is of the utmost importance to protect human health and the environment. Different tools are available, from monitoring stations to complex models. These systems are capable of accurately predicting air quality levels, but they are often computationally very expensive which makes them poorly efficient. In this paper, we developed a novel model called Dynamic Neural Assimilation (DyNA) integrating Recurrent Neural Networks and Data Assimilation methods to derive a physics-informed system capable of accurately forecasting air pollution tendencies and investigating the relationship with industrial statistics. DyNA is trained in historical data and is fine-tuned as soon as new data comes available. We trained and tested the system on real data provided by the air quality monitoring stations located in Italy from the European Environment Agency and simulated results derived from the air quality modelling system Atmospheric Modelling System-Model to support the International Negotiation on atmospheric pollution on a National Italian level. We analysed air pollution data in Italy from the years 2003–2010 and studied its correlation with nearby industries in some regions where monitoring sensors were available.

The Non-Deterioration Obligation in the Nature Restoration Regulation – a Necessary and Proportionate Addition to the Habitats Directive or a Monstrosity with Disastrous Consequences for Society?

Abstract On June 22, 2022, the European Commission proposed a nature restoration regulation with the aim of restoring degraded ecosystems across the EU by 2050. Under the proposal, Member States must prepare national restoration plans to meet various ecosystem-specific targets and obligations. Controversial is the non-deterioration obligation that will apply in areas where restoration measures are taken and in areas where certain habitat types occur. After the European Parliament (ep) and the European (Environment) Council had both adopted positions that include significant amendments of the non-deterioration provisions, in November 2023 the Council announced a compromise text as the result of the trilogue. This contribution assesses how the compromise text of the non-deterioration obligation addresses drawbacks from the previous proposals, identifies associated questions and offers some suggestions for the interpretation.

The EU Commission’s Infringement Procedures in the Water Sector

Abstract Under Article 17 teu, the EU Commission has to ensure that EU law is implemented by the Member States. For a long time, the European Commission kept its activities with regard to the implementation of Article 258 tfeu rather confidential. Since about ten years, the Commission changed its policy. The Commission installed a database, where it lists all decisions under Article 258 tfeu which it adopted. The present contribution will, on the basis of that database, the different implementation reviews, other Commission publications and the information of the European Environment Agency on the state of the EU environment, retrace the state of affairs with regard to the monitoring, by the Commission, of the implementation of Union legislation in the water sector. This review will show whether the database is up-to-date and it will also provide data to discuss the infringment practice of the Commission in the field of water protection.

The International Standards on Auditing and the Accuracy of Auditors’ Going Concern Disclosures: Evidence for Private Firms in a Low Litigious Environment

ABSTRACT This paper examines the effect of adopting the International Standard on Auditing (ISA) 570 on going concern (GC) disclosures in the audit report in a European environment characterized by low litigation and reputation risk. We exploit a natural experiment in Belgium, where the global GC standard ISA 570 replaced the local GC standard. We examine whether this shift in standards changed the accuracy of auditors’ GC disclosures. Using a sample of 30,339 stressed private companies with audited financial statements for periods ending on or after 15 December 2012 till 14 December 2016, our findings suggest that the adoption of the ISA 570 improves the accuracy of auditors’ GC disclosures. Specifically, we find that the implementation of the ISA 570 is associated with an 8 percent decrease in false positive misclassifications (GC opinion without subsequent bankruptcy), while the rate of false negative misclassifications (bankruptcy without prior GC opinion) remains unchanged.

Bioethics-CSR Divide

Bioethics-CSR Divide

Modelling of Aircraft Non-CO2 Emissions Using Freely Available Activity Data from Flight Tracking

The objective of this work is to develop a new modelling tool to quantify non-CO2 emissions from aircraft during the landing and take-off (LTO cycle) considering the following criteria: (i) utilising freely available activity data; (ii) using widely recommended emission factors; (iii) providing emissions with the spatial and temporal resolution required for local air quality assessment. Freely available flight tracking data obtained from Flightradar24 and emission factors from the European Environment Agency (EEA/EMEP) are considered for the algorithm implementation and tested for Lisbon airport. The analyses of aircraft emissions during various flight stages reveal that HC and CO are mostly emitted during taxiing (93%), while NOX and PM are mostly produced during climb-out (48% and 35%, respectively). Sensitivity analysis, by using simplified activity data from publicly available databases against detailed engine models and emission factors, showed variations in the daily emissions of less than 13% in the case of CO and NOX, but up to 34% for HC and PM. The modelling approach based on freely available activity data developed in this work may offer valuable insights for quantifying airport emissions, providing crucial inputs for air quality assessment, and supporting the definition of mitigation strategies aimed at enhancing sustainability in aviation practices.

Exposure to di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate and breast neoplasm incidence: A cohort study

BackgroundPhthalates are ubiquitous environmental endocrine disruptors. As the predominant phthalate, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) has been considered possibly carcinogenic to humans but large-scale longitudinal evidence is needed to further clarify its carcinogenicity. ObjectivesTo examine the association between DEHP exposure and incidence of breast malignant neoplasm, carcinoma in situ and benign neoplasm. MethodsA total of 273,295 women from UK Biobank cohort were followed up for a median of 13.5 years. Disease information was collected from National Health Service Cancer Registry and National Death Index. Baseline and yearly-average level of DEHP exposure were estimated for each individual by linking chemical monitoring record of European Environment Agency with home address of the participants by Kriging interpolation model. Cox proportional hazard model was employed to estimate the association between DEHP exposure and breast neoplasms. ResultsThe median (IQR) of baseline and yearly-average DEHP concentration were 8000.25 (interquartile range: 6657.85–11,948.83) and 8000.25 (interquartile range: 1819.93–11,359.55) μg/L. The highest quartile of baseline DEHP was associated with 1.11 fold risk of carcinoma in situ (95 % CI, 1.00, 1.23, p < 0.001) and 1.27 fold risk of benign neoplasm (95 % CI, 1.05, 1.54, p < 0.001). As for yearly-average exposure, each quartile of DEHP was positively associated with higher risk of malignant neoplasm (HR, 1.05; 95 % CI, 1.03, 1.07, p < 0.001), carcinoma in situ (HR, 1.08; 95 % CI, 1.04, 1.11, p < 0.001) and benign neoplasm (HR, 1.13; 95 % CI, 1.07, 1.20, p < 0.001). Stratification analysis showed no significant modification effects on the DEHP-neoplasm relationship by menopausal status or ethnicity but a suggestive higher risk in younger women and those who underwent oral contraceptive pill therapy. In sensitivity analysis, the associations remained when excluding the cases diagnosed within 2 years post baseline. ConclusionsReal-world level of DEHP exposure was associated with higher risk of breast neoplasms. Because of the health risks associated with DEHP, its release to the environment should be managed.

Making the whole university entrepreneurial – decades of legitimacy-building through Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship

This article investigates how more than 25 years of combined entrepreneurial activities have not only developed the third mission of an entrepreneurial university but also improved the first and second missions of education and research. The case, Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship, displays how faculty and annual cohorts of student surrogate entrepreneurs taking on university spinoffs, champion pragmatic and moral legitimacy eventually resulting in cognitive legitimacy within the university and beyond. The effects have not only been commercial, making Chalmers University of Technology into a leading European incubation environment, but have also stimulated education and research to become more entrepreneurial. The article introduces an intrapreneurial capability approach to transforming entrepreneurial universities where legitimacy-building over decades around a new entrepreneurial model complements an incrementalist understanding of university development.

Assessment of oceanographic services for the monitoring of highly anthropised coastal lagoons: The Mar Menor case study

Ocean monitoring systems are designed for continuous monitoring of the seas and oceans to track their evolution and thus anticipate environmental issues. However, they are often based on Internet of Things (IoT) systems that are expensive, hard to maintain, and offer little spatial coverage. An emerging alternative is Satellite Remote Sensing (SRS) systems that offer good geographical coverage but, as a reliable and real-time monitoring system, they also face several challenges such as environmental conditions, spatio-temporal granularity, terrain oleography, etc. This paper introduces an easy-to-use software tool to crawl water-quality data from up to 6 satellite instruments (i.e. Sentinel 3A, Sentinel-3B, NOAA VIIRS, SNPP VIIRS, Aqua MODIS, Terra MODIS) of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Coopernicus system and NASA's Marine Environmental Monitoring Service. We also provide an in-depth analysis in terms of reliability and data coverage for the chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) in a highly anthropised local/regional context like the Mar Menor lagoon (Murcia, Spain), where serious socio-environmental issues are arising due to the eutrophication process. Our results show a good linear correlation between in situ data, obtained by several Spanish public institutions since 2016, and data generated by the IRTM-NN (Inverse Radiative Transfer Model-Neural Network) algorithm of Sentinel 3 in general, reaching coefficient correlation values close to 0.9. They also show that organic matter inputs from ephemeral streams are relevant in determining Chl-a concentrations. Moreover, the temporal coverage using a single instrument is rather limited, as no data were recorded for 80% of the days studied. This figure decreases to 30% when data from the 6 satellite instruments are combined, increasing the temporal granularity of the measurements from approximately 5 to 1.5 days, suggesting the need for a combination of these systems for a robust SRS system.

Prendre en compte le lien entre santé et environnement

Prendre en compte le lien entre santé et environnement

Urban environment and health: a cross-sectional multiregional project based on population health surveys in Spain (DAS-EP project) – study protocol

IntroductionThe European Environment Agency estimates that 75% of the European population lives in cities. Despite the many advantages of city life, the risks and challenges to health arising from urbanisation...

Operational experience with Adaptive Gain Integrating Pixel Detectors at European XFEL

The European X-ray Free Electron Laser (European XFEL) is a cutting-edge user facility that generates per second up to 27,000 ultra-short, spatially coherent X-ray pulses within an energy range of 0.26 to more than 20 keV. Specialized instrumentation, including various 2D X-ray detectors capable of handling the unique time structure of the beam, is required. The one-megapixel AGIPD (AGIPD1M) detectors, developed for the European XFEL by the AGIPD Consortium, are the primary detectors used for user experiments at the SPB/SFX and MID instruments. The first AGIPD1M detector was installed at SPB/SFX when the facility began operation in 2017, and the second one was installed at MID in November 2018. The AGIPD detector systems require a dedicated infrastructure, well-defined safety systems, and high-level control procedures to ensure stable and safe operation. As of now, the AGIPD1M detectors installed at the SPB/SFX and MID experimental end stations are fully integrated into the European XFEL environment, including mechanical integration, vacuum, power, control, data acquisition, and data processing systems. Specific high-level procedures allow facilitated detector control, and dedicated interlock systems based on Programmable Logic Controllers ensure detector safety in case of power, vacuum, or cooling failure. The first 6 years of operation have clearly demonstrated that the AGIPD1M detectors provide high-quality scientific results. The collected data, along with additional dedicated studies, have also enabled the identification and quantification of issues related to detector performance, ensuring stable operation. Characterization and calibration of detectors are among the most critical and challenging aspects of operation due to their complex nature. A methodology has been developed to enable detector characterization and data correction, both in near real-time (online) and offline mode. The calibration process optimizes detector performance and ensures the highest quality of experimental results. Overall, the experience gained from integrating and operating the AGIPD detectors at the European XFEL, along with the developed methodology for detector characterization and calibration, provides valuable insights for the development of next-generation detectors for Free Electron Laser X-ray sources.

Annual consumption and types of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers: Ammonia emission indicators for mitigation strategies in the European Union

Anthropogenic ammonia (NH3) emissions are primarily derived from agricultural activities. NH3 emissions from synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilizers are associated with the annual consumption of various N fertilizers. In this study, the annual consumption of different types of synthetic N fertilizers in the EU countries, derived from the database of the International Fertilizer Association, was analyzed, and the implementation of mitigation measures for NH3 emissions at the national level was assessed. NH3 emissions were estimated using the emission factors of different N fertilizers in cool, temperate and hot climates, and low- and high-pH soils, as the European Environment Agency proposed. The results revealed that the annual consumption of various synthetic N fertilizers (average values from 2016 to 2020) varied markedly in different EU countries. France, Germany, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom had the largest annual consumption of synthetic N fertilizers. NH3 emissions from urea-based fertilizers are the highest in most EU countries. The annual NH3 emissions were associated with the type of synthetic N fertilizer consumed. For example, although the annual synthetic N fertilizer consumption in Germany was 38% and 41.5% higher than those in Spain and Italy, the annual NH3 emissions in Germany were 63% and 20% lower than those in Spain and Italy, respectively, due to the high proportion of urea-based fertilizers with the highest emission factor among the synthetic N fertilizers in Spain and Italy. Thus, mitigation strategies should be tailored to specific types of N fertilizers with high emission factors and proportions to minimize NH3 emissions. Since the NH3 emissions from urea-based fertilizers are the highest in the EU countries, especially in the top five countries, we recommend the addition of urease inhibitors to urea fertilizers as one important strategy for mitigating NH3 emissions.

Light-Pollution-Monitoring Method for Selected Environmental and Social Elements

Light pollution significantly interferes with animal and human life and should, therefore, be included in the factors that threaten ecosystems. The main aim of this research is to develop a methodology for monitoring environmental and social elements subjected to light pollution in anthropogenic areas. This research is based on yearly and monthly photographs acquired from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite; land cover data from the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) program; and environmental data from the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA). The processing of input data for further analyses, the testing of the methodology and the interpretation of the final results were performed in GIS-type software (ArcGIS Pro). Light pollution in the investigated area was analyzed with the use of maps generated for the years 2014 and 2019. The environmental and social elements were spatially identified in five light pollution classes. The research results demonstrate that the proposed methodology allows for the identification of environmental and social elements that emit light, as well as those that are subjected to light pollution. The methodology used in this work allows us to observe changes resulting from light pollution (decreasing or increasing the intensity). Owing to the use of publicly available data, the methodology can be applied to light pollution monitoring as part of spatial planning in anthropogenic areas. The proposed methodology makes it possible to cover the area exposed to light pollution and to observe (almost online) the environmental and social changes resulting from reductions in light emitted by anthropogenic areas.