Short Term Scientific Mission Research Articles

Digital Archiving in Archaeology: Assessing the State of the Art

The Saving European Archaeology from Digital Dark Age (SEADDA) COST Action (CA18128) is funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union and aims to create a network for archaeologists and digital specialists to build capacity for the long-term preservation of digital data for archaeology. More than 20 countries are involved in SEADDA, and have undertaken surveys, publications, workshops, STSMs (Short Term Scientific Missions) and other activities carried out to increase awareness and share expertise. Within the scope of the project, Internet Archeology 58 2021, titled "Digital Archiving in Archeology: Assessing the State of the Art", and then Internet Archeology 63 2023, titled "Digital Archiving in Archeology: Additional State of the Art and Further Analyzes" were published. This article will give a brief introduction to SEADDA but will focus primarily on what we are learning from Internet Archaeology 58 and Internet Archaeology 63, how it is helping us to understand digital archaeological data around the world. In this study, 37 articles from 31 different countries were examined, according to three main categories: administrative structure, physical and digital archives for archaeological data. In the light of the data obtained, it is difficult to generalize about archaeological data processes and management; however, different countries and regions are applying different methods to create repositories. Legislation, budgets, and human resources are all factors which affect these processes for preserving digital archaeological data for future generations. But, all countries need to share expertise, and engage in capacity building, especially around legislations, human resources, standards and guidelines, whilst financial support needs to be prioritized.

How well mental health workers are motivated: A case study from Croatia

Like the other medical professions, mental health workers need appropriate motivation for effective treatment work. This study aims to determine the motivators and assess working conditions of mental health workers and how they differ from the motivators and working conditions of other health workers on the example of one of the largest hospital institutions in Croatia – University Hospital Centre Zagreb. The study chose a survey method and distributed a questionnaire among 124 Zagreb University Hospital Centre health workers. The sample covers about 16% of the entire medical staff of the observed departments (psychiatry, emergency, microbiology, gynecology, anesthesiology, COVID-19 unit, and orthopedic surgery). The ANOVA method was used to detect differences in data groups. The results show that Croatian mental health workers are mainly motivated extrinsically. However, compared to other medical professions, e.g., gynecologists, orthopedists, or anesthesiologists, they are upper-middle motivated and leaders in several motivators. Observed Croatian mental health workers are more satisfied with their patient interactions than their colleagues. Female mental health workers are more motivated but less satisfied with the working conditions than males. The study showed that even in one medical institution, there are significant differences in the needs of representatives of different professions. The paper concludes that mental health workers have different motivations, which can be satisfied by creating appropriate working conditions. AcknowledgmentsThe authors acknowledge the COST Action CA19113 «The European Researchers’ Network Working on Second Victims» (ERNST) for short-term scientific mission grant and supporting this study; staff of University Hospital Centre Zagreb for participating in the survey; and the Hauge School of Management of the NLA University College (Kristiansand, Norway) for supporting this publication.

Developing a European network of analytical laboratories and government institutions to prevent poisoning of raptors

Many cases of wildlife poisoning in Europe have been reported causing population declines, especially in raptors. Toxicovigilance and risk assessment studies are essential to reinforce the knowledge of the number of illegal poisoning cases and the substances involved in these crimes. Many researchers and projects in different institutions have suggested the creation of a network to improve communication and share information between European countries. This article presents the results of the Short-Term Scientific Mission titled “Developing a Network of Analytical Labs and Government Institutions” supported by the COST Action European Raptor Biomonitoring Facility (CA16224), which aims to initiate a network of veterinary forensic toxicology laboratories, in order to improve communication among laboratories to prevent wildlife poisoning, especially in raptors. For this purpose, a questionnaire was designed and sent by email to 119 laboratories in Europe. It contained 39 questions on different topics (e.g. laboratory activities, analytical information). A total of 29 responses were received. Most participant laboratories work on veterinary forensic toxicology research and external cases at the same time, which provides a robust overview of the actual situation in the field. Analytical techniques and data collection methods should be harmonised, and communication between laboratories is encouraged to create a more effective network. The present study established contact between laboratories as an initial step to create a European network and compiled basic data to identify strengths and weaknesses that will help harmonise methodologies across Europe and increase pan-European capacities.

GPR Investigation at the Archaeological Site of Le Cesine, Lecce, Italy

In this contribution, we present some results achieved in the archaeological site of Le Cesine, close to Lecce, in southern Italy. The investigations have been performed in a site close to the Adriatic Sea, only slightly explored up to now, and where the presence of an ancient Roman harbour is alleged on the basis of remains visible above all under the current sea level. This measurement campaign has been performed in the framework of a short-term scientific mission (STSM) performed in the framework of the European Cost Action 17131 (acronym SAGA), and has been aimed to identify possible points where future localized excavation might and hopefully will be performed in the next few years. Both a traditional elaboration and an innovative data processing based on a linear inverse scattering model have been performed on the data.

DNA barcode reference libraries: Achievements of the DNAqua-Net Working Group 1

The three main aims for the DNAqua-Net working group 1 (WG1) have been i) to identify gaps in the barcode reference libraries of European aquatic species, ii) to fill these gaps in collaboration with ongoing initiatives, and iii) to facilitate knowledge transfer and initiate work on barcode reference libraries in regions where such activity was low (Leese et al. 2016). WG1 currently has 129 members from 39 countries spanning four continents, with a majority of members from Europe. In our presentation we show the achievements of WG1 during the lifetime of the DNAqua-Net COST action (CA15219; 2016-2021), and discuss some of the highlights obtained through collaborative work and joint dissemination. Specifically, we emphasize the outcomes presented in two peer-reviewed scientific publications that focus on standards for building DNA barcode reference libraries, and gaps in reference databases for European aquatic organisms currently used in national biomonitoring programs (Rimet et al. 2021, Weigand et al. 2019). However, major achievements were also obtained in four workshops (Braga, Pécs, Limassol & Bratislava) and through the activities of 16 short-term scientific missions (STSMs).

Field and Lab Protocols: Achievements of the DNAqua-Net Working Group 3

We review the progress made in building capacity and consensus around field and laboratory methods during the course of the DNAqua-net programme, including short-term scientific missions, training courses, workshops and ring tests. We highlight the challenge of methodological standardisation, where in some cases the same written protocol employed by different laboratories may not always give the same results, but in other cases almost identical results can be obtained using different methodological workflows. As the field of DNA-based biomonitoring moves increasingly into practical application, we consider how end-users can best ensure quality and consistency of results, while also enabling continued technical innovation, which will continue to move the field forwards. We also reflect on the benefits of multi-stakeholder forums such as DNAqua-net for bridging the research-policy gap and accelerating the application and impact of research. Finally, we introduce a major output from the working group: A Practical Guide to DNA-based Methods for Biodiversity Assessment, which synthesises current knowledge to help end-users or those new to the field to understand the methodological choices that have to be made, and the trade-offs implicit in those choices.

COST Action “European network for Web-centred linguistic data science” (NexusLinguarum)

We present the current state of the large “European network for Web-centred linguistic data science”. In its first phase, the network has put in place several working groups to deal with specific topics. The network also already implemented a first round of Short Term Scientific Missions (STSM), which was unfortunately hindered by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Fostering methodological advances and technical capacity building

Abstract Countries all over the world, and especially in Europe, are increasingly using the burden of disease approach to assess the health status of populations and to identify the main drivers of ill health. Thus, there is an increasing need for equitable capacity building on the one hand (including an improved understanding of the complex methods behind global and national burden estimates), and harmonization of methods on the other hand to keep the results comparable. Furthermore, involved researchers also strive for a platform to exchange experiences and foster collaboration. To address the current challenges in burden of disease research, our COST Action CA18218-European Burden of Disease Network will build strongly on the COST mechanisms, such as short-term scientific missions and training schools to foster and increase capacity building activities across Europe. Our Action will also serve as a technical platform where knowledge and expertise can be shared among experienced and less experienced researchers. Collaboratively, the technical platform will provide unique opportunities for developing a joint research agenda in the domain of burden of disease, for fostering methodological developments, and for developing new collaborative research. With this presentation, we aim to show how the COST Action is fostering methodological advances and technical capacity building, focusing on 1) the role and aim of short-term scientific missions including real case examples; 2) the concept and structure of the Action's training schools; and 3) examples of specific methodological activities underway as part of the Action. The session will conclude with an interaction with the audience during which the needs and expectations of the attendees will be elicited.

How should ecohazard of micropollutants in wastewater be gauged? Using bioassays to profile alternative tertiary treatments

This work was conceived within a Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) of the Water2020 Cost Action ES1202: Conceiving Wastewater Treatment in 2020 | Energetic, environmental and economic challenges. Authors from Universidade de Santiago de Compostela belong to the Galician Competitive Research Group GRC 2013-032 and to the CRETUS Strategic Partnership (AGRUP2015/02). All these programmes are co-funded by FEDER (UE)

European Research in Focus: Mechanochemistry for Sustainable Industry (COST Action MechSustInd)

In this Guest Editorial the recently funded COST Action: CA18112 – Mechanochemistry for Sustainable Industry (MechSustInd) is introduced to the scientific community. The use of mechanical energy to facilitate chemical transformations (mechanochemistry) has been rapidly gaining momentum across diverse areas of science. Experimentally, the strategies to mechanically promote physico-chemical changes in matter are varied and include the use of mechanical milling, extrusion techniques, pulsed ultrasonication, and single-molecule force-spectroscopy approaches, among others. Altogether, the implementation of these experimental techniques has resulted in the discovery of new chemical reactions and in the development of more sustainable alternatives to classical synthetic protocols. Collectively, the renaissance and thriving growth of mechanochemistry with its potential to enhance chemical synthesis have been recently acknowledged by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).1 Simultaneously, in 2019, one of the most prestigious and influential funding organizations for research and innovation networks in Europe, the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST),2 funded the COST Action: CA18112 – Mechanochemistry for Sustainable Industry (MechSustInd).3 This will provide a unique opportunity for scientific and technological growth in the area of mechanochemistry across Europe. As such, we are pleased to celebrate as well as to introduce the MechSustInd COST Action in this Editorial. The first steps towards a successful COST Action have already begun. To date, MechSustInd encompasses partners from 33 COST Member Countries, including 18 Inclusiveness Target Countries and partners, nine companies, one European intergovernmental scientific research organization (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, ESRF), as well as partners from Canada, China, Mexico, Russia, Singapore, and USA. In total, represented by 72 Academic Institutions across Europe and around the world (Figure 1). During its lifespan, the COST Action CA18112 MechSustInd will enhance the cooperation of scientists already working in the field, but more importantly it will promote the translation of mechanochemistry into alternative niche sectors. For instance, efforts will be devoted to disseminate and train fundamental aspects of mechanochemistry and mechanochemical techniques within higher education and vocational training settings. Additionally, all members of this COST Action CA18112 will aim to develop mechanochemical synthetic routes of value-added products from laboratory-scale set-ups to large-scale production. This quest will be closely accompanied by physico-chemical and computational studies to better understand the mechanistic aspects prevailing in such mechanochemical transformations. Important to the success of implementing mechanochemical protocols in industry is the development of new mechanochemical techniques to complement existing strategies for the activation of reactants by mechanical treatment. More ambitious targets for MechSustInd also lie ahead, namely, the establishment of fruitful multi-disciplinary collaborative networks involving researchers from a myriad of academic institutions and industries. These networks will share the common objective of harmonizing both fundamental and applied research for industrial needs and fostering technological transfer from research laboratories to industrial value chains. Furthermore, to increase the potential impact of this COST Action, we will engage with key stakeholders to gain awareness of the current developments in policy making, business strategies, and societal needs. Moreover, we wish to use this Editorial to encourage proactive participation of all scientists, educators (schools and universities), engineers, industrial partners, policy- and decision-makers, and funding bodies alike to successfully achieve the objectives of COST Action CA18112 MechSustInd. Undoubtedly, vital for the achievement of this COST Action's objectives will be the use of more focused networking programs such as Short-Term Scientific Missions aimed at fostering collaboration via excellent research infrastructures and sharing techniques amongst the members of MechSustInd. Equally important will be the organization of Training Schools to standardize, propagate, and encourage the adoption of good experimental practices across the current and future mechanochemistry scientific community. Hence, established scientists will work together with Early Career Investigators to promote the scientific excellence within the field whilst maintaining gender balance within the network. Overall, we hope that in the upcoming years, the COST Action MechSustInd will become an inflexion point in the expansion, diversification, and establishment of mechanochemistry in a wide range of fields such as organic chemistry, organometallic synthesis, solid-state chemistry, spectroscopy, molecular modeling, process engineering, and crystal engineering, to name a few. Let the coming chemistry years be mechanical! This article is based upon work from COST Action CA18112, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).

Equality in cleft and craniofacial care

This review examines the issue of equality of care amongst those with cleft lip and/or palate in the European Union (EU) and beyond. Issues of equality both between and within national populations are considered, and it is argued that those from countries with smaller healthcare expenditure and who are from marginalised groups are at the greatest risk of, and affected most severely by, healthcare inequalities. The socioeconomic impact of inequality is also discussed. Having reviewed these topics, the goals and activities of the European Cleft and Craniofacial Initiative for Equality in Care Action, formed pursuant to an award from the EU’s European Cooperation in Science and Technology, are introduced. Constituted of an open network of clinicians and researchers committed to exploring and reducing such inequalities, the ongoing Action is formed of multiple working groups examining these issues within the EU and has organised training schools, conferences and short-term scientific missions concerned with these issues. These activities are discussed along with the future directions of the Action, the impact it has had to date and the benefits of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology award.

New thinking in environmental citizenship

European Network for Environmental Citizenship (ENEC) aims to improve understanding and assessment of environmental citizenship in European societies and participating countries. Environmental Citizenship is a key factor in EU's growth strategy (Europe 2020) and its vision for Sustainable Development, Green and Cycle economy and Low-carbon society (EU-roadmap 2050). The Integrated Network of the ENEC Cost Action will diminish the barriers between human, economic, social, political and environmental sciences multiplying the knowledge, expertise, research and insights of different stakeholders (researchers, scholars, teachers, practitioners, policy officials, NGOs, etc.) related in Environmental Citizenship and focusing on education. ENEC is trying to establish a new theory and a framework of the Education for Environmental Citizenship (EEC), for primary and secondary, formal and non-formal education. The different macro- and micro- level dimensions of formal and non-formal education that could lead to Environmental Citizenship will be focused. By developing National, European and International collaborations ENEC will enhance the scientific knowledge and attention to Environmental Citizenship. Expected deliverables include: a) the creation of a web-site, b) a repository database of scientific measures and evidence based interventions that target Environmental Citizenship, c) the facilitation of scientific training schools, short term scientific missions, conferences and d) the dissemination of collaborative working papers, scientific reports, proceedings, academic publications, policy and recommendation papers and an edited book on Environmental Citizenship. The Action will conceptualize and frame the Environmental Citizenship and will develop new research paradigms and metrics for assessing the Environmental Citizenship. Good examples and best educational practices leading to pro-environmental attitudes, behaviour and values will be highlighted and promoted. Policy measures and recommendations will be proposed. The Action will serve as a vehicle to defragment the knowledge and expertise in Environmental Citizenship.

Priorities in research on foodborne parasites indicated by short-term scientific missions as part of COST Action a European Network for Foodborne Parasites (Euro-FBP)

The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) is a funding organization for the creation of research networks. These networks support collaboration and networking among scientists across Europe and thereby give impetus to research advancements and innovation. One of the most important mechanisms of COST actions are the short-term scientific missions (STSM), which are a funding mechanism that enables scientists, particularly those earlier in their careers, to visit an institution or laboratory in another COST Member state in order to learn techniques that will enhance their skills and improve the scientific knowledge of their institution.The European Network for Foodborne Parasites (Euro-FBP; FA1408) was a COST Action that ended in early 2019, which brought together different experts with knowledge and interest on a broad spectrum of different foodborne parasites of relevance in Europe. In the course of the Euro-FBP COST Action, 32 such STSM occurred. This article provides a short overview of the short-term scientific missions that were approved during this action, as well as the relation of these actions to several relevant socio-economic parameters. The subjects of these STSM, the majority of which were concerned with detection techniques, probably reflect the priorities for research skills on foodborne parasites in Europe.

Special Issue: Interdisciplinary approaches for cement-based materials and structural concrete

Preface This special issue of the Journal of Advanced Concrete Technology presents seven invited journal papers, which were selected on basis of outstanding conference contributions during the International RILEM/COST conference SynerCrete’18, held on 24-26 October 2018 in Funchal, Madeira Island, Portugal, which gathered 183 participants. The selection was made by the scientific committee and the chairpersons among 184 contributions. The conference itself dealt with interdisciplinary approaches for cement-based materials and structural concrete, intending to provide added value through collaborations across the entire field of structural concrete – ranging from concrete technology, over simulation and structural design, production and building, up to operation, monitoring and maintenance. Exciting fields of research such as performance-based design, 3D modelling for analysis/design, Building Information Modelling and even robotics (e.g. digital fabrication or robotics design) were included, while retaining focus on multi-scale approaches at time and spatial levels. Overall, the hereby promoted journal papers are representative for the successful balance act between a great versatility of the conference contributions and the targeted synergizing of expertise aiming on the ultimate goal of reliable and durable concrete structures. SynerCrete’18 also marked the end of COST Action TU1404 “Towards the next generation of standards for service life of cement-based materials and structures” (www.tu1404.eu), offering a final forum to the discussions raised during the funded period of the Action from 2014 to 2018. A sense of accomplishment was felt by all the members of the Action, in the view of the important achievements of networking tools that were brought about by the extended Round Robin Testing Programme (RRT+), the Numerical Benchmarking Activities and 24 Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs). Some of the selected papers in this special issue are the result of fruitful collaborations initiated by COST Action TU1404. A further remark in regard to the wide international institutional support that this conference attained, is about the direct support of RILEM, fib, JCI and ACI. Specifically, with regard to the Japanese Concrete Institute, a mention is given to the special session dedicated to the most recent version of “JCI Guidelines for Control of Cracking of Mass Concrete”, as it was indeed one of the most inspiring documents that influenced the genesis of COST Action TU1404.

Low-cost capillary electrophoresis instrumentation for assessment of rain water ionic composition

The objective of this Short Term Scientific Mission was to test the suitability of capillary electrophoresis for determination of rain water chemical composition. The fully functional, open-hardware, low-cost instrument was assembled and tested. An original protocol for determination of the chemical content of rain water was established and validated in the pilot test. Capillary electrophoresis proofed its highest suitability for the detection and quantification of ions in different samples, indicating substantial differences between clean and dirty snow waters. The hydrostatic sample injection method has been found very efficient and straightforward in manual and laboratory routines. An important deliverable of the Short Term Scientific Mission was a set of multimedia materials for the promotion of CE technique and especially low-cost CE instrumentation.

Characterization of Microseismic Noise in Cape Verde

The authors thank projects CVPLUME (Ref. PTDC/CTE-GIN/64330/2006) and Cape Verde Mantle Structure (YW network) for providing the broadband seismic data they used in this research. This study was partially supported by projects Atmosphere-Ocean-Solid Earth Coupling: Seismic Tools to Explore and Monitor the Oceans (STORM) (Ref. UTAP-EXPL/EAC/0056/2017) and Transnational cooperation-Pessoa Program (PHC-PESSOA) (Ref. 4318/40851YL). This is a contribution to project Fogo Island volcano: multi disciplinary Research on 2014 Eruption (FIRE) (Ref. PTDC/GEO-GEO/1123/2014). Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) Ph.D. Grant Ref. PD/BD/114480/2016 supported Joana Carvalho. Publication supported by FCT-project UID/GEO/50019/2019-Instituto Dom Luiz. The authors are grateful to the European COST action TIDES (ES1401) for all the discussions and for supporting Short-term scientific mission (STSM) of the authors.

Maximum stand density strongly depends on species-specific wood stability, shade and drought tolerance

The Spanish Minister of Economy and Competitiveness (grant number: AGL2014–51964-C2–2-R); the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station (Scientific Contribution Number 2768); the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture McIntire-Stennis (Project Accession Number 1007007); and Short Term Scientific Mission provided by COST Action EuMIXFOR (COST Action number FP1206) to A.B.-O.

SPOT-GPR: A Freeware Tool for Target Detection and Localizationin GPR Data Developed within the COST Action TU1208

SPOT-GPR (release 1.0) is a new freeware tool implementing an innovative Sub-Array Processing method, for the analysis of Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) data with the main purposes of detecting and localizing targets. The software is implemented in Matlab, it has a graphical user interface and a short manual. This work is the outcome of a series of three Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) funded by European COoperation in Science and Technology (COST) and carried out in the framework of the COST Action TU1208 “Civil Engineering Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar” (www.GPRadar.eu). The input of the software is a GPR radargram (B-scan). The radargram is partitioned in subradargrams, composed of a few traces (A-scans) each. The multi-frequency information enclosed in each trace is exploited and a set of dominant Directions of Arrival (DoA) of the electromagnetic field is calculated for each sub-radargram. The estimated angles are triangulated, obtaining a pattern of crossings that are condensed around target locations. Such pattern is filtered, in order to remove a noisy background of unwanted crossings, and is then processed by applying a statistical procedure. Finally, the targets are detected and their positions are predicted. For DoA estimation, the MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm is employed, in combination with the matched filter technique. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the matched filter technique is used for the processing of GPR data. The software has been tested on GPR synthetic radargrams, calculated by using the finite-difference time-domain simulator gprMax, with very good results.

A database model for the analysis and assessment of historic timber roof structures

Visual inspection assisted by well-structured forms allows experts to collect homogeneous data in order to report typical damage/vulnerabilities of structures. This is the basis for deriving vulnerability factors to predict failure mechanisms and identify urgent interventions. A database model with an associated structured form for the assessment of historic timber roof structures has been developed during a two-week Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) in May 2015 at CNR IVALSA Institute in San Michele All’Adige (Italy). The aim is to assist during inspection in recording all the necessary information and later in analysing data from several inspections, allowing to identify typical damage and its causes. The database model, starting from the work of COST Action FP 1101 and further developed and digitalised during the STSM, has been initially populated with data previously collected by the University of Strathclyde through visual assessment of 29 historic timber roofs in Scotland.

Where the thread of home births never broke – An interview with Susanne Houd

The option of a planned home birth defies medical and social normativity across countries. In Denmark, despite the dramatic decline in the home birth rates between 1960 and 1980, the right to choose the place of birth was preserved. Little has been produced documenting this process. To present and discuss Susanne Houd's reflection on the history and social dynamics of home birth in Denmark, based in an in-depth interview. This paper is part of wider Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM), in which this interview was framed as oral history. The whole interview transcript is presented, keeping the highest level of detail. In Susanne Houd's testimony, four factors were highlighted as contributing to the decline in the rate of home births from the 1960s to the 1970s: new maternity hospitals; the development of obstetrics as a research-based discipline; the compliance of midwives; and a shift in women's preference, favouring hospital birth. The development of the Danish home birth models was described by Susanne Houd in regard to the processes associated with the medicalisation of childbirth, the role of consumers, and the changing professional dynamics of midwifery. An untold history of home birth in Denmark was documented in this testimony. The Danish childbirth hospitalisation process was presented as the result of a complex interaction of factors. Susanne Houd's reflections reveal how the concerted action of consumers and midwives, framed as a system-challenging praxis, was the cornerstone for the sustainability of home birth models in Denmark.