GHS-AGE: Global gridded estimates of the dominant age of the built stock (1975-2020)

This report describes GHS-AGE, a component of the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) data suite. GHS-AGE consists of spatial raster datasets representing global, gridded estimates of the dominant age of the built stock. GHS-AGE has been derived from a multi-temporal stack of gridded estimates of built-up surface (GHS-BUILT-S R2023A, 1975-2020) and represent the epoch in which 50% of the built-up surface of 2020 has been exceeded for the first time, for each grid cell. GHS-AGE is available in World Mollweide Equal Area projection (ESRI:54009), at 100 m and 1000 m resolution, and for two levels of temporal resolution (i.e., 5-year and 10-year intervals). GHS-AGE enables the global, fine-grained modelling of approximate building construction epoch information using a globally consistent methodology, and constitutes important baseline data for a multitude of applications related to energy efficiency, building stock resilience and vulnerability, urban studies, disaster preparedness and disaster risk management.JRC.E.1 - Disaster Risk Managemen

EUROMOD Country Report - Portugal

The EUROMOD Country Reports have the double function of describing the scope of the EUROMOD simulations, including the underlying assumptions, and providing the validation of these simulations against official statistics. The Country Report for Portugal is prepared by the PT EUROMOD National Team each year, and made available by the JRC on time for the EUROMOD stable release of the model at the beginning of each year.JRC.B.2 - Fiscal Policy Analysi

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of anti-HER2 antibody conjugates labelled with 225Ac

Background: Overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) occurs in multiple carcinomas. For example, up to 20 % of breast cancer cases are classified as HER2 positive (HER2+). For treatment of this disease immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies such as trastuzumab of pertuzumab is usually used. However, the precise targeting of monoclonal antibodies to HER2+ tumour lesions can be used as well in radioimmunotherapy to deliver medical radionuclides precisely to the afflicted area and therefore minimize radiation exposure of healthy tissues. In this study, DOTA conjugates of monoclonal antibodies trastuzumab and pertuzumab were prepared and tested in vitro. One of them, 225Ac-DOTA-pertuzumab, also underwent ex-vivo biodistribution study with normal and HER2+ and HER2- tumour-xenografted mice. This radioconjugate has never been described before. Results: Three DOTA-conjugates of HER2 targeting monoclonal antibodies, trastuzumab and pertuzumab, were prepared and radiolabelled with 225Ac in different molar ratios which lead to optimization of preparation and radiolabelling procedure. Prepared radioconjugates showed excellent stability in vitro in both fetal bovine serum and phosphate buffered saline under room and decreased temperature for 10 days. In in vitro cell studies with HER2-overexpressing cell-line (SKOV-3) and low HER2 expressing cell line (MDA-MB-231) radioconjugates of both antibodies proved to have high binding specificity and affinity towards HER2 receptors. These findings were confirmed for a novel radioconjugate 225Ac DOTA-pertuzumab in ex vivo biodistribution study, when uptake in HER2+ tumour was 50 ± 14 % ID/g and HER2- tumour showed uptake comparable with healthy tissues (max. 5.0 ± 1.7 % ID/g). High uptake in spleen was attributed to elimination of antibody as well as use of immune deficient mouse strain (SCID). Conclusions: During this study the optimization of preparation and radiolabelling of HER2 targeting antibodies with 225Ac was achieved and the radioconjugate 225Ac DOTA pertuzumab was prepared for the first time. Radioconjugates of both tested antibodies showed excellent qualities in terms of stability and HER2 receptor affinity and especially radioconjugate 225Ac-DOTA-pertuzumab is considered promising for further in vivo studies.JRC.G.I.5 - Nuclear Science and Innovation for Energy and Healt

Measurement of the neutron spectrum of the 51V(p,n)51Cr reaction at 1585 keV

Neutron production by 51V(p,n)51Cr reaction close to the reaction threshold is interesting for its pure production of neutrons at low kiloelectronvolts. In this work, for the first time, the angle-dependent neutron spectrum is measured close to the threshold, particularly at 1585-keV proton energy only 20 keV above the reaction threshold. The experiment was performed at the MONNET facility (JRC Geel), employing the Time-Of-Flight technique and a thick Vanadium target. The 7Li(p,n)7Be reaction near the threshold was also measured and used as a reference and in a neutron transmission measurement for self-absorption correction. The angular-dependent energy spectra for the 51V(p,n)51Cr have been obtained and the integrated energy spectrum is presented. Their resulting spectrum reveals a pronounce peak at (6.49 ± 0.04) keV.JRC.G.II.6 - Nuclear Data and Measurement Standard

Cesium and iodine speciation in irradiated UO2 fuel

The presence of CsI in nuclear fuel has long been debated. Its formation significantly decreases volatility, thereby reducing the rate at which iodine and cesium are released from the reactor core during a nuclear accident. A series of samples were investigated by Knudsen Effusion Mass Spectrometry (KEMS) in order to determine whether CsI is present in irradiated nuclear fuel. The examined samples were pure CsI, CsI exposed to gamma radiation, CsIdoped UO2 simulated fuel and irradiated LWR fuel samples. The CsI and CsI-doped samples were examined to establish boundary conditions for the detection of CsI by KEMS. These samples indicated that the presence of CsI in fuel is characterized by three mass spectrometric signals Cs+, I+ and CsI+, with a peak ratio of CsI+ and I+ of 1:0.7. The examinations of irradiated fuels showed none of these characteristics and hence no evidence that CsI is present in irradiated LWR nuclear fuel, at least after a storage period of years.JRC.G.I.2 - Nuclear Material Researc

Scientific Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) – The 2024 Aquaculture Economic Report (STECF 24-14)

Commission Decision of 25 February 2016 setting up a Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, C(2016) 1084, OJ C 74, 26.2.2016, p. 4–10. The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating to marine and fisheries biology, fishing gear technology, fisheries economics, fisheries governance, ecosystem effects of fisheries, aquaculture or similar disciplines. This report on the Economic Performance of the EU Aquaculture sector 2024 provides a comprehensive overview of the latest information available on the production, economic value, structure and competitive performance of the aquaculture sector at the national and EU level. This report includes data for 2008 to 2022 and nowcasting for 2023. The focus within this report is on the period 2017 to 2022 covering data provided under the EUMAP data collection. The data collected is reported by national totals and by segments divided on species. The EU aquaculture sector reached 1.2 million tonnes in sales volume and €4.8 billion in turnover, in 2022. This correspond to a 1% increase in volume and 13% increase in value compared to 2021. The overall number of enterprise were estimated to 14 thousand, whereas the total number of employees and full time employed reached 73 thousand and 41 thousand in 2022, respectively. The report furthermore contains two special chapters. A chapter analysing the economic sustainability of the EU aquaculture sector using economic sustainable indicators and a chapter providing information on the latest nowcast analysis.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate

The ecological and evolutionary dynamics of inselbergs

Islands are fundamental model systems in ecology, biogeography, and evolutionary biology. However, terrestrial islands, unlike their aquatic counterparts, have received comparatively less attention. Among these land islands, inselbergs (i.e. isolated rock outcrops with diverse lithologies and a modest topographical prominence) stand out as iconic examples distributed worldwide across global biomes. Due to their durable lithology, inselbergs change slowly, persisting for tens of millions of years. In this review, we propose a biological definition for inselbergs that captures three fundamental characteristics of inselbergs from the perspective of biota. These are old age, isolation and the presence of unique microhabitats that are rare or absent in the surrounding matrix, fostering distinct communities often with unique and endemic biota. We synthesise the state of the art and formulate a set of testable hypotheses to deepen our understanding of the origins and maintenance of diversity on inselbergs, which are increasingly exposed to anthropogenic threats. By offering different habitats compared to the surrounding habitat matrix (e.g. moist microhabitats in dryland landscapes and xeric environments in humid tropical landscapes), inselbergs may allow specific lineages to thrive beyond their typical geographical limits. Particularly in drylands and degraded landscapes, inselbergs may not just provide different habitats but also act as ecological refuges or evolutionary refugia by providing a wider range of potential microhabitats than the surrounding matrix, enhancing resilience and promoting regional biodiversity. The central role of the matrix ensures that the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of inselbergs differ from those of true islands such as oceanic islands. Given that inselberg biota coexist within a terrestrial matrix, interactions between inselberg and matrix populations impact each other significantly. Over evolutionary timescales, matrix species may contract to inselberg refugia, preserving lineages while cycles of isolation and reconnection may drive speciation via a species pump. Although inselberg biodiversity has been studied predominantly from an island biogeography perspective, we argue that depending on the spatial scale, habitat specificity and mobility of the organisms considered, a range of different theories and paradigms can help explain the biogeography and local distribution patterns of different taxonomic and functional groups of inselberg species.JRC.D.6 - Nature Conservation and Observation

Energy Consumption and Energy Efficiency trends in the EU, 2000-2022

This report discusses the latest status of the energy consumption trends in the European Union (EU), focusing on the four main energy-consuming sectors: residential, tertiary, transport, and industry. During the last few years, there have been notable efforts by the EU to cut energy consumption and improve energy efficiency, as outlined in the energy consumption targets for 2020 and 2030. The report explores the energy consumption progress from 2000 to 2022. Trends in this period may have been affected by three significant events: the financial and economic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine. Special focus is drawn on changes in the use of electricity and natural gas, as well as the penetration of renewable energy sources in the energy mix. The report assesses energy indicators such as energy intensity and energy consumption per capita. In addition, it identifies and analyses the key factors influencing energy consumption trends, such as economic growth, population, heating demand, household characteristics, and energy prices. Findings show that in 2022, primary and final consumption in the EU decreased compared with 2000 and compared with the previous year, but still remained far from the 2030 EU energy efficiency targets. The transport and tertiary sectors showed increases during the studied period. Finally, among the driving factors affecting energy consumption, climatic variations, economic conditions, and energy prices were significant.JRC.C.2 - Energy Efficiency and Renewable

Understanding textile value chains: dynamic probabilistic material flow analysis of textile in the European Union

Textile production and consumption has been increasing over time, along with an increase in waste production. However, there is a substantial gap in knowledge about the textile flows. The European Union has set ambitious target in relation to circularity of the textile sector. Hence, it is essential to understand the complex system of textile production, consumption and disposal to identify the most effective pathways towards circularity. To the best of our knowledge, an overview of textiles flows throughout the whole EU textiles value chain, including both products manufacturing and end of life, remains elusive. To address this gap, this study presents a Dynamic Probabilistic Mass Flow Analysis (DPMFA) of textiles in the EU-27 in the year 2019 (reference year) and 2035 (baseline). It is estimated that annually 11 Mt of used and waste textiles are generated in the EU, of which approximately 80% are either incinerated or landfilled (8.5 Mt).JRC.D.3 - Land Resources and Supply Chain Assessment

Bio-based textiles in a sustainable and circular bioeconomy

Bio-based textiles can be made of natural, semi-synthetic and synthetic fibres. They can help reducing the use of virgin fossil-based synthetic materials, coupled with increasing textile-to-textile recycling and limiting over-production. This is challenging, as synthetic textile fibre production from fossil resources has grown significantly in the last years, reaching 67 % of the global market in 2023. Although cotton is the second most produced fibre at global level, the EU holds a minor share of the cotton market and it is expected to remain a net importer in the near future. Flax, hemp and wool are important sources of natural fibres that can be produced and pro-cessed fully within the EU. However, their val-ue chains are fragmented with small produc-tion volumes, resulting into a limited market share. For flax and hemp, in addition to a gen-eral up-scaling, the steps which have main room for improvements are ret-ting/degumming, spinning, modification and treatment of fibres and yarns. For wool, in-creasing production and use in Europe requires rebuilding a European infrastructure for col-lection and processing. Semi-synthetic man-made cellulosic fibres are obtained by a chemical conversion of cellu-lose. They are, after cotton, the most common bio-based fibre type. In addition to certified wood, important sources of cellulose with high untapped potential are agricultural residues, miscanthus and switchgrass from degraded lands, reallocated wood cellulose from paper to textile industry and end-of-life textiles. Polylactic Acid (PLA) is the only synthetic bio-based polyester fibre on the textile market. Although biodegradable, PLA has inferior per-formances than fossil polyesters and higher costs are often associated. Other fully bio-based synthetic fibres are still in their early developments. The bio-based synthetics pro-duction requires reliable and sustainable sources of bio-based monomers, as well as sufficient and efficient production infrastruc-ture and logistics. Knowledge gaps on sustainability of bio-based synthetics should be addressed.JRC.D.1 - Forests and Bio-Econom