Assessment of the use of substances in hydraulic fracturing of shale gas reservoirs under REACH

Hydraulic fracturing is a technique that has been applied for stimulation of conventional oil and gas wells in the US since many years. The recent developments in high volume hydraulic fracturing combined with directional/horizontal drilling techniques have made the gas trapped into unconventional reservoirs such as shale formations economically exploitable. In the US, shale gas has become an important energy resource. In the EU, there is limited experience in the use of these techniques and research/experimental drilling activities have been performed in some Member States where shale gas reservoirs are present. In this context, the EC's Joint Research Centre’s Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (JRC-IHCP) was asked by EC's DG Environment to perform an assessment of REACH registration dossiers of certain selected substances that may be connected with the use in hydraulic fracturing of shale gas reservoirs. The main goal of this task was to understand whether this type of use has been registered under REACH and eventually how industry is dealing with related exposure scenarios and exposure assessments. The present document reports and discusses the results of the analysis of the selected REACH registration dossiers.JRC.I.4-Nanobioscience

Web interactive non intrusive load disaggregation system for active demand in smart grids

A Smart Grid combines the use of traditional technology with innovative digital solutions, making the management of the electricity grid more flexible. It allows for monitoring, analysis, control and communication within the supply chain to improve efficiency, reduce the energy consumption and cost, and maximize the transparency and reliability of the energy supply chain. The optimization of energy consumption in Smart Grids is possible by using an innovative system based on Non Intrusive Appliance Load Monitoring (NIALM) algorithms, in which individual appliance power consumption information is disaggregated from single-point measurements, that provide a feedback in such a way to make energy more visible and more amenable to understanding and control. We contribute with an approach for monitoring consumption of electric power in households based on both a NILM algorithm, that uses a simple load signatures, and a web interactive systems that allows an active role played by users

Monitoring the Shelf-Life of Minimally Processed Fresh-Cut Apple Slices By Physical–Chemical Analysis and Electronic Nose

Fresh-cut apples, in slices or in cubes, are minimally processed products, which are currently collecting a great interest by fruit marketers for their promising diffusion. Their shelf life, from a microbiological point of view, has been fixed about 2 or 3 weeks under refrigeration. However in a few days they undergo biochemical degradations with production of off-flavors and texture breakdown. In this work, the change of aromatic fingerprint of apple slices packaged in air and in a modified atmosphere (with 100% N2) and stored at 4°C was measured, by using a commercial electronic nose. The obtained data were also compared with sensory evaluation of judge’s panel. Moreover, quality parameters such as total acidity, total soluble solids and firmness were determined at different storage times (0, 4, 8 and 12 days). The data show that the electronic nose is able to discriminate between the two different storage conditions applied: the multivariate analysis, Principal Component Analysis, presents clearly differences among the four sampling times when the apple slices are stored in air and in N2. Our results indicate that the electronic nose can be considered a valid supplementary tool to human sensory panel assessment especially in food quality safety and control and it can be a simple, objective and rapid method to control the food quality during the storage

Load Demand Disaggregation Based on Simple Load Signature and User's Feedback

Abstract A detailed and on-line knowledge of the electrical load demand by the users is a critical issue for an effective and responsive deployment of home/building energy management. An approach based on the application of Non Intrusive Appliance Load Monitoring (NIALM) techniques copes with the goal of disaggregating composite loads; but to get a high level of precision, NIALM algorithms need a complete load signature and complex optimization algorithms to find the right combination of single loads that fits the real electrical measurements. On the other hand, it is practically impossible to get the detailed signature of all appliances inside a house/building and sophisticated optimization algorithm are not suitable for on-line applications. To overcome such problems a straightforward NIALM algorithm is proposed, it is based on both a simple load signature, rated active and reactive power and a heuristic disaggregation algorithm. Of course, it is expected that on real applications, this approach cannot reach very high performances; this is the reason why an active involvement of users is considered. The users' feedback aims to: correct the load signatures, reduce the error of disaggregation algorithm and increase the active participation of users in saving energy politics. The NIALM algorithm has been accurately tested numerically using as input load curves generated randomly but under given constraints. In this way, the causes of inefficiency of the proposed approach are quantitatively analyzed both separately and in different combinations. Finally, the increase of the efficiency of the NIALM algorithm due to the application of different feedback actions is evaluated and discussed

Towards a review of the EC Recommendation for a definition of the term "nanomaterial" Part 2: Assessment of collected information concerning the experience with the defintion

This report provides the JRC assessment of feedback on the experiences of stakeholders with the EC nanomaterial definition, published in 2011 (EC Recommendation 2011/696/EU). The report is a follow-up report of the previous JRC report (EUR 26567 EN, 2014), which compiled feedback collected by JRC in 2013 and early 2014, partly through a dedicated survey. Based on the current report, JRC will prepare a set of recommendations for the revision of the EC nanomaterial definition, as part of the review process foreseen in the 2011 EC Recommendation.JRC.D.2-Standards for Innovation and sustainable Developmen

Is contrast enhancement needed for diagnostic prostate MRI?

Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2 (PI-RADS v2) provides clinical guidelines for multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) [T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI)] of prostate. However, DCE-MRI seems to show a limited contribution in prostate cancer (PCa) detection and management. In our experience, DCE-MRI, did not show significant change in diagnostic performance in addition to DWI and T2WI [biparametric MRI (bpMRI)] which represent the predominant sequences to detect suspected lesions in peripheral and transitional zone (TZ). In this article we reviewed the role of DCE-MRI also indicating the potential contribute of bpMRI approach (T2WI and DWI) and lesion volume evaluation in the diagnosis and management of suspected PCa

Towards a review of the EC Recommendation for a definition of the term "nanomaterial"; Part 1: Compilation of information concerning the experience with the definition

In October 2011 the European Commission (EC) published a Recommendation on the definition of nanomaterial (2011/696/EU). The purpose of this definition is to enable determination when a material should be considered a nanomaterial for regulatory purposes in the European Union. In view of the upcoming review of the current EC Definition of the term 'nanomaterial' and noting the need expressed by the EC Environment Directorate General and other Commission services for a set of scientifically sound reports as the basis for this review, the EC Joint Research Centre (JRC) prepares three consecutive reports, of which this is the first. This Report 1 compiles information concerning the experience with the definition regarding scientific-technical issues that should be considered when reviewing the current EC definition of nanomaterial. Based on this report and the feedback received, JRC will write a second, follow-up report. In this Report 2 the JRC will provide a detailed assessment of the scientific-technical issues compiled in Report 1, in relation to the objective of reviewing the current EC nanomaterial definition.JRC.I.4-Nanobioscience

Regulatory aspects of nanotechnology in the agri/feed/food sector in EU and non-EU countries

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La qualificazione delle decisioni adottate dai rappresentanti dei governi degli Stati membri ai fini della loro sindacabilità: alcune osservazioni a margine delle sentenze gemelle della Corte di giustizia nei casi Ema ed Ela.

Il recesso del Regno Unito dall’Unione europea ha determinato la cessazione del mandato di due giudici e di un avvocato generale, nonché il trasferimento di sedi di due agenzie europee, l’Agenzia europea per i medicinali (Ema) e l’Autorità europea per il lavoro (Ela). La Corte di giustizia, attraverso due sentenze emesse il 14 luglio 2022, ha dichiarato l’inoppugnabilità, per difetto di giurisdizione, delle decisioni adottate formalmente dai rappresentanti dei governi degli Stati membri che hanno determinato tali cambiamenti istituzionali. Secondo l’art. 263 del Trattato sul funzionamento dell’Unione europea (TFUE), sono impugnabili solo gli atti delle istituzioni, degli organi e degli organismi dell’Unione europea, senza alcun riferimento esplicito agli atti dei rappresentanti dei governi degli Stati membri. Si tratterebbe di limiti giurisdizionali esplicitamente previsti per preservare l’autonomia delle decisioni degli Stati membri da interferenze delle istituzioni dell’Unione. Tuttavia, l’identificazione dell’autore effettivo di tali atti presenta difficoltà oggettive, poiché non è sempre chiaro se i rappresentanti dei governi degli Stati membri abbiano agito come membri del Consiglio, del Consiglio europeo o come soggetti sovrani. Per affrontare tali problemi, la Corte sembra aver sviluppato nel corso degli anni un criterio basato sulla valorizzazione dell’autore dell’atto impugnato secondo quanto stabilito dai trattati (componente normativa) e sull’analisi delle circostanze di adozione dell’atto e del suo contenuto (componente fattuale). Questo approccio presenta però notevoli incertezze, poiché l’interazione tra le due componenti può portare a risultati diversi a seconda della loro prevalenza, senza una previsione sempre chiara del fattore determinante. In alcuni casi, ciò può condurre alla negazione della giurisdizione da parte della Corte, anche quando i presupposti sembrano esserci, o all’affermazione della giurisdizione quando sembra non esserci. In questo contesto, il presente articolo si propone di analizzare come la Corte di giustizia abbia attribuito gli atti impugnati al loro autore nelle recenti sentenze Ema ed Ela, al fine di indagare i limiti di tale approccio e, più in generale, gli effetti che ne derivano. L’analisi conclude per l’inidoneità del paradigma a identificare l’autore effettivo dell’atto

Study of an innovative non intrusive load monitoring system for energy emancipation of domestic users: hardware and ICT optimized solutions

Non-intrusive appliance load monitoring (NIALM) is the process of disaggregating a household s total electricity consumption into its contributing appliances. Smart meters are currently being deployed on national scales, providing a platform to collect aggregate household electricity consumption data. Existing approaches to NIALM require a manual training phase in which either sub-metered appliance data is collected or appliance usage is manually labelled. This training data is used to build models of the household appliances, which are subsequently used to disaggregate the household s electricity data. Due to the requirement of such a training phase, existing approaches do not scale automatically to the national scales of smart meter data currently being collected. In this thesis an unsupervised disaggregation method is presented which, unlike existing approaches, does not require a manual training phase. A NIALM system reads real-time data from a smart meter, usually positioned at the point on the public electricity network at which the customers is connected, and uses algorithms not only to quantify how much energy is used in the home, but also to determine what main devices are being operated. NIALM algorithms need a complete load signature and complex optimization algorithms to find the right combination of single loads that fits the real electrical measurements. It is practically impossible to get the detailed signature of all appliances inside a house/building and sophisticated optimization algorithm are not suitable for on-line applications. To do so, we address the following topics. First, a straightforward NIALM algorithm is proposed, it is based on both a simple load signature, rated active and reactive power and a heuristic disaggregation algorithm. Second, on real applications, this approach cannot reach very high performances; this is the reason why an active involvement of users is considered. The users feedback aims to: correct the load signatures, reduce the error of disaggregation algorithm and increase the active participation of users in saving energy politics. Third, the NIALM algorithm has been accurately tested numerically using as input load curves generated randomly but under given constraints. In this way, the causes of inefficiency of the proposed approach are quantitatively analyzed both separately and in different combinations. The above contributions provide a solution which satisfies the requirements of a NIALM method which is both unsupervised (no manual interaction required during training) and uses only smart meter data (no installation of additional hardware is required). When combined, the contributions presented in this thesis represent an advancement in the state of the art in the field of non-intrusive appliance load monitoring, and a step towards increasing the efficiency of energy consumption within households