Speciation and fate of copper in sewage treatment works with and without tertiary treatment: The effect of return flows

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2013 Taylor & Francis.The removal of metals from wastewaters is becoming an important issue, with new environmental quality standards putting increased regulatory pressure on operators of sewage treatment works. The use of additional processes (tertiary treatment) following two-stage biological treatment is frequently seen as a way of improving effluent quality for nutrients and suspended solids, and this study investigates the impact of how back washes from these tertiary processes may impact the removal of copper during primary sedimentation. Seven sites were studied, three conventional two-stage biological treatment, and four with tertiary processes. It was apparent that fluxes of copper in traditional return flows made a significant contribution to the load to the primary treatment tanks, and that<1% of this was in the dissolved phase. Where tertiary processes were used, back wash liquors were also returned to the primary tanks. These return flows had an impact on copper removal in the primary tanks, probably due to their aerobic nature. Returning such aerobic back wash flows to the main process stream after primary treatment may therefore be worth consideration. The opportunity to treat consolidated liquor and sludge flows in side-stream processes to remove toxic elements, as they are relatively concentrated, low volume flow streams, should also be evaluated

Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries. Review of economic data collected in relation to the DCF and harmonisation of sampling strategies (STECF-11-19)

The STECF Expert Working Group (EWG) on reflections on the review of economic data collected in relation to the DCF and harmonisation of sampling strategies (EWG 11-18) met in Salerno, from 17th to 21st October 2011. The EWG dealt with a broad range of issues that are important in the improvement of the collection of economic data and in the evolution of the DCF. STECF reviewed the report during its Plenary meeting on 7-11 November 2011

Final Report of the Commission on Presidential Disability and the Twenty-Fifth Amendment

This Report examines the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to identify potential difficulties in presidential succession and makes recommendations

Serological surveillance reveals patterns of exposure to H5 and H7 influenza A viruses in European poultry

Influenza A viruses of H5 and H7 subtype in poultry can circulate subclinically, and subsequently mutate from low to high pathogenicity with potentially devastating economic and welfare consequences. European Union Member States undertake surveillance of commercial and backyard poultry for early detection and control of subclinical H5 and H7 influenza A infection. This surveillance has moved towards a risk‐based sampling approach in recent years; however quantitative measures of relative risk associated with risk factors utilised in this approach are necessary for optimisation. This study describes serosurveillance for H5 and H7 influenza A in domestic and commercial poultry undertaken in the European Union from 2004 to 2010, where a random sampling and thus representative approach to serosurveillance was undertaken. Using these representative data, this study measured relative risk of seropositivity across poultry categories and spatially across the EU. Data were analysed using multivariable logistic regression. Domestic waterfowl, game birds, fattening turkeys, ratites, backyard poultry and the “other” poultry category holdings had relatively increased probability of H5 and/or H7 influenza A seropositivity, compared to laying‐hen holdings. Amongst laying‐hen holdings, free‐range rearing was associated with increased probability of H7 seropositivity. Spatial analyses detected ‘hotspots’ for H5 influenza A seropositivity in western France and England, and H7 influenza A seropositivity in Italy and Belgium, which may be explained by the demographics and distribution of poultry categories. Findings suggest certain poultry category holdings are at increased risk of subclinical H5 and/or H7 influenza A circulation, and free‐range rearing increases the likelihood of exposure to H7 influenza A. These findings may be used in further refining risk‐based surveillance strategies, and prioritising management strategies in influenza A outbreaks

Fuzzy-description logic for supporting the rehabilitation of the elderly

[EN] According to the latest statistics, the proportion of the elderly (+65) is increasing and is expected to double within the European Union in a period of 50 years. This ageing is due to the improvement of quality of life and advances in medicine in the last decades. Gerontechnology is receiving a great deal of attention as a way of providing the elderly with sustainable products, environments, and services combining gerontology and technology. One of the most important aspects to consider by gerontechnology is the mobility/rehabilitation technologies, because there is an important relationship between mobility and the elderly's quality of life. Telerehabilitation systems have emerged to allow the elderly to perform their rehabilitation exercises remotely. However, in many cases, the proposed systems assist neither the patients nor the experts about the progress of the rehabilitation. To address this problem, we propose in this paper, a fuzzy-semantic system for evaluating patient's physical state during the rehabilitation process based on well-known standard for patients' evaluation. Moreover, a tool called FINE has been developed that facilitates the evaluation be accomplished in a semi-automatic way first asking patients to carry out a set of standard tests and then inferencing their state by means of a fuzzy-semantic approach using the data captured during the rehabilitation tasks.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and by EU FEDER funds under project grants TIN2016-79100-R and TIN2015-72931-EXP. It has also been funded by the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla¿La Mancha scholarship 2018-UCLM1-9131Moya, A.; Navarro, E.; Jaén Martínez, FJ.; González, P. (2020). Fuzzy-description logic for supporting the rehabilitation of the elderly. Expert Systems. 37(2):1-16. https://doi.org/10.1111/exsy.12464116372Alamri, A., Cha, J., & El Saddik, A. (2010). AR-REHAB: An Augmented Reality Framework for Poststroke-Patient Rehabilitation. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 59(10), 2554-2563. doi:10.1109/tim.2010.2057750Antoniou, G., & van Harmelen, F. (2004). Web Ontology Language: OWL. Handbook on Ontologies, 67-92. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-24750-0_4Bobillo F.(2008).Managing vagueness in ontologies. Universidad de Granada.Bobillo F. (2015).The fuzzyDL system. Retrieved July 10 2018 fromhttp://www.umbertostraccia.it/cs/software/fuzzyDL/fuzzyDL.htmlBobillo, F., Delgado, M., & Gómez-Romero, J. (2012). DeLorean: A reasoner for fuzzy OWL 2. Expert Systems with Applications, 39(1), 258-272. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2011.07.016Bobillo, F., & Straccia, U. (2016). The fuzzy ontology reasoner fuzzyDL. Knowledge-Based Systems, 95, 12-34. doi:10.1016/j.knosys.2015.11.017Boucenna, S., Narzisi, A., Tilmont, E., Muratori, F., Pioggia, G., Cohen, D., & Chetouani, M. (2014). Interactive Technologies for Autistic Children: A Review. Cognitive Computation, 6(4), 722-740. doi:10.1007/s12559-014-9276-xCarter J. E. L.(2002).The Heath‐Carter anthropometric somatotype—Instruction manual. San Diego:State University.Chiu, Y.-H., Chen, T.-W., Chen, Y. J., Su, C.-I., Hwang, K.-S., & Ho, W.-H. (2018). Fuzzy logic-based mobile computing system for hand rehabilitation after neurological injury. Technology and Health Care, 26(1), 17-27. doi:10.3233/thc-171403Fernández-Caballero, A., González, P., & Navarro, E. (2017). Gerontechnologies - Current achievements and future trends. Expert Systems, 34(2), e12203. doi:10.1111/exsy.12203Giles, R. (1976). Łukasiewicz logic and fuzzy set theory. International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, 8(3), 313-327. doi:10.1016/s0020-7373(76)80003-xHsieh, Y.-W., Hsueh, I.-P., Chou, Y.-T., Sheu, C.-F., Hsieh, C.-L., & Kwakkel, G. (2007). Development and Validation of a Short Form of the Fugl-Meyer Motor Scale in Patients With Stroke. Stroke, 38(11), 3052-3054. doi:10.1161/strokeaha.107.490730Karime, A., Eid, M., Alja’am, J. M., Saddik, A. E., & Gueaieb, W. (2014). A Fuzzy-Based Adaptive Rehabilitation Framework for Home-Based Wrist Training. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 63(1), 135-144. doi:10.1109/tim.2013.2277536Krynicki, K., Jaen, J., & Navarro, E. (2016). An ACO-based personalized learning technique in support of people with acquired brain injury. Applied Soft Computing, 47, 316-331. doi:10.1016/j.asoc.2016.04.039Leap Motion INC. (2018).Leap Motion. Retrieved July 10 2018 fromhttps://www.leapmotion.com/Lukasiewicz, T., & Straccia, U. (2008). Managing uncertainty and vagueness in description logics for the Semantic Web. Journal of Web Semantics, 6(4), 291-308. doi:10.1016/j.websem.2008.04.001Metz, D. . (2000). Mobility of older people and their quality of life. Transport Policy, 7(2), 149-152. doi:10.1016/s0967-070x(00)00004-4Nassabi M. H. Den Akker H. &Vollenbroek‐Hutten M. (2014).An ontology‐based recommender system to promote physical activity for pre‐frail elderly 181–184.Navarro, E., González, P., López-Jaquero, V., Montero, F., Molina, J. P., & Romero-Ayuso, D. (2018). Adaptive, Multisensorial, Physiological and Social: The Next Generation of Telerehabilitation Systems. Frontiers in Neuroinformatics, 12. doi:10.3389/fninf.2018.00043OpenNI Pioneering Members. (2018).OpenNI. Retrieved July 10 2018 fromhttp://openni.ru/about/index.htmlOrbbec 3D. (2018).Orbbec Astra Pro. Retrieved July 10 2018 fromhttps://orbbec3d.com/product‐astra‐pro/Rodríguez, A. C., Roda, C., Montero, F., González, P., & Navarro, E. (2015). An Interactive Fuzzy Inference System for Teletherapy of Older People. Cognitive Computation, 8(2), 318-335. doi:10.1007/s12559-015-9356-6Shaughnessy, M., Resnick, B. M., & Macko, R. F. (2006). Testing a Model of Post-Stroke Exercise Behavior. Rehabilitation Nursing, 31(1), 15-21. doi:10.1002/j.2048-7940.2006.tb00005.xSu, C.-J., Chiang, C.-Y., & Huang, J.-Y. (2014). Kinect-enabled home-based rehabilitation system using Dynamic Time Warping and fuzzy logic. Applied Soft Computing, 22, 652-666. doi:10.1016/j.asoc.2014.04.020Velozo, C. A., & Woodbury, M. L. (2011). Translating measurement findings into rehabilitation practice: An example using Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity with patients following stroke. The Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 48(10), 1211. doi:10.1682/jrrd.2010.10.0203W3C. (2012).OWL 2 web ontology language. Retrieved July 10 2018 from https://www.w3.org/TR/owl2‐overview/Zadeh, L. A. (1965). Fuzzy sets. 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Epistemic policy networks in the European Union’s CBRN risk mitigation policy

This paper offers insights into an innovative and currently flagship approach of the European Union (EU) to the mitigation of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) risks. Building on its long-time experience in the CBRN field, the EU has incorporated methods familiar to the students of international security governance: it is establishing regional networks of experts and expertise. CBRN Centers of Excellence, as they are officially called, aim to contribute to the security and safety culture in different parts of Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia, and South East Europe, in the broadly construed CBRN area. These regional networks represent a modern form of security cooperation, which can be conceptualized as an epistemic policy networks approach. It offers flexibility to the participating states, which have different incentives to get involved. At the same, however, the paper identifies potential limitations and challenges of epistemic policy networks in this form

The Changing Face of Youth Employment in Europe

This article examines trends in youth employment across the EU-15 countries during 2002-6 and 2007-11. Drawing upon microdata from the EU-Labour Force Survey it examines changes in contract-type, hours worked and occupation by level of education. Although the financial crisis creates a discontinuity in numbers employed, and despite certain country specificities, we observe common structural changes across the two periods. We find an increasing shift from permanent full-time to temporary part-time contracts, the ‘hollowing out’ of traditional mid-skill level occupations and evidence of ‘occupational filtering down’ whereby the higher-educated are substituted for the lower-educated in low-skilled occupations. We observe some growth in ‘professionals’ following the crisis, but little evidence of the rise of a new knowledge economy. This raises questions concerning the most appropriate policy approaches to education and training and labour market regulation if European nations are to provide high-quality employment opportunities for their young people

In-house validation of a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of lipophilic marine toxins in shellfish using matrix-matched calibration

A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the quantitative analysis of lipophilic marine toxins in shellfish extracts (mussel, oyster, cockle and clam) was validated in-house using European Union (EU) Commission Decision 2002/657/EC as a guideline. The validation included the toxins okadaic acid (OA), yessotoxin (YTX), azaspiracid-1 (AZA1), pectenotoxin-2 (PTX2) and 13-desmethyl spirolide-C (SPX1). Validation was performed at 0.5, 1 and 1.5 times the current EU permitted levels, which are 160 µg kg-1 for OA, AZA1 and PTX2 and 1,000 µg kg-1 for YTX. For SPX1, 400 µg kg-1 was chosen as the target level as no legislation has been established yet for this compound. The method was validated for determination in crude methanolic shellfish extracts and for extracts purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE). Extracts were also subjected to hydrolysis conditions to determine the performance of the method for OA and dinophysistoxin esters. The toxins were quantified against a set of matrix-matched standards instead of standard solutions in methanol. To save valuable standard, methanolic extract instead of the homogenate was spiked with the toxin standard. This was justified by the fact that the extraction efficiency is high for all relevant toxins (above 90%). The method performed very well with respect to accuracy, intraday precision (repeatability), interday precision (within-laboratory reproducibility), linearity, decision limit, specificity and ruggedness. At the permitted level the accuracy ranged from 102 to 111%, the repeatability from 2.6 to 6.7% and the reproducibility from 4.7 to 14.2% in crude methanolic extracts. The crude extracts performed less satisfactorily with respect to the linearity (less than 0.990) and the change in LC-MS/MS sensitivity during the series (more than 25%). SPE purification resulted in greatly improved linearity and signal stability during the series. Recently the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has suggested that to not exceed the acute reference dose the levels should be below 45 µg kg-1 OA equivalents and 30 µg kg-1 AZA1 equivalents. A single-day validation was successfully conducted at these levels. If the regulatory levels are lowered towards the EFSA suggested values, the official methods prescribed in legislation (mouse and rat bioassay) will no longer be sensitive enough. The validated LC-MS/MS method presented has the potential to replace these animal tests

E-Voting in an ubicomp world: trust, privacy, and social implications

The advances made in technology have unchained the user from the desktop into interactions where access is anywhere, anytime. In addition, the introduction of ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) will see further changes in how we interact with technology and also socially. Ubicomp evokes a near future in which humans will be surrounded by “always-on,” unobtrusive, interconnected intelligent objects where information is exchanged seamlessly. This seamless exchange of information has vast social implications, in particular the protection and management of personal information. This research project investigates the concepts of trust and privacy issues specifically related to the exchange of e-voting information when using a ubicomp type system