Deconstructing the Industrial Emissions Directive’s (2010/75/EU) Regulatory Standards: A Tale of Cautious Optimism

Environmental policy has always been at the core of the EU’s activities. In 2010, the EU adopted the Industrial Emissions Directive (‘IED’). The IED considerably reformed the regulatory framework in this field and aimed to address concerns based on the lack of flexibility in EU governance. This contribution reviews the main characteristics of the IED’s second chapter, concerning integrated pollution prevention and control (‘IPPC’) and assesses their relevance to notions of centralisation or “legalism” as contrasted to de-centralisation and flexibility. It argues that even though the Directive makes some progress towards the right direction, a number of thorny issues still remain unresolved

ANALISIS FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI TINGKAT KEMISKINAN DI KABUPATEN PIDIE

Jumlah penduduk miskin Indonesia mencapai 32,53 juta jiwa atau 14,15 persen dari jumlah penduduk Indonesia, jumlah ini turun dari 34,96 juta atau 15,42 persen pada bulan maret 2008. Kabupaten Pidie merupakan salah satu Kabupaten di Aceh yang penduduknya masih banyak di kategorikan miskin. Kondisi kemiskinan di wilayah di Kabupaten Pidie sifatnya kompleks seperti wilayah persisir, wilayah dataran rendah, dan wilayah pegunungan. Adapun tujuan penelitian yaitu untuk mengetahui faktor-faktor apa saja yang mempengaruhi tingkat kemiskinan di Kabupaten Pidie. Penelitian ini dilakukan di Kabupaten Pidie yaitu dua Kecamatan diantaranya Kecamatan Simpang Tiga dan Kecamatan Tangse. Metode penelitian yang digunakan metode survey dengan metode pengambilan desa sampel secara Purposive Sampling. Sedangkan metode penarikan sampel yang digunakan adalah sample berstrata sebesar 10%, model analisis yang digunakan Regresi Logit. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa faktor tingkat kemiskinan adalah jumlah anggota keluarga yang bekerja, status pekerjaan kepala keluarga, luas rumah, dan luas lahan pertanian berpeluang menurunkan tingkat kemiskinan, sedangkan jumlah anggota keluarga, kepala keluarga bekerja di sektor pertanian, buruh sektor pertanian tanaman pangan, berpeluang meningkatkan tingkat kemiskinan. Kata Kunci : Tingkat Kemiskinan, Faktor-faktor Kemiskina

Hartree-Fock Implementation for Pedagogical & Research Purposes

Often during the process of innovation and scientific advancement, experimentation is the key to increasing the current knowledge of body. Unfortunately, experimentation can often require extended periods of time as well as monetary resources to perform. The use of computational chemistry can increase the rate of scientific advancement by simulating experimental results, allowing researchers to focus on experiments whose computational counterparts show the greatest promise. Students new to the sciences are often not exposed to these methods due to their complexities. The purpose of this project is to implement the Hartree-Fock method, one type of computational chemistry method, whose programming design will serve to act as a pedagogical tool. The Hartree-Fock method was implemented within the Python computer language, using the Jupyter Notebook framework. Python is often used for scientific computing purposes as well as being much simpler to understand in comparison to Java and C++, making it ideal for pedagogical purposes. The use of Jupyter Notebook allows the code to be broken up into separate sections with text headings that provide a description of the theory behind the implementation, as well as referencing material in Introduction to Advanced Electronic Structure Theory, by Attila Szabo and Neil S. Ostlund, if students wish to pursue an in-depth discussion of the code’s theory. The project will be expanded in the future to include Density Functional Theory(DFT), a method that uses Hartree-Fock as a foundation and provides more accurate and powerful simulation capabilities designed for research driven applications as opposed to pedagogical use

Investigating the Macedonia naming dispute in the Twitter era: implications for the Greek identity crisis

The Macedonia naming dispute has been an important issue in Greek affairs. It constitutes both an irresolvable, decades-old international problem and a significant, yet undertheorised, analytical topic. In this context, our aim is to critically explore, highlight and discuss the deep-seated and pervasive patterns, representations, attitudes, beliefs, ideas and norms within the Greek social imaginary, as these emerged on Twitter in real-time, during the mass “Macedonia rally” on February 4, 2018. More specifically, drawing on the dialectical interaction between Twitter posts, sociopolitical behaviours and interpretative analytic frames linked to interdisciplinary theoretical discourses, we attempt to understand and interrogate the intellectual structures, value system and operational categories of a large number of Greek groups on the ‘Twittersphere’. Based on the assumption that, in the last instance, the rigid refusal of the majority of the Greek people to accept a ‘composite name’ solution is connected with the tacit social imaginary of the Greek society, the present paper brings to the fore a complex identity problem. This problem relationally refers to the internal workings of the individuals, the psyche and the unconscious, but also to hidden and unreflected symbolic backgrounds, macro-social processes, and cultural legacies. Our following Twitter network analysis, focused on selected hashtags regarding the ‘Macedonia rally’, point out the character of social dynamics and ascertain the findings of the interpretative research strand

Health beliefs affect the correct replacement of daily disposable contact lenses:predicting compliance with the Health Belief Model and the Theory of Planned Behaviour

Purpose: To assess the compliance of Daily Disposable Contact Lenses (DDCLs) wearers with replacing lenses at a manufacturer-recommended replacement frequency. To evaluate the ability of two different Health Behavioural Theories (HBT), The Health Belief Model (HBM) and The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), in predicting compliance. Method: A multi-centre survey was conducted using a questionnaire completed anonymously by contact lens wearers during the purchase of DDCLs. Results: Three hundred and fifty-four questionnaires were returned. The survey comprised 58.5% females and 41.5% males (mean age 34. ±. 12. years). Twenty-three percent of respondents were non-compliant with manufacturer-recommended replacement frequency (re-using DDCLs at least once). The main reason for re-using DDCLs was "to save money" (35%). Predictions of compliance behaviour (past behaviour or future intentions) on the basis of the two HBT was investigated through logistic regression analysis: both TPB factors (subjective norms and perceived behavioural control) were significant (p. <. 0.01); HBM was less predictive with only the severity (past behaviour and future intentions) and perceived benefit (only for past behaviour) as significant factors (p. <. 0.05). Conclusions: Non-compliance with DDCLs replacement is widespread, affecting 1 out of 4 Italian wearers. Results from the TPB model show that the involvement of persons socially close to the wearers (subjective norms) and the improvement of the procedure of behavioural control of daily replacement (behavioural control) are of paramount importance in improving compliance. With reference to the HBM, it is important to warn DDCLs wearers of the severity of a contact-lens-related eye infection, and to underline the possibility of its prevention

Distribution and transfer of trace metals in the Aegean Seawater (Eastern Mediterranean Basin)

Recent measurements of dissolved Cd, Cu, Ni and Mn in 324 water samples of the Aegean Sea fill the gap of missing knowledge in this part of the Eastern Mediterranean and try to identify their main input sources and spreading pathways. The analyses indicate that trace metal concentrations in the North and South Aegean Sea are generally in good agreement with those reported for the Western Mediterranean Sea. In the North Aegean Sea the trace metal distribution patterns differentiate mainly according to the existing water masses. Hence, a strong influence of the Black Sea Water, enriched in trace metals, is clearly recorded for Mn. Concentrations of this metal are one order of magnitude higher in the surface layer than those of the deeper waters. This feature is followed to a lesser degree also by Cd, Cu and Ni. Trace metal concentrations in the South Aegean Sea reveal almost constant values throughout the watercolumn similar to those observed in the North Aegean Sea below the depth of 100 m. Manganese values in the South Aegean Sea are considerably lower comparing with the North Aegean ones, showing relatively enhanced surface values which decrease with depth

SOPTI Meeting 2020: Abstracts

The 25th National Conference of the Italian Optometric Association (SOPTI) was held in Verona on January 19–20, 2020. The theme of the conference was "Innovative technologies in Optometry and Contact Lenses", was arranged in 3 sessions: optometry, contact lenses, and ophthalmology. Three keynote speakers were invited during the conference: Prof. Rigmor C. Baraas from the University of South-Eastern Norway in Kongsberg, Prof. Silvia Tavazzi from University of Milano Bicocca and Dr. Iwan Zanchetta, clinical practice Rothrist, Switzerland. The abstracts from accepted posters and free papers are presented here