Hasil untuk "Europe (General)"

J. Etherington, H. Ellenberg, G. K. Strutt

A. Spiro, J. Buttriss

In recent years, there have been reports suggesting a high prevalence of low vitamin D intakes and vitamin D deficiency or inadequate vitamin D status in Europe. Coupled with growing concern about the health risks associated with low vitamin D status, this has resulted in increased interest in the topic of vitamin D from healthcare professionals, the media and the public. Adequate vitamin D status has a key role in skeletal health. Prevention of the well-described vitamin D deficiency disorders of rickets and osteomalacia are clearly important, but there may also be an implication of low vitamin D status in bone loss, muscle weakness and falls and fragility fractures in older people, and these are highly significant public health issues in terms of morbidity, quality of life and costs to health services in Europe. Although there is no agreement on optimal plasma levels of vitamin D, it is apparent that blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels are often below recommended ranges for the general population and are particularly low in some subgroups of the population, such as those in institutions or who are housebound and non-Western immigrants. Reported estimates of vitamin D status within different European countries show large variation. However, comparison of studies across Europe is limited by their use of different methodologies. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency [often defined as plasma 25(OH)D <25 nmol/l] may be more common in populations with a higher proportion of at-risk groups, and/or that have low consumption of foods rich in vitamin D (naturally rich or fortified) and low use of vitamin D supplements. The definition of an adequate or optimal vitamin D status is key in determining recommendations for a vitamin D intake that will enable satisfactory status to be maintained all year round, including the winter months. In most European countries, there seems to be a shortfall in achieving current vitamin D recommendations. An exception is Finland, where dietary survey data indicate that recent national policies that include fortification and supplementation, coupled with a high habitual intake of oil-rich fish, have resulted in an increase in vitamin D intakes, but this may not be a suitable strategy for all European populations. The ongoing standardisation of measurements in vitamin D research will facilitate a stronger evidence base on which policies can be determined. These policies may include promotion of dietary recommendations, food fortification, vitamin D supplementation and judicious sun exposure, but should take into account national, cultural and dietary habits. For European nations with supplementation policies, it is important that relevant parties ensure satisfactory uptake of these particularly in the most vulnerable groups of the population.

H. Loon, J. Rogers

O. Hijazi, S. Munro, B. Zerhusen et al.

Piotr J. Wróbel

General Lucjan Żeligowski’s dilemmas regarding his national identity reflect the difficult choices faced by millions of people living in the borderlands between Russia and various East-Central European nations over the past several centuries. Born and raised in a Polish-patriotic family in 1865 in the heart of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was controlled by Tsarist Russia, he joined the Russian Army out of poverty and became almost entirely Russified. Seeking a compromise between his Polish and Russian identities, he became interested in Slavophile ideology. By the end of World War I, his Polish identity had prevailed over his Lithuanian and Russian sentiments, and he contributed to the rebirth of Poland. However, he noticed a distinction between Poles from central Poland and himself, a “Polish” or “Slavic Lithuanian”. He was very critical of Warsaw’s policies towards the regions of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania and endeavoured to preserve their separate character. In 1939, he escaped from Poland and joined the Polish émigré authorities. In the West, he returned to Pan-Slavic ideology, hoping it would help bridge the Polish-Soviet chasm. Also, his political views shifted. In interwar Poland, he became an agrarian, but he was moving to the left, dreaming of a “People’s Poland”. This allowed him to stay connected with the Soviets during World War II and later to decide on his return to communist-controlled Poland. He had never found peace of mind and paid a steep price for his numerous identity crises. He was not alone; millions traversed similar mental paths, impacting the entire history of Eastern and East Central Europe.

Jorge Elices Ocón

Este trabalho analisa a recepção das estátuas antigas nas sociedades árabe-islâmicas considerando seis estudos de caso que evidenciam seu valor e vigência, da época medieval até os dias atuais: a construção de uma estátua faraônica, de Ramsés II, no Cairo, durante o governo de Nasser, e sua recente transferência, entre as massas, ao novo museu arqueológico; a descoberta de uma estátua de Dario, em 1972, em Susa e seu papel simbólico como peça de destaque do museu arqueológico de Teerã; a estátua moderna de Zenóbia e sua exibição em Damasco, no ano de 2015, no contexto da guerra civil na Síria; a construção de uma estátua dedicada a Kahina, em 2003, no território argelino de Baghai e seu incêndio, em 2016, resultante de conflitos políticos e religiosos entre comunidades (árabes e berberes) e países (Argélia e França); o vídeo de destruição do Museu Arqueológico de Mossul gravado pelos militantes do DAESH em 2015; a exibição inaugural do Abu Dabi Louvre Museum, em 2017, com uma destacada presença da estatuária clássica. A estátua desempenha um papel determinante na reafirmação identitária de certos coletivos ou regimes políticos, e seu significado se constrói tanto a partir de discursos historiográficos ancorados no suposto rechaço, por parte do Islã, às representações figuradas quanto pelo conjunto de respostas que a estatuária suscita. Venerada ou destruída, a estátua forma parte de uma onda iconoclasta atual e que ressoa sobre os debates globais sobre o patrimônio, as identidades, sua representatividade e a revisão da História.

Amr S. Mohamed, Emily Nguyen, Deepa Kundur

Amidst the growing demand for implementing advanced control and decision-making algorithms|to enhance the reliability, resilience, and stability of power systems|arises a crucial concern regarding the safety of employing machine learning techniques. While these methods can be applied to derive more optimal control decisions, they often lack safety assurances. This paper proposes a framework based on control barrier functions to facilitate safe learning and deployment of reinforcement learning agents for power system control applications, specifically in the context of automatic generation control. We develop the safety barriers and reinforcement learning framework necessary to establish trust in reinforcement learning as a safe option for automatic generation control - as foundation for future detailed verification and application studies.

Irena Šutinienė

In this article, the focus is on the memory of repressions in the Kazakhstan Lithuanian diaspora, a large part of which consists of the descendants of Lithuanians who were subject to repression. Based on data from a survey of semi-structured interviews, the interpretations, evaluations, and practices for the memorialisation and commemoration of the memory of the repressions among the representatives of the diaspora are analysed. The connections of this memory with Kazakhstan’s dominant collective memory discourses and the Lithuanian narrative of the memory of repressions are discussed. The analysis reveals how discourses of the memory of the repressions in the country impact the memory of the descendant of the migrants.

Mohamed El Louadi

This paper explores the complex relationship between demographics and artificial intelligence (AI) advances in Europe and Africa, projecting into the year 2050. The advancement of AI technologies has occurred at diverse rates, with Africa lagging behind Europe. Moreover, the imminent economic consequences of demographic shifts require a more careful examination of immigration patterns, with Africa emerging as a viable labor pool for European countries. However, within these dynamics, questions are raised about the differences in AI proficiency between African immigrants and Europeans by 2050. This paper examines demographic trends and AI developments to unravel insights into the multifaceted challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the realms of technology, the economy, and society as we look ahead to 2050.

S. Blankenberg, V. Salomaa, N. Makarova et al.

Abstract Aims Our aims were to evaluate the distribution of troponin I concentrations in population cohorts across Europe, to characterize the association with cardiovascular outcomes, to determine the predictive value beyond the variables used in the ESC SCORE, to test a potentially clinically relevant cut-off value, and to evaluate the improved eligibility for statin therapy based on elevated troponin I concentrations retrospectively. Methods and results Based on the Biomarkers for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in Europe (BiomarCaRE) project, we analysed individual level data from 10 prospective population-based studies including 74 738 participants. We investigated the value of adding troponin I levels to conventional risk factors for prediction of cardiovascular disease by calculating measures of discrimination (C-index) and net reclassification improvement (NRI). We further tested the clinical implication of statin therapy based on troponin concentration in 12 956 individuals free of cardiovascular disease in the JUPITER study. Troponin I remained an independent predictor with a hazard ratio of 1.37 for cardiovascular mortality, 1.23 for cardiovascular disease, and 1.24 for total mortality. The addition of troponin I information to a prognostic model for cardiovascular death constructed of ESC SCORE variables increased the C-index discrimination measure by 0.007 and yielded an NRI of 0.048, whereas the addition to prognostic models for cardiovascular disease and total mortality led to lesser C-index discrimination and NRI increment. In individuals above 6 ng/L of troponin I, a concentration near the upper quintile in BiomarCaRE (5.9 ng/L) and JUPITER (5.8 ng/L), rosuvastatin therapy resulted in higher absolute risk reduction compared with individuals <6 ng/L of troponin I, whereas the relative risk reduction was similar. Conclusion In individuals free of cardiovascular disease, the addition of troponin I to variables of established risk score improves prediction of cardiovascular death and cardiovascular disease.

Kimmo Ruosteenoja, T. Markkanen, A. Venäläinen et al.

Brett Aho, R. Duffield

Abstract Technology giants, bolstered by weak regulatory oversight, have expanded capacities for personal data collection and analysis. This has resulted in a new set of power dynamics and logics of accumulation collectively referred to as surveillance capitalism. In response, the EU and China have adopted major policies on big data with implications for future social and economic development. Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation is a reactive response, asserting individual privacy and placing limits on corporate use of personal data. In contrast, China’s social credit system is a proactive response, combining surveillance architectures and AI technologies for purposes of statecraft. Using a comparative approach, this paper analyses the social and economic implications of two societies attempting to move beyond surveillance capitalism.

Evelin Kovács

Az új vidékfejlesztési gyakorlatok kialakulásának fontos alapja az ellátási láncok újra alkotása. A SFSCk (Short Food Supply Chain) arra is alkalmasak, hogy megtörjék a hosszú, összetett ipari láncok rendszerét. Az SFSC-k esetében a termelői fogyasztói kapcsolatok „lerövidülnek” és újra definiálódnak. A szakirodalmi feltárást követően arra a következtetésre jutottam, hogy a rövid ellátási láncok napjainkban egyre nagyobb figyelmet kapnak, hazánkban is egyre több működési forma jelenik meg. A helyi termékek népszerűsítését számos program segítette az utóbbi években. Azt tapasztaltam, hogy a nemzetközi szakirodalom esettanulmány jelleggel mutatja be a REL-ek működését. A tanulmány elsődleges célja az volt, hogy olyan nemzetközi példákat kutassak fel, amelyek összehasonlítási alapot képezhetnek a hazánkban működő, különös tekintettel a Hajdú-Bihar megyei szerveződéseknek. Ezt követően pedig konkrét Hajdú-Bihar megyében működő hálózatokat mutattam be, négy hálózatot sikerült azonosítanom. Végezetül pedig a REL tagok közötti kérdőíves felmérés eredményét taglaltam. Összegezve a válaszadók 80%-a hisz a REL-ek életképességében, gazdaságos működtetésében. A legtöbben az információs technológia fejlesztését jelölték meg, mint fejlesztendő működési terület. A gazdálkodók hajlandóak lennének a termékelőállítás gazdaságossága érdekében erősíteni a közvetlen értékesítést. A termelők 88%-a értékesít helyi, termelői piacokon. Ők alapvetően elégedettek a termelői piac működésével, emellett úgy vélik gazdasági szempontból kielégítő a termelői piacon történő árusítás.

K. O. Gusarova

The article examines the tension between the individual and the collective in current mainstream photographic practice, which is considered within the long-term historical context of commercial portraiture. The individualizing tendencies of this representational tradition as well as its status as (auto)biographical fiction were astutely analyzed by the Russian avant-garde thinkers Alexander Rodchenko and Osip Brik. Criticizing the persistence of “painterly” clichés in studio photography of their time, they saw these conventional elements as something that obscures and distorts reality, substituting for it a beautiful picture. For these leftist theorists, reality was primarily defined by the interplay of social forces, and isolating the subject within the picture frame was sufficient grounds for their disapproval. Taking up their notion of cliché applied particularly to posing, this article proposes to view it, instead, as an entry point into the usually invisible collective dimension of each individual portrait. The first section of the article discusses historical precedents to current mainstream photographic portraiture in terms of class- and gender-specific pressures on the sitters which have contributed to the homogenization of the genre’s visual canon. The suggestion to view stylistically similar images of individuals as expressing a latent collectivity is developed in the second part of the article, which analyzes Jana Romanova’s photographic series W through the theoretical framework borrowed from Lauren Berlant (“intimate public”, “female complaint”) and Gayle Letherby (“auto/biography”).

E. Kowalska-Olędzka, M. Czarnecka, A. Baran

Abstract Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory disease persisting predominantly in the pediatric population. Its development is most presumably multifactorial and a derivative of interplay between genetic, immunologic, and environmental causes. To the authors’ knowledge, no multinational and systematic database of AD prevalence is established and maintained for Europe. Thus, epidemiologic data originating from the multinational studies was compiled to draw a picture of AD in both pediatric and adult populations in Europe. The outcomes of this exercise support the general observation that AD prevalence follows the latitudinal pattern with higher prevalence values in northern Europe and decreases progressively towards southern Europe. Noteworthy, the data shows significant differences on the country-level, with higher prevalence in municipal areas than rural. Finally, and unsurprisingly, the collected data reinforces the observation of AD prevalence being highest in pediatric populations in contrast to adults. Herein, data presented was additionally supplemented with the information on current standing on AD etiology.

J. Hartl, B. Otto, R. Madden et al.

There have been large numbers of studies on anti-HEV IgG seroprevalence in Europe, however, the results of these studies have produced high variability of seroprevalence rates, making interpretation increasingly problematic. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a clearer understanding of anti-HEV IgG seroprevalence in Europe and identify risk groups for HEV exposure by a meta-analysis of published studies. Methods: All European HEV-seroprevalence studies from 2003 to 2015 were reviewed. Data were stratified by assay, geographical location, and patient cohort (general population, patients with HIV, solid-organ transplant recipients, chronic liver disease patients, and individuals in contact with swine/wild animals). Data were pooled using a mixed-effects model. Results: Four hundred thirty-two studies were initially identified, of which 73 studies were included in the analysis. Seroprevalence estimates ranged from 0.6% to 52.5%, increased with age, but were unrelated to gender. General population seroprevalence varied depending on assays: Wantai (WT): 17%, Mikrogen (MG): 10%, MP-diagnostics (MP): 7%, DiaPro: 4%, Abbott 2%. The WT assay reported significantly higher seroprevalence rates across all cohorts (p < 0.001). Individuals in contact with swine/wild animals had significantly higher seroprevalence rates than the general population, irrespective of assay (p < 0.0001). There was no difference between any other cohorts. The highest seroprevalence was observed in France (WT: 32%, MP: 16%) the lowest in Italy (WT: 7.5%, MP 0.9%). Seroprevalence varied between and within countries. The observed heterogeneity was attributed to geographical region (23%), assay employed (23%) and study cohort (7%). Conclusion: Seroprevalcence rates primarily depend on the seroassy that is used, followed by the geographical region and study cohort. Seroprevalence is higher in individuals exposed to swine and/or wild animals, and increases with age.

M. Castillejos, P. Huertas, Paloma Martín et al.

Abstract Objective To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence and variability in suicidality in the general adult population of Europe between 2008 and 2017. Methods Studies containing original data on suicidality were identified in five electronic databases. Point, 12-month and lifetime prevalences were calculated for various types of suicidality. Pooled prevalence rates were calculated using a random effects model. Subgroup analysis and multivariate meta-regression were also performed. Results We identified 24 papers containing original data, which provided 97 prevalence rates for suicidality. The pooled point prevalence rate was 3.96% (2.37–5.56), pooled 12-month prevalence 2.9% (1.49–4.32), and pooled lifetime prevalence 5.55% (4.31–6.79). The subgroup analysis showed that lifetime prevalence figures for wishing to be dead and suicidal ideation were higher in areas with a population of less than 3,849 inhabitants and in Eastern Europe. Finally, the multivariate meta-regression showed differences with respect to the period and type of suicidality, lower and upper age thresholds, population size, and study area. Conclusion Our data showed that approximately 21% of European individuals have wished to be dead at some point during their lifetime. Studies like this are necessary to highlight the need for efforts to prevent and intervene in suicidality.

Ágnes Keresztesi, M. Birsan, Ion-Andrei Nita et al.

AbstractBackgroundThe chemical composition of precipitation was assessed in 27 European countries from 2000 to 2017, offering a general point of view on the rainwater chemistry in Europe, contributing to a larger understanding of air pollution and atmospheric chemistry.ResultsThe volume-weighted mean concentrations (VWM) were calculated, showing the relative dominance of SO42− and Cl−, explaining the acidic and slightly acidic pH values that ranged from 4.19 to 5.82 over Europe. The VWM concentrations of ionic species measured in rainwater usually followed the SO42 − > Cl− > Na+ > NH4+ > NO3− > H+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ > HCO3− downward order, with small exceptions, depending on the industrial activity or legal framework of a particular area. Fractional acidity showed that ~ 69% of the inorganic acidity in precipitation is neutralised, whilst neutralisation factors showed that Na+ and NH4+ contributed the most to the neutralising process. The relationship between acidic and neutralising compounds was further examined by calculating the ionic ratios. Wet deposition rates showed the dominance of acidic compounds over neutralising ones, reflecting the climatic influences and the local and regional economic characteristics of different regions from Europe. Origins of major ions in rainwater were examined using the sea salt and non-sea salt fractions, crustal and marine enrichment factors, correlation analysis and the Principal Component Analysis, showing the significant influence of anthropogenic sources (industry, agriculture, traffic). Natural sources (maritime, terrestrial) also play a major role in influencing the precipitation chemistry of the European continent.ConclusionsThe main conclusion of this study regarding the precipitation chemistry of the European continent during the studied period is represented by the relative homogenous distribution of the analysed chemical species, which is most likely due to the unitary economic development and to the implementation of common European policies in the field of environmental protection. Since the pH is still acidic due to the anthropogenic emissions, more attention should be given to the implementation of environmental legislation, especially in non-European Union countries or in countries that joined recently.

Goran Durakovic, Pedro Crespo del Granado, Asgeir Tomasgard

Hydrogen will be a central cross-sectoral energy carrier in the decarbonization of the European energy system. This paper investigates how a large-scale deployment of green hydrogen production affects the investments in transmission and generation towards 2060, analyzes the North Sea area with the main offshore wind projects, and assesses the development of an offshore energy hub. Results indicate that the hydrogen deployment has a tremendous impact on the grid development in Europe and in the North Sea. Findings indicate that total power generation capacity increases around 50%. The offshore energy hub acts mainly as a power transmission asset, leads to a reduction in total generation capacity, and is central to unlock the offshore wind potential in the North Sea. The effect of hydrogen deployment on power prices is multifaceted. In regions where power prices have typically been lower than elsewhere in Europe, it is observed that hydrogen increases the power price considerably. However, as hydrogen flexibility relieves stress in high-demand periods for the grid, power prices decrease in average for some countries. This suggests that while the deployment of green hydrogen will lead to a significant increase in power demand, power prices will not necessarily experience a large increase.

Fei Wu, Stefan Pfenninger

Bioenergy is currently a major renewable energy source in Europe but faces an unclear future because of conflicting modelling results and the lack of long-term policy. This paper identifies three challenges and potential opportunities by reviewing bioenergy historical national deployment, current policy support, and possible future roles in Europe. The first challenge is on the supply side. Analysing the supply-consumption dynamics and import dependency of EU bioenergy, we find that the security of bioenergy supply is challenging for liquid biofuels and those countries with the highest per-capita bioenergy consumption in Europe. Second, the definition of sustainable bioenergy in modelling studies is sometimes inconsistent with how EU policies label it. Third, on the demand side, there are unique but competing uses for bioenergy without a clear long-term strategy in Europe. We conclude with three opportunities to tackle these challenges for future research. First, utilising the untapped bioenergy potential with low environmental impacts could improve supply security. A clear and harmonised definition of sustainable bioenergy could better convey modelling results to policymaking. Finally, understanding where best to use limited sustainable bioenergy supply through sector-coupled energy system models can provide direction for a clearer EU bioenergy strategy towards 2050.