Open research Europe最新文献

Decarbonization of energy production is key in today's societies and nuclear energy holds an essential place in this prospect. Besides heavy-duty electricity production, other industrial and communal needs could be served by integrating novel nuclear energy production systems, among which are low-power nuclear devices, like small modular reactors (SMRs). The ELSMOR (towards European Licensing of Small Modular Reactors) European project addresses this topic as an answer to the Horizon 2020 Euratom NFRP-2018-3 call. The consortium includes 15 partners from eight European countries, involving research institutes, major European nuclear companies and technical support organizations. The 3.5-year project, launched in September 2019, investigates selected safety features of light-water (LW) SMRs with focus on licensing aspects. Providing a comprehensive compliance framework that regulators can adopt and operate, the licensing process of such SMRs could be optimized, helping their deployment. In this prospect, as a result of ELSMOR's work, this article gives an overview of the specific issues that LW-SMRs may bring about in the different domains of nuclear safety, in terms of: •Methodological standpoints: safety goals, safety requirements, safety principles (defence-in-depth implementation);•Main safety functions of reactivity control, decay heat removal and confinement management;•Severe accident management;•Other safety issues particular to SMRs: use of shared systems; performing of multi-unit probabilistic safety assessment (PSA); spent fuel management, transport and disposal management. In this article, adequate methodologies are developed to deal with these issues and to help assess the safety of LW-SMRs. This work gives a precious synthesis of the safety assessment issues of LW-SMRs and of the associated methodologies developed in the context of the ELSMOR European project.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected virtually all daily activities, relations and practices. People were expected to act responsibly by following social distancing, masking, sanitation and stay-home rules. The prevailing ethos of the time was that to protect others, one must first protect oneself. By examining the creative modalities through which (a few) people in Paris circumvented mobility restrictions to help and support those in need, this article investigates the relation between (im)mobility and (ir)responsibility. Is mobility, during a time of forced immobility, an irresponsible act? What does it mean to act responsibly during a life-threatening emergency? Does responsibility always require complete and unequivocal compliance with extant norms, or should responsibility also be evaluated in light of the motives that inspire (unauthorised) mobility? The issue of (ir)responsible (im)mobility is scrutinised here by drawing upon the work of Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida. While the former furthers our understanding of ethical relations, the latter makes us rethink the concept of response-ability and, in particular, the aporia this concept entails. As Derrida highlights, truly ethical acts are impossible for the very reason that all ethical acts are, at the very same time, responsible towards some and irresponsible towards others.

Background: There is much value to be gained by linking clinical studies and (biosample-) collections that have been generated in the context of a clinical study. However, the linking problem is hard because usually no direct references between a clinical study and an associated collection are available.

Methods: The BBMRI-ERIC Directory and the ECRIN Metadata Repository (MDR), already include much of the information required to link clinical studies and related sample collections. In this study, we present the work performed to find and implement those links across existing corresponding records in the two systems. The linking process between MDR studies and related collections in the BBMRI-ERIC Directory started with exploring linkage in both directions - searching the BBMRI-ERIC Directory for candidate hits to try to link with MDR records, and searching the ECRIN MDR for candidate hits to try to link with Directory collections. Thereafter, a systematic search through the BBMRI-ERIC Directory was performed.

Results: The investigation of linkages in both directions resulted in a limited but promising number of linkages. The results of the systematic search of the Directory identified linkage of 202 studies, spanning 284 collections.

Conclusions: The analysis with existing data sources indicated that links between the BBMRI-ERIC and ECRIN collections exist, but also that they would be difficult to continuously identify and maintain without a great deal of manual work which neither organisation could support. The question arises whether, in the future, systems could be put into place to make the exchange of information and the linkage of identifiers almost automatic.

Background: The present contribution reexamines the geometry of a segment of a presumably long-lived fault in Svalbard, the Balliolbreen Fault segment of the Billefjorden Fault Zone, along which presumably two basement terranes of Svalbard accreted in the early-mid Paleozoic after thousands of kilometers strike-slip displacement.

Methods: We performed structural fieldwork to Billefjorden in central Spitsbergen and interpreted satellite images.

Results: Field observations demonstrate that the Balliolbreen Fault formed as a top-west thrust fault in the early Cenozoic and that weak sedimentary units such as shales of the Lower Devonian Wood Bay Formation and coals of the uppermost Devonian-Mississippian Billefjorden Group partitioned deformation, resulting in significant contrast in deformation intensity between stratigraphic units. For example, tight early Cenozoic folds are localized in shales of the Wood Bay Formation and contemporaneous top-west brittle-ductile thrusts within coals of the Billefjorden Group, whereas Pennsylvanian deposits of the Hultberget (and/or Ebbadalen?) Formation are simply folded into gentle open folds. Rheological contrasts also resulted in the development of décollements locally, e.g., between tightly folded strata of the Wood Bay Formation and Billefjorden Group and flat-lying, brecciated limestone-dominated strata of the Wordiekammen Formation. Despite the limited quality and continuity of outcrops in the area, the eastward-thickening character (i.e., away from the fault) of Pennsylvanian deposits of the Hultberget, Ebbadalen, and Minkinfjellet formations suggests that the fault did not act as a normal fault in Pennsylvanian times.

Conclusions: The study suggests that strain partitioning of early Cenozoic Eurekan contraction alone may explain the deformation patterns in Paleozoic rock units in central Spitsbergen, i.e., that Late Devonian Svalbardian contraction is not required, and that a major segment of the Billefjorden Fault Zone formed in the early Cenozoic. The present work illustrates the crucial need for interdisciplinary approaches and composite educational backgrounds in science.

This methodological protocol describes the step-by-step process of identifying the relevant international academic literature to be reviewed within the project 'The affective economies of emerging private renting markets: understanding tenants and landlords in postcommunist Romania" (AFFECTIVE-PRS). It presents: (1) the preliminary decisions taken related to the breadth of the review (choice of databases, type of research, type of reference, searching fields); (2) the operationalisation of keywords and Boolean strings; (3) the further calibration of the searching parameters through piloting; (4) the final retrieval of relevant references through systematic and manual searches; and (5) the geographical coverage of the retained literature. While the paper demonstrates the rigour of the methodological approach taken, it also opens up the space for other scholars to scrutinise, replicate or adjust this approach to their own work.

Background: Bridges are vital construction infrastructures that almost every nation needs in order to function. Climate change is a significant issue, that especially affects the construction industry. It is very important that bridges are able to withstand the impacts of climate change and adaptation measures will be required to achieve this.

Methods: The digital twin will be developed using BIM to manage the climate change adaptation measures for the bridges. A 6D BIM model will be created that includes the 3D Revit model of a bridge featuring climate change measures, the climate change adaptation measures timeline schedule, climate change adaptation cost estimation, and carbon emission estimation, which will be produced using Revit software, Navisworks, and Granta EduPack. The results will show how 6D BIM can be used to support the adaptation of bridges to the effects of climate change.

Results: The findings underscore the efficacy of 6D BIM in enhancing bridge resilience against climate change impacts. The 3D model demonstrates integration of adaptation measures without compromising bridge functionality. Moreover, the 4D model's timeline scheduling facilitates hazard anticipation, project planning, communication enhancement, collaborative efforts, and project visualization. Cost estimations from the 5D model reveal varying costs among adaptation measures, while the 6D model highlights differences in carbon footprints. These BIM dimensions enable stakeholders to analyse effects on project costs and energy consumption, aiding sustainability and cost-efficiency considerations.

Conclusions: The study exhibits the literature review analysis, the risk assessment, research on climate change adaptation strategies, and implementation using Revit 2022, Navisworks 2022, and Granta EduPack software. By contributing to the adaptation of bridges to climate change effects, the research has provided valuable insights and practical implications for enhancing bridge resilience globally.

Background: This study examines the scientific misinformation about climate change, in particular obstructionist strategies. The study aims to understand their impact on public perception and climate policy and emphasises the need for a systemic understanding that includes the financial, economic and political roots.

Methods: A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted using the PRISMA 2020 model. The sample consisted of 75 articles published between 2019 and 2023, sourced from Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar. Methodological triangulation was performed to improve the analysis.

Results: The results show that technological approaches to misinformation detection, such as immunisation and fact-checking, are widely used. However, few studies look in depth at the operational structures that support systematic disinformation.

Conclusions: The study emphasises the urgent need to expand and deepen research on climate disinformation and argues for more global, comparative and adequately funded studies. It emphasises the importance of addressing the systemic complexity of disinformation and integrating different theoretical and methodological approaches. This will help to develop effective measures against hidden networks of influence and mitigate their disruptive effects. The research findings are relevant for policymakers, scientists, academics, the media and the public and will help to improve strategies to combat climate misinformation and promote science-based climate action.

The global antimicrobial resistance crisis has been the driver of several international strategies on antimicrobial stewardship. For their implementation at the field level, the veterinary sector encounters several specific challenges and in particular: (i) a shortage of experts in key disciplines related to antimicrobial stewardship, (ii) a lack of evidence-based antimicrobial treatment guidelines, and (iii) inferior diagnostic tests available compared to human medicine. The present white paper describes how the COST Action ENOVAT (the European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Treatment, CA18217), comprising 332 persons from 51 countries, worked towards solutions to these challenges. Initially, surveys were conducted to explore the present state in Europe in terms of existing antimicrobial use guidelines and microbiology practices performed. Concurrently, various research activities were launched to optimize diagnostics, including development of epidemiological cut-offs, clinical breakpoints and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry interpretive criteria. Also, guidelines drafting groups working towards evidence-based antimicrobial treatment guidelines for six conditions in food-producing and companion animals were established. The processes and outcomes, also in terms of capacity building, are summarized in this white paper where emphasis is placed on sustainability of the activities. Although several ENOVAT initiatives and spin-off projects will continue beyond the Action, we recommend that a new European veterinary research agenda is launched focusing on research and funding leading to long-term impacts on veterinary antimicrobial use.

In recent years, deep learning has gained popularity for its ability to solve complex classification tasks. It provides increasingly better results thanks to the development of more accurate models, the availability of huge volumes of data and the improved computational capabilities of modern computers. However, these improvements in performance also bring efficiency problems, related to the storage of datasets and models, and to the waste of energy and time involved in both the training and inference processes. In this context, data reduction can help reduce energy consumption when training a deep learning model. In this paper, we present up to eight different methods to reduce the size of a tabular training dataset, and we develop a Python package to apply them. We also introduce a representativeness metric based on topology to measure the similarity between the reduced datasets and the full training dataset. Additionally, we develop a methodology to apply these data reduction methods to image datasets for object detection tasks. Finally, we experimentally compare how these data reduction methods affect the representativeness of the reduced dataset, the energy consumption and the predictive performance of the model.

Background: Complex policy problems are not amenable to simple solutions by a few powerful policy actors in one central government. They require collaboration across government and between actors inside and outside of government. However, this requirement for collaboration is no guarantee of collective action. Further, it is difficult to know how to collaborate effectively. We searched the academic and grey literature for advice on how to foster collaborative policymaking.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative systematic review (2024) of peer reviewed journal articles (Web of Science) and grey literature reports (Policy Commons). Each article or report had to inform advice on collaborative policymaking. We used an immersive and inductive approach to identify key themes and relate the results to well-established insights from policy theories.

Results: 86 texts meet the inclusion criteria (49 Web of Science, 37 Policy Commons). Most provide broad definitions of collaborative policymaking, which are similar to definitions of collaborative governance (and connected aims such as policy co-creation). Many assert or assume that greater collaboration, across and inside/outside of government, will improve policymaking and policy. Few individual studies give advice on how to collaborate effectively, but they combine to identify common features of collaboration.

Conclusions: We synthesise the available advice to identify five main features of collaborative policymaking: plan and prepare to collaborate, such as by designing rules and allocating resources; create a sense of collective purpose, such as by setting a boundary around the collaboration and co-producing a common vision; foster creative methods to visualise collaboration and design policy; create new forums to supplement formal collaboration; and clarify the roles and skills essential to each collaborative task.