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This work has been published in Solar Energy 198 (2020) 696–703 (DOI:10.1016/j.solener.2020.02.009). In this work, we report the effect of an ultra-thin Al2O3 layer (down to 3 nm) as interface passivation strategy for the improvement of the performance of Cu2ZnSnS4/CdS based solar cells. After an initial optimization, the Al2O3 deposited by thermal evaporation is proved to improve the properties of the p-n junction. The fabricated devices showed an increment in Voc depending on the composition of the absorber, and an improvement in fill factor (FF) apparently related to the insulation of possible shunt-paths. Also, the impact on other optoelectronic parameters is discussed. ; This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 712949 (TECNIOspring PLUS) and the Government of Catalonia's Agency for Business Competitiveness (ACCIÓ). This research has also been supported by the H2020 Programme under the project INFINITE-CELL (H2020-MSCA-RISE-2017-777968), by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities under the IGNITE project (ENE2017-87671-C3-1-R), and by the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF, FEDER Programa Competitivitat de Catalunya 2007–2013). Authors from IREC and the University of Barcelona belong to the SEMS (Solar Energy Materials and Systems) Consolidated Research Group of the "Generalitat de Catalunya" (Ref.2017 SGR 862). M.P. thanks the Government of Spain for the Ramon y Cajal Fellowship (RYC-2017-23758). This research was also supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) with the scholarship No. 433146 and with the project CB-CONACYT-255062. Finally, this research was also supported by Programa de Fortalecimiento de la Calidad Educativa (PFCE 2019) and by Project VIEP 2019.

"Article of digital business taxation issues and threats", analyzes the impact of the digitalization in modern society and the changes of corporate profit tax. This article has been concentrated on the regulation of the European Union but mentions the international adjustments as well. The article has been written in a discussion of national law and bilateral agreements, which apply to the traditional permanent headquarters concept. This article discusses the current situation, where digital businesses are not being taxed with corporate profit tax, and possibilities to change it according to the needs of the digital economy In addition, when digital businesses emerged, the permanent headquarters concept, which taxed based on the permanent location, required further discussion and a new definition. Therefore, the article talks over the proposals of the European Union to equalize corporate profit taxation. The article analyzes the possible consequences and issues of the adaptation of the EU directive. In question of regulating the corporate profit tax, the authors discussed the competence of the EU. ; Darbe ,,Skaitmeninio verslo apmokestinimo įgyvendinimo problemos ir sprendimai", aptariama skaitmenizacijos įtaka šiuolaikinei visuomenei bei pelno mokesčio reguliavimo kaita. Šis darbas yra labiau koncentruotas į Europos Sąjungos kompetenciją tiesioginių mokesčių srityje, pelno mokesčio reguliavimą ES lygmeniu, paliečiant nacionalinį pelno mokesčio reglamentavimą bei dvišales dvigubo apmokestinimo sutartis. Darbe yra nagrinėjama susiklosčiusios situacijos, kuomet skaitmenizuotas verslas nėra apmokestinamas pelno mokesčiu, problematika ir galimybė senas pelno mokesčio taisykles modifikuoti, atsižvelgiant į skaitmeninės rinkos poreikius.Atsiradus skaitmenizuotam verslui, šalia tradicinio pelno mokesčio taisyklės, kuria remiantis, verslas yra apmokestinamas ten, kur turi nuolatinę buveinę, atsirado poreikis diskutuoti ir sukurti skaitmeninės buveinės apibrėžtį. Darbe yra analizuojami ES siūlymai dėl pelno mokesčio suvienodinimo bei nagrinėjamos ES direktyvos pritaikymo pasekmės bei galimi scenarijai ir iššūkiai valstybėms narėms.

BACKGROUND: Although guidelines exist for advanced and variant bladder cancer management, evidence is limited/conflicting in some areas and the optimal approach remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: To bring together a large multidisciplinary group of experts to develop consensus statements on controversial topics in bladder cancer management. DESIGN: A steering committee compiled proposed statements regarding advanced and variant bladder cancer management which were assessed by 113 experts in a Delphi survey. Statements not reaching consensus were reviewed; those prioritised were revised by a panel of 45 experts prior to voting during a consensus conference. SETTING: Online Delphi survey and consensus conference. PARTICIPANTS: The European Association of Urology (EAU), the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), experts in bladder cancer management. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Statements were ranked by experts according to their level of agreement: 1-3 (disagree), 4-6 (equivocal), and 7-9 (agree). A priori (level 1) consensus was defined as ≥70% agreement and ≤15% disagreement, or vice versa. In the Delphi survey, a second analysis was restricted to stakeholder group(s) considered to have adequate expertise relating to each statement (to achieve level 2 consensus). RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Overall, 116 statements were included in the Delphi survey. Of these statements, 33 (28%) achieved level 1 consensus and 49 (42%) achieved level 1 or 2 consensus. At the consensus conference, 22 of 27 (81%) statements achieved consensus. These consensus statements provide further guidance across a broad range of topics, including the management of variant histologies, the role/limitations of prognostic biomarkers in clinical decision making, bladder preservation strategies, modern radiotherapy techniques, the management of oligometastatic disease, and the evolving role of checkpoint inhibitor therapy in metastatic disease. CONCLUSIONS: These consensus statements provide further guidance on controversial ...

The European Union, as an area of unquestionable prosperity, on which the countries that make up it have been working since the 1950s, faces the constant challenge of combating threats to the security of its societies. In a changing world, these threats are constantly evolving. They were first summarised in the European Security Strategy and the list of threats was revised in Global Strategy published in 2016. The Union is therefore aware both of the processes of change in international relations and of the threats that this entails for the Union, its Member States and society. Does this awareness motivate Member States and EU authorities to consolidate their defence efforts? Are the measures to address the risks to the Union adequate to the degree of danger? Are the policies of the Union so developed as to maintain peace of mind in the face of threats? This article analyses the risks and attempts to answer these questions. ; Unia Europejska jako obszar niekwestionowanego dobrobytu, nad budowaniem którego państwa ją tworzące pracują od lat 1950-tych, stoi przed ciągłym wyzwaniem zwalczania zagrożeń dla bezpieczeństwa swoich społeczeństw. W zmieniającym się świecie, zagrożenia te stale ewoluują. Ich pierwszego podsumowania dokonano w Europejskiej Strategii Bezpieczeństwa, a listę zagrożeń zweryfikowano w opublikowanej w 2016 r. Strategii Globalnej. Jest więc w Unii świadomość zarówno procesów zmian zachodzących w stosunkach międzynarodowych, jak i zagrożeń pojawiających się w związku z tym dla Unii, jej państw członkowskich i społeczeństwa. Czy świadomość ta motywuje państwa członkowskie i władze Unii do konsolidacji wysiłku obronnego? Czy środki odziaływania na zagrożenia dla Unii są adekwatne do stopnia niebezpieczeństwa? Czy polityki Unii są na tyle rozbudowane, że pozwalają zachować spokój wobec zagrożeń? Niniejszy artykuł analizuje zagrożenia i stanowi próbę odpowiedzi na powyższe pytania.

Perspective taking techniques have been used to transport people into imaginary situations and the lives of others. Virtual Reality provides an immersive way to virtually experience the lives of stigmatized by society members. Through the support of sensorimotor contingencies, people can use natural movements to view and interact with the virtual world around them. In this study, we compared a perspective-taking immersive Virtual Reality system which supports a number of sensorimotor contingencies (SC group) with a perspective-taking desktop system of the same application but without support of any sensorimotor contingencies (NSC group), to investigate the effect of the supported sensorimotor contingencies in promoting empathy and positive attitudes toward drug users. Results demonstrate a strong correlation between closeness to the drug user and empathy in the SC group. In both groups there were a within group significant change in their reported attitudes before and after their exposure. Finally, participants in the SC condition reported significantly higher levels of Place Illusion (PI), body ownership, agency and plausibility of people. Further research is needed to investigate how sensorimotor contingencies can be exploited to the fullest to be used as an effective method to induce empathy and change attitudes toward stigmatized by society people. ; Funding text We would like to thank Dr. Domna Banakou for the discussion and exchanging ideas on the experimental design and methods. Funding. This research has received funding from the European Union?s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 739578 (RISE ? Call: H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2) and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus through the Directorate General for European Programmes, Coordination and Development.

The European Union, as an area of unquestionable prosperity, on which the countries that make up it have been working since the 1950s, faces the constant challenge of combating threats to the security of its societies. In a changing world, these threats are constantly evolving. They were first summarised in the European Security Strategy and the list of threats was revised in Global Strategy published in 2016. The Union is therefore aware both of the processes of change in international relations and of the threats that this entails for the Union, its Member States and society. Does this awareness motivate Member States and EU authorities to consolidate their defence efforts? Are the measures to address the risks to the Union adequate to the degree of danger? Are the policies of the Union so developed as to maintain peace of mind in the face of threats? This article analyses the risks and attempts to answer these questions. ; Unia Europejska jako obszar niekwestionowanego dobrobytu, nad budowaniem którego państwa ją tworzące pracują od lat 1950-tych, stoi przed ciągłym wyzwaniem zwalczania zagrożeń dla bezpieczeństwa swoich społeczeństw. W zmieniającym się świecie, zagrożenia te stale ewoluują. Ich pierwszego podsumowania dokonano w Europejskiej Strategii Bezpieczeństwa, a listę zagrożeń zweryfikowano w opublikowanej w 2016 r. Strategii Globalnej. Jest więc w Unii świadomość zarówno procesów zmian zachodzących w stosunkach międzynarodowych, jak i zagrożeń pojawiających się w związku z tym dla Unii, jej państw członkowskich i społeczeństwa. Czy świadomość ta motywuje państwa członkowskie i władze Unii do konsolidacji wysiłku obronnego? Czy środki odziaływania na zagrożenia dla Unii są adekwatne do stopnia niebezpieczeństwa? Czy polityki Unii są na tyle rozbudowane, że pozwalają zachować spokój wobec zagrożeń? Niniejszy artykuł analizuje zagrożenia i stanowi próbę odpowiedzi na powyższe pytania.

BACKGROUND: Clinical trials remain key to the development of evidence‐based medical practice. However, they are becoming increasingly complex, mainly in a multinational setting. To address these challenges, the European Union (EU) adopted the Clinical Trial Regulation EU No. 536/2014 (CTR). Once in force, the CTR will lead to more consistent rules and simplification of procedures for conducting clinical trials throughout the EU. Existing harmonization initiatives and "research infrastructures" for clinical trials may facilitate this process. This publication offers a snapshot of the current level of harmonization activities in academic clinical research in Europe. METHODS: A survey was performed among the member and observer countries of the European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (ECRIN), using a standardized questionnaire. Three rounds of data collection were performed to maximize completeness and comparability of the received answers. The survey aimed to describe the harmonization of academic clinical research processes at national level, to facilitate the exchange of expertise and experience among countries, and to identify new fields of action. RESULTS: Most scientific partners already have in place various working groups and harmonization activities at national level. Furthermore, they are involved in and open to sharing their know‐how and documents. Since harmonization was mainly a bottom‐up approach up until now, the extent and topics dealt with are diverse and there is only little cross‐networking and cross‐country exchange so far. CONCLUSIONS: Currently, the ECRIN member countries offer a very solid base and collaborative spirit for further aligning processes and exchanging best practices for clinical research in Europe. They can support a smooth implementation of the EU CTR and may act as single contact with consolidated expertise in a country.

The aim of the article is to determine the scale and structure of, and changes in crime in Poland based on the statistics of the Police and the Border Guard. Although the foreign population in Poland is small in comparison with other European Union countries, the crime by foreigners is a phenomenon which, according to statistical data and media reports, is growing. Therefore, the aim of the article is to verify the scale of the phenomenon and the potential threat it entails. The discussion of the crime phenomenon is supplemented by an analysis of legal solutions adopted in Poland in recent years to prevent crime by foreigners. They are mainly the result of the implementation of the European Union and Council of Europe law. The author makes an attempt to verify whether the adopted legal solutions are reasonable and proportionate to the scale of the threat. ; O objetivo do artigo consiste em determinar a escala, estrutura e mudanças da criminalidade na Polónia, com base em estatísticas da polícia e da guarda de fronteiras. Apesar da população de estrangeiros na Polónia ser pequena em comparação com a de outros países da União Europeia, o crime praticado por estrangeiros é um fenómeno que, de acordo com os dados estatísticos e relatórios dos media, está a crescer. Deste modo, o objetivo do artigo é o de verificar a escala do fenómeno e a potencial ameaça que representa. A discussão sobre o fenómeno do crime é acompanhada por uma análise das soluções legais adotadas na Polónia nos últimos anos para prevenir o crime praticado por estrangeiros. Elas resultam principalmente da implementação do Direito da União Europeia e do Conselho da Europa. A autora tenta verificar se as soluções legais adotadas são razoáveis e proporcionais face à escala da ameaça.

Background: Xylanases are one of the most extensively used enzymes for biomass digestion. However, in many instances, their use is limited by poor performance under the conditions of pH and temperature required by the industry. Therefore, the search for xylanases able to function efficiently at alkaline pH and high temperature is an important objective for different processes that use lignocellulosic substrates, such as the production of paper pulp and biofuels. Results: A comprehensive in silico analysis of family GH11 sequences from the CAZY database allowed their phylogenetic classification in a radial cladogram in which sequences of known or presumptive thermophilic and alkalophilic xylanases appeared in three clusters. Eight sequences from these clusters were selected for experimental analysis. The coding DNA was synthesized, cloned and the enzymes were produced in E. coli. Some of these showed high xylanolytic activity at pH values > 8.0 and temperature > 80 °C. The best enzymes corresponding to sequences from Dictyoglomus thermophilum (Xyn5) and Thermobifida fusca (Xyn8). The addition of a carbohydrate-binding module (CBM9) to Xyn5 increased 4 times its activity at 90 °C and pH > 9.0. The combination of Xyn5 and Xyn8 was proved to be efficient for the saccharification of alkali pretreated rice straw, yielding xylose and xylooligosaccharides. Conclusions: This study provides a fruitful approach for the selection of enzymes with suitable properties from the information contained in extensive databases. We have characterized two xylanases able to hydrolyze xylan with high efficiency at pH > 8.0 and temperature > 80 °C. ; This work has been carried out as part of the European Project WOODZYMES, funded by the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking, under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Grant Agreement H2020-BBI-JU-792070) ; Peer reviewed

© 2020 Sanchez, Gonçalves, Llano, Gonzáles, Fernández-Maldonado, Vogt, Soria, Perez, Cedeño, Fernández, Nourikyan, de Bernard, Ganoza, Pedruzzi, Bonduelle, Mothe, Gòmez, Esteban, Garcia, Lama, Brander and Combadiere. ; [Background]: Our previous work has demonstrated the benefits of transcutaneous immunization in targeting Langerhans cells and preferentially inducing CD8 T-cell responses. ; [Methods]: In this randomized phase Ib clinical trial including 20 HIV uninfected volunteers, we compared the safety and immunogenicity of the MVA recombinant vaccine expressing HIV-B antigen (MVA-B) by transcutaneous and intramuscular routes. We hypothesized that the quality of innate and adaptive immunity differs according to the route of immunization and explored the quality of the vector vaccine-induced immune responses. We also investigated the early blood transcriptome and serum cytokine levels to identify innate events correlated with the strength and quality of adaptive immunity. ; [Results]: We demonstrate that MVA-B vaccine is safe by both routes, but that the quality and intensity of both innate and adaptive immunity differ significantly. Transcutaneous vaccination promoted CD8 responses in the absence of antibodies and slightly affected gene expression, involving mainly genes associated with metabolic pathways. Intramuscular vaccination, on the other hand, drove robust changes in the expression of genes involved in IL-6 and interferon signalling pathways, mainly those associated with humoral responses, and also some levels of CD8 response. ; [Conclusion]: Thus, vaccine delivery route perturbs early innate responses that shape the quality of adaptive immunity. ; This project has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 241904, the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research, Innovation Programme under grant agreement No. 681137, NIH grant P01-AI131568 and La Fondation pour la Recherche Medicale.

Budbreak date in grapevine is strictly dependent on temperature, and the correct simulation of its occurrence is of great interest since it may have major consequences on the final yield and quality. In this study, we evaluated the reliability for budbreak simulation of two modeling approaches, the chilling-forcing (CF), which describes the entire dormancy period (endo- and eco-dormancy) and the forcing approach (F), which only describes the eco-dormancy. For this, we selected six phenological models that apply CF and F in different ways, which were tested on budbreak simulation of eight grapevine varieties cultivated at different latitudes in Europe. Although none of the compared models showed a clear supremacy over the others, models based on CF showed a generally higher estimation accuracy than F where fixed starting dates were adopted. In the latter models, the accurate simulation of budbreak was dependent on the selection of the starting date for forcing accumulation that changes according to the latitude, whereas CF models were independent. Indeed, distinct thermal requirements were found for the grapevine varieties cultivated in Northern and Southern Europe. This implies the need to improve modeling of the dormancy period to avoid under- or over-estimations of budbreak date under different environmental conditions. ; This research was funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, under the Clim4Vitis project: "Climate change impact mitigation for European viticulture: knowledge transfer for an integrated approach", grant agreement no. 810176. It was also supported by FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UIDB/04033/2020 and the French National Research Agency (ANR) in the frame of the Investments for the Future Program, within the cluster of excellence COTE (ANR-10-LABX-45).

Bladder cancer (BC) is the eleventh most diagnosed cancer worldwide. The age-standardized incidence rate (per 100 000 person/years) is 9.0 for men and 2.2 for women [1]. Urothelial carcinoma (UC) represents about 90% of all bladder tumors, thus carrying an enormous social and economic burden [2]. UCs are classified in different stages and grades, depending on their invasiveness and on their degree of cytological abnormalities. The key aspect for a positive prognosis is the early and accurate diagnosis of the lesion stage, in order to identify the most aggressive disease forms and treat them promptly. It is well known that tissue metabolism constitutes a basic mechanism, which is at the base of many pathologies, especially BC. Being able to detect and characterize tissue metabolism and molecular fingerprints at the cellular level could be a key aspect in characterizing the pathology and enabling both early detection and therapy monitoring. The new European Union Horizon 2020 project called AMPLITUDE, the 'Advanced Multimodal Photonics Laser Imaging Tool for Urothelial Diagnosis in Endoscopy', starting in January 2020, proposes the development of an advanced multi-modal imaging tool exploiting new laser technologies in an approach combining confocal and non-linear imaging to fulfil unmet clinical needs in terms of the specificity and accuracy of urothelial cancer diagnosis and therapy monitoring. The project is coordinated by Tampere University (Finland) and carried out in cooperation with leading European research organizations including Aston Insitute of Photonic Technologies—AIPT (UK), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche—CNR (Italy), Institute of Photonic Sciences—ICFO (Spain), University of Milan-Bicocca, Modus Research and Innovation Ltd. (UK) and University of Florence (Italy), as well as industrial partners: Ampliconyx Oy (Finland), Femtonics Ltd. (Hungary), HC Photonics (Taiwan), and LEONI Fiber Optics GmbH (Germany).

BACKGROUND: Although guidelines exist for advanced and variant bladder cancer management, evidence is limited/conflicting in some areas and the optimal approach remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: To bring together a large multidisciplinary group of experts to develop consensus statements on controversial topics in bladder cancer management. DESIGN: A steering committee compiled proposed statements regarding advanced and variant bladder cancer management which were assessed by 113 experts in a Delphi survey. Statements not reaching consensus were reviewed; those prioritised were revised by a panel of 45 experts before voting during a consensus conference. SETTING: Online Delphi survey and consensus conference. PARTICIPANTS: The European Association of Urology (EAU), the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), experts in bladder cancer management. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Statements were ranked by experts according to their level of agreement: 1-3 (disagree), 4-6 (equivocal), 7-9 (agree). A priori (level 1) consensus was defined as ≥70% agreement and ≤15% disagreement, or vice versa. In the Delphi survey, a second analysis was restricted to stakeholder group(s) considered to have adequate expertise relating to each statement (to achieve level 2 consensus). RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Overall, 116 statements were included in the Delphi survey. Of these, 33 (28%) statements achieved level 1 consensus and 49 (42%) statements achieved level 1 or 2 consensus. At the consensus conference, 22 of 27 (81%) statements achieved consensus. These consensus statements provide further guidance across a broad range of topics, including the management of variant histologies, the role/limitations of prognostic biomarkers in clinical decision making, bladder preservation strategies, modern radiotherapy techniques, the management of oligometastatic disease and the evolving role of checkpoint inhibitor therapy in metastatic disease. CONCLUSIONS: These consensus statements provide further guidance on ...

Màster d'Enginyeria Ambiental, Facultat de Química, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2019-2020, Tutors: Bernardí Bayarri, Sergi Astals ; Climate change is one of the biggest challenges humanity is actually facing. This is why the European Union has recently issued a more restrictive waste management Directive, which establishes a minimum percentages of selective waste collection for the coming years. To achieve these objective is necessary to improve the current selective collection methods. This is why organic matter becomes important, due to the large amount that is generated as well as its subsequent valorization possibilities. In this final master project a study of the current collection systems is made to find out which are their main characteristics that allow improving the separation efficiency. In addition, the existing technologies that allow differentiating organic matter from other types of materials are reviewed. Succeeding, an innovative organic matter collection system based on X-ray technology is designed. This prototype is design to reject the organic matter waste bags that have an amount of improper materials greater than the desired maximum limit. In this way, citizens can be rewarded for making good use of the system. Subsequently, due to the high cost of the X-ray based system a second system was designed. It is a system where users are identified by QR codes on the waste bags. This allows a subsequent bag inspection to benefit or fine the user. Finally, a preliminary economic comparison of both systems and the current one is carried out. In addition to the environmental advantages and compliance with the European Directive, better separation of organic waste at source reduces the cost of pre-treating it. With this framework, the economic feasibility of both designs is studied

The city-port context involves a decisive reality for the economic development of territories and nations, capable of significantly influencing the conditions of well-being and quality of life, and of making the Circular City Model (CCM) operational, preserving and enhancing seas and marine resources in a sustainable way. This can be achieved through the construction of appropriate production and consumption models, with attention to relations with the urban and territorial system. This paper presents an adaptive decision-making process for Naples (Italy) commercial port&rsquo ; s development strategies, aimed at re-establishing a sustainable city-port relationship and making Circular Economy (CE) principles operative. The approach has aimed at implementing a CCM by operationalizing European recommendations provided within both the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework&mdash ; specifically focusing on goals 9, 11 and 12&mdash ; and the Maritime Spatial Planning European Directive 2014/89, to face conflicts about the overlapping areas of the city-port through multidimensional evaluations&rsquo ; principles and tools. In this perspective, a four-step methodological framework has been structured applying a place-based approach with mixed evaluation methods, eliciting soft and hard knowledge domains, which have been expressed and assessed by a core set of Sustainability Indicators (SI), linked to SDGs. The contribution outcomes have been centred on the assessment of three design alternatives for the East Naples port and the development of a hybrid regeneration scenario consistent with CE and sustainability principles. The structured decision-making process has allowed us to test how an adaptive approach can expand the knowledge base underpinning policy design and decisions to achieve better outcomes and cultivate a broad civic and technical engagement, that can enhance the legitimacy and transparency of policies.