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The BIOPLAT-EU project will promote and support the uptake of sustainable bioenergy projects on marginal, underutilized and contaminated lands (MUC lands). These lands cannot be used for food production or for recreational and conservation purposes, but in some cases, they still retain the potential to produce biomass for non-food purposes. Moreover, such use of these lands is not known to stakeholders, therefore the project will promote and inform about such opportunities through a web-based platform which will include a public user-friendly tool using geographic information system (webGIS tool) that will assess the environmental, social and techno-economic sustainability aspects of defined value chains for bioenergy production on MUC lands and through stakeholder engagement activities. In order to remove legal barriers for the uptake of such projects, communication activities with the responsible authorities will be organised. As for the technical and financial barriers, the project will support stakeholders and give guidance on how such projects can reach implementation stage. Moreover, it will link biomass producers and processors with investors and will guide them on how to make their projects bankable., Proceedings of the 27th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 27-30 May 2019, Lisbon, Portugal, pp. 1921-1924

In 2011, the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP), an initiative composed by over 50 governments and 26 International Organizations, published a set of 24 sustainability indicators for bioenergy. The indicators contain descriptions and annotated methodologies to guide countries in assessing the sustainability of their domestic bioenergy production and use. In 2014, FAO published reports on the pilot testing of the GBEP Indicators carried out between 2012 and 2014 in Colombia and Indonesia. The reports highlighted the opportunities and challenges of the main bioenergy value chains of the beneficiary countries, palm oil biodiesel and sugarcane ethanol in the Latin American country, and palm oil biodiesel in Indonesia. This paper discusses the outcomes of this exercise and the actions to enhance the sustainability of the value chain, with specific focus on palm oil biodiesel in Indonesia. These actions include technical and financial support for the enhancement of independent smallholders’ productivity through higher yielding varieties and improved management practices, and for the uptake of technologies to capture methane emissions and produce biogas from the wastewater of palm oil processing. These actions and the related benefits and challenges are discussed in detail in the final part of this paper., Proceedings of the 25th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 12-15 June 2017, Stockholm, Sweden, pp. 1456-1462

We study a zero range process characterized by the presence of a threshold switching the particle dynamics from the independent particle model to the simple exclusion process. The setting is relevant to pedestrian dynamics in obscured corridors. We investigate the hydrodynamic limit of the model considering both symmetric and asymmetric jump probabilities, and highlight the effect of the threshold parameter on the resulting behavior of the diffusion coefficient and of the outgoing current.

We study the motion of pedestrians through an obscure tunnel where the lack of visibility hides the exits. Using a lattice model, we explore the effects of communication on the effective transport properties of the crowd of pedestrians. More precisely, we study the effect of two thresholds on the structure of the effective nonlinear diffusion coefficient. One threshold models pedestrians’s communication efficiency in the dark, while the other one describes the tunnel capacity. Essentially, we note that if the evacuees show a maximum trust (leading to a fast communication), they tend to quickly find the exit and hence the collective action tends to prevent the occurrence of disasters. Résumé. Nous étudions la dynamique des mouvements de foules dans un tunnel dont la visibilité est très réduite. Tout en particulier, nous nous intéressons ´a des tunnels dont les sorties ne sont pas visibles. Á l’aide de notre modèle – un automate cellulaire – nous exploitons les effets de la communication interpersonnelle parmi les piétons sur la structure de la nonlinéarité du coefficient de diffusion. Nous modélisons l’efficacité de la communication interpersonnelle ainsi que la capacité des sorties á l’aide de deux barrières. Key words: Dynamics of crowd motions ; lattice model ; evacuation scenario ; thresholds ; Mots-clés: La dynamique des mouvements de foules ; des automates cellulaire ; un scénario d’évacuation ; des barrières

Fundamental diagrams describing the relation between pedestrians speed and density are key points in understanding pedestrian dynamics. Experimental data show complex behaviors in which the velocity decreases with the density and different logistic regimes are identified. This paper addresses the issue of pedestrians transport and of fundamental diagrams for a scenario involving the motion of pedestrians escaping from an obscure tunnel. We capture the effects of the communication efficiency and the exit capacity by means of two thresholds controlling the rate at which particles (walkers, pedestrians) move on the lattice. Using a particle system model, we show that in absence of limitation in communication among pedestrians we reproduce with good accuracy the standard fundamental diagrams, whose basic behaviors can be interpreted in terms of the exit capacity limitation. When the effect of a limited communication ability is considered, then interesting non–intuitive phenomena occur. Particularly, we shed light on the loss of monotonicity of the typical speed–density curves, revealing the existence of a pedestrians density optimizing the escape. We study both the discrete particle dynamics as well as the corresponding hydrodynamic limit (a porous medium equation and a transport (continuity) equation). We also point out the dependence of the effective transport coefficients on the two thresholds – the essence of the microstructure information. Keywords: Pedestrians transport in dark, lattice model, hydrodynamic limits, porous media equation, continuity equation, fundamental diagrams, evacuation scenario

Ewings sarcoma in patients over 40 years Ewings sarcoma in patients over 40 years

Mid -term results of an expandable “non invasive” prosthesis in children with distal femur bone sarcomas

Any surgical resection in the lower extremities in children will cause a leg length discrepancy from physeal resection. To avoid the resulting functional deficit, leg length discrepancy must be reconciled with surgical techniques to approximate equal leg lengths at skeletal maturity. Currently there are several manufacturers who offer options for prosthetic reconstruction with expandable implants. These implants can be expanded to a length projected on the basis of three factors: the length of bone resected, the anticipated future growth of the contralateral extremity, and the estimated discrepancy of limb length at skeletal maturity. In this article, we review the basic principles and guidelines for prediction of remaining bone growth and planning lengthening in children, and present the currently available expandable prostheses and the evolution performed over time.

The purpose of this study was to establish the optimal surgical treatment in patients with a Giant Cell Tumour (GCT) involving the acetabular bone. The surgical outcome in 10 patients with GCT involving the acetabular bone was reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups : group 1 in which 5 patients were primarily treated by curettage, and group 2, in which 5 patients were treated by resection and pelvic reconstruction. In group 1, local recurrence occurred in two cases. The functional outcome was excellent or good in 4, and poor in one case. There were no recurrences in group 2, in which the functional outcome was excellent or good in 4 and poor in one patient. The optimal surgical treatment modality should be based upon the tumour extension. Tumours located primarily in the ischiopubic region and not extending proximally beyond the supra-acetabular line can be adequately treated by extended curettage while those with further proximal extension are better treated by en-bloc resection. However, the possible complications of the different methods of pelvic reconstruction should always be considered. © 2008, Acta Orthopædica Belgica.