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This work shows preliminary results for heavy metals concentrations simulated with the atmospheric modelling system (AMS) of the MINNI project. The simulation has been carried out for the year 2005 with a horizontal resolution of 25 km. The simulated concentrations of As, Cd, Ni and Pb have, in general, the highest values in urban and industrial areas and compare well with available measurements.

Purpose. This study aims to identify clinical and imaging prognosticators associated with the successful bridging or downstaging to liver transplantation (LT) in patients undergoing Yttrium-90 radioembolization (Y90-RE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods. Retrospectively, patients with Y90-RE naïve HCC who were candidates or potential candidates for LT and underwent Y90-RE were included. Patients were then divided into favorable (maintained or achieved Milan criteria (MC) eligibility) or unfavorable (lost eligibility or unchanged MC ineligibility) cohorts based on changes to their MC eligibility after Y90-RE. Penalized logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the significant baseline prognosticators. Results. Between 2013 and 2018, 135 patients underwent Y90-RE treatment. Among the 59 (42%) patients within MC, LT eligibility was maintained in 49 (83%) and lost in 10 (17%) patients. Within the 76 (56%) patients outside MC, eligibility was achieved in 32 (42%) and unchanged in 44 (58%). Among the 81 (60%) patients with a favorable response, 16 (20%) went on to receive LT. Analysis of the baseline characteristics revealed that lower Albumin-Bilirubin score, lower Child–Pugh class, lower Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage, HCC diagnosis using dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging on CT or MRI, normal/higher albumin levels, decreased severity of tumor burden, left lobe HCC disease, and absence of HBV-associated cirrhosis, baseline abdominal pain, or fatigue were all associated with a higher likelihood of bridging or downstaging to LT eligibility (p’s

The inclusion of the environment in the constitutive treaties by the Single European Act (1986) also meant the explicit provision, for the first time, of external European competences in the matter; thus, the Community could ensure "the promotion, on an international level, of measures designed to deal with regional or global environmental problems". This competence will be strengthened and extended by the Treaty of Lisbon (2009) to the issue of climate change presented as an „existential threat to humanity". Out of a concern for soft power and through an exemplary effort, the EU promotes on this legal basis in its external relations with different partners the demands of combating climate change, the objectives of preserving biodiversity, those of the degradation of the marine environment or specific regional cooperation. In this context, innovative tools are used to reveal global environmental challenges and to take into account the needs of ecological transition, such as the carbon adjustment mechanism at borders or new climate clauses inserted in trade agreements in which climate conditionality is present. Such approaches show us how the Union understands how to use legal innovation to favour developments towards sustainable development models, with a vigorous ecoclimatic dimension. In addition to the direct concrete effects, related developments contribute to the consolidation and particularization of the specific international legal regime of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is at the top of the nine 'planetary boundaries' identified by scientists as biophysical thresholds, frontiers that cannot be crossed to avoid brutal, non-linear, potentially catastrophic and largely unpredictable environmental change. They represent for the relevant global response both interlinked strategic objectives and concrete measures and actions of public policy and legal regulation within the framework of global environmental governance. Already enjoying a representative international legal regime, climate change is already developing and has important links with other 'planetary boundaries', such as the ozone layer, ocean acidity, biodiversity loss or atmospheric aerosol pollution, and is stimulating the affirmation of appropriate legal rules and standards for them too. In addition, the European Parliament's proposal for the elaboration and adoption of an international agreement on planetary boundaries (2021) raises important legalpolitical issues of structuring an integrated governance of matter, marking aspects of the transition to international law of the Anthropocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising concerns regarding the reduction in global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions have led to the increasing demand for energy--efficient electric motors. The average life--cycle of a line--operated, three--phase cage induction motor is 20 years, during which the energy consumption of the motor covers more than 95% of its total life--cycle cost. The challenge for super--premium energy--efficiency line--operated, three--phase cage induction motor designers and manufacturers lies in reducing internal power losses of the motor along with its performance improvement, not only in terms of energy efficiency when running the motor on 50 to 100% of load, but also of noise, vibration, temperature rise, starting torque and stator--phase current strength, power factor, and motor life--cycle cost. In this paper, all kinds of power losses in the line--operated, single--speed, low--voltage, three--phase cage induction motor are assessed, and some advanced design techniques for their reduction are reviewed in order to meet motor super--premium energy--efficiency level requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three decades after its conclusion (Rio, 1992) and 28 years after its entry into force (1994), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has managed to make a decisive contribution to the establishment of the global climate regime. In application of its provisions, the international process of cooperation and negotiation aimed at the global mitigation of anthropogenic climate warming and adaptation to the effects of climate change, with a dynamizing role in an international, regional, and national context, was launched and is ongoing. The framework convention, through the conference of the parties and in the achievement of the established final objective, was followed by a significant normative evolution with the major steps being the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol (1997) and the Paris Agreement (2015), which is now in the phase of implementation, thus reaching the affirmation of international climate law, with a consistent component of EU law. The principles it proclaims (starting with the dominant one of common but differentiated responsibilities of the states in the matter), related obligations (common, specific to industrialized countries, and specific to developing countries), the financing mechanism and the permanence of updating and adaptation actions of global action on climate change gives it its role as a permanent and dynamic international framework for debate and response to the current climate crisis. In close connection with two other major framework conventions - the one on biodiversity (1992) and, respectively, that of desertification (1994) - it represents a major landmark in the development of contemporary international environmental law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]